1 There was a man H376 in the land H776 of Uz, H5780 whose name H8034 was Job; H347 and that man H376 was perfect H8535 and upright, H3477 and one that feared H3373 God, H430 and eschewed H5493 evil. H7451
Though these three H7969 men, H582 Noah, H5146 Daniel, H1840 and Job, H347 were in it, H8432 they should deliver H5337 but their own souls H5315 by their righteousness, H6666 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD. H3069
Though Noah, H5146 Daniel, H1840 and Job, H347 were in it, H8432 as I live, H2416 saith H5002 the Lord H136 GOD, H3069 they shall deliver H5337 neither son H1121 nor H518 daughter; H1323 they shall but deliver H5337 their own souls H5315 by their righteousness. H6666
And when Abram H87 was ninety H8673 H8141 years H8141 old H1121 and nine, H8672 the LORD H3068 appeared H7200 to Abram, H87 and said H559 unto him, I am the Almighty H7706 God; H410 walk H1980 before me, H6440 and be thou perfect. H8549
And all the mingled H6153 people, and all the kings H4428 of the land H776 of Uz, H5780 and all the kings H4428 of the land H776 of the Philistines, H6430 and Ashkelon, H831 and Azzah, H5804 and Ekron, H6138 and the remnant H7611 of Ashdod, H795
And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Satan, H7854 Hast thou H7760 considered H3820 my servant H5650 Job, H347 that there is none like him in the earth, H776 a perfect H8535 and an upright H3477 man, H376 one that feareth H3373 God, H430 and escheweth H5493 evil? H7451 and still he holdeth fast H2388 his integrity, H8538 although thou movedst H5496 me against him, to destroy H1104 him without cause. H2600
Rejoice H7797 and be glad, H8055 O daughter H1323 of Edom, H123 that dwellest H3427 in the land H776 of Uz; H5780 the cup H3563 also shall pass H5674 through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, H7937 and shalt make thyself naked. H6168
And he said, H559 Lay H7971 not thine hand H3027 upon H413 the lad, H5288 neither do thou H6213 any thing H3972 unto him: for now H6258 I know H3045 that thou fearest H3373 God, H430 seeing thou hast not H3808 withheld H2820 thy son, H1121 thine only H3173 son from me.
My foot H7272 hath held H270 his steps, H838 his way H1870 have I kept, H8104 and not declined. H5186 Neither have I gone back H4185 from the commandment H4687 of his lips; H8193 I have esteemed H6845 the words H561 of his mouth H6310 more than my necessary H2706 food.
I beseech H577 thee, O LORD, H3068 remember H2142 now how I have walked H1980 before H6440 thee in truth H571 and with a perfect H8003 heart, H3824 and have done H6213 that which is good H2896 in thy sight. H5869 And Hezekiah H2396 wept H1058 H1065 sore. H1419
And it came to pass after H310 these things, H1697 that it was told H5046 Abraham, H85 saying, H559 Behold, Milcah, H4435 she hath also born H3205 children H1121 unto thy brother H251 Nahor; H5152 Huz H5780 his firstborn, H1060 and Buz H938 his brother, H251 and Kemuel H7055 the father H1 of Aram, H758
I made H3772 a covenant H1285 with mine eyes; H5869 why then should I think H995 upon a maid? H1330 For what portion H2506 of God H433 is there from above? H4605 and what inheritance H5159 of the Almighty H7706 from on high? H4791 Is not destruction H343 to the wicked? H5767 and a strange H5235 punishment to the workers H6466 of iniquity? H205 Doth not he see H7200 my ways, H1870 and count H5608 all my steps? H6806 If I have walked H1980 with vanity, H7723 or if my foot H7272 hath hasted H2363 to deceit; H4820 Let me be weighed H8254 in an even H6664 balance, H3976 that God H433 may know H3045 mine integrity. H8538 If my step H838 hath turned out H5186 of the way, H1870 and mine heart H3820 walked H1980 after H310 mine eyes, H5869 and if any blot H3971 hath cleaved H1692 to mine hands; H3709 Then let me sow, H2232 and let another H312 eat; H398 yea, let my offspring H6631 be rooted out. H8327 If mine heart H3820 have been deceived H6601 by a