Commentary on Job Part 4 (No. F018iv)

Job Chapters 19-24 (RSV)

Chapter 19

Job Replies: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

¹Then Job answered: ²“How long will you torment me, and break me in pieces with words? ³These ten times you have cast reproach upon me; are you not ashamed to wrong me? ⁴And even if it be true that I have erred, my error remains with myself. ⁵If indeed you magnify yourselves against me, and make my humiliation an argument against me, ⁶know then that God has put me in the wrong, and closed his net about me.⁷Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered; I call aloud, but there is no justice. ⁸He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness upon my paths. ⁹He has stripped from me my glory, and taken the crown from my head. ¹⁰He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone, and my hope has he pulled up like a tree. ¹¹He has kindled his wrath against me, and counts me as his adversary. ¹²His troops come on together; they have cast up siegeworks against me, and encamp round about my tent. ¹³“He has put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintances are wholly estranged from me. ¹⁴My kinsfolk and my close friends have failed me; ¹⁵the guests in my house have forgotten me; my maidservants count me as a stranger; I have become an alien in their eyes. ¹⁶I call to my servant, but he gives me no answer; I must beseech him with my mouth. ¹⁷I am repulsive to my wife, loathsome to the sons of my own mother. ¹⁸Even young children despise me; when I rise they talk against me. ¹⁹All my intimate friends abhor me, and those whom I loved have turned against me. ²⁰My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. ²¹Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me! ²²Why do you, like God, pursue me? Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? ²³“Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! ²⁴Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were graven in the rock for ever! ²⁵For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; ²⁶and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, ²⁷whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! ²⁸If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’ and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him’; ²⁹be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.”

Intent of Chapter 19

19:1-29 Reply of Job

Job realises that he is now completely isolated and his friends do not understand and cast reproach upon him. They attack him from their respective positions. Eliphaz demonstrates the impotence of human experience, Bildad the corruption of human tradition and Zophar the inadequacy of human merit. All of these doctrines derive from the false teachings of Satan as elohim of the earth. These traditions corrupted both the Hittite Celts to the North and the Egyptians to the South.

v. 4 Even if it be true that I have erred (see 6:24 n.), my error remains with myself. He states that even if he did err, his words concerned only himself and did not constitute an offence against God, or man.

vv. 7-12 God's treatment of Job has lowered Job below the dignity of man (v. 9) (comp. 7:17). It is here that Satan has sinned and implied also that it was God that was inflicting this improper and unjust evil on Job. This conduct was not confined to Job. The adherents of the entire Non-Trinitarian, Jewish and Muslim faiths were persecuted in the Inquisitions of the Trinitarian systems in Europe (Nos. 122, 170, 266, 268; 288). All these people will be vindicated in the Second Resurrection when the Trinitarian persecutors are brought to account (No. 143B; 300D).

vv. 13-19 The result is also that Job has been expelled from society and lost his family, household and friends.

v. 20 escaped by the skin of his teeth, a proverbial expression of ancient derivation.

vv. 21-22 Have pity on me O you my friends pathetically stresses Job's isolation.

vv. 23-24 His expression was carried out and indeed remains as Scripture until his resurrection in the First Resurrection (No. 143A) and his accuser's resurrection in the Second Resurrection (No. 143B) (see also Ch. 42n. re their position).

v. 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives Here he refers to the mediator of Ps. 45:6-7 and Heb. 1:8-9). The Soncino states here “or my vindicator to establish my innocence and free me from unjust imputations of guilt.” The text continues on with at last he will stand upon the earth. Bullinger reads this as at the latter day he will stand on earth. This is the coming of the Messiah at the Millennium where he rules the earth (Rev. Ch. 20ff). Thus he is an elohim and not human. The Redeemer to which he refers is the same being as spoken of by his grandfather in Gen. 48:15-16 who was the Angel that redeemed Jacob and the elohim or God that led him all his life. This was the Elohim that was given Israel as his inheritance (Deut. 32:8-9) and the Deity became the subordinate God of Israel of Psalm 45:6-7, and Hebrews 1:8-9 identifies him as the Christ. This is a direct reference to the Messiah and can be none other. To suggest it is not, is damnable academic misfeasance. The reference here is to the king Messiah at the Advent for the Millennium (Isa. 66:19-24; Zech 14:16-21) and the Resurrections of the Dead (Rev. Ch. 20). The text is then related, by some academics, to the Avenger of Blood under the law (2Sam. 14:11) as the next of kin or heir under Lev. 25:25; Deut. 25:5-10; Ru. 2:20). It should be obvious to all that this is the Mediator to which Job is constantly referring, and has to be the Messiah, as Redeemer of mankind (Gen. 48:15-16), understood also by the demons that attack him and the host. This being is the elohim of Israel referred to in Ex. 6:6; Deut 32:8-9; and Pss. 45:6-7; 103:4. He is the elohim that appeared to the patriarchs and wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 28:10ff), and as we see in Ch. 42, he appears also to Job and the son of Esau and the others. He was the Great Angel that gave the Law to Moses (Acts 7:30-53; 1Cor. 10:4). It is impossible to distance this being from the being of Ps. 45:6-7 and Heb. 1:8-9. Job has already called for this Mediator to defend him before God (9:33-35; 16:19-21) and in that way effect an audience with God himself (v. 26). His eyes shall see him and not another. Here he is detailing the process by which the patriarchs, prophets and apostles detailed the process in Scripture over the next 1600 years. It is by this process in the Plan of Salvation (No. 001A, B, C, D) that man becomes elohim (No. 001) as demonstrated through the Messiah, and in that process, is resurrected (No. 143A; 143B) and then translated to become elohim, and, from that translation, man is to see God. Bullinger (London 1903) renders it in his flesh I will Eloah see, which is incorrect, as no man can see Eloah (Jn. 1:18; 1Tim. 6:16). It is only through that process of becoming elohim, will that result, of being able to see Eloah, occur. It is with those eyes that Job will see Eloah. Here we see Job's faith crystallised so that his primary objective will be brought to fruition. The vision of God will be his objective (42:5-6). There, in the last chapter of the text, Job is permitted to see the Elohim of Psalm 45:6-7 who is the Christ of Heb. 1:8-9 and he was rewarded, through faith, as his ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been rewarded. Job was blessed double and he in fact lived longer than his g.g.grandfather Abraham by some thirty-five years, as a result of this trial. Abraham himself was given a meeting with this elohim and two other elohim (as Yahovahs) in Gen. 18 &19 (No. 024). None of these were the Almighty Eloah or Yahovih (SHD No. 3069) who is Ha Elohim. Him, no man has ever seen or ever can see (Jn. 1:18; 1Tim. 6:16). That however, was not the complete fulfilment of his wish, as he will get to see Eloah, after the Resurrection, and the Millennium, at the arrival of the City of God (No. 180).

