The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 342

children BS the righteous, e.nd often esle.b- them to account for these exceptions (see liahed them in posts of honour e.nd emolu- ver. 7). ment. And their oft'spring befora their Ver. 14,-Therefore they aay unto God, eyes. A pleonasl.io repetition. Depe.rt from na. It is this impunity which , Ver. 0.-Their houses are se.fe from fear; leads the wicked tl) renonnM God altogether. liter11lly, their house, are in peace, without They think that they ~et on very well with- fear. Neither is the rod of God upon them. out God, and conse<juently have no need to Bo Asnph, "They e.re not in trouble 11a other serve him, Job puta their thoughts into men, neither are they plogued like other words (vers. 14, 15), e.nd thus very grnphi- men" (Ps. Ix.xiii. 5). The che.atening rod cally represents their tone of feeling. For of God does not seem to smite them. we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. Ver. 10.-Theirbull gendereth, and faileth The wicked feel no interest in God ; they not; re.ther, their cow conceiveth. Shor (iii!!), do not trouble themselves about him; his which ia of both genders, must here be ways e.re "far above out of their sight,'' te.ken as feminine. Their oow (rather, their and they do not care to know them. heifer) oe.lveth, and casteth not her ce.lf. Ver. 15~What is the Almighty, tha.t we Both conception, and birth e.re prosperous: should serve him 1 "Who is Jehovah," said there. is neither be.rrennees nor abortion. Pharaoh to Moses, " that I should obey his Ver. 11.-They send forth their little ones voice? I know not Jehovah " (Exod. v. 2). like e. :flock. Free, i.e.joyful e.nd frolicsome, So the ungodly in Job's time. They pretend to disport themselves e.s they please. The to have no knowledge of God, no sense of picture is charmingly idyllic. And their his claims upon them, no internal conscious- ohildren de.noe. Frisk, i.e., and skip, e.nd ness tbat they are bound to worship and leap," like the young of ce.ttle full of health, obey him. They are agnostics of a pro- and in the enjoyment of plenty" (Lee). nounced type, or at least they profess to be Ver: 12....:...They take the timbrel and harp, such. What profit, they ask, should we and rejoice e.t th.4! sound of the organ. The have, if we pray to him t Expediency i3 " timbrel" (9n) is probably the tambourine, everything with them. Will serving God e.n instrument used from a remote antiquity do them any good? Will it advance their by the Orientals. It· consisted of a round worldly interests? Persuade them of that, hoop of wood, into which were sometimes e.nd they will be willing to pay him, at any inserted jingling rings of metal, e.nu upon rate, a lip-service. But, having prospered which was stretched at one end a sheet of so long and so greatly without making any pe.rchment. It is represented on tbe monu- religions profession, tbey see no reason to ments both of Egypt e.nd Phamicia (' Hist. believe that they would prosper more if tbey of Egypt,' vol. i. p. 522 ; 'Hi.et. of Phcanicia,' made one. pp. 219,223). The he.rp (iiJ:;,) was, in the Ver. 16.-Lo, their good is not iD their ee.rly times, e. very simple instrument, con- he.nd; i.e. their prosperity is not in their sisting of'e. framework of wood, e.cross whkh own power, not the result of their own effort11- were .stretched from four to seven strings, God's providence is, at lea.st, one element in which . were of catgut e.nd of different it, since ha exalts men and abases them, lengths, e.nd were sounded either witb the he ce.steth down e.nd lifteth up. Hence hand or :with a plectrum. The " organ" it would seem to follow that they are hie (::i~1v) WBS, of course, not e.n ,orge.n in tbe favourites. Shall Job therefore cast i.n his modem sense of the w.ord. It was either lot with them? No, he says, a thousand e. pan's pipe, which is a very primitive times, No I The counsel of the wicked is far mstrument, or more probably a double reed from me ; or better, be the counsel of the blown from the end, like a fie.geolct, wicked far from me! I will he.ve nothing examples of which are found in the remains to do with it. I will cling to God. I will both of Egypt and Phmnicia (' Hist. of ma.into.in my integrity. Satan had che.rged Egypt,' voL i p. 524; 'Hist. of Phcanicie.,' Job with serving God for the sake of l.a.c.). temporul rewud. Job he.d disproved the Ver. 13.-They spend thair de.ye in wealth, ohe.rge by still clinging to God, notwith- and in a moment go down to the gre.ve. standing all his aflliotions. Now he goes They die, i.e., without suffering from any further, e.nd declines to throw in his lot prolonged or severe illness, such as that with the wicked, even although it shoulu grievous aflliction from which Job himsell appear that the balance of prosperity is was suffering. Probe.bly Job does not mean with them. to mainte.in e.11 this absolutely, or as uni- Ver. 17.-How oft is the candle of the versally the co.se, but he wishes to force his wioked put out! This is not e.n exclama- friends to e.oknowledge the.t there e.re many tion, but a question, and is well renJered exceplions to their universe.I lo.w, the.I in the Revised Version, "How oft is it wickedness is al we.ye vi~ited in tbie world that the lamp of the wicked is put out?" with oondign punishment, o.nd he we.nts Is not the signal downfall or tb.e wicked  356 THE BObK OF JOB. [ OB. Xltr. l--34,,