Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Job's Answer to ElipJiaz. JOB XXIII, XXIV. Wic/:edness goeth often Unpunisheil.
lift up . . . face, &c.—Repealed from Zopliar (ch. 11. 15.) 27. (Isaiah 58. 9, 14.) pny tliy vows—Which thou hast {•romised to God iu the event of tliy prayers being heard regarded as uninhabitable through heat (see ch. 3^1. 29X 10. But—Correcting liimself for the wish that his caus« should be Icnown before God. The omniscient One already knoivetli Hie u-ay in me (my inward princij)les: His outward way or course of acts is mentioned in v. H. So in:irod will give tliee occasion to pay the former, by hearing tlie latter. 38. llgUt—Success. 39. Rather, When (thu ways; from v. 28) are cast down (for a time), tliou shalt .(soon again have joyful cause to) say, Tliere is lifting up
ch.4. 21); though for some inscrutable cause He as yet hides himself (!•. 8, 9). wlien—Let Him only but try my cause, I shall, &c. 11. Iield—Fast by His steps. The law
(prosperity returns back to me). [Maurer.] lie—God. humble—ifebrew, him that is of low eyes. Eliphaz imis in Old Testament poetry regarded as a way, God going before us as our guide, in whose footsteps we must tread (Psalm 17. 5). declined—(Psalm 125. 5.) 11. esteemed— Rather, laid tip, viz., as a treasure found (Matthew 13. 14; Psalm 119. 11); ftlludim; to the words of Eliphaz (ch. 22.
plies, that Job is not so now In his affliction ; therefore it continues: with this he contrasts tlie blessed effect of being humble under it (James 4. 6, and 1 Peter 5. 5, probably quote this passage). Therefore it is better, I tliink, to take the first clause as referred to by " God resisteth the proud." When (men) are cast down, tliou shalt say (behold the effects of) jjride. Eliphai hereby justifies him-
There was no need to tell me so; I have done so already (Jeremiali 15. 16. Jiecessarj'—"Appointed portion"
(of food : as in Proverbs 30. 8). Umbreit and Maurer translate "More than my laic," my own will, in antithesis to "the words of His mouth" (John 6. oS). Probably under the general term, "what is apj Kiinted to me" (the same Hebreiv is in i'. 14), all that, ministers to the appetites of the body and carnal will is included. 13. in one mind —Notwithstanding my innocence. He is unallrred \r\ His purpose of proving me guilty (oh. 9. 12). sonl—His wiU (Psalm 115. 3). Gfxl's sovereignty. He has ohc great purpose; nothing is hap-hazard; everything lias its proper place with a view to His purpose. 14. many sneli—He has yet many more such ills in store for me, though hidden in His breast (ch. 10. 13). 15. God's decrees, impossible to be resisted, and leaving us in the dark as to what may come next, are calculated to fill the mind witii holy awe. [Barnes.] 16. soft—Faint. Hath melted my courage. Here again Job's language is that of Jesus Christ (Psalm 22. 14). 17. Because I was not taken away by death from the evil to come [lit., from before the fare of the darkness, Isaiali 57. 1). Alluding to the words of Eliphaz (ch.
self for attributing Job's calamities to hisphide. " Giveth grace to the humble," answers to the second clause. 30. Island—i. e., dwelling. But tlie Hebretv expresses tlie negative (1 Samuel 4.21), translate "Thus He (God) shall deliver liim who was not guiltless," viz., one, who like Job himself on conversion sliall be saved, but not because he
was, as Job so constantly aflirms of liimself, guiltless, but because he /iuwift/e* himself (r. 2!)); an oblique attack on Job, even to the last, and it—Rather, " ?te (the one not heretofore guiltless) shall be delivered tlrrougli the purity (acquired since conversion) of thy hands;" by thy intercession (as Genesis IS. 26, &c.). [Maurek.] The irony is strikingly exhibited in Eliphaz unconsciously uttering words whiclt exactly answer to wliat liappened at last: he and the other two were "delivered" by God accepting the intercession of Job for them (ch. 42. 7, 8).
CHAPTER XXIII. TUIRD SERIES.
22. 11), "darkness," i.e., calamity. "Cut off;"' rather, in the Arabic sense, Brought to the land of silence ; my sad complaint hushed in death. fUMnREiT.] "Darkness" in the second clause, not the same Hebrew word as in the
Ver. 1-17. Jon"s Answer. 3. to-day—Implying, perhaps, that the debate WHS carried on tlirougli more days tlian one (see Introduction), bittrr—(cli. 7. 11; 10. 1). my sti'oke—Tlie hand of God on me {mara. ; ch. 19.21; Psalm first, eloiid, obscurity. Instead oif "covering the cloud (of evil) from my face," He "covers" me with it (oh. 22. 11).
