INTRODUCTION TO JOB 13 Job begins this chapter by observing the extensiveness of his knowledge, as appeared from his preceding discourse, by which it was evident he was not less knowing than his friends, Job 13:1; and therefore would have nothing to do with them as judges in his cause, but would ap... [ Continue Reading ]
LO, MINE EYE HATH SEEN ALL [THIS],.... Or "all those things" h he had been discoursing of, concerning the wisdom and power of God, and his friends also; some of these he had seen instances of, he had been an eyewitness of them, and could give an ocular testimony to them; and others he had discerned... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT YE KNOW, [THE SAME] DO I KNOW ALSO,.... Concerning God and his perfections, his sovereignty, holiness, justice, wisdom, power, goodness, c. and concerning his providences, and his dealings with men in an ordinary or in an extraordinary way: I [AM] NOT INFERIOR UNTO YOU as might be deduced from... [ Continue Reading ]
SURELY I WOULD SPEAK TO THE ALMIGHTY,.... Or "therefore I would speak" l, since he knew as much as his friends, and they knew no more than he, if so much, he would have no more to do with them, they should not be his judges; nor would he be determined by them, but would appeal to God, and plead his... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT YE [ARE] FORGERS OF LIES,.... This is a hard and very harsh saying; Job was now in a passion, provoked by his friends, and retorts upon them what they had charged him with, Job 11:3; so often in controversies and disputes between good men undue heats arise, and unbecoming words drop from their l... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THAT YE WOULD ALTOGETHER HOLD YOUR PEACE,.... Since what they said of him was not true, nor anything to the purpose, or that tended to the comfort of his afflicted soul, but the reverse; and therefore he could have wished they had never broke silence, but continued as they were the first seven d... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR NOW MY REASONING,.... Job entreats his friends that they would be no longer speakers, but hearers; that they would vouchsafe to sit still, and hear what he had to say; though he was greatly afflicted, he had not lost his reason, wisdom was not driven out from him, Job 6:13; he had still with hi... [ Continue Reading ]
WILL YOU SPEAK WICKEDLY FOR GOD?.... As he suggests they did; they spoke for God, and pleaded for the honour of his justice, by asserting he did not afflict good men, which they thought was contrary to his justice; but: then, at the same time, they spoke wickedly of Job, that he being afflicted of G... [ Continue Reading ]
WILL YE ACCEPT HIS PERSON?.... Accepting persons ought not to be done in judgment by earthly judges; which is done when they give a cause to one through favour and affection to his person, because rich, or their friend, and against another, because otherwise; and something like this Job intimates hi... [ Continue Reading ]
IS IT GOOD THAT HE SHOULD SEARCH YOU OUT?.... That is, God; searching is ascribed to him after the manner of men; not that he is ignorant of persons or things he searches after, or exercises that application, diligence, and industry, and takes those pains which are necessary in men to find out anyth... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WILL SURELY REPROVE YOU,.... Or "in reproving he will reprove you" r; he will certainly do it, it may be depended upon, and be expected; he will never suffer sin to go unreproved and uncorrected; he will do it to the purpose, with sharpness and severity, as the nature of the crime requires; he re... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL NOT HIS EXCELLENCY MAKE YOU AFRAID,.... To commit sin, any sin, and particularly that just mentioned, which they might expect to be reproved for; there is an excellency in the name of God, which is fearful and dreadful, and in the nature and perfections of God, his power, justice, and holiness... [ Continue Reading ]
YOUR REMEMBRANCES [ARE] LIKE UNTO ASHES,.... Either of things they put Job in remembrance of, the mementos which they had suggested to him; see Job 4:7; or the things which they had brought forth out of their memories, the instances they had given of what had been in the world, the arguments, object... [ Continue Reading ]
HOLD YOUR PEACE, LET ME ALONE,.... Or, cease "from me" i: from speaking to me, or hindering me from speaking. Job might perceive, by some motions of his friends, that they were about to interrupt him; and therefore he desires they would be silent, and let him go on: THAT I MAY SPEAK; or, "and I wil... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE DO I TAKE MY FLESH IN MY TEETH,.... Or bite my lips, to keep in my words, and refrain from speaking? I will not do it: AND PUT MY LIFE IN MY HAND? or, expose it to danger by a forced silence; when I am ready to burst, and must if I do not speak; I will not thus endanger my life; it is unr... [ Continue Reading ]
