Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Job'x Reply to Zophar. JOB xir, XIII. He PrnJexKclh his Confidence in OoA.
"He brcnketh down,'" Ac, as an absolute Sovereign, not allowing man to penetrate His luysii-ries; man's part la to bow t(j His uiicliangcai)!( ilcciccs icli. 1.21). The Moliainiiiedan saying is, " if God will, an'.l liow God will." 14. shiitleth up—(Isaiali 22. '22). Joli ri'Icrs lo Zophar's "shut up" (ch. 11. 10). 1.5. Pr(>bai>iy alluding to the flood. IG. (Ezekiel 14. 9). 18. He looseth the itullioplu of kings—the "Ijond" witli which they bind their snljjecls fisaiah 45. 1; Genesis U.4; Daniel 2.21). a glrrtlc— I'be coj rf, with which they are bound as captives, instead of the royal "girdle" they once wore (Isaiah 2'2. 21), and llie bond they once bound others with. So "gird"—put on one the bonds of a prisoner instead of the ordinary yirdle (John 21. 18). 19. princes—Rather, priraZ*, as the Hebrew is rendered (Psalm
Its height, as the sun rises higher and higher until It reaches tlie meridian (Proverljs 4. 18). slitne forth— Rather, " thougli now in darknes.i, thou slialt be as tlie morning." Or, " tliy darliness (if any dark sliade sliould arise on tliee, it) sliall be as the morning" (only tlie dullness of morning twilight, not nocturnal darkness). [UmBREiT.] 18. The experience of thy life will teach thee there is hope for man in every trial, dig—viz., wells; the chief necessity in the East. Better, "though now ashamed (R« mans 5.5, opposed to the previous " hope"), thou shalt then rest safely." [Gesenius.] 19. (Psalm 4.8; Proverbs 3.24; Isaiah 14.30.) Oriental images of prosperity. 19. make suit— "stroke thy face, caress thee" (Proverbs 19.6). no. A warning to Job, if he would not turn to God. "The vr\ci[eA," i. e., obdurate sinners, eyes . . . fall —i. e., in vain look for relief (Deuteronomy 28. 65). Zophar implies Job's only hope of relief is in a change of heart., they shall not escape lit., " every refuge shall vanish from them." giving up the ghost—Their hope siiall leave them as the breath does the body (Proverbs 11. 7).
99. 6). liven tlie sacred ministers of religion are not exempt from reverses and captivity, the miglily Rather, "the firm-rooted in power;" the Arabic root expresses er!e?--/fo!CT)!(7 tt'dZer. [Umbreit.J 20. Ihe trusty Ratlier, "tlio.se secure In their elociuence;" ex. yr., the speakers in the gate (Isaiah 3. 3). [Beza.] understanding
—lit., taste, i. e., insight or spiritual disceiiiineiit, which experience gives the aged. The same Hebrew word is applied to Daniel's wisdom in interpretation (Daniel 2.
CHAPTER XII.
14). ai. Psalm 107. 40 quotes, in its fiist ctlause, this t'., and, in its second, tlie 24tli v. of the chapter, wealstneth the strengtit lit., looseth the girdle ; Orientals wear llowing garments; when active strength is to be put fortli, they gird up their garments with a girdle. Hence here " He destroyetli their power" in the eyes of the people. 32. (Daniel 2. 22.) 23. Isaiah 9. 3; Psalm 107. 'SS, 39, which Psalm quotes this chapter elsewhere. (See note v. 21.) straiteneth lit., Icadeth in, i. e., reduces. 24. heart In-
FIRST SERIES.
Ver. 1-25. Job's Reply to Zophar, xii, xiir, xiv. 2. wisdom shall die with you I—Ironical. As if all the wisdom in the world was concentrated in them, and would expire when they expired. Wisdom makes "a people:" a foolish nation are " not a people" (Romans 10. 19). 3. not Inferior—Not vanquished in argument and "wisdom" (ch.
