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Job Chapter
Twenty-four
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 24
This
chapter contains the second part of Job's answer to the last discourse of
Eliphaz
in which he shows that wicked men
those of the worst characters
prosper in the world
and go through it with impunity; he lays down this as a
certain truth
that though no time is hid from God
yet they that are most
familiar with him
and know most of him
do not see
and cannot observe
any
days of his for judging and punishing wicked men in
this life
Job 24:1; and
instances in men guilty of injustice
violence
oppression
cruelty
and
inhumanity
to their neighbours
and yet God lays not folly to them
or charges
them with sin
and punishes them for it
Job 24:2; and in
persons that commit the most atrocious crimes in secret
such as murderers
adulterers
and thieves
Job 24:13; he
allows that there is a curse upon their portion
and that the grave shall
consume them
and they shall be remembered no more
Job 24:18; and
because of their ill treatment of others
though they may be in safety and
prosperity
and be exalted for a while
they shall be brought low and cut off
by death
but generally speaking are not punished in this life
Job 24:21; and
concludes with the greatest assurance of being in the right
and having truth
on his side
Job 24:25.
Job 24:1 “Since
times are not hidden from the Almighty
Why do those who know Him see not His
days?
YLT
1Wherefore from the Mighty
One Times have not been hidden
And those knowing Him have not seen His days.
Why
seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty
.... Which
seems to be an inference deduced from what he had said in Job 23:14; that
since all things are appointed by God
and his appointments are punctually
performed by him
the times of his carrying his purposes and decrees into
execution cannot be hidden from him; for
as he has determined what shall be
done
he has determined the time before appointed for the doing of them; as
there is a purpose for everything under the heavens
there is a time set for
the execution of that purpose
which must be known unto God that has fixed it;
for as all his works are known to him from the beginning
or from eternity
the
times when those works should be wrought must also be known to him. The Vulgate
Latin
version reduces the words to a categorical proposition
"times are
not hidden from the Almighty"; either temporal things
as Sephorno
interprets it
things done in time
or the times of doing those things; no sort
of time is hid from God; time respecting the world in general
its beginning
duration
and end; all seasons in it
day and night
summer and winter
seedtime and harvest
which are all fixed and settled by him; the several distinct
ages and periods of time
into which it has been divided; the old and new
world
the legal and Gospel dispensation
the various generations in it; the
four great monarchies of the world
their rise
and duration
and end
with all
other lesser kingdoms and states; time respecting the inhabitants of the world
their coming into and passing out of it in successive generations
the time of
their birth
and of their death
and of adversity and prosperity
which
interchangeably take place during their abode in it; and particularly the
people of God
the time of their redemption by Christ
of their conversion by
the grace of God
and all their times of darkness
desertion
temptation
and
afflictions
and of peace
joy
and comfort; time
past and future
respecting
the church of God
and the state of it
and all things relative thereunto; and
the times of Israel's affliction in a land not theirs
four hundred years
and
of their seventy years' captivity in Babylon
were not hidden from the
Almighty
but foretold by him; the suffering times of the church under the New
Testament; the ten persecutions of it by the Roman emperors; the flight and
nourishment of it in the wilderness for a time
and times
and half a time; the
treading down of the holy city forty two months; the witnesses prophesying: in
sackcloth 1260 days; the killing of them
and their bodies lying unburied three
days and a half
and then rising; the reign of antichrist forty two months
at
the end of which antichristian time will be no more; the time of Christ's
coming to judgment
which is a day appointed
though unknown to men and angels
and the reign of Christ on earth for a thousand years; all these times are not
hidden from
but known to the Almighty
even all time
past
present
and to come
and all things that have been
are
or shall be done therein. Several Jewish
commentatorsF3Aben Ezra
Nachmanides
& Simeon Bar Tzemach.
interpret these words as an expostulation or wish
"why are not times
hidden?" &c. if they were
I should not wonder at it that those that
knew him do not know what shall be; but he knows the times and days in which
wicked men will do wickedness
why is he silent? Mr. Broughton
and othersF4מדוע משדי "quinam ab
omnipotente"
Beza; so Junius & Tremellius.
render them
"why
are not"
or "why should not times be hidden by the Almighty?"
that is
be hidden in his own breast from men
as they are; for the times and
seasons it is not for man to know
which God has put in his own power
Acts 1:6; as the
times of future troubles
of a man's death
and the day of judgment; it is but
right and fit
on many accounts
that they should be hid by him from them; but
others of later date translate the words perhaps much better
"why are not
certain stated times laid up"
or "reserved by the
Almighty"F5"Quare ab omnipotente non sunt recondita in
poenam stata tempora"
Schultens. ? that is
for punishing wicked men in
this
life
as would be the case
Job suggests
if it was true what his friends
had asserted
that wicked men are always punished here: and then upon this
another question follows
why
do they that know him not see his days? that know him
not merely by the light of nature
but as revealed in Christ; and that have not
a mere knowledge of him
but a spiritual and experimental one; who know him so
as to love him
believe in him
fear
serve
and worship him; and who have a
greater knowledge of him than others may have
and have an intimate
acquaintance and familiarity with him
are his bosom friends; and if there are
fixed times for punishing the wicked in this life
how comes it to pass that
these friends of God
to whom he reveals his secrets
cannot see and observe
any such days and times of his as these? but
on the contrary
observe
even to
the stumbling of the greatest saints
that the wicked prosper and increase in
riches. Job seems to refer to what Eliphaz had said
Job 22:19; which he
here tacitly denies
and proves the contrary by various instances
as follows.
Job 24:2 2 “Some remove
landmarks; They seize flocks violently and feed on them;
YLT
2The borders they reach
A
drove they have taken violently away
Yea
they do evil.
Some remove the
landmarks
.... Anciently set to distinguish one man's land from another
to
secure property
and preserve from encroachments; but some were so wicked as
either secretly in the night to remove them
or openly to do it
having power
on their side
pretending they were wrongly located; this was not only
prohibited by the law of God
and pronounced an accursed thing
Deuteronomy 19:14;
but was reckoned so before the law was given
being known to be such by the
light of nature
as what was now
and here condemned
was before that law was
in being; and so we find that this was accounted an execrable thing among the
Heathens
who had a deity they called Jupiter Terminalis
who was appointed
over bounds and landmarks; so Numa Pompilius appointed stones to be set as
bounds to everyone's lands
and dedicated them to Jupiter Terminalis
and
ordered that those that removed them should be slain as sacrilegious persons
and they and their oxen devoted to destructionF6Dion. Halicarnass.