Chapter 20

Zophar Speaks: Wickedness Receives Just Retribution

¹Then Zophar the Na′amathite answered: ²“Therefore my thoughts answer me, because of my haste within me. ³I hear censure which insults me, and out of my understanding a spirit answers me. ⁴Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed upon earth, ⁵that the exulting of the wicked is short, and the joy of the godless but for a moment? ⁶Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach to the clouds, ⁷he will perish for ever like his own dung; those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ ⁸He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; he will be chased away like a vision of the night. ⁹The eye which saw him will see him no more, nor will his place any more behold him. ¹⁰His children will seek the favor of the poor, and his hands will give back his wealth. ¹¹His bones are full of youthful vigor, but it will lie down with him in the dust. ¹²“Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, ¹³though he is loath to let it go, and holds it in his mouth, ¹⁴yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the gall of asps within him. ¹⁵He swallows down riches and vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly. ¹⁶He will suck the poison of asps; the tongue of a viper will kill him. ¹⁷He will not look upon the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds. ¹⁸He will give back the fruit of his toil, and will not swallow it down; from the profit of his trading he will get no enjoyment. ¹⁹For he has crushed and abandoned the poor, he has seized a house which he did not build. ²⁰“Because his greed knew no rest, he will not save anything in which he delights. ²¹There was nothing left after he had eaten; therefore his prosperity will not endure. ²²In the fulness of his sufficiency he will be in straits; all the force of misery will come upon him. ²³To fill his belly to the full God will send his fierce anger into him, and rain it upon him as his food. ²⁴He will flee from an iron weapon; a bronze arrow will strike him through. ²⁵It is drawn forth and comes out of his body, the glittering point comes out of his gall; terrors come upon him. ²⁶Utter darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown upon will devour him; what is left in his tent will be consumed. ²⁷The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him. ²⁸the possessions of his house will be carried away, dragged off in the day of God’swrath. ²⁹This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the heritage decreed for him by God.”

Intent of Chapter 20

20:1-29 Zophar's Second Discourse.

v. 2 Therefore my thoughts answer. The Hebrew noun implies disturbing and anxious reflection, and the line is thus held to mean: My disquieting thought cause me to answer. The word haste implies agitation. Job's obstinancy is matched by Zophar's theological vigour. For a moment Zophar is shaken out of his static certainty, but he soon reaffirms the thesis of individual retribution (vv. 4-29) (see OARSV n.).

What follows in vv. 4-29 is a diatribe of invective from Zophar which is hardly reflective of loving one's neighbour. It is a clear condemnation of Job as a wicked man (so also Soncino). We will see, in F018vii, the full analysis.

v. 27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity: Job has asserted that his witness was in heaven, and appealed to the earth not to cover his blood [16:18f] … The Targum paraphrases: The angels of heaven shall reveal his iniquity. And the inhabitants of the earth shall rise up to harm him (Soncino n.). The Targum thus avoids the Messiah becoming the son of man.

v. 28 The rendering in the text here correctly mirrors the intent of the Hebrew shall depart which is from a root meaning to go into exile.

Chapter 21

Job Replies: The Wicked Often Go Unpunished

¹Then Job answered: ²“Listen carefully to my words, and let this be your consolation. ³Bear with me, and I will speak, and after I have spoken, mock on. ⁴As for me, is my complaint against man? Why should I not be impatient? ⁵Look at me, and be appalled, and lay your hand upon your mouth. ⁶When I think of it I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh. ⁷Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? ⁸Their children are established in their presence, and their offspring before their eyes. ⁹Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. ¹⁰Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves, and does not cast her calf.
¹¹They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance. ¹²They sing to the tambourine and the lyre, and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. ¹³They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. ¹⁴They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of thy ways. ¹⁵What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’ ¹⁶Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand? The counsel of the wicked is far from me. ¹⁷“How often is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out? That their calamity comes upon them? That God distributes pains in his anger? ¹⁸That they are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away? ¹⁹You say, ‘God stores up their iniquity for their sons.’ Let him recompense it to themselves, that they may know it. ²⁰Let their own eyes see their destruction, and let them drink of the wrath of the Almighty. ²¹For what do they care for their houses after them, when the number of their months is cut off? ²²Will any teach God knowledge, seeing that he judges those that are on high? ²³One dies in full prosperity, being wholly at ease and secure, ²⁴his bodyfull of fat and the marrow of his bones moist. ²⁵Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of good.
²⁶They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them. ²⁷“Behold, I know your thoughts, and your schemes to wrong me. ²⁸For you say, ‘Where is the house of the prince? Where is the tent in which the wicked dwelt?’ ²⁹Have you not asked those who travel the roads, and do you not accept their testimony ³⁰that the wicked man is spared in the day of calamity, that he is rescued in the day of wrath? ³¹Who declares his way to his face, and who requites him for what he has done? ³²When he is borne to the grave, watch is kept over his tomb. ³³The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all men follow after him, and those who go before him are innumerable. ³⁴How then will you comfort me with empty nothings? There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

Intent of Chapter 21

21:1-34 Reply of Job.

