2:62 Unclean that is, not fit for the priest- Judah, Benjamin and Levi (1:5).
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children of Jorah, a hundred and twelve; 19 the children of Hashum, two hundred and twentythree; 20 the children of Gibbar, ninety-five; 21 the children of Bethlehem, an hundred and twenty-three; 22 the men of Netophah, fifty-six; 23 the men of Anathoth, a hundred and twentyeight; 24 the children of Azmaveth, forty-two; 25 the children of Kirjath-Arim, Chephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three; 26 the children of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred and twenty-one; 27 the men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two; 28 the men of Bethel and Ai, two hundred and twenty-three; 29 the children of Nebo, fifty-two; 30 the children of Magbish, a hundred and fifty-six; 31 the children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four; 32 the children of Harim, three hundred and twenty; 33 the children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-five; 34 the children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five; 35 the children of Senaah, three thousand six hundred and thirty.
children of Paseah, the children of Besai, 50 the children of Asnah, the children of Mehunim, the children of Nephusim, 51 the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, 52 the children of Bazluth, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, 53 the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Thamah, 54 the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha. 55 The children of Solomons servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Peruda, 56 the children of Jaalah, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, 57 the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Ami.
58 All the Nethinims, and the children of Solomons servants, were three hundred and ninety-two.
59 And these were those who went up from Telmelah, Telharsa, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, but they could not show evidence of their fathers house, and their descendants, whether they were of Israel: 60 The children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and fifty-two; 61 and of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai (who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name).
36 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three; 37 the children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two; 38 the children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven; 39 the children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
40 The Levites: the children of Jeshua and Kadmiel, of the children of Hodaviah, seventy-four.
41 The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and twenty-eight.
62 These searched in the registers of their ancestors for their names, but they were not found, so they were removed from the priesthood as if unclean. 63 And the governor told them that they should not eat any of the most holy things until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.
42 The children of the gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the children of Shobai, in all a hundred and thirty-nine.
64 The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven. And among them were two hundred men and women singers.
43 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hasupha, the children of Tabbaoth, 44 the children of Keros, the children of Siaha, the children of Padon, 45 the children of Lebanah, the children of Hagabah, the children of Akkub, 46 the children of Hagab, the children of Shalmai, the children of Hanan, 47 the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, the children of Reaiah, 48 the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, the children of Gazzam, 49 the children of Uzza, the
66 Their horses were seven hundred and thirtysix; their mules, two hundred and forty-five; 67 their camels, four hundred and thirty-five; their donkeys, six thousand seven hundred and twenty.
68 And some of the heads of the fathers appears in the book of Esther. 2:40 Many priests but few Levites returned. The Levites had to do the more menial work of the temple. Note on priests at Ex 28:1. 2:41 Asaph 1 Chron 25:1; 2 Chron 5:12; 35:15; Psalms 50, 73-83. 2:42 Gatekeepers 1 Chron 9:26; 2 Chron 23:4; 35:15; Neh 12:25. 2:43 Nethinims temple servants. 2:61 Gileadite 2 Sam 17:27-29; 19:3139. 2:62 Unclean that is, not fit for the priesthood because their descent from Aaron was
not proved. See Num 3:10; 16:40. Now, in this New Testament era, priesthood has nothing to do with ancestors and genealogies, but only with a living relationship with the Lord Jesus by faith (Heb 10:19-22; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:6). 2:63 Thummin Ex 28:30. 2:64 A higher figure than the total of all the figures listed in vs 3-60. The difference of 12,542 may be the number of wives who came, or perhaps men of tribes other than Judah, Benjamin and Levi (1:5). 2:68 Offered freely compare Ex 25:1,2;
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households, when they came to the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, offered freely for the house of God to set it up in its place. 69 According to their ability, for the work they gave into the treasury sixty-one thousand gold drachmas, and five thousand minas of silver, and one hundred priestly garments.
the temple of the LORD had not yet been laid.
7 They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the men of Sidon and Tyre, to bring cedar trees from Lebanon on the sea to Joppa, in accordance with the permission they had from Cyrus king of Persia.
8 Now in the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak and the rest of their brethren, the priests and the Levites and all those who had come from the captivity to Jerusalem, began the work, and appointed the Levites, twenty years old and over, to oversee the work of the house of the LORD. 9 Then Jeshua, with his sons and his brethren, Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, arose together to supervise the workers in the house of God: the sons of Henadad, with their sons and their brethren the Levites.
70 So the priests, and the Levites, and some of the people, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Nethinims, lived in their cities, and all Israel in their cities.
And when the seventh month had come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered together as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, arose and built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God. 3 And they set up the altar on its foundation, despite the fear that came on them because of the people of those countries; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, both morning and evening burnt offerings. 4 They also kept the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings in the required number for each day, according to the ordinance. 5 And afterwards they offered the continual burnt offering, also offerings at the new moons and all the appointed feasts of the LORD that were consecrated, and those of everyone who willingly offered a freewill offering to the LORD. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the LORD. But the foundation of
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their apparel stood with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph stood with cymbals, to praise the LORD, in accordance with the ordinance of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang together by turns, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, because he is good, for his mercy continues on forever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout as they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD had been laid. 12 But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers households were old men who had seen the first house. When the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, they wept with a loud voice. But many shouted aloud for joy,
35:5,20; 1 Chron 29:3-6,9. 2:69 Drachmas the total comes to about 500 kilograms. Minas the total of this was about 2.9 metric tons. 3:2 Shealtiel see 1 Chron 3:19. Altar they began with the altar as being the first essential for offering the sacrifices prescribed under the law Ex 20:24; Deut 12:5,6. Notes on burnt offerings at Leviticus chapter 1. 3:3 Fear 4:4. They did not let the fear of man prevent them from doing what they knew was right. Compare 1 Sam 15:24; Ps 56:3,11; Prov 29:25; Isa 51:12; John 12:42,43; Acts 4:18-20; 5:29. Offerings Ex 29:39; Num 28:1-8. 3:4 Feast of Tabernacles Ex 23:16; Lev 23:33-43. 3:5 New moons Num 10:10; 28:11; 1 Sam 20:5,24. 3:6 The re-establishing of the offerings and the worship of God, came before the building of the temple. They had their priorities right. In Bible history the altar and offerings appear long before tabernacle or
temple Gen 8:20. The devotion of His people is far more important to God than any building. 3:7 Trees 1 Kings 5:6,10; 2 Chron 2:3,8,16. 3:8 Second year probably 536 B.C. House of God the place where the house of God, the temple, had stood. The new temple was built in the same place.
Twenty years 1 Chron 23:24; 2 Chron 31:17. 3:10 1 Chron 6:31,32; 16:4-6,42. 3:11 1 Chron 16:34; 2 Chron 5:13; 7:3; Ps 47:1; 95:1; 136:1-26. 3:12 First house the temple built by Solomon was very magnificent; the temple built after the Babylonian captivity was plain and ordinary Haggai 2:3. The Jews wept to think of the former splendor gone and Gods judgment which had fallen on His people; they rejoiced that God had brought them back to the land and given them a chance to make a new beginning. In any time it is better to be among the rejoicers, and to look forward rather than backward Phil 3:1,13; 4:4.
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13 so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard far off.
king, of the following kind. 9 Then Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, 10 and the rest of the nations whom the great and honourable Osnapper brought over and placed in the cities of Samaria, and the rest who are at this time on this side of the river, wrote.
Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building the temple to the LORD God of Israel, 2 they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the fathers households, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your God, just as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.
11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him, to Artaxerxes the king:
We are your servants, men who are at this time on this side of the River. 12 Be it known to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have come to Jerusalem, and are building that rebellious and evil city, and are restoring its walls and repairing the foundations.
3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers households of Israel, said to them, You can have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God, but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.
13 Be it known now to the king that if this city is built and the walls restored, then they will not pay tax, tribute, and duty, and so the kings revenue will be damaged. 14 Now because we are receiving support from the kings palace, and it is not right for us to see the kings dishonour, we have sent and informed the king, 15 that search may be made in the record books of your fathers so you can discover in the record books and know that this city is a rebellious city, and harmful to kings and provinces, and that within it in former times they have incited rebellion. For this reason this city was destroyed. 16 We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt, and its walls restored, through this you will have no portion on this side of the River.
4 Then the people of the land attempted to discourage the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 and hired counsellors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote to him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia, and the text of the letter was written in the Syrian script, and translated into the Syrian language.
8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the
17 Then the king sent an answer to Rehum the chancellor and to Shimshai the scribe and to the
4:1,2 Adversaries these people were originally foreigners, not Israelites. Their offer to help did not come out of good motives, as was soon evident (vs 4,5). Sometimes the method Satan uses to hinder or ruin a work of God is to bring false helpers into it. Compare Matt 13:24-30, 37-39; 2 Cor 11:13-15; 2 Pet 2:1,2. Believers do not need any such helpers and should be on their guard against them.
between chapters 6 and 7 and is like a parenthesis in the narrative here. Verse 24 takes up the story from v 5. 4:6 Ahasuerus Esther 1:1 better known as Xerxes. He reigned 486-465 B.C. 4:7 Artaxerxes 7:1,7,21. He ruled Persia 465-424 B.C.
Syrian language Aramaic, the language spoken by Syrians and others (including the Jews after the Babylonian captivity). In the Hebrew Old Testament Ezra 4:8 6:18 is in Aramaic. 4:8 Chancellor here means an official appointed by the Persian king to represent him. 4:10 Osnapper also known as Ashurbanipal. He was the last powerful Assyrian king, ruling 669-627 B.C. From this verse together with v 2 and 2 Kings 17:24 we learn that outsiders were sent by three different Assyrian kings at three different times to live in the region of Samaria. 4:13-16 These enemies of the Jews tried to get the king to support them by using this economic argument. What ruler wants to suffer financial loss?
They professed to seek the God of Israel but they had many gods of their own. See 2 Kings 17:25-34. 4:3 The leaders of the Jews wanted no help from those who worshiped other gods and did not follow the instructions God gave in the law of Moses. Believers now should have the same concern to be a holy, separate people 2 Cor 6:14-18. 4:4,5 If the enemies of a work of God do not succeed in hindering it in one way they will try another. Cyrus reigned 559-530 B.C. Darius began his reign in 522. 4:6-23 This section deals with opposition to the Jews plan for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. Chronologically it belongs
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rest of their companions who live in Samaria, and to the rest living beyond the River,
constructing this building were. 5 But the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, so that they could not make them stop the work until the matter came before Darius, and then a written reply was returned concerning this matter.
Peace at this time. 18 The letter which you sent to us has been clearly read in my presence. 19 And I gave a command, and a search has been made, and it has been found that in former times this city made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and revolt were made in it. 20 There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the countries beyond the River, and tax, tribute, and duty were paid to them. 21 Now give an order to stop these men, that this city not be built, until another command is given by me. 22 Now take heed that you do not fail to do this. Why should the damage increase to the harm of the kings?
6 This is a copy of the letter that Tatnai, governor on this side of the River, and ShetharBoznai, and his companions the Apharsachites, who were on this side the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent a letter to him, in which this was written:
To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Be it known to the king that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is being built with large stones, with timber being placed in the walls; and this work is going ahead quickly, and prospering in their hands.
23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes letter was read in the presence of Rehum and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they quickly went up to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them stop work by force of arms.
9 Then we questioned those elders, and said this to them: Who commanded you to build this house, and to restore these walls? 10 We also asked their names, to inform you, that we might write the names of their chief men.
24 Then the work of the house of God at Jerusalem stopped. So it stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
11 And they replied to us, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and rebuild the house that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But after our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, he gave them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. 13 But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, King Cyrus issued a decree to build this house of God. 14 And also the articles of gold and silver belonging to the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple that was in Jerusalem and brought into the temple of Babylon, these Cyrus the king took from the temple of Babylon, and they were handed over to a man whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor. 15 And he said to him, Take
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, rose up and began to build the house of God in Jerusalem, and the prophets of God were with them helping them.
3 At the same time Tatnai, governor on this side of the River, and Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, came to them and said this to them: Who has commanded you to build this house and to restore this wall? 4 Accordingly we then told them what the names of the men who were
4:20 1 Kings 4:21; 1 Chron 18:3-6. 4:22 The economic argument (vs 13-16) was successful, as it usually is in the worlds affairs. The world always cares more for money than for truth and justice. See 1 John 2:16. 4:23 Made them stop that is, stop trying to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 4:24 The author returns to events of vs 4,5 which took place prior to the reign of Artaxerxes. 5:1 Haggai Hag 1:1. Zechariah Zech 1:1. In the year 520 these two prophets began their ministry to the Jews in Judah. 5:2 Zerubbabel this man was the grandson of king Jehoiachin (1 Chron 3:17), and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus (Matt 1:12,13).
and Zechariah had this success (Hag 1:13,14). 5:3 4:4,5. Tatnai was the Persian governor. 5:5 Eye 2 Chron 16:9. God would not encourage them through His prophets and stir them to do the work only to let their enemies stop them. 5:8 Great God it is interesting that they should say this and then try to stop His work. 5:11 God of heaven 1:2; 6:9; Neh 1:5; 2:4; Dan 2:19; Rev 11:13. King of Israel Solomon. 5:12 Provoked. . .to wrath 2 Chron 34:25; 36:16-20. Notes on Gods anger at Num 25:3; Ps 90:7-11. 5:13 Cyrus 1:1. Notice that Cyrus, king of Persia, is here called king of Babylon. This is because he conquered Babylon and ruled over it. 5:14 1:7,8.
Jeshua 2:2. Began to build the ministry of Haggai
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these articles and go. Carry them to the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be built in its place. 16 Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundation of the house of God in Jerusalem, and from that time until now it is being built, but it is still not finished.
this house of God alone. Let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in its place.
8 Moreover, I issue this decree concerning what you must do for the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: expenses from the kings goods, from the taxes beyond the River, are immediately to be given to these men, so that they are not hindered. 9 And let what they need, both young bulls and rams and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, in accordance with the appointment of the priests who are at Jerusalem, be given them day by day without fail, 10 so that they can offer fragrant sacrifices to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king and of his sons.
17 Now, therefore, if it seems good to the king, let there be a search made in the kings treasure house there in Babylon, and see whether it is true that a decree was made by king Cyrus to build this house of God at Jerusalem, and let the king send his wish to us concerning this matter.
Then Darius the king issued an order, and a search was made in the archives, where the treasures were stored in Babylon. 2 And a scroll was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, and in it a record was written as follows:
11 Also I have issued a decree, that whoever alters this word, let timber be pulled down from his house and set up, and let him be hanged on it, and let his house be made a refuse heap for this. 12 And the God who has caused his name to dwell there, destroy all kings and people who take in hand to change and destroy this house of God at Jerusalem.
3 In the first year of King Cyrus, King Cyrus issued a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. Its height is to be sixty cubits, and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three rows of large stones, and a row of new timber. And let the expenses be paid from the kings house. 5 And also let the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple at Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple at Jerusalem, each one to its place, and put them in the house of God.
I Darius have issued a decree. Let it be done with speed.
13 Then Tatnai, governor on this side the River, Shethar-Boznai, and their companions, quickly acted in accordance with the message Darius the king had sent. 14 And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, in accordance with the commandment of the God of Israel, and in accordance with the command of Cyrus and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar,
6 Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the River, Shethar-Boznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, stay at a distance from there. 7 Let the work of
5:16 3:8-10. 6:2 Achmetha also called Ecbatana. The Persian empire had four capital cities. This was one.
attitude toward religion. They encouraged the building or restoration of temples in other lands as well as Judah. They were not devoted to the God of Israel, but merely thought that all nations should have the religion and the gods they chose and be able to worship without hindrance. Their object was the well being of themselves and the empire. 6:11 7:26; Dan 2:5; 3:4-6,29; 6:7,8. Emperors in ancient times usually did not take a tolerant view of disobedience to their commands. 6:13 Tatnai 5:3; 6:6. 6:14 Zechariah 5:1,2. The Persian rulers and the Jewish elders supported the rebuilding of the temple, but the mainstay of the work was the ministry of Gods Word.
Medes Isa 13:17; Jer 25:25; Dan 5:28,31; Acts 2:9. 6:3 Sixty cubits this dimension is far greater than that of Solomons temple which was only 9 meters wide. The Persians authorized a temple of this size, but the one the Jews built was surely much smaller (Hag 2:3). 6:5 1:7-11. 6:6-12 This portion gives the letter King Darius wrote to the governor. 6:6 5:3. 6:7 Once again God moved on the heart of a foreign ruler to accomplish His purposes (1:1; Prov 21:1). 6:8,9 God so worked that the plot of enemies to stop the work was turned to a means of actually helping the work go forward. Such is Gods great and wise sovereignty over the affairs of men. Compare Gen 50:20. 6:10 The Persian rulers usually had a tolerant
Artaxerxes this man became king half a century after the rebuilding of the temple. He is mentioned here probably because he later contributed to the maintenance of the temple (7:21-26). 6:15 Darius the temple was completed in 516 or 515 B.C.
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which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.
Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, 2 the son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub, 3 the son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth, 4 the son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki, 5 the son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest, 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. And he was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given. And the king granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. 7 And some of the children of Israel and of the priests and the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers and the Nethinims came up to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
16 And the children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, observed the dedication of this house of God with joy, 17 and offered at the dedication of this house of God a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he-goats, in accordance with the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they appointed the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.
19 And the children of the captivity kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them were clean, and they killed the Passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. 21 And the children of Israel who had come back from captivity, and all those who had separated themselves from the filth of the nations of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, ate it with them, 22 and joyfully kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. For the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
8 And he arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month, in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first day of the first month he started his journey up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he arrived in Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to search out the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach its statutes and judgments in Israel.
11 Now this is a copy of the letter that king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a scribe learned in the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes given to Israel:
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, and perfect peace be with you now.
Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of
6:17 Sin offering notes at Leviticus chapters 4 and 5. 6:19 Notes at Ex 12:1-13; Lev 23:5. 6:20 Clean note at Neh 12:30. 6:21 Separated themselves 9:11,12; Ex 19:5,6; Deut 7:6; 14:2; Neh 9:2; 10:28; 2 Cor 6:14-18; 1 Pet 2:9. 6:22 Unleavened Bread Ex 12:15; 13:6,7; Lev 23:6. Assyria the king of Persia is here called also the king of Assyria because Assyria had been conquered and was ruled by Persian kings. Compare 5:13. 7:1-9 After these things more than fifty years elapsed between the events of chapters 6 and 7. The temple was finished by 515 B.C. Ezra came to Jerusalem probably in 458. During this interval the events of the book of Esther took place. 7:1 Ezra Ezra was a priest in the family line of Aaron who was the first high priest of Israel after the building of the tabernacle (Ex 28:1).
down the line. 7:6 Ezra was born and grew to manhood in Babylon among the exiles taken there by king Nebuchadnezzar.
Skilled vs 10,11. Ezras knowledge of the law of Moses and his godly character indicate that among the Jews in Babylon at that time there was some vigorous spiritual life and study.
On him the hand of the Lord on him suggests almighty power and guidance working with Ezra vs 9,28; 8:18,22,31; Neh 2:8,18. 7:9 Gods almighty and gracious hand protected Ezra through the trials and dangers of a four month journey. 7:10 Ezra vs 6,11. Notice the three aspects of Ezras life and ministry. He learned; he practiced; he taught. All three are very important, and their order is also important. We have all seen far too many who tried to teach without learning much themselves, and without practicing what they taught. Compare Rom 2:17-24; 1 Tim 1:5-7. To be and do what Ezra was and did one must devote oneself to them as he did. 7:12 The text of Ezra 7:12-26 is in Aramaic in the Hebrew Old Testament.
Son of in Hebrew these words, and children of, frequently mean merely descendant(s) of, and many generations may have lived between the times of the two persons named. Here Ezra, giving his own genealogy, omits names of his own ancestors given in 1 Chron 6:3-15. This is further evidence that in Hebrew son of can mean grandson or other descendant further
King of kings he called himself this because he had conquered other kings and ruled over them. But there is only One who
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13 I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and of their priests and Levites in my realm who are willing to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14 For you are sent by the king, and by his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in accordance with the law of your God which is in your hand, 15 and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counsellors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling place is in Jerusalem, 16 and all the silver and gold that you can find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God in Jerusalem, 17 so that you can quickly buy with this money bulls, rams, lambs, with their food offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
wisdom of your God, which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who can judge all the people who are beyond the River, all those who know the laws of your God. And teach those who do not know them. 26 And whoever will not do the law of your God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him, whether it be for death, or for banishment, or for confiscation of goods, or for imprisonment.
27 Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers who put such a thing as this in the kings heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem, 28 and who has extended mercy to me in the presence of the king and his counsellors, and before all the kings mighty princes. And I was strengthened because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to come up with me.
18 And whatever seems good to you, and to your brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do that, according to the will of your God. 19 Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver them into the presence of the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatever more is needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to supply, supply it out of the kings treasure house.
These are now the heads of their fathers households, and this is the genealogy of those who came up with me from Babylon, in the reign of Artaxerxes the king: 2 of the sons of Phinehas, Gershom; of the sons of Ithamar, Daniel; of the sons of David, Hattush; 3 of the sons of Shechaniah, of the sons of Pharosh, Zechariah, and with him were registered a hundred and fifty males; 4 of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Elihoenai the son of Zerahiah, and with him two hundred males; 5 of the sons of Shechaniah, the son of Jahaziel, and with him three hundred males; 6 and of the sons of Adin, Ebed the son of Jonathan, and with him fifty males; 7 and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah, and with him seventy males; 8 and of the sons of Shephatiah, Zebadiah the son of Michael, and with him fourscore males; 9 of the sons of Joab, Obadiah the son of Jehiel, and with him two hundred and eighteen males; 10 and of the sons of Shelomith, the son of Josiphiah, and with him a hundred and sixty males; 11 and of the sons of Bebai, Zechariah the son of Bebai, and with him twenty-eight males; 12 and of the sons of Azgad, Johanan the son of Hakkatan, and with him a hundred and ten males; 13 and of the last sons
21 And I, I Artaxerxes the king, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, requires from you, let it be done speedily, 22 up to a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred measures of wheat, and a hundred baths of wine and a hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? 24 Also we inform you, concerning all of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinims, and ministers of this house of God, it will not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or duty on them.
25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the
is ruler of all the kings of earth (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 1:5; 17:14; 19:16).
equals about 6 bushels or 220 dry liters.
Bath one bath equals about 22 liters. 7:23 6:10; 8:22. This generosity had a motive of self-interest. This is all too often the case even in Christian circles. 7:25 The king gave considerable authority to Ezra in both religious and secular matters. 7:27 Blessed be the LORD Ezra gave praise to God for the way He worked in the kings heart. Compare 1:1; 6:22; Prov 21:1. 7:28 Mercy to me for the first time in this book Ezra speaks directly of himself.
God of heaven 1:2. These kings used such language, but how much they understood the real meaning of their own words, we cannot say. 7:14 Seven counsellors Esther 1:14. 7:20 Treasure house 6:4. It is probably that the favor shown to the Jews by the kings of Persia can be traced partly to the influence on them by people like Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, Ezra and Nehemiah. 7:22 A hundred talents one talent equals about 34 kilograms.
Hand of the LORD vs 6,9. 8:1 7:7.
Measures in Hebrew kors one kor
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of Adonikam, whose names are these, Eliphelet, Jeiel, and Shemaiah, and with them sixty males; 14 and of the sons of Bigvai, Uthai, and Zabbud, and with them seventy males.
the silver and the gold and the articles, the offering for the house of our God, which the king and his counsellors and his lords, and all Israel there present, had offered. 26 I weighed out into their hands six hundred and fifty talents of silver, and silver articles weighing a hundred talents, and one hundred talents of gold, 27 and twenty gold basins worth a thousand drachmas, and two articles of fine bronze, precious as gold.
15 And I gathered them together at the river that flows toward Ahava, and for three days we stayed there in tents. And I looked among the people and the priests, and found there none of the sons of Levi. 16 Then I sent for Eliezer, for Ariel, for Shemaiah and for Elnathan and for Jarib and for Elnathan and for Nathan and for Zechariah and for Meshullam, chief men, and for Joiarib and for Elnathan, men of understanding. 17 And I sent them with an order to Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should say to Iddo, and to his brethren the Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God. 18 And by the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of understanding, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brethren, eighteen men; 19 and Hashabiah, and with him Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brethren and their sons, twenty men; 20 also of the Nethinims, whom David and the princes had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinims. All of them were designated by name.
28 And I said to them, You are holy to the LORD. The articles are also holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the LORD God of your fathers. 29 Watch and keep them, until you weigh them in the presence of the chief priests and the Levites, and heads of the fathers households of Israel, at Jerusalem, in the chambers of the house of the LORD. 30 So the priests and the Levites took the weighed silver and the gold and the articles to bring them to Jerusalem to the house of our God.
31 Then we set out from the river of Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem, and the hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and of those who lie in wait along the way. 32 And we came to Jerusalem, and stayed there three days.
33 Now on the fourth day the silver and the gold and the articles were weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth, the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them were Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites. 34 Everything was accounted for by number and by weight, and the whole weight was written down at that time.
21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, bringing good, but his power and his wrath are against all those who forsake him. 23 So we fasted and prayed to our God for this, and he heard our prayer.
35 Also the offspring of those who had been carried away, who had come from the captivity, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, twelve he-goats as a sin offering. All this was a burnt offering to the LORD. 36 And they delivered the kings orders to the kings lieutenants, and to the governors on this side of
24 Then I separated twelve of the leading priests, Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brethren with them, 25 and weighed out to them
8:15 Ahava a place in Babylonia. River here may mean a canal that was connected with either the Euphrates or Tigris river. 8:21 Fast Jud 20:26; 1 Sam 7:6; 2 Chron 20:3; Neh 9:1; Esther 4:3; Ps 69:10; Joel 1:14; 2:15. 8:22 There are possible dangers lurking every time a child of God makes a journey. It is a wise thing to commit every journey to God and pray for His protection. Compare Ps 20:7; 33:17-19; 34:15,22; 118:6,7; Rom 8:31. Ezras life matched the principles he preached. He was concerned that he should have a consistent testimony before others. He saw that asking the king for protectors for the journey would be an
expression of doubt that God would protect them. 8:23 Ps 65:2. 8:29 Watch and keep them anyone entrusted with anything belonging to God should be more careful to guard it than to guard things belonging to himself. Alas, that often in Christian circles things and money offered to God are misused, neglected, or even stolen by those who have the oversight of them. 8:31 Hand of our God 7:6,9,28. 8:33 8:26,30. 8:35 Notes on offerings at Leviticus chapters 1-4. 8:36 7:21-24.
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the River. And they gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.
this day our guilt has been great, and for our evil deeds we, our kings and our priests, have been handed over to the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to be like plunder, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.
Now when these things had been done, the leaders came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, behaving according to their abominations, those of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. 2 For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves, and for their sons, so that the holy race has mingled with the people of those lands. Yes, the leaders and rulers have been foremost in putting their hand to this trespass.
8 And now for a little while grace has been showed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may give light to our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. 9 For we were slaves, yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage, but has extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to raise up the house of our God and to repair its desolations, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
3 And when I heard this matter, I tore my garment and my cloak, and plucked out the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down appalled. 4 Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me, because of the transgression of those who had been exiled, and I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.
10 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, 11 which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, The land which you are going to possess is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations. They have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. 12 Now, therefore, do not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons, or seek their peace or their wealth at any time, so that you may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it as an inheritance to your children forever.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I got up from my humiliation, with my clothes and my cloak torn, and I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God, 6 and said,
O my God, I am ashamed and blush to raise my face to you, my God, for our evil deeds have risen over our head, and our trespass has grown up to the heavens. 7 From the days of our fathers to
13 And after all that has come on us for our evil deeds and for our great trespass, since you,
9:1 Not separated Ex 19:5,6; Lev 18:24-30; 20:7,23. 9:2 Wives Ex 34:15,16; Deut 7:3-6. Israel was called to be a distinct, separate people, a holy race, whose holiness of life would be in marked contrast to the sinful life style of the world around. The same is true of believers now (2 Cor 6:14-18; 1 Pet 2:9). The tragedy is that so often those who profess to know the Lord want to be the same as everyone else, to fit into godless society instead of being a witness for God and His holy character. This compromise with the fallen world is seen not only in Ezras time but in many places in Scripture, and is only too evident in the churches today. 9:3 Gen 37:34; Josh 7:6; Jud 11:35; 2 Sam 13:19. The depth of Ezras love for God and His people is seen here. Those who are closest to God will be most alarmed by sin. Compare Ps 119:136. Ezra knew that a continued refusal to be a separate people and to follow Gods laws would mean punishment for the people and dishonor to Gods name. 9:4 Trembled Ps 119:120; Isa 66:2. In all times God has His remnant through whom His purposes are worked out. See v 8; 1 Kings 19:30; Isa 1:9; etc. 9:5 Sacrifice Ex 29:41. 9:6-15 Although guiltless in the matter that so appalled him, Ezra identified himself
with the people in their sin. Compare Neh 9:6-38; Isa 64:5-7; Jer 3:25. He did not stand aloof and condemn them. We can learn something of true intercession from this prayer. 9:6 Ashamed Jer 3:25; 31:19; Dan 9:7. Contrast Jer 3:3; 6:15; Zeph 3:5; 1 Cor 5:2. See Ps 51:17. 9:7 Fathers 2 Chron 29:6; Ps 106:6-43; Jer 2:27; Ezek 23:35.
Handed over to 2 Chron 36:15-20. Ezra was afraid the same thing might happen again if the people were not willing to obey God. 9:8 Grace Ex 34:6,7. Remnant v 4. Light Ps 4:6; 13:3; 19:8; 36:9. 9:9 Slaves Neh 9:36. They were not slaves put to hard labor, but they were under the kings of Persia and unable to have their own king or to handle their own affairs without supervision from them.
