Job · Chapter 36

Verse 1. Elihu also proceeded] Mr. Heath gives a good summary of this chapter. Elihu goes on to lay before Job the impropriety of his behaviour towards God, and desires him to consider how vain it will prove. That God Almighty will never yield the point; that he will administer impartial justice to all men, Job 36:2-6. That the general course of his providence is to favour the righteous: and that though he may sometimes correct them in love, yet if they submit patiently to his fatherly corrections, they shall enjoy all manner of prosperity; but if they be stubborn, and will not submit, they will only draw down greater proofs of his displeasure, Job 36:7-16. He tells him that, had he followed the former course, he had probably, before now, been restored to his former condition; whereas, by persisting in the latter course, he was in a fair way of becoming a signal example of Divine justice, Job 36:17, 18. He therefore warns him to use the present opportunity, lest God should cut him off while he was in a state of rebellion against him; for with God neither wealth, power, nor any other argument that he could use, would be of any avail, Job 36:18-26. That God was infinitely powerful; there was no resisting him: and infinitely wise, as sufficiently appeared by his works; there was, therefore, no escaping out of his hands. That his purity was so great that the sun, in his presence, was more dim than the smallest ray of light when compared to that grand luminary; that his holiness was manifest by his aversion to iniquity; and his goodness, in supplying the wants of his creatures.

Verse 1. Elihu also proceeded — Having reprehended some of the unwarrantable expressions in Job’s discourses, Elihu comes closer to the business, and speaks to the very cause itself, showing, from the nature of God, and the methods of his providence, that he will administer impartial justice to all men. That the general course of his providence is to favour the righteous; that though he may sometimes correct them in love, yet, if they submit patiently to his fatherly correction, and amend their ways, they shall enjoy all manner of prosperity; but, if they are stubborn, and will not submit, they only draw down greater degrees of his vengeance on themselves. That, if Job had, instead of disputing, submitted himself humbly to God’s corrections, he would have delivered him, (it being as easy for him to lift up as to cast down.) And that his not discerning the reason of his corrections (which Job had made a great cause of his grief, Job 19:7) ought not to have hindered his humble submission; because we are not able to comprehend any of the works of God, which we see every day, and acknowledge to be most excellently contrived. He therefore warns him to make use of the present opportunity, lest God should cut him off while in a state of rebellion. That God was infinitely powerful; that there was therefore no resisting him; infinitely wise, as sufficiently appeared by his works; there was therefore no escaping out of his hand; that his purity was so great, that the sun in his presence was more dim than the smallest ray when compared to that bright luminary; that his holiness was manifest from his aversion to iniquity, and his goodness in supplying the wants of his creatures. That man was utterly incapable of accounting for the least of his works; how then dared he to attempt to penetrate the secrets of his providence, and to call him to an account for his dealings with men? This could proceed only from an unjustifiable self-conceit; a crime which the Almighty would not fail severely to punish. Upon the whole, the difference between the argument of Elihu and that of the three friends seems to be this; they suppose Job to be guilty of great crimes, which had drawn down the divine vengeance on him, and infer his guilt merely from his sufferings; on the contrary, Elihu takes it for granted his plea of innocence was true, nevertheless, thinks him exceedingly blameworthy for his behaviour under his afflictions: that he did not sufficiently consider the infinite distance between a weak, frail, sinful creature, and an all-powerful, wise, just, and good Creator; that, instead of submitting himself, as was his duty, and owning the justice of God’s providence toward him, he acted the part of the hardened sinner, and flew in the face of the Almighty; accusing him of injustice and severe treatment; rudely challenging him to answer for his conduct, and pretending to erect himself into a judge of his actions. He tells him, as long as he continued in those dispositions, there was no hope of an abatement of the correction he was under; but he might rather expect an increase of affliction, if not an utter destruction. Job himself is so sensible of the truth of what Elihu had said, that he doth not so much as attempt to answer; and, though he doth not absolutely give up the point — for it was God must convince him, and not man — yet it undoubtedly laid the foundation of that disposition, which ended in an entire submission to God’s will, and a thorough conviction of his own vileness.

1. Elihu also proceeded — Elihu has thus far made the same number of addresses as each of the three friends, with the exception of Zophar. Jewish commentators have remarked that he might properly have stopped here, but the penitent silence of Job encourages him to proceed. Thus far his object has been to correct several errors and misapprehensions into which Job had fallen; he now proposes to take a more specific view of the object of divine chastisement. God’s infinite nature, his almightiness, he says, manifests itself in caring more particularly for the righteous. Because of their like moral nature, he subjects all human beings to discipline, that the precious may be separated from the vile. Suffering develops character: the good it makes better, the bad, worse: until, at last, the latter die prematurely the death of the most abandoned. Thus it appears that the general course of God’s providence declares for righteousness. Therefore, if Job heed not the divine visitation, he has reason to deprecate the divine wrath, whose angry mutterings he may already hear in the distant cloud, (verse 18.) This leads Elihu to speak of the power of God in nature, whose beneficence, no less displayed than his justice, declares him not only a righteous, but a gracious governor of the world. A peculiarity of this and of the other speeches of Elihu, Delitzsch notices, namely, that “they demand of Job penitential submission, not by accusing him of coarse, common sins, as the three have done, but because even the best of men suffer for hidden moral defects, which must be perceived by them, lest they perish on their account. Elihu here does for Job just what, in Bunyan, the man in the interpreter’s house does when he sweeps the room, so that Christian had been almost choked with the dust that flew about.” THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IS INDEED INCOMPREHENSIBLE, EVEN AS JOB HAD URGED; BUT ITS GENERAL TENDENCIES ARE UNMISTAKABLY DISCLOSED IN THE PRESENT, THOUGH PARTIAL, MUNDANE SCHEME, 36, 37.

“There is a point within man on which suffering rests its base, sin; there is a point within God, indicated by all his works, from which it comes as source, goodness; the two together sufficiently explain it [suffering] and general Providence for man’s life here below.” — A.B. Davidson.

First Division — THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN THE MORAL WORLD, CHIEFLY AS MADE KNOWN THROUGH THE ECONOMY OF SUFFERING, 2-21.

Introduction — Elihu has yet much more to say in vindication of the ways of God, 2-4.

The three preceding speeches were introduced by ˆ[yw, “and he answered,” the present speech, with ãsyw, “and he added,” showing that Elihu intends it as a resumption and continuation of the main argument of his other speeches.

Verse 2. That I have yet to speak on God’s behalf.] I have other proofs to allege in behalf of God’s justice and providence.

Verses 2-4. Suffer me a little — Give me thy patient attention but a little longer, and I have done. I will show I have yet to speak on God’s behalf — That I have not yet said all that can be said to justify God’s dispensations toward thee. I will fetch my knowledge from afar — From remote times, and places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to any particular case, but will justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence, both in the heaven and the earth, and the manner of his dealings with men in other parts and ages of the world. These are the chief heads of the following discourse, and therefore the best comment upon this general expression. And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker — I will prove and maintain this truth, that God is righteous in all his ways. My words shall not be false — Neither contrary to truth, nor to my views and apprehensions of it. I will admit into my discourse no kind or degree of flattery, calumny, or sophistry; he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee — He that is sincere and upright in his use of his knowledge, who will deliver his opinion honestly and truly, unbiased by fear or favour, passion or prejudice; and who believes that, as he has accurately considered, so he fully understands the matters about which he will speak. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase on the verse is, “Assure thyself I will not seek to baffle thee with sophistical arguments: he that discourses with thee is none of those subtle disputers, but loves sincere and solid reason.” The latter clause, however, may be considered as connected with what follows, and understood as spoken of God. The meaning then will be, Thou hast to do with a God of perfect knowledge, by whom all thy words and actions are weighed.

V. 3. Afar-From remote times, and places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to thy particular case, but wilt justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence both in the heaven and in the earth, and the manner of his dealing with men in other parts and ages of the world. Ascribe-I will clear and maintain this truth, that God is righteous in all his ways.

Verse 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar] qwjrml lemerachok, “from the distant place,” meaning probably both remote antiquity and heaven; see below. I will show thee that all antiquity and experience are on my side. I can bring proofs from the remotest ages and from the most distant countries to demonstrate that God is infinitely WISE, and can do nothing foolish or erroneous; that he is infinitely POWERFUL, and can bring all the purposes of his wisdom to effect; that he is infinitely GOOD, and can will nothing, and can do nothing that is not good in itself, and well calculated to do good to his creatures. And I shall show that his operations in the heavens and on the earth prove and demonstrate the whole. And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.] By proving the above points, the righteous conduct of God, and his gracious government of the world, will be fully established.

That Elihu brings his knowledge from afar-from every part of the creation, as well as from the Divine nature-is evident from the end of the chapter. {Job 36:32} 1. The omnipotence of God;—God is great. 2. The eternity of God-We know him not, the number of his years cannot be found out, Job 36:26. 3. From the economy of God in the atmosphere, in dews, rain, vapour, and the irrigation of the earth;—He maketh small the drops, &c., Job 36:27, 28. 4. In the thunder and lightning, by which he performs such wonders in the atmosphere, and executes such judgments in the world;—Also who can understand the noise of his tabernacle? He spreadeth his light upon it. He judgeth the people, &c., Job 36:29-33.

