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Job Chapter
Four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 4
Job's
sore afflictions, and his behaviour under them, laid the foundation of a
dispute between him and his three friends, which begins in this chapter, and is
carried on to the end of the thirty first; when Elihu starts up as a moderator
between them, and the controversy is at last decided by God himself. Eliphaz
first enters the list with Job, Job 4:1; introduces
what he had to say in a preface, with some show of tenderness, friendship, and
respect, Job 4:2; observes
his former conduct in his prosperity, by instructing many, strengthening weak
hands and feeble knees, and supporting stumbling and falling ones, Job 4:3; with what
view all this is observed may be easily seen, since he immediately takes notice
of his present behaviour, so different from the former, Job 4:5; and
insults his profession of faith and hope in God, and fear of him, Job 4:6; and
suggests that he was a bad man, and an hypocrite; and which he grounds upon
this supposition, that no good man was ever destroyed by the Lord; for the
truth of which he appeals to Job himself, Job 4:7; and
confirms it by his own experience and observation, Job 4:8; and
strengthens it by a vision he had in the night, in which the holiness and
justice of God, and the mean and low condition of men, are declared, Job 4:12; and
therefore it was wrong in Job to insinuate any injustice in God or in his
providence, and a piece of weakness and folly to contend with him.
Job 4:1 Then
Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
YLT
1And Eliphaz the Temanite
answereth and saith: --
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said. When Job was
done cursing his day, and had finished his doleful ditty on that subject, then
Eliphaz took the opportunity of speaking, not being able to bear any longer
with Job and his behaviour under his afflictions; Eliphaz was one of Job's
three friends that came to visit him, Job 2:11; very
probably he might be the senior man, or a man of the greatest authority and
power; a most respectable person, had in great esteem and reverence among men,
and by these his friends, and therefore takes upon him to speak first; or it
may be it was agreed among themselves that he should begin the dispute with
Job; and we find, that in the close of this controversy the Lord speaks to him
by name, and to him only, Job 42:7; he
"answered"; not that Job directed his discourse to him, but he took
occasion, from Job's afflictions and his passionate expressions, to say what he
did; and he "said" not anything by way of condolence or consolation,
not pitying Job's case, nor comforting him in his afflicted circumstances, as
they required both; but reproaching him as a wicked and hypocritical man, not acting
like himself formerly, or according to his profession and principles, but just
the reverse: this was a new trial to Job, and some think the sorest of all; it
was as a sword in his bones, which was very cutting to him; as oil cast into a
fiery furnace in which he now was, which increased the force and fury of it;
and as to vinegar an opened and bleeding wound, which makes it smart the more.
Job 4:2 2 “If one attempts a
word with you, will you become weary? But who can withhold himself from
speaking?
YLT
2Hath one tried a word with
thee? -- Thou art weary! And to keep in words who is able?
If we assay to commune with
thee, wilt thou be grieved?.... Eliphaz speaks in the name of himself
and his two friends, who had doubtless consulted together, and compared their
sentiments of Job; which appearing to be the same, they formed a plan and
scheme in which they should attack him, and the part which each should take,
and the order in which they should proceed: these words are said, either as
seemingly doubting whether they should speak or be silent; for they may be
rendered, "shall we try", or attempt, to drop or speak a "word
to thee"; to enter into a conversation with thee? or, "shall we take
up a discourse", and carry it on with thee, "who art grieved"
already? or art weary and heavy laden, and bore down with the burden of
affliction, with sorrows and troubles; or art impatientF8הנסה דבר אליך
תלאה "num suscipiemus verbum ad te, qui
impatiens es?" Schmidt; "qui jam dum lassatus", Michaelis. under
them; we fear, should we, that thou wilt be more grieved and burdened, and
become more impatient; and therefore know not well what to do: or else, as
supposing and taking it for granted that he would be grieved and burdened, and
made more restless and uneasy, impatient and outrageous, yet they had
determined to enter into a debate with him; for so the words are by some
rendered, "should we speak a word unto thee"; or, "against
thee"F9"Contra te", Piscator. ; even should the least
word be spoken against thee, thou wilt be wearyF11"Forsitan
moleste accipies", V. L. "fatisces", Schultens. , or burdened,
or grieved, or take it ill: we know thou wilt; yet, nevertheless, we must not,
we cannot, we will not forbear speaking: or else interrogatively, as our
version and others, "wilt thou be grieved?" we desire thou wouldest
not, nor take it ill from us, but all in good part; we mean no hurt, we design
no ill, but thy good, and beg thou wilt hear us patiently: this shows how great
a man Job had been, and in what reverence and respect he was had, that his
friends bespeak him after this manner in his low estate; however, this was
artifice in them, to introduce the discourse, and bring on the debate after
this sort:
but who can withhold himself from speaking? be it as it
will; Eliphaz suggests, though Job was already and greatly burdened, and would
be more so, and break out into greater impatience, yet there was a necessity of
speaking, it could not be forborne; no man could refrain himself from speaking,
nor ought in such a case, when the providence of God was reflected upon, and he
was blasphemed and evil spoken of, and charged with injustice, as was supposed;
in such circumstances, no good, no faithful man, could or ought to keep
silence; indeed, when the glory of God, the honour of the Redeemer, and the
good of souls require it, and a man's own reputation with respect to his
faithfulness lies at stake, silence should not be kept, let the consequence be
as it may; but how far this was the case may be considered.
Job 4:3 3 Surely you have instructed
many, And you have strengthened weak hands.
YLT
3Lo, thou hast instructed
many, And feeble hands thou makest strong.