Kings of Persia all of them from Cyrus to Artaxerxes showed favor to the Jews. 9:10-12 Lev 18:24-27; Deut 7:3,4; 9:4; 11:8,9. 9:13 Deserve they had been punished with famine and sword, and great destruction of their land and cities and people, and with bondage in a foreign country. Yet in Ezras eyes this was less than they deserved. This is a truth the spiritually wise among
571 EZRA 10:15
our God, have punished us less than our evil deeds deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, 14 should we again break your commandments, and join in marriage with the people of these abominations? Would you not be angry with us till you had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor? 15 O LORD God of Israel, you are righteous, for we remain as a remnant, as it is this day. See, we are before you in our trespasses, for we cannot stand before you because of this.
food nor drank water, for he was grieving because of the transgression of the exiles.
7 And they made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the children of the captivity, that they should assemble at Jerusalem, 8 and that whoever would not come within three days, in accordance with the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his property would be forfeited, and he would be separated from the congregation of the exiles.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered together at Jerusalem within three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month, and all the people were sitting in the square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and because of a heavy rain. 10 And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, You have transgressed, and have taken foreign wives, increasing the trespass of Israel. 11 Now, therefore, make confession to the LORD God of your fathers, and do what pleases him, and separate yourselves from the people of the land and from the foreign wives.
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and throwing himself down before the house of God, a very great congregation out of Israel, of men and women and children, gathered around him, for the people wept bitterly. 2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken foreign wives of the people of the land. Yet now, in spite of this, there is hope for Israel. 3 Now, therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and those who have been born to them, according to the counsel of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise! For this matter is your responsibility. We also will be with you. Be courageous, and do it.
12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, We must do as you have said. 13 But the people are many, and it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand outside. And this is not the work of a day or two, for there are many of us who have transgressed in this matter. 14 Let now our rulers, of the whole congregation, stand, and let all those in our cities who have married foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter is turned away from us. 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahaziah the son of Tikvah opposed
5 Then Ezra got up, and made the chief priests, the Levites, and all Israel, swear that they would do according to this word. And they swore. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the room of Johanan the son of Eliashib. And when he went there, he neither ate
men will understand (Ps 103:10). Those who are spiritually blind will put the blame for mans sufferings on God and think God is unjust to punish men for their sins. 9:14 Marriage Neh 13:23-27. Marriage between believers and unbelievers is contrary to Gods Word and is a very serious matter indeed.
work in the peoples hearts and for them to say what was in their minds. He knew that nothing of spiritual value could be done unless the people were with him.
Hope there is always hope for those who will repent and turn to God with their whole heart 2 Chron 7:14; Isa 55:7. 10:5 Swear 2 Chron 15:12-15; Neh 5:12; 13:25. 10:6 Water Deut 9:18; Ps 42:3; Jonah 3:7. 10:7,8 Because of the influence of Ezras teaching, example, and prayers, the leaders of the Jews acted as they should have to put away that evil from the people. Ezras method accomplished more than a show of authority on his part would have done. 10:9 Rain perhaps it was also cold, since the Jewish ninth month (includes parts of November and December) is the beginning of the cold season in Israel. 10:10,11 Ezra came to the point immediately. Compare Isa 58:1. Such teachers and preachers are needed in every generation. 10:12-14 When leaders take an open stand
Angry Deut 7:4; 11:16,17; 29:2628; Josh 23:16; Jud 2:20. Notes at Num 25:3; Ps 90:7-11; etc. 9:15 Righteous a truth taught everywhere in the Bible Gen 18:25; Deut 4:8; 1 Sam 12:7; 2 Chron 12:6; Ps 4:1; 51:4; 129:4; 145:17; Isa 24:16; Jer 12:1; Rom 3:25; Rev 15:3,4; 16:7.
We cannot stand before you because of this compare Ps 51:1-6; Isa 6:5; Jer 3:25. Contrast this attitude with the one seen in Luke 18:9-12. 10:1 Ezra felt deeply the sin of the people and the danger that could come to them because of it. And he wanted them to understand the seriousness of the situation. 10:2 Ezra waited for repentance to have its
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this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.
25 And others of Israel: of the sons of Parosh, Ramiah and Jeziah and Malchiah and Miamin and Eleazar and Malchijah and Benaiah; 26 and of the sons of Elam, Mattaniah, Zechariah and Jehiel and Abdi and Jeremoth and Eliah; 27 and of the sons of Zattu, Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah and Jeremoth and Zabad and Aziza; 28 of the sons also of Bebai, Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai; 29 and of the sons of Bani, Meshullam, Malluch and Adaiah, Jashub and Sheal and Ramoth; 30 and of the sons of Pahath-Moab, Adna and Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezaleel and Binnui and Manasseh; 31 and of the sons of Harim, Eliezer, Ishijah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah; 33 of the sons of Hashum, Mattenai, Mattathah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei; 34 of the sons of Bani, Maadai, Amram and Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Chelluh, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai and Jaasau, 38 and Bani and Binnui, Shimei, 39 and Shelemiah and Nathan and Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azareel and Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph; 43 of the sons of Nebo, Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jadau and Joel, Benaiah.
16 And the exiles did as agreed. And Ezra the priest, with some heads of the fathers households, for each of their fathers households, and all of them by their names, were separated and sat down on the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they finished dealing with all the men who had taken foreign wives by the first day of the first month.
18 And among the sons of the priests there were found those who had married foreign wives; namely, of the sons of Jeshua, the son of Jozadab and his brothers Maaseiah, and Eliezer and Jarib and Gedaliah.
19 And they gave their hands in pledge that they would put away their wives, and since they were guilty, they offered a ram from the flock for their trespass.
20 And of the sons of Immer, Hanani and Zebadiah; 21 and of the sons of Harim, Maaseiah and Elijah and Shemaiah and Jehiel and Uzziah; 22 and of the sons of Pashur, Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethaneel, Jozabad and Elasah; 23 also of the Levites: Jozabad and Shimei and Kelaiah (he is the same as Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer;
44 All of these had married foreign wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
24 Of the singers also: Eliashib. And of the gatekeepers: Shallum and Telem and Uri.
against evil the results are often good.
10:19 Trespass notes at Leviticus chapter 5.
NEHEMIAH
Author:
According to ancient Jewish tradition Ezra wrote this book, but the first verse has the words of Nehemiah. If Ezra wrote down this book in its present form, it is clear that he used information that came from Nehemiah.
Date:
About 430 BC.
Themes:
The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem; the opposition faced by the Jews and how they overcome it; the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra and their efforts to teach the people and train them in true godliness.
Contents:
Nehemiahs sorrow over Jerusalem and his prayer ........................................... 1:1-11 The king of Persia sends Nehemiah to Jerusalem .............................................. 2:1-10 Nehemiah inspects the walls of Jerusalem ....................................................... 2:11-16 Let us build ............................................................................................... 2:17,18 The beginning of opposition........................................................................... 2:19,20 Repairers of the wall and gates ..................................................................... 3:1-32 Further opposition and how Nehemiah met it ................................................... 4:1-23 The plight of the poor, Nehemiahs actions ...................................................... 5:1-19 Opposition continues, Nehemiahs behavior ..................................................... 6:1-14 The wall completed ....................................................................................... 6:15-19 Arrangements to protect Jerusalem ............................................................... 7:1-3 Nehemiah discovers the list of the returned exiles ............................................ 7:4-73 Ezra reads Gods laws to the people ............................................................... 8:1-12 Festival of Tabernacles ................................................................................. 8:13-18 The Jews confess their sins ........................................................................... 9:1-3 A prayer remembering the Lords great deeds ................................................. 9:5-37 A covenant in writing .................................................................................... 9:38 - 10:39 New residents in Jerusalem and Judah ............................................................ 11:1-36 List of priests and Levites.............................................................................. 12:1-26 Dedication of the wall of Jerusalem ................................................................ 12:27-43 Temple offerings and services ........................................................................ 12:44-47 What happened during Nehemiahs absence .................................................... 13:1-9 Nehemiahs reforms ...................................................................................... 13:10-31
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The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came about in the month Kislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and some men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
transgress, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you turn to me, and keep my commandments, and do them, even though some of you were driven to the uttermost part of the heavens, yet I would gather them from there and bring them to the place that I have chosen to cause my name to dwell.
3 And they said to me, The survivors who are left from the captivity there in the province are in great distress and reproach. Also the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.
10 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, I beg you, now let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who desire to fear your name, and make, I pray you, your servant successful this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.
4 And it happened when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for some days, and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 and said,
For I was the kings cupbearer.
I beg you, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy for those who love him and observe his commandments, 6 let your ear now be attentive, and your eyes open, that you may hear the prayer of your servant, which I pray before you now, day and night, for your servants the children of Israel, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have committed against you. Both I and my fathers household have sinned. 7 We have dealt very corruptly against you, and have not kept the commandments or the statutes or the judgments which you commanded your servant Moses.
And it happened in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now before this I had not been sad in his presence.
2 Therefore the king said to me, Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.
Then I was very much afraid, 3 and said to the king, May the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of the tombs of my fathers, lies waste and its gates have been consumed by fire?
8 Remember, I beg you, the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, If you
4 Then the king said to me, What do
1:1 Nehemiah this name means Jehovah comforts.
1:9 Uttermost part of the heavens this is a proper translation of the Hebrew. Compare Matt 24:31. The phrase does not mean somewhere up in the sky, but has to do with the far places of the earth.
Twentieth year the twentieth year of Artaxerxes king of Persia 445 B.C. Kislev in the Jewish calendar included parts of November and December.
Gather Deut 30:1-5; Jer 23:3; Ezek 20:34,41. My name 1 Kings 8:48. 1:10 Ex 32:11; Deut 9:29; 32:9. Even though Gods people fail, they are still His people. 1:11 Fear your name notes at Gen 20:11; Ps 34:11-14; 111:10; Prov 1:7. This man he means the emperor whom he served. God can and does work in the minds and hearts of others in answer to prayer.
Shushan the principal city of the province of Elam in southwest Persia (Iran).
The palace or it could be translated the capital. 1:3 2 Kings 25:8-10; Ezra 4:12-23. This meant the people in Jerusalem were exposed to attack from their enemies on all sides. 1:4 Ezra 9:3; 10:1,6; Jer 9:1; 13:17; 14:17; Luke 19:41; Acts 20:19. Often they will weep most who care most for the Word of God. 1:5 Awesome 4:14; Deut 7:21; 10:17; Ps 47:2. The KJV has terrible here a word that conveys the wrong meaning to many readers today.
Cupbearer the monarchs of the ancient world were often in danger of being poisoned. The cupbearer had to be a man who was completely trustworthy. Perhaps one of Nehemiahs duties was to taste any drink before it was handed to the king to see whether it was safe to drink. 2:2 Afraid handing wine to the king with a sad face could have been misunderstood (1:11). 2:3 City 1:2,3. 2:4 Prayed Nehemiah was a man of prayer (1:4; 4:4,9; 5:19; 6:9,14; 13:14,22,29,31). Even in conversation with
Love Ex 34:6,7; Deut 7:9; Dan 9:4. 1:6 Day and night as v 4, this verse shows the intensity of his concern. Compare Ps 42:3; 88:1; Luke 2:37; 1 Thess 3:10; 1 Tim 5:5; 2 Tim 1:3. Confess Ezra 9:6,7; Jer 3:25; Dan 9:4-6. 1:7 Corruptly Ps 106:6. You commanded Ex 20:1; etc. 1:8 Lev 26:33; Deut 28:63-67.
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you request?
the animal that I rode on.
So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favour in your sight, that you would send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers tombs, that I may build it.
13 And I went out at night by the Gate of the Valley, toward the Dragon Well and to the Refuse Gate, and inspected the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down, and its gates which were consumed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Gate of the Fountain and to the Kings Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to get through. 15 Then I went up at night by the brook, and viewed the wall, and turned back and entered by the Gate of the Valley, and so returned. 16 And the rulers did not know where I went, or what I did; nor had I as yet told it to the Jews or to the priests or to the nobles or to the rulers or to the rest who did the work.
6 And the king said to me (the queen also was sitting by him), How long will your journey be? And when will you return? So it pleased the king to send me. And I set him a time.
7 Moreover, I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the kings forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel which is by the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I will occupy. And the king granted me my requests, in accordance with the good hand of my God on me. 9 Then I went to the governors beyond the River and gave them the kings letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
17 Then I said to them, You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates burned by fire. Come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, so that we are no longer an object of reproach. 18 Then I told them of the hand of my God who had been gracious to me, and also the kings words that he had spoken to me.
And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they put their hands to this good work.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite, a servant of the king, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite, a servant of the king, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed at us and scorned us and despised us, and said, What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days. 12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me. I did not tell anyone what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except
20 Then I answered them and said to them, The God of heaven will give us success. Therefore
others he spoke in his heart to God an example we all would be wise to follow. 2:5 Build the temple had been completed seventy years before (Ezra 6:15). But the walls and the city of Jerusalem remained in a ruined condition. 2:7,8 Nehemiah was a man of foresight, and careful planning. He had obviously considered beforehand what was involved in the project and he was ready to see it through to the end. Compare Luke 14:28,29. 2:7 Beyond the River in the area between the Euphrates river and the Mediterranean Sea. 2:8 The house the temple. King Prov 21:1. At this time the king appointed Nehemiah governor of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judah 5:14.
the Jews in Judah to become strong and weaken their own influence and authority. 2:12-16 Nehemiah wanted to see what needed to be done before attempting to speak or start the work compare vs 7,8.
Dragon (v 13) the Hebrew word here seems to have several meanings, and could be translated Jackal or Serpent or Fig or Sea monster. 2:17 Lies waste most of Jerusalem had remained in ruins since its destruction in 586 B.C., 140 years previously. The Jews after their return from Babylon had been there for more than ninety years, but had been unable to rebuild the walls and the city. Perhaps they despaired of ever being able to do so until Nehemiah came with authority from the Persian king and encouraged them. 2:18 Verse 8. 2:19 Geshem probably an official of the strong Arab power east and south of Jerusalem.
Good hand of my God v 18; Ezra 7:6; 8:22. 2:9 Compare Ezra 8:22. This does not mean Nehemiah had no faith in Gods protection. Nehemiah had not spoken as Ezra had, and he was traveling as an official of the king. 2:10 Sanballat there is evidence apart from the Bible that Sanballat was the governor of Samaria at that time. Tobiah was a servant of the king, that is, an official, probably the governor of an area east of the Jordan river. They did not want
Laughed, scorned a weapon the ungodly often use against Gods servants (2 Kings 2:23; 2 Chron 30:10; 36:16; Ps 22:7; 44:13; Matt 27:29; Luke 23:36; 2 Pet 3:3; Jude 18). 2:20 Success Rom 8:31. You have no portion the land of Canaan, with all its cities, was given to the
NEHEMIAH 3:1 576
we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem.
14 But Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-Hakkerem, repaired the Refuse Gate. He built it and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars.
Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set up its doors. They built and dedicated the wall to the Tower of Meah, to the Tower of Hananeel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
15 But Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of a district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He built it and covered it and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars. And he repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloah by the kings garden, and the steps that go down from the City of David. 16 Beyond him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half of the district of Beth-Zur, made repairs to the place opposite the Tombs of David, and to the artificial pool, and to the House of the Mighty.
3 But the sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They also laid its beams and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz, made repairs. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel made repairs. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana made repairs. 5 And next to them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their necks to the work of their Lord.
17 Beyond him the Levite Rehum the son of Bani made repairs. Next to him Hashabiah, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 Beyond him their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of half the district of Keilah, made repairs. 19 And next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armoury where the wall turns. 20 Beyond him Baruch the son of Zabbai carefully repaired the other section, from where the wall turns to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 Beyond him Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz repaired another section, from the door of the house of Eliashib to the far side of the house of Eliashib.
6 Moreover, Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate. They laid its beams, and set up its doors and its locks and its bars. 7 And next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, made repairs to the place of the throne of the governor on this side of the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths, made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, the son of one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they fortified Jerusalem to the Broad Wall. 9 And next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 And next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabniah made repairs. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahath-Moab, repaired another section and the Tower of the Furnaces. 12 And next to him Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of half of the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
22 And beyond him the priests, the men of the plain, made repairs. 23 Beyond him Benjamin and Hashub made repairs opposite their house. Beyond him Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah made repairs by his house. 24 Beyond him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the place where the wall turns, as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs opposite the place where the wall turns, and on to the tower which projects out from the kings upper house that was by the court of the prison. Beyond him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. 26 Moreover, the Nethinims who lived in Ophel made repairs to the place opposite the water gate toward the east, and on to the tower that projects out. 27 Beyond them the Tekoites repaired another section, opposite the great tower Jews by God as a permanent possession (Gen 17:8; Josh 1:2-6). Because of sin they had lost possession temporarily, but it was still theirs. 3:1 All classes of people had a part in the work priests (v 1), goldsmiths and perfume-makers (v 8), rulers and women (v 12), Levites (v 17), merchants (v 32). So among believers now there is a place for each one in the work of God 1 Cor 12:7-11. 3:2 Jericho much of the work was done by those from towns other than Jerusalem vs 5,7,13,17,18.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They built it, and set up its doors, its locks, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits on the wall as far as the Refuse Gate.
3:5 Nobles evidently they thought that manual labor was beneath their dignity. Their pride cost them the privilege of taking part in a humble but important work of God. If we are too proud to perform the lowliest task for God we are too proud to be of much use in any work of God (though we may think otherwise and see what we call success). See the example of the Lord Jesus in John 13:3-5. See also Acts 18:3; 20:34,35. 3:15 Siloah Siloam. 3:27 The men of Tekoa repaired two sections of the wall while their nobles
577 NEHEMIAH 4:16
that projects out, on to the Wall of Ophel.
joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
28 The priests made repairs from above the Horse Gate, each opposite his house. 29 Beyond them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. And beyond him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the guard at the east gate, made repairs. 30 Beyond him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. Beyond him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his chamber. 31 Beyond him Malchiah, the goldsmiths son, made repairs to the Place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, opposite the Miphkad Gate, and as far as the upper room at the corner. 32 And between the upper room at the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
7 But it happened that when Sanballat and Tobiah, and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and that the gaps were beginning to be closed, they were very angry, 8 and all of them together made a plot to come and fight against Jerusalem and to disturb it. 9 Nevertheless, we made our prayer to our God, and because of them, set a guard against them day and night.
10 And Judah said, The strength of the labourers is failing, and there is much rubble, so that we are not able to build the wall.
11 And our adversaries said, They will not know or see till we come into the midst of them and kill them and stop the work.
12 And it happened when the Jews who lived near them came, that they told us ten times, They will attack you every place where you may turn.
But it happened that when Sanballat heard we were building the wall, he was angry and enraged, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spoke in the presence of his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Are they going to fortify themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Will they restore the stones from the burned heaps of rubble?
13 Therefore I placed men in the low places behind the wall and on the high places. I placed the people according to their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked around and got up and said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awe-inspiring, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your houses.
3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was with him, and he said, Even if a fox goes up on what they are building, it would break down their stone wall.
4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised; and turn their reproach back on their own head, and give them as prey in the land of captivity, 5 and do not cover their wickedness and do not let their sin be blotted out from your presence. For they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
15 And it came about, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their counsel to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.
16 And from that time on, it happened that half of my servants worked on the job, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, the bows, and armour. And the rulers stood behind the whole
6 So we built the wall, and the whole wall was
refused to do anything (v 5). 3:32 Sheep Gate this completed the wall (v 1). Altogether there were ten gates. 4:1 Sanballat 2:10. Mocked 2:19. 4:4,5 For note and references on similar prayers against enemies see Ps 35:8. Opposing a work of God is a very serious matter. But observe that Nehemiah himself did not act against his enemies, but left the matter in Gods hands. 4:5 Jer 18:23. 4:7 Ashdod was one of the old cities of the Philistines which had come under the rule of the Persians. Opposition to the Jews increased on all sides. 4:8 Ps 2:1,2; 83:1-8. 4:9 They did not pray without posting a guard, or post a guard without praying. They did their part and looked to God to do His part an example to us all. 4:10-12 Growing opposition from without, growing weakness and discouragement
within. Compare 2 Cor 7:5. 4:14 Do not be afraid Ex 14:13; Num 14:9; Josh 1:9; John 14:1; Heb 13:6. Remember the Lord Deut 7:18; Ps 105:5-7; 2 Tim 2:8. Remembering God and His grace and power is a great aid to faith and hope. 4:15 Brought. . .to nothing the faith and action of Nehemiah is what God used to frustrate the plans of the enemy. Very often the faith of one leader is enough to turn the tide of discouragement and lead on to victory. 4:16-18 The picture here suggests two aspects of the Christians life on earth work and spiritual warfare (1 Cor 3:10; 15:58; Eph 6:10-12; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 4:7). These go on simultaneously. We would gladly work without the warfare, but our enemies will not let us alone, just as the Jews enemies would not let them alone. Compare Ps 120:7.
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house of Judah. 17 Those who were building on the wall and those who carried burdens, each took the load with one of his hands and did the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. 18 For each one of the builders wore his sword at his side as he built. And the trumpeter was with me.
4 There were also those who said, We have borrowed money for the kings tax on our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children, and, look, we are bringing our sons and our daughters into bondage to become servants; and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already. Nor is it in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.
19 And I said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and spread out, and we are separated on the wall, one far from another. 20 Therefore wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 Then I controlled my inner feelings, and I rebuked the nobles and rulers and said to them, Every one of you is exacting usury from his brother. And I held a great assembly against them. 8 And I said to them, According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations, and will you even sell your brethren so that they have to be sold back to us? Then they kept silent, and found no answer.
21 So we laboured in the work. And half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 At the same time I also said to the people, Let everyone with his servant stay inside Jerusalem, so that they can be a guard to us by night, and work by day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me, none of us, removed our clothes, except that everyone removed them for washing.
9 I also said, What you are doing is not good. Because of the reproach of our enemy nations should you not walk in the fear of our God? 10 I too, and my brethren and my servants, are lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11 This very day please restore to them their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the wine and the oil, that you exacted from them.
And there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brethren. 2 For there were those who said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore let us get grain for them, so that we can eat and live.
3 Some also there were who said, Because of the famine, we have mortgaged our lands, vineyards and houses that we might buy grain.
12 Then they said, We will restore them, and
4:20 Our God will fight for us Deut 20:4; Josh 10:14,42; 1 Sam 14:6; 2 Sam 5:24. God fighting for His people does not mean that they will not have to fight, except on those rare occasions when their fighting is unnecessary (Ex 14:14). 4:23 Gods work always demands earnestness and willingness to suffer and travail. Compare 2 Cor 6:4-10; etc. 5:1-5 The rebuilding program going on in Jerusalem prevented people from earning their normal income. Also there were other problems of long standing. The result was the complaints of vs 1-5. The disunity revealed here was a further threat to Gods work, as indeed it always is. 5:2 Grain it was the duty of those in Israel who had a surplus to help their poor countrymen Lev 25:35; Deut 15:7,8. For the duty of believers now see Acts 24:17; Rom 12:8,13; 2 Cor 8:13,14; 9:12,13; Matt 25:31-46. 5:3 Famine those who had grain, instead of freely sharing as they should have, were making a profit from the poor an injustice and hardness of heart which God will always judge and punish. 5:4 Kingss tax the Jews were ruled by Persian kings who levied taxes on them. This increased the economic burden of the poor.
5:5 Lev 25:39-43; Deut 15:12-18. Nor is it in our power the true complaint of the poor in all generations. 5:6 Angry those in tune with God will be angry when injustice and hardness of heart prevail, and when the poor and helpless are ground under foot. Compare Ex 22:22-24; Ps 12:5; Isa 1:17; 3:14,15; Amos 2:6,7; 4:1; etc. 5:7 I controlled my inner feelings the Hebrew word translated controlled means to reign as king. The word translated feelings is literally heart.
Usury Ex 22:25; Lev 25:36-38. 5:8 Lev 25:39-42,48. The nations Ex 21:8. Silent they were guilty and knew it. Compare Rom 3:19. 5:9 Reproach 2 Sam 12:14; Rom 2:23,24. Fear of our God notes at Gen 20:11; Ps 34:11-14; 111:10; Prov 1:7. 5:11 It was not enough for them to admit their guilt. They had to act in a way that proved the genuineness of their repentance. God always requires men to give back what they have unjustly taken. See Matt 3:8; Luke 19:8; Ex 22:1; Lev 6:4,5; 24:18,21; 1 Sam 12:3; 2 Sam 12:6. 5:12 Oath 2 Chron 28:15; Ezra 10:5.
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will require nothing from them. We will do just as you say.
Now it so happened that when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no gap left in it (though at that time I had not set up the doors of the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent word to me, saying, Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono. But they were planning to harm me.
Then I called the priests, and took an oath from them, that they would do according to this promise. 13 Also I shook out the front of my robe and said, So may God shake out every man from his house and from his work, who does not act according to this promise. Just like this may he be shaken out and emptied.
3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you? 4 Yet they sent me this same message four times; and I answered them in the same way.
And all the congregation said, Amen! and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the food of the governor. 15 But the former governors who had been before me laid burdens on the people, and took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants ruled the people. But I did not, because of the fear of God. 16 Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall, and we did not buy any land. And all my servants gathered there for the work.
5 Then, in the same way, Sanballat sent his servant to me the fifth time with an open letter in his hand, 6 in which was written,
It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu says it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel. For this reason, according to these words, you are building the wall, that you may be their king. 7 And also you have appointed prophets to make proclamations about you at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah! And now it will be reported to the king according to these words. So come now, and let us take counsel together.
17 Moreover, there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those visiting us from among the nations that are around us. 18 Now what was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days an abundant supply of all sorts of wine. Yet in spite of all this I did not demand the governors food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people.
8 Then I sent word to him, saying, No such things as you say are being done, but you are making them up in your own heart.
9 For they were all trying to frighten us, saying, Their hands will be weakened in the work, so that it will not be done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.
10 Afterwards I came to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut in, and he said, Let us meet together in the 5:13 The threat was that if they would not help the poor, God would make them poor. Compare Ps 18:25,26. 5:14-18 See Nehemiahs spirit of service. He set an example to all, not claiming what was his rights as governor. He was there to serve, not to be a burden to others, or to use his position to enrich himself. See also Pauls way 1 Cor 9:1-23; 2 Thess 3:8,9. Let us be eager to follow their example.
19 Think of me, my God, for good, in accordance with all that I have done for this people.
6:2 Ono this area was near the Mediterranean coast, far from Jerusalem. Nehemiah understood that Sanballat and friends were not planning any good. 6:3 Nehemiah could not be diverted from the work God had given him to do. To him Gods work was noble and sacred, and demanded all his strength, time, and best efforts. 6:4 Enemies of Gods work do not usually give up easily; neither should Gods servants. 6:5 Open it is probable that Sanballat deliberately left the letter unsealed so the messenger or anyone else who saw it could read it and spread the lie. 6:6 Gashmu a variant of Geshem. 6:9 Trying to frighten if the lie of Sanballat had reached the ears of the king of Persia and he had believed it, he would doubtless have taken strong measures against Nehemiah and the Jews. 6:10 Temple Nehemiah was not a priest, and entering the inner court of the temple was not permitted anyone except priests. Perhaps Shemaiah meant the outer court of the temple. (Num 18:7.
Forty shekels (v 15) about 0.5 kilogram. 5:16 Land Nehemiahs eyes were on spiritual benefits, not material (v 19). 5:18 As governor he had to show hospitality, but even in that he refused the provisions he was entitled to. He was concerned for the people, not for how he could stuff his own pockets. 5:19 Think 13:14,22,31; 2 Kings 20:3; Heb 6:10.
Good good to Nehemiah did not mean material rewards, but grace and strength to finish his work and to honor God and enjoy the light of His face. 6:1 2:10,19; 4:1,7.
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house of God, in the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. Yes, at night they are coming to kill you.
until the sun is hot. And while the gatekeepers are standing by, let them shut the doors and bar them. And appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, each at his post, and each in front of his house.
11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in. 12 And then I perceived that God had not sent him, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 The reason he was hired is that I might be afraid, and do so and sin, so that they might have material for an evil report, that they might reproach me.
4 Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not built. 5 And my God put into my heart to assemble the nobles and the rulers and the people, so that they might be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who first came up, and found this written in it:
14 My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat according to these works of theirs, and the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets who tried to frighten me.
6 These are the children of the province who came up out of the captivity, among the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away, and who returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each one to his city, 7 coming with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number of men of the people of Israel was this:
15 So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And it came about when all our enemies heard of this, and all the nations that were around us saw these things, that they were much deflated in their own eyes, for they perceived that this work was done by our God.
8 The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred and seventy-two.
17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and letters from Tobiah were coming to them. 18 For many in Judah were under an oath to him, because he was the son-inlaw of Shechaniah, the son of Arah, and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah. 19 Also they reported his good deeds in my presence, and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to frighten me.
9 The children of Shephatiah, three hundred and seventy-two.
10 The children of Arah, six hundred and fifty-two.
11 The children of Pahath-Moab, of the children of Jeshua and Joab, two thousand eight hundred and eighteen.
12 The children of Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
13 The children of Zattu, eight hundred and forty-five.
Now it came about, when the wall was built and I had set up the doors, and the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites had been appointed, 2 that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the commander of the citadel, charge over Jerusalem, for he was a faithful man, and feared God more than many do. 3 And I said to them, Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened
14 The children of Zaccai, seven hundred and sixty.
15 The children of Binnui, six hundred and sforty-eight.
16 The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-eight.
17 The children of Azgad, two thousand three
Compare 2 Chron 26:16-21).
work, had supporters among Gods people. Do such things ever go on in the churches today? Alas, yes. 7:1 1 Chron 9:27; 26:12-19; chapters 23-25. 7:2 Nehemiahs choice of his brother was not nepotism not the choice of a relative regardless of whether he had the proper qualifications. That sort of thing Nehemiah would rightly have rejected with disgust. Hananiah had two essential qualities for anyone in a responsible position in Gods work integrity and the fear of God, and for this reason he was chosen. 7:5 Put into my heart Nehemiah was always ready to give God the credit for the wisdom he had. He did not take the credit to himself. 7:6-73 Ezra 2:1-70.
