Beza, Cocceius, Schultens.
Sephorno interprets it inStead of wicked men, and illuftrates it by the fhaking out of difturbed by men of devils; a national peace, when God gives it, cannot be broke in upon; nor the peace of churches, though there are always fome inclined to be troublers of the //rae/ of God; nor the peace of particular perfons, not their outward peace and quietnefs, when God fets an hedge of providence about them; nor their inward peace, not by all the afflictions and perfecutions they meet with in the world; nor by all the temptations of Satan, and the corruptions of their own hearts. The Targum is, Who fhall condemn? and fo the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac and Arabic verfions, when God acquits, abfolves, and juftifies men, who can condemn them? See Rom. viii. 33. Ifaiah |. 8, 9. When God pronounces the fentence of juftification by the righteoufnefs of Chrift in the confcience of a finner, it produces peace folid and fubftantial, and this being done, who fhall condemn? or of what avail will their condemnation be? whether of the law, or of Satan, or of the world, or of themfelves, of their own hearts. dud when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done againft a nation, or againft a man only? Whether Ged hides his face from a nation, as he fometimes did from the nation of J/rae?, becaufe of their fins; when he would not hear their prayers, nor affift them againft their enemies, nor arife for their help and deliverance out of their hands: or from his church and people, his {piritual Facob and Jfrael, as when they complain, their way is hid from the Lord, and the Lord has forgotten and forfaken them; or from particular perfons, as from David, Heman, and others; and who of the Lord’s people, but at one time or another are under the hid ings of his face? and then there is no finding him, no looking to him with comfort and confidence 3 no looking into and beholding the works and ways of God, and the caufes of his dealings with them 5 thefe are out of fight, his ways are in the deep, and his foot{teps are not known. Some refer this to men, who. will fhew favour to him whom God frowns upon? who will look at him in a pleafant manner, when God hides his face from him? ¥. 30. That the hypocrite reign not, &c.| Thefe words feem to be connected with y. 24. He breaketh in pieces mighty men, &c. to the end of y. 28. the whole twenty ninth ver/e being read in a parenthefis; or with the phrafe be bideth bis face, as God is faid to be in the deftruction of mighty wicked men, who opprefs the poor, and caufe their cry to come to God, to prevent the reign of an hypo crite, or however to fhorten it. By an hypocrite is not meant a common hypocrite in religion, but an hypocrite in politics; who pretends to great humanity and goodnefs, to a tender care of the people, and a prefervation of them in their rights and liberties, and promifes to fupport and eftablifh the conftitution, and obferve the laws of the nation, with a fhew of zeal for the religion profeffed in it. But when he has afcended the throne, and got the power into his hands, he throws off the mafk and becomes a tyrant; and men of fuch a temper, either God does not fuffer to afcend the throne, but if they do get on it through artifice and deceit, he fuffers them not to continue, but depofes them and cuts their reign fhort: and this he does left the people be enfnared, be brought into bondage, and lofe their rights, privileges and liberties; or left they be drawn into fin by their precepts or examples. Some take the fenfe of the words to be, that God fuffers not fuch kings in his wrath iniquities. - y. 31. Surely it is meet to be faid unto God, &c.] By any afflicted perfon under his chaftifing hand, and particularly by ‘0b, for whom the advice and in{tructions in this and the following verfe are defienéd. J bave born chaftifement; the word cha/- tifement is not in the text, but is very properly fupplied, as it is by ‘archi and others; the affliction of God’s people is a fatherly chaftifement, and fhould be confidered and born as fuch; and it becomes an afflicted good man to fay, ‘* I have born «¢ and ftill do bear, and I'am content yet to bear, “¢ the chaftifement of the Lord; Iam defirous to “ bear it willingly, chearfully, and patiently, until “¢ he is pleafed to rémove it from me.”’ ‘See Mic. vii. g. JL will not offend any more; that is, fin any more; fin is an offence to God, being contrary to his nature, and a breach of his law; ‘ob had finned as every good man does, no man is without fin, in many things we all offend; and on account of fin God chaftens his people, and the defign of it is to bring them to a fenfe and acknowledgment of it; and ic becomes them under chaftening providences to confefs it, and humble themfelves under the mighty hand of God, and in the ftrength of divine grace determine to be careful not ‘to offend more. Some render the words J wil] not corrupt *; that is, myfelf or others, my ways and works by finning; and others, J will not break, or break through”, the commands-of God; and fo the fenfe of this and the former verfion is much the fame with ours; or I will not endeavour to break thro’ the afflictive providence in which I am fhut up, or break off the fetters and cords of affiiction, but bear all patiently, until it is the Lord’stime and will to fet me at liberty..Some, as Ben Gerfom, interpret this and the preceding claufe, J pardon, T will not deftroy; or will not retain a pledge, as others‘; and fo take them to be the words of God himfelf; and thus Mr Broughton renders the whole verfe, ‘* Now unto the omnipotent which faith, I <« pardon, I will not deftroy, this /hould be faid,”” namely, what follows in the next verfe*: it is the prerogative of God, and it is his grace to pardon, and fuch whom he pardons he never deftroys, but accepts, difcharges and remits the furety’s bond or pledge; and nothing more effectually engages to a careful abftinence from fin for the future, than a fenfe of pardoning grace; and it highly becomes fuch perfons to fay what they are next directed to. y. 32. That which J /ee not, teach thou me, &c. | Which may be underftood ‘either of the chattifements of God, and his dealings with his people in a providential way, and of the defign and ufe of them, which are fometimes unfearchable, and at moft but a part of them only feen and known; it is meet to fay to God, it is but a fmall part and portion of thy ways that is known by me; I can fee but little into them: teach me more of thy mind and will in them, or elfe of fins and tranfgreffions the caufe of chaftifement; it is proper for an-afflicted man to fay unto God, I am confcious to myfelf of many finful failings and infirmities, but there may be fecret fins committed by me which have efcaped my notice and obfervation, point them out to me, that I may be humbled for them, and make ee re ess 9 te eae pe y 4. not fuch to reign, but when he does it is becaufe of a free confeffion of them. If ‘T have done et Y, the offences or fins of the people’; he gives them to punifh them for their
I will do no more; that is, if I have commi capital crime, any foul offence or grofs enormity, ~ for otherwife no man lives without fin; I fincerely _ ‘repent of it, and will take care for the future thro” — divine grace, to do fo no more. 4, y¥. 33. Should it be according to thy mind? &c.] O Fob, for the words feem to be direéted to him;
,and may refpeét either the government of the world in general, and the difpofal of all things in it, treated of in this chapter, though more remotely, ¥. 13. Is it not proper that God fhould govern it who has made it, and do all things in it as he pleafes? is it fit he fhould confult with men what
‘to do, or be inftruéted and taught by them in the path of judgment? is it meet that every man fhould have his mind and will, and have every thing go in the form and courfe moft eligible to him? Or elfe they may refpect chaftifement, with which the words are more nearly connected; and fo the fenfe be, fhould man be confulted, as ob or any other,, and his mind known firft, whether he fhould be chaftened or no? fhould a fon or a fervant be afked firft by a parent or mafter, whether it is fitting to give correction or not? or is man to be advifed with in what way and manner he fhould be chaftened of God, whether in his perfon, or family, or eftate 2. or how long the chaftening fhould endure upon him, and when it fhould be removed? no furely; all fhould be left with God, the wife and fevereign difpofer of all things. He. will recompenfe it, whether thou refufe, or whether thou choofe, and not I that is, God will recompenfe chatftifement; he will chaftife whom he pleafes, and in what manner he pleafes, and as long as he pleafes, whether man confents or fubmits to it or no; he will not afk his leave; he will do according to the counfel of his own will; and thou 7ob mayeft choofe or refufe to fubmit to him as thou likeft beft, for my part was it my cafe I would not refufe fubmiffion to his will; I would fay, It is the Lord, let him do what feemeth good in his fizght. Some make this laft claufe the words of God, put by way of queftion, Should/t thou choofe or refuse,and not 12 fhouldtt thou have thine option and refufal, and not 1? fhould man be his own choofer, or choofe for himfelf what he likes beft? fhould he not fay, the Lord fhall choofe mine inheritance for me, though that inheritance is affliction? The words are rendered by others to different fenfes, all which to obferve would be too tedious: fome’to this fenfe, <¢ what is of thyfelf God recompenfes;” fin is of a man’s felf, it flows from his corrupt heart and will, he is not tempted to it of God; nor is it to be afcribed to the temptations of Satan, which, tho* they may have their influence, fin is a man’s own. act and’ deed; and God will recompenfe it in one way or another, whether man will or no; either in a way of punifhment on the finner himfelf, or on his furety for him; or in a way of fatherly correction and chaftifement; and this is the Lord’s doing and not mine, and he is juft in fo doing. Therefore Speak what thou knowe/ft; if thou knoweft any thing better than this, or canft contradi& what is faid: or as others™ to this purpofe, ‘‘ did ever fuch a fpeech «< come from thee, as exprefied in the precedin << verfes? God will recompenfe it, if thou refufe “¢ to fpeak in fuch a fubmiffive manner; thou. _ «¢ mayeft refufe to do it, I would not; I fhould “* choofe » Non difrumpam, Beza. | i Non pigk Tigurine Verfion, Vatablus, ™ Junius and Tre-
Se eos Pa? ee pores. Seal choof to fubmit and bear the affliction patient- « ly; if thou thinkeft otherwife, fpeak out thy “¢ mind.”
4. Let men of underftanding tell me, &c.} y. Whether I am right or wrong; and let a wife man bearken unto me; to what I have faid or fhall fay. Elibu here addreflés the company around him, the wife and intelligent part of them; the words may be rendered in the future tenfe, men of underftanding will tell me”, and a.wife man wi// hearken to me and affent, not only to what I have faid, but to what I am about to fay, namely what follows.
