the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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THE MESSAGE
Job 40:4
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalDevotionals:
- DailyParallel Translations
I am so insignificant. How can I answer you?I place my hand over my mouth.
"Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
"Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
"I am not worthy; I cannot answer you anything, so I will put my hand over my mouth.
"Indeed, I am completely unworthy—how could I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth to silence myself.
"Behold, I am of little importance and contemptible; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.
"Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You? I put my hand on my mouth.
"Behold, I am of small account. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Beholde, I am vile: what shall I answere thee? I will lay mine hand vpon my mouth.
"Behold, I am insignificant; what can I respond to You?I place my hand over my mouth.
"Behold, I am insignificant. How can I reply to You? I place my hand over my mouth.
Who am I to answer you?
"I am too ashamed; I have nothing to say. I lay my hand over my mouth.
Behold, I am nought: what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
"I am not worthy to speak! What can I say to you? I cannot answer you! I will put my hand over my mouth.
Behold, I am unworthy; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
"Look, I am insignificant. What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Behold, I am vile! What shall I answer You? I will put my hand to my mouth.
Beholde, I am to vyle a personne, to answere the, therfore will I laye my hande vpon my mouth.
Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth.
Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer Thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth.
Behold, I am vile, what shall I answere thee? I wil lay my hand vpon my mouth.
Beholde, I am vyle, what shall I aunswere thee, [therefore] I wyll laye my hande vpon my mouth.
Hast thou an arm like the Lord’s? or dost thou thunder with a voice like his?
Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay mine hand upon my mouth.
and seide, What may Y answere, which haue spoke liytli? Y schal putte myn hond on my mouth.
Look, I am of small account; What shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
"Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.
"I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand.
"See, I am not important. What can I answer You? I put my hand on my mouth.
"See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Lo! I am of no account, what shall I reply to thee? My hand, have I laid on my mouth:
(39-34) What can I answer, who hath spoken inconsiderately? I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
"Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer thee? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Lo, I have been vile, What do I return to Thee? My hand I have placed on my mouth.
"Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth.
Contextual Overview
I Want Straight Answers
God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said: "I have some more questions for you, and I want straight answers. "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint? Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can? Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do. Unleash your outrage. Target the arrogant and lay them flat. Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees. Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them! Dig a mass grave and dump them in it— faceless corpses in an unmarked grave. I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you— you can surely save yourself with no help from me! "Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you. Grazing on grass, docile as a cow— Just look at the strength of his back, the powerful muscles of his belly. His tail sways like a cedar in the wind; his huge legs are like beech trees. His skeleton is made of steel, every bone in his body hard as steel. Most magnificent of all my creatures, but I still lead him around like a lamb! The grass-covered hills serve him meals, while field mice frolic in his shadow. He takes afternoon naps under shade trees, cools himself in the reedy swamps, Lazily cool in the leafy shadows as the breeze moves through the willows. And when the river rages he doesn't budge, stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild. But you'd never want him for a pet— you'd never be able to housebreak him!" 3 God then confronted Job directly: "Now what do you have to say for yourself? Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?" Job answered: "I'm speechless, in awe—words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth! I've talked too much, way too much. I'm ready to shut up and listen."I Want Straight Answers