Kill you still another attempt to frighten and discredit Nehemiah v 13. 6:11 Flee compare Acts 20:24; 21:13. 6:12 Evidently Shemiah was a false prophet who was after money. Compare 2 Pet 2:16. 6:14 False prophets were a problem in other days too. See Jer 5:31; 14:13-15; 23:9-17; Ezek 13:1-7. There will be false prophets in the future also Matt 24:11,24; 2 Pet 2:1. 6:15 Fifty-two days a remarkable feat. The walls had lain in ruins for nearly 150 years, and only piles of rubble had remained. 6:16 God it was obvious to all that God had given exceptional strength, courage, and determination to the Jews. 6:17-19 Tobiah, a great enemy of Gods
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hundred and twenty-two.
children of Shobai, a hundred and thirty-eight.
18 The children of Adonikam, six hundred and sixty-seven.
46 The Nethinims: the children of Ziha, the children of Hashupha, the children of Tabbaoth, 47 the children of Keros, the children of Sia, the children of Padon, 48 the children of Lebana, the children of Hagaba, the children of Shalmai, 49 the children of Hanan, the children of Giddel, the children of Gahar, 50 the children of Reaiah, the children of Rezin, the children of Nekoda, 51 the children of Gazzam, the children of Uzza, the children of Phaseah, 52 the children of Besai, the children of Meunim, the children of Nephishesim, 53 the children of Bakbuk, the children of Hakupha, the children of Harhur, 54 the children of Bazlith, the children of Mehida, the children of Harsha, 55 the children of Barkos, the children of Sisera, the children of Tamah, 56 the children of Neziah, the children of Hatipha.
19 The children of Bigvai, two thousand and sixty-seven.
20 The children of Adin, six hundred and fifty-five.
21 The children of Ater of Hezekiah, ninety-eight.
22 The children of Hashum, three hundred and twenty-eight.
23 The children of Bezai, three hundred and twenty-four.
24 The children of Hariph, a hundred and twelve. 25 The children of Gibeon, ninety-five. 26 The men of Bethlehem and Netophah, a hundred eighty-eight.
27 The men of Anathoth, a hundred and twenty-eight.
57 The children of Solomons servants: the children of Sotai, the children of Sophereth, the children of Perida, 58 the children of Jaala, the children of Darkon, the children of Giddel, 59 the children of Shephatiah, the children of Hattil, the children of Pochereth of Zebaim, the children of Amon.
28 The men of Beth-Azmaveth, forty-two. 29 The men of Kirjath-Jearim, Kephirah, and Beeroth, seven hundred and forty-three.
30 The men of Ramah and Gaba, six hundred and twenty-one.
31 The men of Michmas, a hundred and twenty-two.
60 All the Nethinims, including the children of Solomons servants, were three hundred and ninety-two.
32 The men of Bethel and Ai, a hundred and twenty-three.
33 The men of the other Nebo, fifty-two. 34 The children of the other Elam, a thousand two hundred and fifty-four.
61 And these were those who also came up from Tel-Melah, Tel-Haresha, Kerub, Addon, and Immer, but they could not show their fathers household, or their descendants, whether they were of Israel: 62 the children of Delaiah, the children of Tobiah, the children of Nekoda, six hundred and forty-two.
35 The children of Harim, three hundred and twenty.
36 The children of Jericho, three hundred and forty-five.
37 The children of Lod, Hadid, and Ono, seven hundred and twenty-one.
63 And of the priests: the children of Habaiah, the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai, who married one of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their name.
38 The children of Senaah, three thousand nine hundred and thirty.
39 The priests: the children of Jedaiah, of the house of Jeshua, nine hundred and seventy-three.
64 These sought their records among those who were registered by genealogy, but they were not found. Therefore they were expelled from the priesthood, as unclean. 65 And the governor told them not to eat of the most holy things, until a priest stood up with Urim and Thummim.
40 The children of Immer, a thousand and fifty-two.
41 The children of Pashur, a thousand two hundred and forty-seven.
42 The children of Harim, a thousand and seventeen.
66 The whole congregation together was forty-two thousand three hundred and sixty, 67 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred and thirty-seven. And they had two hundred and forty-five men and women singers.
43 The Levites: the children of Jeshua, of Kadmiel, and of the children of Hodevah, seventy-four.
44 The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred and forty-eight.
68 Their horses were seven hundred and thirty-six. Their mules were two hundred and forty-five. 69 Their camels were four hundred and thirty-five. They had six thousand seven hundred
45 The gatekeepers: the children of Shallum, the children of Ater, the children of Talmon, the children of Akkub, the children of Hatita, the
7:65 Thummin note on Ex 28:3 equal
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and twenty donkeys.
and beside him, on his right, stood Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Urijah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah, and on his left, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchiah and Hashum and Hashbadana, Zechariah and Meshullam.
70 And some of the heads of the fathers households gave for the work. The governor gave into the treasury a thousand gold drachmas, fifty basins, and five hundred and thirty priestly garments. 71 And some of the heads of the fathers households gave into the treasury for the work twenty thousand gold drachmas, and two thousand two hundred silver minas. 72 And what the rest of the people gave was twenty thousand gold drachmas and two thousand silver minas, and sixty-seven priestly garments.
5 And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people (for he was standing above all the people), and when he opened it all the people stood up. 6 And Ezra praised the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, lifting up their hands, and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces toward the ground.
73 So the priests and the Levites and the gatekeepers and the singers, and some of the people, and the Nethinims, and all Israel, lived in their cities. And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities.
7 Also Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, explained the law to the people, and the people stood in their places. 8 So they read distinctly from the book of the law of God and gave the sense, so that they understood what was read.
And all the people gathered together as one man in the square that was in front of the Water Gate, and they spoke to Ezra the scribe about bringing the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.
9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
2 And on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation of both men and women, and all who could hear with understanding. 3 And from morning to midday he read from it facing the square that was in front of the Water Gate in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand, and the ears of all the people listened attentively to the book of the law.
10 Then he said to them, Go your way, eat rich food and drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, Be still, for the day is holy. Do not be grieved.
4 And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform which they had made for the purpose,
12 And all the people went their way to eat and
7:70 A thousnd gold drachmas about 8.5 kilograms. 7:71 Minas one mina equals about 600 grams. 7:73 Nethinims servants who performed menial tasks around the temple. 8:1 Ezra Ezra 7:6. The book of the law of Moses here means at least part, and probably all, of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). The leaders knew it was essential that the faith and behavior of the Jews be solidly based on the Word of God. 8:3 He read Ex 24:7. The people would not have had copies of their own. Ezra chose the best way to bring Gods Word to bear on their minds and consciences.
legalists and hypocrites (Matthew chapter 23). 8:6 Praised note at Ps 33:1-3. 8:8 Gave the sense, so that they understood this is the most important work of a teacher to make sure that people really understand the Word of God. Ezra, and those helping him, evidently gave a running commentary as they read the Scriptures. 8:9 Weep when we hear Gods law there is reason to weep as we think of how we have broken it. But that day was designed to be a day of rejoicing the wall of Jerusalem was finished, the people were responsive to God and were worshiping Him, and it was a feast day, a day for rejoicing (Deut 12:7,12; 16:14,15). Mourning was to come later 9:1,2. 8:10 For whom nothing is prepared it is always the duty of Gods people to help the needy note at 5:2.
Midday six hours, and the people were attentive. This showed the work of God in their hearts. 8:4 Scribe the work of the scribes was to preserve the law, teach it, and interpret it, applying it to every day life. No doubt the order of the scribes began under the guidance of God, but over the years it degenerated until, in the time of the Lord Jesus, the scribes for the most part were hard
Joy God wants His people to have joy John 17:13; Rom 14:17. The person who has Gods joy will be much stronger for God than the person without it. On joy see Ps 16:11; 21:1; 32:11; 43:4; 51:8. 8:12 They understood notice the connection between understanding and joy.
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drink, and to send portions to others, and to rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that had been proclaimed to them.
sins, and the evil deeds of their fathers. 3 And they stood in their places, and read from the book of the law of the LORD their God for a fourth of the day, and during another fourth they made their confession, and worshipped the LORD their God. 4 Then standing on the stairs of the Levites, Jeshua and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani cried out to the LORD their God with a loud voice. 5 Then the Levites Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah said, Stand up and praise the LORD, your God forever and ever. And they said,
13 And on the second day the heads of the fathers households of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, gathered together around Ezra the scribe to understand the words of the law. 14 And they found written in the law which the LORD commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should live in booths during the feast of the seventh month, 15 and that they should announce it and proclaim it in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches and pine branches and myrtle branches and palm branches and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.
Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You, you alone, are the LORD. You made the heavens, the heaven of heavens, with all their starry host, the earth, and everything in it, the seas, and everything in them. And you preserve them all, and the host of heaven worships you.
16 So the people went out and brought them, and they made booths for themselves, each one on the roof of his house, or in their compounds, or in the courtyards of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. 17 And the whole congregation of those who had come back from the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths. For since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And the rejoicing was very great.
7 You are the LORD God, who chose Abram, and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham. 8 And you found his heart faithful toward you, and made a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it to his offspring, and you acted in accordance with your words, for you are righteous.
18 Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the regulation.
9 And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea, 10 and showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh and against all his servants and against all the people of his land, for you knew that they treated them with arrogance. So you got a name for yourself, as it is this day. 11 And you divided the sea in front of them, so that they went through the middle of the sea on dry ground, and you hurled their pursuers
Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, with dust on their heads. 2 And the descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their
Confessed Lev 26:40; Ps 32:5; 106:6; Prov 28:13; Dan 9:20; 1 John 1:9. 9:3 Read 8:4-8. 9:5 The LORD Jehovah see note at Ex 3:14,15. The people were urged to praise the one true and eternal God, the Creator of the universe; no other is worthy of praise. The great prayer which follows is similar to psalms 78, 105, and 106. 9:6 You alone Isa 43:10,11; 44:6-8; 45:5,22. Them Gen 1:1-31; Ps 95:5; 115:15; Isa 40:26; 45:12; Acts 14:15; Rev 4:10,11; 10:6. Worships you Ps 89:5-7; 103:20-22. 9:7 Gen 11:31; 12:1-3; 17:5. Chaldees that is, Babylonia. 9:8 Faithful Gen 15:6; 22:15-18; Rom 4:18-21. To give him Gen 15:18-21; 17:7,8. 9:9 Ex 3:7; 14:10-12. 9:10 Ex 5:2; 7:1 - 14:31; 9:16. 9:11 Ex 14:20-28; 15:1,5,10.
8:14,15 Lev 23:34-43 the Feast of Tabernacles. 8:16 Courtyards the outer courtyards of the temple where the people were permitted to go. 8:17 Had not done so at times there had been some observance of the Feast of Tabernacles since Joshuas day (1 Kings 8:2; 2 Chron 8:13; Ezra 3:4), but not with such understanding of its real significance, and not with such joy. How easy it is for a mode of gathering which once meant blessing to descend into a merely formal rite. Compare Isa 1:10-16; Mal 1:6-9; 1 Cor 11:17-34. 8:18 Lev 23:36; Num 29:35; Deut 31:11. These days resulted in a time of revival in many hearts (9:1-3; 10:28-39) a revival not based on mans techniques, or personalities, but on the hearing of the Word of God. 9:1 Gen 37:34; Ezra 8:23; 10:6; Job 2:12; Ps 35:13; Joel 1:13,14. 9:2 Foreigners Ezra 10:11; Deut 7:3-6.
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into the deep, like a stone into the mighty waters. 12 Moreover you led them in the day by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light on the road they were to travel.
swell.
22 Moreover you gave them kingdoms and nations, and allotted to them even remote areas. So they possessed the land of Sihon, that is, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You also increased the number of their children like the stars of heaven, and brought them into the land which you had promised to their fathers, so that they could go in to possess it. 24 So the children went in and possessed the land, and in front of them you subdued the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hands, with their kings and the people of the land, so that they might do with them as they wished. 25 And they took strong cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards and olive gardens and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat, and delighted in your great goodness.
13 And you came down upon Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments, 14 and made known to them your holy Sabbath, and commanded them precepts, statutes and laws, through your servant Moses. 15 And you gave them bread from heaven for their hunger, and brought water out of the rock for them for their thirst, and promised them that they would go in to possess the land which you had sworn to give them.
16 But they and our fathers acted arrogantly and hardened their necks, and did not listen to your commandments, 17 and refused to obey. They did not keep in mind your wonders which you did among them, but they hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to the place of their bondage. But you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to get angry, and have great kindness, so you did not forsake them. 18 Even when they made a calf of cast metal and said, This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt, and committed acts showing great contempt, 19 because of your abundant mercy you still did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud, leading them in the way, did not leave them in the daylight, nor did the pillar of fire, showing them light on the way in which they should go, leave them at night.
26 Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you, and threw your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who admonished them to turn them to you, and they committed acts showing great contempt. 27 Therefore you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. And in the time of their trouble, when they cried out to you, you heard them from heaven, and in accordance with your great mercies you gave them saviours, who saved them out of the hands of their enemies.
28 But when they were at rest, they again did evil in your presence. Therefore you left them in the hands of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. Yet when they returned to you and cried out, you heard them from heaven, and many times you delivered them according to your mercies, 29 and admonished them, so that you might bring them back to your law. Yet they behaved
20 You also gave your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21 Yes, for forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not
9:12 Ex 13:21,22; 40:36-38; Deut 1:33. 9:13 Ex 9:11,18-20; 20:1; Ps 19:7-9; Rom 7:12. 9:14 Gen 2:3; Ex 16:23; 20:8-11; Heb 4:4-11. Note on Ex 20:8. 9:15 Out of the rock Ex 16:4,14-17; 17:6; 1 Cor 10:4. Possess the land Gen 22:15-17; Deut 1:8; Josh 1:1-5. 9:16 Ex 32:9; Deut 9:24; 31:27; Ps 78:40,56; Jer 7:26; 17:23; Acts 7:51. 9:17 Did not keep in mind Ps 78:11,42; 106:13. Bondage Num 14:1-4. Kindness Ex 34:6,7; Micah 7:18. 9:18 Calf Ex 32:1-14,31. Great contempt people show contempt for the true God by the things they say and do, often without realizing it. 9:19 Mercy Ps 103:8-10,13,14; Micah 7:18,19.
9:20 Spirit Ex 31:3; Num 11:17; Isa 63:11,14. Manna Ex 16:14-16. 9:21 Deut 2:7; 8:4; 29:5. 9:22 Num 21:21-35. Even remote areas the Hebrew here is unclear. 9:23 Stars of heaven Gen 15:5; 22:17. Brought Josh 4:1,23. 9:24 Josh 11:23; chapter 12; 21:43-45. 9:25 Deut 6:10-12; Josh 24:13. Goodness Ps 23:6; 25:8; 31:19; 33:5; 52:1; 107:8,9,15,21,31. 9:26 Jud 2:11; 1 Kings 14:9; 19:10; 2 Chron 36:16; Jer 44:10; Matt 23:37; Acts 7:52. 9:27,28 Jud 2:14-18; Ps 106:40-43. 9:29 Admonished v 30; Jer 7:25; 11:7,8. Arrogantly knowingly breaking Gods commands often has its roots in arrogance. It is men putting their will above Gods will, a mute declaration of independence from
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arrogantly, and did not listen to your commandments, but sinned against your judgments (by which a man will live if he does them), and stubbornly turned their shoulder and hardened their neck and would not listen. 30 Yet for many years you showed them forbearance, and admonished them by your Spirit in your prophets. Yet they would not give ear, so you gave them into the hands of the people of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, for the sake of your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
Now those who sealed it were Nehemiah the governor, the son of Hachaliah, and Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashur, Amariah, Malchijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 And their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Micha, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodijah, Bani, Beninu.
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who maintains covenant and mercy, do not let all this trouble seem a small thing in your presence, this trouble that has come on us, on our kings, on our princes, on our priests, on our prophets, on our fathers, and on all your people, from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 However you are just in all that has happened to us, for you dealt faithfully. But we have acted wickedly. 34 Nor have our kings, our princes, our priests, or our fathers, kept your law or listened to your commandments and your testimonies which you gave them. 35 For they did not serve you in their kingdom, or in the many good things that you gave them, or in the large and rich land which you set before them; nor did they turn away from their wicked deeds.
14 The chief of the people: Parosh, PahathMoab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hizkijah, Azzur, 18 Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub, 24 Hallohesh, Pileha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, Baanah.
28 And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge and understanding, 29 joined their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath, to walk in Gods law, which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes, 30 and stated:
36 See, we are servants today. In the land that you gave to our fathers to eat its fruit and its good things, see, we are servants. 37 And its great produce it yields for the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; and they have the rule over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure. And we are in great distress.
We will not give our daughters to the people of the land, or take their daughters for our sons.
38 And because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it down, and our leaders, Levites and priests put their seals on it.
31 And if the people of the land bring goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy it from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day.
the Supreme Ruler of the universe, a way of saying that they know what is better for them than God does and that they will do what they please whether God likes it or not. 9:30 Verses 20,26,29; 2 Kings 17:13; 2 Chron 36:16-20; Zech 7:12. 9:31 End of them Isa 48:9; Jer 4:27; 5:18; 30:11. Merciful Deut 4:31; Ps 103:8; 116:5; Micah 7:18. 9:32 Our God Deut 7:9,21; 1 Kings 8:23; Ps 24:8; 89:8; 93:4; Dan 9:4.
9:33 Dan 9:6-8,14. 9:34 2 Kings 23:11; Jer 2:8,26,27; 32:32. 9:35 From their wicked deeds Judges 2:10-19; 2 Chron 36:15-17. 9:36 Servants Ezra 9:9. 9:37 Kings whom you have set over us kings of Persia who controlled the land of Israel, did so only because God permitted them to do so. 9:38 Covenant 10:29-39. 10:2 Jeremiah not the prophet of the same name, long dead. 10:28 Separated themselves 9:2. 10:29 Into a curse and oath means they promised in Gods name to obey Gods law and pronounced a curse on those who broke their oath. See Deut 27:14-26; 28:15; 2 Chron 15:12-15. 10:30 Ex 34:15,16; Deut 7:3. 10:31 Sabbath Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:1215; Jer 17:19-27.
Trouble after the reign of Solomon both Israel and Judah struggled constantly either against each other or against one or another of the surrounding nations, suffered the sad consequences of warfare, and at last were conquered by Assyria and Babylon.
Assyria six kings of Assyria are named in the Old Testament (2 Kings 18:9,13; 1 Chron 5:26; Ezra 4:2,10; Isa 20:1).
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And in the seventh year we will refrain from farming and from demanding payment for any debt.
sanctuary are, and where the priests who serve, and the gatekeepers, and the singers stay. And we will not forsake the house of our God.
32 Also we will undertake the duty of contributing yearly a third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God, 33 for the Showbread and for the regular grain offering, and for the regular burnt offering of the Sabbaths, the new moons and the appointed feasts and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
And the rulers of the people lived at Jerusalem, and the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one in ten to live in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine were to live in other cities. 2 And the people pronounced a blessing on all the men who volunteered to live at Jerusalem.
3 Now the following are the heads of the province who lived in Jerusalem. (But some Israelites, Levites, temple servants, the descendants of Solomons servants, lived in their cities, each one on his own property, 4 while some of the children of Judah and the children of Benjamin lived at Jerusalem.)
34 And we will cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing an offering of wood to the house of our God, according to our fathers households, at appointed times year after year, to burn on the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law.
35 And we will all bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all the fruit of all the trees, year after year, to the house of the LORD, 36 and bring the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in the house of our God.
Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez, 5 and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Colhozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 6 All the sons of Perez who lived at Jerusalem numbered four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men.
37 And we will bring the first of our dough and our offerings, and the fruit of all kinds of trees, of wine and of oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God. And we will bring the tithes from our land to the Levites, so that the Levites might have the tithes in all our farming communities. 38 And the priest, the son of Aaron, will be with the Levites, when the Levites receive the tithes, and the Levites will bring a tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse. 39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi will bring the offering of grain, of new wine, and of oil, to the rooms where the articles for the
7 And these are the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Jesaiah. 8 And after him Gabbai, Sallai, altogether nine hundred and twenty-eight. 9 And Joel the son of Zichri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah was second in command over the city.
10 Of the priests: Jedaiah the son of Joiarib, Jachin. 11 Seraiah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, was in charge of the house of Seventh year Ex 23:10,11; Lev 25:4; Deut 15:1,2. 10:32 Shekel one shekel equals about 11:5 grams. The law spoke of giving a half shekel (Ex 30:13,14). Nehemiah made it one third, probably because of the great poverty of the people 5:1-5. But he did not cancel this offering because the people were poor. For the work of the temple to go on it was essential that the people give. It was also necessary for their own spiritual benefit. For giving in time of poverty see also 2 Cor 8:1-4. 10:33 Showbread Lev 24:8. Offerings Leviticus chapters 1-4. New moons Num 10:10. 10:34 Cast lots 11:1; Josh 18:6,8; 1 Sam 14:42; 1 Chron 24:31. 10:35 Ex 23:19; 34:26; Deut 26:1-3. 10:36 Ex 13:1,2,11-16; Lev 27:26,27; Num 18:15,16. 10:37 Tithes Gen 14:20; Lev 27:30; Mal 3:8-10. The workers in the temple were
supported by tithes and offerings. For the work of God to go on the people had to accept that it was their responsibility and privilege to give. 10:38 Num 18:26. The Levites who received tithes for their support also had to give tithes.
Son here obviously means descendant, as often in the Bible. Aaron had been dead for hundreds of years before the priest referred to here performed his service. This is an example showing that the Hebrew word for son cannot always be taken literally. It indicates a wide range of relationships. 11:1 Cast lots 10:34. Holy city Isa 48:2; 52:1; Dan 9:24; Matt 4:5; Rev 11:2. 11:2 The people naturally preferred to stay in their own home towns. But Jerusalem was underpopulated. Hence the arrangement of casting lots. Others volunteered to move to Jerusalem even though the lot had not fallen on them. 11:3-22 1 Chron 9:2-34.
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God. 12 And their brethren who did the work of the house numbered eight hundred and twentytwo; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchiah, 13 and his brethren, heads of the fathers households, numbered two hundred and forty-two; and Amashai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahasai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer, 14 and their brethren, mighty men of valour, numbered a hundred and twenty-eight; and their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men.
30 Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish and its fields, at Azekah and in its villages. And they lived from Beersheba to the valley of Hinnom.
31 And the children of Benjamin from Geba lived at Michmash and Aija and Bethel, and in their villages, 32 and at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 33 Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 34 Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 35 Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen.
36 And of the Levites some divisions belonging to Judah lived in Benjamin.
15 And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hashub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni, 16 and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, supervised the outside work of the house of God. 17 And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the leader who began the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun. 18 All the Levites in the holy city numbered two hundred and eighty-four.
Now these are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnetho, Abijah, 5 Miamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah, who was in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brethren. 9 Also Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, stood opposite them in the services.
19 Moreover, the gatekeepers Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren who guarded the gates, numbered a hundred and seventy-two.
20 And the rest of Israel, of the priests and the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, each one in his inheritance.
10 And Jeshua begot Joiakim, Joiakim also begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, 11 and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua.
21 But the temple servants lived in Ophel, and Ziha and Gispa were over the temple servants.
12 And in the days of Joiakim the priests, the heads of the fathers households were these: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin, of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel.
22 And the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micha. Of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the work of the house of God. 23 For the kings command concerning them was that a certain portion should be for the singers, day by day.
24 And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the kings hand in all matters concerning the people.
25 And as for the villages, with their fields, some of the children of Judah lived at Kirjath-Arba and in its villages, and at Dibon and in its villages, and at Jekabzeel and in its villages, 26 and at Jeshua and at Moladah and at Beth-Phelet 27 and at Hazarshual and at Beersheba and in its villages, 28 and at Ziklag and at Mekonah and in its villages, 29 and at Enrimmon and at Zareah and at Jarmuth,
22 The Levites who were the heads of the fathers households in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, and the priests, were recorded in the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The sons of Levi, the heads of the fathers households, were written in the book of the Chronicles, until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 24 And
11:22 Asaph 1 Chron 15:17,19; 16:5; 25:1; Psalms 50,73-83. 11:23 1 Chron 25:1; Ezra 6:8; 7:20. 11:24 Kings king of Persia. 11:30 Beersheba was in the desert in the southern part of the land. The valley of Hinnom was just outside the walls of Jerusalem on the south and west. 11:31-35 Places to the north and northwest
of Jerusalem. 12:1 Zerubbabel Ezra 3:2,8; 5:2. Jeshua Ezra 2:2; Hag 1:1; Zech 3:1. 12:9 Opposite see v 24; 2 Chron 7:6; 8:14. 12:22 Darius II reigned over the Persian empire 423 - 404 B.C. 12:23 Annals no man knows what has become of this book.
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the heads of the Levites were Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren who stood opposite them, to praise and to give thanks, in accordance with the command of David the man of God, one group responding to the group opposite.
opposite way, and I and half of the people on the wall followed them, past the Tower of the Ovens to the broad wall, 39 and over the Gate of Ephraim and over the Old Gate and over the Fish Gate and passed the Tower of Hananeel and the Tower of Meah to the Sheep Gate; and they stopped by the Gate of the Guardhouse.
25 Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers keeping guard at the storerooms of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe.
40 So the two thanksgiving choirs stood in the house of God, and I, and half of the rulers with me, 41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Michaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah and Hananiah, with trumpets, 42 and Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malchijah and Elam and Ezer. And the singers sang loudly, with Jezrahiah their director. 43 Also that day they offered great sacrifices and rejoiced, for God caused them to rejoice with great joy. The wives and the children also rejoiced, so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away.
27 And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with joy, with thanksgiving and with singing, with cymbals, lyres and harps. 28 And the sons of the singers gathered together from the countryside around Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi, 29 and from Beth-Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people, and the gates and the wall.
44 And at that time some were appointed over the storehouse rooms for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions commanded by the law for the priests and Levites. For Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who served. 45 And both the singers and the gatekeepers performed the service of their God, and the rite of purification, in accordance with the command of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in olden times, in the days of David and Asaph, there were leaders of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 And in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, all Israel gave the portions for the singers and the gatekeepers, a portion for each day. They also set apart portions for the Levites, and the Levites set apart portions for the children of Aaron.
31 Then I brought the leaders of Judah up onto the wall, and appointed two large thanksgiving choirs, one of which went to the right on the wall toward the Refuse Gate, 32 and after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the leaders of Judah, 33 and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34 Judah and Benjamin and Shemaiah and Jeremiah, 35 and some of the priests sons with trumpets, namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Michaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph, 36 and his brethren, Shemaiah and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe leading them. 37 And at the Fountain Gate, in front of them, they went up the steps of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, beyond the house of David, to the Water Gate on the east.
On that day they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and it was found written that the Ammonite and the Moabite should never come into the congregation of God, 2 because they did not meet the children of Israel with food and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However our God
38 And the other thanksgiving choir went the
12:27 Dedication compare 2 Chron 7:1-6; Ezra 6:16,17. 12:30 13:22. Uncleanness could result from various causes. See Lev 5:2; 7:21; 10:10; 12:2; 13:3. Note at Lev 11:1. Purification was made by various sacrifices or washing. 12:31 Thanksgiving Lev 7:12,13 (note); 2 Sam 22:50; 1 Chron 16:8,34; Ezra 3:11; Ps 18:49; 30:12; 75:1. 12:35 Trumpets Num 10:2,8; Ezra 3:10. 12:36 1 Chron 23:5; 2 Chron 29:26,27. 12:43 2 Chron 7:10; 29:36. True joy is a gift of God, not something men find by their
own efforts. It is related to a realization of Gods goodness, a recognition of His gracious acts, and obedience to Gods revealed will, and His Spirit in our hearts. 13:1 Moabite Deut 23:3-6. 13:2Water observe that Moab and Ammon were penalized because of something they did not do as well as for something they did do. Compare Num 32:23; Jud 5:23; 1 Sam 12:23; Matt 25:24-27,41-46. Blessing Num 23:11,12; 24:10. Note at Gen 50:20.
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turned the curse into a blessing. 3 Now it came about when they heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.
new wine and oil to the storerooms. 13 And I appointed Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah among the Levites, to be in charge of the storerooms, and next to them Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were considered faithful, and their duty was to distribute portions to their brethren.
4 And before this, Eliashib the priest, who was in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God, was closely associated with Tobiah. 5 And he had provided for him a large room, where previously they had put the grain offerings, the frankincense and the vessels and the tithes of grain, the new wine and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites and the singers and the gatekeepers, and the offerings of the priests.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God, and for its services.
15 In those days I saw in Judah some treading the wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys, also wine, grapes, and figs, and all kinds of loads, which they were bringing into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about selling provisions on that day. 16 Also living there were people from Tyre who brought fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah in Jerusalem.
6 But during this whole time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king. But after some days I obtained leave from the king, 7 and came to Jerusalem, and came to know of the evil thing Eliashib was doing for Tobiah, in providing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8 And I was very grieved, so I threw all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the room. 9 Then I commanded that the rooms be purified, and they purified the rooms. And I brought back there the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense.
17 Then I reprimanded the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What is this evil thing you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 18 Did not your fathers act so, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you are bringing more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath.
