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Job Chapter
Ten
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 10
Job
here declares the greatness of his afflictions
which made him weary of his
life
and could not help complaining; entreats the Lord not to condemn him but
show him the reason of his thus dealing with him
Job 10:1; and
expostulates with him about it
and suggests as if it was severe
and not
easily reconciled to his perfections
when he knew he was not a wicked man
Job 10:3; he puts
him in mind of his formation and preservation of him
and after all destroyed
him
Job 10:8; and
represents his case as very distressed; whether he was wicked or righteous it
mattered not
his afflictions were increasing upon him
Job 10:13; and all
this he observes
in order to justify his eager desire after death
which he
renews
Job 10:18; and
entreats
since his days he had to live were but few
that God would give him
some respite before he went into another state
which he describes
Job 10:20.
Job 10:1 “My
soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint
I will speak in
the bitterness of my soul.
YLT
1My soul hath been weary of
my life
I leave off my talking to myself
I speak in the bitterness of my
soul.
My soul is weary of my life
.... And yet nothing of a
temporal blessing is more desirable than life; every man
generally speaking
is desirous of life
and of a long life too; soul and body are near and
intimate companions
and are usually loath to part; but Job was weary of his
life
willing to part with it
and longed to be rid of it; he
"loathed" it
and so it may be here renderedF24נקטה נפשי בחיי
"fastidit anima mea vitam meam"
Beza
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
he would not live always
Job 7:15; his
"soul" was uneasy to dwell any longer in the earthly tabernacle of
his body
it being so full of pains and sores; for this weariness was not
through the guilt of sin pressing him sore
or through the horror of conscience
arising from it
so that he could not bear to live
as Cain and Judas; nor
through indwelling sin being a burden to him
and a longing desire to be rid of
it
and to be perfectly holy
to be with Christ in heaven
as the Apostle Paul
and other saints
at certain times; or through uneasiness at the sins of
others
as Isaac and Rebekah
Lot
David
Isaiah
and others; nor on the
account of the temptations of Satan
his fiery darts
his buffetings and
siftings
which are very distressing; but on account of his outward
afflictions
which were so very hard and pressing
and the apprehension he had
of the anger and wrath of God
he treating him
as he thought
very severely
and as his enemy
together with the ill usage of his friends. The Targum
renders it
"my soul is cut off in my life;'or I am dying while I live; I
live a dying life
being in such pain of body
and distress of mind; and so
other versionsF25"Excisa est anima mea in vita mea"
Pagninus
Vatablus; so Ben Gersom & Ben Melech. :
I will leave my complaint upon myself: not that he
would leave complaining
or lay it aside
though someF26So Junius
& Tremellius. render it to this sense; rather give a loose to it
and
indulge it
than attempt to ease himself
and give vent to his grief and sorrow
by it; but it should be "upon himself"
a burden he would take upon
himself
and not trouble others with it; he would not burden their ears with
his complaints
but privately and secretly utter them to himself; for the wordF1שיחי "meditationem meam"
Schindler
col. 1823.
"my sighing"
Broughton. used signifies "meditation"
private discourse with himself
a secret and inward "bemoaning" of
his case; but he did not continue long in this mind
as appears by the
following clause: or since I can do no other but complain; if there is any
blame in it
I will take it wholly upon myself; complain I must
let what will
be the consequence of it; see Job 13:13; though
the phrase may be rendered
as it is sometimes
"within myself"
see Hosea 11:8;F2עלי "intra me". Vid. Noldium
p. 701. ; and then
the sense may be
shall I leave my inward moan within myself
and no longer
contain? I will give myself vent; and though I have been blamed for saying so
much as I have
I will say yet more:
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul: as one whose
life is made bitter
against whom God had wrote and said bitter things
and had
brought bitter afflictions upon him
which had occasioned bitter complaints in
him
as well as he had been bitterly used by his friends; and amidst all this
bitterness he is determined to speak out his mind freely and fully; or to speak
"of the bitterness"F3במר
"in vel de a maritudine"
Mercerus. of his soul
and declare
by
words
what he in his mind and body endured.
Job 10:2 2 I will say to God
‘Do not
condemn me; Show me why You contend with me.
YLT
2I say unto God
`Do not
condemn me
Let me know why Thou dost strive [with] me.
I will say unto God
do not condemn me
.... Not that
he feared eternal condemnation; there is none to them that are in Christ
and
believe in him as Job did; Christ's undertakings
sufferings
and death
secure
his people from the condemnation of law and justice; nor
indeed
are the
afflictions of God's people a condemnation of them
but a fatherly
chastisement
and are in order to prevent their being condemned with the world;
yet they may look as if they were
in the eyes of the men of the world
and
they as very wicked persons; and so the word may be rendered
"do not
account me wicked"F4אל תרשיעני "neque judices me improbum"
Vatablus; so
Schultens.
or treat me as a wicked man
by continuing thine afflicting hand
upon the; which
as long as it was on him
his friends would not believe but
that he was a wicked man; wherefore
as God knew he was not such an one as they
took him to be
he begs that he would not use him as such
that so the censure
he lay under might be removed; and though he was condemned by them
he entreats
that God would make it appear he was not condemned by him: and whereas he was
not conscious to himself of any notorious wickedness done by him
which
deserved such usage
he further prays:
show me wherefore thou contendest with me. Afflictions
are the Lord's controversy with his people
a striving
a contending with them;
which are sometimes so sharp
that were they continued long
the spirits would
fail before him
and the souls that he has made: now there is always a cause or
reason for them
which God has in his own breast
though it is not always known
to man
at least not at first
or as soon as the controversy or contention is
begun; when God afflicts
it is either for sin
to prevent it
or purge from
it
or to bring his people to a sense of it
to repent of it
and forsake it
or to try their graces
and make them more partakers of his holiness; and when
good men
as Job
are at a loss about this
not being conscious of any gross
iniquity committed
or a course of sin continued in
it is lawful
and right
and commendable
to inquire the reason of it
and learn
if possible
the end
design
and use of such dispensations.
Job 10:3 3 Does it
seem good to You that You should oppress
That You should despise the work of
Your hands
And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
YLT
3Is it good for Thee that
Thou dost oppress? That Thou despisest the labour of Thy hands
And on the
counsel of the wicked hast shone?