¥. 35. Fob bath {poken without knowledge, &c.] Not that ‘ob was an ignorant man, either in things natural or divine; but in this point, about the chaftening hand of God upon him, he had faid fome things which betrayed lack of knowledge, asin y. 5. And bis words were without wifdom, Fob was not deftitute of human wifdom, nor of fpiritual wifdom, but no man is wife at all times; fome things had dropped from him which favoured of folly and ignorance, and which he afterwards was convinced of, and confeffed with fhame, chap. xl. 4, 5. and xlii. 3. being charged by the Lord himfelf with:
what he is here by Elibu, chap. xxxviil. 2. and it may be obferved, that Elibu does not charge Fob with being a wicked man, as his three friends did, but as having fpoken unadvifedly with his lips, under his chaftening circumftances, and which he labours to convince him of.
¥. 36. My defire is that Fob may be tried unto the end, &c.] This is my opinion, or what J bring in°, adduce and lay before you, men of underftanding and wifdom, and leave it with you to confider of. Some render it, O my Father, let Fob be tried, &c. as if it was an apoftrophe to God, and a requeft to him; fo Mr Broughton, who adds, *¢ which art in heaven,” and the fame is added by fome Fewi/h interpreters”, as there are others ‘ of them which go this way, and alfo feveral chriftian commentators"; and of late‘ it has been urged from this and other paflages, that Elibu was Chrift, who here addrefles God as his Father: but this is his New-Teftament title; and though God is the father of all men by creation, and of faints by adoption, yet this relation and title are not fo frequently claimed under the former difpenfation, or however not fo early as the times of 7ob, but are more peculiar to the gofpel-difpenfation, under which faints receive not the fpirit of bondage again to fear, but the {pirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father; wherefore admitting this verfion, rather fome grave venerable perfon as Eliphaz', fenior to Elihu, who was a young man, is addrefied under this title; or the whole circle of 0b’s friends now about him, all elder than Elihu, may be intended; father for fathers, the fingular for the plural, fee 4s vil. 1.
and what he propofes is, that they fhould make it their joint requeft at the throne of grace, that ‘0b’s afflictions be ftill continued; that he might be thoroughly tried by them, and be purged from all his drofs, he not appearing yet to be thoroughly fenfible of his finful fpeeches, and humbled for them; and therefore it was proper he fhould be ftill corrected and chaftened to the end, or unto victory, as Mr Broughton, or untill victory was obtained, and he was obliged to yield and cry peccavi: but fince afflictions are things not joyous but grievous, and it does not feem fo agreeable to a good man, kind and humane, to defire the continuance of the afflictions of another, though palliated with a plaufible pretence for his good; it feems. better to underftand this as a motion made to the underftanding part of the company by Elibu, that the words of 70) which he had fpoken without knowledge and wifdom, might be taken under {trict examination by them, and thoroughly fcanned, that it might be better known what was proper to be faid more to him for his conviction. Becaufe of his anfwers for wicked men; or concerning or relative to fuch anfwers which he had made, which were like to thofe which wicked men make; who charge the ways of God with inequality and want of equity, and afk where is the God of judgment? or which ferve the caufe of the wicked, and which furnifh them with arguments, prepare them for them, and put them into their mouths, to argue againft God and his providential dealings with men, and againft all religion, See y. 8._
¥. 37. For he addeth rebellion unto his fin, &c.] Or he may or will add", if he is fuffered to go on at this rate, and is not {topped; as yet he has only committed, it may be charitably hoped, fome fins through ignorance, error, and miftake, but if he is let alone he will proceed from evil to evil, to more ungodlinefs; to be guilty of prefumptuous fins, of open treafon and rebellion againft God. Fle clappeth his hands amongst us, or be will clap; he will either clap his hands together as expreffive of extreme grief and forrow, of the agonies of his mind; fhewing extravagant impatience, and pouring out his complaints in the moft bitter manner, fee Ezek. xxi. 14. or rather by way of joy and triumph, as having got the victory over us, fee P/a/. xlvii. 1. And multiplieth bis words against God, or will multiply; he has faid too many things already againft God, his juftice in his dealings with him, ¥. 5. he will fay more if he is not reftrained. Thefe are the reafons Elibu gives for a thorough trial and {trict examination of Yb; and they are taken partly from a concern for the good of Fod, and partly on their account, that they might not be triumphed over, and chiefly for the glory of God.
re this chapter Elihu goes on to charge ob with other unbecoming fpeeches, which he undertakes to refute; as that he had reprefented his caufe more juft than God’s, and religion and righteoufnefs as things unprofitable to men, only to
God; towhich H/ibu takes upon him to make an- {wer, ¥. r—8. and that the cries of the opprefled were not heard by the Lord, fo as to give occafion to fongs of praife and thankfulnefs, to which he replies, ¥.9—13. and that Yob had exprefied diffidence dence and defpair of ever feeing and enjoying the favour of God, which he endeavours to remove, y.1. Elibu fpake moreover, and faid,| Elibu very probably paufed a while, and waited to obferve whether any of the company would rife up, and either contradiét and refute what he had faid, or declare their affent unto it and approbation of it; or rather to fee whether 0b would make any reply or no; but perceiving no inclination in him to it, he proceeded to take notice of fome other undue expreffions of ob, and refute them; one of which is obferved in the following verfe, and the proof of it given in the next.
¥. 2. Thinkeft thou this to be right, &c.| Elibu ‘appeals to Fob himfelf, to his confcience and reafon; who as a natural man, guided by the light of nature and reafon only, and judging according to the dictates of a natural confcience, and efpecially as a good man, one that feared God, and had fo much knowledge of him and his perfections, as his peeches fhewed, could never upon reflection think it right what he had faid concerning God and his juftice, as follows; that thou faidf, My righteoufnefs is more than God’s? A ftrange expreffion this indeed! but what is to be underftood, not of his perfonal righteoufnels; fod in his fenfes could never fay that this was more or greater than God’s, or to be above it and preferred to it in any fenfe; nor even of righteoufnefs imputed. Old+Teftament faints had the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to them, and were juftified by it; and fo Hob, who had knowledge of and faith in Chrift as his living Redeemer, and the Lord his righteoufnefs: but then though this is the righteoufnefs of God, wrought out by one that is God as well as man, and approved and accepted of by God, and imputed by him to his people, which is revealed in the gofpel, and is unto all, and upon all them that believe, and they are made the righteoufnefs of God in Chrift; yet this cannot be more than the righteoufnefs of God: befides it is not the effential righteoufnefs of Chrift as God, as Ofander dreamed, by which men are juftified, but his: obedience, active and paffive as Mediator, otherwife they would be deified who are juftified by it; and if even fo abfurd a notion as this could obtain, it would not be more than the righteoufnefs of God: much lefs can this be interpreted of 0d’s inherent righteoufnefs, or the new man which is created in righteoufnefs and true holinefs; fince all the holinefs and righteoufnefs that is in man is from God, and at prefent imperfe&, and therefore cannot be more or greater than his; and ftill lefs can this be meant of Yob’s external righteoufhefs, which, how great foever, was not perfect and without fin, whereas God is juft and without iniquity. But there is not a juft man that does good and fins not. This therefore rmuft be underftood of the righteoufnefs of his caufe; and to fay that this was more than God’s, was what he ought not to have faid, and was more than became him to fay: for though a good man may defend himfelf againft the calumnies of his €nemies, by afferting his own righteoufnefs, innocence and integrity, and may defire the Lord to plead his caufe again{t them, and judge him according to his righteoufnefs and the integrity of his heart; but to attempt to make it out, that his caufe is more righteous than the Lord’s, is doing an ill thing. Now though ob had not expreffed this in fo many words, yet he had faid that from this might by confequence be deduced; he had given great occafion for fuch an inference to be drawn from his fpeeches; for fince he had fpoken fo largely of his innocence and integrity, and holy life, and of the hard ufage neverthelefs he had met with from God; and had reprefented his own cafe, as if he had behaved fo well as to deferve treatment at the hand of God, than to be afflié in the manner he was; that he had wrong done him, and complained of it, and could not be heard; his judgment was taken from him by the Lord; which was in effect to fay, that his caufe was better than the Lord’s, and would bear a ftricter examination than his; which to fay was exceeding bad an unbecoming; fee chap. xvi. 17, and xix, 7. and XXVil. 2.
y. 3. For thou faidf, What advantage will it be unto thee, 8&cc.] Meaning that his righteoufnefs, his holy life and converfation, were of no avail to him: he received no more benefit by being righteous than if he was wicked, fince God deftroyed one as well. as another; and fince his righteoufnefs did not fecure him from afflictions and calamities, it was of no advantage to him; he had not faid fo in fo many words, but it is inferred from what he had faid, chap. ix. 22. and x. 15. Man’s own righ= teoufnefs is of no advantage to him as to juftification before God, and acceptance with him, nor in the bufinefs of falvation, or with refpect to heaven and happinefs, fo as to give a right and title to it; but is of great advantage in other refpects; is for felf-defence againft the imputations and calumnies of wicked men; it makes a man honourable and refpectable among men, when to live a vicious courfe of life is fcandalous and reproachful;_ it gives pleafure and fatisfaction to the mind, the teftimony of a good confcience is matter of rejoicing; and fuch a man is free from the racks and tortures of an evil confcience others are diftrefied with; befides, good works are an evidence of the truth and genuinenefs of faith to others, and ornament the doétrines of the gofpel and a profeffion of them: and though a righteous man may be afflicted as others, yet in a different manner, in love and not in wrath, and always for his good. And, Wat pro- Jit foall I have, if 1 be cleanfed from my fin? The words if I be cleanfed, are a fupplement and feem neceffary; fo Mr Broughton fupplies. Sin is of a defiling nature, yet man may be cleanfed from it, not by any thing he can do, but only by the grace of God and blood of Chrift; and from fuch a cleanfing profit arifes. This fits a man for the fervice and worfhip of God, and for communion with him; gives him peace of mind, and makes him meet for heaven. This 7ob had not exprefly faid, and not at all in this fenfe, but it feems to be inferred from chap. ix. 29,30, 31. where he is fpeaking of outward purity of life, and yet was plunged ~ into the ditch of afflictions. Some render the words to this fenfe, as if there was no profit by expiation or atonement for fin*;, the fame word fignifying both fin and atonement for it: there is none but by the blood and facrifice of Chrift, and much profit arifes from that; pardon of fin proceeds upon it, and this furnifhes out much folid peace, joy and comfort, Kom. v. 10, 11. by punifhment for fin”, unlefs to God? fo fin is fometimes put for punifhment; or through leaving
Simeon Bar Tzemach in loc. ex poena peccati mei, Drufius; fo Ben Gerfom.
