s I am not made of ftone or braſs, but of fleſk, and blood,as others *”* are, and thereforeTI am utterly unable ro endure theſe miſeries lon- ger, and can neither hope forznor deſire any continuance of my life, cor reſtauration of my former happineſs,but only wiſh for that death, which is the common refuge of all miſerable perſons, as I ſaid, Ch; 3:17,18e , X 12 Is not my helpin me Ff, and js wiſdom driven quite from me g ? |
f Though I have no ſtrength in my Body,or outward Man, yetT have ſome help and ſupport wirhin me, or in my inward Man,even the Conſcience of my own Innocency and Piety, notwithſtanding all your bitter accuſations and cenſures,as if I had no integrity, Ch:
4:6. g IfT have no ſtrength in my body, have I thereforeno wif.
dom or judgment left in my Soul ? Am I therefore unable to judge
of the vaniry of thy diſcourſe, and of the truth of my own caſe ?
Have I not common ſenſe and diſcretion ? do not I know my own
condition, & the nature & depree of my ſufferings better than theu
doeſt. Amnor I a better Judge whether I have integrity or no,than
thou art ? But this verſe is rendred otherwiſe,and that very agreeably
to the Hebrew Words, What if I have no help in me, ( 7. «. If I cannot
help my ſelf, if my outward condition be helpleſs and hopeleſs, as
I cenfeſs it is ) is wi(dem driven quite from me? Havel therefore loſt
my underſtanding and common reaton ? Cannot I judge whether ir
is more deſirable for me to live or todie, whether I am an Hypo-
crite or no, whether your words have truth and weight in them or
no ; whether you take the right method in dealing with me, whe.
ther you deal mercifully and ſincerely with me, or no. Yet again
( becauſe the conſtru&ion and ſenſe of theſe words is judged very
difficult ) this verſe may te joyned with the following, and rendre
thus, par if chere be ns help in me (or,if 1be wt able to bear my alaries)
and if counſel be driven fom me, fo that I know not whar to do,or how
to help cr eaſe my ſelf? Or, and ſubſifto:ce, or pewer of ſubſefting be dri-
ven, or taken away from me, 10 that I can neither help my ſelf out of
my troubles, nor ſubſiſt under them, yet #0 the affliFed pity ſbould
be ſhewed, &c. : : : ; | 14 f To him that is afflifted þ pity ſhould be ſhewed+ peb:ts |
from his triend z, but he forfaketh the fear of the Al- bim that |
mighty &. meleerh.
h Heb. To him that s meltcd or difflved with offliiions, or in the Furnace of afflitions; thar is, in extreme milſcries ; for ſuch per- ſons are ſaid ro be melted,as Pſal. 22: 14: & 107: 26: & 119: 28: Nah:
2;10: # His friend, ſuch as thou, O Elphaz pretendeſt ro beto me, ſhould ſhew kindnets, benignity, and compzſfiion, in his Judgment of h1m, and carriage towards him, and not paſs ſuch unmerciful and heavy cenſures upon him, nor load him with reproaches. & Bue thou haſt no love or pity for thy nerghbour and friend ; which isa plain evidence that thou art guil:y of that which rhou didſt charge me with,even- of the want of the Fear of GOD; for, didſt thou rruly Fear GOD, thou couldeſt not,and durſt not be fo unmerciful ro thy Brother, both becauſe God hath ſeverely forbidden and con- demned that Diipoſition ar d Carriage, and becauſe God is able to puniſh thee tor it, and mere unto thee the ſame hard meaſure which thou meteſt ro me. Butthis Verſe js, and may be otherwiſe ren» dred, Should a ropreach(for fo t':e Hebrew cheſed of: lignifies) be laid upon him that is afflifted by his Friend, even. that he forſaketh the feav ef the Almighty ? Should my friend have faſtened ſuch a reproach u- pon me, than which none1s worſe, that Tam an impious Man, and deſtitute of che fear of God, Chap: 4: C -, 8: This he mentions, as that which was moſt grievous ard intolerable to him.
15 My brethren / have dealt deceirfully »z as a brook,
and as the ſtream of brooks s they paſs away :
li, e. My Kinſmen or three Friends ; for though Zliphez only had ſpoken, the other two ſhewed their approbation of his Diſ- courle, or,at leaſt, ofrhar part of it which contained his Cenſure of Job's perſon and State. 2 Under a pretence of Friendlhip and Kindnets, dealing unrighteouſly and unmercifully wich me,and ad- ding to theſe atflictions which they ſaid they came to remove. x W hich quickly vanith,& deceive the hopes of the thirſty Traveller,
16 Which are blackiſh by reaſon of the ice 6, and wherein theſrow is hid p. | |
o Which in Winter, when the Traveller neither needs not deſires it, are full of Water then congealed by the Froſt. p Either 1: Under which the Water made of Snow, which formerly fell,and afterward was diſſolved, lies hid. So he implies that he (ſpeaks not of thoſe Brooks whichare fed by a conſtant Spring, bur of them which are filled by accidental and extraordinary falls of Water or Snow melred, which run into them. Or 2: Wherein there is abundance of Snow mixed with or covered by the Ice : Or, in which the Svow covers it ſelf, i. e. Where 1s Snow. upon Snow. Which gives the Traveller hopes, that when he comes that way ia Summer, b: ſ{kall find good ſtore of Water here for his refreſhment.
5 Doth
A E
P. VI.
eb:in Place s. beat of b: ex- freſhing and neceſſary. s In which the Traveller expe&ed to find ſhed: them to his comfort : But they are gone he knows not whither.
18 The paths of their way are turned afide ; 7 they
go to nothing and periſh. f i. ee The courſe of thoſe Waters is changed ; they are gone out
ſumed ; as it here follows. : / 19 The Troops « of Tema x looked, the companies
3 of Sheba waited for them«
u As this word is uſed, Ger. 37: 25: Iſa. 21; 13. Heb,The ways, put for the travellers in the ways, by an uſual Metonymy. And fo it muſt needs be meant here, and in the next clauſe, becauſe rhe following Verſe, they were confounded, &c. plainly ſheweth, that he here ſpeaks of Perſons, not of ſenil-\s things. x This place and
Waters were very ſcarce, and therefore precious and deſirable eſpecially to Travellers,who by their Motion,and the heat to which they were expoſed, were more hor and thirſty than other Men. y As-before zhe tr:opss And thus he ſpeaks, becauſe men did not there travel ſingly, as here we do, but in Troops and Companies, for their greater ſecurity againſt wild Beaſts and Robbers,of which they
had great ſtore. _. 20 They z were confounded becauſe they had hop-