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Job Chapter
Fifteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 15
Job's
three friends having in their turns attacked him
and he having given answer
respectively to them
Eliphaz
who began the attack
first enters the debate
with him again
and proceeds upon the same plan as before
and endeavours to
defend his former sentiments
falling upon Job with greater vehemence and
severity; he charges him with vanity
imprudence
and unprofitableness in his
talk
and acting a part unbecoming his character as a wise man; yea
with
impiety and a neglect of religion
or at least as a discourager of it by his
words and doctrines
of which his mouth and lips were witnesses against him
Job 15:1; he
charges him with arrogance and a high conceit of himself
as if he was the
first man that was made
nay
as if he was the eternal wisdom of God
and had
been in his council; and
to check his vanity
retorts his own words upon him
or however the sense of them
Job 15:7; and also
with slighting the consolations of God; upon which he warmly expostulates with
him
Job 15:11; and in
order to convince him of his self-righteousness
which he thought he was full
of
he argues from the angels
the heavens
and the general case of man
Job 15:14; and then
he declares from his own knowledge
and from the relation of wise and ancient
men in former times
who made it their observation
that wicked men are
afflicted all their days
attended with terror and despair
and liable to
various calamities
Job 15:17; the
reasons of which are their insolence to God
and hostilities committed against
him
which they are encouraged in by their prosperous circumstances
Job 15:25;
notwithstanding all
their estates
riches
and wealth
will come to nothing
Job 15:28; and the
chapter is closed with an exhortation to such
not to feed themselves up with
vain hopes
or trust in uncertain riches
since their destruction would be
sure
sudden
and terrible
Job 15:31.
Job 15:1 Then
Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
YLT
1And Eliphaz the Temanite
answereth and saith: --
Then answered Eliphaz the
Temanite
.... Or
who was of Teman
as the Targum
the first of Job's
friends and comforters
the oldest of them
who first began the dispute with
him; which was carried on by his two other companions
who had spoken in their
turns; and now in course it fell to him to answer a second time
as he here
does
and said
as
follows.
Job 15:2 2 “Should a wise man answer
with empty knowledge
And fill himself with the east wind?
YLT
2Doth a wise man answer
[with] vain knowledge? And fill [with] an east wind his belly?
Should a wise man utter
vain knowledge
.... As Job had been thought to be
or as he himself thought he
was
which he might say sarcastically; or as he really was
not worldly wise
nor merely wise in things natural
but in things divine; being one that had the
fear of God
which is the beginning of wisdom
and wisdom itself; believed in
Christ
and walked wisely and circumspectly before men; now it is not becoming
such a man to utter vain knowledge
or such knowledge as is like the wind
or
as the Targum
windy knowledge; empty
not solid
nor satisfying
but swells
and puffs up
and is knowledge falsely so called; but it does not appear that
Job did utter such vain and fruitless things as deserved to be compared to the
wind:
and fill his belly with the east wind; which is
noisy and blusterous
rapid and forcible
bearing all before it
and very
infectious in hot countries; and such notions Job
according to Eliphaz
satisfied himself with
and endeavoured to insinuate them into others; which
were nothing but great swelling words of vanity
and tended to subvert the
faith of men
and overthrow all religion
and were very unwholesome
infectious
and ruinous to the minds of men
as suggested.
Job 15:3 3 Should he reason with
unprofitable talk
Or by speeches with which he can do no good?
YLT
3To reason with a word not
useful? And speeches -- no profit in them?
Should he reason with
unprofitable talk?.... That is
the wise man
such a man as Job; does it become him
to talk such idle stuff? that which is false
and foolish
and frothy
that
does not minister grace to the hearer
and is not for the use of edifying; as
whatever is untrue
unwise
vain
and empty
must be useless and answer no good
end; nothing is profitable but what tends to increase solid wisdom and
spiritual knowledge
and to exercise grace
and influence an holy life;
wherefore what are profitable to the souls of men are the doctrines of the word
of God
and the experiences of the grace of God
communicated by his people one
to another; and nothing but these
or what agrees with them
should come out of
the mouth of a wise and good man; nor can such an one expect to convince men of
their errors
or reprove them for their sins with success
who deals in words
of no profit:
or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? but may do a
great deal of hurt both to himself and others; but the same thing is here
signified in different words
Job 15:4 4 Yes
you cast off fear
And
restrain prayer before God.
YLT
4Yea
thou dost make
reverence void
And dost diminish meditation before God.
Yea
thou castest off fear
.... Not of
man; a slavish fear of man is to be cast off
because that brings a snare
deters men from their duty
and leads into sin; though there is a fear and
reverence of men which ought to be given to them
"fear to whom
fear"
Romans 13:7; but
here the fear of God is meant
which is to be understood of the grace of fear
of which Job was possessed; that could not be cast off
for this is not what is
in a man naturally
or is by the light of nature
and arises from natural
conviction
which may be cast off
as was by Pharaoh; but this is a blessing of
the covenant of grace
sure and firm
and is one of the gifts of grace that are
without repentance; it is a part of internal grace
which can never be lost; it
is improved and increased by fresh discoveries of the grace and goodness of
God
and is an antidote and preservative against apostasy: perhaps the whole
worship of God may be meant
external worship
or outward religion in the form
of it
which is sometimes signified by the fear of God: Ecclesiastes 12:14;
and it is cast off when it is neglected and not attended to
or when men become
profane
after they have made a profession of religion; but as neither of these
can be thought to be the case of Job
rather the meaning of Eliphaz may be
that Job did not show that reverence to God he should
as his words may seem
in Job 13:20; or that
by his way of talk and reasoning
and by the notions he had imbibed and gave
out
and the assertions he laid down
all religion would be made void among
men; for if
as he had said
God "destroys the perfect and the wicked
and
the tabernacles of robbers prosper
and the just men are laughed to
scorn"
Job 9:22; who would
fear God? it might be inferred from hence
that it is a vain thing to serve
him
and there can be no profit got by keeping his ordinances
and walking
before him; this is the way to put an end to all religion
as if Eliphaz should
say
and discourage all regard unto it:
and restrainest prayer before God; prayer is to be made to
God and to him only
it is a part of religious worship
directed to by the
light of nature
and ought to be performed by every man; it is a special
privilege of the saints
who have a covenant God on a throne of grace to go to
and can pray in a spiritual manner for spiritual things; and especially is to
be observed in times of trouble
in which Job now was
and never to be disused;
now this charge either respects Job himself
that he left off praying
which
can hardly be supposed; or that he drew out prayer to a great length
as some
understand the wordsF23תגרע
"tulisti"
V. L. "traheres"
Cocceius;
"multiplicasti"
so some in Bar Tzemach.
like the tautologies of
the Heathen; or he diminished prayer
as othersF24"Imminues"
Montanus; "imminuisti"
Bolducius; "diminuis"
Schmidt;
"minuis"
Schultens.
lessened the times of prayer
and the
petitions in it: or rather it may respect others; not that it can be thought he
should lay his injunctions on those over whom he had any authority
forbidding
his servants
or those about him
to pray; but that by his manner of reasoning
he discouraged prayer
as Eliphaz thought
as an useless thing; for if God
laughs at the trials and afflictions of the innocent
and suffers wicked men to
prosper
who would pray to him
or serve him? see Job 9:23.
Job 15:5 5 For your iniquity teaches
your mouth
And you choose the tongue of the crafty.
YLT
5For thy mouth teacheth
thine iniquity
And thou chooseth the tongue of the subtile.
