Notes on the Old and New Testaments

that the name denotes a man who turns himself penitently to God, from a sense of the verb still found in Arabic ^^|| to repent. On this supposition, the name was given to him, because, at the close of the book, he is represented as exercising repentance for the improper expressions in which he had indulged during his sufferings. The verb occurs only once in the Hebrew Scriptures, Ex. xxiii. 22: "But if thou shalt indeed obey hig voice, and do all that I speak, then / will be an enemy C^Pl^^X"]) unto thine enemies (T]i^'ik"ni<)." The participle ^)]15< Oyeb is the common word to denote an enemy in the Old Testament. Ex. xv. 6, 9. Lev. xxi. 25. Num. xxxv. 23. Deut. xxxii. 27, 42. Ps. vii. 5, viii. 2, xxxi. 8. Lam. ii. 4, 5. Job xiii. 24, xxvii. 7, xxxiii. 10, et scepe al. If this be the proper meaning of the word Job., then the name would seem to have been given him by anticipation, or by common consent, as a much persecuted man. Significant names were very common among the Hebrews — given either by anticipation (see Notes on Isa. viii. 18), or subsequently, to denote some leading or important event in the life. Comp. Gen. iv. 1, 2, 25, v. 29. 1 Sam. i. 20. Such, too, was the case among the Romans, where the agnovicn thus bestowed became the appellation by which the individual was best known. Cicero thus received his name from a wart which he had on his face, resembling a. vetch, and which was called by the Latins, ctcer. Thus also Marcus had the name Ancus, from the Greek word arxu)v, aticon, because he had a crooked arm; and thus the names Africanus, Germanicus, &c., were given to generals who had distinguished themselves in particular countries. See Univer. His. Anc. Part. ix. 619, ed. 8vo, Lend. 1779. In like manner it is possible that the name Job was given to the Emir of Uz by common consent, as the man much persecuted or tried, and that this became afterwards the appellation by which he was best known. The name occurs once as applied to a son of Issachar, Gen. xl vi. 13, and in only two other places in the Bible except in this book; Ezek. xiv. 14. James v. 11. IT Aid titatman 7oas perfect' (l^Pj). The LXX have greatly expanded this statement, by giving a paraphrase instead of a translation. "He was a man who was true (^alriO-irbq), blameless (^a/nefiTTToq), just (diy.aioq), pious (&-eoof^ijq), abstaining from every evil deed." Jerome renders it, siinplex — simple, or sincere. The Chaldee, ^'^^^ i complete, finished, perfect. The idea seems to be that his piety, or moral character, was proportionate and was complete in all its parts. He was a man of integrity in all the relations of life — as an Emir, a father, a husband, a worshipper of God. Such is properly the meaning of the word tsn tdm as derived from D^^ tdrndm, to complete, to make full, perfect or entire, or to finish. It denotes that in which there is no part lacking to complete the whole — as in a watch in which no wheel is wanting. Thus he was not merely upright as an Emir, but he was pious towards God; he was not merely kind to his family, but he was just to his neighbors and benevolent to the poor. The word is used to denote integrity as applied to the heart. Gen. xx. 5:

"^^^t ^^-^^ " I^^ t'i6 honesty, simplicity, or sincerity of my heart (see the margin) have I done this." So 1 Kings xxii. 34, "One drew a bow iian? in the simplicity [or perfection] of his heart;" i. e. without any evil intention. Comp. 2 Sam. xv. 11. Prov. X. 9. The proper notion, therefore, is that of simplicity, sincerity, absence from guile or evil intention, and completeness of parts in his religion. That he was a man absolutely sinless, or without any propensity to evil', is disproved alike by the spirit of complaining which he often evinces, and by his own confession, ch. ix. 20:

If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me;

If I say I am perfect, it shall prove mo perverse.

1 have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, But now mine eye seeth thee; Wherefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.

Comp. Eccl. vii. 20. IT Aiid upright. The word "i^^ 7jdshdr, from ^^J;; ydshar, to be sti-aight, is applied often to a road which is straight, or to a path which is level or even. As here used it means upright or righteous. Comp. Ps. xi. 7, xxxvii. 14. Deut. xxxii. 4. Ps. xxxiii. 4. TT And one that feared God. Religion in the Scriptures is often represented as the fear of God. Prov. i. 7, 29, ii. 5, iii. 13, xiv. 26, 27. Isa. xi. 2. Acts ix. 31, et scepe at. IT And eschewed evil. ' And departed from O^) evil.' Sept. ' Abstaining from evei-y evil thing.' These then are the four characteristics of Job's piety — he was sincere; upright; a worshipper of God; and one who abstained

2 And there were born unto hims3vensons und three daughters.

3 His 'substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hun-

from all wrong. These are the essen tial elements of true religion everywhere; and the whole statement in the book of Job shows that Job was, though not absolutely free from the sins which cleave to our nature, eminent in each of these things.

2. And there were born unto him seven S07is and three daughters. The same number was given to him again after these were lost, and his severe trials had been endured. See ch. xlii. 13. Of his second family the names of the daughters are mentioned, ch. xlii. 14. Of his first, it is remarkable that neither the names of his wife, his sons nor his daughters are recorded. The Chaldce, however, on what authority is unknown, says, that the name of his wife was ^3^^ Dinah, ch. ii- 9.

3. His substance. Marg. or cattle. The word here used O^^'R'^.) is derived from "^Jl^j kdndh, to gain or acquire, to buy or purchase, and properly means any thing acquired or purchased— property, possessions, riches. The wealth of nomadic tribes, however, consisted mostly in flocks and herds, and hence the word in the Scriptures signifies, almost exclusively, property in cattle. The word, says Gesenius, is used strictly to denote sheep, goats, and neat cattle, excluding beasts of burden (comp. Gr. xrijvoq, herd, used here by the LXX), though sometimes the word includes asses and camels, as in this place. H Seven thousand sheep. In this verse we have a description of the wealth of an Arab ruler or chief, similar to that of those who are at this day called Emirs. Indeed the whole description in the book is that which is applicable to the chief of a tribe. The possessions referred to in this

dred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great ^household; so that this man was the greatest of all the ^ men of the east.

verse would (constitute no inconsiderable wealth anywhere, and particularly in the nomadic tribes of the East. Land is not mentioned as a part of his wealtli; for among nomadic tribes living by pasturage, the right to the soil in fee simple is not claim ed by individuals, the right of pasturage or a temporary possession being all that is needed. For the same reason, and from the fact that their circumstances require them to live in movable tents, houses are not mentioned as a part of the wealth of this Emir. To understand this book, as well as most of the books of the Old Testament, it is necessary for us to lay aside our notions of living, and transfer ourselves in imagination to the very dissimilar customs of the East. — The Chaldee has made a very singular explanation of this verse, which must be regarded as the work of fancy, but which shows the character of that version: "And his possessions were seven thousand sheep — a thousand for each of his sons; and three thousand camels — a thousand for each of his daughters; and five hundred yoke of oxen — for himself; and five hundred she-asses — for his wife." TT And three thousand camels. Camels are well known beasts of burden, extensively used still in Arabia. The Arabs employed these animals anciently in war, in their caravans, and for food. They are not unfrequently called " ships of the desert,' particularly valuable in arid plains because they go many days without water. They carry from thi*ee to five hundred pounds, in proportion to the distance which they have to travel. Providence has adapted the camel with wonderful wisdom to sandy deserts, and in all ages the camel must be an invaluable possession there. The driest thistle and the barest thorn is all the food that he requires, and this he eats while advancing on his journey without stopping or causing a moment's delay. As it is his lot to cross immense deserts where no water is found, and where no dews fall, he is endowed with the power of laying in a store of water that will suffice him for days — Bruce says for thirty days. To effect this, nature has provided large reservoirs or stomachs within him, where the water is kept pure, and from which he draws at pleasure as from a fountain. No other animal is endowed with this power, and were it not for this, it would be wholly impracticable to cross those immense plains of sand. The Arabians, the Persians, and others, eat the flesh of camels, and it is served up at tlie best tables in t!ie country. One of the ancient Arab poets, whose hospitality grew into a proverb, is reported to have killed yearly, in a certain month, ten camels every day for the entertainment of his friends. In regard to the hardihood of camels, and their ability to live on the coarsest fare, Curcichardt has stated a fact which,may furnish an illustration. In a journey which he made from the country south of the Dead Sea to Egypt, he says, " During tl)e whole of this journey, the camels had no other provender than the withered shrubs of the desert, my dromedary excepted, to which I gave a few handfuls of barley each evening." Trav. in Syria, p. 451. Comp. Bruce's Travels, vol. iv. p. 596. INiebuhr, Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien, 1 Band, s. 215. Sandys, p. 138. Ilarmer's Obs. iv. 415, ed. Lond. 1808, 8vo; and Rob. Cal. TI Avd five hundred yoke of oxen. The fact that Job had so many oxen implies that he devoted himself to the cultivation of the soil as well as to keeping flocks and herds. Comp. vor. 14. So large a number of oxen would constitute wealth anywhere. H And five hundred she-asses. Bryant remarks (Observations, p. 61), that a great part of the wealth of the inhabitants of the East often consisted of she-asses, the males being few and not held in equal estimation. Sheasses are early mentioned as having been in common use to ride on; Num. xxii. 23. Judges v. 10. 2 Kings iv. 24 (Hebrew). One reason why the ass was chosen in preference to the horse, was, that it subsisted on so much less than that animal, there being no animal except the camel that could be so easily kept as the ass She-asses were also regarded as the most valuable, because, in traversing the deserts of the country they would furnish travellers with milk. It is remarkable that coics are not mentioned expressly in this enumeration of tbe articles of Job's wealth, though butter is referred to by him subsequently as having been abundant in his family, ch. xxix. 6. It is possible, hov.ever, that cows v-ere included as a part of the ' five hundred yoke of ■^1)53 Bdkdr.,' here rendered ' oxen;' but which would be quite as appropriately rendered cattle. The word is in the common gender, and is derived from ""i^^, in Arab, to cleave, to divide, to lay open, and hence to plougli, to cleave ihe soil. It denotes properly the animals used in ploughing; and it is well known that cows are employed as well as oxen for this purpose in the East. See Judges xiv. 18. Hos. iv. 16. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 14, where the word '^)^3 Bdkdr is used to denote a cow — " milk of kine.," Gen xxxiii. 13 (Heb.). H A7id a very great household. Marg. husbandry. The Hebrew word here ('^'^^?'.) is ambiguous. It may denote service rendered, i.ii, work, or the servants who performed it. Comp. Gen. xxvi. 14, JWar^. Tea LXX render it vTiijOfoia Aquhe. dovlala; and Symmachus, olxiT^a, all denoting service, or servitude, or that which pertained to the domestic service of a family. The word refers doubtless to those who had charge of his camels, his cattle, and of his husbandry. See ver. 15. It is not implied by the word here used, nor by that in ver. 15, that they were slaves. They may have been, but there is nothing

