Bible Commentaries
Job

The Book of Job

Job the Man:

The book of Job is an account of the life of the man Job. Job was perfect, upright, one that feared God, and one who turned away from evil (Job 1:1). Job was also a man of great wealth (Job 1:2) who had been blessed with ten children (Job 1:3). Job was respected and sought out for council by both young and old (Job 29:6-11). Job met his responsibilities of one who is wealthy by helping those in need because he genuinely cared about people. Widows, fatherless, poor, aged, blind, lame, and those who mourned were helped by Job’s generosity (Job 29:12 ff). All those who experienced anguish in life were comforted and helped by this man of great faith (Job 4:3-5).

Satan Strikes:

Job’s character was impeccable in the eyes of God. Satan; however, comes to Jehovah and claims that the only reason Job is so perfect is because God has blessed him with great wealth and family (Job 1:9-10). Satan was confident that Job would renounce God to His face if he took away all God’s blessings and struck him with a terrible disease (Job 1:11; Job 2:4-5). God permits Satan to strike Job; however, the Almighty placed boundaries upon the man’s life (Job 1:11; Job 2:6). Satan goes about his dastardly work robbing the perfect and upright man of God of all his substance and even killing all ten of Job’s children. Job responds faithfully by saying, “ Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). Once again, after Satan struck Job with a terrible disease, Job faithfully replies to his wife who had told him to curse God and die saying, “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10).

Job’s Legendary Suffering:

The emotional strain of loosing all that you own and having your flesh experience a dreaded disease of great discomfort would be virtually unbearable. So horrid was Job’s disease that when his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come to comfort him they were startled at his dreaded state, wept bitterly, and then sat in silence for seven days (Job 2:11-13). The depth of Job’s suffering is unfathomable as we consider a man who also lost his beloved ten children in death. Job’s suffering went even deeper. All those who respected Job in his wealth and health began to despise him. Job came to be the object of scorn as men were disgusted to even look upon him. Like a Quazi Motto (the Hunch Back of Notre Dame) of his day men gazed at him like a freak show, beat, and spit upon him (Job 16:10; Job 17:6-8; Job 30:10-15) (see also Christ’s suffering at Matthew 26:67; Matthew 27:30). Job’s own family, friends, and servants of his house came to be estranged from him (Job 19:13-16). Even Job’s own wife was no where to comfort him (Job 19:17). To make matters worse, the three friends who were suppose to be comforting Job charge him with secret sin (Job 4:7-9; Job 8:4-7; Job 11:6; Job 11:11-14; Job 20:12-15). Zophar believes Job is guilty of hoarding riches at the expense of the poor (Job 20:15-19). Elephaz charges Job with wickedness that has no end seeing that he is surely guilty of taking bribes against a brother, sending widows away empty handed, and caring nothing for orphaned children (see Job 22:5-11). Job’s three friends believe that if only Job would admit his error the Lord would relieve his suffering (Job 22:21-30). .

Job Maintains his Innocence:

Job does not give in to the pressures of his three friends. The man of God knows that he has done no sin worthy of suffering. Job said, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10) . Job demands that someone point up his sins so that he may be aware of it; however, as of yet there is no truth to his friends accusations (Job 6:24). Job professes, “My foot hath held fast to his steps; his way have I kept, and turned not aside. I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:11-12). Job makes a final declaration of his innocence at chapter 31 saying that he is not guilty of lusting after young women (Job 31:1-4) . He is not guilty of the heinous crime of adultery (Job 31:5-12). Job has not thought too highly of himself (Job 31:13-15), acted unmerciful toward those in need (Job 31:16-23), never put his confidence in riches (Job 31:24-28), has not rejoiced over the hardships and failures of those who hated him (Job 31:29-30), and has never tried to hide his sin from man or God (Job 31:33-34). Job was innocent in relation to violating God’s laws (Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20; Job 16:17).

Job’s statements of Faith:

Job is confident that God knows of his innocence (Job 16:19). No matter what level of suffering he experiences he is determined to hold on to his faith in God. Job said, “Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9). Furthermore, Job said, “But as for me I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand up upon the earth: and after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Yet from my flesh shall I see God ” (Job 19:25-26). Job knows that his current distress is God’s way of proving him that he may come forth as pure gold (Job 23:10). All men are appointed to suffering (Job 23:14; see also 1 Thessalonians 3:3) and Job is reserved to his lot in life (Job 30:23). Job concludes, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). Job’s greatest statements of faith are found at the end of the book when God exposes his darkened counsel (Job 38:1 ff).

Job Debates his Friends:

Job uses sarcasm against his three friends at times yet he primarily speaks of facts (see Job 12:2). Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar believe that Job is suffering because of a great sin in his life (Job 15:25; Job 33:12). If only Job would repent of this secret sin, that he refuses to admit, God would restore his health (see Job 22:21-30). Job maintains his innocence by saying that he is not like Adam of old who tried to conceal his sin from God (see Job 31:33). Job’s observation in life is that all mankind suffers whether they have committed sin or not (Job 21:25-26). Job has noticed that some wicked men live very happy lives and experience great wealth (Job 21:7-14). Job concludes that the wicked do not suffer now for their sinful deeds but they will in eternity (see Job 21:29-30). Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar have thereby erred in their teaching (Job 21:34). Job soundly defeats his three friends in the debate over why man suffers on this earth (Job 13:12; Job 24:25).

Job’s Darkened Counsel (Job 38:2):

Though Job defeats his friends in debate he nonetheless makes very foolish accusations against God. Job believes that God is not fair in that He makes a man suffer who lives perfect and upright in life (Job 9:24; Job 10:3-4; Job 12:5-6). Job questions God’s justice (Job 10:8) and mercy seeing that God seeks to destroy him (Job 9:22; Job 10:8). Job’s darkened counsel is depicted in his faulty reasoning. Job has erroneously reasoned that God hates him (Job 16:9) and is against him (Job 6:4; Job 13:23-28). Job erroneously concludes that it is vain to strive for perfection in life if God is going to permit such a one to suffer (Job 9:29-35). Job has blamed God for all his misery (Job 16:11-14; Job 19:6-13; Job 19:21-22). Job believes there is no hope for such a one as himself (Job 19:10).

Job’s suffering gets the better of Him:

The anguish of loosing all one’s children, wife, possessions, friends, family, and respect in the community coupled with a dreaded disease works Job to the point of giving up. This man of God is kicked around and looked upon as the scourge of the human race. He views his agony as “pain” (Job 2:13 b), “misery” (Job 3:20), “trouble” (Job 3:26) and “vexation with calamity” (Job 6:1). Job came to a “desperate” state (Job 6:26) as he “loathed” (Job 7:16) and “despised” his own life (Job 9:21). Job said, “My soul is weary of my life” (Job 10:1) and “Days of affliction have taken hold of me...” (Job 30:16-23) . Just when Job has taken all that he could take God steps in and speaks to him (see Job 38:1 through end of book).

Job Confesses his error and Repents:

Seeing that Job demanded that God give ear to his complaint (Job 23:1-7) God now demands that Job stand like a man and answer His divine questions (see Job 38:3; Job 40:7). God demands that Job explain how the earth was hung upon its axes, how the morning comes each day, how the sea is held in its boundaries, and to reveal what is in the depths of the ocean. God asks Job if he knows about the grass and needs of animals in remote areas where no man dwells. The Lord asks Job a multitude of questions regarding all of creation as well as the great behemoth and leviathan (see chapters 38-40). The Lord even uses sarcasm saying, “Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great!” (Job 38:21). Job cannot answer these questions because he is not deity. If he could then God would admit that he has the power to save his own life (Job 40:14). Job has now been soundly defeated by Jehovah in debate. There is nothing for Job to say. He shuts his mouth in shame and admits his “small account” in the presence of Jehovah (Job 40:1-5). Furthermore Job confesses his error, loathes himself for such thoughts and words that he had spoken against the almighty, and repents (see Job 42:1-6). The Lord mercifully accepts Job’s humble confession and repentance and restores by twofold all the things that Job had lost. Job’s ordeal ends.

Seven Lessons from Job

I personally find seven important lessons from a study of the book of Job. The first and foremost talked about lesson is that of patience due to James’ mentioning Job in his New Testament book (see James 5:11). Secondly, we learn the importance of making a proper distinction between deity and flesh. Thirdly, we learn to precisely identify the Bible’s concept of personal perfection. Fourthly, we learn about one of Satan’s most effective tools against man. Fifthly, we learn that man’s environment is not the standard by which God judges (i.e., situational ethics). Sixthly, we learn that those who are wealthy in this life have responsibilities. Lastly, we learn the answer to the question, “Why does man suffer in this life?”

1. Patience:

At the conclusion of the New Testament book of James Christians are admonished to “Be patient (Greek – makrothumeo) therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord… ye have heard of the patience (Greek – hupomone) of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful” (James 5:7; James 5:11). James had earlier admonished the suffering Christians of chapter 1:2-4 to develop “patience” (hupomone) through their ill- fated happenings. The Greek hupomone means endurance and perseverance in the face of intense trials of life (see Moulton’s Greek Word study pp. 418). Note that James uses the Greek word “makrothumeo” at James 5:7 in relation to “waiting with patient expectation” for the coming of the Lord (Moulton 256). James was encouraging persecuted Christians to patiently endure their current trials of life because their expectation of Christ’s second coming would soon occur. James relates this to Job because the man of God endured the horrid suffering, earlier mentioned, by Satan and sinful men because he knew that his redeemer lived and that there was something better awaiting him in eternity (Job 19:25-26; Job 27:5-6) . Likewise, the suffering Christian today ought to patiently endure the hardships of this life knowing that our glory awaits us in heaven (see 1 Peter 5:6).

2. Know your Place:

People embarrass themselves when they make it apparent that they do not know their proper place. Likewise when man does not make the proper distinction between deity and flesh he shames himself. Jehovah had accused Job of reasoning by way of “dark counsel” (Job 38:2). Job had foolishly accused God of being unfair, unjust, and unmerciful. The only way one can successfully charge Jehovah with such error is to be His superior (i.e., deity). The Lord tells Job that when he can prove that he has the knowledge and power of deity He would admit that he was correct in his charges (Job 40:14). Many foolish men of darkened counsel attempt to take the place of deity by altering God’s revelation to fit their own beliefs (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1 ff). These foolish men take the kingdom of God by force (Luke 16:16). Such an endeavor is a futile exercise in fleshly reasoning and ends in man’s spiritual and eternal death (Romans 8:5-8). Let us all know our place before the Almighty Jehovah. We may study the science of God’s creation; however, God created it and put it in its proper order (see Psalms 33:6-9). Man can scarcely bear the weight of anxiety produced by his own life much less that of all eternity. The prophet Isaiah said, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

3. Bible Perfection:

Jesus said, “Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). The apostles of Jesus Christ also taught that the Christian must be perfect (see 2 Corinthians 13:11; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 4:12). Job is identified as “perfect” by Jehovah (see Job 1:1; Job 1:8; Job 2:3). Bildad, like so many confused disciples today, refused to believe man can be perfect (see Job 25 all). What Bildad, and many others today, do not understand about Bible perfection is that it is not comprehensive but rather a current state of being. Job had sinned in his past yet the Lord identified him as perfect (see Job 13:23-28). Likewise, we all have sinned in our past and probably will stumble in the future (see 1 John 1:8-10). When sin occurs in the Christian’s life we are commanded to repent and ask the Lord’s forgiveness (Acts 8:22). By the power of Christ’s blood man is forgiven and viewed as perfect (see Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 7:18-19; Hebrews 10:1 ff). Job’s perfection, like ours today, is found in a life of humility and effort in pursuit of the forgiveness of sins (see Job 1:5 ff; Philippians 3:15). Our ever present objective is heaven! Job, in the end, confesses his error and humbly repents before the Almighty as we all ought to do (Job 40:3-5; Job 42:1-6). The man of God rightly states, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). The Christian is to do no less today (see 2 Corinthians 7:10).

4. Satan’s Devices:

The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that we “are not ignorant of his (Satan’s) devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11). The devil’s business is to ruin men’s eternal soul (see Job 1:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9). Satan uses “devices” to draw men from truth into the lusts of the world (James 4:7; 1 John 2:15-17). The book of Job illustrates a great tool of Satan. Through Job’s three friends the devil tried to “convince” the perfect man of God that he was not perfect (see Job 32:12). Job; however, maintained his innocence through the whole ordeal. Many false teachers today will try to shake the Christian’s confidence by saying, “You can’t be perfect… no one can possibly know all truth… there is no way unity can be achieved in the church… surely God will not condemn us for one un-forgiven sin…” As Satan succeeded in the Garden of Eden so he succeeds with men today (see Genesis 3:1-6). Satan’s confidence in Job’s spiritual collapse; however, was proved wrong. Job was victorious over Satan and so you and I can be (Job 42:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 1 John 5:4).

5. Situational Ethics:

A large part of Job’s darkened counsel was that he tried to justify his complaints against God due to his current distress (see Job 2:9-10; Job 7:11 ff; Job 10:1-2; Job 12:11-12; etc.). Many today believe that one’s environmental conditions determine their moral standing. Situational ethics is defined as “A system of ethics (the rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession) based on brotherly love in which acts are morally evaluated (judged) within a situational context (position with regard to surrounding conditions and attendant circumstances) rather than by application of moral absolutes” (AHD 1145). The Bible reveals that man is not judged by his surrounding circumstances but rather by divine revelation (John 12:48) . The Lord condemned Job’s unlawful complaints and accusations and so He does to all who try to justify their wrong deeds by their environment (Job 38:1 ff). Consider two New Testament examples to illustrate this point. Many of the Hebrew Christians were being persecuted. They were made a “gazing-stock both by reproaches and afflictions… and the spoiling of your possessions” (Hebrews 10:33 ff). Though they had suffered much the fact remained that if they fall away from the Lord in sin it would be impossible to renew them to repentance as long as they continued in that sin (see Hebrews 6:5-6). Many of the Galatians had also attempted to escape the afflicting hand of persecution by accepting erring doctrines (see Galatians 6:12). Did Paul excuse the Galatians due to their persecution? No! Paul said, “Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). God’s word is the only standard man is eternally judged by (see Daniel 5:27; Hosea 5:10-11; Amos 7:7-8; Matthew 7:21-24; Ephesians 2:20; etc.).

6. Wealth and Responsibility:

The Bible does not teach that it is sinful to have wealth. Job was a very wealthy man (Job 1:3) as was other Bible men such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the wise king Solomon. Job explains that the sin of having riches is the reaching after them (see Job 31:24-28). The apostle Paul wrote Timothy about riches saying, “But they that are MINDED to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some REACHING after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Those “minded… have a love for… and are reaching” after the riches of this world forget the cleansing of their sins and the importance of our eternal heavenly treasures as they enjoy what this immediate world offers. Those who do have the wealth of this world would do well to follow Job’s example and give to the poor, widows, aged, sick, and orphans (see Job 29:12 ff).

7. Why do people suffer in this life?

Job repeatedly asked God to explain why a righteous man was suffering (see Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20; Job 24:1 etc.). While the Lord never gives Job an answer to his question the man of God nonetheless draws some right conclusions. Job had observed that both the righteous and wicked suffer in this life (Job 2:10; Job 5:7; Job 21:25-26). Job even noted that there are times when the wicked prosper and are very happy while the righteous suffer (see Job 21:7-14). Solomon confirmed these observations saying, “The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all” (Ecclesiastes 2:14; see also Ecclesiastes 8:12-13; Ecclesiastes 9:1 ff). Job made further observations. Job stated that man is being tested and refined by God during these days of affliction that they may come forth as gold (see Job 23:10). The New Testament confirms Job’s observations as truth for today. Those who choose to permit suffering to refine (1 Peter 1:6-8) and strengthen (James 1:1 ff) them will never be disappointed. Rather than asking, “Why do I suffer,” we ought to look forward to a time when the anguish of this life will end. Heaven ought to be cherished and longed for by every right thinking man and woman because the groaning of this life that comes to all (see Romans 8:22-23) shall end for the faithful (see Revelation 21:1-7).

JOB CHAPTER ONE

Introduction to Job and his Family (Job 1:1-5):

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1).

“Uz” is “the name of an undefined land mentioned in three OT passages; i.e., Jeremiah 25:20 ff; Lamentations 4:21 and Job 1:1. in Lamentations 4:21 it is the land where the ‘daughter of Edom’ dwelt. In these passages the land of Uz seems to be related to the Edomites and Seir” (ISBE v. 4, pp. 959). Job is identified as a “perfect and upright man that feared God and turned away from evil.” History has known other such men. The Bible states that “Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). Ezekiel mentions Job’s name with that of Noah and Daniel as men that were righteous (Ezekiel 14:14). Job illustrated his fear of God in that he was obedient and turned away from evil. Those today who detest sin and turn away from it (Romans 12:9) are identified as “perfect” (see Matthew 5:48; Philippians 3:13-15) and God fearing (1 Peter 2:17).

“And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the children of the east” (Job 1:2-3).

Job was not only a man who God recognized as perfect in his approach to life and Godliness but he had been blessed with seven sons and three daughters. Additionally, Job’s wealth goes down in history as one of the greatest among those who have substance. He was, in riches, “the greatest of all the children of the east.” The Bible tells us of righteous rich men such as Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, and Joseph of Arimathaea (Matthew 27:57). Here were men who did not put money before God.

“And his sons went and held a feast in the house of each one upon his day; and they sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, it may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually” (Job 1:4-5).

It seems that on each one of the seven days of the week one of Job’s sons would host a feast at their house and invite the rest of the family. At least once a week Job offered up burnt-offerings unto the Lord to expiate the possible sins of his sons. The sin of “renouncing God in their hearts” was a deep concern of Job’s. To renounces something is to “reject or disown” (AHD 1047). Job was conscientiously aware of the fact that through feasting and great wealth one may come to reject or disown God. The very work of Satan is to have man “renounce” God. To reject God and His laws would have eternal and fearful consequences. Job, being the concerned father that he was, did this “continually.” His family’s sanctification in the eyes of God was of utmost importance.

Satan is permitted to test Job (Job 1:6-19):

“Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:6-7).

Evil spirits are revealed in both the Old (see Judges 9:23; 1 Kings 22:19 ff) and the New Testament (see Matthew 25:41). The devil (Satan) is the prince of demons and is known by the name “Beelzebub” (cf. Matthew 12:22-28; see also Ephesians 6:10-12). The word “Beelzebub” = “master of the flies” (ISBE; v. 1, pp. 447). “Lord of filth or dung” (Thayer 100). No wander that those who sin are considered “defiled” by the Lord (cf. Judges 1:7-8). The Apostle Peter (and here in Job) tells us that Satan walks through the earth seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Apparently Satan would stand before the Lord, in the spirit realm, with the “sons of God.” The “sons of God” must be a reference to angelic spirit beings (see Daniel 6:22; Hebrews 1:4).

“And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that fears God, and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8).

The Lord and Satan enter into a conversation. The Lord asks Satan if he has “considered” Job. To “consider” one is to take account of one or think about carefully and seriously (AHD 313). While Satan roams throughout the earth seeking one to devour God asks him if he had thought about Job. Apparently the devil had considered Job. The Lord confirms Job’s righteous character as one who is perfect, upright, fears God, and turns away from evil. This verse is certainly thematic to the entire book. God permits Satan to “consider” Job in a testing manner. The rest of the book examines the result of such testing or “considering.”

“Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah” (Job 1:9-12).

Out of all the earth and the inhabitants thereof Job comes to God’s mind in relation to holiness and right living. Such a one is worthy for all to consider, even Satan. The Lord asks Satan about considering Job as though He was a challenge that Satan was unable to conquer. Satan’s reply is that the only reason Job so faithfully serves God is because he has everything that a man could dream of having. As Job has obeyed God the Lord has richly blessed him. Satan makes a statement of assumption saying, “But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face.”

While the Lord commends Job Satan urges that he be pushed to a point of not living so right. Satan states to God that Job will cave under the load of anguish if it were permitted. The Lord is confident in Job and thereby gives Satan the limited power of taking all that Job had. It seems that this is a great lesson for all of us today. God is confident that man can patiently endure the trials of this life and thereby would never put upon us something that we could not bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).

“And it fell on a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, that there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them; and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee” (Job 1:13-15).

Satan immediately goes to work against all that Job had. Satan begins with the family’s oxen and servants. The Sabeans, by sword, killed the servants and took the oxen (surely an evil spirit was brought to the Sabeans that they may make such a raid (see Judges 9:23)). The Sabeans were a “Semitic tribe who, it is generally believed, lived in South Arabia” (ISBE v. 4, pp. 253). Satan allows one servant to escape that the news may fall upon the ears of Job and cause him to “renounce God to His face.”

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee” (Job 1:16).

Job can scarcely gather himself to address the oxen and servants attacked by the Sabeans when another messenger comes in and tells him that his sheep and servants have been devoured by “The fire of God fallen from heaven.” Kiel and Delitzsch explain the Hebrew word for “heaven” (i.e., shamayim) as a “wind of the desert which often so suddenly destroys man and beasts...” (pp. 277). We know that God did not send fire He sent Satan and it is Satan and his demons that are doing these things to Job.

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, the Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee” (Job 1:17).

The third wave of bad news. Notice that each time there is one survivor left to tell the story to Job. Satan is digging his claws into Job’s emotional and moral well being that he may put him to the test. Will Job “renounce God?” Job’s wealth is further revealed in that this is the third set of servants that have been killed along with the taking of his property, namely, the camels.

“While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house; and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee” (Job 1:18-19).

The final blow to Job was the lives of his sons and daughters. Apparently Satan can not only take the form of angels of light (see 2 Corinthians 11:14), possess people of OT and early NT times (Acts 16:16-18), but he can also control the physical elements as God gives him the authority to do so (see demon study). All of Job’s children had gathered in their eldest brother’s house and all were killed. Note that each of these catastrophes are introduced by, “While he was yet speaking...” Job has had one bucket of bad news after another pored upon him. This one had to sting beyond our imagination. To loose all your children at one time would be more than most could bear. Satan has allowed one man to return so that Job would hear the horrific news. The devil now watches and listens to Job’s response. Surely he will renounce God for such things. Satan’s name means adversary and there could be no better name for him to wear. Who else would do such things or desire that one would reject the Lord?

Job’s Response (Job 1:20-22):

“Then Job arose, and rent his robe, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped; and he said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:20-21).

Satan, with wicked anticipation of seeing a man fall from grace, is greatly disappointed. This righteous, God fearing, perfect man who turned away from evil has maintained his faith in God. Job makes a historical statement that makes manifest a man’s true faith and hope in Jehovah. Job said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” This statement places Job as one of the super men of faith within God’s word. He stands as an everlasting example of what faith and hope can mean to a man. Though Job lost all he had not lost God. All of humanity has the same power to overcome Satan (See 1 John 4:4).

“In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly” (Job 1:22).

The 1901 American Standard Version Bible (ASV) has a footnote for the word “charged” saying its meaning is, “attributed folly to God.” Job did not blame God for what happen and thereby renounce him to his face as Satan would have loved to see done. Satan’s name in the Hebrew is “Satan” which literally means “adversary” (see Strong’s # 7854). Only an adversary of man would wish calamity upon a man and sit back to watch his reaction hoping that it would cause him to loose his faith in God.

EXPOSITION

Job 1:1—The verse does not begin with the standard Hebrew formula for a historical narrative “there was a man”—wayehi ‘is but rather with the expression “a man there was (‘is hay ah). This phrase indicates a new beginning without any reference to preceding events (e.g. 2 Samuel 12:1 and Esther 2:5).

There is strong evidence for two different locations for Job’s homeland—Uz. Technically the location is feasible in either one of the two options: (1) One suggests Hauran, and (2) the other to Edom. As Job is identified with “the people of the east,” (Job 1:3) Hauran, i.e., a location northeast of Palestine, is more in harmony with the claim in Job 1:3. Job is not described as a Jew but rather as a foreigner. This claim suggests that we should not connect Uz with any specific contact in Palestine. Lamentations 4:21 says that the daughter of Edom dwells in Uz. Yet in Jeremiah 25:20 Uz is described separately from Edom, but related to the Philistines. Uz is said to be a son of Dishan and related to the area of Seir in Genesis 36:28. Uz is the name of a son of Aram in Genesis 10:23 (see Josephus, Antiquities, 1.6.4) and of Nahor’s oldest son in Genesis 22:21. In a special appendix to Job in the LXX (Job 42:17), Job’s homeland is located near Idumea and Arabia. The above possibilities place Job in both the north and the south, but in all probability the suggestions that Hauran or a northern location is closest to the data found in the verse is to be accepted.

The root meaning of the name Job also presents a difficulty. In Hebrew the name is spelled ‘Iyyob (possible root ‘yb—meaning the hated one or aggressor). Job the person is pictured as a great near eastern potentate, who was in all probability a comparatively young man (Job 15:10). His character is analyzed in four virtues: (1) Blameless (Hebrew -tarn is similar in import to the Latin word integer, perfect or well rounded). His character is without flaw or inconsistency. The Hebrew word does not mean sinless; perhaps our English word “integrity” adequately expresses the connotation. (2) Upright (Heb. Yasar—life and behavior measured up to a standard; one who is upright in relations to others—see Psalms 25:21 for parallel between perfection and uprightness). (3) Fearing God means a relationship based on obedient reverences, cf. Proverbs 3:7; Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 16:6. (4) Avoiding evil—or turned away from evil means that Job deliberately and persistently chooses the good. Right living before God always means obedience to the will of the Lord; and reverence is the very foundation of obedience.

Job 1:2—Directly following the analysis of Job’s character, our text reveals the close connection between Job’s uprightness and the Lord’s reward (Psalms 127:3; Psalms 128:6) of many children. The grammar contains a consecutive waw which could be translated “and so there were born to him” as a result of his righteousness (compare with 1 Samuel 2:5; Ruth 4:15; and Job 42:13).

Job 1:3—Job’s blessings include such property as a seminomadic potentate might possess (Genesis 12:16; Genesis 24:35). The collective term miqneh is translated by substance in our A. V. text. The term usually designates cattle and sheep and does not include the main sign of the nomad’s wealth, camels and asses. The female asses were valued for both their milk and their foals. They were also easier to ride than the male asses. Job’s wealth was so enormous that he was the greatest (Heb. verb be, become great—Genesis 26:13) of all the easterners (Hebrew qedeni). In Genesis 29:1 the term describes the Arameans near the Euphrates. In Isaiah 11:14 the word refers to Israel’s enemies to the east, i.e., Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites in contrast to the Philistines on the west. (See also Judges 6:3; Judges 6:33; Judges 7:12; Jeremiah 49:8; Ezekiel 25:4).

Job 1:4—Though it is not clear from our text whether or not the sons were married, they had their own homes, like David’s two sons (2 Samuel 13:7; 2 Samuel 14:28). Like David’s daughters, Job’s unmarried daughters stayed in their father’s house (2 Samuel 13:7-8; 2 Samuel 13:20). It is not to be assumed that we are being confronted with incessant celebration, though the verb forms are in the perfect tense of habit. Probably, the feast was a yearly affair, such as found in Exodus 34:22; Leviticus 23:26; Numbers 29:35; and 2 Chronicles 7:9. This much is certain from our text—each of the seven sons had his celebration in his own house, and that their sisters were present at each meeting. Those commenters who suggest impropriety, rather than deep affection, have the disadvantage of being at variance with the entire spirit of the drama. Misfortune came upon Job’s household when there was no rational explanation for the calamity. We must also remember that not one of Job’s three friends suggested any impropriety within Job’s family.

Job 1:5—Apparently Job did not visit any of the festive celebrations. As soon as sons and daughters had completed the days of their feast, Job sends a summons to his sons. The purpose of the summons is to invite them to the sacrifices which he would offer, as in the case of Balaam, Numbers 23:1; Numbers 23:14; Numbers 23:29. The prescribed sacrifices in Job 42:8 are seven bulls and seven rams, as in the Balaam account. The term translated “burnt offerings” is not the term used for “sin offering,” but it is clear that the sacrifice is for the propitiation of sins which they might have committed during the heat of wine. Job rose up early (Heb. verb hsem means to rise early and also connotes quickly, urgently—Jeremiah 7:13; Hosea 6:4; Zephaniah 3:7) and offered the sacrifice. The Hebrew word translated “renounced” Elohim in our text literally means blessed. It is a euphemism for cursed and is so used in Job 1:11; Job 2:5; Job 2:9; 1 Kings 21:10; 1 Kings 21:13; Psalms 10:3.[30] The Hebrew word translated “heart” means even in the inner thoughts and attitudes. The Hebrew lev or levav means seat of the intellect and will more than of the affections and emotions.

Prologue - Job 1:1-22

Open It

1. Who is the greatest person you know?

2. Why do you think bad things happen to people?

3. What is the most disappointing thing that has happened to you this week?

Explore It

4. Whom did Job fear, and what did Job shun? (Job 1:1)

5. What kind of man was Job? (Job 1:1-3)

6. Who are the three main people in these events? (Job 1:1-22)

7. What is surprising about what happened to Job? (Job 1:1-22)

8. How did Job purify his children? Why? (Job 1:4-5)

9. What were the angels doing? (Job 1:6)

10. Where did Satan come from? (Job 1:7)

11. Why did Satan say that Job feared God? (Job 1:9-10)

12. What did Satan say Job would do if God took away everything Job had? (Job 1:11)

13. What authority did God give to Satan? (Job 1:12)

14. What happened to Job’s livestock? (Job 1:13-17)

15. What happened to Job’s children? (Job 1:18-19)

16. How did Job respond to the tragedies that happened to him? (Job 1:20-21)

17. In what way did Job not sin? (Job 1:22)

Get It

18. In what way do you fear God and shun evil?

19. Why do you think God gave Satan authority over everything Job had?

20. What kind of people are considered great in our society?

21. How does society view individuals who are blameless and upright?

22. If you had been in Job’s situation, how do you think you would have responded?

23. Why is it easy to praise God when circumstances are going well?

24. How do you usually respond when tragedies happen to you?

25. When do you feel most like praising God?

26. When do you feel most like cursing God?

27. For what type of events do people blame God?

28. For what sort of events do people blame Satan?

29. Why is it so hard to respond like Job when tragedies happen?

Apply It

30. What is one way you can fear God and shun evil today?

31. What is one step you can take this week to improve your reputation as a godly person?

JOB CHAPTER TWO

Job is Smitten with Boils from Head to Toe (Job 2:1-10):

“Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah. And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comes thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 2:1-2).

We are not told how much time has passed since Job had been put to the test by taking all that he owned including his ten children. One thing for sure Satan has not been discouraged over the loss of one battle. He continues to wage a war with the souls of men as he goes “to and fro in the earth...” (see Luke 4:13). Apparently a regular reporting occurred between the angels and Satan. It does not seem that God is finished with Job’s test.

“And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and turns away from evil: and he still holds fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause” (Job 2:3).

This is somewhat of a strange exchange of words to the human mind. Once again the Lord asks Satan if he had considered His servant Job. Satan had “moved” God to allow His servant to be rigorously tested and destroyed “without cause” (thematic). There are two interesting facts about this verse. First, God is using Job as an example of a man who has been severely affected by Satan’s wicked work yet he has maintained his faith. Satan is truly a looser in that he cannot have the souls of every man and woman. Those who truly believe in the reality of God and eternity will maintain their integrity with God come what may. Secondly, note that at this point of our study the Lord God Almighty states that the destruction of Job is “without cause.” Throughout this study this will be something that seems to drive Job mad. Job does not know what you and I know as we read the book. Job is on earth and completely unaware of God and Satan’s conversation about him.

“And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life” (Job 2:4-6).

Satan is to see that man is in control of his own eternal destiny. Though tempted and tried man has been created by God to withstand the forces of evil else God would not allow such a test to occur. God’s love for mankind is great and will not allow him to suffer temptation above that which he is able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). Satan is sure that he can cause Job to renounce his allegiance to God if he is allowed to infect Job’s body to the bone with anguish and pain. Once again note the sovereignty and power that Jehovah possesses in that He sets the bounds for Job’s anguish as he did earlier (see Job 1:12). Though Satan is a spirit being able to possess, take goodly forms, and control the physical elements of the earth God is much higher than he.

“So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes” (Job 2:7-8).

Once again, only an adversary could go to a man and do such wickedness. The inward pain that Job felt is now accentuated by the outward physical anguish. Job is covered from head to toes in boils by the power of Satan. Keil and Delitzsch insert that the disease Job suffered must have been elephantiasis wherein the limbs become jointless lumps like elephant’s legs... The disease begins with the rising of tubercular boils, and at length resembles a cancer spreading itself over the whole body, by which the body is so affected, that some of the limbs fall completely away. Scraping with a potsherd will not only relieve the intolerable itching of th skin, but also remove the matter” (Keil and Delitszch pp. 281).

A “potsherd” is a “fragment of an earthen vessel. Scraping the boil with a potsherd will not only relieve the intolerable itching but also remove the matter” (The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary; pp. 1023). With this fragment from a clay pot Job sits in deep sorrow within ashes and scrapes his body (see Jonah 3:6).

“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? Renounce God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:9-10).

Much has been made of Job’s wife’s statement. Most remark that we should not be too hard on her due to the fact that she too has lost her children, wealth, and husband’s health. No matter how you slice it Job appropriately rebuked his wife for she recommended him to do something that was sinful. Let us recall that it is Satan who is attempting to have Job “renounce” (i.e., reject or disown) God (see Job 1:11; Job 2:5). While it must seem harsh to the human mind for a man to rebuke his wife as she does the biding of Satan let us all remember that the Lord Jesus Christ so spoke to Peter (see Matthew 16:23). Indeed Job’s wife, though in much anguish, spoke as a “foolish woman.” There is no situation that permits sinful conduct or thoughts.

Job makes another historical statement in the face of his great physical and emotional trial. Job said, “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” Job faithfully maintained his faith and love for God during this trial and would in no way speak blasphemous words against the Lord. Ecclesiastes is a book that sets out to record Solomon’s observations in life. He has observed that some live good and others live evil yet good and bad things happen to all (i.e., there is no divine preferential treatment toward the righteous or discrimination against the unrighteous) (see Ecclesiastes 9:1 ff; Ecclesiastes 2:14; Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). God was not punishing Job but allowing these things to occur in his life. Job sorely disappointed Satan yet greatly pleased the Lord.

Job’s Three Friends come to Comfort Him (Job 2:11-13):

“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him” (Job 2:11).

Job’s three friends manifest their concerns for him by coming to visit. These three men come from different parts of the country to comfort their friend in his time of great suffering. News of Job’s legendary suffering experience had no doubt traveled far and wide. The three men plan to meet together and come to their friend that they may mourn with him and comfort him.

“And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great” (Job 2:12-13).

The sight of Job’s condition must have been even more horrid that what they had heard. Job’s body sat swollen with boils upon boils. He may have been scarcely recognizable. So horrid was the sight that the three friends mourn in dust and sit on the ground with him for seven straight days and nights without a word. They gazed upon his suffering and took note of his great pain.

EXPOSITION

Job 2:1-3—Job 2:1-3 a repeat Job 1:6-8 almost verbally. In Job 2:3 b “without cause” is the very same adverb as appears in Job 1:9 translated as “for nothing.” It is Satan’s cynicism, not Job’s integrity, that goes for nothing. Now Satan begins his sustained attack on the “individual” as against the corporate. Job’s ultimate concern is neither things nor family, but his integrity before Yahweh. Strip him of all his values and security symbols and he will still reverence God. The verb translated “holds fast” literally means to hold firmly or tenaciously to something. One may also hold firmly to anger (Micah 7:18; or to deceit—Jeremiah 8:5). In Job 27:6 we are told that he holds firmly to his innocence. The verb translated “movedst” or incited me against him generally is used in a negative sense—Job 36:18; Deuteronomy 13:7; Joshua 15:18. Yahweh even gives Satan his due for instigating the experiment.

Job 2:4—The proverbial saying “skin after skin” is meaningful only because of the following phrase—“all that a man has he will give for his life.” Then the Lord gives Satan permission to get under Job’s skin, anything short of his death. The Hebrew word translated “his life” (napso) means himself as a person. Satan does not want Job dead because then he could never prove that Job’s piety rested in self-interest. A martyr for a cause is hardly an appropriate example of radical self-interest.

Job 2:5—God has permitted Satan to only lightly touch Job, i.e., externally and superficially. Now, from “skin to skin” into the depths of Job’s being—flesh and bone. Surely now Job will revolt against Yahweh when He afflicts his bones and flesh. Such is Satan’s shrewd strategy. But stripped of honor and health, Job still fears God.

Job 2:7—Job is afflicted with some unnamed but disfiguring disease which causes continual pain and sleeplessness. The first disease has been identified with leprosy, because the ancients considered elephantiasis as a disease peculiar to Egypt.[39] The Hebrew word means ‘to be inflamed, hot’ Thus the disease which afflicts Job is an inflammation of the skin which causes sores and boils. We do not seek to minimize Job’s agony and alienation, but it seems idle to seek a precise identification of his disease. The symptoms of his despicable disease are presented throughout the Jobian drama: (1) inflamed eruptions—Job 2:7; (2) intolerable itching—Job 2:8; (3) disfigured appearance—Job 2:12; (4) maggots in his ulcers—Job 7:5; (5) terrifying dreams—Job 7:14; (6) running tears which blind his eyes—Job 16:16; (7) fetid breath—Job 19:17; (8) emaciated body—Job 19:20; (9) erosion of the bones—Job 30:17; (10) blackening and peeling off of his skin—Job 30:30.

Job 2:8—Because of the intolerable itching, Job takes a broken piece of pottery “to scrape himself.” How much Lord? He sat among the ashes. This describes the dunghill (mazbaleh) outside of town. Here the rubbish was thrown. Children, outcasts, and dogs came here. When tragedy came, men came here to sit (Isaiah 47:1; Jonah 3:6), or roll in the ashes (Jeremiah 6:26; Micah 1:10); or to throw ashes on their heads (Ezekiel 27:30).

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 1-2

1. The “perfect” approach to life is to be conscience of one’s current spiritual state (Job 1:5; Philippians 3:13-15). Satan’s work is to have man renounce (reject and disown) the Lord (see Job 1:5; Job 1:11; Job 2:9).

2. God empowers man to be victorious against the temptations of Satan (Deuteronomy 30:11; Romans 10:6-8; Philippians 4:13). Good and bad happens to all (Ecclesiastes 9:1 ff; Ecclesiastes 2:14; Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). When the bad times come we cannot murmur against God (Job 2:10).

JOB THREE

Job curses the Day of his Birth (Job 3:1-10):

“After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. And Job answered and said: Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, There is a man-child conceived. Let that day be darkness; Let not God from above seek for it, Neither let the light shine upon it” Job 3:1-4).

Seven days of silence have passed while Job and his three friends mourned his current state of anguish in boils. Job does not renounce the Lord or blame Him for his current state but rather curses the day of his birth. If such mental and physical anguish was what was in store for his life then it is a miserable life not worthy of anyone’s consideration.

“Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own; Let a cloud dwell upon it; Let all that make black the day terrify it. As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it: Let it not rejoice among the days of the year; Let it not come into the number of the months. Lo, let that night be barren; Let no joyful voice come therein. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse up leviathan” (Job 3:5-8).

The depths of Job’s anguish over the loss of his children, servants, substance, and bodily health are expressed. Words can only express so far as what a man’s heart experiences. Heartbroken, this perfect man of God contemplates the horrific day of his coming into the world. Job’s birthday is depicted as dark, cloudy, terrifying, and not deserving of even being considered among the days and month of the year. All those who look upon this day ought to view it as a cursed day. We may compare and contrast Job 2:10 with Job 3:1-10 and find somewhat of a change in pace for Job. At chapter 2 Job accepts his ill fate while now he begins to curse it.

“Leviathan” is the “proper name of a large aquatic animal, perhaps reflecting a mythological monster... Job 41:1-34, the most extended description of Leviathan, suggests to many the crocodile. In his confrontation with Job, the Lord’s point seems to be that while Job is no more a match for the poer of evil than he would be for a crocodile, Jehovah is Lord of both the natural order (Job 38:1 ff) and the moral order (Job 40:6 to Job 41:34) Sovereign even over Satan in the figure of Leviathan, His pet crocodile” (ISBE v. 3, pp. 109).

“Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark: Let it look for light, but have none; neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning: because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid trouble from mine eyes” (Job 3:9-10).

Job flirts with the omnipresence and omnipotence of the Lord by saying that “it” “shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid trouble from mine eyes.” The day of Job’s birth is to be cursed because it did not stop a life that was destined to experience this legendary suffering.

Seven “Why” Questions to the Lord (Job 3:11-26):

“Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me? Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should suck?” (Job 3:11-12).

Job asks chronological questions regarding his cursed beginnings. The chronology of Job’s life, like all others, is conception in the womb, the actual birth, reception of the babe by its mother, and finally feeding the baby by the mother’s breasts. Job’s question is, “Why is it that I was permitted to make it this far?” Job has accepted his ill fate at Job 2:10, cursed the day of his birth from Job 3:1-10, and now asks questions (apparently to God) as to why he was permitted to live.

“For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept; then had I been at rest, with kings and counselors of the earth, who built up waste places for themselves; or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been, as infants that never saw light. There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners are at ease together; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. The small and the great are there: and the servant is free from his master” (Job 3:13-19).

Job contemplates the supposed peace that the dead experience. If only he would have died at birth he would not now be suffering. He would be at peace with kings, princes, other infants that died at birth, the wicked, prisoners, the small and the great. Those who die no longer face the mental or physical anguish of the earth. Has Job forgot the joys of living? While it is easy for you and I to find fault with Job’s words we must also consider the anguish he is in. All men who experience true anguish in life must be given time to contemplate and come to know their limitations in this life of creation. The character that says, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord” and “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” must be fully matured and developed. Often times the reality of that development takes anguish and time. Job is to now experience the reality of his statement made at Job 1:21 and Job 2:10.

“Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hid treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?” (Job 3:20-22).

Job’s fifth question is why would life be given to such a person destined for misery? Job asks sixthly, “Why would life be given to those who would rather die than live out life?”

“Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing which I fear comes upon me, and that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. I am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither have I rest; but trouble comes” (Job 3:23-26).

Nothing of what living would expect to bring to people (i.e., joy, peace, and love) is now a part of Job’s life. Job is not at ease of mind, he has no quietness or rest. Job has nothing but trouble. The long days of thought are all that Job now has. Job thinks upon his beloved children and feels the pain of his boils. The longer this goes on the more troubled he becomes

EXPOSITION

Job 3:1-2—Why Me, Lord? Except for Job 3:1-2, the entire section from Job 3:1—Job 31:40 is in poetic form. This is important for understanding the text, as poetry is parallel in literary form, which means that each line is not necessarily a new thought. In between Job’s initial (chp. 3) and concluding (chps. 29–31) soliloquies, we encounter a series of alternate speeches by the three friends with Job’s response.[45] Eliphaz speaks first (chps. 4–5), after chp. 3, Zophar perhaps speaks last, before chps. 29–31. Thus, we are presented with nine speeches by Job’s friends alternating with eight responses from Job. The literary form is that of a lament, i.e., a prayer of petition in which Job appeals to God for a hearing, describes his destitution, anxieties, and attacks from his enemies, and asks God to break His silence and heal or explain his suffering. The three wise men attempt to console Job by entering in the lamentation. Each of the three consolers conveys his doctrine on retribution. Because of their concept of retribution, they come prepared to participate in a psalm of penitence, whereas Job cries out from the depth of his anguish in a psalm of innocence. Does suffering always imply guilt? Does a successful life always imply innocence?[46] Job’s consolers only manage to intensify his anguish. Here we are faced with the paradox—consolers that are not consolers. One of the results of this fact is that two subordinate themes enter Job’s lament: (1) denunciation of enemies, and (2) his oath of exultation. As Job’s condition worsens, the consolers persist in claiming that they are merely pronouncing God’s judgment on Job. As a result, he includes God as one of his enemies, i.e., the nature of God as presented by his calamitous comforters. The central issue in Job’s trial is the nature of God, not the nature of suffering and evil. If God loves him, why all the suffering? The ultimate answer is available only in the resurrected “Suffering Servant.” “After this” means after the seven days of silence (Genesis 15:14; Genesis 25:26). Job now breaks his silence as he “opened his mouth” and cursed the day of his birth. When he prospered, he perhaps never thought of such a response. Though Jeremiah (chp. Job 20:14-18) too cursed the day of his birth, he was mindful of the futility of cursing a past event. What will he do with the present? As with Job, he must face the present, but how and why? Many people in the twentieth century can identify with him. These verses are clearly the introduction to Job’s ensuing soliloquy.

Job 3:3—Job is so embittered that he wishes that life had never begun. Like Schopenhauer and Camus, Job is suggesting that suicide is the answer to unrelenting suffering. There is not one word suggesting this response as solution to Job’s plight. But why not? Only if there is a God to whom we will give account because neither suffering nor death is our ultimate concern. Job telescopes the night of conception and day of birth. The night is personified with power to know the sex of the child conceived. In the Near East, the news of the birth of a son is a momentous event. Job even curses the man who brought the news of his birth to his father. Note that Job does not include direct petition for relief but begins his soliloquy with the most radical assertion of his misery, utterly rejecting life itself. Other parallels, such as Jeremiah 20:14-18; 1 Kings 19:4; Jonah 4:3-8, reveal the realism of the biblical record. Each in his own way denies that the life that God has given him is good, and would have preferred not to have received it from him. Even in this rejection, there is affirmation of belief in God as creative source of life. Affirmation in the Midst of Resentment! The imagery conceives God as summoning the days to take their place as their turn comes. Even in Job’s denial, God is indispensable. If He can control the days, why not evil? Job, like others, wants darkness at noon. The good things in his life prior to his suffering did not produce such a response. “All sunshine makes the desert.” After western man moves into the 19th and 20th scientific revolutions and is less committed to Christian theism, we are confronted with “The Death of God” from Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra to Rubenstein’s After Auschwitz.

Job 3:4—Our limited English vocabulary for darkness makes translation difficult in Job 3:4-6. Different words for darkness express everything that is mysterious and evil (Job 12:25; Exodus 20:21; Isaiah 5:20; Psalms 82:5; and see also Matthew 5:23).

Job 3:5—Our text (A.V.) translates salmawet as the “shadow of death.” If the older view is correct, i.e., that the word is a compound word from “shadow” and “death,” then the translation is sound; but more recent lexicography prefers salmut as the reading, thus the root for dark. May the day be eclipsed (M.T. kimrire yom) meaning “like bitterness of the day.” The word is used in the context where there is no thought of death—Amos 5:9; Job 28:3.

Job 3:6—“Let thick darkness seize it” in the sense of claim it for its own.

Job 3:7—Job asks that the night be “barren,” (Hebrew galmud), stony or unproductive. The word is used in Isaiah 49:21 for childlessness, i.e., barren. May the night never again see offspring, so that no one else experiences the misery known by Job. May the night be sterile, then surely suffering will cease.

Job 3:8—Out of his resentful heart comes only cursing. Curse—Curse! Here we have two different Hebrew words, both different from the one used in Job 3:1. Speiser has demonstrated that the word means to “cast a spell on.” Job calls for a professional curser, i.e., those “who are skilled to rouse up Leviathan,” (Hebrew liwyah, wreath, meaning something coiled). There has been much discussion concerning the supposed mythological allusion since Gunkel published his Schopfung und Chaos, 1895 (see esp. pp. 59–61), but the text makes perfectly good sense without any such origin for its imagery.

Job 3:9—The word nesep means twilight, either the morning as here and Job 7:4 or evening twilight as in Job 24:15 and Proverbs 7:9. The reference here is surely to the morning stars Mercury and Venus. If they had remained dark, Job’s day would not have come. Without the “light” of the dawn, he would not be able to see the new day.

Job 3:10—The A. V. correctly sees reference to Job’s mother’s womb from the literal Hebrew which says “my womb,” i.e., the womb from which I came. The night did not prevent the womb from conceiving, “nor hid trouble,” i.e., toil, sorrow and suffering from Job. Now the sufferer turns from God to himself, and a new factor enters Job’s complaint. The query “why” in Job 3:11-12, and again in Job 3:20, is a crucial new development.

JOB FOUR

Eliphaz speaks to Job and Shares His Vision (Job 4:1-21

“Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking? Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast made firm the feeble knees. But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest; it touches thee, and thou art troubled” (Job 4:1-5).

Eliphaz can contain himself no more. He asks Job’s permission to speak. He knows Job very well and does not understand why he is saying the things that he is saying. Job had a reputation among mankind that was favorable. People knew of Job’s instructing people and giving strength to those who hands became weak due to their trials. People had fallen in discouragement and others were very weak due to the trials of life yet Job helped these people to their feet and gave them courage to continue in this life. Yet now the hour of trial has come to him “and thou faintest and art troubled.”

We may all be well at giving advice to others in anguish. We may also make the immediate right response at the moment of our own anguish. Yet when the reality of the pain sets in will we continue to maintain the integrity of our words and actions of days gone by? The book of Job is a book that illustrates the reality of suffering in a man’s life and not merely surface instructions. The book could have ended with Job 2 and we would have learned lessons of being grateful to God no matter what comes our way. Yet Job is a book of reality. Life goes on after the initial anguish begins. How shall you and I deal with our anguish the remainder of our lives?

“Is not thy fear of God thy confidence, and the integrity of thy ways thy hope? Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off? According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow trouble, reap the same. By the breath of God they perish, and by the blast of his anger are they consumed. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. The old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad” (Job 4:6-11).

Eliphaz questions Job’s ranting by asking him to think of any man who had ever perished “being innocent” (i.e., without sin). His point? God, by the blast of His anger against sinners, consumes the wicked from off the earth. While it is true that there are physical consequences to man’s sinful decisions it is not true that God brings suffering to those who sin as a means of chastising punishment. Solomon wrote, “The way of the transgressor is hard” (Proverbs 13:15) and “Thorns and snares are in the way of the forward” (Proverbs 22:5). Sinful men bring calamity into their lives by their sinful actions. The adulterer brings upon himself the wrath of a faithful husband. The sexually immoral are subject to various diseases. The smoker, drinker, and tobacco chewer bring upon themselves misery. Yet, God does not bring disease upon one to chastise him for wrong doing. Tom Witherspoon, and elder at the Floral Heights church of Christ, is not currently in a battle with prostrate cancer because he committed some sort of secret sin. The fact of the matter is that suffering, for no reason at all, comes to all men and God watches how we handle ourselves during these trying times (see Ecclesiastes 9:1 ff; Ecclesiastes 2:14; Ecclesiastes 8:12-13).

One may say, “But what about God’s punishment by means of the Assyrians and Babylonians against sinful Israel and Judah?” Let us recall that God very patiently awaited Israel’s repentance. Years and years went by before He unleashed Assyria and Babylon on Israel and Judah. The lesson of the major and minor prophets is that God is patient with sinners but He will never be ever patient. Job has done absolutely nothing wrong in receiving the ill treatment that he has received. The inspired word of God proclaims that he is perfect and righteous. Eliphaz, as we shall see, and his two other friends are mistaken about God’s methods.

“Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a whisper thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a form was before mine eyes: there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he puts no trust in his servants; and his angels he charges with folly: How much more them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth! Betwixt morning and evening they are destroyed: they perish for ever without any regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them? They die, and that without wisdom” (Job 4:12-21).

Eliphaz shares a vision he had with Job. Apparently the vision is of divine origin and the meaning is thereby truth. Eliphaz, in the presence of deity, trembled and shook as the image of God passed before him and stopped without form. We may be at a loss of words to describe why Job’s friends have misapplied the events of Job’s life to him. It may be best said by the Pulpit commentary. “However misapplied to his particular case may have been the speeches of Job’s friends, there can be no dispute concerning the purity and the sublimity of the great truths for which they here appear as spokesmen” (PPC, v. 7, pp. 75 Job).

Eliphaz’s vision teaches one great truth; i.e., The Sovereignty of God: Shall moral man be more just and pure than God (his Maker)? Those who think themselves so just that no calamity ought to ever befall them in life should consider the wisdom of God. The Lord proclaims, “For there is not a just man upon earth, which does good and sins not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Again, the Lord says, “Let God be true, and every man a liar, as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged” (Romans 3:4). Once again, “For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Lastly, the Apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Rather than questioning God regarding events in our lives we ought to humbly seek His forgiveness (see Romans 9:20-21). Let us therefore be silent in the presence of God and be mindful of our frailty in relation to the Great and Almighty God. The prophet Zechariah wrote, “Be silent, all flesh, before Jehovah; for he is waked up out of his holy habitation” (Zechariah 2:13). God is to be reverenced and feared among men (see also Habakkuk 2:18-20). Where is the boasting and glorying in our flesh? Such activity is utter foolishness (see James 4:16). Paul said, “Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? Of works? Nay: but by a law of faith” (Romans 3:27).

To support the great truth that man is fallible and God the essence of purity Eliphaz has seen, in a heavenly vision, man compared with angels. If spirit angels are not wholly trusted by God to be in absolute perfection to His laws how much more mortal man of houses of clay (i.e., flesh and bone from the dust of the earth) (see 2 Peter 2:4; Judges 1:6).

Furthermore man cannot be compared to the absolute just nature of God because they are frail and weak. They can be crushed with ease like a moth and day by day their fleshly bodies are growing older and weaker until they die. No man questions whether death shall come. Inadvertently man admits his frailty by not questioning his time of death. All shall die and all know this.

Man’s soul, as a tent-cord supports the tent, is plucked from him. Man has not set the laws in place for his eternity but God. Man’s soul will go to the place God deems right and thereby man is inferior to the creator.

What do we learn and what is the point of Eliphaz’s vision? The point is that man cannot possibly question God regarding the events of his life because he is week, subject to decay and death, and sinful. God, in His sovereign ways, has deemed man to live, to suffer, and to go on for eternity. Man’s appointment in this life is to suffer (1 Thessalonians 3:3). It matters not whether one attempts to live godly or ungodly. All suffer. This being the case how is it that I complain to God or question this? The Apostle Paul wrote, “Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he still find fault? For who withstands his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why didst thou make me thus? Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” (Romans 9:19-21). The Lord, by His sovereign will, puts man to the test through various trials of life now so that he may be strengthened and truly fit for eternity (see 1 Peter 1:6-7).

EXPOSITION

Job 4:1—Enters Eliphaz! Since Job has broken his silence, Eliphaz is now free to speak. He is presumably the oldest, thus the wisest, thus first speaker. He is also the most gracious and most eloquent. His deep esteem and profound sorrow for Job leaps from each phrase he utters. Eliphaz has been shocked at the fact that Job had wished death and has uttered no prayer for the recovery of prosperity and joi de vie (joy of life). Eliphaz asks Job, “Could you bear it?” (literally “would you be weary?”), i.e., Are you physically and psychologically able to hear my analysis of your condition? To Job, his misfortune was an enigmatic mystery; to Eliphaz the calamities have been sent to punish Job for some sin or sins (see John 9 and Jesus’ rejection of this standard Jewish, but not Old Testament, concept). Eliphaz has come to help Job examine his conscience.

Job 4:2—Eliphaz declares that if only Job would repent of his sins he could regain God’s favor. The speech regularly starts with a question and reference to Job’s words. Eliphaz introduces the Doctrine of Retribution, i.e., Retributive Justice.

Job 4:3—First he gently appeals to Job’s own good advice to others in the past. But this type of counseling was already beside the point, because Job had already accepted the standard doctrine of retribution (Job 29:18-20), but now is beginning to challenge its adequacy simply because it does not explain his present existential situation. “With great delicacy and consideration” Eliphaz has now opened the first cycle of speeches.[63] The root of the word translated “instructed” (ysr) means discipline and in Job 5:17 the noun from this root means “discipline by suffering” (see Hebrews 12:3 ff). Job has instructed many. His instruction has strengthened them, i.e., from “weak hands” which hang down in helpless despair (Isaiah 35:3; Hebrews 12:12).

Job 4:4—His words have also strengthened “feeble knees” (see same scriptures as above for imagery).

Job 4:5—It is easy for a well man to give sound advice. Some commentators see sarcasm in Eliphaz’s word; but the psychoanalysis of a dead author should capture only the absolute minimum of everyone’s time, both authors and readers.

Job 4:6—Literally, “your fear” of God should sustain you. He should have confidence in his past faithfulness to God. After all, Job’s piety and integrity are not being questioned—yet. Job is blameless—Job 1:1—has confidence (kesel—confidence, here the form is kislah—Job 8:4; Ecclesiastes 7:25. This root has polarized meaning, i.e., opposite, eg. confidence—folly), and thus has integrity or consistency.

Job 4:7—Is Job an exception to the rule? It is only casuistry to reply that Job is not in the category with the wicked because God has spared his life (Psalms 37:25; Proverbs 12:21; Ecclesiastes 2:10). Yet each of us can appreciate the dilemma of Job’s comforters. Each comforter, in his own way, sought recovery for Job. There is still hope, since he is alive. If Job will only confess his guilt and seek God’s grace, recovery would follow. Many of the modern specialists in healing are not radically different in their method than Job’s friends. The power of confession (e.g. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul) has long since been clinically proved. But the problem of theodicy is not thereby overcome. Why are some individuals signaled out for unbearably severe physical and spiritual torture? Suffering Servant—we turn to you! Help us to participate in the suffering of your fallen creation. Is suffering for discipline or destruction?

Job 4:8—“Those who plough iniquity” are those persons who are wicked. They who cultivate sin and perform it with intentional glee, also reap the results—Hosea 10:13 and Galatians 6:7.

Job 4:9—The wicked perish. This doctrine says that misfortune is divine retribution. This teaching is at the heart of America’s “Success Syndrome,” i.e., if you are prospering, you are being blessed; if you are in destitute circumstances, it is God’s way of expressing retributive justice. God’s justice is likened to a scorching hot wind. Thanks be to God Jesus repudiates this blasphemous and heretical instruction, Luke 13:1-5. The cross, the ten official Roman persecutions, the martyrdom of thousands of the faithful, if not millions, both in the classical church history and in the twentieth century, all speak against this doctrine.

Job 4:10-11—The image of the lion is common in Near Eastern Wisdom Literature—Psalms 17:12; Psalms 22:14; Proverbs 28:15; and Isaiah 30:6. When the roar dies down and the teeth of the lion are broken, it is powerless and can no longer hold the prey.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 3-4

1. The metamorphosis of Job’s character occurs through this horrid ordeal. God has, by His sovereign will, permitted Satan to bring the worst of anguish upon Job’s emotional and physical being. Job looses all his material possessions and his ten children are killed. Job’s initial faithful response is, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). Again, after the second trial of his physical health Job replies, “What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10). This beautiful character is an initial model; however, as the days of anguish set in and the emotional and physical pain take its toll on this Godly man he beings to question things. Rather that speaking of the blessedness of God Job curses the day of his birth. Rather that praising God Job questions why such a retched man is permitted to live.

2. The book is thereby a testament of the development of a man’s true character. Job faithfully encouraged others who went through anguish (Job 4:1-5) and made the initial faithful response to his own anguish (Job 1:21; Job 2:10); however, he was to learn the reality of these statements rather than simply speaking empty words.

3. Our sovereign God permits man to suffer in this life because no one is without fault and without need of trials (Romans 3:23 see James 1:1 ff; 1 Peter 1:6-7). Job was not so righteous as to be beyond the scope of mental or physical anguish. Said trial was, by God’s omniscience, the perfect way to make Job truly perfect in all his ways.

4. Job will be made to come full circle. His words of faith at Job 1:21 and Job 2:10 will come to be a part of his true identity.

JOB FIVE

Eliphaz continues his speech to Job : “But man is born unto trouble” (Job 5:1-27):

“Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn? For vexation killeth the foolish man, And jealousy slayeth the silly one. I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them: Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns; And the snare gapeth for their substance. For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:1-7).

Eliphaz tells Job that there is no other to turn to during times of vexation than to God. Some men’s reaction and eventual action to the trouble that all are born into proves him to be foolish and jealous. The Godly ought to recognize that “man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward.” No one is immune to the troubles of life (see Ecclesiastes 2:14).

“But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause; Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields; So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety. He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night. But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth” (Job 5:8-16).

While man lives out his life of being “born unto trouble” God providentially involves himself in man’s existence. There is hope for man and therefore he ought to seek the Lord out every day of his life.

“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole. He will deliver thee in six troubles; Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. In famine he will redeem thee from death; And in war from the power of the sword. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good” (Job 5:17-27).

Elephaz has made it clear that he believes Job to be suffering emotionally and physically due to sin in his life (see Job 4:7-9). When God chastised man, therefore, he ought to be “happy” because he shall see God’s care and correct himself of his mischief. The problem is that Job is not being chastised for evil deeds but rather he is suffering because Satan wanted to provoke him to curse God.

Elephaz’s words have a ring of James 1:2-3. James said, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold trials; knowing that the proving of your faith works patience, and let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.” The joy that James speaks of is to be understood from the perspective of man striving and obtaining perfection. While undergoing trials of life (i.e., health issues, financial difficulties, disappointments, heart wrenching events, etc) one learns that this world of anguish is not the desired place for eternity. Heaven will be the opposite of the anguish of earthly dwelling. The more we suffer here on this earth the greater our longing for heaven. We endure with patience because we desire a heavenly home of rest and comfort. Elephaz has job suffering due to sin and that is not the way God works.

EXPOSITION

Job 5:1-2—None of the holy ones (qedosim) can save man (Hosea 11:12; Daniel 4:10; Daniel 4:14; Zechariah 14:5; Psalms 89:7). Eliphaz warns Job against any form of lament. A sinner who refuses to repent cannot be forgiven, thus healed. This verse may be an apologetic against the Mesapotamian idea of a finite but personal god whom a man could rely on to make intercession to the greater gods (Job 9:33; Job 16:19; Job 16:21; Job 33:23-24). Perhaps Job 5:2 is a proverbial saying (Proverbs 14:30) which suggests that one should not get excited about that over which he has no control. Only the fool will die of indignation (A. V., jealousy).

Job 5:3-5—On center stage Eliphaz says that he himself has seen the fool take root. The unrighteous often strike deep into the earth their strange roots. Prosperity is thus effectively presented by an analogy with a vigorously growing tree. The effect of this experience of Eliphaz was that he immediately cursed (same verb as Job 3:8) the dwelling of the prosperous fool. In so doing, Eliphaz was merely expressing the prejudices of his cultural ethics. When misfortune visits the head of the family, the entire family suffers. They cannot receive justice at the city gate, which was the administrative center where justice was dispersed and other legal issues were considered (Genesis 23:10; Deuteronomy 21:19-21; Ruth 4:1-11; Amos 5:15). A helpless unfortunate person was not likely to receive much consideration in the gate (Job 31:21). The two lines in Job 5:5 are grammatically impossible, as they stand in the text, but their general sense is clear. Unfortunates, perhaps Bedouins, who function at the edge of cities and lands and seize what they can, are represented in the imagery.

Job 5:6—This verse refers to Job 4:8. Eliphaz commits a logical fallacy by asserting that because a fool meets disaster, all who meet disaster must be fools. He declares that Job is responsible for all of his misery. Sympathy will not be a major preoccupation of anyone who believes that prosperity is proof of God’s blessings.

Job 5:7—A contradiction appears once more in Eliphaz’s speech. If trouble comes naturally and inevitably to man, then this claim is in conflict with Job 5:6, which says just the opposite. Perhaps Dahood correctly renders the text—“it is man who engenders mischief itself.” The phrase “as the sparks fly upward” has generated endless and fruitless discussion. Perhaps the phrase—bene resep—might refer to the Resheph the Phoenician god of the lightning, which would be possible if the book is from the patriarchal period. The R. S. V. translation is superior to that of the A. V. As surely as sparks fly upward, man falls into sin, and he is responsible for his own decisions.

JOB SIX

Job answers Eliphaz (Job 6:1-30):

“Then Job answered and said, Oh that my vexation were but weighed, And all my calamity laid in the balances! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas: Therefore have my words been rash. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up: The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me” (Job 6:1-4).

Eliphaz has told Job that he is suffering due to some wrong he has committed in his life (Job 4:4-9). Eliphaz has suggested to Job that he should take God’s correction and chastening with a “happy” disposition (Job 5:17). Such correction is for Job’s “good” (Job 5:27). Job seems to dismiss all that Eliphaz has said. His remarks do not take into consideration Elephaz’s charge of sin and consequential pain. Job knows that he has not erred against the Lord.

Job has identified his great “pain” (2:13b) as “misery” (Job 3:20) and “trouble” (Job 3:26). Job now identifies his pain with “vexation” and “calamity.” Job justifies his remarks regarding his anguish by saying that his pain has been “heavier than the sand of the seas,” and God’s “arrows are within me, the poison has been drank...” Job concludes that “God has set himself in array against me.”

“Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder? Can that which hath no savor be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg? My soul refuseth to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me” (Job 6:5-7).

It seems that Job answers Eliphaz and says, “if you were in my condition you would do the same.” Job considers his reply a natural one seeing the condition of his mind and body.

“Oh that I might have my request; And that God would grant me the thing that I long for! Even that it would please God to crush me; That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off! And be it still my consolation, Yea, let me exult in pain that spareth not, That I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:8-10).

Seeing that it is natural for Job to desire death rather than continue in such agony he asks, once again, that God would grant him his request to die. Though Eliphaz has suggested that Job be happy in his pain Job stands firm stating, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One.” If Job has not sinned against God why should he be happy in this pain? Job maintains his innocence by saying, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One.”

“What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is mine end, that I should be patient? Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass? Is it not that I have no help in me, And that wisdom is driven quite from me? To him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend; Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:11-14).

Job rebukes his friends for treating him as though he had the strength of stones and flesh of brass. Job states that he is flesh and blood and he is hurting. Job wants to know why they are saying these unkind things to him; i.e., Job, you have sinned and therefore take the chastening punishment of the Lord with happiness because it’s going to make you a better person. Job states that even those who care nothing for God’s laws ought to know this and show more compassion than they have.