Verses 2-4. Suffer me a little — Give me thy patient attention but a little longer, and I have done. I will show I have yet to speak on God’s behalf — That I have not yet said all that can be said to justify God’s dispensations toward thee. I will fetch my knowledge from afar — From remote times, and places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to any particular case, but will justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence, both in the heaven and the earth, and the manner of his dealings with men in other parts and ages of the world. These are the chief heads of the following discourse, and therefore the best comment upon this general expression. And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker — I will prove and maintain this truth, that God is righteous in all his ways. My words shall not be false — Neither contrary to truth, nor to my views and apprehensions of it. I will admit into my discourse no kind or degree of flattery, calumny, or sophistry; he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee — He that is sincere and upright in his use of his knowledge, who will deliver his opinion honestly and truly, unbiased by fear or favour, passion or prejudice; and who believes that, as he has accurately considered, so he fully understands the matters about which he will speak. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase on the verse is, “Assure thyself I will not seek to baffle thee with sophistical arguments: he that discourses with thee is none of those subtle disputers, but loves sincere and solid reason.” The latter clause, however, may be considered as connected with what follows, and understood as spoken of God. The meaning then will be, Thou hast to do with a God of perfect knowledge, by whom all thy words and actions are weighed.

Verse 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar; from the expanse of heaven, and from the remotest traditions of the sires. Natural theology is very instructive to man, to acquaint us with the perfections of the Deity, and for models and inferences for the regulation of conduct.

3. From afar — From out the wide domain of the divine workings, both in providence and in nature. Elihu will take a far-reaching view.

V. 4. He, &c.-Thou hast to do with a God of perfect knowledge, by whom all thy words and actions are weighed.

Verse 4. My words shall not be false] My words shall be truth without falsity.

He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee.] “The perfection of knowledge is with thee.” Thou art a sensible, well-informed man, and will be able to judge of what I say.

Verses 2-4. Suffer me a little — Give me thy patient attention but a little longer, and I have done. I will show I have yet to speak on God’s behalf — That I have not yet said all that can be said to justify God’s dispensations toward thee. I will fetch my knowledge from afar — From remote times, and places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to any particular case, but will justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence, both in the heaven and the earth, and the manner of his dealings with men in other parts and ages of the world. These are the chief heads of the following discourse, and therefore the best comment upon this general expression. And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker — I will prove and maintain this truth, that God is righteous in all his ways. My words shall not be false — Neither contrary to truth, nor to my views and apprehensions of it. I will admit into my discourse no kind or degree of flattery, calumny, or sophistry; he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee — He that is sincere and upright in his use of his knowledge, who will deliver his opinion honestly and truly, unbiased by fear or favour, passion or prejudice; and who believes that, as he has accurately considered, so he fully understands the matters about which he will speak. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase on the verse is, “Assure thyself I will not seek to baffle thee with sophistical arguments: he that discourses with thee is none of those subtle disputers, but loves sincere and solid reason.” The latter clause, however, may be considered as connected with what follows, and understood as spoken of God. The meaning then will be, Thou hast to do with a God of perfect knowledge, by whom all thy words and actions are weighed.

4. Perfect in knowledge — Literally, knowledges. In the theodicy which he proposes to Job he claims faultlessness and clearness of perception. (Delitzsch.) The use of the same phrase in 37:16, of Deity, leads some to ascribe this attributive here also to God.

V. 5. Despiseth-His greatness doth not make him (as it doth men) despise, or oppress the meanest. Wisdom-His strength is guided by wisdom, and therefore cannot do any thing unbecoming God, or unjust to his creatures.

Verse 5. God is mighty and despiseth not any] He reproaches no man for his want of knowledge. If any man lack wisdom, he may come to God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not. I prefer this to the passive sense, will not be despised.

He is mighty] Literally, “He is mighty in strength of heart;” he can never be terrified nor alarmed.

Verse 5. God is mighty, and despiseth not any — His greatness doth not cause him (as the greatness of men causeth them) to despise or oppress such as are mean. He is mighty in strength and wisdom — His strength is guided by wisdom, and therefore cannot be employed to do any thing unbecoming him, or unjust toward his creatures, either of which would be an instance of folly.

a. THE SUBJECT CONSIDERED ABSTRACTLY, 5-15.

Strophe a — Elihu proceeds to lay down some general principles involved in the distribution of the allotments of men; first, denying that God is the promoter of the interests of the wicked; on the contrary, he has committed himself to the final and eternal promotion of the righteous, 5-7.

5. Despiseth not any — The small and the great are alike to God. He despises not the cause of the lowliest; they also are the work of his hand. God cannot be otherwise than just. Grace, justice, and condescending love are no less the attributes of God than omnipotence and sovereignty. Mohammedanism, in almost unceasing doxology, extols the one attribute of God, “God is great;” the religion of Christ, extols the attributes of grace and love. “All the attributes unite in most blessed harmony,” as Dachsel happily remarks; “since they are all rays of the same sun, they cannot be arrayed against each other.” Strength and wisdom — Literally, force of heart; heart power, which finally culminated in the cross. God is mighty, not only in power of arm, but power of heart. To allow leb its legitimate meaning, heart, (though it often means understanding,) would accord with the scope of this chapter. The man of God worships a being of heart, not of cold understanding merely, but of warm throbbings toward all whom he has redeemed.

V. 6. But-He will certainly in his time deliver his oppressed ones.

Verse 6. He preserveth not the life] He will not give life to the wicked; all such forfeit life by their transgressions.

But giveth right] Justice will he give to the afflicted or humble, µyyn[ aniyim.

Verses 6, 7. He preserveth not the life of the wicked — Namely, for ever: but will in due time forsake them, and give them up to the destroyer. Ab. Ezra interprets it, The years of the wicked shall be shortened. But giveth right to the poor — He upholds, and will certainly, at the proper time, deliver his poor, oppressed ones, from all their oppressors. He will avenge their quarrel upon their persecutors, and force them to make restitution of what they have unjustly robbed them of. For if men will not right the injured poor, God will. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous — He never ceases to care for and watch over them; no, not when they are afflicted or persecuted, when he may seem to neglect them. If our eye be ever toward God in duty, his eye will be ever upon us in mercy, and when we are at the lowest will not overlook us. With kings are they on the throne — He sometimes raises them to the highest offices that kings can confer upon them; yea, he doth establish them for ever — Their felicity is more stable and permanent than that of the wicked; they are established as long as they live. And they are exalted — Above the power of their enemies, that would pull them down: or, they continue to be exalted, and are not cast down from their dignity, as the wicked commonly are.

Ver. 6. He preserveth not the life of the wicked. If they are multiplied and flourish like a green baytree, it is for destruction by war, or by impetuous passions. Yet there are exceptions, to show the diversity of providence. But in the end, punishment is sure: “the sinner being a hundred years of age shall be accursed.” Isaiah 65:20.

6. He preserveth not the life — In allusion to Job’s question, (Job 21:7.) “Wherefore do the wicked live?” See also Job 24:22, with note. The verb hyjy will admit the reading of Gesenius and Furst: — “He prospereth not the wicked.” It is not because of their wickedness that prosperity attends their ways. The economy that God has established tends to the overthrow of evil doers no less than to the exaltation of the righteous, a thought Elihu in the next verse proceeds to expand.

V. 7. He-Never ceases to care for and watch over them. Exalted-They continue to be exalted; they are not cast down from their dignity, as the wicked commonly are.

Verse 7. He withdraweth not his eyes] Exactly similar to those words of David, Psalm 34:15: “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous.” But with kings are they on the throne] I think the words should be read thus:—”But with kings upon the throne shall he place them; and they shall be exalted for ever.” The word וישיבם vaiyeshibem, he will establish or place them, should be added to the first clause, as I have done; and then the sense becomes much clearer. Instead of jxnl lanetsach, forever, perhaps to victory would be a better sense: “But with kings upon the throne will he place them; and they shall be exalted or triumph to victory.” This is precisely the same idea, and conveyed in nearly the same words, as that of our Lord:—”To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne;” Revelation 3:21. “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory,” &c.; Revelation 1:5, 6.

Verses 6, 7. He preserveth not the life of the wicked — Namely, for ever: but will in due time forsake them, and give them up to the destroyer. Ab. Ezra interprets it, The years of the wicked shall be shortened. But giveth right to the poor — He upholds, and will certainly, at the proper time, deliver his poor, oppressed ones, from all their oppressors. He will avenge their quarrel upon their persecutors, and force them to make restitution of what they have unjustly robbed them of. For if men will not right the injured poor, God will. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous — He never ceases to care for and watch over them; no, not when they are afflicted or persecuted, when he may seem to neglect them. If our eye be ever toward God in duty, his eye will be ever upon us in mercy, and when we are at the lowest will not overlook us. With kings are they on the throne — He sometimes raises them to the highest offices that kings can confer upon them; yea, he doth establish them for ever — Their felicity is more stable and permanent than that of the wicked; they are established as long as they live. And they are exalted — Above the power of their enemies, that would pull them down: or, they continue to be exalted, and are not cast down from their dignity, as the wicked commonly are.

7. But with kings… are exalted — Read, And (even) with kings on the throne he makes them sit forever, and they are exalted. The moral elevation that attends the life of the righteous, though in another sphere, is not inferior to that of royalty. It emblems forth their future exaltation — of which Elihu unconsciously speaks — when they shall become “kings and priests unto God.” The subsequent allusion to fetters leads Grotius to think that the speaker has in view the advancement of Joseph from his prison to a throne.