Supplicio meo, Junius & Tremellius; muéta pro illo aut pana, Coeceiusy ie —-— | Ch. XOX: y.4—8, * fin and repenting of it”. Now though thefe are not the caufes of the pardon of fin, yet it is given and applied to fuch who do repent of it, confefs and forfake it, Prov. xxviii. 13. [/ai.lv. 7. Or by being without fin*: no man is without fin; but a man may be without any grofs and enormous crime he is chargeable with, or without living a vicious courfe of life; and this is profitable as has been before obferved. ‘Farchi’s paraphrafe is, «© What fhall I profit more by my righteoufnefs « than by my fin?” which fenfe is followed by’others: I may as well be wicked as righteous; I am not the better for it, fince I am afflicted in the manner I am: my righteoufnefs is of no profit to me, if to any, it is to God. To this Z/ibu returns an anfwer in the following verfes.
y¥. 4. I will anfwer thee, and thy companions with thee.| Meaning not his three friends, as the Septuagint Verfion expreffes it; for they were not on the fide of ob, and of the fame fentiment with him, but rather on the fide of Elihu; efpecially Elipbaz, who exprefles much the fame fentiment he does, chap. xxii. 2, 3. but all that were of the fame mind with ¥0ob, whether prefent or abfent, or in whatfoever part of the world; the anfwer he fhould return to him would ferve for them all, and fufficiently confute fuch a bad notion of God, let it be embraced by whomfoever.
¥. 5. Look unto the heavens and fee, &c.] The firmament of heaven, in which are the fun and moon and ftars: and bebold the clouds which are higher than thou; the clouds of the air or fky, which are lower than the ftarry heavens, yet thefe were higher than 70d, and much more the ftarry heavens: but becaufe the word has the fignification of thinnefs, which does not fo well agree with the clouds, which are thick fubftances, condenfed air; fome take it to be meant of the fupreme region of the heavens, which is pure and thin; fo Sephorno: and Fob is directed to look to thefe, not as ftar-gazers do, fuch as are given to judicial aftrology, to judge of the fates of men and kingdoms; but rather thereby to be led to the contemplation of God the author of them, and the glorious perfections of his being they difplay; and chiefly to obferve the height of them, that they were out of his reach, and he could neither help them nor hurt them; that he could neither increafe nor diminifh the light of the celeitial bodies, which he could only behold; nor either forward or hinder their courfe, nor in the leaft add to or abate their influence and efficacy; and if he could neither be beneficial nor hurtful to them, how was it poffible that he could be of any advantage or detriment to God, by any actions of his good or bad, who is higher and out of fight? This is the anfwer Zlib in general returned, he more particularly replies as follows.
y.6. If thou finneft, what doft thou againft him? &éc.}] Sin is exprefly faid to be againft God, P fal.
ji. 4. It is contrary to his nature, as any contraries can be to each other: it is againft his law, a breach and violation of it; and fo againft his fupreme legiflative power and authority, and a contempt of it; it is what he is angry with and is provoked by, being what he hates and abhors, and is abominable in his fight. But then he cannot be fuppofed to be fo affected with it as to be ruffled and difcompofed, or his peace be difturbed, and his happinefs in the leaft broke in upon; for affec- ita vivendo ut non peccem; fo fome in Michaelis,
445, tions are only attributed to him after the manner of men; much lefs is he fo affected hereby, as to be hurt or in danger of being deftroyed, nor even of being dethroned: men can no more reach him by any hoftile action of theirs, fuch as fin is, than they can reach the fun and ftop its courfe, leffen its light or pluck it from its orbit. Or, what canjt thou work for him? as Mr Broughton; by way of atonement or fatisfaction for fin? Nothing at all; fee chap. vii. 20. but the other fenfe is beft. Or if thy tranfgreffions be multiplied, what dot thou unto him? As he is not hurt by a flight fingle fin, a failing or infirmity, an error or miftake, common to men, as the preceding word may fignify; fo not by greater fins, prefumptuous ones, grofs enormities, rebellions againft God, overt-aéts of treafon againft the Almighty, and thefe multiplied and heaped up even unto heaven; for though by thefe the name of God is profaned and blafphemed, and he is difhonoured and defpifed, and his manifeftative glory is eclipfed, or he has not the honour given him that is due unto him; yet his effential glory is untarnifhed, unfullied and unhurt, no more than the fun by an eclipfe; he is the fame without any variablenefs or fhadow of turning, as well as is over all bleffed for ever. And indeed his manifeftative glory in many ins ftances receives a luftre, through his power, wifdom and goodnefs, overruling the fins of men for the difplay of its as the fall of the firft 4dam made way for the fending of Chrift the Saviour, in which God has fhewn forth the exceeding riches of his grace; and as his mercy and grace are difplayed in the pardon of fin, and his power and juftice in the punifhment of fin-and finners; and his patience and long-fuffering in bearing with
¥. 7. If thou be righteous, what giveft thou bim? &c.] All righteoufnefs is of God that any creatures have. What the angels in heaven have, or Adam had in a ftate of innocence; or what believers in Chrift have in and from him; his righteoufnefs imputed to them, is of God; the grace of righteoufnefs or holinefs, imparted to them and implanted in them, is from him; and it is under the influence of his Spirit, and by his grace and ftrength, they do works of righteoufnels externally; and therefore can give nothing to him of their own, nor does he need any, being God all-fufficient; even the goodnefs of his Son does not extend to him, but to the faints, P/a/. xvi. 2, 3. much lefs any goodnefs of theirs: their beft works of righteoufnefs are due to him, and not gifts; and tho’ they may contribute to his manifeftative glory, both in them that do them and in others that fee them, they can add nothing to the effential glory of God. Or what receiveth he of thine hand? He can receive nothing but what he has given, or what he has a prior right to and is his due, and fo cannot be laid under any obligation to man by what he does; nor can man merit any thing at his hand, not even the leaft temporal mercy, and much lefs fpiritual ones and everlafting life: and what notice God is pleafed to take of the good works of men in a way of reward, is not of debt but of grace, and entirely owing to his goodnefs; and does not arife from any intrinfic worth in them, or from any advantage to him by them.
¥. 8. Thy wickednefs may hurt a man as thou art, &c,) But not God: a man may hurt himfelf by difeafes upon it, through debauchery and intem- by his wickednefs; his body, by bringing various for there are more concerned in the formation. of a perance; his family and eftate, by wafting it; his who are the one God that has made all men, Mal, foul, for every fin is a wrong and injury to a man’s” foul, and expofes it to ruin and deftruéction: and fin does even a good man hurt, fince it breaks in upon his peace, and hinders his communion with God; and the wickednefs of men may hurt others like themfelves, frail, mortal, finful creatures, and eafily led afide by ill examples; as well as there are many fins which do injury to the perfons, families and eftates of others, as murder, adultery, theft, €@c. and fince fin is hurtful to others, God refents it and punifhes for it, though, ftriétly peaking, it cannot hurt him in the fenfe before given. And thy righteoufne/s may profit the fon of man; may profit a man himfelf, (fee the zoe on y. 3.) and others, but neither for juftification before God; but godlinefs is profitable to a man’s felf, both for this life and that to come, and good works are profitable to other men; for what reafons they are to be performed and maintained, fee 1 Zim. iv. 8. Tit. iii. 8,14. Some are of real and direét profit to men, as acts of beneficence to them, and all as being examples to them; but then no works of righteoufnefs can be profitable to God, they adding nothing to him; which is what E/ibu undertook to anf{wer to. ~ y. 9. By reafon of the multitude of oppreffions, they make the opprefled fo cry, &c.] Which is either an illuftration by an inftance of what is before faid, that wickednefs hurts men, as particularly oppreffion does, which makes men cry; or this refers to fomething new, to another complaint of Fob, or an undue expreffion of his Elihu undertakes to anfwer; that men cry unto God, as he himfelf had, but are not heard and anfwered; the place or places referred to may be chap. xxiv. 12. and xix. 7. and xxx. 20. To which Ei/iby replies, by granting that men opprefféd cry becaufe of their oppreflion, and are not heard; for which reafons may be given as in the following verfes. The poor are often opprefled by the rich, whofe wealth gives them power, and that they abufe; and the weak and feeble by the mighty; and their oppreffions are many, there is a multitude of them: men in power and authority have various ways of oppreffing others, who like the J/raelites cry by reafon of them, and are made to cry by their oppreffors. Aud they cry out by reafon of the arm of ihe mighty, which falls with weight, and lies heavy upon them, and crufhes them; meaning the power they have, and which they abufe to the injury of them; nor are they able to help themfelves or deliver themfelves out of their hands, they being mighty, if not in body, yet through wealth; and by means of that authority over them which gives it them: now on account of the preffure upon them, they cry, not to God, but to men; and if they cry to God, it is in a murmuring and complaining way, thro’ imnatience under their burden, thro’ envy at the riches and power of others, in a paffionate manner, in a revengeful fpirit, calling and feeking for vengeance on their oppreffors; not in an humble, penitent manner, acknowledging their fins, and owning their unworthinefs to be heard and regarded, and fubmitting all to the will of God: for which reafons they are not heard, their criés and prayers being reckoned no other than howlings, Hofea vii. 14.:
ii..10. Now not one of the opprefied ones that cry by reafon of their oppreffion, or very few of them, inquire after God, feek unto him for help and deliverance from their oppreffions, or defire to enjoy him and: his gracious. prefence under. their afflictions and diftreffés; and that is one reafon wh they are not heard: they do not fo much pite'§ fider him as the author of their beings, and be thankful to him for them; nor,as the preferver of them in their beings; nor as their kind benefactor, who gives them all that they enjoy, and who is the difpofer of all their affairs in providence: and if they are new creatures or are re-made, they are his workmanfhip; and therefore fhould upon. all accounts feek him and fubmit to his will, and patiently bear all their afflictions, waiting his time to deliver them out of them: but there are few or none that regard him in this light, or make an inquiry after him, even though he has not only made them, but is he who giveth fongs in the nights which refpeéts not the praifes of the angels in the night, as the Targum; nor the fhining of the moon and ftars in the night, which caufe praife and thankfulnefs; nor the finging of birds in the night, as of the nightingale; fenfes fome give into: but matter and caufe of rejoicing in the night, either taken literally, as the mercies of the day, which, when reflected upon when.men come to liedownon their beds at night, and commune with their hearts there, afford them fongs of praife, fee P/al. xlii. 8. Orthe mercies of the night, as {weet refrefhing fleep, and prefervation in fafety from all dangers by fire, thieves, €7c, all which are of God; and, when duly confidered, will dire&t to encompafs him with fongs of deliverance, fee Pfal. cxxxvii. 2, 3. and ili. 5. and iv. 8. Or figuratively, the night fometimes fignifying a time of calamity, affliction and diftrefs, either on temporal or {piritual accounts; and when men feek to him in fuch a night with, their whole hearts, and he is pleafed to vifit them in a gracious manner, and favour them with his prefence and the difcoveries of his love, this occafions fongs of praife to him, J/ai. xxvi. 9. Pfal. xvii. 3. But when men are unconcerned about, and not thankful for the mercies of the day and of the night, though thefe adminifter fongs unto them, it is no wonder that, when they cry through oppreffion, they are not heard.