“My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, As the channel of brooks that pass away; Which are black by reason of the ice, And wherein the snow hideth itself: What time they wax warm, they vanish; When it is hot, they are consumed out of their place. The caravans that travel by the way of them turn aside; They go up into the waste, and perish. The caravans of Tema looked, The companies of Sheba waited for them. They were put to shame because they had hoped; They came thither, and were confounded” (Job 6:15-20).

Job accuses his friends of being cold and unmerciful to one in such great anguish. Job, in a stinging fashion, compares his friends to cold uncaring people who would turn a needy caravan on a long journey. The caravan had hoped to be refreshed and rested by the company yet they received nothing. Such treatment causes the caravan to be confounded.

“For now ye are nothing; Ye see a terror, and are afraid. Did I say, Give unto me? Or, Offer a present for me of your substance? Or, Deliver me from the adversary’s hand? Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors? Teach me, and I will hold my peace; And cause me to understand wherein I have erred” (Job 6:21-24).

Their very presence has done nothing for Job’s anguish. Job has asked nothing of his friends at this time of his great anguish yet they have heaped even more anguish upon him. To this point of the study we find that Job’s trial did not end with the loss of his property, children, and ill advice of his wife but it has now been extended to his close friends challenging his godliness. Job challenges his friends to find his error and he would gladly admit it and plead for forgiveness.

“How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what doth it reprove? Do ye think to reprove words, Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind? Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless, And make merchandise of your friend. Now therefore be pleased to look upon me; For surely I shall not lie to your face. Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice; Yea, return again, my cause is righteous. Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern mischievous things?” (Job 6:25-30).

Job accuses his friends of scolding him for no reason. The only thing he has done is responded to his calamity with words that curse the day of his birth (Job feels this to be the natural reaction to such great pain and anguish). Job believes that he can positively discern good and evil. If there were evil in his life he would identify it; however, there is none. Job assures his friends that he is “not lying to their face.”

EXPOSITION

Job 6:1—Job now replies to Eliphaz’s first speech. Job is responding to the three friends (Job 6:2-30; plurals in Job 6:24-29) rather than Eliphaz alone. First Job defends his first soliloquy (chp. 3), for which Eliphaz had rebuked him. Because of his suffering (Job 6:2-7) he desires to die (Job 6:8-10). Being without hope and sympathy from his friends, Job seeks the friendship of death. Why is life so difficult (Job 7:1 ff), especially since he is innocent? Receiving no comfort from the three wise men, Job turns to God (probably from Job 7:1, certainly from Job 7:7—as remember is second singular). After an appeal to God’s compassion (Job 6:7-10), without restraint (Job 6:11) he asks why He plagues Job with impossible suffering (Job 6:12-21). Job’s three friends are bound to him by a covenant of friendship (hesed). Thus, they should not assume that Job is guilty of sin because of his suffering. Since they fail to express covenant concern and sympathy, Job turns to God. The speech falls into three parts: (1) Affirmation of his bitterness, (2) Disappointment in his friends (Job 6:14-30); and (3) Intensification of his complaint at his lot, and more open appeal against God’s treatment of him (Job 7:1-21).

Job 6:2—Job’s anguish (ha-as—A. V. as vexation—translated as impatience in Job 5:2 and displeasure in Job 10:17. The basic sense of the root is “happen,” hence “accident,” “misfortune”) is heavier than the “sands of the seas.” Job’s theme is not God’s indignation but his own undeserved suffering.

Job 6:3—Job’s anguish and calamity correspond in parallelism; either of them would outweigh the sand. Job admits (therefore) that his words have been wild but not unjustified. His speech has been “rash.”

Job 6:4—Job now names God (Shaddai—the Almighty, used by Eliphaz Job 5:17) as the author of his misery. Job, no less than Eliphaz, believes the suffering comes from God; but rejects Eliphaz’s claim that Job is unrighteous, thus deserving of his plight. Why is the pain harder to bear merely because he believes in God? The imagery of God as an archer appears frequently in the Old Testament—Deuteronomy 32:23; Ezekiel 5:16; Psalms 7:13; Psalms 38:2; Psalms 64:7. The poisoned arrows mentioned here are not referred to elsewhere in the Old Testament. The word translated “poison”—venom—is the same word as that used of the deaf adder in Psalms 58:4. Oil-soaked materials covering arrowheads were used in war. The “terrors” of God assault Job’s very existence; they “wear me down” (A. V. array against me), he boldly asserts. Paul uses the imagery of the flaming darts of Satan in Ephesians 6:16.

Job 6:5—Using powerful distress imagery (wild ass in distress for a lack of food—Jeremiah 14:6). Job suggests that it would be better to identify the cause of his suffering rather than explain it. The wild ass “brays” is used only here and Job 30:7, where it describes the agonizing cries of social outcasts. The second descriptive word is the verb translated “loweth” in A. V. It is used only here and in 1 Samuel 6:12, where it is used of cows deprived of their calves. Even the animals understand what Eliphaz fails to comprehend.

Job 6:6-7—Though the text is difficult in these uncertain verses, something nauseating is implied. Eliphaz’s counsel is tasteless; it lacks the salt of sympathy. The A. V.’s phrase “the white of an egg” might better be understood as “the slime of purslane” (so R. S. V., Rowley, Driver and Gray). The purslane is a leguminous plant which secretes mucilaginous jelly. Job rejects Eliphaz’s explanation as he (nephesh—soul) would reject tasteless food. In Hebrew psychology, “nephesh” (soul) is the seat of desire—Deuteronomy 24:15; Hosea 4:8; and, in particular—of appetite—Deuteronomy 14:26; Deuteronomy 23:25; Isaiah 29:8; Micah 7:1; and Proverbs 23:2. The condition of Job’s flesh (lehem literally bread but here is flesh or meat), like Eliphaz’s comfort, is sickening—Job 7:5; Job 18:13; Job 30:30.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 5-6

God’s Providence: God powerfully influences both nature and man’s life (Job 5:8-16).

1. Eliphaz misapplies the chastening rod of God. Eliphaz believes Job to be suffering due to sin in his life (see Job 4:7-9) and thereby advises Job to be happy in this time of great anguish (Job 5:17) because it is for his own good (Job 5:27).

2. Job views his agony as “pain” (Job 2:13 b),          (Job 3:20), “trouble” (Job 3:26), “vexation and calamity” (Job 6:1) and in a “desperate” state of being (Job 6:26). Job accuses his friends of being cold and unmerciful to one in such agony (Job 6:15-20). Job reminds his friends that he is only flesh yet they are treating him as though he were made of stone and brass (Job 6:12).

3. Job maintains his innocence: Job said, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10). Again, Job states, “Teach me, and I will hold my peace; And cause me to understand wherein I have erred” (Job 6:24). Job has not sinned and therefore he wants to know why this is happening to him. Job too is mistaken about this affair. Job believes that “God has set himself in array against me” (Job 6:4). Job believes that God has a tight hold upon his life and desires for the Lord to “loose his hand” (Job 6:9). To this point of the book neither Job nor his friends fully understand why he is experiencing this great agony.

JOB SEVEN

Job continues his remarks after Eliphaz’s Speech (Job 7:1-21):

“Is there not a warfare to man upon earth? And are not his days like the days of a hireling? As a servant that earnestly desires the shadow, and as a hireling that looks for his wages: So am I made to possess months of misery, and wearisome nights are appointed to me” (Job 7:1-3).

Job depicts his agony as “misery,” and “wearisome nights.” No doubt every moment of his life was spent in agony (whether awake or sleeping). Job compares his life (and the life of all men) to a servant who works hard under the sun during the day and longs for the shade of the evening. Relief from shade and the reward of wages keep the laborer toiling on; however, the only thing that Job has to look forward to at the end of a day of suffering is more suffering. He longs for his reward which is death.

“When I lie down, I say, when shall I arise, and the night be gone? And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day” (Job 7:4).

Job knows what he is in store for every evening as he lays down to sleep. Each night it is the same. Pain, anguish, and misery to the point that he says, “When shall I arise and the night be gone?” He tosses and turns all night as he is unable to sleep due to the pain. Such a life is not living. Many have been in such anguish in their lives and there is nothing pleasant about it.

“My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin closes up, and breaks out afresh. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Oh remember that my life is a breath: mine eye shall no more see good” (Job 7:5-7).

Whether figurative or literal the scene of worms, clods of dust on his flesh, breaks in the skin paints a picture of an awful unbearable disease. Job has lost all hope of being relieved from this dreaded painful disease. His life has passed by swiftly only to come to this day of anguish.

“The eye of him that sees me shall behold me no more; thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be. As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he that goes down to Sheol shall come up no more He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more” (Job 7:8-10).

Job appears to believe that he is near the point of death. Those who now see him shall see him no more. He shall go down to Sheol (the grave and place of those who are dead). The dead do not come to their homes and neither do they go any place on the earth. Such a life is expired and is no longer.

“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. Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, that thou set a watch over me? When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrify me through visions: so that my soul chooses strangling, and death rather than these my bones” (Job 7:11-15).

Job earlier said that animals naturally complain when they suffer (see Job 6:5) and thereby it is only natural for him to do so “in the bitterness of my soul.” Job, considering the great anguish he is experiencing, says, “I will complain.” The situation, according the Job’s reasoning, demands complaining. Again, we see the change of heart from Job’s statements at Job 1:21; Job 2:10.

Job asks God several questions: “Am I a sea monster or a wild ocean?” Such things of nature need to be controlled and tamed due to their wild nature. How has Job showed himself to be such a wild and out of control object? The times when he does look forward to rest on his couch he is terrified at night by dreams. It may be that Satan was permitted to interfere with Job’s rest by sending terrifying nightmares to him. Such events only make him renew his desire to die and be threw with this horrid ordeal.

“I loathe my life; I shall not always live: let me alone; for my days are vanity. What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, and that thou shouldest set thy mind upon him, and that thou should visit him every morning, and try him every moment?” (Job 7:16-18)

The days of pain and anguish drive Job to exclaim, “I loathe my life.” Job had earlier asked God to let loose his tight grip of anguish (see Job 6:9) and now confirms his understanding of God’s “trying him every moment” of his life (Job 7:18). To come to the point of loathing your very existence is to experience great anguish. Man’s life is likened unto one great trial period that must be endured before rewards are to be realized. Job is ready to end his probation.

“How long wilt thou not look away from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle? If I have sinned, what do I unto thee, O thou watcher of men? Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee, so that I am a burden to myself? And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For now shall I lie down in the dust; and thou wilt seek me diligently, but I shall not be” (Job 7:19-21).

Job asks the Lord to turn his wrath from him at least for a moment (i.e., the time it takes to swallow spit down). Job tells God that if he has sinned please identify it and he will gladly beg His forgiveness. If the suffering Job is undergoing is due some sin then Job asks, “Please forgive me and remove the terrible anguish.” Job desperately wants God to release him from this ordeal.

EXPOSITION

“Having done such a thing there is loneliness which cannot be borne,” Pablo—For Whom The Bell Tolls

Job 7:1—Job’s friends reject his appeal. He then ceases to address them, as he returns to his lament. He compares life in general to forced military service, to the work of a day laborer, and to simple slavery, three wretched states of existence. Job vehemently retorts to Eliphaz’s easy optimism—Job 5:17 ff. Job believes in the validity of Nietzsche’s remark: “Great problems are in the streets.” Does the “human condition” consistently reveal a basic absurdity as well as an implacable nobility? Job’s condition is always the stuff of human revolt, not only against social institutions but ultimately against God. In western thought, men have long talked of “human nature,” but after the revolutions of the 18th–19th centuries in the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences, men began to talk of the “human condition,” which could be modified through the application of the scientific method. Here lies the challenge of our contemporary Job—Is a life of happiness through peace, prosperity, and progress possible, or is life really absurd? Twentieth century men will not take lightly to any naive suggestions which are grounded in the heresy of Utopia. We live, like Job, in a world which experiences the inveteracy of evil—Mark 7:21-23. We know that Dostoevsky is speaking of all of us in his Notes from Underground. A man will often, without rhyme or reason, do things which are irrational and absurd. Man has a passion to destroy. This passion, Dostoevsky exposes in his reflections on the Crystal Palace which was erected in London in 1851 to celebrate the Great Exhibition of Science. He foresees the coming clouds of totalitarian tyrannies (cf. America’s 1876 centennial and 1976 Bi-Centennial celebrations). Job understands that his experience, while exceptional in the intensity of his suffering, is typical in the fact of suffering. The word translated “hireling” is used of a laborer, and a mercenary soldier—Jeremiah 46:21. The imagery of warfare (Numbers 1:3; 1 Samuel 28:1) and hard work of one trapped in ceaseless toil are fused in Job’s lament.

Job 7:2—In Mesopotamia it was assumed that everyone (not in high political lineage) was a slave and servant of the gods. Every slave was compelled to work the long and hot days without respite—Matthew 20:12. They longed for the decline of the sun and the cooling breezes of the evening. The slave received wages every day—Deuteronomy 24:15, which was his endurance motive. To withhold his pay was prohibited—Leviticus 19:13; Malachi 3:5; Romans 4:4; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 1 Timothy 5:18; James 5:4.

Job 7:3—Job now turns from contemplating man’s universal condition to his own affliction. Months[98] of vanity (Hebrew show may mean emptiness, vanity, or moral evil—Job 11:11; Job 31:5) and nights of wearisome anguish. When will the months pass away?

Job 7:4—The night, like the months, are long (middah—to measure—be extended, cf. Einstein’s relativity thesis and contemporary man’s preoccupation with time.) Killing time before time kills us, e.g. leisure, play, vacations, etc., and the quality of our lived time (Dilthey’s Erlebnis).[99] Job tosses and turns all night—his Long Day’s Journey Into Night. There is no relief even from the dawning (nasheph) of the day. Nasheph means morning light in contrast to ereb, evening twilight. Acute discomfort enslaves this vain searcher for peace. Even his dozing invites diabolic nightmares (Job 7:14). Unabating misery—Oh, come sweet Death! The grave is no darker than his nights of loneliness and despair.

Job 7:5—Job’s ulcers are repulsive to the sight and smell. His skin is covered with dirty scabs filled with worms. The scabs break open and run with pus.

Job 7:6—Is Job contradicting himself when first he claims that life passes so slowly (of course, in his condition the psychology of suffering is imperative for our understanding his statements), and now complains that it is too brief? Here we note a play on the words for hope (tiqwah) and thread. The same word is used in Joshua 2:18; Joshua 2:21 for the scarlet thread which identified Rahab’s house. As the weaver’s shuttle runs out of thread, so now Job’s existence is running out of hope. “Swift as a weaver’s shuttle fleet our days,” Browning.

Job 7:7—The pathos of this pitiful cry penetrates into the depths of every sensitive person. But will God hear? He has turned once more from his tormenting counselors directly to God. Life is at best transient (Psalms 78:39; Isa. 51:29; Jeremiah 5:13; Ecclesiastes 1:14; James 5:13 ff), and he will never again see prosperity and happiness. Until Tolkien’s eucatastrophe in the form of our Lord’s resurrection, neither Job nor any of his contemporaries could hope beyond suffering and the grave. Rashi observes that here Job denies the resurrection. But in Job 19:24-27 he reaches beyond the despair-creating view of man’s finitude and of the finality of death to something better than Sheol. Note contemporary man’s concern with death and his multiplication of his futile efforts to generate new men and new societies, where all are happy and prosperous.

Job 7:8—Time is too short to expect (hope for) his restoration. God alone will prevail.

Job 7:9—“Vanish away” translates Hebrew which means “comes to an end.” Sheol (see Kittel article) is described as a place from which no traveler has returned—Job 10:21; a land of darkness and despair—Job 10:21 ff; as deep—Job 11:8; place where the dead are hidden—Job 14:13; place for everyone—Job 3:19 and Job 30:23. Only resurrection can break the spell of this despair.

Job 7:10—The theme of the finality of death reoccurs several times—Job 7:21; Job 10:21; Job 14:10; Job 14:12; Job 14:18-22; Job 17:13; Job 16; Job 19:25-27; also Psalms 103:16 b for the second line.

JOB EIGHT

Bildad’s First Speech (Job 8:1-22):

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a mighty wind? Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness?” (Job 8:1-3).

Bildad, the second friend mentioned at Job 2:11, can remain silent no more. Bildad believes that Job has ranted and complained for long enough. Bildad accuses Job of standing in judgment of God as though God had perverted justice and righteousness by afflicting him with this ordeal.

“If thy children have sinned against him, and he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression; if thou would seek diligently unto God, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; if thou were pure and upright: surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. And though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end would greatly increase” (Job 8:4-7).

Bildad delivers three “if” statements to Job: Why would Job pervert the justice and righteousness of God by complaining against Him when “thy children have sinned” and received their just reward? Job would be restored to good health and prosperity if only he would “seek diligently unto God and make thy supplication to the Almighty.” Bildad concludes that Job has not admitted and prayed to God for forgiveness of his error. Finally, if Job were a “pure and upright” man the Lord would loosen His hand of wrath upon him. Bildad’s conclusions match that of Eliphaz’s; i.e., Job and his children have sinned and thereby have received their proper judgment.

“For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out (for we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow); shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?” (Job 8:8-10).

Bildad challenges Job to look back through history and learn the lessons that those who have gone on before them had learned. When men suffered such horrid events it was due to their sin.

“Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water? Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withers before any other herb. So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hope of the godless man shall perish: whose confidence shall break in sunder, and whose trust is a spider’s web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure” (Job 8:11-15).

The answer to Bildad’s rhetorical questions is “no.” Plants that are not preserved in their intended environments wither away and die. Likewise, the man who is intended to live righteously and justly by God will wither away if he continues in sin. To hold to hope while living contrary to God’s will is like putting hope in a fragile spider’s web.

“He is green before the sun, and his shoots go forth over his garden. His roots are wrapped about the stone-heap, he beholds the place of stones. If he be destroyed from his place then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee. Behold, this is the joy of his way; and out of the earth shall others spring” (Job 8:16-19).

The ungodly are like fast growing plants in full sunlight with plenty of water. When this fast growing ungodly man suddenly dies all will deny knowing and having been a part of that person’s life. Such a person is worthless when dead and another shall take his place.

“Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he uphold the evil-doers. He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, and thy lips with shouting. They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the tent of the wicked shall be no more” (J0b 8:20-22).

Bildad seems to give Job the benefit of the doubt. God does not cast away perfect men and neither will he uphold “evil-doers.” Job’s fate is in the hands of God yet the issue of his present distress lies in his own hands. Is he an evil doer? Will he make supplication to God? If Job does not admit his sin before God then he will be destroyed like the rush and flag with no water, destroyed like a spider’s web, and destroyed like a rapidly growing plant.

EXPOSITION

Job 8:1—Job concludes that even if God does finally respond to his outcries, it will be too late. Enters Bildad, the younger, less tactful comforter. He is scandalized by Job’s familiarity with God. A fundamental assumption in Bildad’s thought is that God can do no wrong. Concurring with Eliphaz, Bildad sets forth retributive justice as a solution to our dilemma. His world contains only two groups of people—the wicked and the righteous. Suffering is the evidence of sin; and Job’s only escape is repentance.

Job 8:2—The verb “say” (A. V. speak) is an Aramaism and means “a great wind” full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Bildad continues to concentrate on God’s justice, a question Job has never raised.

Job 8:3—God (Shaddai) and injustice are incompatible terms. Does God pervert (Heb. ye’awwet—distort) justice? The verb is repeated for strong emphasis (pervert—pervert) on the magnitude of Job’s sin. There is no need either to use different words, as does the LXX and Vulgate, etc., or to delete one, as do some commentators.

Job 8:4—Bildad does not hesitate to emphasize an obvious conclusion, that Job’s children were punished for their sinfulness. They received what they deserved. This verse strongly connects the Dialogue with the Prologue. The A. V. renders the verse so as to connect Job 8:4-6 (compare with the R. S. V.). Sin carries its own punishment. This is expressed in the translation “into the hand of their transgression.” Bildad’s inexcusable cruelty is apparent in his suggestion regarding Job’s children, i.e., they brought their deaths on themselves. Even though the Hebrew grammar expresses a conditional form, Bildad’s deadly apriori concept of God’s justice could only more intensely aggravate Job’s troubled spirit. (Eliphaz had already hinted at the same legalistic doctrinaire solution—Job 5:4).

Job 8:5—Bildad employs the same word used by Job 7:21, “seek,” (Heb. sihor). But Job had spoken of God seeking him, Bildad suggests that it is imperative that Job seek God, if he desires healing.

Job 8:6—The interrelationship between prosperity and piety is again emphasized (cf. American dream turned to nightmare is based on Bildad’s theology). Bildad uses anthro–pomorphism—A. V. “he would awake for thee.” Is the creator of the universe asleep or insensitive to Job’s tragedy? Bildad promises Job that God will—lit. “restore the habitation of thy righteousness,” if he will but follow his advice.

Job 8:7—Bildad unconsciously prophesies of Job’s future restoration (chp. 42), though not for the reason suggested by Job’s comforter. Bildad is correct in asserting that the wisdom of the ancients is in harmony with his claims—Job 15:8; Deuteronomy 4:32; and Ecclesiastes 8:9.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 7-8

1. Job’s misery (vexation and calamity / Job 6:1) (pain, can’t sleep, and when he does sleep he is terrified by nightmares) (Job 7:3; Job 7:13).

2. Job justifies his complaining due to his agony (Job 7:11-15). Job said, “I loathe my life” (Job 7:16).

3. Job asks God to “leave him alone” (Job 7:16; Job 7:19). Job continues to maintain his innocence (Job 7:20).

4. Bildad (as did Elephaz at Job 4:6-11) accuses Job and his children of sin and reasons that their sin is why death and anguish has come to his house (Job 8:4-7).

JOB NINE

Job Answers Bildad’s Speech: Contemplation of the Sovereignty of Jehovah (Job 9:1-14):

“Then Job answered and said, Of a truth I know that it is so: but how can man be just with God?”(Job 9:1-2).

What “is so?” Job admits that Bildad’s words regarding God not casting away a perfect man and never upholding evil doers is the truth. Job continues; however, saying “But how can man be just with God?” The perfect man is the just man. How can any man stand just before God and not be cast away? We all sin and therefore God will not uphold any of us (Job’s reasoning).

“If he be pleased to contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?” (Job 9:3-4).

The man who attempts to “contend” with God on the basis of his righteousness cannot give answer to even one of a thousand accusations God will have against that man. The apostle Paul had said, “All sin and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Elephaz and Bildad’s speeches appear to be weighing heavy upon the heart of Job. They have accused Job of sin and consequential anguish. Job is saying, “Hasn’t everyone sinned?” This being the case, “Can any man ever contend with God and succeed?” Can anyone stand unscathed by God’s wrath? God is wise and mighty. No man can harden himself against His will and prosper.

“Him that removes the mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger; that shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars thereof tremble; that commands the sun, and it rises not, and seals up the stars; that alone stretch out the heavens, and treads upon the waves of the sea; that makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; that doeth great things past finding out, yea, marvelous things without number” (Job 9:5-10).

Shall man contend with a God that is able to do things the human mind can scarcely comprehend much less have dominion over them? Job’s point is that one that Jehovah deems cursed in life is doomed. There is no contending with one who possesses such great might. God has created the “Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades...” The “Bear” is a “great northern constellation” (ISBE, v. 1)... “The grouping of stars into constellations” (ISBE, v. 1).

“Lo, he goes by me, and I see him not: he passes on also, but I perceive him not. Behold, he seizes the prey, who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?” (Job 9:11-12).

Job continues to contemplate the all wise and mighty God and the inferiority of man. God may travel past me yet my senses do not see Him, feel Him, or even perceive that He is near. God takes what He wills and no man has the ability to stop Him. When Job lost his children and his health he did not foresee this coming neither could he asks, “What are you doing?” No man has the ability to do this with the Almighty.

“God will not withdraw his anger; the helpers of Rahab do stoop under him. How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?” (Job 9:13-14).

The name “Rahab” (translated from Heb. = “The proud One”) is a personification of evil in the world (see Job 26:12). “An OT poetic name for a powerful enemy of Jehovah; in some passages it refers to a historical empire hostile to Israel, in others to a demonic monster of some kind (see Psalms 89:10; Job 9:13; Job 26:12)” (ISBE, v. 4; pp 34). No matter how powerful one may appear they all stoop under the might of Jehovah. If the mightiest the world has to offer can do nothing but stoop beneath the Almighty then where does a man like Job stand. There is no questioning the sovereign of all creation by any creature spiritual or earthly. Recall that Job believes that God is against him for no good reason (see Job 6:4). Job sees that God has set His anger against him and he will not withdraw it (Job 9:13). The focus of Job is to find out the “why.”

Job concludes that there is no hope for the wicked and neither is their hope for the just (Job 9:15-35):

“Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge. If I had called, and he had answered me, yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice. For he breaks me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not suffer me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness” (Job 9:15-18).

The Almighty sovereign God of creation is unapproachable in the mind of Job. Though Job may call unto the Lord and He answers yet would Job not believe that He would listen, much less give heed, to this weak and frail man’s request. Once God has determined to strike a man He will not turn his mind until the man is destroyed. Job views God as an Almighty power that could care less about man’s suffering and life. He is a God of anger and wrath in the eyes of Job. Job reasons that the Lord would not give heed to his cause because God has broken and wounded him “without cause.” The “cause” is what Job is after. He has maintained his innocence in relation to sin and thereby cannot understand why he is going through this horrid ordeal (Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20).

“If we speak of strength, lo, he is mighty! And if of justice, Who, saith he, will summon me? Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: though I be perfect, he shall prove me perverse” (Job 9:19-20).

Jehovah defines might and justice. No man, court system, or spiritual being has the ticket that condemns the Lord and summons Him to a court. He does nothing wrong. While the perfect God is not called into court Job is. Job; however, too is perfect and just. Yet because of God’s great might he cannot possibly think to be equal to Jehovah. If he is not equal then he must be perverse. If Job is perverse he is summoned to court. Note that Job defines Bible perfection as righteous.

“I am perfect; I regard not myself; I despise my life. It is all one; therefore I say, He destroys the perfect and the wicked. If the scourge slay suddenly, he will mock at the calamity of the innocent. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of the judges thereof: if it be not he, who then is it?” (Job 9:21-24).

Job has said, “I wish I were dead” (Job 3:3 ff), “I loathe my life” (Job 7:16), and now “I despise my life.” Job reasons saying, “I am perfect yet I experience calamity and therefore I despise my life.” If the perfect are not spared calamity then it is a despised life to live. No man, whether righteous or wicked, has hope of escaping the wrath of God once it has settled upon one. Job notes that the wicked prosper and are not called to court by judges. Job reasons further that if God permits these things to take place then He must be behind them in some way. If it is not the Almighty that is behind human suffering among the righteous then who is it? Job will answer this question at chapter 9:

“Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good. They are passed away as the swift ships; as the eagle that swoops on the prey. If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer; I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain” (Job 9:25-29).

Job has concluded that the righteous suffer calamity while the wicked prosper and this must be God’s will. Secondly Job contemplates the swiftness of which his life is passing by. He has lived an upright and perfect life yet his days “see no good.” Furthermore, Job considers his condemnation. While he has tried to live right God has condemned him through this horrid ordeal. Job, thereby concludes it is vain to labor in the laws of God and seek out a perfect life. The Apostle Paul; however, tells us that it is not vain to serve God (1 Corinthians 15:58). Job seems to be calling the justice and fairness of God into question.

“If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine won clothes shall abhor me. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment. There is no umpire betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid: then would I speak, and not fear him; for I am not so in myself” (Job 9:30-35).

Job considers the Almighty as inconsiderate and favoring no man (wicked or righteous) because of his calamity. No matter how morally clean Job may be Jehovah would have no care and would as soon through him in a ditch to mire him up again. Seeing that it is impossible that Jehovah be a man on equal terms with him to discuss the matter and neither is it possible that some “umpire” come between Job and God to plead Job’s case to the Lord. Job’s life is thereby hopeless and God has made it that way. Job has certainly lost his mastery over himself. He has charged God with being indifferent to his case and thereby hopeless. He has also charged God with not caring whether a man lives just or not due to the fact that he suffers such calamity. There continues to be a different approach to Job’s calamity between Job and his friends. Job has concluded that God, the Almighty, permits the just and unjust to suffer and therefore there is no reason for the just to be just (i.e., it is vanity).

EXPOSITION

Job 9:1-2—Job’s second response—chps. Job 9:1—Job 10:22—has the same general structure as his first chps. 6—7. (1) He answers his friends, Job 9:2-24; (2) Brief soliloquy, Job 9:25—Job 10:1 a; and (3) A direct address to God, Job 10:1 b–22. It is less personal than the previous speech; in fact, the three counselors are addressed only indirectly. The third section is another impassioned plea which subsides into an agonizing appeal for God to leave him alone. It is important to take note of the fact that Job responds more to the things asserted by Eliphaz than Bildad. His opening words contain a sarcastic recognition of the principle enunciated by the three friends, that no man can be righteous in God’s eyes. God’s justice is identical with his power, i.e., whatever he does is just—Job 4:12; Job 8:3; and Job 25:4.

Job 9:3—The verse in A. V. takes God as the subject of the verb. “Contend” is a forensic term meaning “go to court” with God, with the odds of winning “once in a thousand times,” literally “one from a thousand”—Deuteronomy 32:30; and Joshua 23:10.

Job 9:4—No one can challenge God and survive. One can never harden (object unexpressed) his heart (stands for intelligence) against God and win in the encounter—(Remember Pharaoh)—Deuteronomy 2:30; Deuteronomy 10:16; 2 Kings 17:14; Jeremiah 7:26; Psalms 95:8; Proverbs 28:14; and Proverbs 29:1.

Job 9:5—The Hebrew text is to be preferred over LXX, etc., and thus we should take the meaning to be “suddenly,” i.e., before anyone realizes it, God has overtaken them. Job thus begins a doxology clearly more powerful than Eliphaz’s—Job 5:10-16. Content is limited to God’s power, not His love and mercy.

Job 9:6—For reference to the pillars, see Psalms 75:3; Psalms 104:5; and 1 Samuel 2:8. The verb translated “tremble” is found only here, and has root idea of “tremble with horror”—Psalms 18:7; Isaiah 13:10; Joel 2:10.

Job 9:7-8—God is presented as creator of the universe. Job is concurring with his three friends regarding God’s creative work in nature—Isaiah 44:24.

Job 9:9—The order and identity of these constellations varies in different texts—Job 38:31-32; Amos 5:8 : (1) The first constellation ‘ash, ‘ayish in Job 38:32, is probably Ursa major; (2) The second is kesil—fool is probably Orion; and (3) The third—kimah—is generally taken to be Pleiades—Psalms 78:26; Song of Solomon 4:16.

Job 9:10—Job ironically repeats Job 5:9 from Eliphaz. While he asserts that all of God’s works have ethical implications, Job maintains that God’s immeasurable power is used for His cosmic chess game of arbitrary play with his creatures.

Job 9:11—Job avers that he knows God’s presence only by His power, manifested in nature. As a result of God’s passing by, Job’s life lies in ruins.

Job 9:12—God “snatches away” (verb—hatap—found only here), and no one can stop Him. The LXX translation is basis of the A. V.’s “he seizeth the prey.” The LXX translator attempted to remove any reference to destructive action by God. But even the Greek of the LXX can also be translated “if he moves,” and not necessarily “if he destroys.”

Job 9:13—Job’s gratitude is now poisoned by more bitterness. God has all along only been preparing Job for torture. He thus denies the idea of strict moral causality, which has been presented by his friends. Man’s action—whether good or bad—makes no difference to God. Rahab (root—be excited or agitated) is used in Isaiah 30:7; Psalms 87:4 as designation of Egypt. Rahab is one of the sea monsters slain by God—Job 26:12; Psalms 89:11; Isaiah 51:9. It is not necessary to identify Rahab with the Babylonian Creation Epic; the Leviathan narrative already appears Job 7:12. The Source of Imagery (Formgeschichte) is one thing; its meaning is another.

Job 9:14—Here Job relates that it is impossible to face God in His cosmic court, because God would refuse Job’s summon. He would simply manifest His superior power, and Job would lie destroyed. The Hebrew which is translated as A. V. “how much less” can also mean “how much more,” or “how than.” How can Job expect to face God, if a sea monster cannot? Job would be so overwhelmed that he would be unable to choose his words in order to challenge God.

Job 9:15—Even though he is innocent, he cannot expect justice. The A. V. translates “whom though I were righteous,” but the term is forensic and probably should be translated as “in the right” or innocent. Similarly, the A. V. has “my judge,” but mesopeti—opponent—means “my accuser” or “adversary at law.” Job’s only recourse, since he cannot force a response from his adversary, is to cast himself on His mercy (first time for His theme to appear). Surely one of the central theological themes in Job is that man is hopelessly lost without God’s grace.

Job 9:16—Now God does answer Job’s summons. But Job does not have confidence in the sense of believing that God is listening, giving an ear, or paying any attention to his cries. Because God cannot be required to testify or justify His actions; He is responsible to no one but His own nature.

Job 9:17—God now is charged with “crushing” (A. V. “breaketh”) Job. The verb is used only here and in Genesis 3:15 which is often translated as “bruise,” but surely the context calls for crush or destroy. God crushes him without cause (same word as in Job 2:3) as though he were a mere trifle. God’s displeasure (ka’as as in Job 5:2 a) is not only reserved for the wicked; it also crushes the just.

Job 9:18—The Hound of Heaven has filled Job with bitterness—Job 7:19; and Lamentations 3:15. Here we return to the theme of chapter 3.

Job 9:19—God’s power (koah) is here in parallelism with his judgment (mispat). God is supreme in power and thus subject to no summoner, Job included. The A. V. has “lo” from hinneh—behold. The Hebrew verb has a first person suffix “arraign me” instead “arraign him” (the difference is very slight but import is vast—yo’ideni—“arraign or summons me,” yo’idennu—arraign or summons him.” Surely this represents an effort to remove any suggestions that man could call God to account. Whether respecting power or justice, Job futiley confronts God.

Job 9:20—Even Job’s own speech condemns him. Is he saying that I am innocent; I am forced to assert my own guilt?

Job 9:21—He defends his innocence, though it may cost him his life. He would forfeit his life, but not his integrity in claiming his innocence. The intense emotional strain causes Job to cry that “I neither know myself nor care”—Job 7:16; Genesis 39:6; Deuteronomy 33:9.

Job 9:22—Is “truth forever on the scaffold and error forever on the throne?” The wicked and unjust triumph. Job shouts that God flouts justice indiscriminately. Job, like the late B. Russell, denies any moral order in the universe. This thesis also follows from contemporary attitudes expressed by Skinner, Crick, Monad, Wilson, Watson, et. al. God is indifferent to the human condition. Naturalistic humanism in all of its forms, but especially in its Neo-Marxian form, makes identical claims, while charging all non-naturalistic humanists with immoral behavior. If the universe is amoral, then there are different types of behavior, but no moral or immoral human acts. Job contradicts what Bildad has set forth in Job 8:20.

Job 9:23—The “scourge” (sot) means calamities in general, war, plague, disease, famine, etc., which take lives regardless of their spiritual condition and relationship to God—Isaiah 10:26; Isaiah 28:15; Isaiah 28:18. Eliphaz has said (Job 5:22) that if Job accepted God’s discipline, he would ultimately laugh at famine and destruction. Job’s response to Eliphaz is that it is God who laughs when calamities (masas—melt, despair) come. Job says that God is not testing men by disaster, but rather destroying them.

Job 9:24—Job is enunciating a universal law, i.e., the miscarriage of justice. Earth has no definite article, and thus probably refers to more than the land. Shall the pious inherit the earth?—Psalms 37:9; Proverbs 2:21; Matthew 5:5. Job asserts just the opposite. He holds God solely responsible for the human condition. There is no Satan, or anyone else to blame. Job is actually challenging his friends to declare who is, if God is not, to blame?

Job 9:25—Complain—Complain. Job returns to a preoccupation with his own condition. From cosmic disorder to personal disorder, how pathetic. Life is passing so rapidly. It is no longer the weaver’s shuttle but the runner who serves as point of contrast—Job 7:6. The “courier” refers to a fast runner with the royal messenger service—2 Samuel 18:21-23; Isaiah 41:27; Isaiah 52:7.

Job 9:26—Reed means papyrus. (For different word, see Job 8:11.) Reed boats are very light and fast. Isaiah refers to reed vessels (kele gome)—Isaiah 18:1-2. The imagery from the second clause speaks of speed. The word “swoop” (TWS) refers in falconry to the swift swoop of the bird on the prey. The falcon can attain a speed in excess of 150 mph in such a swoop (for eagles—Job 39:27-30; Deuteronomy 28:49; Jeremiah 4:13; Habakkuk 1:8; and Lamentations 4:19. The “prey” (‘okel) is the general word for food.

Job 9:27—Literally, Job says “I will abandon my face,” i.e., I will change my countenance. His entire attitude will be changed. He will “be of good cheer” (Heb. “brighten my face”). Here we see change in two dimensions: (1) psychic, and (2) physical appearance.

Job 9:28—He no sooner decided to cheer up than he “became afraid” (same word in Job 3:25—dread). The dread fear haunted him with such intensity that his agony was only magnified.

Job 9:29—Guilty without trial. (Read Kafka’s The Trial and compare). All of his efforts are futile.

Job 9:30—The Hebrew—seleg—means both soap and snow or snow water—Isaiah 1:16; Isaiah 1:18, “I will make my hands never so clean”—bor, lye. In Malachi 3:2 the same word borit means the fuller’s lye soap. Lye is a vegetable alkali made from the ashes of plants—Job 22:30; Psalms 18:20; Psalms 18:24; Isaiah 1:25.

Job 9:31—The A. V. has “ditch”—sahat—which can mean the netherworld—Job 17:14; Job 33:22; Job 33:28. The context calls for filth; and the root suggests repulsive matter and slime, i.e., a characteristic of the netherworld. Job is saying if I wash my body, God would make it so filthy that my clothes would refuse to cover me.

Job 9:32—A fair trial before God is an impossibility. “Come together in judgment” means to go to court or before the law—Psalms 143:2. Here we see that a theology of commutative justice between man and God will destroy God’s transcendence and ensnare Him in the immanent trap that enslaves man. Zechariah 3:3-5 provides a beautiful background to the problem, where the acquitted defendant receives clean clothes. (Note New Testament reference to white garments, esp. in The Revelation—see my The Seer, the Saviour, and The Saved, 1972 ed. in this series of commentaries.)

Job 9:33—Since God is prejudiced by His despotic power, Job calls for an arbiter—mokiah—mediator, one who decides with equity—Genesis 31:37; Isaiah 2:4. Job is still searching for a just reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17 ff).

Job 9:34—Remove your rod (sebet—club) same word as in Psalms 23:4. To David, God’s rod was his defense against his enemies; for Job, God’s rod brings only violence and pain. To Job, the rod signifies coercion and intimidation.

Job 9:35—If there is no mediator, then I will speak for myself. But what shall I say that has not already been said?

JOB TEN

Job Protests against God’s Treatment of Him (Job 10:1-22):

“My soul is weary of my life; I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; Show me wherefore thou contendest with me” (Job 10:1-2).

We continue to compile Job’s statements regarding his disregard for his own life. He has wished to never have been born (Job 3:3), he said that he, “Loathed my life” (Job 7:16) and “I despise my life” (Job 9:21). Now Job says, “My soul is weary of my life.” Job makes the same statement regarding his right to complain about his ordeal at Job 7:11 (He justifies his complaint due to his suffering / i.e., I am suffering at the hand of an angry God for no reason and thereby I have the right to complain). Now; however, it is as though he is saying that he will hold nothing back but rather say exactly what he thinks about this ordeal. While Job’s friends have condemned him Job pleads with God not to do so. Job gets back to his problem that plagues his mind day and night and that is, “What have I done to make God contend with me.”

“Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? Hast thou eyes of flesh? Or see thou as man sees? Are thy days as the days of man, or thy years as man’s days, That thou inquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin, Although thou knowest that I am not wicked, and there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?” (Job 10:3-7).

Job returns to the complaint about the wicked having a good o time in this life while the just suffer (see Job 9:24). Job asks God, his maker, how that He could allow one of his creation to suffer so much. Has God set his eyes and time solely upon Job to find some area of sin and then punished him to the full extent? Elephaz (Job 4:7-8) and Bildad (Job 8:4-7) have accused Job of sin. Job; however, continues to maintain his innocence by saying to God, “Thou knowest that I am not wicked.” Previously we have read Job saying, “I have not denied the words of the Holy One” (Job 6:10). Again, Job states, “Teach me, and I will hold my peace; And cause me to understand wherein I have erred” (Job 6:24). Seeing that he has not sinned he has concluded that, “God has set himself in array against me” (Job 6:4). Job believes that God has a tight hold upon his life and desires for the Lord to “loose his hand” (Job 6:9).

“Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart; I know that this is with thee:” (Job 10:8-13).

Job reasons with God saying, “Have you framed my being as clay only to destroy me, bring me into dust, and curdle me like cheese?” Job asks the Lord, “Did you clothed me with flesh, skin, and bones and bless me with things in this life only to take me down?” Lastly, Job confidently states that God has hidden all Job’s existence in his heart. Job now states (regarding his being destroyed), “I know that this is with thee.” Job had asked the question of where the source of his suffering comes from at Job 9:24 yet now states confidently that it is God’s doing.

“If I sin, then thou markets me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head; being filled with ignominy, and looking upon mine affliction. And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion; and again thou showest thyself marvelous upon me. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increase thine indignation upon me: changes and warfare are with me” (Job 10:14-17).

Job tells God that there is really no way for him to turn in this life. God has set his heart against him and there is absolutely no hope. If I sin you will not forgive. If I am wicked or righteous you (God) increase thine indignation upon me. Job concludes that there is no hope for such a one as he. Job knows that he has not sinned against God therefore his suffering must not be due to his sin or his righteousness. Why then is Job suffering?

“Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me. I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? Cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; The land dark as midnight, the land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as midnight” (Job 10:18-22).

Seeing that God has set himself in array against Job (see Job 6:4) he once again returns to the thought of wishing he had not been born (Job 3:3 ff).

Job begs God for a bit of relief from his agony before he leaves this world for the dark realm of the dead.

EXPOSITION

Now Job addresses himself to the “real” God. His three friends misunderstand his case. Job begins to theorize on the motives for his suffering—is God sadistic? Job 10:4; is He making a mistake? Job 10:5; is He jealous of men’s pleasure and happiness? All restraint is removed.

Job 10:1—My complaint is that “my soul is sick of life.” Job is conversing with himself. Does God have a secret motive for afflicting him?

Job 10:2—“Do not condemn me” reveals that Job as well as his friends concluded from his suffering that God holds him guilty.

Job 10:3—Dhorme translates “Is it profitable to thee?” Job here charges God with injustice. “Can there be any justification for such a state of affairs? Because God made both the righteous and the unrighteous, Job requests to know why men are not treated with equity.

Job 10:4—Job’s basic question is not does God have limitations, but can He really understand the human condition? The Hebrew Epistle declares that God not only is capable of identification with man but that His incarnation is proof—see also Philippians 2:5 ff; 1 Samuel 16:7.

Job 10:5—Are God’s days as limited as man’s; is that why He is quick to exact punishment, even before Job does evil?

Job 10:6—He does not believe that God has found any sin in his life, even though He continually searches for it.

Job 10:7—If God knows that Job is innocent, then why does He seek to extract a confession of guilt? He knows that no one can take Job from His hand. Why is He punishing Job, as though he is about to slip through His fingers?

Job 10:8-9—You formed me with your hands; why are you destroying your own creation? The potter-clay parallel is found in Genesis 3:19; Psalms 90:3; Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:4 ff; and Romans 9:20.

Job 10:10-11—The imagery alludes to the formation of the embryo in the womb. “Semen poured like milk into the womb, is coagulated like cheese, and finally bones and muscles are formed”—Psalms 139:13-16 and Ecclesiastes 11:5.

Job 10:12—By using imagery from the miracle of conception and birth, perhaps Job is affirming his belief in the providential order of God, before the suffering and pain befell him. This verse is of crucial importance for the understanding of chapters 9—10. “It shows that, although Job wrestles with God, he is conscious of his absolute dependence upon him” (Buttenweiser, Book of Job). The Hebrew text declares that God’s grace and covenant love, i.e., life and hesed—Psalms 63:4 a, are gifts for which he could never be adequately grateful. Hesed means piety, mercy, love, grace, and expresses relationships within the context of covenant. Another Hebrew word, hen, expresses similar connotations with the exception of the covenant relationship. In this verse hesed conveys the marks of divine favor. God cares (literally visits) for Job. Care is also used in a negative sense of visit for punishment—Hosea 9:7, but here it means a gracious visitation. Before Job’s unbearable punishment came upon him, God graciously, providentially visited his life in constant watch-care.

Job 10:13—Job’s present condition has convinced him that God concealed His true attitude toward His “servant” Job. Job mournfully contrasts his life when he thought that God truly cared for him in his present state. God was all along preparing a victim for sacrifice. God’s calculated cruelty was part of His ultimate purpose.

Job 10:14—God was watching every act and thought of Job and had already determined to deal cruelly with Job. The word translated “mark” (same as preserved in Job 10:12) means guard or protectively watch over. God’s gracious (Hesed) watch has turned to hostility. God is no longer his protector; He is now his cruel accuser—Job 7:18-20.

Job 10:15—Does Job merit all this misfortune? He is sated with ignominy, guilt, shame, and misery—but why? Has God determined that Job suffer whether he is wicked or righteous? Job has no pride left; he cannot lift up his head—Judges 8:28; Judges 11:15; Judges 22:26. Job receives nothing from God but trouble and more trouble.

Job 10:16—If my pride (the sense of R. S. V. is best) causes me to lift up my head (Heb. “he lifts himself up”), God would immediately attack me as though I were unrighteous. God’s wonders in creation are now contrasted with His wonders (A. V. marvelous) in torturing Job.

Job 10:17—His bitterness now overflows in irony. God’s witnesses against Job are his sufferings. God is ever bringing “fresh attacks, hosts, warfare”—saba—against him. There is no relief; God is hounding him to his grave—Job 7:1; Job 14:14,

Job 10:18-19—He now returns to his lament over being born—Job 3:1 ff. Note the emphatic “lamah,” why? This is the same word our Lord cried from the cross, quoting Psalms 22:1; Matthew 27:46. This haunting theme opened the discourse. But since not being born is not a live option for Job, he just suffers. Still we see the supreme value of life. In all his suffering, Job shows no sympathy with the idea of Schopenhauer and Camus, et. at, that the ultimate philosophical problem confronting man is—Why not commit suicide, if we live in a meaningless, amoral universe?

Job 10:20—The Hebrew literally states that “my days cease.” In this verse as a whole, Job asks God to take His attention (watch-care) away from him, in order that he might find comfort. This verse and Job 10:21 a virtually quote Ps. 39:14 (or vice versa).

Job 10:21—Job aspires to go into “deep darkness”—Job 3:5; Psalms 23.

Job 10:22—This verse contains an abundance of synonyms for darkness. In Sheol, light is but darkness. He is wearing his shroud of despair as he describes the miserable prospects of death—Job 7:21; Job 14:20 ff; Job 17:13 ff; Job 21:32 ff. Job vainly attempts to harmonize the God of his past and present experience. Chaos (literally without order) reigns in Sheol as well as here. This presents bleak prospects indeed; even death will not help his situation. He is not prepared “to pull his cloak about him and lie down to pleasant dreams,” but “to be or not to be” that is still the question. Still “No light but darkness visible.” God created order; man sinned and disordered the universe—Genesis 1-3. Disorder reigns between: (1) Man and God; (2) Man and himself; (3) Man and others; and (4) Man and nature. These areas of disorder are in Job’s life and ours. He is our contemporary.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 9-10

1. Job continues to maintain his innocence (Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20; Job 9:21; Job 10:7).

2. Job justifies his right to complain about his suffering seeing that he has done no wrong (Job 7:11; Job 10:1).

3. Seeing that Job is innocent he wants to know the “cause” of God permitting him to suffer (Job 6:24; Job 9:18; Job 10:2).

4. Job sees that once God has set himself in array against him (Job 6:4) and that He will not withdraw His anger (Job 9:13) until he is destroyed (Job 9:22; Job 10:8).

5. Seeing that Job is innocent yet God seeks to destroy him it is obviously “vain” to seek out a perfect and upright life (Job 9:29-35).

6. Consequentially, Job wishes he were never born (Job 3:3 ff), “loathes” his life (Job 7:16), “despises” his life (Job 9:21), and says, “My soul is weary of my life” (Job 10:1).

7. God is not fair to those who seek out perfection and righteousness in this life (Job 9:24; Job 10:3-4). God is not just in that He has fashioned man out of clay only to destroy him (Job 10:8)

8. There is no hope for Job. It doesn’t matter if Job asks God to forgive him of sin or continue in wickedness... God has set Himself in array against him and there is no hope (Job 6:4; Job 10:14-15).

9. Job, in a state of hopeless despair, tells God, “Cease then and leave me alone...” (Job 10:20) (See also Job 7:16; Job 7:19).

JOB ELEVEN

Zophar’s First Speech (Job 11:1-20):

“Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be justified? Should thy boastings make men hold their peace? And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” (Job 11:1-3).

Zophar, Job’s third friend to speak to him, feels duty bound to answer Job. Zophar considers Job’s charges against God and continued proclamation of innocence as “boastings” and “mocking” of God. The erring “talk” of Job must be “answered” and “shamed.” Herein we find the importance of making sure that we are right before answering and shaming another brother. While the Apostle Paul instructed the Ephesian Christians to expose the dark deeds of others he by no means intended for the Ephesians to shame men in areas where no sin existed (see Ephesians 5:11).

“For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in thine eyes. But oh that God would speak, And open his lips against thee, And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth” (Job 11:4-6).

Zophar has listened to Job defend his innocence in response to Elephaz and Bildad’s charges of sin (see Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20; Job 9:21; Job 10:7). Zophar tells Job that if God were to speak to him He would expose Job’s sinfulness. Seeing that Job is such a great sinner Zophar concludes, “Know therefore that God exacts of thee less than thine iniquity deserves.” Zophar believes that if Job got what he truly deserved it would be greater than the death of his children and loss of his physical health, it may be death.

“Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; What canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, And broader than the sea. If he pass through, and shut up, And all unto judgment, then who can hinder him? For he knoweth false men: He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not” (Job 11:7-11).

Zophar praises the omniscience and omnipotence of God. Man cannot attain to the level of perfection of Jehovah (see Romans 11:33-34). God does not sin and He never will. The omniscient all seeing and all-knowing eye of God identifies “false men” and God sees all the sin committed by man. Zophar is telling Job that he, like all else, cannot go unnoticed by the Lord. Though God may not punish the wicked deeds of some men He nonetheless takes note of it.

“But vain man is void of understanding, Yea, man is born as a wild ass’s colt. If thou set thy heart aright, And stretch out thy hands toward him; If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents” (Job 11:12-14).

The man who refuses to identify his sins and plead with God for forgiveness is “vain and void of understanding.” Job takes exception to this statement in chapter 12. Zophar recommends that Job put far away his iniquity and dwell in righteousness. Zophar is telling Job that he just needs to admit that he is not perfect and upright in heart.

“Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away, And thy life shall be clearer than the noonday; Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take thy rest in safety. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; Yea, many shall make suit unto thee. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, And they shall have no way to flee; And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost” (Job 11:15-20).

Zophar tells Job that if he would only admit his error then all the misery he has experienced shall be forgotten. There is hope for those who admit their error before Jehovah. Job considered his life hopeless yet Zophar tells him there is hope (Job 10:14-15).

EXPOSITION

Job 11:1—Zophar, the third of Job’s friends, enters. He is the least original and most vitriolic of Job’s counselors. He is more intense in asserting Job’s guilt than Job is his innocence. In fact, Zophar claims that Job should be thankful that he does not get all the suffering that he deserves. His speech falls into three sections: (1) Zophar wishes that God would break His silence—Job 11:2-6; (2) God’s wisdom is beyond human comprehension—Job 11:7-12; and (3) Restoration from Job’s present situation is contingent on repentance—Job 11:13-20. He neither appeals to personal experience, as does Eliphaz, nor to the wisdom of the ancients, as does Bildad. His authority is identical with God’s authority; and his wisdom is self-authenticating. Therefore, Job fails to heed his advice at his own peril. The literary form of his speech is similar to that of Bildad, esp. Job 11:2-6 to Job 8:2; Job 11:7-12 to Job 8:3-4; and Job 11:13-19 a to Job 8:5-7. A thematic difference is that Bildad defended “divine justice,” while Zophar defends “divine wisdom” which must be defended against Job’s scandalous criticism. But like the other two friends, he, too, suggests that Job’s repentance is imperative if restoration to a happy prosperity is to be anticipated. His fundamental heresy, which is shared by contemporary western man, is that happiness will elude all non-prosperous persons.

Job 11:2—Zophar is annoyed by Job’s long speech.

Job 11:3—The word “boasting,” which is found in the A. V., comes from a Hebrew word generally meaning “idle talk,” i.e., babbling. Job has denied the doctrine of retributive justice—Job 6:28; Job 6:30; Job 9:21; Job 10:15; and in Zophar’s theology this means “mocking at religion” (A. V. “when thou mockest”)—Isaiah 16:6; Jeremiah 48:30.

Job 11:4—“My doctrine is pure” was understood by his friends to be an attack on their wisdom, by claiming a superior understanding. The phrase “in thine eyes” refers to God’s eyes. The problem is—If Job is saying that he is “pure in God’s eyes” (the Hebrew says “I am pure in your eyes”), why is he complaining about God’s injustice?

Job 11:5—Zophar believes that if God would break His silence, then Job would hear his indictment from God Himself.

Job 11:6—God’s wisdom is beyond the human mind’s comprehension. The Hebrew word hisplayim means double, not “manifold.” A. V. the sense is that God knows both the hidden and non-hidden. The last line declares that God gives Job less than he deserves.

JOB TWELVE

Job Answers Zophar (Job 12:1-25):

“Then Job answered and said, No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you. But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these? I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock” (Job 12:1-4).

Job’s patience with his three friends has worn thin. He has calmly disputed their claims of his error and maintained his innocence. Now he contends with them saying, “When you die wisdom will die with you” (as if to say you three think you are the only ones with wisdom). Job boldly proclaims, “I have understanding as you; I am not inferior to you.” Yet one or both must be wrong! Job is the one undergoing the intense trial and therefore he considers this justification for his words. Job reveals to us that it is not only the ordeal of loosing his children and physical health but also the fact that he has become “a laughing-stock to his neighbor.”

Job continues to question how that a “just and perfect man” can be a “laughing stock” to neighbors. The book of Job has clearly identified God’s view of man’s perfection. Job states that the perfect man is one who “fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:1), “upright” (Job 1:8), opposite of “evil doers” (Job 8:20), “righteous” (Job 9:20), and is “just” (Job 12:4).

“In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth. The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this, In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?” (Job 12:5-10).

Job considers his friends as men “at ease” in relation to hardships yet they poor contemptuous words of mockery at their friends misfortune. Job returns to his argument about God not being fair to the just, righteous and perfect. Robbers and they that provoke God prosper and are secure while the just suffer (see Job 9:24; Job 10:3). Job challenges his friends to ask the beasts, birds, the earth, and the fishes of the sea about God. Certainly they would teach and tell Elephaz, Bildad, and Zophar that God is in control of all every living thing as well as mankind.

“Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food? With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding. With God is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his. He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools. He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle. He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty. He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders. He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong. He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive. He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man” (Job 12:11-25).

Job proclaims that it is as natural for him to question why he is suffering as it is for the ear to try words and for palates to taste food. Job has previously justified his complaining by looking to natural events (see Job 6:5-7; Job 7:11-15). Job looks to the providence of God and observes that He alone controls the outcomes in not only individual’s lives and courses of nature but also the direction of entire nations. Job’s point is that God is the one who is behind human suffering and every direction an animal, the earth, a man, or even nations take. Job wants to know what the point of serving such a one in perfect and just manner is if He controls every event of our lives (Reminds us of Romans 9).

EXPOSITION

Job 12:1—This is Job’s longest speech apart from his final soliloquy. Each of his three friends has spoken and has unanimously refused to accept Job’s claim to innocence. Now, after his attack on God, he turns with burning sarcasm on his three would-be counselors. In resume each has strongly asserted that a sovereign creator Lord governs the universe. In another doxology Job describes how God, in His own wisdom, guides the rise and fall of peoples, nations, and civilizations. Each participant in the drama has set forth God’s sovereignty as a theological truth but each generated a false deduction. In the concrete world of space-time, it is not often an easy task to decipher the presence of a holy, righteous God in human affairs. The friends reject the “mystery” explanations. But the empirical evidence does not always support the claims of God’s three would-be spokesmen. Job could endure this brief pitiful pilgrimage of pain if there could finally be happy reconciliation with God. But death is the end of everything (note this attitude is comparable to the contemporary Buddhist influence in American culture—“Live it up today; today is all you may have”). The speech hurtles us toward the same terminal despair as before in chapters 7 and 10. The speech falls neatly into three themes: (1) Job’s resentment of the assumed superiority of his friends and recognition of God’s power and wisdom (Job 12:2-25); (2) Rejection of the empty arguments of his friends and his determination to reason with God (Job 13:1-28); and (3) Painful acknowledgement of the brevity of life and the ultimacy of death (Job 14:1-22).

Job 12:2—Job addresses his listeners as “people of the land” Cam), who represent the upper class male citizenry. Only royalty and the priesthood rank above them. With biting sarcasm, Job suggests that wisdom will pass from the earth at their demise. They really have only a monopoly on ignorance.

Job 12:3—In view of Zophar’s comparison of Job with a wild ass in Job 11:20, Job asserts that he has ‘a heart,’ here in the American Version is translated ‘understanding’ (or comprehension). “I am not inferior to you” is repeated in Job 13:2.

Job 12:4—Job expected sympathy, but received scorn. Instead of support, his friends make him an object of derision, (Job 8:21; Jeremiah 20:7). To Job his afflictions are not God’s answers, but his despotic response to his cry for help. The just and blameless man is a laughing stock (Genesis 6; Genesis 9; Ezekiel 14:14; Ezekiel 14:20).

Job 12:5—This could represent an adage expressing general attitude toward anyone fallen into difficulties. Job’s prosperous friends have nothing but contempt for him in his misfortune. Job is here attacking the theology of the prosperous. The second line means that the Mends not only withhold help, they even intensify Job’s misfortune.

Job 12:6—There are a number of grammatical difficulties in this verse, but the meaning is probably “those who make a god of their own power” (Moffatt) are secure; at least the empirical evidence often suggests this deduction. This is Job’s presentation of the anomalies of God’s providence.

Job 12:7—Job begins by addressing all three Mends. Here the pronoun is in the singular, so he is focusing on one, presumably the last speaker, Zophar. The wisdom which is being exemplified by Job’s friends is common wisdom even to the lowest animals in God’s creation (Job 9:22-24). Job’s irony is resumed and concurs with the judgment of Oscar Wilde, that there is “enough misery in one narrow London lane to disprove the notion that God is love.”

Job 12:8—Why should Job’s friends emphasize God’s sovereignty over the universe, even the birds of the air and beasts of the field know it. Nature is “red in tooth and claw,” and only by brute predatory power do they prevail within nature.

Job 12:9—This is the only verse in the discourse which contains the sacred tetragrammaton (Yahweh). This is strange in that Job’s friends are Arabs, and not children of the covenant. But the root significance of Yahweh is probably at the heart of the discussion; i.e., the cause of everything is God. The phrase is a direct quotation of Isaiah 41:20 (or vice versa). See the quotation in Job 1:21 also. The pronoun “this” is obscure. To what does it refer? Perhaps to all that Zophar has said, or rather, all that Job has asserted in Job 12:4 ff concerning the amoral nature of the universe.

Job 12:10—God is Lord of every “human individual”—Jeremiah 32:27; Numbers 16:22; and Numbers 17:16. The words translated “life” and “breath” are the same ones rendered “soul” and “spirit” in Job 7:11.

Job 12:11—As the palate tastes food, so the intelligence of man evaluates available ideas. Job suggests that the ideas of his friends are not palatable—Jonah 3:7; Daniel 3:10; Eze 4:21; Proverbs 26:16; 1 Samuel 21:14.

Job 12:12—Taken as an assertion the content does not seem to accord with Job’s other words. But taken as a question with a negative implication, it accords with his previous evaluation. The discourse clearly reveals the futility of dialogue between persons whose ultimate presuppositions are mutually exclusive. Fruitful discussion requires a clear definition and the public awareness of the assumptions on which the discussion stands. Job and his friends have different views of God and His transcendence and immanence within nature and history.

Job 12:13—God only has power and wisdom (2 Kings 18:20). Though Job’s friends have not asserted that might and wisdom are possessions which only the “old” may receive, neither does Job assert that God keeps all of this wisdom and power to Himself. The universe reveals God’s absolute power, but does not expose His cosmic expression of justice. If God is the ultimate source of all things (Job 12:13-21), then He is responsible for pain and suffering.

Job 12:14—God’s sovereignty is cosmic. And man, especially Job, cannot discern any moral dimension in His violence. The victims of God’s violence are from both the wicked and the righteous—Psalms 107; Isaiah 54:24ff. Compare the verbatim agreement of Psalms 107 and Job 12:21 a and 24b. Though God’s might may be applied with loving kindness and beneficence, Job sees only destructive violence and human ruin. The imprisonment to which God shuts up the universe is to be taken both figuratively and literally.

Job 12:15—Job presents an example of God’s amoral behavior by the extremes of flood and drought. God has the power to dominate the water systems of His creation, but He does so with complete disregard for man’s needs. God’s might is arbitrary and despotic.

Job 12:16—God’s wisdom is always efficient, i.e., it is always victorious. All of mankind falls into one of the two categories—deceived or deceiver. Thus far God has been scrutinized under three categories: (1) wisdom and power, (2) counsel and understanding, and (3) might and prudence—compare with Job 11:7-10. But Job denies Zophar’s conclusion about evil—Job 11:11.

Job 12:17—God makes all human counselors go stripped or barefoot—Micah 1:8. Perhaps the meaning is that God leads all would-be counselors into confusion or error.

Job 12:18—Here we encounter imagery of the liberation of prisoners (Isaiah 52:2; Psalms 116:16). In Job 39:5, the words are applied to a wild ass’s release from restraint. This verse contrasts former glory with present humiliation. The binding of a king’s loins is an image of being reduced to the status of a menial laborer. They are stripped of their royal robes and sandals and made to work with their hands and backs. Theirs have been troubled economic times, too.

Job 12:19—Even the established (‘etanim means perpetual, Jeremiah 5:14) authorities in the cultural are humiliated. Priests are mentioned only here in Job. Honored and influential persons are as nothing in the face of God’s power.

Job 12:20—The honored community leaders are baffled by a sudden turn from prosperity to ruin. Compare with persons who lost their fortunes in 1929 or since through bad investments. The spokesmen for the community are reduced to silence (deprived of speech, literally, removes the lip). Their discernment (taste-palate) is also removed.

Job 12:21—Psalms 107:40 is identical with the first line of this verse and the second line of Job 12:24. The belt—Psalms 109:19 referred to here was used to strengthen the back, especially during hard labor. The word aphik normally means ‘water-channels’ but here ‘strong.’ Streams are called aphikim because they follow rapidly or strongly.

Job 12:22—God recovers plots and conspiracies out of the deepest darkness. Before Him, there is no hiding place. Nothing designed by men can be hidden from the sovereign Lord of creation. He exposes all secrets. Even Sheol cannot hide its prey from Him.

Job 12:23—Another example of the amoral nature of the universe is seen in the rise and fall of nations and civilizations. God’s arbitrary exercise of power is visible in the “rise” and “fall” of world powers.

Job 12:24—Where there is no intelligence (literally heart-rendered understanding in A. V.) no nation or civilization can long endure. When the organizing principle of any social group is either abandoned or forgotten, it does not have long to live. Compare the second part of this verse with Psalms 107:40 b, where the Hebrew is identical. The “no way” of A. V. is waste (Heb. tohu—Genesis 1:2; Deuteronomy 32:10) or disordered. The “formless” of our translations makes no sense, as matter cannot be formless, but it can be disordered. Job is here setting forth a philosophy of history and culture.

Job 12:25—Men grope in unrelieved darkness. They grope as blind men and stagger or wander—Job 12:24. When God removes understanding, men continue to move and function, but purposelessly (Psalms 107:27; Isaiah 19:14; Isaiah 24:20; Romans 1:18 ff; Proverbs 29:18; and John 1:18; Colossians 1:17; Ephesians 1:10). Life is meaningless to millions in our present world because nothing and no one organizes their lives meaningfully. But if the universe is purposeless and thus amoral, then what else could either Job or contemporaries expect? H. Thielicke says of our world—that it is the first generation which has “absolutized nothingness.”’

JOB THIRTEEN

Job continues his reply to Zophar (Job 13:1-28):

“Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, Mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, the same do I know also: I am not inferior unto you” (Job 13:1-2).

Elephaz, Bildad, and Zophar have observed things about God and consequentially charges against Job. Job says, wait a moment, I too have understanding and have made observations about God and man. “I am not inferior unto you.” While one group maintains Job’s guilt and consequential sin the man Job continues to maintain his innocence and thereby has no answer as to why God is doing this to him. One must be correct or neither correct!

“Surely I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. But ye are forgers of lies; Ye are all physicians of no value. Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it would be your wisdom. Hear now my reasoning, And hearken to the pleadings of my lips” (Job 13:3-6).

