21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away " mine iniquity? for
Dr. Good, Noyes, Herder, Kennicott, and others. The LXX render it, " who knowest the mind of men?" H JVhij hast thou set me as a mark? The word rendered " mark" C"?^"^)} means properly that which one impinges against — from "^Q, to impinge against, to meet, to rush upon any one — and here means, why has God made me such an object of attack or assault.^ The LXX render it, xrtTf;'Tf I'/cr^/j' oois ' an accuser of thee.' l[ So that I am a burden to myself. The LXX render this, ^nl ool rpnoT(or, a htirden to thee. The copy from which they translated evidently had ^\'\:^^—io thee, instead of ■^^^— to me, as it is now read in the Hebrew. " The Masorites also place this among the eighteen passages which they say were altered by transcribers." jYoyes. But the received text is sustained by all the versions except the LXX, and by all the Hebrew MSS. hitherto examined, and is doubtless the true reading. The sense is plain, that life had become a burden to Job. He says that God had made him the special object of his displeasure, and that his condition was insupportable. That there is much in this language which is irreverent and improper no one can doubt, and it is not possible wholly to vindicate it. Nor are we called to do it by any view which we have of the nature of inspiration. He was a good, but not a perfect man. These expressions are recorded, not for our imitation, but to show what liuman nature is. Before harshly condemning him, however, we should ask what we would be likely to do in his circumstances; we should remember also, that he had few of the truths and promises to support him which we have.
now shall I sleep in tne dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I ^ shall not be.
my transgression? Admitting that I have sinned (ver. 20), yet why dost thou not forgive me.'' I shall soon pass away from the land of the living. I may be sought, but I shall not be found. No one would be injured by my being pardoned — since I am so short-lived, and so unimportant in the scale of being. No one can be benefited by pursuing a creature of a day, such as I am, with punishment. Such seems to be the meaning of this verse. It is the language of complaint, and is couched in language filled with irreverence. Still it is language such as awakened and convicted sinners ofte-n use, and expresses the feelings which often pass through their hearts. They admit that they are sinners. They know that they must be pardoned or they cannot be saved. They are distressed at the remembrance of guilt, and under this state of mind, deeply convicted and distressed, they ask with a murmuring spirit xohy God does not pardon them.'' Why does he allow them to remain in this state of agitation, suspense, and deep distress.'' Who could be injured by their being forgiven.'' Of what consequence to others can it be that they should not be forgiven.'' How can God be benefited by his not pardoning them.'' It may not be easy to answer these questions in a manner wholly satisfactory; but perhaps the following may be some of the reasons why Job had not the evidence of forgiveness which he now desired, and why the convicted sinner has not. The main reason is, that they are not in a state of mind to make it proper to forgive them. (I.) There is a feeling that they have a claim on God for pardon, or that it would be wrong for God not to pardon them. When men feel that they have a claim on God for pardon, they cannot be forgiven. The very notion of pardon implies that it must be when there is no claim existing or felt. (2.) There is no proper submission to God — to his views, his terms, his phm. In order that pardon may be extended to tlio guilty, there sliould be acquiescence in God's own terms, and time, and mode. The sinner must resign himself into his hands, to be forgiven or not as he pleases — feeling that the whole question is lodged in his bosom, and that if he should?wt forgive, still he would be right, and his throne would be pure. In particular, under the Christian method of pardon, there must be entire acquiescence in the plan of salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ; a willingness to accept of forgiveness, not on the ground of personal claim, but on the ground of his merits; and it is because the convicted sinner is not willing to be pardoned in this way, tliat he remains unforgiven. There should be a feeling, also, that it wouhl be right for God to pardon others, if he pleases, even though ice are not saved; and it is often because the convicted sinner is not willing that that should be done, because he feels that it would be icrong in God to save others and not him^ that he is not forgiven. The sinner is often suftered to remain in this state until he is brought to acquiesce in the right of a sovereign God to save whom he pleases. (3.) There is a murmurittg spirit — and that is a reason why the sinner is not forgiven. That was manifestly the case with Job; and when that exists, how can God forgive.'' How can a parent pardon an offending child, when he is constantly complaining of his injustice and of the severity of his government.' This very spirit is a new offence, and a new reason why he should be punished. So the awakened sinner murmurs. He complains of the government of God as too severe; of his law, as too strict; of his dealings, as harsh and unkind. He complains of his sufferings, and thinks they are wholly beyond his t'fiserts. lie complains of the doctrines of the Bible as mysterious, incomprehensible, and unjust. In this state how can he be forgiven.'' God often suffers the awakened sinner, therefore, to remain under conviction for sin, until he is willing to acquiesco in all his claims, and to submit without a murmur; and then, and not till then, he extends forgiveness to the guilty and troubled spirit. H For nozD shall I sleep in the dust. On the word sleep, as applied to death, see Notes ch. iii. 13. The meaning is, that he was soon to die. He urges the shortness of the time which remained to him as a reason why his afflictions should be lightened, and why he should be pardoned. If God had any thing that he could do for him, it must be done soon. But only a brief period remained, and Job seems to be impatient lest the whole of his life should be gone, and he should sleep in the dust without evidence that iiis sins were pardoned. Olympiodorus, as quoted by Rosenmiiller, expresses the sense in the following manner: "If, therefore, I am so short-lived [or momentar}' fT()oay.aionq] and obnoxious to death, and must die after a short time, and shall no more arise, as if from sleep, why dost not thou suffer the little space of life to be free from punishment.''" TT j^nd thou shalt seek vie in the morning., but /shall nothe That is, thou shalt seek to find me after I have slept in the dust, as if with the expectation that I should wake, but I shall not be found. My sleep will be perpetual, and I shall no more return to the land of the living. The idea seems to be, that if God were to show him any favor, it must be done soon. His death, which miisl happen soon, would put it out of the power even of God to show him mercy on earth, if he should relent and be inclin ed to favor him. He seems not to doubt that God would be disposed yet to show him favor; that he would be inclined to pardon him, and to relax the severity of his dealings with him, but he says that if it were done it must be done soon, and seems to apprehend tliat it would be delayed so long that it could not be done. The phrase 'in the morning' here is used witli reference to the sleep which he liad just mentioned. We sleep at night, and awake and arise in the morning. Job says it would not be so with him in the sleep of death. He would awake no more; he could no more be found. — In this chapter tliere is much language of bitter complaint, and nuich which we cannot justify. It should not be taken as a model for our language when we are afdicted, though Job may have only expressed what has passed through the heart of many an afflicted child of God. We should not judge him harslily. Let us ask ourselves how ICC would have done if we had been in similar circumstances. Let us remember that he had comparatively few of the promises which we have to comfort us, and fevv' of the elevated views of truth as made known by revelation, which we have to uphold us in trial. Let us be thankful that when we suffer, promises and consolations meet us on every hand. The Bible is open before us — rich with truth, and bright with promise. Lei us remember that death is not as dark and dismal to us as it was to the pious in the time of the patriarchs — nd that the grave is not now to us as dark, and chilly, and gloomy, and comfortless an abode. To their view-, the shadow of death cast a melancholy chillness over all the regions of the dead; to us the tomb is enlightened by Christian hope- The empire of Death has been invaded, an<] his power has been taken av/ay. Light has been shed around the tomb, and the grave to us is the avenue to imm.ortal life; the pathway on which tlie lamp of salvation shines, to eternal glory. Let us not complain, therefore, when we are afflicted, as if the blessing were long delayed, or as if it could not be conferred should we soon die. If withheld here, it will be imparted in a better world, and we should be willing to bear trials in this short life, with the sure promise that God will meet and bless us when we pass the confines of life, and enter the world of glory.
This chapter cont;iins the first, reply which Bildad makes to Job. He is more severe and less iir^iumcntative than Eliphaz. Jahn, as quoted by the editor of the Pictorial Bible, thus charac torizes him: " Bildad, le.ss discerning and less polished than Eliphaz. breaks out at first into accusations against Job, and increases in vehemence as he proceeds. In the end, however, he is reduced to a meio repetition of his former arguments " Dr. Hales characterizes this speech, not unjustly, as •' unkind." Dr. Good remarks that he commences his speech " witli most provokmg cruelty." There is evidently much harshness in the language, and much severity of leproof. " He pursues s nhs can ti ally the same line of argumentation which Eliphaz had commenced, but he dees it with much more severity. He takes it for granted, that the children of Job had sinnod, and that they had been cut off on account of their crimes. Assuming that Job and his family had been guilty of great sins, the driTtofthe discourse is, to exhort him to repent and to humble himself before" God. The speech comprises the following points: —
1. He con)pares the speech of Job to a sweeping and violent tempest which prostrates all Before it. How long, he asks, is this to continue? ver. 2.
2. He asks with earnestness wliethor the Almighty could pervert justice, as Job seems to have supposed.' And in this question he implies, in the strongest manner, that God was just and right, ver. 3.
3. He takes it for granted that the cLiMren of Job had sinned, and that God had cut them down in their iniquity (ver. 4J; but yet says, that if Job was an upright man, and would seek God in a humble and reverent manner, his favor might yet he obtained, and he would make his habitation prosperous, vs. 5-7. Though he should begin life again with none but himself, yet his end would be prosperous, and he would be blessed with a large inciease. This part of the Bpeech must have been particulaily trying to Job. The assiiinptitm that his children had been cut dov.n unpardoned, was one which would go at once to the heart of the much atflicted father, and greatly aggravate his sorrows.
4. In support of his views, Bildad appeals to the ancients, and especially to those who had lived much longer than they had done, and who had had an opportunity for more extended observation. He quotes from some ancient poem, representing by striking images the miserable condition of the wicked. The images in that ancient document are taken from what is observed in natuie. The most succulent plants are soonest withered; and, in like manner, the hope of the hypocrite would soon fail, vs. 8-lS.
5. He concludes by saying that God would not cast away a perfect man, and by stating the happy effects which would result from putting confidence in God, vs. 19-22. Bildad thus agrees substantially with Eliphaz in the opinion that Job was a hypocrite, and that it was for his sins that he had been putiished in tliis manner. There is great severity in his remarks, and much t!iat is unkind in his manner, and uncharitable in his views. There is less, too, that is argumentative than in the speech of t^liphaz. Yet there is a beautiful appeal to the past (vs. 11, seq.); and if this is a fragment of a former poem, it is probably the oldest on record.