For thy mouth uttereth
thine iniquity
.... Which was in his heart
and so was an evidence against him
and proved him perverse
and made good the above charges exhibited against him:
or "thine iniquity teaches thy mouth"F25יאלף עונך פיך
"docuit iniquitas tua os tuum"
V. L. Pagninus
Bolducius;
"docebit"
Montanus; "docet"
Piscator
Cocceius; so
Tigurine version. ; the wickedness that was in his heart prompted his mouth to
speak the things he did
see Matthew 12:34; and
this
as it was an instance of his folly
Proverbs 15:2; so a
proof of his casting off the fear of the Lord; for if that had been before his
eyes
he would have bridled his lips
and not uttered all the wickedness of his
heart: for he that "bridleth not his tongue
this man's religion is
vain"
James 1:26;
and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty; coloured over
things under specious pretences of religion and godliness
so that the simple
and ignorant took him for a holy good man
when he was at heart an hypocrite;
in this light Eliphaz puts Job
as one that walked and talked in craftiness
and was a deceitful worker
and imposed upon men with false glosses and
plausible pretences.
Job 15:6 6 Your own mouth condemns
you
and not I; Yes
your own lips testify against you.
YLT
6Thy mouth declareth thee
wicked
and not I
And thy lips testify against thee.
Thine own mouth condemneth
thee
and not I
.... Or shows thee to be a wicked person
guilty of things
charged upon thee; out of thine own mouth thou art convicted
there needs no
other evidence to be brought against thee
that is sufficient: and thou savest
me
and any other
the trouble of passing the sentence of condemnation upon
thee; thou hast done it thyself
thine own mouth is judge and jury
and brings
in the verdict
and pronounces it
as well as is the witness
as follows
and
is instead of a thousand witnesses
Job 9:20;
yea
thine own lips testify against thee; and therefore
there were no need of producing any other testimony; what he had said showed
that his talk was vain and unprofitable
unbecoming a wise man
and tending to
make null and void the fear of God among men
to discourage all religious
exercises
and particularly prayer before God.
Job 15:7 7 “Are you the first
man who was born? Or were you made before the hills?
YLT
7The first man art thou
born? And before the heights wast thou formed?
Art thou the first man that was born?.... The first
Adam
who was created in wisdom and knowledge
and had a large share of
understanding in things natural
civil
and moral; knew much of God and his
perfections
of the works of nature
and of the wisdom and power of God
displayed in them; one instance of which is his giving names to the creatures;
dost thou think thou art that selfsame individual person
the father of all
mankind
who had such a stock and fund of knowledge
until
by seeking after
more
and that unlawful
he lost much of what he had? dost thou imagine that
thou hast lived ever since
and seen or known everything that was done in all
ages from the beginning
and hast gathered a large share of knowledge from long
experience
and by making strict observations on men and things in such a
length of time? or
as the Targum
"wast
thou born with the first man
without father and mother?'
and
hast thou existed ever since? or
"wast thou born before Adam?"
before the first manF26So Mercerus
and some in Vatablus
Schmidt
Jarchi
& Bar Tzemach. ? Art thou the wisdom and son of God
who was before
Abraham
before Adam
before any creature whatever
was in the beginning with
God
and was God? What dost thou make thyself to be
Job? thou
a mere man
dost thou make thyself to be the eternal God? for to be before the first man
or to be the firstborn of every creature
or to be born before every creature
is expressive of eternity
as is the following phrase:
or wast thou made before the hills? or existed before they
did? as is said of the son of God
Proverbs 8:25; what
is before the hills and mountains is eternal; the eternal God and his eternity
are thus described
Psalm 90:2.
Job 15:8 8 Have you heard the counsel
of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
YLT
8Of the secret counsel of
God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?
Hast thou heard the secret
of God?.... Or
"in the secret of God"F1בסוד אלוה "in secreto
Dei"
Pagninus
Montanus
Cocceius. Schultens.
in his cabinet council
what was said and done there? hast thou stood in the council of God? hast thou
been one of his privy council
or counsellors
and been let into all the secrets
of God
of his purposes and providence
and into the reasons of all his
administrations
that thou talkest so freely
and boldly
and confidently as
thou dost? Indeed Christ
the son of God
was the Angel of the great council;
the counsel of peace was between him and his Father; yea
he was in his bosom
and privy to all his thoughts
designs
and decrees
and knew everything
what
would be
and the reasons thereof; as well as the nature of his Father
his
perfections
mind
and will
which he has declared: but could Job pretend to
this
or anything like it? no
surely. Indeed there are some secrets of God
which he makes known to his people
and no doubt
in some measure
Job was
acquainted with them; such as the secrets of God's love
and of the covenant of
his grace
which are with them that fear him; and such an one Job was
and with
whom
in times past at least
the secret of God was
even his everlasting love
in the open manifestation of it to him; which is a secret in the heart of God
till revealed and shed abroad in the hearts of his people; and so the
"mysteries" of God
as some render the word
the doctrines of the
Gospel
the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
the knowledge of them
is given
to the sons of men; Job was acquainted with them
with the incarnation of
Christ
redemption by him
and the resurrection of the dead; the secrets of
Providence
though they may not always be known now
they will be hereafter;
yea
God does nothing but he reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets Amos 3:7
as he did
to Abraham his friend; and as for the purposes of God
which are the secret
things that belong to him
and can never be known unless revealed
and when fulfilled
even those
such as relate to the election of men
their redemption by Christ
and the effectual calling
are made known by God's saving and calling them
according to them:
and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? not keep it
to himself without communicating it to others
which to do is to imprison the
truth
and detain it in unrighteousness; as men have freely received
they
should freely give; but he arrogated and ascribed wisdom to himself
monopolized it
and would allow no man to have any share of it but himself; he
reckoned so highly of himself
as if he was the only wise man in the world;
thus what he charged his friends with Eliphaz retorts upon himself
Job 12:2; as he
does his own words in Job 15:9.
Job 15:9 9 What do you know that we
do not know? What do you understand that is not in us?
YLT
9What hast thou known
and
we know not? Understandest thou -- and it is not with us?
What knowest thou that we
know not?.... Which are pretty near the words of Job to his friends
Job 12:3; and to
the same sense is what follows:
what understandest
thou which is not in us? in our hearts
minds
and understanding; or
among us
which one or other
or all of us
have not: yet all men have not
knowledge alike; some that profess themselves to be wise
and to have a large
share of knowledge
are fools; and such who think they know something
extraordinary
and more than others
know nothing as they ought to know; and
such who have gifts of real knowledge have them different one from another;
even of the things known there is not a like degree of knowledge
and
particularly in spiritual things; some are little children in understanding
some are young men and know more
and some are fathers
and know most of all;
an equality in knowledge belongs to another state
to the latter day glory
when the watchmen shall see eye to eye
and all shall know the Lord
from the
least to the greatest
and especially to the ultimate glory
when saints will
know as they are known.
Job 15:10 10 Both the gray-haired and
the aged are among us
Much older than your father.
YLT
10Both the gray-headed And
the very aged [are] among us -- Greater than thy father [in] days.
