Bible Commentaries

Job 10:5 — try me, and to take an order with me? Art not thou eternal, and dost thou not know in the indivisible moment of thine eternity, all what hath been, is, and shall be? "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world," Acts 15:18 ; yea, long before. The truth is, neither foreknowledge nor remembrance are properly in God, since all things, both past and future, are present with him, Romans 4:17 2 Peter 3:8 Jeremiah 1:5-7 Psalms 139:2 ; and all things without him are but as

Job 14:11 — or some great river, are separated and left (upon the reflux thereof) behind the rest upon the land, which cannot return (for then they must ascend, which is impossible to nature) nor continue, but do utterly dry up, and evaporate; sc, …, Job 14:11 . Others read it thus, As when the waters from the sea fail, the flood decayeth, and drieth up; so when man’s life is taken away, it returns no more while this world lasteth. God hath made in the bowels of the earth certain secret ways, passages,

Job 15:14 — righteous? What is man, that he should be clean? — Eliphaz hath now done chiding (it is but time he should), and falls to reasoning; wherein nevertheless he showeth himself an empty and troublesome disputer, urging again the same arguments as before, Job 14:17-19 , and not resting satisfied in a sufficient answer. Did Job ever assert himself clean? Said he not the clean contrary in many places? See Job 14:4 . Only as washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of

Job 15:29 — the earth. He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance, … — If he be rich, it is for a mischief, neither is it likely long to continue with him, for God will blow upon and blast his substance, which is the fort and strength, Isaiah 10:14 . He resolves he will be rich, 1 Timothy 6:9 , and is set upon it. God, to cross him, saith here, He shall not be rich, but I will make a poor fool of him, according to that Jeremiah 17:11 , "As the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them

Job 16:2 — kindness to your friend? Calvin noteth upon this text, That some comforters have but one song to sing, and they have no regard to whom they sing it. But St Jude’s rule is, Of some have compassion, making a difference; others save with fear, Judges 1:22-23 ; which while Job’s friends observed not, they were justly styled, "Miserable comforters."

Job 17:15 — where is my hope? sc. of restoration to my pristine prosperity, which you have so often promised me, who am now ready set upon the confines of death? Job was past the Cape of Good Hope in his own apprehension; but God turned again his captivity, Job 42:10 Qui nihil sperare potest desperet nihil. Who is able to hope for nothing, despairs for nothing. Job did well to propound death to himself, and prepare for it by such a before mentioned familiarity; but yet he should have better thought of the infinite

Job 17:2 — — Heb. If there be not mockers with me, q.d. despeream, let me be punished, or let me be blamed for wishing to argue it out with God; so some Jewish doctors sense it. Job had before complained about his friends’ jeering and girding at him, Job 16:20 . To be mocked in misery is no small aggravation. See what is threatened, Proverbs 1:26 . The proverb is, Oculus, fides, et fama non patiuntur iocos, There is no jesting with a man’s eye, faith, and fame. Junius rendereth the text thus, Forasmuch

Job 22:27 — did once to his courtiers soothingly, The king can deny you nothing. Iste vir potuit apud Deum quod voluit, said one concerning Luther, That man could have of God whatsoever he wanted. This David took (as well he might) for a singular mercy, Psalms 13:6 ; Psalms 66:20 . And thou shalt pay thy vows — i.e. Thou shalt return thy thanks, and so shalt drive a holy trade, as it were, between heaven and earth. Nulla tibi a Duo nisi gratias agendi occasio dabifur. Thou shalt have unmiscarrying returns

Job 26:8 — till brought by the winds whithersoever he pleaseth to appoint them, they drop upon the earth by little and little, to make it fruitful; this is a wonderful work of God, and should bring us to the knowledge of his power, wisdom, and goodness, Romans 1:19-20 Job 38:37 Jeremiah 5:22 .

