19 Also thou shalt lie down, H7257 and none shall make thee afraid; H2729 yea, many H7227 shall make suit H2470 unto thee. H6440
And the daughter H1323 of Tyre H6865 shall be there with a gift; H4503 even the rich H6223 among the people H5971 shall intreat H2470 thy favour. H6440
Then Abimelech H40 went H1980 to him from Gerar, H1642 and Ahuzzath H276 one of his friends, H4828 and Phichol H6369 the chief captain H8269 of his army. H6635 And Isaac H3327 said H559 unto them, Wherefore H4069 come H935 ye to me, seeing ye hate H8130 me, and have sent me away H7971 from you? And they said, H559 We saw H7200 certainly H7200 that the LORD H3068 was with thee: and we said, H559 Let there be now an oath H423 betwixt H996 us, even betwixt H996 us and thee, and let us make H3772 a covenant H1285 with thee; That thou wilt do H6213 us no hurt, H7451 as we have not touched H5060 thee, and as we have done H6213 unto thee nothing but H7535 good, H2896 and have sent thee away H7971 in peace: H7965 thou art now H6258 the blessed H1288 of the LORD. H3068 And he made H6213 them a feast, H4960 and they did eat H398 and drink. H8354 And they rose up betimes H7925 in the morning, H1242 and sware H7650 one H376 to another: H251 and Isaac H3327 sent them away, H7971 and they departed H3212 from him in peace. H7965
Therefore take H3947 unto you now seven H7651 bullocks H6499 and seven H7651 rams, H352 and go H3212 to my servant H5650 Job, H347 and offer up H5927 for yourselves a burnt offering; H5930 and my servant H5650 Job H347 shall pray H6419 for you: for him H6440 will I accept: H5375 lest I deal H6213 with you after your folly, H5039 in that ye have not spoken H1696 of me the thing which is right, H3559 like my servant H5650 Job. H347 So Eliphaz H464 the Temanite H8489 and Bildad H1085 the Shuhite H7747 and Zophar H6691 the Naamathite H5284 went, H3212 and did H6213 according as the LORD H3068 commanded H1696 them: the LORD H3068 also accepted H5375 Job. H6440 H347
Many H7227 will intreat H2470 the favour H6440 of the prince: H5081 and every man is a friend H7453 to him H376 that giveth gifts. H4976
Thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 The labour H3018 of Egypt, H4714 and merchandise H5505 of Ethiopia H3568 and of the Sabeans, H5436 men H582 of stature, H4060 shall come over H5674 unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come H3212 after H310 thee; in chains H2131 they shall come over, H5674 and they shall fall down H7812 unto thee, they shall make supplication H6419 unto thee, saying, Surely God H410 is in thee; and there is none else, there is no H657 God. H430
The sons H1121 also of them that afflicted H6031 thee shall come H1980 bending H7817 unto thee; and all they that despised H5006 thee shall bow themselves down H7812 at the soles H3709 of thy feet; H7272 and they shall call H7121 thee, The city H5892 of the LORD, H3068 The Zion H6726 of the Holy One H6918 of Israel. H3478
Behold, G2400 I will make G1325 them of G1537 the synagogue G4864 of Satan, G4567 which G3588 say G3004 they G1438 are G1511 Jews, G2453 and G2532 are G1526 not, G3756 but G235 do lie; G5574 behold, G2400 I will make G4160 them G846 to G2443 come G2240 and G2532 worship G4352 before G1799 thy G4675 feet, G4228 and G2532 to know G1097 that G3754 I G1473 have loved G25 thee. G4571
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 11
Commentary on Job 11 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 11
FIRST SERIES.
Job 11:1-20. First Speech of Zophar.
2. Zophar assails Job for his empty words, and indirectly, the two friends, for their weak reply. Taciturnity is highly prized among Orientals (Pr 10:8, 19).
3. lies—rather, "vain boasting" (Isa 16:6; Jer 48:30). The "men" is emphatic; men of sense; in antithesis to "vain boasting."
mockest—upbraidest God by complaints, "shall no man make thee ashamed?"
