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Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Job 4:19

Verse Job 4:19. How much less] Rather, with the VULGATE, How much more? If angels may be unstable, how can man arrogate stability to himself who dwells in an earthly tabernacle, and who must shortly return to dust?

Crushed before the moth? The slightest accident oftentimes destroys. "A fly, a grape-stone, or a hair can kill." Great men have fallen by all these. This is the general idea in the text, and it is useless to sift for meanings.

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See also Job 4:19 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HOW MUCH LESS - (אף _'aph_). This particle has the general sense of addition, accession, especially of something more important;” yea more, besides, even.” Gesenius. The meaning here is, “how much mor...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER S 4-5 THE FIRST ADDRESS OF ELIPHAZ _ 1. He rebukes Job (Job 4:1)_ 2. The righteous are not cast off (Job 4:6) 3. An awe-inspiring vision (Job 4:12) 4. Experience and exhortation ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    This is what the vision said. Translate as _mg.:_ Shall mortal man be just before God, shall a man be pure before his maker? Even the angels are fallible, how much more man, who inhabits a house of cl...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HOUSES OF CLAY. Compare 2 Corinthians 5:1. BEFORE. sooner than....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _houses of clay_ The verse refers to men, and their "houses of clay" are their bodies, which are of the dust, Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19; 2 Corinthians 5:1. _whose foundation_ Men's bodies being compar...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Third, surely instead of despairing and murmuring under his afflictions Job should follow a very different way. I, says Eliphaz, putting himself in Job's place, would seek unto God, all whose doings a...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Turning to Job's murmurs against heaven, Eliphaz points to the unapproachable purity of God and the imperfection of all creatures, and warns Job against such complaints Having expressed his wonder th...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 454 ELIPHAZ REPROVES JOB Job 4:12. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    HOW MUCH LESS IN THEM, &C.— _How much more in them._ Heath. The expression, _dwelling in houses of clay,_ is used with great propriety to convey the idea of the frailty of the human nature: _whose fou...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    2. The Visionno mortal can question God's just acts. (Job 4:12-21) TEXT 4:12-21 12 NOW A THING WAS SECRETLY BROUGHT TO ME, And mine ear received a whisper thereof. 13 In thoughts from the visions...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _HOW MUCH LESS IN THEM THAT DWELL IN HOUSES OF CLAY, WHOSE FOUNDATION IS IN THE DUST, WHICH ARE CRUSHED BEFORE THE MOTH?_ Houses of clay - "earthly house of this tabernacle" (2 Corinthians 5:1). Hous...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    4:19 as (d-20) Or 'before.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FIRST SPEECH OF ELIPHAZ (JOB 4:5) Eliphaz is the principal and probably the oldest of the three friends: cp. Job 32:6. He is also the most considerate. But the complainings of Job in Job 3 had evi...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    HOUSES OF CLAY] perishing bodies: cp. 2 Corinthians 5:1. If spiritual beings like the angels were imperfect, how much more men with material bodies. BEFORE] RM 'like.'...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 4 ELIPHAZ’S FIRST SPEECH V...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    See Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 3:19. God made man’s body from the soil. And the body returns to the soil when the man dies....