& Festus apud Sanctium in loc. Vid. Rycquium de Capitol. Roman. c. 14.
Ovid. Fasti
l. 2. : some render it
"they touch the landmarks"F7ישיגו "attigerunt"
Pagninus
Bolducius;
"attingunt"
Vatablus.
as if to touch them was unlawful
and
therefore much more to remove them:
they violently take away flocks
and feed thereof; not content
with a sheep or a lamb
they took away whole flocks
and that by force and
violence
openly and publicly
and slew them
and fed on them; or else took
them and put them into their own grounds
or such as they had got by
encroachments from others
where they fed them without any fear of men; which
shows the effrontery and impudence of them.
Job 24:3 3 They drive away the donkey
of the fatherless; They take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
YLT
3The ass of the fatherless
they lead away
They take in pledge the ox of the widow
They drive away the ass of the fatherless
.... Who are
left destitute of friends
and have none to take care of them
and provide for
them; and who having one ass to carry their goods for them from place to place
or to ride upon
which though a creature of no great worth
yet of some usefulness
this they drove away from its pasture
or however from its right owner; and who
having but one
it was the more cruel and inhuman to take it from him
see
2 Samuel 12:3;
they take the widow's ox for a pledge; or oxen
the
singular for the plural
with which her lands were ploughed
for a single ox
could be but of little service: some render it "a cow"F8שור "pro bove foemina
vacca"
Bolducius.
by the
milk of which she and her family were chiefly supported
as many poor country
families are by the means of a good milch cow; and to take this
on which her
livelihood depended
and retain for a pledge
was very barbarous; when the law
concerning pledges took place among the Jews
in the times of Moses
which it
seems was in being before with others
whatsoever was useful to persons
either
to keep them warm
or by which they got their bread
were not to be taken
at
least not detained for a pledge
see Exodus 22:26.
Job 24:4 4 They push the needy off
the road; All the poor of the land are forced to hide.
YLT
4They turn aside the needy
from the way
Together have hid the poor of the earth.
They turn the needy out of the way
.... Either
in a moral
sense
out of the right way
the way of righteousness and truth
by their bad
examples
or by their threatenings or flatteries; or
in a civil sense
out of
the way of their livelihood
by taking that from them by which they got it; or
in a literal sense
obliging them to turn out of the way from them
in a
supercilious and haughty manner
or causing them
through fear of them
to get
out of the way
that they might not meet them
lest they should insult them
beat and abuse them
or take that little from them they had
as follows:
the poor of the earth hide themselves together; who are not
only poor in purse
but poor in spirit
meek
humble
and lowly
and have not
spirit and courage to stand against such oppressors
but are easily crushed by
them; these through fear of them hide themselves in holes and corners in a
body
in a large company together
lest they should fall into their cruel
hands
and be used by them in a barbarous manner
see Proverbs 28:28.
Job 24:5 5 Indeed
like wild
donkeys in the desert
They go out to their work
searching for food. The
wilderness yields food for them and for their children.
YLT
5Lo
wild asses in a
wilderness
They have gone out about their work
Seeking early for prey
A
mixture for himself -- food for young ones.
Behold
as wild asses in the desert
.... The word
"as" is a supplement
and may be omitted
and the words be
interpreted literally of wild asses
as they are by Sephorno
whose proper
place is in the wilderness
to which they are used
and where their food is
provided for them
and which they diligently seek for
for them and their
young; and so the words may be descriptive of the place where the poor hide
themselves
and of the company they are obliged to keep; but the Targum
supplies the note of similitude as we do; and othersF9Aben Ezra
Ben
Gersom
Bar Tzemach. observe it to be wanting
and so it may respect wicked men
before described
who may be compared to the wild asses of the wilderness for
their folly and stupidity
man being born like a wild ass's colt
Job 11:12; and for
their lust and wantonness
and for their rebellion against God and his laws
and their unteachableness. Perhaps some regard may be had to the wild Arabs
that were in Job's neighbourhood
the descendants of Ishmael
called the wild
man
as he is in Genesis 16:12; who
lived by plunder and robbery
as these here:
they go forth to their work: of thieving and stealing
robbing and plundering
as their trade
and business
and occupation of life
and as naturally and constantly as men go to their lawful employment
and as if
it was one:
rising betimes for a prey; getting up early in a
morning to meet the industrious traveller on the road
and make a prey of him
rob him of what he has about him; for they cannot sleep unless they do
mischief:
the wilderness yieldeth food for them
and for their
children; though they are lurking in a wilderness where no sustenance is
to be had
yet
by robbing everyone that passes by
they get enough for them
and their families: though some understand all this of the poor
who are
obliged to hide themselves from their oppressors
and go into the wilderness in
droves like wild asses
and as timorous and as swift as they in fleeing; and
are forced to hard service
and to rise early to earn their bread
and get
sustenance for their families; and who in the main are obliged to live on
berries and roots
and what a wild desert will afford; but the
word
"prey" is not applicable to the pains and labours of such industrious
people
wherefore the former sense is best; and besides
there seems to be one
continued account of wicked men.
Job 24:6 6 They gather their fodder
in the field And glean in the vineyard of the wicked.
YLT
6In a field his provender
they reap
And the vineyard of the wicked they glean.