x. 11. Who teacheth us more than the beafts of the earth, &c.] Who are taught and know much, e- {pecially fome of them; but not fo much as mam fee Ifai. 1.3, 4. and maketh us wifer than the fowls of heaven; who are wife to provide food and nefts for themfelves and their young; and fuch as are birds of paffage, as the turtle, the crane, the ftork and the {wallow, to know the time of their coming and returning, fee Yer. viii. 7, 8,9. But then neither the beafts nor the fowls, though they are e dowed with much knowledge and fagacity, according to their natures, yet not with reafon and underftanding as men are; fo as to make reflections on things they fee and hear, and reafon and difcourfe about them; nor are they capable of being taught and attaining to knowledge and wifdom as men are, by the works of God, of creation and providence; and by the word of God, the fcriptures of truth, which are able to make men wife unto falvation; and by the Spirit of God, who teaches all things ofa fpiritual nature. God not only endows men _ with reafon, but with fentiments of religion, which brutes are incapable of: he gives to men wifdom in the hidden part; he puts in them his fear, which is the beginning of wifdom; he makes them wife to know God in Chrift, and to know his Son Jefus Chrift, whom to know is life eternal; and he gives.jthem knowledge of a future ftate, and hope of immortality and eternal life: Wherefore it becomes them to bear afflictions and oppreffions with a fortitude of mind, and patiently fubmit to the will of God, and wait his time for deliverance, having called upon him in faith, and left their cafe with him; but if they only cry, as the brutes do under their burdens, it need not feem ftrange they are not heard and anfwered; fince God has given them more wifdom and knowledge than they, and therefore fhould behave after another manner; though fometimes they act a part inferior to them, Jude, y. 10.
y. 12. There they cry, &c.] As brutes do, and as in ¥. g. by reafon of their oppreffions, but not under a due fenfe of the hand of God upon them, nor of his being their only helper, and faviour, and deliverer. But none giveth anfwer; to them, either God or men, and they lie groaning and howling under their oppreffion. Becau/e of the pride of evil men; this is either to be connected with they cry, and then the fenfe is, that they cry by reafon of the oppreffions of wicked men, who, through the pride of their hearts, and to fhew their fuperior power and authority, perfecute and diftrefs them, P/alm x. 2. And it is becaufe of this they cry out, being diftrefled by them, and not through any fenfe of fin they have committed, as the reafon of God’s fuffering them to be thus opprefled: or with none give anfwer; God gives them no anfwer to their cry, becaufe pride is not withdrawn from them, which is one end he has in afflicting men; becaufe they are not humbled under the mighty hand of God, and are not brought to a fenfe of fin and humiliation for it, and acknowledgment of it. And another reafon follows:
¥. 13. Surely God will not bear vanity, &c.] Or a lie*, than which nothing is more an abomination to him; if men come to him with a lie in their mouths they cannot expect to be heard by him; he is only nigh to thofe who call upon him in truth: or that which is 7a/h*; which is rafhly uttered, and in a paffionate wrathful manner, favouring of a revengeful fpirit, too often the cafe of thofe that cry under oppreffion; fee Eccl. v. 2. 1 Tim. ii. 8. or vain and empty prayers, a fpeech of vanity, as Aben Ezra; which as to the matter of them are about vain and empty things; only for outward mercies, worldly goods; and not for fpiritual mercies, or fuch things as are according to the will of God; but what are pleafing to the flefh, and fought for to confume on the lufts of it, and therefore fuch prayers are not heard, Pfalm iv. 6. Fames iv. 3. and as to the manner of them, they are not put up in the name of Chrift, nor under the influence of the fpirit of Chrift, nor in the exercife of any grace, nor with reverence of God, nor with fincerity of foul, not in faith, nor with fervency: or vanity is put for vain men, as fin for finners; fuch as are proud men, and are vainly puffed up in their flefhly mind. God hears humble penitent finners, who | find mercy with him; and humble faints, to whom he gives more grace; but not proud pharifees, or men unhumbled by afflictions; fee Luke xviii. 11
| 14. nor light and empty perfons, who are without God and Chrift, deftitute of the fpirit, devoid of all grace, and full of all unrighteoufhefs 5 unftable ones, who are vanity itfelf, and lighter than vanity, toffed to and fro like a wave of the fea, and double minded, Fames i. 6, 7, 8. nor men of vain converfations, that ‘walk in the vanity of their minds, whofe words are vain, and efpecially fuch as take the name of God in vain; and all whofe aétions are vain, or fuch that live a vain and finful courfe of life; God hears not finners, ‘foba ix. 31. Neither will the Almighty regard it, vanity, vain prayers and vain perfons; he regards the prayer of the deftitute, the lowly, and the humble, but not the prayer of fuch as before defcribed; he cannot look at it, nor at them: he looks to the poor and contrite, and defires to fee their countenance and hear their voice in prayer; but he is of purer eyes than to look on vain perfons, and their vain prayers; and a greater contempt cannot be fhewn to petitioners and their petitions, than when thofe to whom they apply will not fo much as look at them, but turn both a deaf ear to them, and their eyes away from them. ¥. 14. Although thou fayeft, thou fhalt not fee bim, &c.] Which is another expreffion of ‘f0d’s taken - notice of by £libu, and to which he makes anfwer; he feems to refer to chap. xxill. 3, 8, 9. God is indeed invifible in his nature and eflence, but is to be feen in his works of creation and providence which ob was acquainted with, and in which he had feen fomewhat of the glory of God, and of his. divine perfections in them. See chap. ix. 4—10. and xxvi.14. And he is to be feen in Chrift by an eye of faith, and ‘cb had trufted in him as his falvation; and he will be feen with the beatific vifion in heaven as he is, in a more glorious and perfeét manner, which ‘fob had a full perfuafion of, chap. xili. 15, 16. and xix. 26, 27. and therefore is not to be underftood in either of thofe fenfes, but of his not feeing him on a throne of judgment, hearing and trying his caufe, judging and acquiting him; this he had often defired, but defpaired of ever feeing it; fee chap. xxiii..4, 5, 6, 7. and xxxi, 35, 36, 37. and ix. 32—-35. to which Eiibu replies. “Yet judgment is before him, all things are naked and open to him, and ftand clear before him; he has perfect knowledge of what is right and wrong; no caufe is unknown to him, and needs not to be fearched into by him; nor can he, nor will he ever pafs a wrong judgment: he is juft and true, righteous in all his ways and works,.the judge of the whole earth, who will do right, and will plead and judge the caufe of every good man fooner or Jater; if not now, there is a judgment to come with him, when all muft-appear before his judgmentfeat, and he will render unto every man according to his works. Therefore trujt thou in bim, or wait for him’; wait for his coming to judgment; wait till that time comes when every thing will be brought to light, and every good man fhall have praife of God. Or as we render it, tru in bim; God alone is the object of truft and confidence, and happy is the man that trufts in him; he is to be trufted in for all things, both temporal, fpiritual and eternal and. particularly for this of doing juftice to his people; if not now, yet hereafter, he will render tribulation to them that trouble them; he will right all their wrongs, and avenge their injuries, and remove the rebuke that is upon them, and confefs them before > mse ey Wann before mei aid angels, and declare them righteous, and receive them into his kingdom and glory: and he is to be trufted in at all times, in times of adverfity as well as profperity; and even when he is not to be feen, and the difpenfations of his providence are dark and intricate, fee J/a. 1.10. The word ufed fignifies fuch a truft, hope, and waiting, as of a woman in travail, who bears her pains patiently, hoping and trufting for a fafe deliverance of a child, to the joy of her and her family.