In this refutation Job replies, using scepticism, that the wicked usually remain unpunished (vv. 7-13) though they repudiated God (vv. 14-18). He also states that belief in collective responsibility as hereditary guilt is immoral (vv. 19-26) which is correct and God actually changed that system, from the tradition, in judgment, under the kings, where the sins of the fathers were no longer visited on the sons. He also holds that the honourable funeral of the wicked is immoral (vv. 27-34). That aspect is reflected in the law.

What we see here is the fact that Satan has removed the Nexus of the Law and it rains on both the just and the unjust. This will continue on until the end of Satan’s rule in 2027. The arrival of the Witnesses of Revelation Ch.11 will restore the Nexus of the Law for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. So that will be changed, but that is what Job is referring to here: the Nexus of the Law and its removal.

v. 15 We also see here that the wicked are putting forward Satan's Thesis in the beginning in 1:9-10, when discussing the matter of Job, with Eloah in heaven. What follows is the summary of what the people of the world have done up to the final point of the last days ahead of us. All of this is a condemnation of the elohim as we see in Ps. 82:1-2. The Coverdale renders this as “What manner of fellow is the Almighty that we should serve him” and the Soncino commentors term this the “'Slot machine' philosophy of religion; The coin of faith demands the chocolate bar of material benefit.” This was indeed the ancient belief practice.

v. 16 This rendering here follows the interpretation of Rashi, which the Soncino holds as more correct.

v. 17 In 18:5 Bildad claimed that the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. By this question Job is asking “what examples can you show in proof (so Berechiah). The word pains here is from chebalim meaning lines which is used in contradistinction to the word used as in Psalm 16:6. Ibn Ezra renders it as He sends upon them the lines of His anger in contrast to the Lines have fallen upon me in pleasant places in the psalm.

v. 18 as stubble before the wind Job is again asking how often the wicked are blown as stubble before the wind (Isa. 17:13; Ps. 1:4) (so Metsudath David).

v. 19 This was the old sins of the father adage that was later changed in the Holy Land so that only the sins of the individual were laid upon their own heads; however, a nation could gather the wrath of God, which is what is about to be poured out on the world.

vv. 22-26 The Mystery of Providence

v. 22 Shall any teach God Knowledge?

It is as though these three are trying to accommodate in their theology the breadth of human experience. They were trying to force their principle, of material retribution, as God's ordering of the universe. The Soncino says: “Ibn Ezra makes the significant comment 'it is as if the Omnipresent does not know what he is doing.' Rashi expands this further to say “is there any of you who speaks in the place of God, that he shall teach to know what the rule is'”

v. 23 one dieth in his full strength lit. in his very perfection. i.e. in the full enjoyment of all that filled his cup to the brim. This is the wicked remarks Rashi (Soncino n.).

v. 24 his pails are full of milk – A.V and R.V. both translate 'his breasts' but the R.V. Margin has milk pails (Soncino). This has now been adopted. Ibn Ezra says that Atinaw in Arabic means the place upon which the camels kneel for water. In rabbinic Hebrew it denotes 'a vessel for olives.' (Soncino).

v. 25 Another dies in bitterness of soul. “These are the high and holy ones (Rashi). cf. Job's description of himself (3:20; 7:7). (Soncino).

v. 26 they lie down alike in the dust

The wicked and the righteous share the same fate (cf. Eccles. 2:14ff.). They lie in the grave awaiting the Resurrection. God determines whether they rise in the First or the Second Resurrection of Rev. Chapter 20. The mainstream sects ignore this aspect and there is no discussion on the matter that makes any sense in logic, due to the Heaven and Hell doctrines of the Sun and Mystery Cults that permeated religions in the Middle East and from Europe.

vv. 27-34 Fate of the Evil Man

This section deals with the fate of the evil man and the worldly view of what transpires to them over the next few verses.

v. 27 Job here lets them know that they are making personal implications against himself.

v. 28 The prince The rich oppressor. Nadib usually means generous prince in a good sense. Here it means a wealthy man who is not righteous. (Ibn Ezra). (Soncino)

v. 29 them that go by the way that is travellers that have wider knowledge of the evils in the world.

v. 30 The day of calamity is the Wrath of God against the living wicked from the 120^th Jubilee at the beginning of the Millennium at the return of the Witnesses (Nos 135; 141D) and of the Messiah (No. 141E 141E_2) 1264 days afterwards, and the judgment of the Second Resurrection at the end of the Millennium when the remaining Dead are Resurrected to judgment (Nos. 080; 143B).

v. 31 The reference is to the powerful and wicked despot and who dare rebuke him to his face, although Ibn Ezra thinks it may be a parenthetical reference and refers to God, and Rashi also believes the reference to be to God. Berechiah, Rambam, Meyuchos, and Isaiah da Trani adopt the first view.

v. 32 Job describes how the wicked tyrant is buried with honour and his example widely followed. This is in direct contradiction of what his accusers had stated.

v. 33 The clods of the valleys is a reference to the usual ancient burial practice of burial in valleys.

v. 34 Job rejects his critics as faithless.

