The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 188

Ver. 1.-J!'or thou haat aald, Jlrly dootrine one sense, all men do well to profess them./ is pure. Job hl\d certninly not eBid this in selves" Agnostics "-not that they can kn()wl eo mBny words. In fBct, he hBd not spoken nothing of God, but that they can never', of his "dootrino" (np~), nor hBd he co.lled know him fully, never exho.ust tho know- oither hie clootrine or hie conclaot o.bsolutely ledge of him. As the :tpr,stle says, " 0 the pure (71). But, no doubt, he ho.d main- depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God I how unsearchable are tained, in o. certo.in sense, his innocency; his ju<lgment.s, 0.11d his wo.ys past finding not, indeed, his entire freedom from sin or out! For who lmth known the mind of guilt, but hie honest endeo.vour to serve Go,I the Lorri? or who bath been his counsel- Bnd lead B good life. This wo.s the rco.l lor?" (Rom. xi. 33, 34). Canst thou find point disputed between him and hie •• com- out the Almighty UI1to perfection l rather, forters;" they o.rgued, from hie sufferings, Ownst thou. attain to the perfection of the .Al- thnt he must be B "chief sinner; " he main- mighty? understand, i.e., his inconcci Vftble tained, from the testimony of his conscience, perfectness. tho.t he we.a free from a.11 heinous sins. And Ver. 8.-It is a.a high a.a heaven; what I am clea.n in thine eyea (eee above, oh. ix. oanst thou do 1 literally, height, of {he 30; x. 7). hea'Dens; what canst thou do! nut the Ver. 5.-But oh that God would speak, meaning is probably that expressed in the and open his lips age.inst thee! "Oh that Authorizerl Version. God's perfectness is God would do," i,-,. " what thou ho.at cho.1- unattainable by man's thought, as the lenged him to do"-ehow thee wherein he heights of the heavens are by his feet. oontends with thee I (comp. eh. x. 2). Deeper than hell; literally, than Slieol, or the Then how would thy rea.aonings be con- receptacle of the rlea.d (see the comment on futed, and thy boo.stings be brought low ! oh. x. 21). St. Paul spee.ks of the "deep Ver. 6.-And that be would show thee things," or rather, "the depths" ( -re! /3&911) the secrete of wisdom ! In God nre " nil the of God (see 1 Cor. ii. 10). Who.t canst thou treo.sures of wisdom a.nd knowledge hid Im.ow 1 How small a pa.rt of the Divine away" (lt.,,&Kpv</>••• Col. ii. 3). Zopha.r na.tnre oa.n a.ny man thoroughly comprehend wishes that he would reveal to Job this a.nd know I wisdom, or e. portion of it, a.s, in that case, e.11 his pride and self-confidence would be Ver. 9.-The measure thereof is longer confounded a.nd fall e.we.y. That they are than the earth, and broader than the sea. double to that whioh is ! This phrase is Zophar'e metaphors are drawn from the very obscure, Some tre.nslnte, "For he (i.e. objects which, to his mind, exceed in extent God) is twice as wise e.s thou;" others, all others. " The earth " and " the sea. " "Tho.t it (i.e. wisdom) is manifold in effec- represent to him the illimitable. tuo.l working;" others, a.gain, "That they Ver. 10.-If he out off; rather, if he (i.e. the trea.aures of wisdom) are double (or ad'Dance (comp. eh. ix. 11). And shut up; manifold) in substance." Perhnps this last or, imprison. Or gather together; ro.ther, rendering is to be preferred. The treasures and call to judgment (see the Revised Ver- of wisdom that are hid o.way in God have sion). If God, that is, advance against a. many depths, secrnt and unexplored ; they man in hostile fashion, seize and imprison "lie, as it were, fold over fold, in unex- him, a.nd then ca.11 him to judgment, who.t pected complexities, defying the sho.llow is to be said or done? who can interfere and unscrutinizing gaze" (Professor Stanley with him? Matters must te.ke their course. Lea.thes). If they were revealed to Job, There is no ground for complaint. It is they would astonish, confound, silence, him. simply God's mode of administering justice Know therefore that God exacteth of thee on the earth. Who oan binder him 1 litera.lly, less than thine iniquity deserveth. "Be who can turn him away f i.e. interfere with sure," i.e., "that God, so far from inflicting his action, interrupt it, divert it. on thee a more severe punishment than thou Ver. 11.-J!'or he knoweth vain men. deservest, in reo.lity exouses much of thy God is justified in these his judgmente, guilt, a.ud punishes thee less than is thy even though he does not implead the me.n due," This is Zopha.r's conclusion from his or bring him to account, or hear what he goneml knowledge of God's dealings with has got to say ( eh. ix. 39), since ho iu tui- man (comp. Ezra ix. 13). tively a.nd a.t onoe "knoweth vein men;" Ver. 7.-Canst thou by sea.rohing fl.nd out seeth, tliat is, into the ground of the heart, God 1 liternlly, Canst thou attain to the a.nd recognizes vanity, pretence, fa.lee searching out of God f Canst thou suppose, seeming, so that he ca.n judge infa.llibly that is, that, whatever thy wisdom, learning, without the forensic apparatus wherewith subtlety, sago.city, power of insight, thou human tribune.ls are rightly surrounded, on wilt bo ablo to sea.rob out nnd fully know account of the wee.knees and fallibility of the cho.raoter, attributes, modes of thought human judges. He aeeth wiokedneae alao.. and o.otion, of the Most High? No. In If God oan detect in a moment vanity, JOB. 0  194 THE BOOK OF JOB. [ OH, XI, 1-20,