¥. 15. But now becaufe it is not fo, &c.] Becaufe there was not fuch truft, hope, patience, and quiet expectation in Yob that God would appear for him, and do him juftice openly and publicly; for though he had hope and confidence of an intereft in his living redeemer and faviour, and of eternal life and happinefs through him yet not of his bringing his judgment to the light, and of his beholding his righteoufnefs, as he ought to have had, fee Pfal. xxxvii. 5, 6, 7. Mic. vii.g. He bath vifited in bis anger corrected and chaftifed in fatherly anger and difpleafure, though not in wrath and vengeance, and in a way of punifhment in ftrict juftice; but confiftent with his invariable love and free favour in Chrift; being difpleafed at his want of faith and patience, failing in the exercife of which is oftentimes refented by the Lord, fee Numb. xx. 12. Zepb. ii. 2. Yet be knoweth it not in great extremity: fo ftupid was Fob, that though he was in the utmoft extremity of affliction, in his body, family, and fubftance, yet was not fenfible it was his duty to truft in God, and patiently wait for him; he knew that the hand of God was upon him, and that he had vifited him in anger, and that his arrows ftuck faft in him, and his hand prefled him fore; but was infenfible of the caufe of the continuance of it, his unbelief, impatience, and non- fubmiffion to the will of God. The word for exe tremity fignifies abundance“, and may be applied to an abundance and plenty of good things; and therefore fome underftand it of Feb’s profperity, and take the fenfe to be, that God took no notice — of this; it did not hinder him from vifiting him, — but he deftroyed it all: though Mr Broughion, ont the other hand, interprets it of the great plenty o forrows and diftrefles Fob was attended with, the true caufe of which he did not advert to: fome* think the whole refers to the merciful dealings 0 God with ob, and read the firft claufe * know <¢ now his anger hath vifited but a little or nothing;” the affliction is but a light one comparatively fpeaking, fcarce any thing at all in comparifon of what fin deferves, being abundantly lefs than that: ‘* nei- “¢ ther hath he made great inquifition,or inquired out “< the multitude” of fins; not ftrictly and feverely marking them, and dealing with and for them according to their deferts; fee Ezra ix. 13. Pfalm ciii. 10. with which compare 2 Cor. iv. 17. and therefore Fob had no reafon to complain of God, or of any hard ufage from him.
¥. 16. Therefore doth Fob open his mouth in vain, &cc.] In uttering fuch unbecoming expreflions, obferved and refuted, in his loud complaints of God, and of his dealings with him, and in defence of himfelf. He multiplieto words without knowledge; both againft God and in anfwer to others; being in a great meafure ignorant of the nature and number of his fins, and of his afflictions; and of the end of God in them, and of the right he had to lay them upon him; as well as of his duty patiently to bear them, and truft in God, and wait his own time for deliverance out of them; and of the truth of this he was afterwards convinced, and acknowledged it, chap. xiii, 3.
HIS chapter, with the following, contains
Elibu’s fourth and Jaft difcourfe, the principal view of which is to vindicate the righteoufnefs of God; which is done by obferving the dealings of God with men in his providence, according to their different characters, and from the wonderful works wrought by him in a fovereign manner, and for the benefit of his creatures. ‘This chapter is introduced with a preface, the defign of which is to gain attention, ¥. 1—4. the different dealings of God with men are obferved, and the different iffue of them, and the different ends anfwered thereby, ¥. 5—15. and it is fuggefted to Fob, that had he attended to the defign of the providence he was under, and had fubmitted to it patiently, things would have been otherwife with him; and therefore Elihu proceeds to give him fome advice, which if taken would be for his own good, and the glory of God, ¥. 16—25. and clofes the chapter by obferving the unfearchable greatnefs of God, as appears by the works of nature wrought by him, y. 25-33.
y¥. 1. Elibu alfo proceeded, and faid,| or added’, what follows to his former difcourfes; paufing a while to fee whether Yob would make any reply to what he had already faid; but perceiving he had no inclination to do it, and having more upon his mind to deliver, went on with his difcourfe.
y. 2. Suffer mea littl, &c.] Bear with me a little longer, and allow me to fay a few words more, I have but little more to fay, and it will take but a little time to fay it in; thus propofing brevity he hoped to be heard with patience, fince he fhould not long trefpafs upon it. The word ufed has the fignification of a crown; but not to be underftood in the fenfe of furrounding, as a crown furrounds the head, as fome, who interpret it, ftand about me, furround me, in order to hear; for this cannot with propriety be faid to a fingle perfon; but rather in the fenfe of doing honour, as Aben Ezra; and fo the meaning may be, do me the honour of giving me thy prefence a little longer, and hearing me out patiently. And I will foew thee; make things clear, manifeft, and plain to thee: clearnefs of expreffion, with brevity, recommends a difcourfe. Something may be here fupplied; for a greater ftop is here to be made than in our verfion, as either my opinion, as in chap. xxxii. 10, 17. his fentiment concerning God and his righteoufnefs in his dealings with the fons of men; or éruth, as Ben Gerfom; truth in general, plain naked truth, without any colouring, juft as it is, cordially, fincerely, in love, and by clear manifeftations of it; and particularly the truth of the righteoufnefs of God in all his ways and _ works. He propofed to make it clear to him that
God did all things well and right, and to lay before him in the plaineft manner what were the ends
%. g.... *. God had in view in dealing thus with ¥ob, and what was his duty to do in his prefent circumftances. That | have yet to /peak in God’s bebalf;.
or for I have yet to fpeak, &c.* Elihu had faid much for God already, in vindication of his fovereignty, purity, holinefs, and juftice, and he had yet more to fay; out of the abundance of his heart his mouth fpake for God; he fet out with this, that he was full of matter, and wanted to vent himéelf, that he might be eafed, chap. xxxii. 18, 19, 20. and he had vented much, but he had yet more to deliver; and fince it was not for himfelf, in his own behalf, nor of any other, but God, he hoped he fhould be heard: it may be rendered, for yet God bas words", to put into my mouth, and fpeak by me; fignifying, that he had fpoken by him already, and had ftill more to fay by him; and fince it was not fo much he that fpoke, as God that {poke in him and by him, it might be expeéted he would be heard.
¥. 3. Iwill fetch my knowledge from afar, &c.] Not from himfelf; for it is but a fmall fhare of knowledge that a man gets of himfelf, or attains to by the light of nature, and efpecially concerning God, and divine things; but from others, either from perfons that lived in former ages, and in foreign countries; it being ufual for men defirous of acquiring knowledge to travel into diftant parts for it; and fuch were generally much efteemed of, and the knowledge they profeffed to have got and publifhed; as the Queen of Sheba came from the further parts of the earth to hear and Jearn the wifdom of Solomon: or rather the fenfe is, he would fetch the knowledge he fhould now communicate concerning God, from God himfelf, from the nature and perfections of God, who, and his knowledge, are high as heaven; and from the works of God, which ate far above men; or fhould treat of things deep and fublime, and not.common; though perhaps it is beft of all to read the words, J will bring forth knowledge concerning, or with refpett to him that is afar off; that is, God, who is in the higheft heavens, and inhabits the high and holy place; a God both at hand and afar off; with which agrees what follows; though fome interpret it of lifting it up, and caufing it to be heard afar off, fo fome, as dben Ezra. And will afcribe righteoufne/s to my maker; God is the maker of all men; Elibu confidered him as his maker with gratitude, whilft many are regardlefs of him, chap, xxxv. 10. and therefore thought himfelf obliged to fpeak for him, and on his behalf; and particularly in vindication of his righteoufnefs; affert this to be an effential attribute and perfection of his nature; own, acknowledge, publifh, and declare it; give him the glory of it, and demonttrate that he is righteous in all his ways and works; and clear him from all imputation of unrighteoufhelfs.
¥. 4. For truly my words thall not be falfe, &c.] But ftricily true; he would take the utmoft care to jay nothing but the truth, with the greateft impartiality and fincerity, fo that what was faid might be depended upon; truth fpoken briefly, clearly, and on {fo important a fubject as the righteoufnefs of God, deferved attention, He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee; meaning either God, whofe knowledge is perfect, who knows all perfons and things; knows him(elf, his'nature, perfons, and per- eo qui eft longinquus; fo Aben Ezra, Bar Tzemach. in Bar Tzemach, fections; his thoughts, counfels, and purpofes 5 all his creatures, angels and men; the hearts of all men, their thoughts, words, and works; he, the omnifcient and omniprefent God, was with fob, from whole prefence there is no fleeing; and therefore it became him to be careful of his thoughts, words, and aétions; that he did not entertain any unbecoming thoughts of God, and fay any thing unworthy of him, or do any thing that tended to his difhonour; fince he was prefent with him, and nothing could efcape his notice: or elfe Elibu means himfelt; fuggefting, that he who undertook to peak for God, and plead his caufe, and clear him from
. the charge of unrighteoufnefs, was no novice, but one that thoroughly underftood the point in hands and though no man is perfect in knowledge in an abfolute fenfe, yet may be in comparifon of others; or however may be upright and fincere in his knowledge; which fenfe the word ufed often has; and fo it may fignify, that as he was a fincere fearcher after knowledge, and had through divine goodnefs attained to a competent fhare of it, even of found and not fuperficial knowledge, he fhould be honeft and upright in the communication of it; and this he might choofe to obferve the more, to excite the attention of ‘fob to what he had to fay; though it may be, the trueft reading of the words is, perfect knowledge, or perfection of knowledge is with thee *, that is, in his own apprehenfion, fo Farchi; and may be underftood either ironically, or rather really, infinuating that 7b was a man of fuch confummate wifdom and knowledge, that he would eafily fee the force of his reafonings, and the juftnefs of them, and acquiefce in them 5 and having thus prefaced his difcourfe, he next enters upon his fubject.
¥. 5. Bebold, God is mighty, &c.] This is a clear, plain truth, eafy to be difcerned, and worthy of notice, and therefore introduced with a behold; that God is mighty, the moft mighty, the almighty, as appears from his works of nature and providence; making all things out of nothing, upholding them by the word of his power, and governing and over-ruling all things in the world, and doing in it whatever he pleafes: and from the works of redemption and grace; ranfoming his people out of the hands of them that are ftronger than they; converting them by the power of his grace; affifting them to do all they do in a fpiritual way; fupporting them under all their troubles 5 proteéting and defending them from all their enemies; fupplying all their wants, and preferving them fafe to his kingdom and glory. dnd defpifeth not any s not the meaneft of his creatures, clothing the grafs of the field, feeding the fowls of the air, and preferving man and beaft; and particularly he defpifes not any of the fons of men: not the mighty thro’ fear of them, nor envy at them, whofe power and grandeur are from him, which he gives and can take away at his pleafure; nor the mean and miferable, the poor and the afflicted, to whom he has a merciful regard; much lefs the innocent and harmlefs, as the Septuagint; or the juft and righteous man, as the Zargum: he does not defpife his own people, whom he has loved and chofen, redeemed and called; nor any, as Aden Ezra ob= ferves, without a caufe; for though there are fome ofe image he will defpife, it is becaufe of their own fins and tranfgreffions; and fince therefore, though
Eat man bby) MON WW adhuc Deo i prin ei, vel de EF DY NWI Co’ ON fcientix perfecie tecum; fo fome though he is mighty, yet defpifes not any of his creatures, he cannot do any unrighteous thing; he does not and cannot ule or abufe his power to the injury of any of his creatures. He is mighty in ftrength and wifdom; as there is a pleonfam, a redundancy in the expreffion, mighty in ftrength, it denotes the abundance of his ftrength, that he is exceeding ftrong, fuperlatively and beyond all expreffion fo; and ailfo ftrong in wifdom, his ftrength is tempered with wifdom, fo that he cannot employ it to any bad purpofe, or be guilty of any unrighteoufnefs. Some men have ftrength, but not wifdom to make a right ufe of it; but God abounds as much in wifdom as in ftrength; he is the only wife and the all-wife God, and therefore can do no injuttice; and thus E/ibw, as he promifed, afcribes righteoufnefs to his almighty maker.
y. 6. He preferveth not the life of the wicked, &c.
