Commentary on the Holy Bible

Verse 99. Where the light is as darkness.] A palpable obseore: it is space and place, and has only such attempts to justify himself.

lighl OT oapabdity of diatiQctbti as renders ** darkneas visible*** The follow ijig words of S&phoctes convey tbe same idea; lu &hotqc ^/^* 0o<^; " Thou darkness be my tiglit*''* It is, as the Vulgate eipreaoes iti Terra tenehrQsa, ei opcrit^ m&rfts caligine.* Terra misert^ et ler^ebritr^mt «&> um&ra mortis j el nuUus ordo^sed atmptUrtius horror inhabUat: " A murky land, corered with the thick daikness of death \ a land of wretchedness and obscuritiesi where is the shadow of death, and no orders but sempiternaJ honor dwells every* where.** Or, as Coi^erdak expressea this last clauaeT ro^rrri* Cs no artiTi but teft(bU fearf as fn tl^e tiarlt^ neisr. A duratton not characterized or measured by any of the attributes of time; where there la no order of darkness and light, nig^ht and day, heat and cold, summer and winter. It Is the state of the dead! The place -of separate spirtls! It is oiti of time^ out of probation^ beyond change or tnulahtlity. 1 1 is on ih* confines of eternity i But what is TMts 1 and where f Eternity! how can I form atjy conception of thee 1 In thee there is no order, no bounds," no substance, no progression, no change^ no past, no fh^ai, no future I Thou art an indescribable sometliingi to which tbere ia no analogy in the coinpass of creation, Thon sir t infinity and ineomprehetisibitity to all tinite beings. Thon art what, living, I know not, and what 1 must die to know; and even then I shall apprehend no more of thee than merely that thou art E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y I

Zophar answers lob^ and rtprones him severely for his attempts to justify hitnself; charges Mm with secret tmquityj and contends that God infltcts less punishmenl on htm than his tnit^uities desert^e^ 1-6* Shows the knowledge and perfecHons o/' God lo be unsearchable^ and that none can rcstst his pother, 7— 1 L Warns htni agmnst vanity of mind ^ and cohorts htm to repentance on the ground ttmt his acceptance with God is stUi ajmss^le case, and that his loiter days may yet bec&me happy and prosperous^ 13-J20.

T^HEN answered Zophir Naamathile, and said^ 2 Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should ■ a man ftill of talk be justified T

3 Should thy ^ lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockesl, shall no man make thee ashamed?

Terse 1. Zophar the Naama^hUe] Of this man and hm fdenda, aee chap, ii. 1 L He is the mo^t inveterate of Job^s accusers, and generaJW speaka withnut feeling or pily* In jour godhness he excelled all the rest. This chapter and the twentieth comprehends all Ihat he said/ He was too crooked to Bfpeak much in measufed verse.

Verse i2. Should not the multitude of words be answertd 1] Some translate, *' To multiply words profiteth nothing,"

And should a man full of talk he justified] t?'« DMD^ ish sephathaytrnt "a tnan of lips,^* a proper appellation for a great lalker: he is *' a man of lipH|" i. e., his Itps are the only active parts of his system*

Verse 3. Should thy l\es make men hold thetr peace f] This is a very severe repj-oof, and nnt justi- 0ed by the oecasion.

And when thou mockeit] As thon despiseat others, shall no man put ihee In scorn I Zophar could never think that the stile mn and awful manner in which Jnh spoke could be called bubbling, as some would irans^ late the term 2}h l^^^g* He might consider Job's speech afi sarcastui and severe, hut he could not con* sider II as nonsense.

Verse 4. My doctrine is pure] *npS Mchit ** my tasumptions." Wliat I assume or take as right, and juei, and truej are soj the precepts which I have

5 But 0 that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;

6 And that he would show thee ihe secrets of wisdonQi that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that ^ God exactclli of

formed, and the practice which I have founded on them, are all correct and perfect. Job had not ex^ actly said» My doctnnefiad wtny of life ure^pure^ and / am clean in thine eyes; bnt he had vindicated himself from their charges of secret sins and hypocrtsyf and appealed to Cod fcir hi^ general uprig^htness sind sincerity: but Zophar tie re beg^ the question, in order that he may have something to aay^ and room to giva vent to bis invective.

Verse 5. But O that God wmtld speak] How littlii feeling, humanity, and chaqty Is there in thia prayer I

Verse 6. The secrets of wisdom] Al\ the depths of hia own counsels - the heij^htSt lengths, and breadths, of hohness, Tliat they are double to that whtch ts, n'KflJ^ tushiyah, which we translate that tphich m, is a word frequent m Job and in the Book of Proverbs^ and is one of the evidences brought in favour of Solomon aa the author of thl^ hook. It signi^e$ substance or essence^ and b translated by a great variety of terms; enterprise, completeness} subilance, the whole constitution, wisdoin, law, sound wisdom, solid complete ha|>- pinesSr solidity of reason and truth, the complete total stim^ &c., iic. See Taylor^a Hebrew and English Concord., under niff\ In this place the versions are va* riouB. Cooerdalcf following the Vulgate, translates: <!rhat Qe mrgf^t sbrto^ tjbc (ottt of blu sttttU MsaBome)!»aiD tnan^)ti»l^c brs latnc is^ The Septuagtnt, on iSirrXotr^ tOTat tuv tiara ae, that it ts d&tihle (o what

^mm 6, c, cir. 7 ' Canst tliou by searcliing 4 ^^' fiiid out Gotl? canst Uiou End out

8 It ts ^ as high as heaven; wlial canst tliou Jo? deeper thaii hclJ; what canal thou know?

9 The measure thereof is longer than the earthf and broader than the saa*

li i# antl l&ee. Mr. Gooif eranstatesi ^^ For they art iotd^M^M Id iJciqtJiTT.^* This m d meaning never hetm% gweti to n'^in iuski^h^ and a meaning Ji^hlch erea hb own le&med nolc will not make generally pretilfat* Fefhaps Zvphm^ is here, in mmd, compaling' Ihe wLadom which h&9 been ret^ealcd with the vkdoiD iwl revealed. The perfection and excellence oTtlie DiTine nMure^ and the purity of hia law, are, in Doe imd easenoei double oi manifold to the rere- 1 already oiade.

i^4m thine mtquUtf deaerr^eih.] Mr. G&od And ih€ knowledge hath^ withdrawn from ihtt h€C9ate of Ih^ sinj; and represents Zophar as ptiyiog ihal God WQtrld reveal to hitn the seereta of wudmAt and ihe kno^ ledge which he had withdrawn faft him beea^ase of his traaagreaaioDa. Th^it Zophar iatettids to inaiDiiaie that God afSieted Job because of Lis JuitjuJ lies, is evident; and that he thought that God hid tfkHicted less chastise me nl upon him than his aina doMrred, Im not lesa ao^ and that, therefore, Job^s rua^^ning of bai jh treatment was £tat ii;t aU well founded,

Ttfne 7, Ctsmi thoti by searching Jind oui God?]. WhaSL is God! A Being^ seif-existem, eternal, infinite, trnjuense, wuhout boundsi incomprehenaible either by mind, w ikne, or *paco. Who then can find ihi» Being out? Who ^iii fathom his depths, a^feend to his tieights, coiiend to his hreadtha, and, comprehettd ihe infinity (Je of hiA |ierfeetions 1

Vcise d. it -ia or hig% a^ yieavtnl High aa the beaTom, what canst thriu work? Deep below sheol^ (the mviMbie worJd,) what canst thou know \ Long IfCTcitid the earth, and broad beyond the sea, b its mea^ttr^ Theae are m^taaces in the immensity of rrca£»l things, and all out ^if the reach of human pow^ and knowledge; and if these things are so^ how iiiefPDi|irehenfiU)le must he bei who designed, creaied» pffacrvea, and governs ilie whole!

** Thete are th j glorious works, Parent of good \ Aimighty! Thine thi« universal frame: How wondratis fair! Thyself how wondrous then f*

V«r«e 10* If he cut off] Aa he is tinlLmitcd and aU^iy, he cannoi be controiied. He will do whai- «iev«r be pleaaes; and he ia pleaeed with nothing but wbaA m ngkl. Who then will dare to find fault? PerbapaZofdiar may refer to Job's former state^ his losses and afiljctiooa* If ke cut off^ as he has dope, thy

12 For ' vain * man would be wise, tliough man be born like a wild ass's colt

children; tf ke shui upy as he has done^ thy self bj thi» sore disease; or gather together hostile bandi to invade thy lerriioriea and carry away thy property; who can hinder him! He m eovereign, and has a right to dispose of his own ]}roperty aa he pleases.

He^eeth wickedness] He sees as we[l what la m man, as what man d&i:s; and gf hvs actiona and pro* penstiiea he cannot be an ludi Cerent spectator.

Verse 12, Forpmn man %tmuld he ieise\ The original is difficult and uncertain, 3dV 2UJ &*K! mish nuhuh ytllahehj '* And shall ihe hoUow man assume courage," Or ** pride himself?" Or, as Mn Good rather {UVaphriMii it, Wdl he then ttccepl the hvihtt?- hearted perttmt The Choldce gives two rendcringa r jln eloquent man shall become mser m hU heart t and the €(di of the wild ass ts born as the son of man. Or» The wtse man shell ponder it; and tha refractory youthf who at last becomes pntdcnt^ shall ma^e a great mun^ Coverdule:^M havne bttbn criilUtti fthn self; anil t%t Mm of man (s II ^ir a tirpllsi ^3at*» foaU. Mou^ biganl translates thus '.-—A man mho kath understand' mg wiU hectmte prudent $ but he icho is as the wdd ass haih no heart, i. ei, sense. According to ihia critic. J the meaning is this:—A man of sense, should he at any time tranagress, will learn wisdom from it; but a man of a brutish mind, uncnliivated and unre» fieciing, wdl plunge yet deei>er into miquity.

Though, man be barn like a tetld ass*s colt] Is translated by Mr. Goodi Or shall the wUd oss coit at' Slime the man I This is making a sense, hut such aa I fear the original wdl never allow. There ia n*i end to the tranalutidns of thia verse, and conjecii: v^

Vir vanus in superlfiajn cngUurf et tafi'^uom puUutn onagri se ttberum natum jfufalt " Tain mnu m pufled up with pride; and he su|>posea himself to be bum free like the wild aWs colt. -' ]^ian is full of eeLf*conceil; and itnagines himself born to act as he pleases, to roam at large, to be under no control, and to bo accountable to none Jbr hia aeiitms.

Verse 1 3 * If thou prepare thine heart] M^ke use of ibe powers which God has given thee, and be determined to seek him with all thy sonL

15 'For then shalt thou lift up thy face without gpolj yea, thou shalt be steadfast^ and shalt not fear:

1 6 Because thou shalt ■ forget thy misery, and remember it ns waters that pass away;

lh 0*ii.*n DIkS hadmn maarchey kl. To man are the prepafaliona of the he tut: \\wh nj^'n ninni umetfehovah maaneh lash&n. But from Jehovah is the answer to the tongue.

It is man's duty to pray; it is God's prerogative to answer. Zophar, like alj the rest* ia tfue to hia principle. Job mnat be a wicked man, else he had not been afflicted. There must be some iniquity in his hand, and some uncke4ness toleratai in his family- So they all supposed.

Verse 1 S. Because thou shalt forget thy mLtert/] Thou shalt have such long and complete rest, that thou shalt scarcely reiaember. thy labour.

As waters that paits away] like as the mountain floods, which sweep every thing before them, houses, tents, cattle, and the pnjduce of the fields and are speedily absorbed by the sandy plains over which they mn i so shalt thou remember thy suflerings; they were wasting and ruinous for the time, but were soon over and gone.

Verse 17« Thine age shall be clea^rmr ihiiti the no&ri' (kty] The rest of iky life shall be imeknded prosperity.

Thcu shalt shine fi^rth] Thou slialt be in this unclouded state, as the sun in the firmament of heaven, giving light and heat to all around thee,

THqu shalt be as the morning.] Thus the sun of ihy prosperity shall arise, and shine more and mote unto the perfect day. This is the image which the sac ted writer employs, and it is correct and ele^nt.