Zophar seems to have pushed the final button with Job. He has had all he can stand of his three friends “forgers of lies... and physicians of no value.” Job requests that his friends would stop trying to help him and just be quiet. While he has listened to their stinging rebuke he now pleads with them to try to understand where he is coming from.

“Will ye speak unrighteously for God, And talk deceitfully for him? Will ye show partiality to him? Will ye contend for God? Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive him? He will surely reprove you, If ye do secretly show partiality. Shall not his majesty make you afraid, And his dread fall upon you? Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defenses are defenses of clay” (Job 13:7-12).

Job now charges Elephaz, Bildad, and Zophar with sin. Due to their speaking un-righteously and deceitfully for God “He will surely reprove you.” Job tells his friends that their memorable sayings about his sin and consequential suffering are as ashes and their defense as clay. Job tells his friends that their charges of sin are merely clay assumptions on their part.

“Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak; And let come on me what will. Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hand? Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope: Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him. This also shall be my salvation, That a godless man shall not come before him” (Job 13:13-16).

Job tells his friends to not speak to him any longer and to “leave me alone.” Job has concluded that God will “slay me; I have no hope.” Job has concluded that once God has set himself against one there is no hope for such a one (see Job 6:4; Job 10:14-15). Though there is no hope of living Job shall “maintain my ways before him” (i.e., I am innocent-see Job 6:10; Job 6:24; Job 7:20; Job 9:21; Job 10:7) as he has done all along. Job’s only hope is that he knows that a godless man will not stand in the day of judgment before God yet a righteous man will. Job has no hope on earth but there is hope after this life.

“Hear diligently my speech, And let my declaration be in your ears. Behold now, I have set my cause in order; I know that I am righteous. Who is he that will contend with me? For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost. Only do not two things unto me; Then will I not hide myself from thy face: Withdraw thy hand far from me; And let not thy terror make me afraid. Then call thou, and I will answer; Or let me speak, and answer thou me” (Job 13:17-22).

Job once more confidently affirms, “I know that I am righteous” and demands that his friends give a heedful ear. Job asks two things from his friends: First, take away their hands of reproach and secondly, stop trying to terrorize me with your fearful sayings.

“How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, And holdest me for thine enemy? Wilt thou harass a driven leaf? And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? For thou writest bitter things against me, And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth: Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, And markest all my paths; Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet: Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth, Like a garment that is moth-eaten” (Job 13:23-28).

Job now challenges God with hiding his face and counting him as His enemy. Job maintains his innocence confidently before God. The only sins that Job knows of are the sins of his youth. Job wants God to tell him where he has messed up in life to deserve such treatment. He knows that he has not sinned against God and thereby demands that God tell him why he is causing all this suffering. Bold words from a man to Jehovah God.

EXPOSITION

Job 13:1—Job warns of defending God dishonestly: by opposing his experience to that of Eliphaz—Job 4:8; Job 4:12; Job 5:3; Job 5:27. He turns to face God with his charges regardless of the cost.

Job 13:2—This is a repetition of Job 12:3 b.

Job 13:3—Job’s “but as for me” is possibly a sarcastic response to Eliphaz’s use of the same phrase. He told Job “but as for me, I would seek God.” Job replies, “but as for me,” I will challenge him to defend His behavior. Job desires to “reason” (cf. Isaiah 1:18—reflective, reason together) with God. The term is a juridical word which means argue, reprove, reason in the sense of establish a case. Two emphatic words strongly set forth Job’s commitment to debate God, rather than his counselors. He denounces them.

Job 13:4—He accused his friends with forging a lie (“plasterers of lies”—verb means “to besmear” Psalms 119:69) to cover up the pain and agony which God causes. They are healers of no value (eli—may come from the root, not, i.e., worthless). Physicians, heal yourselves!

Job 13:5—Even a fool that is silent is counted among the wise—Proverbs 17:28. He implies that if his friends are truly wise they would show it by their silence. It is not their lot to shatter God’s silence.

Job 13:6—Hear (emphatic in Hebrew) my reproof—Proverbs 1:23-25. The noun is from a root to “argue my case” (Job 13:3). The R. S. V. is perhaps the best translation of this verse. Now to the impeachment in Job 13:7-9.

Job 13:7—Literally, you speak injustice (noun “wrong” Job 6:29; and parallel to deceit in Job 27:4). For God is in the emphatic position. The meaning is that—For God—you lie or speak deceitfully. Will you defend God by speaking “proverbs of ashes”?

Job 13:8—Will you present God your face as His defender? What would God think (and do) if He investigated your actions? If God is a foe of injustice, He would be your foe. God’s cause is always the “cause of truth.” He is not flattered by your present dishonorable behavior. Why show favoritism with God, if He is just?

Job 13:9—Sarcasm continues to flow as mighty waters from Job’s mouth. God is the sovereign creator of everything; He cannot be flattered. If God “searched” out the truth (same word used by Eliphaz Job 5:27) He would condemn you too.

Job 13:10—Job’s prediction is later fulfilled, Job 42:7 f. The paradox here is seen as Job affirms his own righteous indignation against lying deceivers, and the creator of the universe seems less concerned than he is. This thesis is shared by contemporary naturalistic humanists who build their world-live view on the assumption of the inherent worth of the individual. Yet scientific naturalism’s “functional” view of man precludes any defense of such a universal value. There is no way to empirically justify a universal moral value.

Job 13:11—There is a magnificent play on words here in the Hebrew text. The parallelism between God’s majesty (se’etho) or “lifting up” and “show partiality” indicates that God’s face (lift up his face) will strike fear or horror not joy in the beholder.

Job 13:12—Job accuses his friends of coming to his aid with “proverbs of ashes.” (Zikrom—maxims or memorials) Their words serve no purpose; they are already dead. Their answers (gabbim) are like crumbling clay (4:70), with biting sarcasm he becomes more aggressive. “How long will you rake trifles” or debris (megabbeb)? Your words and arguments are useless bits of clay.

Job 13:13—The pronoun I is emphatic. Once more he is asking that his friends keep silent that he may speak to God.

Job 13:14—There is a problem in this verse in that it begins with “why.” But the sense is clear enough; since his life may pass away any moment, he will not hesitate to risk his life (Hebrew nepes) by confronting God (Judges 12:3; 1 Samuel 19:5; and 1 Samuel 28:21).

Job 13:15—With abandoned desperation, Job is prepared to challenge God. Yet (A. V. nevertheless is strong Hebrew adversative) absolutely nothing will cause Job to refrain from defending his innocence. His suffering is not self-entailed, his conscience is clear. He is not a rebel without a cause. Job is not revolting against God; rather he is going to face Him. Evil men inevitably run from the face or presence of God, as Adam did (Genesis 3:8) and Jonah.

Job 13:16—Perhaps he can be saved by boldness, as Dostoevsky mistakenly thought, that man could be saved by suffering, to whom all suffering was vicarious. To Job, his readiness to face God is his guarantee of innocence. He believes that if God should speak to him, He would do so favorably. But love alone knows the healing art.

Job 13:17—’Job calls for his opponents to listen carefully. Hear is a plural imperative—Job 13:6.

Job 13:18—Job says I will set my things in order (Genesis 22:9; Psalms 23:5; Job 23:4-5; Job 27:19) and gain for myself acquittal (Job 11:2).

Job 13:19—My things are in order—now “who can contend with me” (Isaiah 1:8)? Who can sustain the charge of guilty? If one could reveal to him his guilt, he would gladly become silent and acknowledge his wickedness—through silence.

Job 13:20—Spare me two things: (1) one request is negative, (2) one positive. The substance of Job’s present request has been presented before in Job 9:34; see also Isaiah 51:19; Jeremiah 2:13. God first gives Job peace “in suffering” before relief “from suffering.” Job addresses God directly throughout the remainder of his speech.

Job 13:21—Job’s two-pronged request is here stated: (1) “withdraw your hand” (yadecha) used in both positive sense of protection, and negative sense of afflicting pain and suffering (Exodus 33:22; and (2) do not use your sovereign power to terrify me.

Job 13:22—The imagery is that of a law court where Job offers to appear as either appellant or respondent—Job 14:15. The call is for either fellowship or indictment.

Job 13:23—Job boldly asks for God to list the number and nature of his sins. There are three different Hebrew words for sin used here: (1) root meaning to deviate from prescribed course; (2) root to miss attaining a goal or fulfilling an intentionally chosen goal; and (3) root form to revolt, freely rebel (Psalms 51).

Job 13:24—God does not break His silence.

Job 13:25—The A. V. harass should be translated something like terrify. Why should God, as sovereign of the universe, assail one so trivial and impotent to meet His challenge—Psalms 1:4?

Job 13:26—Has some sin in my youth brought on your bitter punishment? (Psalms 25:7) The word translated “bitter” is used of poison Job 20:14, and gall bladder in Job 20:25.

Job 13:27—The three images employed here suggest arrest and the impossibility of escape (Job 33:11). God draws a line and no one can step beyond it. Slaves were identified by markings on various parts of the body (Isaiah 44:5; Isaiah 49:16), apparently also on the sole of the slaves’ feet, in order to make tracking easier.

Job 13:28—His life is rotten and like a pest-eaten vine decaying with no hope of recovery. This is despair conceived in the womb of pessimism and fathered by “manacles of the mind.”

JOB FOURTEEN

Job speaks of Man’s Frailty (Job 14:1-22):

“Man, that is born of a woman, Is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one, And bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. Seeing his days are determined, The number of his months is with thee, And thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Look away from him, that he may rest, Till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day” (Job 14:1-6).

Job seems to be calmed down after he has ranted and raved about the foolishness of his friends. Job looks to man and sees that he is “born of a woman, lives a few days, and these days are full of trouble.” All of mankind faces troubles of some sort in life. Though man’s beginnings are likened unto a beautiful flower they soon fade in weakness. In this weakened state God judges man. You may recall that Jacob had made a similar response to Pharaoh of Egypt when he was asked how old he was. Jacob said, “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage” (Genesis 47:8

Job understands man to be those God closely watches and sets the limits of time upon their lives. Job then asks if the Lord could look away from him for a moment that he may enjoy a bit of rest before his time ends.

“For there is hope of a tree, If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, And that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, And the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, And put forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth, and is laid low: Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, And the river wasteth and drieth up; So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep. Oh that thou wouldest hide me in Sheol, That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” (Job 14:7-13).

Job considers the tree that even has hope. If a tree is cut down its stump may die but the roots will sprout new growth and it will live again. Yet when man dies there is no coming back to the earth. Job asks the question, “Once a man dies where is he?” There was apparently not much revealed at this point regarding man’s resurrection and life after death in. Job seems to hint at an understanding that this life is short, his suffering will be over once in Shoel, and then he prays that once God’s wrath is past that he would “remember me.”

Solomon wrote, “He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). God has created each individual with an inner knowledge that enables him to have an understanding or yearning for “eternity.” Man, by nature, exhibits this truth by having inner feelings of dissatisfaction with sinful things of this life. Not only so but God has given man the inner ability to know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15). Man has been divinely created to perceive divine design from personal observations of the universe (Romans 1:20 ff). Man personally observes and knows innately that homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27) and marring the distinctive lines of male and female (1 Corinthians 11:14) goes against the divine design of God’s creation.

“If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare would I wait, Till my release should come. Thou wouldest call, and I would answer thee: Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thy hands. But now thou numberest my steps: Dost thou not watch over my sin? My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And thou fastenest up mine iniquity” (Job 14:14-17).

Job states that if a man shall live after he dies then he would patiently wait out his horrid ordeal. Now; however, is the present and God continues to watch over his sin and seal it up in a bag and hold it against him.

“But the mountain falling cometh to nought; And the rock is removed out of its place; The waters wear the stones; The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of the earth: So thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth; Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them. But his flesh upon him hath pain, And his soul within him mourneth” (Job 14:18-22).

Just when Job seems to be making strides in understanding his plight he reverts to his error. Job continues to see God as one who removes and destroys hope from man. Job sees his life before him as one that God prevails over until his death. Once such a one as Job dies he will not know the honor that comes to his sons or anything else that happens on the earth. Meanwhile; however, there is nothing but pain and mourning that occupies the current life.

EXPOSITION

Job 14:1—Job continues to generalize his agonizing cry, returning to the theme expressed in Job 7:17. Man’s[160] frail origin betrays him to the suffering in an amoral universe. Life is so short (Job 7:6 ff; Job 9:25 f; Genesis 47:9). Here both pity and contempt are mixed as oil and water. His condition arouses the contrary feelings of wonder and despair. The Hebrew text will not sustain the assumption of some of the Church Fathers that this verse sets forth the doctrine of “original sin.” Job 14:7-12 are parallel strophes which sharply contrast man’s limitations, not just Job’s. Here we encounter another paradox; if Job is describing the condition of humanity, why is he preoccupied with his own plight? Wonder is a powerful human response to reality. Plato correctly claims that all series thinking (Philosophy) begins with wonder. Again in the decade of the ‘60’s wonder appeared in the Dionysian spirit re-dividius. Sam Keen’s Apology for Wonder can be celebrated only because of God’s Wonder, Christ (Isaiah 9:1 ff) “and His name dull be called wonder.” The Hebrew word is a noun-wonder, not an adjective, which is translated by “wonderful.”

Job 14:2—In Job’s powerful description he uses a verb “comes forth” which is often applied to plants—Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 40:6 f; Psalms 90:6; Psalms 103:15 f; Job 8:9; James 1:10 f. Nothing is more ephemeral than a flower. “Life’s but a walking shadow” (Macbeth) Even the longest life is but a brief flickering candle—Psalms 90:9-10 and filled with strife (rogez—also Job 3:17; Job 3:26).

Job 14:3—Why should God scrutinize one so ephemeral as man? To “open your eyes” means to focus attention on or to pay attention to. “Me” is in the emphatic position which focuses attention on Job.

Job 14:4—Pope, et al. suggest that this verse be deleted because the context speaks of the shortness of life and not his wickedness. Job is concerned with his sin and guilt in Job 14:16-17. “Who will give (Hebrew mi yitten) cleanness to the unclean?” The text says “not one,” but ultimately only God.

Job 14:5—Since man’s life is so short, why doesn’t God just leave him alone? The verse contains a rather fatalistic note. If God has determined (literally cut, perhaps engrave a statute on stone) everything and it is thus under his control, let these conditions suffice Him.

Job 14:6—God, stop your cruel surveillance of man. Let him alone—Ps. 39:14. Let him enjoy each day like a laborer who receives his reward each evening at the close of the work day (Job 7:1). Job’s attitude was completely at variance with that of Milton who ever lived “under the Great Taskmaster’s eye.”

Job 14:7—The figures now change to a tree. Trees can be cut down, but some species will sprout again. Even trees have more hope than men (Job 14:7-9 reveal Near Eastern custom of cutting trees off in order to produce new life.)

Job 14:8—A tree may not be completely dead, but drought retards its growth. The roots are withering in the ground.

Job 14:9—But the scent of water will bring new hope for life (Psalms 92:12 f; and Proverbs 14:11).

Job 14:10—There are two Hebrew roots for man in this verse, one “to be strong” and “to be weak.” (The word translated “laid low” in A. V. is h-l-s—weakening, defeating, or helpless; the “gibbor” is a strong person, translated in A. V. as “giveth up the ghost.”) Even a strong man dies and is no more (Joel 3:10). Job here reflects a very limited view of life after death.

Job 14:11—Though the contexts are different, the second line of this verse is identical with Isaiah 19:5 b. Dhorme’s point is well taken regarding the word rendered “sea.” The Hebrew term is used in a wider sense than the sea; it can mean a lake (Isaiah 19:5). The sea could not dry up; if it did it would not make any difference to the dead.

Job 14:12—When man lies down to pleasant dreams, “they shall not wake,” as long as the heavens do not burst.

Job 14:13—Job passionately longs for life. If there is a positive possibility of life after death, then Job could endure the present affliction. The abode of the dead (Sheol) could be Job’s hiding place. (Read Isaiah 26:20 and Amos 9:2.) Perhaps he is acknowledging a belief in life after death, or a strong desire that there might be one.

Job 14:14—The LXX omits the interrogative, and makes Job deliver a positive claim—“he shall live again.”‘ The image is derived from a military figure of soldiers being relieved after strenuous service—Job 7:1.

Job 14:15—Again two views of God are struggling within Job’s heart. He “longs for” the former days of fellowship with God, from which his present agony has cut him off. Job so deeply longs for this relationship with God (Hebrew, care, be pale, color of silver) (Genesis 31:30; Psalms 84:3; and Isaiah 29:22) that he is sick with care.

Job 14:16—This verse probably continues Job 14:15, so R. S. V., but not A. V. God is graciously watching over Job’s every step; then, all of a sudden, God is jealously observing every detail in his life. Job’s hope is in the future; perhaps God will change His attitude toward him. The negative particle “not” in Job 14:16 is inserted in order to smooth out the poetic parallelism. Job has vehemently complained—Job 7:12; Job 7:19, of God’s tyrannical observation, as a cosmic moral efficiency expert; now he hopes for grace rather than surveillance.

Job 14:17—The imagery reflects that of accounting or recording of Job’s sins. He seeks to be acknowledged as righteousness. Righteousness is always a correlate of right relations in our daily experiences. Job has come as a Titan hoping to meet God as an equal. There has been no room for “grace” in the relationship. Job desires to meet God face to face but “neither to change nor falter, nor repent." Job has sought justification by seeking righteousness. “Rather than seek help he would prefer to be himself with all the tortures of hell, if so it must be.” Job has come before God with a radical over-self estimate of himself; and therein is his “sickness unto death.’"

Job 14:18—How can man hope to escape destruction, since the greatest mountains can be leveled, and the deepest valleys covered over. Impermanence is the central theme.

Job 14:19—As water erodes the stones, so God is destroying (eroding) man’s hope. Job here dismisses the very possibility of life after death. We can hope—until that ultimate leveler—death smashes our last moment of life.

Job 14:20—In man’s last moment of struggle against death, he is defeated by the despair of finality. Death is extreme and permanent in its conflict with human hope. The phrase “sends them away” is a verb used euphemistically of dying—“The land from whose borne no traveler has returned”—Job 10:21; 2 Samuel 12:23; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Ecclesiastes 3:20; and Psalms 39:13.

Job 14:21—The dead have no knowledge—Ecclesiastes 9:5. This is the fate of all mankind. Even children, who think only of life, also share in this fate—Job 1:9. Consciousness in death is limited only to the dead individual, so claims Job. Those who “come to honor” are also “brought low.” The sense of R. S. V. is more in line with the text than that of the A. V.

Job 14:22—Job now abandons the traditional resolution of man’s troubles, that of leaving a prosperous family behind. But Job has no family. Whether the source be Job or classical naturalistic liberals, it is not very exciting to hope only in the survival of humanity—Job 18:13 and Isaiah 66:24.

The first series of speeches is ended. Job is enslaved more deeply in despair than in the initial lament. The “slough of despond” is deeper than his pain. “There he was ‘half in love with easeful death’“ here he stands alone before “the grisly terror” (Job, Interpreters Bible, Vol. III, p. 1015). But “Death Be Not Proud” for The Shattering of Silence is yet to come.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 11-14

1. Zophar, like Bildad and Eliphaz before him, charges Job with sin (see Job 11:6; Job 11:11-14).

2. Job continues to identify the Bible concept of “perfect.” The perfect man is one who “fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:1), “upright” (Job 1:8), opposite of “evil doers” (Job 8:20), “righteous” (Job 9:20), and is “just” (Job 12:4).

3. Job continues to justify his complaining and questioning the “why” or “cause” of his suffering (Job 12:11-12; see also Job 6:5-7; Job 7:11-15).

4. Job continues to maintain his innocence (Job 13:3-12).

5. Job continues to view his life as one of no hope (Job 13:15).

6. Job continues to believe that God’s wrath is being pored out upon him (Job 14:13) and thereby God is against him (Job 13:23-28). Job believes that God is not fair to those who strive for perfection in this life (Job 12:5-6; see also Job 9:24; Job 10:3).

7. Job considers eternity in light of his current suffering (Job 14:14).

JOB FIFTEEN

Eliphaz Reaffirms his charges of Sin against Job (Job 15:1-35)

“Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Should a wise man make answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?” (Job 15:1-2).

We were introduced to Eliphaz (along with Bildad and Zophar) at Job 2:11. Eliphaz was the first of Job’s friends to speak to him (see Job 4:1 ff). Eliphaz, after listening to Job bemoan his situation, told Job that he is suffering due to some wrong he has committed in his life (Job 4:4-9). Eliphaz further suggested that Job take God’s correction and chastening with a “happy” disposition (Job 5:17) because such correction is for Job’s “good” (Job 5:27). Eliphaz has heard his two other friends likewise charge Job with sin and he has listened to Job’s response. Job has maintained his innocence and Eliphaz continues to be flabbergasted at Job’s unwillingness to admit that he has sin in his life. Job’s words, in the mind of Eliphaz, are as “vain knowledge and the east wind.”

“Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? Yea, thou doest away with fear, and hinderest devotion before God. For thine iniquity teaches thy mouth, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemns thee, and not I; Yea, thine own lips testify against thee” (Job 15:3-6).

Eliphaz charges Job with spending useless time in speeches that will not remove his current distress. To plead one’s case of innocence, to justify one’s complaining against God’s chastening, to charge God with being against you is all useless in relation to gaining relief from the current distress. Job needs to admit he has sinned and repent before the God of heaven. Eliphaz believes that Job’s ranting and charging God with being unfair, unmerciful, and not listening to man’s affairs has in itself condemned him as a sinner.

“Art thou the first man that was born? Or wast thou brought forth before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou, that we know not? What understandest thou, which is not in us? With us are both the grayheaded and the very aged men, much elder than thy father” (Job 15:7-10).

The conversation between Job and his three friends has turned more personal now. Job has charged his friends with being liars and deceitful (Job 13:4 ff) and his friends have charged him with having a disposition of superiority. The three friends Job is talking with are apparently men of great age (gray-headed and the very aged men).

“Are the consolations of God too small for thee, even the word that is gentle toward thee? Why doth thy heart carry thee away? And why do thine eyes flash, That against God thou turnest thy spirit, and lettest words go out of thy mouth? What is man, that he should be clean? And he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous?” (Job 15:11-14).

Eliphaz continues to treat Job as a sinner who is ungrateful for the provisions God has made for such a one as he. While Job has thought that God has set Himself in array (Job 6:4) with wrath (Job 14:13) against him Eliphaz says that it is Job that has actually set himself “against God.”

“Behold, he puts no trust in his holy ones; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight: how much less one that is abominable and corrupt, a man that drinks sin like water!” (Job 15:15-16).

Eliphaz reminds Job that there are even unclean angels (“holy ones” that have lost their sanctification) that God puts no trust in (see 2 Peter 2; Jude). How does Job think that God will consider his state of perfection seeing that he “drinks sin like water?”

“I will show thee, hear thou me; and that which I have seen I will declare (Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it; unto whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them): the wicked man travails with pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor” (Job 15:17-20).

Eliphaz confidently tells Job of his observations through the years regarding the wicked and consequential suffering. Eliphaz has concluded by careful observation that man suffers because of his sin.

“A sound of terrors is in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him. He believes not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is waited for of the sword. He wanders abroad for bread, saying, where is it? He knows that the day of darkness is ready at his hand. Distress and anguish make him afraid; they prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle. Because he hath stretched out his hand against God and behaved himself proudly against the Almighty” (Job 15:21-25).

Eliphaz has furthered observed that the wicked have “distress and anguish.” Job has repeatedly asked for the cause of his “distress and anguish” (see Job 6:24; Job 9:18; Job 10:2). Eliphaz answers Job’s question by saying, Job, you are suffering “Because he hath stretched out his hand against God and behaved himself proudly against the Almighty.”

“He runs upon him with a stiff neck, with the thick bosses of his bucklers; because he hath covered his face with his fatness, and gathered fat upon his loins; and he hath dwelt in desolate cities, in houses which no man inhabited, which were ready to become heaps; he shall not be rich, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall their possessions be extended on the earth. He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches, and by the breath of God’s mouth shall he go away” (Job 15:26-30).

The man with a “stiff neck... that is proud... that is blinded to his spiritual condition due to his substance...” shall be ruined. The wicked proud man shall live in desolate cities, he shall not be rich, his substance and possessions shall not continue, and he shall not depart from dark days of life.

“Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; for vanity shall be his recompense. It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green. He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive-tree. For the company of the godless shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery. They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, and their heart prepares deceit” (Job 15:31-35).

Eliphaz pleads with the ungodly to not trust in vanity and neither be deceived by deluded visions of innocence where there is guilt. Eliphaz charges Job with putting his trust in his wealth and now its gone! The end of the wicked is barren and consumed with fire.

EXPOSITION

“Every man is a potential adversary, even those whom we love,” Reuel L. Howe

In times of crisis people tend to withdraw timidly. “We do not want anything to happen . . . Seven years we’ve lived quietly, succeeded in avoiding notice, living and partly living . . . but now a great fear is on us,” Chorus in T. S. Eliot’s Murder in The Cathedral

Men are mesmerized by the magic of media in our global village, yet “Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall; and Universal Darkness buries All,” J. Joyce, Finnegan’s Wake

“God’s implicated in that cruelty if He has the power to control it,” Ivan in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.

Job 15:1—The second cycle of speeches now begins. Eliphaz’s second speech—Job 15:1-35—has an entirely different ring to it than his first speech—chapters 4—5. In his first speech he looked on Job as a wise, God-fearing man—Job 4:3-6. Now after hearing Job deny his guilt, reject the thesis that his suffering is the inevitable result of his sins, and challenge God to explain his existential situation to him, Eliphaz’s deep insecurity finds expression in his attack on the person of Job. The encouraging tone of the first speech—reward to the righteous—has escaped from his consoling heart, and now the negative and menacing one—punishment of the unrighteous—controls the speech. He accuses Job with being a windbag, full of hot air. The word “wise” is emphatic in the text and means “a truly wise man.” Job’s claim to wisdom, which is in complete opposition to the wisdom of the ancients, is adjudged to be sheer arrogance. Job is now presented as a rebel without a cause; whereas Eliphaz in his first speech asserted Job’s essential piety, now he is hardened against the sovereign creator of heaven and earth. God’s moral perfection has been set forth in Eliphaz’s first speech, while Bildad eloquently presents His unchanging justice, and Zophar His omniscience (all knowing). Job’s responses have thus far failed to prick either their conscious or God’s concern for his suffering. Now in Eliphaz’s second speech, the irreligious and impious Job is confronted with his inevitable fate: (1) Job is rebuked for his irreverent rashness—Job 15:2-6; (2) Denounced for his presumptive confidence in his superior wisdom—Job 15:7-16; and (3) The doctrine of the fate of the wicked—Job 15:17-35.

Job 15:2—Job has claimed that his wisdom is not inferior to that of his friends—Job 8:2; Job 11:2; Job 12:3; and Job 13:2. This stance receives Eliphaz’s blistering denunciation—it’s all empty (ruah and hebet) knowledge. The parallel between Job’s words and the dreaded, hot violent searing sirocco winds is self-evident. If Job were truly wise, he would have better arguments.

Job 15:3—Eliphaz picks up a Jobian word from Job 13:3; Job 13:6, and deduces that Job’s arguments are profitless (lit. “which does not profit,” used five times in Job in this sense). The words are useless; they neither convince nor convict.

Job 15:4—Job’s words bring only pain and spiritual suffocation to man. His speech does away with reverence (sihah—meditation—Psalms 119:97-99, fear) of God—Job 4:6. In fact, Job’s words, if taken seriously, would destroy his religion, and impair the faith of others. The verb employed here means “to violate” the covenant or vow. This meaning of the first line of the verse is confirmed by the second line, as Eliphaz asserts that Job’s words are hindering—lit. “diminishing”—devotions in others. Eliphaz’s orthodoxy is both threatened and challenged. But Job remains a seeker after Truth who is still deeply pious. Still we hear their outcry—“What further need have we of witnesses?” Matthew 26:65.

Job 15:5—Job’s blasphemous utterances are too grounded in his diabolical desire to conceal his own evil heart. Job is, like the “crafty” (used here and Job 5:12) serpent of Genesis 3:1 ff, attempting to misrepresent God. The Hebrew can be translated several ways, but “your guilt teaches your mouth” is, in accordance with the parallelism of Job 15:5 b, to be preferred. Eliphaz, like his many contemporary counterparts, seeks to psychoanalyze Job, rather than answer his arguments. Job’s attempts to express his innocence, Eliphaz insinuates, are really efforts to hide his guilt (cf. Freudian rationalization).

Job 15:6—Eliphaz is arguing that Job’s own protestation of innocence is his own condemnation—Job 9:20. Thus far Job has admitted only of youthful sins—Job 13:26, but he has asserted that God could coerce him into a false confession of guilt—Job 9:20. Is not Job’s protest against God tantamount to self-incrimination? Job is convicted out of his own mouth.

Job 15:7—Eliphaz here questions Job with a blistering series of interrogations. Though we can often encounter the claims that this verse has reference to the Jewish myth of primeval man (‘adam haq-quadmon), there is neither need nor proof that this is the case here. Simply, the verse declares that if you were the first man (‘adam) you might be wise enough to say what you’re saying, but you are not. The first man did not steal God’s wisdom as Prometheus stole fire from the gods—Proverbs 7:25 and Psalms 90:2.

Job 15:8—Jeremiah derides the false prophets who talk like they have stood in God’s council room and heard Him speak directly to them—Jeremiah 23:18; Jeremiah 23:22. Jeremiah chides them by declaring that they have neither divine word nor mission. The word “council” (sod—meaning intimate and confidential) is one of the designations of the assembly of the gods. The usage of the council of the gods is at least as old as Mesopotamian and Canaanite antecedents. Eliphaz is asking Job whether or not he has a monopoly on wisdom—Ezekiel 28:11-19; Proverbs 8:22; Proverbs 8:26.

Job 15:9-10—Here we encounter questions which assume that Job is claiming the possession of “superior knowledge.” This is minimally odd in that he has never made such claims. He has only criticized “their” claims to “superior knowledge” of God’s will and purpose—Job 12:3; Job 13:3. His friends are actually the ones who are claiming “superior knowledge,” not Job. Wisdom is a virtue of seniority acclaims Eliphaz’s theme. Job has already rejected the thesis that wisdom is a necessary result of “old age”—Job 12:12. Senility and sagacity are not necessarily causally related—Wisdom of Solomon, Job 4:8-9.

Job 15:11—Eliphaz is claiming that the consolation of Job’s three friends is from God. Yet Job dismisses his friends as “miserable comforters”—Job 16:2. Perhaps the “deals gently” does apply to Eliphaz’s initial speech, but certainly not his second. His words (dabar—means creative and often relevatory. This is the Hebrew word for the Genesis creation account and the Ten Words or commandments) are scarcely to be termed “consolation,” unless his doctrine of “suffering is always merited” is to be understood as consolation. His words are identical with God’s, according to Eliphaz.

Job 15:12—Why do you allow your heart (feelings) to carry you away. The verb r-z-m is here translated “flash” in A. V.[174] The word means to wink or flash, perhaps in rage, not weakness as some suggest. Job is being rebuked for his uncontrolled passion, not his helplessness.

Job 15:13—Job is rebuked for his anger against God. Your spirit refers to Job’s anger. In anger you attack God by letting such words out of your mouth.

Job 15:14—The theme from Job 4:17 ff reoccurs here—Job 9:2 and Job 24:4. Eliphaz also quotes Job’s phrase—Job 14:1. “A man,” not the genus but a particular individual, whom Eliphaz need not name. The image suggests impurity not finitude. The Near Eastern negative attitude toward women is here apparent.

Job 15:15—Eliphaz returns to his thoughts expressed in Job 4:18; Job 25:5-6; Job 38:7; and Isaiah 40:25-26. The holy ones, perhaps angels, are not without fault before God—2 Peter 2:4.’

Job 15:16—The word translated “corrupt” (foul) appears in the Old Testament only in a moral sense—also Psalms 14:3; Psalms 53:3. Perhaps a proverbial saying—“a man sins like drinking water” presents Eliphaz’s judgment on Job. “One” is abominable, i.e., disgusting, revolting, loathed as R. S. V.—also Psalms 107:15; Psalms 119:163.

Job 15:17—Here again is Eliphaz’s favorite theme, the destiny of the wicked. Once more the doctrine is supported by reference to the accumulated wisdom of the ages. (Compare Eliphaz’s claim with Psalms 73). Eliphaz’s unbridled eloquence is still not very convincing, though he claims revelation (hazah—prophetic gazing) as source for his message.

Job 15:18—Eliphaz is here claiming that his convictions are confirmed by the observation of past generations. “Tradition” confirms the accuracy of Eliphaz’s judgment. Where have we heard that claim before? (Even Tevye, from Fiddler on the Roof, knew both the power of tradition and change.) Eliphaz, like his many successors, never learned that tradition is never to be necessarily identified with truth, either human or divine. The verse might contain a clue to the date of the book of Job. If the land is Canaan, which the text does not claim, Israel had undisputed control up to the fall of Samaria ca 722–1 B.C.; or perhaps the fall of Judah 586–5 B.C. Surely Delitzsch’s views are still appropriate—Eliphaz has reference to his own country and tribe—see Joel 3:17.

Job 15:19—The tradition of wisdom has been transmitted pure, uncontaminated by foreign influences.’ Edom was the proverbial home of wisdom—Jeremiah 49:7. Eliphaz’s provincialism shines forth in his belief that the purest wisdom is that in the possession of his own people. Remember, he is not a member of the covenant nation.

Job 15:20—Job has earlier asserted that robbers prosper—Job 12:6. Eliphaz responds to Job that the wicked are in constant agony—Isaiah 57:20 ff. The prosperity of the unrighteous man is hollow because he is tortured psychologically, by a guilty conscience—“all his days.”‘ The Hebrew text has mispar, which means “a number,” i.e., a few, but the parallelism calls for “all his days”—“all his years.” The word translated oppressor in the A. V., in Job 6:23; Job 27:13, comes from the root “to terrify,” or “to inspire awe” and means here a ruthless person. The verse means that the unrighteous are miserable and short-lived, but the pious are happy and long-lived.

Job 15:21—Eliphaz continues to describe the frightful calamities that come upon the corrupt man. The imagination of the wicked condemns him—Proverbs 28:1. Peace is an illusion to the impious. Prosperity is only temporal security to the wicked. There is a constant dread of coming destruction.

Job 15:22—Darkness (hosek), the figure of misfortune, hovers over the life and possession of the wicked. The condemning conscience of the wicked is haunted by the finality of darkness. The sword is waiting for the wicked. The threat of assassination generates constant dread. An evil conscience creates a constant apprehension of disaster.

Job 15:23—The verse means that the wicked-prosperous is always haunted by fears of poverty. This gnawing dread graphically portrays the frustration of the wandering wicked (so LXX). They expect the worst and receive the worst. The LXX attaches the phrase “a day of darkness” to Job 15:24, so others follow. The unbearable tyranny of a pessimistically conceived “day of darkness” is ever lurking at hand to bring all of existence crashing down.

Job 15:24—“A day of darkness” (from Hebrew of Job 15:23) terrifies him. Anguish and “sickness unto death” prevail against him. Misfortune is pictured as an army of vultures prepared for attack.

Job 15:25—A divine assault is imminent. Suddenly, Eliphaz switches to imagery portraying an attack on God. Job is here projected as one attacking God. An outstretched hand is a symbol of a threat—Isaiah 5:29; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4; Proverbs 1:24.

Job 15:26—The picture of Job’s foolish defiance continues. Job stubbornly (stiff neck, insolently; LXX—hybris—pride) opposes God “with the thickness of the bosses of his shields,” i.e., the bosses (or convex side of shield turned toward the enemy) of his shields are set closely together for more protection against the Almighty.

Job 15:27—The image is one of gluttonous fatness, the characteristic of spiritual insensibility—Deuteronomy 32:15; Jeremiah 5:28; and Psalms 73:7; Psalms 119:70. This wicked insensitive person sits around and gets fatter. The Hebrew pimah means “blubber” or a superabundance of fat on the man’s loins. This imagery stands in marked contrast to Job’s present physical condition.

Job 15:28—Formerly inhabited cities, now desolate, were considered to be so because of God’s judgment. Again the same theology appears—failure means judgment; success means blessing—Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34; Isaiah 13:20 ff; and Isaiah 34:13 ff. The wicked man, according to Eliphaz, is prepared to risk God’s curse in his idolatrous confidence in his own prosperity.

Job 15:29—Here we return to the theme of the fears of the wicked. Though there are lexical problems in this verse, the sense is clear enough. Dahood yields a relevant meaning. The stretching out of the shadow is a figure of the extent of a person’s influence—Psalms 80:8 ff. The A. V. makes little sense, and does speak to several important grammatical issues in the verse. The essence of the verse is that a wicked man’s influence will not long endure on the earth.

Job 15:30—Here the fate of the wicked is described. Darkness is an image of misfortune—Job 15:22 ff. The destiny of the wicked is not an accident, but rather it is set by God. The Hebrew text reads ruah—breath or spirit of God—and does not require repointing as some suggest. The verse describes the swift disaster of the unrighteous, whose security through prosperity will vanish like flames that reduce a forest to ashes.

Job 15:31—The verse might be ‘“congruous with a series of images based on plant life—Job 15:29-30; Job 15:32-33. He who trusts in emptiness will be rewarded by emptiness. The image of the tree from Job 15:30 continues into this verse. All of the promised greatness will not reach fulfillment, rather it will be rewarded with destruction—Job 4:8.”

Job 15:32—The subject “it” refers to his recompense which will be demanded of him before his number of years is finished, i.e., his end will be premature. If we take the LXX reading, “it will be withered,” rather than the Hebrew text, “it will be paid in full,” we continue the parallel, which speaks of palm tree and not a trading profit. His “branch”—Isaiah 9:13—supports the view that the “palm tree” should be supplied in the first line of the verse; therefore, the A. V. translation is probably not an adequate rendering of the verse. The metaphor becomes more vivid when we recall that the palm tree is the symbol of longevity.

Job 15:33—Delitzsch correctly observes that the vine does not cast off (Heb. lit. “treat with violence”—Isaiah 18:5) its unripe fruit. What then can be the sense of this verse? The tree will not produce mature fruit—Jeremiah 31:29 ff and Ezekiel 18:2. The second line of the verse beautifully symbolizes the point at stake. The Syrian olive tree bears during its first, third, and fifth years, but rests during the second, fourth, and sixth years. It also sheds many of its blossoms like snowflakes.

Job 15:34—The word translated “company” of impious in A. V. is the Hebrew term for “congregation” and is here used in a derogatory sense—Job 13:6; Job 17:8; Job 20:5; Job 27:8; Job 34:30; Job 36:13. Bribery is frequently condemned in scripture and is here used as a general term for injustice. The word rendered “barren” in A. V. appears also in Job 3:7 and should be translated “sterile.” The phrase “tents of bribery” carries the meaning that the wealth of the wicked has been obtained through deceptive and unjust means by either giving or receiving bribes. How appropriate an image for twentieth century industry and multi-national industrial combines 1

Job 15:35—At the beginning of his speech, Eliphaz attacked Job for filling his “belly” with the hot east wind—Job 15:1.

Here, once more, their belly (lit. their belly, though translated “heart” in A. V.) produced only deceit. Eliphaz’s conclusion is that misfortune is self-entailed. The penalty of the ungodly is premature death—Job 15:31-33, and lack of prosperity—Job 15:34.

JOB SIXTEEN

Job condemns his friends approach to his Suffering (Job 16:1-22):

“Then Job answered and said, I have heard many such things: Miserable comforters are ye all. Shall vain words have an end? Or what provokes thee that thou answerest? (Job 16:1-3).

Take note of the progression of greater irritation on the part of each of the sides (i.e., Job and his three friends who have accused him of sin) (see Job 12:1-3; Job 13:4 ff; Job 15:4-6; Job 15:16; Job 16:1-3). Job thinks that his friends should comfort him in his time of great distress yet they have proved themselves to be “miserable comforters” whose words of misery “have no end.”

“I also could speak as ye do; if your soul were in my soul’s stead, I could join words together against you, and shake my head at you. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your grief” (Job 16:4-5).

Job tells his friends that if they were in his condition (i.e., lost children, wealth, and health) he could join words with them regarding attempting to find fault. The difference between Job and his friends; however, would be that Job would “strengthen you with my mouth... and assuage (make more bearable... ease one’s pain or burden) your grief.” This has been Job’s complaint against his friends. They do not even seem to care that he has suffered so much.

“Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged; and though I forbear, what am I eased? But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast laid fast hold on me, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rises up against me, it testifies to my face” (Job 16:6-8).

Job believes that it doesn’t matter what he says these three friends are not going to try to empathize with him in his great pain. The three friends appear to be quick to lay hold of Job and charge him with sin.

“He hath torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me; he hath gnashed upon me with his teeth: mine adversary sharpens his eyes upon me. They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully: they gather themselves together against me” (Job 16:9-10).

Job, once again, lays the blame of his suffering upon God who has “torn me in his wrath and persecuted (or hated) me; he has gnashed me with his teeth.” Like God who hates me with wrath so his enemies (his three friends) also are against Job. Job believes that the world hates him (including God).

“God delivers me to the ungodly, and casts me into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, and he brake me asunder; yea, he hath taken me by the neck, and dashed me to pieces: he hath also set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about; he cleaves my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he pours out my gall upon the ground. He breaks me with breach upon breach; he runs upon me like a giant” (Job 16:11-14).

Job has put the blame of his misery squarely upon the shoulders of “God.” God has “delivered Job to the ungodly, broken me asunder, taken me by the neck and dashed me to pieces, run over me like a giant, and God does not spare.”

“I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and have laid my horn in the dust. My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death; although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure” (Job 16:15-17).

Job’s historical suffering is depicted in the sackcloth of sorrow, the horn of his life is in dust, his face is fatigued by all the weeping, and his eyes show forth a man that has the shadow of death upon him. Though Job suffers so much he continues to maintain his innocence saying, “Although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure.”

“O earth, cover not thou my blood, and let my cry have no resting place. Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he that vouches for me is on high. My friends scoff at me: but mine eye pours out tears unto God, that he would maintain the right of a man with God, and of a son of man with his neighbor! For when a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not return” (Job 16:18-22).

These are some of the most beautiful words that we have heard from Job in a while. Through all of Job’s tears shed over the loss of his children and his physical calamity he is confident that the God in heaven will vouch for his innocence. Though Job’s friends scoff at him and accuse him of sin he is confident that God will not permit a righteous man to go on suffering this way.

EXPOSITION

Job 16:1-2—Job’s fourth reply continues the lamentation form and emphasizes the denunciation of enemies, who are his three friends and God. But suddenly in the midst of his response there is a sudden appeal to “a witness in heaven,” who will take up Job’s defense. But the speech ends, as do his previous responses, with consideration of approaching death and Sheol. He begins with statement of weariness. He has heard all of this unprofitable talk before. The A. V. translates ‘amal as miserable, which is a good rendering. Eliphaz has offered “divine consolation”—Job 15:11. Using a cognate word, Job accuses them of being “miserable consolers” (wearisome is not strong enough).

Job 16:3—Their comfort only serves to increase his suffering. He turns their talk—Job 8:2; Job 15:2—upon them by calling them purveyors of “windy words,” which only irritate—Job 6:25.

Job 16:4—In Job 16:4-5 the pronouns are plurals, thus Job is speaking to all three friends. Were our positions only reversed, I would have no difficulty playing a pious moralist, “shaking my head in scandalized self-righteousness” (Job, Soncino, p. 81). How Job actually conducted himself in the past in similar circumstances is projected in Job 4:3 ff. Job further encroaches on his self-righteous friend by crying out that he too “could join words together” as Eliphaz had done—Job 15:2 Off. The imagery of the shaking of the head is associated with mockery and derision—2 Kings 19:21; Isaiah 37:22; Psalms 22:8; Psalms 109:25; Lamentations 2:15; and Matthew 27:39. As in all cultures, “body language” can have different meanings in different circumstances.

Job 16:5—Job continues to heap scornful sarcasm on the heads of his helpers. Mere words have no power to console. The word translated “solace” is a noun from the root used in Job 2:11. The original meaning of the verb was “to be agitated.” (Brown, Driver, Briggs, Lexicon, have “quivering motion” for the noun.) Time-honored cliches will not and cannot heal when removed from a sympathetic heart of the utterer.

Job 16:6—In Job 16:5, “your grief” is unexpressed in the Hebrew text. Here the noun is expressed and also a passive form of the verb. Job here presents his alternatives by forcibly depicting his dilemma. Neither vehement protestation nor silence would bring him healing. Both his physical and mental anguish tenaciously hold his soul in a state of unwelcome torture. Here we have mah as a negative rather than interrogative—Job 31:1. Job is not asking “What?” but rather strongly asserts that nothing eases his suffering.

Job 16:7—The subject of this verse is probably “my sorrow” rather than God (“he hath made” A. V.) Though the second line does have “thou hast made” (note the change of person and shift to the third person in Job 16:8), the best sense seems to be “my pain hath made me weary” (the same verb is intransitive in Job 4:2, verb translated “weary” is used with sense of appall or devastate). Some commentaries emend -’adati—my company—to ra’ati—my calamity—at least this emendation has the dubious honor of making sense, which is not a characteristic of the Hebrew text as it now stands.

Job 16:8—Job’s calamity has seized (Heb. kamat—seize, grasp tightly) him (A. V. laid fast hold) and is a witness against him. In the eyes of his friends, his suffering was evidence of his sin. The witness of his calamity “has risen against me” (Heb. phrase stands immediately after “witness” and should remain there in translation), “my gauntness or leanness” is evidence to men of my guilt—Psalms 59:12; Nahum 3:1; Hosea 7:3; and Hosea 10:13.

Job 16:9—Job here pictures God as a ferocious animal tearing him apart with His teeth. The verb satam means to bear a grudge or sustain hate against—Job 30:21; Genesis 49:23; Genesis 50:15; Psalms 55:3. The hate was so intense that he “gnashed his teeth”—Psalms 37:12—in anger—Matthew 8:12 and Acts 7:54. The imagery of “sharpness” comes from a verb used of sharpening a sword—Psalms 7:12. Here it means looking sharply as does an animal for its prey. God, like an animal pursuing its prey, is concentrating His hostility on Job.

Job 16:10—There is no expressed subject in this verse, but these are the people who like jackals follow God’s attack by their assaults. All the figures in this verse are human actions “wide mouth”—desire or greed—Job 29:23; Isaiah 5:14. They insult or talk openly behind (“struck me”—A. V. has “smitten me”) his back and mobilize against him—1 Kings 22:24; Micah 5:1; Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:29.

Job 16:11—Job says that God has delivered him to the ungodly (Heb. young boys—’awil), perhaps a sarcastic denial of their status as wise men and supposed accumulation of wisdom because of their age. Their behavior toward Job is described in Job 30:9 ff. The word translated “casteth” is the verb ratah which means to “wring out” (see Brown, Driver, Briggs). He is asserting that God has cast him into the hands of wicked men who “wring” him out.

Job 16:12—Suddenly and unexpectedly God attacks him. How? Through whom? This verse makes a couplet with Job 16:13 a, both emphasizing the archer and target—Job 6:4; Psalms 64:7; Lamentations 3:12. God is directing the attack on Job, though the volleys come from human archers. He is the target—1 Samuel 20:20.

Job 16:13—The word for archers—rabbim—is also found in Jeremiah 50:29. Here we are faced with mixed metaphors. Job is a target; God shoots arrows at him. “His reins” is a metaphor of the most sensitive and vital part of the body, his kidneys. He slashes me open. “He pours out my gall” (used only here and stands for liver, i.e., seat of emotions in Hebrew psychology) upon the ground. In other words, God has dealt him a death blow.

Job 16:14—Now Job metaphorically compares his body to that of a fortress which is being repeatedly assailed—Job 30:14. He feels like a stronghold being stormed by warriors, not giants as A. V.

Job 16:15—Here appears the same word as in Genesis 3:7 for “sewed.” Sackcloth is the symbol of mourning and was worn next to the body—2 Kings 6:30. The sewing of it on his skin was a sign of permanent mourning. Literally the text says “I have caused my horn to enter,” which is a symbol of pride or strength[188]—Psalms 75:5; Psalms 89:17; Psalms 92:10; and Psalms 112:9.

Job 16:16—Involuntary weeping is a symptom of leprosy, which could be Job’s physical ailment. His face is red, i.e., inflamed (verb chamar) from crying. Eyelids stand for his eyes. The word salmawet should not be translated as “the shadow of death” as in A. V., but possibly as the blackness around the eyes of a sick person. There is no allusion to death in this verse, so the translation should conform to the basic theme of the verse.

Job 16:17—This cruel suffering has come upon me, though I have done no violence—Isaiah 53:7. He completely rejects the possibility of his guilt; thus he once more asserts that his suffering is unmerited. When the hands are unclean, prayer is unacceptable to God—Isaiah 1:15; Job 11:13 ff. In Job 31:7 he affirms that his hands are clean, and here that his prayer is pure. Job’s last possession is the certainty of his integrity before God.

Job 16:18—Shed blood cries out for vengeance—Genesis 4:10; Genesis 37:26; Isaiah 26:21; Ezekiel 24:8, hence the effort to hide it in the dust. Job desires that his blood remain uncovered as a protest and appeal to God for vindication. Dahood presents strong evidence that the A. V. rendering of “resting place” should be “burial place.” Here it is improbable that Job thinks of vindication while still alive. The passage (Job 16:18—Job 17:9) shows a very important development towards Job 19:24 ff.

Job 16:19—Exegetically and theologically, it would be very difficult, even impossible, to deny that the witness in heaven is Job’s mediator, redeemer (or Vindicator—S. Terrien in Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. Ill, 1025–1029), even though God is already Job’s Accuser, Judge, and Executioner—Job 9:33; Job 19:25; and Job 33:23-24.

Job 16:20—“My scorners (melisay) are my friends” (Rowley, p. 150), so as I turn from them, I turn to God with tears streaming down my face. The above word for friend (re’a) is used of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—Job 2:11; Job 32:3; Job 42:10; and Jesus in John 15.

Job 16:21—The one to whom Job turns is surely the same person as the witness of the preceding verse, and the vindicator of Job 9:33 and Job 19:25 (see bibliography on this verse). This is one of the most profound verses in all scripture. Job appeals to God, who had indicted him with cruel agony and as the God of his faith the object of Job’s faith is also Lord of justice and righteousness, the one who will “maintain the right” (verb from which the word umpire is derived in Job 9:33). Now he pleads that God might present the case to himself. (Note the significance of the Incarnation in explaining the wonderful things here disclosed.) “A son of man” simply means a person, i.e., Job. Neighbor comes from the same word that is translated “friend” in Job 16:20. The neighbor is not God, as some suggest, rather a fellow human being.

Job 16:22—Job here lapses into the thought of the inevitability and finality of death that has been expressed before—Job 7:9 ff and Job 10:21.

JOB SEVENTEEN

Job continues his response to Eliphaz (Job 17:1-16):

“My spirit is consumed, my days are extinct, the grave is ready for me. Surely there are mockers with me, and mine eye dwells upon their provocation” (Job 17:1-2).

Job feels that his life is about to expire. Time is running out for Job and in his end he considers his friends who provoke him with their lack of empathy for a man who has so much trouble in his life.

“Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself; who is there that will strike hands with me? For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them. He that denounces his friends for a prey, even the eyes of his children shall fail” (Job 17:3-5).

Job speaks to God yet in the hearing of his friends. Job says that God has hid understanding from their heart and this is the reason they are accusing him of sin rather than comforting him in his hour of great calamity. Job proclaims that the guilt of such heartless men shall see their children at fault as well.

“But he hath made me a byword of the people; and they spit in my face. Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow. Upright men shall be astonished at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the godless. Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger” (Job 17:6-9).

Job reveals that not only is his suffering due to a loss of his children, riches, and health but also the fact that the surrounding people have considered him a cursed being and so they “spit in my face” out of disdain for such a one as Job. The consideration of heinous sin has crossed the minds of the public and so out of disdain for such a filthy man as Job they spit in his face. Job considers the fact that there may be others in the same circumstances as himself. Innocent men who have clean hands in the matter of sin yet they suffer. Job concludes that such men will “wax stronger and stronger” because they know their innocence.

“But as for you all, come on now again; and I shall not find a wise man among you. My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart. They change the night into day: the light, say they, is near unto the darkness” (Job 17:10-12).

Job’s days of life and purposes have come to an end. Shall there be a wise man found among Job’s friends and those who strike and spit in his face?

“If I look for Sheol as my house; if I have spread my couch in the darkness; if I have said to corruption, thou art my father; to the worm, thou art my mother, and my sister; where then is my hope? And as for my hope, who shall see it? It shall go down to the bars of Sheol, when once there is rest in the dust” (Job 17:13-16).

Job contemplates the consequence of desiring death due to his calamity and suffering. If he looks forward to Sheol (the realm of the dead), the place of corruption and the worm, then he has indeed given up on all hope of surviving this ordeal. Though he die with any glimmer of hope there will be no one to notice it.

EXPOSITION

Job 17:1—Job sees his vindication in heaven, not on earth where his condition is hopeless. To him, death is inevitable, but his estrangement from God is not permanent. Speaking under intense emotional strain, he gasps that my “spirit” (ruach) is consumed, my days are extinct (za’ak—extinguished, snuffed out). The grave (instead of plural, we take this as singular with enclitic particle -m) is all ready for me.

Job 17:2—The verse begins with a formula introducing an oath—“I swear that” (as in Job 31:36)—there are mockers around me. The noun is abstract, which yields the meaning of “mockery” (Brown, Driver, and Briggs—give “truly mockery surrounded me”). Eliphaz’s illusory promises of Job’s restoration Job adjudges to be mockeries.

Job 17:3—The LXX omits Job 17:3 b to Job 17:5 a. The giving and taking of pledges was common practice, and the risk was great—Genesis 38:17-20; Exodus 22:26; Deuteronomy 24:6-17; Proverbs 6:1; Proverbs 11:15; Proverbs 17:18; Proverbs 22:26; and Ecclesiastes 9:14-18. The striking of the hand ratified the pledge. Job is asking God, not his friends, to ratify a pledge—see Hebrews 6:13 ff.

Job 17:4—The verse answers the question found in the second line of Job 17:3. The suffix “their” attached to the word translated “heart” means that Job is referring to the three friends. He appeals to God (the “who” of Job 17:3) since his friends have deprived him of insight. In the great temple hymn book, Psalms 13:3-5; Psalms 30:2; Psalms 37:19; and Psalms 41:11, we read of the common prayer of the innocent sufferer that his foes not be allowed to triumph over him. The friends’ hands have not been raised to strike a pledge or guarantee, until Job’s innocence can be established. No one will risk providing Job’s bail until his trial is arranged. Job is left alone. God is responsible for Job’s condition and his friends’ lack of understanding.

Job 17:5—This is a very cryptic verse. The K. J. V. follows the old Jewish interpreters in taking heleq in sense of flattery or smooth. The translation of the A. V. “He that denounceth” connects the root of the Hebrew word to “divide” or “share” and assumes the same meaning as in Jeremiah 20:10. The imagery of this verse is rather simple, though the grammar is not. It means that Job’s friends are represented as turning against him for no higher motive than an informer’s share of his property. The second line asserts that their children will suffer for their lack of compassion. In Job 17:4, Job declares that God would not permit his friends to triumph, and he asserts that their treacherous behavior will negatively affect their offspring—Job 6:27 and Job 13:7-11.

Job 17:6—God is referred to in the third person—“He has made me” an object of scorn of the neighboring people (lit. peoples—’ammim). Culturally, the bitterest insult and expression of contempt is to spit in someone’s face—Job 30:10; Isaiah 1:6; Matthew 26:6; Matthew 27:30. (The K. J. V. follows Rashi, who mistakenly identifies Topheth with top.)

Job 17:7—The verb employed here expresses eyesight dimming with age—Genesis 27:1; Deuteronomy 34:7. Here grief causes the dim eyesight—Psalms 6:8. Job’s body has deteriorated to a skeleton.

Job 17:8—Righteous men are deeply perplexed when they see what is happening to me. The more they observe, the more indignant they become. Righteous men “are appalled,” same verb found in Isaiah 52:14 as astonished, while the “innocent stirs himself up against (verb means arouse self to excitement—pleasurable in Job 31:29; here it is negative excitement) the prosperity of the godless,” i.e., unrighteous. Job 17:8-10 are removed by some editors, but see Dhorme, Job, p. 248–51, for defense of their integrity; note Pope, Job—rejection and reasons for so doing, p. 130.

Job 17:9—Job taunts his friends. He contradicts Eliphaz—Job 15:4. Though he cannot intellectually resolve the moral anomaly of the universe, the righteous man will hold to that which is right. Neither mystery nor anomaly will cause him to abandon the path of righteousness. Blommerde well sums up the verse “because of the misery which has befallen the just Job, the righteous are astonished. This is against all rules; they have to cling to their force, to defend themselves against this trial of their faith.”

Job 17:10—Job challenges his friends to renew their attack on him. Your unsympathetic words will only expose your unfeeling folly. Repetition of their old words will not convince Job of their validity. Their assaults on him fail once more.

Job 17:11—The verse reflects Job’s deep emotions. Convulsed with fear, Job acknowledges that death is near. His plans or purposes (Zechariah 8:15; Proverbs 2:11; Proverbs 8:12) are thwarted. Plans shattered—now what? The literary form here is problematic, but could very well express Job’s heightening of his emotion-charged speech. Prodding ever deeper into his inner self, Job cries out that even his desires (Heb. root yaras’ or ‘aras—translated as thoughts in A. V.) are destroyed.

Job 17:12—This verse does not appear in earliest LXX texts. Job’s mockers distress him so that his nights turn into days. Sleepless nights and distress-filled days add up to dark despair. (Pope’s comments on this verse that it is incompatible with context is indefensible; compare with Dhorme’s defense.) Is light near to brighten Job’s darkness before dawn?

Job 17:13—His morbid preoccupation with death returns in this verse and continues through Job 17:16. He is resigned to death without any hope, even in the time of abandonment. Is Sheol the best Job can anticipate?

Job 17:14—Job speaks to corruption (Heb. root—act the tragic darkness of the book, lighting it up suddenly, although only for a short time.” corruptly) as though it is his origin and destiny. Job feels the closest kinship with “corruption”—Ezekiel 19:4; Ezekiel 19:8; Job 33:18; Job 33:22; Job 33:28; and Psalms 16:10.

Job 17:15—His prospects are poor; thus he predicts the ultimate end of his hopelessness. He has no hope of the future prosperity, which his friends have suggested.

Job 17:16—The only ones who will see his hope will go down to Sheol with him. Note that even here Job is not presenting extinction, only a less than noble destiny for the righteous. The bars probably stand for the “gates of Sheol.” Job is here asserting that his last hope for a happy and prosperous life will be carried to the grave. Only in Sheol does he have a future. Though the Hebrew noun “rest” is translated so in A. V., probably the meaning of the second line of this verse is best described by R. S. V.—“Shall we descend together into the dust.”

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 15-17

1. The argument between Job and his three friends is intensifying. While Job’s friends have accused him of sin and consequential suffering Job has maintained his innocence. Job has accused his friends of being liars, deceitful to God, and no value as a friend who needs comfort (Job 13:4 ff). Job, very sarcastically says, “no doubt wisdom will die when you all die” (Job 12:2). Job’s three friends are “all miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). Eliphaz returns the cutting words to Job saying, “Thine iniquity teaches thy mouth, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty” (Job 15:5).

2. Job has repeatedly asked for the cause of his “distress and anguish” (see Job 6:24; Job 9:18; Job 10:2). Eliphaz answers Job’s question by saying, Job, you are suffering “Because he hath stretched out his hand against God and behaved himself proudly against the Almighty” (Job 15:25).

3. Job does not believe that anyone at all cares for him. God hates Job (Job 16:9), Job’s friends do not care for him (Job 16:4-5; Job 16:20), and everyone else stares at him as though he were a freak show (Job 16:10) even striking him and spitting in his face (Job 16:10; Job 17:6). Job appears to all like Quazi Motto of the Hunch Back of Notre Dame.

4. Job blames God for all his misery (Job 16:11-14). Job maintains his innocence (Job 16:17).

5. Job is confident that God knows his innocence (Job 16:19). Job is also confident in his righteousness and strength. He will not falter (Job 17:9). His resolve of innocence has not wavered. This is the “patience” of Job that James speaks of (see James 5:11). Job has endured the suffering placed upon him by Satan. His body and emotional well being has been stricken and afflicted. Job is an outcast of society. No one is standing with Job yet he proclaims “Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9).

6. Job’s eyes poor out tears because of his suffering (Job 16:20).

JOB EIGHTEEN

Bildad reveals the life of the Unrighteous and those who Know not God (Job 18:1-21):

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, How long will ye hunt for words? Consider, and afterwards we will speak” (Job 18:1-2).

We were introduced to Bildad at Job 2:11 and heard his speech at Job 8. Bildad had charged not only Job but also Job’s children with sin and thereby the consequential punishment and suffering (see Job 8:4-7; Job 8:20). Bildad takes his turn to speak to Job once more. Job has continued to maintain his innocence and to take sharp shots at his friends for their lack of care and concern (Job 12:2; Job 13:4 ff; Job 16:2). Bildad considers Job’s accusation regarding the three friends being liars, deceitful to God, and miserable comforters and says, “How long will ye hunt for words.” Bildad’s point is that Job’s words of condemnation directed at others will not save him. Bildad request that Job consider these things and after he has considered them they will be able to speak to each other.

“Wherefore are we counted as beasts, And are become unclean in your sight? Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger, Shall the earth be forsaken for thee? Or shall the rock be removed out of its place? Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, And the spark of his fire shall not shine” (Job 18:3-5).

Bildad can scarcely believe his ears as he listens to Job make his accusations against him and his two other friends. Bildad asks Job, “How is it that you can possibly consider us ‘as beasts and unclean in your sight?’ Bildad states that Job is asking his friends to do what is not natural; i.e., accept their friend for his error and pride. Bildad, in effect, says “no, we will not do this.” You are wicked Job and the light of your life is going to be put out.

“The light shall be dark in his tent, And his lamp above him shall be put out. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, And his own counsel shall cast him down. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, And he walketh upon the toils. A gin shall take him by the heel, And a snare shall lay hold on him. A noose is hid for him in the ground, And a trap for him in the way. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, And shall chase him at his heels. His strength shall be hunger-bitten, And calamity shall be ready at his side. The members of his body shall be devoured, Yea, the first-born of death shall devour his members. He shall be rooted out of his tent where he trusteth; And he shall be brought to the king of terrors. There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his: Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. His roots shall be dried up beneath, And above shall his branch be cut off. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, And he shall have no name in the street. He shall be driven from light into darkness, And chased out of the world. He shall have neither son nor son’s son among his people, Nor any remaining where he sojourned. They that come after shall be astonished at his day, As they that went before were affrighted” (Job 18:6-20).

Bildad, with a sweeping short statement, tells Job what he can expect out of a life of sin. The sinful man will have nothing go right in his life. “Calamity shall be ready at his side” (Job 18:12). No one will remember this man of anguish and he will be chased out of the world (i.e., there is no place for such a one). All will be astonished to hear of the horrid life of the wicked.

“Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, And this is the place of him that knoweth not God” (Job 18:21).

Bildad clearly states that such calamity is the life of the “unrighteous and those who know not God.” Job surely gets Bildad’s point. Job is a sinner (unrighteous man) and thereby he suffers as all others in times past have suffered for their wicked choices in life.

EXPOSITION

Job 18:1—Bildad’s second speech (Job 18:1-21) reveals a consciously restrained lack of feeling. He attacks Job for his lack of appreciation for ancient wisdom, his abusive language, and also implies that Job cannot expect to be exempted from the universal law—that suffering is inevitably punishment for sin—Job 12:6. The content of the speech is largely composed of a legalistic tirade concerning the fate of those “who know not God.” The tone of the speech is exhausted by a “warning” and threat syndrome. There is not one word of consolation to be found in it. Bildad always addresses Job in the plural (you as plural is obscured in our translations), perhaps as a member of the class of unrighteous persons. His speech is divided into two parts: (1) Job 18:2-4; and (2) Job 18:5-21.

Job 18:2—The first part of his speech seeks an answer to the question: Why is Job so contemptuous of his friends? He charges that Job is so egocentric that he expects God to change the laws of creation for him. Bildad suggests that Job has spoken long enough and should stop long enough for his friends to give rebuttal. Dhorme suggests that the Hebrew word translated in A. V. as “consider” is a rhetorical device which is used to ask Job to be intelligent, i.e., if the dialogue is to continue, Job must show some signs of intelligence, thus far absent.

Job 18:3—Bildad resents Job’s comparison of his friends as “dumb beast”—Job 16:9-10. Line two in A. V. hardly conveys what the text says—“Why are we stupid” from tamah, to be “stopped up” intellectually, not unclean as A. V. (so Brown, Driver, and Briggs, Lexicon)—Psalms 73:22.

Job 18:4—Bildad asserts, without feeling, “that Job is the cause of his own suffering” because he refuses to take the proper means to remove God’s judgment from himself and his household. The rock is sometimes an epithet of God, probably so here. The law of retribution is as solid and firm as a rock and is part of the structure of the universe. Bildad alludes to Job’s remarks in Job 16:9—to the effect that God has “torn me in His wrath.” He retorts that Job has torn himself. If the established order of the universe dictates that suffering is the empirical proof of sin, does Job think that this order is to be modified for him?[198] The last phrase is a quotation from Job 14:18 b. Please note the certain dreadful doom of the hardened evildoer (Job 18:5-21)

Job 18:5—This verse initiates the second part of Bildad’s speech. Job’s sole remaining possession is the horrible memory of his past prosperity and present agony. The Hebrew tenses convey the meaning that this is a condition which is continuous. The light burning in a house is symbolic of continuous prosperity—Job 21:17; 1 Kings 11:36; Proverbs 13:9; Proverbs 20:20; and Proverbs 24:20. The extinction of these symbols of happiness and prosperity is a mark of judgment on the household. Failing light is a sign of disaster, (cf. Jesus said that “I am the light of the world,” John 8:12).