4 And his sons went and feast- 1 ed in their houses, every one his

to indicate this in the narrative. The LXXadd to this, as if explanatory of it, " and his works were great in the land." IF So that this man teas the greatest. Was possessed of the most wealth, and was held in the highest honor. *il Of all the men of the East. Marg. as in Mch. sons. The sons of the East denote those wlio lived in the East. The word East (3"^)!?) is commonly employed in the Scriptures to denote the country which lies cast of Palestine. For the places intended here, see Intro. § 2, (3.) It is of course impossible to estimate with accuracy the exact amount of the value of the property of Job. Compared with many persons in modern times, indeed, his possessions would not be regarded as constituting very great riches. The Editor of the Pictorial Bible supposes that on a fair estimate his property might be considered as worth from thirty to forty thousand pounds sterling — equivalent to some two hundred thousand dollars. In this estimate the camel is reckoned as worth about forty-five dollars, the oxen as worth about five dollars, and the sheep at u little more than one dollar, which it is said are about the average prices now in Western Asia. Prices, however, fluctuate much from one age to another; but at the present day such possessions would be regarded as constituting great wealth in Arabia. The value of the property of Job may be estimated from this fact, that he had almost half as many camels as constituted the wealth of a Persian king in more modern times. Chardin says, " as the king of Persia in the year 1676 was in Mesandera, the Tartars fell upon the camels of the king and took away three thousand of them, which was to him a great loss, for he had only seven thousand " — Rosenmilller, Morgenland, in loc. The condition of Job we are to regard as that of a rich Arabic Emir, and his mode of life as between the nomadic pastoral life, and the settled manner of living in communities like ours. He was a princely shepherd, and yet he was devoted to the cultivation of the soil. It does not appear, however, that he claimed the right of the soil in fee simple, nor is his condition inconsistent with the supposition that his residence in any place was regarded as temporary, and that all his property might be easily removed. " lie belonged to that condition of life which fluctuated between that of the wandering shepherd, and that of a people settled in towns. That he resided, or had a residence, in a town is obvious; but his flocks and herds evidently pastured in the deserts, between which and the town his own time was probably divided. He differed from the Hebrew patriarchs chiefly in this, that he did not so much wander about 'without any certain dwelling place.' This mixed condition of life, which is still frequently exhibited in Western Asia, will, we apprehend, account sufficiently for the diversified character of the allusions and pictures which the book contains — to the pastoral life and the scenes and products of the wilderness; to the scenes and circumstances of agriculture; to the arts and sciences of settled life and of advancing civilization." — Pict. Bib. It may serve somewhat to illustrate the difljerent ideas in regard to what constituted wealth in ditferent countries, to compare this statement respecting Job with a remark of Virgil respecting an inhabitant of ancient Italy, wkom he calls the most wealthy among the Ansonian farmers. —

Seniorque Galesus, Dum paci medium se offert, justissimus unus, Q,ui fuit, ansoniisquc olim ditissimus arvis. Quinque greges illi balantom, quinaredibant Armenia, et terram centmn vertebat aratris. ^n. vii.535— 53a. Among the rest, the rich Galesus lies; A good old man, while peace he preached in vain. Amid the madness of the unruly train: Five herds, five bleating flocks his pasture filled. His lands a hundred yoke of oxen tilled.

4 And his sons went and feasted

day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in

ill their houses. Dr. Good renders this, " and his sons went to hold a banquet house.".Tindal renders it, "made bankettes." The Hebrew means, they went and made * a house-feast;' and the idea is, that they gave an entertainment in their dwellings, in the ordinary way in which such entertainments were made. The word here used (•^^'^''9) is derived from "^^^^ shdthd., to drink; and then to drink together, to banquet. Schultens supposes that this was merely designed to keep up the proper familiarity between the different branches of the family, and not for purposes of revelry and dissipation; and this seems to accord with the view of Job. He, though a pious man, was not opposed to it, but he apprehended merely that they might have sinned in their hearts, ver. 5. He knew the danger, and hence he was more assiduous in imploring for them the divine guardianship. IT Every one his day. In his proper turn, or when his day came round. Perhaps it refers only to their birth-days. See ch. iii. 1, where the woFd ' day' is used to denote a birthday. In early times the birth-day was observed with great solemnity and rejoicing. Perhaps in this statement the author of the Book of Job means to intimate that his family lived in entire harmony, and to give a picture of his domestic happiness strongly contrasted with the calamities which came upon his household. It was a great aggravation of his sufferings that a family thus peaceful and harmonious was wholly broken up. — The Chaldee adds, " until seven days were completed," supposing that each one of these feasts lasted seven days, the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the num ber of them all: for Job said, I\ may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed "God in their hearts. Thus did Job * continually.

a supposition by no means improbable, if the families were in any consider able degree remote from each other. 11 And sent and called for their three sisters. This also may be regarded as a circumstance showing that these occasions were not designed for revelry. Young men, when they congregate for dissipation, do not usually invite their sisters to be with them; nor do they usually desire the presence of virtuous females at all. The probability, therefore, is, that this was designed as affectionate and friendly family intercourse. In itself there was nothing wrong in it, nor was there necessarily any danger; yet Job felt it possible that they might have erred and forgotten God, and hence he was engaged in more intense and ardent devotion on their account; ver. 5,

5. Jlnd it was so, ichen the days of their feasting were gone about. Dr Good renders this, " as the days of such banquets returned." But this is not the idea intended. It is, when the banquets had gone round as in a circle through all the families, then Job sent and sanctified them. It was not from an anticipation that they icould do wrong, but it was from the apprehension that they might have sinned. The word rendered " were gone about" (51|^5) means properly to join together, and then to move round in a circle, to revolve, as festivals do. See Notes on Isaiah, xxix. 1: " Let the festivals go round." Here it means that the days of their banqueting had gone round the circle, or had gone round the several families. Sept. " When the days of the entertainment (or drinking, noxov) were finished." A custom of feasting similar to this prevails in China. " They have their fraternities which they call the brotherhood of the months; tills consists of months according to tlie number of the days therein, and ill a circle they go abroad to eat at one another's houses by turns. If one man has not conveniences to receive the fraternity in liis own house, he may provide for them in another; and there are many public houses well furnished for this purpose." See Semedo's History of China, i. cli. 13, as quoted by Burder in Rosenmilllcr's Morgenland, in loc. IT That Job sent. Sent for them, and called them around him. He was apprehensive that the}' might have erred, and he took every measure to keep them pure, and to maintain the influence of religion in his family. TI And sanctified them. This expression, says Schultens, is capable of two interpretations. It may either mean that he prepared them by various lustrations, ablutions, and other ceremonies to offer sacrifice; or that he offered sacrifices for the purpose of procuring expiation for sins which they miglit actually have committed. Tiie former sense, he remarks, is favored by the use of the word in Ex. xix. 10, 1 Sam. xvi. 5, where the word means to prepare themselves by ablutions to meet God and to worship him. The latter sense is demanded by the connection. Job felt as every father should feel in such circumstances, that there was reason to fear that God had not been remembered as he ought to have been, and he was therefore more fervent in his devotions, and called them around him, that their own minds might be aflected in view of his pious solicitude. What father is there who loves God, and who feels anxious that his children should also, who docs not feel special solicitude if his sons and his daughters are in a situation where successive days are devoted to feasting and mirth.'' The word here rendered sanctified Q^lpJ m \ii;s properly to be pure, clean, holy; in Piliel, the form used here, to make holy, to sanctify, to consecrate, as a priest; and here it means, tnat he took measures to make them holy on the apprehension that they had sinned; that is, he took the usual means to procure for them forgiveness. The LXX render it ty.dO-auill,fr, he purified them IT JJnd rose up early in the morning. For the purpose of offering his devotions, and procuring for them expiation. It was customary in the patriarchal times to oiler sacrifice early in the morning. See Gen. xxii. 3. Ex. xxxii. 6. H Jlnd offered bur 7it- offerings. Ileb. 'and caused to ascend;' that is, by burning them so that the smoke ascended towards heaven. The word rendered burnt-off'crings (niP3>) is from "^^^ d,ldh^ to ascend (the word used here and rendered ^offered'), and means that which was made to ascend, to wit, b}' burning. It is applied in the Scriptures to a sacrifice that was wholly consumed on the altar, and answers to the Greek word oAoKKPOToJ', Holocaust. See Notes on Isa. i. Jl. Such ofi'erings in the patriarchal times were made by the fatlier of a famil}^ officiating as priest in behalf of his household. Thus Noah officiated. Gen. viii. 20; and thus also Abraham acted as the priest to ofler sacrifice, Gen. xii. 7, 8, xiii. 18, xxii. 13. In the earliest times, and among heathen nations, it was supposed that pardon might be procured for sin by offering sacrifice. In Homer there is a passage which remarkably corresponds with the view of Job before us; II. ix. 493:

The gods (the great and only wise) Arc moved by offerings, vows, and sacrifice, Offending men their high compassion wins, And daily prayeis atone for daily sins.