Verse 19. And thou skaU be secure] Then shalt not fear any fatihcr evils to disturb thy prosperity, for thou shalt have a well-grounded hope and confi* dence that thou shalt no more be visited by adversity. Feo, thou shalt dig] T believe this neither refers to dii^ging his grave, nor to euriounltf investigating surrpunding circumstances; but to the custom of digging for water in the places where they pitched their

18 And ihou shalt be secure, because iliere i% hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and '^ thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

1 9 Also thou shilt lie down, and none shall naakc thee ftfiraid; yea, many shall ''make suit unto thee.

20 Btit ^ the eyes of ilie wicked shall fail, and 7 they shall not escape, and * their hope shall he as °- tlie giving up of the ghost.

tents. Il was a matter of high importance in Asiatic countries to find good wells of wholesome water; and they were frequently causes of eonteniioo atnnng^ aeighbouritig chietsT who sometimes stopped them up, and at other tlmae seized them as their own. ThTou^h envy of Isaac'^s prosperity the Philistines stopped up all the wells which Abraham had digged, Gfen. xxvi. 12-16. A;id we find the herdsmen of Gerax contending with Tfiaac's servants about the wells which the latter had digged; so that they were obliged to abandon two of the chief of themj and jereiove lo a distance In order to dig and find quiet possession. fSec Gen. xX3ti. 17-22. Zophar ^ in reference to all these sorts of contentions and petty wars about wclh and.fprings, tells Job that in the state of prosperity to which he shall be brought by the good provideocc of God, he shall dig^^ud wells of living water; none shall contend with him; and he shall rest in safety, aU the neighbouring chieftains cultivating friendship with him; see on chap. v. 23^ 24; and that this is the meaning of the passage the following verse shows; Thou j^halt tie dowrij and none shall make thee afraid; i/ea, many shtU make suit unio thee> Thou shalt be in perfect security; tie enemy shall molest thee, and many shall seek thy friendship.

Verse 20. The eyes of the wir.ked shall fori] They shall be continually boking out fot^help and deliverance; but their eicpectation shall be cut off.

And they shall not escape] They shall receive the punishment diie to their deserts; for God has his eye continually upon them. DHID ^3K 0^3^1 umanot ahad mmri*?A^m, literally, " And escape perishes from them." Flight from impending destruction ia impossible.

And their hope shall be as the git^iTig up cf the ghost.] t?3J nSO Onipfil ^ethikvatham moppaek napheshj ** Artd their hope an exhalation of breath," or Il mere wish &f the mind. They retain their hope to the last; and the last breath they breathe is the final and eternal termioation of their hope. They give up iheir hope and their ghost together; for a vain hope cannot enter into that place where shadore and representation exist not;!^l being substance atvd reality. And thus endeth Zophar the i^aamathite; whose premises were in general good, his conclusions legitimate, but his amplication of them to Job% ^a»e totally eiro- beeanse haat9VnweeiWtt|H]k« gronnd Unt Jijii was a \Rdcked man, if not astgnsHljf, yet secretly; and that the safierTogs m was itader^liog weiB the means bj which God was nnmaslrijig Mm to the Tiew of men. *»

But, allowing that Job hadfyMft a Jwd |Ban, the exhortations of Zophar were w4I.calculated to enforce repentance and excite confidence in the Divine mercy. Zophar seems to have had a M. cooviction of the aUgoveming proridenoe of Gkt^t ^aad that those who served him with an honest and upright heart woold be ever distinguished in the distribution of temporal good. He seems however to think that rewards and punishments were distributed in this life, and does not refer, at least very evidently, to 9l future state. Probably his information on subjects of divinity did not extend much beyond the grave; and we have much cause to thank God for a clearer dispensation. Deus nobis hite otia fecit, God grant that we may make a good use of it!

M reprmtes thehoattmg ^ his friends, and shows their uncharitahleness towards himself 1-5; asserts lUdi even thetabemmtim ^tfHihen frosper; and that, notwithstanding, God is the Governor of the world; a truth which is pr^didgftd Ijff Sports of the creation whether animate or inanimate, and by the revolutums which take place m «lMf| 0HI6.

lob answered suid said, 2 No doubt but ye are the peiiple, and wisdotQ shall die with you. >

3 But *I have ^understancfing as well as you; * I am not inferior to you: yea, ^ who knoweih not such things as these?

4 * I am 05 one mocked of his neighbour, who ^ calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just uprigbt man is laughed to scorn.

NOTES ON CHAP. XU. Verse 2. No doubt but ye are the people] Doubtless ye are the wisest men in the world; all wisdom is concentrated in you; and when ye die, there will no mote be found on the face of the earth! This is a strong irony.

Verse 3. -/ am not inferior to you] I do not fall short of any of you in understanding, wisdom, learning, and experience.

Who knoweth not such things as these?] AU your boasted wisdom consists only in strings of proverbs which are in erery person^s mouth, and are no proof of wisdom and experience in them that use them.

Verse 4. / am as one fnocked of his neighbour] Though I am iuToking God for help and salvation, yet my friends mock me in this most solemn and sacred work. But God answereth me.

The just upright man is laughed to scorn] This is a Tery diffieult verse, on which no two critics seem to be sfieed. Mr. Good translates the fourth and Mh verses thus: —

" Thus brother \s become a laughing-stock to his companions. While calling upon God that he would succour him. The just, the perfect man, is a laughing-stock to the

A derision amidsf the sunshine of the prosperous. While ready to slip with his foot." Vol. UL ( 5)

5 'He that is ready to slip with his feet w 05 a lamp despised in the thought of him that is Ante U. c! ei^i at ease. '^^'

6 ^ The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God arc secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach tliee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

For. a vindication of this version, 1 must refer to his notes. Coverdale gives at least a good sense. €C|)U8!)e ttat calleti) upon ^oH, anH U)I)om (Rolt t)earett, (s mocked oC l)ts ncCgiitoure: t^e goTils anH fnnocent man in laugiieli to 9cotne. Gdtilsntsat (s a Uflt)t TiespsscTi \n tte t^tes of tlje r(cl); atOi in set (or ttem to stomble U|)on. The ffth verse is thus rendered by Mr. Parkhurst: *' A torch of contempt, or contemptible link, (see Isa. vii. 4, xl. 3, 3,) ninary^ leashtoth, to the splendours of the prosperous (is he who is) ready (|OJ nachon. Job xv. 33, xviii. 13, Psa. xxxviii. 17) to slip with his foot." The general sense is tolerably plain; but- to emendations and conjectures there is no end.

Verse 6. The tabernacles of robbers prosper.] Those who live by the plunder of their neighbours are oflen found in great secular prosperity; and they that provoke God by impiety and blasphemy live in a state of security and affluence. These are administrations of Providence which cannot be accounted for; yet the Judge of all the earth does right. Therefore prosperity and adversity are no evidences of a man's spiritual state, nor of the place he holds in the approbation or disapprobation of God.

-9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

10 *In whose hand is the *^ soul of* every living thing, and the breath of * all mankind.

11"* Doth not the car tiy words? and the i^ mouth taste his meat?

13 «> WiUi Vhim fe wisdom and g c'^JJ^aJ' strength, he hath counsel and Aiitc i. oiymp. understandmg. Ante u. c' cir.

15 Behold, he ^ withlipldeth the waters, and they dry up: also he ^ scndcth them out, and they overturn the earth.

1 6 "^ With him is strength and wisdom: the deceived and the deceiver are his.

of^Sli S^^ the fowls of the heaven, every inhal)itant i-sea, and every thing that befalls them,: of his bands; and every thing feels and r;|i||bMmrl||||geB him to be the univefsal Creator and '^uSaoMlk^t, It 16 the common doctrioe of all nature; bol to apply it as ye would apply it to me, and to assert tliat I am suffering from being guilty of hypocrisy, is equally impertinent and impious, lie ordains every thing in wisdom as well as in power; but -why events happen as they happen, why good and evil are promiscuously scattered throughout nature or hyman life^ ye are as ignorant of as myself."

Verse 10. /n whose hand is the soul of every living thing] 'H ^D B^DJ nephesh colchai,^* the soul of ill life."

And the breath of all mankind.] "Wf^ Sd nni veruach col ^f JOT, "and the spirit or breath of all flesh." Does not the Jirst refer to the immortal souly the principle of all intellectual life; and the latter to the breathy respiration^ the grand means by which* <;r;]ima/ existence is continued 1 See chap. x. 1.

Verse 11. Doth not the edt try words?] All these are common-place sayings. Ye have adraneed nothing new; ye have cast no light upod the dispensations of Providenctii

Verse l!i. With the ancient is wisdom] Men who have lived in those primitive times, when the great facts of nature were recent, such as the creation, fall, flood, confusion of tongues, migration of faniilics, and consequent settlement of natiods, had much knowledge from those facts; and their length of days^^-ih^ many hundreds of years to which they livedo gave th^m such an opportunity of accumulating wisdom by experience^ that they are deservedly considered as oracles.

Verse 13. With kirn is wisdom and strength] But all these things eome from God; he is the Fountain of wisdom and' the Source of power. He alone can give US unerring counselj and understanding to cominrehend and act profitably by it. See on ver. 1 6.

Verse 14. He hfeaketh down] He alone can create, tal he alone can destroy. Nothing can be annihilated bitt by the same Power that created it. This is a most remarkable fact. No power, skill, or cunning of man can annihilate the smallest particle of mat'ter. Man, by chemical agency, naf ehange its /arm; but to reduee it to nothing bQloi|||| to Ged alone. In the course of his providence GodfMika down, so that it cannot.60 be built up again. See proofs of this in the total political destruction of Nineveh^ fiai^lont Persepolis^ Tyre, and other cities, which bave b6en broken down never to be"* rebuilt; as well as the Assyrian, Babylonian, Grecian, and Roman empires, which have been dismembered and. almost annihilated, never more to be regenerated.

He shutteth Up a man] He oflen frustrates the beat laid purposes, so that they can never be brougiit i^ good effect. ^ -ti

■' Verse 15. He withholdeth the vMters] This li^ I think, an allusion to the third day's work of the crAtion. Gen. i. 9: And God said. Let the waters be gatliered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. Thus the earth was drained, and the wa%» collected into' seas, and bound to their particular places. -

Also he sendeth them out] Here is also an allusion to the flood, for when he broke up the fountains of the great deep, then the earth waS overturned^

Verse 10. With him is strength and wisdom] Tjf n'B^im oz. vethushiyah, strength and sufficiency ^ Strength or power, springing from an exhaustleas and infinite source of potency. In the thirteenth ^erse it is said. With him is wisdom and strength; but the expressions are not the same, TT^ISJll HDDn chochmah ugcbu* rah, intelligence and fortitude, or strength in action^ the wisdom ever guiding the exertions of power; but here is strength or power in essence, and an eternal potentiality. With him is every excellence, in potentin and in esse. He borrows nothing, he derives nothing. As he is «elf-existent, so is he self-sufficient. We have had the word tushiyah before* See the note on chap« xi. 6.

The deceived and the deceiber ate his,] Some think this refers to the fall; even Satan the deceiver or beguiler, and Adam and Eve, the deceived or beguiled, are his. Satan, as this book shows, cannot act withp out especial permission; and man, whom the seducer thought to make his own property for ever, is claimed ' as the peculium or especial property of God, for the seed of the wosNHi was then appointed to bruise the head of Ifts s^gpftU t and Jesus Christ has assumed the nature ofcaj^jjand thus brought human nature into a state of fdtff^iitp vfith himself. Thus he who sanetifieth and tke^ wh^.mre sanctified are all of one, for ( 6«) C

^^- 18 He looselli the bond of

19 He leadetli princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the mighty.

20 y He rcmoveth away * the speech of the trusty, and taketh away the understanding of the aged.

tthich cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren; Ueb. ii. 11.

Verse 17. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled] The events of war are also ia his hand. It is he who irives victory; throogh him Qven the counsellors — ^the great and chief mon, are oHen led into captivity, and found among the spoils.

