although this word ſometimes ſignifies curſmg, as Job 1, 11. and 1 Kings 2'.- 10; yet moſt properly and generally it ſignifies be/mg, and ſo it may very well be underſtood here as a Sarcaſtical or Ironje cal Expreſſiony ſuch as there are many in Scripture, as Eccle/ u. g. Lam. 4. 21. andinall Authors. And fo the Senſe may be this, Bleſs Goa, and die i. e. I ſee thou art ſet upon the bleſſing of God, thou blefſeſt God for givingy and thou blefleſt God for taking away, and thou art ſtill bleſſing of God forthy loathſome and tormenting Dif. eaſes, and he rewards thee accordingly, giving thee more and more of that kind of Mercy for which thou blefleſt and praiſeſt him. Go on therefore in this rhypious and generous courſe,and die as a Fool
dieth, and carry this Reputation to thy Grave, that thou hadſtner +»
common Senſe in thee to diſcern between Good and Eyil, between
And this P roverb.. thy Friends and thy Foes. Or, rather, awake out of this Stupidi. in which there was Skinfor ty and Lethargy+and give over this abſurd & unreaſonable prattice,
Skin - 3. e. the Skin of a Beaſt for, or inſtead of, the Skinor Body jand as God gives thee no Help nor Comforty!et him loſe thy Praiſ--
of the Man, which deſerved to be uſed as the Beaſt was, and which |
es and Service, And this being her ſenſe, it is not ſtrange he re.
ing ofthe Beaſt, which was ac« | proveth her ſo ſharply for it. And yet it ſeems hard to think that are -4 rpm ary = Hove Spy 4 ty Which the Mans ſins were i Jobs Wife ſhould arrive at that height of Impudence and Impiety, as lathe Or, 2 From Hoſtages or Ranſomes, wherein one Man , in plainterms to bid him Curſe God.
was given for,or inſtead of Another.So now the Senſe may be this, | Any Man will give Skinfor Skin, 1. e. the Skin, or Body, or Life of another, whether Man or Beaſt, to fave his own ; yea, aft that a ,
man ha:h, whether Goods or Perſons, ſuch as Job hath loſt, wil he givefor his Life. Job is not much hurt nor concerned ſo long as his own Skin is whole and ſafe. Others,thus: Skin «pon ( for ſo theHe- brew Particle Behad is ſometimes uſed, as 2 Kings 4: 5: Amos g: to. As alſo the Greek Particle Anti, which aniwers to 1t, 1s underſtood John 1;16.Grace for Grace,i.e Grace upon Grace,or al) kinds or degrees 'of Grace ) Skin,ana all that # man hathy\. 0 all theſe words belong to the price which a Man pays ; now follows whar he hath or expe&-. eth to have for ir;will he give for his life, 1. e.in exchange for his Life, or to fave his Life. This alſo is a plauſible Interpteration, only it is nor very probable, That rhe fame Hebrew Particle Behad ſhould be uſed in two ſo differing Senſes in the ſame verſe, 1n the former part to ſignifie upon, ( which if this Sacred Writer had meant, be wou'd likely have expreſſed it rather by that other Hebrew Particle Al, which is commonly fo uſed, than by this which is ſo abiguops and ſe!\dom ſo raken, and otherwiſe uſed in this very Verſe ) and in the latter toſignifie for,or inſtead of. However the Senſe is plainly this, Thisis ſo fer from beirg an Evidence of Job's ſincere and gene- rous Piety, that it is only an A& of deeper Hypocriſie, and meer Seif-Love ; he is wellenough contented with the loſs of his Eſtatey and Chileren too, ſo long as he flezps in a whole Skin ; and he is weil pleaſed thar thou wilt accept of all theſe as a Sacrifice or Ran- ſom in his ſtead ; andirt is not true Patience and Humility which makes him ſeem to bear his Croſf:s ſo ſubmiſſively, as depth of po- liey, that by his feigned carriage ne may appeaſe thy Wrath againft him, and prevent thoſe forther Plagues which, for his Hypocriſie and other ſins, of which he is conſcious, he fears thou wilrſt other» wiſe bring upon his own Carcaſs ; as wall plainly appear upon fur- ther trial. ;
+ But put forth thine hand now,and touch his bone
and his fleſh g,and he will + curſe thee to thy face.
g Touch, i. e. ſmice him, nor fleighrly, but to the quick, and to the Bones ard Marrow, ſo as he may feel Pain and Angwhh indeed wiich is oft expreſſed by reaching to the Bones, as Pſal. 6. 2. and 32. 3. and 51. 8.
5 Andthe LORD ſaid unto Satan, Behold, he #s in
thine hand, * bur ſave his life h. |
þ Do not attempt to take away his Life, which I will not ſuffer thee to do.
— So went Satan forth from the preſence of the
LORD, and ſmote Job with ſore boils ;, from the ſole
of his foot unto his crown k.
7 Like thoſe inflited upon the Egyptians, wich are expreſſ:d by the ſame word,' and threatned to Apoſtate Iſraelites, Deur, 28. 27, whereby he was made Joarhſome to himſelf, and to his neareſt Re- lations, Chap. 19 .13, 19. and aviſible monument of Divine DiCſ-
leaſure, «nd filled with tiring and conſuming pains in his Body, and no leſs Torment and Anguiſh in his mind: | & In all the our- ward parts of his Body. His Tongue he ſpared, that ir might be capable of venting thole Blaſphemies againſt God which he expeCt- ed anddeſirzd. ;
8 Azid he took him a potſbeard / to ſcrape himſelf withal ; and he fat down among the aſhes /,
I Partly to allay the Itch which his Ujcers cauſed: and partly to ſqueeze ourt,or to take away that purulent Matter which was under them,or flowed from them;and was the great cauſe of his Torment. And this he did not with ſoft Linen Clothes, either becauſe he had not now a ſufficient quantity of them for ſo much uſe; or becauſe therein he muſt have had the helpofothers who abhorred to come near him, Ch. 19+ 13, 14, 15. Nor with his own handsor fingers, which were alſo ulcerous, and ſo unfit for that uſe - and befides *: loathed to touch himſelf, but with Potſheards,cither becauſe rhe were next at hand, and ready for his preſent uſe; or in token of his Repentance and deep Humiliatien under Gods heavy hand, which
made him decline all things which ſavoured of tenderneſs and de. '
licacy. { Heb. I duſt er afbzs, as Mourners uſed ro de; Of which ſee Job 42. 6. Jonah 3. 6. Mat, 11. 21-
9 Then faid his wife 9 unto him, Doſt thou till re- tain thine integrity » ? | curſe God and die o.
m Whom the Devil ſpared with cruel intent to be the Inſtru»
$0 But he ſaid unto her, Thou ſpeakeft as one of the fooliſh p women ſpeaketh:What ! Shal we receive good at tho hand of God, and ſhal we not receive evil 9 ? In all this did not Job ſin with bis Lips »,