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Job Chapter
Twenty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 21
This
chapter contains Job's reply to Zophar's preceding discourse
in which
after a
preface exciting attention to what he was about to say
Job 21:1; he
describes by various instances the prosperity of wicked men
even of the most
impious and atheistical
and which continues with them as long as they live
contrary to what Zophar had asserted in Job 20:5
Job 21:7; as for
himself
he disapproved of such wicked men as much as any
and owns that
destruction comes upon them sooner or later
and on their posterity also
Job 21:16; but as
God is a God of knowledge
and needs no instruction from any
and is a
sovereign Being
he deals with men in different ways; some die in great ease
and peace
and prosperity
and others in bitterness and distress
but both are
alike brought to the dust
Job 21:22; and
whereas he was aware of their censures of him
and their objections to what he
had said
he allows that the wicked are reserved to the day of destruction
which is future
and in the mean while lie in the grave
where all must follow;
yet they are not repaid or rewarded in this life
that remains to be done in
another world
Job 21:27; and
concludes
that their consolation with respect to him was vain
and falsehood
was in their answers
Job 21:34.
Job 21:1 Then
Job answered and said:
YLT
1And Job answereth and
saith: --
But Job answered and said. In reply to what Zophar
had asserted
concerning the prosperity of the wicked being only for a short
time
Job 20:5; the
contrary to which he most clearly proves
and that in many instances their
prosperity continues as long as they live; that they die in it
and it is
enjoyed by their posterity after them.
Job 21:2 2 “Listen carefully to my
speech
And let this be your consolation.
YLT
2Hear ye diligently my word
And this is your consolation.
Hear diligently my speech
.... The following
oration or discourse he was about to deliver concerning the prosperity of
wicked men; to which he desires their closest attention
that they might the
better understand the force of his reasoning
the evidences and proof of fasts
he should give; whereby
if their minds were open to conviction
they would
clearly see their mistake
and that truth lay on his side:
and let this be your consolations; or "this shall be
your consolations"F11ותהי זאת "et hoc erit consolationes vestrae"
Beza
Mercerus; so Jarchi; "idque pro consolatione vobis"
Tigurine
version; "pro consolationibus vestris"
Schultens. ; meaning
either
that they would receive instruction and benefit by his discourse
which would yield
them pleasure and comfort; and to an ingenuous mind
to be convinced of an
error
to have mistakes rectified
and to get knowledge of the truth
it is a
real satisfaction
and affords pleasure; or else
that whereas their end in
paying him a visit was to comfort him
and they had taken methods
as they
thought
in order to it
but in Job's opinion to very little purpose
yea
they
were
as he says
miserable comforters; now he observes
that if they would but
be silent
and attentively listen to what he had to say
that would be in the
room of all comforts they could give unto him; it would be a consolation to
him
and be reckoned by him
instead of all they could give
or could propose
to him
if he might have but this favour
to be heard with candour
diligence
and attention.
Job 21:3 3 Bear with me that I may
speak
And after I have spoken
keep mocking.
YLT
3Bear with me
and I speak
And after my speaking -- ye may deride.
Suffer me that I may speak
.... To go on with his
discourse
without any interruption
until he had finished it; as he before
craves their attention
here he entreats their patience to hear him out
as
well as to give him leave to begin; they might by their gestures seem as if
they were breaking up and departing; or they raised a tumultuous clamour
to
hinder his proceeding to reply; or he might fear
that if he was allowed to
speak
they would break in upon him before he had done
as they had already; or
"bear me"
as several of the Jewish commentators explain the phrase;
though what he was going to say might sit heavy upon their minds
and be very
burdensome
grating
and uneasy to them; yet he entreats they would endure it
patiently
until he had made an end of speaking:
and after that I have spoken
mock on; as they had
already
Job 12:4; they had
mocked not at his troubles and afflictions
but at his words and arguments in
vindication of his innocence; and now all he entreats of them is
that they
would admit him to speak once more
and to finish his discourse; and then if
they thought fit
or if they could
to go on with their scoffs and derisions of
him; if he could but obtain this favour
he should be easy
he should not
regard their mockings
but bear them patiently; and he seems to intimate
that
he thought he should be able to say such things to them
that would spoil their
mocking
and prevent it for the future; so the Greek version renders it
"thou shalt not laugh"; and the words being singular have led many to
think
that Zophar
who spoke last
is particularly intended
though it may
respect everyone of his friends.
Job 21:4 4 “As for me
is my
complaint against man? And if it were
why should I not be impatient?
YLT
4I -- to man [is] my
complaint? and if [so]
wherefore May not my temper become short?
As for me
is my complaint to man?.... Job had
been complaining
and still was
and continued to do so after this
but not to
them
his friends
nor any other man; his complaint was made to God
and of him
he thought he was hardly dealt with by him
he could not tell for what; he had
desired to know the reason why he contended with him in such a manner
but
could get no satisfaction; when his friends came first to visit him
they said
nothing to him
nor he to them; and when he did speak
it was not to them
but
to God
of whom he complains; and expostulates with him why he had ever been
born
or had not died as soon as born
and not have lived to have seen such
unhappy days
and endured so much affliction and trouble:
and if it were so; that he had made his
complaint to man
since it would have been in vain
and to no purpose
he
should have got no relief
nor obtained any satisfaction:
why should not my spirit be troubled? or
"shortened"F12תקצר
"abbreviabitur"
Montanus
Vatablus
"abbreviaretur"
Drusius
Cocceius
Michaelis. ; or
as the Targum
be straitened; for as
comfort and joy enlarge the heart
trouble contracts and straitens it; or is
"my prayer" orF13שיחי
"precatio mea"
Drusius. "petition to men?" it was not
though he was reduced so low
and was in such a distressed condition; he had
asked nothing of men
not of these his friends
neither to give him of their
substance
nor to help him out of the hands of his enemies
Job 6:21; he had
poured out his complaint before God
and had directed his prayer to the God of
his life; he had desired to speak to none but the Almighty
and to reason only
with him; he had petitioned him to take cognizance of his case
and to admit of
a hearing of it before him
and to have it determined by him; he had complained
of wrongs and injuries done him
and begged to be redressed and righted
but
got no answer; God did not think fit to answer him
but hid himself from him
and continued so to do: "and if"
if this be the case
as it really
was
"why should not my spirit be troubled?" is there not reason for
it? Some think Job's meaning is
is "my disputation"
as the Vulgate
Latin version
or is my discourse concerning human things
things within the
compass of human knowledge and reasoning? or
to be attained to by the force of
that
without divine revelation? no
it is concerning divine things; concerning
the mysteries of Providence
with respect to good and bad men; concerning the
living Redeemer
his incarnation
resurrection
&c. and faith in him;
concerning the general resurrection
the final judgment
and a future state of
happiness: or does my complaint
petition
or discourse
savour of that which
is human
and is intermixed with human frailty? if it be so
it should be borne
with
it should be considered I am but a man
and liable to err; and especially
great allowances should be made in my present circumstances
being trader such
sore afflictions; and it may be reasonably thought
that though the spirit may
be willing to behave in a better manner
the flesh is weak
and much must be
imputed unto that; and it will not seem so extravagant to indulge a troubled spirit
so severely exercised; persons under afflictions generally think they do well
to be troubled
and that there is reason enough for it
and ought to be borne
with
and not to be reproached and rallied on that account.
Job 21:5 5 Look at me and be astonished;
Put your hand over your mouth.
YLT
5Turn unto me
and be
astonished
And put hand to mouth.
