4 Behold, I am vile; H7043 what shall I answer H7725 thee? I will lay H7760 mine hand H3027 upon H3926 my mouth. H6310
The princes H8269 refrained H6113 talking, H4405 and laid H7760 their hand H3709 on their mouth. H6310
Then said H559 I, Woe H188 is me! for I am undone; H1820 because I am a man H376 of unclean H2931 lips, H8193 and I dwell H3427 in the midst H8432 of a people H5971 of unclean H2931 lips: H8193 for mine eyes H5869 have seen H7200 the King, H4428 the LORD H3068 of hosts. H6635
And they said H559 unto him, Hold thy peace, H2790 lay H7760 thine hand H3027 upon thy mouth, H6310 and go H3212 with us, and be to us H1961 a father H1 and a priest: H3548 is it better H2896 for thee to be a priest H3548 unto the house H1004 of one H259 man, H376 or that thou be a priest H3548 unto a tribe H7626 and a family H4940 in Israel? H3478
But the LORD H3068 is in his holy H6944 temple: H1964 let all the earth H776 keep silence H2013 before H6440 him.
This is a faithful G4103 saying, G3056 and G2532 worthy G514 of all G3956 acceptation, G594 that G3754 Christ G5547 Jesus G2424 came G2064 into G1519 the world G2889 to save G4982 sinners; G268 of whom G3739 I G1473 am G1510 chief. G4413
I will arise G450 and go G4198 to G4314 my G3450 father, G3962 and G2532 will say G2046 unto him, G846 Father, G3962 I have sinned G264 against G1519 heaven, G3772 and G2532 before G1799 thee, G4675 And G2532 am G1510 no more G3765 worthy G514 to be called G2564 thy G4675 son: G5207 make G4160 me G3165 as G5613 one G1520 of thy G4675 hired servants. G3407
And David's H1732 heart H3820 smote H5221 him after H310 that he had numbered H5608 the people. H5971 And David H1732 said H559 unto the LORD, H3068 I have sinned H2398 greatly H3966 in that I have done: H6213 and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, H3068 take away H5674 the iniquity H5771 of thy servant; H5650 for I have done very H3966 foolishly. H5528
The nations H1471 shall see H7200 and be confounded H954 at all their might: H1369 they shall lay H7760 their hand H3027 upon their mouth, H6310 their ears H241 shall be deaf. H2790
O Lord, H136 righteousness H6666 belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion H1322 of faces, H6440 as at this day; H3117 to the men H376 of Judah, H3063 and to the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem, H3389 and unto all Israel, H3478 that are near, H7138 and that are far off, H7350 through all the countries H776 whither thou hast driven H5080 them, because of their trespass H4604 that they have trespassed H4603 against thee.
We have sinned, H2398 and have committed iniquity, H5753 and have done wickedly, H7561 and have rebelled, H4775 even by departing H5493 from thy precepts H4687 and from thy judgments: H4941
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, H2398 and done H6213 this evil H7451 in thy sight: H5869 that thou mightest be justified H6663 when thou speakest, H1696 and be clear H2135 when thou judgest. H8199 Behold, I was shapen H2342 in iniquity; H5771 and in sin H2399 did my mother H517 conceive H3179 me.
I was dumb, H481 I opened H6605 not my mouth; H6310 because thou didst H6213 it.
I would order H6186 my cause H4941 before H6440 him, and fill H4390 my mouth H6310 with arguments. H8433 I would know H3045 the words H4405 which he would answer H6030 me, and understand H995 what he would say H559 unto me. Will he plead H7378 against H5978 me with his great H7230 power? H3581 No; but he would put H7760 strength in me. There the righteous H3477 might dispute H3198 with him; so should I be delivered H6403 for ever H5331 from my judge. H8199
O that one might plead H3198 for a man H1397 with God, H433 as a man H120 pleadeth for his neighbour! H1121 H7453
Yet H227 shalt thou plunge H2881 me in the ditch, H7845 and mine own clothes H8008 shall abhor H8581 me. For he is not a man, H376 as I am, that I should answer H6030 him, and we should come H935 together H3162 in judgment. H4941 Neither is H3426 there any daysman H3198 betwixt us, that might lay H7896 his hand H3027 upon us both. H8147 Let him take H5493 his rod H7626 away H5493 from me, and let not his fear H367 terrify H1204 me: Then would I speak, H1696 and not fear H3372 him; but it is not so with me.
Howbeit thou art just H6662 in all that is brought H935 upon us; for thou hast done H6213 right, H571 but we have done wickedly: H7561
O LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel, H3478 thou art righteous: H6662 for we remain H7604 yet escaped, H6413 as it is this day: H3117 behold, we are before H6440 thee in our trespasses: H819 for we cannot stand H5975 before H6440 thee because of this.
But he himself went H1980 a day's H3117 journey H1870 into the wilderness, H4057 and came H935 and sat down H3427 under a H259 juniper tree: H7574 and he requested H7592 for himself H5315 that he might die; H4191 and said, H559 It is enough; H7227 now, O LORD, H3068 take away H3947 my life; H5315 for I am not better H2896 than my fathers. H1
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 40
Commentary on Job 40 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 40
Many humbling confounding questions God had put to Job, in the foregoing chapter; now, in this chapter,
Job 40:1-5
Here is,
Job 40:6-14
Job was greatly humbled for what God had already said, but not sufficiently; he was brought low, but not low enough; and therefore God here proceeds to reason with him in the same manner and to the same purport as before, v. 6. Observe,
God begins with a challenge (v. 7), as before (ch. 38:3): "Gird up thy loins now like a man; if thou hast the courage and confidence thou hast pretended to, show them now; but thou wilt soon be made to see and own thyself no match for me.' This is that which every proud heart must be brought to at last, either by its repentance or by its ruin; and thus low must every mountain and hill be, sooner or later, brought. We must acknowledge,
Job 40:15-24
God, for the further proving of his own power and disproving of Job's pretensions, concludes his discourse with the description of two vast and mighty animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength, one he calls behemoth, the other leviathan. In these verses we have the former described. "Behold now behemoth, and consider whether thou art able to contend with him who made that beast and gave him all the power he has, and whether it is not thy wisdom rather to submit to him and make thy peace with him.' Behemoth signifies beasts in general, but must here be meant of some one particular species. Some understand it of the bull; others of an amphibious animal, well known (they say) in Egypt, called the river-horse (hippopotamus), living among the fish in the river Nile, but coming out to feed upon the earth. But I confess I see no reason to depart from the ancient and most generally received opinion, that it is the elephant that is here described, which is a very strong stately creature, of very large stature above any other, of wonderful sagacity, and of so great a reputation in the animal kingdom that among so many four-footed beasts as we have had the natural history of (ch. 38 and 39) we can scarcely suppose this should be omitted. Observe,