Strophe b — The sufferings the righteous experience are intended to be restorative, and at the same time to promote temporal and spiritual prosperity; failing of this, they entail destruction, 8-12.

V. 8. If-Through the vicissitude of worldly affairs, they are brought from their throne into a prison, as sometimes hath been done.

Verse 8. And if they be bound in fetters] These are means which God uses, not of punishment, but of correction.

Verses 8-10. If they be bound in fetters — If, through the vicissitude of worldly affairs, they are brought from their throne into a prison, as sometimes hath been done. Then he showeth them their work — Their evil works: by these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins; that then have exceeded — That they have greatly sinned by abusing their power and prosperity, which even good men are too prone to do. He openeth also, &c. — He inclines them to hearken to what God speaks by his rod, who would not hear in the time of their prosperity; namely, to hear the rod and him that hath appointed it; and commandeth — Either by his word or Spirit accompanying this affliction, and discovering the design of God in this dispensation; that they return from iniquity — The chief cause of their calamity and trouble.

8. Fetters and cords are used in a figurative sense. Arab writers, cited by Hitzig, formulate the thought thus: — “Sickness is God’s prison on the earth.” However lofty the elevation of the righteous, he is not beyond the afflictive hand of God; nay, quite as certainly as upon the lowliest shall the gathered clouds of adversity burst upon the heads of the highest, in order that their souls may also be severed and won from the deleterious influences of worldly prosperity. These glowing words (verses 8-12) have an oblique reference to Job. In the view of Elihu affliction is the voice of God to the soul, “not in anger, nor in wrath,” but in love. The contrast between the views of Elihu and those of “the friends,” as to the design of affliction, is most marked.

V. 9. Work-Their evil works, by these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins. Exceeded-That they have greatly sinned by abusing their power and prosperity; which even good men are too prone to do.

Verse 9. He showeth them their work] He shows them the exceeding sinfulness of sin.

That they have exceeded.] wrbgty yithgabbaru, “that they have strengthened themselves,” and did not trust in the living God; and therefore they would not help themselves when trouble came.

Verses 8-10. If they be bound in fetters — If, through the vicissitude of worldly affairs, they are brought from their throne into a prison, as sometimes hath been done. Then he showeth them their work — Their evil works: by these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins; that then have exceeded — That they have greatly sinned by abusing their power and prosperity, which even good men are too prone to do. He openeth also, &c. — He inclines them to hearken to what God speaks by his rod, who would not hear in the time of their prosperity; namely, to hear the rod and him that hath appointed it; and commandeth — Either by his word or Spirit accompanying this affliction, and discovering the design of God in this dispensation; that they return from iniquity — The chief cause of their calamity and trouble.

9. That they have exceeded — The Authorized Version is ambiguous; the literal reading is, “They show themselves strong.” In other words, God declares to them that they act proudly, (against him;) — one of the dangers of extreme prosperity.

V. 10. Openeth-He inclines them to hearken to what God speaks by the rod.

Verse 10. He openeth also their ear] He gives them to understand the reason why they are thus corrected, and commands them to return from those iniquities which have induced him to visit them with afflictions and distresses.

Verses 8-10. If they be bound in fetters — If, through the vicissitude of worldly affairs, they are brought from their throne into a prison, as sometimes hath been done. Then he showeth them their work — Their evil works: by these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins; that then have exceeded — That they have greatly sinned by abusing their power and prosperity, which even good men are too prone to do. He openeth also, &c. — He inclines them to hearken to what God speaks by his rod, who would not hear in the time of their prosperity; namely, to hear the rod and him that hath appointed it; and commandeth — Either by his word or Spirit accompanying this affliction, and discovering the design of God in this dispensation; that they return from iniquity — The chief cause of their calamity and trouble.

10. Openeth… ear — As in Job 33:16. Iniquity — Vanity, ˆwa. Its root idea is to be “empty,” “worthless.” See note on Job 5:12, and Job 21:19. Elihu, with profound insight, more like that of the New Testament, (1 John 2:15-17,) penetrates to the root of Job’s trouble, and finds it to be the incipient love of an “empty” world, (worldliness,) — the first side-steppings of a soul that otherwise retains its faith in God.

Verse 11. If they obey and serve him] There may appear in the course of Providence to be some exceptions to this general rule; but it is most true, that this is literally or spiritually fulfilled to all the genuine followers of God. Every man is happy, in whatsoever circumstances, whose heart is unreservedly dedicated to his Maker.

Verses 11, 12. If they obey — God’s admonition and command; they shall spend their days in prosperity — They shall be restored to their former prosperity, and shall live and die in it. This he says according to the tenor of God’s promises, especially in the Old Testament state of the church, and according to the common course of God’s providence in those days, which Elihu and other good men had observed; and their years in pleasures — Abounding in worldly comforts, and delighting themselves in the love and favour of God thereby manifested to them. But if they obey not — If the righteous, spoken of verse 7, opposed to the hypocrites, mentioned in the next verse, be disobedient to the divine admonitions; they shall perish by the sword — They shall be cut off by some extraordinary or remarkable judgment; and they shall die without knowledge — Shall die in or for their inadvertency or folly, or, because they are without knowledge, as t[d ylbb, bibli dagnath, may be rendered, because they are ignorant, or brutish, and will not learn the lessons which God so plainly teaches them.

11. Prosperity — Literally, good, which is a more comprehensive term. Job, in describing the pious man’s destiny, (Job 21:25,) declared that such an one had not enjoyed the good, literally, “had not eaten in the good.” Elihu now replies that the servants of God spend their days in the good, since such service is necessarily a well-spring of the true good. Pleasures — The original of this word, as also in Psalm 16:6, literally signifies “pleasantnesses,” (plural form,) and, like the Latin amoena, points to joyous surroundings. Light “within one’s own clear breast” shines beyond and makes “bright day.” (For illustration, see Milton’s “Comus,” lines 360-390.)

Verse 12. But if they obey not] This also is a general rule, from which, in the course of Providence, there are only few, and those only apparent, deviations. Instead of they shall perish by the sword, the meaning of the Hebrew יעברו בשלח beshelach yaaboru, is, “By a dart they shall pass by.” They shall be in continual dangers, and often fall before they have lived out half their days. Mr. Good translates: They pass by as an arrow. The VULGATE: Transibunt per gladium. “They shall pass away by the sword.”

Verses 11, 12. If they obey — God’s admonition and command; they shall spend their days in prosperity — They shall be restored to their former prosperity, and shall live and die in it. This he says according to the tenor of God’s promises, especially in the Old Testament state of the church, and according to the common course of God’s providence in those days, which Elihu and other good men had observed; and their years in pleasures — Abounding in worldly comforts, and delighting themselves in the love and favour of God thereby manifested to them. But if they obey not — If the righteous, spoken of verse 7, opposed to the hypocrites, mentioned in the next verse, be disobedient to the divine admonitions; they shall perish by the sword — They shall be cut off by some extraordinary or remarkable judgment; and they shall die without knowledge — Shall die in or for their inadvertency or folly, or, because they are without knowledge, as t[d ylbb, bibli dagnath, may be rendered, because they are ignorant, or brutish, and will not learn the lessons which God so plainly teaches them.

12. Without knowledge — See note on Job 4:21. They die without that knowledge of God which is the eternal weal of the soul. Or it may refer to the stupor which sin brings, an unconsciousness of deep guilt that in general beclouds the wicked when dying. “For there are no bands in their death.” Psalm 73:4. (See MERCEIN, Natural Goodness, see. 2.) Strophe c — Hypocrisy of heart provokes the wrath of God — a wrath which is cumulative, since the soul defiantly resists the divine chastisement, 13-15.

V. 13. Cry not-Unto God for help. Bindeth-With the cords of affliction.

Verse 13. But the hypocrites in heart] ypnj chanphey, the profligates, the impious, those who have neither the form nor the power of godliness. The hypocrite is he who has the form but not the power, though he wishes to be thought as inwardly righteous as he is outwardly correct; and he takes up the profession of religion only to serve secular ends. This is not the meaning of the word in the book of Job, where it frequently occurs. They cry not] “Though he binds them, yet they cry not.” They are too obstinate to humble themselves even under the mighty hand of God.

Verses 13, 14. But the hypocrites in heart — Such as are truly void of that piety which they profess; heap up wrath — By their impenitence and obstinacy in all conditions they treasure up God’s wrath against themselves; they cry not — Unto God for help. They live in the gross neglect of God and of prayer; when he bindeth them — Namely, with the cords of affliction expressed verse 8, which is mentioned as an aggravation of their wickedness; because even wicked men, if not hardened in their vices, will seek God in a time of affliction. They die in youth — They provoke God to cut them off before their time. The Hebrew is literally, Their soul dieth in youth. And their life is among the unclean — They die young because they lived among prostitutes, or sodomites, as the word, µyvdq, kedeshim, properly signifies: they die by some exemplary stroke of divine vengeance. Yea, and after death their life is among the unclean, the unclean spirits, the devil and his angels, for ever excluded from the New Jerusalem, into which no unclean thing shall enter.