Job 18:6—The tent implies that the event is occurring in the patriarchal age (see discussion of possible date for authorship)—Job 5:24; Job 8:22; Job 12:6; and Job 15:34. Bildad’s speech progresses with the use of proverbial sayings:

(1) Job 18:5-7—sinner’s light goes out;

(2) Job 18:8-11—deterioration to downfall;

(3) Job 18:12-14—final condition;

(4) Job 18:15-17—extinction of his race and names; and

(5) Job 18:18-21—horror of his fate. His home is engulfed by darkness—“his lamp above him shall be put out.”

Job 18:7—Like the strength of an aging man, the fortunes of the wicked will fail. Metaphorically, “the steps of his strength” expresses the confident stride of a prosperous man—Psalms 18:36. The evil motives of an unrighteous man will ultimately “throw him down,” i.e., bring him to calamity and ruin.

Job 18:8-9—This verse and the next develop the image of the perils in the path of the wicked. Bildad uses a variety of terms for the traps and snares which the wicked will encounter in life. The steps of the unrighteous man are reduced to a feeble hobble, then ensnared by his own evil motives. The net (for catching birds—Proverbs 1:17; Psalms 140:5) and toils (lit. network, webbing—things interwoven) are means of his own destruction. Probably the latter snare has reference to “webbing” placed over a pit to catch an animal—suddenly and unawares. This is Bildad’s description of Job’s ensnaring himself. In Job 18:9 the world of an evil man is full of traps. The “gin” is a fowlers trap—Hosea 9:8. The term “snare” comes from a root meaning veil—Isaiah 47:2. Probably it refers to a trap made from some kind of mesh.

Job 18:10—A rope, or cord, lies hidden in the ground—Isaiah 8:14; Jeremiah 48:44; Psalms 74:7; Psalms 140:6; and Proverbs 5:22. This type is used to ensnare birds and smaller animals. The term “trap” (root means to capture) in the second line is found only here and probably is a general descriptive word for any catching device.

Job 18:11—Bildad is here referring to an actual experience which a wicked person will have, not one caused by a fearful conscience. The verb translated “chase” is usually employed to denote the scattering of a group, but here of an individual. The image suggests bewilderment and almost total emotional and intellectual confusion. See also Psalms 38:18.

Job 18:12—Trouble and calamity, about to seize him, are ravenously hungry. The Hebrew text can be saying “Let his strength be hungry.” Dahood’s emendations suggest “hungry one” is an epithet of mot—death. The second line literally says “to or for his rib” which, as the Targums suggested, can mean wife. But the general sense is that misfortune is always ready and able to bring him to destruction.

Job 18:13—Here is a cryptic reference to the lethal disease that is consuming Job’s body. The Hebrew texts make no sense—lit. “It shall consume the limbs of his skin.” Perhaps the late G. E. Wright’s suggestion at least produces a meaningful line—“By disease his skin is consumed.” Wright’s suggestion, reinforced by the one provided by Sarna, reveals the essence of the meaning of this verse. “The firstborn of mot will devour his skin with two hands, yea with his two hands he will devour (him).” The firstborn of death is probably a metaphor for Job’s deadly disease. Death is firstborn—bekor, i.e., heir with rights of primogeniture—Psalms 89:28. Disease is death’s firstborn.

Job 18:14—The wicked is marched from the security of his own tent, then conducted into the presence of the “King of Terror.” This phrase is a personification of death, as “firstborn” is of disease.

Job 18:15—The Hebrew literally states “In his tent no trace of him remains. . . .’“ Perhaps the brimstone or sulphur is to be understood as disinfectant.

Job 18:16—Bildad returns to his metaphor based on vegetable life—Job 8:11 ff; Job 14:7 ff. Destruction of root and fruit is proverbial—Amos 2:9. Here the image refers to progeny and posterity. Branches is a collective term as in Job 14:9, and they “shall be cut off.” Nothing will remain of Job’s household.

Job 18:17—Job and his posterity will be completely cut off from the earth. His children are destroyed, and even his name will be erased from memory—Psalms 9:6; Psalms 34:16; and Psalms 109:15 b.

Job 18:18—The Hebrew word found here and translated as “world” expressed the finality, totality, and cosmic absence of his name. The verbs are in the indefinite third person and are equivalent to the passive voice, meaning “They shall chase or drive him from light into darkness”—Job 3:20 and Job 17:13.

Job 18:19—The feared fate of the extinction of the family is set before Job. Nothing could be more disastrous than the demise of a man’s household. A lack of progeny is a lack of God’s blessings.

Job 18:20—The “day” is his final day or fate—1 Samuel 26:10; Jeremiah 11:7; Ezekiel 21:29; and Psalms 37:13. The words translated before and after are literally “behind” and “before”—meaning followers and predecessors. The A. V. “were affrighted” is literally “they laid hold on horror,” Job 21:6—“laid hold on shuddering.” Perhaps the best translation would be “over his end coming generations will be appalled, and his contemporaries will be seized with shuddering.”‘

Job 18:21—Bildad summarily assures Job of his fate, as a member of the class of the wicked. Job, can you not see the irrefutable proof that you are a godless man? Here again Bildad’s truth is half a lie. Severity, not sympathy flows from his lips. Violent indignation, but no mercy, is heaped upon Job’s pitiful head. Is there no “grace” in a world of suffering? Surely Job will later cry—“In my hands no price I bring; simply to the cross I cling.” But not yet!

JOB NINETEEN

Job reveals the vast Despair and Calamity of his Life (Job 19:1-29):

“Then Job answered and said, How long will ye vex my soul, And break me in pieces with words? These ten times have ye reproached me: Ye are not ashamed that ye deal hardly with me” (Job 19:1-3).

What Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar consider words to help their friend out of his misery Job considers to be a “vexing of my soul and breaking me in pieces with words” (see also Job 16:2 where he refers to his three friends as “miserable comforters”). Job tells his friends that they have “reproached” him ten times. To “reproach” is to “put blame on another... to bring shame upon; disgrace” (AHD 10:49). The Hebrew word for “ten times” is often times used to indicate “many” (see Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:41; Numb. 14:22 etc.). Job’s friends have blamed him of sin “many” times so far in this discourse. Their illegal blaming and lack of empathy for the innocent should have been cause for their shame yet there is none with them.

“And be it indeed that I have erred, Mine error remaineth with myself. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, And plead against me my reproach; Know now that God hath subverted me in my cause, And hath compassed me with his net” Job (Job 19:4-6).

Job is desiring sympathy from his friends. It seems that Job is saying that even if I am being punished for some sin will you please not join in with God to utterly destroy me. To “subvert” is to “destroy completely, ruin” (AHD 1214). Job believes that God is the one responsible for all his misery.

“Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry for help, but there is no justice. He hath walled up my way that I cannot pass, And hath set darkness in my paths. He hath stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head. He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone; And my hope hath he plucked up like a tree” (Job 19:7-10).

Job explains to his friends that he cries out to God for destroying him without cause yet God does not hear. There is no help for the one God has set himself against. Job believes that it is God who has stripped him of all that would bring him glory (i.e., his children and his wealth). There is no hope for one that God is against.

“He hath also kindled his wrath against me, And he counteth me unto him as one of his adversaries. His troops come on together, And cast up their way against me, And encamp round about my tent. He hath put my brethren far from me, And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged from me. My kinsfolk have failed, And my familiar friends have forgotten me. They that dwell in my house, and my maids, count me for a stranger; I am an alien in their sight. I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no answer, Though I entreat him with my mouth. My breath is strange to my wife, And my supplication to the children of mine own mother” (Job 19:11-17).

Job believes that God has “kindled his wrath against me and counts me as one of his adversaries.” Remember earlier we noted that Job believed that God hates him (see Job 16:9). God is responsible for separating Job from his own brethren, his friends, kinsfolk, maids, servants, and even his own wife. Job’s brothers and sisters in the flesh also have estranged themselves from him. Job’s life is filled with misery and loneliness.

“Even young children despise me; If I arise, they speak against me. All my familiar friends abhor me, And they whom I loved are turned against me. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, And I am escaped with the skin of my teeth” (Job 19:18-20).

The world is against Job (even children speak against him). Job’s friends hate him and all whom Job at one time loved now have turned against him. Somehow Job remains alive by the “skin of my teeth.”

“Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; For the hand of God hath touched me. Why do ye persecute me as God, And are not satisfied with my flesh?” (Job 19:21-22).

Job, at what appears to be the lowest point a man could come, begs his friends to have pity upon him and stop accusing him of things he has not done. Job asked the second great question of his epic suffering. Job asks, “Why do ye persecute me as God and are not satisfied with my flesh?” Job’s friends ought to be satisfied that God has afflicted such a great sinner rather than continuing to hurl insulting words at him.

“Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! That with an iron pen and lead They were graven in the rock for ever! But as for me I know that my Redeemer liveth, And at last he will stand up upon the earth: And after my skin, even this body, is destroyed, Then without my flesh shall I see God; Whom I, even I, shall see, on my side, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger. My heart is consumed within me” (Job 19:23-27).

Great words of faith are spoken by Job here. He has showed sparks of hope even though in despair he wonders if there really is any. Job has said that he will not give up his faith in God and the right way of life even though he suffers this unjust cause (see Job 17:9). Job now states that he knows that God (his redeemer) lives, will stand upon the earth, and “then without my flesh shall I see God.” Job believed that after he dies he would be with God and see God. Different translation state that Job believed he would see God “in my flesh” (see also the 1901 ASV footnote on this verse). This answers the question that Job previously asked when he said, “If a man die shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). Job considers the resurrection of his diseased body as the only hope of relief that he has.

“If ye say, How we will persecute him! And that the root of the matter is found in me; Be ye afraid of the sword: For wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, That ye may know there is a judgment” (Job 19:28-29).

Job ends his speech with a serious warning to his friends. If these friends continue to associate Job’s suffering with his sin and thereby persecute him with unfriendly words then they should be “afraid of the sword that punishes.” Job reminds his friends of God’s judgment of mankind in addition to the resurrection of the dead. The discussion and or argument has reached a climax. Job will not toy with their accusations any longer.

EXPOSITION

Job 19:1—Job’s comforters show no development in their encounter with him. In contrast, Job has analyzed his position as the result of their criticism. Job thus becomes our great paradigm of growth through suffering. We either see our troubles through God, or God through our troubles. What alternatives are available? In this, Job’s central discourse, he achieves a profound faith, which enables him to triumph over his destructive despair. He truly attained “hope in time of abandonment.” New power and pathos enter Job’s literary style.

This new power retouches themes which are set forth in his earlier speeches:

(1) validity of a clear conscience, Job 6:30; Job 9:29; Job 10:7; Job 16:17, which the righteous judge would ratify if only He would hear them—Job 10:2; Job 10:7; Job 13:23; Job 16:21;

(2) knowledge that God must yearn for him as he does for God—Job 7:8; Job 7:21; Job 10:8-9; Job 14:15; and

(3) his hope that God will finally vindicate him—Job 14:13-15; Job 16:19-20.

Job’s response to Bildad contains four parts:

(1) His impatience with his friends—Job 19:2-6;

(2) God’s abandonment and attack—Job 19:7-12;

(3) Laments his forsaken condition and appeals to his friends once more—Job 19:13-22; and

(4) His certainty concerning his vindication—Job 19:23-29. Does the speech present God’s attitude change toward Job? Is He his enemy? The change is only apparent and temporary. Though Job’s friends are uncharitable, and God is silent in the presence of his agonizing cries, Job waits for vindication. But until then!

Job 19:2—His friends have grievously wounded (tormented) Job by their insinuations. “Vex” is not strong enough for the Hebrew word; the same verb is used in Isaiah 51:23 of Israel’s tormentors. In Lamentations 1:5; Lamentations 1:12, the same word is used to describe the suffering which God inflicted on Israel. The verb (dk’) translated as “break me in pieces” is used of the penitent in Isaiah 57:15 and Psalms 51:17. It means “crush” and is here employed to describe the effects of the charges from Job’s friends. “I am crushed” by your insinuations, not led to repentance.

Job 19:3—The figure 10 is to be understood as a round number and not as Rashi took it as referring to the number of speeches—five for Job and five for friends—Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22. His friends have wronged him. The verb is found only here and does not call for endless proliferation of emendations. Job is enduring God’s silence; need they add their inhumane treatment to his already overburdened life?

Job 19:4—This is a very difficult verse whose meaning is not self-evident. Perhaps the best understanding is found in the R. S. V. There it is translated as a hypothetical sentence, though there is no hypothetical particle present. This move enables us to understand the verse without it being an admission of guilt of secret sin, which Job has consistently denied. Taking the verse to mean “Even if I have sinned, I have not injured you” (Rowley, Job, p. 167).

Job 19:5—Job chides his friends for assuming an air of superiority. If taken as a rhetorical question, the answer is clearly positive. The verb translated “magnify” has a negative sense here as in Psalms 35:26; Psalms 38:16. The last line contains a verb used in Job 16:21 and here means “plead my disgrace against me.” His humiliation is taken as proof of the accuracy of their charge.

Job 19:6—This verse is proof that Job 19:4 does not contain a confession of guilt. Bildad has asserted that the godless man is caught in his own net in Job 18:8. The word for net is a different one from any employed by Bildad. Here the image is one of a hunter’s large net into which animals are driven.

Job 19:7—Job’s friends have built their arguments on the doctrines of “divine justice” from the assumption that he is “conscious of his own innocence.” The verse begins with emphatic appeal to “injustice”—Habakkuk 1:2 and Jeremiah 20:8. The same verb “cry aloud” appears in Job 24:12; Job 19:12; Job 30:28; Job 35:9; Job 36:13. Yet, his pitiful cries for help go unheard. God remains silent.

Job 19:8—Job has been hemmed in; restrictions surround him—Lamentations 3:7; Hosea 2:6; Job 3:23; Job 13:27; Job 14:5. In Job 1:10 Satan had asserted that God had placed protective barriers around Job. Perhaps darkness should be amended to “thorn hedge.”

Job 19:9—The crown of glory (kabod—LXX doxa) is a metaphor for esteem. Job’s crown of righteousness has been removed from him—Psalms 8:5. Shame as a garment is an image used in Job 8:22. Honor is a garment to be worn by the godly, or removed from—stripped off—the unrighteous—Job 29:14; Isaiah 61:3. Job was once a prosperous man who enjoyed an honorable reputation; now he has nothing.

Job 19:10—The metaphors are rich and varied. In this verse God has pulled Job down as one wrecks a building. The second metaphor is that of a tree uprooted—Psalms 52:5. The common verb—halak—meaning “walk” used metaphorically as a way of life, i.e., life style, here appears as an image of death, death as a way of existence.

Job 19:11—The metaphor now shifts to warfare. God will not cease His aggression against Job. God is pictured as a leader directing one attack after another on Job—Job 10:17; Job 16:12 ff. The Hebrew text has the plural, “his adversaries,” but here it is God and probably should be in the singular, “his adversary.”

Job 19:12—The military metaphor is extended. Here the troops are raising a siege ramp. But there is a strong conflict between the image of the siege ramp and a tent. One does not need to besiege a tent with an attack force. Perhaps this tension suggests the inequity of it all.

Job 19:13—God’s apparent hostility produces human hostility. Isolation and loneliness are radically contrasted with the sequence of relationships which develop from less to more intimate: (1) “My brethren”—Job 19:13 a; (2) “men of my family”—Job 19:17 b; (3) “my intimate friends”—Job 19:19. All of the intimate relationships necessary for life have been ripped apart. Total estrangement is Job’s pitiful lot.

Job 19:14—Job has a right to expect his most intimate friends to stand by him in his great hours of darkness—Psalms 88:18. In his most desperate hours, he is abandoned by all those with whom he has had intimate interpersonal relations. To whom can he turn? Who cares?

Job 19:15—Even “the sojourners” of his house rejected him. He even lost the respect of his maidservants and obedience of slaves; this is the depth of humiliation. Job has experienced a totally broken existence, from alienation to humiliation.

Job 19:16—He has sunk so low that even his personal servant ignores him. This is the bitterest form of humiliation and proof of the incredible depth into which he has fallen—Psalms 123:2. His social status has been obliterated; even the slaves will not respond when he personally calls them.

Job 19:17—Job’s skin is ravaged with eruptions and itching—Job 2:7-8; Job 2:12; Job 7:5; Job 7:14; Job 16:16; Job 19:20; Job 30:17; Job 30:30. Now halitosis is added to his other symptoms. His physical appearance is appalling, and has contributed to his social ostracization. The second line in the A. V. does not represent the Hebrew text which literally says “the sons of my womb.” This cannot refer to Job’s children, as they are already dead. Since there is no mention of concubines, it probably does not refer to their children. The best meaning in this context is Job’s mother’s womb—Job 3:10. Womb is used for “body” in Micah 6:7 and Psalms 22:9-11. The phrase would ordinarily mean Job’s children, but this is all but precluded by the present context.

Job 19:18—Even the children show disrespect for Job, as he rises and attempts to walk. Such disrespect calls for drastic punishment—2 Kings 2:23. Perhaps the second line means that even little children “turn their backs” on Job, rather than “speak against” him.

Job 19:19—Literally the first line says “men of my intimate group” or his bosom friends—Genesis 49:6; Jeremiah 6:11; Jeremiah 15:17; Jeremiah 23:18; Psalms 25:14; Psalms 55:15—“have turned against me.”

Job 19:20—Though the general meaning is obvious, the verse has failed to yield up its grammatical secrets to those whose very lives have been spent in studying this language. The essence is—I have nothing but my bones and the skin of my teeth (Brown, Driver, Briggs understand this as “gums”), and I am nothing.[211] Mere survival is the only claim he can make. The verse has a certain proverbial tone about it. At least it is possible that the meaning is that suggested by Pope—“my flesh rots on my bones, my teeth drop from my gums.” The LXX suggest that the translators had a different Hebrew text before them “under my skin my flesh is corrupted; my bones are held in (my) teeth.”

Job 19:21—The repetition of “have pity on me” is a powerful rhetorical device. The hand of God has “stricken” me (same verb used in Isaiah 53:4).

Job 19:22—His friends are here accused of imitating God by their ceaseless hounding of Job. They are inhuman. Job is their prey. The idiom means “and will not stop calumniating me.” How appropriate for our age which is preoccupied with the humanization of man, without the redemptive activity of God in the world.

Job 19:23—Job still holds out hope of the vision of God (Job 19:23-27). The foregoing appeal has fallen on deaf ears, as is apparent from the following speech. At the conclusion, job is completely alienated from: (1) family; (2) men, i.e., intimate friends; and apparently (3) God. Yet out of his depth of despair, he achieves a heightened faith in God which maintains that He will “Shatter His Silence” in the future. But for the existential moment, Job will endure this cosmic muteness. Note how his traditionalist friends have appealed to the wisdom of the past, how Job is enduring the present, and that only the future holds the solution to his dilemma.’ If neither the past nor the present provide clues to the presence of God (i.e., a transcendent creator-redeemer God who is immanent in nature-history-social institutions-individual lives), where, if there are any, are the clues of God’s love and mercy? Since the first scientific revolution, western man has been moving in a naturalistic-humanistic direction. This process called for the death of God and the humanization of man. Oh, Job is our contemporary. Has God abandoned us? Job wants the protestation of his innocence to survive after his death in the form of a book or scroll. Seper usually means book or scroll. But the verb here means “to engrave.” We now have the copper treasure scroll from Qumran; perhaps it is an illustration of what Job had in mind. He surely wanted his record to be permanent.

Job 19:24—A lead stylus could not make an impression on even the softest stone; therefore, the lead here must be to fill the incisions made by an iron tool. An ancient example of the use of lead in stone is Darius I’s Behistun Inscription.

Job 19:25—Here is the central verse of the entire book. Job knows that there is no immanent power within man or nature that can meet his needs. If death is the ultimate and absolute monarch of all life, then the late Heidegger is correct—all of reality moves toward death—Sein zum tode. The ultimate answer to evil, suffering, and death comes in this peak passage—Job 19:25-27. Despite the “but,” this verse must not be separated from the foregoing; i.e., these words in Job 19:23 are to be recorded in stone. The word go’el (see Book of Ruth, Ruth 4:4-6) means next of kin who was obligated to exact justice in a feud—Deuteronomy 19:6-12; 2 Samuel 14:11; Leviticus 25:25; Leviticus 25:48. The go’el is the defender of both widow and orphan and the enslaved—Proverbs 23:10-11. God is Israel’s go’el or deliverer from Egyptian bondage—Exodus 6:6; Exodus 15:13; exile, Jer.; dispersion—Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 48:20; and Isaiah 52:9. God also delivers the individual from death—Psalms 103:4; Lamentations 3:58. Job’s concluding remarks in Job 19:26 b clearly reveal that his redeemer is God. The word ‘aharon is here taken as adverbial “at last.” If it is taken as parallel to go’el, it should be taken as adjectival in the sense that the “first and last” is guarantor—Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 48:12. His vindicator is living and will stand on the earth. The Hebrew hay—alive or living—is a designation for God—Joshua 3:10; Hosea 1:10. Job’s God is a living God. The much discussed Ugaritic example concerning Baal is upon scrutiny no parallel. The Vulgate changes the Hebrew and reads “I shall rise,” meaning that Job shall experience resurrection. The phrase “upon the earth” literally reads “upon the dust.” Here is an expressed hope in God’s victory over Sheol. Job’s answer comes by resurrection. Ultimately our Lord’s resurrection is not merely an historical event; it is a history-making event—Matthew 22:32. Death in Sheol never means extinction or annihilation, only existence that is less to be desired; as many claim, especially Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists (Soul Sleeping), Armstrongites, et. al.

Job 19:26—The problems of translation and understanding are great in this verse. Dahood maintains that the expression in this verse sets forth “the doctrine of the creation of a new body for the afterlife”—1 Corinthians 15. Job expects to “see God,” but not until after death. He does not say how he will be conscious of his vindication (compare with Job’s earlier words—Job 14:21 ff). Here is one of the Old Testament highwater marks in the development of a belief in resurrection, which culminates in the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This fact is the very essence of the Christian faith. It is an objective fact which must be subjectively appropriated, resulting in a Christian world-life style of existence. It must be more than a legalistic doctrinal orthodoxy, but not less than orthodox. Jesus alone has revealed the true nature of Job’s God—John 1:18—The Great Explanation. Job’s desire is to see (hazah—see a vision, a revelation) God—Job 42:5. He is certain of two things: (1) His Vindicator will vindicate his innocence; and (2) He will see his God.

Job 19:27—God will appear on Job’s behalf (Heb. “on my side”) and break His silence. Job will see Him for himself, not through someone else’s eyes. When he sees Him, He will appear as a friend, not as an enemy or stranger. Job is overcome with emotion (heart—lit. “my kidneys wear out in my bosom”). In Hebrew psychology, the bowels and kidneys are regarded as the center of emotions, as was the heart of intelligence. It is wonderful, but not too wonderful to be possible.

Job 19:28—The verse is another problem text. Job is probably charging his friends with prejudice—Job 6:14-30; Job 13:7-11; Job 17:4-5; and Job 19:1-5—and persistent persecution, though the Hebrew text changes to indirect speech “in him” rather than direct discourse expressed in the A. V.’s “in me.” Though the meaning is clear, it is one of the examples of grammatical confusion in the verse.

Job 19:29—If you continue persecuting me, you will be judged by the sword (lit. “because the iniquities of the sword are wrath”—Isaiah 31:8; Isaiah 34:5 ff). After Job’s great assertion in Job 19:25-27, he now lapses back into his not so obscure despair. In Babylonian literature, the sword is a symbol of Nergal, the god of war; perhaps the ideograph has Near Eastern application. Contemporary man is troubled over the very existence of God. Here Job adds to our anxiety by declaring that God will manifest objective wrath in the form of judgment—Romans 1:18 ff.

JOB TWENTY

Zophar’s answer condemns Job (Job 20:1-29):

“Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me, Even by reason of my haste that is in me. I have heard the reproof which putteth me to shame; And the spirit of my understanding answereth me. Knowest thou not this of old time, Since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the godless but for a moment? Though his height mount up to the heavens, And his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: They that have seen him shall say, Where is he? He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. The eye which saw him shall see him no more; Neither shall his place any more behold him” (Job 20:1-9).

We anxiously await the response of Job’s friends to such a dramatic and genuine plea for mercy from Job only to be disappointed in Zophar’s answer. Zophar considers Job’s ranting and concludes that Job has been permitted to shame, triumph, and have a bit of joy for only a moment. He, like all other wicked men, “shall perish for ever like his own dung.” Job, Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar do not sound too much like friends right now.

“His children shall seek the favor of the poor, And his hands shall give back his wealth. His bones are full of his youth, But it shall lie down with him in the dust. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue, Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth; Yet his food in his bowels is turned, It is the gall of asps within him” (Job 20:10-14).

Zophar, in a round about way, accuses Job of hiding his sin while enjoying the passing pleasures. Though Job hide his sin it will no doubt find him out.

“He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the poison of asps: The viper’s tongue shall slay him. He shall not look upon the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter. That which he labored for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down; According to the substance that he hath gotten, he shall not rejoice. For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor; He hath violently taken away a house, and he shall not build it up” (Job 20:15-19).

For the first time in this study we find an actual accusation against Job; i.e., he has “swallowed down riches... and oppressed and forsaken the poor.” Job’s friends believe that his secret sin has something to do with his riches. Job must have received his riches by fraud yet God shall cause him to “vomit them up again.”

“Because he knew no quietness within him, He shall not save aught of that wherein he delighteth. There was nothing left that he devoured not; Therefore his prosperity shall not endure. In the fullness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits: The hand of every one that is in misery shall come upon him” (Job 20:20-22).

Zophar depicts Job as a rich man who had no scruples. Job devoured all the riches that he could get his hands upon. Zophar concludes, “His prosperity shall not endure.” Such legendary suffering has conjured up in the minds of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar the most heinous of sins; i.e., Job robbed the poor to gain the degree of wealth he had. Now, the hand of all those he oppressed to gain his riches shall be upon him.

“When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath upon him, And will rain it upon him while he is eating. He shall flee from the iron weapon, And the bow of brass shall strike him through. He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall: Terrors are upon him. All darkness is laid up for his treasures: A fire not blown by man shall devour him; It shall consume that which is left in his tent. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him. The increase of his house shall depart; His goods shall flow away in the day of his wrath. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, And the heritage appointed unto him by God” (Job 20:23-29).

Zophar explains that God’s wrath has been pored out upon Job for his greedy spirit and sinfulness. God has taken away all that the wicked man Job has obtained by fraud and greed at the expense of the poor. The wicked man Job is now “appointed” the legendary suffering he is now experiencing.

EXPOSITION

Job 20:1—Zophar explodes with anxiety at Job’s charges and closely parallels Bildad’s speech in chapter 18. Both deal with the destruction of the godless. More heat than light flows from Zophar’s speech. In his passionate speech, he once more emphasizes the insecurity of the prosperity of the unrighteous. Every “syllable of his remorseless invective” is irrelevant, even if true. Bildad’s tirade in chapter 18 and Zophar’s irrelevant speech in chapter 20 together frame Job’s marvelous credo in chapter 19. His is a living faith; theirs is a rigid retribution-oriented religion. Two characteristics of Zophar’s speech are: (1) greater hostility than before, and (2) use of crude imagery, especially in Job 20:7; Job 20:15.

Job 20:2-3—Zophar has almost choked on his silence; now in exasperation he must speak. The verse begins with taken—“therefore”—which suggests something is missing. For the first time one of Job’s friends admits to being impressed by his speech. “I hear censure which insults me.” (See Isaiah 53:5 for same word—censure—as chastisement.) Zophar’s thoughts cause him to intervene once more. Perhaps the line means that he is boiling over inside and cannot control his hostility. (Brown, Driver, Briggs gives “thy inner excitement.”) He claims to speak out of (Heb. preposition min—source from which) knowledge which Job does not. Job has shamed him; he must respond. There is a possibility that the phrase “shameful rebuke” refers to homosexual abuses—Job 31:31. Dhorme very nicely handles the grammatical problems in Job 20:3 b by translating the verb in a causative sense—“a wind (or impulse) arising from my understanding prompts me to reply,” Job, p. 290.

Job 20:4—Zophar is not asking himself if he knows but “Do you not know?” If the wicked prosper, it is only for a brief time. He continues to maintain the invariableness between ungodliness and disaster. The success of the wicked in contrast to the suffering of the righteous plagues the writers of our biblical wisdom literature. Zophar once more expounds his traditional, standard answer—. The answer has always been the same—Deuteronomy 4:32.

Job 20:5—The solution to the problem presented by the prosperity of the wicked is that it is only for a short time—Psalms 73. Empirically this is not a happy solution, either for individuals or groups, nations, haves and have nots. It is the kind of talk that revolutions are made of. Ultimately the only consolation of the righteous is in resurrection. The rejection of resurrection possibilities is the basis of twentieth century efforts at the humanization of man, through socio-political means. Central to this naturalistic humanism is a denial of a vertical dimension to sin, which leaves only a horizontal vision of salvation, which becomes merely better and more factors which generate a positive response to daily existence. One of the Christian faith’s deadliest foes is contemporary Neo-Marxism which comes in well-tailored sheep’s clothing, first to Italy, then to France, on to England, then perhaps the USA with our socialistic democracy as its noblest habitat. When Capitalism lost God as a transcendent moral basis of stewardship, only materialistic hedonism remains. Christ, our risen Lord, is our only and ultimate consolation. Joy and grace co-mingle in His empty tomb and ascension.

Job 20:6—His loftiness, i.e., his eminence, is only momentary. But great will be the fall—Matthew 9:24 ff. As Strahan has well declared, “It is not Zophar’s sermon against pride that makes him a false prophet, but his application of it to Job.”

Job 20:7—Zophar sinks to a new low in his use of the brutally inelegant metaphor—2 Kings 9:37. His vigorous coarseness is bested only by his boorish brutality.

Job 20:8—Job is contrasted to a dream which is gone upon awakening. He will be as unavailable as a night vision; continued chase will only cause future crisis—Psalms 73:20 and Isaiah 29:8.

Job 20:9—The verb translated “saw”—sazap—Job 28:7—means “to catch sight of” and emphasizes the brevity of the appearance. The image has appeared before in Job 7:8; Job 7:10; Job 8:18; Psalms 1:4; Psalms 103:16.

Job 20:10—The poverty of the wicked will force their children to beg from the poor, so destitute is their condition. Perhaps Zophar is suggesting that the sons of the wicked will be forced to return to those whom he has made impoverished through his illicit gain. It is also possible that “hands” in the second line stands for “offspring.”

Job 20:11—Here the imagery suggests that the wicked will die prematurely, i.e., “full of youth”—Psalms 55:23.

Job 20:12—The riches of the ungodly are like sweet food in the mouth which turns to poison in the stomach. Evil is compared with something tasty. “The sweetness of sin turns into the gall of retribution, and riches wrongfully acquired must be vomited up again” (Rowley, Job, p. 178)—Hebrews 11:15. Sin is so sweet that it is hidden under the tongue to retain maximum pleasure for as long as possible.

Job 20:13—The verb translated spare means have “compassion on,” implying that Job loves sin so much that “he has compassion” on it and will not let it go. His secret sins are concealed in his mouth.

Job 20:14—The sweet-tasting food has become poison. The enjoyment of sin metamorphizes into tragic bitterness and destroys the imbiber—Proverbs 20:17. Pliny expresses the ancient belief that “it is the gall which constitutes the poison of asps.”

Job 20:15—The figure is in keeping with Zophar’s coarse rhetorical devices. The evil greedy man must vomit up all his ill-gotten wealth. Here God does not administer an emetic to cause the unrighteous to disgorge the poison; the evil person is so sick that he self-imposes the vomiting.

Job 20:16—The poisonous greed proved the undoing of the ungodly. Greed generates oppression; oppression generates alienation. The central problem of western economic man, from Keynes to our gross national product, is that greed is the dynamic which enables unwise and unreasonable men to make decisions as though infinite economic growth is possible. Perhaps we note here the assumption that the darting tongue of the viper is the actual source of poison.

Job 20:17—The time of enjoyment for the wicked is passed. The joy of leisure is an unavailable goal for the ungodly. The nature of work and leisure are once more fundamental issues in our culture, and for the same reason as is suggested in our text. The flowing rivers will not be available to evil men. Refreshments for the leisure time of the greedy, which are honey and curds—Judges 5:25 and Isaiah 7:14—will also avoid them.

Job 20:18—The wicked cannot swallow the profit of labor (one Hebrew word extended in A. V., “that which he labored for”). The metaphor depicts one who is gagging, i.e., one who cannot swallow what is in his mouth. “The profits of his trading” is choking him, therefore, not rejoicing.

Job 20:19—The wicked have callously abandoned the poor to their fate, after oppressively mistreating them. The second line declares that the wicked man does not enjoy the fruit of his violence, even though he will not abandon it. He is not satisfied even after violently oppressing the powerless poor. Dahood renders the verse, For he crushed the huts of the poor, “He has sacked a house which he did not build.”

Job 20:20—The greed of the wicked is insatiable. This verse repeats the same thoughts as found in Job 20:19. Those with insatiable appetites defeat themselves. How appropriate these thoughts are for 20th century America, in light of the conditions in the Third and Fourth Worlds.

Job 20:21—The verse is not emphasizing gluttony for food, but an oppressive aggression which consumes the pitiful powerless poor. It repeats the same thoughts as Job 20:19-20, but makes emphasis with different metaphors.

Job 20:22—The imagery suggests that avarice consumes the wicked. Anguish in the midst of luxury: how can this be? The contradictions continue—“all the blows of misfortune pour upon him,” Dhorme. This is an excellent translation of the Hebrew which literally says “every hand or force of one in misery” will fall upon him.

Job 20:23—What seems to be self-destructive results of the behavior of the wicked is really God’s judgment upon their lives. God, too, sends abundance, abundance of His wrath. While the ungodly person is filling his belly, He (God—not in text but must be the subject) will send His burning anger upon him (Hebrew is lechum—bowels—inner feelings, emotions).

Job 20:24—The metaphor changes from fiery rain from heaven to that of heavy iron weapons. While trying to elude one death-dealing weapon, another will fall on him. There is no hiding place—Amos 5:19 and Isaiah 24:18.

Job 20:25—The image is a description of the wicked wounded by an arrow, seeking to withdraw it from his body. Finally, the glittering point (lit. lightning-flashing point of the arrow) is pulled out of the gall—Job 20:14—Deuteronomy 32:41; Nahum 3:3; Habakkuk 3:11.

Job 20:26—Same image as expressed in Job 15:22. The consuming fire is not of human origin, and it will destroy everything.

Job 20:27—Job has already asked for a heavenly witness, and that the earth not silence the witness of his blood—Job 16:18 ff. Here heaven and earth will combine their witness against him.

Job 20:28—The word translated “depart” (yigel) means “to go into exile.” Others will carry away his prosperity into their tents. Nothing remains his own. The flood (torrents for niggerot—2 Samuel 14:14), like the fire in Job 20:26, has its origin in the purposes of God. The expression of divine judgment will result in the total destruction of the wicked.

Job 20:29—This is the conclusion of Zophar’s speech and repeats what he has already asserted—Job 5:27; Job 18:21—the end of the wicked is destruction.

JOB TWENTY-ONE

Job answers in the same aggressive tone as Zophar (Job 21:1-34):

“Then Job answered and said, Hear diligently my speech; And let this be your consolations. Suffer me, and I also will speak; And after that I have spoken, mock on. As for me, is my complaint to man? And why should I not be impatient? Mark me, and be astonished, And lay your hand upon your mouth. Even when I remember I am troubled, And horror taketh hold on my flesh” (Job 21:1-6).

The pleasantries of introductions have ceased. Job’s friends are convinced that he is a secret sinner. Zophar has gone as far as accusing Job of defrauding the poor to gain wealth. Job requests that these men “hear diligently my speech and then you may mock me all you like.” Job tells the three men that his complaint is not with them but with God. Therefore, if they so desire to mark him as a wicked man then go ahead yet he tells them to please shut their harsh mouths.

“Wherefore do the wicked live, Become old, yea, wax mighty in power? Their seed is established with them in their sight, And their offspring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, Neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not; Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock, And their children dance. They sing to the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. They spend their days in prosperity, And in a moment they go down to Sheol. And they say unto God, Depart from us; For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” (Job 21:7-14).

Job challenges his friends who have said all along that the wicked are punished by God and there is no joy for them in this life. While Job’s three friends say that this is what they have observed in life Job says that what he has observed is that the wicked live, grow old, have great power, safety, joy, and prosperity. God’s rod of anger is never upon them. Even though these wicked say to God, “Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” yet they continue to prosper.

“What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him? Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand: The counsel of the wicked is far from me. How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity cometh upon them? That God distributeth sorrows in his anger? That they are as stubble before the wind, And as chaff that the storm carrieth away?” (Job 21:15-18).

Job asks the question, “Why should we serve the Almighty... And what profit is there in praying” if the wicked rejoice in prosperity and the righteous suffer? The point being that if it is God’s intention to punish the wicked while they live yet the common observance is that many wicked are getting away with foul living then why even serve God.

Job asks another question to his friends. Job asks, “How often have you actually seen a wicked man suffer calamity due to his wicked deeds upon the earth?”

“Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his children. Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may know it: Let his own eyes see his destruction, And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. For what careth he for his house after him, When the number of his months is cut off? Shall any teach God knowledge, Seeing he judgeth those that are high? One dieth in his full strength, Being wholly at ease and quiet: His pails are full of milk, And the marrow of his bones is moistened. And another dieth in bitterness of soul, And never tasteth of good. They lie down alike in the dust, And the worm covereth them” (Job 21:19-26).

The answer to Job’s question regarding why they don’t see the wicked suffer would no doubt be, “God lays up his iniquity for his children.” Job has a problem with that answer. If it be the case that a man’s wickedness is punished in his children then where would the wicked man’s learning of right and wrong be? Job says, “What I see is the just and unjust living and dying alike even though they have two different courses in life.” There has to be another reason for the suffering than God punishing the wicked.

“Behold, I know your thoughts, And the devices wherewith ye would wrong me. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt? Have ye not asked wayfaring men? And do ye not know their evidences, That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity? That they are led forth to the day of wrath? Who shall declare his way to his face? And who shall repay him what he hath done? Yet shall he be borne to the grave, And men shall keep watch over the tomb. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, And all men shall draw after him, As there were innumerable before him. How then comfort ye me in vain, Seeing in your answers there remaineth only falsehood?” (Job 21:27-34)

Job knew the thoughts of his friends only because they had made them manifest. They had “wronged” Job in that they have falsely accused him and attached a sin to him that did not exists (i.e., Job, you have defrauded the poor to gain your riches). Job explains to his friends that God does not punish the wicked in this life but in the life to come. The judgment day will be a “day of wrath” for the ungodly. Job has openly exposed his friends postulations of guilt and error toward Job as “falsehood” and “vain comfort.”

EXPOSITION

Job 21:1—For the sixth time Job responds to Zophar out of the depths of his realistic experience. Here we vividly see the radical distinction between his experience and the a priori theories of his three friends. Job confronts their thesis that the righteous are happy and the wicked are miserable with a counter claim—that the wicked are often prosperous. This Jobian speech falls into five sections:

(1) Job appeals for a hearing—Job 21:2-6;

(2) The wicked prosper—Job 21:7-16;

(3) He asks, Do the wicked suffer?—Job 21:17-22;

(4) Death levels everyone and everything—Job 21:23-26; and

(5) Universal experience contradicts the arguments of his three comforters—Job 21:27-34. It is the only fully polemical speech from Job.

Job 21:2—Eliphaz had identified his words with “the consolation of God”—Job 15:11. Now Job asks them to consider real consolation. He has emerged victorious over the temptation presented to him by both his friends and his wife. He has asserted his faith that God knows his innocence and will ultimately testify to it. He still believes in God’s goodness and has a basis from which to reject the accusing recommendations of his friends. He passes from mere defensiveness to frontal attack. Theologically, his friends have attacked him from behind the bulwark of the eternal universal principle of retributive justice. Job brilliantly and relentlessly undertakes to falsify the principle from which they continually deduced so many erroneous conclusions. First, it is not universally self-evident that God sends retributive justice in this life (note similar argument in Kant’s Critique of Practical Judgment). Secondly, God does not destroy the godless in a moment—Job 21:5-6; and thirdly, that the impious do not always prosper, but they often do—Jeremiah 12:1 ff; Ecclesiastes 7:15. Job asks only for their discreet silence and attentive ears.

Job 21:3—The verbs preceding this verse are all plural, but here this one is in the singular. Job is focusing attention on Zophar’s just-ended discourse on the fate of the wicked. After what I have to say, you will no longer mock me.

Job 21:4—Job’s complaint is against God, not man. He would expect at least sympathy from man. He receives no consolation from either God or man. He is protesting the moral anomalies that God allows in His world. Job has inquired of God, but God remains silent; therefore, Job is impatient (lit. “my spirit is short”).

Job 21:5-6—Laying one’s hand over the mouth is the gesture of awe and voluntary silence. Job’s friends will be silent when they hear and understand his argument concerning the prosperity of the wicked. He shudders at the very thought of an amoral universe.

Job 21:7—Zophar (and Plato’s Republic) had said—Job 20:11—that the wicked die prematurely. Job counters with evidence to the contrary. Job asks “why?” (maddna—“from what cause”; lamah—Job 3:20; Job 7:20—“to what purpose?” Jesus on cross—Psalms 22; Matthew 27—how do you explain it?) Zophar’s argument is sophistry. If one dies early in life, then he was wicked. The same applies to Bildad’s arguments in Job 18:5-21. One could never refute such an a priori position. Not only do many wicked live long lives, but their prosperity continues unbroken—Job 15:20; Job 18:5; Job 20:5. Other Old Testament spokesmen were also disturbed about this same phenomena—Jeremiah 12:1 ff; Psalms 73:13; Habakkuk 1:13; and Malachi 3:15. The evidence does not support Zophar’s claim that the prosperous wicked never attain a level of true happiness. The holy pagan, moral atheist, the good-living humanist might be as “happy” as the righteous man, then or now. If ex hypothesi happiness is God’s gift, is He not encouraging unbelief by such indiscriminate bestowal of prosperity?—Matthew 5:45. The only motives advanced by Job’s friends for serving God have been: (1) fear of punishment and (2) hope for reward. This kind of motivation will never produce truly pious people (note arguments against these by Kant and Hannah Arendt).

Job 21:8—Job directly contradicts the claims of Bildad concerning the fate of the wicked which he stated in Job 18:5-21. He first attacks Bildad’s assertion that Job’s ill-fated prosperity and progeny are proof of ungodliness. The wicked have (lit. lipnehem—before them) their offspring.

Job 21:9—Here Job sets the security of the ungodly against Eliphaz’s claim in Job 5:24. He had promised Job security in his tent if he would accept his present condition as God’s judgment and repent. In Job 9:34 Job complained that there was no “mediator” to remove God’s rod of anger from him; here he asserts that the ungodly do not feel the rod of wrath—Job 15:28; Job 18:14; and Job 20:28.

Job 21:10—Another mark of God’s blessing was fertility in herds and flocks—Deuteronomy 28:14; Psalms 144:13 ff. If this is a sign of God’s blessing, then He is blessing many wicked people with success. Compare this argument in a Christian critique of the American Dream, i.e., if you are successful, it is a sign of God’s providential presence; if you are a failure, it is a warning to get right with God.

Job 21:11—Here we note a beautiful picture of peace, progress, and prosperity as children are playing and singing like happy little lambs. But the children of the wicked are as numerous as a herd or flock—Psalms 107:41. (Note contemporary preoccupation with leisure and play (see J. Moltmann’s A Theology of Play. New York: Harper & Row, 1975), Zechariah 8:5.

Job 21:12—For similar descriptions of revelry of the wicked, see Isaiah 5:12 and Amos 6:5, perhaps in their worship of Baal. The same mode, but not motive, is employed in the worship of God. Festivity and celebration are marks of both pious joy as well as sensual revelry.

Job 21:13—The wicked often know intense prosperity and come to a peaceful ripe old age. In peace (A. V. has “in a moment”) they go down to Sheol (suggesting suddenly, which is not the point here). They have a long and complete life, with little or no suffering and no lingering illnesses.

Job 21:14—Radical self-interest is no motive for them to acknowledge God. They already have everything they want. In modern times, from Machiavelli to Mao, radical self-interest has been the basis of totalitarianism. In our own culture it is the basis of hedonistic materialism. What profit is there in knowing God? The happy people have no self-interest to induce them to worship God.

Job 21:15—The wicked have no obligation of love or gratitude to worship God. This philosophy of religion says that we will give if we get in return. But the righteous man desires above all else to know God and His ways—Psalms 16:11; Psalms 25:4. The perverse reject God, while they continue to prosper.

Job 21:16—The verse is notorious for its grammatical complexities. Perhaps the R. S. V. gets at the meaning better than the A. V., which is: God does not concern Himself with wicked, but leaves their prosperity to themselves; that is their sole and ultimate award. Job then says that the counsel of the wicked is removed far from him in the sense that despite their success, Job does not wish to be prosperous on their terms.

Job 21:17—Job admits that there is some evidence for the claims of his friends, but not enough to claim universal inevitability of the law of retribution. In a moral universe, everyone is responsible for his or her own deeds—Job 18:5-6; Job 18:10 ff; Job 20:7; Job 20:22; Job 20:26-28; Job 27:20 ff; Psalms 1:4. Job asks, Where are the examples which you set forth as universal proof?

Job 21:18—The metaphors here also appear in Psalms 1:4; Job 27:20; Isaiah 17:13. The images are figurative for destruction. Compare the claims of David and Job.

Job 21:19—“You say” represents nothing from the Hebrew text, but probably is an appropriate addition which suggests a response to a question. Perhaps Job is responding with a proverb or current saying. The verse presents the ancient view that a man’s sins are visited upon his children—Exodus 34:7 and Deuteronomy 5:9. He objects that this is unjust. Moses forbids the application of this “law” in Deuteronomy 24:16; Jeremiah 31:29; Ezekiel 18; John 9:1-3; and Matthew 27:25. The vital interrelationship between sin and its consequences must receive careful consideration in light of the biblical view of “corporate personality” and contemporary Systems Analysis Models. There was repercussion throughout all creation when man first sinned, and the empirical evidence sustains the biblical claims regarding the fragmentation of relationships between God and Man, Man and Self, Man and Others, and Man and Nature.

Job 21:20—The wicked ought to receive the retribution themselves, not their children as “Let his own eyes see his destruction” (punishment) suggests—Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15; and Revelation 16:19.

Job 21:21—What concern does a dead man have for his house?—Ezekiel 18:2; Jeremiah 31:28 ff. The Qumran Targum has what “interest for God in his house” after his death? What difference does God make to a dead ungodly person?

Job 21:22—Who can teach God anything? Shall even the “high ones” (Heb., ramin, probably angels and not God as claimed by both Blommerde and Dahood) teach Him: It would make little sense of God instructing Himself—Job 4:18; Job 15:15; Job 22:13; Job 15:2; Psalms 73:11. Job is asserting that moral considerations alone do not explain the varieties of human experience, for the intensity of either happiness or despair.

Job 21:23—One dies “in his perfection,” i.e., prime of life. Death levels everyone—Job 21:23-26. One person dies in prosperity, another in poverty.

Job 21:24—The Hebrew hardly says what the A. V. provides in the first line. The first word is a hapaz (does not appear elsewhere) but perhaps is a euphemism for “buttocks” which is plump or fat (emend halab—milk—to heleb—fat). The second line contains figures (moist bones are figures of health) which suggest that the person is well fed or prosperous. Death takes them all, regardless of social status or physical condition.

Job 21:25—The verse is Job’s description of himself—Job 3:20 and Job 7:7.

Job 21:26—The ungodly and the righteous share the same—death—Ecclesiastes 2:14 ff. It is the dissimilarity in the human fate, rather than retribution, which moves Job—Job 17:14; Isaiah 14:11 b.

Job 21:27—Job has thus far claimed that there is no evident connection between happiness and virtue—Job 21:19-21; Job 21:23-26. The friends will simply not face the truth of the blunt realities of life—Ecclesiastes 8:14; Job 21:34 b. He knows that his friends meant him while they were claiming that the wicked are destroyed; Job is destroyed; therefore, Job is wicked—Job 4:7. His suffering is the price paid for his sins. He says that they have violently wronged him (word translated wrong is stronger than our English word).

Job 21:28—Nadib means a rich prince. Here the implication is a wealthy but wicked prince who has exploited the poor—Job 20:19. God’s vengeance has swept his house away—Job 8:15; Job 8:22; Job 18:15; Job 18:21; Job 15:34.

Job 21:29—Any wayfarer (those who travel the roads, not necessarily a world traveler) could tell Job’s friends that their claims are not universally the case—Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 2:15; Psalms 80:13; Psalms 89:42; Proverbs 9:15. The daily experience (signs or monuments) of many will refute their claims. Why do they persist in their a priori evaluation of the wicked and the righteous, when the evidence refutes their claims?

Job 21:30—Those who travel the roads report that wicked men are delivered (lit. brought away from, A. V. preserved—but the English meaning is not that of the Hebrew) and led to safety on many occasions—Job 20:28; Deuteronomy 32:35; Isaiah 26:20; Jeremiah 18:17; Ezekiel 7:19; Zephaniah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:18; and Proverbs 11:4.

Job 21:31—The reference here is to the successful, powerful despot, not God as some assume. Who would publicly rebuke a tyrant: The way (halak—life style; way of life) represents the behavior pattern of the wicked but successful man.

Job 21:32—There is abundant evidence that wicked men are honored in both life and death. They are so “respected” that men watch over their tombs. Perhaps there is reference to Near Eastern custom that effigy of important dead persons watch over their own tombs. Whether this be so or not, Job is claiming that often the wicked are buried in pomp and much circumstance. How different from his own situation.

Job 21:33—Burial was often in a ravine or valley—Deuteronomy 34:6. After the rains, the clods would become as hard as rocks and so continue to mark the grave. He has no beautiful mausoleum only “clods” to identify the spot where the earth entombs his once strong body. Perhaps the metaphor speaks of a funeral procession. The wicked often have a peaceful death and posthumous fame.

Job 21:34—Thus Job’s speech completes the second cycle. He dismisses the arguments of his friends as vain in view of the rocks of reality. Their answers are perfidy (Heb. ma’al—sacrilegious attack on God). The things they have been saying on God’s behalf are all lies when tested against experience.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 18-21

1. Job accuses his friends of vexing his soul, breaking him in pieces with their discouraging words, reproaching him (blaming him of sin), and persecuting him (Job 19:1-3; Job 19:22).

2. Job continues to blame God for his misery (Job 19:6-13; Job 19:21-22). Job had previously concluded that God hates him (Job 16:9).

3. Job believes there is no hope while among the living (Job 19:10).

4. Job depicts the depth of his misery (Job 19:13-20) (the whole world [and even his wife] appear to be against him).

5. Job pleads with his friends to have pity and empathy due to his great suffering (Job 19:21).

6. Job; however, will not give up a righteous life (see Job 17:9). Job knows that his redeemer lives and will one day walk the earth. Job believes that he will be resurrected from the dead and then all will be good (Job 19:25-26).

7. Zophar accuses Job of hiding his sin (Job 20:12-15).

8. Zophar believes that he knows the identity of Job’s sin. Job must be guilty of hoarding riches at the expense of the poor (Job 20:15-19) and therefore his punishment is equated to the greatness of his sin (Job 20:20-22). Due to Job’s great sin God has “appointed” him to suffering (Job 20:29).

9. Job has seen something different than his friends in the area of the wicked suffering. Job’s friends have maintained that their observations in life is that those who live sinful lives suffer at the hands of God. Job contends that he too has made observations and he has not seen the wicked suffer. The wicked; quite to the contrary, have wealth and happiness (Job 21:7-14). Suffering does not occur only in the lives of the wicked (Job 21:25-26). The wicked do not suffer now for their wrong deeds but rather they will suffer in eternity for their unjust deeds (Job 21:29-30). Seeing that Job’s friends have gotten this wrong they are filled with “falsehood” (Job 21:34).

JOB TWENTY-TWO

Eliphaz believes he knows Job’s Sin (Job 22:1-20):

“Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? Is it for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?” (Job 22:1-4).

Job has exposed the error of his friends. They have concluded that Job suffers because he is a sinful man. Job has countered their accusations by saying that they needed to look around them and take note that the wicked of this world are not punished for the most part. We anxiously await Eliphaz’s answer because Job has exposed their erroneous thinking. Eliphaz presents the facts. Job you are suffering, you have admitted that the suffering is from God, you must have done something wrong. God would not punish you for your righteousness.

“Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities. For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee, Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee” (Job 22:5-11).

Zophar had named Job’s thirst for riches at the expense of the poor as his sin (see Job 20:15-19). Eliphaz now names Job’s sin: i.e., taken bribes, stripped men of their clothing, and unmerciful to the needy. Eliphaz states that Job suffers because of his great wickedness that has no end.

“Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven. Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden? Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream, Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us? Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn, Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed” (Job 22:12-20).

Eliphaz finally gives Job answers to his questions. Job’s friends have accused him of sin and consequential suffering (such is their observation of the wicked). Job counters by saying, “Then why are there many wicked that do not suffer at all?” Eliphaz now accuses Job of questioning God’s omniscience. God is in heaven and certainly sees all. Eliphaz explains that while it may appear that the wicked are prospering their time of God’s wrath will come upon them. Eliphaz warns Job not to desire the things of the wicked just because they are not immediately punished.

Eliphaz calls upon Job to Repent that he may regain God’s Favor (Job 22:21-30):

“Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents” (Job 22:21-23).

Eliphaz has accused Job of taking bribes, stripping men of their clothing, and being unmerciful to the needy (see above at Job 22:5-11). Eliphaz encourages Job to receive God’s laws and do them. Eliphaz promises Job that if only he would admit his sin and turn away from it God would build him up.

“And lay thou thy treasure in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks; And the Almighty will be thy treasure, And precious silver unto thee. For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee; And thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways. When they cast thee down, thou shalt say, There is lifting up; And the humble person he will save. He will deliver even him that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands” (Job 22:24-30).

Eliphaz instructs Job to put God at the top of his interest rather than riches. If only Job would humble himself before God there would come seasons of refreshment to his suffering. Eliphaz had previously accused Job of being “proud” (Job 15:21) and now request that his friend would humble himself before God and admit his error. Eliphaz says many truthful things in relation to getting one’s priorities straight and maintaining a humble spirit that admits one’s wrong; however, he errs by equating Job’s suffering to his sin.

EXPOSITION

Job 22:1—The third cycle of speeches now begins. From the very beginning Eliphaz has found Job obstinately perverse. The movement in the content of the speeches has thus far been along three lines of thought: (1) In earlier speeches the three friends have argued from their preconceived notions of God’s nature to the conclusion that Job has sinned and that his suffering can be alleviated only through his repentance. (2) The second cycle develops the thesis of the fate of the wicked and that the universe is governed by moral structures and (3) in the third series to turn with vehemence upon Job and charge him with grave sins. Their assumptions about God, evil, and suffering are once more in evidence; their conclusions follow from their presuppositions, not the evidence in Job’s life, as anyone else’s. Eliphaz returns to his earlier theme that repentance would lead to Job’s restoration. His speech contains four divisions: (1) Since God is disinterested, i.e., silent, Job’s suffering is proof of his sins—Job 22:2-5; (2) Eliphaz’s deduction concerning Job’s sin—Job 22:6-11; (3) Eliphaz’s envisagement of Job’s assumption concerning God’s silence—Job 22:12-20; and (4) Eliphaz’s promise and appeal to Job—Job 22:21-30.

The central issue in this speech is the distance between God and man because of sin.** If man suffers, it is a result of his personal sins. Eliphaz here abandons all efforts at gentleness. In his first speech (chps. 4—5) he set forth encouragement; in his second speech (chp. 15) he spoke of Job’s irreverence; and now he openly charges Job with hypocrisy and secret sins. The principle from which Eliphaz begins his reasoning is true, i.e., God is just (Romans 3:21 ff), but it is not the entire picture; God is also loving. By isolating God’s love and justice, Eliphaz distorts the entire relationship between God and man. Eliphaz still cannot understand how anyone can serve God “for nothing.” Somebody must gain from it. Is it man, or is it God?

**Note the history of this fundamental problem of the relationship between God’s immanence and transcendence: (1) There is no separation between God and man because there is no God, naturalistic atheism; (2) Kierkegaard’s total separation, God as “wholly other”; (3) After Hegel’s phenomenologically based pantheism the separation is only one of degree. From the Newtonian world Machine Model to 19 “Organiamic Model—Evolutionary naturalism is its 19th dress; (4) Kierkegaard Buber-Otto-Barth in neo-orthodoxy; (5) God is totally immersed in reality—Death of God, Revolutionary political, Liberation Theologies of all types; and (6) Biblical alternatives.

Job 22:2—God can derive no possible advantage from man, but a pious life style can benefit man. God would gain nothing by deviating from strict justice in dealing with human behavior (Elihu expresses the same theme in Job 35:7). “God doth not need either man’s work or his gifts”—Milton. Job has previously used this argument—Job 7:20. Man cannot harm God; why then should God care what man does? He should just leave man alone.

Job 22:3—Is it any advantage (note parallel word in the second line “gain”) or pleasure (Job 21:21) to God, if you are righteous? Can a gebher (strongest specimen of man) be useful to God? Can a professional wise man give instruction to the Almighty? As a theologian of transcendence, Eliphaz dismisses these ludicrous possibilities—Isaiah 62:5; Luke 15:7; Luke 17:10.

Job 22:4—Both Testaments witness to our unprofitableness and God’s gracious concern. Eliphaz has used the word yirah (fear, reverence, piety) before (Job 4:6) in the sense of piety. He is assuming that since God is disinterested, His relationship to man must be our advantage and not God’s. The A. V. translation “fear” is quite inappropriate in this discussion.

Job 22:5—Job will later protest that he is innocent in Job 31:5 ff, which also contains his response to Eliphaz’s charges. Job’s accuser has no evidence; his accusations are derived from his presuppositions. The two words for sin in this verse are (1) “wickedness”—resha, loose, ill-regulated; and (2) pesha—deliberate and premeditated; and Job 34:37 speaks of adding pesha to hattah—miss attaining of goal (see Brown, Driver, Briggs). Eliphaz declares that if God’s discipline is not for your piety, then it must be for your sinful rebellion. If your suffering is limitless and God is just, then your sins must also be boundless.

Job 22:6—Eliphaz begins analysis of specific sins—Job 22:6-11. Hebrew law required that if a poor man gave his undergarment in pledge for a given transaction, that the creditor must return it by sundown, so the debtor would have at least this covering to protect him against the chill of the night—Exodus 22:26; Deuteronomy 24:10-13; Amos 2:8; Ezekiel 18:12. Here Eliphaz charges that Job in his greed has stripped the poor debtors and reduced them to nakedness (strongly denied in Job 31:19-22). Where is the evidence for this charge? Does he bring some mistreated poor to witness against Job—Galatians 6:1?

Job 22:7—Eliphaz continues to confront Job with the violation of the standard list of social crimes which the wealthy and powerful could commit with impunity. The next accusation hurled against Job is that he has neglected basic hospitality to the poor—Isaiah 58:7; Isaiah 58:10; Job’s response is Job 31:16 ff. The charge is more serious than mere neglect; he is charged with calloused indifference to even the minimal needs of the poor—Matthew 25:35; Matthew 25:42. The adjective “weary” is used of the thirsty—Isaiah 29:8; Jeremiah 31:25; and Proverbs 25:15. Then, as now, piety demands social expression. There can be no private piety.

Job 22:8—Job is identified as a “man of arm,” i.e., a person of wealth and rank. Here we read of an oblique reference to Job as a land-grabber—Isaiah 5:8. He is also described as the favored man (lit. lifted of face—Isaiah 3:3), i.e., on the basis of his wealth.

Job 22:9—Supposedly, Job has sent widows away empty handed. He also crushed the arms of orphans. To exploit defenseless orphans or widows was a most heinous crime—Deuteronomy 27:19; Jeremiah 7:6; Jeremiah 22:3. Job responds to these charges in Job 29:12 ff and Job 31:16 ff.

Job 22:10—What Bildad (Job 18:8-11; Job 19:6) has earlier predicted of the ungodly in general, Eliphaz here specifically applies to Job. In retribution for his sinful acts, God spreads snares or traps all around Job. Terrified with sudden dread, Job falls into the traps with paralyzing fright. The snares are proof of Job’s evil deeds, according to Eliphaz.

Job 22:11—Job, do you not understand the true cause of your troubles?—in contrast with Isaiah 58:10-11. The crushing misfortunes are metaphorically expressed by blinding “darkness” and destructive “floods.” The second line in this verse is verbatim found in Job 38:34 b. Water and darkness are figures for the perils of death and Sheol—Psalms 69:2-3; Job 9:31 a.

Job 22:12—God’s transcendence is understood here in the sense that He is so far off that He is unconcerned with man’s condition—Psalms 10:4; Psalms 73:11; and Isaiah 29:15—or as the Psalmist concludes—Psalms 14:2; Psalms 33:13 ff, He is so high that He observes every event that transpires in nature-history. Yet, Eliphaz argues in Job 22:13 that transcendence is understood by Job to mean indifference. Job has actually used this theme to describe the practical atheism of the prosperous who go unpunished in spite of their impiety—Job 21:14-15. Eliphaz deliberately distorts Job’s discourse in order to identify him with the ancient wicked—Job 22:15 ff.

Job 22:13—Eliphaz intentionally distorts Job’s theology as he asks, Does the vast distance create darkness so God cannot discern human deeds? The dark cloud partially hid God from human visibility—Exodus 20:18; 1 Kings 8:12; and Psalms 18:10. This verse contains the first overt distortion of Job’s position concerning God’s transcendence—Job 7:19; Job 10:6; Job 10:14; Job 14:3; Job 14:6.

Job 22:14—God is only concerned with the “circle”—Proverbs 8:27; Isaiah 40:22—of the heavens, not with the events on the earth, so declares Eliphaz, perhaps in response to Job’s question in Job 21:22. God is elsewhere depicted as riding upon the clouds—Isaiah 19:1—and making the clouds his chariots—Psalms 104:3. “Vault” or dome carries a connotation not presented in the creation narratives or here. God is not described as being outside an enclosed world.

Job 22:15—Eliphaz next asserts that the attitudes espoused by Job have brought destruction on the ancient wicked. The old way—Jeremiah 6:16—is best translated “the dark path,” or the way of darkness or ignorance (see Job 42:3—ma’lin ‘esah—“darkening counsel”; the noun occurs in Ecclesiastes 3:11, darkness or ignorance, Ecclesiastes 2:14 and Proverbs 2:3). The wicked walk the path of ignorance of God’s presence.

Job 22:16—The foundations of their existence collapsed from beneath them, swept away as by a flood—Matthew 7:26. They were snatched away without warning.

Job 22:17—Compare with Job 21:14-16. Eliphaz is commenting on remarks of some of the ancient wicked. He remembers what Job has claimed, in order to assert that his prosperity was only a prelude to his devastation.[

Job 22:18—Eliphaz again distorts Job’s words—Job 21:16—in order to assert that the God he scorns was the source of his prosperity. Any forthcoming disaster was merited. The blessings which the wicked receive will become to them a curse. God’s ultimate overthrow of the wicked is proof of His just rule over the affairs of men.

Job 22:19—Compare with Psalms 107:41 a and Psalms 69:33, almost verbatim. For imageries depicting the righteous rejoicing over the destruction of the wicked, see Psalms 52:6 ff; Psalms 69:32; and see Psalms 107:12 for rejoicing over the victories of the righteous.

Job 22:20—Eliphaz argues from remoteness to impartiality—see Zophar’s use in Job 11:7-20. “Our adversaries,” i.e., the wicked and their possessions (not as A. V—remnant) are destroyed.

Job 22:21—Eliphaz entreats Job to reconcile[248] or yield (“agree with God”—verb means be accustomed to—Numbers 22:30; Psalms 139:3) himself to God, promising him great material felicity in reward—Job 5:17-27; Job 11:13-19. This results in Job’s submission to God; then he will be at peace.”[249] Eliphaz still claims that the rewards of the righteous constitute its attraction.

Job 22:22—The only occurrence of the word Torah in Job is here. It means instruction or revelation and is one of the most precious words in the Old Testament. (Torah is not to be confused with the legalistic view of nomos, esp. see Romans and Galatians, which dominated Rabbinic Judaism in the time of Jesus and Paul.) His “words” is parallel in line two and reflects a scribe taking dictation from God.

Job 22:23—If you become reconciled to God, “you will be built up” (reading te’aneh for tibbaneh). The passive form of the verb build (b ny) is used in Jeremiah 12:16; Malachi 3:15 of persons made prosperous, implying here healing or restoration.

Job 22:24—Eliphaz is promising Job the restoration of his wealth if he will but return to God. God will make his gold as common as dirt. The word translated “treasure” in A. V. means ore, or that which is dug out of the earth. The text has only “Ophir” which symbolizes the highly prized gold from that location—Genesis 2:11 ff; Genesis 10:29. Gold and precious stones will be his in abundance.

Job 22:25—Eliphaz exhorts Job to make God, not gold or silver, his treasure. Job vigorously responds to this charge in Job 31:24 ff, though Eliphaz means that God’s favor brings wealth. Dhorme is probably correct in claiming that “your gold,” which is the plural of the word in Job 22:24 a, is gold as it leaves the crucible, i.e., ingots of gold. The word rendered “precious” probably means “heaps of,” i.e., a large amount of silver (see Brown, Driver, and Briggs).