Behold, thou hast instructed many,.... This is introduced
with a "behold", either as a note of admiration, that such a man, who
had instructed others, should act the part he now does; or as a note of
attention to Job himself, and all others that should hear and read this, to
observe it, and well consider it, and make the proper use of it; or as a note
of asseveration, affirming it to be true and certain, notorious and
unquestionable, as no doubt it was: Job was the instructor, a great man, and
yet condescended to teach and instruct men in the best things, as did also
Abraham, David, Solomon, and others; and a good man, and so fit to teach good
things, as every good man is, and who, according to his ability, the gift and
measure of grace received should instruct others; and a man of great gift he
was, both in things natural, civil, and religious; one that could speak well,
and to the purpose, and so was apt and able to teach; and such should not
disuse and hide their talents: the persons he instructed were not only his own
family, his children and servants, as Abraham before him did; but others who
attended him, and waited for his counsel and advice, his words and doctrine, as
for the rain, and latter rain, and which dropped and distilled as such, see Job 29:15; and
these were "many"; his many ignorant neighbours about him, or many
professors of religion, as there might be, and it seems there were in this
idolatrous country; and many afflicted ones among these, which is usually the
case: Job had many scholars in his school, of different sorts, that attended on
him; and these he instructed in the knowledge of the true God, his nature,
perfections, and works; and of the living Redeemer, his person, office, grace,
and righteousness; and of themselves, the impurity of their nature through
original sin, he was acquainted with; their impotency and inability to purge
themselves, to atone for sin, and to justify and make themselves acceptable to
God; as well as he instructed them in the worship of God, and the manner of it,
their duty to him and to one another, and to all their fellow creatures: some
render it, "thou hast corrected", or "reproved many"F12יסרת, "corripuisti", Mercerus, Michaelis;
"castigasti", Codurcus, Drusius, Schmidt, Schultens. ; he had taught
the afflicted to be patient under their afflictions, and had reproved them for
their impatience; and the design of Eliphaz is to upbraid him with it, as in Romans 2:21; thou
that didst correct others for their unbecoming behaviour under afflictions, art
thyself guilty of the same: "turpe est doctori, cure culpa redarguit
ipsum":
and thou hast strengthened the weak hands; either such
as hung down through want of food, by giving it to them, both corporeal and
spiritual, which strengthens men's hearts, and so their hands; or through
sluggishness, by exhorting and stirring them up to be active and diligent; or
through fear of enemies, especially spiritual ones, as sin, Satan, and the
world; by reason of whose numbers and strength good men are apt to be
dispirited, and ready to castaway their spiritual armour, particularly the
shield of faith and confidence in God, as faint hearted soldiers in war, to
which the allusion is: and these were strengthened by telling them that all
their enemies were conquered, and they were more than conquerors over them;
that the victory was certain, and their warfare accomplished, or would quickly
be: or else, whose hands were weak through a sense of sin and danger, and being
in expectation of the wrath, and vengeance of God; and who were strengthened by
observing to them that there was a Saviour appointed and expected, a living
Redeemer, who would stand upon the earth in the latter day, and save them from
their sins, and from wrath to come; see Isaiah 35:3; or
rather, such whose hearts and hands were, weak through sore and heavy
afflictions, whom Job strengthened by showing them that their afflictions were
of God; not by chance, but by appointment, and according to the sovereign will
of God; that they were for their good, either temporal, spiritual, or eternal;
and that they would not continue always, but have an end; and therefore should
be patiently bore, see 1 Corinthians 12:11.
Job 4:4 4 Your words have upheld him
who was stumbling, And you have strengthened the feeble knees;
YLT
4The stumbling one do thy
words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.
Thy words have up, holden him that was falling,.... Or
"stumbling"F13כושל
"offendentem", Cocceius; "impingentem", Drusius, Schmidt,
Schultens, Michaelis. ; that was stumbling at the providence of God in
suffering good men to be afflicted, and wicked men to prosper; which has been
the stumbling block of God's people in all ages; see Psalm 73:2; or that
was stumbling and falling off from the true religion by reason of the revilings
and reproaches of men, and their persecutions for it; which is sometimes the
case, not only of nominal professors, Matthew 13:21; but
of true believers, though they do not so stumble and fall as to perish: or else
being under afflictions themselves, were ready to sink under them, their
strength being small; now Job was helped to speak such words of comfort and
advice to persons in any and every of these circumstances as to support them
and preserve them from failing, and to enable them to keep their place and
station among the people of God. The Targum interprets it of such as were
falling into sin; the words of good men to stumbling and falling professors,
whether into sin, or into affliction by it, are often very seasonable, and very
useful, when attended with the power and Spirit of God:
and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees; that were
tottering and trembling, and bending, and not able to bear up under the weight
of sin, which lay as an heavy burden, too heavy to bear; or of afflictions very
grievous and intolerable; to such persons Job had often spoken words that had
been useful to alleviate their troubles, and support them under them. It may be
observed, that the cases and circumstances of good men in early times were much
the same as they are now; that there is no temptation or affliction that
befalls the saints but what has been common; and that Job was a man of great
gifts, grace, and experience, and had the tongue of the learned, to speak a
word in season to every weary soul, in whatsoever condition they were: and all
this, so very laudable in him, is not observed to his commendation, but to his
reproach; to show that he was not a man of real virtue, that he contradicted
himself, and did not act according to his profession and principles, and the
doctrines he taught others, and was an hypocrite at heart; though no such
conclusion follows, supposing he had not acted according to his principles and
former conduct; for it is a difficult thing for any good man to act entirely
according to them, or to behave the same in prosperity as in adversity, or to
take that advice themselves in affliction, and follow it, they have given to
others, and yet not be chargeable with hypocrisy. It would have been much
better in Eliphaz and his friends to have made another use of Job's former
conduct and behaviour, namely, to have imitated it, and endeavoured to have
strengthened, and upheld him in his present distressed circumstances; instead
of that, he insults him, as follows.
Job 4:5 5 But now it comes upon you,
and you are weary; It touches you, and you are troubled.
YLT
5But now, it cometh in unto
thee, And thou art weary; It striketh unto thee, and thou art troubled.
But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest,.... The
affliction and evil that he feared, Job 3:25; or rather
the same trials and afflictions were come upon him as had been on those whom he
had instructed and reproved, and whose hands and hearts he had strengthened and
comforted; and yet now thou thyself "faintest", or "art
weary"F26Defatigaris, Cocceius. , or art bore down and sinkest
under the burden, and bearest it very impatientlyF1תלא aegre tulisti, Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus;
"impatienter fers", Schmidt, Michaelis, Piscator. , quite contrary to
the advice given to others; and therefore it was concluded he could not be a
virtuous, honest, and upright man at heart, only in show and appearance.
Bolducius renders the words, "God cometh unto thee", or "thy God
cometh"; very wrongly, though the sense may be the same; God cometh and
visits thee by laying his afflicting hand upon thee:
it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled; suggesting that
it was but a touch, a slight one, a light affliction; thereby lessening Job's
calamity and distress, or making little and light of it, and aggravating his
impatience under it, that for such a trial as this he should be so excessively
troubled, his passions should be so violently moved, and he be thrown into so
much disorder and confusion, and be impatient beyond measure; no bounds being
set to his grief, and the expressions of it; yea, even to be in the utmost
consternation and amazement, as the wordF2תבהל
"consternaris", Mercerus, Cocceius, Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens.
signifies.
Job 4:6 6 Is
not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?
YLT
6Is not thy reverence thy
confidence? Thy hope -- the perfection of thy ways?
