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Job Chapter
Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 18
In
this chapter is Bildad's second reply to Job
in which he falls with great fury
upon him
very sharply inveighs against him
and very highly charges him; the
charges he brings against him are talkativeness and inattention to what was
said to him
Job 18:1; contempt
of his friends
impatience under his affliction
and pride and arrogance
as if
the whole world
the course of nature and providence
and God himself all must
give way to him
Job 18:3;
nevertheless
he is assured of the miserable state of a wicked man
sooner or
later
which is described by the extinction of his light of prosperity
Job 18:5; by the
defeat of his counsels
being ensnared in a net laid for him
Job 18:7; by the
terrible judgments of the sword
famine
and pestilence
by one or the other of
which he is brought to death
the king of terrors
Job 18:11; by the
destruction of his habitation and of his posterity
so that he has none to hear
his name
or perpetuate his memory
Job 18:15; by his
being driven out of the world
leaving no issue behind him
to the astonishment
of all that knew him
Job 18:18; and the
chapter is closed with this observation
that this is the common case of wicked
and irreligious persons
Job 18:21.
Job 18:1 Then
Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
YLT
1And Bildad the Shuhite
answereth and saith: --
Then answered Bildad the Shuhite
and said. Who
next to
Eliphaz
spoke before
and now in his turn attacks Job a second time
and more
roughly and severely than before; now he gives him no advice or counsel
nor
any instructions and exhortations for his good
nor suggests that it might be
better times with him again
as he had done before; but only heaps up charges
against him
and describes the miserable circumstances of a wicked man
as near
to Job's as he could; thereby endeavouring to confirm his former position
that
wicked men are punished of God
and to have this conclusion drawn from it
that
Job must needs be a wicked man
since he was so greatly afflicted.
Job 18:2 2 “How long till you
put an end to words? Gain understanding
and afterward we will speak.
YLT
2When do ye set an end to
words? Consider ye
and afterwards do we speak.
How long will it be ere ye make an end of words?.... Because
these words are expressed the plural number
some think more persons than one
are addressed
either Eliphaz and Job together
who are complained of as taking
up all the time
and having all the talk to themselves
that another could
scarce put in a word; Bildad could say this with a better grace
because his
discourses were but short; or else all his friends
whom he blames for not
stopping Job's mouth at once
and for lengthening out the dispute with him; as
if he should say
why are you so complaisant to him
to wait till he has done
speaking
before you reply? why do not you
without any ceremony
interrupt
him
and not suffer him to go on with his prate
a man that is so insufferably
rude as to reckon us all as beasts? and to what purpose is it to talk to such a
man
that is so hardened and incorrigible
so proud and conceited? it is all
labour in vain
and mere beating the air; it is high time to have done talking
and to put an end to the dispute
when things are such a pass with him as they
are: or else the words are directed to Job
and his friends that were with him
who might now and then speak a word in his behalf
though their words are not
recorded; or
however
by their looks or gestures might show their approbation
of Job's defences: that there were others present besides Job and his three
friends
it is probable; yea
it is certain that Elihu was present all the
while
but he was not altogether of Job's mind; nor does it appear that he had
any to take his part
for his brethren
acquaintance
kinsfolk
and familiar
friends
stood at a distance from him
and his maids and menservants used him
ill; and even his own wife was not very kind to him
as he declares in the
following chapter; wherefore it seems best of all to understand these words as
spoken to Job alone
the plural being used for the singular
according to the
idiom of the tongue in which they were spoken
and so are a charge of loquacity
against him for talking too much
and too long
unless it had been to better
purpose; and in like manner Bildad begins his first reply to Job
Job 8:2; a late
interpreter renders the words
"how long will you lay snares with
words"F5Schultens. ? use cautious words
set snares with words
to catch
lie upon the catch
and lay hold upon a word
and improve it to
disadvantage
which is imprudently or inadvertently dropped:
mark
and afterwards we will speak; or "let us
speak"F6ואהר נדבר
"et postea loquamur"
Piscator
Mercerus
Cocceius. ; after we have
well considered things
got a right understanding of them
and thoroughly
digested them
and have well concerted things
and have thought very closely
what reply to make to them; and so the words are a tacit reflection of Bildad's
on his other two friends
that they spoke before they thought
and therefore
some things impertinently
which Job took the advantage of against them;
wherefore it would be right
for the future
to mark and consider things well
beforehand
and then speak
as they then would with greater propriety
and more
to the purpose: public speakers especially
or such who are engaged in public
service
or in a public dispute
should meditate beforehand what to say
lest
they deliver what is crude and undigested
and may be turned against them. Our
Lord indeed directed his disciples
when called before kings and
governors for
his sake
not to premeditate what they should answer; but that was an
extraordinary case
and they were promised to have extraordinary assistance
whereby some great ends were to be answered
the confusion of their enemies
and
the confirmation of the Christian religion. But the words seem rather directed
to Job
and to carry in them a charge of inattention to what was said to him by
his friends; and therefore Bildad exhorts him to mark and observe what they
said to him
to listen attentively to that
and well consider it
and then it
would be an encouragement to them to proceed in discoursing with him. Job is
represented like some hearers
that stop their ears to the voice of the charmer
charming ever so wisely; or that are careless and inattentive to what they
hear
and let it pass
and never think of it more; whereas hearers of the word
should be swift to hear
and listen with attention
and take care that they let
not slip what they have heard
and that they meditate upon it in order to get
instruction by it
and when they hear in such a manner it is? a encouragement
to speak; or else the sense is
"act wisely"F7תבינו "diserte agatis"
Schultens.
like an
honest man
and show yourself to be a wise man
a man of understanding
that
well weighs and considers things
and rightly takes them in
and receives
instruction by them
and talks like a sensible man: "then afterwards we
will speak"; or otherwise
if you go on to talk in the foolish manner you
do
it is to no purpose to carry on the dispute; the best way is to put an end
to it at once.