Is it good unto thee
that thou shouldest oppress?.... This God does not approve of in others;
he dehorts men from it; he threatens to punish those that do so
and to be a
swift witness against them; he promises to arise to the help of the oppressed
and to be a refuge for them
and therefore will never do the same himself; it
can never be pleasant to him
nor right and just in his sight
nor is it of any
advantage to him. Job here suggests that his afflictions were an oppression to
him; and
indeed
no affliction is joyous
but grievous
and sometimes the hand
of God presses hard and sore
but then there is no injury nor any injustice
done
as the wordF5תעשק "est
opprimere vim injustam alicui facere"
Schmidt. here used signifies; and
he intimates also
as if God took some seeming delight and pleasure in thus
oppressing him
and therefore expostulates with him about it
as if such
conduct was not fit and becoming him
not agreeable to his perfections
and
could afford neither pleasure nor profit. This
and what follows in this verse
are expostulations too bold and daring
and in which Job uses too much freedom
with the Almighty
and in which he is not so modest as in Job 10:2
that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands? which he
tacitly insinuates he did. Job means himself
who
as to his body
and the several
members of it
were the work of God's hands
curiously and wonderfully made by
him
as is afterwards expressed; and as to his soul
and the powers and
faculties of it
they were his make
who is the Father of spirits; and
moreover
as a new man
he was made by him
was the workmanship of God
and a
curious piece indeed
created after his image in righteousness and true
holiness; and he was in every sense the work of his hands
or "the labour
of his hands"F6יגיע
"laborem"
Pagninus
Montanus
Schultens
Michaelis. ; wrought with
great care and labour
even with the "palms of his hands"
as is the
wordF7כפיך "volarum tuarum"
Montanus
Bolducius. used; and could Job think that God "despised"
such a work? he who
upon a survey of his works
said they were all very good;
who forsakes not the work of his hands
nor despises the day of small things
could never do this; nor are afflictions to be interpreted in such a manner
as
if God was indifferent unto
slighted and thought meanly of
what he himself
has wrought; since these are so far from having such a meaning
that they flow
from that great respect he has for his own work
and are for the good of it:
and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? either the
counsel of the wicked one
Satan
who moved God to afflict him in the manner he
had
or of the Sabeans and Chaldeans
who thrived and prospered
notwithstanding the injury they had done him; or of his friends
who consulted
to brand his character with hypocrisy; or
rather
of wicked men in general
on
whose counsel God may be thought to "shine"
when it succeeds
and
God seems to smile upon them in his providence
and they are in prosperous
circumstances
and have what heart can wish
when good men are greatly afflicted;
which sometimes has been a temptation
and greatly distressing
to the latter;
see Psalm 73:2; but
this is not always the case; the counsel of the froward is sometimes carried
headlong
the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is made brutish
and
that of Ahithophel was defeated by him; and whenever he seems to countenance
it
it is to answer some ends of his glory.
Job 10:4 4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as man sees?
YLT
4Eyes of flesh hast Thou? As
man seeth -- seest Thou?
Hast thou eyes of flesh?.... God has eyes
but
not fleshly ones; he has eyes of love
grace
and mercy
which are always upon
his people for good
and are never withdrawn from them; and he has eyes of
displeasure and wrath on sinful men
to destroy them; these are not made of
flesh
or like the eyes of flesh and blood
or of men; fleshy eyes cannot see
at any great distance
and only in one place at a time
and only one object
after another; they cannot see in the dark
and what they are
and only outward
objects; and in these they are sometimes deceived
and at length fail: but the
eyes of God see all things
at the greatest distance; he looks down from
heaven
and beholds all the children of men on earth
and all their actions;
his eyes are in every place
beholding the evil and the good; he can see in the
dark as well as in the light
the darkness and the light are both alike to him;
he beholds not only outward actions and visible objects
but the hearts of men
and all that is in them; nor is he ever deceived
nor will his sight ever fail:
though Job
perhaps
may mean carnal eyes; that is
evil ones
as especially
envious ones are: "is thine eye evil?" Matthew 20:15; that
is
envious; and it is as if Job should say
dost thou envy me my former
prosperity and peace
that thou searchest so narrowly into my conduct to find
iniquity in me
and take advantage against me?
or seest thou as man seeth? look with hatred and
envy
as one man does upon another: so seemed the dispensations of God towards
Job
as if he did
as he suggests.
Job 10:5 5 Are
Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of
a mighty man
YLT
5As the days of man [are]
Thy days? Thy years as the days of a man?
Are thy days as the days of
man?.... No
they are not: not so few; the days of the years of man's
life in common are threescore years and ten
Psalm 90:10; but a
thousand years with the Lord are but as one day
2 Peter 3:8; his
days are days not of time
but of eternity: nor so mutable
or he so mutable in
them; man is of one mind today
and of another tomorrow; but the Lord is in one
mind one day as another; he is the Lord that changes not
Malachi 3:6;
immutable in his nature
purposes
promises
and affections: but Job suggests
as if his dispensations towards him showed the contrary; one day smiling upon
him
and heaping his favours on him
and the next frowning on him
and
stripping him of all: but this was a wrong way of judging; for
though God may
change the dispensations of his providence towards men
and particularly his
own people
his nature changes not
nor does he change his will
his purposes
and designs
nor his love and affection:
are thy years as man's days? as few as
they
or fail like them? no
he is the same
and his years fail not
and has
the same good will to his people in adverse as well as in prosperous
dispensations of his providence. Some understand all this in such sense
in
connection with what follows
as if Job had observed
that since God was
omniscient
and knew and saw all persons and things
his eyes not being like
men's eyes
eyes of flesh; and since he was eternal
and wanted not for time
there was no need for him to take such methods as he did with him
through
afflictive providences
to find out his sin; since
if he was guilty
it was at
once known to him; nor need he be in such haste to do it
since his time was
not short
as it is with an envious and ill natured man
who is for losing no
time to find out and take an advantage of him he bears an ill will unto.
Job 10:6 6 That You should seek for
my iniquity And search out my sin
YLT
6That Thou inquirest for
mine iniquity
And for my sin seekest?