woman, H802 or if I have laid wait H693 at my neighbour's H7453 door; H6607 Then let my wife H802 grind H2912 unto another, H312 and let others H312 bow down H3766 upon her. For this is an heinous crime; H2154 yea, it is an iniquity H5771 to be punished by the judges. H6414 For it is a fire H784 that consumeth H398 to destruction, H11 and would root out H8327 all mine increase. H8393 If I did despise H3988 the cause H4941 of my manservant H5650 or of my maidservant, H519 when they contended H7379 with me; What then shall I do H6213 when God H410 riseth up? H6965 and when he visiteth, H6485 what shall I answer H7725 him? Did not he that made H6213 me in the womb H990 make H6213 him? and did not one H259 fashion H3559 us in the womb? H7358 If I have withheld H4513 the poor H1800 from their desire, H2656 or have caused the eyes H5869 of the widow H490 to fail; H3615 Or have eaten H398 my morsel H6595 myself alone, and the fatherless H3490 hath not eaten H398 thereof; (For from my youth H5271 he was brought up H1431 with me, as with a father, H1 and I have guided H5148 her from my mother's H517 womb;) H990 If I have seen H7200 any perish H6 for want of clothing, H3830 or any poor H34 without covering; H3682 If his loins H2504 have not blessed H1288 me, and if he were not warmed H2552 with the fleece H1488 of my sheep; H3532 If I have lifted up H5130 my hand H3027 against the fatherless, H3490 when I saw H7200 my help H5833 in the gate: H8179 Then let mine arm H3802 fall H5307 from my shoulder blade, H7929 and mine arm H248 be broken H7665 from the bone. H7070 For destruction H343 from God H410 was a terror H6343 to me, and by reason of his highness H7613 I could H3201 not endure. If I have made H7760 gold H2091 my hope, H3689 or have said H559 to the fine gold, H3800 Thou art my confidence; H4009 If I rejoiced H8055 because my wealth H2428 was great, H7227 and because mine hand H3027 had gotten H4672 much; H3524 If I beheld H7200 the sun H216 when it shined, H1984 or the moon H3394 walking H1980 in brightness; H3368 And my heart H3820 hath been secretly H5643 enticed, H6601 or my mouth H6310 hath kissed H5401 my hand: H3027 This also were an iniquity H5771 to be punished by the judge: H6416 for I should have denied H3584 the God H410 that is above. H4605 If I rejoiced H8055 at the destruction H6365 of him that hated H8130 me, or lifted up H5782 myself when evil H7451 found H4672 him: Neither have I suffered H5414 my mouth H2441 to sin H2398 by wishing H7592 a curse H423 to his soul. H5315 If the men H4962 of my tabernacle H168 said H559 not, Oh that we had H5414 of his flesh! H1320 we cannot be satisfied. H7646 The stranger H1616 did not lodge H3885 in the street: H2351 but I opened H6605 my doors H1817 to the traveller. H734 If I covered H3680 my transgressions H6588 as Adam, H121 by hiding H2934 mine iniquity H5771 in my bosom: H2243 Did I fear H6206 a great H7227 multitude, H1995 or did the contempt H937 of families H4940 terrify H2865 me, that I kept silence, H1826 and went not out H3318 of the door? H6607 Oh that H5414 one would hear H8085 me! behold, my desire H8420 is, that the Almighty H7706 would answer H6030 me, and that mine adversary H376 H7379 had written H3789 a book. H5612 Surely I would take H5375 it upon my shoulder, H7926 and bind H6029 it as a crown H5850 to me. I would declare H5046 unto him the number H4557 of my steps; H6806 as a prince H5057 would I go near H7126 unto him. If my land H127 cry H2199 against me, or that the furrows H8525 likewise H3162 thereof complain; H1058 If I have eaten H398 the fruits H3581 thereof without money, H3701 or have caused the owners H1167 thereof to lose H5301 their life: H5315 Let thistles H2336 grow H3318 instead of wheat, H2406 and cockle H890 instead of barley. H8184 The words H1697 of Job H347 are ended. H8552