Job 18:3 3 Why are we counted as
beasts
And regarded as stupid in your sight?
YLT
3Wherefore have we been
reckoned as cattle? We have been defiled in your eyes!
Wherefore are we counted as beasts
.... This seems to refer
to Job 12:7; where Job
sends them to the beasts
to get knowledge and instruction; and therefore it
was concluded he reckoned them as such
and put them on a level with them
yea
made them inferior to them; or to Job 17:4; where
they are represented as destitute of wisdom and understanding
and therefore it
is supposed were counted by Job no other than as beasts. Man
by the fall
is
indeed become like them
and some are more brutish than they
and all are
brutish as to spiritual knowledge and understanding; and those that are most
sensible of themselves are ready to acknowledge their ignorance
that they are
more brutish than any
and especially are as a beast before God; and particularly
with respect to knowledge of the methods of Providence
in regard to his
dealings with the righteous and wicked; see Psalm 73:22; and
which was the case in controversy between Job and his friends; but yet
self-sufficient persons do not care to have their understandings in anything
called in question
but like the Pharisees say
"are we blind also?" John 9:40; and take
it very hard that they should be reckoned like beasts
void of understanding
when they are the people
and wisdom will die with them:
and reputed vile in your
sight? as wicked and profligate persons
the most abandoned of mankind
such as are justly despised by good men
see Psalm 15:4; or
"unclean"F8נטמינו
"immundi"
Drusius
Piscator
Michaelis; so Broughton.
filthy
polluted
and defiled
as all men are by nature
and as they are in all the
powers and faculties of their souls; nor can they make themselves clean
their
hearts or their hands; nothing short of the grace of God
and blood of Christ
can cleanse from sin; yet self-righteous persons think themselves clean and
pure when they are not washed from their sins
and take it ill of others to be
reputed unclean persons: or "shut"F9"Clausi
sumu"
Montanus; "obturati sumus"
Hebraei
in Mercer.
stopped
up
as the hearts of men are from God and Christ
and the true knowledge of
them
and divine things
until opened by him who has the key of the house of
David
and opens
and no man shuts; or "hidden"F11So the
Targum.
referring to Job 17:4; having a
covering over their hearts
and a vail over the eyes of their understandings
so that the things of Providence were hid from them
as sometimes the things of
grace are from the wise and prudent; but to be thought that this was their case
is resented by Bildad.
Job 18:4 4 You who tear yourself in
anger
Shall the earth be forsaken for you? Or shall the rock be removed from
its place?
YLT
4(He is tearing himself in
his anger.) For thy sake is earth forsaken? And removed is a rock from its
place?
He teareth himself in his anger
.... Or "his
soul"F12נפשו "animam suam"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c.
meaning Job
and referring to what he had said in
Job 16:9; Now
says
Bildad
it is neither God nor man that tears you
it is you yourself;
representing Job as a madman
rending his clothes
tearing his flesh
and even
his very soul; for by his passion which he expressed
whether to God or his
friends
it did himself the most hurt
he broke his peace
and spoiled his comfort
and ruined his health
and made himself the most unhappy of mankind
by giving
vent to his passion
to his wrath and anger
which slays and a man
Job 5:2; here a
charge of impatience is suggested
contrary to the character even of Job
James 5:11;
shall the earth be forsaken for thee? through fear
of thee
because of thy rage and fury; dost thou think that the inhabitants of
the earth will flee before thee
at thy storming
rage
and wrath? before God
none can stand when he is angry: there is no abiding his indignation when his
fury is poured out like fire
and persons of the greatest rank will flee to the
rocks and mountains to hide them from his face and fury; but what dost thou
think
or make thyself to be
to be as Deity
that the inhabitants of the earth
should flee fore thee
and forsake it? or when thou diest
dost thou think that
all the inhabitants of the earth will die with thee
and so it will be forsaken
for thy sake? taking the hint from what Job had said
Job 17:16; or dost
thou think thyself a man of so much importance and consequence in the earth
that when thou diest there will not be a man left of any worth and notice
that
all might as well die with thee? or will God drop the government of the world
on thy account? will he no more employ his care and providence in concerning
himself in the affairs of the world
but let all things go as they will
and so
the earth
as to his providential regards to it
be forsaken for thy sake? will
God neither do good to good men
nor punish bad men? which must be the case
according to thy doctrine; but will God counteract this method of his
providence
he has always taken in the earth
that thou mayest appear not to be
an evil man
as might be concluded from thine afflictions
but a good man
notwithstanding them?
and shall the rock be removed out of his place? which is not
usual
nor can it be done by man; it may be done by God
who touches the
mountains
and they smoke
and at whose presence they drop and move
as Sinai
did
and as the mountains and hills will flee away at the presence of the Judge
of all the earth
when he appears; but no such phenomenon can be expected upon
the presence and sight of a man; much less can God himself
who is often called
a Rock
and is immovable
unalterable
and unchangeable in his nature
perfections
purposes
and the counsels of his will
be made to act contrary to
either of them
Deuteronomy 32:4;
nor will he do it for the sake of any man; he does all things after the counsel
of his own will; he takes a constant course in Providence
in the government of
the world
canst thou think that he will go out of his usual way for thy sake
in punishing wicked men
and rewarding good men? you may as soon imagine that a
rock will be removed out of its place as the ordinary course of Providence will
be altered on thy account; to suppose this is presumption
pride
and
arrogance
which is what Bildad means to fasten upon Job.