10 And I learned that the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, for each one of the Levites and the singers, who had been doing the work, had gone off to his field. 11 So I reprimanded the leaders, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their places.
19 And it came about just before the Sabbath, when it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem, I gave a command that the gates be shut, and ordered that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I placed some of my servants at the gates, so that no load would be brought in on
12 Then all Judah brought the tithe of grain and
13:3 Verse 23; 9:2; Ex 19:5,6; 2 Cor 6:14-18. 13:4,5 Here was a man in a very responsible position who acted as a traitor to his people and to God. Tobiah was a fierce enemy of the Jews and fought Gods work tooth and nail 2:10; 4:3; 6:1,17,18. We are not told what was behind Eliashibs action. Perhaps there was a marriage alliance with Tobiahs family. Perhaps money was involved. Whatever the reason it is a warning of how low the most respected and trusted people can sometimes sink. He gave a place on Gods temple compound to one of the greatest enemies of the Jews! And in a room formerly used for the things of God! This is what betrayal of Bible truth and principles will bring. Compare 2 Thess 2:3,4. An essential principle for every believer is found in Eph 4:27. 13:6 5:14-16. Babylon see Ezra 5:13. Artaxerxes was the king of Persia and of all other lands Persia had conquered. 13:8 Nehemiah was a man of action v 25. He could not see Gods enemies having a place in the courtyard of Gods temple and do nothing about it. He believed in fighting sin and evil instead of passively accepting it. Every
generation needs a host of such men. Compare Matt 21:12,13; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor 5:1-5. 13:9 The presence of the Ammonite Tobiah defiled the rooms he had been in. All parts of the temple and its compound were to be used only for holy purposes. This is true also of Gods spiritual temple 1 Cor 3:16,17; 6:13,19,20; 2 Cor 7:1. 13:10,11 They were breaking their oath 10:37-39. It is much easier to make vows than to keep them. 13:12 People often respond when leaders take a firm stand. 13:13 Faithful 2 Kings 12:15; 22:7. 13:14 5:19. 13:15,16 Sabbath Ex 20:8-10; 34:21. They were breaking another vow 10:31. 13:17 Reprimanded if sin goes unrebuked it will spread and destroy any spiritual work. Rebuking those who sin is part of the ministry of God-appointed leaders Isa 58:1; 2 Tim 3:16; 4:2; 1 Tim 5:20. 13:18 Wrath notes at Num 25:3; Ps 90:7-11. 13:19 When it grew dark the Israelites reckoned a day as being from sunset to sunset (Lev 23:32).
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the Sabbath day. 20 So once or twice the merchants and sellers of all kinds of goods spent the night outside Jerusalem.
daughters for your sons, or for yourselves. 26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin in these things? Yet among the many nations there was no king like him, who was loved by his God, and whom God made king over all Israel. Nevertheless foreign women caused even him to sin. 27 Shall we then hear about you that you are doing all this great evil, being unfaithful to our God by marrying strange wives?
21Then I reprimanded them and said to them, Why are you spending the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will seize you. From that time on they no longer came on the Sabbath. 22 And I commanded the Levites to purify themselves, and to go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.
28 And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was the son-in-law of Sanballat the Horonite. Therefore I drove him away from me.
23 In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, from Ammon, and from Moab. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, or the language of one or the other people, and could not speak the Jews language. 25 And I reprimanded them and pronounced a curse against them, and struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them take an oath in Gods name, saying, You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their
29 Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
30 Thus I cleansed them from all foreigners, and appointed the duties of the priests and the Levites, each one in his service, 31 and for bringing the wood offering and the firstfruits at the appointed times.
Remember me, O my God, for good.
I gave a command Nehemiah was not content merely to rebuke sin. He took steps to avoid it. 13:22 Purify note at 12:30. Remember 5:19. 13:23 Ex 34:16; Deut 7:3,4; Ezra 9:1,2. 13:24 Now when believers marry unbelievers (a thing forbidden to Christians 2 Cor 6:14-18; etc), the children will not know whether to speak the language of faith or the language of unbelief. This is one of the tragedies of mixed marriages. 13:25 Deut 10:29,30; 25:2. Sometimes strong measures must be taken to root out evil. But the measures Christians now take must not be violent ones, but spiritual and practical ones. 13:26 2 Sam 12:24; 1 Kings 3:13; 11:1-8; 2 Chron 1:12. 13:27 What some people think of as hardly a sin at all was in the eyes of this man of God great evil. This is one difference between those who live close to God and those who do not. 13:28 Here is another example of evil compromise. A grandson of the high priest married to a daughter of Sanballat (2:10; 4:1,7,8)! Compare 2 Chron 18:1; etc. 13:29 God commanded that His priests marry women from the people of Israel only (Lev 21:14). By breaking Gods law they defiled their office. Compare Mal 2:1-9. 13:30 Ezra and Nehemiah in enforcing the principles of Gods law in the face of the sinful compromise of men such as Eliashib were instruments in Gods hands to preserve the faith in the land of Israel. 13:31 Neh 10:34; 13:14,22. O my God from this book of Nehemiah we can learn some of the things which come against Gods work in general and how to combat them. The source of these things may be either the fallen heart of men, or Satan and his angels (2 Cor 2:11). Nehemiah and
his helpers had to face the following:
Ridicule (2:19; 4:1-3) Violence (4:7,8) Threats (4:11; 6:9) Discouragement because of injustice (5:1-5)
Deceitful plots (6:1-4; Ezra 4:1,2) The spreading of lies (6:5-7) Temptations to act in fear, ignoring Gods Word (6:10-13)
Sin among the people (5:6-9; 13:1518,23-27) False prophets (6:14) A traitor within (13:4,5,28) Attempts to ruin the reputation of Gods servant (6:6,7,13).
The book of Ezra adds two more The attempt to ruin Gods work by the deceitful offer to help do it,
And the use of the power of the state to stop the work (Ezra 4:1-24).
Also we can see in Nehemiah the qualities needed to overcome the devices of Satan and men, and to do a work of God well and to complete it. These are:
A burden for the work (1:4; 2:3) Full commitment to it (2:4,5) A life of prayer and acknowledgement of God in everything (1:4; 2:4; 4:4,9; 6:9; 13:14,22,29) Faith (2:20; 4:14) Practical planning (2:11-18; 4:13-23) Encouraging others in the work (4:14; 8:10) Determination to stand for God (4:14-23) Consistency in godly living (5:14-19) Willingness to deal with sin (5:6-13; 13:8-11,25-30) Discernment (6:1-13) Emphasis on Gods Word (8:1-18).
ESTHER
Title:
The name Esther comes from a Persian word meaning star.
Author:
Unknown to men. See the introduction to Judges concerning the authorship of the books of the Bible.
Date:
Probably sometime between 465 and 400 BC.
Themes:
The danger that came to the Jewish exiles in Persia; the deliverance God gave through Mordecai and Esther; the destruction of those who plotted to destroy the Jews. A remarkable fact about this book is that there is no mention of God anywhere in it. However, it is clear that the author recognized God behind events working out His purposes. For example, see 4:12-17. The rise and fall of Haman is a striking illustration of how God sometimes deals on earth with the wicked enemies of His people. See Deut 32:35; Ps 7:15-17; 9:16; 18:25-27; 37:34-36.
Contents:
The fall of queen Vashti ................................................................................ 1:1-22 The search for a new bride for the king .......................................................... 2:1-18
Mordecai ................................................................................................ 2:5-11 Esther becomes the new queen ................................................................. 2:5-18 Mordecai discovers a plot against the king ....................................................... 2:19-23 Haman and his plot to kill all Jews ................................................................... 3:1-15 Mordecai persuades Esther to help defeat Haman ............................................ 4:1-17 Esthers appeals to the king........................................................................... 5:1 - 9:17
The first request ..................................................................................... 5:1-6 The second request ................................................................................. 5:7,8 Hamans joy, anger, boasts, and plans
to kill Mordecai .................................................................................... 5:9-14 The king honors Mordecai ......................................................................... 6:1-14 Esthers third request to the king ............................................................... 7:1-6 God takes vengeance on Haman ............................................................... 7:7-10 The king gives Mordecai the highest place .................................................. 8:1,2 Esther pleads with the king ....................................................................... 8:3-6 The kings decree for the Jews .................................................................. 8:7-17 The victory of the Jews ............................................................................ 9:1-17 Esthers last request to the king ................................................................ 9:13 Mordecais greatness .................................................................................... 10:1-3
ESTHER 1:1 592
Now it happened in the days of Ahasuerus (this is the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia, over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces), 2 in those days when king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, 3 in the third year of his reign, that he made a feast for all his princes and those who served him. The military officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces were in his presence.
13 Then the king said to the wise men, who understood the times (for this was the kings custom toward all who knew law and justice; 14 those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media who saw the kings face and who were highest in the kingdom),
15 What shall we do to queen Vashti, according to law, because she has not obeyed the command of King Ahasuerus through the officials?
4 At that time he displayed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty for many days, a total of a hundred and eighty days. 5 And when these days were over, the king made a feast for seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the palace, for both great and small, in the garden courtyard of the kings palace, 6 where there were white, green and blue hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and marble pillars. The couches were of gold and silver, on a pavement of red and blue and white and black marble. 7 And they gave them drinks in golden cups (the cups were each different from one another), and royal wine in abundance, in accordance with the kings bounty. 8 And the drinking was according to their law. There was no compulsion, for the king had ordered all the officials of his house that they should do according to each ones wish.
16 And Memucan answered in the presence of the king and the princes, Vashti the queen has done wrong not only to the king, but also to all the princes, and to all the people who are in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus. 17 For this action of the queen will become known to all women, so that their husbands will be despised in their eyes, when it is reported that king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she did not come. 18 This very day the ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the kings princes that they have heard of the action of the queen. So there will be much contempt and anger.
19 If it pleases the king, let a royal command proceed from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti can no longer come into the presence of king Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 And when this decree of the king which he makes is published throughout his whole empire (for it is great), all the wives will honour their husbands, both great and small.
9 Also Vashti the queen made a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus.
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, 11 to bring Vashti the queen into the kings presence, with her royal crown, to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was beautiful in appearance. 12 But queen Vashti refused to come at the kings command through his officials. Therefore the king was enraged, and his anger burned in him.
21 And this word pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan, 22 for he sent letters to all the kings provinces, to each province in accordance with its script, and to each people in their language, that every man should rule his own house, and he published it in the language of each people.
After these things, when the anger of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered
1:1 Ahasuerus better known as Xerxes. He was king of Persia (Iran) 486-465 B.C.
traditional order of things existing between husband and wife in his empire. 1:13 Vashtis disobedience involved matters of law and justice in the Persian empire (v 15). 1:18 Their fear was that Vashtis example would be followed by many women in the empire, resulting in social upheaval. 1:20 Decree this shows how serious the problem was in their eyes. It was far easier to make this decree than to enforce it. 2:1 After these things the events of this chapter up to v 19 took place about five years after those of chapter 1. Vashti was removed from her position as queen in 484 or 483 B.C. Esther became queen in 479 or 478. In between these two events Xerxes
Ethiopia note at Isa 18:1,2. 1:2 Shushan Neh 1:1; Dan 8:2. This city was the winter capital of the Persian kings, and the Hebrew word translated palace can mean capital. 1:3 Media Ezra 6:2; Isa 13:17. 1:10 Eunuchs in Hebrew this word sometimes indicated officials appointed by a king, whether literal eunuchs or not. 1:12 No reason is given for Vashtis refusal to obey the king. It was done at a public function and was a great and deliberate insult to the king. Certainly the king considered it an arrogant blow at the
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Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the kings servants who ministered to him said, Let there be beautiful young virgins sought for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the palace, to the womens quarters, into the custody of Hege, the kings official, custodian of the women. And let cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in the place of Vashti. And this word pleased the king, and he did so.
find out how Esther was doing and what would become of her.
12 Now when each girls turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus, after she had finished twelve months preparation, according to the custom for the women (for the days of their beautification were completed as follows : six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and other cosmetics for women), 13 then each girl would go to the king like this: whatever she wanted was given her to go with her from the womens quarters to the kings house. 14 She would go in the evening, and return in the morning to the second house of the women, into the custody of Shaashgaz, the kings official, who was the custodian of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king, unless the king delighted in her, and unless she was called by name.
5 Now in Shushan the palace there was a Jew whose name was Mordecai. He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. 6 He had been taken away from Jerusalem in the captivity which had been taken away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away. 7 And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncles daughter, for she had neither father nor mother, and the girl was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she requested nothing except what Hegai the kings official, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther found favour in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus into his royal house in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
8 So it came about when the kings command and his decree were heard, and when many young ladies were gathered together to Shushan the palace, into the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was brought to the kings house, to the custody of Hegai, custodian of the women. 9 And the young lady pleased him, and she won his favour, and he quickly provided her cosmetics, with such things as pertained to her, and provided her with seven choice maids from the kings house. And he moved her and her maids to the best place in the womens quarters.
17 And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found grace and favour in his eyes more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head, and made her queen in the place of Vashti. 18 Then the king made a great feast for all his princes and his servants, Esthers feast. And he made a holiday for the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the kings bounty.
19 And when the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the kings gate. 20 Esther had not yet revealed her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had ordered her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai, just like when she was brought up by him.
10 Esther had not revealed her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had ordered her not to reveal it. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the courtyard of the womens quarters, to
was occupied with a war with Greece (which he lost). 2:2-4 In those times kings had both harems and dictatorial powers. 2:6 Judah 2 Kings 24:8-17; 2 Chron 36:9,10. Babylon some of those Jews who either voluntarily moved or had been taken to Susa and other places in Media and Persia. 2:7 Esther a name probably derived from the Persian word for star. Her Jewish name Hadassah means myrtle, a kind of flowering shrub. 2:8 Neither Mordecai nor Esther would have had any say in this matter. The king was a dictator who did as he pleased. 2:9 Favour Gen 39:21; Dan 1:9. God was going to use Esther to save the Jews in
the Persian empire from extermination. It was God who made her beautiful so that she would be chosen as queen. 2:11 Mordecai would not, of course, have been allowed inside the harem. But he showed his concern for Esther by daily coming as near as possible in hope of getting news of her. 2:19 Verse 2. Though a new queen was chosen the search for other girls for the kings harem went on.
Kings gate the main gate of the citadel in the city where business was transacted and courts of justice were held. Mordecai sitting there suggests he may have been an official in the kingdom. 2:20 Verse 10. She did not get proud and arrogant because of her high position, as many do.
ESTHER 2:21 594
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the kings gate, two of the kings officials, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to seize king Ahasuerus. 22 And the matter became known to Mordecai, who told it to Esther the queen, and Esther informed the king of it, in Mordecais name. 23 And when the matter was investigated, it was found to be so. Therefore both of them were hanged on a tree, and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the kings presence.
bow or pay him honour, Haman was filled with rage. 6 And he scorned seizing Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were ; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the people of Mordecai, the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, that is , the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.
8 And Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not keep the kings laws. Therefore it is not for the kings benefit to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let it be written that they be destroyed. And I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who will have charge of the business, to bring it into the kings treasuries.
After these things king Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and gave him a higher seat than all the princes who were with him. 2 And all the kings servants, who were at the kings gate, bowed and paid honour to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow or show him honour.
3 Then the kings servants, who were at the kings gate, said to Mordecai, Why are you breaking the kings command? 4 Now it so happened after they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecais reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews enemy. 11 And the king said to Haman, The money and the people are given to you to do with them as it seems good to you.
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not
12 Then the kings scribes were called on the
2:22 Here again we can see the unseen hand of God. 2:23 It was written this became very important later on 6:1,2. 3:1 After these things more than four years had passed since Esther became queen. Compare v 7 with 2:16.
Esther to do. 3:5 5:9. This was wounded pride, the kind of foolish anger some people in power will have against those who refuse to give them the respect they think they deserve. 3:6 Who the people of Mordecai were this also is evidence that Haman was an Amalekite his hatred of the whole Jewish nation is revealed.
Agagite this very likely means that Haman was a descendant of king Agag the Amalekite (1 Sam 15:8). This view is in accordance with Jewish tradition and seems to throw light on what follows. The Amalekites were enemies of Israel from the time Israel came out of Egypt (Ex 17:8-16; 1 Sam 15:2,3; Ps 83:2-6). It would be no surprising thing if Amalekites as well as Jews should be found in one of the capital cities of the Persian empire, and there continued to express their ancient enmity. 3:2 Abraham and his descendants at other times showed respect to others in this way (Gen 23:7; 33:3; 44:14; 1 Sam 24:8; 2 Sam 14:4; 1 Kings 1:16), why not to Haman? If Mordecai knew Haman was an Amalekite, this would account for it. He would refuse to honor anyone of a people who were enemies of the Jews and with whom God Himself had continual warfare (Ex 17:16). 3:4 Reason one of the many possible meanings of the Hebrew word.
The Jews compare Ps 83:2-6. The whole kingdom this would have been the vast majority of all the Jews then living. Xerxes ruled from India to Cush (see 8:9). 3:7 Pur 9:24-26. They cast lots to fix a date to destroy the Jews. The fact that the day turned out to be eleven months from the time of casting lots gave Mordecai time to avert the calamity. Was not God in this also? See Prov 16:33. 3:8 Apparently Haman does not tell Xerxes the name of the people he wanted to destroy. 3:9 Talents one talent equals about 34 kilograms. Haman was willing to spend a huge sum to fulfill his evil plan. 3:10 The signet ring was an official seal, equivalent to a signature. Once Haman had the kings signet ring he could authorize any course of action he pleased. 3:11 As it seems good to you apparently the king agreed with Hamans proposal without further inquiry. This shows the complete trust he had in Haman, but also how little he cared what happened to minorities in his kingdom.
Jew apparently this was the only reason Mordecai gave them as if to say it was unthinkable that a Jew would show honor to an Amalekite. Observe that he did not conceal his national origins as he ordered
595 ESTHER 4:16
thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree was written according to all that Haman had commanded the kings officers and the governors who were over every province and the rulers of every people of every province, according to its script, and to every people in their language. It was written in the name of king Ahasuerus and sealed with the kings ring. 13 And the letters were sent by couriers to all the kings provinces, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions. 14 A copy of the writing as a command to be given in every province was published to all people, that they should be ready on that day.
why.
6 So Hatach went out to Mordecai into the street of the city, which was in front of the kings gate. 7 And Mordecai told him about everything that had happened to him, and about the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the kings treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. 8 He also gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and to charge her to go to the king, to make supplication to him and to make request before him for her people.
9 And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 Again Esther spoke to Hatach, and ordered him to tell Mordecai: 11 All the kings servants, and the people of the kings provinces, know that any man or woman who goes to the king into the inner court, who has not been called, there is only one law of his: to put the person to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden sceptre, that he may live. And I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.
15 The couriers set out quickly because of the kings command, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city Shushan was perplexed.
When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, crying out with a loud and bitter cry, 2 and came only up to the kings gate, for no one wearing sackcloth might enter the kings gate. 3 And in every province, wherever the kings command and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting and weeping and wailing, and many lay down in sackcloth and ashes.
12 And they told Esthers words to Mordecai. 13 Then Mordecai commanded them to answer Esther: Do not imagine that being in the kings house you will escape any more than all the Jews. 14 For if you keep altogether silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your fathers house will be destroyed. And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
4 So Esthers maids and her officials came and told it to her. Then the queen was exceedingly grieved, and she sent garments to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him. But he did not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hatach, one of the kings officials, whom he had appointed to attend on her, and commanded him concerning Mordecai, to find out what the matter was, and
15 Then Esther ordered them to take this answer back to Mordecai: 16 Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me, not eating or drinking for three days, night or day. I also and my maids will also fast, and so I will go in to the king, which is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
3:13 Haman may have been thinking of the event set in motion by the words of 1 Sam 15:2,3. He would show his defiance of the God of Israel. 4:1 Ashes Gen 37:34; Num 14:6; 2 Sam 13:19; 2 Kings 19:1; Neh 9:1; Job 2:12; Ezek 27:30,31; Dan 9:3; Jonah 3:5,6. 4:5 Esther was isolated in the kings palace and was not free to come and go. 4:11 This reveals the power and cruelty of those ancient despots, and how highly they regarded their royal presence. Compare the behavior of the King of the universe Matt 11:28; Heb 4:16. 4:14 From another place Mordecai was sure that God would preserve the Jewish people in some way or other. He was doubtless familiar with Gods promises to do so (such as Lev 26:44,45; Deut 4:30,31; Jer 31:35,36; 33:25,26). But he also realized his and Esthers responsibility to do
what they could to save the Jews. He did not passively leave everything to Gods sovereignty. We should all understand that God will work out His sovereign purposes on earth, but also that He will hold each person responsible for what he or she does or does not do.
Such a time as this note at 2:9. When he said this Mordecai did not know how things would turn out. He did know that those in a high position should use that position for good. 4:16 Fast prayer is not mentioned but is surely implied. Gods people naturally fasted unto God (Jud 20:26; 1 Sam 7:6; 2 Sam 12:16; Ezra 8:21,22; Neh 9:1-3; Isa 58:3; Jer 14:12).
If I perish I perish Esther realized (as we all should) that there are more important things than personal survival on this earth. Compare Dan 3:16-18;
ESTHER 4:17 596
17 So Mordecai went and acted in accordance with all that Esther had commanded him.
riches, and of his many children, and all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had placed him above the princes and servants of the king. 12 Moreover, Haman said, Yes, Esther the queen did not let anyone but myself come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited to her with the king. 13 Yet all does not satisfy me, as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the kings gate.
Now on the third day it came about that Esther put on her royal robes, and stood in the inner court of the kings palace, opposite the kings hall, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal hall, opposite the door of the hall. 2 And it happened that when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favour in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the tip of the sceptre.
14 Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, Have a gallows made, fifty cubits high, and tomorrow ask the king that Mordecai may be hanged on it. Then go happily with the king to the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.
3 Then the king said to her, What do you want, queen Esther? And what is your request? It will be granted to you, even up to half of the kingdom.
4 And Esther answered, If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.
On that night the king could not sleep, and he gave orders to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read in the kings presence. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai made a report about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the kings officials, the doorkeepers who sought a way to seize king Ahasuerus.
5 Then the king said, Have Haman hurry, that he may do as Esther has said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
6 And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, What is your petition? It will be granted you. And what is your request? Even up to half of the kingdom, it will be done.
3 And the king said, What honour and dignity was bestowed on Mordecai for this?
Then the kings servants that ministered to him said, Nothing was done for him.
7 Then Esther answered and said, My petition and my request is this : 8 If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition, and to act on my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.
4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had come into the outward court of the kings house, to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
5 And the kings servants said to him, Look, Haman is standing in the court. And the king said, Have him come in.
9 Then Haman went out that day happy and with a glad heart, but at the kings gate when Haman saw that Mordecai did not stand up, or move for him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself. And when he came home, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.
6 So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What is to be done to the man whom the king delights to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, Whom would the king delight to honour more than myself?
7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delights to honour, 8 let a royal robe which the king has worn be brought, and the
11 And Haman told them of the glory of his
Acts 20:24; 21:13. 5:2 2:9; 4:11; Prov 21:1. 5:3 7:2; Mark 6:23. 5:4-8 We are not told why Esther delayed to reveal her real burden to the king. Perhaps her courage momentarily failed. Perhaps she was testing the genuineness of his favor before making her request. 5:9 3:5. 5:10 Restrained himself he thought his day of revenge was soon coming. 5:11 Told see 1 Sam 2:3; Ps 49:5-20; 52:1-7; 94:4-7. Compare Ps 34:2; 44:8. A persons character is revealed to some extent by what he boasts about. See Gal 6:14. 5:13 Hatred can outweigh any other emotion in mans fallen sinful heart and
completely overcome his reason. 5:14 The thing pleased Haman he delighted in thoughts of murder and revenge. What a person delights in also reveals his character and the course of his life. Compare Ps 37:4. 6:1 Sleep compare Dan 2:1. God oversees all events and can use even the most trivial to work out His purposes.
Chronicles 2:23. 6:2 2:21,22. 6:3 The king said Prov 21:1. 6:4 Gods timing of events is perfect. Always He not only does the best possible thing, He does it at the best possible moment. 6:6 Prov 16:18; 18:12.
597 ESTHER 8:4
horse that the king rides on, and the royal crown which is placed on his head, 9 and let this robe and horse be put in the hands of one of the kings most noble princes, that they may clothe the man whom the king delights to honour with it, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus it is done to the man whom the king delights to honour.
male and female slaves, I would had held my tongue, although the compensation the enemy offers could not make up for the kings loss.
5 Then king Ahasuerus answered and said to Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, who dares to presume in his heart to do so?
6 And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7 And the king, getting up from the banquet of wine, in his rage went into the palace garden, and Haman stood up to ask Esther the queen for his life, for he saw that the king was determined to harm him.
10 Then the king said to Haman, Hurry and take the robe and the horse, as you have said, and do this to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the kings gate. Let nothing fail of all that you have spoken.
11 Then Haman took the robe and the horse, and clothed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus it is done to the man whom the king delights to honour.
8 Then the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the wine banquet, and Haman had fallen on the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, Will he even force the queen in my presence, in the house? As the word went out of the kings mouth, they covered Hamans face.
12 And Mordecai came back to the kings gate. But Haman hurried to his house grieving, with his head covered. 13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him. 14 And while they were still talking with him, the kings officials came, in a hurry to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
9 And Harbonah, one of the officials, said to the king, Look, the fifty cubits high gallows, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the kings behalf, is standing at Hamans house.
Then the king said, Hang him on it. 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the kings rage subsided.
7 8
On that day king Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman the Jews enemy to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
So the king and Haman came to the banquet with Esther the queen. 2 And again the king said to Esther, on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is your petition, queen Esther? It will be granted you. And what is your request? Even up to half of the kingdom, it will be done.
3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For I and my people are sold to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. And if we had been sold as
3 And Esther spoke again to the king, and fell down at his feet and begged him with tears to put an end to the evil conspiracy of Haman the Agagite, and his scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before
6:9 Compare Gen 41:41-43. In those days this was regarded as a mark of great favor and honor. Spiritually speaking, believers in Christ have the high honor of being clothed with the robe of the heavenly king Isa 61:10; Zech 3:3-5; Phil 3:9. 6:10 Mordecai what must have been the utter dismay in the heart of Haman when he heard this name (v 12)!
sincerity and tells him what is in her mind. 7:4 3:9,10,13. 7:6 Terrified he who sets out to terrify others will one day be terrified himself. 7:7 Prov 16:14; 19:12. 7:9 Once before an Amalekite begged an Israelite for his life 1 Sam 15:32,33. It seems some of them were better at boasting than dying. 7:10 Gods justice is not always revealed so quickly or so dramatically. But it is always at work and will inevitably prevail Ps 7:11; 9:16; 18:25-27; 37:35-38; 94:23; 96:13; Prov 11:5,6; Dan 6:24; Acts 17:31; Gal 6:7. 8:1 Gave the house of Haman 5:11; Job 27:13,15-17; Prov 13:22; 22:23; 23:10. 8:2 3:10. 8:4 4:11.
Kings gate 2:19. 6:13 Compare Ps 7:15; 57:6; Prov 26:27; 28:18. 6:14 Banquet 5:8. The custom was to send an escort to bring honored guests to feasts. Compare Matt 22:1-4. 7:2 The third time the king had asked this (5:3,6). 7:3 At last Esther is persuaded of the kings
ESTHER 8:5 598
the king, 5 and said,
as a command to be given in every province was published to all people, so that the Jews could be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
If it pleases the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seems right to the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let a command be written to overrule the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the kings provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?
14 So the couriers, riding on royal horses, went out, going swiftly, impelled by the kings command. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple. And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour. 17 And in every province, and in every city where the kings command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell on them.
7 Then king Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Look, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he stretched out his hand against the Jews. 8 Write also a decree for the Jews, as it pleases you, in the kings name, and seal it with the kings ring. For no one can overrule a letter which is written in the kings name, and sealed with the kings ring.
9 Then the kings scribes were called at that time, in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the twenty-third day of that month, and they wrote down all the commands that Mordecai gave to the Jews, and to the officials, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to each province in its script, and to each people in their language, and to the Jews in their script and in their language. 10 And he wrote in the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the kings ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and swift horses.
Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day, when the kings command and decree were about to be carried out, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, the reverse happened; the Jews gained the ascendancy over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, to seize those who sought to harm them. And no man could withstand them, for the fear of them fell on all people. 3 And all the rulers of the provinces and the officials and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the kings house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for this man Mordecai became greater and greater.
11 In them the king gave permission to the Jews who were in every city to gather together, and to stand up for their life, to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the forces of any people and province who assaulted them, both little ones and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 on one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. 13 A copy of the writing
5 Thus the Jews struck down all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they wished to those who hated them. 6 And in Shushan the palace the
8:5 3:13,14. 8:8 Overrule 1:19; Dan 6:8,12,15. The king could not cancel a former decree, but he could issue another which would counteract the former one. 8:9 3:6,12. India Xerxes did not rule India but his kingdom extended to its borders. 8:10 3:12,13. 8:11,12 3:7,13. A just decree which saved the Jews. Prov 21:1. 8:15 Rejoiced and was glad compare the bewilderment of 3:15. Injustice produces dismay, justice is cause for joy. 8:17 Fear of the Jews compare Gen 35:5; Ex 15:16; 23:27; Deut 2:25; 11:25; Josh 2:11. Their motive in adopting the religion of the Jews was mere fear of the rising power of the Jews in the kingdom.
