Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
JoUa Heply to Bildaa. JOB XXVII. Protesteik Iius Sinca'tiy. tion (Genesis 1. 9, 10). The parallel clause favours Umivueit, "He stilleth." But t\\eHebrew means He moves. l'rol>- ably such a "moving" is meant as that at the ussuayituj of the flood by the wind which " God made to pass over" Bay {ch. IS. 17; 15. 2), poiuerlessness itself, &c. How hast thou helped .such a one ? savest—suppoi test. plcntiftiUy . . . the tiling as it is—Rather, "abundantly—wisdom." Biidad had made great pretensions to abundant wisduin. How nas he shown it? i. For whose instruction were thy words meant? If for me, 1 know the suljject (God's omniptence) better tlian my instructor; {v. 5-14) is a sample it (Genesis 8. 1 ; Psalm 104. 7). the proud—Rather, its pride, viz., of the sea (ch. 9. 13.). 13. Umbreit less simply, " By His breath He maketh the lieavens to revive:" viz.. His wind dissipates the clouds, whicli obscured tlie sliining of Job's knowledge of it. wliose spirit—not that of God stars. And so the next clause in contrast, "His hand doth strangle," i. e., obscures the north constellation, tho dragon. Pagan astronomy typified the flood trying to destroy tlie ark by the dragon constellation, about to devour the moon in its eclipsed crescent-shape like a boat- (ch. 32. 8); nay, rather, the borrowed sentiment of Eliphaz (ch. 4. 17-19 ; 15. IJ-lfi). 5-1-1:. As before in ch. 9. and 12., Job had shown himself not inferior to tlie friends' inability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes it as manifested in hell (tlie world of tlie dead ), 5, li ; on earth, 7; in the sky, 8-11 ; the sea, 12; tlie lieavens, 13. Dead things are formed Rather, "Tlie souls of the dead (Rephaiin) tremble." Not only daes God's power exist, (ch.3. 8, Margin). But better as JEnglish FcJ-st'ore (Psalm 33.
6). crooked—Impl.ying the oblique course, of the stars, or the ecliptic. " Fleeing" or "swift" [Umhkeit] (Isaiali 27. 1). This particular constellation is made to represent the splendour of all tlie stars. 1-t. parts—Rather, "only the extreme boundarieB of, &c., and how faint is the w/iis-per that we hear of Him !" tliunder—Tlie entire fulness, in antithesis to " wlaisper" (1 Corinthians 13. 9, 10, 12). as Bildad says (ch. 2.5. 2), " in high places" yieaven), but reaches to tlie region of tlie dead. Rcphaim here, and Proverbs 21. lU ; Isaiah H. 9, is from a Hebrew root, meaning to tie weak, hence deceased ; in Genesis 11. 5 it is applied to the Caiiaauite ijiaiila; perhaps in derision, to express their weakness, in si)ite of tlieir gigantic size, as compared with Jehovah [Umukeit]; or as the imagination of the CHAPTER XXVII. living magiiities apparitions, the term originally was applied to (/hosts, ani\ then to giants in general. [MyVGEE.] from nnder—UMBKElT joins this with the previous ViOrd
Ver. 1-23. It was now Zophar's turn to speak. But as he and the other two were silent, virtually aiiniittiiig defeat, after a pause Job proceeds. 1. parable—Applied in the East to a flgurative sententious embodiment of wisdom in poetic form, a gnome (Psalm 49. 4). conilisiued proceeded to put forth: implying elevation of discour.-^e. treml)le /;-o??t beneatli (so Isaiali 14. 9). But the JIasoretic text joins it "under the waters." Tlius the place of the dead will be represented as under the xcalcrs IS. 4,
5) ; and the waters as under the earth ( Psalm 24. 2). Magee well translates thus, " The souls of the dead tremble ; (t'le places) under tlie waters, and their inhabitants." Thus the Masoretic connection is retained; and at the same time the parallel clauses are evenly balanced. "The inhabitants of the places under the waters" are those in Gehenna, the lower (;f the two parts into which Hlieol, according to the Jews, is divided; they answer to "destruction," 'Z. (I Samuel 20. 3.) taken away . . . judgment—woriis unconsciouslj foreshadowing Jesus Christ tisaiah 53.8; Acts 8. 33). God will not give Job his right, by declaring his innocencre. vexed— made bitter (Ruth 1. 20). 3. Implying Job's knowledge of the fact that the living soul was breathed into man by God (Genesis 2. 7). "All the while." But M.\ukeij, " as yet all my breath is in me" (notwithstanding my trials): the reason why I can speak so boldly. 4r. (Ch. 6. 28, 30). The "deceit" would be if he were to admit guilt against the witness of his conscience. t. e., the place of the wicked in v. G, as " Rephaim" (u. 5j to "Hell" (Klieol) d'. 6). Sheol comes from a //(&^•eg root ask, because it is insatiable (Proverbs 27. 20); or ask as a loan to be returned, implying Sheol is but a temporary abode, previous to the resurrection ; so for Kiiylisli Version "formed," LXX. and Clialdee translate, sliall be born,ov tor ft rrfirain, implying the dead are to hf given back (vom Sheol and born again into a new state. [Mageb.J G—(cli. 3.S.
