Job 23:12

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Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Neither: John 6:66-69, John 8:31, Acts 14:22, Hebrews 10:38, Hebrews 10:39, 1 John 2:19

I have esteemed: Heb. hid, or, laid up, Job 22:22, Psalms 19:9, Psalms 19:10, Psalms 119:11, Psalms 119:103, Psalms 119:127, Jeremiah 15:16, John 4:32, John 4:34, 1 Peter 2:2

necessary food: or, appointed portion, Luke 12:42, Luke 12:46

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:33 - General 1 Kings 9:4 - And if thou 1 Kings 13:9 - For Ezra 10:6 - he did eat Nehemiah 8:12 - because Job 1:1 - perfect Job 1:8 - upright Job 4:6 - the uprightness Job 6:10 - have not concealed Job 24:13 - nor abide Job 33:9 - clean Psalms 1:2 - But his Psalms 19:7 - law Psalms 37:23 - steps Psalms 40:8 - I delight Psalms 44:18 - have Psalms 94:15 - and all Psalms 119:14 - rejoiced Psalms 119:20 - at all times Psalms 119:47 - which Psalms 119:143 - yet thy Proverbs 2:1 - hide Proverbs 2:10 - General Proverbs 10:21 - feed Isaiah 38:3 - I have Ezekiel 3:3 - it was Matthew 6:11 - General Luke 8:15 - keep John 15:7 - my Acts 17:11 - they received Romans 7:22 - I delight Colossians 3:16 - dwell Revelation 10:9 - Take

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips,.... From any of the commandments his lips had uttered; meaning not the ten commandments given to Israel, which perhaps as yet were not given, or had not come to the knowledge of Job; some speak of the seven commandments, given to the sons of Noah; :-. It seems to design any and every commandment that God had given to Noah or Abraham, or any of the patriarchs, before the times of Job, and which he had knowledge of, and which he carefully observed, kept close to, and did not deviate from; but made it the rule of his walk and practice:

I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food]; the words of the Lord, the doctrines of grace that came from his mouth, are food for faith; there are in them milk for babes, and meat for strong men; they are savoury, salutary, and wholesome words, by which the people of God are nourished up unto eternal life; and they are esteemed by them more than the food that is necessary and convenient for their bodies; see Proverbs 30:8; for as the soul is preferable to the body, so the food of the one is preferable to the food of the other, and is sweeter, as the words of God are, to the taste of a believer, than honey, or the honeycomb: or "I have hid or laid up, the words of his mouth" b; he had laid them up in his heart, in order to meditate upon them, and receive comfort and spiritual nourishment from them when he should want it, as men lay up their food in a proper place against the time they want it for their support and refreshment; and Job was more careful to lay up the one than the other; see Psalms 119:11; here Job meets with, and has respect unto, the advice of Eliphaz, Job 22:22; and signifies that he had no need to have given him it, he had done this already.

b צפנתי "abscondi", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Bolducius; "recondidi", Tigurine version, Beza, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens so Broughton.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Neither have I gone back - I have not put away or rejected.

The commandment of his lips - That which he has spoken, or which has proceeded out of his mouth.

I have esteemed - Margin, “hid,” or, “laid up.” The Hebrew is, “I have hid,” as we hide or lay up that which is valuable. It is a word often applied to laying up treasures, or concealing them so that they would be safe.

More than my necessary food - Margin, “or, appointed portion.” Dr. Good renders it, “In my bosom have I laid up the words of his mouth.” So Noyes, “The words of his mouth I have treasured up in my bosom.” So Wemyss; and so it is rendered in the Vulgate, and by the Septuagint. The variety in the translation has arisen from the difference of reading in regard to the Hebrew word מחקי mēchôqı̂y. Instead of this meaning “more than my portion” or “allowance,” the Septuagint and Vulgate appear to have read בחקי bēchôqı̂y - “in my bosom.” But there is no authority for the change, and there seems to be no reason for it. The word חק chôq, means something decreed, designated, appointed; then an appointed portion, as of labor, Exodus 5:14; then of food - an allowance of food, Proverbs 30:8; then a limit, bound, law, statute, etc. It seems to me that the word here means “purpose, intention, rule, or design,” and that the idea is that he had regarded the commands of God more “than his own purposes.” He had been willing to sacrifice his own designs to the will of God, and had thus shown his preference for God and his law. This sense seems to be the most simple of any, and it is surprising that it has not occurred to any expositors. So the same word is used in Job 23:14. If this be the meaning, it expresses a true sentiment of piety in all ages. He who is truly religious is willing to sacrifice and abandon his own plans at the command of God. Job says that he was conscious of having done this, and he thus had a firm conviction that he was a pious man.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 23:12. The commandment of his lips — The written law that proceeded from his own mouth.

I have esteemed the words of his mouth — Mr. Good has given a better version of the original: In my bosom have I stored up the words of his mouth. The Asiatics carry every thing precious or valuable in their bosom, their handkerchiefs, jewels, purses, &c. Job, therefore, intimates that the words of God's mouth were to him a most precious treasure.