This was, of course, an unworthy motive. In these days no one should convert to Christianity because of fear or self-interest or possible material gain. True Christianity does not need, does not want such converts. Conversion from such motives will bring no spiritual benefits, and spiritual benefits are by far the most important benefits (Matt 16:26). 9:1 Adar 8:12. The ascendancy God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, and can turn upside down any condition or circumstance among men. See 1 Sam 2:4-10. 9:2 Compare Ps 71:13,24. 9:4 Greater compare Gen 41:41-44; Dan 2:48; 6:1,2. See Ps 75:6,7. Among Gods people there are never many who are wise and
599 ESTHER 9:30
Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 And they killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vajezatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but did not lay their hands on the plunder.
feasting and a holiday, and of sending portions to one another.
20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 to establish among them that annually they should keep the fourteenth day and the fifteenth day of the month Adar, 22 as the days in which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and the month when sorrow was turned to joy for them, and mourning to a holiday, that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions to one another and gifts to the poor.
11 On that day the number of those who were killed in Shushan the citadel was brought before the king. 12 And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in the citadel of Shushan, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the kings provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be granted you. Or what further request do you have ? It will be done.
23 And the Jews continued to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written to them, 24 because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised a scheme against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them; 25 but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked scheme, which he devised against the Jews, should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 So they called these days Purim from the name of Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, and what they had seen concerning this matter and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and imposed it on themselves and on their descendants, and on all those who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year, 28 and that these days should be remembered and kept in every generation, every family, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not cease among the Jews, nor the memory of them perish from their descendants.
13 Then said Esther, If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to act tomorrow also in accordance with todays decree, and let Hamans ten sons be hanged on the gallows.
14 And the king commanded this to be done, and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Hamans ten sons. 15 For the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and killed three hundred men at Shushan, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
16 But the other Jews who were in the kings provinces gathered together, and stood up for their lives and to get relief from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This occurred on the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and on the fourteenth day of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
18 But the Jews who were at Shushan had assembled on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth day of the month, and on the fifteenth day of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 30 And he sent the letters to all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and
19 Therefore the Jews in the villages, who lived in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and
influential (1 Cor 1:26-29). But to fulfill His purposes God raises some to high positions. 9:7-10 This was the final blow at all Haman had boasted in (5:11). 9:10 Plunder compare Gen 14:23; 1 Sam 15:3,18,19. 9:12 5:3,6; 7:2. 9:13 Hanged this was to display their dead bodies (vs 7-10). In other words, a public display of justice at work, and a warning to all who would attack the Jews. 9:18,19 Verses 26-28. 9:22 Gifts to the poor Deut 15:7-11; etc. In all our feasts and celebrations let us, as they, remember the poor and needy.
9:24 3:6,7. Haman had cast lots to determine an auspicious day for his attack on the Jews, but to no avail. Actually there is no such thing as auspicious days. The whole idea is a superstition which should have no place in the lives of Gods people. Every day we trust and obey the true God is good, every day we fail to do so is bad. 9:25 7:4-10. 9:26-28 In these modern times the Jews around the world still observe this festival of Purim. Those in Jerusalem celebrate it on the 15th of the month, but everyone else on the 14th (vs 18,19). The festival is in remembrance of this great deliverance from
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truth, 31 to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had established for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their descendants, concerning their fasting and lamentation. 32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.
2 And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews and accepted by the multitude of his brethren, and sought the good of his people and spoke up for the peace of all his race. 10
And king Ahasuerus imposed a tax on the land and on the islands of the sea.
Haman which was one of the greatest deliverances of the Jews in history. 9:31 Fasting see 4:3,16. In modern times the Jews observe the day before Purim as a day of fasting a remembrance of the great danger they faced from Haman. 10:1,2 Xerxes was a very powerful and wealthy king whose exploits are recorded in secular history. 10:3 Great note at 9:4. Good of his people as far as we can
see, Mordecais actions all through this story were for the same reason. It does not appear that he was selfishly seeking power for either himself or for Esther. And when by Gods grace he came into power, he did not use it for his own ends or for material gain. See notes also at Neh 5:14-18; 2 Sam 8:15; etc. In the whole of Israels long history was there any person who was able to do any more than Mordecai and Esther for the preservation of that people?
JOB
Author:
Unknown. See the note in the introduction to Judges concerning the authorship of the books of the Bible.
Date:
This book may have been written any time between the time of Moses and the time of Ezra, but many scholars think a date sometime close to the reign of king Solomon (970-930 BC) is most likely. The time when Job lived also cannot be stated with certainty. But most of the evidence available to us indicates a time shortly after the lifetime of Abraham. In any case, knowing who the author was and the dates could not help us to understand the spiritual lessons of this book, and this should be our main purpose in the study of it.
Themes:
Job deals with the very difficult problem of why God permits His own children who live righteous lives to suffer. What is the purpose of the troubles, pains, and disasters which come to them? Why do evil men often seem to escape these things? Is Gods justice not at work among the people of the world? These are the thoughts that form the basis of the discussion that took place between Job and his friends. See the notes at 3:1,20; 4:7-9; 8:3; 18:5-21; 21:4-34; 34:10-12. We also see another significant element in this book: how Satan challenges God and attacks Job, and how God successfully repulses such a challenge and attack.
Contents:
Jobs character, family and possessions .......................................................... 1:1-5 The dialogue between God and Satan ............................................................ 1:6-12 Satan brings disasters on Job ........................................................................ 1:13-19 Jobs wonderful behavior and words in the time
of disaster .............................................................................................. 1:20-22 Further dialogue between God and Satan ....................................................... 2:1-6 Satans attack on Jobs health ....................................................................... 2:7,8 The words of Jobs wife and his wonderful reply .............................................. 2:9,10 The visit of Jobs friends ............................................................................... 2:11-13 Job curses the day of his birth ....................................................................... 3:1-26 The first speech of Eliphaz ............................................................................ 4:1 - 5:27 Jobs reply to Eliphaz .................................................................................... 6:1 - 7:21 Bildads first speech ...................................................................................... 8:1-22 Jobs reply to Bildad ..................................................................................... 9:1 - 10:22 Zophars first speech .................................................................................... 11:1-20 Jobs reply to Zophar .................................................................................... 12:1 - 14:22 Eliphazs second speech ................................................................................ 15:1-35 Jobs reply .................................................................................................. 16:1 - 17:16
Job expresses a wonderful thought ........................................................... 16:19-21 Bildads second speech ................................................................................. 18:1-21 Jobs reply .................................................................................................. 19:1-29
Jobs amazing words ................................................................................ 19:25-27 Zophars second speech ................................................................................ 20:1-29 Jobs reply .................................................................................................. 21:1-34 Eliphazs third speech ................................................................................... 22:1-30 Jobs reply .................................................................................................. 23:1 - 24:25 Bildads third speech ..................................................................................... 25:1-6 Jobs reply .................................................................................................. 26:1 - 31:40
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Jobs determination ............................................................................. 26:3-6 The way to wisdom ............................................................................. 28:28 Job makes known his way of life ........................................................... 29:11-17; 31:1-40 Elihus speech ......................................................................................... 32:1 - 37:24 God speaks out of the storm .................................................................... 38:1 - 41:34
God asks a question ............................................................................ 38:2 God reveals Himself as the great Creator
and Sustainer of the world .............................................................. 38:3 - 39:30 God asks Job another question ............................................................ 40:1,2 Jobs answer to God ........................................................................... 40:3-5 God questions Job further ................................................................... 40:6-14 God speaks of two great beasts ........................................................... 40:15 - 41:34 Jobs reply to God indicating repentance .................................................... 42:1-6 God speaks to Eliphaz .............................................................................. 42:7,8 The obedience of Eliphaz and his friends .................................................... 42:9 God blesses Job ...................................................................................... 42:10-15 Jobs long life .......................................................................................... 42:16
603 JOB 1:9
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 2 And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 3 And his possessions were seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred female donkeys, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did continually.
6 Now a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, From where have you come?
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
4 And his sons used to go and have a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and call for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 5 And it came about when their days of feasting had completed its cycle, that Job would send and sanctify them, and rise up early in the morning and offer burnt
8 And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?
9 Then Satan answered the LORD and said,
1:1 Uz this land was situated somewhere east of the land of Canaan (v 3). In Jeremiahs day it was distinguished from Edom (Jer 25:20,21), but Edomites lived there or possibly controlled it (Lam 4:21). So Uz was probably close to the borders of Edom. Teman, the region where Jobs friend Eliphaz lived, was a part of Edom.
his activity as priest as head of the family. Note on priest at Ex 28:1; on burnt offering at Lev 1:2,3. 1:6 A day came here we are given a glimpse into the unseen spiritual realm. What happened later to Job had its source there.
Sons of God 2:1; 38:7. Compare Gen 6:2. Here the words indicate angels. Evidently they came to stand in Gods presence to give an account of their activities and to receive further orders.
Blameless the Hebrew word is translated perfect in the KJV, but no man is perfect in the sense in which we use this word today. The word also means complete, not lacking in any virtue, having integrity, ethically pure (see note at Gen 17:1). This does not mean that Job was sinless. He had a sinful nature as all men have. But it does mean that he was a man who, by Gods grace and power, was full of virtues, completely equipped in every way for a righteous and holy life. God had given him victory over the sin in his nature. On our sinful nature see notes at Gen 8:21; Ps 51:5; 58:3; Rom 3:9-19; 7:5,18; 8:3,4; Gal 5:16,17; Eph 2:1-3; 1 John 1:8. On blameless (or perfect) see Gen 6:9; 17:1; Matt 5:48; 2 Cor 7:1; Eph 4:13; Phil 3:12; Col 1:28; 4:12; James 1:4.
Satan see note at 1 Chron 21:1. He too must come to stand before God. In some sense his activities are restricted by Gods supreme will. He is not free to do as he would like or all that he would wish to do. When God sees it is wise and just, He allows Satan (or other evil spirits or demons) to bring troubles on men and to test and try Gods people. 1:7 God knew where Satan had been. This verse suggests that Satan also is required to give an account of his activities. Satan had been roaming the earth looking for opportunities to do evil (1 Pet 5:8). He is not, like God, able to be everywhere at once. 1:8 Job God is not calling attention to a person Satan has not considered. The next two verses seem to make it clear that Satan had been watching Job.
Upright this means that he was straight in all his dealings, sincere, honest, without crookedness or guile (compare Ps 7:10; 11:2,7; 25:8; 112:2,4; 140:13; Prov 15:8; 16:17).
No one like him according to God Himself Job was the best man on earth in his generation. We should keep this fact in mind all through our study of this book. Otherwise we will not understand it as well as we should. 1:9 This is Satans evaluation of the piety of the best man on earth, and so of all religious people. He is saying that men will serve and worship God only for what they can get out of it, that among the whole of mankind there is no such thing as genuine love for God or reverence for Him, that the basis of all religion is selfishness.
Feared God notes at 28:28; Gen 20:11; Ps 34:11-14; 111:10; 130:3,4; Prov 1:7.
Shunned evil turning from evil is one sure mark of anyone who truly has the fear of God (28:28; Prov 3:7; 8:13; 16:6; 2 Cor 7:1). The character of Job seen here is an example to us all of what a man can and should be. His character was of far more value than all of his material possessions. 1:3 East here means the area lying east of Canaan, extending, perhaps, to the Euphrates river. 1:5 These words reveal the love Job had for God and for his own children, his knowledge of the sinfulness of the human heart, and
Unfortunately, Satans evaluation is correct to a large extent. Sinful men indeed think only of themselves and what they can
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Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have you not made a hedge around him and around his house and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, The Chaldeans formed three bands and attacked the camels and carried them away; yes, and they killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.
12 And the LORD said to Satan, See, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand to the man himself. So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brothers house; 19 and, see, a great wind came from the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.
13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brothers house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing, and the donkeys were feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them away. Yes, they killed the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.
20 Then Job arose and tore his cloak and shaved his head, and prostrated himself on the ground
get from God rather than how they can love, please, and serve God. But God can and does work in the hearts of individuals to change them, give them a new nature, and pour his love into their inner being. Such people serve God truly and are willing to suffer the loss of all things for His sake (Mark 10:28; Luke 5:11,27,28; 14:33; Rom 5:5; Phil 3:8; Heb 10:32-34; 11:36-38).
good (notes at Gen 50:20; Num 24:25; Rom 8:28). Job was Gods masterpiece of spiritual workmanship in that generation (compare Eph 2:10). God would not shield him from testing. 1:13-19 Satan now reveals what happens to possessions and persons when he is given the opportunity to injure them. He is a destroyer and a murderer (John 8:44). We have reason to believe that he would, if permitted by God, do similar things to every one of Gods people. If he does not, it is only because God still keeps His protective fence about them (Ps 3:3; 5:12; 32:7; Deut 33:27; John 17:15; 1 Pet 1:5). Satan, of course, may actually increase the wealth and position of those on his side, or of those who yield to his temptations for these things. But this too, as he well knows, will result in their eventual destruction. 1:14,15 The Sabeans were a nomadic tribe ranging here and there in northern Arabia. 1:16 Some scholars think the words the fire of God means lightning flashes. But it may have been fire that Satan caused to fall from the sky (compare Rev 13:13). In any case, the man who reported it to Job was mistaken if he thought God Himself had sent the fire. 1:17 Still speaking no time was given Job to recover from one shock until news of another disaster was brought to him. Satan tried to overwhelm and crush him with calamities swiftly following one after the other. Chaldeans a people living to the east or northeast of the land of Uz. 1:18,19 A great wind evidently Satan can cause destructive winds. Now the greatest blow of all falls on Jobs loving heart and stunned mind. What is the loss of all the 500 yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys, and 7000 sheep, and 3000 camels compared with the loss of all of his ten children? 1:20 In this verse and the next we have one of the great moments in the whole Bible, in the whole of human history. It should fill us
Judging from the information we have in the Bible we can say that Satan does not want to admit this and goes on accusing and opposing Gods people (Rev 12:10), and that his aim is to get people to turn against God, reject Him, and even curse Him. They who do so are siding with Satan, though they may not even be aware of Satans existence. Satan hates God and wants all men to hate Him. He also hates men and wants God to hate them and judge, punish, and destroy them. 1:10,11 Satan makes his view of Job (and so of all pious people) quite clear. Job, he is saying, served and worshiped God only because of Gods material blessings and protection; take away these and Jobs piety will go with them. In the case of Job we can see that this was not true. But is it true of us? Will we lose our devotion to God if He allows disaster to come on our possessions and on our children?
Hedge nothing can touch Gods people without Gods permission. He is a shield to them, a hedge around them 2:6; Gen 15:1; Ps 18:2; 28:7; etc. 1:12 God accepted Satans challenge concerning Job. He Himself would not raise His hand against Job, but would allow Satan to put his theory to the test. God often tries His people and allows them to be tested by circumstances (notes at Gen 22:1; Ps 66:10-12; etc). The result of such trials is glory to God and great honor and spiritual good to those who come through them. In other words, God uses all the accusations, opposition, and activities of Satan against Him and His people to bring
605 JOB 2:9
and worshipped, 21 and said, Naked I came out of my mothers womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.
like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without cause.
22 In all this Job did not sin, or charge God foolishly.
4 And Satan answered the LORD and said, Skin for skin, yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.
There was another day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, From where have you come?
6 And the LORD said to Satan, See, he is in your hands; but spare his life.
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took a a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself with, and sat down among the ashes.
And Satan answered the LORD and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.
3 And the LORD said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is no one
9 Then his wife said to him, Do you still hold on
with admiration. Jobs faith rises superior to all his loss and sorrow. Satan is proved a liar. And Gods work of grace in human hearts is shown to be powerful and real. Instead of uttering the curse Satan had predicted, Job praises God. Notice that Job does not blame the Sabeans or Chaldeans or wind or fire or even Satan for his losses. He did not think these losses were the result of accidents or mens cruelty or the powers of nature. He says God gave, God took away. He recognizes Gods sovereignty in everything. He knows the things which have happened could not happen unless God permitted them.
devotion and piety. He means that when a persons health is gone, if he thinks God is responsible for it, he will turn against God and show that all his religion and piety was rooted only in selfishness and sin.
Satans estimate of mans character in his sinful state is true. But he was wrong about Job (vs 13-15), and about other true believers. When God does His work of saving and transforming individuals He makes them willing to suffer and give up even their lives for Him (John 11:16; Acts 20:24; 21:13; Heb 11:36-38; Rev 12:11; Luke 14:26; Matt 10:38,39). It is a great glory to God to have children who will love Him in spite of personal disasters and who will endure everything for Him, even great pain and death. 2:6 Satan can do nothing to Gods people without Gods permission (1:12). Why should God give him permission? Because He knows it is better to give permission than to refuse it. This matter we may not fully understand on this earth (Isa 55:8,9; Rom 11:33,34). We must simply trust God and believe that He knows better than we do what should and should not be done or permitted. 2:7 When Satan is permitted he will do what he can to torment men. One boil on the body can be very painful. Imagine what severe and constant pains would result from burning, itching, festering sores over the whole body. Later in the book several verses reveal the intense suffering that Job experienced because of this (2:8; 3:24; 6:10; 7:4,5; 13:28; 16:8,17; 17:1; 19:20; 30:17,30). 2:8 A sign of deep mourning (42:6; Jer 6:26; Jonah 3:6). Job felt that his whole life was in ashes. 2:9 Satan now uses Jobs wife as a tool to bring his message to Job and to increase his sorrow. She wonders what use there can be in integrity and devotion to God if they do not prevent such terrible loss and sufferings as those which came to Job. When she says curse God and die she is
Tore. . .shaved expressions of deep grief. 1:21 Naked Ps 49:17; Eccl 5:15; 1 Tim 6:7. Taken away we have all sinned against God and so deserve nothing good from His hand. If we have anything it is because of Gods free grace. If He takes away what He lets us have for a while, there is no injustice at all in that. And Job here accepts this, even though he can see no reason why such misfortunes should come to him.
Blessed be the name of the LORD Job revealed the truth of verses 1 and 8 by being able to praise God even in circumstances like these. Ps 33:1 (note); 50:23; Eph 5:20; 1 Thess 5:18. 1:22 Many there are in this world who foolishly charge God with injustice toward them when they experience losses much less than Jobs. 2:3 Jobs calamities have not changed his character in the slightest. God says he is just as good a man as he was before (1:1,8). 2:4,5 Satans meaning is that although Job did not curse God because of the loss of all things, this was not because he was truly devoted to God, but because he was afraid that if he cursed God, God would take his life. He is saying that every person is so selfishly concerned with his own physical well-being that he will do anything to preserve it, including making a show of
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to your integrity? Curse God, and die!
come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. 12 And when they lifted up their eyes at a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept, and each of them tore his cloak and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. 13 So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.
10 But he said to her, You are speaking like one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive trouble? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
11 Now when Jobs three friends heard of all this trouble that had come on him, each of them came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 3
expressing the hope of Satan. It is not likely that she is suggesting suicide. Possibly she supposes that if Job cursed God, God would kill him and put him out of his misery. 2:10 The Hebrew word translated foolish means both foolish and lacking in righteous character. Job does not call his wife a foolish woman but only says she is talking like one. He knew, and we should remember, that she too had lost ten children in one day, and had been watching her husbands intense suffering. The sudden loss of even one child sometimes makes a mother almost insane with grief.
troubles have come upon him. Job speaks first. For a long time he has been in constant pain, thinking about his sufferings and losses. Why has God treated me like this? What evil have I done? What hope remains for me? Is not death better than such a life? And is not being born at all not the best of all? Questions like these have troubled his mind and pressed like a great weight on his spirit. He understands nothing of what has happened and he has no answers for any of his problems.
He has, of course, no knowledge of the words spoken by Satan and by God in heaven. His friends have brought him no light, no comfort. He has lost the fellowship with God which he had long enjoyed. He prays, he cries out in his anguish of body and heart, but God is silent toward him. He is in a state of deep depression.
Trouble the Hebrew word used here has many meanings trouble, evil, or something disagreeable, unpleasant, sad, miserable or hurtful.
Sin Job by refusing to sin against God with his words once again proved Satan a liar and shut his mouth. Satan is defeated and appears no more in the story of Job. Job also shows that he was indeed the best human being on earth in his generation. No doubt then, as now, most people blamed God for every disaster and did not praise Him for any good they enjoyed. 2:11 As far as we can see these three men from neighboring regions came in a spirit of true friendship and with the best of motives. But they turned out to be poor comforters and only added to Jobs sorrows (16:2). We do not know how long a period of time elapsed between the onset of Jobs bodily sufferings and the visit of his friends, but in 7:3 Job speaks of months of suffering. 2:12 Could these friends have expected that the greatest man in the East (1:3) would be covered with loathsome sores and be sitting in ashes? They were stunned and overcome with grief (Josh 7:16; Neh 9:1; Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30). Seven days was not an unusual time of mourning in ancient times (Gen 50:10; 1 Sam 31:13). 2:13 During these seven days it is likely that Jobs friends began to doubt whether he was a good and righteous man. This comes out later in their speeches. They could not understand why God would permit such disasters and suffering to come on him if he had not sinned very grievously. 3:1 From here to the end of chapter 31 we have the words of Job and his three friends concerning Jobs sufferings. They have spent seven days together, each one trying to think through the problem of why such terrible
And remember that Job had no such promises as John 16:33; Rom 8:17,18,28; 2 Cor 4:17; 1 Pet 3:12,13; Rev 7:17; 21:3,4. These verses had not yet been written. Job did not know of the wonderful display of Gods love through the cross of Christ. That had not yet taken place. God progressively, here a little, there a little, revealed His truth in human history and Job lived toward the dawn of Gods written revelation. He had no promise of God that gave enlightenment and encouragement in his situation. He could only use his human reason to try to understand what had happened. But his reason failed to bring him any comfort. For what had happened seemed contrary to reason and all he knew about God.
Suddenly like the bursting of a dam his heart and mouth open and all his pent-up emotions, his tortured thoughts pour forth. No one should think to judge harshly what he said. The words he spoke in this chapter are the words of a man who in both body and mind is wounded almost beyond endurance. (See Jobs own comments about this in 6:2-4,11-13; 7:11.) Remember that he was the best man on earth according to Gods own word (2:3). Not one of us in his situation and in his time would have behaved or spoken better than he. Indeed would any of us have spoken as well?
Of course, a believer now with Gods full revelation of truth in the Bible, if he meets suffering and disaster, should never allow himself to use such language as Job here
607 JOB 3:24
2 And Job spoke and said,
Or why the breasts that I should suck? 13 For now I would have been lying still and quiet; I would have been sleeping. Then I would have been at rest, 14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, who built up the ruins for themselves, 15 Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver. 16 Or why was I not hidden like a still-born child, like infants who never saw light? 17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 18 There the prisoners rest together. They do not hear the voice of the oppressor. 19 The small and great are there, and the servant is freed from his master.
3 May the day I was born perish, and the night in which it was said,
A male child is conceived. 4 May that day be darkness. May God not regard it from above,
and may the light not shine on it. 5 May darkness and the shadow of death claim it.
May a cloud settle on it. May the blackness of the day terrify it. 6 As for that night, may darkness seize it.
May it not be joined to the days of the year. May it not come into the number of the months. 7 Oh, may that night be barren.
May no joyful voice come into it. 8 May those who curse days curse it,
those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. 9 May the stars of its twilight be dark.
20 Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, 21 Who long for death, but it does not come, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, 22 Who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they can find the grave? 23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? 24 For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groans pour out like water.
May it look for light, but have none,
and may it not see the dawning of the day, 10 Because it did not shut up the doors of my mothers womb, or hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not expire when I came out
of the womb? 12 Why did the knees receive me?
used. But let us keep in mind how little he had of Gods revelation. 3:3 See Jeremiahs words (Jer 20:14-18). 3:8 Note on Leviathan at 41:1. 3:11 10:18,19. 3:13-19 More than anything else Job longs for rest and quietness for body and mind. So death seemed to him sweeter than life. 3:20 Jobs question here has troubled men from the beginning of recorded history. The question is, what is the point in living when life is full of suffering and seems without hope and purpose? To Job life had become absurd and practically impossible. It was not given him to see any of the reasons for the sufferings of Gods people, as revealed in other places in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament (Deut 8:2,16; Ps 66:10-12; Prov 17:3; Rom 5:3,4; 2 Cor 4:17; 12:7-10; Heb 2:10; 12:5-11; Jam 1:2-4; 1 Pet 1:6,7; etc). None of us fully understands Gods dealings with men, or the reasons for all the misery and suffering that come on Gods people. In the book of Job itself no reason is given. God at the end merely reveals Himself as the all-wise and all-powerful ruler of the universe. But in the light of the teachings of the Bible as a whole several reasons may be given to the question that arises about the sufferings and trials of the righteous.
and ease and stir them up to thought, self examination, and prayer.
They aim a blow at any remaining self-righteousness and boasting or selfindulgence in believers.
They help to break believers away from the bonds of earth and make them seek their all in God.
They help them to appreciate more fully Christs sufferings for them.
Patiently endured they shut Satans mouth and greatly glorify God.
They help to reveal and perfect the believers character and to make it more Christlike.
And they work for believers an eternal weight of glory (2 Cor 4:17).
3:21,22 Job had no fear of what might lay beyond death. His conscience did not accuse him about anything. He was not afraid to stand before God and give an account of his life. Longings for death are not uncommon even among the best of Gods people (see Num 11:15; 1 Kings 19:4; Jer 20:14-18; Jonah 4:8; Phil 1:23). See notes on fear of death at Ps 55:4,5 and 116:15. But suicide was a sin not even to be considered. Suicide is the same as murder. 3:23 Hedged in in Hebrew the same expression used in 1:10 appears with an entirely different meaning. Job means that he can see no way out of his difficulties and sorrows. He feels utterly bewildered, shut in a narrow place and in the dark (19:8; Lam 3:5).
These come to prove the reality of a believers faith and to strengthen and purify it.
They develop the great virtue of patience. They awaken believers out of lethargy
JOB 3:25 608
Or where were the righteous ever cut off ? 8 As I have seen, those who plow iniquity,
25 For the thing which I greatly feared has come on me, and what I was afraid of has come to me. 26 I am not at ease; I have no rest; I am not quiet, for turmoil has come.
and sow wickedness, reap the same. 9 By the blast of God they perish,
and by the breath of his nostrils
they are consumed. 10 The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. 11 The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 If one attempts a word with you,
will you be grieved? But who can keep himself from speaking? 3 Look, you have instructed many,
12 Now a word was secretly brought to me, and my ear received a whisper of it. 13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, 14 Fear and trembling came on me, which made all my bones shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face. The hair of my body stood up. 16 It stood still, but I could not discern its shape. An image was before my eyes. There was silence; and I heard a voice, saying,
and have strengthened weak hands. 4 Your words have held up him who was falling,
and you have strengthened feeble knees. 5 But now it has come on you, and you faint.
It touches you, and you are troubled. 6 Is not your fear of God your confidence,
your hope, and the uprightness of your ways?
7 Please remember, who ever perished,
being innocent?
he abandoned all hope and confidence? He does not yet say that Jobs piety is not real (as he does later 15:4-6; 22:4-6). But plainly he doubts it. 4:7-9 Eliphaz reveals here what he believes is Gods principle of governing the world if God sends great calamities it is because of great guilt on the part of those who suffer them. Jobs ten children were not innocent and upright, Eliphaz thinks, and that is why they were destroyed. He is willing for the time to give Job the benefit of the doubt since Job hasnt perished yet he may not have sinned so greatly as to be worthy of destruction.
3:25 Job is probably not referring to the sudden loss of children, property, and health see 29:18-20. The fear he had may have come after those calamities, and may have been the fear of completely losing Gods fellowship and the light of Gods countenance. To a man like Job in those circumstances this would have been a great fear indeed, and he thought this fear was being fulfilled. 3:25 Turmoil the Hebrew word indicates inner trouble, mental agitation, restlessness of heart, not outward turmoil. 4:1 Apparently Eliphaz was the leading spokesman for the three friends of Job. He speaks first, and he uses we in 5:27, indicating that the other two shared his opinions. Also he has far more to say than the other two combined. Eliphaz came from Teman, a place later renowned for wisdom (Jer 49:7; Obadiah 8,9). According to Elihu, who appears toward the end of the book, these three friends are old and wise (32:6; 34:2). Certainly much of what they say is true and good, and some of their remarks and words of advice would no doubt have fit the case of many people. But, for the most part, their words were not appropriate for Jobs case. Actually they misjudged Job altogether and could bring no answer to his problem and no comfort to his heart. It will take some wisdom on our part to discern what is true and good in the speeches of these friends, and what is mistaken. 4:2-6 Eliphaz begins very politely. He sees Jobs great suffering and does not wish to add to it. But he feels some things must be said even though they may cause Job more pain. Eliphaz soon reveals that he has strong doubts about Jobs character and piety. Job, he says, taught others but could not teach himself. And if Jobs piety is real why has
Are Eliphazs views on the matter completely correct? They are not. It is true that God sometimes sends calamities on the wicked and destroys them (Gen 6:5-7; 19:24,25; 2 Chron 36:15,16; etc). But in natural disasters such as cyclones and earthquakes, and in times of war, the innocent and righteous sometimes die together with the guilty and wicked. And troubles, losses, and difficulties come to both good people and bad. Indeed sometimes the wicked have less trouble on this earth than the righteous and die at ease in ripe old age (see Jobs remarks at 21:7-13). 4:8 Prov 22:8; Hos 10:13; Gal 6:7. 4:9 Isa 11:4; 30:33; 2 Thess 2:8. 4:10,11 God knows how to deal with those who are cruel and bloodthirsty as lions. Eliphaz does not yet apply this directly to Job and still may be doubting whether Job is like that. He becomes more clear in his charges against Job in his second and third speeches (chapters 15 and 22). 4:12-16 In this frightening and mysterious experience that came to him Eliphaz believes God sent him a message and that
609 JOB 5:17
17 Can a mortal be more just than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? 18 Consider, he puts no trust in his servants, and he charges his angels with error. 19 How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust,
6 Although affliction does not come out
of the dust, or trouble spring out of the ground, 7 Yet man is born to trouble,
as the sparks fly upward.
