1Elihu proceedeth to shew that God is just in all his ways. 8The end of God's chastisements, and the happiness of making a right use of them. 12The danger of not profiting by them. 16God's mercy hindered by Job's offence: 18he is exhorted to repentance. 22God's power uncontrollable. 24His works are to be magnified, but cannot be comprehended.
1ELIHU also proceeded, and said,
2Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to 1speak on God's behalf.
1 Containing strong reasons to defend God’s righteousness.
3I will fetch my knowledge 2from afar, and will 3ascribe righteousness to my 4Maker.
2 That is, from on high, namely, from the nature, properties and works of God.
3 Hebr. give.
4 Hebr, worker, that is, Creator. Compare Job 4 on verse 17.
4For truly my words shall not be false: 5he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.
5 Elihu understands hereby himself, speaking of himself in the third person out of civility, not to be suspected of arrogance or presumption.
5Behold,a6God is mighty, and 7despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and 8wisdom.
a Job 9:4; 12:13, 16; 37:23; 38, etc.
6 As if he said: Although God is almighty, that He can do whatever He wills, Gen. 17:1; 18:14; Psalm 115:3, yet He is also righteous, so that He will punish no one wrongfully (as Job’s words seemed to infer Job 19:7; 23:13; 30:21), and that because He is mighty not only in His deeds, but likewise in His heart, as follows.
7 Namely, without just cause. See the sequel.
8 Other, mighty is he in power of the heart. Understand by God’s heart His will and wisdom, which are perfect in the highest degree.
6He preserveth 9not the life of the wicked: but 10giveth right to the poor.
9 Namely, not forever, but at length He puts him to death, either here or hereafter. Other, he doth not keep the life of the wicked.
10 Or, redresseth. Hebr. giveth.
7Heb withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings 11are they on the throne; yea,c he doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted.
b Psalm 33:18; 34:15.
11 Namely, the righteous. The meaning is, that at last they shall be highly exalted, which is principally fulfilled in the life to come. Compare 1 Sam. 2:8; Psalm 113:7. Other, with the kings is he (namely, God) by the throne, that he may set them there, etc.
c Psalm 113:8.
8And if they be bound 12in fetters, and be holden in cords 13of affliction;
12 Thus the chastisements are called which God sends upon the godly, by reason of their sins, to bring them to repentance and amendment. See verse 13; Job 13:27; 42:10; Psalm 107:10.
13 That is, which bring miseries upon them.
9Then he 14sheweth them their 15work, and their transgressions 16that they have exceeded.
14 Namely, by the same misery and chastisement.
15 That is, their evil life, whereby they have brought the judgments of God upon themselves, as the next word declares.
16 That is, because they have become great and manifold.
10He 17openeth also their ear to discipline, and 18commandeth that they return from iniquity.
17 That is, He opens their understanding, instructs them and converts them. Also verse 15. See Job 33 on verse 16.
18 That is, charges and exhorts; Also Job 9:7. See likewise 2 Chron. 29 on verse 24.
11If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in 19prosperity, and their years in 20pleasures.
19 Compare the annotation at Job 21 on verse 25.
20 That is, in all prosperity of soul and body. See Psalm 36:7, 8.
12But if they obey not, 21they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die 22without knowledge.
21 See Job 33 on verse 18.
22 That is, without faith and repentance.
13But 23the hypocrites in heart 24heap up wrath: they 25cry not when 26he bindeth them.
23 That is, those who are unclean, unholy and false in the spirit, and are not what they seem to be, Mat. 23:27, 28; Luke 16:15.
24 That is, gather unto themselves a treasure of God’s vengeance, Rom. 2:5. The word wrath by itself often signifies the wrath of God. See 2 Chron. 28 on verse 13.
25 That is, they do not call upon God for His grace and help. To cry for praying earnestly and fervently, Exod. 14:10, 15; Neh. 9:9; Psalm 22:2, etc.
26 That is, when God has punished them. Compare the annotation on verse 8.
14Theyd die in 27youth, and their life is among the 28unclean.
d Job 22:16.
27 That is, their life shall end in the flower of their years.
28 Understand by one kind of abominable sinners, all others. See of these sinners Deut. 23:17 and the annotation.
1529He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and 30openeth their ears in oppression.
29 Namely, God.
30 That is, He shall instruct and exhort them unto their bounden duty, as verse 10.
16Even so would he have removed thee out of the 31strait into a 32broad place, where there is 33no straitness; 34ande that which should be set on thy table should be full of 35fatness.
31 That is, from the violent oppression; for as wild beasts devour and swallow the prey with their mouths, so does the violence of oppression a person.
32 That is, in a fair and open place, where he would have been without any strait and according to his own wish. Also Psalm 18:19.
33 That is, no perplexity, nor pressure, whereby men are straitened.
34 Other, thy table should have been quiet, full of fatness.
e Psalm 23:5.
35 That is, full of varieties and dainties.
17But thou hast fulfilled the 36judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take 37hold on thee.
36 That is, the measure of your sin, by your evil and unadvised speaking; which merits punishment. Compare Job 34:8. Judgment is taken here for righteous punishment, and that for sin, which must be righteously punished.
37 Namely, as guilty of the punishment. Other, should judgment and justice support that? That is, maintain it, approve of it?
18Because there is 38wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his 39stroke: then a great ransom 40cannot deliver thee.
38 Namely, with God, He being righteous.
39 That is, with a very heavy plague, to strike you down altogether. Other, with clapping together of the hands.
40 Namely, from the righteous punishment of God.
19Will he esteem thy riches? 41no, not gold, nor all the forces of 42strength.
41 Other, not the gold itself, nor any strengthenings of power, namely, shall He regard.
42 Understand whatsoever men might be able to gather or muster up, for to arm and fence themselves against God’s fierce wrath, and to escape the deserved punishment.