Is not this thy fear,.... The fear
of God, that which is of him, comes from him, is a grace of his implanted in
the hearts of his people at conversion, and is increased and encouraged, and
drawn forth into fresh exercise through the grace and goodness of God
displayed; for a slavish fear, or a fear of punishment, of wrath and damnation,
is not the true grace of fear, which maybe in unregenerate men, and even in the
devils; but this lies in a reverential affection for God on account of his
goodness, and in a carefulness not to offend him on that account; in an hatred
of sin, and a departure from it; in an attendance on the worship of God, and is
sometimes put for the whole of it; and is accompanied with faith in God, joy in
the Holy Ghost, humility of soul, and holiness of heart and life: now Job
professed to have this fear of God in his heart, and was thought to have it;
this was his general character, Job 1:1; but, in
his present case and circumstances, Eliphaz asks what was become of it, where
it was now, and in what it appeared? and jeers him about it, as if he should
say, does it lie in this, in fainting and sinking under afflictions, in being
troubled and terrified, and thrown into a consternation by them, and in
breaking out into such rash expressions of God and his providence? is it come
to this at last, or rather to nothing at all? for he suggests either that Job
never had the true grace of fear in him, contrary to the character given of
him, and confirmed by God himself, Job 1:1; or that he
had cast it off and it was gone from him, and left, Job 15:4; which can
never be, where it once is, it being the great security against a final and
total apostasy from God, Jeremiah 32:40; or
that what he had was merely hypocritical, like that which is taught by the
precept of men, was only in appearance, and not in reality, as his conduct now
showed; for had he had the true fear of God before his eyes, and on his heart,
he could never have cursed the day of his birth, nor arraigned the providence
of God, and charged him with injustice, as he supposed he did; whereby his
fear, his piety, his religion he had professed, appeared to be just nothing at
allF3הלא יראתך
"adeone nihil pietas tua?" Schultens. : it follows:
thy confidence; that is, in God; for Job professed none in
any other, in any creature or creature enjoyment, Job 31:24; this
when right is a strong act of faith and trust in the Lord, a thorough
persuasion and full assurance of interest in him as a covenant God, and in his
love and favour, and in Christ as the living Redeemer, and of the truth of the
work of grace upon the heart, and of the certainty of the performance of it;
also a holy boldness in prayer to God, and a firm and assured belief of being
heard and answered; as well as an open and courageous profession of him before
men, without any fear of them; for all this Job had been famous, and now he is
asked, where it all was? and what was become of it? how it appeared now? and
intimates he never had any, or had cast it away, and that it was come to
nothing; as was concluded from the rash expressions of his lips, and from the
sinkings of his spirit under his present afflictions; but Job's trust and
confidence in God and in Christ still continued; see Job 13:15,
thy hope; which also is a grace wrought in the heart, in regeneration; is
of things unseen and future, yet to be enjoyed either here or hereafter; and
that which is right has Christ for its object, ground, and foundation, and is
of singular use to keep up the spirits of men under afflictive providences: and
Eliphaz observing Job to be very impatient under them, inquires about his hope;
and intimates that what he had professed to have was the hope of the hypocrite,
and not real, and was now come to nothing; hope that is true, though it may
become low, it cannot be lost; nor was Job's, especially with respect to
spiritual and eternal things; see Job 14:7,
and the uprightness of thy ways? before God and men,
walking uprightly in the ways of God, according to the revelation of his will
made unto him, and acting the just and upright part in all his dealings with
men; and for which he was celebrated, and is a part of the character before
given of him, Job 1:1; but it is
insinuated by Eliphaz that there was nothing in it; it was only in show, in
appearance, it was not from the heart; or it would not be thus with him as it
was, nor would he behave in the manner he now did: some read the words as in
the margin, and in some copies of our Bible, "is not thy fear thy
confidence? and the uprightness of thy ways thy hope?" and with some
little variation Mr. Broughton; "is not thy religion thy hope, and thy
right ways thy confidence?" that is, didst thou not hope and expect, and
even wert thou not confident of it, that because of thy fear of God, and of the
uprightness of thy ways before men, that thou shouldest not only be increased
in thy worldly substance, but be preserved and protected in the enjoyment of
it? and were not these the reasons which induced thee to be religious, and make
such a show of it? suggesting, that he was only religions from mercenary views
and selfish principles, and so tacitly charges him with what the devil himself
did, Job 1:9; and this
way go many Jewish and Christian interpretersF4Montanus, Mercerus,
Piscator, some in Vatablus; so Ben Gersom and Bar Tzemach. : some render the
words much in the same way, but to a better sense, and more in favour of Job,
and by way of instruction and comfort to him: "should not thy fear be thy confidence,
and thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?"F5So some in
Michaelis. shouldest thou not take encouragement from thy fear of God, and the
uprightness of thine heart and ways, to expect deliverance and salvation, and
not faint and sink as thou dost? or is not this the cause of all thine
impatience, thy fear of God, trust and hope in him, and thine integrity?
concluding thou shouldest have been dealt with after another manner for the
sake of these things, and therefore art ready to think thou art hardly dealt
with by God, having deserved better treatment; thus making Job to think highly
of himself, and to entertain wrong notions of God; so Schmidt; but the first
sense I have given of the words seems best.
Job 4:7 7 “Remember now, who ever
perished being innocent? Or where were the upright ever cut off?
YLT
7Remember, I pray thee, Who,
being innocent, hath perished? And where have the upright been cut off?
Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent?.... Here
Eliphaz appeals to Job himself, and desires him to recollect if ever anyone
instance had fallen under his observation, in the whole course of his life, or
it had ever been told him by credible persons, that an "innocent"
man, by whom he means not one entirely free from sin original or actual, for he
knew there was no such persons in the world, since the fall of Adam, but a
truly good and gracious man, who was not guilty of any notorious and capital
crime, or did not live a vicious course of life; if he ever knew or heard of
any such persons that "perished", which cannot be understood of
eternal ruin and destruction, which would be at once granted, that such as
these described can never perish in such a sense, but have everlasting life;
nor of a corporeal death, which is sometimes the sense of perishing, since it
is notorious that innocent and righteous persons so perish or die, see Ecclesiastes 7:15 Isaiah 57:1; and
could it be meant of a violent death, an answer might have been returned; and
Eliphaz perhaps was not acquainted with it himself, that that innocent and
righteous person Abel thus perished by the hands of his brother: but this is
rather to be understood of perishing by afflictions, sore and heavy ones, not
ordinary but extraordinary ones; and which are, or look like, the judgments of
God on men, whereby they lose their all, their substance, their servants, their
children, as well as their own health, which was Job's case; and therefore if
no parallel instance of an innocent person ever being in the like case, it is
insinuated that Job could not be an innocent man:
or where were the righteous cut off? such as are truly
righteous in the sight of God, as well as before men, who have the gift of
righteousness bestowed on them, and live soberly, righteously, and godly; in
what age or country was it ever known that such persons, in their family and
substance, were cut off by the hand and providence of God, and abandoned and
forsaken by him, and reduced to such circumstances that there could be no hope
of their ever being in prosperous ones again? and Job now being in such a
forlorn and miserable case and condition, it is suggested, that he could not be
a righteous man: but admitting that no such instance could be produced, Eliphaz
was too hasty and premature in his conclusion; seeing, as it later appeared,
Job was not so cut off, abandoned, and forsaken by God, as not to rise any
more; for his latter end was greater than his beginning: and besides, innocent
and righteous persons are often involved in the same calamities as wicked men
are, and their afflictions are the same; only with this difference, to the one
they are the proper punishment of sin, to the other they are fatherly
chastisements and trials of their grace, and issue in their good; the Targum
explains it of such persons, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, none such as they
perishing, or being cut off.