8 As for me I would seek God,
and I would commit my case to God, 9 Who does great and unsearchable things,
who are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening; they perish forever without anyone
marvellous things without number, 10 Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields, 11 To set on high those who are lowly, so that those who mourn are lifted to safety. 12 He disappoints the schemes of the crafty, so that their hands cannot carry out their plans. 13 He takes the wise in their own craftiness, and the counsel of the cunning is swept away. 14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. 15 But he saves the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. 16 So the poor have hope, and iniquity shuts its mouth.
regarding it. 21 Does not their abundance which is among them go away? They die, still without wisdom.
Call out now; is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? 2 For anger kills the foolish man,
and envy slays the simple one. 3 I have seen a fool taking root;
but suddenly I cursed his habitation. 4 His children are far from safety,
and they are crushed in the gate; nor is there anyone to rescue them. 5 The hungry eat up their harvest,
17 See, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the discipline
taking it even out of the thorns; and the robber swallows up their possessions.
of the Almighty, this message fits Jobs case exactly. But it did not. Just because a man thinks he has been inspired by God does not make it so. 4:17-21 The message Eliphaz gives Job is this: all are weak and sinful, including Job, and when punishment comes because of wrongdoing no one should be surprised or try to defend himself (5:1). He implies that all that has happened to Job and his family was because of some sins or other they had committed. Eliphaz believes that Job in his opening remarks (chapter 3) should have confessed his sin and begged God for mercy, instead of raging against his fate and complaining about Gods dealings with him. Eliphaz is right when he says all men are sinners and that God punishes the wicked. Many verses of the Bible teach the same thing. But he is wrong in thinking that what has happened to Job was Gods punishment for his sins. 4:17 9:2; 25:4; Gen 15:6; Rom 3:21-26; 4:5-8; Eph 1:14. (Through the Lord Jesus Christ God has made a way for men to be righteous and pure before Him). 4:19 10:9; 33:6. Words like these indicate that Job and his friends were familiar with the account of mans creation in Gen 2:7. 5:1 The meaning seems to be this: Eliphaz thinks the truth he has stated is so plain that no one should think of disputing it, and that if Job rejects it and tries to find support for his position among either men or angels, not a single one would speak on his behalf. 5:2 Eliphaz means that if Job burns with
anger because of his troubles and sufferings and is envious of those not afflicted, the result will be his own destruction. 5:3-5 He describes calamities which are very much like those which came on Job, and evidently thinks Jobs case may be similar to the wicked fool he refers to in v 3. Why else would he use an illustration like this? He has no idea that Job is a better man than he himself (1:8). It is remarkable that Job listened to this with patience. 5:6,7 Eliphaz means that calamities are not mere acts of nature, not accidents; they are the result of a spiritual law; troubles come because of mans birth in sin and mans sinful acts. God has linked sin and suffering together and no one can escape this law. 5:8 He states what he would do if he were in Jobs situation. He evidently thinks that Job has not done so. 5:9-16 He now gives a description of Gods ways with men that he thinks will make Job want to turn to God for mercy. Considering the time and place in which he lived he displays a very high view of God He is a God who does wonders (and so could wonderfully restore the prosperity of Job v 9); He is the God who is a kind sovereign over His creation (v 10); He rules justly in the affairs of men to bring punishment to clever evildoers and to rescue their victims (vs 11-16). Part of verse 13 is quoted by Paul in 1 Cor 3:19. 5:17,18 The truth of these verses is found in Prov 3:11,12 and Heb 12:5,6. It is a beautiful truth but it was not the truth Job
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But Job answered and said, 2Oh, that my grief were fully weighed, and my calamity laid with it in the balances! 3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea; therefore my words have been wild. 4 For the arrows of the Almighty are in me,
18 For he injures, but binds up; he wounds, but his hands bring healing. 19 He will rescue you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil will touch you. 20 In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. 21 You will be hidden from the lash of the tongue; nor will you be afraid of destruction
my spirit drinks in their poison. The terrors of God set themselves
when it comes. 22 You will laugh at destruction and famine; nor will you be afraid of the beasts of the earth. 23 For you will have a covenant with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field will be
in array against me. 5 Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass? Or does an ox bellow over its fodder? 6 Can what is unsavoury be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? 7 My soul refuses to touch them; they are like disgusting food to me. 8 Oh, that I might have my request, and that God would grant me the thing that
at peace with you. 24 And you will know that your tent is in peace, and you will visit your dwelling place,
and will not miss anything. 25 And you will know that your children are many, and your offspring like the grass of the earth. 26 You will reach your grave in a full age, like a sheaf of grain comes in, in its season.
I long for! 9 Oh, that it would please God to crush me! That he would let loose his hand and cut me off! 10 Then I would still have comfort; yes, I would exult in unrelenting pain, for
I have not denied the words of
27 Consider this. We have searched it out; it is true. Hear it, and know it is for your good.
the Holy One.
11 What is my strength, that I should hope?
needed in his situation. Jobs sufferings were not a result of Gods chastisement for sin. Gods primary purpose in them was to prove Jobs faith and integrity and shut Satans mouth. In general, what use is it for preachers to have fine messages if they do not suit the condition of those who hear them?
brought those disasters on Job. Both Job and his friends believe God is punishing him. The difference between them is this: Jobs friends believe he is being punished for some specific sins, Job believes he is being punished for no good reason at all.
Sometimes people add to their sorrows when bad things happen to them by mistakenly thinking God has turned against them. They mistake the raging of Satan for Gods anger. God loved Job very much, views him with great favor, and plans to bless him abundantly. But Job does not know this. 6:5-7 In other words, Job would not cry out and lament if there were not good reasons for it. What a wild donkey or an ox wants is food; what Job wanted was an explanation of his sufferings, some comfort for his mind and heart. But he could find nowhere a single tasty morsel of truth that could meet his need and satisfy him. How Job would have delighted to have the whole Bible! Yet many troubled Christians neglect its treasures of wisdom and understanding.
Almighty (v 17) in Hebrew Shaddai Gen 17:1. 5:19-26 He is saying that if Job will submit to God and meekly accept His chastisements God will rescue him from trouble (vs 19,20), restore his prosperity (vs 22-24), will give him many children in place of those he lost (vs 26), and restore him to good health (vs 18,26). 5:27 Eliphaz speaks for Bildad and Zophar also. He is very sure that he is giving Job the truth he needs to hear and apply. 6:1-3 In this answer to Eliphaz Job explains why he spoke as he did in chapter 3. He confesses that he spoke rashly. His sufferings were so great that his words were wild, or impetuous, or incoherent (as some other versions translate the Hebrew word in v 3). His friends should have understood this and not judged him harshly (v 26). 6:4 His sorrows, calamities, and sickness seem to him like poison-tipped arrows shot into him by God Himself. These arrows were still sticking in his wounded body and spirit. He had thought he was at peace with God and enjoyed His favor. Now it seemed quite suddenly and without reason God was at war with him. There is no indication here or anywhere in the words of Job or his friends that they thought Satan could be the one who
Taste in the white of an egg? the meaning of the Hebrew words here is uncertain. 6:8-10 Since Job cannot get any answer to his problem his great desire is for one thing death. Even in the clutches of his pain, even in death, he would have one great consolation he had remained true to God and to all the revelation of Gods truth he had; he had openly confessed his loyalty to the Lord (1:21; 2:10). 6:11-13 Job speaks of his utter helplessness and hopelessness. Could his friends imagine he had a body that felt no
611 JOB 7:9
And what is my end, that I should
27 Yes, you would overwhelm the fatherless, and dig a pit for your friend.
prolong my life? 12 Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh bronze? 13 Is it that my help is not in me? And that success has been driven from me?
28 Now therefore be pleased to look at me, for it will be evident to you if I am lying. 29 Please relent, let there be no injustice; yes, relent. My righteousness is in question. 30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern wrong things?
14 To him who is afflicted kindness should be shown by his friend, or he may forsake the fear of the Almighty. 15 My brethren have acted deceitfully, like a brook, and like the stream
Is there not a hard struggle for man on earth? And are his days not like the days
of brooks that pass away, 16 Which are dark because of the ice, and in which snow is hidden. 17 When it becomes warm, they cease to flow; when it is hot, they vanish from their place. 18 The paths of their course turn aside; they go nowhere, and perish. 19 The caravans of Tema look, the travellers of Sheba hope for them. 20 They are disappointed because they were confident. They arrive there and are confused. 21 For now you are no help. You see a fearful thing and are afraid. 22 Did I say, Bring something to me? Or, Give a reward for me from your wealth? 23 Or, Deliver me from the enemys hand? Or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?
of a hired man? 2 As a servant earnestly desires the shade, and as a hired man looks for
the reward of his work, 3 So I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of weariness have been
appointed to me. 4 When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? And I have my fill of tossing
to and fro until dawn. 5 My body is clothed with worms and dirty scabs. My skin is broken open, and has become
loathsome.
6 My days are swifter than a weavers shuttle, and are spent without hope. 7 Oh, remember that my life is a breath. My eyes will never again see what is good. 8 The eyes of him who has seen me will see me no more; your eyes will turn toward me, and
24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; and make me understand where I have
gone wrong. 25 How forceful are right words! But what does your arguing prove? 26 Do you intend to rebuke the words and speeches of one who is desperate,
I will not be. 9 As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave will
which are like wind?
not come up again.
pain? A mind that could hope when all grounds of hope seemed gone? 6:14-21 Now he criticizes his friends for their failure to help him. He has revealed to them his despair, but it seems to him that this has only made them turn against him. They have become accusers instead of comforters. His thirsty soul longed for refreshing, restoring truth. When his friends came he hoped for wise counsel from them. Now they appear to him like dried-up streams. Sad and desperate people could not quench their thirst from their words. He is bitterly disappointed and plainly tells them so. 6:22-24 He had not asked them to come or to give him any physical or financial help (for all we know, with the loss of all his property and health he might have needed such help, but it does not seem that they offered any). He asked them for only one thing clear counsel that would meet his needs. He is willing to admit his sins and errors if they would point them out to him.
6:25-27 He knew the power of words spoken to meet the needs of a person. He is saying they have failed to speak such words, and because they have misunderstood his words (in chapter 3), they are behaving very harshly toward him. 6:28-30 He appeals to them very earnestly to consider his righteous life and his integrity, and to stop unjustly accusing him. 7:1-6 This description of Jobs condition can be summed up in two words: misery and hopelessness. According to v 3 Job has been suffering not merely a few days but for a few months. 7:7-11 The words from v 7 to the end of this chapter Job speaks to God. He tells God plainly that he has no further hope of happiness. Only death awaits him. He knows nothing of the doctrine of the resurrection (see note on 14:7-12). He feels he has nothing to lose, so he will give full expression to his grief. 7:9 Grave in Hebrew Sheol note at
JOB 7:10 612
10 He will return no more to his house, nor will his place know him any more.
20 I have sinned; what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you set me up as your target,
11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth. I will speak in the anguish of my spirit. I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? 13 When I say, My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint, 14 Then you frighten me with dreams, and terrify me through visions, 15 So that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my life. 16 I loathe it. I would not live always. Let me alone, for my days are empty.
so that I am a burden to myself? 21 And why do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? For now I will sleep in the dust,
and you will look for me in the morning, but I will not be.
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 2How long will you speak these things? And how long will the words of your
mouth be like a strong wind? 3 Does God pervert judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice? 4 If your children sinned against him
17 What is man that you should make much of him, and that you should set your heart on him? 18 And that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? 19 Will you never turn away from me, or let me alone until I swallow down my spittle?
and he cast them away for their
transgression, 5 If you would seek God and make your
supplication to the Almighty, 6 If you have been pure and upright,
surely now he will awake for you, Gen 37:35. 7:12 Job means that he is not some turbulent ocean or wild sea monster that needs restraining. 7:13-15 Nights instead of giving rest from suffering added to it, for when he would sleep, dreams or terrifying visions troubled him so that he again longed for death. 7:16 Job 9:21; 10:1; Eccl 2:17; 4:2,3. 7:17-19 Jobs question is not, why does God have such a loving concern for man (as in Ps 8:4), but, why does God continually want to inflict pain on feeble men? Why does He examine every action and take such care to send punishment and affliction? Job felt that Gods attitude toward him was hostile and wanted God to leave him alone for a while. Actually in the last part of v 18 Job comes near to the reason why calamities have come upon him testing (compare Gen 22:1; Ps 66:10-12). But he does not pursue this truth. Perhaps at that time in history and without Gods revelation on the subject, and in his condition, he could not have. 7:20 Job does not know of any sins he may have committed that should have brought Gods judgment on him. But he asks that even if he had sinned how could that have injured God so much that he became the target for Gods anger. 7:21 Job does not deny that he has sinned at times. But he wonders that there is no forgiveness. He knows he is not hardhearted and unrepentant. He believes the end of his life is near and wants assurance of forgiveness for any sins he has committed. What Job spoke about with longing we can now know that we have Luke 24:46,47; Eph 1:7; 1 John 1:9. 8:1,2 Bildad thinks Job is very reckless and impious in his words. In the speech which
follows he shows he is in full agreement with Eliphaz. 8:3 He believes that Job is accusing God of injustice. This verse is the basis of all Bildad has to say God is always working out justice in this world, rewarding the good, punishing the wicked. If disasters and suffering come to a man it is because he deserves them. For God would not punish a person unjustly. Bildad seems to think calamities and sufferings such as Job experienced could only be punishment for wrong doing. He does not understand that God may justly permit afflictions to come to a person to try him, to prove his faith and good character, and that he may allow the wicked to prosper all through life and judge and punish him after death. It is very true, of course, that God does not pervert justice. But it is impossible for men on earth, especially without the full revelation of the Bible, to understand how justice is being worked out.
All three friends of Job had very narrow, rigid, and simplistic views on the outworking of Gods justice. Therefore they were sometimes harsh and lacking in sympathy. In these days if we hold the view that everyone on earth is getting just what he deserves, or that if anyone suffers it is his karma being worked out, such a view might tend to make us somewhat unfeeling toward those in misery and suffering. 8:4 With Bildads views of justice being what they were, no doubt he believed that Jobs children had sinned terribly and been destroyed because of it. 8:5 Job 5:8. Bildad apparently assumes with Eliphaz that Job had not done so. 8:6,7 Since Job was not destroyed with his children it is barely possible, Bildad thinks, that Job may not be unrighteous. In such
613 JOB 9:9
and restore your righteous dwelling place. 7 Though your beginning was small,
19 See, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth others will grow. 20 Consider, God will not cast away a blameless man, nor will he help evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoicing. 22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked
yet in the end you will increase greatly.
8 For please ask the former age, and consider
what was searched out by their fathers; 9 For we are but of yesterday,
and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow. 10 Will they not teach you, and tell you, and utter words from their heart? 11 Can papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the reed grow without water? 12 While it is still green and not cut down, it withers before any other plant. 13 So are the paths of all who forget God, and the hypocrites hope will perish. 14 His hope will be cut off, and his trust will be a spiders web. 15 He leans against his house, but it does not stand. He holds fast to it, but it does not endure. 16 He is green in the sunlight, and his branch spreads out in his garden. 17 His roots wrap around the rock heap, and sees the place of stones. 18 If he is destroyed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, I have not seen you.
will come to nothing.
Then Job answered and said, 2Indeed I know this is true. But how can a man be righteous before God? 3 If he would dispute with him,
he could not answer him one in a thousand. 4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength.
Who has hardened himself against him,
and prospered? 5 He removes the mountains,
and they do not know. He overturns them in his anger. 6 He shakes the earth out of its place,
and its pillars tremble. 7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise,
and he seals off the stars. 8 He alone spreads out the heavens,
and treads on the waves of the sea. 9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, case God will restore him to blessing and prosperity. This actually happened in the case of Job (42:10-13). But in general it is not a principle that is valid in this world. Righteousness does not always result in prosperity and sinfulness does not always bring poverty. Prosperity is not necessarily a sign of Gods blessing and poverty is not necessarily a sign of Gods displeasure (see Ps 73:3,12; Luke 6:20-26; 12:33,34; 16:19-31; 18:22; 1 Tim 6:6-9,18,19; Heb 10:32-37; James 5:1-6; 1 Peter 4:12-16). 8:8-10 Eliphaz claimed some kind of mystical inspiration for his remarks (4:1216). Bildad bases his remarks on tradition. He means that the views he and his friends express are not new and not merely their opinions; ancient wisdom taught the same thing. However, that which is called ancient wisdom is not necessarily wisdom, and sometimes is the opposite of wisdom. 8:11-19 The essence of what he says here is this: the wicked may be very prosperous for a little while but they will fall like withered plants. Bildad does not say Job is like the wicked people he describes, but he obviously suspects it. Why else would he use such illustrations? He meant them as a warning to Job. 8:13 Hypocrite the Hebrew indicates a profane or godless person. 8:19 This could possibly be translated See, all the joy it has is that from the soil other plants grow. 8:20 Verse 3.
8:21,22 He is saying that God will do this if Job is truly righteous and will plead with God (vs 5,6). 9:2 True it is not clear what part of Bildads speech Job agrees with. He may be referring to its closing words, or to the words of 8:3 which gives the essence of the speech.
How can a man be righteous before God? this question is an extremely important one, one that is at the heart of mans need and of Gods revelation in the Bible. But there is no answer to it in Job. It may be that Job did not expect any answer. He is simply admitting mans general sinfulness and ignorance. He probably means something like this: All men, including myself, are sinners. I know it well. It is impossible for anyone to stand before God and argue that he is perfectly righteous, and I am certainly not able to do so. But there is a way for man to be perfectly righteous before God. See Gen 15:6; Rom 3:21-26; Phil 3:9. 9:3-20 If it comes to an argument with God, Job knows he has no hope of winning it. He knows himself to be too weak, too foolish, too reckless in speech, too unskilled in debate (vs 3,14-16,20). And he knows that God is the wise and powerful Creator of the universe, and can do what He pleases with His creation (vs 4-10). Job had learned some great truth about God. He looks at the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, and knows that creation is only the work of Gods hands. He knows too that there is only one true God. God, Job says in v 11, is in the
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it would prove me perverse.
and the chambers of the south. 10 He does great things past finding out, yes, and wonders without number. 11 Lo and behold, he goes by me, and I do not see him; and he passes on,
21 Even if I were blameless, yet I would not know myself; I despise my life. 22 It is all one. Therefore I said, He destroys the blameless and the wicked. 23 If the scourge suddenly kills, he laughs at the trial of the innocent. 24 The earth has been given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If not he, then who is it? 25 Now my days are swifter than a runner. They flee away, they see no good. 26 They pass away like swift ships, like the eagle hurrying to the prey. 27 If I say, I will forget my complaint; I will put off my sad face, and comfort myself, 28 I am afraid of all my pains. I know that you will not hold me innocent. 29 If I am wicked, then why should I labour in vain? 30 Even if I wash myself with snow water, and cleanse my hands with soap, 31 Yet you will plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes will abhor me. 32 For he is not a man like me that I should answer him, universe as an invisible Spirit. Job knows also that in the affairs of men God is all-powerful (vs 12,13). Here Job probably means by this that God has taken away his children and there is nothing he or anyone else could do about it.
but I do not perceive him. 12 See, if he takes away, who can hinder him? Who will say to him, What are you doing? 13 If God does not withdraw his anger, the allies of the proud cower beneath him. 14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him? 15 Even if I were righteous, yet I would not answer him, but I would make supplication to my judge. 16 If I called, and he had answered me, yet I would not believe that he would
listen to my voice. 17 For he breaks me with a tempest, and increases my wounds without cause. 18 He will not allow me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness. 19 If I speak of strength, see, he is strong; and if I speak of judgment, who will
set a time for me to plead ? 20 If I justified myself, my own mouth would condemn me. If I say, I am blameless,
suffer. (b) The fact is the innocent do suffer. (c) Therefore God does not exist.
Satan himself does not believe this, but he persuades some people to believe it, and convinces them that this reasoning is sound. Job does not fall into that trap, but v 24 shows how puzzled he is by the problem of evil in the world. He asks why God doesnt prevent it instead of seeming to side with it. Without the full revelation of Gods truth given in the Bible neither Job nor anyone else could understand much of Gods ways with men. Even those of us who know the whole Bible are sometimes much perplexed at what is going on in the world (but should never be in despair). We too, like Job, must walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7). We must look at unseen things, not things which are seen (2 Cor 4:18). 9:25,26 Job 7:6; Ps 39:5; Isa 38:12. 9:27-31 He felt God condemned him without cause and accused him though he has led a clean life. He sees no way to forget his sufferings, clear himself from condemnation and be happy. 9:32-35 Job felt a need for someone to bring him and God together, to settle the dispute, to cause God to take away His punishing rod. In a far greater measure than Job could imagine the Lord Jesus Christ meets this need. He is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). He is the believers advocate in
Bear, etc constellations. 9:13 The proud in Hebrew Rahab note at 26:12. 9:21-24 The words of Job in these verses (and in 19:6) are the hardest he ever spoke about God. He reaches here the lowest point of his despair, his misunderstanding of Gods dealings with him. He pictures God as a cruel despot, a tyrant who acts in an arbitrary way without compassion, a God who makes no distinction between the righteous and the wicked.
But these words do not prove that Job was a wicked man. They show what unceasing pain and sorrow and the pressure of tormenting questions can do to even the best man on earth. A desperate man, in agony of body and mind, does not speak like an unfallen angel or an untroubled saint. But notice that even now Job does not deny God, does not fall into the folly and wickedness of atheism. Satan tempts people to atheism by arguments like these: the world is full of unjust suffering and disasters coming on the innocent; if there were a God He would not permit it. Satans way of reasoning with men is this:
(a) If God existed the innocent would not
615 JOB 10:22
and we should come together in judgment. 33 Nor is there anyone to arbitrate between us, that he might lay his hand on both of us. 34 Let him remove his rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me. 35 Then I would speak, and not fear him. But it is not so with me.
and knit me together with bones
and sinews. 12 You have granted me life and favour, and your care has preserved my spirit. 13 And these things you have hidden in your heart. I know that this is with you: 14 If I sin, then you take note of me, and you will not acquit me from my iniquity. 15 If I am wicked, woe to me! And if I am righteous, I will still
My soul is weary of my life. I will give full rein to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say to God, Do not condemn me.
not lift up my head. I am full of shame. Therefore see my affliction, 16 For it is increasing. You hunt me like a fierce lion, and again show your marvellous power
Show me why you contend with me. 3 Is it good for you to oppress,
to despise the work of your hands, and shine on the counsel of the wicked? 4 Have you eyes of flesh?
against me. 17 You renew your witnesses against me, and increase your indignation toward me. Changes and miserable struggle are my lot.
Or do you see as man sees? 5 Are your days like the days of man?
Are your years like mans days, 6 That you inquire about my iniquity,
18 Why then did you bring me out of the womb? Oh, that I had expired, and no eye
and search for my sin? 7 You know that I am not wicked;
had seen me! 19 I would have been as though I had not been. I would have been carried from
and there is no one who can rescue
from your hand.
8 Your hands have made me and formed me
the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? Cease then, and leave me alone,
altogether; yet you destroy me. 9 Remember, I beg you, that you have
that I may have a little comfort, 21 Before I go to the place from which I will not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow
made me like clay; and will you bring me into dust again? 10 Have you not poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese? 11 You have clothed me with skin and flesh,
of death, 22 A land of darkness, like darkness itself,
heaven (1 John 2:1). Through Him reconciliation has been made between God and man and direct access to God provided (2 Cor 5:18,19; Eph 2:17,18; Heb 10:19-22). 10:1 7:11. He has decided to hide absolutely nothing of his thoughts and feelings. He gives free expression to what many people conceal in their hearts because they are afraid to bring them out into the open. Job is not concerned with what people might think of his words. He wants only the truth. 10:2 His conscience accuses him of nothing and he wants to know what God has against him (6:24; 13:23). He does not know that God has nothing against him, but loves him and views him with favor and satisfaction.
are foolish and tainted with sin. But He understands our longings for Him and our desire for the truth, and He approves honesty of expression. 10:3 9:23,24. Job thinks that if God is so keen to punish why does He not punish the wicked who deserve it instead of people like himself who do not, in Jobs view, deserve it (compare Ps 73:3-5,12-14). 10:4-7 Jobs friends have been searching for some sin in Job that will account for the disasters which have come on him. Why, Job asks, should God seek for his sin as they did? He is aware that God knows all things. If God sees some sin in Job that merits punishment Job wants God to reveal plainly what it is. 10:8-11 Ps 119:73; 139:13-16. 10:12-17 Though God has given him life and showed him kindness it seems to Job now that all the time God was like a harsh judge looking for some excuse to punish him, like a lion pursuing him to destruction. 10:18,19 3:3,11,16. 10:20 7:16,19. 10:21,22 Job had no hopes of heaven to cheer him, no verses like John 14:2,3, no
Notice how Job in the middle of a discussion with his friends suddenly begins to speak directly to God (7:7-21; 10:2-22; 13:20-14:22; 16:7,8; 17:3,4; 30:2023). Jobs friends never do this. Obviously Job was a man of prayer. He had the habit of speaking to God (12:4). He pours out all his thoughts and desires at the feet of the great Creator of the universe. God would have all of us do this (Ps 62:8). He knows how some of our thoughts and questions
JOB 11:1 616
and of the shadow of death, without
10 If he cuts off, or shuts up, or gathers together, then who can hinder him? 11 For he knows vain men. He also sees wickedness. Will he not then consider it? 12 For an idiot can no more become wise than a wild donkeys colt can be born a man!
any order, and where even the light is like darkness.
Then answered Zophar the Naamathite and said, 2 Should not so many words be answered?
And should a man full of talk be justified? 3 Should your empty words make men keep
13 If you prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward him, 14 Putting iniquity far away, if it is in your hand, and not letting wickedness dwell in your tents, 15 Then you would be able to lift up your face without spot; yes, you would be steadfast, and not fear, 16 Because you would forget your misery, and remember it like waters that pass away. 17 And your life would be brighter than noonday; you would shine forth like the morning. 18 And you would be secure, because there is hope; yes, you would look around and you
silent? And when you mock, should no man make
you ashamed? 4 For you have said,
My doctrine is pure, and I am clean
in your eyes. 5 But oh, that God would speak,
and open his lips against you, 6 And show you the secrets of wisdom,
that they are double what seems to be! Know therefore that God exacts from
you less than your iniquity deserves.
7 Can you search out the deep things of God?
would rest securely. 19 Also you would lie down, without anyone making you afraid. Yes, many would beg your favour. 20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and they will not escape,
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are as high as heaven; what can you do?
Deeper than hell; what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth,
and broader than the sea.
descriptions like Rev 21:10-23 (what a privilege it is to live now with the whole of Gods revelation in our hands!). In the time in which Job lived not much was known about the condition of mens spirits after death. God had revealed very little about it. Jobs view that they went to a place of utter darkness was not an uncommon one (Ps 88:10-12). Only in the New Testament do we have Gods full revelation concerning this subject (2 Tim 1:10). There we see that true believers will forever live in a place where there is no darkness at all (Rev 22:5). 11:1-3 Zophar is in full agreement with Eliphaz and Bildad. He believes that Job has grievously sinned, and that his words are vain and irreverent. 11:4 Job had not said this. Zophar thinks this is the meaning of some of the things Job had said, but to get such a meaning he had to twist Jobs words. Job had confessed his ignorance (9:2,3), and humbly revealed his desire for understanding (6:24; 10:2). He knew that at times in his life he had sinned (7:21). 11:5 Zophars wish is fulfilled in 38:1. 11:6 Zophar thinks that God has been merciful to Job and punished him less than he deserved. 11:7-10 He can teach Job nothing about this. Job himself has said similar things (9:4-12). 11:8 Than hell in Hebrew than Sheol note at Gen 37:35. 11:12 Zophar thinks it is practically impossible for a foolish man (as he thinks Job is) to become wise. He is quite sure
that a wild donkey can never become a man. The writers of the Bible all knew that men are men and animals are animals and that the one would never become the other. There is no kind of reincarnation taught in the Bible. There is never the slightest suggestion by anyone in the book of Job (or in the rest of Bible) that Job (or anyone) was possibly being punished for sins done in a former life.
The Bible is Gods revelation to men. It contains all the truth they need now to know. The Bible completely ignores the Hindu and Buddhist teaching of reincarnation. By ignoring it the Bible shows that the idea of reincarnation does not contain any truth that men need, does not explain a single thing we should know. The Bible teaches resurrection, not reincarnation. According to the Bible a person lives but once on this earth and dies but once. At the end there will be the resurrection of the dead and Gods judgment (John 5:28,29; Acts 17:31; Heb 9:27). See also notes on John 3:3 and 9:3. 11:13 He, like his friends, assumes that Job has not done so. It was a false assumption. 11:13-19 He says if only Job would repent and turn to God for mercy he would be restored. He and his friends probably thought they were being very compassionate and sympathetic when they held out such hope to Job. Actually much of what they say about repentance and restoration is good. But it does not suit Jobs case (5:17,18). 11:20 Zophar closes with a warning he
617 JOB 13:5
and their hope will be like giving up
and the streams dry up; and he sends them out,
ones last breath.
and they overwhelm the earth. 16 With him are strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his. 17 He leads counsellors away plundered, and makes fools of judges. 18 He loosens the bonds of kings, and ties up their waist with a belt. 19 He leads princes away plundered, and overthrows the mighty. 20 He deprives the trusted ones of speech, and takes away the understanding
And Job answered and said, 2No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you! 3 But I have understanding as well as you.
I am not inferior to you; yes, who does not know such things as these?