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and hoio long shall the words of thy mouth he like a strong wind?
2. How long wilt thou speak these things? The things of murmuring and complaint, such as he had uttered in the previous chapters. II The icords of thy month be like a strong ^oind? The Syriac and Arabic (according to Walton) render this, 'the spirit of pride fill thy mouth.' The LXX render it, 'The spirit of thy mouth is profuse of words ' — tzoIvo- ()rj/tor. But the common rendering is undoubtedly correct, and the expression is a very strong and beautiful one. His language of complaint and murmuring was like a tempest. It swept over all barriers, and disregarded all restraint. The same figure is found in Aristophanes, Ran. 872, as quoted by Schultens, Tvcpoyq tx^aCreii' Tiaoaoy.^vd^frai, — a tempest of tcords is preparing to burst forth. And in Silius Italicus, ix. 581:
4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away * for their transgression;
3. Doth God pervert judgment? That is, Does God afflict men unjustly? Does he show favor to the evil, and punish the good.'' Bildad here undoubtedly refers to Job, and supposes that he had brought this charge against God. But he had not done it in so many words. He had complained of the severity of his sufferings, and had indulged in irreverent language towards God. But he had not advanced the charge openly that God had perverted right. Bildad strenuously maintains that God would do right. His argument is based on the supposition that God would deal with men in this life according to their character; and thus he infers that Job must have been guilty of some great wickedness, that punishment should come upon him in this manner.
4. If thy children hate sinned arrainst him. Bildad here assumes that the children of Job had been wicked, and had been cutoff in their sins. Tliis must have cut him to the quick, for there was nothing wiiich a bereaved father would feel more
5 If " thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Ahiiighty;
6 If thou inert pure and up-
acutely than this. The meaning here is somewhat weakened by the word "if." The Hebrew CX is rather to be taken in the sense of ^ since' — assuming it as an indisputable point, or taking it for granted. It was not a supposition that if they should now do it, certain other consequences would follow; but the idea is, that since they had been cut off in their Bins, if Job would even now seek God wiih a proper spirit, he might be restored to prosperity, though his beginning should be small. Ver. 7. *fl And he have cast them awaij. Bildad supposes that they had been disowned by God, and had been put to death. IT For their transgression. Marg. in the hand of their. The Hebrew is, hy the hand of their transgression; i. e. their sin has been the cause of it, or it has been by the instrumentality of their sin. What foundation Bildad had for this opinion, derived from the life and character of the sons of Job, we have no means of ascertaining. The probability is, however, that he had learned in general that they had been cut off; and that, on the general principle which he maintained, that God deals with men in this life according to their character, he inferred that tJiey must have been distinguished for wickedness. Men not unfrequently argue in this way when sudden calamity comes upon others.
5. Jf thou icouldest seek unto God betimes. If thou wouldst do it note. If even on the supposition that your sons have thus perished, and that God nas come out in judgment against yc r fam.'Iy, you would look to God, you might be ret^tored to favor. The word rendered '■seek betimes ' (^H^) means literally to seek in the morning, to seek early; and then, to make it the first business. It is derived
right; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
from tlie word meaning fl?<ro?-a. ("iHllJ) and has reference to the early light of the morning, and hence to an early seeking. It may be applied to seeking him in early life, or as the first thing — looking to him immediately when help is needed, or before we apply to any one else. Comp. Prov.vii. 15, viii. 17, xiii. 24. Job xxiv. 5. Ps. Ixiii. 2, Ixxviii. 34. Isa. xxvi. 9. Hos. V. 15. Comp. the advice of Eliphaz, ch. V. 8.
6. If thou wert pure and upright. There is something peculiarly severe and caustic in this whole speech of Bildad. He first assumes that the children of Job were cut off for impiety, and then takes it for granted that Job himself was not a pure and upright man. This inference he seems to have derived partly from the fact that he had been visited with so heavy calamities, and partly from the sentiments which Job had h\n self expressed. Nothing could. s - more unjust and severe, however, than to take it for granted that he was a hypocrite, and then proceed to argue as if that were a settled point. He does not make it a supposition tha possibly Job might have erred — whic^ would not have been improper; bi<'£ he proceeds to argue as if it were a point about which there could be no hesitation. TT He icould awake for thee. He would arouse or excite himself (l^^^) on thy account. The image is that of arousing one's self from sleep or inactivity to aid another; and the idea is, that God had, as it were, slumbered over the calamities of Job, or had suffered them to come without interposing to prevent them, but that he would arouse himself if Job were pure, and would call upon him for aid. H And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. That is, if thy habitation
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thy-
should become righteous now, he would make it prosperous. Hitherto, is the idea of Bildad, it has been a habitation of wickedness. Thy children have been wicked, and are now cut oft'. Thou thyself hast been a wicked man, and in consequence art afflicted. If now thou wouklst become pure and seek unto God, then God would make thy habitation prosperous. What could more try the patience of a sufferer than such cold and unfeeling insinuations? And what could more beautifully illustrate the nature of true courtesy, than to sit unmoved and hear such remarks.'' It was by forbearance in such circumstances eminently that Job showed his extraordinary patience.
7. Though thy beginning was S7n all. On the supposition that the children of Job had been cut off', his family now was small. Yet Bildad says, that if he were to begin life again, even with so small a family, and in such depressed and trying circumstances, if he were a righteous man he might hope for returning prosperity. 11 Yet thy latter end. From this, it is evident that Job was not now regarded as an old man. He would still have the prospect of living many years. Some have supposed, however, that the meaning here is, that his former prosperity should appear small compared with that which he would hereafter enjoy if he were pure and righteous. So Noyes and Rosenmiiller interpret it. But it seems to me that the former interpretation is the correct one. Bildad utters a general sentiment, that though when a man begins life he has a small family and little property, yet if he is an upright man, he will be prospered and his possessions will greatly ncrcase. Comp. en. kAi. 12: " Jc-
self to the search of their fathers: 9 (For we " are but ojT yesterday, and know ^ nothing, because our days upon earth are a " shadow:)
hovah blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning."
8. For inquire thee of the former age. That is, attend to the results of observation. Ask the generations which have passed, and who in their poems and proverbs have left the records of their experience. The sentiment which Bildad proposes to confirm by this appeal is, that though the wicked should for a time flourish, yet they would be cut oft', and that the righteous, though they may be for a time afliicted, yet if they seek God, they will ultimately prosper. It was common to make these appeals to the ancients. The results of observation were embodied in proverbs, parables, fables, and fragments of poems; and he was regarded as among the wisest of men who had the fruits of these observations most at command. To that Bildad appeals, and especially, as would appear, to the fragment of an ancient poem which he proceeds to repeat, and which, perhaps, is the oldest poem extant in any language. IT And jirepare thyself. Make an eff'ort, or give diligent attention to it. f Tu the search of their fathers. Of the bygone generations, not only to the age immediately past, but to fAez'r ancestors. He would bring the results of the observation of far-distant ages to confirm the sentiment which he had advanced.
9. For we are but of yesterday. That is, we are of short life. We have had but few opportunities of observation compared with those who have gone before ns. There can be no doubt that Bildad here refers to the longevity of the antecedent ages compared with the age of man at the time when he lived; and the passage, therefore, is of importance in order to fix the date of the poem. It shows ihat human life had been reduced in the time of Job within comparatively moderate limits, and that an important change had taken place in its duration. Tliis reduction began not 'ong after the flood, and was probably continued gradually until it readied the present limit of seventy years. This passage proves that Job could not have lived in the time of the greatest longevity of man. Comp. the Intro. § 3. H And knoio nothing. Marg. not. So the Hebrew literally, " we do not know." The sense is, ' we have had comparatively few opportunities for observation. From the comparative brevity of our lives, Vv'e see but little of the course of events. Our fathers lived through longer periods, and could mark more accurately the result of human conduct.' One suggestion mav be made here, perhaps, of considerable importance in explaining the course of argument in this book. The friends of Job maintained that the righteous would be rewarded in this life, and that the wicked would be overtaken by calamity. It may seem remarkable that they should have urged this <o strenuously, when in the actual <;ourse of events as we now see them, there appears to be so slender a foundation for it in fact. But may this not be accounted for by the remark of Bildad in the verse under consideration.? They appealed to their fathers. They relied on the results of experience in those ancient times. When men lived nine hundred or a thousand years; when one generation was longer than twelve generations are now, this fact would be much more likely to occur than as human life is now ordered. Things would have time to work themselves right. The wicked in that long tract of time would be likely to be overtaken by disgrace and calamity, and the righteous would outlive the detractions.\nd calumnies of their enemies, and meet in their old age with the ample rewards of virtue. Should men now live through the same long period, the same thing substantially would occur. A man's character, wli^ is remembered at all, is fully establisned long before a thousand years have elapsed, and posterity does justice to the righteous and the wicked. If men lived during that time instead of being merely rcmnnhcrcd., the same thing would be likely to occur. Justice would be done to character, and the world would, in general, render to a man the honor which he deserved. This fact may have been obsi;rved in the long lives of the men before the flood, and the result of the observation may liave been embodied in proverbs, fragments of poems, and in traditionary sayings, and^have been recorded by the sages of Arabia as indubitable n^axims. With these maxims they came to the controversy with Job, and forgetful of the change necessarily made by the abbreviation of human life, they proceed to apply their maxims without mercy to him; and because he was overwhelmed with calamity, they assumed that therefore he vnist have been a wicked man. f Our days upon earth are a shadoic. Comparisons of this kind are quite common in the Scriptures. See Notes on ch, vii. 6. A similar figure occurs in 1 Chron. xxix. 15:
For we are strangers before thee, And sojourners, as were all our fathers Our days upon earth are as a shadow, xYea, there is no abiding.
An expression similar occurs in.^schylus, Agam. v. 488, as quoted by Drusius and Dr. Good:
So in Pindar, man is called axidq orao — the dream of a shade; and so by- Sophocles, y.aTTvoi) oy.ia — the shadow of smoke. All these mean the same thing, that the life of man is briet. and transitory. Bildad designs to apply it not to man in general, but to tlie age in which he lived, as being disqualified by the shortness of life to make extended observations.