IT Jlccording to the number of them all Sons and daughters. Perhaps an ad ditional sacrifice for each one of them. The LXX render this, " according to their numbers, yal fioa/ov fva Tifi^d a/Liaori'aq TTfol 76J1' xfii'/o)!' avrotv — a young bullock fin- sin [or a sin-otFeringj for their souls." IT Itmaybc that my sons have sinned. lie had no positive or certain proof of it. He felt only the natural apprehension which every pious father must, that his sons might have been overtaken by temptation, and perliaps, under the influence of wine, might have been led to speak reproaclifully of God, and of the necessary restraints of true religion and virtue. IT And cursed God in their hearts. The word here rendered curse is that which is usually rendered hicss (Titi^). It is not a little remarkable that the same word is used in senses so directly opposite as to curse. Dr. Good contends that the word should be always rendered hless^ and so translates it in this place, *' peradventure my sons may have sinned, nor blessed God in their hearts," understanding tJie 1 (Vav) as a disjunctive or negative participle. So too in ch. ii. 9, rendered in our common translation, " curse <iod and die," ho translates it, "blessing God and dying." But the interpretation which the connection demands is evidently that of cursing, renouncing, or forgetting; and so also it is in ch. ii. 9. This sense is still more obvious in 1 Kings xxi. 10: "Thou didst blaspheme (J^r'j?) God and the king."' So also ver. 13 of the same chapter — though here Dr. Good contends that the word should be rendered hless^ and that the accusation was that JNTaboth blessed or worshipped the gods, even Moloch — wliere he supposes the word ^^.'2 melcch, should be pointed Tj^.^ and read Molech. But the difficulty is not removed by this, and after all it is probable that the word here, as in ch. ii. 9, means to curse. So it is understood by nearly all interpreters. TJie V^ulgate indeed renders it singularly enough, " Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God (et benedixerint Deo) in their hearts." The LXX, " Lest perhaps my sons in their mind have ihouglit evil towards God" — y.ay.a irevotjoar noo.; &s6)'. The Ciialdce, *' Lest my sons have sinned and provoked Jehovah C^"? D^l^^ 'HT'^i^Jsip in their hearts." Assuming that this is the sense of the word here, there are three ways of accounting for the fact that the same word should have such opposite significations. (1.) One is that proposed by Taylor (Concor.), that pious persons of old regarded blasphemy as so abominable that they abhorred to express it by the proper name, and that therefore by an euphemism they used the term bless instead of curse. But it should be said that nothing is more common in the Scriptures than words denoting cursing and blasphemy. The word ^^^ dldh^ in the sense of cursing or execrating, occurs frequently. So the word v|15 ghddhdph^ means to blaspheme, and is often used; 2 Kings, xix. 6, 22. Isa. xxxvii. 6, 23. Ps. xliv. 17. Other words also were used in the same sense, and there was no necessity of using a mere euphemism, here. (2.) A second mode of accounting for this double use of the word is, that this was the common term of salutation between friends at meeting and parting. It is then supposed to have been used in the sense of the English phrase to bid farewell to. And then, like that phrase, to mean to renounce^ to abandon., to dismiss from the mind., to disregard. The words yaCiJuv in Greek, and valcre in Latin, are used in this way. This explanation is suggested by Schultens, and is adopted by Rosen Qiiiller and Noyes, who refer to the following places as parallel instances of the use of the word. Virg. Eel. 8, 58. Fivite Sylva — a form, says the Annotator on Virgil (Dolphin), of bidding farewell to, like the Greek /at'ofte., gaudete — " a ibrm used against those whom we reject with hatred, and wish to depart." Thus Catull. IL 17: Cum suis vivat, valeatquc mcechis. So.i^sch. A gam. 581: Ka.1 no).la yaiQtty ouucBOOQiic xara-

Thus Pint. Dion. p. 975. So Cicero in a letter to Atticus (viii. 8), in which he complains of the dis-

f) ^[ Now there was a day" when the sons of God came * to present themselves before the

graceful flight of Pompey, applies to him a quotation from Aristophanes; noXlk /afoBiV iItzmv toI y.aloi — *' bidding farewell to honor he fled to J^rundusium." Comp. Ter. And. iv. 2. 14. Cicero de Nat. Deor. 1. 44. According to this interpretation, it means that Job apprehended they hadrenouncedGodin their hearts, i.e., had been unmindful of him, and had withheld from him the homage which was due. — This is plausible; but the difliculty is in making out the use of this sense of the word in Hebrew. That the word was used as a mode of parting salutation among the Hebrews is undoubted. It was a solemn form of invoking the divine blessing when friends separated. Comp. Gen. xxviii. 3, xlvii. 10. But I find no use of the word where it is applied to separation in the sense oi' renouncing, or bidding farewell to inahad sense; and unless some instances of this kind can be adduced, the interpretation is unsound, and though similar phrases are used in Greek, Latin, and other languages, it does not demonstrate that this use of the word obtained in the Hebrew. (3) A third, and more simple explanation is that v^'hich supposes that the original sense of the word was to kneel. This, according to Gesenius, is the meaning of the word in Arabic. So Castell gives the meaning of the word — ' to bend the knees for the sake of honor;' that is, as an act of respect. So in buit. So vOiO?— Genu, the knee. Then it means to bend the knee for the purpose of invoking God, or worshipping. In Piel, tlie form used here, it means (1) to bless God, to celebrate, to adore; (2) to bless men — i. e, to invoke blessings on them; to greet or salute them — in the sense of invoking blessings on them when we meet

Lord, and ^ Satan came also among '^ them.

them; 1. Sam. xv. 13. Gen. xlvii. 7. 2 Sam. vi. 20; or when we part from them; Gen. xlvii. 10. 1 Kings viii. 66. Gen. xxiv. 60; ('3) to invoke evil, in the sense of cursing others. The idea is, that punishment or destruction is from God, and hence it is imprecated on others. In one word, the term is used, as derived from the general sense of kneeling, in the sense of invoking either blessings or curses; and then in the general sense of blessing or cursing. This interpretation is defended by Selden, de jure Nat. et Gent. Lib. II. c. xi. p. 255, and by Gesenius, Lex. The idea here i.s, that Job apprehended that his sons, in the midst of mirth, and perhaps revelry, had been guilty of irreverence, and perhaps of reproaching God inwardly for the restraints of virtue and piety. — What is more common in such scenes.^ What was more to be apprehended? IT Thus did Job CGntimially. It was his regular habit whenever such an occasion occurred. He was unremitted in his pious care; and his solicitude lest his sons should have sinned never ceased — a beautiful il lustration of the appropriate feelings of a pious father in regard to his sons. The Heb. is, 'all day; i.e., at all times.

6. J^oic there loas a day. Dr. Good renders this, " And the day came." Tindal, " Now upon a time." The Chaldee Paraphrast has presumed to specify the time, and renders it, " Now it happened in the day of judgment [or scrutiny, NS"^"!^ i<"^'i"'l3]> in the leginning of the year, that hosts of angels came to stand in judgment before Jehovah, and Satan came." According to this, the judgment occurred once a year, and a solemn investigation was had of the conduct even of the angels. In the Hebrew there is no intimation of the frequency with which this occurred, nor of the time of the year when it happened. The only idea is, that " the sons of God " on a set or appointed day came to stand before God to give an account of what they had done, and to receive further orders in regard to what they were to do. — Tliis is evidently designed to introduce the subsequent events relating [o Job. It is language taken from the proceedings of a monarch who had sent forth messengers or ambassadors on important errands through the different provinces of his empire, who now returned to give an account of what they had observed, and of the general state of the kingdom. Such a return would, of course, be made on a fixed day when, in the lani^uage of the Taw, their report would be " returnable," and when they would be required to give in an account of the state of the kingdom. If it be said that it is inconsistent with the supposition that tJiis book was inspired to suppose such a poetic fiction, I reply, (1.) That it is no more go than the parables of the Saviour, who often supposes cases, and states them as real occurrences, in order to illustrate some important truth. Yet no one was ever led into error by this. (2.) It is in accordance with the language in tlie Scripture everywhere to describe God as a monarch seated on his throne, surrounded by his ministers, and sending them forth to accomplish important purposes in different parts of his vast empire. It is not absolutely necessary, therefore, to regard this as designed to represent an actual occurrence. It is one of the admissible ornaments of poetry; — as admissible as any other poetic ornament. To represent God as a king is not improper; and if so, it is not improper to represent him with the usual accompaniments of royalty, — surrounded by ministers, and employing angels and messengers for important purposes in his kingdom. This sup- f»osition being admitted, all that folows is merely in keepings and is designed to preserve the verisimilitude of the conception. — This idea, however, by no means militates against the supposition that angels are in fact really employed by God in important purposes in the government of his kingdom, nor that Satan has a real existence, and is permitted by God to employ an important agency in the accomplishment of his purposes towards his people. On this verse, however, see the Introduction, §1. (4.) ir The sons of God. Angels. Comp. ch. xxxviii. 7. The whole narrative supposes that they were celestial beings. IT Came to present tliemselves. As having re turned from their embassy, and to give an account of what they had observed and done. H Before the Lord. Before Jehovah. On the meaning of this word, see Notes on Isa. i. 2. A scene remarkably similar to this is described in 1 Kinga xxii. 19 — 23. Jehovah is there represented as " sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left." He inquires who would go and persuade Ahab that he might go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead: " And there came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him." This he promised to do by being "a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." H Jlnd Satan came also among them. Marg. "The adversary" came "in tho midst of them." On the general meaning of this passage, and the reu-^ sons why Satan is introduced here, and the argument thence derived respecting the age and authorship of the Book of Job, see Introduction, § iv. (4.) The Vulgate renders this by. the name Satan. The LXX, 6 did^oXoq — the devil, or the accuser. The Chaldee, i^f^^ Satan. So the Syriac. Theodotion, 6 avny.s//itfvnq — the adversary. The word rendered Sataji O"^'^) is derived from Y-^'^ Satan, to lie in wait, to be an adversary, and hence it means properly an adversary, an accuser

It is used to denote one who opposes, as in war (1 Kings xi. 14, 23, 25. 1 Sam. xxix. 4); one w]io is an adversary or an accuser in a court of justice (Ps. cix. 6), and one who stands in the way of another. Num. xxii. 22, "And the angcl of Jehovah stood in the way fur an adversary against him" (^^ "jZj'db'j^ to oppose him. It is then used by way of eminence, to denote the adversary, and assumes the form of a proper name, and is app]i<^^d to the great foe of God and man — the malignant spirit wlio seduces men to evil, and who accuses them before God. Thus in Zech. iii. 1, 2, "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right Ijand to resist him. And t!ie Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan." Comp. Rev. xii. 10, "Now is come salvation — for the accuser (o y.ari^yojn — i. e., Satan, see ver. 9^ of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." — The word does not often occur in the Old Testament. It is found in the various forms of a verb and a noun in only the following places. As a verb, in the sense of being an adversar}', Ps. Ixxi. 13, cix. 4,20,20. Zech. iii. 1. Ps.xxxviii. 20; as a noun, rendered adversary, and adversaries, 1 Kings v. 4, xi. 14, 22, 25. Num. xxii. 22, 32. 1 Sam. xxix. 4. 2 Sam. xix. 22; rendered Satan, 1 Chron. xxi. 1. Ps. cix. 6. Job i. 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, ii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7. Zecii. iii. 2; and once rendered an accusation, Ezra iv. 6. It was a word, therefore, early used in tlie sense of an adversary or accuser, and was applied to any one. who sustained this character, until it finally came to be used as a proper name, to denote, by way of eminence, the prince of evil spirits, as the adversary or accuser of men. An opinion has been adopted in modern times by Herder, Eic])horn, Dathe, ligen, and some others, that the being here referred to by the name of Satan is not the malignant spirit, the enemy of God, the Devil, but is one of the sons of God, " a faithful, but too suspicious servant of Jkhovah." According to this, God is represented as holding a council to determine the state of his dominions. In this council, Satan, a zealous servant of Jehovah, to whom had been assigned the honorable office of visiting difterent parts of the earth, for the purpose of observing the conduct of the subjects of Jehovah, makes his appearance on his return v/itii others. Such was the piety of Job, that it had attracted the special attention of Jehovah, and he puts the question to Satan, whether in his journey he had remarked this illustrious example of virtue. Satan, who, from what he has observed on earth, is supposed to have lost all confidence in the reality and genuineness of the virtue which man may exhibit, suggests that he doubts whether even Job serves God from a disinterested motive; that God had encompassed him with blessings, and that his virtue is the mere result of circumstances; and that if his comforts were removed he would be found as destitute of principle as any other man. Satan, according to this, is a suspicious minister of Jehovah, not a malignant spirit; he inflicts on Job only what he is ordered to by God, and nothing because he is himself malignant. Of this opinion Gesenius remarks (Lex.), that it " is now universally exploded." An insuperable objection to this view is, that it does not accord with the character usually ascribed to Satan in the Bible, and especially that the disposition attributed to him in the narrative before us is wholly inconsistent with this view. He is a malignant being; an accuser; one delighting in the opportunity of charging a holy man v/ith hypocrisy, and in the permission to inflict tortures on him, and who goes as far in producing misery as he is allowed — restrained from destroying him only by the express command of God. — In Arabic the word Sata« is often applied to a serpent. Thus Gjau-

Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord,

hari, as quoted by Schultens, says, *' The Arabs call a serpent Satan, especially one that is conspicuous by its crest, head, and odious appearance." It is applied also to any object or being that is evil. Thus the Scholiast on Hariri, as quoted by Schultens also, says, " Every thing that is obstinately rebellious, opposed, and removed from good, of genii, men, and beasts, is called Satan." — The general notion of an adversary and an opponent is found everywhere in the meaning of the Vv^ord. — Dr. Good remaiks on this verse, " We have here another proof that, in the system of patriarchal theology, the evil spirits, as well as the good, were equally amenable to the xllmighty, and were equally cited, at definite periods, to answer for their conduct at his bar." Rosenmiiiler remarks well in this verse, " It is to be observed, that Satan, no less than the other celestial spirits, is subject to the government of God, and dependent on his commands (comp. ch. ii. 1), where Satan equally with the sons of God (D'^nPN ^3S) is said to present himself' before God (n^jPn^; i. e. /.fCrovQyH}') to minister, Jehovah uses the ministry of this demon [hujus daemonis] to execute punishment, or when from any other cause it seemed good to him to send evil upon men. But he, although incensed against the race of mortals, and desirous of injuring, is yet described as bound with a chain, and never dares to touch the pious unless God relaxes the reins. Satan, in walking round the eartli, could certainly attentively consider Job, but to injure him he could not, unless permission had been given him."

7, £nd the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? This inquiry does not appear to have been made «S if it was improper that Satan and said, From going " to and for in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

should have appeared there, for no blame seems to have been attached to him for this. He came as a spirit that was subject to the control of Jehovah; he came with others, not to mingle in their society, and partake of their happiness, but to give an account of what he had done, and of what he had observed. The poetic idea is, that this was done periodically, and that all the spirits employed by Jehovah to dispense blessings to mortals, to inflict punishment, or to observe their conduct, came and stood before him. Why the inquiry is directed particularly to Satan, is not specified. Perhaps it is not meant that there was any special inquiry made of him, but that, as he was to have so important an agency in the transactions whicji follow, the inquiry that was made of him only is recorded. In respect to the others, nothing occurred pertaining to Job, and their examination is not adverted to. Or it may be, that, as Satan was known to be malignant, suspicious, and disposed to tliink evil of the servants of God, the design was to direct his attention particularly to Job as an illustrious and indisputable example of virtue and piety. H From going to and fro in the earth. Dr. Good renders this, " from roaming round." Noyes, " from wandering over." The word which is here used (;3^u3) means properly, (1,) to whip, to scourge, to lash; (2,) to row, i. e., to lash the sea with oars; (3,) to run up and down, to go hither and thither, or to and fro, so as to lash the air with one's arms as WMth oars, and hence to travel over a land, or to go through it in order to see it, 2 Sam. xxiv. 2, 8. Dr. Good, in conformity wilii the interpretation proposed by Schultens, says that " the word imports, not so much the act of going forwards and backwards, as of making a circuit or cireumfercnce •

8 And the Lord said unto Sa- ] like him in the earth, a perfect tin. Hast thou ^ considered my and an upright man, one that servMut Job, that there is none of g.oiiig round about. The Hebrew verb is still in use among the Arabic writers, and in every instance implies the same idea of gyration or circumambulation." In Arabic, according to

Castell, the word L,l means to heat, to hirn, to cause to hoil, to consume: then to propel to weariness, as e. g. a horse, and then to make a circuit, to go about at full speed, to go with diligence, and activity. Thus in Carviiso, as quoted by Schultens, "a course made at one impulse to the goal is called '^^^ shot. In 2 Sam. xxiv. 9, the word is used in the sense of passing around through diflerent places for the purpose of taking a census, " Go now (jMarg. compass) through all the tribes of Israel." In Num. xi. 8, it is applied to the Israelites going about to collect manna, — passing rapidly and busily in the places where it fell for the purpose of gathering it. In Zech. iv. 10, it is applied to " the eyes of Jehovah," which are said to " run to and fro through the earth," i. e.. he surveys all things as one does whose eye passes rapidly from object to object. The same phrase occurs in 2 Chron. xvi. 9. In Jer. v. 9, it is applied to the action of a man passing rapidly through the streets of a city. " Run ye to and fro tlirough the streets of Jerusalem." Comp. Jer. xlix. 3. From these passages it is clear that the idea is not that of going in « circuit or circle, but it is that of pa.ssing rapidly; of moving with alacrit} and in a hurry; and it is not improbable that the original idea is that suggested in the Arabic of liejit — and thence applied to a whip or scourge because it produces a sensation like burning, and also to a rapid journey or motion because it produces heat or a glow. It means that Satan had been active j and diligent in passing from place to ]

feareth God, and escheweth evil 1 place in the earth to survey it, Tho Chaldee adds to this, " to examine into the works of the sons of men." H And from icalking. That is, to investigate ])uman affairs. On tJiis verse itjs observed by Rosenmuller, that in the life of Zoroaster (see Zendavesta by J. G. Kleukner, vol. iii. p. 11), the prince of the evil demons, the angel of death, whose name is Engremeniosch, is said to go far and near through the world for the purpose of injuring and opposing good /->, men.. U.

/ 8. Hast thou considered my servant\ '^ {Job. Marg. Set thine heart on. The j \iniargin is a literal translation of tho. / ^Jebrew. SchulTCns remarks on this, that it means more than merely to observe or to look at — since it is abundantly manifest from the following verses that Satan /i«^Z attentively considered Job, and had been desirous ot injuring him. It means, according to him, to set himself against Job, to fix the heart on him with an inten- ^,.. tion to injure him, and Jehovah I^. means to agjk whether Satan had done this. (But it seems m.ore proba-.-^ ble that the phrase means to consider lattentivehj, and that God means to ask him ^—^i-^tK^v [|o j^if] ppr^f,,LLy — jjjj.

.S^^'^d, him. Jt^atan is represented as having no "confidence in human virtue, and as maintaining that there j^"^ was none which would resist temptation, if presented in a form sufficiently alluring^ God here appeals to the case of Job as a full refutation of this opinion. The trial which follows is designed to tost the question whether the pietv of Job was of tins order. H That there is none like him in the earth. That he is the very highest example of virtue and piety on earth. Or might not the word "^5 hi here be rendered /or.? 'For there is none like him in the earth.' Then the idea would be, not that he liad considered

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?

10 Hast thou not made an hedge'' about him, and about his

that there was none like him, but God directs his attention to him because he was the most eminent among mortals. 1[ Jl perfect and an upright man. See Notes on ver. 1. Tlie LXX translate this verse as they do ver. 1. V9. Doth Job fear God for nought? * Is his religion disinterested.'' Would not any one be w^illing to worship God in such circumstances:' The idea is, that there was nothing genuine about his piety.; that religion could not be tried in prosperity; that Job had an abundant compensation for serving God, and that if the favors conferred on him were taken away, he would be like the rest of mankind J ]\Iuch of the apparent virtue and'ffeligion of the world is the result of circumstances, and the question here proposed viay^ it is to be feared, be asked with great propriety of many professors of religion v/ho are rich; it should be asked by every professed friend of the Most High, whether liis religion is not selfish and mercenary. Is it becuuse God has blessed us with great earthly advantages.'' Is it the result of mere gratitude.'' Is it because he has preserved us in peril, or restored usfioni sickness? Or is it merely because we hope for heaven, and serve God because we trust he will reward us in a future world.'' All this maybe the result of mere selfishness; and of all such persons it may be appropriately asked, "Do they fear God for nought.?" True religion is not mere gratitude, nor is it the result of circumstances. It is the love of religion for its ovvji sake — not for reward; it is because the service of God is right m itself, and not merely because heaven is full of glory; it is because God is worthy of our afiections and confidence, and not merely because

house, and about all that he hath on every side 1 thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance ' is increased in the land.

he will bless us-^and this religion will live through all external changes, and survive the destruction of the world. It will flourish in poverty as well as wlien surrounded by affluence; on a l)ed of pain as well as in vigorous health; when we are calumniated and despised for our attachment to it, as well as v/hen the incense of flattery is burnt around us, and the silvery tones of praise fall on our ear; in the cottage as well as the palace; on the pallet of straw as well as on the bed of down. ^^ —

10. Hast thou not made an he'^e about him? Dr. Good remarks, that to give the original word here its full force, it should be derived from the science of engineering, and be rendered, "Hast thou not raised a palisado about him.?" The Hebrew word here used (Tj^"^) properly means to hedge; to hedge in or about; and hence to protect, as one is defended whose house or farm is hedged in either with a fence of thorns, or with an inclosure of stakes or palisades^. The word in its various forms is used to denote, as a nouu, pricks in the eyes (Num. xxxiii. 55); that is, that which would be like thorns; barbed irons (Job xli. 7), that is, the barbed iron used as a spear to take fish; and a hedge, and thorn hedge, Mic. vii. 4. Prov. XV. 19. Isa. v. 5. The idea here is, that of making an inclosure around Job and his possessions to guard them from danger. The LXX render it Tzeoiecfocc^aq, to ' make a defence around,' to circutiivallate or inclose, as a camp is in war. In the Syriac and Arabic it is rendered, " Hast thou not protected him with thy hand.?" The Chaldee, "' Hast thou protected him with thy word?" The LXX render the whole passage, " Hast thou not encircled the thinga

11 But put forth thine hand now, Jind touch " all that he hath,' and he will * curse thee to thy face.

Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, ^ only upon him self put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

which are without him" (t« f'^w av TOJ"), i. G. tlie things abrofid wliich belong ^jiiaij'' and the things within liis/^ouse." Q'hc sense of the whole passage is, tliat he was eminently under the divine protection, and that God had kept himself, his fiimil^'-, and property from plunderers, and that therefore he served and feared him. jjH Thou hast blessed the work of his hands. Thou hast greatly prospered him. ^ Aid his substance 25 JJosh. ix. 19), an increase/l in the land. l[is propertv.j J^nm^ to strike, ver. 3. Marg. cattle. (Tlte word ^7^-w.J3. 1 Sam. vi. 9 creased here by no)neans expresses the force of the original. The word ^T^ means properly to break, to rend, then to break or burst forth as waters do that have been pent upj 2 Sam. V. 20. Comp. Prov. iii. ITf] " So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out (^i2"i3';') with new wine;"' i. e, thy wine-fats shall be so full that they shall overflow, or burst the barriers, and the wine shall flow out in abundance. The Arabians, according to Schuitens, employ tins word still to denote the mouth or embouchure — fi\e most rapid jjart of a stream. So Golius, in proof of tliis, quotes from the Arabic writer Gjauhari, a couplet where the word is used to denote tiie -•nouth of the Euphrates:

" His rushing wealth o'eiflowed him with its licaps; So at its mouth ( ^'^.5 (the mad Euphrates sweeps." ^-' / According to Schuitens, the word denotes a place where a river bursts forth, and makes a new way by reji4» ing the hills and rocks asunder. | In like manner, the flocks and herds of Job had burst, as it were, every barrier, and had spread like an inundation over the land.JComp. Gen. xxx.

