JOB CHAPTER 34 He accuseth Job for charging God with injustice, JOB 34:1. God, the almighty Disposer, Governor, and Judge of the world, cannot be unjust, JOB 34:10. It is not fit to say of kings and princes they are unjust, much less of God: his power over and observance of man, who cannot hide from... [ Continue Reading ]
O YE WISE MEN, who are here present, do you judge of the truth and reason of what I have said, and am further to say; for I am willing to submit all to the judgment of the truly wise.... [ Continue Reading ]
i.e. Man's mind judgeth Of things spoken and heard. THE EAR, the sense of discipline, is put for the mind, to which things are conveyed by it. SEE POOLE ON "JOB 12:11".... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDGMENT, i.e. justice and equity; judgment being oft synecdochically used for just judgment, as JOB 8:3, JOB 19:7 32:9 PSALMS 37:28. Let us not contend for victory, but only for truth and justice. This shall be my only care and business\'b7 Let us lay aside all prejudices and animosities, which I p... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM RIGHTEOUS; either, 1. I am perfectly righteous. But this Job did not say, but the contrary, JOB 9:2,3 JOB 14:4. Or, 2. I am a sincere person, no hypocrite, as my friends made me. But this Elihu doth not deny. Or, 3. I am so far righteous, and have been so holy and blameless in my life, that I... [ Continue Reading ]
SHOULD I LIE AGAINST MY RIGHT? so Job had said in effect, JOB 27:4. Should I falsely accuse myself of such sins of which I am no way conscious to myself? Should I betray mine own cause, and deny my integrity, and say that I deserved worse than I have done? WITHOUT TRANSGRESSION, i.e. without any gre... [ Continue Reading ]
i.e. Abundantly and greedily; who doth so oft and so easily break forth into scornful and contemptuous expressions, not only against his friends, but in some sort even against God himself, whom he foolishly and insolently chargeth with dealing rigorously with him. The words may be thus read, WHAT MA... [ Continue Reading ]
Although I dare not say, as his three friends do, that he is a wicked man, yet in this matter he speaks and acts like one of them.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE HATH SAID; not absolutely and in express terms, but by unforced consequence, and as concerning this life, and with reference to himself; because he said that good men were no less, nay, sometimes more, miserable here than the wicked, JOB 9:22, JOB 30:26, and that for his part he was no gainer as... [ Continue Reading ]
YE MEN OF UNDERSTANDING; you who are present, and understand these things, do you judge between Job and me. FAR BE IT FROM GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO WICKEDNESS: this I must lay down as a principle, that the righteous and holy God neither doth nor can deal unjustly with Job, or with any man, as Job insin... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WORK, i.e. the reward of his work, or according to his work. Job's afflictions, though great and sharp, are not undeserved, but justly inflicted upon him, both for his original corruption, and for many actual transgressions, which are manifest to God, though Job, through his partiality, may not... [ Continue Reading ]
As Job hath wickedly affirmed. For the phrase, SEE POOLE ON "JOB 8:3".... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER THE EARTH, i.e. over the inhabitants of the earth, to rule them according to his laws, and to give an account to him of it. Who or where is his superior that made the world, and then delivered the government of it to God? There is no such person. God himself is the sole Creator, the absolute an... [ Continue Reading ]
UPON MAN, Heb. _upon him_, i.e. man, as may seem probable from JOB 34:11,15, where _man_ is expressed; and from the next clause of this verse, where he speaks of that SPIRIT and BREATH which is in man. If his eye and heart be upon man, if he diligently and exactly observe him, and all his ways, and... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL FLESH, i.e. every man, who is called _flesh_, GENESIS 6:3,17 ISA 40:6. TOGETHER, or, _alike_, without any exception, be they great or mean, wise or foolish, good or bad; if God design to destroy them, they cannot withstand his power, but must needs perish by his stroke. The design of this and th... [ Continue Reading ]
As thou art a man of understanding, hear and consider what I say.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE THAT HATETH RIGHT, i.e. that is unrighteous. But this he expresseth in a most emphatical manner, the reason and weight whereof seems to me to be this: If God be unjust, he is not so from fear of any superior, (as inferior magistrates do many unrighteous things against their consciences to please... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU ART WICKED; or, Thou art Belial, or a son of Belial. Though a king may really be unjust and wicked, yet their subjects neither may nor dare presume to call them so, EXODUS 22:28. And therefore if some evil thought did arise in thee, yet how wast thou not afraid to utter such unworthy and almost... [ Continue Reading ]
TO HIM THAT ACCEPTETH NOT THE PERSONS OF PRINCES, i.e. to God, who respecteth not the greatest princes, so as to do any unjust thing to gain their favour, or to avoid their anger, to whom princes and peasants are equally subject, and infinitely inferior; who therefore is free from all temptation to... [ Continue Reading ]