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart 1
10. Shall not they teach thee. The results of human conduct, tind the great principles on which God governs the world. H And utter tvords out of their heart. Dr. Good renders this,
" And well forth the sayings of their wisdom," and supposes it means that the words of wisdom would proceed from them as water bubbles from a fountain. But this, I think, is a mere conceit. The true sense is, that the}'- would not speak that merely which comes from the mouth, or that which comes uppermost, and without reflection — as tiie Greeks say, Xtyfiv nav o, xi enl oTo/f« 6A.9-//; or, as the Latins, Qiiicquid in buccavi venerit loqui — to speak lohatever comes in the tmnith; but they would utter that which came from tiie heart — which was sincere, and the result of deep and prolonged reflection. Perhaps, also, Bildad means to insinuate that Job had uttered what was uppermost in his mind, without taking time for reflection.
11. Can the rush. This passage has all the appearance of being a fragment of a poem handed down from ancient times. It is adduced by Bildad as an example of the views of the ancients, and, as the connection would seem to imply, as a specimen of the sentiments of those who lived before, the life of man had been abridged. It was customary in the early ages of the world to communicate knowledge of all kinds by maxims, moral sayings, and proverbs; by apothegms and by poetry handed down from generation to generation. Wisdom consisted much in the amount of maxims and proverbs which were thus treasured up; as it now consists much in the knowledge which we have of the lesson.s taught by the past, and in the ability to apply that knowledge to the various transactions of life. The records of past ages constitute a vast
11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can thtj Hafr sfrow without water 1
storehouse of wisdom, and the present generation is more wise than those which have gone before, only because the results of their observations have been treasured up, and we can act on their experience, and because we can begin where they left oif, and, taught by their experience, can avoid the mistakes which they made. The word " rwsA " here (X^i^) denotes properly a bulrush, and especially the Egyptian papyrus — papyrus Nilotica. See Notes on Isa. xviii. 2. It is derived from the verb ^'SJ' *^ absorb, to drink up, and is given to this plant because it absorbs or drinks up moisture. The Egyptians used it to make garments, shoes, baskets, and especially boats or skiffs. Pliny, Nat. His. 13. 21-26. See Notes on Isaiah xviii. 2. They also derived from it materials for writing — and hence our word paper. The LXX render it here, TTCiTrvooq^ papyrus. H Without viire. Without moisture. It grew in the marshy placi*s along the Nile. ^ Can tlte flag. Another plant of a similar character. The word ^'^^, flag-, says Gesenius, is an Egyptian word, signifying viarshgrass, reeds, bulrushes, sedge, every thing which grows in wet grounds. The word was adopted not only into the Hebrew, but also into the Greek idiom of Alexandria, where it is written, ci/i, a/ft. Jerome says of it, " When I inquired of the learned what this word meant, I heard from the Egyptians, that by this name every thing was intended in their language which grew up in a pool." The word is synonymous with rusi, or bulrush, and denote'' a plant v/hich absorbs a great qu£; ty of water. The annexed cut will show the usual form of this weed in Egypt, and the manner in which it grows, and the necessity of water for its support. In the cut it is represented as growing in the water.
12 Whilst " it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope ^ shall perish:
What is ihe exact idea- which this figure is designed to coiivey, is not very clear. I think it probable that the whole description is intended to represent a hypocrite, and that the meaning is, that he had in his growth a strong resemblance to such a rush or reed. There was nothing solid or substantial in his piety. It was like the soft, spongy texture of the waterreed, and would wilt under trial, as the papyrus would when deprived of water.
12. Whilst it is yet in his greenness That is, while it seems to be in its vigor. IT £nd is not cut do2cn. Even when it is not cut down. If suffered to stand by itself, and if undisturbed, it will witht Avay. The application of this is obvious and beautiful. Such plants have no self-sustaining po\\er. They are dependent on moisture for their support. If that is withheld, they droop and die. So with the prosperous sinner and the hypocrite. His piety, compared with tiiat which is genuine, is like the spongy texture of the paper-reed compared with the solid oak. He is sustained in his professed religion by outward prosperity, as the rush is nourished by moisture r and the moment his prosperity is withdrawn, his religion droops and dies like the flag without water.
]3. So are the paths of all that forget God. This is clearly a part of the quotation from the sayings of the ancients. The word patJis here means ways, acts, doings. They who forget God are like the paperreed. They seem to flourish, but they have nothing that is firm and substantial. As the paper-reed soon dies, as the flag withers away before any other herb, so it will be with the wicked, though apparently prosperous. TT,^nd the hypocrite's hope shall perish. This important sentiment, it seems, was known in the earliest pe riods of the world; and if the supposition above be correct, that this is a fragment of a poem which had come down from far distant times, it was probably known before tlie flood. The passage requires no particular philological explanation, but it is exceedingly important. We may remark on it, (1.) That there were hypocrites even in that early age of the world. They are confined to no period, or country, or religious denomination, or profession. There are hypocrites ia religion — and so there are in politics, and in business, and in friendship, and in morals. There are pretended friends, and pretended patriots, and pretended lovers of virtue, whose hearts are false and hollow, just as there are pretended friends of religion. Wherever there is genuine coin, it will be likely to be counterfeited; and the fact of a counterfeit is always a tribute to the intrinsic worth of the coin — for who would be at the pains to counterfeit that which is worthless.^ The fact that there are hypocrites in the church, is an involuntary tribute to the excellency of religion. (2.) The hypocrite has a hope of eternal life. This hope is founded on various things. It may be on his own morality; it may be on the expectation that he will be able to practise a deception; it may be on some wholly false and unfounded view of the character and plans of God. Or taking the word hypocrite in a larger sense to denote anyone who pretends to religion and who has none, this hope may be founded on some change of feeling which he has had, and which he mistook for religion; on some supposed vision which he had of the cross or of the Redeemer, or on the mere subsiding of the alarm which an awakened sinner experiences, and the comparative peace consequent on that. The mere cessation of fear produces a kind of peace — as the acean is calm and beautiful after a storm — no matter what may be the cause, whether it be true religion or any other cause. Many a sinner, who has lost his convictions for sin in any way, mistakes the temporary calm which succeeds for true religion, and embraces the liope of the hypocrite. (3.) That hope will perish. This may occur in various ways. (a) It may die away insensibly, and leave the man to be a mere jJrofcssor of religion — a formalist, without comfort, usefulness, or peace, (h) It may be taken away in some calamity by which God tries the soul, and where the man will see that he has no religion to sustain him. (c) It may occur under the preaching of the gospel, when the hypocrite may be convinced that he is destitute of vital piety, and has no true love to God. (d) It may be on a bed of death — when God comes to take away the soul, and when the judgment-seat appears in view, (e) Or it will be at the bar of God. Then the hope of the hypocrite will certainly be destroyed. Then it will be seen that he had no true religion, and then he will be consigned to the awful doom of him who in the most solemn circumstances lived to deceive, and who assumed the appearance of that which he had the strongest reason to believe he never possessed. Oh! how important it is for every professor of religion to examine himself, that he may know n'hat is the foundation of his hope of heaven!
14. Whose hope shall he cut off. Schultens supposes that the quotation from the ancients closes with ver. 13, and that these are the comments of Bildad on the passage to which he had referred. Rosenmiiller and Noyes continue the quotation to the close of ver. 19; Dr. Good closes it at ver. 13. It seems to me that it is extended farther than ver. 13, and probably it is to be regarded as continued to the close of ver. 18. The beginning of this verse has been very
15 He shall lean upon his nouse, but it " shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall.lot endure.
variously rendered. Dr. Good says that it has never been understood, and prcposcs to translate it, " thus shall his i;uj)i)ort rot away." Noyes ren- (Ifis it, " whoso expectation shall roine to naught;" Gesenius, "shall ln' cut otr." Jerome, J\^u7iei placehit rccordia sua, " his tuadness [dotage, rage, or frenzy] shall not please him." The LXX, "his house shall be uninliabitable, and his tent shall pass away as the spider." The Hebrew word translated "cut off" ( ^p^) is from '^^Pf hilt, usually meaning to loathe, to nauseate, to be offensive. Gcsenius supposes that the word here
IS synonymous with the Arabic U V —to be cut off. But this sense does not occur elsewhere in the Hebrew, and it is doubtful whether this is the true sense of the phrase. In the Hebrew word there is probably always the idea of loathing, of being offensive, irk.some, or disgusting. See Vs. xtv. 10, I was grieved; Job x. 1, is weary; Ezek. vi. 0, shall loathe; so Ezek. XX. 43, xxxvi. 31; Ezek. xvi. 47, a tiresome, or disgusting obj(<t. Ta\ htr (Concord.) renders it here, " Whom his hope shall loathe or abt)minate, i. e. wlio shall loathe or hale the thing that he hopes for." 1 have no doubt tliat the meaning htTf is, to be loathsome, offensive, or nauseous, and tlie correct sense is, ' wliose hope shall rot.' The figure is continued from the image of the paper-reed and tlui flag, which soon decay; and the idea is, that as such weeds grow offensive and putrid in tli(! stagnant water, so shall it be with the hope of the hypocrite H j^nd ichose trust. Wliose confidence, or expectation. H.^ spider's wtb. Marg. house. So the Hel). n^^a. The spider's house is the web which it forms, n frail, light, tenuous siibstanre which is green before tne his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
will sustain almost nothing. The wind shakes it, and it is easily brushed away. So it will be with the hope of the hypocrite.
15. He shall lean upon his house. This is an allusion to the web or house of the spider. The hope of the hypocrite is called the house which he has built for himself, his home, his refuge, his support. But it shall fail him. In times of trial he will trust to it for support, and it will be found to be as frail as the web of the spider. How little the light and slender thread which a spider spins would avail a man for support in time of danger! So frail and unsubstantial will be the hope of the hypocrite! It is impossible to conceive any figure which would more strongly describe the utter vanity of the hopes of the wicked. A similar comparison occurs in the Koran, Sur. 28, 40: " They who assume any other patrons to themselves besides God, are like the spider building his house; for the house of the spider is most feeble." IT He shall hold it fast Or, he shall lay hold on it to sustain him, denoting the avidity with which the hypocrite seizes upon his hope. The figure is still taken from the spider, and is an instance of a careful observation of the habits of that insect. The idea is, that the spider, when a high wind or a tempest blows, seizes upon its slender web to sustain itself. But it is insufficient. The wind sw^eeps all away. So the tempest of calamity sweeps away the hypocrite, though he grasp* at his hope, and would seek security in tliat, as a spider does in the light and tenuous thread which it has spun.