Job 22:26—Eliphaz asserts that if Job will make God his treasure, then he will be able to lift up his head in confidence as in Job 10:15; Job 11:15; Job 27:10; and “delight yourself” in Psalms 37:4 in God alone. The metaphor of “face to face” implies the fact of reconciliation.

Job 22:27—God’s silence will be broken, and His presence will be restored to Job—Genesis 28:20 ff and Psalms 66:13 ff. If the prayer was answered, the one making the request would make a vow to sacrifice to God—Isaiah 58:8-9.

Job 22:28—If Job would return to God, the light of constant success would shine on his way. Instead of darkness, he would walk in light—Job 19:8; Job 22:11. If Job “will decree a thing and it will stand for you” means that God will fulfill his purpose.

Job 22:29—The righteous man (Heb. saddiq) has great influence with God—Genesis 18:21-33. Daniel, Noah, and Job were credited with great powers of influence—Ezekiel 14:14; Ezekiel 14:20; but is emphatically rejected by Ezekiel 14:12 ff; Ezekiel 18 and Jeremiah 31:29-30. Here we see an early form of the Rabbinic concept of Zekut Abot, which gradually develops into the Roman Catholic theology of the merits of the saints.

Job 22:30—The Hebrew ‘i naki can be rendered as “island of the innocent” or “him that is not innocent”—as A. V. The first line then means that by the cleanness of Job’s hands, the wicked shall be delivered—Job 42:8; Genesis 18:27 ff; and 1 Samuel 12:23. The vicarious life and prayer is unquestionably set forth, though many commentaries attempt to remove the vicarious element.

JOB TWENTY-THREE

Job Concludes that God is trying him that he may be Perfected (Job 23:1-17):

“Then Job answered and said, Even to-day is my complaint rebellious: My stroke is heavier than my groaning” (Job 23:1-2).

Job, in complete defiance of his friends admonition, states that he will indeed continue to complain about his suffering. The reason he continues to complain is that his anguish brought on by God is even heavier than the groaning it causes.

“Oh that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! I would set my cause in order before him, And fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, And understand what he would say unto me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power? Nay; but he would give heed unto me. There the upright might reason with him; So should I be delivered for ever from my judge” (Job 23:3-7).

Job considers aloud some of his contemplation regarding talking with God about the reason for his suffering. If only I could find God and set my cause before him through argument. Job confidently believes that if only he could talk and reason with God about this matter he could be delivered from this anguish. Job continues to be confident in his innocence.

“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; And backward, but I cannot perceive him; On the left hand, when he doth work, but I cannot behold him; He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. But he knoweth the way that I take; When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10).

Job believes that God is hiding himself from him... God does not want to reason with him regarding this suffering. Job thereby draws the conclusion: God knows my suffering. God is trying me and upon completion of this trial “I shall come forth as gold.” The steps of Job’s transformed character may be seen in the fact that he has determined not to sin against God during this trial (Job 17:9). Job’s faith is depicted in that he believes he will be delivered from this horrid ordeal in the resurrection of the dead (Job 19:25-26). Now we find Job making the clearest step of faith and understanding yet. Job concludes, seeing that he is innocent of sin and God seems far from him, that he is being tried by God that he might come forth as gold. Job knows that trials make a man perfect and if he will endure he shall be pure as gold (see James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6 ff). The more man suffers in this life the more he gains an understanding of his dependency upon the Lord for all eternity.

“My foot hath held fast to his steps; His way have I kept, and turned not aside. I have not gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:11-12).

Eliphaz’s admonition to Job that he should repent of his sinful deeds is now answered. Job continues to maintain his innocence. Job is confident that he has kept God’s laws and that his true treasure is found in the words of the Lord (rather than riches).

“But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth that which is appointed for me: And many such things are with him. Therefore am I terrified at his presence; When I consider, I am afraid of him. For God hath made my heart faint, And the Almighty hath terrified me; Because I was not cut off before the darkness, Neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face” (Job 23:13-17).

Job believes that God has determined, by purpose, to appoint him to affliction that he might be more perfect than before. Such an appointment from the part of God toward a man causes Job to be afraid and terrified at the Almighty. To know that the Almighty Jehovah God has appointed you to suffer is indeed a terrifying thought. All God’s saints have an “appointment” with suffering at the hands of wicked men (see 1 Thessalonians 3:1-4). The Apostle Paul tells us that suffering has been “granted” to the saints (Philippians 1:28-30). Jesus explained our suffering by saying that the world hated him and lashed out at him because he exposed their dark deeds (John 7:7). Likewise, as we expose men’s sins we will suffer their wrath. The trials Job participates in; however, are not due to his exposing someone’s sins but rather it is the suffering that all the world experiences as a part of life. Three forms of suffering exist. The suffering that is brought to man by no part of his own (James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6 ff), the suffering which we bring upon ourselves due to exposing men’s sins (John 7:7), and the suffering that we bring upon ourselves due to errant judgment (see Proverbs 13:15; Proverbs 22:5).

JOB TWENTY-FOUR

Job contemplates the eternal reward and abode of the Wicked (Job 24:1-25):

“Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? And why do not they that know him see his days? There are that remove the landmarks; They violently take away flocks, and feed them. They drive away the ass of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox for a pledge. They turn the needy out of the way: The poor of the earth all hide themselves. Behold, as wild asses in the desert They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for food; The wilderness yieldeth them bread for their children. They cut their provender in the field; And they glean the vintage of the wicked. They lie all night naked without clothing, And have no covering in the cold. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, And embrace the rock for want of a shelter. There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge of the poor; So that they go about naked without clothing, And being hungry they carry the sheaves. They make oil within the walls of these men; They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. From out of the populous city men groan, And the soul of the wounded crieth out: Yet God regardeth not the folly” (Job 24:1-12).

Job posses a question: Why is it that God does not take notice of the things that are going on around Him? And again, why is it that those who do know God do not see good days? The untrustworthy, thieves, and merciless find food for their children in the world yet the righteous have no covering in the cold, no shelter, they lack clothing, and they go hungry. Men groan out to God for relief from the wicked, “Yet God regards not the folly.” Job has already answered these questions. Job has taken note that the wicked often live sumptuously upon the earth while the righteous go hungry. Job has concluded that there will be a day of judgment when the wicked will suffer for their deeds yet now is not their time (see Job 20:27-29).

“These are of them that rebel against the light; They know not the ways thereof, Nor abide in the paths thereof. The murderer riseth with the light; He killeth the poor and needy; And in the night he is as a thief. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, Saying, No eye shall see me: And he disguiseth his face. In the dark they dig through houses: They shut themselves up in the day-time; They know not the light. For the morning is to all of them as thick darkness; For they know the terrors of the thick darkness. Swiftly they pass away upon the face of the waters; Their portion is cursed in the earth: They turn not into the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters: So doth Sheol those that have sinned” (Job 24:13-19).

Job continues to identify the wicked. The wicked are murderers, merciless to the poor, and a thief and adulterer by night. When the morning comes they will not greet the day with labor but rather they sleep and wait for the night to come again. Job identifies these wicked as those “cursed in the earth.” That which awaits these wicked sinners is Sheol. The Hebrew word “Sheol” is defined as, “A Hebrew proper noun without clear etymology and with a relatively wide range of meanings (mainly death, the grave, hell, the next world, the nether world) making it difficult to determine which of its meanings is in view in any given OT passage” (ISBE v. 4, pp. 472). The ISBE goes on to say on page 473 that “Nowhere in the OT is Sheol described as a place of torment or punishment for the wicked. At most it is a place of confinement away from the land of the living.” I disagree with this last statement due to the fact that Job has used the word Sheol as the dwelling place of wicked sinners here and has also indicated that the wicked, though not punished now, will be punished in the afterlife (i.e., in the resurrection on into eternity) (see Job 21:29-30).

“The womb shall forget him; The worm shall feed sweetly on him; He shall be no more remembered; And unrighteousness shall be broken as a tree. He devoureth the barren that beareth not, And doeth not good to the widow. Yet God preserveth the mighty by his power: He riseth up that hath no assurance of life. God giveth them to be in security, and they rest thereon; And his eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone; Yea, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, And are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain. And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, And make my speech nothing worth?” (Job 24:20-25).

Those who die sinners will not be remembered by the just. The wicked again are identified with those who show no mercy to widows. Though the wicked man’s present life may seem secure and prosperous, “His (God’s) eyes are upon their ways. They are exalted: yet a little while, and they are gone.” Job, for the first time, has acknowledged the fact that God’s eyes are upon the wicked. God does not just overlook their deeds but rather He sees and permits them to be exalted for a season but then squelches them out.

EXPOSITION

Job 24:1—Job’s reply continues. As in chapter 21, he moves from his specific experience to man’s experience in general. He describes the oppression of wicked, unscrupulous princes and the resultant misery of the poor enslaved by the burdens engendered by poverty. This section of Job’s speech is a negative parallel to Job 21:7-17. There God did not punish the impious; here He does not recover the poor from oppression. These two emphases are fundamental in the Old Testament doctrine of God, i.e., that He will judge the wicked and liberate the oppressed. Where is the evidence for God’s righteous providence in His dealings with man? Job here reflects upon the cosmic dimensions of human misery. Why are “the times” of judgment (not in the text—added in R. S. V.) for wicked not evident?—Job 18:21; Psalms 36:11.

Job 24:2—The LXX adds the subject, “the wicked,” to line one and renders as “the wicked remove the landmarks.” The Law strictly condemns such action—Deuteronomy 19:14; Proverbs 22:28; Proverbs 23:10; and Hosea 5:10. The powerful wicked not only remove the boundary stones but also seize the flocks of their weaker neighbors, and openly pasture them on stolen land. The images here are crystal clear; the powerful aggressively dispossess the weak, and nothing is done about it. Does God know about this? Does He have any compassion at all?

Job 24:3—The defenseless orphans and widows are reduced to abject poverty. Members of these classes had only one animal, and thus they would be rendered without any means of support after their ass or ox was plundered. The wicked publicly flaunt the helpless. Even the Babylonians imposed fines on a person who takes the ox of one in distress (The Code of Hammurabi, No. 241)—2 Samuel 12:4; Deuteronomy 24:17; and Exodus 22:26. All pledges from the poor were to be returned if they were necessary for livelihood. Job asks God what He does about the behavior of such calloused men. Their heinous crimes against the poor must be judged if we dwell in a moral universe.

Job 24:4—The poor are deprived of their rights—Amos 4:1. The poor, once deprived, have no place to turn. This is suggested in the Hebrew text as it has “are hidden together.” The normal sense of the reflective form means that they hide themselves, which makes perfectly good sense here.

Job 24:5—Hopelessly oppressed, the poor have been destroyed by extortion and diabolical degradation. Even Plato in his Laws and The Republic held that only the elite minority had a claim to human rights and privileges. Our own American history has its own record of depriving thousands, sometimes millions, of their rights, originally from God as beings in His image.

Job 24:6—The poor subsist on the type of food used to feed animals. What “a precious livelihood.” They gather their fodder (A. V. provender), and the shift from plural to singular means each one gathers his own. The A. V. renders an uncertain word “glean.” Gleaning was an authorized occupation of the poor. If the “reaping” found in line one is that of a hired laborer, then the parallel would necessitate that the gathering of grapes would be done by those being paid for the work. Often, the rich are adjudged to be wicked, and sometimes they are!

Job 24:7—The abject poverty of those described in this verse leaves them without clothing in the cold night wind. Misery begets misery—no food, no clothing, no shelter from the cold. Here Job starkly contrasts the poor and the wicked rich—Job 24:2-4. Job’s agonizing description continues; his heartbreaking picture of human privation versus privilege is further enlarged.

Job 24:8—The poor embrace the rocks in the mountains since they have no other shelter. They cling (Genesis 29:13) to the security afforded by the rocks. Hardly a more devastating picture could be sketched to reveal their exposure and wretchedness. Their dearest friends are the rocks.

Job 24:9—In transition, the imagery takes us from one exploited group to another. The verse presents a problem to many commentators (egs. Kissane, Gray, Dhorme, Pope, et al), but does it necessarily interrupt the account of the poor as is alleged? Job has thus far described the meagre possession of the poor, the humiliating circumstances under which scavengers reek out a minimal subsistence. We have toured the cities and the desert places; now we must face those in slavery. Those harsh taskmasters are heartless creditors and take a pledge from off of the poor. The Hebrew means to take something that is on the poor, i.e., their clothing, not merely something from the poor. The first line relates a cruel tyrant removing a baby from his mother’s breast while she is being sold at auction. The parallel line suggests taking the clothes from their back (see Brown, Driver, Briggs).

Job 24:10—This verse confirms the need to modify the weak A. V. translation and also verifies that their clothes have been removed as pledge, in that they are here described as naked. They are starving and yet must carry the sheaves of their masters. Even animals were not treated like these outcasts—Deuteronomy 25:4. In Israel one could not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Here a laborer is hungry while working in the midst of abundance. How torturing it would be to carry food, which one could not eat, when one is starving. The “haves” and the “have nots” are still with us. Though there are “have nots” in our own midst, the Third and Fourth Worlds are largely composed of the poor, and with Job our contemporary we must ask why it occurs and how can we do anything about it? This presents an enormous challenge to our Christian conscience. Neo-Marxism and various species of socialism are presently being set forth with Messianic vengeance, as though the world’s problems are all caused by hedonistic capitalism. The problem is human nature, not per se our socio-politico structures. Socialism has one consistency—failure.

Job 24:11—The Hebrew text can be rendered “between their rows”—(as R. S. V.), i.e., “among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil.” Dhorme rightly points out that this would be a strange place to press olives, and thus emends the text to read “between the millstones.” In sight of mouthwatering succulent grapes, they are panting with thirst.

Job 24:12—In Job 24:12-16 Job focuses attention on violators of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth commandments, i.e., murderers, adulterers, and thieves, who compose “the city of men.” From the city men cry out because of violence and social anomie. Men cry out, but God pays no attention (same idiom in Job 23:6) to the moral malaise. The Hebrew term rendered “folly” in A. V. means tastelessness—Job 1:22—or unseasoned and implies a lack of moral savor; yet God remains silent.

Job 24:13—Why do these wicked people escape divine retribution? Earlier he describes those who steal because of the circumstances of their poverty; but here Job describes those who are dominated by a wicked heart. The sin described here is more than an act of unrighteousness; it is that the sinner does not abide in the light of God’s moral universe.

Job 24:14—The first violator of the light is the murderer. The destitute condition of the social structure in which one finds this kind of rebel is clear from the type of persons they prey on. Why the needy and poor; why not more profitable prey? Job is not describing the affluent part of society. The same type of person kills in the daylight and steals in the darkness of the night—Job 24:16.

Job 24:15—As the prostitute seeks the double protection of disguise and darkness—Proverbs 7:9—here the adulterer also seeks the hiding power of darkness. These violators of light seek only to perform transgressions in secret—Ruth 3:14.

Job 24:16—Generally a thief would gain entrance by digging through the wall of the house (Exodus 22:1), not an adulterer—Matthew 6:19. The first verb “he digs” is in the singular; but the second verb is in the plural, “they shut themselves up.” The reference in the plural refers to all three groups who commit their dark deeds hiding from the day. The verb here means “to set a seal upon” night and suggests that the thief had marked the house that he would enter come nightfall. But more probably, the seal identifies the person. The purpose of the seal is to keep unauthorized persons from “opening” or “identifying” something. The image conveys a search for security. Perhaps Job is saying that these criminals are as secure as if they were “sealed.” God does nothing about their malignant evil deeds. None (they) of the groups discussed know the light. All wicked people hide from the light because it terrorizes them—Ezekiel 8:8; Ezekiel 12:5; Ezekiel 12:7. In the Code of Hammurabi, digging is the thief’s mode of entry (No. 21).

Job 24:17—Just as ordinary people fear the darkness of the night, the wicked dread the day light. This is every man’s long day’s journey into night.

Job 24:18—It must be acknowledged that these verses (Job 24:18-24) are problematic. They probably express the viewpoint of his friends, rather than Job.** After his description in Job 24:2-17 of the oppressions which are inflicted upon the poor, the question arises: What is the fate of the evil-doers?—Job 8:4. Are they protected in their wicked life style? It is possible to understand Job 24:18-24, as do Davidson and Driver, as the common attitude introduced by Jobian irony? The singular pronoun “he” represents a member of the class expressed by the plural “their.” The wicked person is carried along hopelessly by the flood—Job 20:28; Hos. 10:17. They derive no happiness from their estates (A. V. their portions); because they are cursed, they are also unfruitful. They know that their vineyards are unfruitful and do not visit them, because there are no grapes to tread. It is not self-evident that these images are at variance with Job’s theology, as Rowley et al contend.

**The R.S.V. represents Job 24:18-21 as Job’s citation of the views of his three friends, and Job 24:22-24 as his reply; but there is no indication of this in the text. Dhorme transfers them to Zophar’s third speech, following Job 27:13, so Terrien in Interpreter’s Bible, Job, pp. 1088–1089; Pope transposes the Job 24:18-20; Job 24:22-25 to Job 27:23, Job, p. 179.

Job 24:19—The heat is so intense that snow water is dried up. The verb rendered “consume” means to seize violently or tear away (see Brown, Driver, Briggs); as the snow dissolves in the intense heat, so does the wicked in Sheol. Job uses the same image in Job 6:15 ff of those who have abandoned him.

Job 24:20—The wicked man is even forgotten by his own mother’s womb (rehem). Only the worms who are eating his body find pleasure in him. Wickedness will ultimately be broken to pieces as a tree—Job 19:10.

Job 24:21—The images refer to the ungodly who exploit and mercilessly oppress the poor women without sons. Swift retribution shall be his reward—Job 24:24.

Job 24:22—The metaphor used in the A. V. presents a powerful God using His might to destroy the confidence of the wicked. The ambiguity of the grammar raises the question of whether or not it is who rises in condemnation or the ungodly who rises in health (note “he draws,” “he rises” probably with God as subject). Either is possible from the Hebrew text—Deuteronomy 28:66.

Job 24:23—Job seems to be bitterly claiming that God watches over the wicked so that their path is secure.

Job 24:24—The wicked are, in the midst of their exaltation, cut off like flowers or heads of grain before the reaping knife—Psalms 103:15 ff; and as all others, they fade and wither. This is his description of the fate of the wicked.

Job 24:25—Many critics suggest that it is with this verse that we return to Job’s words. The conclusion of Job’s speech may refer especially to Job 24:2-12. This bitter indictment of God’s injustice is Job’s final words in this speech. Life is pictured in all its ugly anomalies which might be evidence for an amoral universe. He concludes, If I am mistaken about my description of the actual state of affairs, you may call me a liar and my words empty, as you have previously charged. Now to Bildad’s third speech.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 22-24

1. Eliphaz identifies Job’s sin and concludes that this is the reason Job is suffering: Eliphaz accuses Job of great wickedness that has no end. Job has taken bribes against a brother, taken clothing from the poor, given no water to the weary, withheld bread from the hungry, sent widows away empty handed, and cared not for orphans (Job 22:5-11).

2. Eliphaz calls upon Job to Repent: Eliphaz believes that if Job would humble himself and admit his error to the Lord his suffering will be relieved (see Job 22:21-30).

3. Job concludes that God is testing him: When God has tried me I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10).

4. Job maintains his innocence (Job 23:11-12).

5. Man has an appointment with suffering (Job 23:14).

6. Job asks God a question that he has already answered: Why do the wicked prosper and the righteous sometimes suffer (see Job 24:1 ff).

7. God’s eyes are upon the wicked (Job 24:23).

8. The Transformation of Job’s character: Job finally admits God’s good intentions for his suffering (Job 23:10). Job has accepted the fact that his current state of suffering has been appointed to him by God (Job 23:14). Job now understands that God has not overlooked the deeds of the wicked but rather has a future day reserved for them that they may suffer eternally. Now they prosper yet then shall they suffer for ever (see Job 24:20-25).

JOB TWENTY-FIVE

Bildad gives his third reply to Job (Job 25:1-6):

“Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,” (Job 25:1).

This is now Bildad’s third and final response to Job. Bildad had first replied to Job at chapter 8. Bildad (as did Elephaz at Job 4:6-11) accused Job and his children of sin and reasons that their sin is why death and anguish has come to his house (Job 8:4-7). Bildad again replies to Job at chapter 18. Bildad, once again, explains that the lot of all the wicked is suffering. He concludes saying, “Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, And this is the place of him that knoweth not God” (Job 18:21).

“Dominion and fear are with him; He maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? And upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be just with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold, even the moon hath no brightness, And the stars are not pure in his sight: How much less man, that is a worm! And the son of man, that is a worm!” (Job 25:2-6).

Bildad seems to have misunderstood Job. Job has not professed perfection in that he has never sinned. Job admitted the sins of his youth at chapter 13:23-28. Job’s point is that he has not now sinned to deserve the current distress. Bildad is correct in that all men sin and fall short of the glory of God (see Romans 3:23). We have all been “worm like” in sin; however, God forgives those who make their prayers of sacrifice in humility before him. Job was perfect not in the sense of never having sinned but rather in that he had always recognized error and made the proper sacrifices to take care of those sins (see Job 1:1-5).

EXPOSITION

Job 25:1—As with the preceding chapter 24, there are a considerable number of textual problems in the following three chapters. The chapters 25–27 contain the third speech of Bildad, the eighth response of Job, and the third speech of Zophar. One cannot but be struck by the brevity of Bildad’s speech. He fails miserably in responding to Job. Let the facts of history stand, but the spirit with which Bildad sets them forth must be forever false.

Job 25:2—God alone is Lord, the omnipotent Creator of the universe. His magnificence inspires awe. Perhaps the imagery In line two stems from His reordering the chaos among the heavenly beings—Job 21:22; Job 40:9 ff; and Isaiah 24:21. The peace comes in the form of retribution—Daniel 10:13; Daniel 10:20 ff and Revelation 12:7-12. The Qumran Targum contains the more specific reference to God in line one—“dominion and grandeur are with God.”

Job 25:3—Bildad’s thesis is that God’s power is His purity—Job 4:17; Job 15:14. The symbolism here expresses the universal beneficent rule of God. His light emanates and illuminates the entire creation. Nothing is concealed from God’s sight.

Job 25:4—The argument of Eliphaz in Job 4:17 and Job 15:14-16 is repeated in Job 25:4-6. In comparison to God who can presume to be righteous? No human can be faultless—Ecclesiastes 7:20. The verse has no reference to what classical protestant and Catholic theology has called “original sin.”

Job 25:5—Eliphaz had contrasted men and angels—Job 15:15; now Bildad contrasts men and the brightness of the moon and stars. In contrast to God’s radiance, all creation pales into darkness. What then is man—a little lower than the angels! In this verse physical light is contrasted with ethical light or righteousness—Psalms 8:3-4 and Ecclesiastes 7:20.

Job 25:6—To Bildad, the smallness of man is symbolic of his worthlessness. In the text the first word suggests “decay” and the second “abasement.” No man should have the brashness to assert his innocence before God. Certainly no “worm” should argue with God about his integrity or seek self-vindication. Man is only fit to be compared to a maggot—Job 7:5; Job 17:14; Job 21:26—or to a worm—Psalms 22:6; Isaiah 14:11; Isaiah 41:14. Bildad not only repeats arguments first uttered by his friends; he introduces a Jobian vocabulary seeking to ensnare Job in his own words. Bildad, like Eliphaz, is a forerunner of Islamic Monotheism, which ignores the facts of good and evil, the nature of God beyond power, and Job’s moral integrity before his holy God.

JOB TWENTY-SIX

Job answers Bildad (Job 26:1-14):

“Then Job answered and said, How hast thou helped him that is without power! How hast thou saved the arm that hath no strength! How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom, And plentifully declared sound knowledge! To whom hast thou uttered words? And whose spirit came forth from thee?” (Job 26:1-4).

Job’s friends had come to comfort him in his anguish (see Job 2:11 ff). They had failed miserably at their objective (see Job 16:1-3). Job once again explains to his three friends that they have failed him in the area of comfort. Job’s point is that their council and wisdom does not descend from the Lord. If Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar’s knowledge and wisdom did not come from God then where did their theories of sinners suffering now for sin committed on earth come from? Job has won this argument and has proven that his three friends speak from their own mind rather than from the mind of God.

“They that are deceased tremble Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof. Sheol is naked before God, And Abaddon hath no covering. He stretcheth out the north over empty space, And hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; And the cloud is not rent under them. He incloseth the face of his throne, And spreadeth his cloud upon it. He hath described a boundary upon the face of the waters, Unto the confines of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble And are astonished at his rebuke. He stirreth up the sea with his power, And by his understanding he smiteth through Rahab. By his Spirit the heavens are garnished; His hand hath pierced the swift serpent. Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways: And how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:5-14).

There are three terms that we need to identify:

1. Sheol has already been defined and discussed in this study as the place of the grave or dead (see Job 24:19).

2. Rahab is a name that personifies the wicked (see definition at Job 9:13-14).

3. Abaddon is “the realm of the dead... Abaddon belongs to the realm of the mysterious. Only God understands it (Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11). It is the world of the dead in its utterly dismal, destructive, dreadful aspects, not in those more cheerful aspects which include the concept of activities. In Abaddon there are no declarations of God’s loving-kindness (Psalms 88:11)” (ISBE v. 1, pp. 2).

The omnipotence of God can scarcely be understood by man. God is in complete control of all that man knows of existence. God’s all seeing eyes are even upon those who have died and his omnipotence is no match for the wicked of all time. Job reveals the omnipotence of God and the frailty of man’s understanding. Man has no clue as to how the omnipotence of God is to be interpreted. How does God see into Sheol and Abaddon? How did God hang the earth upon nothing? How does he stir up the sea with his power? There are things about God’s ways that man has no clue. Job’s point is clear. Man’s suffering on this earth is not due to his sin (for the most part) it occurs due to the unsearchable means of God (Job is partially correct yet better hit the nail on the head at Job 23:10 when admitting that God is trying him that he may come forth pure).

EXPOSITION

Job 26:1—As the text stands, from chapter 26 to 31, we have Job’s final response to his critics. The beautiful symmetry of the cycles of speeches seems to be broken when Zophar does not respond in the final stage of the debate. But that is only a literary consideration. We are left with baffling obscurities when we attempt to follow the continuity between the transitions. Nevertheless, the irony in the speech seems to fit better in Job’s response, as he has delivered himself on the theme before—Job 13:12; Job 16:2; Job 19:2; Job 19:21. His sarcastic self-assurance leaps forth from every word, far from confessing his own moral malaise; he taunts his friends for failing to bring him God’s consolation. Despite many textual enigmas, we encounter some of the loftiest insights ever vouched safe to a tortured human spirit concerning the greatness and grandeur of God. Job will eventually cry out in resignation—“Can a man by searching find out God?” He responds with a resounding No!

Job 26:2—In an almost violent burst of sarcasm, Job responds to the irrelevance of Bildad’s speech. The speech is composed of two parts: (1) Job’s confrontation with Bildad, Job 26:2-4; and (2) Job’s unmodifiable protestation of innocence, the extent of which is one of the technical problems which shall be passed in this commentary.

There is no legitimate reason to assume that because “you” is singular this implies that Bildad or Zophar is addressing Job. Job has not been giving them counsel, and counsel before his calamity seems pointless. For the sarcasm in Job’s speeches, see Job 4:3-4; Job 6:25; Job 12:2; Job 13:1 ff; and Job 16:2 ff. Elsewhere Job addresses his friends in the plural, except in Job 12:7 ff; Job 16:3; and Job 21:3. Since Bildad’s speech was dominated by God as all powerful, it is most likely that Job is asking what consolation he has brought to him in his hours of despair. Bildad’s cold comfort reveals little concern or compassion in bringing consolation to this cosmic contender.

Job 26:3—As short as Bildad’s speech was, it was the bearer of abundant (Heb. rendered “plentifully declared” in A. V.) wisdom in only five verses. His speech was packed with superabundant wisdom explaining why one wicked man dies at the peak of his life without disease or despair, who has all along been robbing, murdering, and committing adultery, while another wicked man dies enslaved and embittered of spirit. Explain that, Bildad, if you are so wise.

Job 26:4—Though the Hebrew can be translated either as “To whom” (in A. V.) or “with whose help,” the latter is perhaps to be preferred. Thus, Job is saying that he is as wise and informed as they are—Job 12:3; Job 13:2—and who are they to give him instruction on the sovereignty of God and that awe is the only appropriate human response. The word rendered spirit is neshamah and is translated as the “lamp of the Lord” in Proverbs 20:27. Job is ironically asking, Is the source of your wisdom, revelation, and illumination God? In essence he is saying as Rashi has suggested, “Who does not know this?” Job’s friends have often claimed that they were speaking of God—Job 15:11; Job 20:2; Job 22:22.

Job 26:5—From Job 26:5-14 we have the theme of God’s omnipotence set forth again. He is absolute authority over heaven and earth and Sheol (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). Bildad has previously declared God’s greatness; now Job declares his own faith in the greatness of God. The dead (A. V. renders “deceased”—repa’im—Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 26:14; Psalms 88:10) are still in God’s control. They cannot hide from Him, even in Sheol—2 Samuel 22:5 and Psalms 18:4. Even the inhabitants of Sheol tremble before God. The reference here, according to the parallelism, is to the inhabitants of Sheol, not fishes, etc.

Job 26:6—For this imagery see Psalms 89:8; Proverbs 15:11; and Amos 9:2. Abaddon is another name for Sheol and is a perfect parallel in this verse. This parallel description of Sheol is found only in the Wisdom Literature Job 28:22; Job 31:12; Psalms 88:11; Proverbs 15:11; and Proverbs 27:20. Abaddon comes from a root meaning ruin or destruction and is a personal name translated as Apollyon in Revelation 9:11. No one and no place holds secrets from God.

Job 26:7—The Hebrew word for north (Sapon) originally was the name of the mountain of Hadad or Baal, the Syrian weather-god. The Ras Shamra texts from Ugarit relate how Baal-Hadad constructed his temple on the heights of Mount Sapon. The mountain lay directly north of Palestine; thus we know why Sapon means north in the Old Testament—Isaiah 14:13. The parallel is between the “stretched out” heavens—Genesis 1-3—not “firmament” but that which is “stretched out” or pounded outward; Psalms 1—Job 4:2; Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 45:12; Jeremiah 10:12; Jeremiah 51:15. There is no mythological implication in this description which transcends all primitive concepts of cosmography. Nor need we recall the great advancements made in astronomy among the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks, especially Pythagoras—ca 540–510 B.C.—in order to understand Job’s descriptions. The earth stands on nothing—Job 26:11.

Job 26:8—Job stands in awe at the clouds pictured as full of water but which do not burst under the weight of their burden—Job 38:37; Proverbs 30:4.

Job 26:9—The verse presents several problems, specifically as given in the A. V. God hides the face (Heb. ‘hz—grasp, hold—used of barring gates in Nehemiah 7:3; Matthew 6:6; perhaps we should read kese—full moon—instead of kisse—throne—as in A. V.) of the full moon by covering it with the clouds. Even the bright light of the moon is under His authority. Though this requires some emendation, it keeps the parallelism and sets forth God’s sovereignty which is Job’s thesis in this verse.

Job 26:10—God “has described a circle,” which means that He has set a limit or boundary—Genesis 1:4; Genesis 1:7; Genesis 1:14; Job 22:14; Proverbs 8:27. The editors of the Qumran Targum render the Hebrew “aux bords de la limite”—reinforcing the limitation of a boundary suggested by the text and the parallel—darkness in line two—2 Samuel 22:8; Isaiah 13:13; and Joel 2:10. Darkness suggests limitation. God here transcends all pagan mythological dualism; He alone controls chaos.

Job 26:11—The earth is here called “the pillars of heaven.” The pillars quiver (Heb. yeropepu—tremble or shake) at God’s rebuke. That which holds up heaven responds when God breaks His silence—Psalms 18:14 ff; Psalms 29:6; and Psalms 104:32.

Job 26:12—The verb (‘rg—disturb or stir up—Isaiah 51:15 and Jeremiah 31:35) suggests that the powerful water supply which the heavens sustain is powerless when He intervenes—Rahab might refer to Egypt—Psalms 87:4—and the experience of the parting of the waters. When God liberates, nothing stands in His way—Job 7:12; Job 9:13; Jeremiah 10:12. He is claiming that it is by God’s wisdom and understanding, not His power, that He is victorious.

Job 26:13—The text probably refers to the clearing of the skies after a storm. The word rendered “garnished” in the A. V. is siprah—brightness. The wind referred to is, in all probability, the wind which clears the clouds out of the skies after a storm—Job 3:8; Isaiah 27:1; and Revelation 12:3. The second line has the same word that appears in Isaiah 51:9 for pierced or wounded. If they are present, part of the author’s literary style only, the mythological motifs, e.g. the fleeing serpent or Leviathon—Job 3:8 and Isaiah 27:1—are present only to show the sovereignty of God over nature.

Job 26:14—Again the author skillfully evoked imagery portraying God’s infinite power. The secret of God’s power will forever elude the seeker, and the solution to God’s providential control over creation will only baffle and frustrate until in complete faith-trust he rests in His everlasting arms through resignation to God’s wisdom and justice. He finally confesses that only God has infinite wisdom and knowledge. Though man has only heard a “soft whisper”—Job 4:12, he stands in “awful dread” at what he has heard. He must wait for The Shattering of Silence, but until then, He reveals all that we can manage. God’s word, like thunder, cannot be leisurely contemplated and comprehended—Job 37:2; Job 37:5.

JOB TWENTY-SEVEN

Job’s Parable of his innocence (Job 27:1-23):

“And Job again took up his parable, and said, As God liveth, who hath taken away my right, And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul: (For my life is yet whole in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils); Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, Neither shall my tongue utter deceit” (Job 27:1-4).

Job continues to blame God for his vexed soul. Though God has vexed Job’s soul with great anguish he will not renounce Him. Job vows to never use his lips to sin against God while life is within his nostrils. Job has illustrated this great resolve previously at chapter 17:9 and it is this spirit that defines the “patience of Job” (see James 5:11).

“Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry, When trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times?” (Job 27:5-10).

Job will in no way commend or agree with the erring accusations of his friends. They have accused him of sin and he knows that this is not the case. He will not give in to their erring assumptions. Job has adequately proved their error. His three friends have taught that man suffers now for their sin and this is not true. They are wrong and he has won this part of the debate (see Job 24:25). Seeing that he has proved their theory wrong he continues (and will ever continue) to maintain his innocence before God. Those who accuse him falsely shall pay the eternal price of the godless and at that time there will be no justifying one’s self and neither shall their be help. An underlying lesson of Job may also be the fact that when God’s people have truth with them they ought never to let the wicked accuse them of sin. Let us take our stand on truth and never let the wicked cause us to question our stand before the Lord.

“I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain? This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty:” (Job 27:11-13).

Job’s confidence in his innocence and guilt of his friends has come to the point of Job calling upon his friends to repent of their wickedness (they have called upon Job’s humility and now it is Job that reveals to them that they are the “vain,” “wicked,” and “oppressors”). Job challenges their humble spirits to admit their wrong because, “Ye yourselves have seen it” (i.e., Job has effectively disproved their arguments). The hard hearted wicked will receive their reward from the “Almighty.” Job, in his state of intense suffering, has found himself trying to help his three friends out of their error.

“If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death, And his widows shall make no lamentation. Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay; He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver. He buildeth his house as the moth, And as a booth which the keeper maketh. He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered to his fathers; He openeth his eyes, and he is not. Terrors overtake him like waters; A tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth; And it sweepeth him out of his place. For God shall hurl at him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place” (Job 27:14-23).

Job explains that it matters not what man may obtain in this life; i.e., many children, much silver, many cloths, and build houses. If a man die rich in this would but poverty stricken with God he will be everlastingly punished. “God shall hurl at him, and not spare.” Job continues, thereby, to reveal the fact that punishment for wickedness comes to man after this life passes. Job has previously stated this point in his arguments against Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad (see Job 21:29-30; Job 24:13-19).

EXPOSITION

Job 27:1—The preceding chapter contains the most powerful cosmological section in the dialogue for insight and scope of expression. All the verbs in Job 27:5-11 are participles or the imperfect describing God’s constant Lordship over nature. Now Job resumes his response to Bildad by his inflexible protestation of innocence—Job 27:1-6. Job continues his parable (masal—not always a parable, mesalim—collections in Book of Proverbs; brief saying—1 Samuel 10:12; longer saying—Isaiah 14:4; taunt or mock—Deuteronomy 28:37), preferably discourse, taunt, or mock here. Masai is often associated in parallel with hidah—riddle or dark saying as in Psalms 49:5; Ezekiel 17:2; Habakkuk 2:6. It also appears in contexts with words of derision such as Deuteronomy 28:37; 1 Samuel 10:12; Isaiah 14:4; Jeremiah 24:9; and Habakkuk 2:6. Clearly masal covers a wide variety of literary compositions, thus we should not be alarmed that Job is not uttering a “parable.”

Job 27:2—The verse is introduced by an oath formula “as God lives”—1 Samuel 14:39 and 1 Samuel 2:27. The tension, still unresolved, is present here as Job swears by the God (El—see my theological essay “Is Job’s God in Exile?” in this commentary), who has wronged him, i.e., “made my soul bitter”—Job 7:11; Job 10:1; Job 21:25. The fact that Job made his vow in God’s name suggests that he loved Him. Near Eastern custom would suggest this. From this curious tension the ancient rabbis deduced that Job served God out of love—Job 7:11; Job 10:1; Job 21:25; Job 34:5; Job 36:6; and Ruth 1:20.

Job 27:3—Job is affirming that though he is suffering, he still has control over his mental faculties. The conviction of this battered giant remains unshaken. The use of first person pronoun (12 occurrences) in Job 27:2-6 is our assurance that Job has introspectively searched out his past and does not remember a single unrighteous act. He will maintain his integrity (tummah—Job 2:3) until his death. As long as my life (nephesh—derives from God—Genesis 2:7; and returns to God—Job 34:14) is intact and God’s ruah enlivens me, I will swear loyal allegiance to Him.

Job 27:4—He contends that all along he has spoken the truth. This is the content of the oath. He swears in El’s name to speak only the truth in defending his innocence. The A. V. rendering of “utter” derives from a verb which means moan—Isaiah 38:14; meditate—Psalms 1:2; devise—Psalms 2:1; and here speak—Psalms 71:24; “deceit” is the same word found in Job 13:7.

Job 27:5—As long as Job lives, he will not grant his friends the right to assert his guilt. The formula used, “far be it from me,” implies that there is something profane in the idea which he is rejecting—2 Samuel 20:20. So long as he lives, he could not deny his own integrity before God. I could never “justify you” (the pronoun is plural), i.e., admit that you are correct regarding my righteousness; the A. V. rendering of “will not put away” comes from a word meaning withhold and also appears in verse two.

Job 27:6—The heart is the Hebrew seat of intelligence, reason—Job 2:9; 1 Samuel 24:6. Job denies any awareness of sins such as his consolers had charged to him—Job 22:6-9. Nothing new is advanced in this speech, but he continues to scorn Bildad’s defense of God, and to affirm his own innocence.

Job 27:7—In this present text, Zophar gives no response. Some affirm that Job 27:7-23 are inappropriate on Job’s lips, and ascribe the verses to Zophar. The lot of the wicked, i.e., those without God and hope, is inevitable punishment. Though the words are strong, they are not vindictive but rather express the author’s abhorrence of evil.

Job 27:8—The verb rendered “get gain” means gain by violence, cut off, break off—Ezekiel 22:27. Note that Job 27:9 speaks of God’s deafness to the prayers of the wicked. The verse is relating how lonely and isolated the wicked are, even in this life. The ultimate fate of the wicked is again death. Only the godly man can pray to God; all ears are deaf to the ungodly (Heb. haneph—as a class of men). Why do his friends implore him to pray for forgiveness, if God does not hear the prayers of the haneph—ungodly?

Job 27:9—The verse continues the point from Job 27:8—If I am unrighteous, God will not hear my prayer for forgiveness. Job presents them with a theological dilemma of their own making. How devastating.

Job 27:10—The same verb rendered “delight” himself has already appeared in Job 22:26. It is useless to pray to God in times of trouble if we have ignored Him in all other circumstances (“at all times”).

Job 27:11—He here launches on a new theological theme that of God’s immoral behavior “in governing the universe.” The “you” is again plural. Both Job and his friends claim superior knowledge.

Job 27:12—How can you be uninformed concerning the universal phenomenon of God’s injustice, if you are so wise? He charges them with intense futility, i.e., lit. “become vain with a vain thing.”

Job 27:13—These words are almost identical with Zophar’s in Job 20:29. The wicked man is singular, but oppressors is in the plural. The preposition ‘im should be translated from and not with (as in the A. V.) Shaddai, the almighty. The portion or judgment is from God.

Job 27:14—Numerous children were thought to be a great blessing; here they are for destruction—Job 5:4; Job 18:19; and Job 21:8; Job 21:11. The sword is to break (pss—shatter, scatter) his offspring.

Job 27:15—His survivors, i.e., children, not destroyed by the sword will be left to the fate of death by pestilence—Jeremiah 15:2; Jeremiah 18:2. The Hebrew text literally says “His survivors will be buried in death by death,” a death which befits the ungodly. Not to be buried—2 Kings 9:10; Jeremiah 8:2; Jeremiah 14:6; Jeremiah 22:19—or mourned—Psalms 78:64; Jeremiah 22:10—was a disaster. The strange phrase above could perhaps yield better sense by taking de Vaux’s suggestion that bamot—rather than—bammawet—is a cultic word for tomb. Contrast with Job 21:32 where Job declares that the wicked often have a large funeral.

Job 27:16—The image here suggests abundance—Zechariah 9:3. After the family is destroyed, their possessions follow the same fate. Silver and elaborate garments are greatly valued, see Genesis 24:53; Joshua 7:21; 2 Kings 5:22 ff; and Zechariah 14:14.

Job 27:17—The only ones who will prosper are the righteous. What the ungodly accumulate will be divided by the godly—Psalms 39:6; Proverbs 13:22.

Job 27:18—The A. V. rendering of “as”—“as moth”—is inappropriate since moths do not build houses. The imagery here comes from the harvest season when a watchman or guard builds temporary shelter from which to watch over unharvested crop. One could hardly derive this since from the A. V. the verbs (banah—he builds, ‘asah—he makes) are not parallel. The verb “he makes” refers to the flimsy shelter (sukkah) which the watchman constructs.

Job 27:19—The rich lie down, but for the last time. The swiftness of the destruction of the wicked is here vividly expressed. The rendering of the A. V., “he shall not be gathered to his fathers,” expresses the Hebrew “will do so no more.” The second line containing the phrase “and he is not” is an attempt at rendering the Hebrew, which can be either “it is not” or “he is not” and expresses the fact that a dying man is conscious of his own demise.

Job 27:20—Dahood renders this verse “terrors will overtake him like a flood, night will kidnap him like a tempest”—Job 22:11. As in Job 27:19, calamity calls him from his night chambers. The wicked man is haunted by terrors night and day—Isaiah 28:17; Hosea 5:10; and Amos 5:24.

Job 27:21—The east wind causes restless and sleepless nights; thus it signifies all that is unpleasant. This sirocco wind is scorching and violent, destroying man’s peace—Job 15:2. Even the climatic conditions crash in on the ungodly.

Job 27:22—The A. V. makes little sense. There is neither subject nor object to “hurl” (word God is not in the text) in the text, but the implication is that of a deadly missile.

Job 27:23—The ambiguities of this verse largely stem from the unexpressed subject of the verbs of Job 27:22-23, which may be God, east wind, or “one man.” The metaphors here convey derisive mockery and contempt—Lamentations 2:15. The rendering of the A. V. “men shall clap their hands at him,” understands the text as an indefinite third person “one claps” or “men clap.” When death and destruction come to the wicked, men scornfully clap their hands, while hissing (a gesture of horror) at the very thought of them—Jeremiah 49:17; Ezekiel 27:36; Zephaniah 2:15.

JOB TWENTY-EIGHT

Defining, Locating, and Placing Value on Wisdom (Job 28:1-28):

“Surely there is a mine for silver, And a place for gold which they refine. Iron is taken out of the earth, And copper is molten out of the stone. Man setteth an end to darkness, And searcheth out, to the furthest bound, The stones of obscurity and of thick darkness. He breaketh open a shaft away from where men sojourn; They are forgotten of the foot; They hang afar from men, they swing to and fro” (Job 28:1-4).

Man searches out silver, gold, iron, and copper in the remote parts of the earth where no light shines. Man enters these remote mines down shafts hanging on ropes away from all civilization.

“As for the earth, out of it cometh bread; And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, And it hath dust of gold. That path no bird of prey knoweth, Neither hath the falcon’s eye seen it: The proud beasts have not trodden it, Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby” (Job 28:5-8).

Man turns the earth for bread (farm land produce) and he goes under the earth for treasures such as sapphires and gold dust. Man treads in areas under the earth that no beast has ever seen or taken a step in.

“He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; He overturneth the mountains by the roots. He cutteth out channels among the rocks; And his eye seeth every precious thing. He bindeth the streams that they trickle not; And the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light” (Job 28:9-11).

Man’s ingenuity is depicted in his ability to overturn mountains and re-rout streams to gain their treasures. The earth’s hidden treasures are brought out into the daylight for all to see.

“But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living. The deep saith, It is not in me; And the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. Gold and glass cannot equal it, Neither shall it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal: Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, Neither shall it be valued with pure gold” (Job 28:12-19).

Though man may uncover earth’s treasures that animals have no knowledge of they cannot likewise find wisdom. Job asks, “But where shall wisdom be found?” Wisdom is not to be found in the earth within a mine shaft. Not only can wisdom not be found like precious metals in the earth but wisdom is not equal in value to precious metals or stones. Job states, “Yea, the price of wisdom is above rubies.”

“Whence then cometh wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, And kept close from the birds of the heavens. Destruction and Death say, We have heard a rumor thereof with our ears. God understandeth the way thereof, And he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, And seeth under the whole heaven; To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, And a way for the lightning of the thunder; Then did he see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and searched it out. And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:20-28).

If wisdom cannot be found in the earth and neither is its value to be compared to precious stones such as rubies then, “Whence comes wisdom?” Furthermore, Job asks, “Where is the place of understanding.” Wisdom and understanding are to be identified within the heart of that man or woman who fears God and departs from evil. Solomon wrote, “The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; but the fool despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7). Solomon connected a “fear of Jehovah” with “wisdom” and “instruction.” Solomon again writes, “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Man evidences his fear toward God when gratefully submitting to His commandments (see Deuteronomy 5:29; Deuteronomy 6:2; Revelation 14:17 comp. to John 15:5-10). To know the laws of God and to faithfully act on them is wisdom defined. The apostle Paul wrote, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified” (Romans 2:13). James writes, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves” (see James 1:22-25).

To connect Job chapter 28 with the preceding chapters is somewhat difficult. Job has proved his case regarding the wicked not suffering now for punishment of their sinful deeds. Both the just and unjust suffer for no apparent cause other than to be refined in the purification process. This being the case Job continues to live right. What other course is there to take? Those who search out wisdom and find it through a knowledge and obedience to God’s law will all come to this conclusion. Though life is difficult at times the wise thing to do is continue to fear God and keep His commandments.

EXPOSITION

Job 28:1—The theme of this marvelous chapter is the transcendence of divine wisdom and its inaccessibility to man. Man may discover certain dimensions of God’s wisdom, but human efforts can never completely fathom the divine purpose.[283] This beautiful portion of Job falls into three divisions:

(1) There is no known road to attain wisdom—Job 28:1-11;

(2) No price can purchase it—Job 28:12-19 (Job 28:14-19 are missing from the LXX); and

(3) God alone possesses it, and only when God makes it available through special revelation can man possess it—Job 28:20-28.

How appropriate this great poem is to contemporary homo faber (man the maker). The Promethian spirit is once more upon us. Technologically dominated man operates on the mythological assumption of his unlimited possibilities. From the Greeks to twentieth century man, optimism has always outrun his concrete performance. This verse clearly means that every valuable thing in creation has a dwelling place. The verse begins with “for” which continues to trouble commentators because it suggests a logical sequence to something which is no longer in our text. The emphasis in Hebrew is on the “there is” a source (Heb. mosa—“place of coming forth,” i.e., the mining of silver and gold). Mosa is used of water in 2 Kings 2:21; Isaiah 41:18; Isaiah 58:11; Psalms 107:33; 2 Chronicles 32:30; and of the sunrise in Psalms 65:9; Psalms 75:7. In this verse the translation requires “mine,” and there are only a few references to mining in the Old Testament—Deuteronomy 8:9; Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12. After the excavations of the late Nelson Glueck, we have confirmation of the presence of a great copper refinery, from the time of Solomon, near Ezion geber. Silver was not mined, to our knowledge, in Palestine but was imported from Tarshish—Jeremiah 10:9; Ezekiel 27:12. (On Tarshish, see Herodotus, IV. 152.) The name Tarshish is probably derived from the Akkadian word meaning “refinery.”[284] Gold was imported from Ophir—Isaiah 13:12; 1 Kings 10:11; 1 Chronicles 29:4; and Sheba—Psalms 72:15 and 1 Kings 10:2. The verse is concerned with the source of silver and gold in contrast to wisdom.

Job 28:2—The promised land was described as one “whose stones are iron”—Deuteronomy 8:9. In Saul’s day the Philistines monopolized the iron deposits—1 Samuel 13:19-22; 1 Samuel 17:7. In David’s time iron became plentiful. Blommerde takes the second line to read “and from stone is the smelting of copper.” Copper was smelted very early in Palestine—Deuteronomy 8:9. Major sources being Cyprus, in Edom, and in the Sinai Peninsula.

Job 28:3—The metaphors express how the miners penetrate the dark recesses of the earth with their lamps. Miners open up deep shafts and let the sunlight into the hole. The subject is not expressed in this verse; it literally says “one puts an end to darkness,” (Hebrew “shadows of death,” darkness can mean ignorance or unrighteousness, here physical darkness), i.e., there is a limit to which the laborers will go—Job 3:5 and Job 26:10.

Job 28:4—Perhaps Graetz’s suggestion is best. He proposes that the first line means “alien people break shafts,” i.e., slave labor is being used to do the mining. The second line suggests that they are deep within the earth and thus the miners are remote from those walking or working above ground. The third line is probably a reference to miners suspended by ropes into the ground and swinging in the dark caverns digging for copper.

Job 28:5—As the surface of the earth produces food, so deep below a smelting operation is yielding rich ore—Psalms 104:14; or perhaps more likely, the mining below produces piles of debris similar to that produced by a fire—Ezekiel 27:14, where “stones of fire” are precious gems.

Job 28:6—The earth yields not only metals but precious stones. It is impossible to identify the specific gem which the text has in mind, but in view of the poetic parallelism, it is not impossible that lapis lazuli (as R. S. V. marginal reading) is meant; thus the iron pyrites particles found in lapis lazuli which glitters like gold provides a meaning for “dust of gold” which has already been mentioned in the verse.

Job 28:7—The paths of miners are remote from most men, as is wisdom. Birds (perhaps falcon, LXX has vulture) of prey live even more remote from men than do the miners. The bird intended by this reference is impossible to identify with certainty, but the reference to its keenness of sight suggests the falcon. The gold mines worked by the Egyptians in Nubia were more than a seven-days’ journey into the desert. The emphasis here in verses four and seven is on the remoteness and inaccessibility of the mines, and indirectly also of wisdom.

Job 28:8—The “sons of pride” have not even been there, i.e., where wisdom is found. It is imperative that we keep in mind a poetic play on words for origins—masa—find and maqom—place, source of origin. Man and beast can find many valuable things, but not wisdom. Even the “fierce lion” (Heb. sahal—Job 4:10 ff; Hosea 5:14; Hosea 13:7; Proverbs 26:13) has not been there, i.e., where wisdom is found.

Job 28:9—The images here—Job 28:9-11—as in Job 28:3-4 emphasize man’s stubborn insistence in searching for treasure (note Jesus and the Pearl of Great Price). Human achievement emphasizing homo faber is the central thrust of the images. Flint, the hardest rock, yields to his persuasive insistence, and the mountains maintain only momentary resistance.

Job 28:10—The word rendered channels (ye’orim) is the plural of the designation of the Nile, ye or, the one which also describes the Nile. It can refer to mine shafts or drainage ditches—Isaiah 33:21. Example of cutting through solid rock is the Siloam tunnel, and the rock city of Petra.

Job 28:11—Difficulties in this verse can be overcome by taking the suggestions of some that the meaning is that of a man exploring the sources of rivers by digging down to their underground springs. This also provides a parallel with the next line.

Job 28:12—Man can mine silver, gold, precious gems, but what about “wisdom” and “understanding”?—Proverbs 1:2; Proverbs 4:5; Proverbs 4:7; Proverbs 9:10; Proverbs 16:16. The wisdom with which God governs creation eludes man’s search. (“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Paul calls Jesus the “wisdom of God,” 1 Corinthians 1:30 ff). This verse is repeated with little modification in Job 28:20.

Job 28:13—Though the Hebrew text has “its price” (‘erkah) as A. V., this verse is concerned with locating wisdom; Job 28:15 ff treat the value or price of wisdom. Thus it would be appropriate to emend the text to read “the way to it,” (darkah) instead of “its price,” following the LXX. The thesis here is that man knows the way to find the things discussed in the preceding verses; but he is completely at a loss as to how to locate wisdom. The parallelism strongly favors the emendation, which follows the LXX. The second line suggests that wisdom is not found in the land of the living either, a metaphor for inhabited earth—Psalms 27:13; Psalms 52:7—Job 28:22; Isaiah 38:11; Isaiah 53:8; Jeremiah 11:19; and Ezekiel 26:20.

Job 28:14—Tehom, the deep, says wisdom is not there either—Genesis 7:11; Genesis 49:25; and Job 3:18. Man may explore the watery abyss as he digs for gold and silver, but he will not find wisdom.

Job 28:15—Wisdom cannot be purchased with gold (Heb. segor—gold bullion, pure gold). The word is found only here, but a slightly different word is used to describe the gold of Temple ornaments—1 Kings 6:20. The root meaning is “enclose,” perhaps prized, or even gold bars—1 Kings 7:49; Job 10:21; 2 Chronicles 4:20; 2 Chronicles 4:22; 2 Chronicles 9:20. In the ancient world, money was weighed not counted—Genesis 23:16; Zechariah 11:12.

Job 28:16—Wisdom cannot be obtained for gold (Heb. keten—which is a derivation from the Egyptian source of gold—Nubia). The verb rendered “be valued” is found only here and Job 28:19 and means “to be weighed against”—Job 22:24. The precious gem (Heb. sohom) can be given only a precarious and conjectural meaning—Genesis 2:12; Exodus 39:13; and Ezekiel 29:13, but the meaning is clear. The things men value most cannot purchase wisdom.

Job 28:17—The only direct reference to glass (gabis—crystal, used of hail stones in Ezekiel 13:11; Ezekiel 13:13; and Ezekiel 38:22) in the Old Testament is found here. Glass was made in Egypt as early as 4000 B.C. It was used for ornamentation and was very valuable. Because of its value, no one would exchange wisdom for “vessels of fine gold”—Psalms 19:10; Proverbs 8:19.

Job 28:18—The gems mentioned here cannot be identified with certainty, but Lamentations 4:7 gives us a clue to their color as being reddish—Proverbs 31:10; Ezekiel 27:16.

Job 28:19—The price of wisdom continues to be contrasted with topaz (“green pearl” or “yellowish stone”) and pure gold—Job 28:16. Pliny (Historia Naturalis, XXXVII, XXXII, 108) indicates that there was an island in the Red Sea called Topazos.

Job 28:20—Perhaps this verse is a refrain—Job 28:12. Both the living and the dead fail to ensnare wisdom. All human searching is futile.

Job 28:21—Wisdom is not made available to man through his searching the earth, sea, Sheol, or the heavens—Job 28:13-14; Job 28:22. No one can locate the hiding place of wisdom. Neither heights nor depths provide a vantage point for observation in order to provide advantage in reconnaissance; wisdom is no place to be “found.”

Job 28:22—Destruction, Abaddon—Job 26:6 b—and death personified have only a rumour; they have no direct concrete knowledge of wisdom. The dread powers have only “heard with their ears”—2 Samuel 7:22; Psalms 44:2, i.e., have only second-hand evidence. Man’s most dreaded enemy—death—has only a vague rumour as to wisdom’s home, source.

Job 28:23—God stands in the emphatic position both in the text and in the Universe. He alone knows the nature and source of wisdom.

Job 28:24—Heaven and earth were created by wisdom and understanding—Proverbs 3:19; Job 37:3; Job 41:3; Isaiah 40:28; Isaiah 41:5; Isaiah 41:9. The Creator surveys His entire creation and knows its every need.

Job 28:25—God’s providential guidance of the cosmos is illustrated by the fact that He regulates “the force of the wind and measures the waters”—Job 5:10; Job 36:27-33; Job 38:26-27; Isaiah 40:12; note and contrast with Job 12:15.

Job 28:26—The Hebrew word—hoq—should not be translated decree as in the A. V., but in the sense of boundary or limit as in Jeremiah 5:22; Proverbs 8:29; Psalms 148:6. The root significance of hoq is “to engrave” (cf. Job 38:25 a uses te’alah—trench or groove). God also sets limits on the way (darek—path) lightning of the thunder (R. S. V.—thunderbolt, see Zechariah 10:1). Probably this means a thunderstorm (haziz qolot)—Job 37:4; Zechariah 10:1; Psalms 18:13; Isaiah 30:30 ff; and Jeremiah 10:13.

Job 28:27—The reference here is to the time of creation. Man was not present; therefore, He could not reveal the nature of wisdom to man. The A. V. rendering of declare (verb, spr—appraise, evaluate, or count) might suggest that God announced it to man, but this is impossible in that man did not yet exist. The significance of the first two verbs suggests that God perfectly understood the nature of wisdom—Job 14:6; Job 38:37; Psalms 22:18. God appraised (spr) and established (hekinah, rather than the emendation hebinah—discerned) and tested wisdom. God exhaustively evaluated wisdom in the process of creation. An analogue might be that of a computer evaluating all possible options in a finite system.

Job 28:28—After evaluating the process of creation, after man is created, God (‘dnyadonai is found nowhere else in Job) says to him that there is a practical wisdom available to man, which is the way to ultimate wisdom, that is—“Stand in awe before God.” In Proverbs 9:10 and Psalms 111:10 the authors declare that “awe” or “reverence” (not fear as dread or horror) of God is the chief (rosh—head) or foundation for wisdom. Reverent submission to the gracious will of God is the only place in the universe where one gains hope of ultimate victory over sin and evil. Evil is irrational in that there is no logical explanation nor technological way of removing evil from the fallen universe. The empirical evidence remains intact; man is separated from God, self, others, and nature by sinful self-elevation When pride is destroyed by being born again, the self is crucified, and we accept a new center from which to maintain integrity—that new center is Job’s redeemer, Lord of heaven and earth.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 25-28

1. The Transformation of Job’s Character: Job has further illustrated his transforming of the inner man from self pity to understanding by concluding that “the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

2. Job’s Perfection Defined: Job was not perfect in that he never had sinned (see Job 13:23-28) but rather his perfection is depicted in his humble approach to life (i.e., he knew that sin demanded sacrifice and continued maintenance of fellowship with God) (see Job 1:1-5; Job 25:2-6).

3. Job’s Innocence: Job continues to maintain his innocence in the face of intense accusations and this defines his patience James spoke of at James 5:11.

4. Another powerful tool of Satan: Job’s three friends were bent on proving that Job was suffering because of some sin that he will not admit. Job rightly stood firm rather than letting his friends confuse him and cause him to think that maybe he was doing something wrong. Job had done nothing wrong and he knew it. Satan would love to cause God’s people to question their faith and give up the truth.

5. Job calls upon his friends to admit their error: Job takes a strong stand in his innocence and rather than giving in to his friends pressures he demands that they admit that they are wrong about why men suffer (Job 27:11-13). Likewise, the people of God cannot be turned from truth by the wicked but rather turn them from their wicked ways. To do such takes confidence and knowledge in God’s word.

6. Job defines Wisdom and Understanding (Job 28:28) (see notes).

JOB TWENTY-NINE

Job contemplates the blessings of his better days on earth (Job 29:1-25):

“And Job again took up his parable, and said, Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me; When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me;” (Job 29:1-5).

Job, for the first time, reminisces about the former days of God’s blessings in his life. These were the days when God watched over, was his friend, and was with him. Job believes that God has left him for the time being yet he believes that God has not forgotten him (Job 19:25-26; Job 23:10). Job mentions his lost children for the second time. Job reminisces about the fond days of his children surrounding him. How wonderful of a time it was. We are left to feel sad within for Job because he has lost his children.

“When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil! When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street, The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood; The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth; The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:” (Job 29:6-11).

Before Satan had afflicted Job he was a man that was respected among young, old, princes, and nobles. During these days of respect Job had much wealth (i.e., butter and oil).

“Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy” (Job 29:12-13).

Job gives us the reason for the great respect that he gained in the community. Job was not a miser who cared nothing for the poor as Zophar (Job 20:15-19) and Eliphaz (Job 22:5-11) have accused him. Job was a caring and loving man. He provided for the poor, fatherless, those on their death bed, and widows. He met the needs of people out of a heart of compassion Job was a wealthy man through the blessings of God. It is not sinful to have money (His friends have accused him of gaining his wealth at the expense of the needy). Job’s heart was not in his wealth but in people’s needs. Here is a great lesson over the responsibilities of Christians who are blessed with great sustenance

“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth” (Job 29:14-17).

Job professes that his objective in life was to be clothed in righteousness and that justice was his robe and diadem. Righteousness and justice were Job’s guiding principles in life. When the young, old, prince, or nobles saw Job they thought of righteousness and justice. He demanded the same in others and thereby gained their respect. Those who would not exercise the same spirit he “brake the jaws of the unrighteous” and saved those being treated unjustly. Job also looked to meet the needs of the blind, lame, needy, and those who sought his help to pass judgment in a matter. Job was always there for everyone.

“Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand: My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch; My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand” (Job 29:18-20).

Job thought that his “nest” was set and that nothing could move him. Job thought that his life would go on for a good long while. Job was confident in God’s blessings, his support of all who were in need, and knew that he was living a lawful life as it was God’s will for him. No man knows when the winds of change may take things from us. Let us meditate on God’s will and His eternal blessings that when unwanted change does come we will not be caught off guard.

“Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat as chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners” (Job 29:21-25).

Job was well sought out for his wisdom and council to those in trouble or need. His reputation had come so well known that men would wait upon him as they would wait on rain (i.e., they longed for his council confident that he would give them good news). Job, above all things, was a man who gave people comfort in this hard life. Let us recall that it was Eliphaz that had said, “Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast made firm the feeble knees. But now it is come unto thee, and thou faintest; it touches thee, and thou art troubled” (Job 4:1-5). Job’s reminisces of better days gone by is short lived. He is quickly reminded of his present day anguish.

EXPOSITION

Job 29:1—Job’s debate with his friends is at an end. Now we will listen to his final soliloquy. The speech is divided into three sections, one chapter each: A: (1) His former happiness—Job 29:2-10; (2) His past graciousness to the needy—Job 29:11-17; (3) His confidence—Job 29:18-20; (4) The esteem in which he was held—Job 29:21-25; B: (1) His present suffering—through the nobodys that despise him—Job 30:1-8; (2) The indignities he is presently enduring—Job 30:9-15; (3) His present dread—Job 30:16-23; (4) Contrast between his past and present—Job 30:24-25; C: His vindication: (1) His integrity sustained—Job 31:1-12; (2) Denial of abuse of power—Job 31:13-23; (3) Reaffirmation of his piety—Job 31:24-25; (4) Appeal that specific charges be made against him—Job 31:25-25; and (5) Invocation of a curse upon himself if he has not been telling the truth—Job 31:28-30 (compare with Job 27:1).

Job 29:2—His thoughts move back into a happier time in his life. For the moment, the harsh realities of his existential situation are suppressed. Nostalgia enthralls him. He is confronted by thinking of the time when God watched over him—Psalms 91:11; Psalms 121:7 ff; and Mi. Job 6:24. The same verb is used of God’s hostile surveillance of his life—Job 10:14; Job 13:27; and Job 14:16.

Job 29:3—The lamp and light are metaphors of God’s blessings and presence—Psalms 18:28; Psalms 36:9; 2 Samuel 22:29. There is no word in Hebrew for the “through” of the A. V.; perhaps the reference is to God’s glory, the kobad (Greek, doxa) which later developed into the Shekinah. The sense being if God is not present, there is nothing but spiritual darkness.

Job 29:4—The word rendered ripeness in the A. V. symbolizes prosperity and maturity rather than decline. The root meaning of -hrp is “be early, young.” Earlier in Job’s life God’s protective hedge was about (not “upon” as A. V.) his household—Job 1:10 and Job 31:31.

Job 29:5—Job places his relationship with God about his most intimate human companionship—Genesis 28:20; Genesis 31:5; Psalms 23:4; Psalms 44:7. Job poignantly refers to the loss of his own children (Heb. na’ar means young men—Genesis 22:3 and 2 Samuel 18:29). Numerous children was a sign of God’s favor—Psalms 127:3-5; Psalms 128:3-4.

Job 29:6—When Job was prosperous, his herds were fertile; butter flowed like mighty waters. Butter in the A. V. would better be rendered “curds”—Job 21:17. The olive-tree grows profusely in rocky soil, and the olive presses are cut in the rock—Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:24; Psalms 81:16 b; and Song of Solomon 5:12. The rocks poured out “for me” (rather than lit. “with me” or “poured me out” of the A. V.). The line says in essence, when God watched over my household, blessings came from the most unexpected sources.