Job 27:12 — behold, whereas all ye have spent your time in theological speculations, how is it that ye have taken up such vain opinions? The Hebrew runs thus, Behold, you all have seen, or are seers (and he that is now called a prophet was before time called a seer, 1 Samuel 9:9 ), ye are knowing men, and of great experience, why then do ye go against your own knowledge, by speaking vainly and vilely notwithstanding? Why then are ye thus altogether vain? — Heb. And why is this that ye are vain in vanity? sc

Job 27:9 — Then the hypocrite will cry, and make pitiful moans; as a prisoner at the bar begs for his life. Then Joab and Adonijah will run to the horns of the altar, who till then little cared to come there. But with as ill success they cry to God as Saul did, 1 Samuel 28:15 , and as other of David’s enemies did, Psalms 18:41 ; for either God answereth them not at all, Ezekiel 21:2-3 , or else he answereth them according to the idols of their hearts, Ezekiel 14:3 , gives them bitter answers, as Judges

Job 31:25 — flock; and therefore he would not cast his noise into the wind, and carry his crest the higher, for outward prosperity. If God should take what he had so graciously given, he would bear it not only patiently, but thankfully and fruitfully, as he did, Job 1:21 , suffering, with joy the spoiling of his goods, as having in heaven a more enduring substance, Hebrews 10:34 . And because mine hand had gotten much — Heb. Had found very much. This he speaketh in the worldling’s language, who ascribe

Job 31:5 — and covin in bargaining; by getting other men’s means fraudulently, … "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue" (or any the like indirect course) "is a vanity tossed to and fro for them who seek death," Proverbs 21:6 . Eventually such do seek death, though not intentionally; they spin a fair thread to strangle themselves, both temporally and eternally. Such vain and vile ways, therefore, Job carefully declined; for he knew them to be both base and bootless, Furtum

Job 34:10 — abominations (their omissions, commissions, and failings in the manner) as of their birth blot, which ever abideth with them while they are here, and is a seed plot of all sin. How then can God wrong any one? Surely it is inconsistent with God’s, 1. Nature, here; 2. Actions, Job 34:11 Job 34:3 . Will, Job 34:12 . And although he might, to show his sovereignty, punish men for his pleasure, Romans 9:20 , yet far be it from us to imagine that he will abuse his might and power to do anything unjust

Job 37:9 — τυφων the Greeks call it (as they do a like wind at sea ευροκλυδων , the mariner’s mischief), the Latins, vortex, because it turns up trees by the roots, houses by the foundation, Job 1:19 , and turbo, as breeding great trouble; for which cause also Pope Urban was called Turban. It suddenly ariseth and as suddenly ceaseth, but doth much mischief, and especially in strait and narrow places. In allusion whereunto the apostle would not

Psalms 12:5 — that] puffeth at him. For the oppression of the poor — Whose very oppression, though they complain not, hath a voice, and God will hear it, for he is gracious, Exodus 22:27 . He heard Hagar’s affliction, though she said nothing, Genesis 16:11 ; he heareth the young ravens that cry unto him by implication only. For the sighing of the needy — If it be but their breathing, Lamentations 3:56 , God can feel it, but the sighs of his people are effectual orators, Exodus 2:23-25 ; Exodus

Psalms 16:6 — The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant [places]; yea, I have a goodly heritage. The lines are fallen — In allusion to those lines wherewith they measured land when they parted it. See Deuteronomy 32:9 Psalms 105:11 ; Psalms 78:55 Acts 26:18 Ephesians 1:11 . David, having God for his portion, could say with Jacob, I have all things, Genesis 33:11 . Paul also saith the same, Philippians 4:18 , and further telleth us that, having nothing, he yet possessed all

Psalms 25:14 — secret of the LORD [is] with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him — It is neither learning nor labour that can give insight into God’s secrets, those Arcana imperii, Matthew 13:12 , the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, "the mind of Christ," 1 Corinthians 2:16 ; these things come by revelation rather than discourse of reason, and must therefore be obtained by prayer. Those that diligently seek him shall be of

Psalms 26:9 — Abraham’s bosom when they die. But this cannot be, as David well understood; and, therefore, both eschewed the life of a wicked person, and deprecated his death: Gather not, or take not away, … The righteous is taken away (Heb. gathered, Isaiah 57:1 , as men gather flowers and candy them, preserve them); with such to be gathered David would hold it a happiness, but not with sinners with sanguinaries; for such are gathered but as house dust, to be cast out of doors.

Psalms 4:2 — O ye sons of men, how long [will ye turn] my glory into shame? [how long] will ye love vanity, [and] seek after leasing? Selah. O ye sons of men — Ye nobles, Psalms 49:1-2 , who think to carry all before you with those big looks, and bubbles of words: ye who are potent at court, and therefore insolent above measure. David, having poured out his heart to God in prayer, takes heart of grace thus freely to bespeak these