e i.e. He is ſo comonly expoſed to many and various troubles, 25 if he were born to no other end : Arflition 1s become in ſome ſort natural and proper to man, and it 15, together with ſin, tranſ- mitted from Parents to Children, as their moſt cerrain and conſtant Inheritance;God having allotted this Portion to Mankind for their fins. And therefore thou takeſt a wrong courſe in complainir.g ſo bitterly of that which thou ſhouldeſt paticncly bear, as the common lot of Mankind, and thy right method is to ſeek unto God who in- flits it, and who onely can remove it. f #. e. As naturally,and as generally, as the ſparks of fire fly upward,which do ſo univerlally and conſtantly. Heb. and the ſparks, &5. Bur the Particle and1s ofr uſed comparatively for as, as Ch. 12: 11; & 14: 12:& 24: 3: Prov. 25:
8 I wouldg ſeekunto God h, and unto God would I
commit my cauſe z.
g If I werein thy condition; And therefore I would adviſe thee to the ſame courſe. þ To wit, by Prayer,and Humiliation,and Sub- miſſion, imploring his Pardon,and Favour,and Help and nor repine at him, and accuſe his Providence,as thou doeſt. 7 7. e. Commend my afflited condition to him by fervent Prayer,and refign my ſelf, and all my concerrs to. him.and humbly hope for relief from him. Or,propound my matters. i, e. Make known my afflift:ons and requeſts to him ; or, put or diſpoſe my words, i. e. Pray to him, and pour our my complaints before him.
9 * Which doth great things + & and unſearchable ;
[marvellous things w + without number. k Here Eliphaz enters upon a Diſcourſe of the Infinite PerfeQtion
to God, wv. 8. becauſe Gnd was infinitely able cirher to puniſh him
Io Who giveth rain » upon the earth, and ſendeth
z He begineth with this erdinary and obvious work of God, in which he implies that there is ſomething unſearchable and wonder ful, as indeed there is in the riſe ofir fromthe Earth,in the ſtrange
anging of that heavy Body in the Air, and in the diſtribution of it as God ſees fit, Amos 4: 7: and how much more in the ſecret Coun- {ck and hidden paths of Divine Providence, which Job took the lj-
B.
berty to cenſure, o Either Fountains and Rivers, which is another great and wonderful work of God : Or rather Rain-water, as the following words imply: the ſame thing b-ing repeated in other words after the manner. p Or, «pon all places abroad, 3.e. which
Chap. V
nave no covering to keep out the Rain.
choſe which mourn may be exalted toſatery r.
Or, rather, 2: another example of .Gods great and wonderful Works. And the Infnitive Verb is here put for the Indicative; He ſetteth up, &c. which is very frequent in the Hebrew, as Pſal. 56: 13: Zech. 3' 4: & 12:10, He giveth this inſtance to comfort and encourage Job to ſeek to God, becauſe he can raiſe him ourof his greateſt depths, and uſeth to raiſe others in the like condition. 7 Notwithſtanding all the craft and power of their Enemies.
12 * He dilappointeth the devices of the crafty s,
{o that their hands || cannot perform their enterpriſe z. 5 Such as are cunning to work evil, and to cover it with fair rences, as the Hypocrites uſe to do,and as Jeb's Friends charged him with doing ; God breaks the hopes and delſings ofſuch Men ; as he hath now blaſted thy expeQation, and raken away thy outward hap- pineſs, which was thething thou didſt deſign in taking up the Pro- feſion of Religion. t Or, any thing : ory what is ſohd or ſubſtantial : Or, wiſdom, i.e. their wiſe counſel, or crafty deſign. They cannot execute their cunning contrivances. 12 * He taketh the wiſe in their own craftineſs # :
and the counſel of the froward is carried headlong y.; u Wicked Men, who are wiſe to do evil, and wiſe inthe
turns t1em againſt themſelves; as we ſee in Achirophel, Haman &c. x Or perverſe,or wreſtlers : ſuch as wind and turnevery way,as wreſt- {lers do,and will leave no means untried to accompliſh their counſels. y 5,e. Is tumbled down and broken, and that by their own precipi- rationand haſte. Their malice cannor have the patience to proceed wiſely and leiſurely againſt Gods Church and People, but makes -hem eager and yenturous, and ſo to make more haſt than good ſpeed in their wicked deſigns.
14 * They || meet with darkneſs in the day time z, and grope 4 in the noon day as in the night.
Z 7.e. In plain things they run into groſs miſtakes and errors,and commonly chuſe thoſe counſels and courſes which are worſt for chemſelves. Darkneſs oft notes miſery,but here ignorance or error, as it is alſo uſed. Ch. 12: 25; & 37: 19; and elſewhere. # Like blind Men to find their way, not knowing what to do.
15 But he faveth the poor 4 from the ſword, from their mouth c, and from the hand of the mighty.
b Or helpleſs; who therefore flee to Gcd for refuge, c Or fom the Sword wich cometh our of their mouth ; 7. e. from all their cen- ſures, ſlanders, threatnings, deceitſul infinuations,falſe ſwearings of wirn-fſ2s unrighreous ſentences of corrupt Judges ; whereby their good names, or eſtates, or lives, may be expoſed to the utmoſt ha. zards, And chis is firly oppoied to the Sword of the hana, implied in the next branch of the Verſe. Or, om the Sword by their mouths 7.e. by thoſe wicked mens words againſt the godly, which God wonderfully over-rulech to the working out of the i d<lj verance.
eth her mouth f. .
d So this poor man obtaineth what he in ſome meaſure hoped or expeRted from God, to whom he commirted his cauſe; and other poor Men will be encouraged by his example to place their hope in God ; e 7,e. wicked Men. The abſtra& from the concrete, as pride, deceit, injuſtice, are put for proud, deceitful and unrighreous Men, Jer. 13:9; 2 Pet 3: 13: f 7. & They are filencedand con- founded,being convicted of their own wickedneſs and folly,& find- :ng that not only the poor are got!out of their Ners and Snares, in which they thought that they had them faſt, bur alto the Oppreſlors themſelves are inſnared in them; and all this by ſudden and unecx- peed means.
17 * Behold g,happy is the man whom God corre&-*