20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 5
Commentary on Job 5 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 5
Eliphaz, in the foregoing chapter, for the making good of his charge against Job, had vouched a word from heaven, sent him in a vision. In this chapter he appeals to those that bear record on earth, to the saints, the faithful witnesses of God's truth in all ages (v. 1). They will testify,
Job 5:1-5
A very warm dispute being begun between Job and his friends, Eliphaz here makes a fair motion to put the matter to a reference. In all debates perhaps the sooner this is done the better if the contenders cannot end it between themselves. So well assured is Eliphaz of the goodness of his own cause that he moves Job himself to choose the arbitrators (v. 1): Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; that is,
Now there are two things which Eliphaz here maintains, and in which he doubts not but all the saints concur with him:-
Job 5:6-16
Eliphaz, having touched Job in a very tender part, in mentioning both the loss of his estate and the death of his children as the just punishment of his sin, that he might not drive him to despair, here begins to encourage him, and puts him in a way to make himself easy. Now he very much changes his voice (Gal. 4:20), and speaks in the accents of kindness, as if he would atone for the hard words he had given him.
Job 5:17-27
Eliphaz, in this concluding paragraph of his discourse, gives Job (what he himself knew not how to take) a comfortable prospect of the issue of his afflictions, if he did but recover his temper and accommodate himself to them. Observe,