1 Lo, all -- hath mine eye seen, Heard hath mine ear, and it attendeth to it.
And unto me a thing is secretly brought, And receive doth mine ear a little of it.
Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering. Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places. To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high `in' safety. Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom. Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened, By day they meet darkness, And as night -- they grope at noon. And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy, And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.
For, ask I pray thee of a former generation, And prepare to a search of their fathers, (For of yesterday we `are', and we know not, For a shadow `are' our days on earth.) Do they not shew thee -- speak to thee, And from their heart bring forth words?
`Who hath not known in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath done this? In whose hand `is' the breath of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh of man.' Doth not the ear try words? And the palate taste food for itself? With the very aged `is' wisdom, And `with' length of days understanding. With Him `are' wisdom and might, To him `are' counsel and understanding. Lo, He breaketh down, and it is not built up, He shutteth against a man, And it is not opened. Lo, He keepeth in the waters, and they are dried up, And he sendeth them forth, And they overturn the land. With Him `are' strength and wisdom, His the deceived and deceiver. Causing counsellors to go away a spoil, And judges He maketh foolish. The bands of kings He hath opened, And He bindeth a girdle on their loins. Causing ministers to go away a spoil And strong ones He overthroweth. Turning aside the lip of the stedfast, And the reason of the aged He taketh away. Pouring contempt upon princes, And the girdle of the mighty He made feeble. Removing deep things out of darkness, And He bringeth out to light death-shade. Magnifying the nations, and He destroyeth them, Spreading out the nations, and He quieteth them. Turning aside the heart Of the heads of the people of the land, And he causeth them to wander In vacancy -- no way! They feel darkness, and not light, He causeth them to wander as a drunkard.
`Who `is' this, hiding counsel without knowledge?' Therefore, I have declared, and understand not, Too wonderful for me, and I know not. `Hear, I pray thee, and I -- I do speak, I ask thee, and cause thou me to know.' By the hearing of the ear I heard Thee, And now mine eye hath seen Thee. Therefore do I loathe `it', And I have repented on dust and ashes.
That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us. We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 13
Commentary on Job 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
Job 13:1-28. Job's Reply to Zophar Continued.
1. all this—as to the dealings of Providence (Job 12:3).
3. Job wishes to plead his cause before God (Job 9:34, 35), as he is more and more convinced of the valueless character of his would-be "physicians" (Job 16:2).
4. forgers of lies—literally, "artful twisters of vain speeches" [Umbreit].
5. (Pr 17:28). The Arabs say, "The wise are dumb; silence is wisdom."
7. deceitfully—use fallacies to vindicate God in His dealings; as if the end justified the means. Their "deceitfulness" for God, against Job, was that they asserted he was a sinner, because he was a sufferer.
8. accept his person—God's; that is, be partial for Him, as when a judge favors one party in a trial, because of personal considerations.
contend for God—namely, with fallacies and prepossessions against Job before judgment (Jud 6:31). Partiality can never please the impartial God, nor the goodness of the cause excuse the unfairness of the arguments.
9. Will the issue to you be good, when He searches out you and your arguments? Will you be regarded by Him as pure and disinterested?
mock—(Ga 6:7). Rather, "Can you deceive Him as one man?" &c.
10. If ye do, though secretly, act partially. (See on Job 13:8; Ps 82:1, 2). God can successfully vindicate His acts, and needs no fallacious argument of man.
11. make you afraid?—namely, of employing sophisms in His name (Jer 10:7, 10).
12. remembrances—"proverbial maxims," so called because well remembered.
like unto ashes—or, "parables of ashes"; the image of lightness and nothingness (Isa 44:20).
bodies—rather, "entrenchments"; those of clay, as opposed to those of stone, are easy to be destroyed; so the proverbs, behind which they entrench themselves, will not shelter them when God shall appear to reprove them for their injustice to Job.
13. Job would wish to be spared their speeches, so as to speak out all his mind as to his wretchedness (Job 13:14), happen what will.
14. A proverb for, "Why should I anxiously desire to save my life?" [Eichorn]. The image in the first clause is that of a wild beast, which in order to preserve his prey, carries it in his teeth. That in the second refers to men who hold in the hand what they want to keep secure.
15. in him—So the margin or keri, reads. But the textual reading or chetib is "not," which agrees best with the context, and other passages wherein he says he has no hope (Job 6:11; 7:21; 10:20; 19:10). "Though He slay me, and I dare no more hope, yet I will maintain," &c., that is, "I desire to vindicate myself before Him," as not a hypocrite [Umbreit and Noyes].
16. He—rather, "This also already speaks in my behalf (literally, 'for my saving acquittal') for an hypocrite would not wish to come before Him" (as I do) [Umbreit]. (See last clause of Job 13:15).
17. my declaration—namely, that I wish to be permitted to justify myself immediately before God.
with your ears—that is, attentively.
18. ordered—implying a constant preparation for defense in his confidence of innocence.
19. if, &c.—Rather, "Then would I hold my tongue and give up the ghost"; that is, if any one can contend with me and prove me false, I have no more to say. "I will be silent and die." Like our "I would stake my life on it" [Umbreit].
20. Address to God.
not hide—stand forth boldly to maintain my cause.
21. (See on Job 9:34 and see Ps 39:10).
22. call—a challenge to the defendant to answer to the charges.
answer—the defense begun.
speak—as plaintiff.
answer—to the plea of the plaintiff. Expressions from a trial.
23. The catalogue of my sins ought to be great, to judge from the severity with which God ever anew crushes one already bowed down. Would that He would reckon them up! He then would see how much my calamities outnumber them.
sin?—singular, "I am unconscious of a single particular sin, much less many" [Umbreit].
24. hidest … face—a figure from the gloomy impression caused by the sudden clouding over of the sun.
enemy—God treated Job as an enemy who must be robbed of power by ceaseless sufferings (Job 7:17, 21).
25. (Le 26:36; Ps 1:4). Job compares himself to a leaf already fallen, which the storm still chases hither and thither.
break—literally, "shake with (Thy) terrors." Jesus Christ does not "break the bruised reed" (Isa 42:3, 27:8).
26. writest—a judicial phrase, to note down the determined punishment. The sentence of the condemned used to be written down (Isa 10:1; Jer 22:30; Ps 149:9) [Umbreit].
bitter things—bitter punishments.
makest me to possess—or "inherit." In old age he receives possession of the inheritance of sin thoughtlessly acquired in youth. "To inherit sins" is to inherit the punishments inseparably connected with them in Hebrew ideas (Ps 25:7).
27. stocks—in which the prisoner's feet were made fast until the time of execution (Jer 20:2).
lookest narrowly—as an overseer would watch a prisoner.
print—Either the stocks, or his disease, marked his soles (Hebrew, "roots") as the bastinado would. Better, thou drawest (or diggest) [Gesenius] a line (or trench) [Gesenius] round my soles, beyond which I must not move [Umbreit].
28. Job speaks of himself in the third person, thus forming the transition to the general lot of man (Job 14:1; Ps 39:11; Ho 5:12).