Job 18:5 5 “The light of the wicked
indeed goes out
And the flame of his fire does not shine.
YLT
5Also
the light of the
wicked is extinguished. And there doth not shine a spark of his fire.
Yea
the light of the wicked shall be put out
.... Or
"nevertheless"F13גם
"attamen
nihilominus"
Cocceius
Schultens; so the Targum. ;
notwithstanding all this disregard and inattention to us
and contempt of us
and all the rage
and wrath
and pride
and haughtiness discovered
as if the
laws of nature
and stated methods of Providence
must all give way to justify
a man in such circumstances as show him to be wicked; this will certainly be
his case
his "light shall be put out"; meaning not the light of his
eyes
or his corporeal light
which sometimes has been the case of wicked men
as was of the Sodomites
since this
through accident
or old age
is common to
good and bad then; but rather moral light
the light of nature
with which
every man is enlightened that comes into the world; by which he can discern
things natural and civil
and in some degree things moral and religious
though
in a very dim manner; and which
when it is abused
may be taken away
and men
be given up to judicial blindness
and to a reprobate mind
a mind void of
sense and judgment. Cocceius thinks light of doctrine may be intended
speculative and notional light and knowledge of divine things
as of God
and
his perfections
which may be more clearly discerned by revelation than by the
light of nature; and of Christ
his person
offices
and grace; and of the
Gospel
and each of the doctrines of it
which men may be enlightened into
and
yet be wicked men
as Balsam
and others; which knowledge may be lost
and
light put out
as in the man that had but one talent
and neglected it
and in
the idle shepherd
Matthew 25:29; to
which may be added the light of joy
or a flash of natural affections that
sometimes is to be observed in hypocritical persons
or notional professors
which in time is lost
and comes to nothing
as in Herod and the stony ground
hearers
Mark 6:20; but as
for the true spiritual light
and experimental knowledge
that can never be
lost or put out
but shines more and more unto the perfect day: but it seems
best by "light" here to understand outward prosperity
for as
darkness is often put for adversity
so light for prosperity in civil things
see Esther 8:16; but
then
though this in wicked men is often put out
and they are reduced to
distressed circumstances
yet not always; and it sometimes is the case of good
men
and was the case of Job
which Bildad had his eye upon
see Job 29:2;
and the spark of his fire shall not shine; all his
carnal reasonings
the effects of the light of nature
and all his schemes
especially religious ones built upon them
shall all come to nothing
and be of
no effect or use unto him
see Isaiah 50:11; or
the sense is
that he shall be reduced to so low a condition in things civil
that he shall have no light nor heat
nor joy and comfort
in this sense; no
not so much as a spark of outward happiness shall be left him.
Job 18:6 6 The light is dark in his
tent
And his lamp beside him is put out.
YLT
6The light hath been dark in
his tent
And his lamp over him is extinguished.
The light shall the dark in his tabernacle
.... Not the
light of the eye
in the tabernacle of his body
rather the light of nature and
reason in him; and when that "light that is in a man becomes
darkness"
as our Lord says
"how great is that
darkness!" Matthew 6:23; but best
of all it designs the light of prosperity in his house and family
which should
be quite obscured:
and his candle shall be put out with him; which
sometimes signifies the spirit of man
his rational soul
called "the
candle of the Lord"
Proverbs 20:27;
which
though it dies not when man dies
yet its light is extinct with respect
to the things of this life
and all its thoughts and reasonings are no more about
civil matters
and the affairs of this world; in that sense this light is put
out
and those thoughts perish with him
Psalm 146:4; but
more frequently it is used for outward prosperity
which if it continues with a
man as long as he lives
as it often does
yet
when he dies
it ceases and is
no more; it does not descend with him into the grave
and he cannot carry it
into another world
but it is put out in "obscure darkness"; see Job 21:17.
Job 18:7 7 The steps of his strength
are shortened
And his own counsel casts him down.
YLT
7Straitened are the steps of
his strength
And cast him down doth his own counsel.
The steps of his strength shall be straitened
.... As a man
in health can take large and strong steps
and travel in the greatness of his
strength; so in prosperity he can and does take large steps in obtaining fame
and reputation among men
in amassing substance to himself
and towards
settling his family in the world; he is like one in a large place
and walks at
liberty
goes in and out at pleasure
and none can control him; he walks in
pride
and with an high and lifted up head
and with contempt of others
and
his will is his law
and he does as he pleases; but in adversity
as his
strength is weakened in the way
he cannot take the strides he did
his way is
hedged up with thorns
he is pressed on every side
and surrounded with
troubles
so that
let him turn himself which way he will
he can find no way
to escape:
and his own counsel shall cast him down; as
Ahithophel's and Haman's did
which issued in their ruin
2 Samuel 17:23;
what wicked men sometimes plot and devise
with a view to their own good
and
the injury of others
proves the destruction of themselves; when they have
contrived to raise themselves upon the ruins of others
it has been the means
of casting them down from the state and condition they were in
instead of
raising to an higher
even down to desolation
and into the most miserable
circumstances.
Job 18:8 8 For he is cast into a net
by his own feet
And he walks into a snare.
YLT
8For he is sent into a net
by his own feet
And on a snare he doth walk habitually.
