_A.M. 2484. B.C. 1520._ Bildad affirms that Job had spoken amiss, Job 8:1. That if he would sincerely seek to God, God would help him, Job 8:4. That it is usual with God to destroy the hypocrite, Job 8:8. The joy of the upright, Job 8:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then answered Bildad the Shuhite_ “Bildad, whose sentiments are the same with those of the preceding friend, now comes to the attack, and tells Job that his general asseverations of innocence are of no avail; that to deny his guilt was to charge the Almighty with injustice; that, if he would not yi... [ Continue Reading ]
_How long wilt thou speak these things?_ &c. Why dost thou persist to talk in this manner? and why are thy words thus vehement? As a strong wind which overturns all things without any moderation, and suffers nothing else to be heard, so thy boisterous and violent words will not permit the voice of t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Doth God_ Hebrew, אל, _Eel_, the mighty God, as this word signifies; _pervert judgment?_ Judge unrighteously? No: this is inconsistent with God's nature, Which is essentially and necessarily just, and with his office of governor of the world. _Or doth the Almighty pervert justice?_ Hebrew, שׁדי, _S... [ Continue Reading ]
_If thy children have sinned against him_ If thou wast innocent, thy children, upon whom a great part of these calamities fell, might be guilty; and therefore God is not unrighteous in these proceedings. _And he have cast them away_ Hebrew, _hath expelled_, or _cast them out;_ (namely, out of the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_If thou wouldest seek unto God_, &c. God hath spared thee, whom he might justly have destroyed with thy children, and thou art yet capable of obtaining his favour if thou wilt seek it. And, therefore, cease from thy causeless and unthankful complaints. _Seek unto God betimes_ Hebrew, אם תשׁחר, _im... [ Continue Reading ]
_If thou wert pure and upright_ That is, of a sincere heart and blameless life toward God and men; _surely now he would awake for thee_ יעיר, _jagnir, excitarit se_, he would _raise_, or _stir up_ himself. Thus David prays, using the same word, _Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment. And make th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Though thy beginning was small_ The sense is either, 1st, Though thou hadst possessed but very little at first, yet God would have wonderfully blessed and increased thy estate: whereas, now he hath brought thee down from a great estate almost to nothing; which is an evidence of his displeasure and... [ Continue Reading ]
_For inquire, &c., of the former age_ That is, of our predecessors, who had the advantage of longer life and more experience, besides more frequent revelations from God than we have. They also will be more impartial judges of this cause than we may be thought to be. Inform thyself by the instruction... [ Continue Reading ]
_We are but of yesterday_, &c. But lately born, and therefore have but little knowledge and experience. We live not so long as they did to make observations on the methods of Divine Providence. “There are three things in this passage,” says Dr. Dodd, from Peters, “well worthy of our observation. As,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Shall not they teach thee?_ Assuredly they will inform thee that it is as we say. _And utter words out of their heart_ Not partially, but sincerely, speaking their inward thoughts; not rashly, but from deep consideration; not by hearsay from others, but their own knowledge and experience.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Can the rush grow without mire_, &c. This, and what follows, he speaks as from those ancients, to whom he had referred him, and concerning whom he says, that they would give him such instructions as these. _While it is yet in its greenness_ Whereby it promises long continuance: _and not cut down_ T... [ Continue Reading ]
_So are the paths of all that forget God_ Of wicked men, who are often described by this character; see Psalms 9:17; Psalms 50:22; or, of hypocrites, as the next words explain it, whose first and fundamental error is, that they _forget_, that is, neglect, forsake, and despise God, his presence, comm... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whose hope shall be cut off_ That is, whose wealth and outward glory, which is the foundation and matter of his hope, shall be suddenly and violently taken away from him; or, as the Hebrew יקושׂ, _jacot_, may be translated, whose hope _shall be irksome or tedious_ to him, by the succession of earli... [ Continue Reading ]
_He shall lean upon his house_ He shall trust to the multitude and strength of his children and servants, and to his wealth, all which come under the name of a man's _house_ in Scripture. _But it shall not stand_ That is, not be able to uphold itself, nor him that trusted to it. _He shall hold it fa... [ Continue Reading ]
_He_, &c. The hypocrite, or the secure and prosperous sinner, may think himself degraded when he is compared to a rush or flag. Compare him, then, to a flourishing and well-rooted tree, which spreads its branches in a fair garden. Yet, even then, shall he suddenly wither and come to nothing. _Is gre... [ Continue Reading ]
_His roots are wrapped about the heap_ Heath renders this, _He windeth his roots about a spring; he twisteth himself about a heap of stones:_ and he approves a slight alteration of the text made by Houbigant; who, rather more elegantly, reads, _He has his roots involved_, or, _fixed, in a hill; he a... [ Continue Reading ]
_If he_, &c. Namely, God, who is the saviour of good men and the destroyer of the wicked; _destroy him from his place_ When God blasts him and plucks him up; _then it shall deny him_ That is, the place shall deny him; _saying, I have not seen thee_ The reader will easily observe, that _denying him a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, this is the joy of his way_ Or, rather, _This is the way of his joy:_ it all ends in this: this is the issue of his flourishing state. He falls into heavy calamities, from which he can never deliver himself again. _And out of the earth shall others grow_ Out of the same earth or place shall... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man_ God, who will not help the evil doer, will not cast away a good man, though he may be cast down: yet it may be he will not be lifted up in this world; and therefore Bildad could not infer, that if Job was not restored to temporal prosperity he was not a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Till he fill thy mouth with laughing_ What I have said in general of good men shall be made good to thee if thou art such: God will not forsake thee, nor desist from doing thee good, till he give thee abundant matter of rejoicing.... [ Continue Reading ]
_They that hate thee_ That rejoice in thy calamities; _shall be clothed with shame_ That is, shall be wholly covered with it, shall be utterly confounded, when they shall observe thee, whom they have despised and insulted over, to be wonderfully restored to thy former or greater felicity. _And the d... [ Continue Reading ]