Job 4:8 8 Even as I have seen, Those
who plow iniquity And sow trouble reap the same.
YLT
8As I have seen -- ploughers
of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it!
Even as I have seen,.... Here he goes about
to prove, by his own experience, the destruction of wicked men; and would
intimate, that Job was such an one, because of the ruin he was fallen into:
they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same; figurative
expressions, denoting that such who devise iniquity in their hearts, form and
plan schemes of it in their minds, signified by "plowing iniquity",
and who were studious and diligent to put into practice what they devised; who
took a great deal of pains to commit sin, and were constant at it, expressed by
"sowing wickedness": these sooner or later eat the fruit of their
doings, are punished in proportion to their crimes, even in this life, as well
as hereafter, see Hosea 8:7 Galatians 6:7;
though a Jewish commentatorF2R. Simeon Bar Tzemach. observes, that
the thought of sin is designed by the first phrase; the endeavour to bring it
into action by the second; and the finishing of the work, or the actual
commission of the evil, by the third; the punishment thereof being what is
expressed in Job 4:9; the Targum
applies this to the generation of the flood.
Job 4:9 9 By the blast of God they
perish, And by the breath of His anger they are consumed.
YLT
9From the breath of God they
perish, And from the spirit of His anger consumed.
By the blast of God they perish,.... They and their
works, the ploughers, sowers, and reapers of iniquity; the allusion is to the
blasting of corn by the east wind, or by mildew, &c. having used the
figures of ploughing and sowing before; and which is as soon and as easily done
as corn, or anything else, is blasted in the above manner; and denotes the
sudden and easy destruction of wicked men by the power of God, stirred up by
his wrath and indignation, because of their sins; who when he blows a blast on
their persons, substance, and families, they perish at once:
and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed; meaning his
wrath and anger, which is like a stream of brimstone, and kindles a fire on the
wicked, which are as fuel to it, and are soon consumed by it; the allusion is
to breath in a man's nostrils, and the heat of his wrath and fury discovered
thereby: some think this refers to Job's children being destroyed by the wind,
see Isaiah 11:4.
Job 4:10 10 The roaring of the lion, The
voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
YLT
10The roaring of a lion, And
the voice of a fierce lion, And teeth of young lions have been broken.
The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion,.... Which
Aben Ezra interprets of God himself, who is compared to a lion; who not only by
his voice terrifies, but in his wrath tears the wicked in pieces, and destroys
them, and so is a continuation of the preceding account; and others, as R.
Moses and R. Jonah, whom he mentions, take this to be a continuation of the
means and methods by which God destroys wicked men sometimes, namely, by beasts
of prey; this being one of his sore judgments he threatens men with, and inflicts
upon men, see Leviticus 26:22;
and in this they are followed by some Christian interpreters, who render the
words "at" or "by the roaring of the lion, and by the voice of
the fierce lion, by the teeth of the young lions"F3"Rugitu
leonis et voce ferocis leonis", &c. Junius & Tremellius, Piscator;
so some in R. Someon Bar Tzemach. , they the wicked "are broken",
ground to pieces, and utterly destroyed; but it is better, with Jarchi, Ben
Gersom, and others, to understand it of kings and princes, of the mighty ones
of the earth, tyrannical and oppressive rulers and governors; comparable to
lions of different ages; because of their grandeur and greatness, their power
and might, their cruelty and oppression in each of their different capacities;
signifying, that these do not escape the righteous judgments of God: the Targum
interprets the roaring of the lion of Esau, and the voice of the fierce lion of
Edom; and another Jewish writerF4R. Obadiah Sephorno. of Nimrod, the
first tyrant and oppressor, the mighty hunter before the Lord; but these are
too particular; wicked men in power and authority in general are here, and in
the following clauses, intended, see Jeremiah 4:7 2 Timothy 4:17; and
the sense is, that such ploughers and sowers of iniquity as are like to fierce
and roaring lions are easily and quickly destroyed by the Lord:
and the teeth of the young lions are broken: the power of
such mighty ones to do mischief is taken away from them, and they and their
families are brought to ruin; the teeth of lions are very strong in both jaws;
they have fourteen teeth, four incisors or cutters, four canine or dog teeth,
six molars or grinders.
Job 4:11 11 The old lion perishes for
lack of prey, And the cubs of the lioness are scattered.
YLT
11An old lion is perishing
without prey, And the whelps of the lioness do separate.
The old lion perisheth for lack of prey,.... Or rather
"the stout" and "strong lion"F5ליש "leo major", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus,
Schmidt; "leo strenuns et fortis", Michaelis; "robustior
leo", Schultens. , that is most able to take the prey, and most skilful at
it, yet such shall perish for want of it; not so much for want of finding it,
or of power to seize it, as of keeping it when got, it being taken away from
him; signifying, that God oftentimes in his providence takes away from cruel
oppressors what they have got by oppression, and so they are brought into
starving and famishing circumstances. The Septuagint render the word by
"myrmecoleon", or the "ant lion", which IsidoreF6Origin.
l. 12. c. 3. thus describes;"it is a little animal, very troublesome to
ants, which hides itself in the dust, and kills the ants as they carry their
corn; hence it is called both a lion and an ant, because to other animals is as
an ant, and to the ants as a lion,'and therefore cannot be the lion here spoken
of; though StraboF7Geograph. l. 16. p. 533. and AelianusF8De
Animal. l. 7. c. 47. & l. 17. c. 42. speak of lions in Arabia and Babylon
called ants, which seem to be a species of lions, and being in those countries,
might be known to Eliphaz. MegasthenesF9Apud Strabo, l. 15. p. 485.
speaks of ants in India as big as foxes, of great swiftness, and get their
living by hunting:
and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad; or "the
whelps of the lioness"F11בני לביא "filii leaenae", Bochart, Schultens. , these
are scattered from the lion and lioness, and from one another, to seek for
food, but in vain; the Targum applies this to Ishmael, and his posterity;
Jarchi, and others, to the builders of Babel, said to be scattered, Genesis 11:8;
rather reference may be had to the giants, the men of the old world, who filled
the earth with violence, which was the cause of the flood being brought upon
the world of the ungodly. Some think that Eliphaz has a regard to Job in all
this, and that by the "fierce lion" he designs and describes Job as
an oppressor and tyrant, and by the "lioness" his wife, and by the
"young lions" and "lion's whelps" his children; and indeed,
though he may not directly design him, yet he may obliquely point at him, and
suggest that he was like to the men he had in view, and compares to these
creatures, and therefore his calamities righteously came upon him.