Mark me
.... Or "look at me"F14פנו
אלי "respicite ad me"
Pagninus
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
&c. ; not at his person
which was no
lovely sight to behold
being covered with boils from head to foot
his flesh
clothed with worms and clods of dust
his skin broken
yea
scarce any left;
however
he was become a mere skeleton
reduced to skin and bone; but at his
sorrows
and sufferings
and consider and contemplate them in their minds
and
see if there was any sorrow like his
or anyone that suffered as he did
and in
such pitiful circumstances; or that they would have a regard to his words
and
well weigh what he had said
or was about to say
concerning his own case
or
concerning the providences of God with respect to good and bad men
and
especially the latter:
and be astonished; at what had befallen him
at his
afflictions
being an innocent man
and not chargeable with any crime for which
it could be thought that these came upon him; and at the different methods of
Providence towards good men and bad men
the one being afflicted
and the other
in prosperous circumstances
see Job 17:8;
and lay your hand upon your mouth; and be
silent
since such dispensations of Providence are unsearchable
and past
finding out; and
as they are not to be accounted for
are not to be spoken
against: and it would have been well if Job had taken the same advice himself
and had been still
and owned and acknowledged the sovereignty of God
and not
opened his mouth in the manner he had done
and cursed the of his birth
and
complained of hard treatment at the hand of God perhaps his sense may be
that
he would have his friends be silent
and forbear drawing the characters of men
from the outward dealings of God with them. This phrase is used of silence in Job 29:9; thus
Harpocrates
the god of silence with the Heathens
is always pictured with his
hand to his mouth.
Job 21:6 6 Even when I remember I am
terrified
And trembling takes hold of my flesh.
YLT
6Yea
if I have remembered
then I have been troubled. And my flesh hath taken fright.
Even when I remember
.... Either the
iniquities of his youth he was made to possess; or his former state of outward
happiness and prosperity he had enjoyed
and reviewed his present miserable
case and condition
and called to mind the evil tidings brought him thick and
fast of the loss of his substance
servants
and children
which were so
terrible and shocking; or when he reflected on the instances of Providence he
was about to relate in the following verses:
I am afraid
and trembling taketh hold on my flesh; which is
sometimes the case of good men
both with respect to the judgments of God upon
the wicked
and with respect to what befalls
or is coming upon
the people of
God
Psalm 119:120; and
even the different treatment of good and bad men in this life
as that the one
should be severely afflicted and distressed
and the other be in such
prosperous and happy circumstances
is not only a sore temptation to them
but
shocks their minds
and makes them shudder and stagger at it
and gives them
great pain and uneasiness
Psalm 73:2.
Job 21:7 7 Why do the wicked live and
become old
Yes
become mighty in power?
YLT
7Wherefore do the wicked
live? They have become old
Yea
they have been mighty in wealth.
Wherefore do the wicked live
.... Which question is
put either to God himself
as not knowing ow to account for it
or to reconcile
it to his divine perfections; that he
a holy
just
and righteous Being
should suffer such wretches to live upon his earth
who had been
and still
were
continually sinning against him
transgressing his law
and trampling
under foot his power and authority; when he
a man that feared the Lord
as God
himself had borne witness of him
laboured under such heavy affliction
that he
seemed rather to die than live: or else it is put to his friends
to whom he
appeals for the truth of it
as Zophar had to him
about the short time of the
prosperity of the wicked
Job 10:4; and
desires them to try how they could make such undeniable facts comport with
their own principles
that wicked men are always and only afflicted to any
great degree
and not holy and good men; but if so
it is asked
why do they
"live"
even live at all? why is not their breath stopped at once
that breathe out nothing but sin and wickedness? or why are they
"lively?" as Mr. Broughton renders the word; that is
brisk
cheerful
and jocund
live merrily
having an abundance of this world's good
things; call upon themselves to eat
drink
and be merry
and indulge
themselves in all the gratifications of sensual pleasures and delights; live at
ease
in peace and outward comfort
and are not in trouble as other men
having
nothing to disturb
disquiet
and distress them; nay
not only live
comfortably
but live long: while a righteous man perishes or dies in his
righteousness
the wicked man prolongs his life in his wickedness
Ecclesiastes 7:15
as it follows:
become old; live to a considerable old age
as Ishmael did
to whom he may
have respect
as well as to some others within his knowledge; or are
"durable"F14עתקו
"durant"
Mercerus
Cocceius
Michaelis; "edurant"
Schultens.
not only in age
as the sinner is supposed to die
and sometimes
does die an hundred years old
or more
but in wealth and riches
in outward
prosperity; for though spiritual riches are only durable riches
in opposition
to temporal ones
yet these sometimes endure with a wicked man
and he endures
with them as long as he lives
as may be seen in the instances of wicked rich
men in Luke 12:16; with
which agrees what follows:
yea
are mighty in power? are in great authority
among men
being kings
princes
civil magistrates
see Psalm 37:35; are
advanced to great dignity and honour
as the twelve princes that sprung from
Ishmael
and the race of kings and dukes that came from Esau. Mr. Broughton
renders it
"be mighty in riches"
greatly increase in them; and so
the Targum
possess substance or riches.
Job 21:8 8 Their descendants are
established with them in their sight
And their offspring before their eyes.
YLT
8Their seed is established
Before their face with them
And their offspring before their eyes.
Their seed is established in their sight with them
.... Which is
to be understood not of seed sown in the earth
and of the permanence and
increase of that
but of their children; to have a numerous progeny
was
reckoned a great temporal blessing
and to have them settled happily and
comfortably in the world was an additional one; and what contributed still more
to their felicity was
that they were well settled during their life
or they
yet living
and with their eyes beholding their prosperous and stable
condition; and also "with them"; near them
in the same
neighbourhood
or at no great distance from them; or even in like circumstances
with them
equally as well settled and as prosperous as themselves
as this
phrase is sometimes used
see Psalm 106:6;
and their offspring before their eyes; their
children's children
as the Targum
and so the Vulgate Latin version; so that
prosperity attends not only wicked men and their children
but also their
grandchildren
and they live to see these grown up and settled in the world
and in thriving circumstances; all which must give them pleasure
and be matter
of honour and glory to them
Proverbs 17:6. Now
this is diametrically opposite to Zophar's notion of the short continuance of
the prosperity of wicked men
and of the low and miserable condition of their
children
Job 20:5.
Job 21:9 9 Their houses are
safe from fear
Neither is the rod of God upon them.
YLT
9Their houses [are] peace
without fear
Nor [is] a rod of God upon them.
Their houses are safe from fear
.... Of
enemies besetting them
entering into them
and pillaging and plundering them;
of thieves and robbers breaking into them
and carrying off their substance: or
"their houses are peace"F15שלום
"pax"
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
Schultens. ; their families
live in peace among themselves
or enjoy all prosperity
which the word peace
frequently signifies; they have peace and prosperity within doors and are free
"from fear"
or devoid of fear
from anything without;
neither is the rod of God upon them; neither his
rod of chastisement
which is upon his own people
and with which he scourges
every son
though in love for their good
and which was now upon Job
Job 9:34; nor any
sore judgment
as famine
plague
sword
or any other; no
not even the common
afflictions and troubles that men are exercised with.
Job 21:10 10 Their bull breeds without
failure; Their cow calves without miscarriage.
YLT
10His bullock hath eaten
corn
and doth not loath. His cow bringeth forth safely
And doth not miscarry.
Their bull gendereth
and faileth not
.... As the
wicked man's prosperity is described before by the increase and comfortable
settlement of his children and grandchildren
and by the peace and safety of
all within doors; here it is further set forth by the increase of his cattle in
the fields
one part being put for the whole
his oxen and asses
his camels
and sheep
things in which the riches of men chiefly lay in those times and
countries; and he was reckoned an happy man when these brought forth
abundantly; see Psalm 144:13;
their cow calveth
and casteth not her calf; both male and
female succeed in propagating their species
and so in increasing the wealth of
their owner; this is sometimes promised as a temporal blessing
Exodus 23:26.
Job 21:11 11 They send forth their
little ones like a flock
And their children dance.
