Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary

Adam Clarke Commentary

Terrors are turned upon me - Defence is no longer useful; they have beat down my walls.

They pursue my soul as the wind - I seek safety in flight, my strong holds being no longer tenable; but they pursue me so swiftly, that it is impossible for me to escape. They follow me like a whirlwind; and as fast as that drives away the clouds before it, so is my prosperity destroyed. The word נדבתי nedibathi, which we translate my soul, signifies properly my nobility, my excellence: they endeavor to destroy both my reputation and my property.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Terrors are turned upon me - As if they were all turned upon him, or made to converge toward him. Everything suited to produce terror seemed to have a direction given it toward him. Umbreit, and some others, however, suppose that God is here referred to, and that the meaning is,” God is turned against me terrors drive as a storm against me.” The Hebrew will bear either construction; but it is more emphatic and impressive to suppose it means that everything adapted to produce terror seemed to be turned against him.

They pursue my soul as the wind - Margin, my principal one. The word “they” here, refers to the terrors. In the original text, the word תרדף tirâdaph agrees with בלהה ballâhâh terrors understood, for this word is often used as a collective noun, and with a singular verb, or it may agree with אהת כל - “each one of the terrors persecutes me.” There is more difficulty about the word rendered “soul” in the text, and “principal one” in the margin - נדיבה nedı̂ybâh It properly means willingness, voluntariness, spontaneity; then a free-will offering, a voluntary sacrifice; then largeness, abundance. Rosenmuller renders it, “My vigor.” Noyes, “My prosperity,” and so Coverdale. Jerome, “My desire,” and the Septuagint, “My hope passes away as the wind.” Schultens translates it, “They persecute my generous spirit as the wind.” It seems probable that the word refers to a generous, noble nature; to a large and liberal soul, evincing its magnanimity in acts of generosity and hospitality; and the idea seems to be, that his enemies rushed against that generous nature like a tempest. They wholly disregarded it, and a nature most generous and noble was exposed to the fury of the storm.

And my welfare - Hebrew my salvation; or my safety.

As a cloud - As a cloud vanishes and wholly disappears.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Terrors are turned upon me,.... Not the terrors of a guilty conscience, for Job had a clear one, and held fast his integrity; nor the terrors of a cursing and condemning law, for he knew he was justified by his living Redeemer, and his sins forgiven for his sake; nor the terrors of death, for that he had made familiar to him, and greatly desired it; nor the terrors of a future judgment, for there was nothing he was more solicitous for than to appear before the judgment seat of God, and take his trial there; but the afflictions that were upon him from the hand of God that was turned on him, who now hid his face from him, and withheld the influences of his grace and layout, and appeared as an enemy, and as a cruel one to him; the reason of all which he knew not, and this threw him into consternation of mind, and filled him with terror. Some^F19So some in Bar Tzemach in loc. read the words

"my glory is turned into terrors;'

instead of being in the honour and glory, prosperity and happiness, he had been in, he was now possessed of terrors and distresses of various kinds: others render the words, "he is turned against me, as terrors", or "into terrors", or "with them"^F20ההפך עלי בלהות "conversus est contra me, sicut terrores", Schmidt; "in meros terrores, vel cum terroribus", Michaelis. ; God cannot be turned or changed in his nature, in his will, counsel, purposes, and decrees, nor in his love and affection to his people; but he may turn in the outward dispensations of his providence according to his unchangeable will, as from evil to good, Jonah 3:9; so from doing good to evil, Isaiah 63:10; this is complained of by the church, Lamentations 3:3; and deprecated by Jeremiah, Jeremiah 17:17; or there is "a turn, terrors are upon me"; there was a very visible turn in Job's affairs in many respects, in his health, substance, and family, and particularly in this; while he was in his office as a civil magistrate, and in all the glory of it, he was a terror to evil doers; and young men, when he appeared, hid themselves for fear of him; but now those impudently rise up against him, and are terrors to him: or there is an "overthrow"^F21"Eversio", Schultens. , an overturning of things, as of his civil and temporal affairs, so of his spiritual ones; instead of that peace, serenity, and tranquillity of mind he had enjoyed; now nothing but terror and distress of mind on account of his afflictions and troubles:

they pursue my soul as the wind; terrors one after another; they pursued him closely, with great swiftness, and with a force irresistible, like the wind; they pursued his soul, his life, and threatened the taking away of it: the word for soul is not the usual word for it; it signifies "my principal one", as in the margin, as the soul is the principal part of man, the immortal breath of God, the inhabitant in the tenement of the body, the jewel in the cabinet, immaterial and immortal, and of more worth than the whole world; or "my princely one", being of a princely original, is from God, the Father of spirits, of a noble extract: Mr. Broughton renders it my "nobility", having princely rule and government in the body; that using the members of the body as its instruments; and especially it may be said to have such rule, when grace is implanted in it, as a ruling governing principle; and the Targum is, my principality or government: it may be rendered, "my free"^F23נדבתי "principalem meam", Mercerus; "meam principem", Vatablus, Piscator; "meam spontaneam", Pagninus, Montanus, Michaelis; "meam ultroneam", Drusius; "generosum meam spiritum", Schultens. , liberal, ingenuous, and munificent one: Job had such a generous and beneficent soul; but now all means of exercising generosity and liberality were cut off from him; and particularly he had find a free ingenuous one, as he was actuated by the free spirit of God, Psalm 51:12, where this word is used; but now terrors pursuing him, a spirit of bondage unto fear was brought upon him: some^F24Schmidt. consider it as an apostrophe to God, "thou pursues, my soul, O God", &c. but rather the meaning is, a distress or affliction pursued it, or everyone of the above terrors:

and my welfare passeth away as a cloud; or "my salvation"^F25ישעתי "salus mea", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; not spiritual and eternal salvation, that was firm and stable, being fixed by the unalterable decree of God, secured in the covenant of grace, and engaged for to be wrought out by his living. Redeemer, and of which he had an application by the Spirit of God, and was possessed of the blessings of it; and though the joys and comforts of it, and views of interest in it, may go off for a while, yet Job seems to have had a strong faith of interest in it, and a lively and well grounded hope of its being his, Job 13:15; but his temporal salvation, health, and happiness, were gone suddenly, swiftly, utterly, entirely, totally, as a cloud dissolved into rain, or dissipated by the rays of the sun, or driven away with the wind, so as to be seen no more; nor had he any hope of its being restored to him: some understand this, as Sephorno, of the salvation with which he had saved others; but it was no more in the power of his hands, and the remembrance of it was gone from those who shared in it; see Hosea 6:4.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

they — terrors.

soul — rather, “my dignity” [Umbreit].

welfare — prosperity.

cloud — (Job 7:9; Isaiah 44:22).

Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

Terrors — If he endeavoured to shake them off, they turned furiously upon him: if he endeavoured to out run them, they pursued his soul, as swiftly and violently as the wind.

John Trapp Complete Commentary

Job 30:15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

Ver. 15. Terrors are turned upon me] I am horribly afraid of thy judgments, as David expresseth it; and this was it that pointed and put a sting into all other sufferings; for a wounded conscience who can bear? If the shoulder be galled, the burden will be very tedious and irksome. Be not thou a terror unto me, Lord, saith Jeremiah, and then I care not much what else soever befalleth me. But why were these terrors so troublesome?

They pursue my soul as the wind] Brentius rendereth it, They pursue my liberality, or, They take away from me all the cheerfulness and readiness of my mind; whereby heretofore I suffered so many calamities, and shrank not; for the joy of the Lord was my strength, and then nothing came amiss to me. Thou hast strengthened me with strength in my soul, Psalms 138:3, and upheld me with thy noble spirit, Psalms 51:12. The Chaldee hath it, kingly spirit, and it is the same word in the original that is here rendered, my soul; it is, my princess, or, my nobility, for so the soul is the more noble part, Animam meam nobilem et inclytam (Vat.). David calleth it his glory, Psalms 16:9, and his darling, Psalms 22:20. Some of the Jewish doctors make it the same with welfare, in the words following; but that is not likely.

And my welfare passeth away as a cloud] i.e. Totally, as before; irresistible like the wind. Job aboundeth with similitudes, which do notably illustrate. Terrorum vim simili a vento illustrat, et salutem a se abeuntem similitudine nubis (Merl.). He would say, I am utterly deprived of all means of avoiding this misery.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Terrors, to wit, from God, who sets himself against me, and in some sort joins his forces with these miscreants.

Are turned upon me; are directed against me, to whom they seem not to belong, as being the portion of wicked men.

My soul, Heb. my principal or excellent one, i.e. my soul, which is fitly so called, as being the chief part of man; as it is called a man’s glory, Genesis 49:6, and his only one, Psalms 22:20, and which is the proper seat and object of Divine terrors, as his body was of his outward pains and ulcers.

As the wind, i.e. speedily, vehemently, and irresistibly.

My welfare; all the happiness and comfort of any life.

As a cloud; which is quickly dissolved into rain, or dissipated by the sun, or driven away with the wind.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

15.My soul — Literally, My honour. Genesis 49:6. In recognition of the soul as the nobler part of man.

As a cloud — Arabian writers frequently compare hopes and promises that are not fulfilled to a cloud full of promise, speedily dispersed by the wind.

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments

Job 30:15. Terrors are turned upon me — Many terrible things from God, who sets himself against me, and in some sort joins his forces with these miscreants, are directed against me, to whom they seem not to belong, as being the portion of wicked men. They pursue my soul — Hebrew, נדבתי, nedibathi, my principal, or excellent one; that is, my soul, which is properly so called, as being the chief part of man, and which was the proper seat and object of divine terrors, as his body was of his outward pains and ulcers; as the wind — That is, speedily, vehemently, and irresistibly; and my welfare — All the happiness and comfort of my life; passeth away as a cloud — Which is quickly dissolved into rain, or dissipated by the sun, or driven away with the wind.

George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

Nothing. Hebrew, "terror." (Haydock) --- Desire. Hebrew, "princess," reason. (Calmet) --- Protestants, "soul." Septuagint, "my hope has flown away like wind." (Haydock)

Mark Dunagan Commentary on the Bible

Job certainly no longer felt safe. He was surrounded by terrors, and the thought of what this rabble might do to him. He has lost all respect and safety. "The picture is strikingly violent. Job"s princely dignity, once so widely acknowledged is now blowing in the wind" (Strauss p. 297). The imagery in this section is of a man under siege from every direction, he is surrounded, like a wounded animal surrounded by a pack of hungry scavengers.

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

my soul = what is noble or excellent in me. Not nephesh (App-13) here, as in Job 30:16 and Job 30:25.

wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

They - terrors,

Soul, [ n

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Terrors

6:4; 7:14; 9:27,28; 10:16; Psalms 88:15

soul

Heb. principal one. as a cloud.

Isaiah 44:22; Hosea 6:4; 13:3