He makes a difference between wicked and righteous men, which fhews him to be a holy and righteous God; though he preferves the life of all men fo long as they live, yet not in the fame way; he preferves the lives of wicked men in the common courfe of his providence, but not in a fpecial way and manner, as he does the'lives of the righteous, which are dear and precious to him; nor does he preferve to any great length fuch as are ‘notorious finners, who are guilty of capital crimes, as murder, tc, their lives are fhortned, and they do not live out half their days: or he does not quicken them, beftow his {piritual favour upon them, in which only is life; and though they will be quickened and raifed at the laft day, as well as the righteous, yet not to the refurrection of life, but to the refurrection of damnation. But giveth right to the poor; pleads their caufe and rights their wrongs, adminifters juftice to them, efpecially to the poor in fpirit, who hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs; to thefe he gives freely the righteoufnefs of his Son, which only denominates perfons truly righteous: of whom in the next verfe.
y. 7. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous, &cc.} His eyes of providence are upon them to fupply their temporal wants, and to protect and defend them from their enemies, and they are never off of them; his eyes of love, grace, and mercy, are-upon them; he always viewed them as righteous in his Son, and through his righteoufnets imputed; and looked upon them with delight and pleafure, and always fo views them; they are engraven on his heart and on his hands, and are ever before him, and in his fight: and his eyes are upon them from the beginning of the year to the end of it, yea from one eternity to another; thefe were fet upon them from everlafting, and are upon them in time; at the time of their converfion to quicken them, and call them by his grace; and afterwards they continue upon them under all their afflictions, temptations, and defertions, and ever will remain on them; they will never be withdrawn, nothing can {eparate them from the love of God. But with kings are they on the throne; that is, either the eyes of the Lord are with them, even with righteous kings, as the Targum to guide and direét them in the affairs of government, and to proteét and preferve them from the defigns of evil men:
the righteous are with kings on the throne, or Ae as fuch; they have the power, and riches, and honour of kings; they ‘have a kingdom of grace beftowed on them now, and a kingdom of glory they are entitled to hereafter; and fhall reign’ with Chrift on earth a thoufand years, and in the ultimate glory to alleternity. Yea, be doth eftablifo them for ever; as righteous perfons in their righteoufnefs, which is an everlatting one; fo that they fhall never come into condemnation: they are eftablifhed in the love of God, in the covenant of grace, in the hands of Chrift, and in a ftate of grace now, and fhall be in a ftable permanent ftate of happinefs to alleternity. nd they are exalted; now, being raifed as beggars from the dunghill to fit among princes, even among the princes of God’s people; and they will be exalted hereafter and fit at Chrift’s right hand, and be introduced into his kingdom, where they will be fet down with him in his throne, and reign with him for ever and ever.
y¥. 8. And if they be bound in fetters, &c.] Not the wicked, as the Targum, but the righteous poken of in the preceding verfe, with which this is clofely conneéted; and this is not to be underftood of righteous kings on the throne in particular, or their fpecial favourites, but of the righteous in general;
| and not in a literal fenfe, of their bonds and imprifonment for religion and righteoufnefs-fake, which is fometimes their lot; but in a figurative fenfe, of afflictions, as chaftenings and corrections for fin, as appears by the next claufe; and the defign is to obviate an objection, and to fhew that the eye of God is upon them, and his heart towards them 5 and they are not the lefs objects of his love and delight, of his value and efteem, care and protection, tho’ they are afflicted by him, and, as it may feem, ufed with fome feverity; fecing he has gracious ends and defigns in all this, which are fuggefted inthe following verfes. And be holden in cords of affliGion; righteous men are not exempt from afflictions; the affliCtions of the righteous are many, according to divine appointment, the covenant of grace, the declaration of God, the conftant expe-. rience of good men, it being the way in which they are all led, and muft enter into the kingdom; and the metaphor here ufed fhews that afflictions are fometimes heavy upon them, like fetters and chains, and thofe made heavy by the hand of God prefsing them fore, Lam. iii. 7. no affliction is joyous, but grievous and heavy in itfelf; it isindeed com- ° paratively light when viewed with the weight of glory; and God can make a heavy afflicti with his prefence, and the difcoveries af his love; but they are heavy to the fiefh as od felt his to be, chap. vi. 2, 3, 12. and xxiii. 2, 3. and, like fetters and cords, they cannot free themfelves from them, or loofe them, until it is the pleafure of God to take them off; and moreover by thefe they are fometimes held and reftrained from going into more or greater fins, which is one ufe of them: as they are with afflictions hedged about that they cannot come out, any more than a perfon bound faft in a prifon; fo they are hedged up with thorns that they cannot go out after their lovers, Lam, ili. 7. Hof. ii. 6. Some render the phrafe, cords of poverty's ous are equal to kings on the throne; they are fo. | accounted of by the Lord as kings; they are made_ by him kings and priefts, and are regarded by him — the favourites of kings that are on thrones; are admitted into their prelence, and are highly efteemed by them, and have honour conferred on them, even to be the next to them in the throne and kingdom, as o/feph and Daniel: or rather, the righte- poor, and to be fadly hampered with poverty, and out of which, by all that they can do cannot extricate themfelves; and fometimes they fall into it, it is oftentimes the cafe of righteous perfons to be and are held in it, after they have enjoyed much worldly profperity, which was the cafe of ob. Mr Broughton renders it, cords of anguifo; and indeed the word for cords is ufed of the pains of a woman in travail, who has then great anguifh and trouble, and anguifh on various accounts lays hold on the righteous, and they are holden thereby aad cannot relieve themfelves, P/al. cxix. 143. and yet this is all in mercy, and to anfwer fome good ends and purpofes, as follow.;
¥.9. Then be foeweth them their work, &c.} Either what they ought to do,. fo the Tigurine verfion; and which they have not done, their fins of omiffion; when they have been negligent either of the duty of prayer in private and public, or of attendance on the ordinances of the houfe of God; then he fends an affiiction, and by it, as in a glafs, prefents to their view the omiflions they have been guilty of: or elfe the work which they have done, and fhould not have done, their fins of commiffion: fin is a work at which fome toil and labour, and weary themfelves to commit; it is a work of the flefh; and fo it is in good men; it is a man’s own work, and which he can work of himfelf; to have a will, and to do good works, is owing to God working in his people, and it is through him ftrengthning them they do them; but finful works are their own act and deed, though tempted to them by others, and which they are able to do of their own free will and power. Now God, in the glafs of affliction, holds forth to view the finful actions of good men, and brings them to their remembrance which they had forgotten; as the cafes of Fofeph’s brethren, David, and others prove: the Lord fhews them that they have done fuch actions, and fhews them the evil of them, how exceeding finful they are; and humbles them under a fenfe of them, and brings them to repentance for them, and an acknowledgment of them; which fenfe is confirmed by the next claufe, which explains what this their work is, and their tran[greffions that they have exceeded. Sin is a tranfgreffion of the law; - every fin greater or leffer is, and even righteous perfons are guilty of many; for there is not a juft man that finneth not; and thefe exceed the bounds fet by the righteous law of God, and many of them are fadly aggravated by the light and knowledge, grace and mercy, i have been favoured with: and fome of them, they are fuffered to fall into, are exceeding great and exceeding finful; fuch as thofe of David, Peter and others; all which they are made to fee, bewail and weep over, when God by afflictions brings them toa fenfe of them. Or when or becaufe they have prevailed™; or begin to prevail: as foon as ever indwelling fin begins to be prevalent, the Lord is pleafed to take meafures to nip it in the bud, by fending a fharp and fevere affliction; or when it has prevailed greatly, as fometimes it does, fo that good is hindered from being done, and much evil is committed, then the foul is fo much under the power of it, as to be carried captive with it; fee Rom. vii. 23,24. Or becaufe they are become proud, or behaved themfelves proudly”; and therefore he afflicts them to humble them, and hide pride from them.
¥. 10. He openeth alfo their ear to difcipline, &c.
