the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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King James Version
Job 24:1
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"Why doesn't the Almighty bring the wicked to judgment? Why must the godly wait for him in vain?
Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? and why do not they which know him see his days?
Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why don't those that know him see his days?
"I wish the Almighty would set a time for judging. Those who know God do not see such a day.
"Why are times not appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his days?
Why, seeing times [are] not hid from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?
"Why aren't times laid up by the Almighty? Why don't those who know him see his days?
"Why does the Almighty not set seasons for judgment? Why do those who know Him not see His days [for punishment of the wicked]?
"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?
Tymes ben not hid fro Almyyti God; sotheli thei that knowen hym, knowen not hise daies.
Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment? Why may those who know Him never see His days?
Job Continues Why doesn't God set a time for court? Why don't his people know where he can be found?
Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know him see his days?
Why are times not stored up by the Ruler of all, and why do those who have knowledge of him not see his days?
"Why are times not kept by Shaddai? Why do those who know him not see his days?
Why are not times treasured up with the Almighty? why do not they that know him see his days?
"Why doesn't God All-Powerful set times for judgment? And why can't his followers know when those times will be?
Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know Him see His days?
Why, seeing Times are not hidden from the Almightie, doe they, that know him not, see his dayes?
"Why are times for judging not set up by the All-powerful? And why do those who know Him not see these days?
"Why are times not kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?
Howe should not the times be hid from the Almightie, seeing that they which knowe him, see not his dayes?
WHY are the wicked not hidden from the presence of God, and why do those who know him never enjoy their days?
Why doesn't God set a time for judging, a day of justice for those who serve him?
Wherefore, since from the Almighty times are not hid, have, his knowing ones, no vision of his days?
Times are not hid from the Almighty: but they that know him, know not his days.
"Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days?
Considering then that there is no time hyd from the almightie, how happeneth it that they which know him do not regarde his dayes?
But why have the seasons been hidden from the Lord,
Why does the Almighty not reserve times for judgment?
"Why aren't times laid up by Shaddai? Why don't those who know him see his days?
"Why are not times kept by Shaddai, and why do not those who know him see his days?
Why since times are not hidden from the Almighty, do even those knowing Him not see His days?
Wherefore from the Mighty One Times have not been hidden, And those knowing Him have not seen His days.
Consideringe then that there is no tyme hyd from the Allmightie, how happeneth it, that they which knowe him, wil not regarde his dayes?
"But if Judgment Day isn't hidden from the Almighty, why are we kept in the dark? There are people out there getting by with murder— stealing and lying and cheating. They rip off the poor and exploit the unfortunate, Push the helpless into the ditch, bully the weak so that they fear for their lives. The poor, like stray dogs and cats, scavenge for food in back alleys. They sort through the garbage of the rich, eke out survival on handouts. Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street; they've no place to lay their heads. Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen, they huddle in makeshift shelters. Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them; the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold. They go about patched and threadbare; even the hard workers go hungry. No matter how backbreaking their labor, they can never make ends meet. People are dying right and left, groaning in torment. The wretched cry out for help and God does nothing, acts like nothing's wrong!
"Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not see His days?
"Since times are not hidden from the Almighty, Why do those who know Him see not His days?
"Why are times not stored up by the Almighty, And why do those who know Him not see His days?
"Why are times not stored up by the Almighty,And why do those who know Him not behold His days?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
seeing: Psalms 31:15, Ecclesiastes 3:17, Ecclesiastes 8:6, Ecclesiastes 8:7, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Ecclesiastes 9:12, Isaiah 60:22, Daniel 2:21, Luke 21:22-24, Acts 1:7, Acts 17:26, 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 1 Timothy 4:1, 1 Timothy 6:15, 2 Peter 2:3, 2 Peter 3:7, 2 Peter 3:8
they that know: Psalms 9:10, Psalms 36:10, John 17:3
not see: Genesis 7:4, Genesis 18:17, Genesis 18:20, Genesis 18:21, Psalms 73:16-19, Jeremiah 12:1-3, Matthew 24:38, Romans 2:5
Reciprocal: Exodus 9:5 - a set time Job 34:36 - his answers
Cross-References
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
And I will make thee swear by the Lord , the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell:
And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses.