IG. He is green before the sun. Vulg. antequam veniat sol — heforc the sun comes. So the Chaldeo, " before the rising of the sun." So Eichhorn renders it. According to
17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the
this, which is probably the true interpretation, the passage means that he is green and flourishing before the sun rises, but that he cannot bear its heat and withers away. A new illustration is here introduced, and the object is to compare the hypocrite with a vigorous plant that grows up quick and sends its branches afar, but which has no depth of root, and whicli, when the intense heat of the sun comes upon it, withers away. The comparison is not with a tree, which would bear the heat of the sun, but rather with those succulent plants which have a large growth of leaves and branches, like a gourd or vine, but which will not bear a drought or endure the intense heat of the sun. " This comparison of the transitory nature of human hope and prosperity to the sudden blight which over 'throws the glory of the forest and of the garden," says the Editor of the Pictorial Bible (on Ps. xxxvii. 35), " is at once so beautiful and so natural, as to have, been employed by poets of every age." One such comparison of exquisite finish occurs in Shakspeare:
This is the state of man! To-day he puts foith
The tender leaves of hope; to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him;
The third day conies a frost, a killing frost,
And, when he thinks, good easy man, full surely
His greatness is a ripening, nips his slioot,
And tlien he falls, as I do.
fi And his branch shooteth forth, &c. A comparison of a prosperous person or nation with a vi7ie which spreads in this manner, is common in the Scriptures. See Ps. Ixxx. 11:
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, And her branches unto the river.
I have seen the wicked in great power, And spreading himself like a green bay tree.
17. His roots are wrapped about the heap. There has been great diversity of opinion in the interpretation of this passage. Jerome renders it, " over the heap of stones hiS roots are condensed." Walton, super fontem — over a fountain. The LXX, " he lies down [or sleeps, y.oifiaxai^ on a heap of stones; and he lives in the midst of flint-stones." According to some, the word rendered hea-p (^^) means a fountain; according to others, it means a heap or pile of stones; according to Dr. Good, it means a rock. Accordint^ to the view of the former, it refers to the flourishing condition of a hypocrite or sinner, and means that he is like a tree that sends its roots by a fountain, and is nourished by it. According to others, the reference is to the fact that the hypocrite is like a plant that has no depth of earth for its roots, that wraps its roots around any thing, even a heap of stones, to support itself; and that consequently will soon wither under the intense heat of the sun. The word ^?, rendered " /iCrt^," means either (1.) a heap, as a heap of stones, from ^\\ — to roll, as e. g. stones. It may denote a heap of stones, Josh. vii. 26, but it commonly refers to the ruins of walls and cities, Jer. ix. 10, li. 37. Isa. XXV. 2. It means (2) a fountain or spring, so called from the rolling or welling up of the waters, Cant. iv. 12, and hence rolling waves or billows, Ps. xlii. 8, Ixxxix. 10, cvii. 25, 29. The parallelism, if nothing else, demands that the usual signification should be given to it here; and the true sense is, that the prosperous wicked man or the hypocrite is like a plant which stands in the midst of rocks, rubbish, or old ruins, and not like one that stands in a fertile soil where it may strike its roots deep. The reference is to the fact that a tree or plant which springs up on a rock, or in the midst of rocks, will I send its roots afar for nutriment, or 1 will wrap them around the projecting I points of rocks in order to obtain I support. All have observed this io 1 trees standing on rocks; but the fol lowing extract from >illiman's Journal for January, 1840, will illustrate the fuct referred to here more fully
' »« About fifteen years ago, upon the top of an immense bowlder of limestone, some ten or twelve feet in diameter, a sapling was found growing. The stone was but slightly imbedded in the earth; several of its sides were raised from four to six feet above its surface; but the top of the rock was rough with crevices, and its surface, which was sloping otV, on one side, to the earth, was covered with a thin mould. From thi^mould the tree had sprung up, and having thrust its roots into the crevices of the rock, it had succeeded in reaching the height of some twelve or fifteen feet. But about this period tiie roots on one side became loosened from their attachment, and the tree gradually declined to the opposite side, until its body was in a parallel line with the earth. The root.-! on the opposite side, having obtained a firmer hold, afforded sufficient nourishment to sustain the plant; although they could not, alone, retain it in its vertical position. In this condition of things, the tree as if 'conscious of its wants,' adopted (if the term may be used) an ingenious process, in order to regain its former upright position. One of the most vigorous of the detached roots sent out a branch from its side, which, passing round a projection of the rock, again united with the parent stalk, and thus formed a perfect loop around this projeriion, which gave to the root an irnmovaljle attachment.
" The tree now began to recover from its bent position. Obeying the natural tendency of all plants to grow erect, and sustained by this root, which increased with unwonted vigor, in a few years it had entirely regained its vertical position, elevated, as no one could doubt who Haw it, by the aid of the root which had formed this.singular attachment.
18 If he destioy him from hia
But this was not the only power exhibited by this remarkable tree.
" After its elevation it flourished vigorously for several years. Some of its roots had traced the sloping side of the rock to the earth, and were buried in the soil below. Others, having embedded themselves in its furrows, had completely filled these crevices with vegetable matter. The tree still continuing to grow, concentric layers of vegetable matter were annually deposited between the alburnum and liber, until by the force of vegetable growth alone, the rock was split from the top to the bottom, into three nearly equal divisions, and branches of the roots were soon found, extending down, through the divisions into the earth below. On visiting the tree a few months since, to take a drawing of it, we found that it had attained an altitude of fifty feet, and was four and a half feet in circumference at its base."
The image here shows that the author of this beautiful fragment was a careful observer of nature, and the comparison is exceedingly pertinent and striking. What more bea-'Jtiful illustration of a hypocrite can there be.' His roots do not strike into the earth. His piety is not planted in a rich soil. It is on the hard, rock of the unconverted human heart. Yet it sends out its roots afar; seems to flourish for a time; draws nutriment from remote objects-; clings to a crag or a projecting rock, or to any thing for support — until a tempest sweeps it down to rise no more! No doubt the idea of Bildad was, that Job was just such a man. M Seeth the place of stones. Sept., " and lives in the midst of flints," not an unapt rendering—and a very striking description of a hypocrite. So Castellio, exietit inter lapides. Its only nutriment is derived from the scanty earth in the stony soil on which it stands, or in the crevices of the rocks.
place, then it shall deny him, saying, I " have not seen thee.
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth
rendered "if"(C!S:) is often used to denote emphasis, and means here certainly— 'Jie sJiall be certainly destroyed.' The word rendered destroy^ from ^'t:3, means literally to swallow (cli. vii. 19), to swallow up, to absorb; and hence to consume, hiy waste, destroy. The sense is, that the wicked or the hypocrite shall be wholly destro3-ed from his place, but the image or figure of the tree is still retained. Some suppose that it means that God would destroy him from his place; others, as Rosennuiller and Dr. Good, suppose that the reference is to the soil in which the tree was planted, that it would completely absorb all nutriment, and leave the tree to die; that is, that the dry and thirsty soil in which the tree is planted, instead of affording nutriment, acts as a " sucker," and absorbs itself all the juices which would otherwise give support to the t^-ee. This seems to me to be probably the true interpretation. It is one drawn | from nature, and one that preserves the concmnity of the passage. ^ Then it shall deny him. That is, the soil, the earth, or the place where it stood. This represents a wicked man-under the image of a tree. The figure is beautiful. The earth will be ashamed of it; ashamed that it sustained the tree; ashamed that it ever ministered any nutriment, and will refuse to own it. So with the hypocrite. He shall pass away as if the earth refused to own him, or to retain any recollection of him. IT / have not seen thee. I never knew thee. It shall utterly deny any acquaintance with it. There is a striking resemblance here to the language which the Saviour says he- '.ill use respecting the hypocrite in the day of judgment: "and jien will I profess to thchi, I never know yon." J\!atfh.
20 Behold, God '' will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he ^ help the evil doers;
vii. 23. The hypocrite has nev( r been known as a pious man. The earth will refuse to own him as such, and so will the heavens.
19. Behold^ this is the joy of his way. This is evidently sarcastic. ' Lo! such is the joy of his course! He boasts of joy, as all hypocrites do, but his joy endures only tor a little time. This is the end of it. He is cut down and removed, and theearth and the heavens disown him!' ^ And out of the earth shall others grow. This image is still derived from the tree or plant. The meaning is, that such a plant would be taken av.'ay, and that others would spring up in its place which the earth would not be ashamed of So the hypocrite is removed to make way for others who will be sincere, and who Avill be useful. Hypocrites and useless men in the church are removed to make way for others who will be active and devoted to the cause of the Redeemer. A similar sentiment occurs in ch. xxvii. 16, 17. This closes, as I suppose, the quotation which Bildnd makes from the poets of the former age, and in the remainder of the chapter he states another truth pertaining to tlie righteous. This fragment is one of the most interesting that can be found any where. As a relic of the earliest times it is exceedingly valuable; as an illustration of the argument in hand, and of the course of events in this world, it is eminently beautiful. It is as true now as it was when uttered before the flood, and may be used now as describing the doom of the hypocrite, with as much propriety as then, and it may be regarded as one of the way-marks in human nfi'airs, showing that the government of God, and the manner of his dispensations, are always substantially the same.
21 Till he fill thy mouth with ikutrhina, and thy lips with ' re-
a pirfect man. On the meaning of tlic word perfect, see Note, eh. ]. 1. TI.e sentiment of Bildad, or the inference which he draws from the wliole firgument is, tliat God will be the friend of the pious, but that he will not aid the wicked. This accords with the general sentiment maintained in the argument of the friends of Job. H J\'cithcr will he help the evil doers. Marg. Take the ungodly by the hand. This is in accordance with the Hebrew. The figure is that of taking one by the hand in order to assist him. See Isa. xlii. 6.