Job 4:12 12 “Now a word was secretly
brought to me, And my ear received a whisper of it.
YLT
12And unto me a thing is
secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.
Now a thing was secretly brought to me,.... From
reason and experience, Eliphaz proceeds to a vision and revelation he had from
God, showing the purity and holiness of God, and the frailty, weakness, folly,
and sinfulness of men, by which it appears that men cannot be just in the sight
of God, and therefore it must be wrong in Job to insist upon his innocence and
integrity. Some indeed have thought that this was a mere fiction of Eliphaz,
and not a real vision; yea, some have gone so far as to pronounce it a
diabolical one, but without any just foundation; for there is nothing in the
manner or matter of it but what is agreeable to a divine vision or to a
revelation from God; besides, though Eliphaz was a mistaken man in the case of
Job, yet was a good man, as may be concluded from the acceptance of a sacrifice
for him by the Lord, which was offered for him by Job, according to the order
of God, and therefore could never be guilty of such an imposture; nor does Job
ever charge him with any falsehood in this matter, who doubtless would have
been able to have traversed and exposed him; add to all this, that in his
discourse annexed to and continued along with this account, stands a passage,
which the apostle has quoted as of divine inspiration, 1 Corinthians 3:19;
from Job 5:13. When
Eliphaz had this vision, whether within the seven days of his visit to Job, or
before, some time ago, which he might call to mind on this occasion, and
judging it appropiate to the present case, thought fit to relate it, is not
certain, nor very material to know: it is introduced after this manner, "a
thing" or "word", a word of prophecy, a word from the Lord, a revelation
of his mind and will, which was hidden and secret, and what before he was not
so well acquainted with; this was "brought" unto him by the Spirit of
God, or by a messenger from the Lord, sent on this occasion, and for this
purpose; and the manner in which it was brought was "secretly" or
"by stealth", as Mr. Broughton and othersF12יגנב "furtive", V. L. Montanus, Cocceius,
Drusius; "furtivum verbum venit", Schultens. render it; it was
"stolen" unto him, or "secretly" brought, as the Targum,
and we, and othersF13"Clanculum", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator; "clam", Beza. ; it was in a private way or manner; or
"suddenly", as some othersF14"Subito", Schmidt,
Michaelis. , at unawares, when it was not expected by him: it may have respect
to the still and silent manner in which it was revealed to him, "there was
silence, and he heard a voice"; a still one, a secret whisper; or to the
almost invisible person that revealed it, whose image he saw, but could not
discern his form and likeness; or it may be to the distinguishing favour he
enjoyed, in having this revelation particularly made to him, and not to others;
he heard this word, as it were, behind the curtain, or vail, as the JewsF15T.
Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 89. 2. say, explaining this passage:
mine ear received a little of it; this revelation was
made, not by an impulse upon his spirits, but vocally, a voice was heard, as
after declared, and Eliphaz was attentive to it; he listened to what was said,
and heard, and took it in with much delight and pleasure, though but a small
part of it, as his capacity was able to retain it; or it was but a small part
of the will of God, an hint of his only, as some interpret itF16In
David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 217. 3. . Schultens has shown, from the use of a
word near this in the Arabic language, that it signifies "a string of
pearls"; and so may design a set of evangelic truths, comparable to gold,
silver, and precious stones, and which are indeed more desirable than them, and
preferable to them; what they are will be observed hereafter.
Job 4:13 13 In disquieting thoughts
from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men,
YLT
13In thoughts from visions of
the night, In the falling of deep sleep on men,
In thoughts from the visions of the night,.... While
Eliphaz was thinking of and meditating upon divine things, or while he was
revolving in his mind some night visions he had, before this was made unto him,
see Daniel 2:29; in
meditation the Lord is often pleased to make known more of his mind and will to
his people; and this is one way in which he was wont to do it in former times,
in a vision either in the day, as sometimes, or in the night, as at others, and
as here, see Numbers 12:6,
when deep sleep falleth on men; on sorrowful men, as Mr.
Broughton renders it; such who have been laborious all the day, and getting
their bread with sorrow and trouble, and are weary; who as soon as they lie
down fall asleep, and sleep falls on them, and to such it is sweet, as the wise
man says, Ecclesiastes 5:12;
now it was at such a time when men ordinarily and commonly are asleep that this
vision was had.
Job 4:14 14 Fear came upon me, and
trembling, Which made all my bones shake.
YLT
14Fear hath met me, and
trembling, And the multitude of my bones caused to fear.
Fear came upon me, and trembling,.... Not only a dread of
mind, but trembling of body; which was often the case even with good men,
whenever there was any unusual appearance of God unto them by a voice, or by
any representation, or by an angel; as with Abraham in the vision of the
pieces, and with Moses on Mount Sinai, and with Daniel in some of his visions,
and with Zechariah, when an angel appeared and brought him the tidings of a son
to be born to him; which arises from the frailty and weakness of human nature,
a consciousness of guilt, a sense of the awful majesty of God, and an uneasy
apprehension of what may be the consequences of it:
which made all my bones to shake; not only there was
inward fear and outward tremor of body, but to such a degree, that not one
joint in him was still; all the members of his body shook, and every bone was
as if it was loosed, which are the more firm and solid parts, as is common many
considerable tremor.
Job 4:15 15 Then a spirit passed before
my face; The hair on my body stood up.