11. But jnd forth thine hand noto. That is, for the purpose of injuring him, and taking away his property. II.^nd touch all that he hath. Dr. Good renders this, " and smite.'' The Vulg. and the LXX, "touch." The Hebrew word used liere ("?5) means properly to touch; then to touch any one with violence (Gen. xxvi. 11.

and then to smite, to in- See Gen. xxxii. 26, 9. Job x^x. 21. Comp. Notes on Isa. liii. 4. Ulere it means evidently to smite or strike; and the idea is, that if God should take away the property of Job, lie would take away his religion with it — and the trial was to see whether this eflect would follow. tjAnd he will curse thee to thy face. Be will do it openly and publicly. The word rendered curse here (T"|'!!^) is the same as that used in ver. 5, and which is usually rendered bless. JHeo Notes on ver.5. Dr. Good contends that it should be rendered here_^Jii£s,l^_jllMJLtlnnslatcs it as a question: " V/ill he then, ihd^ejiJjtErs'^rhee totTiy face.^" JBut iiTthis he probably slah'^s alone./ The evident sense is, that Job would openly renounce God, and curse him on his throne; that all his religion was caused merely by his abundant prosperity, and was mere gratitude and selfishness; and that if his property W'Cre taken away, h(^ would become the open and avov»^ed enemy of him who was now his benefactorj

12. Ml that he hath is in thy jiozcer. Marg. as in Heb. hand. That is, all this is now committed to thee, for it is manifest that hitherto Satan had no power to injure even his property. He complained LJiat God had made a

13 And there was a day " when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The ox-

hedge around all that Job possessed. Now it was all intrusted to him in order that he might make full trial of the faith of Job. The grant extended to his sons and daugliters as well as to his property. Tl Only upon himself -put not forth tliine hand. Job himself was not to be visited witli sickness, nor was his life to be taken. fTTTe main accusation of Satan was, that Job was virtuous only because God encompassed him with so many blessings, and especially because he had endowed him with so much property. The trial, therefore, only required that it should be seen whether his piety was the mere result of these blessingsj *![ So Satan xcent fortli from the presence of the Lord. That is, from the council which had been convened. See Notes on ver. 6.

13. Jlnd there icas a day. That is, on the day in which the regular turn came for the banquet to be held in tlie house of the elder brother. Comp. Notes on ver. 4. IT And drinking loine. This circumstance is omitted in ver. 4. It shows that wine was regarded as an essential part of the banquet, and it was from its use that Job apprehended the unhappy results referred to in ver. 5.

14. And there came a messeno-cr unto Joh. Heb. Tj^-^^; the word usually rendered angel^ appropriately rendered ' messenger' here. The word properly means one icho is sent. IT The oxen loerc jilovghing. Heb. the cattle (*^)^2r!), including not merely oxen, but probably also cotes. Sec Notes on ver. 3. IT And the asses. Heb. ni3rx she-asses. The sex is here expressly mentioned, and Dr. Good maintains that it should be in

en were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them:

15 And the Sabeans fell up07i them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

the translation. So it is in the LXX, at O-Tjleiai ovoi. So Jerome, asince. The reason why the sex is specified is, tliat female asses, on account of their milk, were much more valuable than males. On this account they were preferred also for travelling. See Notes on ver. 3. 11 Beside them. Heb. " By their hands," i. e., by their siTttrs, for the Heb. ^^ is often used in this sense. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxxiii. 21.

1.5. And the Sahcans. Heb. ^^"^y Vulg. Saha^i. The LXX give a paraphrase, y.al iXOoyxfq ol a(//(a?.onfVornq j]/fia/.o')T?voai', 'And the plunderers coming, plundered them,' or made them captive. On the situation of Shebaand Seba, see Notes on Isa. xliii. 3, xiv. 14, Ix. 6. The people here referred to were, undoubtedly, inhabitants of some part of Arabia Felix. There are three persons of the name of Sheba mentioned in the Scriptures. (1.) A grandson of Cush, Gen. X. 7. (2.) A son of Joktan, Gen. X. 28. (3.) A son of Jokshan, the son of Abraliam by Keturah. Calmet. The Sheba here referred to was probably in the southern part of Arabia, and from the narrative it is evident that the Sabeans here mentioned were a predatory tribe. It is not improbable that tliese tribes were in the habit of wandering for purposes of plunder over the whole country, from the banks of the Euphrates to the outskirts of Egypt. The Bed aw in Arabs of the present day resemble in a ronarkable manner the ancient inhabitants of Arabia, and for many centuries the manners of the inhabitants of Arabia have nof changed, for the habits of the Orientals con-

16 While he?^fl5 yet speaking, there came also another, and said, ' The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned

tinue the same from age to age. Tlie Syriac renders tliis simply, " a multitude rushed x\\iO\\ them;'' omitting the word Sahean. ^ Fell upon them. With violence; or rushed unexpectedly upon them. This is the way in wliich the Arab tribes now attack the caravan, the traveller, or the village, for plunder. IT And took them away. As plunder. It is common now to make such sudden incursions, and to carry off a large booty, Tl They have slain the servants. Heb. tJ'^*i^'D, the young men. The word '^^S, nadr., properly means a hoy^ and is applied to an infant just born, Ex. ii. 6. Jiidg. xiii. 5, 7; or to a youth, Gen. xxxiv. 19, xli. 12. It came then to denote a servant or slave, like the Greek Tzaiq; Gen. xxxvii. 2. 2 Kings v. 20. Comp. Acts. v. 6. So the word boy is often used in the Southern States in our own country to denote a slave. Here it evidently means the servants that were employed in cultivating the lands of Job, and keeping.his cattle. There is no intimation that they were slaves. Jerome renders lipucros^ hoys; so tlie LXX, Torfj 7rai<5'ag. IT Jlnd I verily am escaped alone. By myself, "^ \15 V There is no other one with me. It is remarkable that the same account is given by each one of the servants who escaped, vs. 16, 17, 19. The Chaldee lias given a very singular Version of this — apparently from the desire of accounting for every thing, and of mentioning the names of all thc*persons intended. "The oxen were ploughing, and Lclath, queen of Zamargad, suddenly rushed upon them, and carried them away."

16. Whileheioas yet speahing. All this indicates the rapidity of tlie movement of Satan, and his desire to overiohelm Job with the suddcn-

up the sheep and ihe servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speak-

ness and greatness of his calamities. The object seems to have been to give him no time to recover from the shock of one form of trial before another came upon him. If an interval had been given him he might have rallied his strength to bear his trials; but afflictions are much more difficult to be borne when they come in rapid succession. — It is not a very uncommon occurrence, however, that the righteous are tried by the rapidity and accumulation as well as the severity of 'their afflictions. It has passed into a proverb that ' afflictions do not come alone.' IF The fire of God. Marg. A great fire; evidently meaning a flash of lightning, or a thunderbolt. The Hebrew is 'fire of God;' but it is probable that the phrase is used in a sense similar to the expression, 'cedars of God,' meaning lofty cedars; or 'mountains of God,' meaning very high mountains. The lightning is probably intended. Comp. Num. xvi. 35. Note on Isa. xxix. 6. H From heaven. From the sky, or the air. So the word heaven is often used in the Scriptures. See Notes on Mattli. xvi. 1. IT And hath burnt up the sheep. That lightning might destroy herds and men no one can doubt; though the fact of their being actually consumed or burnt up may have been an exaggeration of the much affrighted messenger. — The narrative leads us to believe that these things were under the control of Satan, though by the permission of God; and his power over the lightnings and the winds (ver, 19) may serve to illustrate the declaration, that he is the " Prince of the power of the air," in Eph. ii. 2.

ingj there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and ^ fell upon the camels, and have carried

Why they thus expressed it is unknown. It may be possible that the Chaldeans were supposed to be distinguished as horsemen, and were principally known as such in their predatory excursions. But it is impossible to account for all the changes made by the LXX in the text. The Syriac and the Chaldee render it correctly, Cluddeans. The Chaldeans (Heb. Ci':ib3 Kasdlvi) were the ancient inhabitants of B;ibylonia. According to Vitringa (Com. in Isa. Tom. i. p 412, c. xiii. 19), Cesenius (Comm. zu Isa. xxiii. 13), and RosenmUller (Bib. Geog. 1, 2, p. 36 seq.), the Chaldees or Casdini were a warlike people who originally inhabited the Carducbian mountains, north of Assyria, and the northern part of Mesopotamia. According to Xenophon (Cyrop. iii. 2, 7) the Chaldees dwelt in the mountains adjacent to Armenia, and they were found in the same region in the campaign of the younger Cyrus, and the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks. Xen. Anaba. iv. 3, 4; v. 5, 9; viii. 8, 14. They were allied to the Hebrews, as appears fi-om Gen. xxii. 22, where

Chcsed ('^^.S whence Casdlm) the ancestor of the people is mentioned as a son of Nahor, and was consequently the nephew of Abraham. And further, Abraham himself emigrated to Canaan from Ur of the Chaldees (o^'nrS ^1X, Ur of the Casdlm)., Gen. xi. 28; and in Judith v. 6, the Hebrews themselves are said to be descended from the Chaldeans. The region around the river Chaboras, in the northern part of Mesopotamia, is called by Ezekiel (i. 3) the land of the Chaldeans. Jeremiah (v. 15) calls them "an ancient nation." See Notes on Isa. xxiii. 13. The Chaldeans were

them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

a fierce and warlike people, and when they were subdued by the Assyrians, a portion of them appear to have been placed in Babylon to ward oil* the incursions of the neighboring Arabians. In time they gained the ascendency over their Assyrian masters, and grew into the mighty empire of Chaldea or Babylonia. A. part of them, however, appear to have remained in their ancient country, and enjoyed under the Persians some degree of liberty. Gesenius supposes that the Kurds who have inhabited those regions, at least since the middle ages, are probably the descendants of that people. — A very vivid and graphic description of the Clialdcans is given by the prophet Ilabakkuk, which will serve to illustrate the passage before us, and show that they retained until his times the predatory and fierce character which they had in the days of Job. Ch. i. 6—11:

This warlike people ultimately ob tained the ascendency in the Assyrian empire. About the year -597 B. C. Nabopolassar, a viceroy in Babylon, made himself independent of Assyria, contracted an alliance with Cyaxares, king of IMcdia, and with his aid subdued Nineveh, and the

18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters loerc eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19 And behold, there came a

whole of Assyria. From that time the Babylonian empire rose, and the history of the Chaldeans becomes tlie history of Babylon. — Roh. Cahnet. In the time of Job, however, they were a predatory race that seem to have wandered far for the sake of plunder. They came from the North, or the East, as the Sabeans came from the South. II Made otit three bands. Literally, ' three heads.' That is, they divided themselves, for the sake of plunder, into three parties. Perhaps the three thousand camels of Job (ver. 3) occupied three places remote from each other, and the object of the speaker is to say that the whole were taken. IT And fell upon the camels. Marg. ' And rushed.' The word is different from that which in ver. 15 is rendered fedl. The word here used (-2^3) means to spread out, to expand. It is spoken of hostile troops, 1 Chron. xiv. 9, 13; of locusts which spread over a country, Nah. iii. 16; and of an army or company of marauders, Juclg. ix. 33, 44, 1 Sam. xxvii. 8. This is its sense here.

19. There came a great icind. Such tornadoes are not less common in Oriental countries than they are with us. Indeed they abound more in regions near the equator than they do in those whicli are more remote; in hot countries than in those of higher latitude. H From the icilderness. Marg. From aside. That is, from aside the wilderness. The word here rendered ' from aside ' in the margin ("1:225^) means properly from across., and is so rendered by Dr. Good. The word ^^y <^^e^' nieans

great wind from ^ the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

literally a region or country beyond, or on the other side, sc. of a river or a sea, which one must pass. Judg. xi. 18. Gen. 1. 10, 11. Deut. i. 1, 5. Then it means on the other side, or beyond. See Notes on Isa. xviii. 1. Here it means that the tornado came sweeping across the desert. On the ample plains of Arabia it would have the opportunity of accumulating its desolating power, and would sweep every thing before it The Hebrew word here rendered ivilderncss, ^'^l^j does not express exactly what is denoted by our word. We mean by it, usually, a region wholly uncultivated, covered with forests, and the habitation of wild beasts. The Hebrew word more properly denotes a desert; an uninhabited region, a sterile, sandy country, though sometimes adapted to pasture. In many places the word would be well translated by the phrases opc7i fields., or open plains. Comp. Joel ii. 22. Ps. Ixv. 13. Jer. xxiii. 10. Isa. xlii. 11. Gen. xiv. 6, xvi. 7. Ex. iii. 1, xiii. 18. Deut. xi. 24. Comp. Isa. xxxii. 15, xxxv. 1, I. 2. IT And smote the four corners of the house. Came as a tornado usually does,'^r like a v.'hirlvvind. It seemed to come from all points of the compass, and prostrated every thing before it. ^ Jind it fell upon the young men. The word here rendered "young men" is the same which is rendered in vs. 15, 17. servants (tS'^'^^Si^). There can be no reasonable doubt, however, that the messenger by the word here refers to the children of Job. It is remarkable that his daughters are not particularly specified, but they may be included in the word here used (D"^'n5!3)j which may be the

20 Then Job arose, and rent" | and fell * down upon the ground, his ^ mantle, and shaved his head, | and worshipped,

same in signification as our phrase *■ yoimg people,'' including both sexes. So it is rendered by Eichhorn: Es sturtze iiber den jungen Leuten zus am men.

20. Then Job arose. The phrase to arise, in the Scriptures is often used in the sense of beginning to do any thing. It does not necessarily imply that the person had been previously sitting. See 2 Sam. xiii. 31. IT Jind rent his mantle. The word here rendered mantle (/^^.^.) means an upper or outer garment The dress of Orientals consists principally of an under garment or tunic — not materially ditfering from the shirt with us — except that the sleeves arc wider, and under this large and loose pantaloons. Niebuhr, Reisebescreib. i. 157. Over these garments they often throw a full and flowing mantle or robe. This is made without sleeves; it reaches down to the ankles; and when they walk or exercise it is bound around the m.iddle with a girdle or sash. Wh.en they labor it is usually laid aside. The robe here referred to was worn sometimes by women, 2 Sara. xiii. 18; by men of birth and rank, and by kings, 1 Sam. xv. 27, xviii. 4, xxiv. 5, 12 5 by priests, 1 Sam. xxviii. 14, and especially by the High Priest under the ephod, Ex. xxviii. 31. See Braun de vest. Saceid. ii. 5. Schroeder dc vest, mulier. Heb. p. 267; Hartniann Hobraerin, iii. p. 512, and Tliesau. Antiq. Sacra, by Ugolin, Tom. i. 509, iii. 74, iv. 504, viii. 90, 1000, xii. 788, xiii. 306. Comp. Notes on Matth. v. 40, and Niebuhr, as quoted above. The custom of rending the garment as an expression of grief prevailed not only among the Jews but also among the Greeks and Romans. Livy i. 13. Suetonius, in Jul. Cms. 33. It prevailed also among the Persians. Curtius, B. x. c. 5, § 17. Sec Christian Boldich, in Thesau. Anliq. Sacra. Tom. xii. u.

Tu niodo fusus humi, lucem aversaris iniquam, Nunc torvus pariter vestes, et pectora rumpis.

Tunc pius-^neas humeris abscindeie vestem, Auxilioque vocare Decs, et tendere palmas.

^11. V. 685. Demittunt mcntes; it scissa veste Latinus, Congugis attonitus fatis, uibisque ruina.

ut piimos edere plnnctus Cassandra incipGret, scissaque Polyxena palla

Numerous other quotations from the classic writers, as well as from the Jewish wriiings, may be seen in LTgolin's Sacerdotiuui Hebriacnm, cap. vi. Thesau. Antiq. Sacrar. Tom. xiii. p. 550, seq> M And shaved his head. This was also a common mode of expressing great sorrow. Sometimes it was done by formally cutting off the hair of the head; sometimes by plucking it violently out by the roots, and sometimes also the beard was plucked out, or cut off. The idea seems to have been that mourners should divest themselves of that which was usually deemed most ornamental. Comp. Jer. vii. 29 Isa. vii. 20. Lucian says that the Egyptians expressed their grief by cutting off their hair on the death of their god Apis, and the Syrians in the same manner at the death of Adonis. Olympiodorus remarks on this passage, that the people among whom long hair was regarded as an ornament, cut it off in times of mourning; but those who commonly wore short

21 And said, Naked" came T out of my mother's womb, and naked sliall I return thither: T]ie

hair, suffered it on sucli occasions to grow long. See Rosenmiiller, Morgenland, in loc. A full description of the customs of the Hebrews in times of mourning, and particularly of the custom of plucking out the hair, may be seen in Martin Geier, de Hebra'orum Luctu, especially in ch. viii. Thesau. Antiq. Sacra, xxxiii. p. 147, seq. — The meaning here is, that Job was filled with excessive grief, and that he expressed that grief in the manner that was common in his day. Nature demands that there should be so7ne external expression of sorrow; and religion does not forbid it. He pays a tribute to the nature with which God has endowed him who gives an appropriate expression to sorrow; he wars against that nature who attempts to remove from his countenance, conversation, dress, and dwelling, everything that is indicative of the sorrows of his soul in a time of calamity. Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus; and religion is not designed to make the heart insensible or incapable of grief. Piety, like every kind of virtue, always increases the susceptibility of the soul to suffering. Philosophy and sin destroy sensibility; but religion deepens it. Philosophy does it on principle — for its great object is to render the heart dead to all sensibility; sin produces the same cfiect naturally. The drunkard, the licentious man, and the man of avarice, are incapable of being aflected by the tender scenes of life. Guilt has paralyzed their feelings and rendered them dead. But religion allows men to feel, and then shows its power in sustaining the soul, and in imparting Its consolations to the heart that is 6roken and sad. It comes to dry up the tears of the mourner, not to forbid those tears to flow; to pour the balm of consolation into the heart, not to teach the heart to be unfeeling.

Lord ^ gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed ^ be the name of the Lord.

M And fell dotvn ujwn the ground. So Joshua in a time of great calamity prostrated himself upon the earth and worshipped, Josh. vii. 6. — The Orientals w'ere then in the habit, as they are now, of prostrating themselves on the ground as an act of homage. Job seems to have done this partly as an expression of grief, and partly as an act of devotion — solemnly bowing before God in the time of his great trial. H And worshipped. Worshipped God. He resigned himself to l)is v/ill. A pious man has nowhere else to go in trial; and he will desire to go nowhere else than to the God who has afflicted him.

21. And said, A''akcd came I out. That is, destitute of property, for so the connexion demands. Comp. 1 Tim. vi. 7: " For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." A similar expression also occurs in Pliny, Homincm natura tantum nudum. Nat. His. Proem. L. vii. Job felt that he was stripped of all, and that he must leave the world as destitute as he entered it. IT M\j mother's xcomh. The earth — the universal mother. That he refers to the earth is apparent, because he speaks of returning thither again. The Chaldee adds J^J^'^^^lp "^^i^— to the house of burial. The earth is often called the mother of mankind. See Cic. de Nat. Deor. ii. 26. Comp. Ps. cxxxix. 15. Dr. Good remarks, that " the origin of all things from the earth introduced, at a very early period of the world, the superstitious worship of the earth, under the title of Dameter, or the Mother-goddess, a Chaldee term, probably common to Idumea at the time of the existence of.Tob himself It is hence the Greeks derive their /itj^iritriq (Demeter), or as they occasionally wrote

22 In ° all this Job sinned not,

it r/]ftt]rtjo (Ge-meter), or mother earth, to whom they appropriated annually two religious festivals of extraordinary pomp and solemnity. Thus Lucretius says,

Claims the dear name of mother, since alone Flowed from herself whate'er the sight enjoys."