And makcth the judges fools,] He infatuates the judges. Dees this refer to the foolish condnct of some of the Israelitish judgesj such as Samson?

Terse 1 8. He loose th the bond of kings} He takes ■ny their splendid robes, and clothes them with sackclocb; or, he dissolves their authority, permits their sabjects to rebel and overthrow the state, to bind them as captives, and despoil them of all power, authority, and liberty. Many proofs of this occur in the IffMliiish hidtor)', and in the history of the principal nations of the earth, and not a few in the history of Britain.

Verse 19. He leadeth princes away spoiled, and orerihroweth the mighty.] What multitudes of proofs of this does the history of the world present! Even the late disastrous war with the French republic and empire, which began in 1793, and continued without intenmasion till 1814, was afterwards renewed, and had a catastrophe that w^nt nearly to ruin Europe. How many princes, or rather priests, D'^HD eohanim, have been spoiled of their power, influence, and authority; and how many mighty men — captains, generaia, admirals, &c., have been overthrown! But supposing that the writer of the Book of Job lived, as some think, after the captivity, how many priests were led away spoiled, both from Israel and Jndah; and how many kings sod mighty men were overthrown in the diaaa^oaa wars betweea the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Jews!

Verae SO. He removeth' away the speech of the trusty] The faithful counsellor and tho eloquent orator avail nothing: Quos Deus vuU perdere, prius dementat; ** God infatuates those whom he is determined to destroy." The writer might have had his eyes on Isa. iiL 1-3, which the reader will do well to eooanU.

The understanding of the aged,] D" JDT zekenim signifies the same here as our word Mtrt or elder-men; which includes in itself the two ideas of seniority, or considerably advanced age, and,*&&■«/ authority. These can do no mote to save • atolwhich God designs to destroy, notwithstanding tlmr freat political

22 "" He discovcreth

things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death «

23 ^ He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and

24 He taketh away the heart of the chief 1^

Verse 21. He poureth contempt ii|Ma DO*nJ nedibim, " those of royal extraefioBJ different from the D^JHD cohanitn mentioned ^viP^w*^

Weakeneth the strength of the mighty,] D^jiMk aphikim, the compact; the well-strung together; t^ nervous and sinewy: Perhaps there is a reference here to the crocodile, as the same term is applied, chap. xl. 13, to the compactness of his bones: and as n^TD na*^ rippah mezidch, which we translate weakens eth tht strength, signifies more properly loosefh the girdle, as the margin has properly rendered it, the reference seems still more pointed; for it is known that " the crocodile, from the shoulders to the extremity of the tail, id covered with large square scales, disposed like parallel girdles, fifty-two in nuii^bety^ In the middle of each girdle are four protuberances, which become higher as they approach the end of the tail, and compose /our rows.''^ See the quotation in Parkhurst, under the word pDX aphak. What is human strength against this 1 We may say as the Lord said, Job xl. 19: He that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. He alone can loose the girdles of this mighty one.

Verse 22. He discovereth deep things out of darkness] This may refer either to God's works in tho great deep, or to the plots and stratagems 6f wicked men, conspiracies that were deeply laid, well digested, and about to be produced into existence, when death, whose shadow had hitherto concealed them, is to glut himself with carnage.

Verse 23. He increaseth the nations] Mr. Good translates. He letteth the nations grow licentious. Pride, fulness of bread, with extensive trade and commerce, produce luxury; and this is ever accompanied with profligacy of manners. When, then, the cup of this iniquity is full, God destroys the nation, by bringing or permitting to come against it a nation less pampered, more necessitous, and inured to toil.

H€ enlargeth the nations] O Aen permits a natiou ■ to acquire an accession of territory, and afterwards shuts them up within their ancient boundaries, end often contracts even those. All these tilings seem to occur as natural events, and the consequences of state intrigues, and such like caiuee; but when Divine inspiration comes to pronoaape upon them, they are shown to be the conieqaaflip^ of God's acting in his 67/.

llie people of ihe earth, and ^ cause ih ihem io wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

judgmeni and mercy; for it is by him that kings reign; ii i.^ he who puttelh down one and raleeih up another.

VeraD 24. He taktth awdy the heart of tkt chief] Suddenly deprives the leaders of great comiaelfli or miglity iLTimes of courage; so that, patiic-fttruck, they llec when none ptirsucib, or are confowndctl when aboyt to enter ou ih© accompUuhment af important designis:

And causelh iktm to icttnder m a mlderness] A plain imusion io the journeying!] of the laraelitea in ibe dei^rta of Ambia, on their way to the promised land. Their ckitf^ Aiwrtn^ had hi& couragt all kiken awa*/ by tbe olamours of the peo[^le; and bo made them a molten calf 10 be the object of iheir worshipr which defef;tion J'roiu GoiJ waa the cause of Ihcir wandering nearly ftirtif years in ibc trackie^a wilderness. The reference ia so mrirked, that it scarcely admits of a doubt; yet Houhi^tjnt and eome others have called it in question, and suppose that those chttfs or hemis af famUies which led out colonies into distant parts are principally intended. It answers too well to the ease of the Israelites in tJie wildcrneaa to admit of any other interpret alion.

Verse Q5. Thetj grope m the dark] The writer seems to bare bad his eye on those words of Moses, Deut. Jtxviii. 28, 29 r The Lord shall snrUe thcc wtih mtidHejgf anti hlindnesit and (tftonuhmetii of heart; mid thou shall cBopE AT woojtBAV, as the BhUiD OBO- FETB Uf DAttKKEss. And tbls also may refer to the aoaoeoimtabk errors, transgressions, and jtidicial hlind-

25 » They grope in the dark without light, and lie makeih

ness of the Israelites in their j ou may ing to Ihe promi^MMl laikd; but il wUl apply also to the state of wicked nations under judicial blindness. The writer ts prinei* pally indebted for his tmagert/i and, indeed for the chief e^Lpressions used here, to Paa. cvii. 27: They reel to and fro f and 3lagger like a drunken man. 3Q| 40: Again J they are mmished and brought low through opprejsioHi affliction^ and smTow. He Foeai£TH contempt UPON pmNCEs, and causeth tuem to WAHDEa m the wiLOEKj^EsSj where tfwre is wo wav.

Mr. Goad has some judicious reflections on Ibis chapter, particularly on ver. 1 3-22; *' It should be observed," says he, ** that the entire passage has u reference to the machinery of a regular mnd ptdiiical go* vcmment; and that its general drift is to imprint on the mind of the liearer the important doctrine tlmt the whole of the constituent principles of such a gavenjment) its officers and institutions; its monarchs aod princes; its privy -eounsellorSf judges, aiul ministers of state; its cbieftains, public oratora, and assembly of elders; its nobles, or mem of hereditary rank; and its stout robiiat peasantry, us we should express it hi the present day \ nay, the deep designitig vlltains that plot in secret its destruction; — tliat the nations themselves, and the heads or sovereigns of the nations, are all and equally in the hands of the Almighty: that witlt him human pomp is poverty; human excellent*, turpitude; human judgment, error; human wisdom, folly; human dignity, contempt \ htmian slrenglli, weakness,'*

Jfdt defends himself against the accuxati&ns of h%s frtendSt «ft^ accuses thern of endeavoi/rtng to ptrctri Iruthy 1-S. Threatens them with God's judgments ^ 9-19. Begs same respite^ and expresses strong confidence in Godr 13-19. He pleads mth God^^and deplores hi^ severe trials and sufferings, *iO-28.

T 0» mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood iL 2 ■ What ye know, the same do I know also i 1 am not inferior unto you.

Vefae 1, Lot mine eye hath seen all this] Ye hare brought nothing new to me \ I know those maxims as %eU as you: nor have you any knowledge of whicli I am not Assessed.

Terse 3, Sureli/ I wotdd speak t& ihe Almighty] qSik \damj O thai.*— "/ ujish I cotdd speak to the Ah mighty!

I desire lo reason unth God.] He speaks here in leference to the proceedings in a court of justice. Ye pft'tend to be advocates for God, but ye are forgers of ties t O that God himself would appear ^ Before htm I could soon prove my imiocence of the evils with Tvhieh ye charge mo,

Yerse 4, Ye are f&rgen of lies] Ye frame deceitful arguments: ye reason aophialioallyi and pervert truth and justice, in order to support yoiu cause.

Physicians of no value.} Ye are as feeble in your reasoninR^s as ye are inefRcient in your skill. Ye can neither heal the wound of my mind^ nor the disease of my' body. In aJieient tiiuea every wise man professed skill in the healing art, and prohably Job*s friends had

7 • Will y^ speak wickedly for God? and tMUL deceitfully for him?

9 Is it good that he should search you out I or as ime man mocketh another, do ye so niock Mm f

^iej tfieir skill on his hod^ as well as on his mind. He tberefure ha^l, in hi» ^gament 3^itisl their teachil^^ a doable advaot^e: Your skill in dwrn^^i^ and fkfrtt is oqit&l: in the former ye are f&rgers of Hes: ta tlv! hUXer^ ye are g&Qd-/or-nolhing physicians. I eaa aee no reason to depart from the ^enerat tucaning of ilie original to which Ihe annent versions adhere. Tbe Oiaidee says: ^* Ye are idLe physicians; and^ tke ISie okortified Ae^h which is cut o^ with the knife^ •0 nv tiK whole of yoo/' The im^ery in the former etaoAe is dUrvr^g^it/, and refers to the tewtng t&gelherf Of c«stt«Cicit^ lA« divided side$ of wounds; fur ^IBED y, which we tran&\s.\e forgers, comes from SiSO, lo &tten, tie, congee t, sew together. And I ■rbethet *73D iopftelty here may not as well \ ^tifitoma, as *KD*i rophety^ m the I^itter clause, FffTsic lAjts. Ye are CH iku « c son b of falsity ^ and wiiriA-

Terse 5* Hold y/mr peace I and it shotdd be y&ur wUdam*\ In ¥rov* %vu, %S vve have the foUowing 4ip»jMkegm: '^Even a fonl^ when he holdelh his peace, is eeoMed wise; and he tliat shutteth hts hps, a man of Qwlefitanding/^ There is no reason to say thai Soldmon quotes from Job: I have already esfpressed wy opinioo that the high antiquity attributed to this boQk m perfectly unfounded^ and that there is much mOK ^Tidence thai Soltmion was its author ^ than therd is that il was the eompOBttion of Mases. But« wlienever Job hied, whetbef bffote Abraham or after Moses, llie book Wis not written till the time of Solomon, if not Imtttr. But mn to the saying in question ^ it is a gf f 1 ^hihej^i and, may be found among the wise i wAy ohscrre here, that n silent mfiti is t)ot likely lo be a fool; for a fool will be ahmt/i prating^ or, *eeording to another ada>jc, a fooPs bolt is soon sftoL The Latios have the same proverb: Vir sapitj pit pa^^ l9fl0iir, ^* A wise man speaks little."

Verse •, He or natp mv r^a^ffmin^] The speeches in this book are con^elt^ed as if deliv'ered in a court of yittrtir«,diifar9Dt counscBort pleading against each other. Hen CO tnosft of the terrni txe forensic.

1 1 Shall not his excellency Ante 6; cl cir. tnake you afraid? and his dread ^^^'

12 Your remembratices are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay,

1 3 ^ Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what unlL

14 Wherefore ^do I take my flesh in my teeth, and ^ put my life in mine hand?

Cod eonld not thus aMiet mOi unless flagrant iniquity were found in my ways; for it is on this ground alone that ye pretend to vindicate the providence of Gud, Thus ye tell lies for God*3 sake, and tints ye wickedly contend for your Maker,

Ver»e 8. Will ye accept hU person f] Do you think to act by him as you would by a mortal; and, by telling lies in his favour, attempt to eoneiliate his esteem?

Verse B. Is it good that he should setir^h you mitfl Would it be to your credit if God should try your hearts, and uncover the motives of your conduct? Were yon tried as I am, how would you appear 1

Do ye so mock him f] Do ye think that you can deceive bim; and by flattering speeches hring him to your terms, as you would bring an undiscerning, empty mortal, like yourselves \

Verse 1 0. He wtfl surrly rrprm^e ffi>u] You may expect, notjouiy his disapprobation, but his hot displeaaurc^

^'eree 1 1. His dread fall upon you?l The very apprehension of his wrath is sufficient lo crush you to nothing.