They reap everyone his corn in the field
.... Not the
poor
who are obliged to reap the corn of the wicked for them without any
wages
as some; but rather the wicked reap the corn of the poor; they are so
insolent and impudent
that they do not take the corn out of their barns by
stealth
but while it is standing in the field; they come openly and reap it
down
as if it was their own
without any fear of God or men: it is observed
that the wordF11בלילו "migma
suum"
Bolducius; "farraginem ejus vel suam"
Tigurine
version
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius
Michaelis. signifies a
mixture of the poorer sorts of corn
which is scarce anything better than food
for cattle; yet this they cut down and carry off
as forage for their horses
and asses at least. Some of the ancient versions
taking it to be two words
render them
"which is not their own"F12 ουκ αυτων Sept. "non
suum"
V. L. so the Targum
and Aben Ezra
Grotius
Codurcus. ; they go
into a field that is not theirs
and reap corn that do not belong to them
that
they have no right unto
and so are guilty of great injustice
and of doing
injury to others:
and they gather the vintage of the wicked; gather the
grapes off of the vines of wicked men
which are gathered
as the word
signifies
at the latter end of the year
in autumn; and though they belong to
wicked men like themselves
yet they spare them not
but seize on all that come
to hand
whether the property of good men or bad men; and thus sometimes one
wicked man is an instrument of punishing another: or "the wicked gather
the vintage"F13וכרם רשע ילקשו "et in vinea
(aliena) vindemiant impii"
Tigurine version; "vineasque vindemiant
impii"
Castalio. ; that is
of the poor; as they reap where they have not
sown
they gather of that they have not planted.
Job 24:7 7 They spend the night
naked
without clothing
And have no covering in the cold.
YLT
7The naked they cause to
lodge Without clothing. And there is no covering in the cold.
They cause the naked to lodge without clothing
.... That is
such as are poorly clothed
thinly arrayed
have scarce anything but rags
and
yet so cruel the wicked men above described
that they take these away from the
poor
and even their bed clothes
which seem chiefly designed; so that they are
obliged to lodge or lie all night without anything upon them:
that they have no covering in the cold; neither in
the daytime
nor in the night
and especially the latter; and having no house
to go to
and obliged to lay themselves down upon the bare ground
had nothing
to cover them from the inclemency of the weather; for even in hot countries
nights are sometimes cold
and large dews fall
yea
sometimes it is a frost
see Genesis 31:40.
Job 24:8 8 They are wet with the
showers of the mountains
And huddle around the rock for want of shelter.
YLT
8From the inundation of
hills they are wet
And without a refuge -- have embraced a rock.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains
.... They that
are without any clothes to cover them
lying down at the bottom of a hill or
mountain
where the clouds often gather
and there break
or the snow at the
top of them melts through the heat of the day; and whether by the one or by the
other
large streams of water run down the mountains
and the naked poor
or
such who are thinly clothed
are all over wet therewith
as Nebuchadnezzar's
body was with the dew of heaven
when he was driven from men
and lived among
beasts
Daniel 4:33
and embrace the rock for want of a shelter; or
habitation
as the Targum; having no house to dwell in
nor any raiment to
cover them
they were glad to get into the hole of a rock
in a cave or den
there
and where some good men in former times were obliged to wander
Hebrews 11:38; and
whither mean persons
in the time and country in which Job lived
were driven
to dwell in
see Job 30:6.
Job 24:9 9 “Some snatch the fatherless
from the breast
And take a pledge from the poor.
YLT
9They take violently away
From the breast the orphan
And on the poor they lay a pledge.
They pluck the fatherless from the breast
.... Either on
purpose to starve it
which must be extremely barbarous; or to sell it to be
brought up a slave; or by obliging the mother to wean it before the due time
that she might be the better able to do work for them they obliged her to. Mr.
Broughton renders the words
"of mischievousness they rob the fatherless";
that is
through the greatness of the mischief they do
as Ben Gersom
interprets it; or through the exceeding mischievous disposition they are of; of
which this is a flagrant instance; or
"they
rob the fatherless of what remains for him after spoilingF14משד "per devastationem"
some in Munster;
"post vastationem"
Tigurine version; so Nachmanides & Bar
Tzemach.
'
or
devastation
through the plunder of his father's substance now dead
which was
exceeding cruel:
and take a pledge of the poor; either the poor himself
or his poor fatherless children
see 2 Kings 4:1; or
what is "upon the poor"F15על עני "super inopem"
Cocceius
Schultens; so Ben
Gersom.
as it may be rendered; that is
his raiment
which was commonly taken
for a pledge; and
by a law afterwards established in Israel
was obliged to be
restored before sunset
that he might have a covering to sleep in
Exodus 22:26; See
Gill on Job 22:6.
Job 24:10 10 They cause the poor
to go naked
without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.
YLT
10Naked
they have gone
without clothing
And hungry -- have taken away a sheaf.
They cause him to go naked without clothing
.... Having
taken his raiment from him for a pledge
or refusing to give him his wages for
his work
whereby he might procure clothes to cover him
but that being
withheld
is obliged to go naked
or next to it:
and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; the Vulgate
Latin version renders it
"ears of corn"
such as the poor man
plucked as he walked through a corn field
in order to rub them in his hand
and eat of
as the disciples of Christ
with which the Pharisees were offended
Luke 6:1; and which
according to a law in Israel
was allowed to be done
Deuteronomy 23:25;
but now so severe were these wicked men to these poor persons
that they took
away from them such ears of corn: but it is more likely that this sheaf was
what the poor had gleaned
and what they had been picking up ear by ear
and
had bound up into a sheaf
in order to carry home and beat it out
and then
grind the corn of it
and make a loaf of it to satisfy their hunger; but so
cruel and hardhearted were these men
that they took it away from them
which
they had been all
or the greatest part of the day
picking up; unless it can
be thought there was a custom in Job's country
which was afterwards a law
among the Jews
that if a sheaf was forgotten by the owner
and left in the
field when he gathered in his corn
he was not to go back for it
and fetch it
but leave it to the poor
Deuteronomy 24:19;
but these men would not suffer them to have it
but took it away from them; or
the words may be rendered
as they are by some
"the hungry carry the
sheaf"F16ורעבים נשאו
עמר "et famelici gestant manipulum"
Tigurine version
Mercerus; so Schultens
Michaelis. that is
of their rich
oppressive masters
who having reaped their fields for them
and bound up the
corn in sheaves
carry it home for them; and yet they do not so much as give
them food for their labour
or wages to purchase food to satisfy their; hunger
and so dealt with them worse than the oxen were
according to the Jewish law
which were not to be muzzled when they trod out the corn
but might eat of it
Deuteronomy 25:4.
Job 24:11 11 They press out oil within
their walls
And tread winepresses
yet suffer thirst.