For he is cast into a net by his own feet
.... He goes
into it of himself
incautious and imprudent; the counsels
schemes
and
methods he takes to hurt others
issue in his own ruin; the pit he digs for
them
he falls and sinks into himself; and the net which he has spread and hid
for others
in it is his own foot taken; and the ways and means he takes to do
himself good
to amass riches and advance his family
being illicit ones
prove
snares and nets unto him
those leading him into many foolish and hurtful
lusts
which bring him to perdition
Psalm 9:15; even
the various sins and transgressions he commits are snares unto him
by which he
is enticed and drawn in: for in "the transgression of an evil man there is
a snare"
Proverbs 29:6;
these promise him peace
and pleasure
and liberty
but give neither; they are
nets in which he is entangled
and cords by which he is held
Psalm 9:15; into
which his own feet carry him: some render it
"he goes with a net at his
feet"F14כי שלח
ברשת ברגליו "nam it
cum reti in pedibus suis"
Cocceius.
or with his feet in a net; he
cannot go where he would
or do as he pleases; he is restrained by the
providence of God; as the devils are held in chains
so the feet of wicked men
are entangled in a net
that they cannot move and act as they are desirous of:
and he walketh upon a snare: laid for him
and hidden
to him
and therefore walks on boldly and unconcerned
not being apprehensive
of any danger
though greatly exposed to it; he walks on as on firm and good
ground
and in a broad road
but destruction and misery are in his ways; yet he
walks on of himself willingly
and with all his strength
pleasing himself in
the path he treads
not dreaming of the mischief that awaits him; or "upon
a thicket"F15על שבכה
"in perplexo"
Cocceius. of thorns and briers
his sins and
iniquities with which he is entangled
and out of which he cannot extricate
himself
or afflictive providences with which his way is hedged up; though the
former sense seems best; Mr. Broughton renders it
"a platted gin".
Job 18:9 9 The net takes him
by the heel
And a snare lays hold of him.
YLT
9Seize on the heel doth a
gin
Prevail over him do the designing.
The gin shall take him by the heel
.... And hold
him fast
so that he shall not be able to get away
especially out of such as
are set by God himself; for God has his nets
and snares
and gins for wicked
men
and such plenty of them
that he even is said to rain them on them; yea
he himself is a gin and a snare unto them
and out of his hands there is no
escaping
wherefore it is a terrible thing to fall into them
see Ezekiel 12:13;
and the robber shall prevail
against him; either robbers literally taken
such as the Sabeans and
Chaldeans
to whom Bildad may have reference
who prevailed against Job
and
plundered him of his substance; and such as these
as the word signifies
are
"thirsty ones"F16צמים
"sitibundos"
Montanus; "sitibundus"
Tigurine version.
who thirst after the wealth and riches of men
and after their blood for the
sake thereof
bloodthirsty ones; Mr. Broughton renders it
"the
savage"
barbarous
wild
and uncivilized
that lived in desert places
and were like wild beasts
let their hair grow long
to make them look more
terrible and formidable
which some take to be the signification of the word
and render it "horrid"F17"Horridus"
Junius
& Tremellius
Cocceius
Schmidt. or terrible; see Gill on Job 5:5; or else
the devil may be meant
who is like a roaring lion
terrible and frightful
and
who
as he was a murderer from the beginning
so a thief and robber
that comes
to kill and destroy
and whom God suffers to prevail over the children of
disobedience
and in whom he works powerfully
being the strong man armed
that
has possession of them and their goods
and keeps them in peace; and who has
his snares
which he lays suited to the tempers and dispositions of men
and in
which they are taken alive
as beasts of prey
and are detained by him at his
pleasure
2 Timothy 2:26.
Job 18:10 10 A noose is hidden
for him on the ground
And a trap for him in the road.
YLT
10Hidden in the earth is his
cord
And his trap on the path.
The snare is laid for him in the ground
.... Or
"hidden"F18טמון
"absconditus"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
&c. there; for
as Solomon says
"in vain the net is spread in sight
of any bird"
Proverbs 1:17; and
in vain it is to lay a snare publicly in the sight or creature
it will not
then come near it
but shun and avoid it; and therefore it is laid underground
or hid in the earth
or in some private place
where the creature it is
designed for may be thought to come
or into which it is decoyed; or "the
cord"F19חבלו "funis ejus"
Montanus
Tigurine version
Mercerus
Drusius
Cocceius
Schmidt.
that which
is fastened to the snare or net
and which the fowler holds in his hand
and
pulls with; as he finds occasion and opportunity offers; but this is hid as
much as possible
that it may not be seen:
and a trap for him in the way; in which he is used to
walk
by the roadside
or in it; Mr. Broughton renders it
"a pitfall on
the wayside"
such as is dug for beasts to fall into and be taken. The
whole of this is designed to show how suddenly and secretly wicked men are
taken in nets
and snares
and gins
either of their own or others laying
and
while they are crying "Peace
peace
sudden destruction comes upon
them"; see Ecclesiastes 9:12.
Job 18:11 11 Terrors frighten him on
every side
And drive him to his feet.
YLT
11Round about terrified him
have terrors
And they have scattered him -- at his feet.
