1Job submitteth himself unto God. 7God preferreth Job's cause, and maketh his three friends submit themselves to him. 9He accepteth Job, and doubleth his blessings upon him. 13Job's children. 16His age and death.
1THEN Job answered the LORD, and said,
2I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no 1thought can be 2withholden from thee.
1 That is, of whatsoever Thou hast purposed and decreed in Thine eternal and infinite wisdom. See of the Hebrew word Job 21 on verse 27.
2 That is, hindered, kept back and turned aside from being executed. Compare Gen. 11:6 and the annotation.
3Whoais he 3that 4hideth 5counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; thingsb too wonderful 6for me, which I knew not.
a Job 38:2.
3 This God had spoken in Job 38:2, wherewith Job finds himself now justly charged and convinced.
4 That is, obscures, as Job 38:2; see the annotation there.
5 Namely, of God.
b Psalm 40:5; 131:1; 139:6.
6 Hebr. wonders above me, that is, which were greater than I was able to comprehend. Also Psalm 131:1. See similar expressions Deut. 17:8; 30:11 and compare the annotations.
4Hear, I beseech thee, and I will 7speak: 8I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
7 That is, pray, to be instructed by Thee in what is too high for me. Speak for pray. Compare 1 Sam. 1:13.
8 Job looks back to that which God had spoken to him Job 38:3; 40:7. He wants to say, that God neither could nor needed to be instructed by him about His profound judgments and mighty works, but that he now humbly desired and expected to be instructed of God by His Spirit.
5I have heard of thee 9by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye 10seeth thee.
9 That is, the knowledge, which formerly I had of Thy majesty by means of the hearing, that is, from outward relations and instructions, is but scant and small in respect of the enlightenment, which I have now received by Thy visible appearance and present representation of Thy Divine wisdom, power, works and judgments.
10 Namely, not in Thy Divine Essence, but in the visible sign of Thy revelation; whereof see Job 38:1; 40:6. Compare Gen. 32:30; Num. 12:8; 14:14; 1 Kings 22:19, and see the annotations.
6Wherefore I 11abhor myself, and repent 12in dust and ashes.
11 For what I have uttered unadvisedly heretofore through impatience and the feelings of my heavy affliction.
12 See Job 2 on verse 8, and compare 2 Sam. 12:16.
7¶And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy 13two friends: for ye have not spoken 14of me the thing that is right, 15as my servant Job hath.
13 Namely, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar, the Naamathite. See Job 2 on verse 11.
14 The Hebrew particle el is likewise taken to signify of, verse 8 and Gen. 20:2; 2 Kings 19:32; Psalm 59:17.
15 Job is not entirely cleared, but his transgression is judged less than that of his friends. For these sinned most by their unadvised and imprudent judging of God’s punishments and blessings, together with their unkindness, harshness and cruel dealing against Job, condemning him for an hypocrite, and feigning lies against him, instead of administering comfort unto him; but Job transgressed most through human frailty and impatience, being drawn into it, by the perverse judgments and reproachful aspersions and assaults of his friends.
8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and 16offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: 17for him will 18I accept: 19lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, 20like my servant Job.
16 Namely, by the hand of Job.
17 The Hebrew particles chi im are taken thus Prov. 23:18.
18 That is, be graciously favorable unto him and answer his prayer. See Gen. 19 on verse 21. Thus this kind of speech is taken in a good sense; but taken in a bad sense, it signifies to have regard to a person, out of a blind and unrighteous favor. See Lev. 19:15 and the annotation.
19 Some translate it thus: that I do no folly unto you, that is, punishment of folly, as elsewhere sin and iniquity are taken for the punishment of them.
20 See on verse 7.
9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also 21accepted Job.
21 See on verse 8.
10And the LORD turned 22the captivity of Job, when he prayed for 23his friends: also the LORD gave Job 24twice as much as he had before.
22 Understand hereby the might and power of Satan, whereby he held Job in prison to afflict him in his goods, Job 1:12, in his children, Job 1:18, in his body, Job 2:6, and in the scorn and reproach which he endured from his own wife, his friends and others, Job 2:9; 19:13, 14, etc.; 30:1, etc. Compare Job 36:8 and the annotation.
23 Hebr. his friend. The singular for the plural, as may be inferred from verse 8.
24 Compare his former wealth, whereof see Job 1:3, with his last, here in verse 12.
11Then came there unto him all his 25brethren, and all his sisters, and all they 26that had been of his acquaintance before, and 27did eat bread with him in his house: and they 28bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the 29evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a 30piece of money,c and every one an 31earring of gold.
25 That is, kindred, and his next of kin. See Gen. 24 on verse 27.
26 That is, his good acquaintances with whom he had associated familiarly for entertaining of good friendship.
27 See Gen. 31 on verse 54.
28 See Job 2 on verse 11.
29 Understand the evil of punishment and correction. See Gen. 19 on verse 19.
30 See Gen. 33 on verse 19.
c (Heb. qshitah; Gr. stater) 4 days’ wages; $0.64
31 Other, a golden earring. See Gen. 24 on verse 22.
12So the LORD blessed the 32latter end of Job more than his 33beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
32 Namely, the latter part of his life.
33 See Job 1:2, etc.
13He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14And he called the name of the first, 34Jemima; and the name of the second, 35Kezia; and the name of the third, 36Keren-happuch.
34 This first daughter had her name from the day, by reason (as some perceive) of the brightness or clearness of her beauty.
35 So named from the spice called cassia, which has a very pleasant and acceptable fragrance. See of this spice Psalm 45:8.
36 This is as much as to say, a horn of glistering. It is conjectured that she was so shining fair, as if she had been abundantly covered with fair colors.
15And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father 37gave them inheritance among their brethren.
37 Hebr. gave them, in the masculine gender, being put for the feminine, as also in the sequel. Also Exod. 1:21, etc.
1638After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
38 Understand after this severe visitation.
17So Job died, being old and 39full of days.
39 Compare Gen. 25:8 and the annotation.