13. Hypocrites — The Hebrew hhaneph frequently means also “impure.” In the opinion of some Elihu now specifies a third class. Heap up wrath — Thus Rosenmuller, Carey, etc. Others, however, read cherish wrath, (against God.) But not the less do the “hypocrites in heart,” though they know it not, heap up wrath; or, as the apostle expresses it, treasure up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath. Romans 2:5. “The judgments of God do not always follow crimes as thunder doth lightning.… When the sun hath shined for the space of six hours upon their tabernacles we know not what clouds the seventh may bring. And when their punishment doth come, let them make their account in the greatness of their suffering to pay the interest of that respite which hath been given them.” — HOOKER, Sermon on John 14:27. They cry not, to God for pardon and help when “he bindeth them,” (as in verse 8,) but add to their sins “hardness and impenitence of heart.”

V. 14. Die-They provoke God to cut them off before their time. Unclean-Or, Sodomites; to whose destruction, he may allude. They shall die by some exemplary stroke of Divine vengeance. Yea, and after death, their life is among the unclean, the unclean spirits, the devil and his angels, for ever excluded from the new Jerusalem, into which no unclean thing shall enter.

Verse 14. They die in youth] Exactly what the psalmist says, “Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days,” Psalm 55:23. Literally, the words of Elihu are, “They shall die in the youth of their soul.” Their life is among the unclean.] µyvdqb bakedeshim, among the whores, harlots, prostitutes, and sodomites. In this sense the word is used, though it also signifies consecrated persons; but we know that in idolatry characters of this kind were consecrated to Baal and Ashtaroth, Venus, Priapus, &c. Mr. Good translates the rabble. The Septuagint: Their life shalt be wounded by the angels.

Verses 13, 14. But the hypocrites in heart — Such as are truly void of that piety which they profess; heap up wrath — By their impenitence and obstinacy in all conditions they treasure up God’s wrath against themselves; they cry not — Unto God for help. They live in the gross neglect of God and of prayer; when he bindeth them — Namely, with the cords of affliction expressed verse 8, which is mentioned as an aggravation of their wickedness; because even wicked men, if not hardened in their vices, will seek God in a time of affliction. They die in youth — They provoke God to cut them off before their time. The Hebrew is literally, Their soul dieth in youth. And their life is among the unclean — They die young because they lived among prostitutes, or sodomites, as the word, µyvdq, kedeshim, properly signifies: they die by some exemplary stroke of divine vengeance. Yea, and after death their life is among the unclean, the unclean spirits, the devil and his angels, for ever excluded from the New Jerusalem, into which no unclean thing shall enter.

14. They die — Better, as in margin, their soul dieth. (Hengstenberg, Hitzig, etc.) Soul is here in contrast with life in the second clause. “Passages like it in the Proverbs would support the idea of spiritual death.” — Tayler Lewis. Hypocrisy enervates, undermines, and destroys man’s moral being no less certainly than licentiousness does his physical being. The divine mind may class hypocrisy and licentiousness more closely together than we would deem possible, even as the hypocrite and catamite are here linked together in oneness of spiritual death. The unclean — Or as in margin. Literally, the word means “those consecrated to the service of heathen deities.” It is a sad comment on idolatrous worship that it should enlist for its support the prostitution not only of women, but of men. The µyvwdq, “saints,” are those devoted to the worship of God: — the µyvdq, the unclean, are those devoted to the worship of gods. The slight divergence of the words (the difference of a vav, w) points back to a time when a divergence in the objects of worship took place, while still the philological link, at least, was one of consecration. The indescribable degradation developed through the worship of idols sets forth the heinousness of all vice which builds upon the perversion of true faith. Elihu introduces these degraded beings simply to point the moral that the seemingly righteous, whose true character affliction discloses, die, like these catamites, a premature and ugly death. The masculine vice referred to in the text spread its desolating blight over the most enlightened nations of antiquity, as still appears from the classics. The Persians, according to Herodotus, (i, 135,) learned it from the Greeks.

V. 15. Openeth-Causeth them to hear, and understand, and do, the will of God.

Verse 15. And openeth their ears in oppression.] He will let them know for what end they are afflicted, and why he permits them to be oppressed. The word lgy yigel might be translated he shall make them exult, or sing with joy, in oppression; like the three Hebrews in the burning fiery furnace.

Verses 15, 16. And openeth their ears — That is, causeth them to hear, and understand, and do the will of God; hearing being often put for obeying; in oppression — That is, in the time of their oppression; or, by oppression, or tribulation, as the means of opening their ears and hearts. He will not deliver all afflicted persons, but only those whose ears he openeth to receive his counsels. Even so would he have removed thee — If thou hadst opened thine ear to God’s counsels, humbled thyself under his correcting hand, and sued to him for mercy; out of the strait into a broad place — Hebrew, rx ypm, mippi tzar, out of the mouth or jaws of tribulation; which, like a wild beast, is ready to swallow thee up, into a state of ease and freedom. That which should be set on thy table — Thy dishes, or the food in them; should be full of fatness — Should be rich, nourishing, agreeable, and delicious. Such are the expressions which Elihu uses to denote that liberty and plenty to which he thought the righteous were entitled; in opposition to confinement and scarcity, the portion of the wicked.

15. In his affliction — Or, by his affliction. The sanctified endurance of suffering becomes the instrument for its removal. Openeth their ears — by means of distress. He “openeth their ear” that it may hearken to his voice and obey his will.

b. AN APPLICATION TO JOB OF THE PRECEDING PRINCIPLES, ENFORCED BY A POINTED

V. 16. He would-If thou hadst opened thine ear to God’s counsels. Into-A state of ease and freedom.

Verse 16. Even so would he have removed thee] If thou hadst turned to, obeyed, and served him, thy present state would have been widely different from what it is.

Verses 15, 16. And openeth their ears — That is, causeth them to hear, and understand, and do the will of God; hearing being often put for obeying; in oppression — That is, in the time of their oppression; or, by oppression, or tribulation, as the means of opening their ears and hearts. He will not deliver all afflicted persons, but only those whose ears he openeth to receive his counsels. Even so would he have removed thee — If thou hadst opened thine ear to God’s counsels, humbled thyself under his correcting hand, and sued to him for mercy; out of the strait into a broad place — Hebrew, rx ypm, mippi tzar, out of the mouth or jaws of tribulation; which, like a wild beast, is ready to swallow thee up, into a state of ease and freedom. That which should be set on thy table — Thy dishes, or the food in them; should be full of fatness — Should be rich, nourishing, agreeable, and delicious. Such are the expressions which Elihu uses to denote that liberty and plenty to which he thought the righteous were entitled; in opposition to confinement and scarcity, the portion of the wicked.

EXHORTATION, 16-21.

Strophe a — An affectionate God seeks to lure the soul out of the narrow straits of trouble into the broad and rich experiences of spiritual prosperity: but if the soul prove contumacious against God, and be filled with the counsel of the wicked, then there is danger of destruction, from which no ransom shall avail to deliver, 16-18.

16. Even so… thee — Literally, “God also allures [urges] thee from the jaws of trouble into a broad place, [with] no straitness beneath it,” which stands as a figure for greater glory and happiness. The rendering of the Authorized Version is substantially that of Furst, Delitzsch, and Umbreit. On improbable grounds Ewald makes unbounded prosperity the subject of the sentence; prosperity having had the effect to seduce Job from hearkening to the voice of afflictions. Out of the strait — rx ypm, literally, from the mouth of trouble. Distress is conceived of as a monster out of whose mouth God is seeking to deliver Job. Table — A well-filled table among the Orientals was an image of the highest earthly bliss. It is also frequently employed in the Scriptures to denote spiritual enjoyment and salvation. Psalm 22:26-29; 23:5; Isaiah 25:6; 55:1-5, etc. Rich (Nineveh 1:117) describes the table at which he sat with the Pasha as an oblong tray, with feet raising it a few inches from the floor. Such dishes as it would not contain were put beside it on the ground.

V. 17. The judgment-Or, the sentence, thou hast justified the hard speeches which wicked men utter against God. Therefore-Therefore the just judgment of God takes hold on thee. Thou hast maintained their cause against God, and God passes against thee the sentence of condemnation due to wicked men.

Verse 17. But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked] As thou art acting like the wicked, so God deals with thee as he deals with them. Elihu is not a whit behind Job’s other friends. None of them seems to have known any thing of the permission given by God to Satan to afflict and torment an innocent man.

Verse 17. But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked — Or, the cause, or sentence, as the word ˆyd din, most properly signifies. Thou hast fully pleaded their cause, and justified the hard speeches which wicked men utter against God. Therefore the just judgment of God takes hold on thee. Thou hast maintained their cause against God, and God passes against thee the sentence of condemnation due to wicked men.

Ver. 17. Thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked. The LXX understood this in a very different sense from the English. The righteous shall obtain equity; but wrath shall descend on the wicked, for the bribes they receive to pervert justice. Another delicate but hard bearing on poor Job. The latter part of this chapter is so brief and obscure as to be difficult to the most learned translators. See on Psalm 49:8.

17. But thou hast fulfilled — But if thou art filled with the judgment of the wicked, then will judgment and justice take hold, (on thee,) or, as others read, “hold fast together,” that is, being closely joined, they will prove inseparable. For him whose mind is filled with the judgment, ˆyd, of the wicked, who makes “answers for wicked men,” (Job 34:36,) judgment, ˆyd, and justice wait; an element of retributive justice, like for like. “He whom thou presumest to judge with words will judge thee indeed.” — Schlottmann.

V. 18. Wrath-Conceived by God against thee. Then-If once God’s wrath take hold of thee, no ransom will be accepted for thee.