YLT
11Between their walls they
make oil
Wine-presses they have trodden
and thirst.
Which make oil
within their walls
.... Not the poor within their own walls; as if the sense was
that they made their oil in a private manner within the walls of their houses
or in their cellars
lest it should be known and taken away from them; for such
cannot be thought to have had oliveyards to make oil of; rather within the
walls of their rich masters
where they were kept closely confined to their
work
as if in a prison; or within the walls and fences of their oliveyards
where their olive presses stood; or best of all "within the rowsF17בין שור־תאם "inter
ordines"
Mercerus
Piscator
Cocceius; so Sephorno
and some in Eliae
Tishbi
p. 241. of their olive trees"
as the word
signifies
where having gathered the olives
they pressed out the oil in the
presses and this they did at noon
in the heat of the day
as the wordF18יצהירו "meridiati sunt"
V. L. so Bolducius
Schultens. for making oil is observed by some to signify
and yet had nothing
given them to quench their thirst
as follows:
and tread their
winepresses
and suffer thirst; after having gathered their grapes from
their vines for them
they trod them in the winepresses
and made their wine
and yet would not allow them to drink of it to allay their thirst.
Job 24:12 12 The dying groan in the
city
And the souls of the wounded cry out; Yet God does not charge them
with wrong.
YLT
12Because of enmity men do
groan
And the soul of pierced ones doth cry
And God doth not give praise.
Men groan from out of the city
.... Because of the
oppressions and injuries done to them
so that not only the poor in the country
that were employed in the fields
and oliveyards
and vineyards
were used
exceeding ill; but even in cities
where not only are an abundance of people
and so the outrages committed upon them
which made them groan
were done
openly and publicly
with great insolence and impudence
but where also courts
of judicature were held
and yet in defiance of law and justice were those
evils done
see Ecclesiastes 3:16;
and the soul of the wounded crieth out; that is
the
persons wounded with the sword
or any other instrument of vengeance
stabbed
as they went along the public streets of the city
where they fell
these cried
out vehemently as such persons do; so audacious
as well as barbarous
were
these wicked men
that insulted and abused them:
yet God layeth not folly to them; it is for the
sake of this observation that the whole above account is given of wicked men
as well as what follows; that though they are guilty of such atrocious crimes
such inhumanity
cruelty
and oppression in town and country
unheard of
unparalleled
iniquities
sins to be punished by a judge
yet are suffered of
God to pass with impunity. By "folly" is meant sin
not lesser sins
only
little
foolish
trifling things
but greater and grosser ones
such as
before expressed; all sin is folly
being the breach of a law which is holy
just
and good
and exposes to its penalty and curse; and against God the
lawgiver
who is able to save and to destroy; and as it is harmful and
prejudicial
either to the characters
bodies
or estates of men
and
especially to their immortal souls; and yet God that charges his angels with
folly did not charge these men with it; that is
he seemed
in the outward
dealings of his providence towards them
as if he took no notice of their sins
but connived at them
or took no account of them
and did not take any methods
in his providence to show their folly
and convince them of it
nor discover it
to others
and make them public examples
did not punish them
but let them go
on in them without control; and this Job observes
in order to prove his point
that wicked men are not always punished in this life.
Job 24:13 13 “There are those who rebel
against the light; They do not know its ways Nor abide in its paths.
YLT
13They have been among
rebellious ones of light
They have not discerned His ways
Nor abode in His
paths.
They are of those that rebel against the light
.... The light
of nature
acting contrary to the dictates of their own consciences
in being
guilty of the inhumanity
barbarity
and cruelty they were chargeable with in
the above instances; or the light of the law
as the Targum; though as yet the
law of the ten commandments was not in being; or however was not known to these
persons; or against God himself
who is light
and in him no darkness at all
is clothed with it
and is the Father of lights unto his creatures
the Light
of lights
and the Light of the world
from whom all light
natural
spiritual
and eternal
springs
1 John 1:5; which
is the sense of most of the Jewish commentatorsF19Aben Ezra
Ben
Gersom
Sephorno
Bar Tzemach. ; and every sin is a rebellion against God
and
betrays the enmity of the carnal mind to him
is an act of hostility against
him
and shows men to be enemies in their minds to him:
they know not the ways thereof; the ways of light
but
prefer the ways of darkness to them; or the ways of God
the ways of his
commandments
which he has prescribed for men
and directed them to walk in;
these they know not
are wilfully ignorant of
desire not the knowledge of
them
and will be at no pains to get any acquaintance with them; or they
approve not of them
they are not pleasing to them
and they choose not to walk
in them:
nor abide in the paths thereof; if at any time they are
got into the paths of light
truth
and righteousness
or in the ways of God's
commandments
and do a few good actions
they do not continue therein
but
quickly go out of the way again
leave the paths of righteousness to walk in
the ways of darkness
Proverbs 2:13. Some
interpreters understand these words entirely of natural light
and of men who
are like owls and bats that flee from the light
who are authors of the works
of darkness
and do what they do in the dark secretly
and hate the light
and
do not choose to come unto it
that their deeds may not be reproved; and so now
Job enters upon the account of another set of men different from the former
who did what they did openly
in the face of the sun
and before all men; but
these he is now about to describe are such who commit iniquity secretly and
privately
and instances in the murderer adulterer
and thief
in Job 24:14.
Job 24:14 14 The murderer rises with
the light; He kills the poor and needy; And in the night he is like a thief.
YLT
14At the light doth the
murderer rise
He doth slay the poor and needy
And in the night he is as a
thief.
The murderer rising with the light
.... The light of the
morning
before the sun is risen
about the time the early traveller is set out
on his journey
and men go to distant markets to buy and sell goods
and the
poor labourer goes forth to his work; then is the time for one that is used to
commit robbery and murder to rise from his bed
or from his lurking place
in a
cave or a thicket
where he has lain all night
in order to meet with the above
persons: and so
killeth the poor and needy; takes away from them the
little they have
whether money or provisions
and kills them because they have
no more
and that they may not be evidence against him; it may be meant of the
poor saints and people of God
whom the wicked slay out of hatred to them:
and in the night is as a thief; kills privately
secretly
at an unawares
as the thief does his work; or the "as"
here is not a note of similitude or likeness
but of reality and truth; and so
Mr. Broughton renders the words
"and in the night he will be as a
thief"; in the morning he is a robber on the highway
and a murderer; all
the day he is in his lurking place
in some haunt or another
sleeping or
carousing; and when the night comes on
then he acts the part of a thief; in
the morning he not only robs
but murders
that he may not be detected; at
night he only steals
and not kills
because men are asleep
and see him not.