Verse 13, Your rememh ranees are lile unto ashes] Yont mcmorahle sayings are proverbs of dust. Thia is properly the meaning of the original: ^hwo 03'3"^JI lUS* zichroncycem mishtey epher. Tiiis he speaks in reference to the ancient and reputedly wise sayings which Ihey had so copiously quoted against him.

Your bodies to bodies of clay J\ This clause is variously translated: Your swdUng heaps are swelling heaps of mire. That is^ 'Your high-fimon speeches are dark, involved, and incoherent; they are all sound, no sense; great swelling words, either of diflicult or no meaning, or of no point as appUothle to my case.

Verse!3, Hold your peace] You have perverted righteousness and truth, and your pleadings are totally iTTClevaQt to the case; you have travelled out of the road; you have left taw and justice behind you; it is high time that you should have done.

l^t come on me what wiil.] I will now de fetid myself against you, and leave the cause to its issue,

Verae 1 4. Wherefore do 1 take my fiesh in my teeth] A ^i^ovethi^l expression* 1 risk every thing on the justice of my cause. I put my life in my hand, I Sam. jcxviii. 21. I run all haaardi; I am fearless of the consequences.

come before him. ^^ 17 Hear diligently^ my speech, and my det^laration with your ears.

18 IMiold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.

j^ m Who is he that will, plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I* shall give up the ghost.

20 ^ Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from tiiee.

21 ® Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

22 Then call thou and I will answer: or let

ance but God; I trust in him alone. Should ho even destroy my life by this affliction, yet will I hope that \rhen he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. In the common printed Hebrew text we have Sn'N vh lo ayachel, I will not hope; but the Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Chaldce have read.lS lo, him, instead of wS /o, NOT; with twenty-nine of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., and the Complutcnsian and Antwerp Polyglots. Our translators have followed the best reading. Coverdale renders the verse thus: Slo, tiete fs net])cr comfbrte uet tc^pe for me, ^i It infl 0laj?e me.

But J will maintain mine own ways] I am so conscious of my innocencb, that I fear not to defend myself from your aspersions, even in the presence of ■ my Maker.

Verse 16. He also shall be my salvation] He will save me, because I trust in him.

A f^ypocrite] A wicked man shall never be able to stand before him. I am conscious of this; and were I, as you suppose, a secret sinner, I should not dare to make this appeal.

Verse 18. Behold now, I have ordered] I am now ready to come into court, and care not how many I have to contend with, provided they speak truth., Verse 19. Who is he that will plead with met] Let my accuser, the plaintiff, oome forward; I will defend my cause against him.

/ shall give up the gho^t.] I shall cease to breathe. Defending myself will be as respiration unto me; or, While he is stating his case, I will be so siUiU as scarcely to appear to breathe.

Verse 20. Only do not tutc things unto me] These 4i0O things are tho following^ 1. Withdraw thine hand **Jorfrom me — ^remove the HUvry affliction which thy lumd has inflicted. 2. Let not thy dread make me afraid — terrify mo not with dreadful displays of thy majesty. The reasons of this request are sufficiently itideot: 1. How can a man stand in a court of justice

23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know

26 ' Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

26 For thou writest bitter things against me, and ' makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

27 ' Thou puttcst my feet also in the stocks, and " lookcst narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the ^ heels of my feef.

25 And he, as a. rotten thing, consumctK, as a garment that is moth-eaten.

and plead for his life, when under grievous bodily affliction 1 Withdraw thy hand far from me. 2. Is it to be expected tliat a man can be sufficiently recollected, and in self-possession, to plead for his life, when he is overwhelmed with the awful appearance of the judge, the splendour of the court, and the various ensigns of justice? Let not thy dread make me afraid. >..

Verse 22. Then call thou] Begin thou first to plead, and J will answer for myself; or, I will first state and defend my own case, and then answer thou me.

Verse 23.. How many ar«f mine iniquities] Job being permitted to begin first, enters immediately upon the subject; and as it was a fact that he was grievously affli(fted, and this his friends asserted was in consequence of grievous iniquities, he first desires to have them qpeoified. What are the specific ^barges in this indictment? To say I must be a sinner to be thus afflicted, is sajring nothing; tell me what are the sins^ and show me the proofs.

Verse 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face] Why is it that I no longer enjoy thy approbtUi»n f

Verse 25. Wilt thou break a leaf] Is it becoming thy dignity to concern thyself with a creature so contemptible I

Verse 26. Thou writest bitter things against me] The indictment is filled with bitter or grievous charges, whiidi, if proved, wonld bring me to bitter-pwiishmcnt.

The iniquities ofrnff youth,] The levities and indiscretions of my yotUh I acknowledge; bat is this a ground on which to form ehaxges against a man, the integrity of whose life is unimpeachable t

Verse 27. Thou puttest my feet also inihe shPckM] n03 bassad, ** in a clog," such as was Ued to tte tet of slaves, to prevent them from running away. Tliis is stittiuled in the West Indies, among slave-dealers g and is there called the pudding, being a large collar of iron, locked round the ankle of the unfortunate man. Some have had them twenty pounds- weiglit; and, having been condemned to carry them for several rears, when released could not walk without them! A case of this kind I knew: The slave had learned to walk well with his ptiJtlinsr, but when taken off, if he attempted to walk, he fell down, and was oblitred to resume it occaaienally, till practice had taught him the proper centre of gravity, which had been so m^teriallj altered by wearing so large a weight; the badge at once of his oppression, and of the cruelty of his tatt-masUrs!

And lookest narroioly] Thou hast seen aU my goings out and comings in; and there is no step I have taken in life with which thou art unacquainted.

Thou seitest a print upon the heeU of my feet.] Some understand this as the mark left on the foot bj the clog; or the owner's mark indented on this clog; or, Thou hast pursued me as a bouod does his gaioat by the scent.

Verse 28. And he, as a rotten thing\ I am like m vessel made of skin; rotten, because of old age; or like a garment corroded by the moih. So the Sep-^ tuagint, Syriac, and Arabic understood it. The won} h£ may refer to himself.

The shortness, misery, and sinfulness of man's life, 1-4. The unavoidable necessity of death; and the hope of a general resurrection, 5-15. Job deplores his own state, and the general wretchedness of man, 16-29.

flower, and is cut down: he flccth also as a shadow, and continucth not. 3 And ^ dost thou open thine eyes upon such

Verse 1. Man — born of a womniil There is a delicacy in the original, not often observed: llV D"TK nanc Adam yelud ishah, ** A (him bom of a woman, few of days, and full of tremor.'' Adam, who did not spring from woman, but was immediately formed by God^ had many days, for he lived nine hundred and thirty years; during which time neither sin nor death had multiplied in the earth, as they were found in the days of Job. But the Adam who springs now from WDman, in the way of ordinary generation, has very fexT years. Seventy, on an average, being the higliRst term, may be well said to be few in days; and all matter of fact shows that they are full of fears and apprehensions,?:"< rogez, cares, anxieties, and tremors. Ife seems born, not indeed to lire, but to die; and, by living, he forfeits the title to life.

Vene 2. He cotncth forth like a flower] This is a frequent image both in the Old and New Testament writers; I need not quote t\ie places here, as the readers will find them all in the margin.

He fleeth also as a shadow] Himself, as he appears among men, is only the shadow of his real, substantial, and eternal being. He is here compared to a vegetable; be springs up, bears his flower, is often nipped by disease, blasted by afHictions, and at last cut down by death. The bloom of youth, even in the most prosperaus state, is only the forerunner of hoary hairs, eofiMfaled muscles., impaired senses, general debility, aailitj, and dissolution! All these images are finely embodied, and happily expressed, in the beautiful lines

4 ' Who ' can bring a clean Ante u. c* cir. thing out of an unclean? not one. ^^'

5 ^ Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;

of a very nervous and correct poet, too little known, but whoso compositions deserve the first place among what may be called the minor poets of Britain. See at the end of the chapter.

Verse 3. Dost thou open thine eyes upon such m one] The whole of this chapter is directed to God alone; in no part of it does he take any notice of his friends.

Verse 4. Who can bring a clean thing] Thisvene is thus rendered by the Chaldee: " Who will produce a clean thing from man, who is polluted with sins, except God, who is one 1" By Coverdale thus: Wi)s can mabt (t cleanc, t])at commetti of an nncUanc tMnflc? WsboHij.

The text refers to man^s original and corrupt nature. Every man that is born into the world comes into it in a corrupt or sinful state. This is called original sin; and is derived from fallen Adam, who is the stock, to the utmost ramifications of the human family. Not one human spirit is born into the world without this cormption of nature. All are impure and unholy; and from this principle of depravity all transgression is produced; and from this corruption of nature God alone can save.

The Septuagint, in the Codex Alexandrinus, reads the verse thus: Tif yap earai KoBapoc afro frvnoo; ovdv e/f, eav nat fua£ r/fiepac ynv^u 6 (3toc avrov em rfjc yff; ** Who is pure from cormption 1 Not one, althougl^ he had lived but one day upon the earth."

Verse 5. Seeing his days are determined] The general term of human life is fixed by God himself i

6 ^ Turn from Iiim, that he may ^ rest, till lie sliall acconiplish, ^ as a hixelingr his day.

7 For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, "• that it will sprout again ^ and that tiie tender branch thereof will not cease.

8 Though the root thereof wnx old in tlie

in Tain arc ail attempts to proIong^ it beyond this term. Several attempts hsive been made in alJ naiiorta to find an tlt:iir that \\oii1d evpel all llie m^tidti of dbcost?, and keep men in coriUnnal healtii; but aJl these altemplB have failed. BasiL Vahntitw^ Norton^ DaxtiHy ^iplctjt Sttnditfjgius, ArtcfJttus^ Gelm\ Vmi Helmunt, Paracelsus^ Philahth^Sx aiid eeversil other^^ both in ' Europe ajid Asia, Imve writlen copiotisly on the subject, and have endeavoured to prove lliai a tmi:iur€ loight be produced, by which all tmpvr/eci m^tah may be trananmted hao perfect; and an dixtr by which tlie human hody may be kept hi tn Utate of endle^ repair and heaUh. And tiiese profess to te^cli the method by wbit*h thia Ufidure and this thxir may be made \ Yet all these are dead ^ and dead, for an^ht we luiow, comparatively yoting! Artcpkius is, indeed, eaiil to have bvcd ninety years, which is prohabte j bat sotne of his foolish disciples^ to give credit lo their tkrtftloss craft, added another ciphir* and made his age nine hundred! Man may cndeav our to pass the l/oufid j and God may, here and there, produce a Thonnjjf Parr^ who died la 1035, aged ime^ handnd and fifty* two; and a Henry Jenkins^ who died in IQIO^ aged ^ne hundred and ^txftf-mne; but these are rare inaimiceffi and do uoi affect the general icf^m. Nor can death be avoided. Da si Shoit ari^ mtd unto ditgi ihoti §}('' is the taw; and that will ever render

Bni, iiiitiotig:h tn^m avmot pass his appointed bmrnds^ yet he may so Uvc as never io reach them; for folly and vinekedneaa abridge the letm of bo man Hfe \ and therefote the psalm bt sayis Bloody mid deceitful men shaU n&i Iwe nut nxhv their dny^i Psa. Iv. 93, for by indolence, inlemporance, and disorderly passtonff, the life of mln is shortened in cases innumerable. We are not to understand the bounds as apply iog to indtviduaht but to the race in general. Perhaps there is no case in wbieli God has determined absolutely this man*a age shall bo so long, and shall neither be more nor less. The contrary supposition involves iinittiiierable absurdities.

Verse B, 7\tm from him^ ihat he m^y resi\ Cease to try him by afflictions and distresses, Ihat he may enjoy some of the comforts of life, before be be removed from it \ and thus, like a htrclmg^ who is permilled by bis master to lake a little repose in the heat of tbo dayj from severe labour, I shall also have a breathing lime from ajflictiodt before I come to that bound over which I cannot pasa. See chap. x. 20| where there is a similar request.