YLT
15And a spirit before my face
doth pass, Stand up doth the hair of my flesh;
Then a spirit passed before my face,.... Which some interpret
of a windF17רוח "ventus",
Vatablus, Cocceius, Schmidt, Broughton. , a blustering wind, that blew strong
in his face; and so the Targum renders it, a stormy wind, such an one as Elijah
perceived when the Lord spoke to him, though he was not in that, 1 Kings 19:11; or
such a whirlwind, out of which the Lord spake to Job, Job 38:1; or
rather, as Jarchi, an angel, an immaterial spirit, one of Jehovah's ministering
spirits, clothed in an human form, and which passed and repassed before
Eliphaz, that he might take notice of it:
the hair of my flesh stood up; erect, through surprise
and dread; which is sometimes the case, when anything astonishing and terrible
is beheld; the blood at such times making its way to the heart, for the
preservation of that, leaves the external members of the body cold, and the
skin of the flesh, in which the hair is, being contracted by the impetuous
influx of the nervous fluid, causes the hair to stand upright, particularly the
hair of the head, like the prickles or hedgehogsF18"Obstupui,
steteruntque comae----". Virgil. Aeneid. l. 2. ver. 774. & l. 3. ver.
48. "arrectaeque horrore comae". Aeneid. 4. ver. 286. & l. 12.
ver. 888. ; which has been usual at the sight of an apparitionF19Vid.
Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. p. 665. .
Job 4:16 16 It stood still, But I
could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; There
was silence; Then I heard a voice saying:
YLT
16It standeth, and I discern
not its aspect, A similitude [is] over-against mine eyes, Silence! and a voice
I hear:
It stood still,.... That is, the spirit, or the angel in a
visible form; it was before going to and fro, but now it stood still right against
Eliphaz, as if it had something to say to him, and so preparing him to attend
to it; which he might do the better, it standing before him while speaking to
him, that he might have the opportunity of taking more notice of it:
but, notwithstanding this advantageous position of it:
I could not discern the form thereof; what it was,
whether human or any other:
an image was before mine eyes; he saw
something, some appearance and likeness, but could not tell what it was;
perhaps the fear and surprise he was in hindered him from taking in any
distinct idea of it, or that particular notice of it, so as to be able to form
in his own mind any suitable notion of it, or to describe it to others:
there was silence both in the
spirit or image, which, standing still, made no rushing noise, and in Eliphaz
himself, who kept in his breath, and listened with all the attention he could
to it; or a small low voice, as Ben Melech interprets it: so it follows:
and I heard a voice; a distinct articulate
voice or sound of words, very audibly delivered by the spirit or image that
stood before him:
saying; as follows.
Job 4:17 17 ‘Can a mortal be more
righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?
YLT
17`Is mortal man than God
more righteous? Than his Maker is a man cleaner?
Shall mortal man be more just than God?.... Poor,
weak, frail, dying man, and so sinful, as his mortality shows, which is the
effect of sin; how should such a man be more righteous than God? who is so
originally and essentially of himself, completely, perfectly, yea, infinitely
righteous in his nature, and in his works, both of providence and grace; in
chastising his people, punishing the wicked, and bestowing favours upon his
friends, even in their election, redemption, justification, pardon, and eternal
happiness: yea, not only profane wicked sinners can make no pretensions to
anything of this kind, but even the best of men, none being without sin, no,
not man in his best estate; for the righteousness he had then was of God, and
therefore he could not be more just than he that made him upright. This
comparative sense, which our version leads to, is more generally received; but
it seems not to be the sense of the passage, since this is a truth clear from
reason, and needed no vision or revelation to discover it; nor can it be
thought that God would send an angelic spirit in such an awful and pompous
manner, to declare that which every one knew, and no man would contradict; even
the most self-righteous and self-sufficient man would never be so daring and
insolent as to say he was more righteous than God; but the words should be
rather rendered, "shall mortal man be justified by God, or be just from
God?" or "with" him, or "before" himF20האנוש מאלוה יצדק
"an mortalis a Deo justificabitur?" Codurcus' Bolducius, Deodatus,
Gussetius, Ebr. Comment. p. 709. "Num mortalis a numine justus erit?"
Schultens; so Mr. Broughton, "can the sorrowful man be holden just before
the Puissant?" , in his sight, by any righteousness in him, or done by
him? shall he enter into his presence, stand at his bar, and be examined there,
and go away from thence, in the sight and account of God, as a righteous person
of himself? no, he cannot; now this is a doctrine opposed to carnal reasoning
and the common sentiments of men, a doctrine of divine revelation, a precious
truth: this is the string of pearls Eliphaz received, see Job 4:12; that
mortal man is of himself an unrighteous creature; that he cannot be justified
by his own righteousness in the sight of God; and that he must look and seek
out for a better righteousness than his own, to justify him before God; and
this agrees with Eliphaz's interpretation of the vision, Job 15:14; with the
sentiments of his friend Bildad, who seems to have some respect to it, Job 25:4; and also
of Job himself, Job 9:2; and in
like manner are we to understand the following clause:
shall a man be more pure than his Maker? even the
greatest and best of men, since what purity was in Adam, in a state of
innocence, was from God; and what good men have, in a state of grace, is from
the grace of God and blood of Christ, without which no man is pure at all, and
therefore cannot be purer than him from whom they have it: or rather "be
pure from", or "with", or "before his Maker"F21מעשהו יטהר גבר
"an quisquam vir a factore suo mundus habebitur?" Codurcus; "an
a conditore suo purus erit vir?" Schultens; so Mr. Broughton, "can
the human being be clear before him that was his Maker?" , or be so
accounted by him; every man is impure by his first birth, and in his nature
state, and therefore cannot stand before a pure and holy God, who of purer eyes
than to behold iniquity; or go away his presence, and be reckoned by him a pure
and holy creature of himself; nor can any thing that he can do, in a moral or
ceremonial manner, cleanse him from his impurity; and therefore it is necessary
he should apply to the grace of God, and blood of Christ, for his purification.
Job 4:18 18 If He puts no trust in His
servants, If He charges His angels with error,
YLT
18Lo, in His servants He
putteth no credence, Nor in His messengers setteth praise.'