Chapter 22

Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great

¹Then Eli′phaz the Te′manite answered: ²“Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. ³Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? ⁴Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you, and enters into judgment with you? ⁵Is not your wickedness great? There is no end to your iniquities. ⁶For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing. ⁷You have given no water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry. ⁸The man with power possessed the land, and the favored man dwelt in it. ⁹You have sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. ¹⁰Therefore snares are round about you, and sudden terror overwhelms you; ¹¹your light is darkened, so thatyou cannot see, and a flood of water covers you. ¹²“Is not God high in the heavens? See the highest stars, how lofty they are! ¹³Therefore you say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness? ¹⁴Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the vault of heaven.’ ¹⁵Will you keep to the old way which wicked men have trod? ¹⁶They were snatched away before their time; their foundation was washed away. ¹⁷They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’ and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’¹⁸Yet he filled their houses with good things— but the counsel of the wicked is far from me. ¹⁹The righteous see it and are glad; the innocent laugh them to scorn, ²⁰saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off, and what they left the fire has consumed.’ ²¹“Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. ²²Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. ²³If you return to the Almighty and humble yourself, if you remove unrighteousness far from your tents, ²⁴if you lay gold in the dust, and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent bed, ²⁵and if the Almighty is your gold, and your precious silver; ²⁶then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God. ²⁷You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you; and you will pay your vows. ²⁸You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways. ²⁹For God abases the proud, but he saves the lowly. ³⁰He delivers the innocent man; you will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Intent of Chapter 22

22:1-30 Eliphaz's Third Discourse Commencing the Third Cycle from Chs. 22-31.

vv. 1-4 The initial verses demonstrate Eliphaz has no understanding of the Purpose of the Creation (No. 160) and God's Plan of Salvation (No. 001A). He is wise in his own eyes, yet admits that even a wise man is profitable to himself. He knows far less than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Job here, whom he is criticising. He has placed himself in the role of defender of what he sees as traditional theism. His speech seeks to arouse Job to good deeds, as though he were not doing them beforehand. Yet they all knew him intimately and turned on him the moment he needed assistance and compassion. This is one of the reasons that God declared Sardis dead (Rev. 3:1) and spewed Laodicea out of His Mouth (Rev. 3:16).

v. 3 Eliphaz implies that Job's righteousness would give no pleasure to the Almighty, thus implying God is an impassive deity which is totally contrary to Scripture (Isa. 63:5; Hos. ch. 9; Lk. 15:7) and the very purpose of the Creation (No. 160).

v. 4 The humans are having difficulty that God would afflict a pious man, not realising that Satan had decided to prove that Job was a fake and would rebel, once he was afflicted. They did not understand that Satan was not interested in cause and effect but simply proving that man was an unworthy vessel for the Holy Spirit and elohim status. Eliphaz uses the word Yirah in the sense of piety in religion (4:6). “Is it to be supposed that God would afflict a man just because he is pious?” The thought is preposterous (see Soncino). Therefore it must be because of his sin. Thus they did not understand the nature of the test being thrown at them. Satan himself was under test here, as were these three with their false theology and lack of love, as a function of the Nature of God. It is indeed as Metsudath David thinks that it is in his (Satan’s) fear of mankind that he is afflicting them, and none understand the nature of the problems.

v. 5 The accusations Eliphaz is about to make are answered in Job's declaration of innocence (31:5ff.). The accuser has no evidence but imputes to Job the misdeeds normally committed by a person of influence and affluence (Simchah Aryeh). These errors are all in the minds of the accusers based on their faulty understanding.

v. 6 Eliphaz charges Job (without evidence) with a violation of ancient Hebrew law regarding taking undergarments in pledge (Ex. 22:25f; Deut. 24:10ff; Amos 2:8). Eliphaz uses naked to emphasise Job's greed. All without substantive evidence.

v. 7 Not given water to the weary. A violation of the basic rules of hospitality. Metsudath David says he is basically accusing Job of withholding bread and water from those he had imprisoned. But from his refutation in 31:16f. it appears that the accusation is that of indifference to the wants of the needy. (Soncino). These claims are outrageous.

v. 8 Eliphaz has suggested that Job, in the arrogance that comes from power, has sought to dispossess his neighbours.

v. 9 Eliphaz charges him now with mistreatment of widows. It is like a grab bag of possible sins to justify his condition, rather than assume that he is afflicted for reasons other than his own conduct.

v. 10 Therefore snares are round about him.

God set traps to entrap him (Metsudath David).

v. 11 They imply he does not see the true cause of the catastrophe that overwhelms him (Soncino).

v. 12 Is not God in the height of heaven

Metsudath David suggests the interpretation is “Is not God exalted. Yes, too exalted you say to mark man's ways.”

v. 13 The dark cloud in which God is enveloped (cf. Ex. 20:18; 1Kgs. 8:12; Ps. 18:10). Moses thus carries this view on with Christ.

v. 14 He walketh in the circuit of heavens, that is the Vault of the Heavens. God has major concerns with the heavens and not that of the earth. This seems to underestimate His Omnipresence.

v. 15 the old way Eliphaz’s concern for tradition has him reflecting back on the old way of tradition that resulted in the Flood.

v. 16 Whose foundation was washed away (poured out as a stream). The text, Rashi says, may refer to the river of the flood or to the river of fire and brimstone poured out on Sodom by the same elohim discussed previously. Ibn Ezra and Metsudath David are of the opinion that the flood is meant. Their source was Exodus Rabbah 15:8 (Soncino).

vv. 17-18 These words are almost identical to Job's words in 21:14-16 and are perhaps thrown back at him in rebuke.

v. 18 From me read with the Greek version From him. Soncino lists the rabbinical views where the counsel of the wicked denies the blessings are from God and attribute them to their own skills.

v. 19 The righteous saw it and were glad (almost identical to Psa. 107:42a).

v. 20 The verse should be rendered “indeed our substance is not cut off, but their abundance the fire has consumed. A. of J renders it as: Surely their substance is cut off and their remnant the fire has consumed. The fire refers to the fire that consumed Sodom (cf. Soncino).

22:21-30 Job is urged to Return to God.

They urge Job to learn to be at peace with God. v. 22 Accept his Torah as one who believes in divine providence (Metsudath David).

v. 23 Eliphaz promises Job he will be built up if he returns to the Almighty against whom he has rebelled. It seems Eliphaz gets exercise by jumping to conclusions.

v. 24 Job is to no longer make earthly treasure a matter of dominant concern.

v. 25 Eliphaz urges Job to make God, not gold and silver, his treasure, to which Job makes a rigorous retort in 31:24f. and 31:28.

v. 26 Once restored to God, Job will be able to turn to him with ease.

v. 27 Requests in prayer are often accompanied by vows (see Gen. 28:20ff, in the story of Jacob).

v. 28 Job's plans would be met by success through God.

v. 29 The Soncino renders the text When they cast thee down thou shalt say there is lifting up. For the humble person he saveth.