Verae7. For there is hope of a £«e] We must not, says Calmel, understand litis of an M ire^t the

earth* and the stock thereof die ^ ^' in the ground; Jmt-

9 Yet through ilie scent of water it mil bud^ a)id bring forth bouglis like a plant.

1 0 But man dieth, and ■" wasteih away: yea^ man gi vet hup the ghost, and where w he?

alem and root* of which arc dried up and rolled: but there am some trees which grow frum eutfing^»; stnd acime which, tbougb pulled out nf the eartht and having had their roots dnr?d and witiiered by long' exposure to the sua and wind, v^ ill, on being replautedj t:ike root and resume their verdure* There arc also certain trees, the fibres of which are so solid, that If after several years they be steeped in water, Ihey reiume iheir vigour, the lubes dilate, and ihe blossoms or tlowers which were attaeht'd to them expemd; aa 1 have often witncs^^ed in vibat ia called Ihe rifse 0/ Jericho, There arc tew trees which will not eeud forth new shoute, m hen the stgck is cut down Jcve! with the earlh.

Veiae 9* Through the icfnt tf water it mil h/d^ A fine metaphor: the water acts upon the decay nig and perishing tree, as strong wnd powerful odours from muskt otio of roses, ammonia, t&o., act ou a fainting Of swuoning person.

Verse 10, But man dUih] No hunian bting orcr can spring from the dead body of roan; that wasteih away, corrupts, and is dissolved; fot ibe man dies: and when lie breatfaea out his last breaeh, and hta body is reduced to dust, then, tefiere is he I There ia a beautiful verse in Ihe F(>rsian poet Kh&4rQo% tliat ia not unlike this saying of Job:^-^

" I Mreni towards the buryinf ground, and w^ept To ibJtik of the departure of friends which w«r«

T said, Where are thty J and Fate Gave back this answer by Echoj Where are ihe^$^

Beneath the cyptCBs' solemn shade, As on surretmding tombs I gazed, I wept, and ihouffht of friends there laidj Wh4)flo hearts with warmest love had blazed^ Where are those frtends my heart doth lack, Whose words, in grief* gave peace? -AA, xvhere I And FatCi by Echo^ gave me back ThjB short but just reply, A A, ^here J

13 O thai thou wouldest liide eoc in ihc

tig^fzm? all the days of my appointed timir P will I wait, ^ till my change coma*

1 5 ' Thou shall call, and I will mnswer ihee: thou wih have adesircto Uie work of thine hftnds*

iiilixiijonal floul iti man; and \ locAtiim af ihe mattr ' ' '^ he rcsuiie<^onf h:^? ihere is a mosi 1 rj^we, and with the ^\ h <5n the death of Diuii: — diLB I Ihe inflows j wh^Q ijjey die, i Tf ^AtJ^n herbs, and sweet Attetli»im'i pride, BtcKiming in vj^raar, wake: a^aiti to Ufu, And £loumh beauteous th rough mntuher year; UiU we, ihe gr^at, the might j, and the w^iie, W^n once we die, unknown in earth* a Jadt womb Sleeps l*i©g a«*l dr«ar, the e mi loss skep of death-

J. II IL C. A more coW and eomfortle^is phdosophy wris nervr in- Teaied. The next Tcree shows thai Job did not eniertun liiis view of the subject.

Verse 13* O ihai thou ufmild^sl hide me tn the grat'^ f ir—ir7fn| aa death in ti nilik>r^, T Jshall esieem it m \ki: -je; it will bo? ivcrt from the

Job doe^ not appear to have tli^ Mome iJuT^ln view when he en treats («od tcj hije him%i ''ic gr*wt:; and to ktep htm stcrei^ uniU hvf it* '. The for- r*;']er iicrtr' to the restirreciton; for whiil else ean be said to be an ohject of desire to one whose body ta mingled with the duat!

And rtmemhtr me /] When my liody has paid that debt of lieath which it o\^m to tby Divine phiiicp, and the mttrningr of the resurreetion is coniej when it may be iaid thy ttraM, *^dH appichat ** thy ilisplcaaure/' n jnin^t tlip botiy is pswjti it hsiving BaflTered the Fnnfrne^ by thyself: I}ttst ihtnt att^ *^. -i-ti tfyQU shall sutel^ dtt; ihcn rtmemhtt ftif — raise my Ik:kIv( isnito niy spirit to it, and receive buth into iby _fk*ry fut aver.

Verse 1-1. Jf a man dte^ ihail he hve ti^nin?] The Chaldf^ translates^ If a wioked roaii die, can be e^ar live ap^in ^ ofi he cun never live ngmn. The Stfriac and Arabic ihua: 'Mf a man die^ sbatl lie re five T YeUf all the days of hia yotith be awatis till Ins i»ld a^e come.*' The Septuagmi: " If amtin djp^ shaU he live, having accomplished the daystjf hia life ] J will endure till I live afaia.*' Here is no doubt, dot a strong persuasion » of the certainty of the g^eaaral rejiurrection.

All (he dfii/s of my apftottiied hmc] *K3y Uehai, " of tny wsirfiirc;'* sec on chap. vti. I. Will I await till "nS'^n chaUphsliiAn mij renm^iiion^ e&nm. This word is ased to denote the sprinjxiog afi^un of gjsm^^ Psa. xcp 5, G, after it had once wiihivrt^d, whieh m in itaelf a very c^presaive emhlem of ibf? Testirrectinn,

VcTse 15. Thou shfdfti fill] Thou shall say. There ^h'fdl he Ume n& longer: AwaAe^ yt dead! and amte to judgment *

And I win cmtwrt ihcc} My dissolved frame shall be united nt ihy call; and body and sout shall be ra* joined.

Thou will fttfPff a iigire] P|^3Jn ttchsoph, " Thou wilt punt with deeira;" or, '^Thou witl yearn over the work of thy hands,'^ God has subjected the creature to vanity» ia hf^pe; having detcrtnined the resurrection. Man b one of the nohJost w^orks of God. He has exhibited htm as a Tnai?ter-piei?e of his eteative skill, power, and goodaeaa* Nothing^ leta than l!ie strangest call upon jt]attee eou1d have induced him thus to

1 8 And surely the mountain falling " comeih to naught, and Uic rock is renaoved out of his place,

1 9 The T?FalcTs wear the stones: ihou ^ waahe&t away ihe things which grow out of the

destroy the work of hta handa. No wonder ibal he has an earnest <ftsiTe towards it; ^nd ihat alih<}ugh man dics^ and i* as water sptlt upon the ground that eannol he gathered up again; ijtt doth He derlte means that kix haHished he not e^pelUd from him. Even 0od is represented as earnesfly longing for ihe nhimate revivlBcence f>f Iho sleeping dusU Jle cannot^ he mil not, forgfel iT?ic work of His hnnds.

Verse 16^ For now thou numberest my steps\ '3 nnj? ki attah^ Ai#THotjQH thou, &c. Though thoUj by thy cetidocL towards me, scemest bent on my utter desiTQcti&D, yet thou delightest la mercy, anil I sUall be saved.

Verse 17. Mt/ tranxgr^Mton is scaled ttp m a hag] An allasioti to Ihe custom of collecting evidence of alile tranBgreasionSj sealing (hem up m a b^g^ und present jng* them to the ju<%es and oOlcers of state Co be examined, tn order t» trial nml j ml lament- Josc at tliis lime (July, 1830) charges of state transgreasionsj Acahd tip ifi a TrR^ErJi BAOt S-fld presented to the tw'O faouaes of parliainenl, fgr the G?tami nation of a secret ConRnlttee, are making a consiilcrible noise in the (and. 80ma suppose the alhisitm is to money seated up m ifitgs; which is common in the EosL This inoludes two ideas: 1* JoVe transgrejistons were ^W ntifnh^rcd ^ not one was p&ased by. 9. They were sealed up; so that none of them could be lost These basrs were indilTereotiy sewed or sealed, the two Words in the text.

Ve rse 18, The mn u nimn falling com et h t<i nangh I ] Every thing in nature is ejtpoted to mvitabllity and de* cay: — even mountains themselves may full from their bases ^ and be da«hed to picees \ or be suddenly Bwa1~ lowed up by an earthquake; antl, by ihe eame moajis, the fitrongost and most massive rocks mny be removed.

V^erse iU. Thi wafers u^enr the stones] Even the common stones aje affected in the sntnc way. Were even mrthqiiakc<t and violent ooncussions of nature w animg, the action of wafer, either running orer them as a stream^ or even fulling npon tkem in drops, Will wear these stonea. Hence the proverb:—

Gntta oavai lapidem non vi sed sa^pe oadendo. "Constant droppings will make a hole in a flint.^^

** From frequent droppini^i as the proveib aaySj perpetually failing, even a atone is hollowed into a hole.^^

Thou washest away the things] Alluding to sudden

20 Thou prevaiiest for ever Ante n. c. cir. against him, and he passcth: thoti *^^ changcst his counlenance,and sendesl him away^

2 1 His sot)3 come to honoiu-, and ^ he knoweth it not; and tliey are brought low^ but he perceive Lh it not of them,

22 But his flesh upon him shall have pain* and his soul within him shall mourn.

falls of r:iin oeca^ioning floods, by whieh the fniiis of the earth are swept n^way; and thus the hope of man — »the grain for hia household, and provender for his cattle, is des trotted.

Verae 20. Thou prevsilest for eaer agaittst him^ It h impossible for him to withstand thee: every stroke of thine brings him down.

Thou cltangest his countenance] Probably an allusion to the custom of eovenng the face, when the person was condemned, and sending htm away lo eieca* tion. See the case of Hainan, tn the note on Esth^, ehap. Tu. 8.

Verse 31. His sons came to honour] When dead, he is equally indifferent and unconscious whether bis children have met with a splendid or oppressive lot in life; for as to thts world, when man dies, tn that day all his t ho fights pBfifh.

Verse' xJ-2. But his flesh upon him shttU have pain] The sum of the Life of man is this, pmn (f body and distress of soul; and he is seldom w*itbout the one or the other, and. oflen oppressed by both. Thus ends Job^s discourse on the miserable state and condition of man.

Tkk last verse of the preceding chapter ha* been differently translated and ex pi lined.

Mr. Good^s version is Ibe following, winch he vin dicates in a learned note:— »

Pot his flesh shall drop away from him; And his soul shall become a waste from him.

The Chgddee thus: '* Nevertheless his flesh, on account of the worms, shall grieve over him; und his soul» in the house of jud^jment, shall wail over him." In another copy of this version it is thus: " Never theless his flesh, before the window is closed over him, ah all grieve; and his soul, for seven days of moiftning, shall bewail him in the house of his burial.^* T shall giro the Hebrew: —

Which Mr. Siock translates thus, both to the spirit and letter:- —

Bot over him h\^ flesh shall grieve;. And orer him hie breath shall moam«

" In the daring spirit of oriental, poetry,*' says he, * ih^fltsh^ or body, and the breathy are made conscious beings; the former lamenting its putrefaction in the grare, the latter mourning over the mouldering clay which it once enliTen^.^

This Tersion is, in n^ opinion, the moat natural yet o^ered. The Syriac and Arabic present nearly the same sense: " But liis body shall grieve orer him; and his soal be astonish^ oreir him.'*

On Tcr. 2 I have referred to the following beautiful lines, whieh illustrate these finely figurative texts: —

He cometk forik as a flower, and is cut dowk; kefleetk also as H shadow, and continueth not.

AlljUsh is GRASS, oTul all the goodliness thereof is as Ike FLOtrcR of the field.

The GRASS witherethj the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

If heaven must recompense pur pains: Perish the grass and fade the flower, If firm the word of God remains. See a Collection of Poems on Sundry Occasions, hy the Rev. Samuel Wesley ^ Master of BlundeWs School, Tiverton.