Behold, he put no trust in his servants,.... Some
think the divine oracle or revelation ends in Job 4:17, and that
here Eliphaz makes some use and improvement of it, and addresses Job, and
argues with him upon it, with a view to his case and circumstances; but rather
the account of what the oracle said, or was delivered by revelation, is
continued to the end of the chapter, there being nothing unworthy of God,
either in the matter or manner of it: and here Eliphaz himself is addressed,
and this address ushered in with a "behold", as a note of admiration,
asseveration, and attention; it being somewhat wonderful and of importance,
sure and certain, and which deserved to be listened to, that God, the Maker of
men and angels, did not, and does not, "put" any "trust" or
confidence "in his servants"; meaning not the prophets in particular,
as the Targum, though they are in an eminent sense the servants of God; nor
righteous men in general, as Jarchi and others, who though heretofore servants
of sin, yet through grace become servants of righteousness, and of God; but as
men who dwelt in houses of clay are opposed to them, and distinguished from
them, in Job 4:19, they must
be understood of angels, as the following clause explains it; who always stand
before God, ministering unto him, ready to do his will, and to do it in the
most perfect manner creatures are capable of; they go forth at his command into
each of the parts of the world, and execute his orders; they worship him, and
celebrate his perfections, ascribing honour and glory, wisdom, power, and
blessing to him; and this they do cheerfully, constantly, and incessantly. Now
though God has intrusted these servants of his with many messages of
importance, both under the Old and New Testament dispensation, yet he has not
trusted them with the salvation of men, to which they are not equal, but has put
it into the hands of his Son; nor indeed did he trust them with the secret of
it, so as to make them his counsellors about it; no, Christ only was the
wonderful Counsellor in this affair; the counsel of peace, or that respecting
the peace and reconciliation of men, was only between him and his Father; God
was only in and with Christ, and not angels reconciling men, or drawing the
plan of their reconciliation; and when this secret, being concluded on and
settled, was revealed to angels, it is thought by some to be the reason of so
many of them apostatizing from God; they choosing rather to have nothing to do
with him, than to be under the Son of God in human nature: but, besides this,
there are many other things God has not trusted the angels with, as his purposes
and decrees within himself, and the knowledge of the times and seasons of the
accomplishment of them, particularly the day and hour of judgment; though the
sense here rather seems to be this, that God does not and did not trust them
with themselves; he knew their natural weakness, frailty, mutability, how
liable they were to sin and fall from him, and therefore he chose them in
Christ, put them into his hands, and made him head over them, and so confirmed
and established them in him; and, as it may be rendered, "did not put
stability or firmness"F23לא יאמין "non posuit stabilitatem", Mercerus,
Vatablus; "firmitatem", Junius & Tremellius. in them, so as to
stand of themselves; or "perfection" in them, as some render itF24So
Mr. Broughton. , which cannot be in a creature as it is in God:
and his angels he charged with folly; that is,
comparatively, with respect to himself, in comparison of whom all creatures are
foolish, be they ever so wise; for he is all wise, and only wise; angels are
very knowing and intelligent in things natural and evangelical, but their
knowledge is but imperfect, particularly in the latter; as appears by their
being desirous of looking into those things which respect the salvation of men,
and by learning of the church the manifold wisdom of God, 1 Peter 1:2; or by
"folly" is meant vanity, weakness, and imperfectionF25תהלה "vanitatem", Codurcus; "omissionem,
lapsationemve", Schultens. , a liableness to fall, which God observed in
them; and which are in every creature in its best estate, and were in Adam in
his state of innocence, and so in the angels that fell not, especially previous
to their confirmation by Christ, see Psalm 39:5; and so
the sense is the same with the preceding clause: some render it by repeating
the negative from that, "and he putteth not glorying" or
"boasting in his angels"F26"Gloriationem",
Montanus. ; he makes no account of their duties and services, so as to glory in
them; it is an humbling himself to regard them; or he puts nothing in them that
they can boast of, since they have nothing of themselves, all from him, and
therefore cannot glory as though they had received it not. Others observe, that
the word has the signification of light, and differently render the passage;
some, "though he putteth light in his angels"F1Sic Beza
& Belg. nov. vers. , makes them angels of light, comparable to morning
stars, yet he puts no trust in them; and what they have is from him, and
therefore not to be compared with him, nor can they glory in themselves; or,
"he putteth not light", or "not clear light into them"F2"Lumen",
Pagninus, Mercerus; "lucem", Junius & Tremellius; so R. Levi Ben
Gersom, Sephorno, and others; "lucem exactissimam", Vatablus;
"clear light", Broughton. ; that which is perfect, and fire from all
manner of darkness; such only is in himself the Father of lights, with whom it
dwells in perfection, and there is no shadow of turning in him: some would have
this understood of the evil angels, whom God charged with folly; but this is
too low a term, a phrase not strong enough to express their sin and wickedness,
who are not chargeable only with imprudence, but with rebellion and treason
against God; nor does this sense agree with parallel places, Job 15:14; and
besides, the beauty of the comparison of them with men would be lost, and the
strength of the argument with respect to them would be sadly weakened, which we
have in Job 4:19.
Job 4:19 19 How much more those who
dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are
crushed before a moth?
YLT
19Also -- the inhabitants of
houses of clay, (Whose foundation [is] in the dust, They bruise them before a
moth.)
How much less on them that dwell in houses of clay,.... Meaning
men, but not as dwelling in houses, in a proper sense, made of clay dried by
the sun, as were common in the eastern countries; nor in mean cottages, as
distinguished from cedar, and ceiled houses, in which great personages dwelt,
for this respects men in common; nor as being in the houses of the grave, as
the Targum, Jarchi, and others, which are no other than dust, dirt, and clay;
for this regards not the dead, but the living; but the bodies of men are meant;
in which their souls dwell; which shows the superior excellency of the soul to
the body, and its independency of it, being capable of existing without it, as
it does in the separate state before the resurrection; so bodies are called
tabernacles, and earthen vessels, and earthly houses, 2 Peter 1:13 2 Corinthians 4:7;
and bodies of clay, Job 13:12; so the
body is by EpictetusF3Arrian. Epictet. l. 1. c. 1. called clay
elegantly wrought; and another Heathen writerF4Theodor. Gadareus,
apud Sueton. Vit. Tiber. c. 57. calls it clay steeped in, or macerated and
mixed with blood: being of clay denotes the original of bodies, the dust of the
earth; and the frailty of them, like brittle clay, and the pollution of them,
all the members thereof being defiled with sin, and so called vile bodies, and
will remain such till changed by Christ, Philemon 3:21; now
the argument stands thus, if God put no trust in angels, then much less in
poor, frail, mortal, sinful men; he has no dependence on their services, whose
weakness, unprofitableness, and unfaithfulness, he well knows; he puts no trust
in their purposes, and resolutions, and vows, which often come to nothing; nor
does he trust his own people with their salvation and justification, or put
these things upon the foot of their works, but trusts them and the salvation
and justification of them with his Son, and puts them upon the foot of his own
grace and mercy: and if he charges the holy angels with folly, then much more
(for so it may be also rendered) will he charge mortal sinful men with it, who
are born like the wild ass's colt, and are foolish as well as disobedient, even
his chosen ones, especially before conversion; or thus if so stands the case of
angels, then much less can man be just before him, and pure in his sight: the
weakness, frailty, and pollution of the bodies of men, are further enlarged on
in some following clauses:
whose foundation is in the dust; meaning not
the lower parts of the body, as the feet, which support and bear it up; rather
the soul, which is the basis of it, referring to its corruption and depravity
by sin; though it seems chiefly to respect the original of the body, which is
the dust of the earth, of which it consists, and to which it will return again,
this being but a poor foundation to stand upon, Genesis 2:7; for
the sense is, whose foundation is dust, mere dust, the particle ב being redundant, or rather an Arabism:
which are crushed
before the moth? that is, which bodies of men, or houses of clay founded in the
dust; or, "they crush them"; or "which" or "whom they
crush"F5ידכאום "conterent
eos", Montanus, Mercerus, Michaelis, Schultens; "sub trinitas
personarum", Schmidt; "angeli", Mercerus; so Sephorno and R.
