1 Why, seeing times H6256 are not hidden H6845 from the Almighty, H7706 do they that know H3045 him not see H2372 his days? H3117
And G1161 he said G2036 unto G4314 them, G846 It is G2076 not G3756 for you G5216 to know G1097 the times G5550 or G2228 the seasons, G2540 which G3739 the Father G3962 hath put G5087 in G1722 his own G2398 power. G1849
But G1161 the heavens G3772 and G2532 the earth, G1093 which are now, G3568 by the same G846 word G3056 are G1526 kept in store, G2343 reserved G5083 unto fire G4442 against G1519 the day G2250 of judgment G2920 and G2532 perdition G684 of ungodly G765 men. G444 But, G1161 beloved, G27 be G2990 not G3361 G5209 ignorant G2990 of this one G1520 thing, G5124 that G3754 one G3391 day G2250 is with G3844 the Lord G2962 as G5613 a thousand G5507 years, G2094 and G2532 a thousand G5507 years G2094 as G5613 one G3391 day. G2250
I said H559 in mine heart, H3820 God H430 shall judge H8199 the righteous H6662 and the wicked: H7563 for there is a time H6256 there for every purpose H2656 and for every work. H4639
For G1063 as G5618 in G1722 the days G2250 that were G2258 before G4253 the flood G2627 they were eating G5176 and G2532 drinking, G4095 marrying G1060 and G2532 giving in marriage, G1547 until G891 the day G2250 that G3739 Noe G3575 entered G1525 into G1519 the ark, G2787
Which G3739 in his G2398 times G2540 he shall shew, G1166 who G3588 is the blessed G3107 and G2532 only G3441 Potentate, G1413 the King G935 of kings, G936 and G2532 Lord G2962 of lords; G2961
But G1161 after G2596 thy G4675 hardness G4643 and G2532 impenitent G279 heart G2588 treasurest up G2343 unto thyself G4572 wrath G3709 against G1722 the day G2250 of wrath G3709 and G2532 revelation G602 of the righteous judgment G1341 of God; G2316
And G5037 hath made G4160 of G1537 one G1520 blood G129 all G3956 nations G1484 of men G444 for to dwell G2730 on G1909 all G3956 the face G4383 of the earth, G1093 and hath determined G3724 the times G2540 before appointed, G4384 and G2532 the bounds G3734 of their G846 habitation; G2733
For G3754 these G3778 be G1526 the days G2250 of vengeance, G1557 that all things G3956 which G3588 are written G1125 may be fulfilled. G4137 But G1161 woe G3759 unto G1722 them that are with child, G1064 G2192 and G2532 to them that give suck, G2337 in G1722 those G1565 days! G2250 for G1063 there shall be G2071 great G3173 distress G318 in G1909 the land, G1093 and G2532 wrath G3709 upon G1722 this G5129 people. G2992 And G2532 they shall fall G4098 by the edge G4750 of the sword, G3162 and G2532 shall be led away captive G163 into G1519 all G3956 nations: G1484 and G2532 Jerusalem G2419 shall be G2071 trodden down G3961 of G5259 the Gentiles, G1484 until G891 the times G2540 of the Gentiles G1484 be fulfilled. G4137
For this is the day H3117 of the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts, H6635 a day H3117 of vengeance, H5360 that he may avenge H5358 him of his adversaries: H6862 and the sword H2719 shall devour, H398 and it shall be satiate H7646 and made drunk H7301 with their blood: H1818 for the Lord H136 GOD H3069 of hosts H6635 hath a sacrifice H2077 in the north H6828 country H776 by the river H5104 Euphrates. H6578
Righteous H6662 art thou, O LORD, H3068 when I plead H7378 with thee: yet let me talk H1696 with thee of thy judgments: H4941 Wherefore doth the way H1870 of the wicked H7563 prosper? H6743 wherefore are all they happy H7951 that deal very H899 treacherously? H898 Thou hast planted H5193 them, yea, they have taken root: H8327 they grow, H3212 yea, they bring forth H6213 fruit: H6529 thou art near H7138 in their mouth, H6310 and far from H7350 their reins. H3629 But thou, O LORD, H3068 knowest H3045 me: thou hast seen H7200 me, and tried H974 mine heart H3820 toward thee: pull them out H5423 like sheep H6629 for the slaughter, H2878 and prepare H6942 them for the day H3117 of slaughter. H2028
For the day H3117 of the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 shall be upon every one that is proud H1343 and lofty, H7311 and upon every one that is lifted up; H5375 and he shall be brought low: H8213
I returned, H7725 and saw H7200 under the sun, H8121 that the race H4793 is not to the swift, H7031 nor the battle H4421 to the strong, H1368 neither yet bread H3899 to the wise, H2450 nor yet riches H6239 to men of understanding, H995 nor yet favour H2580 to men of skill; H3045 but time H6256 and chance H6294 happeneth H7136 to them all. For man H120 also knoweth H3045 not his time: H6256 as the fishes H1709 that are taken H270 in an evil H7451 net, H4685 and as the birds H6833 that are caught H270 in the snare; H6341 so H1992 are the sons H1121 of men H120 snared H3369 in an evil H7451 time, H6256 when it falleth H5307 suddenly H6597 upon them.