The RSV serves the intent of the text.

v. 30 The Soncino says that: What Eliphaz promises is that for Job's merit even sinners will experience the Divine Salvation (Targum, Rashi, and Metsudath David). Unconsciously he foretold what was to happen to him and his friends. (This we see from the Messiah's admonition and restoration in Ch. 42.)

Chapter 23

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Bitter

¹Then Job answered: ²“Today also my complaint is bitter, hishand is heavy in spite of my groaning. ³Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! ⁴I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. ⁵I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. ⁶Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power No; he would give heed to me. ⁷There an upright man could reason with him, and I should be acquitted for ever by my judge. ⁸“Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him; ⁹on the left hand I seek him, but I cannot behold him; Iturn to the right hand, but I cannot see him. ¹⁰But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. ¹¹My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. ¹²I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured in my bosom the words of his mouth. ¹³But he is unchangeable and who can turn him? What he desires, that he does. ¹⁴For he will complete what he appoints for me; and many such things are in his mind. ¹⁵Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am in dread of him. ¹⁶God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me; ¹⁷for I amhemmed in by darkness, and thick darkness covers my face.

Intent of Chapter 23

23:1-24:17 The Reply of Job.

Here we see a new search for God's presence.

v. 2 Today indicates a protracted discourse. Bitter the Heb. is rebellious (n. J). Job is aware of his attitude.

His hand Gk. Syr:Heb my hand.(OARSV n. k. )

vv. 3-7 for the absent God or the God who hides himself see Ps. 22:1-5; Isa. 45:15. Job is seeking to obtain an audience from the deity of Israel with whom his ancestors spoke in an audience. He states that God would not contend with him but give heed to his arguments. He believes that an upright man could reason with him and be acquitted forever by his judge. The Greek version reads: I should recover my right forever. (See also the OARSV n.)

vv. 8-17 Job's Search for God

v. 13 He is unchangeable lit. He is in one, perhaps meaning being of one mind. It has been paraphrased in the Greek as he has decided (so OARSV n.).

v. 14 He will fulfil the resolve for which he has decreed for me (Ibn Ezra). Berechiah: “For he completes my portion, the portions of chastisement, with which he commenced to chastise me” (Soncino).

v. 15 therefore Since he does not requite man according to his works (Rashi).

v. 16 Job is filled with terror that God has treated him in this way.

v. 17 Ibn Ezra explained he longed to have died before coming into the world (Soncino).

Chapter 24

Job Complains of Violence on the Earth

¹“Why are not times of judgment kept by the Almighty, and why do those who know him never see his days? ²Men remove landmarks; they seize flocks and pasture them. ³They drive away the ass of the fatherless; they take the widow’s ox for a pledge. ⁴They thrust the poor off the road; the poor of the earth all hide themselves. ⁵Behold, like wild asses in the desert they go forth to their toil, seeking prey in the wilderness as foodfor their children. ⁶They gather theirfodder in the field and they glean the vineyard of the wicked man. ⁷They lie all night naked, without clothing, and have no covering in the cold. ⁸They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and cling to the rock for want of shelter. ⁹(There are those who snatch the fatherless child from the breast, and take in pledge the infant of the poor.) ¹⁰They go about naked, without clothing; hungry, they carry the sheaves; ¹¹among the olive rows of the wickedthey make oil; they tread the wine presses, but suffer thirst. ¹²From out of the city the dying groan, and the soul of the wounded cries for help; yet God pays no attention to their prayer. ¹³“There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. ¹⁴The murderer rises in the dark, that he may kill the poor and needy; and in the night he is as a thief. ¹⁵The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me’; and he disguises his face. ¹⁶In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves up; they do not know the light.
¹⁷For deep darkness is morning to all of them; for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. ¹⁸“You say, ‘They are swiftly carried away upon the face of the waters; their portion is cursed in the land; no treader turns toward their vineyards.¹⁹Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have sinned. ²⁰The squares of the townforget them; their nameis no longer remembered; so wickedness is broken like a tree.’ ²¹“They feed on the barren childless woman, and do no good to the widow. ²²Yet Godprolongs the life of the mighty by his power; they rise up when they despair of life. ²³He gives them security, and they are supported; and his eyes are upon their ways.²⁴They are exalted a little while, and then are gone; they wither and fade like the mallow; they are cut off like the heads of grain. ²⁵If it is not so, who will prove me a liar, and show that there is nothing in what I say?”

Intent of Chapter 24

24:1-17 God pays no heed to prayer.

v. 1 The Hebrew is obscure. OARSV says to read as “Why are not times [i.e. events] kept hidden from the Almighty, since those who know him never see his days (of Judgment). If God were not omniscient the problem of Evil would not be a stumbling block to men of faith (see the Problem of Evil (No. 118)). The Divine Prescience of God is not understood by these traditionalists (see Nos 001A and 296).

vv. 2-11 Job lists a series of sins that are common to society and are contrary to law and good conduct.

v. 2 and feed them They openly graze the stolen cattle as though they were their own (Rambam).

v. 3 The ass of the fatherless...the widow’s ox. The orphan and the widow are thus deprived of their single assets and reduced to penury.

v. 4 they force the needy to seek other ways to exist.

v. 5 as wild asses in the wilderness they act as highwaymen. They go forth to their work that is scavenging for food. The word for food is teref, tearing or devouring with the connotation that they seek to attack (the passerby) (Rashi). The desert yieldeth them bread – They subsisted as hunter gatherers and then emerged to seize and eat what they desired (so also Rashi). Rashi notes that word used for children here is lan'arim which refers to the youths that go forth with them on the robbing excursions. Zerachiah translates the word Arabah as willows rather than desert. These wild asses that gather their food without toil are like the wicked whose food and drink come from stolen property and seek to avoid honest toil.

v. 6 they cut his provender in the field Provender is translated fodder in 6:5. The change from the plural to the singular denotes 'They cut each one his provender'. The poor has to subsist on the kind of food given to animals. Ibn Ezra, like the LXX, understands beleilo as 'that which is not his'. Thus they are harvesting a field which is not the possession of any of them. Rashi understands it as being forced by hunger to take from fields not theirs (Soncino).