That thou enquirest after mine iniquity
and searchest after my
sin? Narrowly examined every action of his life
to find something
amiss in them; and took notice of every weakness and infirmity
and aggravated
it
to make it appear as sinful as it could be
and watched every halting and
failing
that he might have something against him as a reason why he afflicted
him; dealing with him as if there was no Messiah
no Mediator
Redeemer
and
Saviour
provided
appointed
and promised; and as if there was no forgiveness
of sin
through him
for him: sin pardoned for his sake is covered
that when
it is sought for it shall not be found; so that when it is not pardoned
or not
thought to be so
it lies open
and upon inquiry to be found
charged
and
punished for; see Job 7:21; this
search and inquiry seems to have been made by afflictions; at least Job
imagined that the design of God in them was to put him upon the rack
and bring
him to a confession of sin
find in this way find an occasion against him: now
such a method as this
Job thought
was unbecoming the greatness
majesty
and
perfections of God; and was quite needless
since his eyes were not human nor
shortsighted
that obliged him to pore and pry into things
but were
omniscient
and could see at once whether there was any evil way in him or not;
nor was he as men
short lived
which obliged him to make use of his time while
he had it
to get an advantage of another; and besides
such a method of acting
seemed to him very extraordinary
when he full well knew he was an innocent
person
as follows.
Job 10:7 7 Although You know that I
am not wicked
And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?
YLT
7For Thou knowest that I am
not wicked
And there is no deliverer from Thy hand.
Thou knowest that I am not wicked
.... Or "in"
or "upon thy knowledgeF1על דעתך "in notitia tua est"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator
Beza; so Michaelis. it is that I am not
wicked"; it is a thing well known
quite clear
and manifest
without
making such a search and inquiry: not that he thought himself without sin
and
could appeal to the omniscience of God for the truth of that; for he had
confessed before that he was a sinner
and wicked
as to his nature and birth
and the many infirmities of life; see Job 7:20; but that
he was not that wicked person
and an hypocrite
as his friends took him to be
and as might be concluded from the sore afflictions that were upon him; he did
not live in sin
nor indulge himself in a vicious course of life; sin had not
the dominion over him
and he had not secretly cherished any reigning iniquity
and lived in the commission of it: and for the truth of this he could appeal to
the searcher of hearts; and yet he so closely pursued
and so strictly examined
him
as if he suspected he was thus guilty:
and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand; that is
out
of his afflicting hand
until he please to release him from it himself; for
this is not to be understood of deliverance from the avenging hand of justice
from hell and wrath
and everlasting destruction; for there is one that can and
does deliver his people from sin and Satan; from the world
the law
its curses
and condemnation
and from wrath to come; and from the hands of justice
having
made full satisfaction to it: but what Job observes that God knew was
that
neither he himself
nor any angel
nor man
nor any creature
could take him
out of his hand in which be was; and therefore suggests
not only that his
condition was extremely bad
distressed
and miserable
but that there was no
necessity for God to he so quick upon him
and so strict in his inquiry into
him; nor of enclosing him about on all hands with afflictions
since
there was
no danger of his escaping from him
or of others assisting him in and
facilitating such an attempt: and this he full well knew; for so the words are
connection with the preceding: "and thou knowest that there is
none"
&c.F2So Bolducius
Drusius
Schmidt
Michaelis
and
Bar Tzemach.
as well as with what follows
as some think.
Job 10:8 8 ‘Your hands have made me
and fashioned me
An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me.
YLT
8Thy hands have taken pains
about me
And they make me together round about
And Thou swallowest me up!
Thine hands have made me
and fashioned together round about
.... This and
what follow are an illustration of and an enlargement upon
the work of God's
hands
made mention of in Job 10:3; and
suggest reasons why it should not be despised by him
as well as confirm what
was just now said
that none could deliver him out of his hands; since his
hands had made him
and therefore had such power over him as none else had: and
the whole seems designed to move to pity and compassion of him; for not he
himself
nor his parents
but God only had made him; he was his workmanship
only
and a curious piece it was
which his hands of power and wisdom had
nicely formed; for
though the Son and Spirit of God are not to be excluded
from the formation of man
yet it seems a too great strain of the words to
interpret "hands" of them
as some do; and much less are they to be
understood literally of the hands of the Son of God appearing in an human form
at the creation of man
since such an appearance is not certain; nor is Job
speaking of the formation of the first man
but of himself: the first wordF3עצבוני "elaboraverunt me"
Tigurine version
Montanus
Vatablus
Drusius
Codurcus
Mercerus
Cocceius
Michaelis.
rendered "made"
has the signification of labour
trouble
grief
and
care; and is used of God after the manner of men
who
when things are done
well by them
take a great deal of pains
and are very solicitous and careful
in doing them; and from hence is a word which is sometimes used for an idol
as
Gersom observes
because much labour and skill are exercised to form it in the
most curious and pleasing manner; many interpreters
as Aben Ezra observes
from the use of the word in the Arabic language
explain it of God's creating
the body of man with nerves
by which it is bound
compacted
and strengthenedF4"Nervis
colligarunt"
Schultens. ; and the latter word denotes the form and
configuration of it
the beautiful order and proportion in which every part is
set; and the whole is intended to observe the perfection of the human body
and
the exquisite skill of the author of it; and what pity is it that it should be
so marred and spoiled! and this is said to be made and fashioned
"together"
or all at once; the several parts of it being in the
seed
in the embryo
all together
though gradually formed or brought into
order; or rather this denotes the unity and compactness of the several members
of the body
which are set in their proper place
and joined and fitted
together
by joints and bands
and by that which every joint supplieth: and
this is done "round about"
on all sides
in every part; or
as Mr.
Broughton renders it
"in every point"; the whole of it
and every
member
even the most extreme and minute
are curiously formed and fashioned by
the Lord; or rather
thine hands are together round about me; embracing
sustaining
and preserving him ever since he was made:
yet thou dost destroy me; this body
so extremely
well wrought
by boils or ulcers; or "swallow me"F5ותבלעני "et degluties me"
Montanus
Bolducius;
"et tamen absorbeas me"
Schmidt; "absorbes me"
Schultens
Michaelis.
as a lion
to which he compares him
Job 10:16; or any
other ravenous and large creature
see Lamentations 2:2;
some connect the words more agreeably to the accents
"yet thou dost
destroy me together round about"F6So Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus
Cocceius. ; or on every side
as in Job 19:10; having
smitten him with boils from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet
and
stripped him of his substance and his family all at once; and so it denotes
utter destruction: some read the words interrogatively
"and wilt thou
destroy or swallow me?"F7"Absorbes me?" Beza
Mariana. after thou hast taken so much pains
and been at such labour and
trouble
speaking after the manner of men
to make such a curious piece of
work
and yet with one stroke destroy it and dash it in pieces
or swallow it
up as a morsel at once.