21. Till he Jill thy mouth icith laughing. Till he make thee compieTely happy. The word rendered " till" p?), is rendered by Dr. Good, " even yet." Noyes, following Houbiganr, De Wette, and JMichaelis, proposes to change the jiointing, and to read ^>, instead of ^V — meaning, '■'■while." The verse is connected with that which follows, and the particle here used evidently means "while," or "even yet" — and the whole passage means, ' if you return to God, he will even yet
22 They that hate thee shall be'clothed with " shame; and the dwelling-place of the wicked shall ' come to nought.
firTyou with joy, while those who hate >ou shall be clothed with shame. God will show you favor, but the dwelling of the wicked shall come to naught.' The object of the passage is to induce Job to return to God,°with the assurance that if lie did, he would sliow mercy to him, while the wicked should be destroyed. *\\ With rejoicing. Marg. Shoiitingforjoy. The word used (S^^^^^l) is "properly that which denotes the^ clangor of a trumpet, or the shout of victory and triumph.
22. They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame. When they see your returning prosperity, and the evidences of the divine favor. They will then be ashamed that they regarded you as a hypocrite, and that they reproached you in your trials. H And the dwelling-place of the ivicked, &c. The wicked shall be destroyed, and his family shall pass away. That is, God will favor the righteous, but punish the wicked. This opinion the friends of Job maintain all along, and by this they urge him to forsake his sins, repent, and return to God.
This cliaptcr nnd the following comprise the answer of Job to the speech of Bildad. It maj be romfirkcd in genoiul, that the object of Job in these arguments is not to prove that be waa entirely faultieas. He wa.s charged with being a hypociite, and liis opponents in the argument |ir<»cce<l(.'d on the presumption that he was a wicked man. Against tHis he protests, and mainlnin« bin own iiuiocence of tlie cliurge. By this he does not mean absolii > perfection. He means llial lie is free from tlic secret crimes of whicii he was accused; that he s not chargeable with unroinmon cuiU, such as liioy alleged; or, that he is a sincere and uprighv nan. Tt may also be olwcrvcd, that there arc evidences in the speeches of Job that he is agitated with contending patciona. Fear, hope, confidence, despair, and a sense of the severity of his sufferings, by luma hnvo pu*io<isi(in of his mind, and he gives vent in turn to them all. There is, therefore, at limes apparent inconsistency in his langunge and thoughts; hut the object of the poem waa to exhibit these contending emotions, and to show how the mind is agitated ia scenes like these. The substance of the reply of Job to Uiklad hero is the following:
He admits in general the truth of what Bildad had said, that no one can he just with God, and that if God should enter into judgment with mau he could not answer him for one of a tiiousand of his offences. He thus shows tliat he had recovered his equanimity, and friiat he never meant in vindicating his own innocence to maintain that he was absolutely free from sin, vs. 1 -3. He proceeds to aigue that God is an absolute sovereign; that, he distributes favors and judgments in accordance with his own inscrutable will; that men ought not to presume to sit in judgment on the doings of the Almighty; and that even if lie had the fullest conviction of his own innocence, he would not presume to enter into an argument with him, but would make supplication to him, vs. 4-15. These thoughts are worthy of a man who had full confidence in God. They show the calm and deliberate judgment of Job, and prove that lie was a pious man, tliough the severity of his sufferings, and the provocation which he met with, led him sometimes to exj)ress sentiments little in accordance with these. He proceeds to soy (vs. 16-21), that he i.s so feeble that he could have no hope of prevailing in a controversy with God; and that though he were conscious of innocence, he would not set up a defence when God judged otherwise; for that in such a case his attempt to vindicate himself would prove that he was pciveise. The principle here advanced is, that God must be right. He is great, and glorious, and holy; and nren ought to believe, however much they may suffer, that the principles of his government are equitable and true. When he judges man to be a sinner, it must be so. The highest proof of humair guilt is the fact that God regards man as a sinner. He proceeds (vs. 22-24) to advance the sentiment on which he so much insisted, that misery, so far from being proof of uncommon guilt, is equally the portion of the righteous and the wicked. He maintains that his sufferings do not prove that he is a Irad man, for that calamities come upon all alike. He passes now to a contemplation of his own sufferings, and in the course of his description of his afflictions he is again led to give vent to feelings of a much less noble and elevated character than those which he had just expressed. When arguing in the abstract about God, he is right; when his mind contemplates his own sorrows, he becomes impatient, and often uses language of murmuring and complaint. He says (vs. 25-28) that his days are swift and an; full of sorrow, and that he cannot forget his sufferings and find comfort. He adds (vs. 29-35) that God is so great that he cannot enter into an argument with him; that he is reduced to silence by his mere power; that there is no days-marr between him and God before whom the cause might be presented; and that if God would remove his calamity, he would then state his feelings tully, and without fear. But this could not be; and though he siiould say ever so much in his own vindication, and wash himself in snow-water, yet that God would plunge him into the ditch and overwhelm him with the consciousness of guilt, and hold liim guilty,stlll.
In ch. X. he prosecutes tlie argument, and indulges himself in a much greater latitude of expression and of feelmg than he had done in ch. ix. In particular, he expostulates with great earnestness and pathos with God on accoun,t of his treating a creature — the work of his owa hands — with such severity. He says (ver, 1) that he is wean' of his life, for it is a burden; addresses God directly, and in a solemn manner, as his Maker, and agks why he deals thus with a poor frail, and heljrless creature whom he has made; acknowledges that all that he has is from God, appeals to God himself in proof that he is not a wicked man, and asks why he deals with him in this awful manner (vs. 2-12); and says that God marked him out and hunted him down as a lion, and multiplied the tokens of his indignation so that he was utterly overwhelmed and confounded, vs. 13-17 As he proceeds he grows warmer; is roused to desperation at the idea that God is his enemy; and again vehemently wishes for death as a relief for his woes, asking only for a little respite before he goes down to the land of darkness and of shades, vs. 18-22. Tliere are marks of great agitation of feeling, of deep emotion, of mingled sensibilities, in these chapters, and tlie whole is a remarkable illustration of the feelings which even pious men sometimes have in trials.
2. / knoio it is so of a truth. Job here refers, undoubtedly, to something that had been said before; but whether it is to the general strain of remark, or to some particular expression, may be doubted. RosenmOllcr supposes that he refers to what was said by Eliphaz in ch. iv. 17; but it seems more probable that it is to the general position which had been laid
but " how should man be just ' with God?
down and defended, that God was just and holy, and that his proceedings were marked with equity. Job admits this, and proceeds to show that it was a truth quite as familiar to him as it was to them. The object of his dwelling on it seems to be to show them that it was no new thing to him, and that he had some views on that important subject which wero
3 If he will contend with him,
well worthy of attention. IT But how should man he just iclth God? Marjr. hej'oic. The meaning is, thai he could not be regarded as jjerfectly lioly in the sight of God; or that so holy and pure a being as God must see that man was a sinner, and regard him as such Sec the sentiment explained in tiie Notes on ch. iv. 17. The question here asked is, in itself, the most important ever propounded by man — ' How shall sinful man be regarded and treated as righteous by his Maker r' This has been the great inquiry which has always been before tiie human mind. ^\\xn is conscious that he is a sinner. He feels that lie must be regarded as such by God. Vet his happiness here and hereafter, his peace and all his hope, depend on his being treated as if he were righteous, or regarded as just before God. This inquiry has led to all forms of religion among men; to all the penances and sacrifices of different systems; to all the efforts which have been made to devise some system that shall make it proper for God U) treat men as righteous.* The question has never been satisfactorily answered e.xcept in the Christian revelation, where a plan is disclosed by which God 'may be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth.' Through the infinite merits of the Redeemer, man, though conscious that he is personally a sinner, may be treated as if he had never sinned; though ft'cling that he is guilty, he may consistently be forever treated as if he wen; just. The question asked by Job implies that such is the evid».'nce and the extent of human ^Miilt, that man can never justify himnelf This is clear and indisputable. Man caniiut justify Jiimself by the deeds of tJie law. Justification, as s work of law, is this: A. man is charged, for example, with the crime of murder. He sets up in defence that h.- did not kill, or that if he took life it was in self-dcfiince, and that he had ii right to do it. Unless the fact he cannot answer him one of a of killing be proved, and it be shown that he had no right to do in the case as he has done, he cannot be condemned, and the law acquits him. It has no charge against him, and he is just or justified in tlie sight of the law. But in this sense man can nev-! er be just before God. He can neither show that the things charged on him by his Maker were not done, or that being done, he had a right to,do them; and being unable to do this, he must be held to be guilty. He can never be justified therefore by the law, and it is only by that system which God has revealed in the gospel, where a conscious sinner may be treateda5z/"he were righteous through the merits of another, that a man can ever be regarded as just before God. See Notes on Rom. i. 17, iii. 24,25.
3. If he icill contend with him. That is, if God enters into a controversy with man. If he chooses to charge crime on him, and to hold him responsible for his deeds. The language here is taken from courts of justice, and means that if a trial were instituted, where God should submit charges, and the matter were left to adjudication, man could not answer^ the charges against him. Comp. Notes on Isa. xli. 1. IT He cannot ansicer him one of a thousand. For one of a thousand of the sins charged on him. The word thousand here is used to denote the largest number, or all. A man who could not answer for one charge brought against him out of a thousand, must be held to be guilty; and the expression here is equivalent to saying that he could not answer liim at all. It may also be implied that God has many charges against man. His sins are to be reckoned by thousands. They are numerous as his years, his months, his weeks, his days, his hours, his moments; numerous as his privileges, Jiis deeds, and his thoughts. For not one of those sins can he answer. He can give no satisfactory account
4 He ° is wise in heart, and inighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered 1
before an impartial tribunal for any of them. If so, how deeply guilty is man before God! How glorious that plan of justification by which he can be freed from this long list of offences, and treated as though he had not sinned!