THOUGH HE SLAY ME, YET WILL I TRUST IN HIM,.... There is a double reading of these words; the "Keri", or marginal reading, is לו, "in him", which we follow; the "Cetib", or textual reading, is לא, "not", which many follow, and render the words, "lo, he will slay me, I shall not hope"; or, "I have no... [ Continue Reading ]
HE ALSO [SHALL BE] MY SALVATION,.... Job, though he asserted the integrity of his heart and life, yet did not depend on his ways and works for salvation, but only on the Lord himself; this is to be understood not of temporal salvation, though God is the author of that, and it is only to be had of hi... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR DILIGENTLY MY SPEECH,.... Or, "in hearing hear" s; meaning, not only that his friends would attentively hear him, but continue to hear him; that they would hear him out what he had to say further: upon his expressing himself with so much faith and confidence in God, they might rise up from thei... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD NOW, I HAVE ORDERED [MY] CAUSE,.... Or "judgment" t; that is, he had looked over his cause afresh, had reviewed the state of his case, had considered it in every light, had drawn a plan of it, had digested it in a proper manner, and had arranged his reasons and arguments in vindication of him... [ Continue Reading ]
WHO [IS] HE [THAT] WILL PLEAD WITH ME,.... Enter the lists with him; dispute the point, and try the strength of his arguments he had to plead for his own justification: thus Christ, the head of the church, and the surety of his people, is represented as speaking when he had by his obedience and suff... [ Continue Reading ]
ONLY DO NOT TWO [THINGS] UNTO ME,.... This is an address not to Zophar as in the place of God, as to me, but to God himself; by this it appears, that though in modesty he does not mention him, yet he it is he has the chief, if not the sole regard unto in Job 13:19; for his desire was to speak to the... [ Continue Reading ]
WITHDRAW THINE HAND FAR FROM ME,.... His afflicting hand, which pressed him; this he desires might be removed, or otherwise he could not have the command of himself, make use of his reasoning faculties, recollect his arguments, and give them in their due force and strength; for afflictions of body a... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN CALL THOU, AND I WILL ANSWER,.... Either call him by name in open court, and he would answer to it; or arraign him at the bar, and exhibit charges against him, and he would make answer to them and clear himself; his sense is, that if God would take upon him to be plaintiff, and accuse and charg... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW MANY [ARE] MINE INIQUITIES AND SINS?] Whether of ignorance or presumption, through mistake or wilfulness, voluntary or involuntary, sins of omission or commission, secret or open, or of heart, lip, or life; for by this heap of words he uses in this and the next clause he means all sorts of sins,... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE HIDEST THOU THY FACE,.... Not from his cry, because of his sore and grievous afflictions, as Bar Tzemach; nor from helping and saving him from his troubles, as Sephorno; nor from looking on his right ways, as Jarchi; but from his person, withdrawing the manifestation of his face and favour... [ Continue Reading ]
WILT THOU BREAK A LEAF DRIVEN TO AND FRO?.... A leaf that falls from a tree in autumn, and withers and is rolled up, and driven about by the wind, which it cannot resist, to which Job here compares himself; but it is not to be understood of him with respect to his spiritual estate; for being a good... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THOU WRITEST BITTER THINGS AGAINST ME,.... Meaning not sins and rebellions, taken notice of by him, when his good deeds were omitted, as Jarchi; sin is indeed an evil and a bitter thing in its own nature, being exceeding sinful and abominable, and its effects and consequences; being what provoke... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU PUTTEST MY FEET ALSO IN THE STOCKS,.... Which is one kind of punishment of offenders, and a preservation of them from making their escape; and is a security and reservation of them for further punishment sometimes; and so Job looked upon his afflictions as a punishment for he knew not what, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE AS A ROTTEN THING CONSUMETH,.... This by some Jewish writers z is referred to and connected with the driven leaf and dry stubble Job compares himself to, Job 13:25; and so the sense is, that his body, which, for its frailty and weakness, is compared to such things, is like any rotten thing, a... [ Continue Reading ]