Job 10:9 9 Remember
I pray
that You
have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again?
YLT
9Remember
I pray Thee
That
as clay Thou hast made me
And unto dust Thou dost bring me back.
Remember
I beseech thee
that thou hast made me as the clay
.... Not of
the clay
though man was made originally of the dust of the earth
and the
bodies of men are houses of clay
earthen vessels
and earthly tabernacles
but
"as the clay"; either as the clay is wrought in the hand of the
potter
and worked into what form
and made into what vessel he pleases
so are
men in the hand of God
made by him in what form
and for what use and end he
thinks fit; or rather this denotes not the likeness of the operation
but the
likeness of the matter of the human body to clay: not for the impurity of it;
for though man is in a state and condition comparable to the mire and clay
this he has brought himself into by sin
and not the Lord; he made man upright
but man has made himself sinful and polluted; but for the brittleness of it; as
a vessel made of clay is brittle and easily broke to pieces
and cannot bear
much weight
or any heavy stroke; so the body of man is weak and frail
and
feeble; its strength is not the strength of stones
and its flesh brass
but
clay: and this Job humbly entreats the Lord would "remember"
and
that "now"F8נא "nunc"
Drusius; so the Targum. ; immediately; and deal mildly and mercifully with him
since he was not able to bear the weight of his hand
which would soon
crush
him and break him to pieces; not that God forgets this
for he remembers man's
frame and composition
that he is but dust; that he is flesh
and a wind or
vapour that passes away: but he may seem to do so
when he sorely afflicts
and
his hand lies heavy
and he does not remove it
but continues it
and rather in
creases the affliction; and therefore
as the Lord allows his people to put him
in remembrance
Job here desires that he would show himself
in his
providential dealings with him
that he was mindful of his natural frailty and
infirmity; see Job 7:12 Psalm 78:3
and wilt thou bring me into dust again? to the dust
of death; to the original of which he was made; and that so soon
and at once;
or
"and unto dust will return me?" as Mr. Broughton and othersF9תשיבני "reducturus"
Schmidt
Schultens;
"reduces me?" V. L. Beza
Michaelis; "redire facies me?"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius.
according to the original sentence
"dust
thou art
and unto dust shalt thou return"
Genesis 3:19; and
which Job expected
and will be the case of all men
Ecclesiastes 12:7;
and therefore he thought that this might suffice
that it was enough that he
should die in a little while through the course of nature
and therefore
desires he might have some respite and ease while he did live; he could not see
there was any occasion to press him so hard
and follow him so close with
afflictions one after another
or be so rough with him and quick upon him;
since in a short time his brittle clay would break of itself
and he should
drop into the dust and lie decaying there
as it was of old decreed he should.
Job 10:10 10 Did You not pour me out
like milk
And curdle me like cheese
YLT
10Dost Thou not as milk pour
me out? And as cheese curdle me?
Hast thou not poured me out as milk
.... Expressing
in
modest terms
his conception from the seed of his parents
comparable to milk
from being a liquid
and for its colour:
and curdled me like cheese? that of the female being
mixed with
and heated by the male
is hardened like the curd of which a cheese
is made
and begins to receive a form as that
and becomes an embryo: and
naturalistsF11"Sic semen maris dicitur" πιτυα
Aristot. de Gen. Animal.
l. 1. c. 20. "coagulum". Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 15. Gell. Noct.
Attic. l. 3. c. 16. make use of the same expressions when speaking of these
things; and in this way most interpreters carry the sense of the words; but
Schultens observes that milk is an emblem of purity and holiness
see Lamentations 4:7;
and so this may respect the original pure formation of man
who came out of his
Maker's hands a pure
holy and upright creature
made after his image and in
his likeness
created in righteousness and holiness
and so
like milk
pure
and white; or rather the regeneration and sanctification of Job personally
and
which might be very early
as in Jeremiah
John the Baptist
and others; or
however
he was filled and adorned with the gifts and graces of the spirit of
God
was washed and cleansed
and sanctified and justified; and had his
conversation in the world in all simplicity and godly sincerity
being
preserved from gross enormities in life; was a man that feared God and eschewed
evil
and had not only the form of godliness
but the power of it; and was
established and confirmed in and by the grace of God
and was strong in the exercise
of it; and from hence he argues with God
should such a vessel of grace
whom
he had made so pure and holy
and had so consolidated and strengthened in a
spiritual and religious way
be crushed and destroyed at once?
Job 10:11 11 Clothe me with skin and
flesh
And knit me together with bones and sinews?
YLT
11Skin and flesh Thou dost
put on me
And with bones and sinews dost fence me.
Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh
.... The bones
with flesh
which is the under garment
and the flesh with skin
which is the
upper; which is artificially composed of intricate little arteries
veins
nerves
and glands
through which the blood continually circulates
and through
innumerable pores
and transpires
of which pores 125
000 may be covered with a
small grain of sandF12Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 681.
amazing! Timaeus LocrusF13De Anima Mundi
p. 18. calls them
invisible little mouths; see Ezekiel 37:6; the
order of generation seems to be observed; after the semen is hardened and
consolidated
the inward parts are formed
and then the outward parts
the
flesh and skin
to protect and defend them; and so are compared to clothes
which are outside a man
and put about him; PorphyryF14De Antro
Nymph. calls the body the clothing of the soul; see 2 Corinthians 5:4;
the spiritual clothing of Job was the righteousness of his living Redeemer
who
was to partake of the same flesh and blood with him
and stand on the earth in
the fulness of time
and work out and bring in a righteousness for him
consisting of his obedience in life in the days of his flesh
and of his
sufferings and death
or blood
by which he and every believer are justified
before God; and with which being clothed
shall not be found naked:
and hast fenced me with bones and sinews; the bones are
said by philosophersF15Timaeus Locrus
ib. p. 15. to be the fences
of the marrow
and the flesh the covering of them; the bones are the strength
and stability of the human body; the sinews or nerves bind and hold the several
parts of it together
and are of great use for its strength and motion: the
bones
some of them are as pillars to support it
as those of the legs and
thighs; and others are of use to act for it
offensively and defensively
as
those of the hands and arms; and others are a cover and fence of the inward
parts
as the ribs: GussetiusF16Ebr. Comment. p. 555
556. seems
inclined
could he have found an instance of the word being used for making a
tent
which it has the signification of
to have rendered the words
"with
bones and sinews
thou hast given ate the form of a tabernacle; or
thou hast
made me to be a tent;'so the human body is called a tabernacle
2 Corinthians 5:1;
the skin and flesh being like veils or curtains
which cover; the bones are in
the room of stakes
and the nerves instead of cords
the breast and belly a
cavity: in a spiritual sense
a believer's strength lies in the grace of
Christ
in the Lord
and in the power of his might; his defence is the whole
armour of God provided for him
particularly the helmet of salvation
the
shield of faith
and the breastplate of righteousness
with which he is fenced
and protected from every spiritual enemy; and will God suffer such an one to be
destroyed
whom he hath taken such care of
both in a natural and spiritual
manner?