With us are both the
grayheaded
.... The grayheaded man
or one that is so
it is in the singular
number; gray hairs are a sign of old age
and an emblem of wisdom
see Job 12:12; to which
words Eliphaz may be thought to refer; Job there suggesting as if wisdom was
with him
being an ancient man:
and very aged men; or "man" rather; Mr. Broughton
renders it
and "all gray"
as if the other word only signifies one
that has a mixture of gray hairs on him
but this one all whose hairs are
turned gray:
much elder than thy father; or "greater"
as the same learned man renders it; and so Aben Ezra and Bar Tzemach say in the
Arabic language the word signifies
and may design a third person. Ben Gersom
thinks that Eliphaz was older than Job
and that his other two friends were
younger than he
or Zophar only was younger than he; one of the Targums
paraphrases the words thus
"but
Eliphaz who is gray
and Bildad who is aged
are with us
and Zophar who is
greater in days than thy father;'
it
appears that they were very old men by what Elihu says
Job 32:6; though it
may be Eliphaz may not barely have respect to themselves and their age
but to
their ancestors
their fathers
from whom they had their knowledge
when they
were but of yesterday
and knew little
and so pleads antiquity on their side;
and it has been observed that Teman
from whence Eliphaz was
was famous for
wisdom
and wise men in it
at least it was so in later times; and if so early
the observation would be more pertinent
and the sense might be thought to be
that we have at Teman men as ancient and as wise as at Uz
in the schools of
the one as in the schools of the other
and so have the opportunity of gaining
as much wisdom and knowledge as Job: or it may be the meaning only is this
that we have on our side the question as many ancient and learned men
or more
than Job can pretend to; and thus
as before
antiquity is pleaded; but is not
a sure rule to go by
at least by trusting to it men may be led aside; for
though truth is the good old way
and is the oldest way
yet error is almost as
old as truth; it follows so close upon the heels of it
that it is difficult
in some cases
to discern which is first
though truth always is: there is the
old way which wicked men have trodden; and a pretence to antiquity
if not
carefully observed
may lead into it
see Jeremiah 6:16
Job 22:15.
Job 15:11 11 Are
the consolations of God too small for you
And the word spoken gently[a] with you?
YLT
11Too few for thee are the
comforts of God? And a gentle word [is] with thee
Are the consolations of God small with thee?.... Meaning
either those which Eliphaz and his friends had administered
when
upon his
repentance and reformation
they promised him great and good things that should
befall him and his family
and that his latter end should be greater than his
beginning; which Job slighted
took no notice of
nor entertained any hope
concerning it; and these they called the consolations of God
not only because
great
as things excellent have the name of God added to them
to express their
excellency
but because they were administered in the name of God
and were
according to the word and will of God
at least as they thought: Ben Gersom
renders it
"the consolations of these"; these were Bildad and
Zophar; so Bar Tzemach; or
as others
"these consolations"F2תנחומות אל "consolationes
istorum virorum"
Vatablus; "consolationes istae"
so some in
Drusius. which I and my friends have suggested; but not human
rather divine
consolations are meant; and this is a fresh charge against Job
that he made light
of such
even the consolations of God
Father
Son
and Spirit
who are each of
them comforters; saints may and should comfort one another
and ministers of
the Gospel are Barnabases
sons of consolation; but God is the great Comforter
it is he only can speak and apply comfort to purpose; and his consolations are
not to be accounted "small"
if it be considered from whence they
come
from the great God
the Creator
to creatures
dust and ashes
sinful
ones
on whom they are bestowed
such as are undeserving of them
yea
deserving of the wrath of God
and the curses of his law; and also the nature
of these comforts
as that they are strong consolations
and effectual through
the power and grace of God
and are everlasting
the matter and foundation of
them being so; and though they may be refused through unbelief
as being too
great in the view of a sinful creature for himself yet they can never be
accounted small
or slighted and despised by a gracious soul; nor can it be
though they were by Job
since he was so distressed with the arrows of the
Almighty
a sense of divine wrath
and was so desirous of the divine Presence
and even begged he might take comfort a little:
is there any secret thing with thee? any secret wisdom and
knowledge which they were strangers to; or any secret way of conveying comfort
to him they knew not of; or any secret sin in him
any Achan in the camp
Joshua 7:11
that
hindered him from receiving comfort
or put him upon slighting what was offered
to him.
Job 15:12 12 Why does your heart carry
you away
And what do your eyes wink at
YLT
12What -- doth thine heart
take thee away? And what -- are thine eyes high?
Why doth thine heart carry
thee away?.... To such conceit of thyself
and contempt of others
and even
to slight the consolations of God; the heart
being deceitful and wicked
sometimes carries away good men to say and do those things which are
unbecoming; and if
in any instance
this was Job's case
it was owing to his
own heart
which carried him beyond due bounds; for whenever any man is
"tempted" to do evil
"he is drawn away of his own lust"
and enticed
James 1:14;
and what do thine eyes wink at; conniving at and
shutting his eyes against his own sins and iniquities
unwilling to see them
and be convinced of them
and own them; or shutting them against the charges
and reproofs of his friends
and all the light and evidence with which they
came; or rather as carelessly attending to them
and scoffing and sneering at
them: some render it
"what do thine eyes aim at"F3זמון "collimant"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius; so Broughton. ? as men
when they take an aim at a mark
wink with or shut one eye; what are thy designs? what hast thou in view? what
wouldest thou be at
talking and behaving in such a manner as thou dost?
Job 15:13 13 That you turn your spirit
against God
And let such words go out of your mouth?
YLT
13For thou turnest against
God thy spirit? And hast brought out words from thy mouth:
That thou turnest thy
spirit against God
.... Not against men
his friends only
but against God himself
being filled with wrath and indignation at him; showing the enmity of his heart
unto him
and committing hostilities upon him
stretching out his hand
and
strengthening himself against him
running upon him
on the thick bosses of his
buckler
as after expressed:
and lettest such words go out of thy mouth? as in Job 9:22.
Job 15:14 14 “What is man
that
he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman
that he could be
righteous?
YLT
14What [is] man that he is
pure
And that he is righteous
one born of woman?
What is man
that
he should be clean?.... Frail
feeble
mortal man
or woeful man
as Mr. Broughton
renders it; since he is sinful
whereby he is become such a weak and dying creature:
this question
as well as the following
is put by way of contempt
and as
lessening man in a comparative sense
and in order to abate any high conceit of
himself; who is not naturally clean
but the reverse
being conceived and born
in sin; nor can he be so of himself
nor by any means he is capable of; and
however clean he may be in his own eyes
or in the eyes of others
yet is not
clean in the sight of God
and still less pure than him
his Maker
as in Job 4:17; and
indeed cannot be clean at all
but through the grace of God
and blood of
Christ
which cleanses from all sin:
and he which is born of a woman; a periphrasis
of man
Job 14:1;
that he should be righteous? as no man is naturally;
there is none righteous
no
not one; though man originally was made righteous
yet sinning he lost his righteousness
and all his posterity are without any;
nor can they become righteous of themselves
or by any works of righteousness
done by them; and though they may trust in themselves that they are righteous
and may appear outwardly so before men
yet by the deeds of the law no flesh
can be justified or accounted righteous in the sight of God
and much less be
more just than he
as in Job 4:17; nor can
any of the sons of men be made or reckoned righteous but by the obedience of
Christ
or by that justifying righteousness that is in him: what Eliphaz here
says concerning the impurity
imperfection
and unrighteousness of men
are
very great truths; but if he aims at Job
as he seems to do he misses his mark
and mistakes the man
and it is in vain with respect to him
or as a refutation
of any notions of his; for Job asserts the corruption and depravity of human
nature as strongly as it is expressed here
Job 14:4; nor does
he ever claim
but disclaims
sinless perfection
Job 9:20; nor did
he expect to be personally justified before God by any righteousness of his
own
the imperfection of which he was sensible of
but by the righteousness of
his living Redeemer
Job 9:30; but what
he pleaded for was the integrity and uprightness of his heart in opposition to
hypocrisy he was charged with; and the holiness and righteousness of his life
and conversation
in opposition to a course of living in sin
or to his being
guilty of some notorious sin or sins for which he was afflicted
as was
insinuated. Eliphaz here recurs to his oracle
Job 4:17; and
expresses it much to the same sense.
Job 15:15 15 If God puts no
trust in His saints
And the heavens are not pure in His sight
YLT
15Lo
in His holy ones He
putteth no credence
And the heavens have not been pure in His eyes.