4. doctrine—purposely used of Job's speeches, which sounded like lessons of doctrine (De 32:2; Pr 4:2).
thine—addressed to God. Job had maintained his sincerity against his friends suspicions, not faultlessness.
6. to that which is!—Rather, "they are double to [man's] wisdom" [Michaelis]. So the Hebrew is rendered (Pr 2:7). God's ways, which you arraign, if you were shown their secret wisdom, would be seen vastly to exceed that of men, including yours (1Co 1:25).
exacteth—Rather, "God consigns to oblivion in thy favor much of thy guilt."
7. Rather, "Penetrate to the perfections of the Almighty" (Job 9:10; Ps 139:6).
8. It—the "wisdom" of God (Job 11:6). The abruptness of the Hebrew is forcible: "The heights of heaven! What canst thou do" (as to attaining to them with thy gaze, Ps 139:8)?
know—namely, of His perfections.
10. cut off—Rather, as in Job 9:11, "pass over," as a storm; namely, rush upon in anger.
shut up—in prison, with a view to trial.
gather together—the parties for judgment: hold a judicial assembly; to pass sentence on the prisoners.
11. (Ps 94:11).
consider—so as to punish it. Rather, from the connection, Job 11:6, "He seeth wickedness also, which man does not perceive"; literally, "But no (other, save He) perceiveth it" [Umbreit]. God's "wisdom" (Job 11:6), detects sin where Job's human eye cannot reach (Job 11:8), so as to see any.
12. vain—hollow.
would be—"wants to consider himself wise"; opposed to God's "wisdom" (see on Job 11:11); refuses to see sin, where God sees it (Ro 1:22).
wild ass's colt—a proverb for untamed wildness (Job 39:5, 8; Jer 2:24; Ge 16:12; Hebrew, "a wild-ass man"). Man wishes to appear wisely obedient to his Lord, whereas he is, from his birth, unsubdued in spirit.
13. The apodosis to the "If" is at Job 11:15. The preparation of the heart is to be obtained (Pr 16:1) by stretching out the hands in prayer for it (Ps 10:17; 1Ch 29:18).
14. Rather, "if thou wilt put far away the iniquity in thine hand" (as Zaccheus did, Lu 19:8). The apodosis or conclusion is at Job 11:15, "then shalt thou," &c.
15. Zophar refers to Job's own words (Job 10:15), "yet will I not lift up my head," even though righteous. Zophar declares, if Job will follow his advice, he may "lift up his face."
spot—(De 32:5).
steadfast—literally, "run fast together," like metals which become firm and hard by fusion. The sinner on the contrary is wavering.
16. Just as when the stream runs dry (Job 6:17), the danger threatened by its wild waves is forgotten (Isa 65:16) [Umbreit].
17. age—days of life.
the noon-day—namely, of thy former prosperity; which, in the poet's image, had gone on increasing, until it reached its height, as the sun rises higher and higher until it reaches the meridian (Pr 4:18).
shine forth—rather, "though now in darkness, thou shall be as the morning"; or, "thy darkness (if any dark shade should arise on thee, it) shall be as the morning" (only the dullness of morning twilight, not nocturnal darkness) [Umbreit].
18. The experience of thy life will teach thee there is hope for man in every trial.
dig—namely, wells; the chief necessity in the East. Better, "though now ashamed (Ro 5:5, opposed to the previous 'hope'), thou shalt then rest safely" [Gesenius];
19. (Ps 4:8; Pr 3:24; Isa 14:30); oriental images of prosperity.
make suit—literally, "stroke thy face," "caress thee" (Pr 19:6).
20. A warning to Job, if he would not turn to God.
The wicked—that is, obdurate sinners.
eyes … fail—that is, in vain look for relief (De 28:65). Zophar implies Job's only hope of relief is in a change of heart.
they shall not escape—literally, "every refuge shall vanish from them."
giving up of the ghost—Their hope shall leave them as the breath does the body (Pr 11:7).