Job 29:7—The city gate was the central meeting place for the distribution of administrative justice—Deuteronomy 21:19; Ruth 4:1; Ruth 4:11; and 2 Kings 7:1; Job 7:18. Job’s social prestige is clearly emphasized in that he has a prominent seat. The “broad open place” (Heb. rehob—is street in A. V.) stood at the entrance of the city gate—1 Kings 22:10. Job’s former happiness was based on three relationships: (1) Fellowship with God; (2) Companionship of his own children; and (3) The respect of his community.

Job 29:8—Job’s public influence is projected by two images in this verse: (1) The young men withdrew (as hid in A. V.); and (2) While the older men remained standing in respect, until Job was settled in a prominent place. In this manner both showed respect for a righteous man.

Job 29:9—Another image reveals the overt expression of respect for Job. The princes stopped in the midst of their conversations and waited respectfully to hear this evaluation. The Qumran Targum confirms this reading “[And] nobles became silent of speech, and put hand [to their mouth].”

Job 29:10—Their voice became veiled (nehbau—hushed and is same as in verse eight for hid), quiet is deferential respect. The image in line two expresses nervousness (tongue cleaved to the roof of the mouth) in the presence of Job—Lamentations 4:4; and Jesus on the cross.

JOB THIRTY

Job turns back to the present where there is nothing but doom and gloom in his life (Job 30:1-31):

“But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my flock. Yea, the strength of their hands, whereto should it profit me? Men in whom ripe age is perished. They are gaunt with want and famine; They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of wasteness and desolation. They pluck salt-wort by the bushes; And the roots of the broom are their food” (Job 30:1-4).

During the days of Job’s wealth and health he was respected by the young yet now they “have me in derision” (i.e., ridiculed or laughingstock). These men are needy and hungry. They are likened unto Job in that they live in the “gloom of waste and desolation.”

“They are driven forth from the midst of men; They cry after them as after a thief; So that they dwell in frightful valleys, In holes of the earth and of the rocks. Among the bushes they bray; Under the nettles they are gathered together. They are children of fools, yea, children of base men; They were scourged out of the land. And now I am become their song, Yea, I am a byword unto them” (Job 30:5-9).

Like Job, these men that hold him in derision are outcast among society. They are chased and out of fear they live in the holes and rocks in the earth. These men are the children of fools and base men yet Job finds an association with them by their way of life.

“They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, And spare not to spit in my face. For he hath loosed his cord, and afflicted me; And they have cast off the bridle before me. Upon my right hand rise the rabble; They thrust aside my feet, And they cast up against me their ways of destruction. They mar my path, They set forward my calamity, Even men that have no helper. As through a wide breach they come: In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me. Terrors are turned upon me; They chase mine honor as the wind; And my welfare is passed away as a cloud” (Job 30:10-15).

Job has lost the respect of man and such news of one so hideous becomes the slapping stone of angry men. The ugly and diseased are beat and spit upon due to disgust on the part of the public (see comments at Job 16:10; Job 17:6 regarding Job’s ill treatment likened unto Quazi Motto of the Hunch Back of Notre Dam). The Lord Jesus was even so hated and held with such derision (see Matthew 26:67; Matthew 27:30). Job’s ordeal has caused him to be a source of contempt and bitter hatred for those who have nothing else in this life. He is in a dangerous position with the base men of society. He is an easy target and they do take their irritation out on him.

“And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of affliction have taken hold upon me. In the night season my bones are pierced in me, And the pains that gnaw me take no rest. By God’s great force is my garment disfigured; It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. He hath cast me into the mire, And I am become like dust and ashes. I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me: I stand up, and thou gazest at me. Thou art turned to be cruel to me; With the might of thy hand thou persecutest me. Thou liftest me up to the wind, thou causest me to ride upon it; And thou dissolvest me in the storm. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living” (Job 30:16-23).

Job can scarcely bare the “days of affliction” any longer. Job continues to believe that it is God who has “cast me into the mire... will not answer my cries... gazes at me... acting cruel to me...and is actually persecuting me,” God has brought Job from riches to rags and He will now bring him to his death.

“Howbeit doth not one stretch out the hand in his fall? Or in his calamity therefore cry for help? Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the needy? When I looked for good, then evil came; And when I waited for light, there came darkness. My heart is troubled, and resteth not; Days of affliction are come upon me. I go mourning without the sun: I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help. I am a brother to jackals, And a companion to ostriches. My skin is black, and falleth from me, And my bones are burned with heat. Therefore is my harp turned to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep” (Job 30:24-31).

Job pleads with God for mercy on behalf of his former good treatment toward those who experienced trouble and needs. Job expresses to the Lord that his days are filled with mourning and weeping due to his pain and the ill treatment of others.

EXPOSITION

Job 30:1—Job’s irretrievable prestigious past is abruptly contrasted with the present chaos derived from the calamities he is presently enduring. Sharp abruptness is conveyed by the repetition of “But now”—Job 30:1; Job 30:9; Job 30:16 (‘k—surely in Job 30:24). The prince who has shared his abundance to meet their needs, his compassion to heal their suffering, is now despised; he is beneath them. These miserable outcasts now despised their former benefactor. Their arrogant ingratitude is now one of Job’s great burdens. Job pours out his soul in this poem, which contains four divisions: (1) Irreverence of impious men—Job 30:1-8; (2) Resentment of society—Job 30:9-15; (3) God’s indifference—Job 30:16-23; and (4) Misery born of destitution—Job 30:24-31.

The young had formerly treated Job with marked respect—Job 29:8; now “they make sport” of him. The verb translated as “have me in derision” is the same as in Job 29:24, but the preposition is different. In Job 29:24 he describes their gracious smile; here their vulgar mockery. The cultural decorum called for the respect of all elders—Job 15:10. But those who watched over his former flocks with their guard dogs publicly expressed disrespect—Isaiah 56:10 ff; 1 Samuel 17:43; and Psalms 68:23. The dogs were scavengers and so were those who watched my flocks. Now they think they are better than I am.

Job 30:2—Perhaps this verse describes the fathers of the youth in verse one. The fathers are weaklings (kalah here, kelah in Job 5:26, where ‘firm strength’ is conjectured) unfit and unable to do hard work. These men, who are not profitable to anyone, even they despise me.

Job 30:3—Through hunger these men are stiff and lifeless. The word “gaunt” as in A. V. is from a word meaning hard or stony and is rendered barren in Job 3:7. They are so destitute that they gnaw (‘rq—occurs only here and in Job 30:17) the roots of the dry ground. The emphasis here is not so much hunger as destitution of diet, diet limited to desert roots. The last line alliterative and literally reads “yesterday desolate and waste,” clearly suggesting the ruin and utter desolation of their habitat. Even these “desert rats” hate me.

Job 30:4—Their diet is so poor that they eat “saltwort.” This is a saline plant with sour leaves, which grows in salt marshes. This is miserable food eaten in miserable circumstances. The broom roots yield charcoal—Psalms 120:4; Isaiah 47:14; but they are not edible. Only the destitute would eat this type of plant.

Job 30:5—Dahood suggests that the obscure phrase—min gew—should be translated “with a shout they are driven forth,” i.e., driven away when they approached inhabited places. These are not like the people of Job 24:5 ff who are forced to steal to have subsistence level of food; but they are social outcasts who are chased away from any community.

Job 30:6—Since they are not welcome in any community, they live in the dreadful ravines among the rocks. Job bitterly relates how even these people taunt him, now that he is also an outcast living on a dunghill.

Job 30:7—The root -nhq is used only twice in Job and means “bray.” It can mean “bray” suggesting lust, like a stallion in Jeremiah 5:8; but surely here its meaning is the hoarse cries of hunger. The miserable rabble huddle together under the plant (harul) rendered nettle in A. V. They huddle for warmth, not sexual perversion, as Peake suggests. But the meaning is uncertain, though it is related to certain leguminous plants—Proverbs 24:31.

Job 30:8—These outcasts are “sons of no name.” They have no respectable standing in any community; they are nobodys. These unwelcomed were thrown out of the land (Heb. naka—rendered scourged in A. V. should be thrust out or thrown out).

Job 30:9—This verse ties the threads together from verse one forward. These nobodys sing taunting songs which make Job the butt of their mockery—Psalms 69:12; and especially Lamentations 3:14.

Job 30:10—Yesterday kings and princes revered Job. Now the most contemptuous men despise him. His description of this ilk has been rather elaborate—Job 30:3-8; and Psalms 59; Psalms 64; Psalms 73. This conglomeration of socially wretched even “spit on the ground in front of me”—the height of insult!

Job 30:11—The metaphors are obscure. Line one is in the singular “he has loosed” (following the Kethib reading “his cord” rather than the Qere reading “my cord”); the second line is in the plural, “they have cast off.” It is unclear what “cord” is intended, but the removal of the restraint (A. V.—bridle) is an insolent act intended to humiliate Job.

Job 30:12—All of the images suggest an assault context. “On my right hand” could suggest a court of law, where the accuser stood at the right hand; but the context is that of a siege or assault. The word rendered “rabble” as in A. V. could mean “chicks” as in Deuteronomy 22:6 and Psalms 83:3, and thus young ones with a deprecatory implication, that is “insolent pups.” The verb rendered “cast off’ in Job 30:11 appears here and means to drive out, or forth; thus the line implies that they have driven Job down roads of ruin or destruction (lit. they have cast off my feet).

Job 30:13—The verb (nts—rendered as A. V. -mar) means to “break up” or “pull down.” Job continues with the destruction imagery. The outcasts make Job’s path impossible. These diabolical persons actively promote (A. V. set forward) his troubles. Those who aggressively attack him have no restraint (A. V. “helper”). G. R. Driver has shown that the word has polarized meanings of help or hinder; this context calls for hinder.

Job 30:14—The imagery of a besieged city under attack is also maintained in this verse. Here the wall is breached and wave after wave of soldiers pour through the wall like a tempest (soah—Proverbs 1:27; Ezekiel 38:9). “In the midst of the ruin” expresses the fact of falling stones from the breached wall (Heb. “under the crash”). The hordes of soldiers roll through (the verb means roll—Amos 5:24) the wall like billows or waves. As if inexhaustible, Job’s enemies roll over him as a storm-tossed sea.

Job 30:15—Terrors are overthrown on top of me. The picture is strikingly violent. Job’s princely dignity, once so widely acknowledged, is now blowing in the wind—Job 21:18 and Psalms 1:4. His well-being (Heb. yesu’ah—prosperity, often rendered salvation) passes swiftly away.

Job 30:16—For the third time Job emphasizes the contrast between his past and present existence—“and now”—Job 30:1; Job 30:9; Job 30:16; Psalms 42:4. Now he experiences only “days of affliction”—Job 30:27 and Lamentations 1:7. His soul (nephesh) can absorb no more emotional strain. His suffering has drained him of all zest for life—1 Samuel 1:15; Psalms 42:5; and Lamentations 2:19.

Job 30:17—The subject of this verse could be either “the night” personified or “He,” i.e., God. The night pierces, or God pierces. The A. V. takes “my bones” as subject and renders the verb “are pierced.” The night is the time when his suffering is most severe—Job 7:3; Job 7:13 ff. “My gnawers (lit. Heb.) do not lie down,” i.e., sleep.

Job 30:18—If God is taken as the subject as in A. V., then God seizes his garment and distorts or disfigures it. The line suggests a tightly fitting collar that binds, but this is problematic in that eastern garments were loose and free flowing. Without extensive emendation, little sense can be made from the text. In spite of this fact, Job is declaring that his diseased body is very uncomfortable.

Job 30:19—It is better to supply the unexpressed subject as God (Heb. has “he, or it has cast”), as there is no indication that the subject of this verse is any different from Job 30:18. It is probable that in both verses Job is reaffirming that God causes his pain and suffering. Perhaps “dust and ashes” are to be understood as symbolizing Job’s humiliation.

Job 30:20—Job cries to God for respite but God will not break His silence. The verb does not imply that God “stared at” as the A. V. rendering “gazed” might imply—Job 19:7.

Job 30:21—The verb rendered “turned” appears in Job 13:24; Job 19:11; and Isaiah 63:10. The image suggests one falling into enemy hands and being gradually and progressively infected with new and more intense pain.

Job 30:22—This difficult verse has caused editors to provide many unconvincing emendations, but the basic sense is clear enough. The image shifts to that of a violent windstorm. He is “tossed about” and can neither control nor resist the wind. God rides the storm, but for Job it represents terror and destruction.

Job 30:23—Though the Hebrew has “bring me back” in the sense of return, the context leaves little doubt that it should read “bring” him to death and leave him there. The grave is the house appointed for all the living.

Job 30:24—The idiom, slh yd b—“send the hand against” (A. V. as “stretch out the hand”)—is to be taken in the hostile sense. In his prosperity Job did not strike the unfortunate; why is he now receiving God’s hostile hand? Job declares that I always extended sympathy to anyone in distress, but me, I receive my calamities.

Job 30:25—Job continues—Did I not weep for those who experienced—lit. “the hard of day” or the ones grieved. Now no one grieves for me. Will not even God show sympathy to Job?—Romans 12:15 and 1 Peter 3:8. His friends showed no sympathy to him—Job 19:21—but he showed concern for others who suffered—Job 29:12-17. What about God?

Job 30:26—He disputes the views of his friends that virtue produces happiness. His prosperity did not continue as a result of his generous sympathy, as they had claimed it would. Job 30:27—His heart (lit. bowels, seat of emotions—Jeremiah 4:19 and Isaiah 16:11) boils (A. V. troubled is not strong enough) within him—Lamentations 1:20; Lamentations 2:11; and Ezekiel 24:5. His anxiety rages, yet no respite. God, please break your silence.

Job 30:28—The A. V. rendering is defective. In the first line, “without the sun” is derived from the root qdr—which has the primary sense of “be or become dark.” Job’s blackened appearance is not caused by the sun (Heb. hammah—means sun, also heat as in Psalms 19:7), but rather his disease. The phrase found in the A. V., “I go mourning without the sun,” makes little sense. The same root, i.e., qdr, generates the meaning of “sad” or “mourning,” but this is probably the less preferred understanding for this context. The sense is that he is “blackened without the sun.” He says that I stand in the assembly and cry for help, but no one hears.

Job 30:29—Jackals live in the desert, and the only place that Job is welcome is there. The jackals are also known for their plaintive cry, with which he also identifies. The ostrich, too, is known for its hissing, cackling, and doleful moaning—Micah 1:8; Isaiah 13:21; Isaiah 34:13. The mournful howl of these animals still disturbs the desert nights.

Job 30:30—The disease is ravaging Job as his skin peels off (me’aloy, from upon me) his bones. His skin is black (this verse contains a different root than found in Job 30:28) from the final stages of the disease. Fever penetrates (burns) deeply in his bones. This same verb “burn” is found in Ezekiel 24:10 where it is used of the burning of bones with fire. Here it is used metaphorically, so also Psalms 102:4 and Isaiah 24:6.

Job 30:31—The harp (kinnor) is often used for a joyful religious celebration. Here the celebration has turned to mourning. The glad, happy sounds are no more. The flute (‘ugab) also expresses the spirit of lamentation. Here is a beautiful but pathetic contrast between Job’s past happy experiences and his present “sickness unto death.” From the perspective of his own “angst” we turn to hear Job’s final oath—the oath of innocence.

JOB THIRTY-ONE

Job’s Final Declaration of his Innocence (Job 31:1-31):

“I made a covenant with mine eyes; How then should I look upon a virgin? For what is the portion from God above, And the heritage from the Almighty on high? Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, And disaster to the workers of iniquity? Doth not he see my ways, And number all my steps?” (Job 31:1-4).

Job resolved or purposed within his heart, early on in life, not to look and lust after women. When a young maiden comes his way he has already resolved not to lust after her (see Matthew 5:28). Job knows that if he were to let his passions and lust go unchecked then there would be nothing but eternal calamity and disaster as awaits the “workers of iniquity.” Job professes the omnipresence of God in that he says, “Doth not he see my ways...?” No lustful thought or action will escape the all seeing eyes of Jehovah God. Jeremiah wrote, “Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? Saith Jehovah . Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith Jehovah” (Jeremiah 23:24).

“If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot hath hasted to deceit (Let me be weighed in an even balance, That God may know mine integrity); If my step hath turned out of the way, And my heart walked after mine eyes, And if any spot hath cleaved to my hands: Then let me sow, and let another eat; Yea, let the produce of my field be rooted out. If my heart hath been enticed unto a woman, And I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door; Then let my wife grind unto another, And let others bow down upon her. For that were a heinous crime; Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the judges: For it is a fire that consumeth unto Destruction, And would root out all mine increase” (Job 31:5-12).

Job addresses the sin of Adultery. Job has not committed adultery with another man’s wife or a woman period and God knows his “integrity” in this area. Note that Job refers to the sin of adultery as a “heinous crime” (see also Matthew 19:3 ff.

“If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, When they contended with me; What then shall I do when God riseth up? And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb? If I have withheld the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof (Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And her have I guided from my mother’s womb); If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering; If his loins have not blessed me, And if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, Because I saw my help in the gate: Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, And mine arm be broken from the bone. For calamity from God is a terror to me, And by reason of his majesty I can do nothing” (Job 31:13-23).

Job states that if he has treated his man or maid-servant in an unjust way, withheld from the poor, widow, fatherless, and if he has not met the needs of those who have no clothes or covering “then let my shoulder fall and my arm be broken from the bone.” Job continues to boldly maintain his integrity regarding his innocence in all areas of life. We have to love the statement of humility that Job makes regarding his man and maid-servants. Job said, “Did not he that made me in the womb make him?” If I view myself as greater due to my education, financial status, or skin color God will certainly bring me down off my arrogant horse in eternity.

“If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; If I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, And because my hand had gotten much; If I have beheld the sun when it shined, Or the moon walking in brightness, And my heart hath been secretly enticed, And my mouth hath kissed my hand: This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judges; For I should have denied the God that is above” (Job 31:24-28).

Job addresses the sins associated with riches. Those who put their confidence in this earth’s treasures, rejoiced in these treasures, and kissed one’s own hand in a figurative show of self gratification then there awaits judgment of God. To put one’s confidence and hope in the treasures of this world is to “deny the God that is above.”

“If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him; (Yea, I have not suffered by mouth to sin By asking his life with a curse); If the men of my tent have not said, Who can find one that hath not been filled with his meat? (The sojourner hath not lodged in the street; But I have opened my doors to the traveller); If like Adam I have covered my transgressions, By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom, Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door-- Oh that I had one to hear me! (Lo, here is my signature, let the Almighty answer me); And that I had the indictment which mine adversary hath written! Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder; I would bind it unto me as a crown: I would declare unto him the number of my steps; As a prince would I go near unto him. If my land crieth out against me, And the furrows thereof weep together; If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life: Let thistles grow instead of wheat, And cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended” (Job 31:29-40).

Job states that he has never rejoiced over the destruction of one who had hated him and neither has he asked God to curse the man who hates him. Love does not so behave itself. Job’s friends have accused him of sin and demanded that he not only admit it but that he repent of his sins. Job professes that he holds no secret sins like Adam did. If Job was such a sinner would he lead such a public life at the gates of the city? Job knows the omnipresence of God and that nothing escapes His all seeing eyes. Adam had hid himself among the trees of the Garden when God came to visit as though God would not be able to find out his sin (see Genesis 4:8). Job’s desire is that God would judge him so that all would know of his innocence. These are Job’s final words in the argument with his three friends.

EXPOSITION

Job 31:1—In the ancient Israelite legal procedure the oath of innocence repudiating an accusation was of crucial importance. Where clear evidence was lacking, it was taken as proof of the innocence of the accused. Thus, the swearing of such an oath was a solemn religious celebration, which placed the verdict in God’s hands. Job here swears his innocence, then challenges the creator of the universe to give His verdict, i.e., acknowledge that he is innocent. He rests his case on a series of oaths of clearance. Belief in the power of the oath made it the ultimate criterion of probability—Exodus 22:9-10 and 1 Kings 8:31-32. Some have compared Job’s negative repudiation of evil to the negative confession in the Egyptian Book of the Dead where a long list of sins not committed are enumerated. The exact list of Job’s disclaimers is difficult to determine because of textual uncertainties. But the oath is no mere formal matter. Job examines both his interior motives and exterior behavior to enumerate what sins or crimes he has been tempted to commit. Only God will impel this oriental aristocrat to virtuous action and self-restraint. His moral standards are perhaps the highest to be found in the Old Testament. He shows sensitive respect for the dignity of his fellow men, even slaves. He also refutes Eliphaz’s accusation (chapter 22)—Job 31:16-20.

In line one Job declares that he has put a ban (lit. “cut a covenant”) on his eyes. The preposition “for” (le, not the usual with—’im or ‘et) designates a condition imposed by a superior on an inferior party in a covenant or treaty—1 Samuel 11:2; 2 Samuel 5:3; 2 Kings 11:4. Job is master of his eyes. If the particle -man is taken as negative rather than as interrogative how, as in A. V., then the line reads “that I would not look upon a virgin.” Emending the text is completely unnecessary here. Job here is discussing “sinning by desire,” and below the act of adultery. Job is here setting forth his controlled modesty, though as an Eastern prince he could do, with no impropriety or social repercussion, what he has made a covenant not to do. This is religious motive for morals of the highest order—Matthew 5:28; Matthew 18:8. Isaiah contains a beautiful description of a righteous man, “who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, stops his ears against hearing of bloodshed, shuts his eyes against looking at evil”—Isaiah 33:5, e.g. Joseph’s example in Genesis 38.

Job 31:2—In the previous verse, Job is clearly thinking of his behavior in the days of his piety, prosperity, and prestige. Job has consistently maintained that piety ought to be rewarded by the blessings of prosperity, and his entire argument is that in practice this is not the case. God has not rewarded his righteousness; rather He has punished him for it.

Job 31:3—Job thought that he could depend on the above principle in his own life. “Workers of iniquity” is a common expression for the wicked in the Psalms. Disastrous calamities would be appropriate for the wicked, but not for a righteous man like he is.

Job 31:4—God was his friend. He used to graciously watch over his life—Job 14:16. But now God is silent in the presence of his suffering. Do his purity and piety count for nothing? God is viewed here as morally, inwardly, and outwardly available to Job. God “sees” his thoughts and actions and “counts” the steps in his entire existence.

Job 31:5—He begins his series of oaths rejecting evil with a general repudiation of any sort of unrighteous conduct. Here falsehood is personified and presented as a companion. Perhaps Dahood is correct in suggesting that the preposition ‘im, here parallel with -’al, has directional significance meaning walking and hastening “toward” falsehood and deceit. He also suggests an emendation which makes the offense specific. He renders, “If I went to an idol, or my foot hastened to a fraud.”

Job 31:6—The Old Testament condemns false balances consistently—Leviticus 19:36; Ezekiel 45:10; Amos 8:5; Proverbs 11:1; Proverbs 20:23. For the weighing of a man in the balance for evaluating his character, see Daniel 5:27 and Matthew 7:2. God has previously borne witness to his integrity in Job 2:3, where the same word as here appears. Job is not a moral fraud; if he were weighed, God’s judgment would be positive, as before.

Job 31:7—Have I departed from the path of righteousness? His covenant with his eyes in verse one is here extended to a broader sphere. He has not coveted what is another’s. Sin is often metaphorically pictured as “staining one’s hands”—Job 11:14; Job 16:17; and Isaiah 1:15. Clean hands are symbolic of one’s righteousness—Job 22:30 and Psalms 24:4.

Job 31:8—If he has sinned in thought or deed, Job here invokes a curse upon himself—Job 5:5; Job 27:17; Leviticus 26:16; Micah 6:15; Isaiah 45:22. Though it is possible that se’esa’im in line two refers to produce of the field, as in A. V., in all probability it means Job’s human progeny. As Pope affirms, human beings can be uprooted as well as plants—Psalms 52:5; Job 31:12 b. His entire lineage is being removed from the earth, his children are dead, and he is dying.

Job 31:9—The sin of adultery is repudiated by Job. The “woman” is a married woman, as the parallel makes plain, i.e., “neighbor’s door” or house. The picture of laying in wait suggests that of an adulteress—Proverbs 7:12; Exodus 20:7; also Job 31:19; here the thought is of an adulterer who waits for his opportunity, which he might find at dusk—Job 24:15.

Job 31:10—The work of a slave is grinding—Exodus 11:5; Isaiah 47:2. Samson was reduced to grinding by the Philistines—Judges 16:21. In the second line, Job invokes the principle of the lex talionis. His hypothetical adultery would to all Hebrews be an offense against her husband. In Hebrew law, adultery always involved a married woman. Their double standard meant that the marital status of the man was immaterial (compare with Jesus’ revolutionary views, His repudiation of the double standard, and His liberation of women). The second line is clearly sexual in connotation, as the verb kr’ can imply sexual intercourse—Deuteronomy 28:30.

Job 31:11—The A. V. rendering “heinous crime” comes from zimmah and is consistently used of lewdness, and indecent sexual conduct. The perversion is so lewd that it deserved to receive judicial condemnation.

Job 31:12—This verse echoes Deuteronomy 32:22; Proverbs 6:27-29. The sure punishment for adultery is compared with deadly fire—Ecclesiastes 9:8 b.

Job 31:13—In this verse the issue turns to the charge of the abuse of power. If he has abused his servants, permitted the weak to suffer injustice, he again calls a curse down upon himself. The rights of slaves were few in the ancient world. Hebrew laws attempted to mitigate their harsh treatment—Exodus 21:2-11; Leviticus 25:39-55; Deuteronomy 5:14; for manumission of slaves, see Jeremiah 34:8-11. Job had recognized his slaves as fellow human beings—Job 31:15—who had rights which were not enforceable by law. He was always ready to listen to their complaints. They often helped Job during his tragedies—Job 19:15 ff. These specific social crimes reveal a remarkably advanced moral consciousness for the Near East. Job here maintains that he has not failed in either equity or mercy. Neither virtue was based in law, but in love for his fellow human beings.

Job 31:14—Jeremiah says that perfidy in dealing with slaves was a factor in God’s condemnation of the southern kingdom to destruction in Babylonian exile—Jeremiah 34:15-22. Job here feels that he is answerable to God for his social behavior. His personal relationship with God had social significance. Salvation always has public signification and never merely private or personal meaning. The verb “rise” (yaqum—arise in vengeance) in line one suggests rising to judgment,[319] i.e., when God visits (verb means to visit Job 7:18; inspect Job 5:24; or punish Job 35:14), Job is conscious that his appeal to God will lead to investigation and consequent vindication or negative judgment. No slave could have made such an appeal legally, but Job can and does.

Job 31:15—Job has spoken earlier (Job 10:8 ff) of God’s merciful care being lavished upon him at his birth. Here he asserts that he has extended this same care upon slaves, who legally had no such rights. We cannot lose sight of the high ethical perspective in this verse. It is remarkable for any age, but in Job’s Sitz im Leben is all the more remarkable. He declares that men are one because of the creator. The same problem haunts man in the last quarter of the 20th century. Cultural stratification can be overcome only in Job’s redeemer, but neither through any proposed classical Liberal Fatherhood of God-Brotherhood of Man thesis, nor neo-Marxian “classless society.” The evidence from Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America is adequate grounds for suspicion toward the myth that politico-economic conditions can humanize, thus unify, mankind—Malachi 2:10; Proverbs 17:5 a; Acts 17:16 ff; Ephesians 6:9. Men’s efforts to humanize merely proliferate bureaucracy, and then death by bureaucracy.

Job 31:16—Job denies Eliphaz’s charges under oath—Job 22:7-9. He has not exploited the weak nor attained unjust victories in the community. It seems strange that one has raised the issue—Why are the poor and unfortunate so important? They do not prosper because they are wicked. If they were not wicked, they would not be the powerless poor. The wicked deserve their fate; so why would Eliphaz ever raise such a charge? It is completely irrational, even on his own assumptions.

Job 31:17—Job has invited, or at least permitted, the poor to eat from his own table—Isaiah 58:7; Proverbs 22:9; and Matthew 25:35. He has fed the destitute; thus, he cared and shared.

Job 31:18—He went far beyond heartless charity; he gave them fatherly compassion. That this expresses a behavior pattern and not a single act of charity is revealed in the Hebrew text, which says “he grew up with me” “from my mother’s womb.” He has always been a righteous man. These images are, of course, hyperbolic—James 1:27.

Job 31:19—He even looked around to locate the poor, fatherless, and the widows. Clothing and covering are parallel in Job 24:7 and Matthew 25:36 ff. His behavior was not a mere tax write-off for social prestige, like many of our great foundations in the western world.

Job 31:20—The poor, whose loins once ached from the night cold, bless him for supplying a fleece covering. Their warmth praises him, as one’s bones might praise God—Psalms 35:10. Job’s benevolence is rewarded by praise..

Job 31:21—The raised hand (lit. waved or shaken) is symbolic of an overt threat—Isaiah 11:15; Isaiah 19:16; Zechariah 2:9. He here denies that he has exploited his power to secure an unjust verdict—Job 29:7. The orphans, widows, and poor had no prospects of justice without the support (Heb. is lit. “saw my help”) of a person like Job—Job 39:12; Proverbs 22:12.

Job 31:22—If what I have just declared is not true, then “may my lower arm be broken off from the upper arm.” Perhaps this imagery is derived from the violent mourning rites discussed in the Mosaic Law—Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 21:5.

Job 31:23—God alone, in all His majestic power, restrained Job from exploiting his power over others. He vividly describes his thought about God’s presence—lit. “For a terror unto me was calamity from God.” Terrien simply states the case: “It was religion which justified, supported, explained, and made possible his morality” (Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 4, p. 1121).

Job 31:24—He denies that he has ever made material wealth his God—Job 22:24 ff and Job 28:16. Deeper and deeper into his own thoughts he penetrates. He exposes two kinds of idolatry: (1) Job 31:24-25—money, rather than God; and (2) Job 31:26-28—the secret sin of invoking strange gods—Psalms 49:6 ff; Psalms 52:7 ff; Psalms 62:10; Proverbs 11:28; Jeremiah 17:7; Eccl. 31:5–10; Matthew 6:24. His confidence is in God, not gold.

Job 31:25—His former good fortune has not made him proud. His great possessions and power have not made him a bigot. He has not abused his wealth.

Job 31:26—Here Job denies that he has been an idolator, worshipping the sun and the moon—Genesis 1:16 ff. The imagery suggests that the sun was “a precious thing.” It is the same word used of gems. Job denies even any secret longing to worship these two beautiful living lords of the eastern skies. The prophets severely condemned the worship of astro-deities by a vast number of covenant persons—Habakkuk 3:4; Jeremiah 8:2; Ezekiel 8:16.

Job 31:27—Job denies that his hand ever touched his mouth in homage to the sun and moon. Ezekiel attacks sun worship in Job 8:16; and Jeremiah castigates worshippers of the “queen of heaven” in Jeremiah 44:17. Kissing as an act of pagan worship is inveighed against in 1 Kings 19:18 and Hosea 13:12. A. Parrot suggests that the gesture is used throughout the Middle East “when one tries to convince another in an argument.” The occult practices of the Canaanites are now known from the Ras Shamra literature. Job is here contending for uncompromising monotheism in contrast to the crass, widely disseminated polytheism.

Job 31:29—Job declares that he has never found pleasure in the destruction of his enemies. We are here presented with a rare treat. “If chapter 31 is the crown of all the ethical development of the Old Testament, Job 31:29 is the jewel of that crown” (Duhm). Oh, if he could have heard Jesus speak—Matthew 5:43 ff. Moses enjoins help to one’s enemies—Exodus 23:4 ff; Proverbs 20:22; Proverbs 24:17 ff; Proverbs 25:21 ff. Though the Psalmists often reveal a spirit of malevolence toward their enemies—Psalms 58:10; Psalms 109:6 ff; Psalms 118:10 ff; Psalms 137:8 ff—or become exulted over their misfortune—Psalms 57:7; Psalms 59:10; Psalms 92:11; Psalms 118:7—Job declares against the imprecatory spirit found in some of Israel’s hymns.

Job 31:30—The contrary-to-fact conditional (lu) is not apparent in the A. V. translation; it is stronger than (lo—not) a negation. The turn of phrase Job uses, “my palate,” suggests a dainty morsel, meaning he never permitted himself to taste such a delicious tid-bit—Ecclesiastes 5:5 and 1 Kings 3:11.

Job 31:31—Job’s hospitality has been shared by his slaves, not only his “social equals.” The uncompleted oath “if not” (‘im lo) has been taken by both Tur Sinai and Pope to imply the reading “to be sated with his flesh,” i.e., homosexual abuse, at Job’s table or in his house. This is not self-evident from the Hebrew grammar, nor its most likely emendations. Imposing the sexual content of the Ugaritic literature on Job is a precarious pastime, as well as of dubious exegetical value.

Job 31:32—His hospitality has been extended to both slaves and strangers (lit. wayfarer)—Genesis 19 and Judges 1:19. Extension of hospitality meant the extension of protection from abuses of any kind.

Job 31:33—Now Job repudiates the sin of hypocrisy. Job identifies Adam as a person who has sinned and attempted to hide his guilt along with himself from God. The mark of hypocrisy is living a lie. Often men try to hide their sins, but I have not.

Job 31:34—If it refers to guests, then he refused to give up his guest to the aggressive ones outside. Protection both inside and outside the home is the mark of true, i.e., non-hypocritical, hospitality. Or if the verse refers to Job, then had Job actually done the things charged to him by his enemies, he would have been afraid to have gone out of doors. He lived with a pure and unafraid heart—Job 29:7. But if he were guilty, he would be horrified. Hospitality was a sacred trust in Job’s world, dominated by God.

Job 31:35—What are the specific charges—God? Every accused person has a right to know the charges brought against him. State the charges—God. I will validate my oath by my signature (Heb. -taw—last letter of Hebrew alphabet). Job’s opponent (lit. “man of my controversy”) is God. Divine accuser, specify my charges, write them down, either as a writ of indictment or of acquittal.

Job 31:36—What is it that Job would carry on his head or shoulders? The natural antecedent is the “writ” that he has called for in Job 31:35. To carry or wear something in this manner is to display it proudly—Isaiah 9:5; Isa. 27:22; Exodus 13:16; Deuteronomy 6:8; Deuteronomy 11:18; Proverbs 6:21. The exchange of dirty clothes for clean is the symbol of acquittal as in Zechariah 3:2-6; Zechariah 3:8-9. The mixed images suggest that the display of the “writ” and the symbol of acquittal he would wear as a crown.

Job 31:37—There is nothing from his past that he is seeking to hide. He is willing to appear before God as an innocent man, not as an unrighteous one—Job 31:34. He would appear as a prince with a clear conscience.

Job 31:38—Job calls his land to testify. If he has gained the land unjustly, let it cry out—Deuteronomy 15:1 ff and Leviticus 19:19. Instead the land weeps for joy. The land is personified and identified with its rightful owner, Job.

Job 31:39—The imagery is unclear. It is not certain whether the reference is to oppressive appropriation of lands which brought death to their owner, such as Naboth—1 Kings 21—or that the owner died from some other cause.

Job 31:40—If I have wrongly acquired the land, let it refuse to bear fruit, wheat, etc. Instead, let it bear thorns and putrid smelling plants. Presumably an editorial note adds, “The words of Job are ended.” Thus he has delivered his final response to his consolers and his last challenge to God. Job’s oath is response to the friends’ charges, and it will stand because of default of evidence. His case against them is intact, but he has not won a judicial hearing before his creator. Job has made at least one defective move, i.e., presenting God as an adversary in a lawsuit. He has drawn conclusions from his unblemished life which are inappropriate in the presence of deity. From his suffering he has precariously deduced what God “ought” to do about it. What is the way to mediate between God’s transcendence and His immanence? Rilke says that man cried for a ladder of escape, but God sent down a cross! Nonetheless, Job has asserted his rights—Job 9:20; Job 13:18; Job 19:7; Job 23:7; Job 27:2; Job 27:6. He has been what God pronounced him to be—Job 1:8 and Job 2:3. His presumptiveness face to face with holiness is hybris of the highest order. Prometheus and Iscarus combined had less arrogance than Job. His integrity has become a high wall, separating him from God, while he is searching for Him. He could never find God while walking the path of pride. God must come to Him; he could never come to God—2 Corinthians 5:17 ff.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM JOB CHAPTERS 29-31

1. Job reminisces about the days when God had blessed him with children and wealth (Job 29 all). Those with wealth have a responsibility to help the needy (Job 29:12-13).

2. More on Job’s suffering (Job 30:10-15): People abhor and are disgusted with him.

3. Job’s hope of returning to his previous days of having children and wealth are all gone. Job, in a state of despair, says, “Days of affliction have taken hold of me...” (Job 30:16-23). Job believes that he has lived a just and right life and is ready for death. Job knows that death is where God has brought him and seems reserved to it now (Job 30:23).

4. The “WHY” of Job’s ordeal continues to haunt the man of God. He has done nothing wrong and even directed his life to help others not so fortunate as he... Job just does not understand why God would do this (Job 30:24-31).

5. Job makes his final declaration of innocence (Job 31):

Job has not lusted after young women (Job 31:1-4).

Job has not committed the heinous crime of adultery (Job 31:5-12).

Job has not thought too highly of himself (Job 31:13-15).

Job has not acted unmerciful toward those in need (Job 31:16-23).

Job has not put his confidence in earthly treasure (Job 31:24-28).

Job has not rejoiced over the hardships and failures of those who hated him (Job 31:29-30).

Job has never tried to hide sin from man or God (Job 31:33-34).

JOB THIRTY-TWO

Elihu prepares Job and his three friends for his condemning Speech (Job 32:1-22):

“So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes” (Job 32:1).

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar “ceased to answer Job because...” Job’s three friends considered Job’s answers to their accusations and conclude that his pride, arrogance, and self delusion have prevented him from repenting of his sins and being restored to the Lord. Job, from the three friend’s perspective, was “righteous in his own eyes” (i.e., had deluded himself into believing this). Job had earlier said, “Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live” (Job 27:5-6).

“Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak unto Job, because they were elder than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled” (Job 32:2-5).

Job and his three friends are not the only ones participating in the discussion over why he suffers so much. We are introduced to a fourth young man who apparently had been patiently listening to the conversation from the beginning.

The young man’s name is Elihu and his mind is filled with wrath against not only Job “because he justified himself” but also against Job’s three friends because of their lack of ability to answer Job’s replies.

Job has won the debate over why a man suffers (see Job 24:25). Job’s three friends have accused Job of suffering due to some secret sin in his life yet Job has maintained that he is innocent. If the innocent suffer as the unjust upon this earth then suffering is not always associated to one’s sins.

Note that Elihu has been very respectful and patient to answer due to the fact that Job and his three friends were older than he. When the conversation stopped and the three friends of Job had no answer for Job’s final remarks about his innocence Elihu could refrain from speaking no longer.

“And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; Wherefore I held back, and durst not show you mine opinion. I said, Days should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty giveth them understanding. It is not the great that are wise, Nor the aged that understand justice. Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will show mine opinion” (Job 32:6-10).

Before we hear what Elihu has to say we are nearly exasperated that another irritated person has entered the conversation. Job may have thought that the ordeal with his friends was over yet there remains another man to take up the baton of lambasting Job. We are also concerned about what this man is about to say because he has began his discourse pleading for all to hear his “opinions.” Opinions were not needed. Job was only interested in the facts regarding answering the question of why man suffers.

“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened for your reasonings, Whilst ye searched out what to say. Yea, I attended unto you, And, behold, there was none that convinced Job, Or that answered his words, among you” (Job 32:11-12).

Elihu has listened and concluded that Job has gotten the better of the three friends. They had failed to “convince Job” of his sin and consequential suffering. The “convincing” is the theme of Job and the beginning of understanding James’ statement regarding Job’s patience (see James 5:11) . Job had lost all that this life and world has to offer and his friends are now trying to convince him that he is a sinner whose soul is also lost yet Job does not permit them to take his integrity from him! They had also failed to adequately answer Job’s replies to their accusations.

“Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom; God may vanquish him, not man: For he hath not directed his words against me; Neither will I answer him with your speeches. They are amazed, they answer no more: They have not a word to say. And shall I wait, because they speak not, Because they stand still, and answer no more? I also will answer my part, I also will show mine opinion. For I am full of words; The spirit within me constraineth me. Behold, my breast is as wine which hath no vent; Like new wine-skins it is ready to burst. I will speak, that I may be refreshed; I will open my lips and answer. Let me not, I pray you, respect any man’s person; Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man. For I know not to give flattering titles; Else would my Maker soon take me away” (Job 32:13-22).

Elihu warns Job’s three friends by saying that they cannot expect to escape the judgment of God by loosing an argument and then saying, ‘well, that is his position not mine.’ Elihu represents the vigor of youth and the willingness to meet the ungodly man’s arguments until they are vanquished.

Elihu, like new wine in old wine skin bottles, is about to burst. He cannot wait to speak his mind (opinions) on this matter. Elihu warns all listening that he will not spare any man by flattery but will expose all man’s wickedness. While we have to appreciate the convicted spirit of Elihu his words will soon prove his opinions wrong and that he should have just remained silent.

EXPOSITION

Job 32:1—Job is finished speaking. Enter Elihu, who makes four speeches (Job 32:1—Job 37:24). He is described as a listener who has become too emotionally involved in Job’s defense and the inadequacies of his friends’ arguments that he must break his silence. Theologically, his central theme is not suffering, as many assume, but rather the nature of God. Elihu disapproves of Job’s pride before God and his dogmatic insistence of his righteousness before his holy God. He also rejects the traditional thesis of Job’s friends that suffering is exclusively retributory. Rather, he suggests that suffering may be God’s way of warning against human hybris. If a person would repent, God would restore him. After all of this is said, Elihu’s practical advice is no different from Job’s three friends. Elihu’s speeches contain approximately 150 lines compared with the ca. 220 lines allotted to all three consolers in the dialogue section of Job. Many critics reject the speeches as integral to the structure of the book. Though his speeches reveal a knowledge of the themes and content of the preceding dialogue, some of the reasons given for rejecting the speeches as an original part of the book are: (1) Elihu is not mentioned in either the Prologue or Epilogue; (2) Job does not respond to his speeches; (3) God’s “Shattering of His Silence” in chapter 38 follows naturally from chapter 31, and ignores Elihu’s speeches; (4) God’s rebuke is addressed only to Job’s three friends, completely ignoring Elihu; (5) Perhaps the most crucial and most technically powerful reason is that the Hebrew grammar suggests a later period in the history of the language. The most powerful argument for the presence of this great passage (chapters 32–37) is that it powerfully prepares the way for The Shattering of Silence, i.e., Yahweh’s speeches. Only the creative relevatory word from “outside” can answer Job’s dilemma.

In the first speech (chapters 32–33), we are informed four times that Elihu is angry, and he enters the verbal arena to supply the deficiency, to redeem the failure, and to rebuke Job’s three friends. Following his introduction in Job 32:1-5, the speeches divide into six sections: (1) Elihu’s youth is wiser than their aged wisdom—Job 32:6-14; (2) The collapse of Job’s friends causes Elihu to intervene—Job 32:15-22; (3) He invites Job to give attention to his counsel—Job 33:1-7; (4) Elihu declares that Job’s contention of innocence and unjust affliction is false—Job 32:8-13; (5) He maintains that Job’s experience refutes his complaint that God is silent—Job 32:14-18; and (6) Elihu’s final appeal to Job—Job 32:19-22. These three friends in Job 2:11; Job 19:21; Job 42:10 abandon Job. Elihu distributes blame impartially to Job and his three friends by the phrase in “his own eyes” (LXX reads “in their eyes”). The debate was useless and futile because of Job’s incorrigible self-righteousness. He is not innocent, and God has not afflicted him without just provocation.

Job 32:2—The name Elihu means “he is my God” and appears elsewhere in scripture in 1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 12:21; 1 Chronicles 26:7; 1 Chronicles 27:18. He is the son of Barachel, which means “God has blessed.” This is a strange inclusion of data in that neither the father of Job nor the fathers of his three friends are mentioned. Barachel is of the clan of Buz (an Aramaen name), the brother of Uz—Genesis 22:21—and so is closely related to Job—Job 1:1. An Arabian Buz is mentioned in Jeremiah 25:23. Ram (means lofty) has Judahite connections in 1 Chronicles 2:9; 1 Chronicles 2:25; 1 Chronicles 2:27; Ruth 4:19; Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33. Thus, we have genealogical connections all the way to Job’s redeemer. But Job not only declared his innocence, he brought an indictment against God.

Job 32:3—Elihu is aroused not because the friends condemned Job, but because they had not devised effective arguments against him. Rabbinic traditions list this verse as one of the eighteen corrections of the scribes, and the last line of the original text had “declared God” in the wrong, not Job. Yet this seems strange in that no condemnation of God follows from their failure to adequately respond to Job. The text wakes perfectly good sense as it stands—“because they had found no answer by which they could prove Job guilty” (as condemned in A. V.)—Blommerde.

Job 32:4—Elihu had “waited for Job’s words.” He gives as reason for his previous reticence his youth. Elihu’s youthful modesty is excelled only by his youthful assurance.

Job 32:5—The intensity of Elihu’s anger is suggested by the fact that the phrase “his wrath was kindled” appears three times in these five verses.

Job 32:6—The introductory narrative is finished; now Elihu begins his speech with the omniscience of youth. He initiates his speech with the reasons that compel him to join in the debate. Silent because they are older, yet the spirit of the Almighty has given him understanding. (Job 32:6-10)

Job 32:6—He denies that wisdom is prerogative of the aged. He has given them adequate time in which to answer Job, if they only had the power of mind and words to do so. He timidly held back—Job 32:4—“while they spoke” (bedabberam rather than bidbarim). The rendering of A. V. “opinion” does not express the text which reads “knowledge.” Elihu is giving forth with more than his opinion. He is not troubled by timidity. He expresses his position with brashful speech, not bashful silence.

Job 32:7—Older men should speak out of their reservoir of experience. Because of his youth, he was silent, but no more.

Job 32:8—The spirit (ruah) of God gives life, wisdom, intelligence, or any special and significant ability—Job 27:3; Job 33:4; Exodus 31:3; Isaiah 11:2; Daniel 5:12-13. Wisdom does not necessarily flow from old age—Job 12:12 and Job 15:10. Since wisdom comes from God, piety is a prerequisite—Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 2:6; Proverbs 10:31; Proverbs 15:33; Wisdom of Solomon 1:5-7; 7:22–23; 1 Corinthians 2:6. Like the Psalmist—Psalms 119:99—youthful Elihu believes that he has more understanding than his elders, because God is the origin of all wisdom. Wisdom belongs to God’s Spirit rather than age. Elihu is correct in this part of his assertion, but his immodest assertions are inexcusable.

Job 32:9—He correctly claims that it is not “the great” (as in A. V. does not mean powerful or influential) in age, as the parallel line shows—cf. Genesis 25:23—that have wisdom. The word means something like seniors, as the use of zeqenim in the Manual of Discipline suggests, i.e., senior members of the order.

Job 32:10—Because wisdom derives from the Spirit of God, not from old age, Elihu said “Hearken to me.” The verb hearken or listen is in the singular form and thus addressed to Job. He will declare true knowledge based on real wisdom.Since the friends have no answer, Elihu can no longer restrain himself from speaking. (Job 32:11-22)

Job 32:11—Elihu now turns to the three friends. He merely repeats in more pompous words what he already has declared. He has listened for their most effective arguments against Job, but he was disappointed. If Job is to be condemned, there must be more cogent reasons than he has heard. I listened until you had finished (Heb. tblytkm—your completion—instead of tbwntykm—your arguments) your supposed wise words. Though they had “searched out,” by laborious efforts, some comforting words, they have been less than effective. In other words, they tried hard, but that was not enough.

Job 32:12—He had followed the debate with utmost care, but he failed to find any forceful words which actually convicted Job. Their calloused compassionless consolation lacked enough cogency to convict him of his crime against God.

Job 32:13—This verse is made complex by its ambiguity. Perhaps Elihu says Job does not have invincible wisdom. He could be warning the three friends against excusing themselves for not answering Job. He could be suggesting that ultimately there is no human solution to Job’s problem, but that does not justify their dropping the argument. Line one might mean that they have found a wisdom that only God can refute. This seems to best fit the structure of the entire book, especially the location of the Yahweh speeches, chapters 38ff. Yet, Elihu is equal to even that occasion; though the line resounds with humility, God will answer him, not man.

Job 32:14—Elihu is saying that when I get finished with him, he will not need God to respond. But these are idle words filled with foolish promises, as his arguments do not go beyond the words of Job’s friends, in spite of his claim that he will not answer—lit. “with your words” or arguments.

Job 32:15—In his soliloquy, Elihu first sets forth his claim of impartiality. His state of mind is also described. Most of his energy is utilized on rage, rather than effectively responding to Job. Yet, he is actually somewhat ridiculous, wordy, and unoriginal.

Job 32:16—Once more Elihu piously emphasizes his patience.

Job 32:17—Repetition in order to build up expectation concerning his forthcoming momentous outburst of wisdom—Job 32:10 b.

Job 32:18—It would not require God’s wisdom to refute Elihu’s claim that he is “full of words.” His conceit is insufferable. He claims God as authorizer of his position when he declares that “the spirit of my belly” is the source of his speech—Job 15:2; Proverbs 18:8.

Job 32:19—He is as a bursting wineskin—Matthew 9:17; Jeremiah 20:9. He must speak in order to vent the wineskin, else it will split. The image is much more than a Taste of New Wine. What is bubbling inside him is like the force of fermentation which must find an outlet.

Job 32:20—The image continues. Relief can come to his troubled spirit only if he finds release. He is so full, all that he needs to do is open his mouth.

Job 32:21—His sincerity is bettered only by his candidness. Hypocrisy shall not lead him astray by deference to anyone’s title or rank—Isaiah 44:5; Isaiah 45:4. He takes himself too seriously by his proposed impartial vigour (A. V. respect any man—lit. “lift up the fare”—Job 13:8; “flattering title”—verb, kny means to give an honorific title).

Job 32:22—He would not dare to flatter anyone. If he were so tempted, he would immediately be visited by God’s vengeance.

JOB THIRTY-THREE

Elihu equates Job’s sin to his suffering and gives Job the answer to his problem: Repent and God will restore your Health (Job 33:1-33):

“Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech, And hearken to all my words. Behold now, I have opened my mouth; My tongue hath spoken in my mouth. My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart; And that which my lips know they shall speak sincerely. The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Almighty giveth me life. If thou canst, answer thou me; Set thy words in order before me, stand forth. Behold, I am toward God even as thou art: I also am formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, Neither shall my pressure be heavy upon thee” (Job 33:1-7).

Elihu replies to Job first. Elihu tells Job that he has heard all the suffering man’s words and now request that Job would listen to his words. The young man issues a challenge to Job, “Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.” Elihu humbly sets the tone for Job’s lecture. Elihu professes that he is no better than Job as one who has been mutually “formed out of the clay.” Elihu also tells Job that he need not worry about another speech that will strike terror into him or cause his heart to be troubled by one who has no sympathy for what is taking place in his life.

Lastly, note that Elihu makes the bold proclamation regarding his words. His words are not only his own “opinion” (see Job 32:6; Job 32:10) but now he states that they are from the “uprightness of my heart... my lips speak sincerely.” The great lesson to learn is that man’s opinions, honesty, and sincerity are not the standards for truth. Elihu proves to be no more right that the three friends that spoke before him. Job is innocent (see Job 1:8). Job has not suffered the loss of his valued possessions because of any sin on his part. Job has clearly made some faulty statements while in this predicament yet his current sins are not the cause of his past heartaches and loss.

“Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, I am clean, without transgression; I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me: Behold, he findeth occasions against me, He counteth me for his enemy: He putteth my feet in the stocks, He marketh all my paths” (Job 33:8-11).

Elihu points out an inconsistency in Job’s argument regarding his innocence. While Job has professed his innocence (i.e., absence of sin and clean before God) he also has revealed God’s stand against him. Job has repeatedly referred to God as his enemy and that God is against him. Elihu’s reasoning is sound. If Job is innocent, how is it that he recognizes that God is against him? God is not against the just but the unjust.

“Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just; For God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him, For that he giveth not account of any of his matters? For God speaketh once, Yea twice, though man regardeth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falleth upon men, In slumberings upon the bed; Then he openeth the ears of men, And sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw man from his purpose, And hide pride from man; He keepeth back his soul from the pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, And with continual strife in his bones; So that his life abhorreth bread, And his soul dainty food. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; And his bones that were not seen stick out. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit, And his life to the destroyers” (Job 33:12-22).

Elihu has heard Job’s proclamation of innocence yet he has also heard Job proclaim that God is against him as an enemy. Elihu has heard Job ask why all this is happening to him too. Elihu has the answer that Job longs for, “thou art not just.” Elihu proclaims to Job that God does chasten man with pain and will bring a sinful man to his grave in such chastening.

“If there be with him an angel, An interpreter, one among a thousand, To show unto man what is right for him; Then God is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s; He returneth to the days of his youth. He prayeth unto God, and he is favorable unto him, So that he seeth his face with joy: And he restoreth unto man his righteousness” (Job 33:23-26).

Elihu explains that if the suffering sinful man will admit his sin to the Lord through prayer then the Lord will restore his health. Elihu’s speech is similar but not exactly like Job’s three friends in that he believes that suffering is a chastening tool of God’s to cause men to repent of their wicked deeds. Though Elihu’s theory may sound good it is not what took place in the case of Job (see Job 1-2). Job is not suffering due to sin but because Satan wanted to test his faith and God permitted it. The testing of Job’s faith continues throughout the book. Not only did Job loose his family, wealth, and health but these four friends have tried his patience too. They have deluged Job with accusations that are not true. Job; however, has maintained his innocence.

“He singeth before men, and saith, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it profited me not: He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, And my life shall behold the light. Lo, all these things doth God work, Twice, yea thrice, with a man, To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of the living. Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: Hold thy peace, and I will speak. If thou hast anything to say, answer me: Speak, for I desire to justify thee. If not, hearken thou unto me: Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom” (Job 33:27-33).

Elihu, like Job and his three friends, has attributed Job’s suffering to God. God has struck Job with such anguish due to his sins. When Job repents God will “bring back his soul from the pit.” Elihu, like the three friends, believes that Job’s suffering will cease once he admits his error to God in prayer. We must; however, inject the context of the book here. Once again it is not God that has afflicted Job but rather Satan.

EXPOSITION

Job 33:1—Elihu has called our attention to his wisdom, impartiality, and competence requisite for his present task of subduing Job’s rebellious spirit. Here for the first time in the dialogue Job is addressed by name—Job 34:5; Job 34:7; Job 34:35 ff; and Job 35:16. This familiarity is more to be attributed to Elihu’s temperament than his close ties with Job, though he could be a blood relative of Job’s—Job 32:2. He summons Job in Job 33:1-7, and he sarcastically refers to Job’s complaint against God—Job 9:17; Job 9:34. He quotes two of Job’s claims: (1) that he is innocent—Job 9:21; Job 10:7; Job 16:17; Job 23:10-12; Job 27:5; Job 31; and (2) that God is his enemy—Job 10:17; Job 13:24; Job 13:27; and Job 19:11. Elihu deals with each of these in the structure of chapter 33. The banality of his speech is self-evident.

Job 33:2—The boundlessness of Elihu’s self-evaluation make him a master of banality. His speech is statedly redundant.

Job 33:3—Job had asked that his friends be sincere; Elihu now declares that Job is going to get the ultimate expression of sincerity, but from him. This first line is without a verb, but the A. V. inserts “shall utter.” The meaning of the first line is that Elihu’s righteousness is exposed by his words. In the second line Elihu is giving Job assurance of his brilliance—compare Job 6:25 a; Deuteronomy 9:5; Psalms 119:7; and 1 Chronicles 29:17.

Job 33:4—He, like Job, is a human being. Both share in God’s spirit, which gives life. Verbally, at least, he humbly acknowledges that he has a special endowment from God. He is inspired by God to speak; thus his words are not only sincere, they are of special value. Perhaps he claimed a charismatic gift of wisdom which was lacking in Job’s illustrious friends.

Job 33:5—Though there is no equivalent to “words” in the text, the verb means “to set in order,” i.e., get ready to answer “my” charges—Job 32:14; 1 Samuel 17:8—“take your stand.” Prepare (A. V. in order before me) has no expressed object, but the object may be “words”—Job 32:14; or “case”—Job 13:18; Job 23:4, or battle as is generally the case. “Take your stand” is used in military sense in 1 Samuel 17:16; 2 Samuel 23:12; and in legal sense in Job 1:6.

Job 33:6—In relation to God (A. V. toward God) Elihu, like Job, is human. Elihu’s advantage over Job is not in this respect. He is only a mortal whom Job need not fear. The second line is translated by Blommerde as “from clay I too have been pinched off,” even as you are (Heb. kepika—like your mouth, i.e., like you). The metaphorical use of pehmouth to express relationship is well supported in the Old Testament. Elihu was formed (qrs- nipped) from clay, like Job.

Job 33:7—Elihu here alludes to Job’s charges that God intimidated with violence—Job 9:34; Job 13:21. With clever irony, Elihu assures Job that he need not make this same charge now, because his opponent is also a man. The word rendered “pressure” occurs only here, and need not be emended out of the text because of its rarity.

Job 33:8—God is too great to be guilty of the behavior alluded to in Job’s charges. He has never persecuted a righteous man. At this point Elihu gets down to his self-appointed task of effectually responding to Job. After finishing his much-advertised brilliance and competence, Elihu rebukes Job. He has listened to all of the dialogue (A. V. the sound of your words); thus he is prepared to respond.

Job 33:9—Job has not claimed sinlessness—Job 7:21; Job 9:21; Job 10:7; Job 13:26; Job 16:17; Job 23:7; Job 23:10 ff; Job 27:4 ff; Job 31:1 ff. Though Elihu’s quotation is essentially correct, the twist he places on them distorts the essence of Job’s words. Job has consistently claimed that he had never committed sins grave enough to merit the afflictions which he is experiencing. The word rendered as “clean” in A. V. occurs only here, and its root meaning is wash or cleanse.

Job 33:10—For line one see Job 10:13 ff; Job 19:6 ff; for line two, Job 13:24. The word rendered “occasions” (to’ anot) means opportunities for, expressing hostility as in Judges 14:4; Judges 13:24; Judges 19:6; Judges 19:11.

Job 33:11—Elihu is here quoting Job’s words from Job 13:27. God watches (yismor) his every move and hinders him. This very phrase occurs also in Job 13:27 b.

Job 33:12—Elihu denies the justness of Job’s charges. God is above arbitrary actions such as those that Job has affirmed. But Job has already presented God’s power in some of the most magnificent hymns in Scripture—Job 9:1-13; Job 12:13-25. Job has already declared that man cannot argue with God because he “is greater than man” (so the LXX and the Qumran Targum)—Job 9:14-20; Job 9:32; Job 13:13-16; so Elihu’s point is not well taken under any circumstances

Job 33:13—Elihu asks Job, “Why are you contentious against Him” because He does not answer? The A. V. includes “saying” which is not in the text and would better be rendered in English as “that.” There is a possible reading variation between “my words” and “his words” of the Hebrew text. The reading variation is of no consequence, since Job’s complaint that God gives no answer is appropriate for any and all men who ask and receive no answer. All contests with God are futile.

Job 33:14—Perhaps the verse implies that God reveals himself in more than one way, and if man does not hear God speak in one place, perhaps he will in another. The sense of this verse is elliptical, though not impossible.

Job 33:15—Elihu expresses the classical Near Eastern view of dreams, viz., that they may be a vehicle of divine revelation—Genesis 41:11-12; Numbers 12:6; Judges 7:13; Judges 7:15; Daniel 2, 4, 7. His specific reference here is to dreams that are warnings about and deterrents from ungodly behavior. Dreams of warnings are found in Genesis 20:3; Genesis 31:24; Daniel 4; Matthew 2:13; Matthew 27:19; Job 4:12 ff; Job 7:14. The prophets warn us about any uncritical approach to dream interpretation, either before or after Freud—Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and Jeremiah 23:28.

Job 33:16—The Hebrew text has mosaram or “their bond,” which makes little sense. The dreams may need interpretation. The phrase “open the ears” sometimes inform—Ruth 4:4; 1 Samuel 20:2; 1 Samuel 20:12-13. When God is the subject, the phrase often means revelation—Job 36:10; Job 36:15; 1 Samuel 9:15; 2 Samuel 7:27. By certain types of dreams, God awakens men to repentance from the error of their ways. The LXX reads “appearances of terrors” (en eidesin phobou), which conveys the essence of the meaning.

Job 33:17—The Hebrew literally says “to remove man deed,” and probably means to remove man from his evil purpose; i.e., warning dreams often cause man to abandon his plans for evil. The second line literally reads “pride from man he covers,” which our A. V. interprets to mean “hide pride from man.” The sense seems to be that God’s warning dreams are also to humble man.

Job 33:18—God’s purpose is beneficent, i.e., to save man from a worse fate. The parallelism makes it evident that selah should not be rendered sword as in the A. V. The reference is to the realm of Sheol and to perishing by the sword. The verb perhaps should be rendered “to pass through,” though the noun often means weapon or sword; but the relevancy of this here is suspect. Through affliction God has spoken (Job 33:19-22) to bring repentance (Job 33:30).

Job 33:19—Job’s afflictions were to humble him; instead by his rebelliousness he reveals his profound pride, which is at the heart of all sin. Eliphaz had earlier said that Job was visited “with pain upon his bed”—Job 5:17; Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 3:12; Psalms 38. He has agony (rib mean conflict or strife, A. V. continual strife) in his bones. Elihu is saying that God speaks in the discipline of suffering, in the torment of pain.

Job 33:20—Here “life” clearly means appetite. It is parallel to soul which also means appetite in the second line—Job 38:39; Psalms 107:17.

Job 33:21—His sickness destroys his appetite. The lack of food causes his body to waste away, and his bones stick out—lit. “and his bones which were not seen are laid bare”—Jeremiah 3:2; Jeremiah 3:21. His bones protrude because of a lack of flesh to cover them up.

Job 33:22—The allusion is perhaps to the destroying angels—2 Samuel 24:16; 2 Kings 19:35; 1 Chronicles 21:15; Psalms 78:49. The parallelism between pit—sahat—and killers—memitim—indicates that the reference is to the abode of the dead.

Job 33:23—Mediation by an angel might interpret God’s providential meaning of his sickness—Psalms 91:11-13; Matthew 18:10; Acts 12:15; Revelation 8:3. Eliphaz is probably referring to this idea in Job 5:1—“holy ones.” Perhaps the concept is involved in Job’s request for a mediator—Job 9:33, a witnesss interpreter—Job 16:19-21, and a redeemer—Job 19:25-27. The word rendered interpreter is applied to the prophets—Isaiah 43:27. This verse presents the concept of a personal God[336]—1 Kings 22:19; Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:11. The purpose of the angelic visit is not to justify the sick, but to call to repentance.

Job 33:24—The verse implies successful interceding in that “he is gracious.” God as in A. V. is not in the text, though the pronoun “he” could refer to God. The imperative form makes little sense in this verse. No man could give a ransom for himself—Psalms 49:7-9; Matthew 16:26; Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6; Revelation 5:9. Though the nature of the ransom is not specified, it is clearly vicarious and is the expression of His graciousness. The answer to man’s perennial problem lies outside of man’s capacity. Only the word from outside can bring the Shattering of Silence.

Job 33:25—Elihu here describes the recovery of the afflicted person. The A. V. rendering of the first line “fresher than a child” adds nothing to the meaning which is to be “soft” or “tender,” probably from the Hebrew -ratob. This Hebrew word is found no where else in the scriptures and is of an unusual form. A similar statement is made of Naaman the prophet after his recovery—1 Kings 5:14; Isaiah 40:31; Psalms 103:5; Psalms 110:3; Psalms 144:12; and Ecclesiastes 11:9.

Job 33:26—After restoration, the man is admitted into the presence of God—Genesis 32:20; Genesis 44:23; Genesis 44:26; 2 Samuel 3:13; 2 Samuel 14:24; 2 Samuel 14:28; 2 Samuel 14:32; Psalms 11:7. Prayer is the seeking of God’s presence—Psalms 24:6; Psalms 27:8. The joyous shout is a cultic cry—Psalms 8:21 and Psalms 104:4; Proverbs 7:15; Hosea 5:15. It can also be a battle cry, which is here inappropriate. The joy bursts forth because—lit. “he restores to his righteousness,” i.e., to God’s act of acquittal—Psalms 22:22-31; Psalms 30; Psalms 66; Psalms 116. The restoration to righteousness means victory or salvation in a larger sense than “saving his soul.”

Job 33:27—Public expression of his gratitude for being restored is clearly the thought back of this verse. He sings before men (idiom “sing before”—Proverbs 25:20) and acknowledges his sins. The rendering of the final line in A. V. is inadequate. The verb is not found elsewhere in the sense. In other occurrences it means “to be equal,” but this yields little sense in this present context, i.e., “it was not equal to me.” However we resolve the grammatical difficulties here, it is certain the healed sinner is expressing his gratitude through public thanksgiving and confession.

Job 33:28—He has been redeemed from death. Thus darkness has been removed by the glorious light of His presence. The idiom “shall behold” is used for looking with satisfaction on someone or some thing—cf. Psalms 22:17 where enemies “gloat over.”

Job 33:29—Elihu repeats that this is the way God relates to man. Job does not respond, and thus we are left to infer that he was reduced to silence. Elihu, like Job’s three friends, fails to come to grips with Job’s problem. Perhaps the “twice,” “three times” is similar to God’s action found in Amos 1:3; Amos 1:6, etc.

Job 33:30—If a man repents, he is restored from pangs of death. Probably the idiom A. V. “that he may be enlightened” means the same as in Job 33:28—to look upon with great satisfaction. A similar phrase is found in Ps. 56:14, where it beautifully suggests that one’s life is illumined by God’s presence, in radical contrast to the gloom of the grave. See notes on Psalms 36:10; and compare with Job 33:30.