Terrors shall make him afraid on every side
.... Make him
a "Magormissabib"
or "terror on every side"
as Pashur was
a terror to himself
Jeremiah 20:3
and
all his friends about him; these terrors may be either the terrors of the
judges of the earth upon wicked men
who are
or should be
a terror to
evildoers
and of whom wicked men are afraid
lest they should be taken and
punished by them; to this sense is the note of Sephorno: or else the terrors of
a guilty conscience
which drive a man to his wits' end
that he knows not what
to do
nor whither to go; these terrify him night and day
and make an hell
upon earth unto him; or the terrors of the righteous law of God broken by him
its menaces and curses threatening him with death and everlasting damnation; or
the terrors of the judgments of God on earth
which by their forerunners appear
to be coming on it
by reason of which men's hearts fail for fear of them; or terrible
apprehensions of the wrath of God for sin
here and hereafter
together with
the terrors of death
which fall upon them
and of an awful judgment yet to
come. Now Bildad had observed
that Job had said some things concerning the
terrors he was sometimes possessed of
Job 6:4; and
therefore would suggest from hence that he must be a wicked man
since this is
the case of such; but it is easy to observe that good men are sometimes
surrounded with terrors as well as others
so that this is no proof of a man's
character and state
see Psalm 88:15;
and shall drive him to his feet; to take to his feet and
run
in order to get rid of his terrors if possible
but in vain; these cause
him not to run to God
to his feet
to the throne and footstool of his grace
but from him
to the rocks and mountains to hide him from his wrath
though
there is no going from his spirit
nor fleeing from his presence; and terrors
will also have such an effect upon wielded men as to cause them to flee from
men
as in Cain
who not only went
from the presence of the Lord
but from the
society of men
and became a fugitive and vagabond
and afraid of everyone he
met with
lest he should kill him; and sometimes wicked men flee when none
pursue
and even at the sound of shaking leaf
Proverbs 28:1; or
"shall scatter him at his feet"F20הפצהו
"dispergent eum"
Pagninus
Montanus
Beza
Mercerus
Piscator
Schmidt.
either at the feet of the robber
or cause him to fall to the
ground
in the place where his feet stood. Mr. Broughton renders it
"shall press him at his feet"
shall follow at his heels
and keep
close to him wherever he goes
and overtake and seize him.
Job 18:12 12 His strength is starved
And
destruction is ready at his side.
YLT
12Hungry is his sorrow
And
calamity is ready at his side.
His strength shall be hungerbitten
.... Or "shall be
famine"F21רעב "fames"
Beza.
or hunger
that is
shall be weakened by it; famine is a sore evil
and
greatly weakens thee natural strength of men; want of food will soon bring down
the strength of the strongest man
when the stay and the staff
the sustenance
and support of man's nature is taken from him: many of the Jewish writers
by
"his strength"
understand his children
who are
as Jacob said of
Reuben
his might
and the beginning of his strength
Genesis 49:3; and
when grown up are his protection and defence; and for these to be distressed
with hunger
or destroyed by famine
is a sore judgment; so the Targum
paraphrases it
his firstborn son; Jarchi interprets it
his son; and Ben
Gersom
his seed or offspring:
and destruction shall be ready at his side; or "to
his rib"F23לצלעו "costae
ejus"
Montanus
Vatablus
Grotius
Schultens. ; that is
his wife
as the
Targum and Jarchi explain it
the Jews calling a man's wife his rib
because
the woman was originally made out of one of the ribs of man; and if this could
be thought to be the sense of the word here
and what is given by them of the
former clause
both make up a complete account of the destruction of a wicked
man's family
his wife and children: but rather it signifies some calamity
distress
and trouble at hand
ready prepared for wicked men
just going to be
inflicted on them; for God has stores of vengeance for them
and has made ready
his bow
and prepared instruments and arrows of death and destruction for them
as well as there is everlasting fire prepared
and blackness of darkness
reserved for them in the world to come; for it can hardly be thought that this
should be understood literally of any disease in the side
as the pleurisy
&c. which is threatening
or any mortal wound or stab there
such as Joab
gave Amass under the fifth rib.
Job 18:13 13 It devours patches of his
skin; The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
YLT
13It consumeth the parts of
his skin
Consume his parts doth death's first-born.
It shall devour the strength of his skin
.... Or
"the bars of his skin"F24בדי עורו "vectes cutis suae"
Tigurine version
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Schultens
Michaelis.
the strength and support
of his body
for which his skin may be put
as the bones; or "the branches
of his skin"F25"Ramos cutis"
Montanus
Vatablus
Drusius
Mercerus
Schmidt; "ramos corporis ipsius"
Cocceius.
the
veins
which like so many branches run under
and may be seen through the skin:
now these
it
famine
or want of food
devours
and destroys the strength and
beauty of the skin
cause it to be black like an oven
Lamentations 4:8;
bring a man to a mere skeleton
to skin and bones
waste and consume the
members of his body
his flesh
and blood
and bones; the Targum
Jarchi
and
Aben Ezra
by "his bars" or "branches" understand his
children
which are his bars
the strength of him
and are to him as branches
to a tree
proceeding from him; and if we render it
as some do
he "shall
devour"F26יאכל "comedet"
Pagninus
Montanus
Mercerus.
