5 That the singing of the wicked `is' short, And the joy of the profane for a moment,
I have seen the wicked terrible, And spreading as a green native plant, And he passeth away, and lo, he is not, And I seek him, and he is not found!
For what `is' the hope of the profane, When He doth cut off? When God doth cast off his soul?
and his own work let each one prove, and then in regard to himself alone the glorying he shall have, and not in regard to the other,
and the populace were shouting, `The voice of a god, and not of a man;' and presently there smote him a messenger of the Lord, because he did not give the glory to God, and having been eaten of worms, he expired.
`And that sown on the rocky places, this is he who is hearing the word, and immediately with joy is receiving it, and he hath not root in himself, but is temporary, and persecution or tribulation having happened because of the word, immediately he is stumbled.
`Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations. How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended -- consumed from terrors. As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
This `is' the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones From the Mighty they receive. If his sons multiply -- for them `is' a sword. And his offspring `are' not satisfied `with' bread. His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep. If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing, He prepareth -- and the righteous putteth `it' on, And the silver the innocent doth apportion. He hath built as a moth his house, And as a booth a watchman hath made. Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not. Overtake him as waters do terrors, By night stolen him away hath a whirlwind. Take him up doth an east wind, and he goeth, And it frighteneth him from his place, And it casteth at him, and doth not spare, From its hand he diligently fleeth. It clappeth at him its hands, And it hisseth at him from his place.
The enemy said, I pursue, I overtake; I apportion spoil; Filled is my soul with them; I draw out my sword; My hand destroyeth them: -- Thou hast blown with Thy wind The sea hath covered them; They sank as lead in mighty waters.
Also, the light of the wicked is extinguished. And there doth not shine a spark of his fire. The light hath been dark in his tent, And his lamp over him is extinguished.
He is not rich, nor doth his wealth rise, Nor doth he stretch out on earth their continuance. He turneth not aside from darkness, His tender branch doth a flame dry up, And he turneth aside at the breath of His mouth! Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence. Not in his day is it completed, And his bending branch is not green. He shaketh off as a vine his unripe fruit, And casteth off as an olive his blossom. For the company of the profane `is' gloomy, And fire hath consumed tents of bribery.
Lo, this `is' the joy of his way, And from the dust others spring up.'
While it `is' in its budding -- uncropt, Even before any herb it withereth. So `are' the paths of all forgetting God, And the hope of the profane doth perish,
And they hang Haman upon the tree that he had prepared for Mordecai, and the fury of the king hath lain down.
and Haman recounteth to them the glory of his wealth, and the abundance of his sons, and all that with which the king made him great, and with which he lifted him up above the heads and servants of the king. And Haman saith, `Yea, Esther the queen brought none in with the king, unto the feast that she made, except myself, and also for to-morrow I am called to her, with the king,
And the Philistines seize him, and pick out his eyes, and bring him down to Gaza, and bind him with two brazen fetters; and he is grinding in the prison-house. And the hair of his head beginneth to shoot up, when he hath been shaven, and the princes of the Philistines have been gathered together to sacrifice a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice; and they say, `Our god hath given into our hand Samson our enemy.' And the people see him, and praise their god, for they said, `Our god hath given in our hand our enemy, and he who is laying waste our land, and who multiplied our wounded.' And it cometh to pass, when their heart `is' glad, that they say, `Call for Samson, and he doth play before us;' and they call for Samson out of the prison-house, and he playeth before them, and they cause him to stand between the pillars. And Samson saith unto the young man who is keeping hold on his hand, `Let me alone, and let me feel the pillars on which the house is established, and I lean upon them.' And the house hath been full of men and of women, and thither `are' all the princes of the Philistines, and on the roof `are' about three thousand men and women, who are looking on the playing of Samson. And Samson calleth unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this time, O God; and I am avenged -- vengeance at once -- because of my two eyes, on the Philistines.' And Samson turneth aside `to' the two middle pillars, on which the house is established, and on which it is supported, `to' the one with his right hand, and one with his left; and Samson saith, `Let me die with the Philistines,' and he inclineth himself powerfully, and the house falleth on the princes, and on all the people who `are' in it, and the dead whom he hath put to death in his death are more than those whom he put to death in his life.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 20
Commentary on Job 20 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 20
SECOND SERIES.
Job 20:1-29. Reply of Zophar.
2. Therefore—Rather, the more excited I feel by Job's speech, the more for that very reason shall my reply be supplied by my calm consideration. Literally, "Notwithstanding; my calm thoughts (as in Job 4:13) shall furnish my answer, because of the excitement (haste) within me" [Umbreit].
3. check of my reproach—that is, the castigation intended as a reproach (literally, "shame") to me.
spirit of … understanding—my rational spirit; answering to "calm thoughts" (Job 20:2). In spite of thy reproach urging me to "hastiness." I will answer in calm reason.
5. the hypocrite—literally, "the ungodly" (Ps 37:35, 36).
6. (Isa 14:13; Ob 3, 4).
7. dung—in contrast to the haughtiness of the sinner (Job 20:6); this strong term expresses disgust and the lowest degradation (Ps 83:10; 1Ki 14:10).