But the more common interpretation is to refer it to God. The meaning of Job appears to be, that God was a sagacious adversary; that he was able to manage his cause; that he could meet and refute all objections which could be urged; and that it would be in vain to engage in a litigation before him. He so well understood the whole ground of debate, and was so entirely skilled in the merits of the controversy, and could so successfully meet all that could be alleged, that it was useless to attempt to hold an argument with him. H And mighty in strength. He is able to execute all his designs, and to carry all his purposes into effect. Man is weak and feeble, and it is hopeless for him to attempt to contend with the Almighty. TI lIHio hath hardened h\mse\^ against him., and hath prospered? To harden one's self, here means to resist or withstand him. It refers to the firmness or resolution which one is obliged to adopt who opposes another. Here it means the opposition which man makes to the law and government of the Most High; and the affirmation is, that no one can make such opposition who will not be ultimately overcome. God is so great, so powerful, and so just, that a successful resistance cannot be made. The arrangements of God will take their course, and man
5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger;
must yield to his claims and his government, or be prostrated. None can successfully resist God; and the true policy of man, as well as his duty, is to yield to him, and be at peace with him. H And hath prospered. Or been successful. He has failed in his opposition, and been obliged to yield. Prosperity is not found in opposing God, It is only by falling in with his arrangements and following his designs. A prosperous voyage is made by falling in with winds and currents, and not in opposing them; prosperous agriculture is carried on by coinciding with the favorable seasons of the year, and taking advantage of the dews, and rains, and sunbeams that God sends, and not in opposing them; prosperity in regard to health is found in taking advantage of the means which God gives to secure it, and not in opposing them. And the sinner in his course has no more chance of success and prosperity, than a man would have who should make it a point or principle of life always to sail against tides, and currents, and head-winds; or he who should set at defiance all the laws of husbandry, and plant on a rock, or in the dead of winter; or he who should feed himself on poison rather than on nutritious food, and cultivate the nightshade rather than wheat. The great principle is, that if a man desires prosperity, he must fall in with the arrangements of God in his providence and grace; and wisdom is seen in studying these arrangements, a,nd in yielding to them.
5. Which removeth the mountains. In order to show how vain it was to contend with God, Job refers to some exhibitions of his power and greatness. The ' removal of the mountains' here denotes the changes which occur in earthquakes and
G Which " shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble;
other violent convulsions of nature. This illustration of tlie power of God is often referred to in the Scriptures. Conip. Judges v. 5. 1 Kings xix. 11. Ps l.w. 6, cxiv. 4, cxliv. 5. Isa. xl. 12. Jer. iv. 24. U And they knoicnut. This is evidently a Hebraism, meaning suddenly, or unexpectedly. He does it, as it were, before they are aware of it. A similar expression occurs in the Koran, "God overturns them, and tliey do not know it;" i. e. he docs it without their suspecting any such thing. Comp. Ps. xxxv. 8. "Let destruction come upon him at unawares," or, as it is in tiie Heb. and in the margin, ichich he knoweth not of. Tindal renders this, " He translatethe the mountaynes or ever cth them in his anger. As if he were imraged. There could scarcely bo any more terrific exhibition of the wrath of God than the sudden and tremendous violence of an earthquake
6. llliich shaketh the earth out of her place. TJiis evidently refers to violent convulsions of nature, as if the earth were to be taken away. Objects on the earth's surface become displaced, and convulsion seems to seize the world. The LXX render this, " who shaketh that which is under the heavens from its foundations"— fy. &(fif).{o)v. The change in the Hebrew would be very slight to authorize this rendering. U Jindthe pillars thereof tremble. In this place the earth is represented as sustained like a building by pillars or columns. Whetlicr this is a mere poetic repre- Hcntation, or whether it describes the actual belief of the speaker in regard to the structure of the earth, it is not easy to determine. I am inclined to think it is the former, because in another place where he is speaking of the cartii, he presents his views in
7 Which commandeth the sun, '' and it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars;
another form, and more in accordance with the truth (see Notes on ch. xxvi.7); and because here the illustration is evidently taken from the obvious and perceived effects of an earthquake. It would convulse and agitate the pillars of the most substantial edifice, and so it seemed to shake the earth, as if its very supports would fall.
7. Which commandeth the sun., and it riseth not. Schultens supposes that all this is a description of the deluge — when the mountains were removed, when the fountains of the deep were broken up, and when the sun was obscured and seemed not to rise. Others have supposed that it refers to the fact that the sun is darkened by clouds and tempests, and appears not to rise and shine upon the earth. Others suppose that the allusion is to an eclipse; and others, that it is to the power of God, and means that the rising of the sun depends on him, and that if he should choose to give the command, the heavenly bodies would rise and give light no more. It seems probable that the meaning is, that God has poicer to do this; that the rising of the sun depends on him; and that he could delay it, or prevent it, at his pleasure. His power over the sun was shown in the time of Joshua, when, at his command, it stood still; but it is not necessary to suppose that there is any reference to this fact liere. The whole meaning of the language is met by the supposition that it refers to the power of God, and affirms what he could do, or if it refer to any fact that had been observed, that the allusion is to the darkening of the sun by an eclipse or a tempest. No argument can be derived, therefore, from the expression, in regard to the age of the book. U A7id sealetk up the Stars. The word seal in the
8 Which alone spreadeth out the " heavens, and treadeth * upon the ' waves of the sea;
Scriptures (-O'^') ^s used with considerable latitude of signification. It is employed in the sense of shutting, closing, making fast — as when any thing was scaled, it was shut up or made fast. The Hebrews often used a seal where we would use a lock^ and depended on the protection derived from the belief that one would not break open that which was sealed, where we are obliged to rely on the security of the lock against force. If there were honor and honesty among men everywhere, a seal would be as secure as a lock — as in a virtuous community a sealed letter is as secure as a merchant's iron "safe." To seal up the stars, means so to shut them up in the heavens, as to prevent their shining; to hide them from the view. They are concealed, hidden, made close — as the contents of a letter, a package, or a room are by a seal, indicating that no one is to examine them, and concealing them from the view. So God hides from our view the stars by the interposition of clouds.
8. JVJiich alone spreadeth out the heavens. As an expanse, or a curtain. See Notes on Isa. xl. 22. TI And treadeth upon the waves of the sea. Marg. Heights. So it is in the Hebrew. It means the high 7caves; that is, he walks upon the waves of the ocean when lifted up by a storm. This is spoken of here as a proof of the greatness of God; and the meaning of all is, that he is seen in the storm, in the heaving ocean, when the heavens are black v/ith tempest, and v/hen the earth is convulsed. It may be added here, that the Lord Jesus walked amidst the howling winds on the lake, and thus gave evidence that he was God. Matth. xiv. 25. "The Egyptian hieroglyphic for what was
9 Which ' maketh ^Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;
not possible to be done, was a man walking on the water." Burder. Dr. Good, and some others, render this, " on the mountains." But the more correct rendering is given in the common version. The Hebrew word rendered "waves" (i^^^) indeed properly means a height, a lofty place, a mountain; but the comparison of waves with a mountain, is common in all languages. So we speak of waves ' mountain-high,' or as high as mountains. So Virgil,./Eneid i. 105:
Insequitur cumulo prseruptus aquae mons. Similar to this, is the expression occurring in Homer, xvinara 7aa oQfooir; and so Apollonius, i. 521 — aXoq ay.ga. The hXX render it, " who walketh upon the sea as upon a pavement."
9. Which maketh Jlrcturus. This verse, with others of the same description in the book of Job, is of especial importance, as they furnish an illustration of the views which prevailed among the patriarchs on the subject of astronomy. There are frequent references to the sciences in this book (see the Introduction), and there is no source of illustration of the views which prevailed in the earliest times in regard to the state of the sciences, so copious as can be found in this poem. The thoughts of men were early turned to the science of astronomy. Not only were they led to this by the beauty of the heavens, and by the instinctive promptings of the human mind to know something about them, but the attention of the Chaldeans and of the other Oriental nations was early drawn to them by the fact that they wore shepherds, and that they passed much of their time in the open air at night, watching their flocks. Having nothing else to do, and being much i awako, they would naturally con- j trive to relieve the todiousncss of the j night by watching the movements of j the stars; and they early gave cm- j ployment to their talents, by endeavoring to ascertain the influence which the stars exerted over the fates of men, and to their imagination, by dividing the heavens into portions, having a fancied resemblance to certain animals, and by giving them appropriate names. Hence arose the arrangement of the stars into constellations, and the names which they still bear. The Hebrew word rendered Arcturus, is t'J, ash. The LXX render it, JD.ftchrt—the Pleiades. Jerome, Jrclurum. The Hebrew word iisiiallv means a moth. Job iv. 19, xiii. 'is, xxvii. 18. It also denotes the splendid constellation in the Northern hemisphere, which we call Ursa Major, the Great Bear, Arcturus, or the Wain. Comp. Niebuhr, Des. of Arabia, p. 11-1. The word ^:? does not literally mean a hear, but is made by aphacresis from the Arabic jjiutj nc-s, by the excisjon of the initial n — as is common in Arabic. See Bochart, Hieroz. P. H. Lib. I. c. xvi. p. 113, 114. The word in Arabic means a bier, and is the name given to the constellation which we denominate Ursa Major — " because," says Bochart, " the four stars, which art; a squ;ire, are regarded as a bier, on whi«-h a (lead body is borne. The tliree f(jllovving (the tail of the bear) art! the daughters or sons which attfMid the funeral as mourners." This name is f)flon given to this constellation in Arabic. The Arabic name is El-na'sch, the bier. " The expression," says Ideler, " denotes particularly the bier on which the dead are borne, and taken in this sense, each of the two biers [in the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor] is accompanied l)y three mourningwomen. The biers and the mourningwomen together, are called Bendtna'sch, literal ly, ilauirJUrrs of (he hicr;
that is, those who pertain to the bier." Untersuchungen uber den Ursprung und die Bedeutung der Sternnamen, S. 419. Comp. ch. xxxviii..32: " Canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" Schultens regards the word ^^^, as synonymous froni J]^ to go about by night, and supposes this constellation to be bo called, because it always revolves around the pole, and never sets. The situation and figure of this constellation are well known. It is seen at all times in the northern part of the heavens, perpetually revolving around the North Star, and two of its principal stars point to the North Star always. Its resemblance to a bear, is quite fanciful — as it might be imagined as well to resemble any other object. The design of this fancy was merely to assist the memory. The only thing which seems to have suggested it was its slight resemblance to an animal, followed by its young. Thus the stars, nowknown as the 'tail,' might have been supposed to resemble the cubs of a bear following their dam. The comparison of the constellation to a bier, and the movement to a funeral procession, with the sons or daughters of the deceased following on in the mourning train, is much more poetical and beautiful. This constellation is so conspicuous, that it has been an object of interest in all ages, and has been one of the groups of stars most attentively observed by navigators, aa a guide in sailing. The reason was, probably, that as it constantly revolved around the North Pole, it could always be seen in clear weather, and thus the direction in which they were sailing, could always be told. It has had a great variety of names. The name Ursa Major, or the Great Bear, is that which is commonly given to it. It is a remarkabla facf, also, that while this name was given to it in the East, a tribe of the American Indians — the Iroquois, also gave the same name of the Great Bear to it. This is remarkable, because, so far as known, they had no communication with each other, and because the name is perfectly arbitrary. Is this an evidence that the natives of our country derived their origin from some of the nations of the East.' In some parts of England the constellation is called " Charles' Wain," or Wagon, from its fancied resemblance to a wagon, drawn by three horses in a line. Others call it the Plough. The whole number of visibTe stars in this constellation is eightv-seven, of which one is of the first, three of the second, seven of the third, and about twice as many of the fourth magnitude. The constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were represented by the ancients, under the image of a wagon drawn by a team of horses. Tiiis is alluded to by the Greek poet, Aratus, in an address to the Athenians:
The one called Helix, soon as day retires Observed with ease lights up his radiant fires; The other smaller and with feebler beams, III a less circle drives his lazy teams; Dut more adapted for the sailor's guide, Whene'er by night he tempts the briny tide.