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HOUSES OF CLAY. — This may perhaps contain an allusion to Genesis 11:3. ARE CRUSHED BEFORE THE MOTH? — That is to say, are so frail that even the moth destroys them....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    אַ֤ף ׀ שֹׁכְנֵ֬י בָֽתֵּי ־חֹ֗מֶר אֲשֶׁר ־בֶּ †...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    VII. THE THINGS ELIPHAZ HAD SEEN Job 4:1; Job 5:1 ELIPHAZ SPEAKS THE ideas of sin and suffering against which the poem of Job was written come now dramatically into view. The belief of the three fr...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    “SHALL MORTAL MAN BE MORE JUST THAN GOD?” Job 4:1 The first cycle of speeches is opened by Eliphaz. It must be remembered that he and the two others believed that special suffering resulted from and...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Now begins the great controversy between Job and his friends, which occupies the major portion of the Book. This controversy moves in three cycles. The first, commencing here, runs through chapter fou...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    How much less [in] them that dwell in houses of (n) clay, whose foundation [is] in the dust, [which] are crushed before the moth? (n) That is, in this mortal body, subject to corruption, as in (2 Cor...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Foundation. Children of Adam, whose bodies are taken from the dust. (Menochius)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (12) В¶ Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. (13) In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, (14) Fear came upon me, and trem...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    Eliphaz Relying on Experience I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week, in Chapter 3, Job was at the height of his deep, dark, depression! 1. In fact, he stated over and over again that he wished that he had n...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 4 THROUGH 31. As to the friends of Job, they do not call for any extended remarks. They urge the doctrine that God's earthly government is a full measure and...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    HOW MUCH LESS [ON] THEM THAT DWELL IN HOUSES OF CLAY,.... Meaning men, but not as dwelling in houses, in a proper sense, made of clay dried by the sun, as were common in the eastern countries; nor in...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    How much less [in] them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation [is] in the dust, [which] are crushed before the moth? Ver. 19. _How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay_] Or how muc...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, frail men with material, earthly bodies, WHOSE FOUNDATION IS IN THE DUST, out of which their bodies were originally framed, WHICH ARE CRUSHED BEFORE THE...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Job having thus given way to his impatience, his friends thought it their duty to correct him. But instead of showing him in what respect his position was wrong, they proceed according to the assumpti...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    ELIPHAZ: COMMENDATION TWISTED INTO REBUKE (vv.1-6) The three friends of Job could only think of God's justice in reference to Job's sufferings, and had no idea of God's love. Eliphaz no doubt though...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "HOW MUCH MORE THOSE WHO DWELL IN HOUSES OF CLAY, WHOSE FOUNDATION IS IN THE DUST, WHO ARE CRUSHED BEFORE THE MOTH!" If God even charges the angels with error, how much more moral man. "Man's mortali...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    12-21 Eliphaz relates a vision. When we are communing with our own hearts, and are still, Psalms 4:4, then is a time for the Holy Spirit to commune with us. This vision put him into very great fear....

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    HOW MUCH LESS, understand, _doth he put trust in them_, &c.! Or, _How much more, _ understand, doth he charge folly on them, &c.! Either of these supplements are natural and easy, being fetched out of...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 4:19 more H637 dwell H7931 (H8802) houses H1004 clay H2563 foundation H3247 dust H6083 crushed H1792 ...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Eliphaz's theory in regard to Job's suffering. CHARACTERS: God, Eliphaz, Job. CONCLUSION: Those who pass rash and uncharitable censures upon their brethren, do Satan's work. We should be c...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 4:1. _Eliphaz answered,_ being the eldest, or the more eloquent. Job 4:3. _Thou hast instructed many._ The holy patriarchs were all preachers of righteousness on the sabbath days, &c, He admits t...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Them that dwell in houses of clay._ THE FRAILTY AND MORTALITY OF MAN The great design of God in His Word and in His providence is to humble the pride and cure the fatal presumption of man. I. The i...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And His angels He charged with folly._ FOLLY IN ANGELS “His angels He charged with folly.” Revelation conveys to us the highly interesting information that there is between the great Spirit and man,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said._ THE FIRST COLLOQUY At this point we pass into the poem proper. It opens with three colloquies between Job and his friends. In form these colloquies clos...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 4:12 Eliphaz reports that he had a vision (vv. Job 4:12) and then describes its content (vv. Job 4:17). The vision raises t

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _COMMENCEMENT OF THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN JOB AND HIS THREE FRIENDS_ First Course of the Speeches. First Dialogue,—Eliphaz and Job FIRST SPEECH OF ELIPHAZ _Eliphaz censures Job for his impatience, an...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION Job having ended his complaint, Eliphaz the Temanite, the first-named of his three friends (Job 2:11), and perhaps the eldest of them, takes the word, and endeavours to answer him. After a...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    So Job has made his complaint, and so Eliphaz, his friend who came to comfort him, he said, If we attempt to talk to you, will you be grieved? [But really after what you've said] who can keep silent?...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Peter 1:24; 2 Corinthians 4:7; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Ecclesiastes 12:7;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE PHILOSOPHY OF ELIPHAZ Job 4:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We are now approaching a part of the Book of Job that is most interesting. Job's three friends have at last broken their silence, and Eliphaz th...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    How, &c. — The sense is, what strange presumption then is it for a foolish and mortal man, to make himself more just than God. In them — Who though they have immortal spirits, yet those spirits dwell...

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