Verse 18. Because there is wrath] This is a time in which God is punishing the wicked; take heed lest thou be cut off in a moment. Redeem the time; the days are evil.

Then a great ransom] When he determines to destroy, who can save?

Verses 18, 19. Because there is wrath — Conceived by God against thee; because, by thy pleading the cause of the wicked, thou hast provoked God’s wrath against thee; beware lest he take thee away by his stroke — qpcb, besaphek, properly, with the stroke of his hand or foot, an allusion to men’s expressing their anger by striking with their hand or stamping with their foot. Look to thyself, and reconcile thyself to God by true repentance, while thou hast an opportunity. A great ransom cannot deliver thee — If once God’s wrath take hold on thee, and sentence be executed upon thee before thou repentest and humblest thyself before thy judge, neither riches nor friends, nor any person or thing in heaven or earth can redeem thee: no ransom or price will be accepted for thee. Will he esteem thy riches? — If thou hadst as much of them as ever; no, nor all the forces of strength — The strongest forces; not if thou hadst all the treasure and all the force which all the powers of earth could muster up.

18. Because there is wrath… his stroke — This passage has given much trouble to critics, of whose readings some are unspeakably absurd. The real difficulty lies in the word stroke, (qpc, sephek,) which is translated by some, “abundance;” thus, (Furst,) “He may not seduce thee with abundance.” making God indirectly an agent of evil. On the other hand, Gesenius renders it “punishment;” while Furst gives the first meaning of its root, as in Job 34:26, “to strike.” Rosenmuller, A. Clarke, and Noyes, virtually adopt the reading of the text. Carey thinks that the expression “take away” is intended to correspond with the same word, “remove,” in verse 16, with the meaning, God has not, as yet, by his mercy urged you out (Ëtysh) of your distress, (verse 16;) take care that in his provoked wrath he does not altogether urge you away (Ëtysy) with a stroke. The preposition b, with, (a stroke,) may be rendered against; which leads some (Conant) to ascribe the anger to Job, and to read the clause. “For beware lest anger stir thee up against chastisement.” But the use of the same word (hmj, “wrath”) in Job 19:29, where it is spoken of God, would rather point to a rebuke on the part of Elihu. The very wrath Job threatened against “the friends” is that which he himself has reason to apprehend unless he, too, exercise proper caution. The muttering of the approaching storm may have given special point to the exhortation, and Elihu may have been emboldened to greater severity of address than would otherwise have seemed justifiable. “See,” he seems to say, “the lightnings, God’s messengers, already endorse the message of God’s servant.” Ransom — Kopher; same word as in Job 33:24, but used here in a modified sense. No consideration either of wealth, honour, wisdom, or piety, (Ezekiel 33:12, 13,) — no price that man can bring — will avail to deliver man when once under the retributive hand of God. Comp. Job 30. 24. Cannot deliver thee — The meaning of hcn in the niphil form is unquestionably, as in the margin, “to turn aside.” Gesenius renders the phrase, (Thes. 877,) “A great ransom cannot turn thee aside from the divine punishment; a form of speech,” he says, “used of those who turn aside from the way to avoid peril.”

Strophe b — No resources of riches or might will suffice to redeem the soul out of God’s hand; therefore long not for the night, and, above all things, pervert not the afflictions of God into occasions of sin, 19-21.

V. 19. Thy riches-If thou hadst as much of them as ever. Forces-The strongest forces.

Verses 18, 19. Because there is wrath — Conceived by God against thee; because, by thy pleading the cause of the wicked, thou hast provoked God’s wrath against thee; beware lest he take thee away by his stroke — qpcb, besaphek, properly, with the stroke of his hand or foot, an allusion to men’s expressing their anger by striking with their hand or stamping with their foot. Look to thyself, and reconcile thyself to God by true repentance, while thou hast an opportunity. A great ransom cannot deliver thee — If once God’s wrath take hold on thee, and sentence be executed upon thee before thou repentest and humblest thyself before thy judge, neither riches nor friends, nor any person or thing in heaven or earth can redeem thee: no ransom or price will be accepted for thee. Will he esteem thy riches? — If thou hadst as much of them as ever; no, nor all the forces of strength — The strongest forces; not if thou hadst all the treasure and all the force which all the powers of earth could muster up.

19. Will he esteem thy riches — On the supposition that betsar is a compound word, some (Zockler) read, “Shall thy crying put thee out of distress? and all the efforts of strength?” i.e., of thy strength. Gesenius, (Thesaurus, 1069,) Renan, Noyes, Conant, Hitzig, etc., substantially agree with the English version. Thus Hirtzel, “Will thy riches suffice? O not gold, nor all treasures of power!” a reading which quite determines that the preceding verse (18) must accord with the Authorized Version. According to Suidas, the Phoenicians represented their gods with purses of gold as the symbol of power.

V. 20. The night-The night of death, which Job had often desired, for then, thou art irrecoverably gone: take heed of thy foolish and often repeated desire of death, lest God inflict it upon thee in anger.

Verse 20. Desire not the night] Thou hast wished for death; (here called night;) desire it not; leave that with God. If he hear thee, and send death, thou mayest be cut off in a way at which thy soul would shudder.

Verses 20, 21. Desire not the night — The night of death, which Job had often desired, for then thou art irrecoverably gone: take heed of thy foolish and often-repeated desire of death, lest God inflict it upon thee in anger. When people are cut off in their place — By which individuals, and even whole nations and bodies of people, are sometimes cut off in wrath, in their several places where they are: or, are suddenly taken away before they can remove out of the place where the stroke of God finds them; or, in the place where they are settled and surrounded with all manner of comforts and friends, all which cannot prevent their being cut off. Take heed, regard not iniquity — Hebrew, ˆpt la, al teepen, look not to it; namely, with an approving or desiring eye, as this expression is used Proverbs 23:31. This hast thou chosen rather than affliction — Thou hast chosen rather to quarrel with God, and censure his judgments, than humbly and quietly, submit to them, and wait upon God by faith and prayer for deliverance in his due time and appointed way.

20. The night — Night is used figuratively for death, (Job 34:20, 25,) or for destruction heightened by night. Psalm 91:5. It may mean his own death, or the retributive death of others; Job having spoken of night in the latter sense, so as possibly to awaken on the part of Elihu suspicious of malevolence, though unjustly. Cut off — Same as in Job 5:26, and Psalm 102:24, (literally, “go up,”) and here spoken in general of removal by death to sheol, the world beneath them, (thus Conant and Carey,) or “beneath where the nations are,” (Hitzig;) but better, as in Job 40:12, in their place — the place of their power and pride. The latter clause of the verse explains the former. In sublime language (Job 3:13-19) Job had expressed his desire that he might join the mighty dead; a description which must have profoundly impressed the youthful listener Elihu. He now replies, Not for the night, not “for the going up of the nations,” should Job long, (same as in Job 7:2;) they are going up fast enough, — this “innumerable caravan that moves to that mysterious realm” of death, — without Job’s panting to join them. Job’s time to “be gathered” will come soon enough without all this ado.

V. 21. Chosen-Thou hast chosen rather to quarrel with God, and censure his judgments, than quietly to submit to them.

Verse 21. Regard not iniquity] It is sinful to entertain such wishes; it is an insult to the providence of God. He sends affliction; he knows this to be best for thee: but thou hast preferred death to affliction, thereby setting thy wisdom against the wisdom of God. Many in affliction, long for death; and yet they are not prepared to appear before God! What madness is this! If he takes them at their wish, they are ruined for ever. Affliction may be the means of their salvation; the wished-for death, of their eternal destruction.

Verses 20, 21. Desire not the night — The night of death, which Job had often desired, for then thou art irrecoverably gone: take heed of thy foolish and often-repeated desire of death, lest God inflict it upon thee in anger. When people are cut off in their place — By which individuals, and even whole nations and bodies of people, are sometimes cut off in wrath, in their several places where they are: or, are suddenly taken away before they can remove out of the place where the stroke of God finds them; or, in the place where they are settled and surrounded with all manner of comforts and friends, all which cannot prevent their being cut off. Take heed, regard not iniquity — Hebrew, ˆpt la, al teepen, look not to it; namely, with an approving or desiring eye, as this expression is used Proverbs 23:31. This hast thou chosen rather than affliction — Thou hast chosen rather to quarrel with God, and censure his judgments, than humbly and quietly, submit to them, and wait upon God by faith and prayer for deliverance in his due time and appointed way.

21. This hast thou chosen — Poor, weak human nature shrinks from chastisement, though it knows such to be divine and for its real good. But to choose iniquity rather than affliction is to act over again the folly of the Jews, who chose Barabbas rather than Christ. “There is more evil in the least sin than in the greatest affliction.” — Henry. “In particular the closing verses of this division (16-21) contain statements… such as occur in the like combination nowhere in the Old Testament, and such as belong in truth to the profoundest utterances which the literature of the Old Testament has produced in the attempt to solve the mystery of affliction before the coming of Christ.” — Zockler.

Second division — THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN NATURE IS A PRAISEWORTHY DISCLOSURE OF DIVINE WISDOM AND POWER. Verse 22-37:13.

Strophe a — is transitional. The lofty working of the mighty God not only exalts him above all human blame, but calls uponJob to unite with all beings in a song of praise, 22-25.

