The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 330

combat in hopes of utterly confounding his antagoni.st. His appearance, ma.Jl.ner, a,;id addr~ are c4&1"acterized by : I. BoU defi=u. "Therefore," i.e. in view. of what you have j11St spoken; nay," nevertheless," i.e. in spite of all your grandiloquent talk a.bout a sword. Zophar had been unmoved, equally br Job's pathetic wai~ dop~cti~g. hie abandonment by God and man, and by •Job's sublime_ utterance respect1~g his J?ivme• human Goel. Job's prayer for a drop of human pity had made no 1mpre1mon· on hi.s flinty bosom. Job's suggestion that the la.w of retribution they so vehemently preached might one de.J receive unexpected illustration in themselves (eh. xix, 29) h'ad on. xx. 1-29.] 'EHE BOOK OF ,JOB. 843 --------------------------------- - touched him to the quick.. Accordingly, to hide the writbings or his lacerawd spirit, be BBsumes an aspect of courage which he does not posge,~. 2. E:dreme perturbation. The in.ward agitation of bis spirit he betrays in his le.ng[lage. His cogitations were confused, His "thoughts" shot up in all directions from hi9 heart like the manifold and intricate r11mifica.tiono of a. tree (cf. eh. iv. 16), The word strikingly represents the mind's activity under violent ex_citement. The soul of Zophar was perplexed, Job's discourse had possessed the merit of enlisting the attention, if not the sympathy, of his hearer. It hail moved the feelings, if it had not convinced the judgment. And Zopha.r1 if he did not listen with a. loving spirit, a.t least, did not hearken with a. vacant mini:!, Yet, consideting the mentlll djaturbance which Job's speech had produced, ~ophar-would .have acted prudently had he ma.inta.ined a. discreet silence. Troubled ~hougli.ts. seldom fashion wise or weighty words; and, tbongh vehement emotion, especially when under control, is of immense advantage to an orator, yet an intellect der,wged py. pas~ion is divested of whatever po.wer of .conviction it might otherwise a.. poases.s_. . In_d,ecent haste. WJ;i.ether,or not a. pause usually intervened betweeu the 4ilfe'rent !lpeeches in ~his controversy, Zopha.r would appear to ha.ve been excepticnally i_mpa.tient io sniite b,is adversary, and to have rushed into the arena of debate like ~ w?,r-horse neighing for the battle. If the rush of feeling and the multitud:nm., array of .ideas which Job's words provoked did not "cause him to answer" (ver. 2), they at least furnished him with _what seemed a crushing rejoind_er to the outspoken inwlence to wl;iicl). he ha.d been ,compelled to listen-a. rejoinder made and ready, so that he required not to J:!leditate, but simply tou follow the suggestions of his thoughts as fast as.tb,!ly arose,.(Carey), which he did. It had been better infinitely that; Zophar had. exercised a little self-restra.int---:-l>etter for his own credit, since "he that is ha.sty of spirit exalteth folly" (Prov. xiv. 29), since even good men are prone to err when they speak ii'.! ha.ate (Ps. cxvi. 11), since it is the part of a. wise man to" refrain his ltps" (l:'rov. x. 1.9), a.n<l the commandment of .God to "be not rash with one's mouth" (Eccles. v. 2), but to.be" swift to hear,_slow to speak" (Jas. i. 19), and since "there is more hope of 1. fool than of h_im that is h11sty in his words" .(Prov. xxix. 20); and it wonld have been betfor for Job's comfort, sinqe hasty words a.re seldom kindly wor<ls. 4. Virtuous resent- me,it. Zophar, "the very pink and pattern of orthodoxy'' (Cox), had been threatened with t_he sword. He had perfectly understood what Job meant by brandishing (metaphori- cally, of course) that_letha.l weapon before his eyes. It was designed as a" check of his. reproach" (var. 3), a. reprimand to overwhelm him with disgrace, which he, Zophar, now. hurled back upon the speaker ..,-ith indignant scorn. The wounding of Zophar's self-esteem ·had been a. more serious offence on Job's pa.rt than the striking at his faith. Zophar "one of those hot-heads who pretend to fight for religion that is imperilled., while.in reality" they are" only zealous for their own wounded vanity" (Delitzsch). rnstea.d of a.ns_wering Job's arguments, which doubtless he could not, he wipes out, or imagines he wip~s out, the gra.t\l,itous dishonour done to his reputation as an orthodox believer by .vehemep.t r.eassertion of the current faith. It is usual for those who cana.ot r,eply to an opponent's objections to. indulge, in personal invectives and extra.agant asse1tions. 5. Wori,p,erful conceit. Zophar practically informs Job that if he (Zophar) does not confound him (Job) a.ad his heretical_ doctria.es, it is not for want of ability to do so. " The spirit of his underst,mding," i.e. the inner light of his intellectual discern- ment, the spirit emanaHng from the keen faculty of perception which he knows to be within him;·furni&hes h)m with a.11 the information requisite_ for snch a purpose. Now, doubtless, "there is a spirit in IQan, 11,n~ the inspiration of the .Almighty giveth him understanding" (eh. xxxii. 8); but "this also is a vanity" which may be witnessed beneath the suµ, tha,t they who have the least uf such understanding not unfrequently suppose themselves to ha.vo the most, while they who have the most are the least inclia.ed to praise themselves on its account. II. Tm: ORTHODOX FAITH REAS~EW\'~D. 1. With sarcastic surprise. Zopha.r pro- fesses astonishment that Job rcq nired t,o be instructed on so obvious a. pJiut as the Divine law of retribution, consiuering (t) what a. wise man Job was: "Knowtist thou not this?" thou who knowest ever., thing-an obvious allusion to eh. xix. 25 ; aa.J. (2) what a.n old la\;I' it was, having been "of ol,1, since man was place,l upon the eanh," and therefore surely not beyond the coga.izauce of a man who c,,ul<l look to the worlo.'s end, Zophar's irony was clever, but not kind. 2. With evident relish. With ill•  THE BOOK. OF JOB. [on:. xx. 1-29.