Or 40 correéion®, to the rod of correction; to bear the weight of it and him that has appointed it; its reproving voice for fin, its directing voice to duty, and its commanding voice to return from iniquity, as in the next claufe. Or ¢o infiruction®; God's corrections of his people being inftructions to them, whereby they learn more of their duty, and of the rich experiences of grace, their faith, hope, love and patience, are tried and increafed hereby; and more of the love of God, of his care and faithfulnefs, of his covenant, of his gracious prefence and communion with God, what it is; and even of the doétrines of the everlafting gofpel: fometimes more is learned by an affliction than by a fermon. Now in order to hearken hereunto, to the voice of God in an affliction, the ear muft be opened; which is firft done in converfion by the mighty power of God: but fometimes good men fall afleep, and are inattentive to divine things; and this is One way God takes to awaken them, to arouze their attention; he fpeaks to them out of a whirlwind; he fends fome terrible, {tartling affiction, which fetches them out of their flumber, and fo their ears are opened to hear what he fays in it: at the noife of his water-fpouts, and his billows one after another rolling over them, they are awakened to a fenfe of their fin and duty, P/fal. xlii. 7. And commandeth that they return from iniquity, repent of their fin, turn from it and forfake it: fuch a ftrong voice has an affliction in it, when fanétified and attended with the fpirit and power of God; then it effectually teaches men to deny ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, as the word of God, the gofpel of the grace of God does, when accompanied with the fame; as there is a commanding voice in the one, fo there is in the other; and happy it is when fuch ends as thefe are anf{wered by afflictions., ¥. an. Lf they obey and ferve him, &c.] That is God, to whom fo many things are afcribed in the preceding verfes; and who only is to be obeyed and ferved in a religious way, with the obedience of faith and love, in all his commands and ordinances. But here not fo much obedience to his word, his law or gofpel, as to his rod, is intended: if they bear, &c. * hear the rod and him that has appointed it; hearken to his reproving, inftruéting and commanding voice in affliction; to his calls, cautions and admonitions thereby given, and act ac cording to them; humble themfelves under the mighty hand of God, and return from iniquity: they foall [pend their days in profperity, and their years in pleafures: which intimates, that thofe to whom afflictions are fanctified, and they obedient under them, when recovered out of them fhall enjoy long life; not only live many days, but years, and thofe in great profperity and pleafure; be bleffed with much temporal profperity, which lies in riches and wealth, as this word is rendered in chap. xxi. 13. and in bodily health, which is a confiderable part of outward profperity; but more efpecially profperity of foul may be intended, fee 3 Fobn 2. which is enjoyed when a man is favoured with the difcoveries of the love of God to him; with applications of pardoning grace and mercy; when grace is in lively exercife in him, and he has a fpiritual appetite for the good word of God, and is fruitful in every good work: and fo pleafures do not fo much defign corporal pleafures, though ever fo innocent and lawful; for though they may at proper times be indulged unto, yet a man’s days and years are not to be fpent in them; but rather fpiritual pleafures, which are had in views of the wonderful love love of God in Chrift; in the enjoyment of the gracious prefence of God, and communion with him; and which the people of God are favoured with, in his houfe and ordinances, ways and worfhip: and when thofe years are gone, endlefs pleafures at God’s right hand, and in his prefence, will follow..
y. 12. But if they obey not, &c.] Who feem to be righteous and are not; and when afflicted are not fubmiffive to the will of God; attend not to the voice of his providence; receive no inftruétion thereby; but kick againft the pricks, and rebel againft God; complain of him, and murmur at his dealings with them: sey /hall perifh by the fword; or they fhall pafs away out of the world by it, or by fome miflive weapon: they fhall die a violent death, by the fword of juftice, of the civil magiftrate, or by the fword of men; or as a Fewi/h commentator ' paraphrafes it, by the dart of death, by the fword of Satan, they fhall pafs out of this world, And they fhall die without knowledge; without knowledge of their death being near, it coming upon. them fuddenly and at unawares; or without knowledge of themfelves, and of their miferable and loft eftate; and without knowledge of Chrift, and of God in Chrift, and of the way of falvation by him. Or they fhall perifh for lack of knowledge; becaufe they have none; through ignorance and that affected; they know not nor will they underftand, but defpife the means of knowledge, and hate inftruction.
y.13. But the hypocrites in heart beap up wrath, &c.] Or and the hypocrites *; for thefe are the fame with the difobedient in the preceding verfe; who feem to be righteous, but are not; pretend to what they have not; have a double heart, or fay one thing with their mouth, and mean another thing in their hearts; or with their mouths draw nigh to God, but their hearts are far from him; and fo hypocrites, at leaft,outwardly righteous before men, ut inwardly full of wickednels, as the Pharifees were, whom our Lord often calls hypocrites: thefe put or add wrath, as Aben Ezra interprets it; they increafe the wrath of God; or as we exprefs it, heap up wrath; or to ufe the apoftle’s phrafe, treafure up wrath againft the day of wrath: though fome underftand it of the wrath of the hypocrites againft God for afficting them; fo archi. When affictions come upon them, they reproach and blafpheme; they are angry with God and are wrathful, and quarrel at his dealings with them; they put the nofe'; fo it may be literally rendered; they erect that againft God, and point it at him in a proud, haughty, wrathful and contumacious manner. They cry not when he bindeth them; in fetters and cords of affliction, ¥. 8. or when he correéts them, as Mr Broughton rightly as to the fenfe renders it: they pray not, as Ben Gerfom interprets it; whereas fanctified afflictions bring good men to the throne of grace, who have been too long abfent from it: but thefe men cry not unto God for grace and mercy, help, affiftance and deliverance; they cry out againft God, but not unto y¥.14. They die in youth, &c.| They, or their foul”; which, though that dies not, being immaterial and immortal; yet being the principal part of man, is put for the whole perfon, and which being taken away, the body dies. All men muft die, but all do not die at an age; there is a common term of human life, P/al..xc. 10. fome few exceed it, mul= titudes arrive not to it; fuch who die before it may be faid to die in youth; it feems to fignify premature and untimely death: the word fignifies an excuffion, or violent fhaking out; and the Vulgate Latin verfion is, in a tempeff; in a tempeft of divine wrath, and in a ftorm in their confciences, chap. xxvii. 20. Yarchi interprets it by fuffocation or ftrangling. And their life is among the unclean: all men are by nature unclean, and all that is in them; fome are more notorioufly and openly fo than others, who give themfelves over to lafcivioufnefs, to work all uncleannefs with greedinefs; fuch as whoremongers and fornicators, cf whom Mr Broughton underftands thofe unclean perfons; or So= domites, of whom the word is fometimes ufed, Deut. xxiii. 17. And this may be underftood either of the prefent life of lrypocrites before they die; who are unclean perfons themfelves, whatever fhew of purity they make, and love to live and converfe, at leaft privately, if not openly, with unclean perfons, and die whilft they live with fuch and in their fins: or of their life after death; for wicked men live after death; their fouls live in hell, and their bodies at the refurrection will be raifed to life and be reunited to their fouls, and both together will live in endlefs punifhment; and the life of hypocrites will be among fuch; as is a man in life, fo he is at and after death, if filthy, filthy ftill; and fuch will have no admittance into the heavenly ftate, and with fuch impure ones hypocrites will live for ever, Rev. xxi, 8, 27. and xxii. 15.
¥. 15. He delivereth the poor in his affliftion, &c.
The righteous or godly poor; who are not only poor in worldly things, but poor in fpirit,; who are humbled, brought low, and made contrite, thro” the affiicting hand of God: thefe, though the Lord does fooner or later deliver out of their afflictions, yet that is not intended here, but a deliverance im them; which is done by fupporting them under them, by fupplying them with his grace to bear them patiently, by granting them his gracious prefence for their comtort in them, by ftilling the enemy and the avenger, keeping Satan from difturbing them, and freeing them from doubts and fears and unbelief, and by drawing their hearts and affections off of the world and the things of it, to himfelf. And openeth their ears in opprefion; whilft they are oppreffed; not only to difcipline, correction and inftruGtion, ¥. 10. but to hear comfortable words fpoken to them by the Lord; who, in the midft of their affi€tion and oppreffion, whifpers in their ears, and tells them how he loves them, though they are rebuked and chaftened by him;. how he has chofen them to everlafting life and happinefs, though now in the furnace of affiction; that he is their covenant-God and Father, and knows and owns their fouls in adverfity; that he has pardoned all their fins, though he takes vengeance on their inventions; and in a little time will free them from all their afflictions and oppreffions. Wis: y. 16. Even fo, &cc.] Here Elibu accommodates what he had faid to the cafe of ob; that had he hearkened and been obedient to the voice of God in his rod, and had fubmitted to his chaftening hand, and patiently bore his afflictions; be, God, would bave removed thee out of the ftrait into a broad place, where there is no Straitne/s: that is, out of the ftrait circumftances in-which he was, into li- _ berty; CaN IVT * C3IwWDI anima eorum, Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine
_ berty; would have brought him into a large place, where he might walk at liberty, as David experienced, P/fal. iv. 1. and xviii. 19, and cxix. 45. and may be underftood both in a temporal and fpiritual fenfe. In a temporal fenfe; he was now in great ftraits, in poverty and affliction; thefe prefsed him hard on every fide, fo that his way, as he fays, was fenced up that be could not pa/s, chap. xix. 8. Now had he been rightly humbled under his affliction, God would have taken him out of the {traits of adverfity, and fet his feet in a large room of profperity; fee P/al. xxxi. 7, 8. In a fpiritual fenfe; perfons are as in a ftrait place and pent up, when they cannot come forth in the free exercife of grace and duty; their fouls are as it were in prifon, they are fhut up, and have not freedom with God nor man; their faith is ready to fail, their hope is funk very low, they are ftraitned in their own bowels or affections, in their love to God and his people: and then they are removed into a large place, when it is the reverfe with them; when they are favoured with the free fpirit of the Lord, for where he is there is liberty; and when their hearts are enlarged with the love of God, and in the exercife of grace; and then they can run chearfully the ways of his commandments. And that which foould be fet on thy table, thould be full of fatnefs; which in a temporal fenfe denotes, that he fhould have had a plentiful table, fpread with the beft of provifions, the richeft dainties, the fineft of the wheat, and the fatteft of the creatures; and thefe fhould reft and remain upon his table, or be conftantly renewed there: and in a fpiritual fenfe, that his foul fhould have been fatisfied with the love of God, fhed abroad in his heart; with the blefsings of the everlafting covenant of grace applied unto him; and with the goodnefs of the houfe of God, his word and ordinances, as with marrow and fatnefs; fee Pfal. Ixiii. 5. and xxxvi. 8.
