The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 284

thou not e:11,lt them. God will not exe.lt righteous conree, neither devil\ting from it those who are without underetnnding. to tho right hand nor to the left, but hold- Ver. 5.-He that ape11keth ffattery to hie ing to tho strict line of re<ititurle witl,out friends; rnther, lie that d.enounceth liis frie11ds wavering. Job is not thinking pr,,rticularly for a prey. Jub menne to accuse his "com- of himself, but bent on testifying th11t fort.ere" of eo Bcling. By their persistent righteous men genemlly Rct RS they do, not belief in his gl"iovous wiokednese they give from BDY hope of reward, hut from principle him up, as it were, for a prey to ce.le.mity, and the bent of their charaders. And he which they pronounce him to have de- that ha.th olee.n hands shall be stronger and served on acoouut of bis secret sins. Even atronger. Not only will the just man main- the eyos of his ohildren she.11 fail. Who- tain hie integrity, but, as time goea on, his ever eo nots sho.11 be punished, not only in goodness will be more and more firmly •hie own poreon, but o.lso in the persons of established (comp. Aristotle's 'Theory of his deecenrlnnts (comp. Exod. xx. 5). Ha.bits'). Ver. 6.--He he.th ma.de me e.Jso a byword Ver. 10.-But as for you all, do ye return, of the people. God, by the unprecedented and come now. A cb11\lenge to his de- character of his afflictions, has made Job e. tractors. Return, e.11 of you, to your old byword among the snITounding nations-a work of detraction, if you so please. I ea.re byword, that is, for an nffiicted person. Job, not. Yonr e.ccuea.tions no longer vex me. by the manner in which he bore his nfflio- For I oannot Bnd one wise man among you. tions, made himself a byword for patience If I could the case would be different. But, and endurance o.mong God's people tbrongh- as you have all shown yourselves wholly out all o.ges (see Jae. v. 11). And aforetime devoid of wisdom (comp. eh. xiii. 8), what I was as a tabret; rather, I am becolllll' an you say has no real importance. abomination before them; or, ae our .Revisers Ver. 11.-l!ly de.ys are past. My days translate, 1 am become an open abhorring are slipping away from me. Life is well- (comp. cb. xxx. 10), nigh over. What, then, does it matter what Ver. 7.-Mine eye also is dim by reason you say? My purposes a.re broken off, even of sorrow (comp. Ps. vi. 7; x.xxi. 9). Ex- the thoughts of my heart; literally, the pos- cessive weeping, such as stains the cheeks sessions of my heart, a.II the store that it l.ias (eh. xvi. 16), will ·also in most cases dim a.ccumula.ted-my deaues, purposes, wishes. and dull the eyesight. And all my members I no longer ea.re to vindicate my innocence are as a shadow. Weak, that is, worn out, in the sight of men, or to clear my cha- unstable, fleeting, ready to pass a.way, racter from aspersions. Ver. 8.-Upright men shall be astonied Ver. 12.-They change the night into day. , at this.· When Job's case comes to be known, They. my detractors, who are a.lso my so- , "upl'ight men" will be astonished at it. called "comforters," pretend to change my They will marvel how it came to pass that night into da.y; assure me th,,t tbe cloud such e. mo.n-so true, so faithful, eo "per- which rests on me is only fur a time, and fect" ( eh. i. l )-could have been allowed will ere Jong give ple.ce to the brightness ,_ by God to suffer so terribly. In a. world of day, to a glorioWJ burst of sunsl.iine (see ' where, up to Job's time, prosperity ha.d been eh. v. 18-26; viii. 21, 22; :ti. 15-19)., taken as the measure of goodness, the marvel The light (they say) is short because of we.s naturally great. Even now many a. darkness; or, rather, is near bemu.se of tlu Cllrietia.n ie surprised and disturbed in mind darkness. The extreme darkness shows if he gi vcs the case prolonged o.nd serious that dawn must be near, that tl.ic <la,- m,1st attention, though he holds the clue to it soon break when my sorrow will be ·turned in that' most enlightening phrase, " perfect into joy. Job bad not found himself com- through sufferings" (Heb. ii. 10). And the forted by tht'se o.ssurances, which Jacked the innooent shall stir up himself against the ring of sincerity, and could not be accom- hypocrite, On astonishmeut will follow plished except by miracle, which he did not indignntion. When it becomes genel'ally feel that he had any right to expect. recognized that, in o. vast number of cases, Ver. 13.-lf I wait, the grave is mine the 1·ighteous suffer, while the wicked enjoy house; rather, surely I look for tlie grnve grcot prospe.-ity, good meu's feelings will (Sheo!) c1s my ho11se; i.e. I expect no return be stirred up against these prosperous ones ; of prosperity, no renewal of life in c\ sump- they will WllX indigno.ut, aud take pe.rt tuous mansio!l, no r0<:overy of the stnte and 11gllinst them. dignity from which I he.ve fallen-I look Ver. 9.-The righteous also; rather, yet only fol' Shcol ns my future abode a.n<l rest- the riqhteous. A strong opposin,si: clo.use. ing-plac(> -therc, in Sheol, I ho.ve made my Noiwitllstanding nll the nffiictions tho.t bed in the darkness; i.e. I regard ru vself e.s bell,11 him, e.nd all the fnrthe1· afflictions alrendy there, lying on my tlll.l'row· bed in which he anticipates, yet the truly,righteous the darkness, o.t rest after my e.ffiictious. man sha.ll hold on hi& way; i.e. me.inta.iu his Ver. H.-I have ea.id to oorruption, Thou  296 THE BOOK OF JOB. [OB. X'VII, 1-18,