PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Job
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 410,186 words · 582 reading sections
Job 29:3
Job 29:3 Ver. 3. When his candle shined upon my head,.... Which may be understood either of outward prosperity, sometimes signified by a candle, Job 18:5; and may be called the candle of the Lord, because it is from him, it is of his lighting and setting up; and its shining on his head may denote the large measure and…
453 wordsSECTION 362Job 29:4
Job 29:4 Ver. 4. As I was in the days of my youth,.... Either taken literally, he being one like Obadiah, that feared God from his youth upward, 1Ki 18:3; or figuratively, for his former state of prosperity, when he was like a tree in autumn laden with ripe and rich fruit, and in great abundance; and so some render th…
385 wordsSECTION 363Job 29:5
Job 29:5 Ver. 5. When the Almighty [was] yet with me,.... Not merely by his powerful and providential presence, as he is with all men; but in a special manner by his gracious presence, which is a wonderful and distinguishing favour; but sometimes the people of God are without it, at least they think so, and which was …
237 wordsSECTION 364Job 29:6
Job 29:6 Ver. 6. When I washed my steps with butter,.... Not the steps of his house or palace; for to have done this, or his servants by his orders, as it would have been a very great impropriety, so a piece of great prodigality, which Job could never have been guilty of; but either his footsteps, the prints of his fe…
751 wordsSECTION 365Job 29:7
Job 29:7 Ver. 7. When I went out to the, gate through the city,.... Job having described his former state of happiness by the personal favours he enjoyed, and by the prosperity of his family, and his abundance of plenty at home, proceeds to give an account of the honour and respect he had from men of every age and ran…
563 wordsSECTION 366Job 29:8
Job 29:8 Ver. 8. The young men saw me, and hid themselves,.... Through a veneration of him; which was much, since young men, through a vain conceit and opinion of themselves, are apt to treat their superiors in age with slight, neglect, and contempt; or through fear, lest he should spy them, and call them to him, and …
184 wordsSECTION 367Job 29:9
Job 29:9 Ver. 9. The princes refrained talking,.... Who were in court before Job came in, and were either talking with one another about indifferent matters, or were giving their opinion in a case before them; but no sooner did Job make his appearance, but they left off talking, and would not proceed any further; they…
91 wordsSECTION 368Job 29:10
Job 29:10 Ver. 10. The nobles held their peace,.... These may be in some respects inferior to the others; not princes of the blood, or sons of kings, who were properly princes, and yet great personages, of a noble extraction, and of considerable families: some think the leaders and generals of armies are meant, comman…
224 wordsSECTION 369Job 29:11
Job 29:11 Ver. 11. When the ear heard [me], then it blessed me,.... The ear of the common people assembled together to hear causes tried, and how they would go; when they heard Job give his opinion in court, or the definitive sentence passed by him as a judge, they all applauded his wisdom and justice; they highly pra…
217 wordsSECTION 370Job 29:12
Job 29:12 Ver. 12. Because I delivered the poor that cried,.... This honour and esteem he had not because of his grandeur and riches, because of his worldly wealth and substance, but because of the goodness of his disposition, and because of the good he did to men, his acts of pity and compassion to the poor, and of t…
224 wordsSECTION 371Job 29:13
Job 29:13 Ver. 13. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me,.... That were ready to perish through the oppression of others, or through want of the necessaries of life, or through false charges brought, and through false witness bore against them, and so liable to a sentence of condemnation to death, …
172 wordsSECTION 372Job 29:14
Job 29:14 Ver. 14. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me,.... Not the righteousness of his living Redeemer, the robe of righteousness and garment of salvation he had from him; though he had put on that by faith, and it was his clothing in the sight of God, which covered his person, and covered all his sins from th…
5,463 wordsSECTION 373Job 30:1
Job 30:1 INTRODUCTION TO JOB 30 Job in this chapter sets forth his then unhappy state and condition, in contrast with his former state of prosperity described in the preceding chapter: things had taken a strange turn, and were just the reverse of what they were before; he that was before in such high esteem and credi…
799 wordsSECTION 374Job 30:2
Job 30:2 Ver. 2. Yea, whereto [might] the strength of their hands [profit] me,.... For though they were strong, lusty, hale men, able to do business, yet their strength was to sit still and fold their hands in their bosoms, so that their strength was of no profit or avail to themselves or others; they were so slothful…
303 wordsSECTION 375Job 30:3
Job 30:3 Ver. 3. For want and famine [they were] solitary,.... The Targum interprets it, without children; but then this cannot be understood of the fathers; rather through famine and want they were reduced to the utmost extremity, and were as destitute of food as a rock, or hard flint, from whence nothing is to be ha…