¥. 17+ But thou haft fulfilled the judgment of the wicked, &c.| Some” take this to be a continuation of the happinefs Yo would have enjoyed, had he behaved in his affli€tion as he ought to have done; then he would have been filled to fatisfaétion, by feeing the judgments of God exerciféd on wicked men, as on the Chaldeans and Sabeans, who had injured him: and judgment and juftice would have upheld thee, when they fhould be caft down. But thefe words rather feem to be expreffive of his pre: fent ftate, and the reafon of it, he not being fufficiently humbled: and the fenfe is, not that he had lived a vicious courfe of life, as the wicked do, and filled up the meafure of his wickednefs as they; and fo deferved to be filled with the like judgments as inflicted on them. Mr Broughton reads the words, «* As thou haft fulfilled the fentence of the wicked, «* fentence and judgment have laid hold:” but rather the meaning is, that he had fulfilled the contention of the wicked * 5 pleaded as they did, argued with God after their manner; and therefore is faid to go in company and walk with them, and make aniwers for them, chap. xxxiv. 8, 36. Wherefore juptice and judgment take bold on thee; afflictions in righteoufnefs; or the chaftening hand of God, in righteous judgment, had taken hold upon him, and would hold him until he was fufficiently humbled under them.
¥. 18. Becaufe there is wrath, &c.] Either wrath in Fob, fo forme; indignation and impatience under the afflicting hand of God, expreffed by curf-
= Non pur PV) & tu litem improbi implevitti, Schultens, ing the day of his birth, and by his angry pleadings with God: and therefore E/ibu advifes him to beware of it, and check this impetuous fpirit; ceafé from his anger and forfake wrath, and fret not him: felf to do evil, and provoke the Lord to take him away at once, and then his cafe would be irretrievable. Or rather wrath in God, which is revealed from heaven againft all ungodlinc{s and unrighteoufnefs of men. His vindiétive and punitive juftice, to revenge and punith wickednefs, the effeéts of which are fometimes awful judgments on men in this life; and eternal vengeance hereafter, called wrath to come: this is laid up in ftore with him, and fealed up in his treafures, prepared in his purpofes and decrees, is revealed in his law, and breaks forth in’ various inftances; fee Num. xvi. 46. And there is an appearance of wrath, a little wrath, which is no other than love difpleafed, in the afflictions and chaftifements of God’s people, and might be perceived by ¥o5, and this being the cafe, Elibu advifes him to beware; which, though not expreffed in the original, is well fupplied; and his meaning is, that he would be cautious of what he faid, and not go on to multiply words againft God; fpeak unbecomingly of him, arraign his juftice, and find fault with his dealings with him; as well as beware of his aétions, conduct and behaviour, that his tongue and his doings be not againft the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. Left be take thee away with his ftroke; out of the world by death, which is the ftroke of his hand; and is fometimes given fuddenly, and in an awful manner, in wrath and vengeance. Some render the laft word, with clapping of bands”; either the hands of men; chap. xxvii. 23. or of God; expreffing his exultation and pleafure at the death of fuch a perfon, laughing at his calamity, and mocking when fear cometh; which is dreadful and tremendous. Then a great ranfom cannot deliver thee: there is no ranfom on earth equal to the life or foul of man; What fhall a man give in exchange for his foul? Matt. xvi. 26. fee Pfal. xlix. 6, 7, 8. The great ranfom of all is the ranfom of Chrift, which E/ibu had made mention of before, chap. XXxill., 24. and what elfe could he have in his mind now? This is the ranfom found by infinite wifdom, which Chrift came to give, and has given; and by which he has ranfomed his people from him that is ftronger than they; from the bondage of fin, of Satan, of the world, of law, hell and death. and everlafting deftruétion: and this is a gteat one, plenteous redemption, a great falvation; the ranfomer is the great God and our Saviour; the ranfom-price is not corruptible things, as filver and gold, but the precious blood of Chrift, his life, yea he himfelf. How great muft this ranfom be! and it is given for great finners, the chief of them; and is fufficient for all the ele& cf God, botli Jews and Gentiles: and yet; as great as it is, it is Of no avail to one that God has taken away by a ftroke out of this world, and {ent to everlafting deftruction; not through want of fufficiency in this ranfom, but by reafon of the final and unalterable {tate of fuch perfons; as even in the prefent life, it is of no avail to the deniers and defpifers of it, Heb. x. 26.29.
Y.19. Will he efteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of ftrength.| Riches can be of no account, hor bear any weight with God; for they are of him and come from him, and what he has a right Y pOwa a right to take away and difpofe of as he pleafes. Thefe cannot ward off the ftroke of death, or fecure from it; nor can a man poffefied of them, carry them with him into the other world; nor will they profit in the day of wrath. Mr Broughton renders it, Will he efleem thy noblene/s? fo Funius and Tremellius. Thy noble birth, rank and ftation, thou haft had among men? Not at all. God is no refpeéter of perfons; he regards not the noble and the rich more than the poor: and.as for gold, the fame may be faid of that, which, though the moft valuable among men, is of no efteem with God; and befides it is his: the gold is mine, fays he, and the filver is mine, Hag, ii. 8. Nor is death to be bribed with it, or put off by it$ nor is a munition”, fortrefs or caftle, as fome render the word, any defence againit it: nor all the forces of ftrength. Had a man at his command ever fuch numerous and powerful armies, they could not protect him from the ftroke of death; or deliver him from eternal punifhment, the demerit of fin, ‘Though as fob had no riches, no gold, nor troops of foldiers about him; nor was there any great likelihood that this would be his cafe at death; I fhould think the words might be better rendered, Will be regard thy cry? no, not in.diftrefs 5 not even the moft ftrong and forcible cries or intreaties: when the ftroke of death is given, the fentence of wrath is paffed, and eternal deftruction takes place; weeping and wailing will fignify nothing: the cries and howlings of the damned in hell are of no avail; their ftrong cryings, and moft intenfe and earneft intreaties, will have no effect on the Lord; though he is a God of great pity and compaffion, and has fympathy with his people in diftrefs, and in all their affiictions is afflicted; yet will have no regard to cries and tears, when the decree is gone forth and carried into execution: the verb from whence the firft word is derived, is ufed for crying in this chapter, y¥.13. and the Zargum renders it here by fupplication and petition; fo fome other Zewi/b writers * interpret it of crying: and the fecond word is by feveral rendered, ix /traits ® and diftrefs; and Cocceius has obferved the notion of intenfe and fervent prayer in the third, and renders the whole pretty near to what has been obferved *.
¥. 20. Defire not the night, &c,] Either in a literal fenfe, which 70d might do; not for fecrecy to commit fin, as the thief, murderer, and adulterer do; Elibu had no fuch fufpicion of Yob; nor for eafe and reft, which he expected not; nor would his fores admit thereof; his nights were wearifome, and when come he wifhed they were gone, chap. vii. 2, 3, 4. but either for retirement, that he might mufe and confider, and endeavour to fearch and find out the reafon of God’s dealing with men, in cutting off fometimes fuch great numbers together. Eliby fuggefts, that fuch a fearch was altogether vain and to no purpofe; he would never be able to find out the reafon of thefe things: or rather for fhelter from the eye and hand of God; as nothing before mentioned could ward off his ftroke, fo neither could the night or darknefs preferve from it; fee Pfal. cxxxix. 11, 12. Or elfe the words may be taken in a figurative fenfe; either of the night of calamity and diftrefs, he might be tempted to defire and with for, to come upon his enemies; or rather of the night of death, he wifhed for himéelf, as.he often had done; in doing which Elibu fug- gefts he was wrong; not confidering that if God fhould take him away with a ftroke, and he not be humbled and brought to repentance, what would be the confequence of it.. When people are cut off in their place; as fometimes they are in the night, literally taken; juft in the place where they ftood or lay down, without moving elfewhere, or ftirring hand or foot as it were. So Amraphel, and the kings with him, as Farchi obferves, were cut off in the night, the firft-born of Egypt, the Midianites and Sennacherib’s army; and fo in the night of death, figuratively, the common paflage of all men, as Mr Broughton obferves, who renders the words, for peoples paffage ta their place.
y.21. Take heed, regard not iniquity, &c.] Not any iniquity, as to fhew any approbation of it, love for it, and defire after it. All appearance of fin, of every fin, is to be abftained from; but pare ticularly by the iniquity here meant, may be the fin of impatience under his affiiction; murmuring at the dealings of God with him; arraigning his juftice, and faying very indecent things of him, as in chap. xxxiv. 5. and xxxv. 2. Or it may mean the evil he had been’ guilty of in fo earneftly defiring the night of death: for this thou aft chofen rather than afflittion;.chofe rather to die than to be afflicted as he was; or chofe rather to complain of God, as if he dealt hardly with him, and did not do juftly by him, than to fubmit patiently to the will of God, as he ought to have done: or this he chofe through afflittion*; through the force of it, becaufe of it, and by means thereof; and fo is a fort of excufe that Eibu makes for him; though at the fame time, he would have him by no, means to regard fuch iniquity, and indulge to it.
¥. 22. Behold, God exalteth by his power, &c.} He exalts himfelf, or caufes himfelf to be exalted, and even above all the bleffing and praife of his creatures; by his power in the works of creation and providence, he makes fuch a difplay of his glorious perfeétions, as to fet him on high, and out of the reach of the higheft praifes of men. He exalts his Son as mediator, and has made him higher than the kings of the earth; he exalts him as a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remiffion of fins to his people, and to be the judge of quick and dead. He has exalted the human nature of Chrift to the grace of union to the Son of God; and exalted him in this nature at his right hand, far above all principality and power: he exalts men in a civil fenfe, who are in a low eftate, and raifes them to a very high one; promotion is alone of him, he fets up and puts down at pleafure. Ina fpiritual fenfe, he exalts men when he brings them out of a {tate of nature, into an open {tate of grace; brings them out of the horrible pit, and {ets their feet upon the rock Chrift Jefus; takes them as beggars from the dunghill, and places them among princes, even the princes of his people; admits them to communion with himfelf, puts and keeps them in his favour, as in a garrifon; and at laft caufes them to inherit the throne of glory. He exalts men, when he fets the poor on high from affiction, and brings them out of adverfity into profperity; and which is what may be chiefly intended here; let a man be brought as low as he may, God can by his power, if he will, raife him _ up again. And this may be faid for the comfort and bIn © Num zqualis effet imploratio tua non in aréto