5. justify yoti—approve of .your views, mine integrity —whicdi you deny, on account of my misfortunes. G. Rather, my " heart" (conscience) reproaches " not one of my days," t. e., 1 do not repent of any of niy days since 1 came into existence. [Mauker.] 7. Let . . . be-Ijct mine enemy be accounted as wicked, i. e., He who opposes my asseveration of innocence must be regarded as actuated by criminal luistility. Not a cur.se on his enemies. 8. " What hope hath the hypocrite, notwithstanding all his gains, when?" iVc. "Gained" is antithetic to "taktth away." Umiuieit's translation is an unmeaning tautology. "When God cuts off, when Ho laketh away hia
17; Psalm 139. 8; Proverbs 5. 11). deslructlon— ?7ie abode of destruction, ?'. e., of lost souls. Hebrew, Abaddon (Revelation 9. 11). no eovering—from God's eyes. 7. Hint of the true theory of the earth. Its suspension in empty space is stated in the second clause. The north in particular is specifieil in the first, being believed to \n: the highest part of the earth (Isaiah 14. 13). The northern hemisphere or vault of heaven is included; often compared to a stretclied-out canopy (Psalm 104. "2). The chambers of the south are mentioned (ch. 9. 9), !. e., the southern liemisxiliere, consistently witli the earth's globular form. 8. in . . . clouds—as if in airy vessels, whi(di though light do not burst with the weightof water in them (Proverbs 30. 4). 'J. Rather, He enc.omj)alsseth or closeth. (iod makes the clouds a veil to screen the glor,y not only of His person, but even of Wie cz-«('?-/o?- o/ Histltronc from profane eyes. His agency is everywhere, yi'X Himself invisible (Psalm 18.11; 104.3). 10. Rather, "He hath drawn a circular bound round the waters" (Proverbs 8. 27; I'salm 104. i)). The horizon seems a circle. Indication is given of the globulnr form of the earth, unlil the day, Ac.—To the conliiiesof light and darkness. 'When llu; light I'allson our horizon, t he other hemisphere is dark. UMiiUKi rand M AUKEU translate, " He has mo.it perfect Ig (lit., to perfection) drawn the bound (taken from the 1st clause) between light and dai-kness" (cf. fienesis 1.4, (i, 9): where the bounding of tlie llglit from darkniws Is similarl.y hrouglit inio (irox Imlty with the bounding of the waters. 11. pillars— poetically for the mountains which seem to bear up the sky (Psalm 104. 32). astonl Nln d—viz., from terror. Personlflcatioii. Ills reproof—O'sulm 101.7.) The thunder, reverberating from cliff to clKKHabakkuk 3. 10; Nahuml. 5). Vi. divldeth—(Psalm 71.13.) Perhaps at crea330 life." taketh away—iti., draws out the soul from the body, which is, as it were, its scabbard (ch. 4.21; I'salm
101. 29 ; Daniel 7. 15). Job says, he admits what Bildad saiil (ch. 8. 13) and Zophar (cli. 20. 5). But he says, the very fact of his still calling upon God (w. 10) amidst all his trials, which 11 hypocrite would not dare to do, shows he is no " hypocrite." ». (Psalm Uti. 18.) 10. Alluding to ch. '22. 2(j. always call— lu may do so in times of prosperitj iu order to be thought religious. But he will not, as I do, call on (iod in calamities verging on death. Tliereforo I cannot be a " hypocrite" (ch. 19. '25 ; 20.5; Psalm G2. 8). 11-
!43. These words are contrar.v to Job's previous .sentiments (notes, ch. 21. 22-;!3; 21.22-25). They therefore seem to be Job's statement, not so much of his own sentinicnts, as of what Zophar would havesaid had he spoken when his turn came (end of ch. 2(i). So Job stated the friends' opinion (ch. 21. 17-21 ; 24.18-21). The objection Is, why, it so, docs not Job answer Zophar's opinion, as stated by himself? The tact Is, it Is probable that Job tacitly, by giving, in ch. 28,, onl.y a general answer, implies, that lu spite of the wicked ojten dying, as he said. In prosi.erlty, he does not mean to deny that t he wicked are in tlic ntain dealt with according to right, and that God herein vindicates His moral government even here. Job tlieretore states Zophar's argument more strongly than Zophiir would have done. But by comparing i'. 13 with ch.20. "JS