Job 24:15 15 The eye of the adulterer
waits for the twilight
Saying
‘No eye will see me’; And he disguises his
face.
YLT
15And the eye of an adulterer
Hath observed the twilight
Saying
`No eye doth behold me.' And he putteth the
face in secret.
The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight
.... Not of
the morning
which would not give him time enough to satiate his lust
but of
the evening
that he may have the whole night before him to gratify his impure
desires
and that these may be indulged in the most private and secret manner;
and having fixed the time in the evening with his adulteress
he waits with
impatience
and earnestly wishes and longs for its coming
and diligently looks
out for the close of day
and takes the first opportunity of the darkness of
the evening to set out on his adventure
see Proverbs 7:7; and
the "eye" is particularly observed
not only because that is the
instrument by which the twilight is discerned
and is industriously employed in
looking out for it
but is full of adultery
as the Apostle Peter expresses it
2 Peter 2:14; it is
what is the inlet to this sin
the leader on to it
the caterer for it
and the
nourisher
and cherisher of it
see Job 30:1;
saying
no eye shall see me; no eye of man
which
such an one is careful to guard against; and especially the eye of the husband
of the adulteress
whose raging jealousy will not spare the adulterer
but take
revenge on him by an immediate dispatch of him. And few care to have it known
by any that they are guilty of this sin
because it brings dishonour and
reproach upon them
which cannot be wiped off: the fact of Absalom going in to
his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel
2 Samuel 16:21
and
lying with them in the face of the sun
is the most notorious instance of this
kind to be read; usually both sexes choose the utmost secrecy. Potiphar's wife
took the opportunity to tempt Joseph when none of the men of the house were
within
Genesis 35:10; and
when Amnon intended to force his sister
he ordered all the men to be had out
of the room
2 Samuel 13:9
and
moreover
the adulterer foolishly fancies that God sees him not
or at least is
not concerned about that; though there is no darkness where such workers of
iniquity can hide themselves from his all seeing eye
the darkness and the
light are both alike to him. These men are like the ostrich
which thrusting
its head into a thicket
as TertullianF20De Virgin
Veland. c. 17.
observes
fancies it is not seen; so children cover their faces
and
because
they see none
think that nobody sees them; and as weak and childish a part do
such act
who imagine that their evil deeds
done in the dark
are not seen by
him
before whom every creature is made manifest
and all things are naked and
open:
and disguiseth his face; puts a mask upon it
that he may not be known by any he meets
when upon his amorous adventure
as
harlots used to cover themselves with a vail
Genesis 38:14.
Job 24:16 16 In the dark they break
into houses Which they marked for themselves in the daytime; They do not know
the light.
YLT
16He hath dug in the darkness
-- houses; By day they shut themselves up
They have not known light.
In the dark they dig through houses
which they had marked
for themselves in the daytime
.... Which some understand of adulterers
last mentioned
who
having observed where beautiful women dwell
mark their
houses
and the way to them
and the best way into them
and in the dark get in
at windows
or by breaking open doors get to the persons they lust after; but
as such steps would be neither safe nor prudent
so they are not necessary;
such sort of persons get admittance in an easier way
either by bribing
servants
or by a previous agreement with the adulteress herself: rather this
is to be understood of the thief and his companions
before spoken of; or
designs another sort of thieves
such as are guilty of burglary
housebreakers
who in the daytime go about and observe such houses as are full of money
plate
and rich goods
see Job 3:15; and take
diligent notice of the way to them
and which is the best and easiest part to
get into them
and
perhaps
set on them a private mark that they may know
them; these they break up
the walls
or doors
or windows
and get in at them
and rob
and plunder
and carry off all they can; the same sins were committed
and the same methods of committing them were used
formerly as now; there was a
law in Israel concerning housebreaking
Exodus 22:2; and
our Lord alludes to it
Matthew 24:43. Some
render the words
"they seal up" or "shut up themselves in the
day"F21חתמו למו
εσφραγισαν εαυτους
Sept. "includunt sese"
some in Mercerus; so Drusius; "semet
sigillant"
Schultens. ; in their caves
and dens
and lurking places
and
do not appear
and scarce ever see the light
and therefore it follows:
they know not the light; it is seldom or ever
seen by them
or they do not approve it
like it
and love it
being not for
their purpose; while it is light they can do nothing
that manifestly discovers
and betrays them
and therefore they hate it; and in a figurative sense they
know not
or do not approve of the light of nature
which checks and controls
such evil actions
and accuses them of them; nor the light of God's word
or
holy law
which forbids them
and therefore they despise it
and cast it away
from them
and will not be subject to it; nor God himself
who is light
and
against whom their carnal minds are enmity; and whatever knowledge they have of
him
or profess to have
in works they deny him
and live without him
as
atheists in the world.
Job 24:17 17 For the morning is the
same to them as the shadow of death; If someone recognizes them
They
are in the terrors of the shadow of death.
YLT
17When together
morning [is]
to them death shade
When he discerneth the terrors of death shade.
For the morning is to them even as the shadow of death
.... It is as
disagreeable
and as hateful
and as terrible to them as the grossest and
thickest darkness can be to others. The word יחדו is
to be rendered either "alike" or "altogether"
and not
"even"
as in our version: "the morning is to them equally"
or "together"F23Pariter
Pagninus
Montanus
&c. ;
that is
to the murderer
robber
thief
adulterer
and housebreaker
"as
the shadow of death"; alike disagreeable to them all; or "the shadow
of death is to them together" or "alike as the morning";
what the morning is to others
exceeding pleasant and delightful
that to them
is the shadow of death
or the darkest night; they love darkness rather than
light:
if one know them
they are in the terrors of the
shadow of death; they are frightened unto death
they are in as great terror as a
man is to whom death is the king of terrors; and who is sensible of the near
approach of it
the plain and manifest symptoms of it being upon him: this is
the case of the murderer
adulterer
and thief
when they are caught in the
fact; or are known by such who are capable of giving notice of them
detecting
them
and bearing witness against them: or "he"
each and everyone of
these
"knows the terrors of the shadow of death"F24יכיר בלהות צלמות
"agnoscit terrores umbrae mortis"
Mercerus
Cocceius; so Codurcus
Schmidt. ; the darkest night
which strikes terrors into others
is known by
them
is delighted in by them
is familiar with them
and friendly to them
and
is as pleasing as the brightest day to others.