Among the Egyptians these two constellations are represented by the figures of bears, instead of wagons. Whence the Hebrew name is derived is not quite certain; but if it be from the Arabic, it probably means the same — a bier. There seems no reason to doubt, however, that the Ursa Major is intended; and that the idea here is, that the greatness of God is shown by his having made this beautiful constellation. IT Orion. The Vulgate renders this Orion, the LXX, "EoTTfoov, Hesperus — i. e. the evening star, Venus. The word ^"'P^, kesil, is from ^'32i, kdsdJ, to be fat or fleshy } to be strong, lusty, firm; and then to be dull, sluggish, stupid— as fat persons usually are. Hence the word ^'''OD means a Jool. Ps. xlix. 11. Prov. i. 32, X. 1. It is used here, however, to denote a constellation, and by most interpreters it is supposed to denote the constellation
Orion, which the Orientals call a giant. "They appear to have conceived of this constellation under the figure of an impious giant bound upon the sky." Gesenius. Hence the expression, Job xxxviii. 31, "Canst thou loose the bands of Orion.''" According to the Eastern tradition, this giant was Nimrod, the founder of Babylon, afterwards translated to the skies. See Notes on Isa. xiii. 10, where it is rendered constellation. Virgil speaks of it as the Stormy Orion:
Cum subito assurgens fluctu nimbosus Orion. ^M. i. 535.
Dum Pelago desaevit hyems, et aquosus Orion. ^N. iv. 52.
In another description of Orion by Virgil, it is represented as armed with gold, or surrounded by a yellow light:
Arcturum, pluviasque Hyades, geminosquo
Triones, Armatumque auro circumspicit Oriona.
According to the fancy of the ancients, Orion was a mighty hunter, the attendant of Diana, wlio having offered violence to her was stung to death by a scorpion which she had provided for that purpose. After his death he was translated to heaven, and made a constellation. Others say that he was the son of Neptune and Q,ueen Euryale, a famous Amazonian huntress; and possessing the disposition of his mother, he became the greatest hunter in the world, and made a boast that there was no animal on earth that he could not subdue. To punish this vanity, it is said that a scorpion sprang out of the earth and bit his foot, so that he died, but that at the request of Diana he was placed among the stars, and directly opposite to the scorpion that caused his death. On the names given to this constellation in Arabic, and the origin of the name Orio7i among the Greeks, see Idfeler, Unter. Ober den Urs. u. die Bedeut. der Stern, s. 212-227, 331-336. The name El-dscehbdr, the giant, or /tcro, is that which is commonly given to
It in Arabic. The constellation Orion is usually mentioned by the ancients as connc'cted with storms, and hence is called jiiiubosiis Orion by Virgil, and Iristis Orion by Horace. The reason of this was, that its rising usually occurred at those seasons of the year when storms prevailed, and hence it was supposed to be their cause — as we connect the rising of the dog-star with the idea of intense heat. The situation of Orion is on the equator, midway between the poles of the heavens. It comes to the meridian about the 23d of January. The whole number of visible stars in it is seventy-eight, of which two are of the first magnitude, four of the second, three of the third, and fifteen of the fourth. It is regarded as the most beautiful of the constellations, and when it is on the meridian there is then above the horizon the most magnificent view of the celestial bodies that the firmament exhibits. On the celestial maps it is represented bv the figure of a man in the attitude of assaulting the Bull, with a sword in his belt, a huge club in his right hand, and a lion-skin in the left to serve him for a shield. The principal stars are four, in the form of a long square or parallelogram, intersected by the " Tliree Stars" in the middle called "The EH and the Yard." The two upper ones are represented one on each shoulder, and of the two lower ones one is in the left foot, and the other on the right knee. The position of the constellation may be seen by any one by remarking that the "Three Stars" in the l)clt are those which point to the Pleiades or seven stars on the one side, and to the dog-star on the other. This constellation is mentioned by Homer, as it is indeed by most of the classic writers: Y\\t\iaiai Gi*f^a6ai tc, ro, re adtvoi 'Qpiu^voi.
II. a. It may furnish an illustration of the raatjiess of the starry lu^avens to remark, that in the sword of the constellation Orion there is a nehula which is almost visible to the naked eye, which is computed to be 2,200, 000,000,000,000,000, or two trillions, two hundred thousand billions times lar^^er than the sun! Dr. Dick, Chr. Keepsake for 1840, p. 184. If, then, Job, with his limited viev/s of astronomy, saw in this constellation an impressive proof of the greatness of the Almighty, how much more sublime should beo2irviev/sof God! We see this constellation not merely as a beautiful object in the sky — a collection of bright and beautiful gems — but we see it as so vast as to surpass our comprehension, and behold in it a single nebula, or speck — not quite visible to the naked eye — that mocks all our powers of conception! It may be added, that by the aid of a telescope about two thousand stars have been seen in this constellation. M ^nd Pleiades. The seven stars. The Hebrew word is •^'9'^'?? Idrtid, a heap or cluster. The name is given to the cluster of stars in the neck of the constellation Taurus, of which seven are the principal. Six or seven may be usually seen if the eye is directed towards it j but if the eye be turned carelessly aside while the attention is fixed on the group, many more may be seen. For, "it is a very remarkable fact," says Sir John Herschell, "that the centre of the visual organ is by far less sensible to feeble impressions of light than the exterior portion of the retina." Ast. p. 398. Telescopes show fifty or sixty large stars there crowded together into a small space. Rheita affirms that he counted two hundred stars in this small cluster. In regard to the Pleiades, Ideler makes the following remarks. " These stars were by the ancients sometimes denoted by the singular, Jllfiaq, Plcias, and sometimes by the plural, IlXftddiq (in metrical composition, IJktfiddfc;), Pleiades. They are mentioned by Homer, Hi. a. 486, Od. f. 272, and by Hesiod, 'E(,y. 383, 615. Hesiod mentions the cluster as the daughter of Atlas — 'Ar).ayfVHq. The name Atlantidrs, which so often occurs among the Romans, signifies the same thing. Their mytnological names are Alcyone, Merope, Celseno, Electra, Sterope or Asterope, Taygate, and Maia. There is some uncertainty among the ancient writers whence tlie name Pleiades is derived. Among most etymok)gists, the name has respect to navigation, and the derivation is from arch roi nXnv — because the time of navigation commenced with the rising of the Pleiades in the first part of May, and ended with their setting in the first part of November. But perhaps the name is derived simply from nXtoq, nhloq, full, so that it merely denotes a condensed assemblage of stars, which Manilius, iv. 523, expresses by glolaerahile s'ldus. Aratus, v. 257, says that the Pleiades were called fnrd- TZoooi — those tvhich walked in seven paths, although but six stars can be seen. In a similar sense Ovid, speaking of the Pleiades, says,
Q.UGB septem dici, sex tamen esse solent.
Hipparchus, on the contrary, affirms that in a clear night, when there is no moon, seven stars can be seen. The difference of these views is easily explained. The group consists of one star of the third magnitude, three of the fifth, two of the sixth, and many smaller stars. It requires a very keen vision to be able to distinguish in the group more than six stars. Since, therefore, among the ancients, it was commonly believed that there were no more than six, and yet among them, as with us, tlie name the seven stars was given to them, tlie opinion arose that one star of the seven had been lost. Some supposed that it had been smitten by lightning, others that it had united itself to the middle star in the tail of the Ursa Major, and others gave to the belief a mythic signification, as is mentioned by Ovid in the place above referred to. The Romans called the Pleiades VergilicB, because they arose in the spring. The Arabians called these stars El-thoreja — meaning abundant, copious, and answering to the Greek 7t).iidq, Pleias. The Asiatic poets Sadi, Hafiz, and others, always mention these stars as a beautiful rosette, with one brilliant. Sadi, in the description of a beautiful garden, says, ' The ground was strewed with pieces of enamel, and bands of Pleiades appeared to hang on the branches of the trees.' Hafiz says, 'The heavens bear up thy poems — the pearly rosette of the Pleiades as the seal of immortality.' Beigel, who has translated these poets, adds, ' In this genuine Oriental spirit must we understand the words of Job, " Canst thou bind the brilliant rosettes of the Pleiades.''" that is, Who can say that he has placed this collection of brilliants as a rosette in the sky.''' " Meier, Untersuchungen ii den Urs. u. die Bedeut. der Sternnamcn, S. 143- ] 47. TT And the chambers of the south. What is the exact idea to be attached to this expression, it is not easy to say. Probably it means the remote regions of the south, or the part of the heavens which is not visible to the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. The word rendered chambers means in the Scriptures a private apartment of a dwelling; a part that is separated from the rest by a curtain; a harem, tfec. Hence it may mean the abodes of the stars in the south — comparing the heavens with an immense tent, and regarding it as divided into separate apartments. It may mean here the stars which are hidden, as it were, in the recesses of the southern hemisphere, like the private apartments of a house, which all were not allowed to enter. There are some intimations in the book of Job that the true structure of the earth was not unknown at that remote period of the world (comp. Notes, oh, xxvi. 7); and if so, then this may refer to the constellations in the south which are invisible to an inhabitant of the northern hemisphere. There is no impropriety, at any rate, in supposing that tiiose who had travelled into the south had brought reports of stars and constellations seen there which are invisible to an inhabitant of northern Arabia.