YLT
11They send forth as a flock
their sucklings
And their children skip
They send forth their little ones like a flock
.... Of sheep
which are creatures very increasing
and become very numerous
Psalm 144:13; to
which a large increase of families may be compared
Psalm 107:41
for
this is not to be interpreted of their kine sending or bringing forth such
numbers as to be like a flock of sheep; but of the families of wicked men being
increased in like manner; and the sending them forth to be understood either of
the birth of their children being sent out or proceeding from them as plants
out of the earth
or branches from a tree; or of their being sent out not to
school to be instructed in useful learning
but into the streets to play
and
pipe
and dance; and it may denote
as their number
so their being left to
themselves
and being at liberty to do as they please
being under no
restriction
nor any care taken of their education; at least in such a manner
as to have a tendency to make them sober
virtuous
and useful in life:
and their children dance; either in a natural way
skip and frisk
and play like calves and lambs
and so are very diverting to their
parents
as well as shows them to be in good health; which adds to their
parents happiness and pleasure: or in an artificial way
being taught to dance;
and it should be observed
it is "their" children
the children of
the wicked
and not of the godly
that are thus brought up; so Abraham did not
train up his children
nor Job his; no instance can be given of the children of
good men being trained up in this manner
or of their dancing in an irreligious
way; however
this proves in what a jovial way
and in what outward prosperity
and pleasure
wicked men and their families live; which is the thing Job has in
view
and is endeavouring to prove and establish.
Job 21:12 12 They sing to the
tambourine and harp
And rejoice to the sound of the flute.
YLT
12They lift [themselves] up
at timbrel and harp
And rejoice at the sound of an organ.
They take the timbrel and harp
.... Not the children
but the parents of them; these took these instruments of music into their
hands
and played upon them while their children danced; thus merrily they
spent their time: or
as Jarchi and Aben Ezra
they lift up the voice with the
tabret and harp; that is
while they played on these with their hands
they
sung songs with their mouths; they used both vocal and instrumental music
together
to make the greater harmony
and give the greater pleasure
like
those in Amos 6:5;
and rejoice at the sound of the organ; a musical
instrument
very pleasant and entertaining
from whence it has its name in the
Hebrew tongue; but of what form it was cannot be with certainty said; that
which we now so call is of later invention
and unknown in those times:
probably Job may have respect to Jubal
the inventor of this sort of music
and
others of the posterity of Cain before the flood
who practised it
and were
delighted in it; in which they were imitated and followed by wicked men after
it
and in Job's time
Genesis 4:21.
Job 21:13 13 They spend their days in
wealth
And in a moment go down to the grave.[a]
YLT
13They wear out in good their
days
And in a moment [to] Sheol go down.
They spend their days in wealth
.... Or "in
good"F16בטוב "in bono"
Pagninus
Montanus
Junius & Tremellius
&c. ; not in the performance
of good works
or in the exercise of that which is spiritually good; or in
seeking after spiritual good things
or eternal happiness; but in earthly good
in the enjoyment of the temporal good things of this life
and which to enjoy
in a moderate and becoming manner is not criminal
but commendable; but these
men
and such as they
seek no other good but worldly good; their language is
"who will show us any good?" Psalm 4:6; any
outward good; the way to get it
how to come at it
and be put in the
possession of it: such place all their happiness in such sort of good
and
spend all their time either in getting it
or in enjoying it
and in nothing
else; not in spiritual exercises
in prayer
or praise
in their own houses
in
private; nor in an attendance on the worship of God in public; it denotes also
their continuance in prosperity unto the end of their days; for there is a
various reading; we follow the Keri or margin
but the "Cetib"
or
writing
is
"they become old"F17יבלו
"vetustate terent"
Montanus; "veterascunt"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus; "vetusti fiunt"
Cocceius; "ad
senectam deterunt"
Schultens. ; in wealth
or good things
and which is
followed by many; they live all their days in the midst of wealth and riches
and die in such circumstances
contrary to what Zophar had asserted in Job 20:5;
and in a moment go down to the grave; the house
appointed for all living
man's long home
into which he is said to go down
because let down and interred in the earth; hither wicked men must come
after
all their wealth
riches
prosperity
and pleasure; and hither they descend
"in a moment"; suddenly
no previous change being made in their
outward circumstances; and without any presage or forenotice of it
without any
lingering disease and sickness leading on to it
there being no bands in their
death
nothing to hinder and restrain from dying; but they drop at once into
the grave
without sickness or pain: or "in rest"
or
"quietly"F18ברגע
"quiete"
Pagninus; "in quiete"
Vatablus. ; being wholly
at ease and quiet
as in Job 21:23; not only
free from acute pains and grievous distempers
as burning fevers
and violent
tortures
and racks of the stone
and other distressing disorders; but without
any distress of mind
ignorant of their state and condition
and unconcerned
about it; as they are at ease from their youth
and settled on their lees
they
remain so
and go out of the world in like manner; and as sheep are laid in the
grave
die senseless and stupid
having no thought in their last moments what
will become of them in another world: some render it
"they go down to
hell"F19שאול "ad inferna"
V. L. "ad infernum"
Cocceius; "in infernum"
Schmidt. ;
the state and place of the wicked after death; which
though true
seems not so
agreeable to Job's scope and design
which is not to describe the punishment of
the wicked
but their easy circumstances in life and in death; and so the
Jewish commentators generally understand it. Aben Ezra's note is
"in
a moment
without afflictions;'
Jarchi
"quietly
without chastisements;'
and
Bar Tzemach
"without
evil diseases;'
having
nothing to distress them in body or mind
when many a good man lies long on a
bed of languishing
tortured with diseases
chastened with sore pain
and his
life gradually draws near to the grave
and to the destroyers.
Job 21:14 14 Yet they say to God
‘Depart
from us
For we do not desire the knowledge of Your ways.
YLT
14And they say to God
`Turn
aside from us
And the knowledge of Thy ways We have not desired.
Therefore they say unto God
.... While in health and
life
amidst all their outward prosperity
and because of it; for worldly
riches have this tendency
to make men proud and insolent
and not only to
behave ill to their fellow creatures
and to slight and despise them; but even
to forsake God
and lightly esteem their Creator and benefactor; yea
even to
kick against him
and oppose him
to set their mouths against him
and speak
very contemptuously and blasphemously of him
as in the following words; which
though not expressly uttered and pronounced
which yet may have been by some
however are conceived in the mind
and inwardly spoken; and by their lives and
conversations outwardly declared and abundantly proclaimed:
depart from us; not as to his general presence
which
cannot be
and without which they would not be able to subsist; God is everywhere
and near to everyone
and all live
and move
and have their being
in him; nor
as to his spiritual presence
which wicked men know nothing of
and are
unconcerned about; but they do not choose to have him so near them as that
their minds should be conversant about him; they do not care to have him in
their thoughts
they are desirous if possible of banishing him out of their
minds; they would live without thinking of God
or thinking that there is a God
in the world
for such a thought makes them uneasy; they do not love to have
their consciences awakened by him
so as to check and accuse for what they do;
they had rather have them cauterized or seared
as with a red hot iron
and be
past feeling
that they may go on in their sinful courses without control: this
is the just character of a worldling
who is afraid he shall be a loser by God
and religion
should he attend thereunto; and therefore
as the Gergesenes for
a like reason desired Christ to depart out of their coasts
so such desire God
to depart from them
Matthew 8:28; and
of the epicure
whose God is his belly
and that only; and most righteously
will it be said to such at the last day
"depart from me"; this will
be a just retaliation:
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways; the ways
which God prescribes
directs
and enjoins men to walk in
even the ways of his
commandments; these are unknown to men
until shown and taught them; but wicked
men do not desire to be instructed in them; they have no pleasure and delight
neither in them
nor in the knowledge of them; they fancy there is no pleasure
to be had in them
and they think they have got into a much more pleasant way
which they have chosen
and their souls delight in; though destruction and
misery are in it
and it leads into it: they wilfully affect ignorance of the
ways of God; they do not care to come to the light
lest their deeds should be
reproved
their consciences be made uneasy
and they not able to go on so
peaceably and quietly in their own ways.
Job 21:15 15 Who is the
Almighty
that we should serve Him? And what profit do we have if we pray to
Him?’
YLT
15What [is] the Mighty One
that we serve Him? And what do we profit when we meet with Him?'