V. 22. Behold-God is omnipotent; and therefore can, either punish thee far worse, or deliver thee, if thou dost repent. He is also infinitely wise; and as none can work like him, so none can teach like him. Therefore do not presume to teach him how to govern the world. None teacheth with such authority and convincing evidence, with such condescension and compassion, with such power and efficacy as God doth, he teaches by the bible, and that is the best book; by his son, and he is the best master.

Verse 22. God exalteth by his power] He has brought thee low, but he can raise thee up. Thou art not yet out of the reach of his mercy. Thy affliction is a proof that he acts towards thee as a merciful Parent. He knows what is best to be done; he teaches thee how thou shouldst suffer and improve. Why sin against his kindness? Who can teach like him?

Verses 22, 23. Behold, God exalteth by his power, &c. — God is omnipotent; and therefore can either punish thee far worse, or deliver thee, if thou dost repent. He is also infinitely wise; and as none can work like him, so none can teach like him: therefore do not presume to teach him how to govern the world. None teacheth with such authority and convincing evidence, with such condescension and compassion, with such power and efficacy as God doth, he teaches by the Bible, and that is the best book; by his Son, and he is the best master. Who hath enjoined him his way? — Wherein he should walk; that is, what methods he should use in the administration of human affairs? If he had a superior, who gave him laws for his actions, he might be accountable to him for what he did; but he is supreme and uncontrollable; who hath no law to regulate him but his own holy nature and blessed will, and therefore how rash and absurd a thing is it for any man to censure his proceedings! Thou hast wrought iniquity — Thou hast swerved from the law and rule given thee.

22. Behold — ˆh introduces each of the three following strophes, (22-25, 26-29, 30-33,) each of which contains four verses; which mode of division, together with the similarity in the structure of the verses, is thought to be argument for an original poetical division of the book into strophes. God exalteth by his power — Better, God worketh loftily in his power. Elihu devotes the rest of his discourse to instances of God’s incomprehensible working in nature, that he may convince Job of a like utter ignorance of the divine working in Providence.

Verse 23. Who hath enjoined him his way] Has God taken instructions from any man how he shall govern the world?

Thou hast wrought iniquity?] Who can prove, in the whole compass of the creation, that there is one thing imperfect, superabundant, or out of its place? Who can show that there is, in the course of the Divine providence, one unrighteous, cruel, or unwise act? All the cunning and wickedness of man have never been able to find out the smallest flaw in the work of God.

Verses 22, 23. Behold, God exalteth by his power, &c. — God is omnipotent; and therefore can either punish thee far worse, or deliver thee, if thou dost repent. He is also infinitely wise; and as none can work like him, so none can teach like him: therefore do not presume to teach him how to govern the world. None teacheth with such authority and convincing evidence, with such condescension and compassion, with such power and efficacy as God doth, he teaches by the Bible, and that is the best book; by his Son, and he is the best master. Who hath enjoined him his way? — Wherein he should walk; that is, what methods he should use in the administration of human affairs? If he had a superior, who gave him laws for his actions, he might be accountable to him for what he did; but he is supreme and uncontrollable; who hath no law to regulate him but his own holy nature and blessed will, and therefore how rash and absurd a thing is it for any man to censure his proceedings! Thou hast wrought iniquity — Thou hast swerved from the law and rule given thee.

23. Who hath enjoined him his way — God is responsible to no one, (Job 34:13,) not to Job even, who, as Elihu thinks, is disposed to dictate to God his way.

V. 24. Remember-Call to mind this thy duty. Magnify-Every work which he doth; do not condemn any of his providential works, but adore them as done with admirable wisdom, and justice. Behold-With admiration and astonishment.

Verse 24. Remember that thou magnify his work] Take this into consideration; instead of fretting against the dispensations of Divine providence, and quarrelling with thy Maker, attentively survey his works; consider the operation of his hands; and see the proofs of his wisdom in the plan of all, of his power in the production and support of all, and of his goodness in the end for which all have been made, and to which every operation in nature most obviously tends; and then magnify his work. Speak of him as thou shalt find; let the visible works of thy Maker prove to thee his eternal power and Godhead, and let nature lead thee to the Creator.

Verses 24, 25. Remember — Call to mind this thy duty; that thou magnify his work — Every work which he doth; do not condemn any of his providential works, but adore them as done with admirable wisdom and justice. Behold — With admiration and astonishment. Every man may see it — Namely, his work last mentioned. The power, and wisdom, and greatness of God are so manifest in all his works, that all who are not stupid must see and acknowledge them. Man may behold it afar off — The works of God are so great and conspicuous, that they may be seen at a great distance. Hence Elihu proceeds to give some instances, in the works of nature and common providence. His general aim is to show, 1st, That God is the first cause and supreme director of all the creatures; whom therefore we ought with all humility and reverence to adore: 2d, That it is presumption in us to prescribe to him in his special providence toward men, when the operations even of common providence about the meteors are so mysterious and unaccountable.

24. Which men behold — Which men sing. Instead of finding fault with God’s ways, Job ought rather to extol His works, which elicit the admiration of all well-minded men.

V. 25. It-The power, and wisdom, and greatness of God are so manifest in all his works, that all who are not stupid, must see and acknowledge it. Afar off-The works of God are so great and conspicuous, that they may be seen at a great distance. Hence Elihu proceeds to give some instances, in the works of nature and common providence. His general aim is to shew,

1. That God is the first cause and supreme director of all the creatures; whom therefore we ought with all humility and reverence to adore,

2. That it is presumption in us to prescribe to him in his special providence toward men, when the operations even of common providence about the meteors, are so mysterious and unaccountable.

Verse 25. Every man may see it] He who says he can examine the earth with a philosophic eye, and the heavens with the eye of an astronomer, and yet says he cannot see in them a system of infinite skill and contrivance, must be ignorant of science, or lie against his conscience, and be utterly unworthy of confidence or respect.

Verses 24, 25. Remember — Call to mind this thy duty; that thou magnify his work — Every work which he doth; do not condemn any of his providential works, but adore them as done with admirable wisdom and justice. Behold — With admiration and astonishment. Every man may see it — Namely, his work last mentioned. The power, and wisdom, and greatness of God are so manifest in all his works, that all who are not stupid must see and acknowledge them. Man may behold it afar off — The works of God are so great and conspicuous, that they may be seen at a great distance. Hence Elihu proceeds to give some instances, in the works of nature and common providence. His general aim is to show, 1st, That God is the first cause and supreme director of all the creatures; whom therefore we ought with all humility and reverence to adore: 2d, That it is presumption in us to prescribe to him in his special providence toward men, when the operations even of common providence about the meteors are so mysterious and unaccountable.

25. Every man may see it — The language of Adam in “Paradise Lost” (book xi) embodies the blended wonder and adoration implied in this spiritual word, hhazah: to see.

I now

Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts

Of glory, and far off his steps adore.

Consult note on Job 19:27.

Strophe b — The infinitely exalted and eternal God displays his beneficence in the subtle elaboration of rain, a work which blends together wisdom and power, providence and love, and which can be fully comprehended only by him who spreads out the clouds and sends forth the crashing thunder from the thick cloud, which is his pavilion, 26-29.

V. 26. Neither-He is eternal, as in his being, so in all his counsels; which therefore must be infinitely above the comprehension of short-lived men.

Verse 26. God is great] He is omnipotent.

We know him not] He is unsearchable.

Neither can the number of his years be searched out.] He is eternal. These three propositions are an ample foundation for endless disquisition. As to paraphrase and comment, they need none in this place; they are too profound, comprehensive, and sublime.

Verse 26. Behold, God is great — Infinite in majesty, and power, and wisdom, and all perfections, and therefore just in all his ways; and we know him not — Namely, perfectly. Though we see something of him in his works, it is but little in comparison of that which is in him. He is incomprehensibly great in his essence, in his attributes, in his works, and in his ways; and therefore be not so inconsiderate and rash, O Job, as to censure those of his dispensations which thou canst not fully understand. Neither can the number of his years be searched out — He is eternal, as in his being, so in all his counsels, which must be infinitely wise, and therefore above the comprehension of short-lived men.

26. Behold, God is great — The greatness of God is indicated by his unsearchableness and eternity. “Elihu shows that Job’s allegation that he has been unrighteously handled, and his impeachment of God’s righteousness, are contraventions of his nature as manifested in creation. The omnipotence and wisdom of God, which are everywhere apparent in the universe, furnish a testimony to God’s righteousness… Every witness, therefore, in nature to God’s greatness as a Creator rises against an arraignment of God’s righteousness. Whoso will bring a charge against God’s justice must measure himself with the divine omnipotence.” — Wordsworth.

V. 27. For-Having affirmed that God’s works are incomprehensibly great and glorious, he now proves it from the most common works of nature and providence. And hence he leaves it to Job to consider how much more deep and inconceivable the secret counsels of God must be. Water-He orders matters so wisely, that the waters which are in the clouds, do not fall down at once in spouts, which would be pernicious to the earth and to mankind; but by degrees, and in drops. According-According to the proportion of vapours which the heat of the sun hath drawn up by the earth or sea. So it notes that great work of God by which the rain is first made of vapours, and afterwards resolved into vapours, or into the matter of succeeding vapours, by a constant rotation.

