1 Again there was a day H3117 when the sons H1121 of God H430 came H935 to present H3320 themselves before the LORD, H3068 and Satan H7854 came H935 also among H8432 them to present H3320 himself before the LORD. H3068
2 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Satan, H7854 From whence H335 comest H935 thou? And Satan H7854 answered H6030 the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 From going to and fro H7751 in the earth, H776 and from walking up and down H1980 in it.
3 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
4 And Satan H7854 answered H6030 the LORD, H3068 and said, H559 Skin H5785 for skin, H5785 yea, all that a man H376 hath will he give H5414 for his life. H5315
5 But H199 put forth H7971 thine hand H3027 now, and touch H5060 his bone H6106 and his flesh, H1320 and he will curse H1288 thee to thy face. H6440
6 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto Satan, H7854 Behold, he is in thine hand; H3027 but save H8104 his life. H5315
7 So went H3318 Satan H7854 forth H3318 from the presence H6440 of the LORD, H3068 and smote H5221 Job H347 with sore H7451 boils H7822 from the sole H3709 of his foot H7272 unto his crown. H6936
8 And he took H3947 him a potsherd H2789 to scrape H1623 himself withal; and he sat down H3427 among H8432 the ashes. H665
9 Then said H559 his wife H802 unto him, Dost thou still retain H2388 thine integrity? H8538 curse H1288 God, H430 and die. H4191
10 But he said H559 unto her, Thou speakest H1696 as one H259 of the foolish women H5036 speaketh. H1696 What? H1571 shall we receive H6901 good H2896 at the hand of God, H430 and shall we not receive H6901 evil? H7451 In all this did not Job H347 sin H2398 with his lips. H8193
11 Now when Job's H347 three H7969 friends H7453 heard H8085 of all this evil H7451 that was come H935 upon him, they came H935 every one H376 from his own place; H4725 Eliphaz H464 the Temanite, H8489 and Bildad H1085 the Shuhite, H7747 and Zophar H6691 the Naamathite: H5284 for they had made an appointment H3259 together H3162 to come H935 to mourn H5110 with him and to comfort H5162 him.
12 And when they lifted up H5375 their eyes H5869 afar off, H7350 and knew H5234 him not, they lifted up H5375 their voice, H6963 and wept; H1058 and they rent H7167 every one H376 his mantle, H4598 and sprinkled H2236 dust H6083 upon their heads H7218 toward heaven. H8064
13 So they sat down H3427 with him upon the ground H776 seven H7651 days H3117 and seven H7651 nights, H3915 and none spake H1696 a word H1697 unto him: for they saw H7200 that his grief H3511 was very H3966 great. H1431
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 2
Commentary on Job 2 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 2
Job 2:1-8. Satan Further Tempts Job.
1. a day—appointed for the angels giving an account of their ministry to God. The words "to present himself before the Lord" occur here, though not in Job 1:6, as Satan has now a special report to make as to Job.
3. integrity—literally, "completeness"; so "perfect," another form of the same Hebrew word, Job 11:7.
movedst … against—So 1Sa 26:19; compare 1Ch 21:1 with 2Sa 24:1.
4. Skin for skin—a proverb. Supply, "He will give." The "skin" is figurative for any outward good. Nothing outward is so dear that a man will not exchange it for some other outward good; "but" (not "yea") "life," the inward good, cannot be replaced; a man will sacrifice everything else for its sake. Satan sneers bitterly at man's egotism and says that Job bears the loss of property and children because these are mere outward and exchangeable goods, but he will give up all things, even his religion, in order to save his life, if you touch his bones and flesh. "Skin" and "life" are in antithesis [Umbreit]. The martyrs prove Satan's sneer false. Rosenmuller explains it not so well. A man willingly gives up another's skin (life) for his own skin (life). So Job might bear the loss of his children, &c., with equanimity, so long as he remained unhurt himself; but when touched in his own person, he would renounce God. Thus the first "skin" means the other's skin, that is, body; the second "skin," one's own, as in Ex 21:28.
6. but save—rather, "only spare his life." Satan shows his ingenuity in inflicting pain, and also his knowledge of what man's body can bear without vital injury.
7. sore boils—malignant boils; rather, as it is singular in the Hebrew, a "burning sore." Job was covered with one universal inflammation. The use of the potsherd [Job 2:8] agrees with this view. It was that form of leprosy called black (to distinguish it from the white), or elephantiasis, because the feet swell like those of the elephant. The Arabic judham (De 28:35), where "sore botch" is rather the black burning boil (Isa 1:6).
8. a potsherd—not a piece of a broken earthen vessel, but an instrument made for scratching (the root of the Hebrew word is "scratch"); the sore was too disgusting to touch. "To sit in the ashes" marks the deepest mourning (Jon 3:6); also humility, as if the mourner were nothing but dust and ashes; so Abraham (Ge 18:27).
Job 2:9-13. Job Reproves His Wife.
9. curse God—rather, "renounce" God. (See on Job 1:5) [Umbreit]. However, it was usual among the heathens, when disappointed in their prayers accompanied with offerings to their gods, to reproach and curse them.
and die—that is, take thy farewell of God and so die. For no good is to be got out of religion, either here or hereafter; or, at least, not in this life [Gill]; Nothing makes the ungodly so angry as to see the godly under trial not angry.
10. the foolish women—Sin and folly are allied in Scripture (1Sa 25:25; 2Sa 13:13; Ps 14:1).
receive evil—bear willingly (La 3:39).
11. Eliphaz—The view of Rawlinson that "the names of Job's three friends represent the Chaldean times, about 700 B.C.," cannot be accepted. Eliphaz is an Idumean name, Esau's oldest son (Ge 36:4); and Teman, son of Eliphaz (Ge 36:15), called "duke." Eusebius places Teman in Arabia-Petræa (but see on Job 6:19). Teman means "at the right hand"; and then the south, namely, part of Idumea; capital of Edom (Am 1:12). Hebrew geographers faced the east, not the north as we do; hence with them "the right hand" was the south. Temanites were famed for wisdom (Jer 49:7). Baruch mentions them as "authors of fables" (namely, proverbs embodying the results of observation), and "searchers out of understanding."
Bildad the Shuhite—Shuah ("a pit"), son of Abraham and Keturah (Ge 25:2). Ptolemy mentions the region Syccea, in Arabia-Deserta, east of Batanea.
Zophar the Naamathite—not of the Naamans in Judah (Jos 15:41), which was too distant; but some region in Arabia-Deserta. Fretelius says there was a Naamath in Uz.
12. toward heaven—They threw ashes violently upwards, that they might fall on their heads and cover them—the deepest mourning (Jos 7:6; Ac 22:23).
13. seven days … nights—They did not remain in the same posture and without food, &c., all this time, but for most of this period daily and nightly. Sitting on the earth marked mourning (La 2:10). Seven days was the usual length of it (Ge 50:10; 1Sa 31:13). This silence may have been due to a rising suspicion of evil in Job; but chiefly because it is only ordinary griefs that find vent in language; extraordinary griefs are too great for utterance.