What is the Almighty
that we should serve him?.... "Who
is he"F20מה "quis est?" V.
L. ? as some render it; or what is there in him
in his nature
in his
excellencies and perfections
that should oblige us to serve him? One would
think the attribute of "Almighty"
they own and acknowledge
is
sufficient to engage to it
since he is the lawgiver that is able to save and
to destroy
even to destroy with an everlasting destruction
both body and soul
in hell
who obey him not; but fulness of riches
power
and authority
swell
the mind with pride
and put men on asking such questions
and running such
lengths as these; see Exodus 5:2. The
question is full of atheism
and suggests there was nothing in God excellent or
worthy of any regard
or on account of which he should be served and
worshipped; as if he was a mere idol
which is nothing in the world; and that
he was indeed nothing in it
neither did good nor evil
nor concerned himself
with the affairs of men; had forsaken the earth
and took no notice of what was
doing is it; at least
the question supposes that such think themselves under
no obligations to serve him
and shows them to be sons of Belial
without a
yoke; that they neither are nor can he subject to the law of God without his
grace; they are not willing God should reign over them
nor to be obedient to
his commands and ordinances; but are for freeing themselves from all
obligations to him
and choose to serve various lusts and pleasures; be the
vassals of sin and Satan
rather than be the worshippers of God:
and what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Prayer is one
part of the service of God
and may be here put for the whole: this
as all the
rest
is very disagreeable to a natural man
who
as he is biased entirely by
profit and gain
thinks there is nothing to be got by religious exercises; he
observing
that the worshippers of God
as to external things
fare worse than
those who do not pray unto him
or do not serve and worship him; see Malachi 3:14;
though there is much profit
and many things
and those most excellent and
valuable
got by prayer; for whatsoever good men ask in prayer
believing
they
receive
Matthew 7:7. The
Targum is
"if
we pray in his Word
'
in
the name of the essential Word
the Son of God; whereas to ask or pray in his
name is the only way of succeeding; and such
who do ask in faith in his name
have what they ask for
John 14:15.
Job 21:16 16 Indeed their prosperity is
not in their hand; The counsel of the wicked is far from me.
YLT
16Lo
not in their hand [is]
their good
(The counsel of the wicked Hath been far from me.)
Lo
their good is not in their hand
.... Though it
is in their possession for the present
it is not in the power of their hands
to keep
nor to carry it with them when they die; God
that gave it
can take
it away when he pleases; and therefore it might be profitable to them to serve
him and pray unto him: or "their good is not by their hand";
they do not obtain their happiness by their works
as in the Tigurine version;
and to the same sense Mr. Broughton
"lo
their wealth cometh not by their own power;'
it
is not got by their own industry
diligence
care
and labour; by their own
wisdom
knowledge
understanding
and cunning; for riches are not always to men
of understanding
but come from God
who gives them to whom he pleases
and can
take them away again if he thinks fit; and therefore men are dependent upon him
for what they have
and should be thankful to him
and serve him
and pray for
the continuance of good things to them. Jarchi reads the words by way of
interrogation and admiration
lo! is "not their good in their hand?"
verily it is
especially in their own opinion; their hands are full of it; they
want nothing of God; they see no need of praying to him; hence the above words
which Job expresses his disapprobation of:
the counsel of the wicked is far from me; the counsels
of their hearts; the thoughts of their mind; the words of their mouth; the
above impious sayings were such as were detested and abhorred by him; their
sense and judgment of things
their choice from deliberate consultation with
themselves
preferring temporal good to spiritual good
and earthly things to
heavenly ones
outward wealth and riches to the knowledge
service
and worship
of God
and communion with him; these were what he disliked; their course of
life
which was according to this world
and Satan the god of it
their company
and conversation
were such as he carefully shunned and avoided; he chose not
to come into their assembly
or to have any fellowship with them; to walk in
the counsel of the ungodly
or stand in the way of sinners
these things were
an abomination to him; see Psalm 1:1. This Job
says to exculpate himself
and wipe off any calumny that might be cast upon
him
as if by what he had said
concerning the outward prosperity of the
wicked
that he was a patron and defender of them
and an advocate for them.
Job 21:17 17 “How often is the lamp of
the wicked put out? How often does their destruction come upon them
The
sorrows God distributes in His anger?
YLT
17How oft is the lamp of the
wicked extinguished
And come on them doth their calamity? Pangs He
apportioneth in His anger.
How oft is the candle of the wicked put out?.... Job here
returns
as Jarchi observes
to his former account of the constant and
continued prosperity of wicked men; and puts questions tending to prove the
same. Bildad had said
that the light and candle of the wicked would be put
out
Job 18:5. Job
referring to this
asks how often this is the case; meaning
by the candle of
the wicked
not his soul or spirit
which cannot be put out
or become extinct
as to be no more; nor the light of nature in his soul
though that may be put
out in a great measure
and he be given up to judicial blindness and hardness
of heart; but either his natural life
which
like a candle
burns for a while
and then becomes extinct
or rather his outward prosperity and happiness: if
the question relates to the former
to the natural life of wicked men
it is
not whether they die
that is no question; all die
good and bad; but whether
they die in common sooner than others
or whether the instances of the brevity
of the life of wicked men were frequent
or but seldom; or
is this always the
case? it is not
it is rare
and not common; they live as long as other men
and oftentimes longer; they live and become old
as Job before observes; they
prolong their days in their wickedness; or
if this refers to the latter
the
prosperity of the wicked
the question is
is that for the most part a short lived
prosperity? it is not
it is but rarely so; wicked men generally spend all
their days in wealth
as before observed; so Ramban interprets "how
oft"
that is
how seldom; and to the same sense Mr. Broughton
"not
so often is the candle of the wicked put out;'
and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? not eternal
but temporal destruction
calamities and distresses; these are threatened them
but they are not executed on them immediately; and therefore their hearts are
set in them to do evil: generally speaking
they have their good things here;
they are filled with hidden treasure
which they enjoy while they live
and
leave the rest of their substance to their babes; they are not destroyed on
every side
as Job was; their substance
their cattle
their servants
their
children
and their own health. Job asks how often this is their case
as had
been his; and his sense is
and what experience testifies
it is but rarely
the
case of wicked men; he seems to refer to what is said
Job 18:12.
God distributeth sorrows in
his anger; or rather
"how oft doth he distribute sorrows in his
anger?" but seldom; he is angry with the wicked every day
and reserves
wrath for them
and many sorrows shall be to them
but not for the present;
those are future
and even such as of a woman in travail
as the word used
signifies
and which shall come upon them suddenly and certainly
and there
will be no avoiding them; see Psalm 32:10; but
does God frequently distribute or portion out sorrows to them now? he does not;
they have their portion of good things in this life; does he usually give them
sorrow of heart
his curse unto them? he does not; it is very seldom he does;
they are not in trouble
nor plagued as other men; they are not men of sorrows
and acquainted with griefs; they are generally strangers to them
and live
merrily all their days
Job 21:12; respect
seems to be had to the conclusion of Zophar's speech
Job 20:29.
Job 21:18 18 They are like straw before
the wind
And like chaff that a storm carries away.
YLT
18They are as straw before
wind
And as chaff a hurricane hath stolen away
They are as stubble before the wind
.... Or how oft "are
they as stubble?" &c. or how oft does God do the above things
"so that they are"
or "become
as stubble before the wind"F21יהיו כתבן "ut sint velut
palea"
Tigurine version; so Broughton
"quoties sunt"
Junius
& Tremellius; "quoties fiunt"
Piscator
Michaelis.
and as chaff that the storm carrieth
or
"steals away"F24גנבתו
"furatus est eam"
Montanus; "suffuratur"
Vatablus;
"furatur"
Drusius
Cocceius
Schultens. ? hastily
suddenly
at an
unawares like a thief: wicked men are comparable to stubble and chaff; for the
vanity of their minds
their emptiness of all good things; for their lightness
the levity and inconstancy of their hearts
their principles and practices; for
their uselessness and unprofitableness to God and men
to themselves and their
fellow creatures; for their being fit fuel for everlasting burnings
their end
like these being to be burned; and whose destruction is inevitable and
irresistible
and can no more be withstood and prevented than stubble and chaff
can stand before a strong wind and a stormy tempest: but is this their common
case now? are they usually tossed to and fro with the wind of adversity
and
the storms of desolating judgments? are they not
on the other hand
seen in
great power
and spreading themselves like a green bay tree; taking root
increasing in outward prosperity
and bringing forth the fruit of it? see Psalm 37:35.
