Bible Commentaries
Job 16

Introduction

Job 16-17. Job’ s Answer.— We see that the speech of Eliphaz has not missed its mark. Job complains that everyone is against him. But Job’ s realisation how vain is the help of man, serves to drive him back to God. Thus the friends indirectly help Job.

Job 16-17. Job’ s Answer.— We see that the speech of Eliphaz has not missed its mark. Job complains that everyone is against him. But Job’ s realisation how vain is the help of man, serves to drive him back to God. Thus the friends indirectly help Job.

Verses 1-5

Job 16:1-5 . Job has had enough of his tormenting comforters ( Job 16:2 f.). He could, if the positions were reversed, well enough offer them such mere verbal consolation (the stress in Job 16:5 is on “ mouth” and “ lips” ). Translate Job 16:5 as a continuation of Job 16:4. “ I could strengthen you with my mouth, and my lip’ s compassion I would not spare” (the last clause after LXX).

Verses 6-17

Job 16:6-17 contain a bitter complaint of God’ s ferocity against Job, in spite of his innocence. The connexion of Job 16:6 with the context is not clear: RV translation is probably, however, correct. With Job 16:7 the enumeration of God’ s unkindness begins. Davidson explains the change from “ he” to thou” by the rise of emotion. God has such hold on Job ( Job 16:8) by afflicting him.

Job 16:9 compares His onslaught to that of a wild beast.

Job 16:10 f. speaks of the hostility of men, not Job’ s friends, but the outcasts who mock him ( Job 30:1 f.). The sense is improved by putting Job 16:11 before Job 16:10.

Job 16:12 describes once more God’ s attack: the first two lines appear to continue the figure of Job 16:9: with the third line we have a new figure, that of an archer. In Job 16:13 translate as mg. “ arrows”— so the Versions.

Job 16:14 introduces the figure of an assault upon a fortress; “ giant” means “ hero,” mg. “ mighty man.”

Job 16:15 describes Job’ s humiliation.

Job 16:16 . Job’ s face is “ inflamed” with weeping ( mg. “ red” ), his eyes are dimmed.

Job 16:17 . And yet in spite of Eliphaz ( Job 15:4-5) Job is innocent.

Verses 18-21

Job 16:18-21 . Job cries to the avenger of blood to avenge his innocence. He is a martyr, and feels that his blood must cry for vengeance ( Genesis 4:10 *, Revelation 6:10). Job arrives at the astounding thought that God will be his avenger, though it is God that slays him. We have noticed how in Job’ s bitter complaint against God, the thought that the God, who had loved him in the past, will one day turn to him once more, had again and again broken through ( Job 7:8; Job 7:21, Job 14:13-15). Job now sets the God of the past and the future against the God of the present, one side of God against another, God against Himself ( Job 16:21). God is his “ witness” ( Job 16:19). Davidson translates “ advocate” and says, “ There was no difference between advocate and witness in the Hebrew courts, the part of a witness being to testify on behalf of one and see justice done him.”

Verse 22

Job 16:22 to Job 17:16 . Job pleads in favour of his prayer for Divine vindication, that death is before him and he has no hope, if he must now die.

Job 17:2 is obscure; “ the general sense seems to be that Job complains of the delusive hopes, held out by the friends, of return to health and prosperity” (Peake).

Job 17:3 continues the idea of Job 16:20 f. God, as Job’ s advocate, is to give to God as his creditor a pledge that He will in the future vindicate him. Who else will “ strike hands” with Job over such a bargain?

Job 17:4 . Not Job’ s unintelligent friends.

Job 17:5 as translated in RV is a threat to the friends that their denunciations of Job will be punished by the suffering of their children (Duhm regards the verse as a gloss).

Job 17:6 f. resumes Job’ s complaint of his misery.

Job 17:8 f., its effect on the righteous. These verses, as they stand, must express Job’ s conviction of final victory. But are they not rather an extract from some speech of the friends? (Duhm, Peake).

Job 17:10-12 appears to be a repudiation of the friends’ delusive hopes of recovery. But the whole passage is very obscure except Job 16:11 a.

Job 17:13-15 . Translate as mg., Job has no hopes. In Job 16:16 b the sense is not certain.