Elipkaz charges Job vnlh impiety in attempting to justify himself 1-13; asserts the utter corruption anf aBominabU state of man, 14— 16; and, from his own knowledge arid the observations of the ancients, shows the desolation to which the wicked are exposed, and insinuates that Job has such calamities to dread, 17—36.

Temanile, and sjjid, 2 Should a wise man uUer * vain knowledge, and. fill his belly witli the east wind? 3 Should he reason witli unprofitable talk?

Verse 2. Should a wise man utter vain knowledge] Or railrer, Should a wise man utter the science of wind? A science without solidity or certainty.

And fill his belly with the east wind?] |03 beteri, which we translate belly, is used to signify any part of the cavity of the body, whether the region of the thoraJt or abdomen; here it evidently refers to the lungSf and may include the. c^eeA:i and fauces. The east wind, D^ID kadim^ is a very stormy wind in the Levant, or the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, apposed to be the same with that called by the Greeks rtpoxAvdc/v, euroclydon, the east storm, mentioned Acts xxTii. 14. Eliphax, by these words, seems to intimate that Job's speech was a perfect storm or tempesiof words.

Verse 3. Should he reason with unprofitable talk?] Should a man talk disrespectfully of his Maker, or ^ak to him without reverence? and shpuld he suppose that he has proved any thing, when he has uttered words of little meaning, ifed used sound instead of sense?

5 For thy mouth ^ uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty.

And restrainest prayer] Instead of humbling thy- ■elf, and making supplication to thy Judge, thou spendest thy time in arraigning his providence and justifying thyself.

When a man has any doubts whether he has grieved -God^s Spirit, and his mind feels troubled, it is much better for him to go immediately to God, and ask forgiveness, than spend any time in finding excuses for his condncti or labouring to divest it of its seeming obliquity. Restraining or suppressing prayer, in order tb find excuses or palliations for infirmities, indiscretions, or improprieties of any kind, which appear to trench on the sacred limits of morality and godliness, may be to a man the worst of evils: humiliation and prayer for mercy and pardon can never be out of their place to any soul of man who, surrounded with evils, is ever liable to offend.

Yerse 5. For thy mouth uttereth] In attempting to justify thyself, thou hast added iniquity to sin, and hast endeavoured to impute blame to thy Maker.

The tongue of the crafty.] Thou hast varnished thy ' own conduct, and used sophistical arguments to defend thyself. Thou resemblest those cunning person$t

8 ^ Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?.

9 ^ What knowest thou, that we kiiow not?

D^D)"^]! arvmtm, who derive their skdl and dexterity from the old serpent, ** the nachash, who was Dn;r arum, static, or crafty, beyond all the beasts of the field;"" Gen. iii. 1. Thy wisdom is not from above, but from beneath.

Verse 7. Art thou the first man that was bom?] Literally, " Wert thou bom before Adam V^ Art thoa in the pristine state of purity and innocence t Or art thou like Adam in his first state t It does not become the fallen descendant of a fallen parent to talk as thou dost.

Made before the hills f] Did God create thee the beginning of his ways T or wert thou the first intelligent creature which his hands have formed?

Verse 8. Hast thou heard the secret of God?] *' Hast thou hearkened in Qod^s council V Wert thou one of the celestial cabinet, when God. said, Z^et us make man in our image, and in our likeness?

Dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?] Dost thou tvish us to understand that God's counsels were revealed to none but thyself? And dost thou desire that we should give implicit credence to whatsoever thou art pleased to speak ^ These are all strong sarcastic questions, and apparently uttered with great contempt.

Verse 9. What knowest thou] Is it likely that thy intellect is greater than ours; and that thou hast cultivated it better than we have done ours t

What understandest thou] Or, Dost thou -understand any thing, and it is not with us? Show us any point of knowledge possessed by thyself, of which we are ignorant.

Verse 10. With us are both the gray-headed] One copy of the Chaldee Targum paraphrases the verse' thus: " Truly Eliphaz ihe hoary-headed, and Bildad the long-lived, are among us; and 2^ophar, who in age surpasseth thy father.'* It is very likely that Eliphaz refers to himself and his friends in this Verse, and not either to the old men of their tribes, or to the masters by whom they themselves were instructed. Eliphaz seems to have been the eldest of these sages; and, therefore, he takes the lead in each part of this dramatic poem.

Verse 11. Are the consolations of Ood small with thee?] Various are the renderings of this verse. Mr. Good translates the verse thus: *' Are then the mercies of Gpd of no account with thee V or, " the addresses of kindness before thee V

The VuLoxTE thus: — *< Can it be a difficult thing for God to comfort thee! But thou hinderest this by thy intemperate speeches."

10 * With us ore both the gr^y- AnSu.Ceir. headed and very aged men, much ^^' elder than thy father.'.

1 1 Are the consolations of God small widi thee? is there any secret thing with thee?

12 Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy eyes wink at,

The Stbiao and Arabic thus: — ^ Remoye jfrom Chee the threatenings {Aralne, reproaches) of God, and speak tranquilly witl^ thy own spirit.**

The SsPTUAourr thus: — ^^ Thou hast been teourged lightly for the sins Which thou hast committed ^ and thou hast spoken greatly. beyond measure; or, with excessive insolence.

Houbigant thus: — ^ Dost thou not regard tlie threatenings Of God; or, has there been any thing darkly revealed to thee.**

Coverdale.*— p9ost ^m no more veoar^e t^e cow* forte of AoH 1 SBut t^s tDCdteli tootHes toCl not inffre tjje.

Scarcely any two translators or interpreters agree in the translation, or even meaning of this verse. The sense, as expressed in the Vulgate, or in our own version, or that of Coverdale, is plain enough:-^ " Hast thou been so unfaithful to God, that he h^>* withdrawn his consolations from thy heart t And It there any secret thipg, any bosom sin, which thoa wOt not give up, that has thus provoked thy Biakert*' Tliis is the sense of our version: and I believe it to be as near the original as any yet offered. I may just add the ChaJtdee: — *' Are the donsolations of God few to thee! And has a word in secret been spoken unto thee t** And I shall close all these wiil| the Hebrew text, and the literal version of Arius Montanus: — -

"Aje not the consdations of God small to fhee % And does a word (oi: thing) lie hidden with thee V*

Yezse IS. Why doth thine heart eorry thee away f\ Why is it ihat thou dost conceive and entertain Mtch high sentiments of thyself!

And what do thy eyes wink at] With what splendid opinion of thyself is thine eye dazzled? Perhaps there is an allusion here to that sparkling in the eye which is excited by sensations, of Joy and pleasing * objects of sight, or to that furious rolling of the eyes observed in deranged perootts. Rosenmuller translates thus: —

13 That iboa tumest thy

15 ^ Behold, he putteth no trastin his saints; 3fea, the heayens are not clean in his sight.

1 6 * How much more abominable and fihhy if man, * which drinketh iniquity like water 7

17 I will show thee, hear me; and that which' I hare seen I will declare;

19 Unto whom alcme the earth ^^* was given, and ' no stranger passed among ihem.

20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, ^ and the number of years is hidden to the (^pressor.

21 »A dreadful sound is in his ears: 'in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.

22 He believcth not that he shall return out of darkness, and he is wailed for of the sword.

** Whither does thy aoyl huny thee? What meao thy rolliiig eyes V IVm aeeoieat transported beyond thyself; thou art utTHtr^ by a forioos spirit Thoa art beside thyself; thy wm^ and thy eyes show it. None but a madman eoold speak and act as thoa dost; for thou tumest Iky sfirU agaimst God, and lettest such words go out tfthy moiOAi ter. 1 3. This latter sense seems to agree faesl with the words of the text, and with the context. Yene 13. 7%at thorn turnest thy spirit against God] Tha ideas here seeift to be taken from an archer, who fckis eye and hh^. spirit — his ^«tr«^— against the which be wishes to hit; and then lets loose his mow, that it may attain the mark.

Terse 14. What is man, that he should he clean?] tnat 713 mah enosh; what is weak, sickly, dying, miteraUe man^ that he should be clean? This is the iiaport of the original word enosh.

And — bam of a woman, that he should be righteous J] tt appears, froia many passages in the sacred writings, (hat natural birth was supposed to be a defilement; aod that every man bom into the world was in a state of moral pollution. Perhaps the word piT yitsdak ibouki be translated, that he should justify himself, aad not, that he should be righteous.

Verse 15. Behold, he putteth no trust tn his saints; fea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.] The Vulgate has, ^ Behold, among his saints, none is immutable; and the heayens are not. clean in his sight.''

Elqihaz uses the same mode of speech, chap. i?. 17, 18; where see the notes. Nothing is immutable bat God: saints may fall; angels may fall; all their foodness is derived and 4€fsndent, The heavens themaehea haye no purity compared with hii;.

Terse 16. How much more abominable and filthy \a wmn\ As in the preceding yerse it is said, he putteth^ as trust in his saints, it has appeared both to transistors and commentators that the original words, O ^H ^h ki, should be rendered how much less, not how wmch MORE: How much less would he put confidence in man, who is filthy and abomin^le in his nature, and profligate in his practice, as he drinks down ini- qttity like water t A man who is under the power of sinful propensities commits sin as greedily as the thirsty man or camel drinks down water. He thinks he can neyer have enough. This is a finished character of a BAD mtm; he hungers and thirsts after SIN: on the contrary j the good man hungers and thirsts after rk^hteousness.

Terse 17. I will show thee, hear me; and that which I have seen I will declare] Eliphaz is now abont to quote a whole collection of wise sayings from the ancients;. all good enough in themselves, but sinfully misapplied to the case of Job.

Terse 19. Unto whom dhne the earth was given"] He very likely refers to the IsraMes, who got possession of the promised land from God himself; no stranger being permitted to dwell in it, as the old inhabitants were to be exterminated. Some tliink that Noah and his sons may be intended; as it is certain that the whole earth was given to them, when there were no strangers — no other family of mankind — in being. But, system apart, the words seem to apply more clearly to the Israelites.

Verse 20. TTie wicked man travaileth with pain] This is a most forcible truth: a life of sin is a life of misery; and he that will sin wust suffer. One of the Targums gives it a strange turn: — " All the days of the ungodly Esau he was expected to repent, but he did not repent; and the number of years was hidden from the sturdy Ishmael." The sense of tho original, SSinno mithcholel, is he torments himself: he is a true heautontimoreumenos, or self-tonuentor; and he alone is author of his own sufferings, and of his own ruin.

Verse 21. A dreadful sound is in his ears] If he be an oppressor or tyrant, he can have no rest; he is full of suspicions that the cruelties he has exercised on Mhers shall be one day exercised on himself; for even in his prosperity he may expect the destroyer to rush upon him.

Verse 22. That he shall return out of darkness] If he take but a few steps in the dark, he expects the dagger of the assassin. This appears to be the only meaning of the place. Some think the passage should be understood to signify that he has no hope of a resurrection; he can never escaoe from the tomb. This

23 He *.wandereth abroad for tread, jayiVi^, Where is it? he kiiowetl^ that * the day of darkness is ready at his hund. 24' Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall prevail against him, as a king, ready to the battle,

25 For he slrelcheth out his hand against God, and strenglheneth himself against the Alpighty.

26 He runneth upon him, even on his neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers;

27 '' Because ho covereth his face with his

I' doubt: in the days of the writer of this book, the doctrine of a future judgment was understood in^veiy part of the East where the knowledge of the true God was diffused.

Verse 23. He tvandereth abroad for bread] He is reduced to a state of the utmost indigisnco i he who was once in affluence requires a morsel of bread, and pan Scarcely by begging procure enough to sustain life.

Is ready at his hand.] Is n*3 bey ado, in his hand — in his possession. As he cannot get bread, he must soon meet death.

Verse 24. Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid] He shall be in continual fear of death; being now brought down by adversity, and stripped of all the goods w^hich he had got by oppression, his life is a mark for the meanest assassin.

As. a king ready to the battU.] 'The acts of his wickedness and oppression are as numerous as the troops he commands; and when he comes to meet his enemy in the field, he is not only deserted but slain by his troops. How true are the words of the poet: —

Ad generum Cereris sine csde et vulnere paaci Descendunt reges, et sicca morte tyranni.