Job 24:18 18 “They should be
swift on the face of the waters
Their portion should be cursed in the
earth
So that no one would turn into the way of their vineyards.
YLT
18Light he [is] on the face
of the waters
Vilified is their portion in the earth
He turneth not the way
of vineyards.
He is swift as the waters
.... Or "upon the
face of the waters"F25על פני מים "super faciem
aquarum"
Mercerus
Bolducius
Beza
Drusius
Schultens. ; which some
interpret of another set and sort of wicked men
guilty of like crimes
not on
land
but upon the mighty waters; pirates
such that commit robberies upon the
high seas; who generally choose the swiftest vessels to run from place to place
for their prey
and to carry off their booty when pursued; whose manner of life
is detestable to other persons; and especially they are cursed by those on
land
who suffer by robbing the ships of their goods they send abroad; but
these men best like such a manner of life
and prefer it to any thing by land
to agriculture or cultivation of vineyards
which they have no regard unto
as
is supposed to be intimated by the following clauses; but it is greatly to be
questioned whether there were any such persons
or that such practices obtained
so early as the time of Job. Schultens thinks Sodomites are meant
who are most
profuse to lust
and flow in it like water
plough the accursed field
by going
after strange flesh
and have no regard to lawful marriage
or honest wives
comparable to vines and vineyards; but I should rather think those guilty of
the sin of Onan are meant
who have no regard to the propagation of posterity.
Others
as Ben Gersom are of opinion that this refers to the above persons
murderers
adulterers
and thieves
Job 24:14; who
being conscious of their crimes and due deserts
and in danger of being taken
up
and brought to just punishment
flee to the sea with all the haste they
can
take shipping
and go abroad into foreign parts; where they dwell in
desolate and uncultivated places of the earth
which are cursed
or nigh unto
cursing
and never more see pleasant fields
gardens
orchards
and vineyards:
though others suppose that these words describe the temper and disposition of
such wicked persons
who are unstable as water
carried about as any light
thing upon the water with every wind of temptation
run swiftly into evil
and
make haste to commit sin; though it seems best of all to interpret the words as
respecting the state of wicked men at death
who then pass away swiftly and
suddenly as gliding waters
and are "lighter" or swifter "than
the waters"
as Mr. Broughton renders the words:
their portion is cursed in the earth; that part and
portion of the good things of this world they have is with a curse; their very
blessings are cursed
and what they leave behind has a curse entailed on it
and in process of time is blasted
and comes to nothing; for
the curse of the
Lord is in the house of the wicked
Proverbs 3:33;
he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards; as in their
lifetime they had no regard to the way of good and righteous men
of whom
Jarchi in a mystical sense
interprets the vineyards; so at death they are
taken away from all their worldly enjoyments they set their hearts upon; their
places know them no more
and they no more see their fields
and vineyards
and
oliveyards
and take no more walks unto them nor in them.
Job 24:19 19 As drought and heat
consume the snow waters
So the grave[a] consumes
those who have sinned.
YLT
19Drought -- also heat --
consume snow-waters
Sheol [those who] have sinned.
Drought and heat consume the snow waters
.... Melt the
snow into water
and dry up that
which is done easily
quickly
and suddenly:
so doth the grave those
which have sinned; all have sinned
but some are more notorious sinners than
others
as those here meant; and all die and are laid in the grave
and are
consumed; hence the grave is called the pit of corruption and destruction
because bodies are corrupted and destroyed in it
and which is the case of all
both good and bad men; but the metaphor here used to express it by
of the consumption
of snow water by drought and heat
denotes either that the death of these
persons is sudden and violent
and in such a manner are brought to the grave
consumed there; that they die a sudden death
and before their time
and do not
live out half the days
which
according to the course of nature
they might
have lived
or it was expected by them and others they would; whereas they are
"snatched away"
as the word signifies
as suddenly and violently as
snow waters are by the drought and heat; or else that their death is quick
quiet
and easy
as snow is quickly dissolved
and the water as soon and as
easily dried up by the drought and heat; they do not lie long under torturing
diseases
but are at once taken away
and scarce feel any pain; they die in
their full strength
wholly at ease and quiet; which sense well answers Job's
scope and design
see Job 21:23. Some
render the words
"in the drought and heat they rob
and in the snow
waters"F26ב "deficit"; so
some in Simeon
Bar Tzemach. ; that is
they rob at all times and seasons of
the year
summer and winter; and this is their constant trade and employ; they
are always at it
let the weather be what it will: and "they sin unto the
grave"
or "hell"F1שאול חטאו "ad infernum usque peccarunt"
Schmidt;
"usque ad sepulchrum"
Mercerus; some in Drusius. ; they continue in
their wicked course of life as long as they live
until they are brought to the
grave; they live and die in sin.
Job 24:20 20 The womb should
forget him
The worm should feed sweetly on him; He should be
remembered no more
And wickedness should be broken like a tree.
YLT
20Forget him doth the womb
Sweeten [on] him doth the worm
No more is he remembered
And broken as a tree
is wickedness.