Behold
he putteth no
trust in his saints
.... In holy men
set apart for himself by his grace
whose sins
are expiated by the blood of his Son
and whose hearts are sanctified by his
Spirit
and who live holy lives and conversations
as Abraham
Isaac
and
Jacob; these
though he trusts many of them with much
as the prophets of old
with the messages of his grace and will
and the ministers of the word with
treasure
in their earthen vessels
the sacred "depositum" of the
glorious Gospel
with gifts of grace
fitting them for their work
and with the
care of the souls of men; yet he trusts none of them with themselves
with the
redemption and salvation of their souls
with the regeneration and
sanctification of their hearts
and with their preservation to eternal glory;
he has put those into the hands of his Son and Spirit
and keeps them by his
power through faith unto salvation: the Targum renders it
in his saints above
in the saints in heaven
in glorified men; he is there their all in all; as
their happiness
so their safety and protection; see an instance of his care and
preservation of them after the resurrection
when in a perfect state
Revelation 20:8; or
this may be understood of the angels
who sometimes are called saints
Deuteronomy 33:2;
who though they have been trusted with many things to impart to the sons of
men
yet not with the salvation of men
nor even with the secret of it; they
were not of God's privy council when the affair was debated and settled; nor
with other secrets
as the day and hour of the last judgment
the coming of the
Son of Man: or the sense may be
"he putteth no perfection or stability"F4לא יאמין "non posuit
stabilitatem"
Pagninus; "immutabilitatem
sive perfectionem
absolutam"
Vatablus; "firmum opus non produxit"
Tigurine
version; "non crediturns esset firmitatem"
Junius & Tremellius.
in them
that is
perfection in comparison of his; for if theirs were equal to
his
they would be gods
which it is impossible to be
or for God to make them
such; and likewise such stability as to have been able to have stood of
themselves
which it appears they had not
since many of them fell
and the rest
needed confirming grace
which they have by Christ
the Head of all
principalities and powers:
yea
the heavens are not clean in his sight; heaven born
men
partakers of the heavenly calling
whose hearts and affections are set on
heavenly things
and have their conversation in heaven; yet these
in the sight
of a pure and holy God
and in comparison of him
are impure and unholy; or
they of heaven
as Mr. Broughton renders it
the inhabitants of heaven; the
angels on high
as the Targum paraphrases it; these are charged by him with
folly
and they
conscious of their imperfection with respect to him
cover
their faces with their wings
while they celebrate the perfection of his
holiness
who is so glorious in it; though the natural heavens may be intended
at least not excluded
and the luminous bodies in them
as Bildad seems to
explain it
Job 25:5; the stars
are reckoned the more dense and thick part of the heavens
the moon has its
spots
and by later discoveries it seems the sun is not without them
and the
heavens are often covered with clouds and darkness
and the present ones will
be purified with fire at the general conflagration
which supposes them unclean
and they shall pass away
and new ones succeed
which implies imperfection in
the former
or there would be no need of others; this is the proof Eliphaz
gives of what he had suggested in Job 15:14.
Job 15:16 16 How much less man
who
is abominable and filthy
Who drinks iniquity like water!
YLT
16Also -- surely abominable
and filthy Is man drinking as water perverseness.
How much more abominable
and filthy is man
.... In his natural
corrupt
and unregenerate estate; man
as a
creature
was not abominable
but becoming sinful he is; he is so in himself
cast out to the loathing of his person
being full of wounds
bruises
and
putrefying sores
yea
like a dead corrupted carcass
for he is dead in
trespasses and sins
Ephesians 2:1; and
he appears to be corrupt by the abominable works done by him
as all the works
of the flesh are; yea
he is abominable to himself
when made sensible of his
state and case; he then abhors himself
and repents of his sins
he loathes his
sins
and himself for them; and must be much more so in the sight of God
who
is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity
as man is nothing else than a mass of
sin
and therefore must be "filthy"; for sin is of a defiling nature
it defiles the body and all its members
and the soul with all its powers and
faculties: man is naturally and originally filthy
being conceived in sin
and
shapen in iniquity; nor can a clean thing be brought out of an unclean; he is
internally and universally unclean
his heart is a sink of sin
desperately
wicked
and wickedness itself; his mind and conscience are defiled
and there
is no place clean; and this appears outwardly in his actions
in his life and
conversation
which is filthy also: for if the ploughing of the wicked is sin
and the righteousnesses of men are filthy rags
how impure must the immoral
actions of wicked men be? man is so impure
that nothing but the blood of
Christ can purify his heart
and purge his conscience from dead works
and make
white his outward conversation garment:
which drinketh iniquity like water; it is as natural to him
to commit iniquity as it is for a man to drink water when he is thirsty
and he
does it with equal gust
delight
and pleasure; as cold water is delightful to
a thirsty soul
so is sin to a sinner
a sweet morsel he holds in his mouth;
various lusts are various pleasures
though these pleasures are but for a
season: sin
like water
is easy to be come at
it is near at hand
it easily
besets men
and is all around them
and they easily give into it; everyone
turns to his wicked course as readily as the horse rushes into the battle; and
the phrase may be expressive of the abundance of sin committed
like large
draughts of water greedily taken down by a man athirst
and repeated again and
again; moreover
as water drank enters into men
and is taken down as an
harmless thing
yet often proves very hurtful and pernicious to them when drank
while they are hot
and occasions disorders
which issue in death; so sin
though it may seem harmless
and be pleasing and refreshing
going down like
water
yet it works like poison
and is the gall of asps within a man
and ends
in eternal death
if grace prevents not. This is the conclusion and application
of the whole to man
arguing from the greater to the lesser
and so proving the
impurity and imperfection of man
and that he cannot be clean and righteous
before God of himself.
Job 15:17 17 “I will tell you
hear me;
What I have seen I will declare
YLT
17I shew thee -- hearken to
me -- And this I have seen and declare:
I will show thee
hear me
.... Here
Eliphaz proceeds to illustrate and make plain
to clear and defend
his former
sentiment and proposition
and into which the rest of his friends came; that
only wicked
and not righteous men
are afflicted of God
especially in such a
manner as Job was; and he proposes to show things worthy of his regard
and not
such vain and unprofitable things which Job had uttered; and
in order to stir
up and engage his attention
he says what follows:
and that which I have seen I will declare; what he had
been an eyewitness of himself; the same he had observed
Job 4:8; and such
testimonies are most regarded
and reckoned most authentic and creditable
especially when they come from men of character; see Luke 1:1.
Job 15:18 18 What wise men have told
Not
hiding anything received from their fathers
YLT
18Which the wise declare --
And have not hid -- from their fathers.
Which wise men have told
from their fathers
.... Men wise in the best sense
not to do evil
but to do good;
not worldly wise men
but such who have wisdom
sound wisdom in the inward
parts; who are wise to salvation
and who are partakers of divine and spiritual
wisdom; and such men
as they would never tell an untruth
so they would never
report a false or a foolish thing they had heard
nor any thing but upon a good
testimony
what they have received from their fathers
who were also wise and
good men; and therefore such a testimony
though not ocular
but by tradition
deserves regard:
and have not hid it; their fathers did not
hide it from them
and what they have received from their fathers they did not
hide it from their children; and so it came to be handed down from one to
another with great truth
exactness
and certainty
and to be depended upon
see Psalm 44:1.
Job 15:19 19 To whom alone the land was
given
And no alien passed among them:
YLT
19To them alone was the land
given
And a stranger passed not over into their midst:
Unto whom alone the earth
was given
.... Who were intrusted with the government of whole kingdoms and
nations; and therefore not mean men
but persons of great consequence
and to
be credited; being such as were appointed by God
and by him put into such an
high office
for which they were qualified by him; and being observed to be
such by men
were made choice of by them to take the government of them: this
is not to be restrained to the land of Canaan
and to Abraham
Isaac
and
Jacob
to whom it was given
and to their posterity; and who it is very
probable at this time did not yet enjoy it; but it respects more and larger tracts
of land
and the rulers of them
and at a greater distance of time
and very
likely Noah and his sons
to whom the whole earth was given
and by whom it was
replenished
and among whom it was divided; this seems opposed to what Job had
said
Job 9:24;
and no stranger passed among them; either there was no
wicked man among them
a stranger to God and godliness; or an enemy that
invaded them
passed through them
disturbed and dispossessed them of their
power and substance; which shows how wise and good men are regarded by the
Lord
and not distressed and afflicted as wicked men be; as well as serves to
strengthen the credit of their character
and the report received and derived
from them by tradition
and tacitly glances at Job's distress and disturbance
by the Chaldeans and Sabeans; next follows the account of the things either
seen by Eliphaz
or handed down from such credible persons now described.