Job 21:19 19 They say
‘God lays up one’s[b] iniquity
for his children’; Let Him recompense him
that he may know it.
YLT
19God layeth up for his sons
his sorrow
He giveth recompense unto him -- and he knoweth.
God layeth up his iniquity for his children
.... This is a
prevention of an objection which Job foresaw his friends would make
and
therefore takes it up and answers to it; you will say
that
be it so
that the
wicked are for the most part prosperous
and their prosperity continues; God
does not punish them now for their sins in their own persons
yet he will
punish them in their children
for whom he reserves the punishment of their
iniquity: this way go many of the Jewish commentatorsF25Nachmanides
Jarchi
Ben Gersom
Bar Tzemach.
in which they are followed by many Christian
interpretersF26Beza
Cocceius
Schultens. ; and
as it seems
very
rightly; now this Job grants
that so it is
God takes notice of the iniquities
of men
and lays them up in his mind
and puts them down in the book of his
remembrance; he reserves the punishment of their iniquities for their children
iniquity being often put for the punishment of it; this is laid up among his
stores of vengeance
and is treasured up against the day of wrath; and when
they have filled up the measure of their father's sins by their own transgressions
the deserved punishment shall be inflicted
according to Exodus 20:5; but
this will not clear the case
nor support the notions and sentiments of Job's
friends
who had all along given out
that wicked men are punished themselves
as well as their children; and that
if they are at any time in prosperous
circumstances
it is only for a little while; and therefore agreeably to such
notions God should take other methods with them
not punish their children
only
but themselves
as Job argues in answer to the objection in Job 21:18
he rewarded him
and he shall know it; or "he
should reward him
and he should know it"F1ישלם
אליו וידע "redderet
illi
et (hoc) sciret"
Beza; "retribueret ipsi potius
et
sentiret"
Cocceius. ; and so the word "should" is to be put
instead of "shall" in Job 21:20
which
directs to the true sense of these clauses: and the meaning of Job is
that
according to the sentiments of his friends
God should reward a wicked man
while he lives in his own body
and not in his posterity only; he should render
to them a just recompence of reward of their evil works
the demerit of their
sins; and in such a manner
that they should know it
be sensible of it
and
feel it themselves
and perceive the evil of sin in the punishment of it; see Hosea 9:7.
Job 21:20 20 Let his eyes see his
destruction
And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty.
YLT
20His own eyes see his
destruction
And of the wrath of the Mighty he drinketh.
His eyes shall see his destruction
.... Or "should see
his destruction"F2יראו עינו כריו "videret ejus
oculi exitium suum"
Beza
Cocceius. ; calamities coming upon himself and
upon his children; or otherwise it will not affect him: but when a man has a
personal experience of affliction as punishments of his sin
or with his own
eyes sees his children in distressed circumstances on his account
this must
sensibly affect him
and be a sore punishment to him; as it was to Zedekiah to
have his children slain before his eyes
Jeremiah 52:10;
and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty; or "he
should drink"F3ישתה
"biberet"
Beza
Cocceius. of it now
according to the principles of
Job's friends
even he in person
and not his posterity only; the wrath of God
is on account of sin
and dreadful to bear: if the wrath of a temporal king is
as the roaring of a lion
what must be the wrath of the Almighty God
the King
of kings
and Lord of lords? this is frequently in Scripture compared to a cup
and is called a cup of trembling
of wrath and fury: and of which all the
wicked of the earth shall drink sooner or later
Psalm 75:8; but
this they should do now
according to the notions of Job's friends
whereas
they do not; waters of a full cup
though not in wrath indeed
are wrung out to
the people of God
and
as they apprehend
in wrath
when the wicked drink wine
in bowls
and the cup of their prosperity overflows.
Job 21:21 21 For what does he care
about his household after him
When the number of his months is cut in half?
YLT
21For what [is] his delight
in his house after him
And the number of his months cut off?
For what pleasure hath he in his house after him
.... As
on
the one hand
the prosperity of his children after his decease gives him no
pleasure and delight
so
on the other hand
the calamities and distresses of
his family for his sins and theirs give him no pain or uneasiness; he knows
nothing that befalls them
and it is no part of his concern; and let what will
befall them
he cares not for it; he feels it not
he is not sensible of it;
and therefore to object that signifies nothing; see Job 14:21; or
"what business has he with his house after death?" the affairsF4So
Schultens. of his family do not at all concern him
one way or another; he is
not affected with them; he can neither consider their happiness as a blessing
nor their calamities as a punishment to him:
when the number of his months is cut off in the midst? the years
the months
and the days of the lives of men
are numbered and determined by
the Lord
Job 14:5; which
when finished
the thread of life is cut off in the midst
from the rest of the
months
which a man or his friends might have expected he would have lived; or
rather
"when his number of the months is fully up"F5חצצו "integro numero calculis ducti sunt"
Cocceius; "cumulatam sortem habuerint"
Schultens. ; when the
calculation of them is complete
and the full number of them is perfected; the
sense is
what cares a wicked man for what befalls his family after his death
when he has lived out the full term of life in great outward happiness and
prosperity; has lived to be full of days
of months
and years
to a full age
even to an age that may be truly called old age?
Job 21:22 22 “Can anyone teach
God knowledge
Since He judges those on high?
YLT
22To God doth [one] teach
knowledge
And He the high doth judge?
Shall any teach God knowledge?.... Who is a
God of knowledge
and knows all things
that teaches men knowledge; will any
one take upon him to teach him the path of judgment
and the way of
understanding
how he shall govern the world
and dispose of men and things in
it? see Isaiah 40:13. Will
anyone be so bold and audacious as to pretend to direct and instruct him whom
he shall afflict
and whom not
and when he shall do it
and in what manner?
should not these things be left to him
who does all things after the counsel
of his own will? shall his dealings with men in an outward way of providence be
the criterions of the characters and estates of men
as if love and hatred were
to be known by those things
and therefore God must be taught what he should do
in order to fix them?
seeing he judgeth those that are high; not the high
heavens
as the Targum
nor the angels in them
though he has judged them that
sinned
and cast them down to hell; but the high ones on earth
kings
princes
and civil magistrates
such as are in high places
and are lifted up with pride
above others: God is above them; he is higher than the highest
and judges
them; he is the Judge of all the earth
that will do right
the Governor of the
universe
and who overrules all things for his own glory and the good of his
creatures; and therefore none should pretend to direct him what is fit and
proper to be done by him
who is a Sovereign
and distinguishes men in his
providence
in life
and at death
as follows; but their characters
as good or
bad men
are not to be determined thereby.
Job 21:23 23 One dies in his full
strength
Being wholly at ease and secure;
YLT
23This [one] dieth in his
perfect strength
Wholly at ease and quiet.
One dieth in his full strength
.... Man is born a weak
feeble creature
and it is by degrees
and through various stages of infancy
childhood
and youth
that he arrives to his full strength in manhood; and
when he does
sometimes so it is
that his strength is not weakened in the
course of his life by a train of disorders and diseases
as it is in some; but
death seizes and carries him off in the prime of his days
and in the fulness
of his strength; for no strength of man
even the greatest
is a security
against death: thousands die before they come to their full strength
and
multitudes after it begins to decay; and when it is almost wasted
through the
force of distempers
or the infirmities of old age
and others
as here
when
their strength is in its highest rigour and utmost perfection
and all as God
pleases: the words may be rendered "in the strength of his
integrity"
or "of his perfection"F6בעצם תמו "in fortitudine
perfectionis suae"
Pagninus; so Junius and Tremellius
Piscator; "in
fortitudine integritatis suae"
Montanus
Bolducius; so Drusius
Mercerus.
