Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? Ver. 1. _Call now, if there be any that will answer thee_] The beginning of this chapter is hard, saith Mercer, till you come to the seventh or eighth verses, and then all is plain and easy. That which Eliph... [ Continue Reading ]
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. Ver. 2. _For wrath killeth the foolish man_] Such as thou art, Job; hot and hasty, pettish and passionate, fretting thyself to do evil, and so provoking God to fall foul upon thee as a just object of his wrath, to thine utter ruin,... [ Continue Reading ]
I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. Ver. 3. _I have seen the foolish taking root_] _q.d._ I grant that wicked men are not always presently punished, _sed Nemesis in tergo; et subito tollitur, qui diu toleratur._ God's wrath is such as no wicked man can avert o... [ Continue Reading ]
His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither [is there] any to deliver [them]. Ver. 4. _His children are far from safety_] This is one principal root of wicked men, viz. their children, which have their very name in Hebrew from building, because by them the house is b... [ Continue Reading ]
Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance. Ver. 5. _Whose harvest the hungry eateth up_] This is another root of the wicked one, his estate, against which God raiseth up a rout of needy wretches to pillage him. These are a... [ Continue Reading ]
Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; Ver. 6. _Although addiction cometh not forth of the dust_] It cometh not by fate or blind fortune, it haps not as it may that men suffer. Philistines indeed will say, haply, It is a chance, 1 Samuel 6:9... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. Ver. 7. _Yet man is born unto trouble_] Which is the natural fruit of his sin; and a piece of the curse. He hath in him a πανσπερμια, a common seminary of all sin, and this he brings into the world with him; what wonder, then, though troubles... [ Continue Reading ]
I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause: Ver. 8. _Surely I would seek unto God_] Not let fly at him, as thou hast done, cursing thy birthday, and wishing thyself out of the world. Assure thyself, this that thou takest is not the way to get off with comfort, but rather to return... [ Continue Reading ]
_Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:_ Ver. 9. _Which doth great things and unsearchable_] The better to persuade Job to take his counsel, he entereth into a large description of God's attributes, his power, wisdom, justice, mercy, &c., all which are clearly... [ Continue Reading ]
Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields: Ver. 10. _Who giveth rain upon the earth_] This is reckoned, and rightly, among the marvellous works of God. See Job 28:26 Jeremiah 10:13 Amo 5:8 Acts 14:17. Rain is the flux of a moist cloud, which being dissolved by little and li... [ Continue Reading ]
To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety. Ver. 11. _To set up on high those that be low_] By those rich rains whereby he fatteneth the earth, and makes it fruitful, giving them a whole country of corn, as he did that _vir divitiarum qui animam etiam habui... [ Continue Reading ]
He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform [their] enterprise. Ver. 12. _He disappointeth the devices of the crafty_] He vacateth and rendereth ineffectual the curious contrivances of the world's wizards, full of serpentine subtilty, and so setteth his people in... [ Continue Reading ]
He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong. Ver. 13. _He taketh the wise in their own craftiness_] Those wise to do evil, worldly wise, mere Machiavellians; for though the Florentine secretary was not born of some thousands of years after Eliphaz... [ Continue Reading ]
They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night. Ver. 14. _They meet with darkness in the daytime_] They are infatuated and besotted; a spirit of giddiness seizeth them; _ita ut in re clarissima destituantur prudentia,_ saith Vatablus, so that they cannot discern th... [ Continue Reading ]
But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty. Ver. 15. _But he saveth the poor from the sword_] From the woe of war, from the hurt of it, not always from the smart of it; for all such promises as this of temporal deliverance are ever to be taken with exce... [ Continue Reading ]
So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Ver. 16. _So the poor hath hope_] How should it be otherwise? experience will breed confidence. Thou hast, thou wilt, is an ordinary Scriptural medium, Psalms 85:1,4 2 Corinthians 1:10. So, the poor, helpless, hopeless person, who is pined awa... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, happy [is] the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: Ver. 17. _Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth_] This behold holds forth a paradox, a strange sight, viz. an afflicted man, a blessed man. This the world wondereth at, and can as littl... [ Continue Reading ]
For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. Ver. 18. _For he maketh sore, and bindeth up_] As a surgeon maketh an incision to let out the imposthumed matter, and then heals up the wound again. God hath a salve for every sore, a medicine for every malady; he is both a... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee._ Ver. 19. _He shall deliver thee_] Heb. Snatch thee away, or pull thee out, as a brand out of the fire, or as a prey out of the teeth of a wild beast. Thus God snatched Lot out of Sodom, David out of many waters,... [ Continue Reading ]
In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword. Ver. 20. _In famine he shall redeem thee from death_] They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger, Lamentations 4:9. Famine, therefore, is here set as the first and greatest of th... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh. Ver. 21. _Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue_] That is, from reproaches and slanders, which is a tongue smiting, Jeremiah 18:18, as smart as any hand smiting, and draws blood,... [ Continue Reading ]
At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth. Ver. 22. _At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh_] viz. By the force of thy faith, which (like perfect love) casteth out sinful fear; as grounding upon God's infallible promises, and knowing tha... [ Continue Reading ]
For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee. Ver. 23. _For thou shall be in league with the stones of the field_] Thou shall not dash thy foot against them (the Latins call a stone _lapidem a laedendo pede,_ from hurting the foot... [ Continue Reading ]
And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle [shall be] in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin. Ver. 24. _And thou shalt know_] Thine own eyes shall see it, and thine experience seal to it; thou shalt be well assured of it. This is a sweet mercy: it is the sweetmeats of the fea... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt know also that thy seed [shall be] great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth. Ver. 25. _Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great_] Thou shalt live to see thy children (whereof thou art now bereft) not only restored, but increased. Children are the seed, parents are bu... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt come to [thy] grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season. Ver. 26. _Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age_] In a good old age, or (as the Hebrew hath it, Gen 25:8) with a good hoar head, in an ευγηρια, when thou hast even a satiety of life, and art as willi... [ Continue Reading ]
Lo this, we have searched it, so it [is]; hear it, and know thou [it] for thy good. Ver. 27. _Lo this, we have searched it, so it is_] We are sure that all this is true, and may be trusted to, for we have tried it; we have not it only by tradition, neither take we it up upon trust from others; but... [ Continue Reading ]