Job 15:20 20 The wicked man writhes
with pain all his days
And the number of years is hidden from the
oppressor.
YLT
20`All days of the wicked he
is paining himself
And few years have been laid up for the terrible one.
The wicked man travaileth
with pain all his days
.... Either to commit iniquity
which he is
at great pains to do
and even to weariness; and
agreeably to the metaphor
used
he conceives it in his heart
he travails with it in his mind
and he
brings forth falsehood and a lie
what disappoints him
and which issues in
death
eternal death
see Psalm 7:14; or to
get wealth and riches
in obtaining of which he pierces himself through with
many sorrows; and these being like thorns
in using them he gets many a
scratch
and has a good deal of trouble
pain
and uneasiness in keeping them
insomuch that he cannot sleep comfortably through fear of losing them;
wherefore he does not enjoy that peace
comfort
and happiness
it may be
thought he does; and
besides all this
he has many an inward pain and gripe of
conscience for his many sins and transgressions
which lie at the door of
conscience
and when it is opened rush in
and make sad work
and put him to great
pain and distress; for otherwise this cannot be said of every wicked man
that
they are in outward pain and distress
or in uncomfortable circumstances
at
least in appearance; for of some it is said
"they are not in trouble as
other men
neither are they plagued like other men"
Psalm 73:5; they
live wholly at ease
and are quiet
and die so
at least seemingly: some
restrain this to some particular person whom Eliphaz might have in view; the
Targum paraphrases it of wicked Esau
who it was expected would repent
but did
not; others think that he had in his eye some notorious oppressor
that had
lived formerly
or in his time
as Nimrod
the mighty hunter and tyrant
or
Chedorlaomer
who held for some years several kings in subjection to him; but
it is much if he does not design Job himself; however
he forms the description
of the wicked man in such a manner
that it might as near as possible suit his
case
and in many things he plainly refers to it: and this is a sad case
indeed
for a wicked man to travail in pain all his days in this life
and in
the world to come to suffer the pains of hell fire to all eternity; the pains
of a woman
to which the allusion is
are but short at most
but those of the
wicked man are for life
yea
for ever; and among the rest of his pains of
mind
especially in this world
what follows is one
and which gives much
uneasiness: and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor; Mr. Broughton
renders it
soon numbered years; that is
few
as the years of man's life at
most are but few
and those of the oppressor fewer still
since bloody and
deceitful men do not live out half the days of the years of man's life
but are
oftentimes cut off in the midst of their days; and be they more or fewer
they
are all numbered and fixed
and the number of them is with God
and him only;
they are fixed and settled by the decree of God
and laid up in his purposes
and reserved for the oppressor; but they are a secret to him
he does not know
how long he shall live
or how soon he may die
and then there will be an end
of his oppression and tyranny
and of his enjoyment of his wealth and riches
unjustly got; and this frets him
and gives him pain
and makes him uneasy;
whereas a good man is easy about it
he is willing to wait his appointed time
till his change comes; he is not so much concerned to know the time of his
death as to be in a readiness for it. The Targum paraphrases this of Ishmael the
mighty: the oppressor is the same with the wicked man in the preceding clause.
Job 15:21 21 Dreadful sounds are
in his ears; In prosperity the destroyer comes upon him.
YLT
21A fearful voice [is] in his
ears
In peace doth a destroyer come to him.
A dreadful sound is
in his ears
.... Or "a voice"
or "sound of fears"F20קול פחדים "sonitus
timorum"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius; to the same sense Codurcus
Junius & Tremellius
Mercerus
Cocceius
Schmidt
Schultens.
of what
causes fears; and which are either imaginary; sometimes wicked men
fear when
there is no cause or occasion for it; they fancy an enemy at their heels
and
flee
when none pursues them; they are a "Magormissabib"
or
"terror on every side"
a fear to themselves and all about them
Jeremiah 20:3; like
Cain
who fancied and feared that every man that met him would slay him Genesis 4:13; such
is the effect of a guilty conscience: or real; and these either extraordinary
sounds
such as were made in the ears of the Syrian host
which caused them to
flee
and leave their tents
and all their substance in them
2 Kings 7:6; or
ordinary
as the sound of the trumpet
the alarm of war
wars and rumours which
are very terrible
especially to some persons; or sounds of fears
reports of
one calamity after another
which cause fears; and so may respect Job's
troubles
and the dreadful sound of them in his ears
brought by one messenger
of bad tidings after another: but there is a more dreadful sound than either of
these
which is sometimes in the ears of wicked men; the terrors of the law of
God broken by them
the menaces and curses of it
and a sound of hell and
damnation
which continually rings in their ears
and fills the with horror and
black despair; and so the Targum
"the
voice or sound of the fears in hell is in his ears;'
and
among the rest of his fears what follows is one
and so some connect the words
thatF21"Vastatorem invasurum eum"
Junius &
Tremellius. .
in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him; either God
the lawgiver
whose law he has transgressed
and who is able
as to save his
people
so to destroy the wicked
soul and body
in hell; and destruction from
the Almighty
Job himself says
was a terror to him
Job 31:23; or a
destroying angel
such an one as went through the land of Egypt
and destroyed
the firstborn
and into the camp of Israel
when they committed sin
and were
destroyed of the destroyer; or some enemy
plunderer
and robber
such as the
Sabeans and Chaldeans were
and to whom respect may be had; or even the devil
himself
Apollyon
the destroyer of the souls of men
and who sometimes wicked
men fear will come and carry them away
soul and body
to hell; or it may be
death is meant
which kills and destroys all men; and wicked men are afraid
that in the midst of all their peace and prosperity sudden destruction by death
should come upon them
like a thief in the night
and remove them from all
their enjoyments; and whether they are or no under any fearful apprehensions of
this
it certainly will be their case.
Job 15:22 22 He does not believe that
he will return from darkness
For a sword is waiting for him.
YLT
22He believeth not to return
from darkness
And watched [is] he for the sword.
He believeth not that he
shall return out of darkness
.... When he lies down at night he despairs
of ever seeing the light of the morning
through fear of an enemy
a robber
a
murderer
or of one disaster or another
Deuteronomy 28:66;
or when he is in any affliction and calamity
which is often signified by
darkness
he cannot persuade himself that he shall ever be delivered out of it
and restored to his former condition again: and here Eliphaz seems to glance at
Job
who had no hope of his being brought into such a state of prosperity he
had been in; whereas good men
when in darkness
believe they shall be brought
again to the light
as the church in Micah 7:8; or the
infidel
who knows he must be laid in the dark and silent grave; the Heathen
man
such as were many of the neighbours of Eliphaz
the Idumeans
among whom
he dwelt
who were without the hope of a glorious resurrection; and which is an
article of pure revelation
and which the idolatrous Heathen were strangers to
and so believed it not
or any deliverance from the grave; or this may respect
the blackness of darkness
the outer darkness
the darkness of hell
which when
once a wicked man is cast into
and enveloped with
he despairs
as he well
may
of ever being delivered out of it:
and he is waited for of the sword; or by them that kill
with the sword
as the Targum
who lie in wait for him
to rob him
and kill
him; or in his own apprehension he seems to have nothing but drawn swords about
him
or a sword hanging over his head
or the judgments of God ready to fall
upon him for his sins; for he
having killed others with the sword
must expect
to be killed with it himself.