For a full account of the views of the ancients in regard to tiie marriage (ifooq yafinq) of the ' heaven' and the ' earth,' from wliich union all things were supposed to proceed, see Creuzer's Symbolik und Mythologie der alt. Volk. Erst. Theil, p. 26, fg. II Andnahed. Stripped ofiUl, I shall go to the common motlier of the race. This is exceedingly beautiful language; and in tlie mouth of Job it was expressive of the most submissive piety. It is not the language of complaint; but was in him connected with the deep feeling that the loss of his property v.'as to be traced to God, and that he had a right to do as he had done. IT Tlie Lord gave. Heb. Jehovah. He had nothing when he came into the world, and all that he had obtained had been by the good providence of God. As he gave it, he had a rigiit to remove it. Such was the feeling of Job, and such is the true language of submission everywhere. He who has a proper view of what he possesses will feel that it is all to be traced to God, and that he has a right to remove it when he pleases. H.ind the Lord, hath taken away. It is not by accident; it is not tlie result of hap-hazard; it is not to be traced to storms and winds and the bad passions of men. It is the result of intelligent design, and whoever has been the agent or instrument in it, it is to be referred to the overruling providence of God. Why did not Job vent his wrath on the

Sabeans? V/hy did he not blame the Chaldeans.' ^^ hy did he noi curse the tempest and the storm? Why did he not blame his sons for exposing themselves.' Why not suspect the malice of Satan.'' Why not suggest that the calamity was to be traced to bad fortune, to ill-luck, or to an evil administration of human afl'airs? None of these things occurred to Job. He traced the removal of his property and his loss of children at once to God, and found consolation in the belief that an intelligent and holy Sovereign presided over his affairs, and that he had removed only what he gave. H Blessed be the 7iame of the Lord. That is, blessed be Jf.hoyah — the name of any one in Hebrew being often used to denote the person himself. The Svriac, Arabic, and some MSS. of the" LXX here add, "/or crer." — " Here," says Schmid, " the contrast is observable between the object of Satan, vhich was to induce Job to renounce God, and the result of the temptation, v.'hich was to lead Job to bless God." Thus far Satan had been foiled, and Job had sustained the shock of the calamity, and showed that he did not serve God on account of the benefits which he had received from him.

22. In all this. In all his feelings and expressions on this occasion. *r Job siiuied not. He expressed just the feelings, and manifested just the submission which he ought to do. U JVor charged God foolishly. Marg. Attributed folly to God. Vulg. " Neither did he speak any foolish thing against God." The LXX render it, " and he did not impute [or giAt?, f'fJojxf;'] folly (dqxmovfji') [indiscretion, Thovipson'] to God." Good renders this, " nor vented a murmur against God;" and remarks that the literal rendering would be, " nor vented froth against God." Tindal renders it, "nor murmured foolishly against God." The Hebrew word f^^fifl is derived from the obsolete root ^S5n, tdphdl, to spit out; and hence to be insipid, tasteless, not seasoned The noun, therefore, means properly that which is spit out; then th;it which is insipid or tasteless; and then folly. Wit and wisdom are represented by Oriental writers as pungent and ser.soned. Comp. the expression among the Greeks of" Attic salt,'' meaning wit i>r wisdom. The word folly in the Scriptures often means wickedness, for this is supreme folly. Here it has this sense, and means that Job did not say any thing wrong. Satan was disappointed, and had borne a false accusation before God. He did not charge God foolishly, and he did not curse him to his face.

From this instr'jctive narrative of the manner in which Job received afflictions, we may learn, (1.) That true piety will bear the removal of property and friends without murmuring. Religion is not based on isuch things, and their removal cannot shake it. It is founded deejier in the soul, and mere external changes cannot destroy it. (2.) When we cire afflicted, we should not vent our wrath on winds and waves; on the fraud and perndy of our fellow-men; on embarrassments and changes in ilie commercial world; on the pestilence and the storm. Any or all of these may be employed as instruments in taking away our property or our friends, but we should trace the calamity ultimately to God. ►Storms and winds and waves, malignant spirits and our fellow-men, do no more than God permits. They ere all restrained and kept w^ithin proper limits. They are not directed by chance, but they are under the control of an intelligent Being, and are the wise appointment of a holy God. (3) God has a right to reniove our comforts. * He gave them — not to be our permanent inheritance, but to be withdrawn when he pleases. It is a proof of goodness that we have been permitted to tread his earth so Vjng — thouffh we should be allowed to walk it no more; to breathe his air so long— though we should bo permitted to inhale it no more; to look upon his sun and moon, and stars so long — though we should be permitted to walk by tiieir light no more; to enjoy the society of iho friends wdiom he lias given us so long — though we should enjoy that society no longer. A temporary gift may be removed at the pleasure of the giver, and we hold all our comforts at tlse mere good pleasure of God. (4.) We see the nature of true resignation. It is not because we can always see the reason why we are afflicted; it consists in bowing to the will of a holy and intelligent God, and in the feeling that he has a right to remove what lie has given us. It is his; and may be taken away when he pleases. It may be, and should be yielded, without a murmur — and to do this because God wills it, is true resignation. (5.) W^e see the true source of comfort in trials. It is not in the belief that things are regulated by chance and liap-hazard; or even that they are controlled by physical laws. We may have the clearest philosophical view of the mode in which tempests sweep away property, or the pestilence our friends; we may understand the laws by which all this is done, but this affords no consolation. It is only when we perceive an irttcUigent Being presiding over these events, and see that they are the result of plan and intention on his part, that we can find comfort in trial. What satisfaction is it for me to understand the law^ by which fire burns when my property is swept away; or to know ho%o disease acts on the human frame when my child dies; or how the plague produces its efl^ects on the body when friend after friend is laid in the grave ^ This is Philosophy; and this is the consolation which this world furnishes. I want some higher consolation than that which results from the knowledge of unconscious laws. I want to have the assurance that it is the result of intelligent design, and that this design is connected with a benevolent end — ond that I find only in religion. (6.) W^e see the power of religion in sustaining in the time of trial. How calm and submissive was this holy man! How peaceful and resigned! Nothing else but piety could have done this. Philosophy blunts the feelings, paralyzes the sensibilities, and chills the soul; but it does not give consolation. It is only confidence in God; a feeling that he is right; and a profound and holy acquiescence in his will, that can produce support in trials like these. This we may have as well as Job; and this is indispensable in a world so full of calamity and sorrow as tins is.

Tlie second trial of Job. The day returns when the sons of God come to present themselves before God, ver. 1. — Jehovah inquires of Satan whence he came, and particularly whether he had attentively considered the case of Jo!), and that ho held fast his integrity notwithstanding his afflictions, vs. 2, 3. — Satan answers, that it was because he had not been afflicted enough; tliat if lie was subjected to bodily sutierings lie would curse Jehovah to his face, vs. 4, 5. — God consents that Job should be subjected to a secotid tiial, only on the condition that his life should be spared, ver. 6. — Job's soie affliction, vs. 7, 8.— His wife conjures him to curse God artd die, ver. 9. — Job's stern rebuke of his wife, and calm submission to God, ver. 10. — The visit cf his three friends to condole with him, and heir amazement at the extent of his sufferings, vs. 11—13.

A GAIN " there was a day when •^^ the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

1. Again there icas a day ^ ^-c. See Notes, ch. i. 6. These seasons are represented as periodical, when the angels came, as it were, to make report to God of v/hat they had observed and done. The Clialdee renders this, " And there was a day of the great judgment (^5*!! ^1"'"^. ^'^'^),a. day of the remission of sins (P^^'-^ C"^ ^!^?n*'P), and there came bands C^lTi;:) of angels." IT To jnescvt himself hc-

LoRD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like, him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil 1

fore the Lord. This does not occur in the former statement in ch. i. 6. It here means that he came before the Lord after he had had permission to afHict Job. The Chaldce renders it " that he might stand in judgment (.S3 ^-12) before the Lord."

2. And the Lord said unto Satan, S^c. See Notes on ch. i. 7.

3. Hast thou considered. Notes ch. i. 8. IT That there is none like him in the earth. The same addition is mado and still he holdeth fast his intefrrity, ^ although thou movedst me ngainst him, to ' destroy him without cause.

verc by tlie Septuagint which occurs in ch. i. 1. See Notes on that verse. Y Jlad still he holdeth fast his intcjr- ■rity. Notwithstanding all the efibrts made to show that his piety was the result of mere selfishness. The word integrity here C^'!^^*!}) means -perfection; another form of the word which is rendered " perfect" in ch. i. 1. See Notes on that verse. '^ MtJioiigh thou movedst vie. The word rendered " movedst" (H^D) means to incite, to impel, to urge, to irritate against anyone. Josh. xv. 18. Judg. i. 14. 2 Chron xviii. 2. 1 Sam. xxvi. 19. Jer. xliii. 3. The LXX render this in a peculiar manner, " And thou hast ordered (elTiaq) his property to he destroyed in vain " {d'Lay.fvrjq), i. e. without accomplishing the purpose intended. II To destroy him. The word here used

(from ^?^) means properly to swallow, to devour, with the idea of eagerness or greediness. It is then used in the sense of to consume, or destroy. Comp. Joh xx. 18. Prov. i. 12. Num. xvi. 30. Ps. Ixix. 16. In the margin it is rendered " swallow him up." ^l Without cmise. Without any sufficient reason. The cause assigned by Satan (ch. i. 9-11) was, that the piety of Job was selfish, and tliat if God should remove his possessions, he would show that he had no true religion. God says now that it was demonstrated that there was no reason for having made the trial. The result had shown that the charge was unfounded, and that his piety still remamed, though he was stripped of all that he had. This passage maj remind us of the speech of Neptune in favor of ^Eneas, Iliad v. 297:

And can yo see tliis rightoous chief atone With guiltless blood for vices not hi.'5 own?

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin, for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give ^ for his life.