" For few usurpers to the shades descend By a dry death, or with a. quiet end."

Verse 26. He stretcheth out his hand against God] While in power he thought himself supreme. He not only did not acknowledge God, by whom kings reign, but stretched out his hand — used his power, not to protect, but to oppress those over whom he had supreme rule; and thus strengthened himself against the Almighty. '

Verse 26. He runneth upon him] Cahnet has properly observed that this, refers to God, who, like a mighty conquering hero, marches against the ungodly, rushes upon him, seizes him by the throat, which the mail by which it is encompassed cannot protect; neither his shield nor spear can save him when the Lord of hosts comes against him.

Verse 97. Because he covereth his face] He has lived in luxury and excess; and like a man overloaded wiili' flesh, he cannot defend himself against the strong gfipe of his adversary. '

fatness, and maketh collops of fat on his flanks.

no man inhabitetb, which are ready to become heaps.

29 He shall not be rich, neither shall ^s substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon die earth.

30 He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches,, and '^ by the breath of his mouth shall he go away.

The Arabic, for maketh collops of fat on his flanks, has v3y^ 0>> Vjy3J)jcj^ He lays the Pleiades upon the Hyades; or, He places' Sureea upon aiyuk, a proverbial expression for„ His ambition is boundless; He aspires «s high a9 heaven; His head touches the stars; or, is like the giants of old, who were fabled to have attempted to scale heaven by placing one high mountain upon another: —. -

Ter sunt conati ibipbnere P^ioOssam

Scilicet, atque Osse frondosnm involvere Olympum.

Ter Pater extructos disjecit fulmine montes.

" With mountains piled on mountains, thrice they strove To scale the steepy battlements of Jove;- And thrice his lightning and red thunder playM, And their demolish'd works in ruins laid."

To the lust of power kad the schemes of ambition there are no bounds; but see the end of such per sons: the haughty spirit precedes a fall; their palaces become desolate; and their heaven is reduced to a chaos.

Verse 2S. He dwelleth in desolate cities] It is sometimes the fate of a tyrant to be obliged to take up his habitation in some of those cities which have been ruined by his wars, and in a house so niindus as to be' ready to fall into heaps. Ancient and modern history afford abundance of examples to illustrate this.

Verse 89. He shall not be rich] The whole of what follows, to the end of the chapter, seems to be directed against Job himself, whom EHphaz indh^ctly accuses of having been a tyrant and oppressor. The threatened evils are, 1. He shall not be rich, though he laboura greatly to acquire riches. 2. His substance shall not continue — God will blast it, and deprive him of power to preserve it. 3. Neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof — all his works shall perish, for God will blot out his remembrance from under heaven.

Verse 30. He shall not depart out of darkness] 4. He shall be in continual afflictions and distress. 6. The' flame shall dry up his branches —:his children shall be cut off by sudden judgments. 6. He shall pass away by the breath of his mouth; for by the breath of his mouth dot)& G^d slay the wicked,

3 1 Let not bim tliat is deceived "trust in vanity; for vanity

33 He shall shake off his unripe grape" as

Yeise 31. heV not him thai ir deceived]. 7. He his muy vatn imaginations of obtaining wealth, pp^'er, j^easue, and happiness; but he is. deceived; and be finds that he has trusted KIBTD bashshav, in a lie; and tliis lie is his recompense.

Veise 32. It shaU he accomplished before his time] I lielieve the Vulgate gives the tpie sense: Aiitequam dies ejus impleantur^ peribit; *' He shall perisb before his time; before his days are completed." 6. He ■hall be remoTed by a violent deathj add not live but balf his days. 9. And his branch shall not be green — there shall be no scion frOm his roots; all his pasterity shall fail.

Verse 33. He shall shake off his unripe grape] lO.WbateTer children he may have, they shall never survive him, nor cofbe to mature age. They shall be like wind-fall grapes and blasted olive. blossoms. As the vine and olitei which are among the most useful trees, affording vine and oil, so necessary fur the worship of God and the comfort of man, are mentioned here, they my be intended to refer to the hopeful pro^Dy of the oppressor; but who fell, like the untimely grape or the blasted olive flower, without having the opportunity of realizing the public expectation.

Verse 34, The congregation of hypocrites] 11. Job is here classed with hypocrites, or rather the impious of all kinds. The congregation, or TS'iy adath, society,

34 For the coogp^itwm of Ant^'u. C eir. hypocrites shall be desofaife, aivi ^^* fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

35 * They conceive mischief, and bring forth ^ vanity, and their belly prepwellj deceit.

of such, shall be desolate, or a barren rock, n>rjSi galmud. See this Arabic word explained in the note on chap. iii. 7.

Fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.] I^, Another insinuation. against Job, tliat he had perverted justice and judgment, and had taken bribes.

Verse 35. They conceive mischief] The figure here is both elegant and impressive. Tire wicked conceive mischief, from the seed which Satan sows in their hearts; in producing which they travail with many pangs, (for sin is a sore labour,) and at last their wom5 produces fraud or deception. This is an accursed birtb, from an iniquitous conception. St. James gives the figure at full length, most beautifully touched in all its parts: When lust halh cpnceived it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death; James i. 15, where see the note.

Poor Job! what a fight of affliction had he to contend with!. His body wasted and tortured with sore disease; his mind harassed by Satan; and his hcari wrung with the unkindncss, and false accusations of his friends. No wonder he was greatly agitated, often distracted, and sometimes even thrown ofl* his guard. However, all his enemies were chained; and beyond that chain they couhl not go. God was his unseen Protector, and did not suffer his faithful servant to be greatly moved.

Job replies to Eliphaz, and through him to alt his friends, who, instead of comforting him, had added to his misfortunes; and shows that, had they been in his circumstances, he would have treated them in a different manner, l—^. Enters into an affecting detail of his sufferings, 6-1 C. Consoles himself with the consciousneu of his own innocence, of which he takes God to witness, and patiently expects a termination of all his sufferings by death, 17-22.

B c eir* iSo T^HEN Job answered and said, inteLOiyiDp. 2 I have hcairf many such

- NOTES ON CHAP. XVI. Vorae 9. I have heard many such things] These Myings of the ancients are not strange to me; but they Jo not apply to my case: ye see me in affliction; yc diDQld endeavour to console me. This ye do not; and yet yc pretend to do it! Miserable comforters are ye all. Xene 3. Vain words] Literally, words of atr. What emhaldenethjhee] Thou art totally ignorant c '■

5 Shall *^ vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?

4 I also coilld speak as ye do:

Verse 4. / also could speak] It is probably better to render some of thiese permissives or potential verbs literally in the future tense, as in the Hebi9|r: / also WILL speak. Mr. Good has adopted this mode.

If your soul were in my soul's stead] -If you were in my place, I also could quote many wise sayings that

6 But I would slrengllicn you with my jnoulli,

7 But now he halli made me weary: Uiou hast made desolate all my company.

8 And ihou hast filled me with wrinkles, tohich is a witness against me.: and njy leanness rising up in inc beareth witness to my face.

9 '^Hc tearclh me in his wrath, who hatelK ma: he gnasheth upon me with liis teeth; » mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me*

mighi tend lo show ihat you were hypocrites and %vkked men; but would ibis be fair? Even when I might not cbooae to go farlher in assertwnr I might skt^e my head by way of tnstrtuntwn that Ibere was much more be bind, of which I did not chooso to speak; bat would this be right I That such sayings are in memory, is no i^roof that ibey were either made for me J or npply to my czse,

'* vVith niy own rooulh will I overpower you, Till the, quivering of my lips shall fail;*' for which rendering he contends in bia learned nolcB* This iranfilation is coanienanced by the Septuttginlj S^riaCf and Ar&bic versions.

Thott bast ttruck apaxt a.11 my witnesses.^' Yerse 8. Thoti hast _filled me wUh wrinkles'] If Job'a disease were tlie t^hphantiasis, in which the whi>Le skin is wrinkled as the ikin of the elcphgnU from which this species of leprosy has taken its name, these words would apply raopt forcibly to it; but ihe" whole passage, through its obscurity, has been vsriouslj fetidered. JOalmet unites it with the preceding,

1 0 They have ^ gaped upon me with their mouth; they ' have sinitien me upon the cheek reproachfully; ihey Imve ^ gathered themselves together against me,

11 God Uiath '^dehveredme to the imgodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked,

12 1 was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, atid ° &et me up for his mark.

1 3 His archers compass mc round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth riot spare; he pbureth out my gall upon the i^rouud*

14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant.

15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skiHi

and N&uhiganl ia not very different. He tntnalatef thus: — *' For toy trouhle hath now weakened all my frame, antl hrought ivrinklea over me: he is present as a witness, and arise I h aguinat me, w?lia te]lelh liea coAce ruing me; he openly eootradi<!ti me to my face." Mr. Gb&d translates nearly in the same way j oikers, atill differently*

Verse 9* He ieanth nfie in hts xvratli\ Who Oia person is thai is spoken of in ibia verme, ftnd onward to lh6 end of the fourteenth^ has been a question on which commentatora have greatly differed. Some think Godi others Eliphais^ is intended: I think miiher. ProhahlyGod pcnuilled Satan to show liimself to Job j and the hornhle form wKich he and hi* detnons asaum^d inrreaacd the misery under which Job had already Bufli^red so much* All the expressionsi from this to the end uf the fourteenth verse ^ may he easily unJersleod on th» principle; e* g-^ ver. 9: *' ^Xe (SataH) gnasheth upunme with his loeth; minrttiemy aharpenotfe his eyes upon me.'* Ver- 10: "They {demons) ha^ gaped qu me with tiieir^in(*uih; — they have gatherei themselves together agrainfit tiie." Ver. U: "God bath delivered me to the inigodly, (^"ij; atil^ to the ETHi oKE,) and turned me wver into the hands of the wicked," lie hath abandoned me to bo tortured by the tempter and liia host.

If we consider all these expressions as referring* to Job's three friends t we must, in that case* acknowledge that the fgur€s are all strained to an insufTerable height, ao as net to be justified by tmyjigure of speech.

Verso 1 3. His archers compass me] V31 r&UaiVf " bia great ones/* The Vulgate and Bepttiagmt translate this his spears; the Syriact Arabic^ and Chttldttt hts arrmvs. On this and the following vcr«e Mr. Heath obaerrea: " The metaphor is here taken ironi himtsmen: firstt they surround the beast; ihm he ia Bhot dead \ his entrails are next taken out; and then Ida body is broken up limb from limb,"

13 O eartlit corer not thou my blood, and 1 ^ lei toy cry have no place.

Lifrtf haM pdjorr! into alcnost all langus^ges^ 34 I tiavc IllKidf teid oeca^ioa to itgtice ia other parts of this

D^iUd Jity A#m tn. lA« ^tt«L|^ 'the horn was air Lfufatep of ptfiftr; mnd the Olctajihor vtoa ori^malty betists, sQcli aa ilie urus, wild ox, huffato, ' prrhmp? the rAjnorr ra*, who were perceiTed lo have uracil t*'^^' ^^ 'b^ir horns. He nee a horn was I &£qaeailj urpm oq ctoniis and helitiels, ^s ia evident eoi£is; and to this day it ia an app^tidage ds^rtn of the kings and chiefs of AbjBairiiii. lie ibe lecoid editian ef Mr^ Brueo'^t Travels in Abys- I'sLBk. f ol. fhi., plates 2 and 3, we have epgtavings of 1 liro chii^r Kefia Yas&us, and Waodagt Asttahelj who [tre leprvsemed with thU emblem of pQW€r on ibeir Mr* Bruce thus describes it: '* One itunf ariulile in this cavalcade, which I observed, was Edie k^d 'tktm of the' gsvtmots of prmuiccs. A large fiflet wa& hound upon their foreliead, and lied ' bead. In the middle of this was a kortii Itr ft eaiii^ piece of silver^ gtlt^ about four inches in pe^gtl^ fBileli m the shape of nuf common candle ex- [iiifiifltiets. ThU i« trailed ktm^ or hom; and is only ia le^iews, or paradts tifter vict&ry. This, I k«pprabc«d> Like all others of their nsages, is taken IfioBi Ibe Hebrews; and the several allusions made,in I lo it arise from this practice. * I aaid unto JML npt foolishly; and Co the wicked ^ Lift h^m.^ * lAh not iip yowr horn on high, (■peak Dot With a sufT neck; for promotion eomethnot,^^ liit. ' But mf horn ^hiilt thou txalt Hks the horn oi a I unicorn.^ *An<l the hora of the rig'hteous shall he, e^- wilh honour/ And so in many other places; the Fsalms." Jn i note on tlic same page hm^ Hie foilowing^ observation: " The crooked ' in which th«y hold iKcir neck when this orna- Lift oa their forehead, for fear it ahonld fall fortperfeetlf thows the meaning of ' Speak not with ^orck when you hold the horn on high (or erect) be bOTM of the nnicom.* ^' — Bruce^s Travels, vpL, p, 407,

!i!r Good translates, l have rolled my turfaan in the dixst^ *AhLi3fi be endeavours to justify in a long note* B-jt in this, 1 think, ibis very lenmed man Is miistabm. The Hobcew pp ktr^n is the saM as the ^^thiopic linii waA iMidi mevi exacilyi in stioh eonnectiou» what

21 * O that one might plead for a man with God, aa a man pleadeth for his ^ neighbour!