Job 10:12 12 You have granted me life
and favor
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
YLT
12Life and kindness Thou hast
done with me. And Thy inspection hath preserved my spirit.
Thou hast granted me life and favour
.... Or
"lives"F17חיים
"vitas"
Montanus
Bolducius. ; natural life; both in the womb
where
and when he was quickened
and at his birth
when he was brought into the
world
and began to live in it; the rational soul may be intended
by which he
lived; which
when created and infused into man
and united to his body
he
becomes a living man; it is the presence of that which causes life
and the
absence or removal of that which causes death; and this is a "grant"
or gift from God
who gives to all his creatures life and breath
and all
things; see Job 33:4; and is a
"favour" also; a mercy
the chief of mercies; it is more than meat;
yea
all a man has he will give for his life: besides this
Job had a spiritual
life
a principle of it implanted in him; God had quickened him when dead in
trespasses and sins; the spirit of life from Christ had entered into him
and
he was become a living spiritual man: this likewise was a "grant"
from God
a free grace gift of his; it is he that gives the living water
and
gives it freely
or it would not be grace; for it is a "favour" which
flows from the free grace and good will of God; it is owing to the great love
wherewith he loves men that he quickens them; his time is a time of love
and
so of life; and eternal life is the consequent of this
and is inseparably
connected with it; and Job had an interest in it
a right unto it
and a
meetness for it; he bad knowledge of it
faith in it
and hope of enjoying it
and knew that after death he should live this life; see Job 19:26; and this
is a gift of God through Christ
owing to his good pleasure
the fruit of his favour
and loving kindness: though by "favour" may be meant something
distinct from life; either the care of him in the womb
and the taking of him
out from thence
which are sometimes observed as singular mercies and favours;
see Psalm 22:9; or the
beauty and comeliness of his body
such as was on Moses
David
and others; see
Proverbs 31:30; or
rather it intends in general all the temporal blessings of life
food and
raiment
every thing necessary for the comfort and support of life; and which
are all mercies and favours
and what men are undeserving of; and especially spiritual
blessings
or the blessings of grace; and the word here used is often used for
grace and mercy
and may signify the several graces of the Spirit bestowed in
regeneration
as faith
hope
love
&c. which are all the gifts of God
and
the effects of his favour and good will; as also the blessings of
justifying
pardoning
and adopting grace; all which Job was favoured with
as well as with
supplies of grace from time to time
and the fresh discoveries of the favour
and loving kindness of God to him
which is better than life:
and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit; kept him
alive
in a natural sense
while in the womb
as Jarchi
where he was in a
wonderful manner nourished; and when he came out from thence
exposed to many
difficulties and dangers
and during his helpless and infant state
and amidst
a variety of troubles throughout the whole of his life hitherto; and which was
owing to God's visitation of him in a way of mercy every morning; and which was
no other than his providence or daily care of him
and concern for him; and so
Mr. Broughton renders it "thy providence"F18פקדתך "providentia tua"
Tigurine version
Munster
Michaelis.
and so some others: likewise he preserved his soul or
spirit in a spiritual sense
in Christ Jesus
in whose bands he put him; he hid
his life in him
and bound it up in the bundle of life with him; he kept him by
his power as in a garrison
and preserved him safe to his kingdom and glory;
and this is to be ascribed to his visitation of him in a way of grace
through
the redemption of Christ
and the effectual calling of the blessed Spirit
and
the constant supplies of grace vouchsafed from time to time: the Targum is
"thy remembrance": for it is owing to God's remembrance of his people
that he visits them
either in providence or grace; and when he visits them
with his providence
or with his gracious presence and protection
it is plain
he remembers them: now since God had favoured him with such blessings of
nature
providence
and grace
he reasons with him about his present
circumstances; that
after all this
surely he would not destroy him and cut
him off; at least he knew not how well to reconcile past favours with such hard
and severe usage as he thought he met with from him.
Job 10:13 13 ‘And these things
You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You:
YLT
13And these Thou hast laid up
in Thy heart
I have known that this [is] with Thee.
And these things thou hast hid in thine heart
.... Meaning
either the mercies and favours he had indulged him with; these he seemed to
conceal and suppress the memory of
as if they had never been
by a different
conduct and behaviour; or rather
these he had laid up in his mind and memory
and had full knowledge and remembrance of; though he dealt with him in the
manner he did
he could not forget his former favours to him
which
when
compared with his present dealings
were very unlike: or
it may be best to
understand these things of his afflictions and troubles
which
notwithstanding
his being the work of his hand so curiously formed
and notwithstanding all his
temporal and spiritual mercies
he had in his heart purposed
and decreed in
his mind
and laid up in his treasures
in order to be brought forth in due
time
and to exercise him with; these were the things he had appointed for him
and many such things were with him
as it follows:
I know that this is with thee; either that
he was not ignorant and forgetful of what he had done in a kind way; or rather
that he had this in his mind
and it was an eternal purpose of his to afflict
him in the manner he had done: some connect these words with Job 10:14
as if
the sense was
these are what thou hast hid in thine heart
and this is what I
know is with thee
"if I sin"
&c.F19So Coceeius
Schmidt.
.
Job 10:14 14 If I sin
then You mark
me
And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
YLT
14If I sinned
then Thou hast
observed me
And from mine iniquity dost not acquit me
If I sin
then thou markest me
.... Or "observest
me"F20שמרתני "observasti
me"
Beza
Mercerus; "tum observas me"
Schmidt. ; that is
he
took notice of his sins
strictly inquired into them and all the circumstances
of them
watched the motions and progress of them
and carefully laid them up
in order to bring them out against him another day
and afflict or punish him
for them; or he set a watch about him
"kept him in"F21"Custodisti
me"
Drusius.
and enclosed him on every side with affliction
as if he
was in a watch or prison
as Gersom; or
"wilt thou keep me"F23"Custodies
me"
Vatablus. ? that is
in such close confinement: GussetiusF24Ebr.