S2. 4). heavier tUan—Is so ht-avj' tlr.U I cannot relieve myself adequately by groaning. 3. The .same wisli as in ch. 13. 3 (cf. Hebrews II). 19-22). seat—The idea In the Hebrew is a u'ell-prepnred tlirone (Psalm 9. 7). 4. order—State metliodically (cli. 13. 18; I.saiah 43. 2ti.) till, etc.— I would have abundance of arguments to adduce. 5. lie—Emphatic: it little matters wliat man may say of me, if only 1 know what C'of/ judges of me. 0. An objection suggests
CHAPTER XXIV.
Ver. 1-2."). 1. Why is It that, seeing that the times of punishment (Ezekiel 3 ; " time" in the same sense) are not hidden from the Almighty, thejwho know Him (Hia true worsliippers, ch. 18. 21) do not see His days (of vengeance ; Joel 1. 15; 2 Peter 3. 10)? Or, with Umbreit less simply, malving the parallel c'nusesniore nicely balanced, Whyare not times of punishment hoarded up("laid up;" ch. 21.19; appointed) by the Almighty? i. e., whyare they not so appointed as that man may now aw them? as the second clause shows. ,Iob iloes not doubt that they are aiipointed: nay, he asserts it (eh. 21. 30); what he wishes itself, wliilst he utters the wish {v. r>). Do I hereby wislt, that he should plead against me with His omnipotence? Far froia it ! (cli. !1. 19, 34 ; 13. 21 ; 30. IS). streiigtJt—So as to prevail with Him: as in Jacob's case (Hoseiv 12.3,4). Umbreit and Maurer better translate as in ch.4. 20(1 only wish that He) "would attend to me," i.e., give me a patient hearing as an ordinary Judge, not using His omnipotence, but only His Divine knowledge of my Innocence. 7. there— Rat lier, Then : if God would "attend " is that God would let all now see that it is so. 3-'4-l. Instances of the wicked doi)ig the worstdeeds with seeming impunity. Some—The wicked, landmarks—Boundaries between dillcrcnt pastures (Deuteronomy 19. II; Proverbs
10 me (v. 6). riglitcous i.e., the result of my dixpute would be, He would iicknowledge me as riglitcous. delivered From suspicion of guilt on the pari of viy .Tudye.
22i 28). 3. pledge-Alluding to ch. 22. 0. OtherU really do, and with impunity, thai which Eliphaz falsely charges the at Tlicted .lob wilh. 4. J.itrriilly, they push the |>oor out of their road in meeting them. Figuratin 'y, th<.'y take advantage of them by fonre and Injustice (alluding to the charge of Eliphaz (ch. 22. 8; 1 Samuel S. 3). iioor—In spirit and In circumstances (Matthew 5.3). lilde— From the in-
8. Rut I wish in vain. For " l)elu)ld," Ac. forward . . . backward-Rather, " to the east—to the ire.it." The Hebrew geographers faced the east, i. e., sunrise: not the north, as we do. So "before" means east: "behind," west (so the Hindoos). "Para," before—east: "Apara," behind—went: " Daschlna," the right hand—Konth : " Rama," ;c/<—north. A similar reference to sunrise appears In the name Asia, .mnrise; Europe, siiiiitef: pure Babylonian names, as Rawi.inson shows. 9. Rather, "To the N." work—God's glorious works nrc especially seen towards the north region of the sky l)y one In the northern hemisphere. The antithesis is betwi'cn (foil ?Por/;ing ixnd yet not being beheld: as in ch. 9. ll,betvveen "He goclh by," and "I«cc Him If the ///^rc?/; bears it, the parallelism to the second clause is ))ctter suited by translat-
of tln'lropi)r('.ssoi's, who ha\'e robbed them of their all and drive)! Ihein Into untre<iuented places (ch. 20. 1!);
30. .3-0; Proverbs -28. 28). .'i. wild a.s«e«—(Ch. 11.1'.'.) So Ishmael is calle<l f? uild ass-man: Ilebrrw (Genesis 16.12). These Bedouin robbers, wilh the unbridled wlldness of the ass of the desert, go forth thither. Robbery Is ttudr lawless "work." The desert, which yields no food to other m(Mi, yields food for the robber and his children by the pluiuler of caravans, rising )>rtiinei«— In the East travelling Is begun very early, before the heat comes on. 0. Like the wild asses (i\ 5), they (these Bedouin rolibers) reap (metaphovlcally) their various grain (so the Jlebrcw ing, as UninKKiT, dolli hide leimscif; hut then theantlthesls to beliold \vo\\U\ he lost, right linnd—"In the south." hldetJi— .\pi)ropriately. of the unexplored south, then
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