Verse 27. He maketh small the drops of water] This appears simply to refer to evaporation, and perhaps it would be better to translate [rgy yegara, “he exhales;” detaches the smallest particles of the aqueous mass from the surface in order to form clouds, as reservoirs for the purpose of furnishing rain for the watering of the earth. God is seen in little things, as well as great things; and the inconceivably little, as well as the stupendously great, are equally the work of Omnipotence. They pour down rain] These exceedingly minute drops or vapour become collected in clouds; and then, when agitated by winds, &c. many particles being united, they become too heavy to be sustained by the air in which they before were suspended, and so fall down in rain, which is either a mist, a drizzle, a shower, a storm, or a waterspout, according to the influence of different winds, or the presence and quantum of the electric fluid. And all this is proportioned, wdal le-edo, “to its vapour,” to the quantity of the fluid evaporated and condensed into clouds.

Verses 27, 28. For he maketh small, &c. — Having affirmed that God’s works are incomprehensibly great and glorious, he now proves it from the most common works of nature and providence. And hence he leaves it to Job to consider how much more deep and inconceivable the secret counsels of God must be. The drops of water — He orders matters so wisely, that the waters which are in the clouds do not fall down at once in spouts, which would be pernicious to the earth and to mankind, but by degrees and in drops. According to the vapour thereof — According to the proportion of vapours which the heat of the sun hath drawn up from the earth or sea. So it denotes that great work of God by which the rain is first made of vapours, and afterward resolved into vapours, or into the matter of succeeding vapours, by a constant rotation. Which the clouds distil abundantly — In such plenty as the necessities of the earth require; which also is a wonderful work of God.

27. Maketh small — Rather, draweth up; exhaleth (Dr. Clarke) through the process of evaporation. According to the vapour thereof — Through his vapour-cloud, (Furst,) or from its vapour, (Gesenius,) which Dr. T. Lewis renders in place of mist, in allusion to Genesis 2:6. Science still uses the same term “vapour-cloud” to designate the mysterious birthplace of the rain. The ancients looked upon rain not only as coming from their deity, (Aratus,) but as the special gift of God. (Herodotus, 2:13.) The Talmud (in Taanith, ch. i) records an ancient saying of the Jews, that there be three keys which God hath reserved in his own hand, and hath not delivered to any minister or substitute, namely, the keys of life, and of rain, and of the resurrection of the dead. See notes on Job 5:10, 11, and 26:8. Man abundantly — Or the multitude of men, so widespread is the fall of rain.

Verse 28. Which the clouds do drop] In proportion to the evaporation will be the clouds or masses of volatilized and suspended vapour; and in proportion to this will be the quantum of rain which in different forms will fall upon the earth.

There is a remarkable addition to this verse in the Septuagint. I shall insert the whole verse: JPuhsontai palaiwmata, eskiase de nefh epi amuqhtw brotw, wran eqeto kthnesin, oidasi de koithv taxin, epi toutoiv pasin ouk existatai sou h dianoia, oude

diallassetai sou h kardia apo swmatov; “The rains descend, and the clouds cover with their shadows multitudes of men: he hath appointed to animals to know the order of their dwellings. At the contemplation of these things is not thy mind transported, and thy heart ready to part from thy body?”

Verses 27, 28. For he maketh small, &c. — Having affirmed that God’s works are incomprehensibly great and glorious, he now proves it from the most common works of nature and providence. And hence he leaves it to Job to consider how much more deep and inconceivable the secret counsels of God must be. The drops of water — He orders matters so wisely, that the waters which are in the clouds do not fall down at once in spouts, which would be pernicious to the earth and to mankind, but by degrees and in drops. According to the vapour thereof — According to the proportion of vapours which the heat of the sun hath drawn up from the earth or sea. So it denotes that great work of God by which the rain is first made of vapours, and afterward resolved into vapours, or into the matter of succeeding vapours, by a constant rotation. Which the clouds distil abundantly — In such plenty as the necessities of the earth require; which also is a wonderful work of God.

V. 29. Understand-Whence it comes to pass, that a small cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, suddenly spreads over the whole heavens: how the clouds come to be suddenly gathered, and so condensed as to bring forth thunder and lightning. Noise-The thunder produced in the clouds, which are often called God’s tent or tabernacle.

Verse 29. Can any understand the spreadings of the clouds] Though the vapour appear to be fortuitously raised, and subject, when suspended in the atmosphere, to innumerable accidents, to different winds and currents which might drive it all to the sandy deserts, or direct its course so that it should fall again into the great deep from which it has been exhaled, without watering and refreshing the earth; yet so does the good and wise providence of God manage this matter, that every part of the arable terrene surface receives an ample supply; and in every place, where requisite, it may be truly said that “The rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and water the earth, and cause it to bring forth and bud, that it may minister seed to the sower, and bread to the eater.”

In Egypt, where there is little or no rain, the earth is watered by the annual inundation of the Nile; there, because this system of evaporation is not necessary, it does not exist. Who can account for this economy? How are these clouds so judiciously and effectually spread through the atmosphere, so as to supply the wants of the earth, of men, and of cattle? I ask, with Elihu, “Who can understand the spreadings of these clouds?” And I should like to see that volunteer in the solution of paradoxes who would step forward and say, I am the man.

The noise of his tabernacle?] By the tabernacle we may understand the whole firmament or atmospheric expansion; the place where the Almighty seems more particularly to dwell; whence he sends forth the rain of his strength, and the thunder of his power.

The noise must refer to the blowing of winds and tempests. or to the claps, peals, and rattling of thunder, by means of the electric fluid.

Verses 29, 30. Can any understand the spreadings of the clouds? — Hebrew, of a cloud: whence it comes to pass that a small cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, suddenly spreads over the whole heavens: how the clouds come to be suddenly gathered and so condensed as to bring forth thunder and lightning. Or the noise of his tabernacle — The thunder produced in the clouds, which are often called God’s tent or tabernacle. Behold, he spreadeth his light — That is, the lightning, fitly called God’s light, because God only can light it; upon it — That is, upon the cloud, which is, in a manner, the candlestick in which God sets up this light; and covereth the bottom of the sea — The lightning spreads far and wide over all parts of the sea, and pierceth deep, reaching even to the bottom of it.

29. The spreadings of the cloud — The unfolding of the cloud (thundercloud) along the sky, as in 1 Kings 18:44, 45, where the swiftness with which the cloud spreads itself is, according to Maurer, compared to the movement of a hand “hither and thither.” For a like rendering of crp, “spread,” compare Psalm 105:39; Ezekiel 27:7. See note on Job 37:16. The noise — Literally, “loud crashing” of thunder, which the poet represents as the crash of His tabernacle. The lofty imagination of Elihu conceived the thunder-cloud to be a booth, a temporary dwellingplace of the Most High. The deepest blackness of the cloud would favour the comparison to a tent, for, made of black goatskin, tents were pre-eminently dark. (Song of Solomon 1:5.) It is probable that the storm-cloud in which God finally revealed himself was already spreading upon the sky.

Strophe c — The same wondrous providence and power of God subordinate the lightnings, even, to the benefit and well-being of men, and at the same time to the punishment of evil doers, 30-33.

V. 30. Light-The lightning; fitly God’s light, because God only can light it. It-Upon the cloud, which is in a manner the candlestick in which God sets up this light. The sea-The lightning spreads far and wide over all the parts of the sea, and pierceth deep, reaching even to the bottom of it.

Verse 30. He spreadeth his light upon it] Or, as Mr. Good translates, “He throweth forth from it his flash.” These two verses may both have an allusion to the sudden rarefaction of that part of the atmosphere whence the thunder proceeds, by the agency of the electric fluid; the rushing in of the air on each side to restore the equilibrium, which the passage of the fire had before destroyed. The noise produced by this sudden rushing in of the air, as well as that occasioned by the ignition of the hydrogen gas, which is one of the constituents of water, is the thunder of his tabernacle, viz., the atmosphere, where God appears, in such cases, to be manifesting his presence and his power.

Elihu says that God spreadeth his light upon it. This is spoken in reference to the flashes and coruscations of lightning in the time of thunder storms, when, even in a dark night, a sudden flash illuminates for a moment the surface of the earth under that place.

And covereth the bottom of the sea.] He doth whatsoever it pleaseth him in the heavens above, in the earth beneath, in the sea, and in all deep places. Yea, the depths of the sea are as much under his control and influence as the atmosphere, and its whole collection of vapours, meteors, and galvanic and electric fluids.

Verses 29, 30. Can any understand the spreadings of the clouds? — Hebrew, of a cloud: whence it comes to pass that a small cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, suddenly spreads over the whole heavens: how the clouds come to be suddenly gathered and so condensed as to bring forth thunder and lightning. Or the noise of his tabernacle — The thunder produced in the clouds, which are often called God’s tent or tabernacle. Behold, he spreadeth his light — That is, the lightning, fitly called God’s light, because God only can light it; upon it — That is, upon the cloud, which is, in a manner, the candlestick in which God sets up this light; and covereth the bottom of the sea — The lightning spreads far and wide over all parts of the sea, and pierceth deep, reaching even to the bottom of it.

30. Light upon it — More properly, light around himself. Covereth the bottom of the sea — Covereth (himself) with the roots of the sea. Others read as in the text of Authorized Version. Job had spoken also of the roots of the mountains, (Job 28:9,) and even of the roots of the human foot, (Job 13:27.) The sublime thought of the text weaves together celestial light and ocean depth to form fit garment for the Almighty. An old Orphic hymn has a like expression: —

Thou who holdest the roots of the sea,

Thy dark-gleaming throne.

V. 31. Judgeth-By thunder and lightning, and rain from the clouds, he executes his judgments against ungodly people. Meat-Giveth meat. By the same clouds, he provides plentiful showers dropping fatness on the earth.