240 wordsSECTION 376Job 30:4
Job 30:4 Ver. 4. Who cut up mallows by the bushes,.... Which with the Troglodytes were of a vast size {r}; or rather "upon the bush" {s} or "tree"; and therefore cannot mean what we call mallows, which are herbs on the ground, and grow not on trees or bushes; and, besides, are not for food, but rather for medicine: th…
852 wordsSECTION 377Job 30:5
Job 30:5 Ver. 5. They were driven from among [men],.... From towns and cities, and all civil society, as unfit to be among them; not for any good, it may be observed, but for crimes that they had done, like our felons, and transported persons: they cried after them as [after] a thief; as they were driven and run alon…
113 wordsSECTION 378Job 30:6
Job 30:6 Ver. 6. To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys,.... Or "brooks" {l}, in such hollow places as were made by floods and streams of waters: [in] caves of the earth, and [in] the rocks; where they betook themselves for fear of men, and through shame, being naked and miserable not fit to be seen: Job has respect t…
82 wordsSECTION 379Job 30:7
Job 30:7 Ver. 7. Among the bushes they brayed,.... Like wild asses; so Sephorno, to which wicked men are fitly compared, Job 11:12; or they "cried", or "groaned" {m}, and "moaned" among the bushes, where they lay lurking; either they groaned through cold, or want of food; for the wild ass brays not but when in want, J…
318 wordsSECTION 380Job 30:8
Job 30:8 Ver. 8. [They were] children of fools,.... Their parents were fools, or they themselves were such; foolish children, or foolish men, were they that derided Job; and their derision of him was a proof of it: the meaning is not that they were idiots, or quite destitute of reason and natural knowledge, but that t…
536 wordsSECTION 381Job 30:9
Job 30:9 Ver. 9. And now am I their song,.... The subject of their song, of whom they sung ballads about the streets, in public places, and at their festivals and merriments, as Christ the antitype of Job was the song of the drunkard, Ps 69:12; see La 3:14; or the meaning may be, they rejoiced in his afflictions and c…
189 wordsSECTION 382Job 30:10
Job 30:10 Ver. 10. They abhor me,.... As it is no wonder they should, since his inward and most intimate friends did, Job 19:19; they abhorred him, not for any evil in him; Job was ready enough to abhor that himself, and himself for it, as he did when sensible of it, Job 42:6; but for the good that was in him, spoken …
7,934 wordsSECTION 383Job 31:1
Job 31:1 INTRODUCTION TO JOB 31 In this chapter Job gives an account of himself in private life, of the integrity and uprightness of his life, and his holy walk and conversation, with this view, that it might be thought that the afflictions which were upon him were not on account of a vicious course of life he had in…
680 wordsSECTION 384Job 31:2
Job 31:2 Ver. 2. For what portion of God [is there] from above?.... What good portion, as the Targum paraphrases it, can impure persons expect from God? such who indulge themselves, and live in the sin of uncleanness, cannot hope to have any part in God, or a portion of good things from him; he is above, and in the hi…
346 wordsSECTION 385Job 31:3
Job 31:3 Ver. 3. [Is] not destruction to the wicked?.... It is even to such wicked men, who live in the sin of fornication, and make it their business to ensnare and corrupt virgins; and which is another reason why Job was careful to avoid that sin; wickedness of every sort is the cause of destruction, destruction and…
226 wordsSECTION 386Job 31:4
Job 31:4 Ver. 4. Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?] That is, God, who is above, and the Almighty that dwells on high; he looks down from heaven, and beholds all the ways and works, the steps and motions, of the children of men; there is no darkness where the workers of iniquity can hide themselves; the …
306 wordsSECTION 387Job 31:5
Job 31:5 Ver. 5. If I have walked with vanity,.... Or with vain men, as Bar Tzemach interprets it, keeping company and having fellowship with them in their vain and sinful practices; or in the vanity of his mind, indulging himself in impurity of heart and life; or rather using deceitful methods to cheat and defraud ot…
125 wordsSECTION 388Job 31:6
Job 31:6 Ver. 6. Let me be weighed in an even balance,.... Or "in balances of righteousness" {z}, even in the balance or strict justice, the justice of God; he was so conscious to himself that he had done no injustice to any man in his dealings with them, that, if weight of righteousness, which was to be, and was the …
293 wordsSECTION 389Job 31:7
Job 31:7 Ver. 7. If my step hath turned out of the way,.... The way of God, the way of his commandments, the good and right way, the way of truth and righteousness, so far as Job had knowledge of it: for, besides the law and light of nature the Gentiles had in common, good men had some revelation, and notions of the m…
741 wordsSECTION 390Job 31:8
Job 31:8 Ver. 8. [Then] let me sow, and another eat,.... If what he had before said was not true; but he had turned out of the way of righteousness, and walked after the sight of his eyes, and the mammon of unrighteousness cleaved to his hands; then he wishes might sow his fields, and another enjoy the increase of the…