10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without nuniher.
10. Which docth great things. This is almost tlie sentiment which had been expressed by Ehphaz. See Notes, eh. v. 9. It was evidently a proverb, and as such was used by both Eliphaz and Job.
11. Lo^ he gocth by me. That is, ho passes ah)ng — as in the silent movements of the Jieavenly bodies. ' I see the evidence of iiis existence. I can see that God must be there — moving along by me in the orbs of iiiglit and in the march of the constL-lhitions, but I cannot see God himself He passes hij^ or rather he passes over me Cdrj), as in the majestic movement of the heavenly bodies over my head.' This is, I think, the idea, and the image is exceedingly poetic and beautiful. The heavens are seen to move in silent grandeur. The northern constellation rolls around the pole. The others move on as a marshalled army. They go in silent and solemn order, and God must he there. But, says Job, I cannot see him. I can feel that he must be there, and I look out on the heavens to see him, but my eyes fiil, and I cannot behold him. He passes on, and I see him not. Who has ever looked upon the heavens in the still night, and seen the silent grandeur of such movements of the heavenly host, without some such feeling — some emotion of inexpressible awe — as if he, if I may so express
12. Behold, he taketh aicmj. Property, friends, or life. IF Who can hinder him f iMarg. Turn him awatj. Or, rather, 'who shall cause him to restore.-' i. e. who can bring back what he takes away? He is so mighty, that what he removes, it is who can hinder ' him 1 who ** will say unto him. What doest thou?
13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the ^ proud helpers do stoop under him.
impossible for us to recover TI Ulio iciil say unto him, What doest thou? A similar expression occurs in Dan, iv. 35. The meaning is plain. God has a right to remove any thing which we possess. Our friends, property, health, and lives, are his gift, and he has a right to them all. When he takes them away, he is but taking that which is his own, and which has been lent to us for a little time, and which he has a right to remove when it seems good to him. This truth Job fully admits, and in the calm contemplation of all his losses and liis sorrows, he acknowledges that God had a right to do as he had done. See Note, ch. i. 21.
13. If God will not withdraw his anger. That is, if he perseveres in inflicting punishment. He will not turn aside his displeasure by any opposition or resistance made to him. If The proud helpers. Marg. Helpers of pride, or, strength. Jerome renders this, " under whom they v/ho bear up the world bow down " The LXX, not less singularly, " by him the whales [or monsters — k?/T7/] which are under heaven, are bowed down." Codurcus renders it, " aids of pride," and understands by it all the things on which proud men rely, as wealth, health, rank, talent. So Dr. Good renders it, *' the supports of the proud." The meaning is, probably, that all those things which contribute to the support o^ pride, or all those persons who are allied together to maintain the dominion ot pride on the earth, must sink under the wrath of God. Or it may refer to those who s-ustain the pride of state and empire — the men who stand around the thrones ofmonarchs.
14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him 1
and who contribute, by their talent and power, to uphold the pomp and magnificence of courts. On the meaning of the word here rendered •pride ("n";), sec Notes on Isa. xxx. 7.
14. How much less shali I ansxoer him? I, who am so feeble, how can 1 contend with him: If the most mighty objects in the universe are under his control; if the constellations are directed by him; if the earth is shaken, and mountains moved from tlieir places, by his power, and if the men of most exalted rank are prostrated by him, how can I presume to contend v/ith (lod? This is the common view which is given of the passage, and is evidently that which our translators entertained. But I have given in the translation what appears to me to be a more literal version, and to express a better sense — though, I confess, the translation differs from all that I have seen. According to this, the sense is simply, that such was the veneration which Job had Tor the character of God, that should ho attempt to answer him, he vv'ould select his words with the utmost care and attention.
15. Whom, though I loerc righteous. That is, if I felt the utmost confidence that I was righteous, yet, if God judged otherwise, and regarded me as a sinner, 1 would not reply to him, but would make supplication to liini as a sinner. I would have so much confidence in him, and would feel that he was so much better qualified than I am to judge, and that I am so liable to be deceived, that I would come to him as a sinner, if he judged and declared me to be one, and would plead for pardon. The meaning is, that God is a much bette" judge of our character than we can possibly be, and that his regarding us as sinners is the highest proof that we are righteous, yet would I not answer, but "■ I would make supplication to my judge.
such, whatever may be our views to the contrary. This shows the extent of the confidence which Job had in God, and is an indication of true piety. And it is founded in reason as well as in piety. Men often suppose that they are righteous, and yet they know that God adjudges otherwise, and regards them as sinners. He offers them pardon as sinners. He threatens to punish them as sinners. The question is, whether they shall act on their own feelings and judgment in the case, or on his.-' Shall they adhere obstinately to their views, and refuse to yield to God, or shall they act on the truth of his declarations.-' Now that Job was right in his views of the case, may appear from the following considerations. (1.) God knows the heart. He cannot be deceived; loe maybe. In nothing are we more liable to be deceived than in regard to our own character. We sliould, therefore, distrust our own judgment in this case, but we should never distrust God. (2.) God is in finitely benevolent, and will not judge unkindly. He has no wish to find us sinners; he will have no pleasure in making us out to be transgressors. A heart of infinite benevolence would prefer to find all men holy, and would look on every favorable circumstance in the case with all the kindness which it would deserve. No being would be so likely to make a favorable decision in our case as the infinitely benevolent God; none would so delight to find that we were free from the charge of guilt. (3.) God will act on his own views of our character, and not on ours; and it is prudent and wise, therefore, for us to act on his views now. He will judge us in the last day according to his estimate of our character, and not according to the estimate which ^cc may form. (4.) At the same time»
16 If I had called, and he had answered me, yd would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17 For he brcuketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
we cannot but accord with his views of our own character. Our reason.•ind conscience tell us that we have viohitcd his laws, and that v/e have no claim to his mercy. No man can persuade himself that he is wholly ri£;hteous; and being conscious of guilt, though in the slighest degree, he should make supplication to his Judge.
l(i. If I had called^ and he had answered mc. It is remarked by Schultens, that the exj)ressions in these verses are all taken from courts of justi('e. If so, the meaning is, that even if Job should call the Almighty to a judicial action, and he should respond to him, and consent to submit the great question about his innocence, and about the justice of the divine dealings with him, to trial, yet that such was the distance between (lod and him, that he could not hope successfully to contend with him in the argument. He would, therefore, prostrate himself in a suppliant manner, and implore his mercy and comj)assion — submitting to him as having ail power, and as being a just and rigiiteous Sovereign. H Would I not brlierc. I cannot believe that he would enter into my complaint. He deals with me in a manner so severe; he acts towards me so much as a sovereign, that I have no reason to Htipj)os(; that he would not continue to act towarrlsme in the same way still.
17. For he brcaheth vie. lie is (ivervvhelming me with a tempest; that is, with tlie storms of wrath. He shows me no mercy. 'J'lic idea seems to be, that God acted towards him not as a judge determining matters by rule of law, but as a sovereign — determining them by his own will.
18 He will not sufFer me to take my breath, but fiileth me with bitterness.
19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
If it were a matter of law; if he could come before him as a judge, and maintain his cause there; if the case could be fairly adjudicated whether he deserved the calamities tliat came upon him, he would be willing to enter into such a trial. But where the matter was determined solely by will, and God acted as a sovereign, doing as he pleased, and giving no account of his matters to any one, then it would be useless to argue the cause. He would not know w4iat to e.xpect, or understand the principles on which an adjudication would be made. It is true that God acts as a sovereign, but he does not act without reference to law. He dispenses his favors and his judgments as he pleases, but he violates none of the rules of right. The error of Job was the common error which men commit, that if God acts as a sovereign, he must of course act regardless of laio, and that it is vain to plead with him or try to please him. But sovereignty is not necessarily inconsistent with respect for law; and He who presides with the most absolute power over the universe, is He who is most directed by the rule of right. In Him sovereignty and law' coincide; and to come to Him as a sovereign, is to come with the assurance that supreme rectitude will be done. H A7id muitiplieth my icounds without cause. That is, without sufficient reason. This is in accordance with the views which Job had repeatedly expressed. The main ground of his complaint was, that his sufferings were disproportionate to his faults.
18. lie tcill not suffer me to take my breath. See Notes on ch. vii. 19.
20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me:
strong. There has been a considerable variety in the interpretation of this passage. Tlic meaning seems to be tliis. It refers to a judicial contest, and Job is speaking of the effect if lie and God were to come to a trial, and tlie cause were to be settled before judges. He is urging reasons why he would hiive no hope of success in such a case. He says, therefore, ' If the matter pertained only to strength^ or if it were to be determined hij strengtli, lo, he is more mighty than I au), and 1 could have no hope of success in such a controversy: and if the controversy was one of jitdgment, i. e. of justice or right, I have no one to manage my cause — no one that could cope with him in the pleadings— no one who could equal him in setting forth my arguments, or presenting my side of the case. It would, therefore, be wholly an unequal contest, where I could have no hope of success; and I am unwilling to engage in such a controversy or trial with God. My interest, my duty, and the necessity of the case, require me to submit the case without argument, and I will not attempt to plead with my Maker.' That there wa^ a want of right feeling in this, must be apparent to all. There was evidently the secret belief that God had dealt with him severely; that he had gone beyond his deserts in inflicting pain on him, and that he was under a necessity of submitting not so much to justice and right as to mere power and sovereignty. But who has not had something of this feeling when deeply afflicted.'' And yet who, when lie has had it, has not felt that it was far from being what it should be? Our feeling should be, 'we deserve all that we suffer, and more than we have yet endured. God is a sovereign; but He is right. Though he afflicts us much, and others little, yet it is not because he is unjust, but because he sees that there is some good reason