Comment. p. 923. renders it
"if I have offered a sacrifice for sin"
as the word is sometimes used; signifying
that though he should
as no doubt
he did
offer sacrifice for himself
as it is certain he did for his children
yet even that was not regarded by the Lord; he still marked and observed him
and his sins
and would not forgive him
or absolve him from his sins
as
follows; see Job 7:12
and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity; clear him of
it
and discharge him from it; pronounce him innocent
or pardon him; but
on
the contrary
hold him guilty
and deal with him as such in a rigorous way; or
wilt not "cleanse" or purify me
as the Targum and othersF25תנקני "mundabis"
Mercerus; "mundes"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius; "purges me"
Junius & Tremellius.
but let me continue
or treat me as an impure person
not fit for communion
or converse.
Job 10:15 15 If I am wicked
woe to me;
Even if I am righteous
I cannot lift up my head. I am full of
disgrace; See my misery!
YLT
15If I have done wickedly --
wo to me
And righteously -- I lift not up my head
Full of shame -- then see
my affliction
If I be wicked
woe is me
.... In this world
and
to all eternity; afflictions will abide me here
and everlasting wrath
hereafter: these are the woes that belong to a wicked man; that is
a profane
and abandoned sinner
that lives in sin
and gives up himself to all manner of
wickedness; the Targum is
"destruction to me from the great
judgment;'utter ruin is my portion
as it is of all wicked and unrighteous
persons
Isaiah 3:11
and if I be righteous
yet will I not lift up my
head; live a holy life and conversation
be righteous in the sight of
men
and behave so as not to know anything by himself
nor to be conscious of
living in any known sin; yet he could not take any comfort from it
or have any
pleasure in it
or speak peace to himself on account of it
or glory in it and
make his boast of it; or lift up his head before God with boldness and
confidence
who is so pure and holy
and his eyes so quick in discerning the
sins of men: a good man derives his peace and comfort
not from his own
righteousness
but from the righteousness of Christ
and puts his confidence in
that only; he blushes
and is ashamed of his own; and cannot
nay
"dare
not lift up his head"
as Mr. Broughton
the Tigurine version
and others
render it
through shame
being sensible that nothing of his own can stand
before an holy God
or give him joy
peace
and pleasure there; the Targum
adds
"before the ungodly"; but this a man may do before men
when he
cannot before God:
I am full of
confusion; being in such a dilemma; let him be what he would
he was sure
to have affliction
sorrow
and distress
so that he knew not what to say or
do; or "reproach"F26קלוז
"contumeliis"
Tigurine version; "ignominia"
Pagninus
Montanus
Beza
Vatablus
Mercerus
Piscator
Michaelis.
which he was loaded
with by his friends
and was occasioned by his afflictions
they judging from
thence that he was a wicked man
and justly punished for his sins; the word
used signifies a burning heat
such as a than feels in his breast
and which
flushes in his face
when he is filled with anger or with shame:
therefore see thou mine affliction; not with his eye of
omniscience
that he knew he did
but with an eye of pity and compassion
and
deliver him from it; or
"I am full with seeing mine affliction"
as
Jarchi; or
"I am one that sees affliction"F1וראה עניי "et videns
afflictionem"
Beza
Vatablus
Mercerus
Piscator. ; that has an
experience of it; sees it all around me
and nothing else
Lamentations 3:1;
am a "spectator"F2"Et spectator adflictionis
meae"
Schultens. of it
as some render it; but not a mere spectator
but
one that has a sensible feeling of it: some take this and the former clause
both to be an address to God
and render them
"be satisfied with
confusion
and behold my affliction"
as Broughton and othersF3"Satiare
ignominia"
Junius & Tremellius. ; let the present calamity and
confusion I am in be sufficient; let no more be laid upon me; be content with
what has been done
and pity me
and do not lay thine hand heavier upon me
and
add to my afflictions
as he thought he did
by what follows.
Job 10:16 16 If my head is
exalted
You hunt me like a fierce lion
And again You show Yourself awesome
against me.
YLT
16And it riseth -- as a lion
Thou huntest me. And Thou turnest back -- Thou shewest Thyself wonderful in me.
For it increaseth
.... That is
the affliction increaseth;
which is a reason why pity should be shown him
seeing his troubles instead of
abating were growing upon him; he had as much
or more
than he could well
bear
and yet more was added to it; so that he was an object of compassion: or
"it lifteth itself up"F3ויגאה
"attollit sese"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; so Mercerus. ;
these proud waves of affliction rise
swell
and lift themselves on high
and
threaten to overwhelm and utterly destroy; some render it as a "wish
oh
that it increased"F4So Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus
Bolducius.
; that it would come to its height
and quickly and at once put an end to this
miserable life of mine: Job's affliction was a lingering one
it proceeded
slowly; he wished it would make more haste
and become stronger
and soon
dispatch him; see Job 6:9;
thou huntest me as a fierce lion; as the ramping shakal
as Mr. Broughton; the lion rampant
that is hungry
fierce
and ravenous
that
pursues its prey with great eagerness
and never leaves till it comes up to it
when it seizes and devours it at once; or it
the affliction
hunteth me
pursues me closely
and will not leave
but threatens destruction to me; or
rather
thou
that is God
who is often in Scripture compared to a lion
particularly when afflicting
or about to afflict the sons of men; see Isaiah 38:13; someF5So
Jarchi and Nachmanides; to which sense the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin
versions incline. interpret the words
as if Job was compared to a lion hunted
by men
at which darts were cast
for which nets were prepared
and pits were
dug: according to this sense Job was dealt with as if
in the time of his
prosperity
he had been like a fierce and cruel lion
preying upon and oppressing
others; now the Lord was taking methods with him
both to restrain him from
hurting others
and to chastise him for what he had done to them: but it would
be much better to consider this in a light more agreeable to Job's character as
a good man
a righteous one
who is as bold as a lion
and fears nothing
Proverbs 28:1; and
such an one was Job; and in his prosperity lifted up his head and walked
boldly
and consequently not fearing the frowns of men
nor the malice of
Satan; but now this lion was hunted by the Lord himself
and compassed with his
net
Job 19:6; and to this
sense is the version of Schultens
connecting the words with the preceding
clause
"him therefore
who walked high as a lion
thou humblest"; he
who before carried his head high
being afraid of none
is now hunted down
and
lies low enough
prostrate and distressed:
and again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me; or
"thou returnestF6ותשב "et
reverteris"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius
Vatablus
Mercerus; so Beza.