To all the 3;ods his constant vows were paid; Sure though he wars for Troy lie claims our

4. Skin for shin. This is a proverbial expression, whose origin is unknown, nor is its meaning as a -proverb entirely clear. The general sense of the passage here is plain, for it is immediately explained that a man would give every thing which he had to save his life; and the idea here in, that if Job was so afflicted in his body that he was likely to die, he would give up all his religion in order to purchase life. His religion, which had borne the comparatively trifling test before applied to it, would not bear the severer trial if his life was endangered. In regard to the proverb itself, a great variety of explanations has been given. The ancient versions throw no light on it. The Vulgate renders it, Pellem jJt'o pelle. The LXX, JfOfta vTifo df'oftarnq — skin for, or instead of, skin. The Chaldee renders it, ' member for member,' ^'^■pS^ b^J^OX.H'^lnX— and the author of that paraphrase seems to have supposed that it means that a man would give the members of his body or his limbs to preserve his life. Parkhurst renders it, "skin after skin," meaning, as he explains it, that a man may bear to part with all that he has, and even to have his skin, as it Avere, stripped ofl' again and again, provided only that his lifo is safe. Noyes supposes that it means that any man will give the skin or life of another, whether animal or man, to save his own; and that Job gave up all, without complaint, frtvni the selfish fear of exposing his o\A'n life to danger. Dr. Good remarks on the passage, that tlie skins or spoils of beasts, in the rude and early ages of man, were the most valuable property lie could acquire, and that for which he most frequently combated. Thus Lucretius says, curis Exercent liominnm vitam, bclloque fatigant. V. 1452. '' Then man for skins contenrled; purple now, And gold, forever plunge him into wr.r."

fn varioLis parts of the book of Job, liovrcvor, Dr. Good remarks, tiie word shin imports the jjcrson of a man generally as v/ell as his property, the whole living body which it envelopes, as in cIi. xviii. ] 3, xix. 26. ■' It is," says he, " iipon the double meaning of the same term, and the play which is here given to it, by employing tlie tt;rm first in one sense and then in the other, that the gist of the proverb, as of a thousand others similarly constructed, depends. ' Skin for skin' is i-n this view, in j'lain Englisli, 'property for person,' or ' t!ie skin forming property for the skin forming person.' " See a somewhat similar view presented by Callaway, in Bush's Illustrations, z'n/oco. The "^editor of the Pictorial Bible coincides mainly with this view, and suppo.ses that the reference is to the time when trade was conducted by barter, and v/hen the skins of animals, being a most frequent and valuable commodity, were used to represent property. Tributes, ransoms, &c., he observes, were paid in skins. According to this, it means that a man would give 'skin upon skin;' that is, would pile one piece of property upon another, and give nil tJiat he had, in order to save Ins life. It refers to the necessity of submitting to one great evil rather tlian incur a greater, answering to the Turkisli proverb, " We must give our beards to save our heads." According to Gesenius, it means " life for life." Drusius explains it as meaning, that he would give the skin of others, as of his sons, to save his own; that is, that he was unmoved so long as his own skin or life was safe. The same view is given by Ephrcm ll)o Syrian.

*' Skin for skin; the skin not only of flocks, but even of his sons v»'ill he give, in order to save his own. ' This view also is adopted by Uinbrcil. That is, his religion was supremely selfish. Tlie loss of property and even of children he could bear, provided his person was untouched. His own health, and life; his owr. skin and body were dearer to him than any thing else. Other naen would have been afflicted by the loss of children and property. But Job was willing to part with any or all of these, provided he himself was safe. Rosennjiiller supposes that the word skin here is used for the whole body; and says that the sense is, that he would give the body of another for his own, as in Ex. xxi. 23. "The meaning of this proverbial formula,' says he, " is, that any one would redeem his own safety by the skin of others; that is, not only by the skins or lives of oxen, camels, servants, but even of his own children." Schultens supposes it means that a man would submit to any sufferings in order to save his life; that he would be willing to be flayed alive; to be repeatedly excoriated; to hav'e, so to speak, one skin stripped off after another, if he might save his own life. According to this, the idea is, that the loss of life was the great calamity to be feared, and that a man would give any thing in order to save it. Umbreit says, " there is nothing sc vaknible to a man that he will not exchange it — one thing for another, one outward good for another, skin, for shin. But life, the inward good, is to him of no value that can be estimated. That he will give for nothing; and much more, he will offer every thing for that." Another solution is offered in the Biblische Untersuchungen. ii. Th. s. 83. " Before the use of gold, traffic was conducted chiefly by barter. JMen exchanged what was valuable to themselves for what otliers had which they wanted. Those wh.o hunted wild beasts would briuir their skins to market, and would

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his

Since tlie.se traffickers were exposed to the clanger of being robbed, they often took with them those who were armed, who agreed to defend them on condition that they should Iiave a part of the skins which they took, and in this way they purchased their property and life." That is, lliey gave the skins of animals for the safety of their own; all that they had they would surrender, in order that their lives might be saved. See Roscnmiiller's Morgenland, in loc. None of these solutions appear to me perfectly satisfictory, and the proverb is involved in perplexity still. It seems to refer to some kind of barter or exchange, and to mean tljat a man would give up one thing for another; or one piece of property of less value in order to save a greater; and that in like manner he would he willing to suriender every thing, ]n order that his life, the most valuable object, might be preserved. But the exact meaning of the proverb, I suspect, has not yet been perceived. *r Yea, all that a man hath. This is evidently designed to express the same thing as the proverb, "skin for skin," or to furnish an illustration of that. The meaning is plain. A man is willing to surrender all that he has, in order to preserve his life. He will part with property and friends, in order that he may be kept alive. If a man therefore is to be reached in the most tender and vital part; if any thing is to be done that shall truly reveal his character, his life must be put in danger, and his true character will then be revealed. The object of SafSn is to say, that a test had not been applied to Job of sufficient severity to show what he really was. What he had lost was a mere trifle compared with what would be if he was subjected to severe bodily sufFerings, so that his life would be in peril. It is to be remembered that these are the words of Satan, and that they are not necessarily true. Inspiration is concerned only in securing the exact record of what is said, not in affirming that all that is said is true. V/e shall have frequent occasion to illustrate this sentiment in other portions of the book. In regard to tlje sentiment here expressed, however, it is in general true. Men will surrender their property, their houses, and lands, and gold, to save their lives. Many, too, would see their friends perish, in order that they might be saved. It is not universally true, however. It is possible to conceive that a man might so love his property as to submit to any torture, even endangering life, rather than surrender it. Many, too, if endangered by shipwreck, would give up a plank in order to save their wives or children, at the risk of their own lives. Jtlany will give their lives rather than surrender tlieir liberty; and many would die rather than abandon their principles. Such were the noble CIsristian martyrs; and such a man was Job. Satan urged that if his life were made wretched, he would abandon his integrity, and show that his professed piety was selfish, and hi.s religion false and hollow. The Syriac and Arabic add, " that he may be safe."

5. But put forth thine hand now. Satan felt that he had no power to afflict Job witiiout permission. Malignant as he was, he knew that God only could subject the holy man to this trial — another proof that Satan is under the control of the Almighty, and j acts only as he is permitted to act in tempting and trying the good. M And touch his bone. See Note on ch.i.ll. Afflict his body so as to endanger his life. The words " bone" and "flesh" denote the whole body. The idea was, that the whole body should be subjected to severe pain. IT.^nd he icill curse thee to thy face. Notes on ch i. 11.

Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; ^ but save his life.

7 So went Satan forth from

6. Behold, he is in thine hand. He is at thy disposal. See ch. i. 12, JMargin. H But save his life. Marg. Only. This was to be the only limitation. It would seem that he had the power to make any selection of disease, and to afflict him in any manner, provided it did not terminate fatally. The keen sorrows which Job atlerwards endured showed the malignancy of the Tempter; evinced his ingenuity in inflicting pain, and his knowledge of what the human frame could be made to bear.

7. So tccnt Su tan forth. Ch. i. 12. II And smote Job with sore boils. The English word boll denotes the well known tumor upon the flesh, accompanied with severe inflammation; a sore angry swelling. J'/cbster. The Hebrew v/ord, however, is in the singular number ("pH'IJ)^ and should have been so rendered in our translation. Dr. Good renders it " a burning ulceration.'" The Vulgate translates it, 7ilcerc pcssi/no. The Septuagint, ely.et, tiovijom — zcith afoululcer. The Hebrew word VH'-? means a burning sore, an inflamed ulcer, a bile. Gcscnius. It is derived from l"!'-^ shdhhdn, an obsolete root, retained in Arabic, and meaning to be hot or inflamed. It is translated bile or boil, in Ex.. ix. 9, 10, ] 1, Lev. xiii.

19, 20, Job ii. 7; and botch, Deut. xxviii. 27, 35. The word does not occur elsewhere in the Scriptures. In Deut. xxviii. 27, it means " the botch of Egypt,'" some species of lepro.sy, undoubtedly, which prevailed there. In regard to the disease of Job, we may learn some of its characteristics, not only from the usual meaning of the word, but from the circumstances mentioned in the book itself It was such that he took a the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

potsherd to scrape him.self with, ch. ii 8; such as to m.ake his nights restless, and full of tossings to and fro, and to clothe his flesh with clods of dust, and with worms, and to break his flesh, or to constitute a running sore or ulcer, ch. vii. 4, 5; such as to make him bite his flesh for pain, ch. xiii. 14, and to make him like a rotten thing, or a garment that is moth-eaten, ch. xiii. 28; such that his face was foul with weeping, ch. xvi. 16, and such as to fill him with wrinkles, and to make his flesh lean, ch. xvi. 8; such as to make his breath corrupt, ch. xvii. 1, and his bones cleave to his skin, ch. xix. 20, 26; such as to pierce his bones with pain in the night, ch. xxx. 17, and to make his skin black, and to burn up his bones with heat, ch. xxx. 30. It has been commonly supposed that the disease of Job was a species of black leprosy commonly called Elephantiasis, which prevails much in Egypt. This disease received its name from ilf'qaq, an elephant, from the swelling produced by it, causing a resemblance to that animal in the limbs; or because it rendered the skin like that of the elephant, scabreous and dark colored. It is called by the Arabs jndhdm (Dr. Good), and is said to produce in the countenance a grim, distorted, and lion-liJie set of features, and hence has been called by some Leontiasis. It is known as the black leprosy, to distinguish it from a more common disorder called tvhite leprosy — an aflTection which the Greeks call Lctice, or ivhiteness. The disease of Job scorns to have been a universal ulcer; producing an eruption over his entire person, and attended with violent pain, and constant restlessness. A universal bile or groups of biles over the body would accord with the account of the disease in the yarious

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes."

parts of the book. In the elephantiasis tlio skin is covered with incrustations like those of an elephant. It is a chronic and contagious disease, marked by a thickening of the legs, witli a loss of Jiair and feeling, a swelling of the face, and a hoarse nasal voice. It affects the whole body; the bones as well as the skin are covered with spots and tumors, at first red, but afterwards black. Co.rc, Encij. Wchstcr. It should be added that the leprosy in all its forms was regarded as contagious, and of course involved the necessity of a separation from society; and all the circumstances attending this calamity were such as deeply to humble a man of the former rank and dignity of Job.

8. Aid he took Idvi a potsherd. The word here used (^'^^H) means a fragment of a broken vessel. See Notes on Isa. xlv. 9. The LXX render it ooToay.oi' — « shell. One object of taking this was to remove from his body the filtji accumulated by the universal ulcer, comp. ch.vii. 4, 5; and another design probably was, to indicate the greatness of his calamity and sorrow. The ancients were accustomed to show their grief by significant external actions (comp. Notes on ch.i.20), and nothing could more strongly denote the greatness of the calamity, than for a man of wealth, honor, and distinction, to sit down in the ashes, to take a piece of broken earthen-ware, and begin to scrape his body covered over with undressed and most painful sores. It does not appear that any thing was done to heal iiim, or any kindness shown in taking care of his disease. It would seem that he was at once separated from his home, as a man whom none would venture to approach, and was doomed to endure his suffering without sympathy from others. H To