; in the Targum and Ben Gersom
and so Mr. Broughton
"in his very
perfection"; and the word is sometimes used
in a moral and spiritual
sense
of the integrity of a man's heart
and the uprightness of his ways and
walk
and of the perfection of his state God-ward; see Job 1:1; and such a
man who is upright in heart and conversation
who is truly gracious
sincerely
a good man
and perfect through the complete righteousness of Christ
he dies
such
his integrity continues with him to the last; and his graces being
brought to maturity
he comes to his grave like a shock of corn in its season
and is found in the perfect righteousness of his living Redeemer: but it seems
best to take the words in a natural and literal sense
as before; or to
interpret them of the fulness of outward felicity
which some men arrive unto
and die in the midst of
when they have got to the highest degree of honour and
grandeur
and attained to the greatest degree of wealth and riches
it could
well be supposed they would; and then
when in the perfection of it
have been
taken away by death; both these senses may stand together: it follows
being wholly at ease and quiet; in easy circumstances
having an affluence of all good things
and nothing to disturb them
nor are in
trouble as others
or plagued as they be; having all that heart can wish
or
more
and without any pains of body
at least any long and continued ones;
while others are attended with them
days
and months
and years
before their
death
Job 33:19; whereas
these go down to the grave in a moment
feeling little or no pain
and are
quiet and easy in their minds
thoughtless of a future state
and unconcerned
how it will be with them in another world; having no sight nor sense of sin
of
the evil nature and just demerit of it
feel not the weight and burden of it in
their consciences; have no concern or grief of mind for sins of omission or
commission
no godly sorrow for it
or repentance of it
nor any fears of wrath
and ruin
hell and damnation; but as they are at ease from their youth
with
respect to those things
so they live and so they die
secure
stupid
and
senseless. Some interpret this of good menF7So Schmidt. ; and it is
not to be wondered at that a man that dies in his integrity
in the perfection
of grace
holiness
and righteousness
should be at ease and quiet; who has an
interest in the God of peace
whose peace is made by the blood of Christ
his
Peacemaker
and who has a conscience peace arising from a comfortable view of
the peace speaking blood
righteousness
and sacrifice of the Mediator; who
knows his state is safe
being interested in everlasting love
in an
unchangeable covenant in God
as his covenant God
in Jesus his living
Redeemer; and knows where he is going
to heaven
to happiness and glory
to be
with God
with Christ
with holy angels and glorified saints: but the former
sense seems best
of a man dying in easy circumstances
without pain of booty
or distress of mind
whether we understand it of a good man or bad man
though
the latter is rather meant.
Job 21:24 24 His pails[c] are full
of milk
And the marrow of his bones is moist.
YLT
24His breasts have been full
of milk
And marrow his bones doth moisten.
His breasts are full of milk
.... As this is not
literally true of men
some versions read the words otherwise; his bowels or
intestines are full of fat
as the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint; and others
his sides or ribs are full of fat
as the Syriac and Arabic; the words for
"side" and "fat" being near in sound to those here used;
and so it describes a man fit and plump
and fleshy
when death lays hold upon
him
and not wasted with consumptions and pining sickness
as in the case of
some
Job 33:21; the word
for breasts is observed by someF8See Kimchi
Sepher Shorash. rad. עטן
and Jarchi and Ben Melech in loc. to signify
in the
Arabic language
"vessels"
in which liquors are contained
and in
the Misnic language such as they put oil in
out of which oil is squeezed; and
so are thought here to intend such vessels as are milked into; and therefore
render it by milk pails; so Mr. Broughton
"his pails are full of
milk"F9עטיניו "muletralia
ejus"
Montanus
Beza
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus
Bolducius
Drusius
Cocceius
Schmidt. ; which may denote the abundance of good
things enjoyed by such persons
as rivers of honey and butter; contrary to
Zophar's notion
Job 20:17; and a
large increase of oil and wine
and all temporal worldly good; amidst the
plenty of which such die:
and his bones are moistened with marrow; not dried up
through a broken spirit
or with grief and trouble
and through the decays of
old age; but
being full of marrow
are moist
and firm and strong; and so it
intimates
that such
at the time when death seizes them
are of an hale
healthful
robust
and strong constitution; see Psalm 73:4.
Job 21:25 25 Another man dies in the
bitterness of his soul
Never having eaten with pleasure.
YLT
25And this [one] dieth with a
bitter soul
And have not eaten with gladness.
And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul
.... Either
another wicked man; for there is a difference among wicked men; some are
outwardly happy in life
and in the circumstances of their death
as before
described; and others are very unhappy in both; their life is a scene of
afflictions which embitter life
and make death eligible; and in the midst of
which they die
as well as oftentimes in bitter pains
and terrible agonies of
body
as well as in great distress and horror of mind
and black despair
as
Judas and others:
and never eateth with pleasure
or "of any
good"
or "any good thing"F25טובה
"bonum"
Pagninus
Mercerus; so Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
& Bar Tzemach; "de bono"
Cocceius
Michaelis
Schultens. ;
either he has it not to eat
or what he has is not good
but like husks which
swine eat
of which the prodigal would fain have filled his belly
when in
extreme poverty
such as those words may describe; or else having what is good
has not an heart to eat of it; and so they describe a miser
living and dying
such; see Ecclesiastes 6:2;
or rather the case of a man
who
through distempers and diseases of body
has
lost his appetite
and cannot with any pleasure taste of the richest dainties;
see Job 33:20. SomeF26Bar
Tzemach. interpret this verse and Job 21:23 as what
should be the case according to the sentiments of Job's friends
who objected
that God punished the iniquities of wicked men
not in their own persons
but
in their children; according to which
a wicked man then should die in the
perfection of happiness
without weakness or want
in all quietness
ease
peace
and prosperity; and not in poverty and distress: but as Job 21:23 respect a
wicked man
and his case and circumstances at death
agreeably to the whole
context; so this relates to those of a good man
whom the Lord often deals
bitterly with in life
as he did with Naomi
and was now the case of Job; see 1:20; and who die in very poor and distressed
circumstances; so that nothing is to be concluded from such appearances
with
respect to the characters of men
as good or bad
and especially since both are
brought into a like condition by death
as follows.
Job 21:26 26 They lie down alike in the
dust
And worms cover them.
YLT
26Together -- on the dust
they lie down
And the worm doth cover them over.
They shall lie down alike in the dust
.... Such as
have lived and died in great outward prosperity
or in more unhappy
circumstances; these are levelled by death
and brought into the same state and
condition; are laid on dusty beds
where there is no difference between them
their rest together is in the dust; here they dwell
and here they lie and
sleep until they are awaked in the morning of the resurrection:
and the worms shall cover them; these are the companions
alike unto them
and sweetly feed on the one as on the other; the earth is
their bed
and worms are their covering; even such who used to lie on beds of
down
and were covered with coverings of silk
have now the same bed and
covering as those who used to lie on beds of straw
and scarce any thing to
cover them; worms are spread under them
and are spread upon them; they are
both their bed and their covering
Isaiah 14:11.
Job 21:27 27 “Look
I know your
thoughts
And the schemes with which you would wrong me.
YLT
27Lo
I have known your
thoughts
And the devices against me ye do wrongfully.