4 I am like someone mocked by his neighbours,
one who called on God, and he answered him. The just upright man is laughed to scorn. 5 Someone at ease regards a lamp with contempt,
of the aged. 21 He pours contempt on princes, and weakens the strength of the mighty. 22 He reveals the deep things of darkness, and brings the shadow of death to the light. 23 He increases the nations, and destroys them. He enlarges nations, and guides them. 24 He takes away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causes them to wander in a
as made ready for one whose feet slip. 6 The tents of robbers prosper,
and those who provoke God are secure
in what God brings into their hands.
7 But now ask the beasts, and they will
teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; 8 Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
and the fish of the sea will declare it to you. 9 Who among all these does not know that
wilderness where there is no way. 25 They grope in the dark without light, and he makes them stagger like a drunkard.
the hand of the LORD has done this? 10 In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. 11 Does not the ear test words, and the mouth taste its food? 12 With the aged is wisdom, and in length of days is understanding.
Look, my eyes have seen all this, my ears have heard and understood it. 2 What you know, I also know.
I am not inferior to you. 3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty,
13 With him is wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding. 14 See, he breaks down, and it cannot be rebuilt. He imprisons a man, and there can be
and I desire to reason with God. 4 But you are forgers of lies.
You are all physicians of no value. 5 Oh, that you would altogether keep silent!
no release. 15 See, he withholds water,
That would be your wisdom.
mistakenly thinks Job much needs. 12:2,3 Now Job has heard each of his three friends speak and this is the way things seem to him: his friends are professing a great wisdom but what they say is very ordinary; they try to advise him from a superior position but are unable to say a single thing he doesnt already know, and they cannot get to the root of his problem. So he speaks these words in a very sarcastic manner. If we counsel others let us do it in such a way that we will not provoke a similar response. 12:4 Job means that it has been his custom to pray and that God has sent answers to his prayers (though God is silent now). 12:5 Jobs friends are not suffering, have experienced no calamities. It is easy, he says, for them to look with contempt on him. No one who has not been through something of what Job suffered can possibly understand him. Compare 2 Cor 1:3-7. 12:6 This has been Jobs view all along
God does not deal with men in this world according to their character (9:22,24; 10:3). Jobs friends believe just the opposite. 12:7-12 Job returns to the thoughts of vs 2,3. He thinks his friends, though they are old, have still much to learn and that nature could teach them. Compare Ps 19:1-4. 12:13-25 He now shows them that he knows as much about Gods wisdom and power as they do. He believes, even as they do, that God is supremely wise, is the absolute sovereign ruler in all the affairs of men. (Compare Ps 33:10,11; 47:2; 115:3; 135:6; Dan 4:34,35.) 13:1-5 Job did not speak like this because he was proud and boastful. His meaning is this: My friends, what you and I know very well is not enough to solve the problem of why awful disasters have come upon me. Stop pretending that your wisdom can give all the answers. You are like worthless doctors bringing false remedies. If you cant say something more sensible than you have
JOB 13:6 618
6 Listen now to my reasoning,
19 Who is the one who will argue the case with me? For now, if I hold my tongue, I will die.
and hear the pleas of my lips. 7 Will you speak wickedly for God,
and talk deceitfully for him? 8 Will you show partiality toward his person?
20 Only do not do two things to me, then I will not hide myself from you: 21 Withdraw your hand far from me, and let not the dread of you make me afraid. 22 Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you answer me. 23 How many are my iniquities and sins? Cause me to know my transgression
Will you argue for God? 9 Would it be good if he searched you out?
Or will you mock him like one man
mocks another? 10 He will surely rebuke you, if you secretly show partiality. 11 Will his excellence not make you afraid? And his dread fall on you? 12 Your old sayings are proverbs of ashes; your defenses are defenses of clay.
and my sin. 24 Why do you hide your face, and count me as your enemy? 25 Will you terrify a leaf driven to and fro? And will you pursue dry stubble? 26 For you write bitter things against me, and make me inherit the iniquities
13 Keep silent! Leave me alone, so that I can speak, and let come on me what may! 14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand? 15 Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him; but I will defend my ways before him. 16 And he will be my salvation; for a hypocrite does not come before him. 17 Listen carefully to my speech, and hear my declaration with your ears. 18 See now, I have prepared my case. I know that I will be vindicated.
of my youth. 27 You also put my feet in the stocks, and closely watch all my paths. You put a mark on the heels of my feet.
28 And man is consumed like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth eaten.
Man who is born of woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
so far, then please keep quiet. I will try to get an answer from God alone. The lies they made up (v 4) were the accusation of wickedness they made against him. 13:6-12 The friends seem to think they were Gods advocates to speak for Him. If this is true, Job asks, why is it necessary for them to bring false accusations against him? They are examining Job to find any faults he may have. What if God examined them in the same way? Have they no fear of the God they have been speaking so easily about? The fact is, Job could see they thought themselves better than he was. Their inmost conviction may have been something like this: God has punished Job terribly for his sins; God has not punished us like that indeed we are experiencing His blessings. Job must be a bad man, and we are good men, or at least not nearly as bad as he is.
13:20-22 Again Job stops speaking to his friends and addresses God (see 10:2). He wants very much to meet face to face with God. He is sure he can prove his innocence. But he is filled with pain, perplexity, grief, and fear. Because of this he feels that even if he got the chance to defend himself, he would not be able to do it well. So he makes these requests. 13:22,23 In Jobs eyes he has been condemned without knowing what the charges against him are. He thinks God has become his enemy and has punished him severely (vs 26-28), and is looking for further reasons to afflict him. He wants his day in Gods court to hear all the accusations against him. 13:26 Job is sure that he has done nothing as an adult to deserve the awful disasters which have come. Searching for a reason for them he thinks it must be some sins or other he had done as a young man. But, as we know from the first two chapters of this book, in this he was mistaken. His sufferings had no connection whatever with punishment for any of his sins. However, it was right for him to review his life to see if there was any reason in him for his troubles. We should do the same thing when troubles come to us. Possibly they have come because of some sin we have committed, and if so we should know it and confess it and get forgiveness for it (Ps 77:5,6; 119:59; 139:23,24; Lam 3:4; 1 Cor 11:31). 14:1-3 Job wonders why God bothers with a
Self-righteousness is very hard to discover in ones self, and it is very hard for others to deal with. It is one of the most difficult of sins to tear from the human heart. 13:13-19 Job is determined to speak out even if God should kill him for it. He still has hope in God that he will eventually be proved innocent. He is eager to defend himself before God and says that this very desire shows he is not a hypocrite or an evil man. 13:16 Hypocrite the Hebrew indicates a profane or godless person.
619 JOB 15:2
2 He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down.
for me, and remember me! 14 If a man dies, will he live again ? All the days of my appointed time
And he flees like a shadow, and does not stay. 3 And do you open your eyes at such a one,
and bring me into judgment with yourself? 4 Who can bring a clean thing out of
I will wait, until my change comes. 15 You will call, and I will answer you. You will long for the work of your hands. 16 For now you will count my steps. Will you watch over my sin? 17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and you cover my iniquity. 18 But surely the falling mountain crumbles away, and the rock is moved from its place; 19 Water wears away the stones, and torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so you destroy the hope of man. 20 You overpower him permanently, and he passes on; you change his countenance,
an unclean? No one. 5 Since his days are determined,
the number of his months being with you, you have set limits that he cannot pass. 6 Turn away from him, so that he may rest,
until he has finished his day, like a hired man.
7 For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down,
that it will sprout again, and that
its tender shoots will not cease. 8 Even though its root becomes old in the earth,
and its stump dies in the ground, 9 yet at the scent of water it will bud,
and bring forth branches like a plant. 10 But man dies, and is laid away; yes, man breathes his last, and where is he? 11 As water disappears from the sea, and a stream becomes parched and dried up, 12 So man lies down, and does not rise. They will not awake, or be roused out
and send him away. 21 His sons come to honour, and he does not know it; and they are brought low,
but he does not perceive it. 22 But his body will be in pain, and his soul will mourn for himself.
of their sleep, until the heavens are no more. 13 Oh, that you would hide me in the grave! That you would conceal me until your
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: 2 Should a wise man answer with empty
wrath is past! That you would appoint a set time
knowledge,
the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Man will live again after he has died. The Lord Jesus rose from the dead and the time is coming when all men shall rise (Matt 16:21; 28:1-7; John 5:28,29; 11:25; 1 Cor 15:20-25; 1 Thess 4:13-18). But Job did not have this blessed truth to cheer him. 14:16-22 Jobs thoughts of resurrection and the hope it stirred pass away for the moment. They are crushed beneath the weight of his painful circumstances and dark depression. But, it seems, the idea continues to work deep in his mind and comes out later with more force and assurance (19:25-27). Notice in vs 16,17 that Job admits there has been sin in his life. He does not deny it. He only denies that he has been guilty of such sin as to merit his awful calamities. 15:1 The first round of speeches has ended. The three friends have set forth their doctrine that disasters and sufferings come from God because of sin. They have called Job to repentance. But Job has maintained his innocence and insisted he has nothing to repent of. He has accused his friends of a lack of wisdom and compassion. In his second speech Eliphazs language is much harsher than in his first. His accusations are much more open and bold, and there is no exhortation to repentance at the end. 15:2,3 He has abandoned the polite
creature so frail and insignificant as man. 14:4 Man is the subject here. A holy nature cannot come from sinful humanity. Job knows very well that because he is a human being he has a sinful nature. He does not claim to be free from all that is unholy. Compare Ps 51:5; Eph 2:1-3. 14:5,6 Since mans life is vain and empty, Job reasons, why doesnt God leave him alone to live it the best he can without afflictions and disasters coming on him? 14:7-12 Neither Job nor his friends nor anyone else in the Bible believed in the idea of reincarnation. Note at Job 11:12. Also at that time, as far as we know, God had not yet revealed the doctrine of the resurrection of mans body. Job thought that death was a sleep in a dark place from which there is no awakening. He had no word from God to enable him to believe otherwise. 14:13 Grave in Hebrew Sheol note at Gen 37:35. 14:13-15 As Job considers what he thinks is mans sad fate, it seems a thought begins to form in his mind, a faint hope stirs in his heart what if man should rise again? What if there is life after death where the innocent are vindicated, all questions answered, all problems solved? How good it would be! How much more easily he could bear the pains and sorrows of this life! The question Job asks in v 14 is answered by
JOB 15:3 620
filling his belly with the east wind? 3 Should he reason with unprofitable talk?
concealed from their fathers, 19 to whom alone the land was given, when no foreigner passed among them: 20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days; the number of his years is hidden
Or with speeches which have no value? 4 Yes, you are rejecting the fear of God,
and are restraining prayer before God. 5 For your iniquity teaches your mouth,
from the oppressor. 21 Terrifying sounds ring in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer comes on him. 22 He does not believe that he will return from darkness, as the sword waits for him. 23 He wanders around for food, saying Where is it? He knows that his day of darkness
and you choose the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you and not I.
Yes, your own lips testify against you.
7 Are you the first man ever born?
Or were you made before the hills? 8 Have you heard the secret counsel of God?
And do you limit wisdom to yourself? 9 What do you know that we do not know?
is already at hand. 24 Trouble and anguish make him afraid. They overwhelm him like a king ready
What understanding do you have that
is not in us? 10 Both the gray-haired and aged are with us, even older than your father. 11 Are the consolations of God too small for you, words spoken gently to you? 12 Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes flash, 13 that you should turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth?
for battle. 25 For he stretches out his hand against God and strengthens himself against the Almighty, 26 running at him headlong with his thick embossed shield.
27 Though his fat covers his face, and his waist bulges with fat, 28 he will live in desolate cities, in houses where no man lives, which are about to become heaps of rubble. 29 He will not become rich; nor will his wealth continue; nor will his possessions spread in the land. 30 He will not depart from darkness. The flame will dry up his branches; and by the breath of Gods mouth
14 What is man, that he can be clean? And he who is born of woman that he
can be righteous? 15 Look, he puts no trust in his holy ones; indeed, the heavens are not pure in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinks up iniquity like water!
17 I will tell you something. Listen to me, and I will declare to
he will pass away. 31 Let him not deceive himself, trusting in emptiness.
you what I have seen, 18 what wise men have told and not
15:12,13 Certainly Jobs friends were shocked at some of the things he dared to say to God. 15:14-16 Similar to language Eliphaz had used in his first speech (4:17-19) but stronger. These words reveal how disturbed he was by Jobs claims of innocence. The last part of v 16 in Hebrew is literally drinks up wrong. 15:17-19 He thinks he has a message for Job and begins with a solemn introduction. 15:20-35 There is nothing new in his message, no advance to higher ground in his argument. He describes very vividly the punishment that comes to a wicked man. He obviously wants Job to apply the lesson to himself. He mentions things that actually happened to Job or that Job revealed about himself. Compare v 20 with 2:13; v 21 with 1:14,17; v 22 with 10:20-22; v 24 with 7:13-15. Eliphaz believes Job is behaving as the man described in v 25. He is sure that Job is trusting in something altogether false his supposed innocence. So he puts in the warning of v 31.
manner he used in his first speech (4:2-6). He now says plainly that Jobs words are nothing but hot air. 15:4 He thought Jobs questioning the goodness and justice of God had this result. 15:5,6 He believed Job was trying to cover up his sins by insincerely insisting on his innocence, and that it was obvious from his defiant words against God that he was a great sinner. 15:7-10 He accuses Job of being proud of his wisdom and unwilling to humbly listen to others. He tries to bring against him the authority of men much older than he. 15:11 He calls his and his friends words to Job about repentance and restoration Gods consolations (5:8-27; 8:5-7; 11:13-19). No doubt those words were beautiful and would be full of good exhortation and comfort to a man who needed to repent of his sins and turn to God. But Job did not need to do that (he had already done so long before this), so those words were not Gods consolations to him.
Hypocrites the Hebrew indicates
621 JOB 17:1
For emptiness will be his reward. 32 This will be fulfilled before his time, and his branch will not become green. 33 Like a vine he will shake off his unripe grape, and like an olive tree will shed his blossom. 34 For the company of hypocrites will be barren, and fire will consume the tents
They insultingly strike me on the cheek. They gather together against me. 11 God has delivered me up to the ungodly, and handed me over to the wicked. 12 I was at ease, but he shattered me. He seized me by my neck and shook
me to pieces. He has set me up as his target. 13 His archers surround me. He does not spare, but pierces my
enriched by bribery. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil, and their inner man prepares deceit.
kidneys and pours out my gall
Then Job answered and said, 2I have heard many such things. Miserable comforters are you all. 3 Let windy words come to an end.
on the ground. 14 He shatters me with break after break, running at me like a warrior.
15 I have sewed sackcloth over my skin, and laid my horn in the dust. 16 My face is red with weeping and the shadow of death is on my eyelids, 17 Although my hands are free of violence, and my prayer is pure.
What compels you to answer? 4 I also could speak like you.
If you were in my place, I could heap up words against you,
and shake my head at you. 5 But I would strengthen you with
the words of my mouth, and comfort from my lips would bring
18 O earth, do not cover my blood, so that my cry has no place! 19 Even now, see, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high. 20 My friends scorn me, but my eye pours out tears to God. 21 Oh, that someone might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbour! 22 For after a few years have come, I will go on the path of no return.
relief to you.
6 If I speak my grief is not relieved.
And if I refrain, how is it eased? 7 But now he has worn me out.
You have made all my family desolate. 8 You have shriveled me up,
which is a witness against me. And my emaciation rises up and
testifies against me to my face. 9 He who hates me tears me in his wrath.
My breath is corrupt, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me.
He gnashes on me with his teeth.
My enemy fastens his sharp gaze on me. 10 They gape at me with their mouth.
profane or godless persons. 16:1-6 Since there is nothing new in the speech of Eliphaz Job doesnt bother to answer it. These friends came to comfort him (2:11), and it was comfort he wanted. But he got none from them. Nor, for that matter, from his own words. 16:7,8 10:2; 13:20. 16:9 10:16,17; 13:24. 16:10 Job includes his three friends in this. 16:11,12 Refers to the first two chapters of the book. 16:13,14 6:4. 16:15,16 These words all indicate intense grief and mourning (Gen 37:34; Jer 6:26; Lam 2:10; Ezek 27:30). 16:17 This he says in answer to Eliphazs accusation in 15:4,5. 16:18 Compare Gen 4:10. Job likens himself to an innocent man who has been murdered. He does not want the injustice he feels has been done to him to be concealed forever. He wants his cry to go on resounding everywhere until action is taken to make matters right.
16:19 Job means God Himself is his witness and advocate. In his pain and depression he accused God of acting unjustly toward him, of being his enemy. But in the midst of these moments the faith in God which never leaves his heart shines forth again. If God will stand on his side and witness to his innocence, then, plainly, God is not his enemy. Job is not thinking clearly and logically; his thoughts are tossed this way and that by the fact of his extremely puzzling and dreadful circumstances. Unbelief and faith in Gods justice struggle together in his mind. First one then the other gets the upper hand. He knows deep in his heart that the one true God must be just, but what has happened to him seems evidence against it. 16:21 The one who pleads for Job turns out to be God Himself (42:7). This may have been what Job had in mind. So now the believers advocate is God Himself the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). 16:22 7:21; 10:20-22. 17:1 My breath is corrupt strange as it may seem, this could also be translated My
JOB 17:2 622
2 Are not mockers with me?
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, 2 How long before you put an end to such words? Use some understanding, and afterwards
My eye gazes on their provocation.
3 Now put down a pledge for me with yourself.
Who else is there who will give his
we can talk. 3 Why are we regarded as beasts and
hand in pledge ? 4 For you have hidden their heart from
considered brutish in your sight? 4 You tear yourself in your anger.
understanding; therefore you will not exalt them. 5 If one speaks flattery to his friends
Will the earth be abandoned for you? Or will the rock be moved from its place?
even the eyes of his children will fail.
5 The light of the wicked will certainly be put out;
6 He has made me a byword to the people,
the flame of his fire will no longer shine. 6 The light in his tent will become dark,
and I have become one at whom men spit. 7 And my eye has become dim because
and the lamp beside him will be put out. 7 His strong stride will be shortened,
of sorrow, and my limbs are like shadows. 8 Upright men are astonished at this,
and his own scheme will overthrow him. 8 For he is hurled into the net by his own feet,
and the innocent stirs himself up
as he walks into the snare. 9 The trap seizes him by the heel,
against the hypocrite. 9 And the righteous will hold to his way,
and the snare catches him. 10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground, and a trap awaits him on the road. 11 Terrors frighten him on every side, and drives him to his feet. 12 His strength becomes famished, and destruction is ready at his side. 13 It devours parts of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs. 14 His security is uprooted from his tent, and he is brought before the king of terrors. 15 In his tent nothing of his will reside; sulfur will be scattered over his dwelling. 16 His roots dry up below, and his branch above will be cut off. 17 The memory of him will perish from the earth, and he will have no name outside. 18 He is driven from light into darkness, chased out of the world.
and the one with clean hands will
become stronger and stronger.
10 But come on, all of you, try again! But I will not find a wise man among you. 11 My days are past, my plans are shattered, and the thoughts of my heart are crushed. 12 They change night into day, and say Light is near, in the presence of darkness. 13 If I await the grave as my house, If I make my bed in darkness, 14 If I say to corruption, You are my father! and to the worm, My mother! and My sister! 15 Where then would my hope be ? Who could see my hope? 16 It would go down with me to the gates of death. We would descend together into the dust.
spirit is broken. The Hebrew word translated breath also means wind or spirit and the word translated corrupt also has more than one meaning. See the note at Ps 14:7. 17:2 Job means his three friends. 17:3,4 With yourself Job seems to be speaking to God here. God has kept his friends from understanding his true state before God. In the trial that seems to be going on to establish his guilt or innocence, Job wants justice. There is no one else to stand by him and help him to this end, so he appeals to God Himself. 17:6 30:10. 17:7 16:8,16. 17:8,9 Job knows that what has happened to him amazes the righteous, but he is confident that they will not be stumbled by it. In fact, he thinks it may well promote righteous living. This is the opposite of the opinion expressed by Eliphaz in 15:4.
17:10-16 As for himself Job questions whether there is any hope that conditions will improve for him. So it wont matter if his friends attack and accuse him again. And they are not slow to accept the invitation he gives them in v 10.
Grave (vs 13), death (v 16) in Hebrew Sheol note at Gen 37:35. 18:3 Bildads pride is wounded. So he tries to hit back hard at Job. 18:4 He insists that the reason for Jobs continuing misery is in Job himself. Declaring Job innocent when he is guilty would be like completely turning upside down the natural order of the universe; God cannot be expected to act against His own laws just for the sake of one man. 18:5-21 Jobs friends simply cannot believe he is innocent of great wrong doing. They ignore all he says about it. Their minds are made up and they dont want to be
623 JOB 19:24
19 He has no son or descendant among his people, nor anyone remaining in his dwelling. 20 Seeing his day those in the west are astonished, and those in the east are frightened. 21 Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of the one who
12 His troops come together and build up their way against me, and encamp around my tent.
13 He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances are estranged
from me. 14 My kinsmen have failed me, and my close friends have forgotten me. 15 Those who live in my house and my maidservants count me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight. 16 I call my servant, but he gives no answer. I have to beg him with my own mouth. 17 My breath is offensive to my wife, and I am loathsome to my own brothers. 18 Yes, even young children despise me. When I get up they speak against me. 19 All my bosom friends abhor me, and those I love have turned against me. 20 My bones cling to my skin and my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.
does not know God.
Then Job answered and said, 2How long will you torment my soul and break me in pieces with words? 3 These ten times you have insulted me.
You are not ashamed to wrong me. 4 Even if I have really erred,
the error remains with me alone. 5 If indeed you exalt yourselves against me
and plead my disgrace against me, 6 Know, then, that God has wronged me,
and closed his net around me.
7 See, I cry out about this wrong,
but I am not heard; I cry out loudly, but obtain no justice. 8 He has fenced up my way so that I cannot pass,
21 Have pity on me, O my friends, have pity on me! For the hand of God has struck me. 22 Why do you persecute me like God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
and has set darkness in my paths. 9 He has stripped me of my honour,
and taken the crown from my head. 10 He has destroyed me on every side, and I am gone. He has uprooted my hope like a tree. 11 His anger burns against me, and he regards me as one of his enemies.
23 Oh, that my words were written down! Oh, that they were recorded in a book! 24 Oh, that they were permanently engraved on a stone with an iron pen and lead.
confused with facts. They are convinced beyond doubt that there is an unchangeable law of God at work. Their reasoning was very simple and went like this
him he will give them something to use as evidence he will say that God has not treated him fairly, has caught him in a net like a bird; he cries for justice, for release, but his cries are in vain. 19:8-20 Job gives a list of the things he thinks God has unjustly done to him. God took away all these light (v 8), honor (v 9), hope (v 10), Gods smile (vs 11,12), the help of brothers and friends (vs 13-15), love (vs 17-19), and health (v 20). 19:17 Brothers the literal Hebrew is sons of my womb, but this cannot mean Jobs own children, for they were all dead. It must mean those who were born from the same womb as he was, his brothers. 19:21,22 Job thinks the hand of God has struck him. But see 1:12; 2:6. He felt so forsaken, so sad, so desperate that he appeals even to these prejudiced accusers for pity. It should have been clear to him by now that he would receive none from them. 19:23-27 We come now to some of the most beautiful and significant words in the book of Job. The harsh way Jobs family and relatives have treated him and the accusations of his friends now produce a good result. Job finds no help, no comfort in them, so he must look to God alone. Once again
Great calamities are sent only on great sinners.
Great calamities have been sent on Job. Therefore Job is a great sinner.
Let us beware lest our system of theology, like theirs, ignores some of the facts and brings us to false conclusions. In his second speech Bildad follows the lead of Eliphaz. The verses which follow are a vivid description of what happens to the wicked man. Like Eliphaz, Bildad refers to events that have taken place in Jobs life (vs 11-14,19). In v 21 he is saying that Job is an evil man who does not know God. 19:1-3 These words reveal how painful to Job were the false accusations of his friends.
You are not ashamed to wrong me the Hebrew phrase may also be translated You make yourselves strange to me. 19:4,5 Even if Job had sinned, it had not hurt them in any way. And it is not their business to exalt themselves as prosecutors or judges. 19:6,7 Well, he says, if they insist on judging
JOB 19:25 624
and so I make haste to speak. 3 I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me,
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand at last on the earth. 26 And after this skin of mine has been destroyed, in my flesh I will see God. 27 I myself will see him, and my eyes will gaze on him, and not another. My inner being longs for this.
and my understanding spirit causes me
to answer.
4 Do you not know from olden times,
since man was placed on earth, 5 That the triumph of the wicked is brief,
and the joy of the hypocrite is
28 If you say, How should we persecute him?
only for a moment? 6 Though his arrogance mounts up to
seeing the root of the matter is found in me, 29 You yourselves should be afraid of the sword. For Gods wrath brings the punishment
the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds, 7 Yet he will perish forever like his own dung.
of the sword, so that you may know there is judgment.
Those who had seen him will say, Where is he? 8 He will fly away like a dream,
and will not be found. Yes, he will be chased away like
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said, 2 Therefore my troubled thoughts compel
a vision of the night, 9 And the eye which saw him will see him
me to answer,
no longer;
he finds hope and faith stirring in his heart (notes at 14:13-15,16-22; 16:19). He knows he is about to say something very important and wants his words recorded permanently (vs 23,24). In this his wish was fulfilled, for his words are forever recorded here in the Bible. In verses 25-27 Jobs faith rises to its highest point. It becomes full assurance. He uses the words I know.
within then we should look for a different meaning to Jobs words. They have been interpreted in two ways. Some scholars have thought Job meant this: While he was still living God would appear on earth; his skin by his disease is breaking up and falling away, but he will still be in the body when God comes. At the end of the book God does come and vindicates Job and gives him health and prosperity again, and possibly this is the meaning of Jobs words here. However, there is another interpretation Job may be referring to the resurrection of the body after death; he will be able to see God because the Redeemer will come to earth and raise him to life again. The author of these notes believes this is the best interpretation of Jobs words.
The essence of what he knows is this: he has a living Redeemer; this Redeemer is none other than God Himself; and this Redeemer will stand on the earth at some future time and Job will see Him. In Old Testament days a redeemer was one who rescued others from trouble or bondage, restored to them their lost property, took their side against oppressors and avenged them (Gen 48:16; Deut 13:5; Lev 25:25; Num 35:12; Ruth 2:20; Prov 23:11; Isa 49:25,26; Jer 50:33,34. Note at Ps 78:35). Job was probably thinking along these lines none of his relatives was willing to come to his help (v 14), and his friends accuse instead of defending him (v 19); so God Himself will come to his aid, will vindicate him, will deliver him, will avenge his blood (16:18,19).
In 14:14 Job asks if man will live again after he dies. God had not yet revealed to men the answer to this question. Perhaps now Gods Spirit begins to reveal it to his suffering servant and inspires him to declare the great hope of the resurrection. He may have been led by God to say more than he fully understood himself. In any case, how he longed for the day when he would see God, whether in the body or out of the body (v 27). This testifies to the fact that he had a good conscience and was ready to meet his Maker.
When did Job expect this to happen? Would it be while he was still living or after he was dead? It is hard to know because the Hebrew in v 26 is very difficult to understand. It could be translated like this: After my skin is destroyed, apart from my body I will see God. The Hebrew word translated in in some versions can mean from within, or sometimes it can mean away from. If the meaning is away from then Job is saying he expects to see God in a spiritual state after death. If this is the meaning then it is not clear what God standing on the earth would have to do with Jobs seeing Him.
At last (v 25) or at a later time. 19:28,29 Job now gives a warning to his friends. He is sure God will vindicate and avenge him. If they continue to accuse him they are in danger of judgment. 20:3 Jobs friends slander him and heap dishonor on him, but when he gives a comparatively mild rebuke to them (19:28,29) they are very much upset and offended. 20:4 Man or Adam the Hebrew means both of these. 20:4-29 Nothing Job says can overturn the false doctrine of his friends. Their minds
If the Hebrew word is translated from
625 JOB 21:7
nor will his place any longer set eyes on him. 10 His children will seek the favour of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth. 11 His bones are filled with youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
come against him. 23 As he is about to fill his stomach, God will hurl on him the fury of his wrath, will rain it down on him while he is eating. 24 He will flee from the iron weapon; a bronze bow will pierce him. 25 It is drawn out; it comes out of the back; yes, the glittering point goes through
12 Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, 13 Though he spares it and does not forsake it, but still keeps it in his mouth, 14 Yet his food in his stomach will turn sour, and become like the venom of cobras
his gall bladder. Terrors seize him. 26 Total darkness lies in wait for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him. It will go ill with him who is left in his tent. 27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. 28 The increase in his house will depart, and his possessions will flow away
inside him. 15 He has swallowed down riches, but will vomit them up again. God will expel them from his stomach. 16 He will suck the poison of cobras; the vipers tongue will kill him. 17 He will not see the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18 What he laboured for he will give back, and will not swallow it down. He will get no enjoyment from the
in the day of Gods wrath. 29 This is the allotment of a wicked man from God, the inheritance God appoints for him.