And thus did H6213 Hezekiah H3169 throughout all Judah, H3063 and wrought H6213 that which was good H2896 and right H3477 and truth H571 before H6440 the LORD H3068 his God. H430 And in every work H4639 that he began H2490 in the service H5656 of the house H1004 of God, H430 and in the law, H8451 and in the commandments, H4687 to seek H1875 his God, H430 he did H6213 it with all his heart, H3824 and prospered. H6743
The sons H1121 of Shem; H8035 Elam, H5867 and Asshur, H804 and Arphaxad, H775 and Lud, H3865 and Aram, H758 and Uz, H5780 and Hul, H2343 and Gether, H1666 and Meshech. H4902
Moreover thou shalt provide H2372 out of all the people H5971 able H2428 men, H582 such as fear H3373 God, H430 men H582 of truth, H571 hating H8130 covetousness; H1215 and place H7760 such over them, to be rulers H8269 of thousands, H505 and rulers H8269 of hundreds, H3967 rulers H8269 of fifties, H2572 and rulers H8269 of tens: H6235
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 1
Commentary on Job 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Book of Job
Chapter 1
The history of Job begins here with an account,
In all this he is set forth for an example of suffering affliction, from which no prosperity can secure us, but through which integrity and uprightness will preserve us.
Job 1:1-3
Concerning Job we are here told,
Job 1:4-5
We have here a further account of Job's prosperity and his piety.
Job 1:6-12
Job was not only so rich and great, but withal so wise and good, and had such an interest both in heaven and earth, that one would think the mountain of his prosperity stood so strong that it could not be moved; but here we have a thick cloud gathering over his head, pregnant with a horrible tempest. We must never think ourselves secure from storms while we are in this lower region. Before we are told how his troubles surprised and seized him here in this visible world, we are here told how they were concerted in the world of spirits, that the devil, having a great enmity to Job for his eminent piety, begged and obtained leave to torment him. It does not at all derogate from the credibility of Job's story in general to allow that this discourse between God and Satan, in these verses, is parabolical, like that of Micaiah (1 Ki. 22:19, etc.), and an allegory designed to represent the malice of the devil against good men and the divine check and restraint which that malice is under; only thus much further is intimated, that the affairs of this earth are very much the subject of the counsels of the unseen world. That world is dark to us, but we lie very open to it. Now here we have,
Job 1:13-19
We have here a particular account of Job's troubles.
Job 1:20-22
The devil had done all he desired leave to do against Job, to provoke him to curse God. He had touched all he had, touched it with a witness; he whom the rising sun saw the richest of all the men in the east was before night poor to a proverb. If his riches had been, as Satan insinuated, the only principle of his religion now that he had lost his riches he would certainly have lost his religion; but the account we have, in these verses, of his pious deportment under his affliction, sufficiently proved the devil a liar and Job an honest man.
Lastly, Here is the honourable testimony which the Holy Ghost gives to Job's constancy and good conduct under his afflictions. He passed his trials with applause, v. 22. In all this Job did not act amiss, for he did not attribute folly to God, nor in the least reflect upon his wisdom in what he had done. Discontent and impatience do in effect charge God with folly. Against the workings of these therefore Job carefully watched; and so must we, acknowledging that as God has done right, but we have done wickedly, so God has done wisely, but we have done foolishly, very foolishly. Those who not only keep their temper under crosses and provocations, but keep up good thoughts of God and sweet communion with him, whether their praise be of men or no, it will be of God, as Job's here was.