They despoil the vineyard of the wicked indicates they are forced to steal from other wicked men. R.V. says and they glean the vineyard of the wicked. Zerachiah suggests 'the wicked vineyard they despoil'. They pick the grapes when they are still sour. Job calls this a wicked vineyard. (Soncino).

v. 7 They lie all night naked without clothing.

They steal the clothes and the one robbed because of his extreme poverty lies all night without clothes. This is contrary to law.

v. 8 The naked embrace the rock have no shelter and are drenched by the rains that come down from the mountain (Ibn Ezra (cf. Isa. 25:4 where the Hebrew for showers is translated storm).

v. 9 There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast. Job describes the helpless poor violently despoiled of possession and others forced to forage in the desert.

vv. 9-12 depicts others still in slavery compelled to toil for harsh taskmasters. Berechiah says these heartless creditors tear young children from their widowed mothers to be sold into slavery.

v. 10 Being hungry they carry the sheaves (cf. Deut. 25:4). The law forbids one to muzzle an ox while it treads the grain.

v. 11 Make oil is literally to press out the oil (Soncino).

v. 12 The wounded Perhaps read with the Greek version “the little children (so also the Soncino). From out of the populous city men groan - from out of the city men cry out because of the violence that is done to them. (Ralbag).

Yet God imputeth it not for unseemliness – The last word is rendered in 1:22 and is here rendered by the Targum as 'guilt.' Ibn Ezra holds that the word tiphlah is comparable to the Hebrew taphel 'tasteless' or 'unseasoned' thus it lacks a right moral savour (Soncino).

v. 13 These are of them that rebel against the light Job classifies these who break the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Commandments in this way, doing their evil deed under the cover of darkness. Ralbag interprets that as they rebel against God who is the light of the world. However, the light is the light of Day (so Metsudath David - Soncino).

v. 14 The murderer rises with the light The murderer kills the poor and needy precisely because they are forced to rise with the light to earn a living (so Zerachiah). Berechiah holds that he sits in ambush in the early morning light and kills the poor and needy in the early morning light ... and at night he ransacks houses for the sake of money (Soncino).

v. 15 The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight (cf. Prov. 7:9). Ibn Ezra compares the thief to the adulteress as they both commit their crimes in secret, under the cover of darkness. The Soncino suggest also a woman's veil to cover the assignation.

v. 16 in the dark they dig through houses Cf. Exodus 22:1. if a thief be found breaking in. The Hebrew verb for breaking in is the same as dig through. It is the Hebrew term for burglary (so Soncino). Rambam explains that the thieves dig out houses underground for their hideouts and by day they seal them. They know not the light since they remain underground all day (Soncino).

v. 17 For the shadow of death is to all of them in the morning - The shadow of death is equivalent to 'midnight' cf. 3:5. 'For during the day they are shut up and at night they go forth to their burglary and are not at all afraid of the demons (Rashi). Ibn Ezra says that God turns for them the morning into the shadow of death. Just as ordinary men dread the thick darkness of midnight so these men fear the coming of day.

vv. 18-25 Zophar's Third Discourse

v. 18 R.V. margin at the beginning of the verse “Ye say” thus we understand that vv. 18-21 to be the view of the friends in opposition to what Job had been maintaining. Job had described in vv. 2-17 the oppressions and wrong in human society. The question then rises as to what is the fate of the evil doers? As the Soncino poses it: “Are they seized by the sudden judgments of God and delivered into the hands of their own transgressions, as Bildad had asserted in 8:4? Or are they prolonged in their evil power, protected in their wickedness, and brought to a natural and peaceful end. “What we now see are both answers in the concluding portion of this speech.

vv. 18-24 can be understood as the answers of the friends, or of the common mind, dealt with by Job with irony. They assert the sinner is rapidly borne away by the stream. The passers-by utter curses on his desolated homestead, as they pass by. The wicked man no longer revisits the well planned vineyards. We see a class of person is referred to in the singular he as representative of the class, with the plural their used indiscriminately.

He turneth not by the way of the vineyards – Either he is no longer able to visit his vineyards because he has been deprived of them, or they have been cursed with barrenness.

vv. 19-20 Drought and heat consume the snow waters.

The verb to consume here is to tear away, seize violently, rob: here used figuratively of them drying up. As the snow vanishes in a hot and dry season so the wicked man vanishes in Sheol.

Job uses the same metaphor in 6:15ff. of his friends who abandoned him in his time of trouble, (so Simcha Aryeh).

v. 21 he devoureth the barren that beareth not.

He deals mercilessly with the woman who has no sons to uphold her rights. The verse connects closely with the last phrase of verse 20.

v. 22 He draweth away the mighty also by his power. Job deals with the popular theology concerning the fate of the wicked in vv. 18-21. Now in vv. 22-24 he describes the reality in bitter personal experience. The Soncino states that the RV margin brings out the meaning more clearly: 'Yet God by His power maketh the mighty to continue: they rise up, when they believed not that they should live'. Even when they are sick and in despair of their life, God preserves with his power the tyrants and oppressors, restoring them again to life (Berechiah). Here the rabbinical authorities do not understand the Plan of Salvation and the responsibility of Satan as the God of this world and the evil permitted as stated in Psalm 82 by the elohim. The elohim of Israel (Ps. 45:6-7) is not the elohim of this world, as yet (2Cor. 4:4).

v. 23 yet his eyes are upon their ways.