Job 15:23 23 He wanders about for
bread
saying
‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is
ready at his hand.
YLT
23He is wandering for bread
-- `Where [is] it?' He hath known that ready at his hand Is a day of darkness.
He wandereth abroad for
bread
.... Either as a plunderer and robber
he roves about to increase
his worldly power and substance; or rather
being reduced to poverty
wanders
about from place to place
from door to door
to beg his bread; which is a
curse imprecated on the posterity of wicked men
Psalm 109:10;
saying
where is
it? where is bread to be had? where shall I go for it? where lives a
liberal man that will give it freely and generously? by this question it seems
as if it was difficult for such a man to get his bread by begging; he having
been cruel and oppressive to others
unkind and ungenerous in his time of
prosperity
now finds but few that care to relieve him; and indeed a man that
has not shown mercy to the indigent
when in his power to have relieved them
cannot expect mercy will be shown to him; this he does
wanders about
seeking
food
"wheresoever he is"F23So Noldius in Ebr. Concord.
Part. p. 87. :
he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand; either that a
day of affliction and adversity is coming upon him
perceiving his affairs to
grow worse and worse
or to be immediately and already on him
which obliges
him to wander about for bread; or that the day of death is at hand
which he is
made sensible of by one symptom or another; or rather it may be the day of
everlasting darkness in hell
the wrath of God to the uttermost he has
deserved; he finds the day of judgment is at hand
and the Judge at the door
and in a short time he must receive the reward of eternal vengeance for the
wicked deeds he has done; for so the words may be rendered
"that the day
of darkness is prepared by his hand"F24בידו
"suis factis"
Tigurine version; "per manum suam"
Schmidt.
; by the evil works his hand has wrought
and so has treasured up to himself
wrath against the day of wrath
and righteous judgment of God.
Job 15:24 24 Trouble and anguish make
him afraid; They overpower him
like a king ready for battle.
YLT
24Terrify him do adversity
and distress
They prevail over him As a king ready for a boaster.
Trouble and anguish shall
make him afraid
.... Either his present troubles shall frighten him
they being
so very dismal
terrible
and distressing
and make him fear that others were
coming on
more dreadful and formidable; or those troubles he fears will be his
portion hereafter
these terrify him beyond measure
even that indignation and
wrath
tribulation and anguish
that shall come upon every soul of man that
doeth evil
Romans 2:8;
they shall prevail against him as a king ready to the battle; that is
trouble and anguish shall prevail against him; he will be no more able to
resist them than a very inferior force
or even a single man
is able to resist
a warlike king
attended with a numerous army
and these set in battle array;
such a man's troubles will come upon him as an armed man
against which he
cannot stand; the Targum is
"they
shall surround him as a king prepared for a footstool;'
who
being taken by the enemy shall be used as a footstool to mount on horseback;
and as the word has the signification of a globe or ball
see Isaiah 22:18; some
think it has respect to the manner of kings
when taken captive
put into an
iron cage
as Bajazet was by Tamerlane; or into an iron hoop
bound hand and
foot
and hung up in chains; or
as Ben Gersom thinks
to the manner of
drowning persons
who used to be tied hand and foot
as if rolled up in the
form of a globe
and so cast into the water; but rather the reference is to an
army
besieging a place all around in the form of a ball or globe
so that
there is no escaping them; or rather it may be to a king drawing up his army in
such a form
ready to engage in battle; or putting it in such a position when
encamped or entrenched
waiting the motion of the enemy; see 1 Samuel 26:5; and
such are the troubles that surround and prevail against a wicked man
see Isaiah 29:3; the
reasons of the wicked man being brought into such a woeful condition follow.
Job 15:25 25 For he stretches out his
hand against God
And acts defiantly against the Almighty
YLT
25For he stretched out
against God his hand
And against the Mighty he maketh himself mighty.
For he stretched out his
hand against God
.... Being an hater of him
an enemy to him
yea
enmity itself
against him; an enemy in his mind
which appears by his wicked works
which are
so many acts of hostility against God; all sins are against God
his nature
his will
his law
and all his remonstrances
exhortations
cautions
and
instructions; but some are more daring and impudent than others
or are
committed in a more open
bold
and audacious manner
as were those committed
by the inhabitants of Sodom
and those who are similar to them; especially such
as strike at the being of God and his perfections
his providence and
government of the world; and such as deny these may most truly be said to
stretch out their hands against God
and strike at him: and this may regard not
only sins committed against the light of nature and the law of God
but against
the evangelic revelation
the doctrines of the Gospel
and the ordinances of
it; for such who deny the one
and reject the other
openly oppose themselves
to God
and expose themselves to his wrath and vengeance; for of how much sorer
punishment shall such be thought worthy
who trample Christ and his blood under
foot
despise and disobey his Gospel:
and strengtheneth himself against the Almighty; by hardening
his heart against him as Pharaoh did; by putting on a bold and brazen
countenance
by setting his mouth against God in heaven
and suffering
his
tongue to walk through the earth
fearing neither God nor man; by entering into
a friendship with the world
and making alliances with the enemies of God
even
by making a covenant with death
and an agreement with hell; all which is
egregious folly and madness: for a sinful man to oppose himself to God is to
set briers and thorns to a consuming fire; for a weak feeble creature to set
himself against the Almighty
who can crush him in a moment
and send him down
to hell
is the height of folly; let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of
the earth
but not man with his Maker; who ever strengthened or hardened
himself against him
and prospered?
Job 15:26 26 Running stubbornly against
Him With his strong
embossed shield.
YLT
26He runneth unto Him with a
neck
With thick bosses of his shields.
He runneth upon him
even
on his neck
.... As a fierce and furious enemy runs upon another with great
wrath and fury; as the he goat in Daniel's vision ran upon the ram
in the fury
of his power
that is
Alexander upon Darius; which instance Bar Tzemach refers
to; and as an adversary
who throws down his weapons
and goes in to closer
quarters
and takes his antagonist by the throat
or round the neck
in order
to throw him down to the ground; in such a bold and insolent manner does the
wicked man encounter with God; he makes up to him
and flies in his face
and
most audaciously attacks him: or he runs upon him "with his
neck"F25בצואר "erecto
collo"
V. L. Piscator; "duro collo"
Drusius
Michaelis;
"cum cervice"
Cocceius
Schmidt
Schultens. ; with a stretched out
neck
in the most haughty manner
with a neck like an iron sinew
and with a
brow like brass:
upon the thick bosses of his bucklers; alluding to
shields
embossed in the middle
where they are thicker than in the other
parts
and used to have a spike of iron set in the middle; so that it was
daring and dangerous to run upon them: these may design the perfections of God
denied by the wicked man; or his providential dispensations
despised by him;
or his purposes and decrees ridiculed
replied unto
and disputed; or the
flaming sword of justice
and the curses of a righteous law
in defiance of
which wicked men go on in sin: or "with the bosses of his bucklers"F26בעבי גבי מגניו
"cum erassitie umbonum clypeorum suorum"
Cocceius; so Schmidt
Michaelis
Schultens. ; with all his family
as Schmidt; or employing all his
wealth and riches
his power and authority
against God
and the interest of
religion in the world. Some understand this of God
meeting the wicked man
stretching out his hand
and strengthening himself against him
as if he
God
ran upon the wicked man
and upon his neck
and took him by it
and shook him; as
in Job 16:12; and upon
the thick bosses of his buckler
his bones and nerves
as Mr. Broughton; or on
his power and wealth
which are not able to secure him from the vengeance of
the Almighty; but the former sense seems best.