Verse 31. By them judgeth he the people] He makes storms, tempests, winds, hurricanes, tornadoes, thunder and lightning, drought and inundation, the instruments of his justice, to punish rebellious nations. He giveth meat in abundance.] Though by these he punishes offenders, yet through the same, as instruments, he provides for the wants of men and animals in general. Storms, tempests, and hurricanes, agitate the lower regions of the atmosphere, disperse noxious vapours, and thus render it fit for respiration; and without these it would soon become a stagnant, putrid, and deadly mass, in which neither animals could live, nor vegetables thrive. And by dews, rains, snows, frosts, winds, cold, and heat, he fructifies the earth, and causes it to bring forth abundantly, so that every thing living is filled with plenteousness.

Some critics translate this latter clause thus:—He passeth sentence amain. I cannot see this meaning in the original words. Not one of the versions has so understood them; nor does this translation, supposing even that the Hebrew would bear it, give so fine and so elegant an idea as that of the common version. I always feel reluctant to give a sense in any case that is not supported in some of its parts by any of the ancient versions, and more especially when it is contrary to the whole of them; and still more particularly when opposed to the Arabic, which in the Book of Job, containing so many Arabisms, I consider to be of very great importance.

Verses 31-33. For by them he judgeth the people — By thunder and lightning, and rain from the clouds, he executes his judgments against ungodly people. He giveth meat — By the same clouds by which he punisheth wicked men, he provideth plentiful showers to drop fatness upon the earth. With clouds he covereth the light — With thick and black clouds spread over the whole heavens, as in times of great thunders and lightnings, he obscures the light of the day, or the splendour of the shining sun. Hebrew, µypk l[, gnal cappaim, with hands he covereth the sun; either the clouds are so called for their resemblance to hands, or the meaning is, that God covereth the light as by the hollow of his hand. And commandeth it not to shine — Or, wxy, jetzav, giveth a charge concerning it, that it shall be covered; by the cloud that cometh betwixt — Which God interposes as a veil between the sun and the earth. The noise thereof showeth concerning it — The thunder gives notice of the approaching rain. The cattle also, &c. — As the thunder, so also the cattle showeth concerning the vapour — Concerning the coming of the rain, by a strange instinct, seeking for shelter when a change of weather is near.

31. By them (the lightning and the cloud) He ruleth the nations. The verse is parenthetical. The lightning is his sceptre, the fertilizing cloud his storehouse of food. With the one he smites, with the other he blesses.

V. 32. Clouds-With thick and black clouds spread over the whole heavens. Light-The sun. The cloud-Which God interposes as a veil between the sun and earth.

Verse 32. With clouds he covereth the light.] This is all extraordinary saying, hmk כפים l[ rwa al cappayim kissah or, which Mr. Good translates, “He brandisheth the blaze athwart the concave.” The Vulgate, with which all the other versions less or more agree, has, In manibus abscondit lucem, “In his hands he hideth the light;” or, more literally, “By the hollow of his hands (כפים cappayim) he concealeth the light, (rwa or,”) the fountain of light, i.e., the SUN.

And commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.] I am afraid this is no translation of the original. Old Coverdale is better:— And at his commandement it commeth agayne; which is a near copy of the Vulgate. Here again Mr. Good departs from all the versions, both ancient and modern, by translating thus:— “And launcheth his penetrating bolt.” Dr. Stock, in my opinion, comes nearer the original and the versions in his translation:—

“And giveth charge as to what it shall meet.”

The mending of the text by conjecture, to which we should only recur in desperate necessity, has furnished Mr. Good and Reiske with the above translation. For my own part, I must acknowledge an extreme difficulty both here and in the concluding verse, on which I am unwilling to lay a correcting hand. I think something of the doctrine of eclipses is here referred to; the defect of the solar light, by the interposition of the moon. So in the time of an eclipse God is represented as covering the body of the sun with the hollow of his hand, and thus obscuring the solar light, and then removing his hand so as to permit it to re-illuminate the earth. Mr. Good gets his translation by dividing the words in a different manner from the present text. I shall give both:—

Hebrew: [ygpmb hyl[ wxyw

Vayetsav aleyha bemaphgia

Mr. Good: [ygpm bhyl [wxyw

Veyezvo liahbe mapegio.

Of which he learnedly contends, “And launcheth his penetrating bolt,” is the literal sense. The change here made, to produce the above meaning, is not a violent one; and I must leave the reader to judge of its importance.

Verses 31-33. For by them he judgeth the people — By thunder and lightning, and rain from the clouds, he executes his judgments against ungodly people. He giveth meat — By the same clouds by which he punisheth wicked men, he provideth plentiful showers to drop fatness upon the earth. With clouds he covereth the light — With thick and black clouds spread over the whole heavens, as in times of great thunders and lightnings, he obscures the light of the day, or the splendour of the shining sun. Hebrew, µypk l[, gnal cappaim, with hands he covereth the sun; either the clouds are so called for their resemblance to hands, or the meaning is, that God covereth the light as by the hollow of his hand. And commandeth it not to shine — Or, wxy, jetzav, giveth a charge concerning it, that it shall be covered; by the cloud that cometh betwixt — Which God interposes as a veil between the sun and the earth. The noise thereof showeth concerning it — The thunder gives notice of the approaching rain. The cattle also, &c. — As the thunder, so also the cattle showeth concerning the vapour — Concerning the coming of the rain, by a strange instinct, seeking for shelter when a change of weather is near.

32. With clouds… betwixt — Both hands he covereth over with light, and giveth it command against the adversary. According to Delitzsch, God appears here under a military figure as a slinger of lightnings, (light.) The lightning, like a slinger’s cord, he wraps around his hand that he may give it greater force against the enemy. “It scorches the world, but does not hurt him [God]; nay, rather, is the vesture and instrument of his power.” — Wordsworth.

V. 33. The noise-The thunder gives notice of the approaching rain. Also-And as the thunder, so also the cattle sheweth, concerning the vapour, concerning the coming of the rain, by a strange instinct, seeking for shelter, when a change of weather is near.

Verse 33. The noise thereof showeth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour.] I think this translation very unhappy. I shall give each hemistich in the original:—

רעו wyl[ dygy

Yaggid alaiv reo

hlw[ l[ ãa hnqm

Mikneh aph al oleh.

I think this may be translated without any violence to any word in the text:—

Its loud noise (or his thunder) shall proclaim concerning him; A magazine of wrath against iniquity.

This is literal, and gives, in my opinion, a proper meaning of the passage, and one in strict connection with the context. And it is worthy of remark that every wicked man trembles at the noise of thunder and the flash of lightning, and considers this a treasury of Divine wrath, emphatically called among us the artillery of the skies; and whenever the noise is heard, it is considered the voice of God. Thus the thunder declares concerning him. The next chapter, which is a continuation of the subject here, confirms and illustrates this meaning. For dygy yaggid, Houbigant reads dyny yanid; and for hnqm mikneh, tanqm mikkinath; and translates thus: “He agitates with himself his thunder, from the indignation of his wrath against iniquity.”

JOB

Verses 31-33. For by them he judgeth the people — By thunder and lightning, and rain from the clouds, he executes his judgments against ungodly people. He giveth meat — By the same clouds by which he punisheth wicked men, he provideth plentiful showers to drop fatness upon the earth. With clouds he covereth the light — With thick and black clouds spread over the whole heavens, as in times of great thunders and lightnings, he obscures the light of the day, or the splendour of the shining sun. Hebrew, µypk l[, gnal cappaim, with hands he covereth the sun; either the clouds are so called for their resemblance to hands, or the meaning is, that God covereth the light as by the hollow of his hand. And commandeth it not to shine — Or, wxy, jetzav, giveth a charge concerning it, that it shall be covered; by the cloud that cometh betwixt — Which God interposes as a veil between the sun and the earth. The noise thereof showeth concerning it — The thunder gives notice of the approaching rain. The cattle also, &c. — As the thunder, so also the cattle showeth concerning the vapour — Concerning the coming of the rain, by a strange instinct, seeking for shelter when a change of weather is near.

33. The noise thereof… the vapour — This is one of the most difficult passages in the Bible, on account of the ambiguity of every important word. Of the discordant readings, that of Ewald is now generally accepted: — “His thunder announces Him; the cattle even, that he is approaching;” literally, on the march. Some see in the allusion to cattle the instinctive apprehension which the brute manifests at the approach of a storm, as both Virgil and Pliny had observed, (Georg., 1:374; Nat. Hist., 18:87, 88.) The reading of Dillmann, Hitzig, etc., who for the most part follow Symmachus, is not so well sustained, to wit: “His alarm-cry announces concerning him, making wrath to rage against iniquity;” essential to which is a change in the pointing of hlw[ l[ to hlw[ l[, “against iniquity.” The former of these Hebraic words — the accepted pointing of our text — we would prefer, and read as above “concerning Him who is coming upward,” that is, that “He is approaching.” Conant renders the second clause of the verse, — “to the herds, even of Him who is on high; making hnqm (which others, as above, render “wrath”) the object rather than the subject of the verb. In explanation of these comments, the reader may here be reminded that the vowel points form no part of the original Hebrew text, but were first introduced about the seventh century of the Christian era, and since the completion of the Talmud. For lengthened comment on the verse, the reader is referred to either Schultens, Dillmann or Conant.