God is Omnipresent and Omniscient yet He permits evil. The friends, and the rabbinical authorities themselves, do not understand that, in the Plan of Salvation, this age is used as a testing ground to determine the participants of the First and Second Resurrections (No. 143A, No. 143B). See Summary below in F018vii.

v. 24 They are exalted for a little while.

The text refers to the brief prosperity of the wicked. Rambam explained Job's theology in terms of the wicked have no real desire for familial establishment and procreation, but in the furtherance of their interests by criminal means. They do this all their lives and die like everyone else. Even when they are cut off it does not hurt them. Job says this to refute the theology of his friends who maintain the wicked bear their iniquities as do their progeny. Previously he asked “for what pleasure hath he in his house after him (21:21). Now he replies that they truly wish to die without children, and they fulfil their desires in the world (so also Soncino).

v. 25 And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar. Job boldly ends the arguments with this challenge. He is basically challenging God's moral government of the world. Job and the others basically do not understand that what they are witnessing is the moral judgment of Satan in the process of his determinations and conduct in justice and righteousness under the Law of God, and his judgment of man under the Laws and the Testimony and the Temple Calendar that flows from the law (see the Summary below).

Bullinger’s Notes on Chs. 19-24 (for KJV)

Chapter 19

verse 1

answered = replied. See note on Job 4:1 .

my soul = me. Hebrew. nephesh.

Verse 3

make yourselves strange to me: or, are insolent to me.

Verse 4

erred . . . error. Hebrew. shaga. App-44 .

remaineth with myself: i.e. is mine own affair.

Verse 6

GOD. Hebrew Eloah. App-4 .

Verse 7

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 . See translation below.

Verse 10

destroyed = crushed.

removed = uprooted.

Verse 12

tabernacle = tent.

Verse 13

Note the Alternation in Job 19:13-14 .

Verse 14

Note the Alternation in Job 19:13-14 .

Verse 17

breath. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

strange = offensive.

though I, &c. See rendering below.

children's = sons': i.e. had his sons not died.

Verse 18

young children = the very boys; or, young miscreants.

arose = would fain rise.

Verse 19

inward = intimate. Hebrew men of my counsel = my confidential friends.

Verse 20

the skin of my teeth = the gums. See rendering below.

Verse 21

Have pity, &c. Figure of speech Ecphonesis. App-6 .

the hand. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 .

touched = stricken. Figure of speech Tapeinosis. App-6 .

Verse 22

GOD. Hebrew El. App-4 .

Verse 23

Oh! Figure of speech Ecphonesis. App-6 .

Verse 24

graven = engraven. See translation below.

Verse 25

know. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , to include all the effects of knowing.

Redeemer = next of kin. Hebrew. go'el. See notes on Exodus 6:6 , and compare Ruth 2:20 ; Ruth 4:1 , Ruth 4:3 , Ruth 4:6 . Isaiah 59:20 .

earth = dust of [the earth].

Verse 26

skin. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), App-6 , for the whole body.

Verse 27

another = a stranger. A pause must be made between Job 19:27 and Job 19:28 .

Verse 28

But ye: or, Ye shall [then] say.

seeing. Figure of speech Ellipsis ( App-6 ). Supply by repeating the question, "Why see a root of blame in him? "

me. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate, read "him".

Verse 29

punishments = sins; "sins" put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the punishments called for by them.

there is a judgment = that judgment will be executed.

Chapter 20

Verse 1

answered = spake again. See note on Job 4:1 .

Zophar. See note on Job 2:11 .

Verse 3

check = correction.

of = for: i.e. meant to confound me, referring to ch App-19 .

spirit of = spirit from. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

Verse 4

Knowest thou not this? This was Zophar's reply to Job in Job 19:25 , implying that Job had no such hope.

of old = from of old.

man. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 .

Verse 5

wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 .

dung. See note on Isaiah 25:10 .

Verse 10

children = sons.

seek to please = pay court to.

poor = impoverished. Hebrew. dul. See note on Proverbs 6:11 .

Verse 12

wickedness. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .

Verse 13

mouth = palate.

Verse 14

meat = bread; "bread" put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Species) App-6 , for all kinds of food.

Verse 15

GOD. Hebrew El. App-4 .

Verse 17

rivers = divisions of water for irrigation, as in a garden. Hebrew. palgey mayim. See notes on Proverbs 21:1 , and Psalms 1:3 .

floods = rivers. Hebrew. nahar, ever flowing.

brooks = wadys. Hebrew. nahal, summer streams.

Verse 20

feel = know, or experience.

Verse 22

every hand of the wicked = all power of trouble.

hand. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for the power exercised by it.

Verse 26

not blown. Not blown up, or produced by man.

tabernacle = tent.

Verse 28

flow away = melt away, disappear.

Verse 29

man. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 .

God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .

Chapter 21

Verse 1

answered = replied. See note on Job 4:1 .

Verse 2

Hear diligently. See note on Job 13:17 .

Verse 3

mock on = mock [thou] on, as if pointing to him.

Verse 4

man. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 .

why . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

my spirit = myself. Hebrew. ruach ( App-9 ). Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Part), App-6 , for the whole person, for emphasis.

Verse 5

lay your hand, &c. A token of having no answer.

Verse 9

are safe = are in peace.

GOD. Hebrew Eloah. App-4 .

Verse 10

their = each.

Verse 11

children = lads.

Verse 12

organ. Hebrew. 'ugab = a wind instrument. Compare Genesis 4:21 .Genesis 30:31 .Psalms 150:4 .

Verse 13

go down = get dashed.

the grave. Hebrew. Sheol. App-35 .

Verse 14

GOD. Hebrew EI. App-4 .

Verse 15

What. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4 .

Verse 17

How oft. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 . These words must be repeated to supply the Ellipsis at the beginning of Job 21:18 and Job 21:19 , as in middle of Job 21:17 .

candle = lamp.

wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha. App-44 .

God. Supply "How oft He", &c, instead of "God".