But Job answered and said, 2 Listen carefully to my words, and let this be the consolation you give. 3 Bear with me so that I can speak;
riches obtained from his trading. 19 Because he has oppressed and abandoned the poor, because he has violently taken away a
and after I have spoken, mock on.
house which he did not build,
20 Surely he will feel no quietness in his inner being. He will not keep anything he desires. 21 Nothing will be left for him to eat, so his well-being will not last. 22 In the fullness of his abundance, he will experience distress. The hand of all the miserable will
4 As for me, is my complaint to man?
And if it were, why should I not be impatient? 5 Look at me and be astonished,
and lay your hand over your mouth. 6 Even as I remember I am afraid,
and trembling seizes my body. 7 Why do the wicked live on, becoming old;
yes, becoming mighty in power?
are not ready to receive any new ideas. They are convinced they are wise men who have the answers to lifes problems. But they cannot even begin to understand a man like Job. In this second speech of Zophar he strikes the same note as in his first speech (11:6,10-12). But now, as he describes the kind of man he thinks Job is, his words are much sharper than before. He says that the history of man proves his doctrine (vs 4,5). The wicked may prosper for a time (as Job did), but he will certainly be destroyed (vs 6-11); his ill-gotten gain will perish with him (vs 12-22); God Himself will rise up against him, will expose his guilt and bring him to ruin (vs 23-29).
Jam 5:11. 21:4-34 Here Job undertakes to show that the doctrine of his friends is false. It does not at all happen to the wicked as Zophar, Bildad, and Eliphaz say (15:20-30; 18:5-21; 20:21-29). In vs 4-7 Job says he is terrified, not because the wicked are punished on this earth, but because they are not. And he, a man who has lived a righteous life, is, he thinks, being punished. So his complaint is not against men but against Gods way of dealing with men. The wicked, he says, live on to a ripe old age, their children prosper and are happy, no rod of God comes on them.
In vs 8-12 Job thinks of the happiness of the children of the wicked (and doubtless contrasts this with the sad loss of his own children). The wicked, after a long and pleasant life, die suddenly without pain and suffering (v 13). They are so evil they do not want God and refuse to pray to Him (vs 14-16). But they rarely experience the kind of calamities that have come on Job (vs 17,18). Jobs friends suggest that the
In this venomous speech Zophar indirectly is calling Job wicked (v 5), proud (v 6), a lover of evil (vs 12,13), an oppressor of the poor (v 19), and a covetous man (v 20). Zophar has no evidence at all that Job is like this. It is his false doctrine that assures him that Job must be like this (note on 18:5-21). 21:1-3 How can Job listen to such wild accusations and then reply to them? See
JOB 21:8 626
8 Their children are established in
being completely at ease and quiet. 24 His chest bulges with fat, and the marrow of his bones is moist. 25 Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, never having eaten with pleasure. 26 They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them.
their sight, with them, and their offspring before their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe from fear,
and the rod of God does not come on them. 10 Their bull does not fail to breed; their cow has its calves without miscarriage. 11 They send out their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. 12 They take the tambourine and harp and rejoice at the sound of the flute. 13 They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. 14 Yet they say to God, Leave us, for we do not desire
27 Look, I know your thoughts, and the schemes by which you would
wrong me. 28 For you say, Where is the house of the nobleman, and where the tents where the wicked lived? 29 Have you not asked travellers on the way? Do you not understand the indications
the knowledge of your ways. 15 Who is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit do we have if we pray to him? 16 See, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
they give ? 30 For the wicked are reserved for the day of destruction. They will be brought out on the day of wrath. 31 Who declares his ways to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? 32 Yet he will be brought to the grave, and will remain in the tomb. 33 The clods of the valley will be pleasant to him. Everyone will follow him, just as innumerable
17 How often is the lamp of the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come
upon them, the sorrows God distributes in his anger? 18 How often are they like straws before the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries away? 19 It is said, God stores up the punishment of a mans iniquity for his children. Let him repay him, so that he will know it. 20 Let his eyes see his destruction, and let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 21 For what care does he have about his household after him, when in the number of his months he is cut off?
ones have gone before him. 34 How then can you comfort me with vain words, since your answers contain falsehood?
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2 Can a man be of benefit to God,
as a wise man may benefit himself? 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty
22 Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges those on high? 23 One dies in his full strength,
if you are righteous? Or would he gain something,
if you made your ways perfect?
sins of evil men may be punished in their children (5:4; 20:10). In vs 19-21 Job says this would not be just.
See what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:15). 21:12 Flute the KJV has organ here, but this cannot be right. What we call an organ had not yet been invented. 21:13 Grave in Hebrew Sheol note at Gen 37:35. 21:24 Chest the meaning of the Hebrew word here translated chest is uncertain. 21:30 For the wicked are reserved for the day of destruction. They will be brought out on the day of wrath this could possibly be translated That the wicked are spared from the day of calamity, that they are delivered from the day of wrath? This translation actually fits the context better. 21:33 As innumerable ones have gone before him or go before him. 22:2,3 Eliphaz is saying that even if a man lived a righteous life it would not put God under obligation to him. God would not withhold punishment for sin for fear of losing some benefit.
Job tells his friends they should not try to teach God about judgment, but should learn from the facts. And the facts are that Gods judgments are very mysterious; whether a man is good or bad doesnt seem to have anything to do with whether he enjoys prosperity (vs 22-27). Jobs friends try to make him out to be a terrible sinner. But they ignore the facts in order to defend their idea (vs 27,28). Job says that their experience is confined to their own little circle, that even by asking travelers from other places they could learn the truth (vs 29-33). The truth is, a wicked man is sometimes spared when disasters occur in a place, and goes peacefully to the grave. Multitudes both before and after go in the same way. If Jobs friends deny this fact they are speaking nonsense and lies (v 34.
627 JOB 23:3
4 Is it because of your fear of God
So the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
that he rebukes you, that he enters into judgment with you? 5 Is not your wickedness great,
19 The righteous see all this, and are glad. And the innocent laugh them to scorn, saying, 20 Surely our enemies are cut off, and fire consumes their remnant. 21 Become acquainted with him and be at peace. Good will come to you through that. 22 Please receive instruction from his mouth, and store up his words in your heart. 23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; you will remove iniquity far from your tents. 24 Then you will lay your gold in the dust, and the gold of Ophir among the
and your iniquities without limit? 6 For you have taken a pledge from your
brother for nothing, and stripped the clothing from the naked. 7 You have not given water to the weary
to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. 8 But this mighty man possessed the land,
and this honourable man lived in it! 9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of the fatherless have
stones of the brook. 25 Yes, the Almighty will be your gold, and your choicest silver. 26 For then you will delight in the Almighty, and will lift your face up to God. 27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you; and you will pay your vows. 28 You will decide a thing and it will be established for you.
been broken. 10 Therefore snares surround you, and sudden terror alarms you, 11 Or darkness so that you cannot see, and a flood of waters covers you.
12 Is not God in the heights of heaven? And see how high are the highest stars! 13 And you say, What does God know? Can he judge through the dark clouds? 14 Thick clouds cover him so that he cannot see, and he walks above the circle of the heavens. 15 Will you keep to the old way that wicked men trod, 16 Those who were cut down before their time, whose foundations were washed away
And light will shine on your ways. 29 When men are cast down, then you will say, Lifting up will come. Then God will save that humble person. 30 He will deliver even one who is not innocent; and he will be delivered because of
the purity of your hands.
by a flood? 17 They said to God, Leave us! What can the Almighty do for people ? 18 Yet it was he who filled their houses with good things.
Then Job answered and said, 2Even today my complaint is bitter. My hand is heavy on my groaning. 3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
22:4-14 Eliphaz has already made up his mind. The truth of what Job said in chapter 21 should have been obvious to all, but it has no effect on Eliphaz. One idea has fastened itself in his mind God does not send calamities on the innocent. He is so sure of this that though he does not know of any sins Job has done he is driven to invent some. In 13:4 this is just what Job said his friends were doing. These friends were all doing something God hates. It is described in Prov 17:15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of these are abomination to the LORD. They were afraid of committing the first of these errors but they fell easily into the second. Later Job answers all of Eliphazs accusations in 29:12-17; 31:5-40. 22:15-20 Eliphaz here probably refers to the wicked who lived in Noahs day and were cut off in the great flood (Gen 6:5-7). He brings it forward to prove that it is not the righteous but the wicked who suffer great disasters. However, one example does not overthrow the facts as Job has stated them in
chapter 21. In v 20 Eliphaz may be referring to what happened to Jobs prosperity in 1:16. 22:21-30 Eliphaz may have realized that in the preceding verses he has gone too far in his accusations, and been too harsh in his condemnation of Job. Now he softens his words and gives a beautiful appeal to Job to repent and turn to God. However, just as his first appeal in chapter 5, so this one does not at all suit Jobs condition. See note on 5:17,18.
Enemies (22:20) the KJV translators put substance here. It seems that they got this from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament), and not from the Hebrew. 22:22 Instruction the Hebrew word also means law. 22:25 Gold the KJV has defense but this is not the meaning of the Hebrew word used here. Gold obviously fits the context better. 22:30 Not the KJV has island of the innocent, but the Hebrew also means not. 23:1 In this chapter also the thoughts and desires which struggle in Jobs heart are self-
JOB 23:4 628
that I might come to his seat! 4 I would set my case before him,
Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, why do those who know him never see his days? 2 Some men remove boundary stones.
and fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would know the words he would give
in answer, and understand what he would say to me. 6 Would he oppose me with his great power?
They take away flocks by violence
and devour them. 3 They drive away the donkey of the fatherless;
No, but he would give his attention to me. 7 There the righteous could dispute with him,
they take the widows ox as a pledge. 4 They push the needy off the road;
and I would be delivered forever from
the poor of the earth hide themselves
my judge.
from them. 5 Look, they go out to their work like
8 Look, I go forward, but he is not there;
the wild donkeys of the desert,
and backward, but I do not perceive him. 9 When he is at work on the left,
seeking carefully for food. The wilderness provides food for them
I cannot see him; when he turns to
and for their children. 6 They gather their fodder in the field,
the right I cannot see him. 10 But he knows the way that I take. When he has tested me,
and glean in the vineyard of the wicked. 7 They spend the night naked, without clothing;
I will come forth as gold. 11 My foot has held to his steps; I have kept to his ways and not turned aside. 12 Nor have I turned back from the command of his lips. I have treasured the words of his
they have no covering in the cold. 8 They are wet with mountain showers,
and hug the rocks for lack of shelter. 9 The fatherless are snatched from the breast;
the property of the poor is taken as a pledge. 10 Lacking clothing, they must go about naked; and the sheaves are taken away from
mouth more than my necessary food.
13 But he alone decides, and who can change him? And whatever his soul desires, that he does. 14 He carries out what is appointed for me. And many such plans are with him. 15 Therefore I am fearful in his presence. When I consider, I am afraid of him. 16 For God makes me faint-hearted, and the Almighty frightens me. 17 Because I am not cut off from the darkness, nor from the dense darkness that
the hungry. 11 They press out oil inside their walls, and tread the winepresses,
yet suffer thirst. 12 Men groan in the city, and the soul of the wounded cries out. Yet God does not charge the wicked
with wrongdoing.
13 They are the ones who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways, or remain in its paths. 14 The murderer rises before the light
covers my face.
contradictory. He longs to be able to come into Gods presence (v 3), yet is terrified of Him (vs 15,16). He thinks if he could argue his case before God he would be proved innocent (vs 4-7); but in spite of his innocence he feels that God will go on making him suffer (vs 13-15).
24:1 Job wonders why God does not set specific times to right the wrongs that exist on earth, times to clear the righteous and punish the wicked. 24:2-4 He begins now a description of the behavior that should be judged. 24:5-12 The destitute are crushed beneath the iron heel of the wicked. Yet God, Job thinks, does nothing about it (v 12). He has set no times to bring the wicked into court. He lets them go on in their violence and oppression. He lets the innocent poor suffer and groan. These are facts which his friends can hardly deny. But they seem to close their eyes to them because they are contrary to their idea of divine retribution. (If our ideas have to ignore the facts, is it not time to change our ideas?) Job, on the other hand, cries out Where is justice? We search for it in vain in this world. He did not realize that justice would be handed out in the next world, after death. 24:13-17 He describes the wicked as people
Job is a mixture of faith and fear, of confidence and doubt. One idea that is prominent here is similar to that in 16:19 (see note). In answer to Eliphazs accusing question in 22:15 Job says he has kept in Gods way and not turned aside (vs 10-12). In v 10 Job seems almost to grasp the reason for his sufferings, as he did once before (7:18). However he quickly passes over the thought. But he is confident that whatever the test God may put on him he will remain a man of integrity and righteousness. He knew that no matter how hot the fire gold will not be damaged by it. If there is some mixture of impurity it will be separated by the heat and the gold will remain.
629 JOB 26:7
the way like all others, cut off like heads of grain. 25 Now if this is not so, who will make me out to be a liar, and show that my speech is worthless?
and kills the poor and needy; at night he is like a thief. 15 The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, No eye will see me, and he disguises his face. 16 In the dark they dig into houses, which they had marked out for
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said 2Dominion and awe belong to God. He makes peace in his high places. 3 Is there any number to his armies?
themselves in daylight. They do not know the light. 17 For the morning is to them like the shadow of death; if they are recognized the terrors of
Upon whom does his light not arise? 4 How then can a man be righteous before God?
Or how can one born of woman be pure? 5 In his sight, if even the moon lacks brightness,
the shadow of death seize them.
18 They are swift on the surface of the waters. Their portion on the earth is cursed; they do not face the way of the vineyards. 19 As drought and heat consume snow water, the grave consumes the one who
yes, if the stars are not pure, 6 How much less man, who is but a maggot,
and a son of man, who is a worm?
But Job answered and said, 2How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the feeble arm! 3 What counsel you have given to one
has sinned. 20 The womb will forget him. The worm will feed sweetly on him. He will no longer be remembered,
without wisdom! What abundant advice you have made known! 4 To whom have you spoken these words?
and wickedness will be broken off like a tree. 21 He mistreats the barren, childless woman, and will not do good to the widow. 22 But God drags away the mighty by his power. When he arises, no one can be sure of life. 23 If they are given security, they rely on it; yet his eyes are on their ways. 24 They are exalted for a little while, then are gone; they are brought low and taken out of
And whose spirit came speaking through you?
5 The dead tremble, those under the waters,
and all that live in them. 6 Hell is naked before him,
and destruction has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over empty space,
and hangs the earth on nothing.
of darkness (compare Eph 5:8-12; John 3:19-21). 24:18-21 Job admits that eventually the wicked will perish. He does not deny that at times divine retribution is at work in the world.
opposition to Jobs claim of righteousness (23:10-12). These are the last recorded words of Jobs three friends. They do not stop talking because they are convinced of their error, but because they see Job will not accept what they say about him. 26:1-4 In very sarcastic language Job pours scorn on Bildad. It is plain to him that Bildad is totally incapable of helping him understand anything of Gods ways. If we talk long enough people will find out what we are. 26:5-13 Bildad has brought up the theme of Gods greatness as though Job knew nothing about it. Job enlarges on the same subject and far surpasses Bildad (and the other two friends) in his eloquent descriptions of Gods power. Bildad spoke of Gods sovereignty in heaven. Job says he knows Gods sovereignty extends even to the lowest regions of the universe to the dead, to destruction, to Sheol (compare Isa 14:9-15). 26:6 Hell in Hebrew Sheol. Destruction in Hebrew Abaddon. 26:7 Here he gives the picture of the earth hanging in space with no support. This may have been the common idea of educated men of Jobs time and place. Or it could be evidence of a revelation God had once given to mankind not recorded any place else in
Grave in Hebrew Sheol note at Gen 37:35. 24:22-24 But often, Job says, God actually seems to be protecting evil men from disaster. And when they die it is in the natural course of things just as with everyone else. Like plants that develop fully ripened grain they have a full span of life before being cut off. 24:25 Job says that these are the facts. His meaning in all this, of course, is that his friends are very wrong to teach that the wicked are always punished in this life and the righteous always rewarded. 25:1-6 This is the third and last speech of Bildad. He has nothing new to say. He completely ignores the facts Job has given. Bildad has two points God is very great, and compared to Gods holiness no created thing, and certainly not man, can be considered righteous and pure. All very true, but it does not speak to the point Job has raised. The last remarks of Bildad are in
JOB 26:8 630
8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
bitterness to my soul, 3 As long as my life is in me,
but the cloud is not torn under
the weight of them. 9 He covers the face of his throne,
and the breath of God is in my nostrils, 4 My lips will not speak wickedness,
and spreads his cloud over it. 10 He draws a circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light
and my tongue will not utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me to admit that you are right.
I will not put away my integrity
and darkness. 11 At his rebuke the pillars of the heavens tremble, and are appalled. 12 He divided the sea by his power, and by his understanding struck
from me until I die. 6 I will hold fast my righteousness,
and not let it go. My heart will not reproach me as long as I live.
7 May my enemy be like the wicked,
down the proud. 13 By his Spirit the heavens became bright. His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 See, these are but the edges of his ways; and how faint a whisper we hear of him! Then who can understand the thunder of
and he who attacks me like the unrighteous. 8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
even though he gains much, if God takes away his life? 9 Will God hear his cry when trouble
comes on him? 10 Will he have delight in the Almighty? Will he always call on God?
his power?
And Job continued his discourse and said, 2 As God lives, who has taken justice
11 I will teach you about the hand of God. I will not conceal how it is with the Almighty. 12 Look, all of you have seen this.
away from me, the Almighty, who has brought
the Bible, or it might be a truth God had revealed directly to Job. 26:9 Of his throne or it could be translated the full moon. See the note on the Hebrew language at Ps 14:7. 26:12 The proud in Hebrew Rahab. The word is used six times in the Hebrew Bible. The root meaning of the word is proud. Sometimes, at least, the word is used as a symbolic name for Egypt (Ps 87:4), and Job may be referring to Egypt here. If not, it is not clear what he means. It is possible, as some scholars have thought, that Job is speaking of the ocean lifting itself up like a proud sea monster. The name has nothing to do with the harlot Rahab mentioned in Joshua. In Hebrew her name is spelled differently more like Rakhab. 26:14 Job says Gods works speak of Him. Compare Ps 19:1-4. But what men hear is only like a whisper. Gods power is so great that His works which are known to us, wonderful as they are, can indicate only a tiny part of it. No one can begin to understand His omnipotence. Job obviously had very high views of the greatness of God. It is not because he is ignorant of it that he says God has unjustly sent calamities on him. 27:1 Job may have paused here so that Zophar could take his turn to speak. Zophar said nothing, so Job continued. The Hebrew word translated discourse or parable in some English versions, as a verb means to speak using poetic language or proverbs or parables. 27:2 The only time in the book Job speaks with an oath. He thinks God has denied him justice and has Himself caused his sufferings. However, notice that he does
not deny God or give up faith in Him. 27:3 Life or breath Gen 2:7. Breath or spirit the Hebrew word means several things. 27:4-6 Job is determined to state things as he believes they are. He will not try to deceive his friends to win the argument. He will not admit he is guilty of some terrible sin when he knows he is not. Even if falsely admitting it would win back his friends and Gods favor he would not do it. 27:6 He knows he has lived a life of uprightness and integrity and he fully intends to go on the same way. He has lost property, family, health, the respect of his friends, and Gods fellowship. One thing he is determined not to lose his integrity. He will not start lying, deceiving, or acting wickedly. He is saying, Though everything has gone, though I am shattered by God and despised by men, I will continue to be honest. Though I stand utterly alone and am reduced to poverty and loathsome disease, though the world mocks me, friends misunderstand me, and heaven frowns on me, I will go on being true and upright. My integrity at least I am resolved never to lose.
May God give us such men today men who would rather lose their lives than lose their integrity! No wonder God spoke of Job as He did in 2:3. See also Ezek 14:14. 27:8-10 Both Bildad and Zophar had used similar language about the ungodly (8:13; 20:5). Job now says he fully agrees with them. 27:8 Hypocrite the Hebrew word indicates a profane or godless person. 27:11-23 Until now Job had maintained that often evil men prosper and live to a
631 JOB 28:12
There is certainly a mine for silver, and a place where they refine gold. 2 Iron is taken out of the ground,
Why then is your talk so empty?
13 This is what a wicked man will get from God, and the inheritance oppressors will
and copper is smelted from ore. 3 Man puts an end to darkness
receive from the Almighty: 14 If his children increase in number, it is for the sword, and his offspring will not have enough bread. 15 Those who are left to him will be buried in death, and his widow will not weep. 16 Though he heaps up silver like dust, and accumulates garments
and searches for ore in the deepest
recesses, dark as the shadow of death. 4 He digs a shaft away from human habitation.
In places forgotten by mans foot,
away from men, he dangles, swinging back and forth. 5 Bread comes out of the earth,
as abundant as clay, 17 He may accumulate them, but the righteous will wear them,
but underneath it is changed as by fire. 6 Its stones are the source of sapphires,
and the innocent will divide the silver. 18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth, as a booth the watchman makes. 19 The rich man will lie down, but not again. He opens his eyes, and he is no more. 20 Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest snatches him away in the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone; the storm sweeps him from his place. 22 It hurls itself against him and does not spare. He makes every attempt to flee from its power. 23 It scornfully claps its hands at him, and hisses him out of his place.
and its dust contains gold. 7 No bird knows the path there,
and the falcons eye has not seen it. 8 The lions cubs have not trodden on it,
nor has the fierce lion passed along it. 9 He puts out his hand to the flinty rock,
he overturns the mountains at their roots. 10 He cuts out channels in the rocks, and his eye sees everything of value. 11 He dams up the streams from flowing, and brings what is hidden out to the light.
12 But where is wisdom found? And where is the place of understanding?
friends position on the fate of the wicked Job may have been inconsistent. And it may strike the reader of his words that he agreed with them too strongly. (Job could never, it seems, state anything in lukewarm language. For every idea that he expressed he used very strong terms.) But surely one thing at least resulted from these words his friends could no longer accuse him of defending the wicked or of thinking it didnt matter whether a person was wicked or righteous. 28:1-28 Man makes great efforts to find precious metals and gems. He searches in barren and difficult places. But Jobs subject is wisdom something far more valuable than gold, silver, and jewels. Where can it be found? If a man actually finds it how can he identify it? Such is Jobs theme in this chapter. 28:3 End to darkness by the lamps the miners take into the mines. 28:4 Dangles, swinging as the miner descends on ropes into the mine shaft. 28:5 In his search for valuable things man creates destruction inside the earth much as a fire would do. 28:7,8 Man searches for treasure in desolate places where even birds of prey and wild beasts do not go. 28:12,13 If man understood the great worth of wisdom he would search for it with the same determination shown in searching for
ripe old age, and that Gods judgment does not always come on them in this world (21:7-13,30-33; 24:2-12). Job now seems concerned that his friends have misunderstood him. Have they thought he was defending the wicked? Did they think he was teaching that wickedness pays and so it is better to be wicked than righteous? See how Eliphaz accuses him in 15:4.
In this chapter Job would set the record straight and try to correct any false impressions he may have created in his friends minds. Maybe he realized that he had insisted too strongly on one side of the argument. This often happens when men argue and their emotions are stirred up. Now in vs 13-23 Job fully admits that the wicked are not immune to punishment in this world. Jobs language in these verses is almost like that of his friends when they described the fate of the wicked. He seems now to take their side of the argument. But actually he is a long way from doing so.
Remember their doctrine is this: God always rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked on earth; He does not send calamities on the righteous, nor allow the wicked to escape. For the sake of argument Job is willing to admit the second of these ideas, but not the first. He will agree that disasters come on the wicked, but not that they do not come on the righteous. In agreeing with his
JOB 28:13 632
13 Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, It is not in me. And the sea says, It is not with me. 15 It cannot be obtained for gold, nor can silver be weighed out as its price. 16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. 17 Gold and crystal cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. 18 Coral or pearls are not to be mentioned, and the value of wisdom is above rubies. 19 The topaz of Ethiopia does not equal it, nor can it be valued with pure gold.
And Job continued his discourse and said, 2 Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God was
watching over me, 3 When his lamp shone on my head,
when I walked through darkness by his light; 4 As I was in the days of my prime,
when Gods nearness remained over my tent, 5 When the Almighty was still with me,
when my children were around me, 6 When my steps were washed in cream,
and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me, 7 When I went out to the gate through the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square. 8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
20 Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the birds of the air. 22 Destruction and death say, We have heard a report about it with our ears. 23 God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. 24 For he views the ends of the earth, and sees under the whole heavens. 25 When he established a weight for the wind, and measured out the waters, 26 When he made a law for the rain, and a path for the thunderbolt, 27 Then he saw wisdom and declared it; he prepared it, yes, he searched out its depths. 28 And to man he said, See, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
and the aged arose and stood. 9 The princes stopped talking and put
their hand on their mouth. 10 The nobles kept silent and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. 11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me, and when the eye saw me,
it showed approval of me, 12 Because I rescued the poor who cried out, and the fatherless, and the one who had no helper. 13 Words of blessing came on me from those who had been about to perish, and I caused the widows heart to sing for joy. 14 I dressed myself in righteousness, and it clothed me. My justice was like a robe and a turban. 15 I was eyes for the blind, and feet for the lame.
gems and gold. 28:15-19 Prov 3:13,14; 8:10,11,19; 16:16. 28:20-23 No living being, including man, no one in the realm of death knows where wisdom is found. Neither life nor death can teach us wisdom. Only God knows what it is, where it is, and how man can obtain it.
of this book that Job had this wisdom (1:1,8). We are not told his friends had it. Of course, they thought they themselves were the wise ones and that Job did not have wisdom (11:6; 15:2-4; 18:2,3; 20:3). 29:1 Perhaps Job paused again for one of his friends to speak. If he did not, it is unclear why these words should be used here again. From their continued silence it appears that the argument is over and they have lost it. Of course, they would not have been willing to admit this. Job now begins a lament which continues over the next two chapters (30:31). In it he contrasts the life he once enjoyed (chapter 29) with his present pathetic condition (chapter 30). 29:2-6 Job is saying that when disasters came he was not living a sinful life, he was not without Gods fellowship. He had Gods light, Gods presence, Gods smile, Gods blessings. 29:7-11 Job was a man others honored and respected. In other words, they knew he was not wicked. 29:12-17 He was respected because his deeds proved him worthy of respect. Compare this with Eliphazs false accusa-
Destruction (v 22) in Hebrew Abaddon. 28:24-27 God is the only one who sees everything, and can do everything. So He alone really knows wisdom. 28:28 God has revealed to man the truth about wisdom which man could never discover by searching. Wisdom is not piling up information, or storing up facts. Wisdom is not education. There are many educated fools in this world. Wisdom is not knowing the truth about the nature of things. Wisdom is not even having true doctrines about God and man. True wisdom is a proper attitude toward God. It is related to morality and ethics. It is devotion to God and fear of offending Him. It is turning away from evil (Ps 111:10; Prov 1:7; 9:10; Eccl 12:13). We know from the first chapter
633 JOB 30:24
16 I was a father to the poor, and investigated the case I did not know. 17 And I broke the jaws of the wicked and snatched the plunder out of his teeth.
yes, children of base men who were
scourged from the land.
9 And now I am their mocking song;
yes, I am their byword. 10 They abhor me. They keep their distance from me, and do not
18 Then I said, I will die in my nest, and cause my days to be
as numerous as the sand. 19 My roots are spread out by the waters, and the dew lies all night on my branches. 20 My glory remains fresh in me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.
hold back from spitting in my face. 11 Because he has loosened my bowstring and afflicted me, they have also cast off restraint in
my presence. 12 At my right hand the youth rise up; they push my feet away, and raise
21 People listened to me and waited, and kept silent for my counsel. 22 After my words they did not speak again; and my words dropped on them. 23 And they waited for me as for the rain, and opened their mouth wide as
against me their destructive ways. 13 They break up my road; without any helper, they set up
calamity for me. 14 They come on me like a wide break in the wall; in their ruins they come rolling in. 15 Terrors are turned on me; they pursue my soul like the wind,
for the spring rain. 24 If I laughed at them, they did not believe it; and they did not cause the light
of my face to fail. 25 I chose the way for them, and sat as chief. I dwelt like a king among his army,
and my prosperity has passed like a cloud. 16 And now my soul is poured out within me. Days of affliction have seized me. 17 At night my bones in me are pierced, and my gnawing pains have no rest. 18 Because of their great power my clothing is changed; they bind me all around like the
like one who comforts mourners.
But now those who are younger than I mock at me, whose fathers I would have disdained
to put with my sheep dogs. 2 Yes, what could the strength of their hands
collar of my coat. 19 He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes. 20 I cry out to you, O God, but you do not hear me. I stand up, but you just watch me. 21 You have become cruel to me. With your strong hand you oppose me. 22 You lift me up to the wind and make me ride on it, dissolving my substance. 23 For I know that you will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all the living.
profit me, since their vigor was gone? 3 They were emaciated from want and hunger,
having lately fled to the desolate
and waste wilderness. 4 They plucked salt marsh plants beside
the bushes, and their food was the root of the broom tree. 5 They were driven out from among the people
(who cried out after them as after a thief), 6 To live among the cliffs of the ravines,
in the caves and rocks of the land. 7 They brayed among the bushes,
24 But he will not stretch out his hand toward the grave, though they cry out at its destruction.
and gathered together under the nettles. 8 These are the sons of fools,
tions in 22:5-11. 29:18-20 He did not think calamities would come on him, because he could see no reason whatever why they should. 29:21-25 He knows that he was a leader, a counselor of others, and that he had not abused his position. 29:24 Did not cause the light of my face to fail the meaning of the Hebrew here is uncertain. 30:1-14 Instead of the honor and respect Job once experienced he faces the scorn and opposition of base and useless men.
Their fathers had been regarded by the people of that region as unfit to live there and had been driven out (vs 5,8). Now these young men spit in Jobs face and try to cause him all the trouble they can (16:10,11). 30:15-19 3:24; 6:10; 7:4,5; 13:28; 16:8,17; 17:1; 19:20. 30:20-22 Once more Job turns to God with his complaint (7:7-21; 10:2-22; 13:20; 14:22; 16:7,8; 17:3,4). 30:21 6:4; 13:24; 16:9. 30:23 9:22; 10:8. 30:24 Even if he does not fear this falling