The womb shall forget him
.... His mother that bore
him; or his wife
by whom he had many children; or his friend
as Gersom
who
had a tender and affectionate respect for him; these all
and each of them
either because of his wicked life and infamous death
care not to speak of him
but bury him in oblivion; or because of his quiet and easy death
are not
distressed with it
but soon forget him; unless this is to be understood of the
womb of the earth
in which being buried
he lies forgotten
to which the next
clause agrees; though some interpret it of God himself the word having the
signification of mercyF2רחם
"misericordia"
V. L. "miseratio"
Montanus
Bolducius; so
Tigurine version
Grotius. ; who
though mercy itself
is rich and abundant in
it
yet has no mercy for
nor shows any favour to
such men; but they lie in
the grave among those whom he remembers no more in a way of grace and favour
Psalm 85:5;
the worm shall feed sweetly on him; for being brought to the
grave at once
without any wasting distemper
is a fine repast for worms
his
breasts being full of milk
and his bones moistened with marrow
and full of
flesh; or "the worm is sweet unto him"F3מתקו "dulcescit ei"
Beza
Piscator;
"suavis"
Cocceius; so Michaelis
Schultens. ; he feels no pain by
its feeding on him
and so the sense is just the same with that expression
"the clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him"
Job 21:33;
he shall be no more remembered; with any mark of honour
and respect; his memory shall rot with him
while the righteous are had in
everlasting remembrance; or rather dying a common death
and not made a public
example of:
and wickedness shall be broken as a tree; that is
wicked men
who are wickedness itself
extremely wicked
and are like to a
tree
sometimes flourishing in external prosperity
having an affluence of the
things of this world
and always like barren and unfruitful trees
with respect
to grace and good works; these
when the axe of death is laid to the root of
them
they are cut down
and their substance comes to nothing
and their
families are destroyed
and so they become like trees struck with thunder and
lightning
and broken into ten thousand shivers; or as the trees in Egypt were
broken to pieces by the plague of hail
Exodus 9:25.
Job 24:21 21 For he preys on the barren
who do not bear
And does no good for the widow.
YLT
21Treating evil the barren
[who] beareth not
And [to] the widow he doth no good
He evil entreateth the barren
that beareth not
.... Here Job
returns
to give some further account of the sins of some wicked men
who
prosper in this world
and go through it with impunity; and speaks of such that
use their wives ill because they are barren
upbraid them with it
and are
churlish to them on account of it; or use them ill that they may be barren
and
bear no children
having no pleasure in them
as not in vineyards
before
Job 24:18; and some
interpret this of deflowering virgins
who never bore children
and of using
methods to make them abortive
when with child; the word we translate
"evil entreateth" sometimes signifies joining to
or being a
companion of others
as in Proverbs 13:20;
hence various senses are given; some
he joins himself to a barren woman
that
he may have no children
being not desirous of any; others
he
joins himself
to
and is a companion of harlots
who are commonly barren: and like the
prodigal
spends his substance among them. Some interpreters take this verse
and Job 24:22; as
expressive of the punishment of wicked men: so Mr. Broughton renders the words
"he adjoineth the barren"F4רעה עקרה "consociat ei sterilem"
Junius &
Tremellius.
and gives the sense of them thus; God sends after him a barren
wife
that he shall have no help by children; but
though a numerous offspring
has been reckoned an outward happiness
and not to have any an infelicity
yet
it has been the case of many good men and women to be childless; wherefore love
and hatred are not known hereby: besides
such a sense is contrary to the scope
and design of Job
which is to prove that wicked men often go unpunished in
this life; wherefore
rather the meaning is
that a wicked man uses ill such
who having not only lost their husbands
but having been barren
and so
childless
have none to take their part
and to protect and defend them from
the abuses of such men; the Targum renders the word
"he breaketh"
and so some understand itF5Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius
Piscator
Mercerus
Drusius. ; he breaketh the barren
tears them to pieces
ruins and
destroys them
as to their outward substance
because they have no children to
help them; with which agrees what follows
and doth not good to the widow; does not make her glad
and cheerful
as Job did
who made the widow's heart to sing for joy
Job 29:13; does not
relieve and assist her when in distress
either by counsel and advice
or by
administering to her necessities; but
on the contrary
afflicts and oppresses
her; takes her ox
or her raiment
for a pledge
and plunders her house
and
devours the substance of it; for more is intended than is expressed.
Job 24:22 22 “But God draws the
mighty away with His power; He rises up
but no man is sure of life.
YLT
22And hath drawn the mighty
by his power
He riseth
and none believeth in life.
He draweth also the mighty with his power
.... Such a
wicked man not only maltreats the weak
the helpless
and the defenceless
but
even attacks the mighty and powerful; such as are in great power and authority
and abound in wealth and riches
only somewhat inferior in both to himself:
wherefore
by his superior force
he draws them to be of his party
to join
with him in acts of rapine and violence
oppression and cruelty; or he draws
them by power or policy
or by both
as the wicked man does the poor with his
net
Psalm 10:9; and so
makes a prey of him and his substance. Some understand this of the punishment
of wicked men
and interpret it
as Jarchi does
of God's drawing him to
punishment; God sometimes does indeed draw and hurl the mighty from their
seats; though they are set in high
yet in slippery places
and are brought
down to destruction in a moment; and he will draw them all to his judgment seat
hereafter
whether they will or not
and send them into everlasting punishment;
but the former sense is best:
he riseth up
and no man is sure of life; he rises up
in the morning:
either from his bed
or from his lurking place
where he was
all night with a murdering intention
and no man he meets with is safe
but in
the utmost danger of his life
Job 24:14; or
he
rises in the world to great power and dignity
and increases in wealth and
riches
which he abuses to the hurt of others; so that they flee from him and
hide themselves
not caring to trust their life with him
Proverbs 28:28; or
he riseth up against a man in an hostile way
and against whomsoever he does
they are in the utmost jeopardy
and cannot be secure of their lives; though
this also is by some interpreted as the punishment of a wicked man
who
when
he rises in the morning
"trusteth not his own life"F6יאמין בחייו "non fidit suae
vitae"
Tigurine version
Piscator; so V. L.
as the words may be
rendered
and as they are in the margin of our Bibles; but his life is in
suspense
being surrounded with a thousand dangers
and has no assurance of it
and is in continual fear
and often fears where no fear is; see Deuteronomy 28:66;
or
if a man rises up against him
the wicked tyrant and cruel oppressor
he
the tyrant is not sure of his life but may be slain by him that rises up
against him; but the former sense is best.
Job 24:23 23 He gives them security
and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways.
YLT
23He giveth to him
confidence
and he is supported
And his eyes [are] on their ways.