Verse 18

They: i.e. [How oft] they.

stubble = crushed straw. Hebrew. teben (not kash = straw.

wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

Verse 19

GOD = [How oft] Eloah.

his: i.e. the lawless man's children.

iniquity. Hebrew. 'avert, App-44 . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for punishment brought on by it.

children = sons.

Verse 24

breasts = skin bottles.

Verse 25

soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .

Verse 28

Where . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

prince = noble.

Verse 29

Have ye not. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

Verse 30

That. Supply Ellipsis ( App-6 ) before "That" = "[They say] that". See translation below.

Verse 31

Who . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

Verse 32

the grave = sepulchre. Hebrew. keber. App-35 .

tomb = tumulus, or sepulchral mound.

Verse 33

clods. Hebrew. degeb = soft, or moist clods. Occurs only here and Job 38:38 .

Verse 34

falsehood = perverseness. Hebrew. ma'al. App-44 .

Chapter 22

Verse 1

Eliphaz. See note on Job 2:11 .

answered = spake. See note on Job 4:1 .

Verse 2

Can . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

man = a strong man. Hebrew. geber. App-14 .

GOD. Hebrew El.

as = nay. The Hebrew accent (Tebir) on ki, "as", is disjunctive, and means "nay". See note on Isaiah 28:28 .

Verse 3

Is it. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4 .

infinite = without end.

Verse 6

stripped the naked. Figure of speech Oxymoron. App-6 .

the naked = the poorly clad, or threadbare.

Verse 8

man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 . See translation below.

Verse 12

Is not. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

GOD. Hebrew Eloah App-4 .

Verse 13

And, &c. = "and [yet may be] thou sayest".

How . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .

dark cloud. Hebrew. 'araphel. See note on Job 3:6 .

Verse 14

walketh = walketh habitually.

circuit = vault. Hebrew. hug,

Verse 18

wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 .

Verse 20

Whereas. Supply Ellipsis ( App-6 ), "[and say] Surely", &c. See translation below.

Verse 21

Acquaint. This is the false theology of Eliphaz. Compare Job 42:8 .

good = blessing. Most codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and

unto = upon. Vulgate, read "thy gain shall be blessing".

Verse 23

return. Septuagint adds "and submit thyself".

tabernacles = tents. Some codices, with four early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "tent"; others, with six early printed editions (and one in margin), read "tents" (plural)

the humble. Hebrew the man of downcast eyes. Compare Luke 18:13 .

Verse 30

the island of. Island put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6 , for coasts, or borders; but the words are omitted by the Septuagint

it. The Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read "thou".

Chapter 23

Verse 1

answered = replied [a third time]. See note on Job 4:1 .

Verse 2

complaint = complaining.

my. Septuagint and Syriac read "His".

stroke = hand. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6 , for the calamity occasioned by it. Compare Job 13:21 ; Job 19:21 .

Verse 3

Oh. Figure of speech Ecphonesis. App-6 .

Verse 10

take: or choose.

when he hath: or, if He would.

shall = should.

Verse 12

my necessary food. Hebrew my own law = my appointed portion: i.e. my ordinary allowance; "law" being put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Genus), App-6 , for what is allowed by it. Compare Genesis 47:22 .Proverbs 30:8 .

Verse 13

His soul = Himself. Hebrew. nephesh . App-13 . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia .

Verse 15

afraid. See note on Deuteronomy 28:66 .

Verse 16

GOD. Hebrew El. App-4 .

soft = faint, or unnerved. Compare Deuteronomy 20:3 .Isaiah 7:4 .

THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4 .

Verse 17

Because, &c. See translation below.

darkness. Hebrew. hashak . See note on Job 3:6 .

darkness. Hebrew. 'ophel . See note on Job 3:6 .

Chapter 24

Verse 1

Why . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis . App-6 .

times. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct) for the events which take place in them.

THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4 .

see = perceive, or understand.

days. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , for His doings in them: e.g. visitation, or judgment, &c. Compare Job 18:20 . Psalms 37:13 ; Psalms 137:7 . Ezekiel 21:29 . Obadiah 1:12 .Luke 19:42 . 1 Corinthians 4:3 .

Verse 2

Some: i.e. the lawless men, whose various crimes are detailed in the following verses.

landmarks. Compare Deuteronomy 19:14 .

Verse 3

take . . . for a pledge. Compare Job 24:9 and Deuteronomy 24:6 , Deuteronomy 24:17 . Amos 2:8 .

Verse 4

They: [while others]. See translation below.

poor = wretched.

Verse 5

Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos . App-6 .

children = offspring.

Verse 6

every one. Figure of speech Ellipsis . App-6 .

his corn. Hebrew. belilo . But if divided thus, beli lo , it means "not his own". The word "corn" must be supplied as an Ellipsis of the accusative case. See translation below.

the wicked = a lawless one. Hebrew. rasha' . App-44 .

Verse 7

naked. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Whole), App-6 , for scantily clad, or threadbare.

Verse 12

Men. Hebrew. methim . App-14 .

city. The Septuagint adds "and houses".

GOD. Hebrew Eloah. App-4 .

GOD. There is a pause between Job 24:12 and Job 24:13 . "They" is emphatic = These. Note the three stages of the 1awless: (1) avoiding the light (Job 24:16 . John 3:20 ); (2) consequent ignorance; (3) final result.

Verse 14

and = and [then again].

Verse 15

twilight = darkness. A Homonym. See notes on 1 Samuel 30:17 . 2 Kings 7:5 .

Verse 16

they: i.e. burglars.

Verse 17

if one know them. See translation below.

Verse 18

he. Some codices, with Septuagint and Vulgate, read "and he".

beholdeth = returneth.

the = to the.

Verse 19

the grave. Hebrew Sheol. App-35 .

sinned. Hebrew. chata' . App-44 .

Verse 20

wickedness. Hebrew. 'aval . App-44 . Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6 , for the wicked man.

Verse 21

He evil entreateth. See translation below.