Simeon Bar Tzemach; "calamitates", Vatablus; so some in Bar Tzemach.
; either God, Father, Son, and Spirit, as some; or the angels, as others; or
distresses, calamities, and afflictions, which sense seems best, by which they
are crushed "before the moth" or "worm"F6לפני עש "conam verme",
Coceius; so the Targum and Bar Tzemach. ; that is, before they die, and come to
be the repast of worms, Job 19:26; or
before a moth is destroyed, as soon, or soonerF7"Antequam
tinea", Junius & Tremellius; "citius quam tinea", Piscator.
, than it is; so a man may be crushed to death, or his life taken from him, as
soon as a moth's; either by the immediate hand of God, as Ananias and Sapphira,
Acts 5:5; or by the
sword of man, as Amasa by Joab, 2 Samuel 20:10; or
rather, "like a moth"F8
σητος τροπον, Sept. "instar tineae", Noldius, Schmidt;
so Aben Ezra and Broughton. , as easily and as quickly as a moth is crushed
between a man's fingers, or by his foot: some, as Saadiah Gaon, and others,
render it, "before Arcturus"F9"Donec fuerit
Arcturus", Pagninus, Vatablus; so some in Aben Ezra, Ben Melech. , a
constellation in the heavens, Job 9:9; and take
the phrase to be the same as that, "before the sun"; Psalm 72:17; and to
denote the perpetuity and duration of their being crushed, which would be as
long as the sun or Arcturus continued, that is, for ever; but either of the
above senses is best, especially the last of them.
Job 4:20 20 They are broken in pieces
from morning till evening; They perish forever, with no one regarding.
YLT
20From morning to evening are
beaten down, Without any regarding, for ever they perish.
They are destroyed from morning to evening,.... That is,
those that dwell in houses of clay, before described; the meaning is, that they
are always exposed to death, and liable to it every day they live; not only
such who are persecuted for the sake of religion, but all men in common, for of
such are both the text and context; who have always the seeds of mortality and
death in them, that is continually working in them; and every day, even from
morning to evening, are innumerable instances of the power of death over men;
and not only some there are, whose sun rises in the morning and sets at
evening, who are like grass in the morning, gay, and green, and by evening cut
down and withered, live but a day, and some not that, but even it is true of
all men, comparatively speaking, they begin to die the day they begin to live;
so that the wise man takes no notice of any intermediate time between a time to
be born and a time to die, Ecclesiastes 3:2;
so frail and short is the life of man; his days are but as an hand's breadth, Psalm 39:5,
they perish for ever: which is not to be
understood of the second or eternal death which some die; for this is not the
case of all; those that believe in Christ shall not perish for ever, but have
everlasting life; but this respects not only the long continuance of men under
the power of death until the resurrection, which is not contradicted by thus
expression; but it signifies that the dead never return to this mortal life
again, at least the instances are very rare; their families, friends, and
houses, that knew them, know them no more; they return no more to their worldly
business or enjoyments, see Job 7:9,
without any regarding it; their death; neither
they themselves nor others, expecting it so soon, and using no means to prevent
it, and which, if made use of, would not have availed, their appointed time
being come; or "without putting"F11מבלי
משים "propter non ponentem", Montanus;
"sub. manum", Codurcus; "cor", R. Levi, Jarchi, Mercerus,
Piscator, Michaelis. , either without putting light into them, as Sephorno,
which can only be true of some; or with out putting the hand, either their own
or another's, to destroy them, being done by the hand of God, by a distemper of
his sending, or by one providence or another; or without putting the heart to
it, which comes to the sense of our version; though death is so frequent every
day, yet it is not taken notice of; men do not lay it to heart, so as to
consider of their latter end, and repent of their sins, and reform from them,
that they may not be their ruin; and this is and would be the case of all men,
were it not for the grace of God.
Job 4:21 21 Does not their own
excellence go away? They die, even without wisdom.’
YLT
21Hath not their excellency
been removed with them? They die, and not in wisdom!
Doth not their excellency which is in them go away?.... Either
the soul which is in them, and is the most excellent part of them; this, though
it dies not, yet it goes away and departs from the body at death; and so do all
the powers and faculties of it, the thoughts, the affections, the mind, and
memory, yea, all the endowments of the mind, wisdom, learning, knowledge of
languages, arts, and sciences, all fail at death, 1 Corinthians 13:8;
and so likewise all that is excellent in the body, the strength and beauty of
it depart, its strength is weakened in the way, and its comeliness turned into
corruption: or, as it may be rendered, "which is with them"F12בם "cum ipsis", Piscator; so some in Mercerus and
Drusius, and Mr. Broughton. ; and so may likewise denote all outward
enjoyments, as wealth and riches, glory and honour, which a man cannot carry
with him, do not descend into the grave with him, but then go away: a learned
manF13Schmidt; "quae fuerat", Beza. renders the words,
"is not their excellency removed which was in them?" and
thinks it refers to the corruption of nature, the loss of original
righteousness, and of the image of God in man, which formerly was his
excellency in his state of innocence, but now, through sin and the fall, is
removed from him; and this, indeed, is the cause, the source and spring, of his
frailty, mortality, and death; hence it follows:
they die even without wisdom; that dies with them, or
whatsoever of that they have goes away from them at death; wise men die as well
as fools, yea, they die as fools do, and multitudes without true wisdom, not
being wise enough to consider their latter end; they die without the wisdom
which some are made to know, in the hidden part, without the fear of God, which
is real wisdom, or without the knowledge of Christ, and of God in Christ, which
is the beginning, earnest, and pledge of life eternal. Now then since man is
such a frail, mortal, foolish, and sinful creature, how can he be just before
God, or pure in the sight of his Maker? which, is the thing designed to be
proved and illustrated by all this; and here ends the divine oracle, or the
revelation made to Eliphaz, when he had the vision before related.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》