450 wordsSECTION 391Job 31:9
Job 31:9 Ver. 9. If mine heart have been deceived by a woman,.... By another man's wife, by wantonly looking at her beauty, and so lusting after her; and so, not through any blame or fault of hers, or by any artful methods made use of by her, to allure and ensnare; such as were practised by the harlot, Pr 7:1; but by …
207 wordsSECTION 392Job 31:10
Job 31:10 Ver. 10. [Then] let my wife grind unto another,.... Which some understand literally, of her being put to the worst of drudgery and slavery, to work at a mill, and grind corn for the service of a stranger, and be exposed to the company of the meanest of persons, and to their insults and abuses; as we find suc…
436 wordsSECTION 393Job 31:11
Job 31:11 Ver. 11. For this [is] an heinous crime,.... Adultery; it is contrary to the light of nature, and is condemned by it as a great sin, Ge 20:9; as well as contrary to the express will and law of God, Ex 20:14; and, though all sin is a transgression of the law of God, and deserving of death; yet there are some …
297 wordsSECTION 394Job 31:12
Job 31:12 Ver. 12. For it [is] a fire [that] consumeth to destruction,.... Referring either to the nature of the sin of uncleanness; it is inflammatory, a burning lust, a fire burning in the breast; see 1Co 7:9; or to the effect of it, either the rage of jealousy in the injured person, which is exceeding fierce, furio…
263 wordsSECTION 395Job 31:13
Job 31:13 Ver. 13. If I did despise the cause of my manservant, or of my maidservant,.... Whether it was a cause that related to any controversy or quarrel among themselves when it was brought before him, he did not reject it, because of the meanness of the contending parties, and the state of servitude they were in; …
274 wordsSECTION 396Job 31:14
Job 31:14 Ver. 14. What then shall I do when God riseth up?.... That is, if he had despised and rejected the cause of his servants, or had neglected, or refused to do them justice; he signifies he should be at the utmost loss to know what to do, what excuse to make, or what to say in his own defence, when God should r…
301 wordsSECTION 397Job 31:15
Job 31:15 Ver. 15. Did not he that made me in the womb make him?.... And her also, both his manservant and maidservant: these were made, by the Lord as Job was, and in a like place and manner as he himself; though parents are the instruments of begetting children, and of bringing them into the world, God is the Maker …
8,842 wordsSECTION 398Job 32:1
Job 32:1 INTRODUCTION TO JOB 32 Job's three friends being silenced, and having no more to say in reply to him, Elihu, of whose descent some account is given, a bystander and hearer of the whole dispute between them, rises up as a moderator, and expresses some anger both against them and Job, Job 32:1; he makes an apo…
795 wordsSECTION 399Job 32:2
Job 32:2 Ver. 2. Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite,.... Both against Job and his three friends, for reasons after given; who this person was is not easy to say; they debase him too much, who make him to be Balaam the soothsayer, according to the tradition of the Jews {g}; for neither t…
820 wordsSECTION 400Job 32:3
Job 32:3 Ver. 3. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled,.... He did not take part with either side, but blamed both, and took upon him to be a moderator between them, and deal impartially with them: what highly displeased him, and raised his spirit against the three friends of Job, was, because they had…
257 wordsSECTION 401Job 32:4
Job 32:4 Ver. 4. Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken,.... Made an end of speaking, until he had thus expressed himself, "the words of Job are ended", Job 31:40: and waited likewise until his three friends had said all they had to say, and which is here supposed and implied, as appears by what follows: because th…
138 wordsSECTION 402Job 32:5
Job 32:5 Ver. 5. When Elihu saw that [there was] no answer in the mouth of [these] three men,.... That could be called an answer; nay, when he perceived they were quite nonplussed and silenced, though men of years and experience, and reputed wise and knowing: then his wrath was kindled; his spirit was stirred up; his…
84 wordsSECTION 403Job 32:6
Job 32:6 Ver. 6. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said,.... Since there was no answer in them, he takes upon him to give one himself; but first makes an apology on account of his youth: I [am] young, and ye [are] very old; or "few of days"; a few days, comparatively speaking, had he lived in the …
314 wordsSECTION 404Job 32:7
Job 32:7 Ver. 7. I said, days should speak,.... That is, men of days, of many days, who have lived many days and years in the world: man in common is but of few days, even the most that men arrive to are but few; and some indeed are very few, in comparison of whom others may be said to be men of days, or to have lived…
299 wordsSECTION 405Job 32:8
Job 32:8 Ver. 8. But [there is] a spirit in man,.... This seems to be a correction of his former sentiment; the consideration of which gave him encouragement, though young, to declare his opinion, since there is a spirit in men, both young and old; and wherever that be, there is an ability to speak and a capacity of t…