Job 33:31—Since the words have ultimate significance, Elihu once more demands attention. I sat through prolonged debate in silence; now you listen to me. The LXX omits Job 33:31 b – Job 33:33, thus reducing the length of Elihu’s speech.

Job 33:32—After telling Job to be silent, he now asks that if he has anything to say that he speak up. But Elihu thinks that his speech if unanswerable, thus not expecting any Jobian response. “I desire to justify you” finds no concrete support in Elihu’s speech.

Job 33:33—Elihu must believe that his words are final, even if fatal, to Job’s need. If you want wisdom, come to me, neither your friends, nor God.

JOB THIRTY-FOUR

Elihu addresses Job’s three Friends (Job 34:1-37):

“Moreover Elihu answered and said, Hear my words, ye wise men; And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. For the ear trieth words, As the palate tasteth food. Let us choose for us that which is right: Let us know among ourselves what is good. For Job hath said, I am righteous, And God hath taken away my right: Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar; My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression. What man is like Job, Who drinketh up scoffing like water, Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, And walketh with wicked men? For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing That he should delight himself with God” (Job 34:1-9).

Elihu addresses Job’s three friends who have apparently lost heart in the debate with Job.Elihu reminds Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad of Job’s statements of blaspheme. Job has declared his innocence and blamed God for wrongfully bringing this suffering upon him and having all men view him as a liar. Elihu replies saying, “What man is like Job who drinks up scoffing like water?” Job keeps company with the wicked and proclaims, “it profits a man nothing to delight himself with God.” Job had not made these exact statements yet the thought is certainly there in Job’s remarks. Elihu holds true to his statements regarding not showing favor of man by making these remarks to Job and his friends.

“Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity. For the work of a man will he render unto him, And cause every man to find according to his ways. Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, Neither will the Almighty pervert justice” (Job 34:10-12).

Elihu is correct in his conclusion that God would commit sin by unjustly causing a man to suffer for no reason. The Almighty does not sin and neither does He pervert justice. This being the case Job must be suffering due to his sin. Elihu has rightly pointed out Job’s error of blaming God for being unjust and unfair. There is no wrong or injustice with God. Job gives hints as to his understanding this fact when he made the statement regarding God testing him at Job 23:10.

“Who gave him a charge over the earth? Or who hath disposed the whole world? If he set his heart upon himself, If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, And man shall turn again unto dust” (Job 34:13-15).

There is no other deity of greater estate than the Almighty Jehovah God. No other has given God the charge of the earth. All things that have ever been originate from Him. The complete sovereignty of Jehovah is depicted in the fact that all of nature is dependant upon Him for their survival. If the Lord were to remove his influence over creation all men would turn to dust.

“If now thou hast understanding, hear this: Hearken to the voice of my words. Shall even one that hateth justice govern? And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?-- Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile, Or to nobles, Ye are wicked; That respecteth not the persons of princes, Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; For they all are the work of his hands. In a moment they die, even at midnight; The people are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without hand” (Job 34:16-20).

Elihu continues to condemn Job’s faithless statements regarding God not being fair or just with his dealings with man. Job has concluded that he is a righteous man yet God has condemned him to suffer and therefore God’s justice is called into question. Elihu is appalled by such thoughts of condemning the sovereign God. The accused Jehovah is the one who is in control of all men’s lives. Elihu’s rebuke to Job is thereby justified in this area.

“For his eyes are upon the ways of a man, And he seeth all his goings. There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. For he needeth not further to consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment” (Job 34:21-23).

Elihu addresses the omnipresence and omniscience of Jehovah God. God’s eyes are upon all mankind and the wicked cannot hide themselves or their doings from Him.

“He breaketh in pieces mighty men in ways past finding out, And setteth others in their stead. Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works; And he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed. He striketh them as wicked men In the open sight of others; Because they turned aside from following him, And would not have regard in any of his ways:” (Job 34:24-27).

Elihu’s argument seems to focus on the Almighty nature of Jehovah God. There is no one that can stand and challenge the Almighty God. Those who turn aside from following God are struck by Him. Elihu’s point is that Job has turned away from the Lord and no longer regarded his ways and therefore he is struck by the Lord.

“So that they caused the cry of the poor to come unto him, And he heard the cry of the afflicted. When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn? And when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? Alike whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man: That the godless man reign not, That there be none to ensnare the people. For hath any said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:” (Job 34:28-31).

When the poor and needy are afflicted God gives them relief and who is it that can condemn Him in this? At other times He hides his face from their cries. Who is it that can charge God with being unjust? The Almighty has the right of sovereignty to remove wicked men who serve as kings that His will may be accomplished.

“That which I see not teach thou me: If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more? Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refusest it? For thou must choose, and not I: Therefore speak what thou knowest. Men of understanding will say unto me, Yea, every wise man that heareth me: Job speaketh without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. Would that Job were tried unto the end, Because of his answering like wicked men. For he addeth rebellion unto his sin; He clappeth his hands among us, And multiplieth his words against God” (Job 34:32-37).

Elihu brings up Job’s statements regarding challenging the three friends to teach him what his error is (see Job 6:24). Elihu identifies Job’s sin as that of rebellion and speaking blasphemous words against the Almighty Jehovah God by referring to Him as one that is not just. Furthermore, Elihu believes Job to be speaking “without knowledge and wisdom.” What man in his right mind would charge God with being unjust? Elihu appears to be angered at the three “men of understanding” for not bringing this out to Job.

EXPOSITION

Job 34:1—Elihu now turns to defend God from the charges of Job, who has argued from his own particular case which is reinforced by evidence of other injustices around him to God’s responsibility for his situation. Elihu deals with a general, a priori theological assumption, and deduces Job’s sin from it. Elihu’s second discourse in Job 34:1-37 divides into four divisions: (1) Job is an impious man—Job 34:2-9; (2) Response to Job’s charges against God—Job 34:10-15; (3) Defense of omniscience and impartiality of God—Job 34:16-30; and (4) Exposes Job’s rebellion against God—Job 34:31-37.

Job 34:2—Once more he calls on his audience to pay attention. He addresses the bystanders and appeals to their sense of righteousness—Job 34:10; Job 34:34 for support. After Job 32:11 ff, Elihu could hardly be referring to Job’s three friends by the phrase “you wise men.”

Job 34:3—Here we have an almost verbatim quotation from Job 12:11. The ear is the faculty of man’s reason. Hearing is more than listening. In both Old Testament and New Testament, we often find the word rendered “disobedience” to be “to not hear,” Isaiah 6:1 ff; Matthew 13:1 ff; Acts 28:16 ff; Romans 9:1 ff; and Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4. The parallelism between the “ears” and the “palate” is crystal clear.

Job 34:4—We must determine whether Job has made a just charge against God. We must decide whether Job’s or the traditional orthodox view toward the question of theodicy is correct.

Job 34:5—Elihu in part quotes Job’s words and in part summarizes them—Job 27:2. After a process of discrimination, we will reach a sound conclusion. He proceeds to rip Job’s words to shreds.

Job 34:6—Job has repeatedly claimed that though he is innocent, he is made to appear impious. Should I lie, i.e., “Should I confess guilt when I am innocent?” The LXX has “he lies,” that is, God lies, instead of as in the Hebrew, “I lie.” Perhaps the implication is if Job is right, then that is tantamount to making God a liar. Since God cannot be a liar, that necessitates Job’s repentance and confession of sin. Job’s challenge of God’s justice stems from Job’s sinfulness, not God’s unrighteousness or partiality. The phrase “my wound” is literally “my arrow” or “my dart.” “My condition cannot be healed,” though I am without sin, so Elihu reports Job’s position. Elihu avoids the crude oversimplification of Job’s friends by rejecting the thesis that Job’s sufferings are sure proof of his evil heart, and that rewards are the infallible results of repentance.

Job 34:7—Job had spoken of God scoffing at the sufferings of the innocent—Job 9:23, Zophar of Job’s scoffing at traditional doctrinal understanding—Job 11:3, and Eliphaz at the innocent scoffing at the misfortunes of the impious—Job 22:19. Elihu charges that Job is an irreligious man who is a public menace. As with Job’s three friends, mercy, grace, love, compassion are not words which Elihu understands.

Job 34:8—Psalm one is an excellent commentary on this verse. Who “takes the path” of evil men—Job 11:11; Job 22:15; Job 31:5? By expressing his views, Job finds himself in the company of the ungodly.

Job 34:9—Elihu correctly attributes to Job the view that piety is not for profit—Job 9:22; Job 10:3; Job 21:7; Malachi 3:13-14. Elihu’s next discourse—Job 35:5 ff—is preoccupied with an effort to refute the thesis. This fundamental assumption is part of the American Dream, i.e., piety is to be rewarded by prosperity. As America enters her third century, one of the conditions of spiritual survival will be how production, prosperity, piety, and poverty are correlated, with a biblical world-life viewpoint, as opposed to a humanistic-naturalistic-pragmatic survival-security perspective. Job is our contemporary. The same God who shattered His silence for Job can and will speak to the crises of the last quarter of the twentieth century. God will do no wickedness nor injustice, but imparts to every man according to his deeds. (Job 34:10-15)

Job 34:10—Bildad raised this question in Job 8:3; Elihu echoes it here in Job 34:10-12. True wise men, i.e., lit. “men of heart,” you know that God can do no evil. Job is not merely in error; he has committed blasphemy—Genesis 18:25.

Job 34:11—Whether the man be good or evil, his reward will follow from his character. Elihu, like Job’s three friends, is persuaded that God is not unjust. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is fully conscious that a person’s desert and his fortune are not often in harmony. The systems of society, history, and nature are so interconnected that negative repercussions do, in fact, come to those who are not personally guilty of any particular heinous crime, egs. famine, earthquake, tornadoes, war, pestilence, etc. Freedom and responsibility are always within structures. There is no such thing as Sartre’s “ontological Freedom,” which is in reality insanity. But if there is no freedom, neither is there responsibility, i.e., basis for praise or blame for human behavior—Job 4:8; Psa. 62:13; Proverbs 24:12; Eccl. 16:14; Matthew 16:27; Romans 2:6; Galatians 6:7-10. Rowley certainly raises the appropriate question, which is not “Why does God not prevent injustice?” but “why do men perpetrate injustice?” (Job, p. 279). In the case of Job, God permitted Satanic injustice as an expression of His confidence in his servant Job. God was prepared to stake His cosmic honor on Job’s integrity. The last line as rendered in the A. V. could better read, lit., “will cause it to find him.”

Job 34:12—Elihu repeats what he has already declared in Job 34:10. The editors of The Qumran Targum render this verse as a rhetorical question—“Eh bien, Dieu fera-T-il vraiment ce qiu est faux?” Well? God will certainly not do that which is false or evil? The Hebrew ‘omnom is rendered by sd’ which appears in Daniel 3:14 with -hsd’, the interrogative particle.

Job 34:13—Elihu deduces from the fact that God is all-powerful creator that He can do no wrong. This logically entails that power is moral; whatever God does is by definition moral or just. But Job has already acknowledged that God is answerable to no one—Job 9:12; but he erroneously derived from this premise that God was responsible for all the injustice in the world—Job 9:24. Camus expresses this same viewpoint in his existential literature, specifically The Plague and The Fall. Sartre is also a brilliant protagonist of God’s justice, eg. The Devil and The Good Lord, No Exit, and The Flies, etc.

Job 34:14—If God only thought of Himself and not of all His creatures, i.e., all of creation, with benevolent mercy, then no one would survive. All flesh would perish from the earth. God gave life to all creatures—Genesis 2:7 and Job 33:4; and when and if He withdraws His spirit, we die—Psalms 104:29 and Ecclesiastes 12:7. We are all alike, dependent on an impartial God.

Job 34:15—“All flesh” here indicates that when His spirit is withdrawn, only lifeless “sarx” remains to be ravaged by decay—Job 12:10; Job 28:21; Isaiah 42:5; Psalms 104:29. God is a loving merciful Lord, not a capricious tyrant. We can never gain an adequate perspective on evil until we know God and His cosmic purpose, which is to fulfill His promises in Christ—2 Corinthians 1:20. It should be all but self-evident that biblical eschatology is the basis for a Christian view of history-nature, the removal of evil is part of the biblical understanding of redemption—Isaiah 61—66; Romans 8; Revelation 21.

Job 34:16—If God is truly all powerful, then no one can influence His decisions—Genesis 18:25; Romans 3:5 ff. If God is all knowing, then He must be infallible. When He observes unrighteousness, He punishes. But the dilemma remains, why some victims and some victors?—Job 33:31; Job 33:33. The text has only “if understanding” and is in the singular, and thus invites Job’s close attention.

Job 34:17—The cogency of Elihu’s argument has often been attacked. Cosmic control, i.e., divine government, does not guarantee justice. This is precisely Job’s point. Elihu is saying that God can condemn kings and nobles and that this power makes Him righteous. But this is bold assertion, not balanced argument. Omnipotence is neither necessary nor sufficient power of impartiality. The word rendered “govern” in the first line of the A. V. means “bind up”—Hosea 6:1; Isaiah 1:6; Exodus 29:9. Only in this verse does it have a sense of governing a kingdom—compare Psalms 31:19 with Job 34:17.

Job 34:18—Elihu’s argument is crushed against the rocks of reality. A fool may be set in high places—Ecclesiastes 10:5; Ecclesiastes 10:20. Present world condition hardly supports the naive but often suggested thesis of “natural leadership,” locally, state, nationally, or internationally—Isaiah 32:5. Elihu merely continues a theme set forth by Job in Job 12:17-21, i.e., God’s humiliation of the mighty. He also begs the question at hand. The word rendered in the A. V. as vile (beliyya’al—worthlessness) is applied to such conduct as greed—Deuteronomy 15:9; 1 Samuel 25:25; 1 Samuel 30:22; and sexual perversion—Judges 19:22; and lying—1 Kings 21:10; Proverbs 19:28.

Job 34:19—Since all are derived from God’s creative power, He is impartial to both the rich and poor. Impartiality does not mean that we are all equal in ability or capacity to produce. The fallacy that we are all “equal” is resident in western thought from the French Revolution (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) to our canonical national literature, egs. Declaration of Independence, Constitution, etc. It should be empirically evident that we are not all equal in the sense of creative intelligence, abilities, etc. This central error is the basis of much “human rights” discussion, at least since 1948 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the UN. Rights entail responsibilities just like freedom does. Contemporary man has chosen “security” over “freedom”—Isaiah 32:5; Deuteronomy 10:17; Proverbs 22:2; Acts 10:34-35; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; and 1 Peter 1:17.

Job 34:20—Proof of God’s impartiality is His swift removal, i.e., “at midnight,” of the mighty. Unexpectedly God visits all—Luke 12:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2. The people “all violently agitated” or taken away “by no human hand.” This emphasizes the effortlessness of God’s removal of the unjust from the world.

Job 34:21—God’s decisions are made with full awareness of all details. This verse is almost a verbatim citation of Job 24:23 b; Job 31:4; Eccl. 23:19. When disaster falls, it is evidence of wickedness. Job’s thesis is that God knows everything; therefore, He knows that he is innocent—Job 10:7. The Prologue is proof that Job is correct concerning this point. But he is mistaken in inferring that God is indifferent to moral issues.

Job 34:22—No human thought or act is concealed from God—Job 31:3; Psalms 139:11 ff; Jeremiah 23:24; Amos 9:2-3; Matthew 6:4.

Job 34:23—Job has lamented that he could not bring God to a law court—Job 9:32—even though God would be both adversary and judge—Job 10:2. Here, Elihu declares that God does not need to go through a legal process to establish guilt. God can summon man any time He chooses. Job has asked God for a time of hearing—Job 9:32; Job 14:13; Job 24:1. The text has ‘od—“yet” and the late G. E. Wright proposed “a set time” which would require mo’ed.

Job 34:24—God does not need to investigate (A. V. consider—heqer—search, inquiry, and inquisition) the human situation in order to know what is going on. God’s will and power are fused by His loving mercy in all His pronouncements. Elihu says there is no need for the inquiry which Job has requested.

Job 34:25—God knows (yakhir) their works and “overthrows them in the night.” Punishment comes with swift certainty to the tyrannical oppressors.

Job 34:26—In spite of the difficulties in this verse, its meaning is that God judges the wicked in public. The A. V. rendering “in the open sight” means “under” or “among” as Greenfield has shown.

Job 34:27—Whoever turns from God is punished regardless of who he is. This verse contains only three Hebrew words—Job 24:13. The parallel line is preserved almost intact in The Qumran Targum and supports the reading of the Hebrew text.

Job 34:28—The difficulties in Job 34:28-33 perhaps caused the LXX translators to remove them from the text. The verb is infinitive and could be translated as either singular or plural. The infinitive “to bring” implies that the cries of the oppressed brought the oppressor to God’s attention. If He is all-knowing, their cries could bring Him no knowledge which He did not already possess. The grammar does not necessarily imply that their cries “caused” God’s response, but could also be understood as “consequential.”

Job 34:29—This verse is very cryptic. But probably the meaning is that no man has a right to condemn God, even if He is silent in the presence of injustice. Job’s fundamental question is not “Why does not God punish the wicked?” but rather “Why do the innocent suffer?” The last line reads “upon a nation or upon a man together.” The word “together” is our problem in this text. Perhaps the verse means that God is watching over all His creation with unceasing vigilance, though He does often in fact hide His face from our view. His presence returns only after The Shattering of Silence. God’s visibility returns when He speaks. He has spoken with finality in Job’s redeemer, our Lord—John 1:1-18 and Hebrews 1:1-4. His silence becomes our ultimate vindication, when His silence is broken by resurrection. Blommerde renders the final line as “upon nation and man he gazes.”

Job 34:30—The text reads literally “from the ruling of an impious man.” The A. V. rendering “godless” is abstract, and the text suggests an existential situation or concrete expression of unrighteousness. The last line reads “from snares of the people,” and means God intervenes to remove any and every unrighteous ruler. But the verse does not relate either the method of removal, or the length of time involved in the process of removal. Israel’s history is full of such examples.

Job 34:31—“To God” is emphatic in the verse. If one confesses to God, He does not need Job’s permission before forgiving. Chastisement of the A. V. is not in the text, which says “I have borne,” but what does that mean? Perhaps something like this—“I am not evil, but have been led astray.” “I will not offend” suggests a declaration of innocence, rather than confession (“any more” is not in the text).

Job 34:32—The verse is a beautiful promise of obedience and a clear confession of sin. He is pleading for God’s merciful presence.

Job 34:33—“According to your judgment” implies that God is free to pardon; He does not need Job’s permission. The first line contains “because you reject it” (in A. V. as “thou refusest it”) does not have an expressed object. Elihu is suggesting that if Job does not like the way God rules the universe, does he want to run the cosmos?

Job 34:34—With such cogent arguments, how could anyone reply to Elihu? All wise men will condemn Job for arguing with God.

Job 34:35—When Job complains against God, he manifests his lack of wisdom and understanding—Job 35:16; Job 38:2; and Job 42:3.

Job 34:36—Elihu would have pressed Job to the end of his rope—Job 7:18. The first line of this verse expresses wish or entreaty (Heb. ‘abi wish). He wishes that Job would change his attitude toward God, because he responds like all wicked men do.

Job 34:37 Elihu, like Eliphaz 22, charges Job with secret sin. He merely intensifies his rebellion against God. Clapping is a gesture of open mockery. (“His hands” is not in the text.) Job is castigated for his contempt toward God and Elihu’s impeccable arguments.

JOB THIRTY-FIVE

Elihu charges Job with arrogance, pride, and vain words that illustrate a lack of wisdom (A stinging rebuke) (Job 35:1-16):

“Moreover Elihu answered and said, Thinkest thou this to be thy right, Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God’s, That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee? And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned? I will answer thee, And thy companions with thee” (Job 35:1-4).

Elihu continues to contemplate the consequences of Job accusing God of being unjust and his conclusions of it being vanity to serve God if the righteous suffer with the unrighteous. Elihu gives not only Job but also the three men of understanding an answer. At Job 34:5 Elihu considers Job’s previous remarks about having his right to live a non-painful life taken away from him by the Lord. Elihu now proclaims to Job and the three friends that Job considers the violation of his rights as a proclamation of his righteousness being above that of God’s. While Job did not make such a statement Elihu reasons that Job may as well have because Job has said, “What profit or advantage shall I have in being righteous if God is going to let such troubles come to me in life” (see Job 21:15).

“Look unto the heavens, and see; And behold the skies, which are higher than thou. If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him? And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; And thy righteousness may profit a son of man. By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty. But none saith, Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night,” (Job 35:5-10).

Elihu explains to Job that his sins cannot hurt God but only his self. God is in the heavens... a far reach for Job. Neither can any of Job’s acts of righteousness bring benefit to the Lord in heaven. While man’s acts of wickedness may hurt our fellow human beings God is unaffected. Job is not unlike many other wicked men who cry out to God for help and receive no answer because of their unwillingness to change their ways.

“Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens? There they cry, but none giveth answer, Because of the pride of evil men. Surely God will not hear an empty cry, Neither will the Almighty regard it. How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not, The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him! But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance; Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; He multiplieth words without knowledge” (Job 35:11-16).

Elihu charges Job with being arrogant and filled with pride because he will not confess his sins before Jehovah. Job has cried out to God and delivered a multitude of words; however, from Elihu’s perspective “Job opens his mouth in vanity; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

EXPOSITION

Job 35:1—Elihu proceeds to respond to Job’s assertion that piety in no way affects God, but that both sin and piety affect only man. This speech is composed of two parts: (1) Elihu seeks to refute Job’s claim that the pious person is not rewarded by property—Job 35:2-8; and (2) when the cry of the afflicted is not heard by God, they have not responded to the lesson intended by the discipline of suffering—Job 35:9-16. Elihu first defines the position of Job, then points to the greatness of God, who can neither be positively or negatively affected by anything man does. Man alone is affected by his own behavior.

Job 35:2—The antecedent of “this” refers to what follows in verse three. Elihu is quoting Job’s claim that he is in the right, or righteous. But Job has never claimed that he is more righteous than God; rather he has consistently asserted that he is innocent in the presence of God—Job 4:17; Job 13:18; Job 19:6-7; and Job 27:2-6.

Job 35:3—“How am I profited from my sin?” Job has never denied that he has sinned (Heb. means more than “if I had sinned”), but not serious enough to deserve the unbearable suffering which has fallen upon him—Job 32:2. Elihu could not admit that Job had correctly evaluated his spiritual condition, as that would impugn the justice of God. Job often seems to imply that it would not make any difference whether he had sinned or not, since justice seems to be abortive in the universe; i.e., the universe is amoral—Job 34:9. It is doubtful that the pronoun “thee” in the A. V. refers to God; perhaps it is best taken as a taunt hurled at another one of Job’s antagonists.

Job 35:4—Elihu here addresses all who have sympathy for Job’s position—Job 34:2-4, Job 10:15. The personal pronoun “I” is emphatic, which agrees completely with Elihu’s consistent arrogance.

Job 35:5—His words here must be contrasted with Job’s thoughts on God’s transcendence—Job 9:8-11; Job 11:7-9; Job 22:12. Job has always maintained that God controlled the heavens—Job 9:8 ff. But here the thought is that God is so far removed from us that He is beyond man’s reach. God is neither benefited by our righteousness nor harmed by our sin.

Job 35:6—Eliphaz had set forth this same argument in Job 22:2 ff. But Job had already set forth his position in Job 7:20.

Job 35:7—God’s self-interest is not the basis of His decisions in distributing His justice—Luke 17:10; Romans 11:35.

Job 35:8—Eliphaz had said that a man’s righteousness only profited himself. Elihu more perceptively exalts God’s greatness at the expense of His grace; His transcendence at the price of His immanence—Proverbs 9:12.

Job 35:9—Job has expressed his attitude toward the magnitude of human misery and injustice in Job 24:2-17 and there noted that God does not respond to the social injustices caused by unrighteous men in Job 24:12. Job had already raised the question, “If God’s rule is righteous, why the cry of the oppressed?” in Job 24:12. The phrase “multitude of oppressions” means the excess of oppression and comes from the root for youth or virginity—Amos 3:9; Ecclesiastes 4:1. The “arm” is an image or instrument of oppression.

Job 35:10—A righteous God gives “songs in the night” even to the oppressed—Psalms 42:8; Acts 16:25. The scriptures bear witness that God grants songs in the night to the oppressed—Psalms 137; Psalms 150:1; Psalms 150:5. The Jews, in Fiddler on the Roof, sang Psalms 137 asking, “How does one sing songs in a strange land?” In the birth record of Job’s redeemer we are given Mary’s song, Luke 1:46-56; Zechariah’s song, Luke 1:68-79; the angels’ song, Luke 2:14; and Simeon’s song, Luke 2:29-35. Each of these were songs from a weary world, as were those of Moses and Hannah in the Old Testament. The word zemirot is usually rendered “songs” but can mean “strength.”

Job 35:11—God teaches us (mallepenu) continually because man has a higher intelligence and wisdom than animals. He communicates to man with continuous instruction. The preposition -min is usually interpreted as the comparative, i.e., “more than,” implying that man derives wisdom from the observation of the natural world. This is a common theme in Wisdom Literature—1 Kings 4:33; Proverbs 6:6; Proverbs 26:2; Proverbs 26:11; Proverbs 30:24-31; Job 38:41. What the content of the instruction is is not clear. The Qumran Targum preserves the verb “he makes us wise,” as in A. V. as “wiser than.” Elihu instructs Job to learn from the animal world how to respond to God—Psalms 104:21; Psalms 147:9; and Joel 1:20.

Job 35:12—The verse harks back to verse nine but also connects with what follows, so the verse should not be transferred to follow verse nine. Elihu often goes back to something already said. It is not clear whether the verse is discussing the “reason” for their cry or the “reason” for not being heard. But in Elihu’s view, if one is not heard, one is in fact evil. Suffering is for discipline, but evil men do not recognize it.

Job 35:13—That God requires pious petitions before His righteousness will prevail on earth but reveals the theological perspective of loquacious Elihu—Habakkuk 1:13. It is possible that the verse says that the petition is not even addressed to God, but to empty space or void.

Job 35:14—If God does not listen to those who do not turn to him, how much less would He listen to Job who relentlessly pursues Him with His complaints. Other men cry out against their oppressors; but Job cries out against God—Job 13:24; Job 23:8 ff; and Job 30:20. What basis does he have for believing that God will come to his aid and deliver him from disease and death? But Elihu is no more convincing in polemic than in exhortation. Job has argued his case like a lawyer—Job 13:18; Job 23:4, and Elihu declares that the outcome all depends on the judge. The A. V. rendering of “cause” comes from -din and is best understood as “case” in a legal sense.

Job 35:15—In Job 21:14 ff Job has asserted that the wicked go unpunished. Perhaps Elihu is referring to this Jobian claim. God does not regard arrogance, or perhaps with Brown, Driver, and Briggs—folly. The obscurity of this verse is not reduced by the A. V. rendering of “greatly regard,” as the Hebrew has “greatly know,” when we would expect—“not know at all.”

Job 35:16—The verse is addressed to the bystanders, not Job.

JOB THIRTY-SIX

Elihu’s message regarding the consequences of godly and ungodly Living (Job 36:1-33):

“Elihu also proceeded, and said, Suffer me a little, and I will show thee; For I have yet somewhat to say on God’s behalf. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false: One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee” (Job 36:1-4).

Elihu does not feel that the subject of Job’s guilt and need for repentance has been exhausted. He has more to say, “On God’s behalf.” Elihu considers himself the defender and spokesman for the Lord. Elihu also pledges to Job and the three friends that his words will not be false because he is “One that is perfect in knowledge.” Elihu displays a character that is confident in his theories regarding the “why” of Job’s suffering. Elihu believes that God is punishing Job so that he will repent of his wicked deeds. No amount of confidence; however, my replace the truth.

“Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength of understanding. He preserveth not the life of the wicked, But giveth to the afflicted their right. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: But with kings upon the throne He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted. And if they be bound in fetters, And be taken in the cords of afflictions; Then he showeth them their work, And their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly” (Job 36:5-9).

Elihu, once again, reminds Job and the three men of understanding that God will give man “their right” of suffering anguish that they would come to their senses and repent of their dark deeds. While Job feels that his rights have been violated Elihu explains that he is rightly getting what he deserves. God is no respecter of persons. Even if a king were to transgress His laws then that king will be bound in fetters and taken in the cords of affliction so that he might learn not to so act. Elihu’s point is that all who behave themselves proudly can expect afflictions.

“He openeth also their ear to instruction, And commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they hearken and serve him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures. But if they hearken not, they shall perish by the sword, And they shall die without knowledge. But they that are godless in heart lay up anger: They cry not for help when he bindeth them. They die in youth, And their life perisheth among the unclean. He delivereth the afflicted by their affliction, And openeth their ear in oppression. Yea, he would have allured thee out of distress Into a broad place, where there is no straitness; And that which is set on thy table would be full of fatness” (Job 36:10-16).

Elihu sets forth his thoughts in clear language in these verses. Those who have sinned, realized their error, and repented can expect to “Spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasure.” Those who will not hearken unto the Lord commandments will “perish by the sword and they shall die without knowledge.” Elihu says that it is God’s will that man would turn from his wickedness and be full of fatness yet many do not choose this course. Many modern day evangelist tell the general public the same message. Live Godly and He will make you rich (and by the way please share some of that wealth with me).

“But thou art full of the judgment of the wicked: Judgment and justice take hold on thee. For let not wrath stir thee up against chastisements; Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee aside. Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress, Or all the forces of thy strength? Desire not the night, When peoples are cut off in their place. Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction” (Job 36:17-21).

Elihu appears to be pleading with Job regarding his stubborn position of not admitting his iniquity. Elihu challenges Job not to let the heavy hand of God’s chastisements or the great ransom (i.e., repentance) turn him away from doing what is right. Elihu admonishes Job to not have affection for the things of the night and neither should he “regard iniquity.” Elihu, as the three friends before him, is convinced that Job’s suffering is due to his sin.

“Behold, God doeth loftily in his power: Who is a teacher like unto him? Who hath enjoined him his way? Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteousness? Remember that thou magnify his work, Whereof men have sung. All men have looked thereon; Man beholdeth it afar off. Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable. For he draweth up the drops of water, Which distil in rain from his vapor, Which the skies pour down And drop upon man abundantly” (Job 36:22-28).

God’s position of sovereign creator and all powerful nature disqualifies any accusation against him regarding being unrighteous, unjust, or unfair. God has set this world into motion and thereby his very actions define fair, just, and right. The number of God’s years is unsearchable yet he controls even the weather patterns of the earth.

“Yea, can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, The thunderings of his pavilion? Behold, he spreadeth his light around him; And he covereth the bottom of the sea. For by these he judgeth the peoples; He giveth food in abundance. He covereth his hands with the lightning, And giveth it a charge that it strike the mark. The noise thereof telleth concerning him, The cattle also concerning the storm that cometh up” (Job 36:29-33).

Man can not comprehend how God controls the elements of nature such as clouds, thunder, and lightning much less His methods of correcting mankind through afflictions (inference). God is in control of all aspects of this world.

EXPOSITION

Job 36:1—Elihu begins his fourth and most impressive speech chapters 36–37. He will pour out his wisdom on Job concerning God’s greatness and the mystery of His unfathomableness. If Job only knew God, he would bow in submissive awe. This speech anticipates Yahweh’s speeches in chapters 38–41 in describing the marvels of His creation. The speech is divided into two fundamental issues: (1) The divine discipline of suffering—Job 36:2-25, which deals with the cause and purpose of suffering—Job 36:2-15, Mid the application of these points to Job personally—Job 36:16-25; and (2) The work and wisdom of God—Job 36:26—Job 37:24, God’s work in nature—Job 36:2—Job 37:13; and the magnificent transcendence of God—Job 36:14-24.

Job 36:2—The verb -ktr here means “wait” or “bear with me,” Judges 20:43; Psalms 22:12; and Habakkuk 1:4. The verb can also mean “surround,” and is so interpreted by Blommerde who renders the phrase as “Form a circle around me, . . .” He also suggests that we should understand the preposition as “from,” not “on God’s behalf.” This would reinforce Elihu’s judgment that his wisdom is God’s wisdom.

Job 36:3—Elihu will bring his wisdom from afar and report the truth “from” God, rather than “to my maker” as in the A. V. Elihu is thus God’s infallible interpreter; so Job, you fail to listen at your own peril.

Job 36:4—Elihu is a total stranger to modesty. He repeatedly asserts his own genius. The parallelism precludes that the second line refers to God—Job 37:16, rather than Elihu. The word rendered perfect means complete as God had earlier testified of Job—Job 2:3.

Job 36:5—God is all powerful as has been asserted previously by both Job and Elihu. There is no object in the text for “despise” and thus it must be supplied. Of all emendations suggested, Dhorme’s is most feasible and enlightening. “God is great in might and He does not despise the pure in heart”—Job 9:22 ff and Isaiah 57:15.

Job 36:6—Earlier Job had asked why the wicked are allowed to live—Job 21:7. Elihu replies to his query that God does not allow them to live, thus contradicting Job’s allegation. God punishes the unrighteous and rights the wrongs which have been inflicted upon the poor. Yes, but when? Why do we still have so many poor?

Job 36:7—God does not “withdraw His eyes” from the righteous in watchful concern and compassion. The Masoretic punctuation creates a problem in the middle of this verse. The righteous are left alone, while Elihu refers to a class of rulers, i.e., kings as a separate class. In the Hebrew text it is the righteous who are both protected and exalted to the seats of powerful rulers. This thought is followed in verse eight—Psalms 113:6 ff.

Job 36:8—“If they” refers to the righteous from verse seven. When the righteous are allowed by God to suffer, it is for the express purpose of purification or refinement. Even Elihu would not adjudge all kings as righteous; he surely means those who are basically good, though not sinless. Here Elihu makes his sole creative contribution to the issue under scrutiny. Affliction is for disciplinary purposes only—Job 5:17.

Job 36:9—The purpose of affliction is to humble the sinner in order to destroy the power of pride, the center of sin. Exaltation breeds pride, but humiliation breeds repentance.

Job 36:10—God opens “their ear” (‘oznam); here it stands for their entire mind set. The word musar means discipline and is often connected with affliction. When the evil man hears God, he returns, or repents of his rebellion.

Job 36:11—Once more the thesis is presented that repentance will gain the restoration of prosperity—Isaiah 1:19-20. If they hear (Heb. has hear), they will obey. Often in both Old Testament and New Testament the vocabulary for obedience is based in the verbal roots for hearing. Their lives will be completed in prosperity, if they will but repent. The Hebrew text describes the way that the righteous will complete their lives as in pleasures (Heb. bonne ‘imino)—Psalms 16:6; Psalms 16:11. Unmistakably this word admits of material pleasure and not some form of mystical bliss like the medieval supreme encounter with God.

Job 36:12—If they will not learn from God’s discipline, they must perish. Doom is the reward of the ungodly. There is strong evidence that Pope is correct regarding the translation for ‘br—should be “cross over” not “fall” or “perish” as in A. V. The image suggests crossing over into death. The meaning is the same, whether we accept the traditional rendering, as does The Qumran Targum on Job, or the more recent lexical data.

Job 36:13—The impious of heart nourish anger. The Hebrew has “put anger” for the A. V. “lay up anger.” Perhaps this means to nourish anger, rather than contemplating about the justice of the punishment—Romans 2:5; Amos 1:11; and Jeremiah 3:5. Dhorme takes this to mean that they “keep their anger,” reading yismeru. This represents the spirit of the verse.

Job 36:14—They die an early and shameful death (lit. qedesim—“among the male prostitutes” or holy males)—Deuteronomy 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24; 1 Kings 15:12; 1 Kings 22:47; 2 Kings 23:7. The Qumran Targum confirms that qedesim here refers to male prostitutes, whose lives both end early and in shame.

Job 36:15—Here is the essence of Elihu’s first speech—Job 33:16-30. If one accepts affliction as discipline for righteousness, then one may be saved. Discipline can deliver the impious; thus therapy ends in thanksgiving.

Job 36:16—Elihu charges that Job’s earlier prosperity generated his corruption and injustice, which brought God’s judging misfortunes upon him. Yet, in marked contrast, God’s speeches—chapters 38ff—inform him that he can have fellowship in suffering, not after he is restored. Technically, this and the following verses are problematic, but the essential meaning is rather clear. Job’s great wealth has drawn him away from God. Perhaps it is true that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom, but it is not impossible. Job returns and God blesses him in a beautiful and marvelous way—Job 42:1 ff.

Job 36:17—The first verb in the verse is in the perfect tense, “full of judgment,” and the second is in the imperfect—judgment and justice “take hold” of him. Job’s own attitude toward justice is continually condemning him.

Job 36:18—Elihu warns (hemah—beware) Job, do not let wrath “entice you evil.” The A. V. understands the wrath to be God’s, while the R. S. V. understands it to be Job’s. The entire issue is concerned with God’s judgment on Job’s unrighteousness, so surely the wrath (hemah) is God’s. The parallelism presents a powerful warning against the corruption of justice. Do not let the abundance (sepeq) of the reward or ransom pervert you.

Job 36:19—Dhorme renders this very difficult verse as “can one compare your crying out to him (Heb. loe—to him, not lo’) in distress?” “Wealth and bribery cannot influence the divine Judge”—Pope, p. 271. The rendering of the A. V. makes little sense. The essential meaning of the verse is Job’s wealth could not save him. The verse, like the previous one, is a warning against corruption.

Job 36:20—The most promising of all suggestions as to the meaning of this cryptic verse is that it is condemning the letting of kinship influence his judgments. As usual, night is the symbol of sudden catastrophe—Job 34:20; Job 34:25. People, symbol for many, a group, or a clan, are cut off without warning.

Job 36:21—Stop rebelling against God because of His chastening hand. Because of your rebellion, you were chosen for testing. Job is being rebuked for choosing rebellion; he certainly did not choose affliction. If one amends the Hebrew text as passive (bohanta—“you have been tested”), the sense is precisely Elihu’s major assertion—that suffering is for warning and discipline, in order to turn the sufferer from evil.

Job 36:22—The purpose of Job’s suffering is here considered by Elihu. God is Job’s moreh or teacher. The content of the instruction is disciplinary suffering, if Job could only understand. This word (moreh) is also applied to God in Isaiah 30:20; Job 34:32; Job 35:11; and Psalms 32:8.

Job 36:23—Since God is the almighty, no one can dictate to Him appropriate decisions; therefore, Job should stop criticizing God for his misfortunes. Instead, he should attempt to come to an understanding of what his moreh—teacher—is saying to him. God’s power and conduct are here under scrutiny. The A. V. “enjoined” is from a verb which means “to prescribe” or determine; i.e., who can determine God’s ways for Him? Who can say that His conduct is unrighteous?

Job 36:24—Others have sung of God’s great handiwork, while you are complaining about it. Praise is at the heart of true righteousness. If you are righteous, praise will break forth from your lips—Psalms 104:33.

Job 36:25—All other men have looked upon creation in awe and deep satisfaction. But not you, Job. A man must have perspective (from “afar off”) in order to understand the greatness of God’s creation. One cannot discern the majestic magnificence of creation close at hand.

Job 36:26—God’s greatness is here set forth in imagery revealing His control of the universe. He is not bound by time; His years are innumerable (Heb. mispar)—Job 16:22 a and Psalms 102:28.

Job 36:27—The verb -gr’. which is rendered “draweth” in the A. V., basically means diminish or deduct—Job 36:7; Isaiah 15:2; Jeremiah 48:37; and Exodus 21:10. The A. V. rendering of -’ed as vapor is defective. The word occurs only here and Genesis 2:6. Albright has argued that this means “the subterranean source of fresh water.” The word rendered as distill in the A. V. probably means filter. The image is that God controls the cosmic water system and filters vast amounts of water from a “flood” or giant reservoir. God is Lord of the rain, which is necessary for life and growth.

Job 36:28—The late G. E. Wright took -rab, abundantly, as equivalent of rebibim—showers—Deuteronomy 32:2, and rendered “fall upon man as showers.” Rab is probably an adjective not an adverb which modifies “upon many men.”—Perhaps adam rah should not be translated “many men” but “man” Matthew 5:45. The rain falls upon the just and the unjust. God is impartial, as even the rain demonstrates.

Job 36:29—Who can understand the wonders of a thunder-storm, diffusion of clouds—Job 26:9, thunderings—Job 30:22, all forming a canopy or pavilion of God—Psalms 18:11?

Job 36:30—God spreads His light—‘oro, i.e., lightning a in Job 37:3, lib, 15b. The second line makes little sense, but following Psalms 18:16 the passive form of the verb cover (ksy—cover, to gly—uncover or reveal) can be uncover; thus God uncovers or reveals the bottom or roots of the sea by His Lordship. Perhaps the deepest part of the sea is His throne. He is Lord of both the skies and the seas.

Job 36:31—By the thunderstorms and seas He judges (Heb. yadin) everyone, i.e., blesses them. The imagery is polarized into judgment and blessing. See M. H. Pope, El in the Ugaritic Texts, 1955, where he has demonstrated that the chief god of the Ugaritic pantheon dwelt at the confluence of the subterranean seas. pp. 61–81, e.g., Baal as storm god enthroned on a mountain and fused with features of the Ugaritic God El. But God is comparable not only in that He is Lord of these domains, but He is Lord over the entire universe, not merely certain dimensions of it. See my essay on Is God in Exile? in this commentary.

Job 36:32—Neither the K. J. nor A. V. (1901) make much sense here. How God covers (Heb. verb kissah) His hands with lightning is our problem—Job 37:3; 1 Kings 18:44. Light (Heb. ‘or or lightning) is the subject of the verb. Dhorme is probably correct in rendering the line with the sense that God places His hands into lightning and directs it to its target.This imagery must not be identified with that of the Near Eastern gods hurling lightning bolts. Here we have anthropomorphism, but in ancient mythology the gods participated in such events. God is here presented as Lord over nature. If He can providentially control the universe, then He is capable of watching over Job.

Job 36:33—Peake gives a historical survey of over thirty explanations of this verse. Literally the text reads “He declares His purpose concerning it; cattle also concerning what rises.” Dhorme presents the least amount of emendation to derive the translation “The flock has warned its shepherd, the flock which sniffs the storm.” This is grammatically possible; it makes sense and it emphasizes Elihu’s thesis—that God providentially guards all of nature, why not Job, too?

JOB THIRTY-SEVEN

Elihu contemplates the Omnipotence of Jehovah (Job 37:1-24):

“Yea, at this my heart trembleth, And is moved out of its place. Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, And the sound that goeth out of his mouth. He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, And his lightening unto the ends of the earth. After it a voice roareth; He thundereth with the voice of his majesty; And he restraineth not the lightnings when his voice is heard” (Job 37:1-4).

Elihu’s love and fear of the Almighty causes his “heart to tremble and be moved out of its place.” Once again we note that not only is it that man’s humility, honesty, sincerity, and confidence are not measures of truth but also man’s professed love does not change truth. Elihu contemplates God’s roar through the thunder and lightning of a storm. His point is that Job must listen to his words and repent! Herein is an interesting concept in the religious world. There are many who are very religiously minded like Elihu... men and women who shutter at the thought of God. Many such people; however, are not guided by truth. A man’s professed faith in God is not enough to identify him as acceptable to God. Man must make his faith manifest through his life of obedience to God’s laws (see Hebrews 11:1 ff)

“God thundereth marvellously with his voice; Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth; Likewise to the shower of rain, And to the showers of his mighty rain. He sealeth up the hand of every man, That all men whom he hath made may know it. Then the beasts go into coverts, And remain in their dens. Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm, And cold out of the north. By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened. Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture; He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning: And it is turned round about by his guidance, That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Upon the face of the habitable world, Whether it be for correction, or for his land, Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come. Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job 37:5-14).

Elihu further considers the wondrous works of God in relation to Job’s charges of God not being just or fair by causing him to suffer this great affliction. Elihu calls upon Job to “Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” If only Job would do this Elihu is confident that he will no longer make such foolish accusations against God.

“Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them, And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine? Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? How thy garments are warm, When the earth is still by reason of the south wind? Canst thou with him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror? Teach us what we shall say unto him; For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness. Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up? And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind passeth, and cleareth them. Out of the north cometh golden splendor: God hath upon him terrible majesty. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: He is excellent in power; And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict. Men do therefore fear him: He regardeth not any that are wise of heart” (Job 37:15-24).

Elihu’s final words are challenges to Job in relation to the omnipotence of Jehovah. Elihu questions Job regarding God’s great ability that is past the comprehension of man. Elihu concludes that God is “excellent in power... and men do therefore fear him.” Elihu’s desire is that Job will contemplate the omnipotent nature of God and repent.

EXPOSITION

Job 37:1—In his final speech, Elihu describes his own feelings, and Job is not addressed until Job 37:14. Elihu’s heart leaps (see Brown, Driver, and Briggs—Leviticus 11:21; Habakkuk 3:6) with terror at God’s thunderstorm—Psalms 18:13; Psalms 77:17-18; Exodus 9:22-35; Exodus 19:16; 1 Samuel 7:10; and Isaiah 30:30. The RSV’s rendering of “shook” takes the verb as transitive and thus gives insight into the imagery of the second line—A. V. “And is moved out of its place.”

Job 37:2—Elihu intones a hymn in praise of God who reveals Himself in the winter rains which bring fertility to the earth, and God’s gracious presence to men—Psalms 8; Psalms 19:2-7; Psalms 29; Psalms 104; Psalms , 147. God’s voice is described as thunder in Job 28:26. The word rendered “sound,” or rumbling, appears in verb form in Isaiah 31:4 in describing the growling of a lion.

Job 37:3—God’s sovereignty is expressed in that He sends thunder and lightning throughout the universe. The reference of “it” is to lightning—Job 36:32—in the second line, and the verb has a root meaning of “loosen,” i.e., send in the sense of letting it go to the corners (lit. wings) of the earth.

Job 37:4—The antecedent of “it” is the lightning in Job 37:3. God’s voice roars—Judges 14:5; Amos 1:2; Amos 3:4; Amos 3:8; Psalms 104:21; Jeremiah 25:30; and Joel 3:16; but “. . . He does not restrain the lightning when His voice is heard,” R. S. V. The Hebrew word -ye’aqqebem means restrain them. The verb ‘aqab means “hold by the heel,” as in Hosea 12:3, and thus “hold back” or “restrain.” Even though God speaks in the thunder and lightning, He does not restrain everything in the universe merely because He speaks. Job needs to learn this fact, according to Elihu.

Job 37:5—Elihu’s words echo both Job and Eliphaz—Job 5:9; Job 9:10. Elihu makes transition to another dimension of God’s wonderful creation—snow and frost. God is presented lord of the winter, as He is the lord of the spring and summer in the previous verses. Dhorme provides insight into the verse without any emendation—“God by his voice works (ya’amol) wonders.” This rendering makes excellent transition from the thunderstorm to the winter snows.

Job 37:6—The verb -hw’—“to be”—is uniquely used he in the sense of “fall.” The Hebrew text has repetition of “down-out of rain” and “downpour of rains,” perhaps to emphasize the intensity of the rain which would refer to the heavy rain of the Syrian Palestinian winter.

Job 37:7—The text says “with the hand of every man he seals”—Job 9:7; Genesis 7:16. The preposition beyad probably must be understood as with a similar verb as “shut” or “seal.” The meaning is that when it rains men must cease from their agricultural labors while the rain and snow prevail.

Job 37:8—The imagery is concerned with the hibernation of animals for the winter. The A. V. renders the noun “coverts,” which could better be understood as “lairs.” The verb means “to lie in wait.” The word translated “dens” is used of God’s dwelling place—Psalms 76:2; of man’s home—Jeremiah 21:13; and of the lairs of wild beasts—Job 38:40; Amos 3:4; Nahum 2:12; and Psalms 104:22.

Job 37:9—There is also reference to the chambers (Heb. heder) of the south in Job 9:9. But “of the south” is not in the text—Job 38:22 and Psalms 135:7. The unique word -mezarim is rendered by “cometh” in A. V., but it probably means to scatter or disperse. It might be a term for storehouse, as Pope suggests. This would make perfectly good sense in our present verse. Likewise the North yields its “cold.”

Job 37:10—Elihu employs poetic imagery to express that ice and frost are the results of the cold-blast of God’s breath. “Straitened” of the A. V. is derived from word meaning “become a solid mass,” i.e., frozen solid—Isaiah 40:7.

Job 37:11—The clouds are loaded or burdened (A. V. ladeth ._from root meaning burden or weight—Isaiah 1:14) with moisture. Instead of “lightning” as in A. V., this may refer only to “light” as in Hebrew text, i.e., to the sun, thus deriving the meaning that the sunlight dispels the clouds with their moisture (Heb. beri). However we understand the grammatical possibilities; the emphasis is on the manifestation of God’s power and controls of nature.

Job 37:12—Elihu here explains that all of nature obeys the will of God and fulfills His purposes. The antecedent of “it” is the clouds from Job 37:11. The word -mithappek rendered “turned around” in A. V. appears in Genesis 3:24 where it describes the flaming sword turning round and round. The meaning of the entire verse centers on God’s control; though lightning appears to act capriciously, it is carrying out His divine directions.

Job 37:13—Elihu asserts in conclusion to this section of his that God’s control of nature sometimes results in judgment, sometimes in blessing. Both wrath and mercy result from God’s control of nature; the same also applies to history. God’s universe is balanced between His correction or discipline and His covenant love (hesed). Dhorme’s emendation provides the verb which is lacking in the first part of the verse. “Whether it be for punishment that He accomplishes His will, whether it be for mercy that He brings it to pass”—1 Corinthians 4:21. For the suggestion that -le’arso—rendered as “for his land” in A. V.—should be translated as grace or favor, see M. Dahood, Psalms, Vol. II, note 3 on Psalms 58:3. This makes perfectly good sense, while land makes little sense in this verse.

Job 37:14—Elihu turns from his hymn of praise to directly addressing Job once again. Can Job be brought submissively to God? This will be Elihu’s last effort. He presents polarized imagery of darkness and light as coming from the North, the traditional source of theophany—Isaiah 14:13; Ezekiel 1:4. Now, Job, will you consider the wonderful works of God? The ensuing questions are raised in hopes of exposing Job’s ignorance of how God works in His creation.

Job 37:15—Like Yahweh in chapters 38ff, Elihu asks Job, “Do you know” how God—lit. “puts upon them,” i.e., lays charge upon them, probably the clouds? The antecedent is not clear. Lightning is no longer a mystery; it is the direct activity of God, not the inanimate “Laws of Nature.”

Job 37:16—God’s precision in the balancing of the clouds is wonderful testimony of His control of nature. The word “balancing” is from the same root as balance in Proverbs 16:11 and Isaiah 40:12. In Job 36:4 b Elihu uses the same expression as applied to himself rather than God—temim de’im, i.e., “the perfect in knowledge,” which Blommerde takes as representing the divine title. He renders this verse “Do you recognize the Most High by His outspread cloud, by his wonderful acts, the Perfect in Knowledge?”

Job 37:17—Elihu ironically emphasizes the smallness of man. During the sirocco, i.e., hot east or south winds, clothes feel dry and hot. W. M. Thomson, in his work The Land and The Book (Baker reprint, p. 536) gives a most striking description of the type of experience pictured in this verse. All the birds, animals, and men hide from the scorching heat, and wait for the clouds bearing the promise of cooling rain. Elsewhere the sirocco are called east wind.

Job 37:18—The verb rendered “spread out” means “beat out”—Genesis 1:6. Can you do that, Job?—Exodus 28:8 and Deuteronomy 28:23. The shimmering heat of the day was compared with burnished copper—Deuteronomy 28:23. Ancient mirrors were made of molten metal. The word rendered “strong” as in A. V. means hard or solid mass—Job 37:10. The verb means “pour out” or “cast metals.”

Job 37:19—Job, what will you say in face of all these awesome facts? With biting sarcasm, Elihu challenges him to get his “case” ready, doubtless in reference to Job’s desire to encounter God in a court of law—Job 13:8; Job 23:4; Job 32:14; and Job 33:5. How can you prepare or order your case out of such ignorance, i.e., darkness—Eccl. 43:2ff.

Job 37:20—Elihu finds it quite incredible that insignificant Job would think of confronting an incomprehensibly great God. Anyone so foolish is merely asking to be destroyed, i.e., “swallowed up.” Only an arrogant madman would conceive of such a thing.

Job 37:21—Elihu returns to natural phenomena. Man cannot even look at the sun when the wind has drawn away the clouds. How would you imagine that you could possibly look upon the creator in all glory? Looking upon the dazzling majesty of His presence is beyond you, Job.

Job 37:22—It is not impossible that this refers to the Aurora Borealis. The text has only “gold,” and the A. V. renders it “golden splendor.” At least this would make sense in light of the northern phenomena; the mysterious blazing golden beams could suggest the presence of God, so avers Driver.[366] Pope attempts to demonstrate an illusion to mythology associated with the North and gold, but the reference has nothing to do with the metal itself. See A. Guillaume, Annual of the Leeds University Oriental Society, Supplement II, 1968, 129, where he emends and obtains the translation “out of the North comes golden splendour.”

Job 37:23—Elihu reasserts his conviction that God cannot perpetrate injustice, either directly or indirectly—Job 9:20-24; Job 11:7; and Job 23:8-9. God will not violate, afflict, or oppress. We cannot understand God, but He has abundant righteousness (Heb. lit. greatness of righteousness); and in His righteousness He is too inflexible to violate justice. Job completely misunderstands; he has no case against his creator. If he would but acknowledge it, he could be healed and restored to prosperity.

Job 37:24—Even the wisest of men cannot see God. Men stand in awe before God because of His greatness and goodness. But all men are beneath God’s notice, even the wisest. The Hebrew phrase “the wise in heart” is found in Job 9:4 with a non-pejorative significance. Here it is clearly pejorative. This conclusion seems to be at variance with Elihu’s claim throughout his speeches. If God does not notice anyone, great or small, what does He have to do with punishment of the wicked, or the prosperity of the pious? With these words, Elihu disappears from the drama as abruptly as he first appeared.

Points to Consider over Elihu’s Speech (Job 32-37):

1. Elihu’s Character Sketch: Elihu is a young man who is angry with Job and his three friends. Though he is angry with these men he has respectfully listened and not said anything to this point due to the advanced age of the four men. Elihu is confident that he will bring truth to the discussion and all of Job’s suffering will be ended (Job 33:3; Job 36:1-4).

2. Elihu’s Accusations Against Job: Elihu believes he has the answer to Job’s longed for question and answer. Job has wanted to know the why of his suffering (see Job 6:24; Job 9:18; Job 10:2) (remember that Eliphaz also had a similar answer to Job’s question (see Job 15:25). Elihu states that Job’s suffering is due to his being “unjust” (Job 33:12). Elihu accuses Job of being arrogant (Job 35:15), prideful (Job 32:1; Job 35:12), scoffer (Job 34:7), self deluded (Job 32:1), lacks knowledge, wisdom and is rebellious (Job 34:35-37).

3. Elihu exposes Job’s true error (Job 34:9-12): Job has accused God of being unjust in that He makes an innocent man suffer (see Job 9:24; Job 10:3-4; Job 12:5-6). Job has thereby concluded that it is useless to serve such an unjust God (Job 21:5). Elihu rightly asks, “Is Job’s righteousness above God’s?” (see Job 35:2). Elihu again rightly looks to the omnipotence of God that defines justice and righteousness (see Job 36:22-33 all).

4. Though Elihu has made good points, regarding Job’s error in judgment against God, he has erred in his overall theory that man suffers at the hands of God because of their sin in that the Lord chastens the wicked with pain to get them to repent and return to righteousness (see Job 33:19; Job 33:23-26; Job 34:27; Job 36:15). A great lesson to learn is that it is not man’s honesty, sincerity, confidence, fear, or professed love of God that measures truth but rather it is God that delivers divine revelation whereby man is measured by (see Job 33:3; Job 36:1-4; Job 37:1-4).

5. Grand Lesson of the book of Job unfolding: James said, “Behold, we call them blessed that endured: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is full of pity, and merciful” (James 5:11). Job’s friends have tried to “convince” him that he has sinned and thereby he suffers (see Job 32:12). Job; however, has patiently held on to his innocence (see Job 2:3; Job 2:9; Job 17:9; Job 27:5-6; Job 31:5-6). Let us recall that divine revelation has set forth Job to be a perfect and upright man before his sufferings began (see Job 1:8). Job, thereby, is not suffering for sin! Satan has brought this suffering upon Job to test his integrity (i.e., his fear, faith, and love of God) (see Job 1:9 ff). God tells us that Job’s suffering at the hand of Satan was “without cause” (Job 2:3). Job has lost his children, wealth, health, wife, and even his friends have turned on him. Will Job “renounce God?” Job’s problems are compounded in the fact that the general public (and his own brethren) treat him as someone disgusting and he is the source of man’s failures and object of scorn (see Job 16:10; Job 17:6; Job 19:13 ff; Job 30:10-15). Job’s great patience is found in the fact that he never renounced God and neither did he give in to the wrongful charges of his friends. He maintained his integrity with God through much anguish.

6. While Job’s sin is not the reason for his suffering he has, nonetheless, charged God foolishly (see Job 9:24; Job 10:3-4; Job 12:5-5; Job 21:5 etc). The next chapter will reveal God’s further perfecting of Job.

JOB THIRTY-EIGHT

God Answers Job’s Accusations and Demands that he “Declare” the interpretation of all Creation

(Job 38:1-41):

“Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me” (Job 38:1-3).

The longed for moment of the Lord’s interference in this debate now arrives. Jehovah completely ignores the comments of Elihu and Job’s three friends and gets right to Job. The Lord asks, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Consider Job’s “words without knowledge:”

Job has blamed God for his suffering (Job 16:11-14; Job 19:6-13; Job 19:21-22).

Job believes that God must be against him (Job 6:4; Job 10:14-15; Job 13:23-28).

Job believes God is angry with him (Job 9:13; Job 14:13) and wants to destroy him (Job 9:22; Job 10:8).

Job concludes that God hates him (Job 16:9).

Job accuses God of not being fair or just in His dealings with man (Job 9:24; Job 10:3-4; Job 10:8; Job 12:5-6; Job 31:1 ff).

Job justifies his right to complain to God seeing he is innocent (Job 7:11; Job 10:1).

Seeing that Job has done no sin to ward such misery yet he suffers he concludes that it must be vain to seek out a perfect and upright life (Job 9:29-35). Job demands to know WHY he is going through this (see Job 6:24; Job 9:18; Job 10:2; Job 30:24-31). Job desires that God would leave him alone (Job 7:16; Job 7:19; Job 10:20). With the above mentioned thoughts of Job, God demands Job to “Gird up now thy loins like a man...” Job has repeatedly challenged God to stand before him so that he may argue his cause and now God is here (see Job 9:32-35; Job 13:3; Job 13:18-22; Job 23:4-7). What do you have to say Job? God now demands that Job stand before him as a man and give answer. It is easy to say something about someone when they are not around... Job, will you now speak these same complaints in the presence of God?

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).

The Almighty has been grilled by Job. Job makes serious accusations against the creator of the universe. Job has said that God is not fair or just in his dealings with man. Job accuses the Lord of not caring for His created beings and therefore there is no hope for one that God is against. Job attributes the Calvinistic idea of unconditional election to God. Whomever God chooses to make suffer He will do so and that person has absolutely no hope. Does Job dare to teach God?

The Lord responds by asking Job where he was when the foundation of the earth was laid at creation. If you are so wise Job where were you at creation? If Job attributes such folly to God then it must be that Job is wiser than Jehovah.

“Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made clouds the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it, And marked out for it my bound, And set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?” (Job 38:8-11).

The Lord asks the challenging man Job where he was when the sea broke out of creation like a child bursting out of the womb. The Lord made the boundaries of the sea and did not allow them to go further. The sea obeyed the voice of God and remained in its place.

“Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed as clay under the seal; And all things stand forth as a garment: And from the wicked their light is withholden, And the high arm is broken” (Job 38:12-15).

Job if your understanding is so vast and exceeds that of God then please tell the Lord about the morning. How is it that the morning comes every day of the year? The wicked lovers of darkness are exposed each day.

“Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if thou knowest it all” (Job 38:16-18).

Job have you ever compassed the depths of the oceans? What do you know about the “gates of death” Job? The Lord asks, ‘Job, have you explored the hadean world of Sheol and do you know all the secrets of it that has been hid from the rest of humanity?’ Has Job measured the earth? God demands that Job “Declare, if thou knowest it all.” Job you have supposedly exposed the unjust nature of God... it must be that you are wiser than the Lord. God therefore demands Job to declare that which has been hidden from all humanity. The Lord is now debating Job. While Job has effectively defeated his three friends in debate Jehovah now puts Job in his place. The Lord will certainly admit His error if Job can “Declare” the deep hidden things of creation. Job cannot and thereby stands condemned!

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And as for darkness, where is the place thereof, That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof? Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!” (Job 38:19-21).

The Almighty uses sarcasm against Job. Job you must be of great age to have understanding. You must have been present at the point of light and darkness being created seeing that you make your charges against Jehovah. Surely you know all about the coming and going of light and darkness.

“Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth? Who hath cleft a channel for the water flood, Or the way for the lightning of the thunder; To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; On the wilderness, wherein there is no man; To satisfy the waste and desolate ground, And to cause the tender grass to spring forth? Hath the rain a father? Or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters hide themselves and become like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen” (Job 38:22-30).

Jehovah asks Job about the physical elements of the earth such as the snow, hail, wind, floods, thunder, rain, dew, and bodies of water turned to ice. The more we hear and read the greater we ourselves learn our place before the Almighty God.

“Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth?” (Job 38:31-33).

Job had discussed these grouping of stars into constellations at chapter 9:5-10. Again, God demands that Job declare unto Him the how and why of these miraculous constellations. When man looks into the heavens we may be able to study the stars, identify them, and map them out yet can we fathom the hanging of these celestial beings within the heavens?

“Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, And say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who hath given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, When the dust runneth into a mass, And the clods cleave fast together?” (Job 38:34-38).

God asks Job if he can command the clouds to bring forth rain and command the lightning to strike. Did Job put wisdom and understanding in man’s mind? While man studies the human mind and its capabilities God has placed it there! Man can only study and come to an understanding of the workings of our universe. It is the Great Jehovah; however, that has placed these objects of our wonderment into creation.

“Canst thou hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who provides for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry unto God, And wander for lack of food?” (Job 38:39-41).

Man does not see the remote areas of the earth that need rain to cause green things to grow. Likewise man does not see the lions and birds of the earth in their need of water and food. Who is it that hears the cries of the babies in the animal kingdom? God sees and knows all things with man, animal, and plant life. Only God is omniscient! God asks Job if he knows these things or whether he can satisfy the hunger of all the animal kingdom? Man is made to cringe at the answer of God Almighty. What pride or arrogance that may be within our being ought to be rooted out. We are nothing in comparison with the Almighty omniscient and omnipotent God!

EXPOSITION

Job 38:1—We return to the spell of the genius of the weaver of words and the source of the wonders of the world. Yahweh** now confronts Job directly. This fact is a direct challenge to the theological assumptions of Job’s three friends and Elihu. Job has nowhere renounced God, as Satan predicted. The suffering of Job requires Yahweh’s intervention, and in His intervention we all experience The Shattering of Silence. In His Word, God declares that Job, as is every saved sinner, is redeemed by grace. The common assumption between Job and his three consolers was that he was alienated from God, and his suffering was concrete proof of this. The speeches of Yahweh are a direct challenge to that thesis. Job can have the presence of God in the midst of suffering. Job is humbled by God. If Job is incapable of the simplest answers, how could he hope to debate Yahweh, creator of the universe? We are told that Yahweh’s love and mercy are as fundamental to His nature as are His power and transcendence. Yet, for all their beauty and majesty, the speeches contribute nothing essentially new—Job 5:10-16;. Job 9:4-10; Job 12:13-25; Job 22:12-14; Job 26:5-14. The most striking factor in Yahweh’s speeches is that Job’s personal problem is completely ignored. Nothing is said about his guilt or innocence, or the cause and meaning of his suffering. Job’s response in Job 42:5 is not that I understand your instructions, but that “I have seen you.” In the revelation of His word, God is made known. The theophany, i.e., seeing God, is the solution to the Jobian drama. Ultimately, Jesus, Job’s redeemer, is the great explanation of God’s person and purpose—John 1:18. God’s answer came from one of the most unexpected places—The Whirlwind. Yahweh ignores Elihu and zeros in on the main figure of the drama, the searching sufferer Job 31:35. God’s sovereignty over nature was a central thesis of Elihu’s speeches—chapters 32–37. We have been prepared for the ensuing thrilling theophany—Exodus 19:16; 1 Kings 19:11 ff; Isaiah 6:4; Ezekiel 1:4; Nahum 1:3; Zechariah 9:14; Psalms 18:8-16; Psalms 68:8-9; Habakkuk 3:5-6. Perhaps the storm is anticipated by Elihu—Job 37:2.

**The name Yahweh is used here as in the Prologue and Epilogue, and in Job 40:1; Job 40:3; Job 40:6; Job 42:1; but it does not appear in the Dialogue or Elihu’s speeches.

Job 38:2—The “this” is a plain reference to Job, not Elihu—Job 40:4 ff and Job 42:2-6. Some take this as literary proof that the Elihu speeches are not integral to the book, but this is purely subjective psychoanalysis of a dead man. The counsel (‘esah) referred to is to the purposes of God, not to the dialogical discussion between Job and his friends. The participle –mahsik implies a state of ignorance concerning God’s purposes—Psalms 33:10; Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 19:17. No one lacking so much knowledge regarding the intricacies of the universe should ever challenge God to a debate. Elihu had earlier charged Job with speaking out of a reservoir of ignorance—Job 34:35. Job has denied that the universe has a moral order, contra Ecclesiastes. All human efforts to search out all the interrelatedness in the universe is doomed to failure.