Though it be given
him to be in safety
.... Or "he gives him"F7יתן לו "dat ei"
Piscator
Mercerus
i.e.
Deus
Beza
Drusius
Michaelis.
that is
it is God
gives the wicked man to be in safety
notwithstanding all his wickedness; for
Job
having described the wicked man
now represents him as in the greatest prosperity:
safety is of God in every respect
not only the safety of good men
both in a
way of providence and in a way of grace
but even of bad men; those are often
preserved from the incursions and depredations of others
and their goods are
kept
and they possess them in peace
and they dwell secure and confidently
without care. The Vulgate Latin version is widely different
"God
gives him place of repentance
and he abuses it to pride;'
though
the Targum somewhat agrees with it
"he
gives to him repentance
that he may trust
or be confident and be supported:'
so
God gave space to repent to the old world; to whose case some Jewish writers
apply the context
see Genesis 6:3;
whereon he resteth; being in prosperity and safety
he trusts
to it
and depends upon it it will ever be the case; he has much goods laid up
for many years
and therefore sings "requiem" to his soul
saying
"take thine ease"; tomorrow will be as this day
and much more
abundant; things will always be as they are
or better:
yet his eyes are upon their ways; or
"and
his eyes"F8ועיניהו "et
ejus"
Pagninus
Montanus
Bolducius
Beza
Cocceius
Schultens.
that
is
the eyes of God
which are upon all men
good and bad
and upon all their
ways and works; these are upon the wicked man and all his courses; not to
punish him now for his sins; for
though he sees all his wicked actions
not
one escapes his notice
yet he lays not folly to him
nor charges him with it
nor inflicts punishment on him for it; nay
his eyes are upon him to prosper
and succeed him in all he does; which is the usual sense of the phrase
unless
where there is an explanation
or anything said to show the contrary; see Deuteronomy 11:12.
Some give a different sense of the words
as that such that fear the wicked man
give him gifts
that they may be in safety
in which they trust; or he gives
them his hand
or his word
or both
that they shall be
on which they rely;
but his eyes are upon them
watching their ways and works
to take every
opportunity and advantage against them; but the former is best.
Job 24:24 24 They are exalted for a
little while
Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of
the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.
YLT
24High they were [for] a
little
and they are not
And they have been brought low. As all [others] they
are shut up
And as the head of an ear of corn cut off.
They are exalted for a little while
.... To seats of honour
to places of profit and trust
to great wealth and riches
to be highly
esteemed among men
and to have a large affluence of the good things of life;
see Malachi 3:15;
though this exaltation
dignity
and glory
wealth and riches
last but for a
little time
this life at longest being but short
like a vapour that appears
and soon vanishes away; and then all a man's honours and glory
riches and
substance
are at an end
who is soon cut down as the grass
and withers as the
green herb
Psalm 37:2; but as
this pretty much falls in with the sentiment of Zophar
or seems to do so
Job 20:5; rather
this phrase
"for a little while"
may be joined with what follows
"a little while
and they are gone";
but are gone; out of the world
to their own place
and
death puts an end to all their prosperity
to all their outward enjoyments
which yet they retain till death: or "they are not"F9ואיננו "et non ipse"
Montanus
Bolducius;
"et non sunt"
Schultens. ; in the land of the living
in their
houses and shops
and places of trade and commerce; they are no more about
their business
and in their callings of life
nor in the possession of their
worldly estates; the places which knew them know them no more; and this comes
to pass in a very little time; their honour is short lived
and their earthly
portion is not forever:
and brought low; not diminished in their substance in life
nor lessened in their honour and grandeur
nor are brought into poverty and
disgrace; but are brought at last to death
and laid low in the grave
and are
fed upon by worms
and reduced to rottenness and dust:
they are taken out of the way
as all others; out of the
world
by death
and out of the way of others; who come in their room
and were
hoping for their death
and waiting for their posts of honour
and places of
profit
or for their worldly estates; and out of the way of doing more
mischief
and especially to good men; or they are "closed" or
"shut up"F11יקפצו
"claudentur"
Pagninus
Montanus; "clauduntur"
Piscator. ;
that is
in the grave
where they lie imprisoned until the resurrection morn
and out of which prison none can release themselves; nor will they be released
until Christ
who has the keys of the grave
unlocks it
and sets the prisoners
free; but then all this is no other than what befalls the rest of mankind; all
die
and must die
and all are brought to the grave
and laid in that
and shut
up in it
which is the house appointed for all living:
and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn; when they are
fully ripe at harvest time; it being usual in some places
as I have somewhere
read
when they gather their corn
only to cut off the ears of corn at the top
which is very easily and quickly done; and so this may denote the quiet and
easy death of wicked men
and when they are come to a full age
and are like a
shock of corn in its season
Job 5:26.
Job 24:25 25 “Now if it is not so
who will prove me a liar
And make my speech worth nothing?”
YLT
25And if not now
who doth
prove me a liar
And doth make of nothing my word?
And if it be not so now
.... If this
is not the case of men of such wicked lives as above described
do not prosper
in the world
and increase in riches
and do not pass through the world with
impunity
and die quietly
in the full possession of their honour and wealth:
who will make me a liar? where is the man? let
him stand forth and appear
and disprove what has been said
and make out the
doctrine delivered to be false doctrine
and a lie; for no lie is of the truth:
and make my speech nothing worth; vain
useless
and
unprofitable; truth is valuable
like gold
silver and precious stones; but
error is as wood
hay
and stubble
and nothing worth
yea
to be detested and
rejected: or let him make what I have said to stand "for nothing"F12לאל "ad nihilum"
Pagninus
Montanus; so Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator
Mercerus
Cocceius
Michaelis
Schultens. ; let him
show
if he can
that it is impertinent
and not to the purpose
that it does
not prove the point for which it is brought: thus Job was willing to have what
he had said tried by every method that could be made use of
that it might
appear whether what he had said was true or false
worthy to be regarded
or
worthless; and he here bids defiance to his friends
or to any other
and
triumphs over them
as having gained his point; and
as it appears by the
sequel
he had
at least in a great measure
and however with respect to this
matter
that good men are afflicted in this life
and wicked men prosper; of
which there are many instances
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)