The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 138

EXPOSITION. lutely; Eliph,.z had only hinted at it (eh. CHAPTER VIII. v. 4). Both presume to know what could Ver. 1.-Then answered :Bilde.d the Bhu- be known only to the Searcher of hearts. hite, and said. Bilde.d the Shuhite has the And he he.ve ce.st them awe.y for their trans- second place in the passage where Job's gression; literally, and he have delivered friends are first mentioned (eh. ii. II), e.nd !hem into the hand of their !ransgres.sion11 occupies the same relative position in the --abandoned them, that is, to the conse- dialogue. We may suppose him to have quences of their _wrong-doing. The allu- been younger than Eliphaz and older than sion is, of course, to the fact recorded in Zophar. He does little more than repeat oh. i. 19. the arguments of Eliphu.z, stating them, Ver. 5.-If thou wonldest seek nnto God however, more bluntly, e.nd with less of tact betimes. Here we have again an echo of and consideration. The chief novelties of the words of Eliphaz (eh. v. 8). There is his discourse are an appeal to the teaching e. tacit assumption that Job has not had of po.et ages (vers. 8-10), and the employ- recourse to God, has not pleaded his cause ment of new and forcible metaphors (vers. with him or taken him into counsel; where- 11-19). as all the evidence was the otherwav. Both Ver. 2.-Kow long wilt thou speak these when the first batch of calamities "was re- things? An exclamation like that of Cicero, ported to him (eh. i. 14-19), and when the "Quonsque tandem?" One or two out- stroke of disease came (cb. ii. 10), Job cast breaks might be pardoned ; but to persist his co.re on God, fell back on him, submitted was to abuse the patience of his hearers. himself to him unreservedly. "The Lord And how long shall the words of thy mouth gave, and the Lord bath taken away ; blessed be like a strong wind 1 literally, be a strong be the Name of the Lord," he said in the wind ; i.e. have all the bluster and vehe- one case; in the other, "What? shall we mence of e. tempest, which seeks to carry receive goocl at the hand of God, and shall everything before it by sheer force and fury. we not receive evil?" And make thy suppli- The e.ddress is rude and unsympathetic. ce.tion to the Almighty; literally, make the Ver. 8.-Doth God pervert judgment 1 ~lmighty gracious to thee." This was, no doubt, what Job's words of Ver. 6.-lf thou wert pure and upright. expostul1Ltion might seem to imply. But Job had asserted this, not in so many words, he had never gone so far as to make the but substantially (eh. vi. 29, 30). We hava direct charge, and a true friend would have God's testimony that it was true (eh. i. 8; shrunk from taxing him with an impiety, ii. 3); not, of course, in the sense that he which conld only be deduced from his speech was absolutely free from sin, but in that by way of inference. It is our duty to put qualified sense in which "just," and "right- the best construction that we can on our eous,'' and " pure," and " holy " can be pro- friends' words, no less than upon their perly used of men. Bildad implies, without nctione. Or doth the Almighty pervert boldly asserting it, that he does not believe jnstioe 1 " J ustic-e " is not al together the Joh to deserve the epithets, either absolutely same thing with "judgment." Judgment or in a qualified sense. If he were so, is the oct, justice the principle which under- Surely now he (i.e. God) would awa.ke fo1 lies or ought to underlie the act. It is, of thee. This is a common anthropomorphism course, impossible for God to pervert either. (see Ps. vii. 6; xx::i:v. 25; xliv. 23; !ix. 4, "Slmll not the Judge of nil the earth do 5 ; Isa. Ii. 9). And make the habite.tion of r1'g11t," (Gen. xvili. 25). thy righteousness proapero118; or, make peace- Ver. 4.-lf thy children have sinned ful the habitation wherein thy righteommea• against him. Bildad a.ssumea thia e.bso- dwelleth; i.e. make peaceful the habitauoa  140 THE BOOK 011' JOB.