Job 15:27 27 “Though he has covered his
face with his fatness
And made his waist heavy with fat
YLT
27For he hath covered his
face with his fat
And maketh vigour over [his] confidence.
Because he covereth his
face with his fatness
.... He has no fear of God
nor shame for his sin; he blushes not
to rise up against God in the manner he does
because his eyes stand out with
fatness; or rather his face is covered with it
that is
he abounds in riches
he enjoys great prosperity
a large affluence of all good things; and this
makes him haughty and imperious
neither to fear God
nor regard man like
Jeshurun
who
when he "waxed fat
was grown thick
and covered
with fatness
kicked" against God
and his providences
sinned and
rebelled against him; "forsook God which made him
and lightly esteemed
the Rock of his salvation"
Deuteronomy 32:15;
and to the same purpose is the following clause:
and maketh collops of fat in his flanks; a description
of a very fat man
and one that pampers the flesh
and indulges himself in
eating and drinking; and
figuratively
of one that abounds in the good things
of this world
and which make him vain and proud
and lead him on to commit sin
in a bold and daring way
promising himself impunity in it
but without any
just ground for it
as the following verses show; perhaps some respect may be
had to Job's children feasting with one another in their prosperity
which led
on to sin
and issued in their ruin
as Eliphaz would suggest.
Job 15:28 28 He dwells in desolate
cities
In houses which no one inhabits
Which are destined to become ruins.
YLT
28And he inhabiteth cities
cut off
houses not dwelt in
That have been ready to become heaps.
And he dwelleth in
desolate cities
.... This is either a continuation of the account of the wicked
man's prosperity
which makes him haughty; such is his might and power
that he
destroys cities and palaces
built and enjoyed by others
and then out of the
ruins of them builds greater cities and more noble palaces
to perpetuate his
name to posterity; which sense agrees with Job 3:14; and with
the Targum
"and
he makes tabernacles in desert cities
that he may dwelt in houses which were
not inhabited;'
and
so Ben Gersom: and hence because of his success among men
and the grandeur he
lives in
his heart is lifted up
and his hand is stretched out against God; or
else this may express the sinful course of life such a man lives
who chooses
to dwell in desolate places
and deserts
to do harm to others
to seize upon
travellers as they pass by
and rob and plunder them of their substance
sitting and waiting for them in such places
as the Arabians in the wilderness
Jeremiah 3:2; which
is the sense of some
as Aben Ezra observes; or rather this points at the
punishment of the wicked man
who though for the present may be in great
prosperity
possessed of large cities and stately palaces
"yet" or
"but"F1So the Annotator of the Assembly of Divines.
for
so the particle may be rendered
"he dwelleth in desolate cities"; in
such as shall become desolate
being destroyed by a superior enemy
that shall
come upon him; or through his subjects forsaking him
not being able to bear
his tyranny and cruelty; or he shall be driven from his dominions by them
and
be obliged to fly
and dwell in desert places; or he shall choose to dwell
there
through the horrors of a guilty conscience; or
best of all
he shall be
reduced to such distress and poverty
that he shall not have a house fit to
dwell in; but "shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness
in a
salt land
and not inhabited"
Jeremiah 17:6; as
follows:
and in houses which no man
inhabiteth
which are ready to become heaps; such as have been
deserted by their former inhabitants
because come to decay
and ready to fall
down upon them
and become heaps of stones and rubbish.
Job 15:29 29 He will not be rich
Nor
will his wealth continue
Nor will his possessions overspread the earth.
YLT
29He is not rich
nor doth
his wealth rise
Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance.
He shall not be rich
.... Though
his heart is set upon it
he is determined at any rate to be rich; he labours
for it with all his might and main
and yet shall not attain what he is so
desirous of; many
who take a great deal of pains to be rich
and even in a
lawful way
and are men of understanding in trade and business
and yet riches
are not their portion; and some who got a great deal
yet do not grow rich;
what they get
they put into a bag of holes
and it drops through as fast as
they put in; what they get in one sinful way they consume in another
and so
are always poor; and others
though they have amassed together a vast
substance
yet still are but poor men
not using what they have either for
their own good
or the good of others; and not being content with what they
have
but always craving more
and so are even poor in their own account
not
having what they would have: however
such a man is not rich towards God; for
in godly and spiritual things he is destitute of the true riches of grace
and
has no title to the riches of glory; and as for his earthly riches
these shall
not endure; though he may be rich for the present
he will not be always so;
And this sense the next clause confirms:
neither shall his substance continue; or "his
strength"F2חילו "ejus
robur"
Mercerus; "potentia ejus"
Drusius. his power and might
a rich man's wealth being his strong city
in which he places his trust and
confidence; riches are called "substance"
though their are but a
shadow
yea
mere nonentities
things that are not
in comparison of heavenly
things; see Proverbs 23:5; at
least they are not an enduring substance; they are uncertain things
here
today
and gone tomorrow; that make themselves wings
and fly away from the owners
of them; or they are taken away front them
and are not like the riches of
grace
which are durable riches; or like those of glory; but by one means or
another are taken out of the hands of the possessors of them
and they are
reduced to poverty: and this "their substance shall not rise"; or
rather
"not rise again"F3לא יקום "neque resurgent opes ejus"
Schmidt.
as
the word may be rendered; notwithstanding all the pains they may take
their
substance shall not rise
grow
and increase; or not rise up to the former
heights it did
but being fallen into poverty there they lie:
neither shall he prolong the perfection of it upon the earth; though
indeed
there is no perfection in the creature
nor in creature enjoyments
nor
in outward riches and substance; such as have had the largest share of them
as
David and Solomon
have declared they have seen an end of all perfection
and
that all things
the highest enjoyments
are vanity and vexation of spirit; yet
when men are got to the summit
and height
and perfection of outward
happiness
as they or others may think
this is not prolonged
or continued
long in the earth
or they continued in it; but often are suddenly cast down
from the pinnacle of honour
wealth
and riches; hence some render the words
"and their prosperity shall not be fixed into the earth"F4ולא יטה לארץ
מנלם "nec mittet in terra radicem suam"
V.
L. "et non pangetur in terram prosperitas eorum"
Schultens. ; shall
not take root
though it may seem to do
Jeremiah 12:2; and
so shall not spread itself as a tree well rooted does; and as does the
spiritual prosperity
perfection
and fullness of good men
which they have in
and by Christ; being rooted in the love of God
in the grace of Christ
and
having the root of the matter in them
they cast forth their roots as Lebanon
and their branches spread
and they are full of the fruits and blessings of
grace
Hosea 14:5.
Job 15:30 30 He will not depart from
darkness; The flame will dry out his branches
And by the breath of His mouth
he will go away.
YLT
30He turneth not aside from
darkness
His tender branch doth a flame dry up
And he turneth aside at the
breath of His mouth!
He shall not depart out of
darkness
.... Out of the darkness of poverty
calamity
and distress he
comes into
and
indeed
he despairs of it himself
as in Job 15:22; and in a
spiritual sense he departs not out of the darkness of sin
out of the dark
state of unregeneracy; nor will he depart out of the blackness and darkness
reserved for him hereafter
when he is once come into it:
the flame shall dry up his branches; alluding either to a
violent drought and heat
which dries up pastures
herbs
and trees
and the
branches of them; or to a wind
as the Septuagint
a burning wind
in the
eastern countries
which consumed all green things; or to a flash of lightning
which shatters
strips
and destroys branches of trees: here it may signify the
wrath of God
like a flame of fire consuming the wealth and substance
and
families
of wicked men; whose children particularly may be compared to
branches
and so respect may be had to Job's children
who were suddenly
destroyed by a violent wind
which threw down the house in which they were:
and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away; out of the
world
a phrase expressive of death; either because of the breath of his own
mouth
as some in Jarchi
because of his blasphemies against God and his
people
because of his cursing and swearing his mouth is full of
and the many
vain
foolish
and idle words which come out of it
and for which he will be
condemned; or rather
"by
the breath of the mouth of God
'
as
the Targum; either according to his purpose and decree
and by his order
and
the word that goes out of his mouth; the wicked man shall be obliged to depart
out of the world at once
being struck dead by him
as Ananias and Sapphira
were; or by his powerful wrath and vengeance
whose breath is as a stream of
brimstone
and with which he will slay the wicked of the earth
and
particularly will consume the wicked one
antichrist
even with the spirit of
his mouth
and with the brightness of his coming
Isaiah 11:4.