13. 2). such things as these—Such commonplace maxims, as you so pompously adduce. 1. The unfounded accusations of Job's friends were a "mockery" of him. He alludes to Zopliar's word, "mockest" (ch. 11. 3). hU neighbour, who calleth, &c.—Rather, "Z who call upon God telligence, wander in a wilderness—Figurative; not referring to any actual fact. This cannot be quoted to prove Job lived after Israel's wanderings in the desert. Psalm 107. 4, 40 quotes this passage. 2.5. Deuteronomy 28.
thai }ie maiy answer me tuvonrably. [Umbreit.] 5. Rather, "a torch" (lamp) is an object of contempt in the thoughts of him who rests securely (is at ease), thougli it (wliich) was prepared for the falterings of the feet. [Umbreit.] (Proverbs 25. 19.) "Thoughts" and "feet" are in contrast; also rests "securely," and "falterings." The wanderer, arrived at his night-quarters, contemptuously throws aside the torch which had guided his uncertain steps through the darkness. As the torch is to the wanderer, so .lol) to his friends. Once they gladly used his aid In their need, now they in prosperity mock him in his need. 6. Job slioWs that the matter of /rtc< opposes Zopliar's theoi;>/ (ch. 11. 14, 19, 20), that wickedness causes "insecurity" in men's "tabernacles." On the contrary, they who rob the "tabernacles" (ilwellings) of others "prosper securely" in their own. Into whose hand, &c. —Rather, "who make a god of their own hand," (. e., who regard tlieir might as their only ruling principle. [UmBKEIT.] 7, 8. Beasts, birds, fishes, and plants, reasons Job, teach that the violent live the most securely (v. 6). The vulture lives more securely than the dove, the lion than the ox, the shark than the dolphin, the rose than the fr.orn which tears it. speak to the earth—Rather, "the shrubs of the earth." [Umbreit.] 9. In all these cases, says Job, the agency must be referred to Jehovah ("the Lord," En<jli.ih Version), though they may .seem to man to imply imperfection (u. 6; ch. 9. 24). This is the only nndisputed passage of the poetical part in which the name "Jcliovah" occurs ; In the historical parts it occurs freciuently. 10. The soul, t. e., the animal life. Man, reasons Job, is subjected to the same laws as the lower animals. 11. As tlie mouth by tasting meats selects what pleases i t, so </(f,' enr tries the words of others and retains what Is convincing. Each ''hooses according to his taste. The connection with v. 12 is In reference to Bildad's appeal
29; Psalm 107. 27 again quotes Job, but in a ditlercnt connection.
CHAPTER XIII.
Ver. 1-28. Job's Reply to Zophak Continued. 1. all this—as to the dealings of Providence (ch. 12. 3). 3. Job wishes to plead his cause before God ch. 9. 34, 35), as he is more and more convinced of the valvelens cliaracter of his would-be "physicians" (ch. 16. 2). 4. forgers of liva— lit., artful twiste^-s of vain speeches. [Umbreit.] 5. ( Proverbs 17.
28.) The Arabs say, "the wise are dumb; silence is wisdom." 7. deceitfully—Use fallacies to vindicate God in His dealings; as if the end justified tlie means. Their " deceitfulness" for God, against Job, w.as, they asserted he was a sinner, because he was a sufferer. 8. accept his person—God's ; i. e., be partial for Hiin, as when a judge favours one party in a trial, because of personal considerations, contend for God—viz., with fallacies and prepossessions against Job before judgment (Judges (i. 31). Partiality can never please the impartial God, nor the goodness of the cause excuse the unfairness of tlieai-guments. 9. 117// the issue to you be good, when He searches out you and your arguments? Will you he regarded by Him as pure and disinterested? mock—(Galatians 6.7.) Rather, "can you deceive Him as one man?" Ac. 10. If ye do, though secretly, act partially. (Note v. 8; Psalm S'2. I,
2.) God can successfully vindicate His acts, and needs no fallacious argument of man. 11. m»lie you nfr.-iidl
I'iz., of employing sophisms in His name (Jrrcniiali 10.7,
10). 12. remembrances—"Proverbial maxims," so calhvl
Iiec.ause well remembered, like unto ashes—Or, "parables of ashes;" the Image of lightness and nothingness (Isaiah 41.20). bodies—Rather, "entrenchments;" tluse of c\;\y, as opposed to those of stone, are easy to !)< destroyed ; so t' t proverlis, behind which they entrench themselves, xlll not shelter them when God shall appear to the "ancients" (ch. 8. 8). You are right in appealing to them, since " with them was wisdom," &c. But you select eucli proverbs of theirs as suit your views, so I may borrow from tlici same suih as suit mine. Vi. ancient—Aged (ch. 15. 10). 13. In contrast to, "with the ancient is wisdom" (u. 12), Job quotes a saying of the ancients which suits his argument, "with Illm (God) is (the true) v/isilom" (Proverbs 8. 14); and by that" wisdom and strength" to reprove them for their injustice to Job. 13. Jol) would wish to be spared their speeches, so as to speak out all his mind as to his wretchedness (v. 14), happen wli.at will. 14. A proverb for, "Why should I anxiously desire to save my life?" [Eichorn.] Thelmagein the first clause ii tliat of a wild beast, which in order to preserve his prev,