Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

Ye yourselves have seen it - Your own experience and observation have shown you that the righteous are frequently in affliction, and the wicked in affluence.

Why then are ye thus altogether vain? - The original is very emphatical: תהבלו הבל hebel tehbalu, and well expressed by Mr. Good: "Why then should ye thus babble babblings!" It our language would allow it, we might say vanitize vanity.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it - You have had an opportunity of tracing the proofs of the wisdom of God in his works.

Why then are ye thus altogether vain - Why is it that you maintain such opinions - that you evince no more knowledge of his government and plans - that you argue so inconclusively about him and his administration! Why, since you have had an opportunity of observing the course of events, do you maintain that suffering is necessarily a proof of guilt, and that God deals with all people, in this life, according to their character? A close observation of the course of events would have taught you otherwise. Job proceeds to state what he supposes to be the exact truth on the subject, and particularly aims, in the following chapter, to show that the ways of God are inscrutable, and that we cannot be expected to comprehend them, and are not competent to pronounce upon them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it,.... As they were men of observation, at least made great pretensions to it, as well as of age and experience, they must have seen and observed somewhat at least of the above things; they must have seen the wicked, as David afterwards did, spreading himself like a green bay tree, and the hypocrites in easy and flourishing circumstances, and good men labouring under great afflictions and pressures, and Job himself was now an instance of that before their eyes:

why then are ye thus altogether vain? or "become vain in vanity"^F11הבל תהבלו "vanitate vanescitis", Pagninus, Junius & Tremellius, Michaelis, Schultens; "vel evanescitis", Montanus, Bolducius, Beza, Mercerus, Drusius, Piscator, Cocceius. ; so exceeding vain, so excessively trifling, as to speak and act against the dictates of their own conscience, against their own sense, and what they saw with their own eyes, and advance notions so contrary thereunto; as to affirm that evil men are always punished of God in this life, and good men are succeeded and prospered by him; and so from Job's afflictions drew so vain and empty a conclusion, that he must be a wicked man and an hypocrite.

Geneva Study Bible

(h) That is, these secret judgments of God and yet do not understand them.

(i) Why do you then maintain this error?

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

“Ye yourselves see” that the wicked often are afflicted (though often the reverse, Job 21:33). But do you “vainly” make this an argument to prove from my afflictions that I am wicked?

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

Have seen — I speak what is confirmed by your own, as well as others experiences.

Vain — To condemn me for a wicked man, because I am afflicted.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Job 27:12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen [it]; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

Ver. 12. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it] And can say as much to it as I can in these sc. that God afflicteth good men as well as bad, &c. Ecce autem cum vos omnes speculationibus (theologicis) operam dederitis, quare tam vanas opiniones habetis? So the Tigurine translation hath it; that is, But 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 while ye assert that God’s love may be known by prosperity, and his hatred by adversity; and while ye conclude me a hypocrite because afflicted? for so they had all done with one consent. Bildad, Job 8:13; Eliphaz, Job 15:34; and Zophar, Job 20:5. When as yet Job had given sufficient proof to the contrary; the matter was clear enough; but they did, data opera, for the nonce, obscure it: this was a vanity of vanities, and Job tells them as much.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

I speak no false or strange things, but what is known and confirmed by your own as well as others’ experiences.

Why then are ye thus altogether vain, in maintaining such a foolish and false opinion against your own knowledge and experience? Why do you obstinately defend your opinion, and not comply with mine, for the truth of which I appeal to your own consciences?

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

12.Ye yourselves have seen it — The facts he is about to adduce are in keeping with their views. Job has, indeed, several times intimated, what he now expresses, that the prosperity of the wicked is not uninterrupted.

Altogether vain — Literally, Vain in vanity, or vain even to vanity. Their folly partly consisted in making false use of the truth. The words they spoke coined themselves into a corresponding state of the heart, a truth forcibly implied in the verb , “to speak vainly,” (Gesenius,) “to be vain,” (Furst.) “Hollow opinions hollow out the man.” “They followed vanity and became vain.” 2 Kings 17:15.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

Job 27:12. Ye yourselves have seen it — I speak no false or strange things: but what is known and confirmed by your own experience, and that of others. Why then are ye thus altogether vain? — In maintaining such a foolish and false opinion against your own knowledge and experience?

Why do you so obstinately defend your opinion, and not comply with mine, for the truth of which I appeal to your own consciences?

Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible

Yet such teaching would only be a reminder of what they had already seen, so why were they acting so foolishly in ignoring such obvious truths?

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(12) Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it.—That is, “You have seen me so proclaim the great power of God.”

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

ye yourselves

21:28-30; Ecclesiastes 8:14; 9:1-3

altogether

6:25-29; 13:4-9; 16:3; 17:2; 19:2,3; 21:3; 26:2-4