683 wordsSECTION 406Job 32:9
Job 32:9 Ver. 9. Great men are not [always] wise,.... Men of grandeur and dignity, as Job's friends might be, the rich, the honourable, and noble; the apostle is thought to refer to this, at least to express the sentiment contained in it, 1Co 1:26; or the great in quantity, the many, the multitude; and therefore are n…
237 wordsSECTION 407Job 32:10
Job 32:10 Ver. 10. Therefore I said, hearken to me,.... Thou O Job, and every one of you his friends, for the word is singular; though I am but a young man, yet if I have the Spirit of God, and am under the inspiration of the Almighty, I may be able to say something to you worth your hearing: I also will show mine op…
102 wordsSECTION 408Job 32:11
Job 32:11 Ver. 11. Behold, I waited for your words,.... With great desire, with great eagerness and earnestness, in hope of meeting with arguments fully satisfying and convincing; he waited for them, as for the rain, and the latter rain, to be revived, refreshed, and edified therewith; and he patiently waited until th…
243 wordsSECTION 409Job 32:12
Job 32:12 Ver. 12. Yea, I attended unto you,.... Very closely, with great application and diligence, endeavouring to get, as it were, within them, and thoroughly understand the meaning of what they said: and, behold, [there was] none of you that convinced Job; which was not owing to his obstinacy, but to want of proo…
150 wordsSECTION 410Job 32:13
Job 32:13 Ver. 13. Lest ye should say, we have found out wisdom,.... They were left to themselves, and not directed to take the proper methods of convincing Job, and answering his arguments; lest they should be wise in their own conceits, and attribute too much to themselves; or Elihu told them this, that they had not…
614 wordsSECTION 411Job 32:14
Job 32:14 Ver. 14. Now he hath not directed [his] words against me,.... That is, Job had not directed his speech to him, or levelled his arguments against him; he had not set himself and his words in battle array against him, as the word signifies; he had not lashed and irritated him as he had them; and therefore he c…
207 wordsSECTION 412Job 32:15
Job 32:15 Ver. 15. They were amazed,.... They were like persons thunderstruck, quite surprised and astonished to hear a young man talk after this manner: they answered no more; as they had ceased to answer Job, they did not undertake to answer Elihu, who had plainly told them their arguments were not convincing, thei…
140 wordsSECTION 413Job 32:16
Job 32:16 Ver. 16. When one had waited,.... To observe whether they would make any reply to what he had said, or any objection to his engaging in the controversy: for they spake not; were as mute as fishes:but stood still; like statues, had no power to move, neither to sit down nor to depart, but were as if all life, …
1,908 wordsSECTION 414Job 33:1
Job 33:1 INTRODUCTION TO JOB 33 In this chapter Elihu addresses Job himself, and entreats his attention to what he had to say to him, and offers several things to induce him to it; and recommends himself as one that was according to his wish, in the stead of God, a man like himself, and of whom he had no reason to be…
657 wordsSECTION 415Job 33:2
Job 33:2 Ver. 2. Behold, now I have opened my mouth,.... Begun to speak in order to give vent to the fulness of matter within him, which made him, like bottles of new wine, ready to burst; and since he had opened his lips, that he might speak and be refreshed, he desires Job to listen to him, and offers same things to…
191 wordsSECTION 416Job 33:3
Job 33:3 Ver. 3. My words [shall be of] the uprightness of my heart,.... Not that the uprightness of his heart, or his own personal integrity, should be the subject of his discourse; but what he should say would be in or out of the uprightness of his heart, with all sincerity and faithfulness; what would be the real s…
241 wordsSECTION 417Job 33:4
Job 33:4 Ver. 4. The Spirit of God hath made me,.... As a man; so every man is made by God, and not by himself; Father, Son, and Spirit, are his Makers or Creators, as we read of them in the plural number, Ps 149:2; and this is a proof of the deity of the Spirit, who was not only concerned in the creation of all thing…
345 wordsSECTION 418Job 33:5
Job 33:5 Ver. 5. If thou canst answer me,.... That is, when he had done speaking, after he had heard him out; if he thought he could make a reply to him, he gave him full liberty so to do, and tacitly suggests that he should give him an attentive and candid hearing, as he had requested of him: set [thy words] in orde…
147 wordsSECTION 419Job 33:6
Job 33:6 Ver. 6. Behold, I [am] according to thy wish in God's stead,.... So some persons are, as civil magistrates, the ministers of the word, the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of the New; see 2Co 5:20; and so in some sense was Elihu; he undertakes to be an advocate for God, to vindicate his justice…
312 wordsSECTION 420Job 33:7
Job 33:7 Ver. 7. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,.... To come near, join issue in a debate, and speak freely; this Job had wished for, and desired of God that his fear might not terrify him, and his dread not make him afraid, and then he could talk and reason freely with him, Job 9:34; now Job had nothing…
230 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.