or "eat"
that is
the wicked man
it
points to us the most horrible scene in a famine
which is shocking and
shuddering
and yet what has been
as in the sieges of Samaria and Jerusalem
a
parent's eating and devouring his own children
2 Kings 6:28; but
rather the "it is the firstborn of death"
in the next clause
which is to be supplied from thence here:
even the firstborn
of death shall devour his strength; and so Mr. Broughton
translates the whole verse
"a
strange death shall eat all the branches of his body
all its branches shall it
eat;'
which
the Targum interprets of the angel of death
him which has the power of death:
but rather it signifies not what presides over death
but what death first
produces
which are corruption and rottenness
dust and worms; these are the
firstborn of death
or the firstfruits and effects of it
and which devour and
destroy not the skin only
but the whole body and all its members: or "the
firstborn death"F1בכור מות "primogenita mors"
V. L. ; death
which is a
firstborn
it is the firstborn of sin; sin is its parent
last conceives sin
and that brings forth death; death is the child of sin
and is its firstborn
and sin entered into the world
and death by sin; and this is what devours and
destroys the strength of men. Some understand by firstborn death a premature
one
death before the usual time or common course of nature; wicked men do not
live out half their days; and when they are taken off in their youth
in the
prime of their days and strength
and amidst all their wealth
riches
and
pleasures
this is the first
or firstborn death
as that is a secondary one
which is late
in the time of old age. This is the ingenious thought of Pineda;
but
perhaps
rather
as the firstborn is the chief and principal
so here may
be meant the chiefest of deaths
the most hard
cruel
and severe; the first of
those
that death has under it
which are principally the sword
famine
pestilence
and the noisome beast
see Revelation 6:8; it
is commonly thought that famine is intended
spoken of in the context; but why
not rather some thing distinct from it
and particularly the pestilence? since
that is emphatically called death by the Jews
and in the passage last referred
to
and is the terror by night
and the arrow that flies by day
even the
pestilence that walks in darkness
and the destruction that wastes at noonday;
by means of which thousands and ten thousands of wicked men fall at the sides
of good men
when it does not affect them: and so may be the evil particularly
threatened to a wicked man here
see Psalm 91:5.
Job 18:14 14 He is uprooted from the
shelter of his tent
And they parade him before the king of terrors.
YLT
14Drawn from his tent is his
confidence
And it causeth him to step to the king of terrors.
His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle
.... That
which his confidence was placed in
his wealth and riches
his family
particularly his children
in all which he placed his confidence of future
prosperity and happiness; these should be all taken away from him
and his
house cleared of them all; or his good
sound
and healthful constitution
on
account of which he promised himself long life
this he should be deprived of
and it should be taken out of the tabernacle of his body; or his hope and confidence
of eternal happiness in another world
this should perish
and be as the giving
up of the ghost: or the words may be rendered
"he shall be rooted out of
his tabernacle which was his confidence"F2Michaelis. ;
that is
his soul shall be taken out of his body by death
in which it dwelt as
in a tabernacle
and where he hoped to have had a long continuance; death is a
rooting of a man out of it
and even out of the world
see Psalm 52:5;
and it shall bring him to the king of terrors; either
famine
by which his strength is weakened
or destruction that is at his side
or the firstborn of death
or his vain confidence: or this may be the sense
"thou (O God) wilt bring him"
or "cause him to go to the king
of terrors"F3De Dieu. ; to death; all men are brought unto it
but not all unto it as a king of terrors; as good men
such as Simeon
the
Apostle Paul
and others
but wicked men. Death is a king: it reigns
it has a
large empire
even the whole world; its subjects are numerous
all
high and
low
rich and poor
great and small; and the duration of its reign is long
it
reigned from Adam to Moses
from Moses to the coming of Christ
and from thence
to this day
and will to the end of the world
and it reigns with an
irresistible power: and this king is a king of terrors to wicked men; it is
as
AristotleF4Ethic. l. 3. c. 9. calls it
the most terrible of
terribles; it is terrible to nature
being a dissolution of it; and it must be
terrible to mere natural men
who have nothing to support them under it
and no
views beyond the grave to comfort them
and cause them to go cheerful through
it; but
on the other hand
have not only the bitterness of death to endure
but
have terrible apprehensions of a future judgment that comes after it. Some
render it
"the king of darkness"F5למלך
בלהות "ad regem caliginum"
Cocceius.
extreme darkness
blackness of darkness
utter darkness
which wicked men at
death are brought unto. Jarchi interprets it of the king of demons
the devil;
and to be brought to him is to be brought to hell and eternal damnation: so
some render it
"terrors shall bring him to his king"F6Schmidt.
the devil; or rather "terrors shall come upon him like a king"F7"Instar
regis"
Schultens; "quasi rex"
V. L.
in a very grand
powerful
and formidable manner.
Job 18:15 15 They dwell in his tent who
are none of his; Brimstone is scattered on his dwelling.
YLT
15It dwelleth in his tent --
out of his provender
Scattered over his habitation is sulphur.
It shall dwell in his tabernacle
.... What shall dwell in
it is not said; there are various conjectures about it
and different
supplements are made; the Targum is
"his
wife shall dwell in a tabernacle not his;'
and
to the same purpose Jarchi; as if it was one part of the punishment of a wicked
man
that he should leave a widow behind him
and no house of his own for her
to dwell in; but this is the case of the widows of many good men
who
themselves
in their lifetime
have no houses of their own
and some no certain
dwelling places
yea
have lived in caves and dens of the earth; the mother of
our Lord
who seems to have been a widow at his death
was taken by one of his
disciples to his own home
which shows she had none of her own. The Vulgate
Latin version is
"his
neighbours shall dwell in his tabernacle;'
which
some understand of their coming into it after his death
to mourn and bewail
him; but as such a visit of his family upon his decease cannot be called
dwelling
so this is rather a benefit and favour to his family
than a
distress: rather it may signify
that such neighbours whom he had oppressed
and who hated him for his tyranny and cruelty
now should dwell in his house;
what he had built
strangers should inhabit
which is a punishment of sin and
sinners
Deuteronomy 28:30.