Behold
I know your thoughts
.... God only truly
really
and in fact
knows the thoughts of men; this is his peculiar prerogative
he
only is the searcher of the hearts and the trier of the reins of the children
of men. Christ
the eternal Logos
or Word
by his being a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart
appears to be truly God. No man knows the
things of a than
or the thoughts of his heart
but himself
and such to
whomsoever he reveals them; but a wise and understanding man
a careful
observer of men and things
may make some shrewd guesses at the thoughts of
others
by hints and half words
or sentences expressed by them; by the show of
their countenance
which is the index of the mind
and by the gestures and
motions of their bodies; by these they may in a good measure judge whether they
like or dislike
approve or
disapprove
of what is said to them: and thus Job
knew the thoughts of his friends
that they were different from his
that the
sentiments of their minds did not agree with his; and though he had so clearly
proved his point
yet he saw by their looks and gestures that what he had said
was not satisfactory to them; that they did not think it a sufficient
confutation of their arguments
and a full answer to their objections:
and the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against me; that he was
an hypocrite
a wicked man
guilty of crimes
and which they were devising to
produce against him
and charge and load him with
as Eliphaz does in the
following chapter; he knew they meant him in all that they had said concerning
wicked men
and their afflictions
and what would be their portion at death
and after it; and though they did not name his name
they might as well have
done it
since he was the man they struck at in all
particularly it
Job 20:5.
Job 21:28 28 For you say
‘Where is
the house of the prince? And where is the tent
[d] The
dwelling place of the wicked?’
YLT
28For ye say
`Where [is] the
house of the noble? And where the tent -- The tabernacles of the wicked?'
For ye say
.... Or "have said"
or "I know that ye
say"; or "that ye are about to say"F1כי תאמרו "vos dicere"
Junius & Tremellius; "nempe vos dicturos"
Piscator; so Schmidt
Schultens. ; it is in your hearts and minds
and just ready to come out of your
lips
and what you will say next:
where is the house of the prince? of the
righteous man
as the Syriac and Arabic versions; or "of the good and
liberal man"
as othersF2נדיב
"liberalis"
Montanus; "boni et liberalis hominis"
Tigurine version; "ingenui"
Schultens. ; of such as are of a
princely and ingenuous spirit
who are made willing
free
or princes
in the
day of the power of the grace of God upon them; and are endowed and upheld with
a free and princely spirit; where is the house
or what is the state and
condition
of the families of such? are they the same with that of wicked men
in the next clause? is there no difference between the one and the other?
according to your way of reasoning
Job
there should not be any: or else this
is to be understood rather of a wicked and tyrannical prince
who has built
himself a stately palace
which he fancied would continue for ever; but where
is it now? it lies in ruins; having respect perhaps to some noted prince of
those times: or rather either to Job himself
who had been a prince
and the
greatest man in all the east
but in what condition were his house and family
now? or else to his eldest son
whose house was blown down with a violent wind:
and where are the dwelling places of the wicked? of the mighty
men before the flood
which are now overthrown by it; or of the king and
princes
and nobles
and great men of Sodom and Gomorrah
and the other cities
of the plain destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven; or of Job
his tent
or tabernacle
and the several apartments in it; or of the rest of his children
and servants
respecting rather
as before observed
the state and condition of
his family
than his material house: these questions are answered by putting
others.
Job 21:29 29 Have you not asked those
who travel the road? And do you not know their signs?
YLT
29Have ye not asked those
passing by the way? And their signs do ye not know?
Have ye not asked them that go by the way?.... Did you
not ask every traveller you met with on the road the above question? not which
was the way to Job's house
which they knew very well
but in what condition
that and his sons were? or what was the case of him and his family? and what
was his character? or what was thought of him now since his unhappy
circumstances?
and do ye not know their tokens? by which it might be
known in what a plight he and his family were
and what were the marks
signs
and characters they gave of him: "have ye not asked?" &c. the
sense seems to be this
that if they had not asked
they might and should have
asked of travellers the above things relating to himself and family
and then
they would not have needed to put the above question about his house and
tabernacles; or
if they had inquired of his character of any travellers
they
would have given them it
that he was a generous hospitable man
a man truly
good
strictly just and upright
and not the wicked man and the hypocrite as
they had traduced him; for Job's house had been open to strangers and
travellers
and he was well known by them
and they were ready to give him a
good character
see Job 31:32; or
if
they had inquired of them concerning the stately houses and palaces of wicked
men that had lived in times past
whether there were any of them standing; they
could have told them they were
and where they were
and given them such signs
and tokens
and such proof and evidence of them they could not deny; and
indeed
if they had been inquired of about the thing in controversy between Job
and his friends
concerning the prosperity of the wicked
and the afflictions
of the godly
as they by travelling became acquainted with persons and things
and made their observations on them
they could have easily pointed out
instances of wicked men living and dying in prosperous circumstances
and of
good men being greatly afflicted and distressed
if not all their days
yet
great part of them; and they could have given such plain signs and tokens
and
such clear and manifest proofs of those things
as could not have been
gainsaid: and this may be understood of travellers in a spiritual sense
and
who are the best judges of such a case
and are travellers through the
wilderness of this world
and pass through many tribulations in it; and
being
bound for another and better country
an heavenly one
are pilgrims
strangers
and sojourners here; have no abiding
but are passing on in the paths of faith
truth
and holiness
till they come to the heavenly Canaan; if any of those who
are yet on the road
and especially if such could be come at who have finished
their travels
and the question be put to them
they would all unite in this
doctrine
which Abraham
the spiritual traveller
is represented delivering to
the rich wicked man in hell; that wicked men have their good things in this
life
and good men their evil things
Luke 16:25; and
particularly would agree in saying what follows.
Job 21:30 30 For the wicked are
reserved for the day of doom; They shall be brought out on the day of wrath.
YLT
30That to a day of calamity
is the wicked spared. To a day of wrath they are brought.
That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction?.... That is
that they are spared
withheld
restrained
as the wordF4יחשד "prohibebitur"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius; so Beza
Vatablus
Mercerus; "subtrahitur"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius; "subdueitur"
Schultens. signifies
or kept and preserved from many calamities and distresses
which others are
exposed unto; and so are reserved
either unto a time of greater destruction in
this life or rather to eternal destruction in the world to come; which is the
same with the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men
when they will be
destroyed soul and body
in hell
with an everlasting destruction
as the just
demerit of sin; or of that sinful course of life they live
being the broad way
which leads to and issues in destruction
and for which there is a day
appointed
when it will take place; and unto that day are the wicked reserved
in the purpose and decree of God
by which they are righteously destined to
this day of evil
and by the power and providence of God
even the same chains
of darkness
in which the angels are reserved unto the same time
being fitted
and prepared for destruction by their own sins and transgressions
2 Peter 2:4
and
unto which they are kept
as condemned malefactors are in their cells
unto the
day of execution
they being condemned already
though the sentence is not yet
executed; in order to which
they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath; the wrath of
God
which is very terrible and dreadful
and is revealed from heaven against
all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men
and is here expressed in the plural
number
"wraths"F5עברות
"irarum"
Pagninus
Tigurine version
Cocceius
Schultens.
either
as denoting both present and future wrath; or the vehemency of it
it being
exceeding fierce and vehement; and the continuance and duration of it
there
will be wrath upon wrath
even to the uttermost
and for ever; and for this a
day is fixed
against which day wicked men are treasuring up wrath to
themselves
and they shall be brought forth at the day of judgment
to have it
poured forth upon them. This is the true state of the case with respect to
them
that
though sometimes they are involved in general calamities
as the
old world
and the men of Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 7:23; and
sometimes good men are delivered from them
as Noah and Lot were
Genesis 7:23
or
are taken away by death from the evil to come; yet for the most part
generally
speaking
wicked men escape present calamities and distresses
and are not in
trouble as other men
but live in ease and pleasure all their days;
nevertheless
wrath and ruin
and everlasting destruction
will be their
portion.
Job 21:31 31 Who condemns his way to
his face? And who repays him for what he has done?
YLT
31Who doth declare to his
face his way? And [for] that which he hath done
Who doth give recompence to
him?