23 When ''a few years are come, then I shall * go the way V)hence I shall not retuim.

Mr, Bvuee has noticed above* The horn on the diadem m the emblem of power, authority, and eminence.

Vetse 16. On my eyelids is the Jthadow af death] Dealli is now fast etpprQaching me; already km shading ia projected over me.

Verse 17. Not for any injititite] T roust assert, even with my last breath, that the chargies of my friends against me are ground loss, I om afflicted unto death, but net on account of my iniquities,

\''erse 16, O tartht coiner not thou my blood] This is evidently an allusion to tht^ nmriler of Abel, ajjd the verse has been understood in ttco diHerent ways: I. Job here calls for justice against his destroyers* His blood is his ^*/e, which be ci^osiders as itiken avvay by via^ lenee^ and I lie re fore calls for vengeance* Let my blood cry lugaiiist my murderers, as the hlood of Abel cried against Cain* My innocent hfe is taken away hy violence, as his imioeent life was; ns theretbre Ibe earth was not permiUed to cover his hlooi^ so that his mur^Jerer should be epuceated^let my death he avenged in the same vtTiy, 2* It has been suppoaed Uiat the passage meiins that Job considered himself accused of shedding innocent blood; and, constMous of \ih owil perfect innocence, he prays that the earth may not eQver any -blood shed by haitt Thus Mr. Soalt:-^

** O eftttfii the blood aeensing me wfmX; Its piercing voice in no feoess qoneeftl."

And this tiotion ia followed by Mr» Good* But, with nil deference to these learned men^ I do not see that this meaning can bo supported by the Hebrew text; nor was the passage so uuderstood hy any of the ancient versions, I thernfbre prefer the Erst stnse. Which is aulRciently natural, and ^Uitc in the manner of Job in his impassioned queniloasoess.

Verso 20, My fnends scorn me} They deride and insult met hut nty eye is towKrde God; I kok to him to vindicate my cause.

Verse 21. 0 ih&t one might plead] Let rae only have liberty to plead with God^iLS a man hath with liis fellow.

Verse 22, When a few years are covm\ I prefer Mr, Gdod^s vera ion: — "But the years numbered to me are come,

Job ccruld not, in his present oircumstances, expect a. few yeoTM €f longer life; from his own conyiction he was expectii^ death every hour. The next verse, the first of.the following chapter, should come in here: My breath is corrupt^ <}r. He felt himself as in the arms of d^atb: he saw the grave as already digged, which was to receive his dead, body. 'This verse shows that our translation of the iwenty-second verse is improper^ and vindicates Mr. Good's Version*

I HATB said on ver. 9 that a part of Job's sqfierings probacy arose from appalling. representations made to his eye or to his imagination by Satan and his agents, I thkik this neither irrational nor improbably. That he and his demons have powet to make themselves manifest on especial occasioiis, has been. credited in all siges of the world; not by the weak, creduloite, and superstitious only; but also by the virisest, the most learned, and the best of men. I am persoa* ded that many passages in the- Book of Job refer to this, and admit of an easy interpretation on this ground.

;tob compiains of the injustice of -his friendly, and compares his present state of want and wo with his former honour and affluence^ 1-6. Gods dealings with him will even astonish upright men; yet- the righteotd shall not he discouraged, but hold on his way^ 7-9. ' Asserts that' there is ndt a wise man among his

m6? and doth not mine eye ^ continue in their ^provocation? -

3 Lay down now, put me in a* surety with thee; who is he that "will strike hands.with me?

NOTES ON CHAP. XVII. * Verse 1. My breath is, corrupt] UaXher, My spirit is oppressed, nSan Tin rtfchi chubbalah:My days at e extinct, and the sepulchral cells sEre ready /or me.*^ Parkhvrst. There is probably a reference here to cemeteriM, where wjere several niches, in each of Ivhich'a eorpse was deposited. See ob ver. 16.

' For n^3n chiibbalahy corrupted or oppressed^ some MSS. have nSn chalah, is made weak; and one hite Tlh^y is iBom down, consumed: this is agrieeable to the Vulg^tef Spiritus meus attenuebtttur; ** My spirit is exhausted.'^

Verse 9. Are there not mockers with' me f] This lias been vAriousIy translated. The;VuLOATB f ** I have hot jBinned, abd yet my eye dwells upon afflictions.!' Sbptuaoint: " I conjure you, labouring uuder afflictioi^, what eVii hdve I done! Yet strabgers have ribbed me <tf^ my SUbstaiiee.'* Mr. Good: ** But are not revilers before md! Alas, mine eye* penetrateth their iebokes.'* Calmst thinks the Hebrew might be translated thus: "If I have not htitaa united in friendship Vdth the Widked, why are my eye»'in bitterness V CoTslkDALifi tofttotaates both terses thus 2 Jlft^ ^^^ fi^tt* ms iajfes are sjjtortenetr, I s«,)wctre at Mtl^es tore. I iMtbe tfoceobeH n* maut set must «jf He ese csnttnue Cn ^fStpitMU. Mr. Heath i " Were it not so, I have sarcasms enow in store; and I could ftpend the whole night Unmoved it their aggravations.'' The general meaning is sufficiently plain,, and the 'reader has got translations enough.

6 He tliat sppaketh flattery to ''^'

Ais.. friends, even the eyes of his. children ' shall fail*....

6 He hath made me also a ^ by-word of tHe people; and g aforetime I was as ^, tabr^t.

your conduct against mine, and your life and soul on the issue; let the cause come before God; let him try it; and sqq whether any of you shall be justified by him, while I am condemned. '

Verse 4-. For thou hast.hid their hifarX] ITiis ad* dress is to God; and here he is represented as doing, that wHich in the course of his providence he only per' mits to be done.... »

Shalt thou not exalt them.] This was exactly fulfiK led: not one pf Job*s friends was exalted; on the contrary, God condemned the whole; and ihey.were not received into the Divine favour till Job sacrificedi and made intercession j^r them.

Verse 5. He that speaketh flattery].There is a great variety of meaning given to the terms in this verse. The general Mose is^ The man who expects much froni his. friends will be disappointed: while depending on them l^s children's eyes may fail- in looking for bread.

Verse 6. He hath made me also a by^word] My lifilictions and calamities have become a subje^ of g^end conversation, so that my poverty and «IBfciliqi| are proverbial. As poor as Tob^ As afflicted m M^r BJte pito verbs that have even Reached our timesy'ailiaie still in use.'

Aforetime J was as a ttdtret.] This is not the trans-' latiott of the Hebrew n'HK DUdS rtfini vMopheth Zephanim eheyeh. Instead of DUdS lepkanim, I woold reftd urv^^diphneyhem, and then the clause might be translated thus: I shall be as a furnace, or consuming fire (Topheth) ^f§re them. They shai.haTe litUe

it this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite..

d The righteous also shall hoTd on his way, and he that hath ^ clew hands ^ shall be stronger and stronger. •

10 But as for you all, "^do ye return, ind come now: for I cannot find one vrifie pian among you.^ '

1 1 * My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even * the. thoughts of my heart;

12 They change the night into ^ ^ cm 2^. day: the light is p short becauise Ante i. diymp.'

13 If I wait, the graye iff mine ^^' house: I have made my bed in the dark-:

14 I have 1 said to corruption, Thou arl my iscther: to the worm, 7%au art niy mother^ and my sister>

15 And where is now my hope? as forjmy hope, ip^ho shall see it?, \

16 They shall go down ' to the bars of the pit) when our "rest together is in the dnst.

reason to mock wheil they see the end of the Lord's dealings with me; my example will be a consuming file to them, and my false friends nfill be 'confounded. C0TISDAI.B j»anslates thus: M^.j^t^ mittie me as Ct \mxt a bftoorUe of t^t comsn jpeople. I am ]ifs tuttnif ftoclte amonfle tbem.

Terse 7. Mine^e also is dim\ Continual weepiiig impaks the sight; an^ indeed any affliction that debilitates the fcame generally^ weakens the si^t in^ the same proportion.

AU my munbers ate as n shadow.] • Nothing is leftbat sim Ipd hone. I am but the shadow of my fonher

Verse 8. Upright' men shall ht astonied] In-s'evenl sf these Yerses Job is supposed to speak prophetiealiy of his future restoration, and of the good which reUgioos society should derive from the h^tory of his original afflaende, consequent poverty and affliction, a)id\fiBal restoration to healthy peace, and prosperity. The upright will receive th'e accoubt with astqpish- ■ent, and wonder at the dis^nsations of the Almighty; while hypocrites,, false professors and the sonr-headed, godly^ shall be unmasked, and innocent men, whether in affliction or affluence, shall be known to -be ft^vonrstes of. the Almighty.

Verse 9. The righteous also shall hold on his ina^] There shall be no doubt concerning the dispensa^ons of the Divine providence. My case shall illustrate all seemiiigly intricate displays of God's government. Hone slttll be stumbled iit seeing a godly man under oppreasion, knowing that God nevet pern^its anything of the Icind but for the 'good of the subject, and the BDUufiBstation of his own mercy, wisdom, and love. Therefore, whatever occurs to the righteous man, he win take it for granteji that all is well and justly ma- ■aged, and that the end will be glorious., Shall be. stronger and stronger.y He shall take eneoorageDMnt from my case^ siay himself on the Lord, and ^ofl gain stiength by every blast- of adversity. This is one grand use of the book of Job* It casts mnch light on seemingly partial displays of Divine providence: and. has ever *been the great text-booJ^ of godly men in- a state of persecutioa and affliction.. This is what Job seems prophetically to declare.

Verstf 16. But as for you all] Ye are too- proud, and too full of self-importance, to profit by what ye see.' ISe/tim— -enter into yourselves, consider yoaf Ways) go again to school, get- back to your own houses^ and endeavour to acquire humility and knowledge; for there is not one wise man among you.

Verse 1 1. My days are past] Job seemtf to relapse here into his former -state of gloom. These transitioni are,very Ireqtient in this poem; knd they strongly mark the strog^e of piety and resignation with con- ^ tinued affltction, violent temptation, and gloomy providences.

The' thoughts of my hearts,] All my purposes are interrupted \ and all my schemes and plans, in relation to myself and family, are torn asunder, destroyed/ and dissipated. • "

. Verse 13. They change the night into day] These purQoses and thoughts are so very gloomy, tha$ they change day into night.

Tf^ light is short because of darhn^sS.] il'ip 11H •]Bfn "Jbo or katoh mippeney choshek, " The light is near from the face of darkness."- I have scarcely any light t what is called light is so near akin to darkness, ^ that it is scarcely severed from it. There is either no light, or merely sttch as is sufficient to render dark' ness visile. A fin^ picture of the state of his mind -*^he was generally in darkness; but had occasional gleams of hope.^