Aben Ezra supplies it thus
a strange or evil beast shall dwell in it
as they
do in desolate places; and it is frequently given as a sign and token of
desolation in countries
cities
and palaces
that they are become the
habitations of wild and savage creatures
see Isaiah 13:19; but
it seems best to supply it from the context
either thus
famine
hunger
want
of food
shall dwell in it; poverty and want shall come like an armed man into
it
and take possession; there shall appear all the marks and signs of penury
and distress; or destruction ready at his side shall take up its abode in it
and it shall be called the house of destruction
as a certain city is called
the city of destruction
because devoted to it
Isaiah 19:18; or
the firstborn of death
some deadly disease
as the pestilence; or death
itself
the king of terrors
who is sometimes represented as a person coming up
into the windows of a palace
and entering it
and cutting off great numbers;
so that it goes ill with him that is left in a tabernacle
where he has his
habitation
Jeremiah 9:21; or
terror
as Ben Gersom; everyone of the terrors before mentioned
so that no
body will care to dwell in it
but forsake it as an haunted house: in short
from the whole it may be gathered
that the curse of God should alight upon it
and remain in it
as it does in the house of the wicked; the same with the
flying roll in the vision of Zechariah
the curse of God's righteous law
which
enters into the house of the thief and perjurer
and consumes it
Proverbs 3:33; the
reason follows
because it is none of his; not by right
being
bought or built with mammon of unrighteousness
with money not honestly got
and therefore shall not prosper; or because it is no longer his
he being taken
from it by death
the king of terrors
and that not knowing or owning him any
more as its master or proprietor
and therefore strangers shall dwell in it; or
because there is none that shall be after him
because he shall have none left
or he shall have no survivorF8So Syr. Ar & Schmidt.
all his
family being taken away by death; and therefore nothing but desolation and
destruction shall be seen in it
see Amos 6:9;
brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation; that is
his
house should be burnt down by lightning
which is often sulphurous
and
sometimes very sensibly has the smell of brimstone in itF9Plin. Nat.
Hist. l. 35. c. 35. . Bildad may refer either to the fire of heaven that
destroyed Job's sheep
which was of this kind; or rather to the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah
by a shower of fire and brimstone from heaven
a fact well
known in those times. Moreover
brimstone scattered upon the wicked man's
dwelling place may denote the desolation of it
that it should lie in ruins
and be unfit to be inhabited; and the desolation of places is sometimes
signified by their being salt
brimstone and burning pitch
Deuteronomy 29:23;
yea
this may be carried further
and denote the eternal damnation of all in
his house
seeing the burning of Sodom with brimstone was an example to ungodly
men suffering the vengeance of eternal fire
Judges 1:7; and
which is sometimes expressed by brimstone
and a lake burning with fire and
brimstone
Revelation 20:10.
SomeF11Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 709
710. think respect
is had to the purifying of houses with sulphur
to drive away demons
and remove
impurity
to make them fit to dwell inF12Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l.
35. c. 15. Theocrit. Idyll. 25. ver. 95. Homer. Odyss. 22. prope finem. ; and
others think it refers to the burning of sulphur in houses at funerals
to
testify and exaggerate mourningF13Vid. Menochium de Repub. Heb. l.
8. c. 6. col. 792. .
Job 18:16 16 His roots are dried out
below
And his branch withers above.
YLT
16From beneath his roots are
dried up
And from above cut off is his crop.
His roots shall be dried up beneath
.... Wicked men are
sometimes compared to trees; to trees of the wood
barren
and unfruitful; to
trees without fruit
twice dead
plucked up by the roots; and sometimes to
green bay trees
very flourishing for a while
and which on a sudden perish
and come to nothing
see Song of Solomon 2:3
Judges 1:12; and
such a simile is here used; and by his roots may be meant his family
from
whence he sprung
which now should be extinct with him
see Isaiah 11:1; or his
substance
which being greatly increased
he seemed to take root in the earth
and not only to be in a prosperous
but in a stable settled condition; but now
like Ephraim
he should be smitten
and his root dried up; all his wealth
and
all the resources of it
should be exhausted
be no more
see Jeremiah 12:2;
and above shall his branch be cut off; his children
that sprung from him
as branches from a tree
and were his glory and beauty
these should be cut off; referring no doubt in both clauses to Job's present
circumstances
whose root in the time of his prosperity was spread out by the
waters
but now dried up
and on whose branches the dew lay all night
but now
cut off
Job 29:19; so the
Targum
"his
children shall be cut off out of the earth
and from heaven his destruction
shall be decreed;'
both
clauses signify the utter destruction of the family of the wicked man
root and
branch
see Malachi 4:1. It is
a beautiful description of a tree struck with thunder and lightning
and burnt
and shattered to pieces
and agrees with Job 18:15.
Job 18:17 17 The memory of him perishes
from the earth
And he has no name among the renowned.[a]
YLT
17His memorial hath perished
from the land
And he hath no name on the street.
His remembrance shall perish from the earth
.... Not only
are the wicked forgotten of God in heaven
and are as the slain he remembers no
more
unless it be to pour out his wrath upon them
and punish them for their
sins
for which great Babylon will come up in remembrance before him; but of
men on earth
and in the very places where they were born
and lived all their
days
Ecclesiastes 8:10;
yea
those places
houses and palaces
towns and cities
which they have built
to perpetuate their memory among men
perish and come to nought
and their
memorial with them
Psalm 9:5;
and he shall have no name in the street; much less in
the house of God
still less in heaven
in the Lamb's book of life; so far from
it
that he shall have none on earth
no good name among men; if ever his name
is mentioned after his death
it is with some brand of infamy upon him; he is
not spoken of in public
in a court of judicature
nor in any place of commerce
and trade
nor in any concourse of people
or public assembly of any note
especially with any credit or commendation; such is the difference between a
good man and a wicked man
see Proverbs 11:7.
Job 18:18 18 He is driven from light
into darkness
And chased out of the world.
YLT
18They thrust him from light
unto darkness
And from the habitable earth cast him out.
