The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 456

OHAI'TER XXIX. he ie said to put their canclles out (eh. xviii. 6; xxi. 17). And when by his light I Vere. 1-25.-From these 'deep musings walked through darkness. The light or upon tho nature of true wisdom, e.nd the God's countenance shining about a man's contra.et between the ingenuity e.nd clever- path enables him to walk securely even through thick darkness, i.e. through trouble ness of man e.nd the infinite knowledge of and perplexity. God, Job turns to another contrast, which Ver. 4.-As I was in the days of my he pursues through two chapters (eh. xxi.x. youth; literally, in the days of my autumn e.nd xxx.)-the contrast between what he -by which Job probably means the days was and what he is-between his condition of his "ripeness" or "full manhood " - in the period of hie prosperity e.nd that to which he had reached when his calamities fell upon him. When the secret of God was which he he.a been reduced by his afflictions. upon my tabema.cle ; or, the eounsel of Cod; The present chapter is concerned only with when, i.e., in my tent I held sweet counsel the former period; and gives e. graphic de- with God, and communed with him as friend scription of the life led, in Job's time and with friend (comp. Ps. xxv. H:, "The secret country, by e. great chieftain, the head of o. of the Lord- is with them that fear bim : and he will show them hie covenant; " and tribe, not of· mere nomads, but of persons Prov. iii. 32, "For the froward is abomi- who ho.d e.tto.iued to e. considerable amount nation to the Lord: but his secret is with of civilization. 'fhe picture is one primitive the righteous "). in its features, but not rude or coarse. It Ver. 5.-When the"Almighty wa.s yet with is entirely un-Jewish, and has its nearest me. These are terribly sad words. Job, in his afflictions, has come to look on the A.l- parallel in some of the early Egyptian re- mighty as no longer "with him "-no longer cords, as the Stele of Beka, and the Instruc- on his side; but rather against him, an tions of Amen-em-bat (' Records of the enemy (see eh. vi. 4; vii. 19; ix. 17; x. 16, Past,' vol. ii. pp. 11-16; vol. x. pp. 7-10). etc.). When my ohildren were about me (comp. eh. i. 2, 4, 5). Ver. 1.-Moreover J'ob oontinued his Ver. 6.-When I wa.shed my steps with parable, and said (see the comment on eh. butter. Trod, as it were, upon fatness, xxvii. 1). moved amid all tha.t we.a gladsome, joyful, Ver. 2.-0h that I wereaein months past I and delicious. And the rock poured me out or, in the months of old. To Job the period rivers of oil. "The rock" is probably the of his prosperity seems long, long 11go-some- ground, rugged and stony, on which his thing far away in the mist of time, which olives grew. "Olives," says Dr. Cunning- he recalls with difficulty. As in the days ham Geikie, "flourish best on sandv or when God preserved me, Job never forgets stony soil" (' The Holy Land and the Bible,' to refer hie prosperity to God, or to be gro.te- vol. i. p. 138). They brought him in so (ul to him for it (see oh. i. 21 ; ii. 10; x. great a quantity of oil that the rock seemed 8-12, etc.). to him to flow with rivers of it. Ver. 3.-When his oand.le shined upon my Ver. 7.-When I went out to the ge.te head (comp. P$. xviii. 28, "For thou wilt through the oity ; rather, by the city, or ovef' light my CO.Il(lle: the Lord my God will against the city. 'l'he "gate" was the place onlighten my da1kneee "). A "candle," or where justice was administered, and public •• lamp," is II g.inero.l ey mbol in Scripture business genemlly despatchecl. It woulcl be for life 11nd prosperity. God is so.id to light "over against" the city, separate,1 from it men's cundles when ha blesses thew o.nd by o. large square or place (::i\;i:,), in which uio.kos his ciountenanoe to shine upon them; a multitude might assemble (see Neh. viii. oonveracly, when he withdrnwe hie fl\vour 1). Hither Job was accu~tomed to proccoJ  472 THE BOOK OF JOB. [on, Utx. 1-25,