Job 15:31 31 Let him not trust in
futile things
deceiving himself
For futility will be his reward.
YLT
31Let him not put credence in
vanity
He hath been deceived
For vanity is his recompence.
Let not him that is
deceived trust in vanity
.... Every wicked man is deceived
either by Satan
who deceives
the whole world
deceived our first parents
and deceives all their posterity
not only profane sinners
but many professors of religion also; or by their own
hearts
which are deceitful and desperately wicked; or through the
deceitfulness of sin
which promises profit
pleasure
and liberty
and issues
in ruin
pain
and bondage; and through the deceitfulness of riches
which
promise that satisfaction they do not give: and such as are deceived in this
manner are prone to trust in vanity; in men
who in every state
high or low
are altogether vanity; and in creature enjoyments
in outward riches and
wealth
which are all vanity and vexation of spirit; and in their own hearts
and the vanity of their minds
which to do is extreme folly; and in their
righteousness and external privileges
which will be of no service to them
as
to their acceptance with God
and eternal happiness; and therefore trust in
whatsoever is vain and empty
and affords no solid satisfaction
real pleasure
and advantage
is here dehorted from; unless the words will be allowed to be
justly rendered
as I think they may
"trust not in him that is deceived
by vanity"F5בשוא נתעה
"per vanitatem deceptus"
Beza; so Tigurine version. ; by any of the
above vain things
since he must himself be a vain man
and therefore not to be
confided in; to which sense the Targum inclines;
"he
will not (or should not) believe in a son of man (or in a man)
who errs
through falsehood;'
the
reason dissuading from it follows:
for vanity shall be his recompence; all that a man gets by
trusting in vanity
or by trusting in a man deceived
is nothing but emptiness
and vanity; he gets nothing solid and substantial
that will be of any
advantage to him here or hereafter; and yet this he will not easily believe;
and so Beza reads the words
"he that is deceived by vanity will not
believe that vanity shall be his recompence".
Job 15:32 32 It will be accomplished
before his time
And his branch will not be green.
YLT
32Not in his day is it
completed
And his bending branch is not green.
It shall be accomplished
before his time
Either the recompence or reward of his trusting vanity
in vain
persons or things
the punishment of such a trust
the sorrows and troubles
following upon it; these shall come upon the wicked man "before his
day"F6בלא יומו
"ante diem suam"
Vatablus
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
as
it may be rendered; before the day of his death
even before his old age;
before the evil days come in a course of nature
and those years in which he
has no pleasure: or his life
and the days of his life
"shall be filled
up"F7תמלא "complebitur"
Montanus; "implebitur"
Schultens. ; or be at an end before his time;
not before the time fixed in the decree and purpose of God
Job 14:5; but
before his own time
that he and his friends thought he might have lived
and
as his healthful constitution promised; or before the then common term of human
life; and so the phrase is expressive or an immature death:
and his branch shall not be green; but dried up and wither
away; his wealth and riches
his children and family
be utterly extinct;
instead of being like a branch
green and flourishing
shall be like a dry
stick
useless and unprofitable
only fit for burning; see Job 15:30.
Job 15:33 33 He will shake off his
unripe grape like a vine
And cast off his blossom like an olive tree.
YLT
33He shaketh off as a vine
his unripe fruit
And casteth off as an olive his blossom.
He shall shake off his
unripe grape as the vine
.... Either the wicked man himself shall shake off or lose his
substance; or God shall shake off from him all that was dear and valuable to
him; or he shall be shaken by one providence or another
just as a vine is
shaken by a violent wind and tempest
and its unripe grapes are battered off by
an hailstorm
or plucked off by the hand
or drop off through rottenness; so it
is signified by this metaphor
that a wicked man should be stripped of his
wealth and riches in a sudden manner; or his children should be snatched from
him in their youth
before they were well grown up to maturity
and so like the
unripe grape; perhaps respect is had to Job's case
both with regard to his
substance and his family:
and shall cast off his flower
as the olive: which tree
when shaken in a violent manner
drops its flower
and so brings forth no
fruit; it is observed by naturalistsF8Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 16. c. 25.
l. 17. c. 2. 24.
that these two trees
the vine and the olive
flourish much
about the same time
and suffer much by storms and tempests
which destroy
their fruits
and especially when rain falls in the time of their flowering; the
some thing is intended in this clause as in the former.
Job 15:34 34 For the company of
hypocrites will be barren
And fire will consume the tents of bribery.
YLT
34For the company of the
profane [is] gloomy
And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.
For the congregation of
hypocrites shall be desolate
.... Hypocrites are such
who seem to and would be thought to be
what they are not; they are outwardly
righteous before men
but inwardly very wicked; have a form of godliness
but
are destitute the power of it
2 Timothy 3:5;
pretend to much religion
and to be worshippers of God
when it is only in
outward appearances
and not in reality and sincerity: and such as these have
been in the congregations of the righteous
in all ages; but here Eliphaz
speaks of a congregation of them
a society
a family of them; and very
probably has his eye upon Job's
and would represent hereby that he
the head
of his family
and his children
when living
and his servants and associates
were all hypocrites
and now become desolate
reduced to want and poverty
and
in distressed circumstances: or were "solitary"F9 and
alone
as the word is rendered in Job 3:7; destitute
of friends
and of the comforts of life; and perhaps reference may be had to
the future state of such
when they shall aloud be bid to depart from God
have
no society with angels and saints
but shall have their portion with those of
the same character with them
hypocrites
in the highest degree of torment and
misery
Matthew 24:51;
and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery; either such
tents
or houses
as were built with money taken as bribes; see Habakkuk 2:12; or
where such who received bribes dwelt; unjust judges
who took a gift that
blinds the eyes
to pervert justice. Job is afterwards by Eliphaz represented
as if he was an oppressor
a wicked magistrate
and guilty of such like crimes
as here pointed at
Job 22:6; and the
"fire" said to consume the dwelling places of such may be understood
either of material fire
such as came down from heaven
and destroyed Job's
sheep
Job 1:16; or
figuratively
the wrath of God often compared to fire
which would appear in
one way or another
to the utter ruin of such persons
their habitations
and
those that dwelt in them.
"solitarium"
Montanus; and to the same sense Vatablus
Beza
Tigurine version
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius
Cocceius.
Job 15:35 35 They conceive trouble and
bring forth futility; Their womb prepares deceit.”
YLT
35To conceive misery
and to
bear iniquity
Even their heart doth prepare deceit.
They conceive mischief
.... That is
such wicked persons as before described; they meditate sin in their minds
and
contrive how to commit it
and form schemes within themselves to do mischief to
others:
forth vanity; or sin; for lust when it is conceived
bringeth forth sin
and that is vanity
an empty thing
and neither yields
profit nor pleasure in the issue
but that which is useless and unserviceable
yea
harmful and ruinous; for sin
when it is finished
bringeth forth death
even death eternal
James 1:14;
and their belly prepareth deceit; their inward part frames
and devises that which is designed to deceive others
and in the end proves
deceitful to themselves: the allusion is to a pregnant woman
or rather to one
who seems to be so
and whose conception proves abortive
and so deceives and
disappoints herself and others; see Psalm 7:14.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)