God addressed Job next from the eye of the storm, and this is what he said: "I have some more questions for you, and I want straight answers. "Do you presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong? Are you calling me a sinner so you can be a saint? Do you have an arm like my arm? Can you shout in thunder the way I can? Go ahead, show your stuff. Let's see what you're made of, what you can do. Unleash your outrage. Target the arrogant and lay them flat. Target the arrogant and bring them to their knees. Stop the wicked in their tracks—make mincemeat of them! Dig a mass grave and dump them in it— faceless corpses in an unmarked grave. I'll gladly step aside and hand things over to you— you can surely save yourself with no help from me! "Look at the land beast, Behemoth. I created him as well as you. Grazing on grass, docile as a cow— Just look at the strength of his back, the powerful muscles of his belly. His tail sways like a cedar in the wind; his huge legs are like beech trees. His skeleton is made of steel, every bone in his body hard as steel. Most magnificent of all my creatures, but I still lead him around like a lamb! The grass-covered hills serve him meals, while field mice frolic in his shadow. He takes afternoon naps under shade trees, cools himself in the reedy swamps, Lazily cool in the leafy shadows as the breeze moves through the willows. And when the river rages he doesn't budge, stolid and unperturbed even when the Jordan goes wild. But you'd never want him for a pet— you'd never be able to housebreak him!"Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Behold: Job 42:6, Genesis 18:27, Genesis 32:10, 2 Samuel 24:10, 1 Kings 19:4, Ezra 9:6, Ezra 9:15, Nehemiah 9:33, Psalms 51:4, Psalms 51:5, Isaiah 6:5, Isaiah 53:6, Isaiah 64:6, Daniel 9:5, Daniel 9:7, Luke 5:8, Luke 15:18, Luke 15:19, Luke 18:13, 1 Timothy 1:15
what: Job 9:31-35, Job 16:21, Job 23:4-7, Job 31:37
I will: Job 21:5, Job 29:9, Judges 18:19, Psalms 39:9, Proverbs 30:32, Micah 7:16, Habakkuk 2:20, Zechariah 2:13
Reciprocal: Genesis 18:30 - General Genesis 44:16 - What shall we say Leviticus 13:12 - cover all Leviticus 13:23 - General 1 Samuel 7:6 - We have sinned 2 Samuel 6:22 - in mine 1 Kings 18:21 - answered Job 1:22 - charged God foolishly Job 13:2 - General Job 13:15 - but I will Job 13:22 - General Job 30:8 - viler Job 31:35 - Oh Psalms 106:33 - he spake Isaiah 43:26 - Put Isaiah 52:15 - kings Lamentations 1:11 - see Lamentations 3:29 - putteth Ezekiel 16:63 - and never Jonah 4:9 - I do well to be angry Zephaniah 1:7 - thy Matthew 15:27 - Truth Mark 14:31 - he spake Romans 6:21 - whereof 1 Corinthians 4:4 - yet Galatians 3:11 - that
Cross-References
In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, manager of his household affairs.
After Joseph had been taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, Potiphar an Egyptian, one of Pharaoh's officials and the manager of his household, bought him from them.
But the head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him.
Open up before God , keep nothing back; he'll do whatever needs to be done: He'll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Behold, I am vile,.... Or "light" a; which may have respect either to his words and arguments, which he thought had force in them, but now he saw they had none; or to his works and actions, the integrity of his life, and the uprightness of his ways, which he imagined were weighty and of great importance, but now being weighed in the balances of justice were found wanting; or it may refer to his original meanness and distance from God, being dust and ashes, and nothing in comparison of him; and so the Septuagint version is, "I am nothing"; see Isaiah 40:17; or rather to the original vileness and sinfulness of his nature he had now a sight of, and saw how he had been breaking forth in unbecoming expressions concerning God and his providence: the nature of man is exceeding vile and sinful; his heart desperately wicked; his thoughts, and the imaginations of them, evil, and that continually; his mind and conscience are defiled; his affections inordinate, and his understanding and will sadly depraved; he is vile in soul and body; of all which an enlightened man is convinced, and will acknowledge;
what shall I answer thee? I am not able to answer thee, who am but dust and ashes; what more can I say than to acknowledge my levity, vanity, and vileness? he that talked so big, and in such a blustering manner of answering God, as in Job 13:22; now has nothing to say for himself;
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth; impose silence upon himself, and as it were lay a restraint upon himself from speaking: it looks as if there were some workings in Job's heart; he thought he could say something, and make some reply, but durst not, for fear of offending yet more and more, and therefore curbed it in; see Psalms 39:1.
a ק××ª× "levis sum", Cocceius, Michaelis; "leviter locutus sum", V. L.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Behold, I am vile: what shall I answer thee? - âInstead of being able to argue my cause, and to vindicate myself as I had expected, I now see that I am guilty, and I have nothing to say.â He had argued boldly with his friends. He had, before them, maintained his innocence of the charges which they brought against him, and had supposed that he would be able to maintain the same argument before God. But when the opportunity was given, he felt that he was a poor, weak man; a guilty and miserable offender. It is a very different thing to maintain our cause before God, from what it is to maintain it before people; and though we may attempt to vindicate our own righteousness when we argue with our fellow-creatures, yet when we come to maintain it before God we shall be dumb. On earth, people vindicate themselves; what will they do when they come to stand before God in the judgment?
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth - An expression of silence. Catlin, in his account of the Mandan Indians, says that this is a common custom with them when anything wonderful occurs. Some of them laid their hands on their mouths and remained in this posture by the hour, as an expression of astonishment at the wonders produced by the brush in the art of painting; compare Job 21:5, note; Job 29:9, note.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 40:4. Behold, I am vile — I acknowledge my inward defilement. I cannot answer thee.
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. — I cannot excuse myself, and I must be dumb before thee.