Job 38:3—Girding the loins is a figurative expression of preparation for a difficult undertaking—Exodus 12:11; Isaiah 11:5; Jeremiah 1:17. Job had demanded the opportunity to debate with God—Job 9:32 and Job 13:3; Job 13:15. But God will not submit to questioning. Instead of making specific charges, as Job has requested that He do, God confronts him with unanswerable questions regarding His providential control of the cosmos—Job 13:23 and Job 31:35. God’s design for such interrogation is to bring Job to the awareness of the vastness of his ignorance. Job had claimed earlier that all God would need do was to call him, and he would answer—Job 13:22. This reveals supreme ignorance conceived by pride, which can deliver only darkness. God is only doing what Job asked Him to do. How can he impugn God’s wisdom and justice when he knows so little? This is not an arrogant cosmic bully interrogating Job; this is His redeemer preparing him for deliverance. God always extends His merciful forgiveness, but the contingency is that we accept it. Herein lies the defectiveness of Universalism in the name of grace. God extends no “cheap grace” despised and rejected. There are no believers anonymous, or holy pagans in God’s purpose.

Job 38:4—God hurls a series of questions toward Job in order to expose his vast and presumptuous ignorance. By swift ironical interrogation, Job’s omniscience is questioned. There cannot be two omniscient persons in the same universe; so, is it Yahweh or Job?—Job 15:7-8; Job 37:18. The Hebrew text reads binah for understanding or comprehension. There are, of course, levels of understanding: (1) Minimal understanding is exercised in assimilating instruction, memorizing, and returning the content upon request; (2) Maximal understanding requires knowledge of the intricate interrelatedness of all the factors. This knowledge enables one not only to control but to modify various ranges of reality. An example would be that nineteenth century science could control nature; twentieth century science can modify nature through systems analysis of the “gene code,” societal, economic, and political structures, etc. Most knowledge never changes anything. Most new ideas are worthless because they do not expose the intricate interworkings of either nature, history, or society. Twentieth century technologically dominated man is a Jobian counterpart. Both assume that knowledge means salvation. The neo-gnostic heresy is upon us once more in our world where recorded knowledge doubles every three and one-half years. Knowledge is not to be confused with wisdom, which is an integrating force—1 Corinthians 1:10 ff. At least Bunyan’s Pilgrim understands God’s message. Contemporary astro-physics, microscopic physics, and bio-chemistry reinforce this Jobian imagery which conceives of creation in terms of building or erecting the cosmos. But no atomistic reductionism can remove the intentional, i.e., purposeful, dimension of all reality. We need no longer be hampered by the model of the Newtonian World-Machine Model after Einstein, Planck-Heisenberg, et al. We live in a universe in which we can witness a revolution in cosmic models and knowledge paradigms. (See my doctoral thesis on The Kuhn-Popper Debate and The Knowledge Paradigm Revolution.)

Job 38:5—The emphatic -ki strongly sets forth Yahweh’s question: “Who sets its measure(s) if you know? Who stretches over it the line”—Qumran Targum—Who does that, Job, answer me, if you know!—Job 26:7; Psalms 24:2; Psalms 102:26; Psalms 104:5; Proverbs 3:19; Isaiah 48:13; Isaiah 51:13; Isaiah 51:16; Zechariah 12:1; Ezekiel 40:3; and Ezekiel 43:17. Who measures it?—Isaiah 34:11; Jeremiah 31:39. Contemporary cosmology sets forth conflicting models of the universe, i.e., “Steady State,” “Big Bang.” Is the universe finite or infinite? If Einstein’s theory of space is scientifically accurate, then the universe is finite. Yahweh’s universe is a finite creation, but what or who is the source of its staggeringly intricate design? Measurement means finitude or limitation and imprecision, though accurate to an amazing degree.

Job 38:6—Job, who designed and built the universe?—Isaiah 28:16; Jeremiah 51:26; Psalms 118:22. The stone referred to here may be either the initial foundation stone, or the final capstone. These two stones were used for measurement in ancient building procedure—Job 9:6.

Job 38:7—When the foundation of the Second Temple was laid, Israel sang—Ezra 3:10-11; Zechariah 4:7. Joyful singing was present when the universe was created—Genesis 1:16; Psalms 148:2 ff. In pagan mythology, i.e., the astro-cults, the stars were gods.** In contrast, Yahweh was Creator and Lord of the stars, which were subservient to Him and sing His praises, Deuteronomy 4:19; Isaiah 40:26; 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Kings 17:16; 2 Kings 1:3; Psalms 19:2; Psalms 29:2; and Psalms 148:2-3. See Job 1:6 for “sons of God.”

**Astro-deities abound in Ugaritic literature. Occult practices abounded in Canaan, also Egypt and Babylon. The editors of the Qumran Targum suggest that certain emendations were motivated by efforts to avoid saying that objects of pagan worship worshipped Yahweh. Historically in western Christian civilization, when occultism, etc., becomes a powerful alternative to the Christian faith, the word of God has been sharply curtailed and spiritual apathy has all but quenched the power of God’s Holy Spirit, both in individual Christian lives and the corporate life of the community. Paul clearly declares that “we are not contending against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers” (Ephesians 6:12). But such description is very difficult for technologically oriented 20th century man to appreciate. The 19th century produced the Comparative Religion school and the History of Religions school, each of which cast serious doubts on the ontological existence of Satan, principalities and powers, and evil spirits, etc. lames G. Frazer’s The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Experimental Science, 12 vols., (MacMillan Co., 1935) and Lynn Thorndike’s A History of Magic and Experimental Sciences, Vols. I-VI (MacMillan and Columbia University Press, 1923–1941) were and are influential in circles which believe that the revolutionary developments in the sciences preclude the validity of the Biblical witness to the existence of supernatural evil beings such as Satan. M. Dibelius, Die Geisterwelt im Glauben des Paulus (Gottingen, 1909) was the result of the most radical developments in the history of religion. It is fused with R. Bultmann’s radical hermeneutical principle, which relegates the Biblical data concerning Satanology to the category of myth, though to be sure that is the technical connotation of myth which stems from folklore research and comparative religion, Dibelius’ work removed the demoniac from serious exegetical consideration until the outbreak of irrational evil forces, especially immediately following World War II. In Heinrich Schlier’s inaugural lecture, “Machte und Gewalten in Neuen Testament,” (Theologische Blatter, 1930), we hear the Marburg of the late Heidegger and Bultmann denounce the objective realities of “principalities and powers.” Even the old neo-orthodox exorcist, K. Barth, gives token consideration to the “Powers” in his Church Dogmatics, Vol. III/3. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, many in Western Christian civilization rejected the Biblical category of evil powers and replaced the Biblical explanation with the counter-explanation of sociology and psychology, etc. These explanations were satisfactory to many until the most radical outbreak of occult in the history of the world, in the last 25 years. Christian, arm for battle! See Franz Cumont, Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans (Dover, 1960); E. R. Dodds, The Greeks and the Irrational (Univ. of Calif. Press, 1951); Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety (Cambridge Univ. Press); and Mircea Eliade, The Forge and the Crucible (Harper & Row, 1962).

Job 38:8—Now the origin of the sea is presented. Even Jacque Cousteau has not seen all its marvels. Oceanography is an intriguing science which only serves to illuminate this imagery. Two images are employed in this verse: (1) The sea as an unruly infant bursting forth from the womb; and (2) A flood needing to be controlled. The text says “and he shut” (not as A. V. who, though the grammar calls for a question), i.e., God was both its origin and orderer. The Qumran Targum has the interrogative particle before the verbal form—“Did you shut the Sea within doors?” implying, Job, did you do it, or did I do it?

Job 38:9—Birth imagery continues in this verse; as an infant is wrapped in swaddling clothes, so the sea is wrapped in clouds.

Job 38:10—God “set bounds” for the sea and locked it into its boundaries. Dahood’s emendations clarify the verse, “And I traced out its limits, and set bars and two doors.”[374] In all probability, the allusion is to the cliffs and rocky shores which mark the coast of the sea—Proverbs 8:29. See Notes on Psalms 16:6

Job 38:11—Upon notification of the death of his son, while still under the guard of Hitler’s SS, Martin Niemuller read this majestic verse—“Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” It fell as a mantle of mercy on Niemuller’s soul. The verse clearly describes God’s control of the sea.

Job 38:12—The succession of light and dark must be controlled if the creation is to be ordered—Psalms 104:19 ff. Job, did you ever control the light in the universe? Did you ever assing the dawn (sahar) its responsibilities?

Job 38:13—In splendid poetic power, Yahweh depicts night as a garment covering the earth, which the dawn takes hold of by the fingers and shakes. The wicked who work in the cover of darkness are shaken out of their protection. The garment so essential for protection from the chill of the night here becomes an image of protection for the wicked—Job 22:6. Job, can you do that?

Job 38:14—“It changes” refers to the feminine noun earth. Darkness removes all but the shadowed shapes of the landscape. The morning sun returns the beautiful contours to the shapeless surface of the earth. The sun rays give shape to creation’s contours, as clay receives the impress of the seal. Dhorme emends the second line to refer to color, i.e., “and it is dyed like a garment.” Then the imagery refers to the return of the rich hues to the earth as the creation is bathed in beams of sunlight.

Job 38:15—Yahweh repeats what we have already been told, that the light of the wicked is darkness—Job 24:13-17. Light banishes darkness from its kingdom; they are forever incompatible. The “upraised arm” (zero’a ramah) is probably a metaphor signifying powerful wickedness, which Yahweh shatters.

Job 38:16—Job shows little knowledge regarding the origins of things visible. Now he is challenged to expose his knowledge concerning the range and extent of things invisible. Matter is reducible to energy. Reality at the microscopic level is unavailable to our perceptive field. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries’ naturalistic reductionistic positivists gain little comfort from contemporary science—Job 28:11. The word rendered “recesses” (tehom—Genesis 7:11) denotes what is to be sought for or searched out—Job 11:7.

Job 38:17—The gates of Sheol hold back the deep darkness—Job 10:21 ff; Job 26:5 ff; Psalms 9:13; Psalms 107:18; and Isaiah 38:10—which the parallelism necessitates. The gates restrain the darkness of Sheol—Job 3:5; Ezekiel 32:18.

Job 38:18—The term rendered as breadth in the A. V. is found only here and Job 36:16. The plural probably implies the vastness or expansiveness of the earth. If you do not understand creation, Job, how can you pretend to know the creator?

Job 38:19—Yahweh separated light and darkness on the first day of creation—Genesis 1:6—and thus they have separate locations in the universe.

Job 38:20—The pronouns are both singular, but they must refer to light and dark.

Job 38:21—Yahweh’s irony and sarcasm increase—“doubtless.” You know because you must have been born before creation, if you understand all the intricate balances within nature’s systems—Job 15:7; Proverbs 8:22 ff.

Job 38:22—For the use of hail as God’s weapon, see Isaiah 30:30; for its occurrence in theophanies, see Psalms 18:12 ff; Job 37:9; Deuteronomy 28:12, Jeremiah 10:13. Yahweh has treasuries full of snow and hail.

Job 38:23—The imagery continues. God has reserves of snow and hail. Do you, Job?

Job 38:24—Light was dealt with in Job 38:19. The most difficult issue in this verse is the parallel between “light” and “east wind,” though Driver argues for a root yielding “parching heat” for the latter.

Job 38:25—The time of the rain was more important than the channel (te’alah—trench, conduits—1 Kings 18:32; 1 Kings 18:35; Isaiah 7:3; Ezekiel 31:4) through which it came. The word rendered waterflood (setep—flood waters—Nahum 1:8; Daniel 9:26) is a common Old Testament root for washing and overflowing of streams. The second line is identical with Job 28:26 b, but the parallel is different. In Job 28:26 the parallelism calls for rain, here flood.

Job 38:26—God’s providence extends to every factor of creation, not just man and his societal relationships. Man is repeated in both lines, but they represent two different Hebrew words—‘ys and ‘adam—Job 12:6-10; Job 24:4 b – Job 24:5; Job 30:2-8. Yahweh does not condemn Job for what he could not possibly know; He condemns for his narrow perspective. If he could see the universe as Yahweh sees it, then he would not complain, but, of course, that is impossible.

Job 38:27—God makes the “desolate and waste ground” productive and makes “young grass to grow”—Genesis 1:11. The personification of the ground suggests God’s relationship to and control over the productive power of the earth.

Job 38:28—Can man cause rain? Can Job explain the nature of rain?

Job 38:29—What is the origin and nature of ice?—Job 6:16; Job 37:10; Genesis 31:40; and in Jeremiah 36:30 where it means frost.

Job 38:30—The rendering “like stone” as in the A. V. confuses the image. Literally the text says “They hide themselves—are hidden,” “hardens,” i.e., freezes. The Qumran Targum translates the Hebrew word yithabba’u with the verb -qrm which means to cover the surface—Ezekiel 37:6; Ezekiel 37:8, or crust. Freezing water begins with surface layer or crust. This makes perfectly good sense in this verse.

Job 38:31—Job, can you chain or bind (ma’adannot—only here and 1 Samuel 15:32; and verb ‘nd is used in Job 31:36 and Proverbs 6:21 with meaning of bind) the cluster of the Pleiades or loose the belt (mosekot—bonds) of Orion?”—Job 9:9.

Job 38:32—The Hebrew word mazzarot appears untranslated in the A. V. because the root occurs only here and its significance is uncertain. But perhaps it is related to mazzalot, constellations in 2 Kings 23:5. If so, it refers to the southern constellations of the zodiac.

Job 38:33—The ordinances (mistar is parallel with huqqot—Statutes Exodus 5:6 ff; 2 Chronicles 26:11; Numbers 11:16; Deuteronomy 1:15; Proverbs 6:7) are the laws that govern the movements of the entire universe, but here the sun, moon, and stars in the earth’s galaxy.

Job 38:34—Compare the first line with Job 36:29 b; Job 37:2; Job 37:4. The image underlying the question is that of God commanding the clouds to release their captive rain. The second line is verbatim with Job 22:11 b, but the contexts are different, thus calling for different parallel analysis. Job, can you interfere with the laws of climatology?

Job 38:35—Job, can you direct and control lightning? Will lightning obey you, as it obeys me? It even reports to Yahweh its accomplishments. Lightning is God’s servant, not man’s Job 36:32 and Job 37:11 ff.

Job 38:36—The meaning of the two basic words in this verse—“inward parts” and “mind”—is uncertain. These two words are rendered clouds and mists elsewhere. The root meaning of the former is probably “cover over” or hidden, i.e., hidden or inward parts; and the root significance of the latter is perhaps “to look out,” i.e., in the sense that men can draw meanings from observing. Regardless of these difficulties, Yahweh is asking Job whether or not he can understand the workings of His wonderful creation.

Job 38:37—Who but Yahweh knows the exact number of clouds necessary at any given time?—Isaiah 40:26. Who but God knows the precise balance of rain to provide the earth?—Job 26:8.

Job 38:38—When it rains, the dust forms a mass or whole once more. The whole earth is related to His purpose.

Job 38:39—The second part of the speech begins in this verse. Eight creatures are described in increasing details. Yahweh calls forth a number of birds and animals and asks Job if he knows the secrets of their habitat and behavior. He begins with the king of the beasts, the lion. Who provides the lion with its prey? It does not require man to obtain its prey. Could man even do it if challenged? God cares for lions and their young—Psalms 104:21.

Job 38:40—God provides them with food, even while they are waiting in the “lairs,” as rendered in Job 37:8.

Job 38:41—After the king of the beasts, the scavenger Raven is brought to Job’s attention. The raven is destructive; it picks out the eyes of its victims—Proverbs 30:17. Job, surely this is an example of injustice, at least, to those animals that make up the raven’s prey. They have no particular home; they “wander” wherever there is food available. In nature, every living creature has its natural enemies. This, too, is part of God’s providential direction of His creation. Will Job learn any lessons from these eight examples from the realm of birds and beasts?

JOB THIRTY-NINE

The Almighty continues to ask Job Questions regarding his Understanding of Creation (Job 39:1-30):

“Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfill? Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, They cast out their pains. Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open field; They go forth, and return not again” (Job 39:1-4).

The Lord continues to barrage Job with questions regarding creation. Job are you omniscient in that you see the wild goats giving birth and able to follow out the life of the young ones while at the same time living out your life miles away?

“Who hath sent out the wild ass free? Or who hath loosed the bonds of the swift ass, Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the salt land his dwelling-place? He scorneth the tumult of the city, Neither heareth he the shoutings of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searcheth after every green thing. Will the wild-ox be content to serve thee? Or will he abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in the furrow? Or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave to him thy labor? Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home thy seed, And gather the grain of thy threshing-floor?” (Job 39:5-12).

The Lord asks Job if he sees and knows all the ways of the wild ass. Does Job know the mind of the wild ox?

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly; But are they the pinions and plumage of love? For she leaveth her eggs on the earth, And warmeth them in the dust, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, Or that the wild beast may trample them. She dealeth hardly with her young ones, as if they were not hers: Though her labor be in vain, she is without fear; Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, Neither hath he imparted to her understanding. What time she lifteth up herself on high, She scorneth the horse and his rider” (Job 39:13-18).

God demands that Job declare unto the explanation of an ostrich. Does Job know why she is so ignorant and deals hardly with her young ones?

“Hast thou given the horse his might? Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane? Hast thou made him to leap as a locust? The glory of his snorting is terrible. He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: He goeth out to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed; Neither turneth he back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, The flashing spear and the javelin. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage; Neither believeth he that it is the voice of the trumpet. As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha! And he smelleth the battle afar off, The thunder of the captains, and the shouting” (Job 39:19-25).

Jehovah requests that Job consider the horse. Can Job explain the horse’s terrible snorting and his great courage in battle? Did Job give the horse this great might? Surely Job can explain these things seeing he is so wise as to charge the Lord with folly.

“Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk soareth, And stretcheth her wings toward the south? Is it at thy command that the eagle mounteth up, And maketh her nest on high? On the cliff she dwelleth, and maketh her home, Upon the point of the cliff, and the stronghold. From thence she spieth out the prey; Her eyes behold it afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: And where the slain are, there is she” (Job 39:26-30).

Again, the Lord demands that Job tell Him of the hawk and eagle. Does Job cause the hawk and eagle to perform its flights and to make their nest on high places by his great wisdom?

EXPOSITION

Job 39:1—Job, what do you know about ibex or mountain goats and the laws of birth? This specie of wild goat is still found near Khirbet Qumran and En Gedi—Psalms 104:18; 1 Samuel 24:7. The inaccessible cliffs are their habitat, but God’s providence guards over them even there. Hind is a specie of deer that survived in the woodlands of Palestine, before they were denuded in the 20th century—Genesis 49:21; Deuteronomy 12:15; Psalms 18:33; and Proverbs 5:19. Job, what do you know about the existence of the hind?

Job 39:2—There is duplication between verses one and two. But the first line is concerned with pregnancy and the second with birth. Job, do you or can you “count the months” before the delivery of the young?

Job 39:3—The word rendered “bow” as in A. V. themselves is used of human childbirth in 1 Samuel 4:19. The Hebrew term hebel (as in A. V. pain) is the usual word for the pain of childbirth. The line suggests the ease with which they deliver their Young—Isaiah 13:8.

Job 39:4—This verse emphasizes the rapid maturity and parental care of the ibex. The ease with which they are delivered is matched by the quickness with which they develop and become independent. God can provide this marvelous example of His care of the goats even in the open fields.

Job 39:5—God guards the wild ass, who roams the steppes. Though he freely surveys the desert, his freedom has been given bounds by God. Even this seemingly untamable creature is under God’s sovereignty—Job 6:5; Job 11:12; Job 24:5; Genesis 16:12; Hosea 8:9; and Isaiah 32:14. The wild ass is described here with two words, one being an Aramaic loan word. The wild ass is so mobile that only the fastest horses can equal its speed.

Job 39:6—The steppes and the salt land are the extreme ends of the fertile ground. He lives there in order to be free of man, who lives on or near the fertile land—Job 24:5; Jeremiah 17:6; Psalms 107:34; and Judges 9:45. The Qumran Targum renders the second line as “His dwelling in the salt land.”

Job 39:7—The wild ass, lit. “laughs at” the restrictions of the city. The freedom of the desert is to his liking. There he fends for himself. Freedom from oppression is derived from the labor of beasts—Isaiah 9:3. His yearning for freedom causes him to avoid any place inhabited by man. Man always enslaves him, if he can.

Job 39:8—The wild ass pays the price of its freedom. It refuses to be subservient to man. It is often hungry because of sparse food supply in the desert—Jeremiah 14:6. He must search (Heb. drs, but The Qumran Targum reads the verb rdp—pursue) for his food. But he knows where to search. Who informed you of this, Job?

Job 39:9—In previous verses a contrast was made between the domesticated and wild ass; here the comparison is between wild and tame buffalo. Hunting this dangerous beast was a sport of royalty—Numbers 23:22; Numbers 24:8; Psalms 22:21; Psalms 29:6; Psalms 92:10; and Isaiah 34:7. That this animal (re’em, rent) had more than a single horn is clear from Deuteronomy 33:17. Tiglathpileser I killed a rimu in Syria. This metaphor in the Old Testament means power—Numbers 23:22; Numbers 24:8; Psalms 22:21; and Isaiah 34:7.

Job 39:10—The tame ox was used for plowing, but could man plow with a wild ox?—Proverbs 14:4. The first line presents a strange image as rendered in A. V. “canst thou bind the wild ox with band in the furrow?” A slight emendation will yield a more meaningful line, “wilt thou bind him with a cord or rope halter?” This is a more natural image than binding the ox to the furrow, as is implied in the A. V. Clearly the second line pictures harrowing, as opposed to plowing, as the ox was led in the former labor, and man followed the animal in the latter.

Job 39:11—Yet, because of the ox’s strength, would you allow him to go unguided to the field? He is strong, but man has the plan which can be fulfilled only by thoughtful preparation; this same kind of purposefulness and thoughtful preparation God has given to every dimension of the universe. The ox might be harnessed by mind but without intentional guidance, the ox is unreliable.

Job 39:12—The ox has strength but not much intelligence. He could not bring the harvest in from the fields and prepare it for storage, could he? The Hebrew literally has “bring back—and gather your threshing floor.” Slight emendation will yield “to your threshing floor,” which makes sense.

Job 39:13—The A. V. rendering ostrich is derived from the Hebrew word which means “shrill cries” (renanim)—Lamentations 4:3. The ostrich is cruel to its young, yet is faster than the fleetest horse. The root ‘ls—lit. rejoice, flap wildly—is rendered “wave proudly” in the A. V. The second line has only three Hebrew words in it: (1) pinion—Deuteronomy 32:11; and Psalms 91:4; (2) may be either feminine adjective pious or stork derived from noun hesed—Leviticus 11:19; Psalms 104:17; Jeremiah 8:7; and (3) plumage—Ezekiel 17:3. If the second word is rendered stork, which is known for its affection for the young, then we have a contrast between a bird with affection and one which lacks parental concern. But the comparison may be between the stork’s capacity to fly with its wings and the ostrich with beautiful plumage but which cannot fly.

Job 39:14—The ostrich places (Heb. ‘zb—put, place) its eggs in the sand. During the day the heat of the sun keeps them warm, but at night the ostrich must sit on them. Generally the hen ostrich hatches only one-third of her eggs. She feeds the other two-thirds to her young at various stages of development.

Job 39:15—The eggs are often covered with sand; some might lie unprotected on top of the ground. Though the ostrich egg shells are very hard, there would naturally be some danger of being crushed by jackals and other predators, including man.

Job 39:16—The A. V. rendering of “she dealeth hardly” or with cruelty comes from a verb which is used in Isaiah 63:17 of the hardening of the heart. The hen often acts unconcerned, i.e., “with no fear.” Dahood translated the last line “at the emptiness of her toil with fear.”

Job 39:17—This judgment of the ostrich’s intelligence is reinforced by an Arabian proverbial saying—“more stupid than the ostrich.” Both its ignorance and cruelty are proverbial. But in spite of its lack of intelligence, God providentially cares for it.

Job 39:18—The acme of speed is the ostrich. Zenaphon, in his Anabasis, I, Job 39:2, provides details of an ostrich who out ran horses. They have been clocked up to 26 miles per hour.

Job 39:19—The A. V. is still the most probable rendering, with the exception of the phrase translated “quivering mane.” There is consistently a very free rendering throughout Job in the N. E. B., T. E. V., and the Living Bible. Since the word is only found here, it will be impossible to do any more than provide a conjecture, but probably the root implies strength not “quivering.” The horse quivers its neck (when it is roused), and this in turn makes the mane stand erect. We must retain the image of the cultural function of each of the animals in the Near East if the parallelism is to be understood. The ass was the beast of burden, the ox was used for plowing, and donkeys or mules were riding animals. The horse was reserved for hunting and warfare, first to draw chariots; later it became a cavalry mount.

Job 39:20—Joel 2:4 compares the locust and the horse—Revelation 9:7. The word -shr (M. T. nhr) means snorting, as the horses prepare for the charge in battle—Jeremiah 5:29; Jeremiah 8:16. The Qumran Targum reads “with his snorting terror and fear.”

Job 39:21—The mighty war horse digs (Heb. Yhpr—much stronger than paws) violently (Heb. be’emeq—not as A. V. renders, “in the valley”), the ground. The Qumran Targum renders the line “and he paws in the valley and runs and rejoices” revealing the change of the Hebrew text of Job from b’mq to bbq’; the LXX also understands valley instead of power.

Job 39:22—This verse makes it crystal clear that the imagery is that of a war horse, rather than a horse in general. Men are afraid of attack in war, but the horse “mocketh fear.”

Job 39:23—The battle is about to begin. The arrows are rattling (tirneh—see Brown, Driver, Briggs) in the quiver. The bright javelin or perhaps sword reflects the flashing sun (lit. flame of).

Job 39:24—The two nouns in line one suggest excitement rather than hostility or anger—Psalms 77:18 and Isaiah 14:16. The excited horse literally “swallows ground,” i.e., races unchecked. The A. V. rendering of the second line is unsatisfactory—“neither believeth he . . .” is all but meaningless. The verb root means “be firm,” i.e., the horse “cannot stand still.”

Job 39:25—The horse hears the trumpet signal for battle—Amos 3:6. There is no verb in the Hebrew text, but -bede is probably to be understood adverbially “at the call of the trumpet”—Job 11:3; Job 41:4. The cry of satisfaction, aha, goes forth as soon as he hears the trumpet—Psalms 35:21; Psalms 40:15; Isaiah 44:16; Ezekiel 25:3; and Ezekiel 36:2. He smells the battle, even at a distance.

Job 39:26—This verse alludes to the southward migration of birds in late fall or early winter—Jeremiah 8:7. Job, you know that it is not your wisdom that performs all of these wonders. Only Yahweh can understand the intricate interworkings of every factor in creation.

Job 39:27—In the Old Testament, the word neser designates both eagles and vultures—Job 9:26; Proverbs 30:18-19. Either would fit in the context. Eagles often, vultures always, built their nests in inaccessible locations (Heb. ki means falcon). Job, did you provide these birds with their instincts?

Job 39:28—Here the great heights of the mountains are vigorously described—Jeremiah 49:16; 1 Samuel 14:4. Who told these birds to build their nests at such high elevations?

Job 39:29—The imagery signifies the sharp-sightedness of the eagle. Dhorme gives more than adequate testimonies in his brilliant paradigm of writing commentary. The scriptures also bear witness to the swiftness of the eagle in attacking its prey—Deuteronomy 28:49; Jeremiah 48:40; and Jeremiah 49:16.

Job 39:30—Dhorme emends the verb ye’al le’u to yield a more appropriate image than eagles “sucking” up blood. His emendation yields the resultant, “shake a thing” from Aramaic. The action of the eagle would then be that of picking at bloody flesh, which is more appropriate for the eagle than “sucking.” The New Testament contains a proverbial saying that “where there is a corpse, the eagle/vultures will flock”—Matthew 24:28; Luke 17:37.

JOB FORTY

Job gives answer to Jehovah (Job 40:1-5):

“Moreover Jehovah answered Job, and said, Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty? He that argueth with God, let him answer it” (Job 40:1-2).

The word “cavil” = “to find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. To quibble about” (AHD 250). God tells Job that his fault finding with Him is a contending with the Almighty. God tells Job that if his arguing with Jehovah is worthy to consider then he must answer the questions the Lord has posed in chapters 38-39. Job must prove his omniscience to Jehovah.

“Then Job answered Jehovah, and said, Behold, I am of small account; What shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, and I will not answer; Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further” (Job 40:3-5).

Job admits his state of being of “small account” before the Almighty. Though he has demanded the Lord’s ear that he may contend with Him the man Job now has nothing to say. He has been humbled by Jehovah’s great might and wisdom. Job admits that once he had foolish things to say yet now he knows the greatness of Jehovah and that the wise thing to do is to put his hand over his mouth and remain silent. Job professes before the Almighty Jehovah, with a state of humility, “I will proceed no further.” Job recognizes his state of being “small account.” This; however, was not the case before the Lord addresses him and demands that he give answers concerning only those things that deity could know (see Job 23:3-7 where Job issues a challenge to God). Let all creation bow in humble adoration of Jehovah (see Philippians 2:1 ff; 1 John 2:16). Job’s humble admission of being of “small account” is not sufficient. The Almighty continues to question the man Job.

The Almighty has more questions for Job (Job 40:6-24):

“Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou even annul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified? Or hast thou an arm like God? And canst thou thunder with a voice like him?” (Job 40:6-9).

Once again Jehovah demands that Job stand before him like a man and give answers. Job has charged God with being unjust, unfair, and uncaring. Job, through these accusations, has effectively “annulled” (i.e., caused to be invalid) God’s judgments. God explains that in annulling His judgments Job has condemned the Almighty so that he may stand justified (i.e., completely innocent). Once again, to be successful at such endeavor Job would necessarily have to have “an arm like God and be able to thunder his voice” likened to God.

“Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity; And array thyself with honor and majesty. Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger; And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; And tread down the wicked where they stand. Hide them in the dust together; Bind their faces in the hidden place. Then will I also confess of thee That thine own right hand can save thee” (Job 40:10-14).

To condemn God and annul Jehovah’s judgment is to be superior to the Almighty. Deity has the power and majesty to take the proud and abase, bring low, tread them down, and cast them in bonds within Sheol. If Job can perform acts of righteous indignation such as this against the proud and wicked then God will “confess of thee that thine own right hand can save thee.” Herein the Lord had Job in checkmate as far as a debate goes. Prove your deity Job and I will confess your justification.

“Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox” (Job 40:15).

The identity of “behemoth” = “The reference in Job is to some marsh-dwelling mammoth such as the Hippopotamus amphibious, which inhabits the Nile and other African rivers” (ISBE v. 1, pp. 452). Smith’s Bible Dictionary states, “There can be little or no doubt that by this word, Job 40:15-24, the Hippopotamus is intended, since all the details descriptive of the behemoth accord entirely with the ascertained habits of that animal” (page 81 see also the New Unger’s Bible Dictionary pp. 66). Note that the Lord tells Job that just as He created this beast (i.e., behemoth) so He also created Job. Shall that which is created tell the creator that he has erred (see Romans 9:19-20).

“Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the muscles of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: The sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are as tubes of brass; His limbs are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: He only that made him giveth him his sword. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, Where all the beasts of the field do play. He lieth under the lotus-trees, In the covert of the reed, and the fen. The lotus-trees cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth. Shall any take him when he is on the watch, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?” (Job 40:16-24).

A description of the power of behemoth is given. Behemoth’s loins, belly muscles, tail, thighs, bones, and limbs depict his great strength. There is no fear within this great beast. No man has the might to overcome behemoth.

EXPOSITION

Job 40:1—Yahweh calls on Job to respond to His speech. Job confesses that he is reduced to silence.

Job 40:2—The participial form rab is the subject and yields something like that which is suggested by Pope—“Will he who argues with Shaddai yield?” Dhorme reads yasur with the meaning of “yield.” The significance is either Job must sustain his competence to criticize Yahweh by answering all the queries from the first part of the speech of God, or forfeit his right to criticize. This section of the text suffers from a defective division of the chapters which was established in the 13th century, and a confusing variation of verse separation established since the 16th century.

Job 40:3—Job breaks his silence by confession.

Job 40:4—He acknowledges that Yahweh’s challenges are beyond his ability and that he is contemptible (A. V. small account)—Genesis 16:4 ff; Nahum 1:14. The hand over the mouth was a Near Eastern gesture of awed silence—Job 21:5; Job 29:9. Job is no longer hostile, but humble. When Yahweh broke His silence, He also broke Job’s pride.

Job 40:5—This entire verse is repeated in Job 42:4-5. This fact enables us to recover the verb ‘wsp, which is almost totally lacking in The Qumran Targum. Job declines to answer Yahweh; he has already said more than he knows—Job 9:22; Job 13:20. Twice before Job poured forth his rhetorical wisdom, but now he sits in speechless wonder before the mystery of Yahweh’s providential might. The majesty of creation now silences this small scoffer. But Yahweh will once and for all speak in The Shattering of Silence.

Job 40:6—Then out of the violent whirlwind comes the victorious word which assures Job that the source of the cosmos has vindicated him. Neither Satan nor his friends have captured Yahweh’s “servant Job.” Job is pious because His God is righteous, and thus answers Satan’s original queries.

Job 40:7—After Job’s submissive confession, Yahweh’s second speech is delivered. This final word divides into three parts:

(1) Job is invited to stand in God’s presence—Job 40:7-14;

(2) Yahweh’s description of Behemoth—Job 40:15-24; and

(3) The description of Leviathan—Job 41:1-34. Compare Job 40:6-7 and Job 38:1; Job 38:3, which are here repeated except for the conjunction waw, for. Yahweh challenges Job to assume control over the universe. If his criticism is valid, then he ought to know how to govern the creation. The great invitation, which is also extended to contemporary technological man, is do you have the power, wisdom, knowledge, and moral integrity to be in charge of the universe? Modern man, do you who have violated the dominion mandate in your personal lives, cities, and have raped the earth, have the audacity to claim that you could express a superior providential control over all the systems of creation? Can you, Job, our contemporary, administer divine justice? Job has accused Yahweh of twisting justice—Job 9:24; Job 19:6; and Job 27:6. Job has brought a lawsuit against God. Is God, or Job guilty? One must be just, the other unjust, if Job’s assumptions about a lawsuit are correct. Job’s lethal error is that no such relationship can exist between creator and creature.

Job 40:8—Job had denied divine justice in his own case and the world at large—Job 9:22. Job has rendered ineffectual God’s judgment in defending his own integrity. The prologue makes clear that Job would have been wholly justified in defending his own integrity, except that in so doing he impugned the justice of Yahweh. Thus, Job had confronted God as to His moral right to govern creation.

Job 40:9—Even if Job has the integrity and wisdom, does he have the power to rule the world? Such dominion requires not only skill but resources of inexhaustible power. His criticism is idle chatter, until he can show that he possesses these attributes. The arm is symbol of power, both human and divine—Job 22:8; Exodus 15:16; Psalms 77:15; Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 51:5; and Isaiah 59:16. Elihu had utilized similar logic—Job 37:2-5. Only if man has God’s power does he have a moral right to question God’s justice—Job 33:12; Job 36:22-23. Job’s rhetorical criticism requires no power to hold the universe in awe—Job 37:2 ff. Universal rule requires the power to implement that control. Do you have this necessary sway over the kingdoms of this world, Job? If not, be silent until you know whereof you speak.

Job 40:10—Adorn yourself with the symbols of power—Psalms 104:1. Clothe yourself in glory and splendor. These symbols recur in Psalms 21:5; Psalms 96:6 as attributes of God. Show us your credentials, if you are God!

Job 40:11—Make your power visible, not merely verbal. “Pour forth” is the word used in Job 37:11 of “scattering” the lightning. If moral government requires swift retaliation on the wicked, retaliate, Job. He declines the invitation for the obvious reason.

Job 40:12—Line one is identical with verse lib, except that the verb “bring him low,” i.e., humble, is a synonym of “abase him.” Pride is broken after God has spoken. Judge the wicked immediately, Job, if you have the power.

Job 40:13—Obliterate the wicked. Remove them from the sight of men—Job 10:9; Job 34:15; Isaiah 2:10; Isaiah 29:4; and Psalms 22:29. The A. V.’s rendering of the second line is unnecessarily ambiguous, “Bind their faces in the hidden places” means to hide the wicked persons in literally “the hidden” place or the graves. “The hidden” is a circumlocution for the burial.

Job 40:14—When you can obliterate the unrighteous in the grave, then you can govern the universe. Job, you must have power commensurate with the purpose or design of creation, if you are to rule. Do you possess the credentials?—Psalms 98:1; Isaiah 59:16; Isaiah 63:5. Yahweh grants that if Job can govern the vast complex creation he has the right to criticize, but only under the above conditions. If he can do what he has charged that Yahweh has neglected to do, then he could save himself from suffering and death.

Job 40:15—All of the previous animals and birds which appeared in the first speech are Palestinian. Behemoth has been identified as the hippopotamus, whose habitat is the Nile Valley. Behemoth is probably a loan word from the Egyptian for “water horse,” but there is no example of this claim from either Coptic or Egyptian. The Hebrew plural form perhaps expresses the “plural of majesty” meaning large animal. The root of the word is the common noun for cattle or beast—Psalms 8:8; Psalms 73:22; Joel 1:20; and Habakkuk 2:17. The powerful giant is a creature like Job. In many ways he is more powerful than Job, but he does not criticize Yahweh for His unjust governing of the universe.

Job 40:16—This description clearly stresses the sexual vigor of this enormous beast. For both man and beast, the loins were image of strength of potency—Deuteronomy 33:11; Psalms 69:23; Nahum 2:1. The dual form of “thighs” is a euphemism which is rendered as “strength is in his loins” in A. V.—Proverbs 31:17. The muscles of the belly are particularly strong in the hippopotamus.

Job 40:17—The A. V. rendering of part of the first line makes little sense, i.e., “He moves his tail like a cedar.” The tail of this animal is very small, hardly appropriate for the express purposes of this image. The verb translated as “moveth” in the A. V. means to “make stiff.” There is no reason to miss the point that this is a phallic symbol, with absolutely no necessary Freudian implications. The thighs (Heb. ‘esek) also have sexual connotation. The imagery projects the strong virility of the animal.

Job 40:18—His bones or limbs are like tubes or bars. The parallelism contains the synonym “bones” which is Hebrew and “limb” which is Aramaic—Job 39:5.

Job 40:19—Perhaps the first line refers to Genesis 1:24 where the first animal created is said to be the behemah, i.e., cattle or beast. The word rendered “chief” in the A. V. is rosh and also appears in Proverbs 8:22, with regard to wisdom. In the Intertestamental Literature, Enoch Job 40:7-9; Apocalypse of Baruch 24:4; and IV Ezra 6:49–52, Behemoth is a special creation of God, but not so in this Jobian passage. The last line of the verse makes little sense, either in Hebrew or as rendered in the A. V. Perhaps the sword refers to his chiseledged tusks which the hippopotamus uses to attack its enemies.

Job 40:20—But the habitat of the Behemoth is marshland and water, not the mountains. Perhaps the reference is to the vegetables produced in the mountainous areas, which is the understanding of the R. S. V. In the upper valley of the Nile, vegetation is abundant on the hillsides.

Job 40:21—The animal rests under the water lily. The Egyptian specie is stronger and taller than the one found in Syria. Perhaps this is the thorny shrub which flourishes from Syria to North Africa in the damp hot areas. The word rendered “lotus tree” is used only here and Job 40:22. The imagery might suggest an Egyptian habitat—Psalms 68:31 and Isaiah 19:6.

Job 40:22—The word wadi (nahal) more strongly suggests Palestine than Egypt, but Behemoth has a wide range of movement Leviticus 23:40; Isaiah 15:7; Isaiah 44:4; and Psalms 137:2.

Job 40:23—When the flash flood comes to the wadi, he is in complete control—“he trembleth not.” Dhorme mentions the buffalo, though he accepts the hippopotamus, who can be observed on the banks of Lake Huleh with only his muzzle above the surface of the water. Some find difficulty in that this verse mentions the Jordan, some distance from Egypt, and attempts to amend to ye’or, the Nile. This is as unnecessary as it is impossible. See footnote below for evidence of the presence of the hippopotamus in Palestine during the Iron Age.

Job 40:24—Who can capture Behemoth when he is on the alert? Though there is no interrogative in the verse, this seems to be its meaning. Dhorme provides insight into the imagery from a reference in Herodotus, 11.70, who mentions a process of controlling crocodiles by covering their eyes with mud. The word (moqesim) rendered pierce in A. V. usually means snare or trap. But “pierce” is inappropriate for either one. Slight emendation yields barbs or thorns, which is followed by both Pope and Dhorme.

JOB FORTY-ONE

God question’s Job’s abilities over Leviathan (Job 41:1-34):

“Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?” (Job 41:1).

The identity of “leviathan” = “The proper name (it always occurs without the definite article) of a large aquatic animal, perhaps reflecting a mythological monster... the most extended description of Leviathan, suggests to many the crocodile” (ISBE v. 3, pp. 108-109). Jehovah demands Job to prove his deity by drawing out this leviathan water monster with a fishhook and to put it in submission with a cord.

“Canst thou put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook? Will he make many supplications unto thee? Or will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee, That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? Will the bands of fishermen make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants? Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears? Lay thy hand upon him; Remember the battle, and do so no more” (Job 41:2-8).

The Lord demands Job to consider the leviathan water monster. Job, can you put this fierce animal in subjection to the point of it fearing you? Job, can you deal with leviathan like a bird and will he serve you?

“Behold, the hope of him is in vain: Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me? Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws? Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. His strong scales are his pride, Shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, That no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered. His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and burning rushes. His breath kindleth coals, And a flame goeth forth from his mouth. In his neck abideth strength, And terror danceth before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together: They are firm upon him; They cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone” (Job 41:9-24).

The Lord describes the terrible and fierce body parts of Leviathan. Leviathan is mighty in strength and all parts of his body are likened unto armor. Some of the description would lead one to believe that the Lord speaks of a mighty dragon that spews fire from his mouth and nostrils; however, no such creature actually exists. Most likely the Lord uses figurative language to demonstrate the fierce identity of Leviathan whom He created as He created Job. Point being that if Job can not stand before behemoth or leviathan (two fierce creatures that God created) how shall he stand before creator of these beasts and live?

“When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: By reason of consternation they are beside themselves. If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. He counteth iron as straw, And brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble. Clubs are counted as stubble: He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin. His underparts are like sharp potsherds: He spreadeth as it were a threshing-wain upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, That is made without fear. He beholdeth everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride” (Job 41:25-34).

With accusations against Jehovah come claims of deity and with claims of deity come omnipotence. The Lord demands that Job illustrate his omnipotence over Leviathan, a creature that is feared by all humanity. The Leviathan is the mightiest and fiercest of beast. No sword, spear, pointed shaft, arrow, sling-stones, or javelin may pierce his fierce body. Leviathan is indeed the king over all the sons of pride.

EXPOSITION

Job 41:1—The belligerence of the Leviathan, or crocodile, is described. His thick hide cannot be penetrated by a fishhook. Can anyone take him captive? Would anyone entertain the vain hope of subduing the Leviathan? All of mankind is impotent before this monster. But Yahweh can control this beast with all but serene detachment. Each interrogation leads to the great question, “Who then is he that can stand before me?”—Job 41:10. Whether Leviathan is or is not a mythological creature (Job 3:8) as Pope, et al, insist is not of ultimate significance. The claim that we have here mythological details was not first discovered with the Ras Shamra texts. Egypt is called Rahab in Isaiah 30:7; thus a real nation is called by a mythological name. Discourse analysis, transformational grammar, contemporary cultural and linguistic studies all support the valid use of mythological data for real or historically accurate descriptions. The theological conclusion is not vitiated even if we have mythological elements present in the literary structure. The author believes that the crocodile cannot be captured by a “fish hook”; the word is found only here and in Isaiah 19:8; Habakkuk 1:15. The crocodile has an immobile tongue attached to the lower jaw, and the imagery suggests efforts at capturing the beast with a rope.

Job 41:2—Can you place a rope (‘agmon—rush, reed—Isaiah 9:13; Isaiah 19:15; Isaiah 58:5—or as Qumran Targum, zeman—nose ring) made of reeds through his nose? Both animals and men were held captive or led about with hooks drawn through the nose or jaws—2 Kings 19:28; Isaiah 37:29; Ezekiel 29:4; Ezekiel 38:4. The stela of Esarheddon depicts him holding the biblical tirhakah of Egypt and Balu of Tyre by ropes attached to clips in their lips. Ea of the Mesopotamian Creation Epic says that “He laid hold on Mummu, holding him by the nose-rope.” We also have inscriptions from the Near East (Asurbanipal’s inscriptions) which describe ropes through human jaws—Isaiah 37:29.

Job 41:3—Leviathan appears here as a human prisoner. Will he plead for mercy as would a human prisoner?

Job 41:4—Will he cut a covenant with you? Could you induce

Job 41:5—In the East, doves and sparrows are still a favorite live playmate of children. In view of this fact, Yahweh asks Job if he wants to make Leviathan a playmate.

Job 41:6—Fishermen work together, then divide the catch after it is landed, and this procedure entails bargaining with one another. This social institution is the basis for this imagery. The word rendered merchant in the A. V. is literally Canaanites or hucksters Isaiah 23:8; Zechariah 14:21; Proverbs 31:24. Do you want to catch Leviathan and then bargain with one another over how he is to be divided?

Job 41:7—The words (sukkot and silsal) rendered as “barbed irons” in A. V. mean harpoons and “fish-spears” respectively and are unique. But the context makes plain that they are instruments for catching fish, neither of which could ensnare the hard skin of Leviathan.

Job 41:8—Effective advice is given to Job by use of powerful imperatives. Before you attempt to take Leviathan, realize what you are trying to do. No one lives to tell of his efforts, because there is no vulnerable spot on Leviathan.

Job 41:9—In the Hebrew text, chapter 41 begins with this verse. His hope is in vain if he aspires to effectively assail this monster. As there is no antecedent for the pronoun “his,” it not only refers to Job, it refers to anyone who attempts it. The A. V. renders the interrogative particle by “will not.” Most translators omit the particle. The second line provides an enormous amount of possibility for applying the creative imagination of “motif” research specialists, such as Pope and his pan-Ugaritic hermeneutic. This is another form of contemporary hermeneutical psychoanalysis, which stems from the works of Dilthey, Schleiermacher, Heidegger, Gadamer, et al Here is a warning—not to attempt to capture Leviathan, because the pursuer will collapse by even looking at him.

Job 41:10—Who is cruel or fierce enough to awaken Leviathan from sleep? i.e., “stir him up.” Arousing Leviathan is sheer folly. It is madness to arouse the monster; it is pure foolishness to criticize Yahweh. Some emend the “before me” to “before him” which keeps the thought on Leviathan. Dahood is followed by Blommerde. See his bibliographical notes.

Job 41:11—The text literally says “who has confronted me?” By retaining Job 41:10, this text would mean that it is more dangerous to criticize Yahweh than to arouse Leviathan. Paul quotes the Hebrew text (not LXX as meaning is slightly different) version of this line in Romans 11:35. Since God owns everything, no claims can be made against Him. The emphasis is not on the legal aspects but the inequality of power. No one could face Leviathan and survive. Why do you think that you can face me and survive, Job? You cannot even stand before one of my creatures. Why do you suppose that you can encounter your creator and come out of the conflict victoriously?

Job 41:12—We now begin to encounter a detailed description of Leviathan. The first line means that Yahweh has broken His silence concerning His strength or physical structure.

Job 41:13—Perhaps the imagery here refers to the scales of the crocodile. Dhorme understands “the face of his garment” to be the tough outer layer of protection as opposed to the back. The second line says literally “his double bridle,” which is understood to mean “come within his jaws” as in the A. V.

Job 41:14—The crocodile’s teeth inspire terror. This formidable enemy has thirty-six sharp teeth in his upper jaw and thirty in his lower jaw. In our context, Yahweh is saying that Job cannot even encounter this creature let alone the one who inspires awesome terror, God. If Leviathan is invincible, what of Yahweh?

Job 41:15—Literally his pride (ga’awah) refers to the hard scales which cover the crocodile. “Close seal” renders the Hebrew -sar but emendation yields -sor, stone or flint, which gives the thought of hardness of the seals with which the scales are compared.

Job 41:16—The scales are so tightly packed that not even air (Heb. ruah—wind) can get between them. That the scales are firm and close is confirmed by the presence of the verb ‘el, enter, which means nothing can enter between.

Job 41:17—This verse reinforces the imagery from Job 41:16.

Job 41:18—The spray from the sneezing of the crocodile flashes in the sunlight. Pope imagines that he sees a mythological dragon in this verse. Actually it is only in his highly imaginative but brilliant mind. The dawn is symbolized by the crocodile in Egyptian hieroglyphs. The reddish eyes of the crocodile sparkle “like the eyelids of the dawn.”

Job 41:19—This verse is not describing a “fire-breathing dragon” as Pope suggests. The actual state of affairs makes the imagery perfectly understandable. When the crocodile arises up out of the water, after a sustained period beneath the surface, it propels water in a hot stream from its mouth. The sparkling steam looks like fire in the sunlight. No mythology is required to properly understand the verse.

Job 41:20—Yahweh’s theophany is described in Psalms 18:9 and 2 Samuel 22:9. Smoke or steam hurtle heavenward, as a boiling pot (Heb. kedud, Job 41:19—kidod, flame, as comparative particle, like, or as a boiling pot) and burning (not in Hebrew text but implied) rushes. Each image is of steam or vapor moving upwards. The word rendered “rushes” is found in verse two and is translated “rage.”

Job 41:21—This imagery is understandable as hyperbolical language, not necessarily mythological as Gunkel, Pope, et at. The Qumran Targum renders the second line “Sparks issue from his mouth.”

Job 41:22—The strength (Heb. d’bh is rendered ‘lymw in The Qumran Targum and contains connotations of sexual vigor) of the crocodile’s neck is very apparent. The neck is often thought of as the place of strength—Job 15:26 and Psalms 75:5. Dismay goes before him. The dancing surely refers to the movement of the panic-striken victims attempting to evade his charge.

Job 41:23—The A. V. rendering makes little sense, particularly in the first line. Literally the word rendered as flakes in A. V. is “falling parts,” i.e., the flabby parts of his skin. The various possibilities all yield the same basic results, i.e., the hardness of the crocodile is indicated.

Job 41:24—The attitude of Leviathan is described by the image of a millstone. In Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26, this same word is used to describe a heart of stone in contrast to a heart of flesh. The bottom or stationary stone received the harder wear.

Job 41:25—Leviathan produces only the sensations and manifestations of fear, but he knows no fear.

Job 41:26—No human weapons avail (Heb. lit. “does not stand”) against his mighty armour. He is impervious to human power. Think, Job, if he can generate fear, what about me?

Job 41:27-30—No weapon, not even strong metal, avails against his defenses, which in Job 41:30 are compared with his scales. When he lies on the ground, he leaves marks resembling the marks of the “threshing sledge.”

Job 41:31—Leviathan’s motion in the water is described as churning up foam. He churns the water into a “boil”—Job 30:27. The word for pot describes an ordinary household utensil—Jeremiah 1:13. The references to ointment is problematic. Perhaps it refers to the boiling foam like unguent rising to the surface during the rigorous underwater activity of Leviathan.

Job 41:32—The white foam which Leviathan leaves behind as i is the basis of the imagery in the first line. The deep (tehom) is his habitat.

Job 41:33—Leviathan is peerless and fearless—Job 4:19; Job 7:21; Job 10:9; Job 14:8; Job 17:16; Job 19:25; Job 20:11; and Job 34:15. Blommerde renders the first line “on earth is not his equal.” He follows M. Dahood, Biblica, 1964, p. 410. Pope, following Gunkel, insists that the passage is not about the crocodile but a mythological monster, which stems from his assumption that Ugaritic employment of the “mythological motif” necessitates the presence of the motif in Job, though Ugaritic evidence does support the antiquity of the Book of Job.

Job 41:34—Leviathan is king of the “sons of pride”—Job 28:8. Surely this suggests a creature from the natural world perhaps like a crocodile.

JOB FORTY-TWO

Job confesses his error and Repents of his foolish charges against God / The Condemnation of Job’s three Friends (Job 42:1-9):

“Then Job answered Jehovah, and said, I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained. Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes” (42:1-6).

Job professes the omnipotence and omniscience of Jehovah and his own inferiority as one who “hides counsel without knowledge.” Job’s confession: “I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.” Job’s profession of God’s omnipotence and sovereignty: “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee.”

Job’s conclusion and plea to God: “Wherefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.” Job abhorred his words and accusations against the Lord. Job had accused God of not being just, fair, or caring and now knows assuredly that his words were those of a fool. At times we are all made to “abhor” ourselves when found in sin. We beat our breast in frustration and shame over the unlawful deeds we have committed against Jehovah (see Luke 18:13). The only thing we can do is plead for His mercy and try to do better. Job “repented in dust and ashes” as an outward show of his inward disgust over his sin. Job’s repentance causes us to tear up knowing the heartache that he had endured. No circumstance that occurs on the earth; however, will justify a man’s unlawful actions before the Lord. The entire ordeal has flushed out the low degree of dross that Job had within his heart.

“And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath” (Job 42:7).

The Lord has not forgotten Job’s three friends. These men did not comfort Job but rather made his suffering all the more difficult to bear. Job’s three friends had taught that man suffers due to sin and concluded that Job must have committed a secret sin. The three friends even go so far as to name the supposed sins Job had committed (all of which was lies). The Lord condemns their words and actions saying, “For ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right.” Man is not punished for sins committed on this earth while living on the earth! When one teaches a principle as truth that is not a part of divine revelation they have sinned and required to confess and.

“Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as Jehovah commanded them: and Jehovah accepted Job” (Job 42:8-9).

The Lord instructs Job’s three friends to make a burnt offering and asks Job that he might pray on their behalf to the Lord so that they may be forgiven. The three friends did all that God commanded and thereby showed their own humility in the matter. Nothing is said of Elihu’s words. Job’s three friends were slapped in the face with God’s truth. The three friends of Job were wrong in their conclusions regarding why man suffers and Job was correct. Job’s three friends; however, did not let their pride stand in the way of repentance.

The Lord Blesses Job with Twice the things he had before Satan struck Him (Job 41:10-17):

“And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).

Job’s ordeal is recognized as “captivity.” Once Job prayed for his friends, as the Lord commanded, he was richly blessed. The horrid suffering of pain and being viewed as the object of men’s scorn was over. Job was blessed by God with “twice as much as he had before.”

“Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him concerning all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one a ring of gold” (Job 42:11).

All those who had left him because of his agony now rejoin him. Job’s brethren and friends comfort him over the loss of his children and property. Note that the narrator of Job states that Job’s sorrows were “all the evil that Jehovah had brought upon him.” While God is not the one who actually struck Job’s life with pain and anguish He nonetheless takes accountability for it seeing that all sovereignty belongs to Him. Recall that the Lord had told Satan, “thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause” (Job 2:3 b). God is in control of all things and permitted the ordeal to occur in Job’s life just as he permits various things to occur in all men’s lives. This perspective helps us see that though God did not strike Job he nonetheless; by His sovereignty, brought it upon him.

“So Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: And he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemimah: and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days” (Job 42:12-17).

Comparing the final few verses of the book of Job with the first few verses of the book one finds exactly twice as much on everything that Job had. Yes, Job had twice as many children too in that there were seven sons and three daughters in paradise and the same upon the earth with him. The scriptures state that Job was “the greatest of all the children of the east” (Job 1:3). Now, Job is again the greatest by far. The text tells us that Job lived 140 years after this ordeal. Job saw his sons to the fourth generation. His life was “full of days.” No doubt every day of Job’s life was lived in greater wisdom due to the horrid ordeal he experienced as God drove the dross from his inner man (see Job 23:10).

While Jehovah never actually addresses Job’s question regarding why he suffered while being innocent He does reveal the fact that Job’s conclusions were correct (see Job 42:7-8). Job has contended that man does not suffer as punishment for sin but rather God permits these things to take place that through the trial we might be made pure as precious metal (see Job 23:10). Many believe that seeing that God did not give Job a direct answer to his question that it was not for man to know; however, I disagree. God did in effect tell Job why man suffers, though being innocent, in that he said Job’s three friends were wrong and Job was right (see again Job 42:7-8). There are things; however, that God does not permit man to know. This was the case with the Lord’s questions to Job from Job 38-41. Job could not possibly give answers to the Lord’s questions because he is not eternal and neither is he deity. That is the very thing that separates man from Jehovah God (flesh from divine spirit). There are things that we cannot possibly know about this creation. Those things that are necessary for us to know God has revealed that we might be saved. Job, along with all of us, must be content with the fact that we cannot know ALL the deep things of God. No man can! Moses wrote, “The secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

EXPOSITION

Job 42:1—Job responds to Yahweh in complete submission. The following verses can connect also with Job 40:4 ff.

Job 42:2—No purpose of Yahweh can be withheld from Him—Genesis 17:11. God’s will and power are co-terminus. Job’s complaint had never been against God’s power, only His will. Job had lodged his confrontation with God concerning His indifference to moral matters, not His inability to execute justice. His wisdom and omnipotence have been acknowledged from the very beginning. Now Job affirms in faith not only God’s wisdom and power but also His goodness and graciousness. He cares for all His creation. His brief excursion throughout the system and societies of nature has provided perspective from which preview His purpose. Now he has a personal knowledge by acquaintance of his vindicator. God’s purpose is not a segment but a circle. In order to understand God’s ways with man, we must not absolutize any single degree of the cosmic circle, because ignorance of the meaning of the whole will ensue. There are no “value free” decisions, the assertions of many social and behavioral scientists to the contrary. All decisions entail value presuppositions. Now Job knows this fact of reality.

Job 42:3—This verse is almost identical with Job 38:2. Job here repeats the complaint previously lodged against him for the express purpose of admitting its validity. God’s rebuke is here acknowledged to have been justified. Only those in ignorance (Heb. verb ‘lm—darkness) of God’s complete purpose would speak out against Him.

Job 42:4—Again this verse repeats, with only slight modifications, Job 33:31; Job 38:3; and Job 40:7. The marvel of memory is here set before us as Job reminisces on what Yahweh has said to him—Job 13:22.

Job 42:5—Here is the heart of Job’s restoration. In times past, Job knew God only by hearsay, literally “report of ear”—Psalms 18:45 and Job 28:22. Job is now convinced of that which he formally doubted, i.e., of God’s providential care. He had asked for assurance that God was on his side—Job 19:23-27, and Yahweh has once and for all spoken by The Shattering of Silence. Job’s demand has been met.

Job 42:6—Repentance removes himself from the center of the world. Job is truly a crucified self. After all the only alternatives are either a “divided self” or a “crucified self.” Job accepts God’s evaluation of himself. We are OK only when God says we are OK! Even in Job 9:21 Job does not loath (Heb. verb m’s) himself, but his condition. Job’s habitat has been ashes for some time—Job 2:8; Isaiah 58:5; Jeremiah 6:26; Jonah 3:6; and Micah 1:10. Like the Phoenix, Job arises up out of the bitter ashes of suffering and stands whole again. But this time Yahweh is his organizing center, and neither his family nor prosperity nor their cultural advantages. To the Christian believer, Job’s redeemer, the Christ, is the orderer of all existence—Colossians 1:17 and Ephesians 1:10. He is truly Christ the Center.

Job 42:7—Now Yahweh turns to Eliphaz and declares that He is disturbed that they have all along misrepresented Him. They have distorted the will of God in their counsel to Job. Yet they uttered each word as though it had been directly authorized by Him—1 Samuel 23:23. Job himself had accused them of lying in order to defend God—Job 13:4; Job 13:7-11. Job is surely vindicated now. God has not only broken His silence; He has condemned Job’s adversaries. The integrity of God’s impatient protester has now been rewarded. He has also judged pious hypocrites, even those who pretend to speak for Him. What a lesson we must all learn! Twentieth century man needs as never before to know Job’s creator-redeemer. God in His mercy has bathed this tormented soul in the healing oils of love and forgiveness. My servant, so acclaimed in the beginning and in the end, has survived the temptations of suffering and pain. He has indeed been in the “furnace of affliction.”

Job 42:8—This is an enormous sacrifice—Numbers 23:1 ff, indicating a grave matter. Vicarious atonement is imperative for wholeness—Leviticus 4:1 ff. Intercessory prayer is a mighty force throughout the scriptures—Genesis 18:23 ff; Exodus 8:30; Exodus 32:11 ff; Deuteronomy 9:20; Isaiah 53:12; Jeremiah 37:3; and Amos 7:2 ff. Yahweh tells them to go to Job because, literally, “his face I will lift up,” i.e., accept—Job 13:8. As Job is the offended party, he must intercede—Job 22:30. The intercession is for their folly (Heb. nebalah)—Genesis 34:7; Deuteronomy 22:21; Joshua 7:15; and Jeremiah 29:23.

Job 42:9—Note that Elihu is not mentioned, in spite of the extensive materials in the Elihu speeches—chapters 32–37. Yahweh forgave them because of Job’s sacrifice and intercessory prayer on their behalf. His vicarious suffering approaches our Lord’s redemptive suffering as the Suffering Servant—Isaiah 52:13—Isaiah 53:12; Philippians 2:5 ff. But suffering alone is not redemptive, as Dostoevsky assumed; only the suffering of our incarnate Lord and Master can redeem the fallen universe—Romans 8; Revelation 21.

Job 42:10—Job’s prosperity is restored, but not as a reward. Being successful is not proof of being saved. Surely we have learned this much from Job, our contemporary. His fortune has returned (Heb. verb -sub)—Jeremiah 29:14; Jeremiah 30:3; Ezekiel 16:53; Ezekiel 39:25. This is the only occurrence of the word fortune, which is applied to an individual and not to the corporate prosperity of a nation.

Job 42:11—His wealth and its prestige attracted his relatives and friends once more—Job 19:13. Where were these fair-weather friends when he needed their consolation? The Qumran Targum ends with this verse suggesting an early literary ending of the Book of Job.

Job 42:12—The numbers are double the amount which Job had before—Job 1:3.

Job 42:13—The number of children remain the same. Job’s daughters figure more prominently than his sons, who are not even mentioned by name.

Job 42:14—The name of the first, Yemimah, means turtledove, which is a symbol of fertility and devotion—Hosea 7:11; Matthew 10:16. Qeziah is the second and means a variety of cinnamon used as perfume—Exodus 30:24; Ezekiel 27:19; Psalms 45:9; and Proverbs 7:17. The third daughter’s name is Keren—happuch (Kohl) and means powdered paint for the eyelashes and lids—Jeremiah 4:30; Eccl. 26; 2 Kings 9:30; and Ezekiel 23:40.

Job 42:15—The names of Job’s daughters represent the natural, physical, and spiritual qualities engendered by the beautician’s creative touch. In the cultural context of the ancient Near East, daughters inherited only when there were no sons—Numbers 26:33; Numbers 27:1-8; and Numbers 36:1-12. Here is an example of women’s liberation in the ancient world, as women did not receive an inheritance when there were sons, and is unique in the Old Testament.

Job 42:16—After his affliction, Job lived 140 years, just about double his former years. Job saw four generations, as compared to Joseph’s three—Genesis 50:23. Grandchildren are the crown of life—Psalms 128:6 and Proverbs 17:6.

Job 42:17—So ends the life of one of God’s great servants. The LXX adds a notation after this verse asserting that Job will share in the resurrection of the dead and further traditional details of his life. In the Shattering of Silence God vindicated Job’s integrity. Suffering men can be righteous. Our Suffering Savior is ultimate proof of this possibility. Life begins as a problem, continues as a promise, and is the fulfillment of a purpose. The dawn of God’s new day broke over the destructive darkness that all but destroyed Job, our contemporary. Vindicated Job was no longer enslaved to himself, or his former preoccupation with happiness, or enjoyment of prosperity, family, health, or prestige in the community, for he now knows that before he “had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee,” Job 42:5.

POINTS TO PONDER OVER JOB CHAPTERS 38-42

1. Job’s darkened counsel (Job 38:2): Job has foolishly charged God with being uncaring and unjust. He now must give account of such statements.

2. God demands that Job prove his omniscience seeing that he brings charges against the Almighty. Only one greater than God could charge Jehovah with error (see Job 35:2; Job 40:14).

3. The Great Debate: Job has soundly defeated his three friends in debate. Job has also attempted to prove God wrong in His workings in man’s life (see Job 40:1-2). Jehovah now defeats Job in debate and puts him in his place. Job has foolishly charged God with the folly of being unjust, unfair, and uncaring. God will admit such wrong when Job “declares” (see Job 38:4; Job 38:18; Job 40:14) unto Him the deep and hidden things of creation from all eternity. Job, of course, cannot reveal such wisdom and thereby stands condemned. Jehovah is left standing supreme in wisdom.

4. Let us all know our place before Jehovah God. Jehovah sees into the un-seeable and understands the things that man cannot understand. He is the creator and He is responsible for creation having formed it by the works of His hands and the breath of His mouth (see Psalms 33:6-9).

5. Job 40:1-5 reveals the fact that Job is humbled. Job’s humble experience is not enough. The Lord has more questions for him at chapter 40-41.

6. If Job, or any other man, cannot put behemoth and leviathan in subjection then how shall they contend with Jehovah who created these fierce beasts?

7. Job’s confession and repentance (Job 40:1-5; Job 42:1-6): Job abhors his words and actions against the Lord, admits that they were wrong, and repents in dust and ashes.

8. The Lord restores all that Job had lost twofold.