and showest"
&c. after he had afflicted him in one way
he returned
and afflicted him in another; and he not only repeated his afflictions
but
devised new ways of afflicting him
uncommon ones
such as raised admiration in
all beholders
as things rare and uncommon do: Job's afflictions were
surprising ones; to be stripped at once of his substance
servants
children
and health; and it might be more wonderful to some
that God
so gracious and
merciful as he is
should afflict in such a severe and rigorous manner; and
especially that he should afflict so good a man
one so just and upright as Job
was
in such a way: and it was even marvellous to Job himself
who was at a
loss to account for it
not being conscious to himself of any gross enormity he
had committed
or of a sinful course of life
or of anyone sin he had indulged
to
wherefore God should come forth "against"F7בי "adversum me"
Beza; "contra me"
Vatablus
Junius & Tremellius. him as an enemy
in so terrible a manner: so
some render the particle.
Job 10:17 17 You renew Your witnesses
against me
And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever
with me.
YLT
17Thou renewest Thy witnesses
against me
And dost multiply Thine anger with me
Changes and warfare [are]
with me.
Thou renewest thy witnesses against me
.... Not the
devils
as some
nor Job's friends
as others; but rather afflictions
which
were daily renewed
and frequently repeated
new troubles coming continually
one upon another; which were brought as fresh witnesses against him
which made
the suit tiresome to him
the trial to last the longer
which he wished was at
end
that the decisive sentence might be pronounced and executed
and he be
dispatched at once; but instead of that the affair was protracted by bringing
in one witness after another
or one affliction upon the back of another
which
were brought as witnesses "before him"F1נגדי "coram me"
Pagninus
Montanus
Beza
Mercerus
Schmidt
Schultens.
as some render it; either to accuse him
and
convince of sin
or as proofs of God's indignation against him
as in the next
clause; or they were witnesses against him with the profane world
and even
with his friends
who from hence concluded he must have been
and was
a wicked
man
that had so many and such great afflictions laid upon him
and these
continued and repeated; of which they judged these were full and sufficient
proofs and testimonies. Schultens renders it
"thy incursions"
and
interprets it of instruments of hunting
as nets and the like
to which
afflictions may be compared:
and increasest thine indignation upon me; the tokens of
it
by increasing afflictions
and the sense of it in his mind; for from his
afflictions
and the increase of them
he judged of the indignation of God upon
him
or "against him"F2עמדי
"adversus me"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Schultens; so
Vatablus.
and the increase of it; as these were daily renewed
and were
greater and greater
so was the sense he had of the wrath and displeasure of
God against him; see Job 6:4
changes and war are against me; or "with
me"
or "upon me"F3עמי
"mecum"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius
Morcerus
Schmidt; "apud
me"
Beza
Piscator
Cocceius. ; by changes are meant the various
afflictive providences which attended him
which were repeated
or succeeded
one another in their turns; great changes he had undergone in his estate and
substance
from the greatest man in the east now become the poorest; in his
family
his servants and children being destroyed; in his body
being covered
with boils; and in his mind
being filled with a sense of God's displeasure
and under the hidings of his face: and "war" was against him on every
side
not only the law in his members was warring against the law of his mind
his corruptions working powerfully under his afflictions; and he was
conflicting with Satan
and his principalities and powers; but even his friends
were at war with him
yea
God himself
in his opinion
counted and treated him
as an enemy. Job was in a warfare state
and his afflictions came upon him like
troops
and charged him one after another; or his afflictions were like an
"army"F4צבא "militia"
Montanus
Bolducius; "exercitus"
Beza
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus
Schmidt
Schultens. as the word may be rendered
many and
numerous; and these were either repeated
or new ones succeeded others; different
afflictions in their turns came upon him
and particularly an army of worms
were continually running to and fro upon him; see Job 7:5; the word
is rendered an "appointed time"
Job 7:1; and so
some take it here
and may signify that all the changes and vicissitudes in
life he passed through
the various afflictions that came upon him
were at the
set and appointed time
as well as there was an appointed time for him on
earth
until his last change came.
Job 10:18 18 ‘Why then have You brought
me out of the womb? Oh
that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
YLT
18And why from the womb Hast
Thou brought me forth? I expire
and the eye doth not see me.
Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?.... Into this
world; this act is rightly ascribed by Job to the Lord
as it is by David
Psalm 22:9; which
kind act of God Job complains of
and wishes it had never been
seeing his life
was now so miserable and uncomfortable; here he returns to his former
complaints
wishes
and expostulations
expressed with so much vehemence and
passion in Job 10:3; and for
which his friends blamed him
and endeavoured to convince him of his error in
so doing; but it does not appear that their arguments carried any force in them
with him
or had any effect upon him; he still continues in the same mind
and
by repeating justifies what he had said; and thought he had sufficient reason
to wish he had never been born
that he had died in the womb
since his
afflictions were so very great and increasing
and since God pursued him as a
fierce lion; and
according to his sense of things
his indignation against him
appeared more and more
and his life was a continued succession of trouble and
distress:
and that I had given up the ghost; that is
in the womb
and had never been brought out of it
at least alive; or it may be rendered not
as a wish
but as an affirmation
"I should have given up the ghost";
or
"so or then I should have expired"F5אגוע "expirabo"
Montanus;
"expirassem"
Mercerus
Cocceius
Schmidt
Schultens. ; if such care
had not been taken of me
if God had not been so officious to me as to take me
out of my mother's womb at the proper time
I should have died in it
and that
would have been my grave; and which would have been more eligible than to come
into the world
and live such a miserable life as I now live:
and no eye had seen me! no eye would have seen
him
had he not been taken out of the womb; or however if he had died directly
would not have seen him alive; and an abortive or stillborn child few see
or
care to see; and had he been such an one
he had never been seen in the
circumstances he now was; and by this he suggests
that he was now such a
shocking sight as was not fit to be seen by men
and which would have been
prevented had he died in the womb.