IN A MOMENT; whensoever God doth but give the word, and send his summons for them. SHALL THEY, i. e. the rich and the prince, no less than the poor, must submit to the law of death, which God hath imposed upon all men, without exception, and they cannot charge God with injury therein. THE PEOPLE; wh... [ Continue Reading ]
This is added as the reason of the judgments mentioned in the foregoing verse, God doth not afflict nor destroy either princes or people unjustly, no, nor out of his mere pleasure and absolute sovereignty, (to which Job seemed to impute his calamities,) but for their sins, which God sees exactly, al... [ Continue Reading ]
They may flatter themselves, or cheat others, by covering their wicked actions with plausible pretences and professions; but they cannot deceive God, nor keep their hearts and ways from his sight.... [ Continue Reading ]
MORE THAN RIGHT; more or heavier punishments than they deserve, or than are proportionable to their sins, which he accurately observes, as was now said, and therefore can suit punishments to them. THAT HE SHOULD ENTER INTO JUDGMENT WITH GOD; thereby to give him any pretence or occasion of entering i... [ Continue Reading ]
MIGHTY MEN WITHOUT NUMBER; neither their greatness nor their numbers can secure them from the stroke of God's justice. SET OTHERS IN THEIR STEAD, i.e. give away their power and dignity to others who shall come in their place.... [ Continue Reading ]
i.e. Hence it appears that he knows all their evil works, because he judgeth them for them. God or men are ofttimes said in Scripture to know or do a thing, when they only manifest their knowing and doing of it. Or, _became_, &c., as this particle is used, ISAIAH 26:14, ISAIAH 61:7. So this is subjo... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WICKED MEN, i.e. as he useth to smite wicked men, with a grievous and terrible stroke. Compare ISAIAH 27:7. Or, _for wicked men_; or, _because they are wicked men_, therefore he destroys them without any regard to their quality. IN THE OPEN SIGHT OF OTHERS; in public view, for their greater shame... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM HIM; from the God, whom they or their progenitors had owned; and his laws, which God hath written in the minds of all men, ROMANS 2:14,15; and, it may be, from the practice of the true religion, which sometimes they professed; WOULD NOT CONSIDER, or _understand_. They did not desire nor endeavo... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THAT THEY CAUSE, Heb. _to bring_, &c., which is ambiguous, and may be read, either, 1. _That he_, i.e. God, _might bring_, &c. So this is a reason why God _smote them_, &c., as is said, JOB 34:26. Or, 2. THAT THEY, i.e. those wicked men, _might bring_, &c.; and so these words contain either, 1.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN HE GIVETH QUIETNESS; either to the poor and oppressed persons last mentioned, or to any other person or people, as it follows. WHO THEN CAN MAKE TROUBLE? no man or creature can hinder God's design and work. WHEN HE HIDETH HIS FACE, i.e. withdraws his favour and help from them, and thereby expos... [ Continue Reading ]
Having said that God could and would carry on his own work and design effectually, whether against one man, or against a whole people, he now proceeds to give a further instance of God's mighty power above and against the greatest monarchs, in whom their own and the people's strength seem to be unit... [ Continue Reading ]
Certainly it is but fit and reasonable that man should say thus to his Maker and supreme Lord, and that instead of contending with God, he should submit to him. Or, (which comes to the same thing,) _But hath he said_ ? so the sense is, I have showed the absolute power which God hath over all his cre... [ Continue Reading ]
I will no longer maintain mine innocency, but from thy judgments I will conclude and have reason to believe that there are some secret sins in me, for which thou dost chastise me, and which I through mine ignorance or partiality cannot yet discover, and therefore do beg that thou wouldst by thy Spir... [ Continue Reading ]
Having advised and directed Job how to behave himself, and what to say to God in his case, he now proceedeth to enforce his advice by solid arguments. SHOULD IT (to wit, God's chastening of thee, about which the great controversy was) BE ACCORDING TO THY MIND? Heb. _from with thee_, as thou wouldst... [ Continue Reading ]
I am content that any wise man should judge of my words, and let such consider what I say. Or, as others translate the place, _Men of understanding will speak for or with_ (as the prefix _lamed_ is sometimes used, as GENESIS 46:26 NUMBERS 18:11 JOB 17:5) _me_, and WISE MEN will HEARKEN or _assent_ u... [ Continue Reading ]
WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE; foolishly and inconsiderately.... [ Continue Reading ]
Either, 1. That he may be further tried by God, or exercised with afflictions, till he be thoroughly convinced or humbled. But it seems harsh that he should pray for the continuance or increase of Job's afflictions. Or rather, 2. That his words and cause which I am now debating may be examined and... [ Continue Reading ]
He sinned before, as other ways, so by impatience under his afflictions, which may be ascribed to human infirmity; but now he is grown obstinate and incorrigible, and instead of repenting and humbling himself for his sins, he excuseth them, and justifieth himself, and accuseth the blessed God. Or th... [ Continue Reading ]