1Job again appealeth to God from the harsh censures of his friends: 6whose unmerciful dealing may astonish, but not discourage the righteous. 11His hope is no longer in life, but in death.
1MY 1breath is 2corrupt, 3my days are extinct, the graves 4are ready for me.
1 Understand here by the word breath the living powers and faculties of man. Or, spirit. See 1 Kings 10 on verse 5.
2 That is, consumed, spent and perished. Other, weakened, or, pulled off, namely, from the body.
3 That is, the days of my life are brought near to an end. He compares his life to a light which gradually extinguishes.
4 That is, they are ready, as it were, for me, so that there seems nothing to remain, but my dying, my life being thus melted away and utterly consumed. Compare Psalm 88:3, 4, 5.
2Are there not 5mockers with me? and doth not mine eye 6continue in 7their provocation?
5 Understand not properly of his sufferings, but of his words and sayings. Compare Job 21:3. Other, mockeries, namely, whereby I am persuaded.
6 That is, are not my thoughts so troubled with the discourses wherewith they made me bitter that I keep mine eyes open all the night, and lose my sleep? He gives the reason why the powers of his life did wear away thus by degrees.
7 Namely, of his friends, who grieved him with their perverse judgment and bitter invectives.
38Lay down now, 9put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike 10handsa with me?
8 Namely, a pledge or assurance. Job turns himself to God, wishing that he might plead with God about the dispute which he had with his friends, to defend the right of his cause before Him. Compare Job 16:21.
9 Namely, who shall promise on Thy behalf that Thou wilt enter into plea with me, and firmly stand to what shall be found right and equitable.
10 Namely, by the surety, unto the assurance of what he shall promise on Thy behalf. This was a usual custom among those, who, in their dealings together, wanted to pledge something in fidelity to each other. See Prov. 6:1; 11:15; 17:18; 22:26.
a clasp hands concluding an agreement
4For thou hast hid 11their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not 12exalt them.
11 Other, thou hast hid the understanding for their heart. He speaks of his friends, who had unwisely comforted him. To hide or to conceal the heart from the understanding is as much as to cause that the heart shall not comprehend true wisdom.
12 Namely, to give them the upper hand over me in this dispute, and much less yet to be my judges, but shalt rather much more oppose and punish them.
513He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the 14eyes of his children shall fail.
13 Job, it seems, would prevent here what his friends might object to him, saying, It appears that you despise us, because we reprove you; will you then that we sooth and flatter you? Job answers, he desires no such thing, God being an enemy to flatterers; or he threatens his friends here, because they took upon them to maintain God’s cause more for the respect to God’s Person, than by a judicious apprehending of the matter itself. Job 13:7, yea also because they seemed to flatter him (Job himself) by premising him temporal blessings if he did but repent. See Job 5:20, 21, etc.; 8:5, etc.; 11:15, 16, etc.
14 That is, not only he, but his posterity also shall be forsaken and punished by the just judgment of God.
615Heb hath made me also 16a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as 17a tabret.
15 Namely, God.
b Job 30:9.
16 That is, a common tale and story, which is in every man’s mouth, by reason of the trouble and reproach which lies upon me.
17 That is, a common pastime and matter for ridicule and mockery.
718Mine eye also is dim 19by reason of sorrow, and all my 20members are as a shadow.
18 He wants to say, that the powers and faculties of his senses, together with the strength of his body, and the countenance of his face were much spent and mortified. Compare Psalm 6:7.
19 That is, by reason of the excessive disturbance and dismay in my mind.
20 Other, imaginations.
8Upright men shall be astonied 21at this, and the innocent shall 22stir up himself against the 23hypocrite.
21 Namely, that I, being godly, am nevertheless so fearfully punished of God, and so vilely ridiculed of men.
22 Namely, to resist and oppose the hypocrite in his evil conceit. For, although the godly are amazed at the prosperity of the wicked and the adversity of those who fear God, yet they forbear not to contradict and refute the hypocrites who draw such false conclusion from them, to deny God’s Providence and to despise all true godliness.
23 See Job 8 on verse 13.
9The righteous also 24shall hold on his way, and he 25that hath clean hands 26shall be stronger and stronger.
24 That is, not deviate from his godliness for any adversity which befalls himself or other godly people. Thus Job shows that he did not lessen or diminish, much less take away the fear of God by his arguments as Eliphaz had upbraided him, Job 15:4.
25 That is, he who does not trespass against the law of God by the external deed. See Gen. 20 on verse 5. He makes mention of the external cleanness, the same being a proof and sign of the internal, from which it may not be separated.
26 Hebr. shall add strength, that is, increase in strength and power, growing more and more in faith, in hope, and being armed thereby against all manner of crosses, sorrows and contempt of men.
10Butc as for 27you all, do ye return, and 28come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
c Job 6:29.
27 Hebr. they all. Also 1 Kings 22:28; Micah 1:2, etc. It is a change of the persons. He turns his speech to his friends, whom he exhorts to repent themselves of their perverse judgment and evil speaking.
28 Namely, to listen to my words, which shall hold forth true and solid doctrine to you.
11Myd days are past, 29my purposes are broken off, even 30the thoughts of my heart.
d Job 7:6; 9:25.
29 Namely, which I had to be able to come forth again out of this misery, and to be restored to my former condition.
30 That is, which thoughts my heart had in possession, and held them as dear and delightful as a man would do his inheritance.
1231They change the night into day: 32the light 33is short 34because of darkness.
31 Understand his friends, who were the cause that he could take no rest by night, through the deliberations of their arguments. Or, understand his foresaid thought, spoken of in the previous verse. Compare Job 7:3, 4.
32 Understand the light of the day, caused by the rising of the sun. Also Job 24:14. Hence in Job 25:3 and 31:26 the word light is taken for the sun. See there the annotations.
33 That is, near and almost spent.
34 That is, by reason of the misery which is come upon me. See Gen. 15 on verse 12. The sense is, that the day did hastily wear away with him, without having any ease or refreshing in it, and that by reason of the great sufferings, which from all sides distressed and vexed him.
1335If I wait, 36the grave is mine house: I have made my bed 37in the darkness.
35 Namely, for a change of this my sad condition into a happy one here below yet; as ye would fain make me believe and hope for. He reflects upon that, which they had promised unto him of the outward prosperity, which he would enjoy yet in this life. See Job 8:5; 11:15, 16, 17.
36 As if he said: How shall I still hope for any happiness here? I can expect nothing but death, and consequently my habitation in the grave, etc. Compare verse 1.
37 That is, in the grave; which is likewise called a land of darkness, Job 10:21.
14I have said 38to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
38 That is, I shall shortly take up my abode in the grave and among the worms; as children are apt to dwell with their father, mother and other kindred.
15And 39where is now my 40hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
39 As if he said: surely nowhere. Also in the sequel: who shall see my hope? No one; it is all vain talk wherewith you detain me.
40 That is, the happiness, which, according to their saying, I may yet expect here.
1641They shall go down to the 42bars of the pit, 43when our rest 44together is ine the dust.
41 Namely, the expectation and contemplation thereof; or, he uses the plural number here, thereby to comprise all manner of hope and expectation, which concerns this present life.
42 That is, with the stretcher, wherewith the dead body is carried to the grave. Other, to the bars of the grave, that is, into the power and violence of the grave.
43 Or, in regard my rest shall altogether be in the dust, namely, very shortly or suddenly; that is, seeing I shall go down quickly into the grave, and enjoy no rest, but there.
44 Namely, with other deceased persons.
e Job 3:17, 18, 19; 30:23, 24.