Job 10:19 19 I would have been as
though I had not been. I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
YLT
19As I had not been
I am
From the belly to the grave I am brought
I should have been as though I had not been
.... For
though it cannot be said absolutely of such an one
an abortive or untimely
birth
that it is a nonentity
or never existed; yet comparatively it is as if
it never had a being; it being seen by none or very few
it having had no name
nor any conversation among men; but at once buried
and buried in
forgetfulness
as if no such one had ever been; see Ecclesiastes 6:3.
This Job wished for
for so some render it
"oh
that I had been as though
I had never been"F6So Vatablus
Piscator
and some in Mercerus.
; and then he would have never been involved in such troubles he was
he would
have been free from all his afflictions and distresses
and never have had any
experience of the sorrows that now surrounded him:
I should have been carried from the womb to the grave; if he had not
been brought out of it
the womb had been his grave
as in Jeremiah 20:17; or
if he had died in it
and had been stillborn
he would quickly have been
carried to his grave; he would have seen and known nothing of life and of the
world
and the things in it; and particularly of the troubles that attend
mortals here: his passage in it and through it would have been very short
or
none at all
no longer than from the womb to the grave; and so should never
have known what sorrow was
or such afflictions he now endured; such an one
being in his esteem happier than he; see Ecclesiastes 4:3.
Job 10:20 20 Are not my days few? Cease!
Leave me alone
that I may take a little comfort
YLT
20Are not my days few? Cease
then
and put from me
And I brighten up a little
Are not my days few?.... They are
so
the days of every man are but few; see Job 14:1; the
remainder of Job's days were but few; considering the course of nature
and
especially the sore afflictions he had on him
it could not be thought his days
on earth were many; in all likelihood
according to human probability
he had
but a few days to live: or "are not my days a small little thing"F7הלא מעט ימי
"nonne parum dies mei?" Montanus
Bolducius
Schmidt; "paucum
quid"
Vatablus
Beza
Mercerus. ? it is as an hand's breadth
as nothing
before God
Psalm 39:5
cease then; that is
from afflicting him; since he had
so short a time to live
he requests there might be some intermission of his
trouble; that he might have some intervals of comfort and refreshment
that not
all his days
which were so few
should be spent in grief and sorrow: some
connect this with the preceding clause
and which is most agreeable to the
accents
"shall not the fewness of my days cease"F8"An
non param
vel paucitas dierum meorum cessabit?" Cocceius; "annon
pauxillulum dierum meorum deficiet?" Schultens. ? I have but a few days
and these few days will soon cease; therefore give me some respite from my
afflictions; and so the Targum
"are not my days swift and ceasing?"
and let me alone; do not follow
me with afflictions
or disturb and distress me with them; but take off thine
hand
that I may have some rest and ease; see Job 7:10; or
"put from me"; thine anger
as Kimchi
or thine army
as Junius and
Tremellius; or thy camp
as Cocceius; that is
decamp from me
remove thy
troops
the changes and war that are against me
by which I am besieged
surrounded
and straitened; let me be delivered from them:
that I may take comfort a little; that he might have some
breathing time
some respite from his troubles
some refreshment to his spirit
some reviving to his fainting soul
some renewing of strength
before he
departed this life; see Psalm 39:13; so
Aben Ezra and Gersom render it: "that I may be strengthened"; or that
his heart might gather strength.
Job 10:21 21 Before I go to the
place from which I shall not return
To the land of darkness and the shadow
of death
YLT
21Before I go
and return
not
Unto a land of darkness and death-shade
Before I go whence I shall not return
.... Before he
went out of the world
the way of all flesh
to the grave
his long home
from
whence there is no return to this world
and to the business and affairs of it;
to a man's house
his family and his friends
to converse with them as before
there will be no return until the resurrection
which Job does not here deny
as some have thought; it was a doctrine he well understood
and strongly
asserts in Job 19:26; but this
must be understood in the same sense as in Job 7:9
even to the land of
darkness
and the shadow of death; which describes not the
state of the damned
as some Popish interpreters
carry it; for Job had no
thought nor fear of such a state; but the grave
which is called "a
land"
or country
it being large and spacious
and full of inhabitants; a
land of "darkness"
a very dark one
where the body separated from
the soul is deprived of all light; where the sun
moon
and stars
are never
seen; nor is there the least crevice that light can enter in at
or be seen by
those that dwell in those shades
which are "the shadow of death"
itself; deadly shades
thick and gross ones
the darkest shades
where death
itself is
or dead men are
destitute of light and life; where no pleasure
comfort
and conversation
can be had; and therefore a land in itself most
undesirable.
Job 10:22 22 A land as dark as darkness
itself
As the shadow of death
without any order
Where even the
light is like darkness.’”
YLT
22A land of obscurity as
thick darkness
Death-shade -- and no order
And the shining [is] as thick
darkness.'
A land of darkness
as darkness itself
.... Not merely
like it
but truly so; as gross thick darkness
like that of Egypt
that might
be felt; even blackness of darkness
which is as dark as it possibly can be;
not only dark
but darkness
extremely dark:
and of the shadow of death; which is
repeated for the illustration and confirmation of it
as having in it all kind
of darkness
and that to the greatest degree:
without any order
or "orders"F9ולא סדרים "et non
ordines"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius
Mercerus; "sine
ordinibus"
Cocceius
Schmidt. ; or vicissitudes and successions of day
and night
summer and winter
heat and cold
wet and dry; or revolutions of
sun
moon
and stars
or of the constellations
as Aben Ezra; and whither
persons go without any order
either of age
sex
or station; sometimes a young
man
sometimes an old man
and the one before the other; sometimes a man
sometimes a woman; sometimes a king
prince
and nobleman
and sometimes a
peasant; sometimes a rich man
and sometimes a poor man; no order is observed
but as death seizes them they are brought and laid in the grave
and there is
no order there; the bones and dust of one and the other in a short time are
mixed together
and
there is no knowing to whom they belong
only by the
omniscient God:
and where the light is as darkness; were there
anything in the grave that could with any propriety be called light
even that
is nothing but darkness; darkness and light are the same thing there: or when
"it shineth it is darkness"F11ותפע
"splendet"
Beza
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; that is
when
the sun shines brightest here
as at noon day
it is entire darkness in the
grave; no light is discerned there
the rays of the sun cannot penetrate there;
and could they
there is no visive faculty in the dead to receive them; all darkness
is in those secret places.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》