Who shall declare his way to his face?.... Jarchi
and Aben Ezra think that Job here returns to God
and speaks of him
as in Job 21:22;
signifying that no man can or ought to presume to charge the ways of God in his
providence with inequality or injustice
in sparing the wicked now
and
reserving them to wrath and destruction hereafter; since he is a sovereign
Being
and does what he pleases
and none can hinder him
nor ought any to say
to him
what dost thou? nor does he give an account of his matters to the
children of men; but this respects the wicked man
and describes his state and
condition in this life
as being possessed of such wealth and riches
and
living in such grandeur and splendour
and advanced to such places of honour
and glory
as to be above the reproof of men; though his way
his course of
life
is a very wicked one
and he ought to be told to his face the evil of his
way
and the danger he is exposed to by it
and what will be the sad
consequence of it; his relations and friends
his neighbours and acquaintance
should labour to convince him of his evil
and reprove him to his face
and
endeavour to reclaim him from it; but how few are there that have courage and
faithfulness enough to do this
since they are sure to incur his displeasure
and hatred
and run the risk of their lives
as John the Baptist lost his for
his faithfulness in reproving Herod to his face
for taking to him his brother
Philip's wife? Matthew 14:3;
and who shall repay him what he hath done? bring him to
an account for his crimes
and to just punishment for them; who will venture to
bring a charge against him
or enter an action at law
bring him before a court
of judicature
and prosecute him
and get judgment passed upon him? as such a
man is above all reproof for his sins
he is out of the reach of punishment for
them; he lives with impunity
none can punish him but God; and being lifted up
with his greatness
he neither fears God nor regards man.
Job 21:32 32 Yet he shall be brought to
the grave
And a vigil kept over the tomb.
YLT
32And he -- to the graves he
is brought. And over the heap a watch is kept.
Yet shall he be brought to the grave
.... Or
"and"
"or yea he shall be brought"
&c.F1והוא "et ipse"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c. ; for
the meaning is not
that though he is great in life he shall be brought low
enough at death; for Job is still describing the grand figure wicked men make
even at death
as well as in life; for he is not only brought to the grave
as
all men are
it being the house appointed for all living
and every man's long
home; but the wicked rich man is brought thither in great funeral pomp
in
great state
as the rich sinner was buried
Ecclesiastes 8:10;
or "to the graves"F2לקברות
"ad sepulchra"
V. L. Montamus
Vatablus
Drusius
Beza
Mercerus
Michaelis
Schultens; "in sepulchra"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
the place where many graves are
the place of the sepulchres of his
ancestors; and in the chiefest and choicest of them he is interred
and has an
honourable burial; not cast into a ditch
or buried with the burial of an ass
as Jehoiakim was
being cast forth beyond the gates of the city
Jeremiah 22:19; and
shall remain in the tomb; quiet and undisturbed
when it has been the lot of
others to have their bones taken out of their grave
and spread before the sun
see Jeremiah 8:1; and
even some good men
who have had their graves dug up
their bones taken out and
burnt
and their ashes scattered about
as was the case of that eminent man
John Wickliff
here in England. The word for "tomb" signifies an
"heap"F3על גדיש
"super acervo"
Montanus
Codurcus; so Bolducius
Mercerus.
and is
sometimes used for an heap of the fruits of the earth; which has led some to
think of the place of this man's interment being in the midst of a corn field;
but the reason why a grave or tomb is so called is
because a grave
through a
body or bodies being laid in it
rises up higher than the common ground; and if
it has a tomb erected over it
that is no other than an heap of stones
artificially put together; or it may be so called from the heaps of bodies one
upon another in a grave
or vault
over which the tomb is
or where every part
of the body is gathered and heapedF4Vid. David de Pomis Lexic. fol.
14. 3. ; from this sense of the word some have given this interpretation of the
passage
that the wicked man shall be brought to his grave
and abide there
after he has heaped up a great deal of wealth and riches in this world; which
though a truth
seems not to be intended here
any more than others taken from
the different signification of the word translated "remain". It is
observed by some to signify to "hasten"F5ישקוד "festinabit"
Pagninus; so some in
Vatablus
and Ben Melech.
from whence the almond tree
which hastens to put
forth its bloom
has its name
Jeremiah 1:10; and
so give this as the sense
that such a man
being of full age
is ripe for
death
and
comes to his grave
or heap
like a shock of corn in its season.
Others observe
that it signifies to "watch"; and so in the margin of
our Bibles the clause is put
"he shall watch in the heap"F6"Vigilabit"
V. L. Tigurine version
Montanus; "vigilat"
Michaelis
Schultens;
"erit tanquam vigil"
Bolducius.
which is differently interpreted;
by some
that he early and carefully provides himself a tomb
as Absalom in his
lifetime set up a sepulchral pillar for himself
2 Samuel 18:18; and
Shebna the scribe
and Joseph of Arimathea
hewed themselves sepulchres out of
the rock
Isaiah 22:15; and
others think the allusion is either to statues upon tombs
as are still in use
in our days
where they are placed as if they were watching over the tombs; or
to bodies embalmed
according to the custom of the eastern countries
especially the Egyptians
which were set up erect in their vaults
and seemed
as if they were alive
and there set to watch the places they were in
rather
than as if buried there; or
according to others
"he shall be
watched"
or "the keeper shall watch at"
or "over
the tomb"F7"Vigilabitur"
Beza;
"vigilatur"
Cocceius; so Calovius.
that the body is not disturbed
or taken away; but the sense our version gives is best
and most agrees with
the context
and the scope of it
and with what follows.
Job 21:33 33 The clods of the valley
shall be sweet to him; Everyone shall follow him
As countless have gone
before him.
YLT
33Sweet to him have been the
clods of the valley
And after him every man he draweth
And before him there
is no numbering.
The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him
.... Where he
lies interred
alluding to places of interment at the bottom of hills
and
mountains
and under rocks
in plains and vales
see Genesis 35:8; and
by this strong figure is signified
that the dead wicked man
lying in the
clods of the valley in his grave
is in great repose
and in the utmost ease
and quiet
feels no pains of body
nor has any uneasiness of mind concerning
what befalls his posterity after his death
Job 14:21;
and every man shall draw after him
as there are
innumerable before him; which either respects the pomp at his funeral procession
vast
numbers being drawn and gathered together to gaze at it
as is common at grand
funerals; and particularly
it may describe the multitude that go before the
corpse
as well as those that follow after it; but rather as he is before
represented as brought to his grave
and laid there
this clause is added
to
denote the universality of death
it being common to all; thousands and ten
thousands
even a number which no man can number
have gone before him by death
into another world
as every man that comes after him must; and so this may
prevent an objection to the grandeur of a wicked man
that after all he dies;
but then death is no other than what is common to all men
to the vast
multitudes that have gone before
and will be the case of all that come after
to the end of the world.
Job 21:34 34 How then can you comfort
me with empty words
Since falsehood remains in your answers?”
YLT
34And how do ye comfort me
[with] vanity
And in your answers hath been left trespass?
How then comfort ye me in vain
.... This is the
conclusion Job draws from the above observations: his friends came to comfort
him
and they took methods for it
as they thought
but miserable comforters
were they all; what they administered for comfort was in vain
and to no
purpose; nor could any be expected from them
on the plan upon which they
proceeded; they suggested he was a bad man
because of his afflictions
and
they exhorted him to repentance and reformation
and then promised him
happiness and prosperity upon it; which could not be expected
as appeared from
the face of things in Providence; since
according to the above instances and
proofs
wicked men enjoy prosperity
and good men had usually a great share of
adversity:
seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood; all their
replies to Job were filled with these intimations and suggestions
that wicked
men were only and always afflicted; or if they were at any time in prosperity
it was but for a little while; that good men were seldom or never afflicted
at
least as Job was
or but a little afflicted
and for a little while: now Job
had proved the contrary to all this
and therefore no consolation could be
hoped for from men that held such tenets; comfort only springs from truth
and
not falsehood; a man that speaks the truths
or delivers out the truths of
God's word
he speaks to comfort and edification; but he that brings nothing
but error and falsehood can never be the means and instrument of true solid
comfort to any. Job having thus fully proved his point
and confuted the
notions of his friends
it might have been thought they would have sat down in
silence
and made no further answer; but Eliphaz rises up a third time
and
makes a reply
as follows.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)