8. (Ps 73:20).
9. Rather "the eye followeth him, but can discern him no more." A sharp-looking is meant (Job 28:7; Job 7:10).
10. seek to please—"Atone to the poor" (by restoring the property of which they had been robbed by the father) [De Wette]. Better than English Version, "The children" are reduced to the humiliating condition of "seeking the favor of those very poor," whom the father had oppressed. But Umbreit translates as Margin.
his hands—rather, "their (the children's) hands."
their goods—the goods of the poor. Righteous retribution! (Ex 20:5).
11. (Ps 25:7), so Vulgate. Gesenius has "full of youth"; namely, in the fulness of his youthful strength he shall be laid in the dust. But "bones" plainly alludes to Job's disease, probably to Job's own words (Job 19:20). Umbreit translates, "full of his secret sins," as in Ps 90:8; his secret guilt in his time of seeming righteousness, like secret poison, at last lays him in the dust. The English Version is best. Zophar alludes to Job's own words (Job 17:16).
with him—His sin had so pervaded his nature that it accompanies him to the grave: for eternity the sinner cannot get rid of it (Re 22:11).
12. be—"taste sweet." Sin's fascination is like poison sweet to the taste, but at last deadly to the vital organs (Pr 20:17; Job 9:17, 18).
hide … tongue—seek to prolong the enjoyment by keeping the sweet morsel long in the mouth (so Job 20:13).
14. turned—Hebrew denotes a total change into a disagreeable contrary (Jer 2:21; compare Re 10:9, 10).
gall—in which the poison of the asp was thought to lie. It rather is contained in a sack in the mouth. Scripture uses popular language, where no moral truth is thereby endangered.
15. He is forced to disgorge his ill-gotten wealth.
16. shall suck—It shall turn out that he has sucked the poison, &c.
17. floods—literally, "stream of floods," plentiful streams flowing with milk, &c. (Job 29:6; Ex 3:17). Honey and butter are more fluid in the East than with us and are poured out from jars. These "rivers" or water brooks are in the sultry East emblems of prosperity.
18. Image from food which is taken away from one before he can swallow it.
restitution—(So Pr 6:31). The parallelism favors the English Version rather than the translation of Gesenius, "As a possession to be restored in which he rejoices not."
he shall not rejoice—His enjoyment of his ill-gotten gains shall then be at an end (Job 20:5).
19. oppressed—whereas he ought to have espoused their cause (2Ch 16:10).
forsaken—left helpless.
house—thus leaving the poor without shelter (Isa 5:8; Mic 2:2).
20. Umbreit translates, "His inward parts know no rest" from desires.
his belly—that is, peace inwardly.
not save—literally, "not escape with that which," &c., alluding to Job's having been stripped of his all.
21. look for—rather, "because his goods," that is, prosperity shall have no endurance.
22. shall be—rather, "he is (feeleth) straitened." The next clause explains in what respect.
wicked—Rather, "the whole hand of the miserable (whom he had oppressed) cometh upon him"; namely, the sense of his having oppressed the poor, now in turn comes with all its power (hand) on him. This caused his "straitened" feeling even in prosperity.
23. Rather, "God shall cast (may God send) [Umbreit] upon him the fury of His wrath to fill his belly!"
while … eating—rather, "shall rain it upon him for his food!" Fiery rain, that is, lightning (Ps 11:6; alluding to Job's misfortune, Job 1:16). The force of the image is felt by picturing to one's self the opposite nature of a refreshing rain in the desert (Ex 16:4; Ps 68:9).
24. steel—rather, "brass." While the wicked flees from one danger, he falls into a greater one from an opposite quarter [Umbreit].
25. It is drawn—Rather, "He (God) draweth (the sword, Jos 5:13) and (no sooner has He done so, than) it cometh out of (that is, passes right through) the (sinner's) body" (De 32:41, 42; Eze 21:9, 10). The glittering sword is a happy image for lightning.
gall—that is, his life (Job 16:13). "Inflicts a deadly wound."
terrors—Zophar repeats Bildad's words (Job 17:11; Ps 88:16; 55:4).
26. All darkness—that is, every calamity that befalls the wicked shall be hid (in store for him) in His (God's) secret places, or treasures (Jude 13; De 32:34).
not blown—not kindled by man's hands, but by God's (Isa 30:33; the Septuagint in the Alexandrian Manuscript reads "unquenchable fire," Mt 3:12). Tact is shown by the friends in not expressly mentioning, but alluding under color of general cases, to Job's calamities; here (Job 1:16) Umbreit explains it, wickedness, is a "self-igniting fire"; in it lie the principles of destruction.
ill … tabernacle—Every trace of the sinner must be obliterated (Job 18:15).
27. All creation is at enmity with him, and proclaims his guilt, which he would fain conceal.
28. increase—prosperity. Ill got—ill gone.
flow away—like waters that run dry in summer; using Job's own metaphor against himself (Job 6:15-17; 2Sa 14:14; Mic 1:4).
his wrath—God's.
29. appointed—not as a matter of chance, but by the divine "decree" (Margin) and settled principle.