eateth with pleasure; rather, and never Butler (among Qtbers); and the conc\nsion tastcth of good (see the Revised Version). reached by co.Im inveatigo.tion o.nd phik,: Ver. 26.-They ■hall lie doWP alike in sophio thonght, is that, on the wh()\e, even the dust, and the worms shall ~over them. in tbis life, the ba\1tnce of advantage rests However, different tbe circumstances of with the virtuous, who really prosper more their life, men are oJ..ike in their death. than the wicked, have greater and higher Ono ovent ht1ppeus to all. All die, are satisfactions, eecape numerous forms of lt1id in the dust, and become the prey of suffering, and approach more nearly to worms. happinesL An exact apportionment of Ver. 27.-Behold, I know your thoughts, happiness and misery to desert is a thing and the devioea (or, aurmisings) which ye that certainly in this life does not take wrongfully imagine against me. I know, place; but the tendency of virtue to accumu- ,.e., what you think of me. I e.m quite awe.re late to itself other goods is clear; and ,Job'a that you rege.rd me as he.ving brought my pessimistic view is certainly an untrue one, e.ffliotionB upon myself by wicked deeds, which we may suspect that he maintained, whioh I have succeeded in keeping secret. rather from a love of paradox, and from e. You he.ve not openly stated your surmises, desire to puzzle e.nd con1use hie friends, but it has been ee.sy for me to" read between than from e.ny conviction of ite absolute the lines," and understand thE\ true meaning truth. of•yciur insinuations, which e.re e.ll wrongful Ver. 81.-Who shall declare his way to •e.nd unjust. • , his faoel rather, Who shall denounce? i.e. • Ver. 28.-ll'oi: ye se.y, Where is the house Who will be bold enough to tell the rich of the prince 1 i.e." What has become of the and powerful man the.t ho is wicked? that house of the powerful me.n (Job himself)? . his "we.y," or course of life, is altogether How is it fa.lien and gone to decay 1" And wrong? And who shall rapay him what he where are the dwelling-places (literally, the hath done 1 Still less will any one be founu tent of .the hq.bitations) of the wioked l who will take upon him to attack such a Ag11in Job is intended, e.lthough the insult one, to prosecute him in courts, or otherwi,e is veiled by the plural form being used. bring him to condign punishment. Thus, Job supposes that his opponents will meet being castigt1ted neither by God nor man, his statement, that the righteous are afflicted he enjoys complete irnpunitv. and the wicked prosper, by pointing to his Ver, 82.-Yet shall he be brought to the own case as one in whfoh wickedness has grave; rather, he more011er is borne (in been punished. pomp) to the grave. Even in death the ad- Ver. 29.-Re.ve ye not asked them that go vantage is still with the wicked man. He by the way1 Job refers his opponents to. is borne in procession to the grave-a the first comer (-r~v t',r,&vrcz)-'-the merest mausoleum or e. family vault-by a. long train passer-by. Let them ask his opinion, and o.f mourners, who weep and lament for him., see if he does not consider that, as a general and pay him funeral honours. The poor rule, the wicked prosper. And do ye not know virtuous man, on the other bond, is hastily their tokens 1 or, their observatiom; i.e. the thrust under the soil. And shall remain in conclusions to which they have oome upon the tomb ; or, shall keep watch ovM his tomb. the subject from their own observation and The CLllusion is probably to the custom, experience. common certainly in Egypt and Phcenicia, Ver. 30.-These conclusions are now set of carving e. figure of the deceased on the forth. They 'are, that the wicked is reserved lid of his sarcophagus, to keep as it were for (or rather; spared in)'the day of destruo- • watch over the remains deposited within. Lion, o.nd that they shall be brought forth The figure was sometimea aocompo.nieJ by to (1'8.ther, removed out of the way in) the an inscription, denouncing curses on those day of wrath, This, according to Job, wo.s who should dare to violate the tomb or the popular seutiment of his time ; and, no disturb the remains (see • Records of the doubt, there is in all o.ges a lo.rge mass of Past,' vol. ix. pp. 112-114; and compare floating opinion to the same effect. Striking the anthor's 'History of Phcenicia,' pp. examples of wiokcdriess in high places draw 393-395). attention, and provoke indignation, and are Ver. 33.-The clods of the valley shall be much talked about; whence o.rises an idea sweet unto him. In his mausoleum, by the that such cases are commou, o.nd ultimately, side of the running etreo.rn, the very clods by au unsoientifio generalization in the of the valley, wherein his tomb is placed, vulgar miud, that they form the rule, o.nd not shall be sweet and plel\se.nt to him-death the exception to the rule. It requires some thus losing half its terrors, And all men power of intellect to take e. broad and com- shall draw e.fter him. Some explain this prehensive view over t.he whole of hume.n of the lengthy funeral procession which life, o.nd fairly to striku the bale.nee. Such follows his corpse to the gmve, and take the a. view seems to have been to.ken by Bishop neit chiuse of the multitude, not formi11g 368 TlrE BOOK OF .tt)B,
J16rl of the procet!eion. who gather together trl\velled 'the ee.me road and reaohod thl'! nt the mmb befol'C'he.nd, waiting to see the ee.me resting-plMe. 11bseq ufos; but, II.I! Rosenmiiller remarks, tbie Ver. Si.-Kowtli.en oomfortye mein vain, explRne.tion seeme preclnded by the preno11s seeing in your anawera there nmal.neth rn,·ntion of the funeral procession (~er. 82), fallehood t Your poeitibn, that the godly besides being otherwi@e nnsntiefe.ctory. The alwaye prosper, whifo the wioked arc nfflicted real reference ie probably to the common e.nd brought low, being an absohttely false topic of consolation impli<'d in the "Omnee one, your att.empts to console e.mi ·comfort codem cogimur" of Horace. He is happy me e.re wholly vain. and futile. _Why oon- in his death, or e.t any rate not 11nhl\ppy, tin-ae them? . ' Beeiug t.hat be only suffers the common fat.e. He will draw after him all future men, who Most commentators consider the ■eoond will likewise inevitably perish, Jost a■ there oolloquy here to end, and o. pa.use to oocur, are imlumerable before him, who have before Elipha.z reeumes the argument.