He shall be driven from light into darkness
.... Either
from the light of outward prosperity
formerly enjoyed by him
into the
darkness of adversity; or rather from the light of the living
the light of the
present life
to the darkness of death
and the grave
the land of darkness
and of the shadow of death
Job 10:21; and even
into utter darkness
blackness of darkness
the darkness of hell
eternal
darkness; opposed to the light of the divine Presence
and the inheritance of
the saints in light
possessed by them to all eternity; which the wicked man is
deprived of
and will have no share in
but shall be driven from the presence
of God
and by him; for so the words may be rendered
"they shall drive
him"F14יהדפוה "expellent
eum"
Pagninus
Montanus; so Tigurine version
Vatablus
Mercerus
Drusius
Schultens
Cocceius
Schmidt.
God
Father
Son
and Spirit; God by
the east wind and storm of his wrath shall carry him away
and hurl him out of
his place
and shall cast the fury of his wrath on him
and not spare
nor
shall he flee out of his hands
though he fain would
Job 27:21; or the
angels
good or bad
shall drive him into endless torments
or shall
by the
divine order
take him and cast him into outward darkness
where are weeping
wailing
and gnashing of teeth; thus are the wicked driven against their will
and must go whether they will or not
and
like beasts to the slaughter
are
driven in their wickedness
in order to suffer the punishment due unto it
when
the righteous hath hope in his death
Proverbs 14:32;
and chased out of the world; or cast out of it
as an
unclean or excommunicated person
of which the word here is sometimes usedF15ינדהו "excommunicabunt cum"
Schmidt
Michaelis;
so Codurcus. ; and not only chased out of his own place
out of his own house
and out of his own country
but even out of the world
so as to have no place
any more in it
see Job 20:8.
Job 18:19 19 He has neither son nor
posterity among his people
Nor any remaining in his dwellings.
YLT
19He hath no continuator
Nor
successor among his people
And none is remaining in his dwellings.
He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people
.... Neither
son
nor son's son
or grandson; so the Targum
Jarchi
and Bar Tzemach; that
is
he shall be childless
and have no heirs
successors
or survivors
to
inherit his estate
bear and perpetuate his name among the people of his
country
city
or neighbourhood. Bildad respects no doubt the present case of
Job
who had lost all his children; but he was mistaken if he thought he should
die so
for he had after this as many children as he had before:
nor any remaining in his dwellings; being all dead
or fled
from them
through the terror
desolation
and destruction in them. Aben Ezra
and Bar Tzemach interpret them places in which he was a sojourner or stranger;
and Mr. Broughton
nor remnant in his pilgrimage.
Job 18:20 20 Those in the west are
astonished at his day
As those in the east are frightened.
YLT
20At this day westerns have
been astonished And easterns have taken fright.
They that come after him shall be astonished at his day
.... At the
day of his calamity and distress
ruin and destruction
see Psalm 37:13; it
would be extremely amazing to them how it should be
that a man who was in such
flourishing and prosperous circumstances
should be brought at once
he and his
family
into such extreme poverty
and into such a distressed and forlorn
condition; they should be
as it were
thunderstruck at it
not being able to account
for it: by these are meant such as are younger than the wicked man
and that
continue longer than he
yet upon the spot when his calamity befell; or else
posterity in later times
who would be made acquainted with the whole affair
and be surprised at the relation of it:
as they that went before were affrighted; not that
lived before the times of the wicked man
for they could not see his day
or be
spectators of his ruin
and so be frightened at it; but his contemporaries
who
are said to be those that went before
not with respect to the wicked man
but
with respect to younger persons or posterity that were after; so Bar Tzemach
interprets it
which were in his time
or his contemporaries; and Mr.
Broughton
"the
present took an horror;'
a
late learned commentatorF16Schultens. renders the words
western and
eastern; as if all people in the world
east and west
would be amazed and
astonished at the sudden and utter destruction of this wicked man.
Job 18:21 21 Surely such are the
dwellings of the wicked
And this is the place of him who does
not know God.”
YLT
21Only these [are]
tabernacles of the perverse
And this the place God hath not known.
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked
.... As before
described; as that the light should be dark in them; a wicked man's confidence
should be rooted out of them; everything shocking and dreadful should dwell in
them; brimstone should be scattered on them
they should be utterly consumed
and none remaining in them
Job 18:6. The
Targum represents these as the words of the persons astonished and frightened
who at the sight of such a dismal spectacle should utter them
prefacing them
thus
"and
they shall say
but these are the dwellings
&c.'
and this is the place of him that knoweth not God; the place
that he shall be driven to when chased out of the world
even a place of
darkness and misery
Job 18:18; or
"this is the case of him that knoweth not the Omnipotent"
as Mr.
Broughton translates the words; that is
which is above described in the
several particulars of it; this is sooner or later the case of every wicked
man
as Bildad supposed it now was Job's case
at least in part
or would be
hereafter: one "that knows not God"
is the periphrasis of a wicked
man
that has no knowledge of God
at least no practical knowledge of him
that
lives without God in the world
or like an atheist; such shall be punished with
everlasting destruction by him
see 2 Thessalonians 1:8;
either one whom "God knows not"F17לא
ידע אל "quem non
agnoscit Deus fortis"
Junius.
so some render the words; for though God
by the perfection of his omniscience knows all men
good and bad
yet there are
some he knows not so as to approve of
love
and delight in
see Matthew 7:23; or
rather that have no knowledge of God
who though they may know there is a God
yet do not worship and glorify him as God; and though they may profess to know
him
yet in works they deny him
and however have no spiritual and experimental
knowledge of him; do not know him in Christ
as the God of all grace
and as
their God in him; they do not know him
so as to love him
fear
worship
and
obey him.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)