When I thought H2803 to know H3045 this, it was too painful H5999 for me; H5869 Until I went H935 into the sanctuary H4720 of God; H410 then understood H995 I their end. H319 Surely thou didst set H7896 them in slippery places: H2513 thou castedst them down H5307 into destruction. H4876 How are they brought into desolation, H8047 as in a moment! H7281 they are utterly H5486 consumed H8552 with terrors. H1091
O continue H4900 thy lovingkindness H2617 unto them that know H3045 thee; and thy righteousness H6666 to the upright H3477 in heart. H3820
And the LORD H3068 said, H559 Because the cry H2201 of Sodom H5467 and Gomorrah H6017 is great, H7227 and because their sin H2403 is very H3966 grievous; H3513 I will go down H3381 now, and see H7200 whether they have done H6213 altogether H3617 according to the cry H6818 of it, which is come H935 unto me; and if not, I will know. H3045
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 24
Commentary on Job 24 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 24
Job having by his complaints in the foregoing chapter given vent to his passion, and thereby gained some ease, breaks them off abruptly, and now applies himself to a further discussion of the doctrinal controversy between him and his friends concerning the prosperity of wicked people. That many live at ease who yet are ungodly and profane, and despise all the exercises of devotion, he had shown, ch. 21. Now here he goes further, and shows that many who are mischievous to mankind, and live in open defiance to all the laws of justice and common honesty, yet thrive and succeed in their unrighteous practices; and we do not see them reckoned with in this world. What he had said before (ch. 12:6), "The tabernacles of robbers prosper,' he here enlarges upon. He lays down his general proposition (v. 1), that the punishment of wicked people is not so visible and apparent as his friends supposed, and then proves it by an induction of particulars.
Job 24:1-12
Job's friends had been very positive in it that they should soon see the fall of wicked people, how much soever they might prosper for a while. By no means, says Job; though times are not hidden from the Almighty, yet those that know him do not presently see his day, v. 1.
For the proof of this, that wicked people prosper, Job specifies two sorts of unrighteous ones, whom all the world saw thriving in their iniquity:-
Job 24:13-17
These verses describe another sort of sinners who therefore go unpunished, because they go undiscovered. They rebel against the light, v. 13. Some understand it figuratively: they sin against the light of nature, the light of God's law, and that of their own consciences; they profess to know God, but they rebel against the knowledge they have of him, and will not be guided and governed, commanded and controlled, by it. Others understand it literally: they have the day-light and choose the night as the most advantageous season for their wickedness. Sinful works are therefore called works of darkness, because he that does evil hates the light (Jn. 3:20), knows not the ways thereof, that is, keeps out of the way of it, or, if he happen to be seen, abides not where he thinks he is known. So that he here describes the worst of sinners,-those that sin wilfully, and against the convictions of their own consciences, whereby they add rebellion to their sin,-those that sin deliberately, and with a great deal of plot and contrivance, using a thousand arts to conceal their villanies, fondly imagining that, if they can but hide them from the eye of men, they are safe, but forgetting that there is no darkness or shadow of death in which the workers of iniquity can hide themselves from God's eye, ch. 34:22. In this paragraph Job specifies three sorts of sinners that shun the light:-
Job 24:18-25
Job here, in the conclusion of his discourse,