And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty,.... Which seems to be an inference deduced from what he had said in Job 23:14; that since all things are appointed by God, and his appointments are punctually performed by him, the times of his carrying his purposes and decrees into execution cannot be hidden from him; for, as he has determined what shall be done, he has determined the time before appointed for the doing of them; as there is a purpose for everything under the heavens, there is a time set for the execution of that purpose, which must be known unto God that has fixed it; for as all his works are known to him from the beginning, or from eternity, the times when those works should be wrought must also be known to him. The Vulgate Latin, version reduces the words to a categorical proposition, "times are not hidden from the Almighty"; either temporal things, as Sephorno interprets it, things done in time, or the times of doing those things; no sort of time is hid from God; time respecting the world in general, its beginning, duration, and end; all seasons in it, day and night, summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, which are all fixed and settled by him; the several distinct ages and periods of time, into which it has been divided; the old and new world, the legal and Gospel dispensation, the various generations in it; the four great monarchies of the world, their rise, and duration, and end, with all other lesser kingdoms and states; time respecting the inhabitants of the world, their coming into and passing out of it in successive generations, the time of their birth, and of their death, and of adversity and prosperity, which interchangeably take place during their abode in it; and particularly the people of God, the time of their redemption by Christ, of their conversion by the grace of God, and all their times of darkness, desertion, temptation, and afflictions, and of peace, joy, and comfort; time, past and future, respecting the church of God, and the state of it, and all things relative thereunto; and the times of Israel's affliction in a land not theirs, four hundred years, and of their seventy years' captivity in Babylon, were not hidden from the Almighty, but foretold by him; the suffering times of the church under the New Testament; the ten persecutions of it by the Roman emperors; the flight and nourishment of it in the wilderness for a time, and times, and half a time; the treading down of the holy city forty two months; the witnesses prophesying: in sackcloth 1260 days; the killing of them, and their bodies lying unburied three days and a half, and then rising; the reign of antichrist forty two months, at the end of which antichristian time will be no more; the time of Christ's coming to judgment, which is a day appointed, though unknown to men and angels, and the reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years; all these times are not hidden from, but known to the Almighty, even all time, past, present, and to come, and all things that have been, are, or shall be done therein. Several Jewish commentators c interpret these words as an expostulation or wish, "why are not times hidden?" c. if they were, I should not wonder at it that those that knew him do not know what shall be but he knows the times and days in which wicked men will do wickedness, why is he silent? Mr. Broughton, and others d, render them, "why are not", or "why should not times be hidden by the Almighty?" that is, be hidden in his own breast from men, as they are; for the times and seasons it is not for man to know, which God has put in his own power, Acts 1:6; as the times of future troubles, of a man's death, and the day of judgment; it is but right and fit, on many accounts, that they should be hid by him from them; but others of later date translate the words perhaps much better, "why are not [certain stated] times laid up", or "reserved by the Almighty" e? that is, for punishing wicked men in this, life, as would be the case, Job suggests, if it was true what his friends had asserted, that wicked men are always punished here: and then upon this another question follows, why
do they that know him not see his days? that know him not merely by the light of nature, but as revealed in Christ; and that have not a mere knowledge of him, but a spiritual and experimental one; who know him so as to love him, believe in him, fear, serve, and worship him; and who have a greater knowledge of him than others may have, and have an intimate acquaintance and familiarity with him, are his bosom friends; and if there are fixed times for punishing the wicked in this life, how comes it to pass that these friends of God, to whom he reveals his secrets, cannot see and observe any such days and times of his as these? but, on the contrary, observe, even to the stumbling of the greatest saints, that the wicked prosper and increase in riches. Job seems to refer to what Eliphaz had said, Job 22:19; which he here tacitly denies, and proves the contrary by various instances, as follows.
c Aben Ezra, Nachmanides, Simeon Bar Tzemach. d מדוע משדי "quinam ab omnipotente", Beza so Junius & Tremellius. e "Quare ab omnipotente non sunt recondita in poenam stata tempora", Schultens.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Why, seeing times are not hidden froth the Almighty - Dr. Good renders this,
“Wherefore are not doomdays kept by the Almighty.
So that his offenders may eye his periods?”
Dr. Noyes:
“Why are not times of punishment reserved by the Almighty.
And why do not they, who regard him, see his judgments?”