2043Desire not 44the night, when people 45are cut off in their place.
43 That is, be not desirous to inquire very thoughtfully the cause of God’s judgment, whereby He roots up entire nations sometimes in one night, the good with the bad together. Understand thereby that Job must also not curiously investigate why He had cast him, in such a short time, out of his prosperity. Some understand by the night the temporal death, and that Job is exhorted not to long for that, seeing the wicked thereby pass over into the eternal death.
44 Of which Elihu had spoken in Job 34:20.
45 That is, are destroyed, rooted out, perish, vanish away. The Hebrew word is thus taken in Psalm 102:24.
21Take heed, regard not 46iniquity: 47for this hast thou chosen rather than 48affliction.
46 Or, vanity, whereby, you Job, would find fault with God about His judgments.
47 That is, seeing you have already embraced this iniquity, as it appears by this your action and all the discourses that came from you.
48 Namely, which God has sent you at this present. Other, hast chosen more than misery, that is, more than the patience, which you ought to have had in your misery.
22Behold, God 49exalteth by his power: who teacheth 50like him?
49 Namely, the afflicted, that is, He delivers them out of their straits. Exalt for deliver, Psalm 9:13; 18:48. Other, God exalteth himself, namely, in the entire government of the world, showing therein in every respect His wonderful wisdom, almighty power, and dreadful judgments.
50 Understand no one; and therefore also no one is able to teach Him how He should govern the world; which you, O Job, seem to be willing to do, when you complain against His government.
23Whof hath 51enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thoug hast wrought iniquity?
f Job 34:13.
51 That is, prescribed Him what He ought to do, the manner and way how He is to work and govern.
g Deut. 32:4; 2 Chron. 19:7; Job 8:3; 34:10; Rom. 9:14.
24Remember that thou 52magnify his work, which men 53behold.
52 Namely, by praising the same, instead of carping or caviling at any part thereof.
53 Namely, with admiration.
2554Every man may see it; man may behold it 55afar off.
54 Namely, who have any understanding, and make good use thereof.
55 That is, not perfectly, so that he is able to comprehend but a part of the work and of the reasons thereof.
26Behold, God is 56great, and 57we know him not, neitherh can the number of his years be 58searched out.
56 Namely, in His Being, properties and works; yet here His works are chiefly implied.
57 Especially in this life, where we know but in part, 1 Cor. 13:10, 12. Hebr. we know it not.
h Psalm 90:2; 92:8; 93:2; 102:12; Isa. 63:16; Lam. 5:19; Dan. 6:27. Hebr. 1:12.
58 Namely, whereby His eternity and infiniteness might be found out and comprehended by us.
2759For he maketh small the drops 60of water: they pour down rain according to the 61vapour thereof:
59 By some examples of God’s works he proves His great wisdom and power.
60 Namely, which are here below and especially in the sea. God draws them upwards by the vapors which ascend from it into the air, where they gather together and are turned into clouds. See Gen. 2 on verse 6.
61 That is, after God’s vapor; namely, after that God has made clouds of those vapors, which He had drawn up out of the waters into the air. Or, according thereof the vapor is, which God drew up out of the waters to be turned into clouds.
2862Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
62 Namely, the rain.
29Also can any understand the 63spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of 64his tabernacle?
63 That is, how far and wide and over which places they extend themselves, when they pour out the rain.
64 Namely, of the tent of God. Understand thereby the clouds again, which are called God’s tent or pavilion, Psalm 18:11, because He seems to inhabit there, when He works in and by them, through mighty noises, sounds and rustles, that is, by winds and thunder. The clouds are for that same reason called God’s chariot, Psalm 104:3.
30Behold, 65he spreadeth his 66light upon 67it, and covereth the 68bottom of the sea.
65 Namely, God.
66 Understand the lightning, which God causes to break forth through and to shoot forth out of the clouds. Also Job 37:3, 15. Some render the word light here to rain. Also Job 37:11.
67 Namely, man. Other, over that, namely, cloud.
68 That is, the bottom of the seas, unto which God makes the lightning to shine that they seem to be covered over with it.
31Fori69by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.
i Job 37:13.
69 That is, by the clouds, the rain, thunder, lightning and other operations in the air, He executes punishments and also dispenses benefits.
32With 70clouds 71he covereth the 72light; and 73commandeth it not to shine 74by the cloud that cometh betwixt.
70 Or, hands. Understand the clouds, which are compared to flat and open hands or palms, in regard that when first they get up into the clear sky, they do somewhat resemble hands spread abroad. Compare 1 Kings 18:44.
71 Namely, God.
72 Namely, of the sun. Compare Job 17 on verse 12. Others understand the lightning.
73 That is, prohibits the same light of the sun to shine, that is, God ordains and makes that the sun must withhold her light for a time. The Hebrew word in the construction is taken for, forbidding, that is, commanding that a thing be not done. Gen. 2:16; 28:6; Isa. 5:6.
74 Understand the cloud, which, getting between the body of the sun and our sight, takes away from us the light or splendor of the sun. Others translate this verse thus: He hideth the flame (namely, of the lightning) in the palms of his hands, and commandeth the same what it is to meet with, namely, to smite and to harm.
3375The noise 76thereof 77sheweth concerning it, 78the cattle also 79concerning the vapour.
75 That is, God’s thunder, which He causes many times to be heard when there is some extraordinary rain at hand.
76 Namely, of the rain, of which is spoken in verse 27, and of which is chiefly likewise treated in this place.
77 That is, gives a sign.
78 As in which there are to be observed some signs about the impending weather.
79 Namely, the cattle makes a declaration, or is a precursor of signs.