Jerome, “Times are not hidden from the Almighty; but they who know him are ignorant of his days.” The Septuagint, “But why have set times - ὧραι hōrai, escaped the notice - ἔλαθον elathon - of the Almighty, and the wicked transgressed all bounds? The word עתים ‛êthı̂ym, here translated “times,” is rendered by the Chaldee (עדניא), “set times,” times appointed for an assembly or a trial, beforehand designated for any purpose. The Hebrew word properly means, set time, fit and proper times; and in the plural, as used here, means “seasons,” Esther 1:13; 1 Chronicles 12:32; and then vicissitudes of things, fortunes, destinies; Psalms 31:16; 1 Chronicles 29:30. Here it means, probably, the vicissitudes of things, or what actually occurs. All changes are known to God. He sees good and bad times; he sees the changes that take place among people. And since he sees all this, Job asks, with concern, Why is it that God does not come forth to deal with people according to their true character? That this was the fact, he proceeds to show further in illustration of the position which he had maintained in Job 21:0 by specifying a number of additional cases where the wicked undeniably prospered. It was this which perplexed him so much, for he did not doubt that their conduct was clearly known to God. If their conduct had been unknown to God, it would not have been a matter of surprise that they should go unpunished. But since all their ways were clearly seen by him, it might well excite inquiry why they were permitted thus to prosper. “He” believed that they were reserved to a future day of wrath, Job 21:30; Job 24:23-24. They would be punished in due time, but it was not a fact as his friends alleged, that they were punished in this life according to their deeds.
Do they that know him? - His true friends; the pious.
Not see his days - The days of his wrath, or the day when he punishes the wicked. Why are they not permitted to see him come forth to take vengeance on his foes? The phrase “his days” means the days when God would come forth to punish his enemies. They are called “his days,” because at that time God would be the prominent object that would excite attention. They would be days when he would manifest himself in a manner so remarkable as to characterize the period. Thus, the day of judgment is called the day “of the Son of Man,” or “his day” Luke 17:24, because at that time the Lord Jesus will be the prominent and glorious object that shall give character to the day. The “question” here seems to have been asked by Job mainly to call attention to “the fact” which he proceeds to illustrate. The fact was undeniable. Job did “not” maintain, as Eliphaz had charged on him Job 22:12-14, that the reason why God did not punish them was, that he could not see their deeds. He admitted most fully that God did see them, and understood all that they did. In this they were agreed. Since this was so, the question was why the wicked were spared, and lived in prosperity. The fact that it was so, Job affirms. The “reason” why it was so, was the subject of inquiry now. This was perplexing, and Job could solve it only by referring to what was to come hereafter.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER XXIV
Job asserts that there are various transgressors whose
wickedness is not visited on them in this life; and
particularizes the adjust and oppressive, 1-6;
those who are cruel to the poor, 7-13;
the murderer, 14;
the adulterer, 15;
thieves and plunderers, 16, 17.
Nevertheless they have an accursed portion, and shall die, and
their memory perish, 18-20.
He speaks of the abuse of power, and of the punishment of
oppressors, 21-24;
and asserts that what he has said on these subjects cannot be
contradicted, 25.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXIV
Verse Job 24:1. Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty — Mr. Good translates: "Wherefore are not doomsdays kept by the Almighty, so that his offenders may eye their periods?" Doomsdays are here used in the same sense as term times; and the wish is, that God would appoint such times that the falsely accused might look forward to them with comfort; knowing that, on their arrival, they should have a fair hearing, and their innocence be publicly declared; and their detractors, and the unjust in general, meet with their deserts. But God reserves the knowledge of these things to himself. "The holy patriarch," says Mr. Good, "has uniformly admitted that in the aggregate scale of Providence the just are rewarded and the wicked punished for their respective deeds, in some period or other of their lives. But he has contended in various places, and especially in Job 21:7-13, that the exceptions to this general rule are numerous: so numerous, as to be sufficient to render the whole scheme of providential interposition perfectly mysterious and incomprehensible,Job 23:8-12; so in the passage before us: if the retribution ye speak of be universal, and which I am ready to admit to a certain extent to be true and unquestionable, I not only ask, Why do the just ever suffer in the midst of their righteousness? but, Why do not the wicked see such retribution displayed before their eyes by stated judgments, so that they may at one and the same time know and tremble?"
