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A  CRITICAL  AND  EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY 

ON 

THE    BOOK    OF    JOB 

BY 
SAMUEL  ROLLES  DRIVER,  D.D. 

AND 

GEORGE  BUCHANAN  GRAY,  D.Litt 
VOLUME  I 


The  International  Critical  Commentary 

A    CRITICAL    AND    EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY 

ON 

THE    BOOK    OF   JOB 

TOGETHER  WITH  A  NEW  TRANSLATION 


BY   THE   LAT 


/ 


SAMUEL  ROLLES  DRIVER,   D.D. 

REGIUS    PROFESSOR   OF    HEBREW   AND   CANON    OF   CHRIST   CHURCH,    OXFORD 

HON.    D.LITT.,  CAMBRIDGE   AND   DUBLIN  ;    HON.    D.D.,    GLASGOW   AND    ABERDEEN 

FELLOW   OF   THE    BRITISH    ACADEMY 

AND 

GEORGE  BUCHANAN  GRAY,   D.Litt. 

PROFESSOR   OK    HEBREW   AND   OLD   TESTAMENT    EXEGESIS    IN    MANSFIELD   COLLEGE 

AND  GRINFIELD   LECTURER   ON   THE   SEPTUAGINT     OXFORD 

HON.    D.D.,    ABERDEEN 


(IN    TWO    VOLUMES) 

VOLUME  I 


^m  CF  mnc^ 


^^0€KAL  SEH\^ 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

1921 


The  Rights  of  Translation  and  Reproduction  are  Reserved, 


PREFACE 


Some  eighteen  months  before  his  death  in  February  1914, 
Dr.  Driver  began  the  actual  writing  of  the  volume  on  "  Job  " 
for  the  "  International  Critical  Commentary."  In  the  middle 
of  January  19 14,  when  the  very  serious  nature  of  his  illness  had 
became  evident,  he  wrote  a  short  memorandum  on  the  state 
of  his  MS,  and  suggestions  for  the  completion  of  his  work. 
In  this  he  expressed  a  strong  desire  that  I  should  complete 
what  he  was  compelled  to  leave  incomplete.  The  task, 
I  knew  at  once,  would  be  arduous  and  absorb  much  time ; 
but  not  to  undertake  it,  or  to  do  less  than  my  best  to  dis- 
charge it,  would  have  been  an  ill  return  for  all  that  I  had 
long  owed  to  the  friendship  and  scholarship  of  Dr.  Driver. 
The  time  involved  has  even  exceeded  my  expectations,  partly 
because  what  remained  to  be  done  proved  so  much  more 
than  appeared  at  first.  Finding  that  the  mass  of  material 
would  be  very  great,  and  wishing  that  the  publication  of  the 
commentary  should  not  be  unduly  delayed.  Dr.  Driver  had 
earlier  invited  Dr.  A.  H.  McNeile  to  undertake  the  exegetical 
notes  and  the  Introduction,  and,  under  conditions  with  regard 
to  the  claims  of  other  work,  Dr.  McNeile  had  consented.  It 
was  naturally  my  own  very  strong  desire  that  this  arrange- 
ment should  stand,  and  at  first  Dr.  McNeile  agreed  that  it 
should,  and  indeed,  in  looking  through  the  MS  with  a  view 
to  his  own  part  of  the  work,  added  on  the  first  chapters 
some  brief  notes  which,  duly  initialed,  have  been  retained. 
But  later  the  claims  of  his  other  work  became  so  pressing 
that  he  wished  to  withdraw  from  co-operating  in  this  com- 


v!  PREFACE 

mentary,  and,  though  it  was  with  the  greatest  regret,  I  could 
but  acquiesce  in  his  wish.  Thus  by  far  the  greater  part  of 
the  work,  and  the  final  responsibility  for  the  whole  of  it,  has 
fallen  on  me.  Of  the  actual  division  of  the  work  I  will  speak 
further. 

In  the  memorandum  to  which  I  have  alluded,  Dr.  Driver 
wrote:  "I  began  this  in  Aug.  191 2;  and  have  completed 
the  first  draft  of  virtually  all  the  philological  notes,  and 
revised  them  as  far  as  about  c.  14:  I  have  also  completed 
virtually  the  translation  and  (fairly  completely)  the  ex- 
egetical  notes  on  c.  3-9  and  40-41."  When  the  material 
was  handed  to  me,  I  found  that  it  contained  less  of  the 
translation  than  this  might  seem  to  imply :  the  translation 
consisted  of  a  text  of  the  RV.  with  the  very  extensive 
alterations  placed  on  the  margin ;  occasionally  a  choice 
between  one  or  two  renderings  was  left  open  for  final  judge- 
ment. These  corrections  of  the  RV.  began  with  c.  3  and 
extended  (with  the  exception  of  ig^^-'^'^)  to  c.  28,  and  again 
from  40^^-41^*.  Of  these  parts,  then,  the  translation  in  this 
volume  is  Dr.  Driver's,  except  that  (i)  here  and  there  I  have 
modified  certain  renderings  of  the  RV.  left  uncorrected,  out 
of  regard  to  other  passages  or  express  statements  in  the 
notes;  (2)  that  I  have  exercised  the  final  judgement  as 
between  alternative  renderings ;  and  (3)  that  I  have  through- 
out determined  how  the  divisions  into  lines,  distichs,  and 
tristichs  should  be  represented.  The  exegetical  notes,  which 
extended  only,  and  that  with  very  varying  degrees  of  com- 
pleteness, from  3^-9^^  and  40^^-41^^,  were  not  in  form  for 
publication  :  in  another  part  of  the  memorandum  the  instruc- 
tion runs :  "  Such  exegetical  notes  as  I  have  written,  he  [the 
editor]  can  utilize,  supplement,  or  amend,  as  he  likes.  I 
should  naturally  like  the  explanations,  etc.,  of  my  Job  in 
the  R  V.  to  be,  as  far  as  possible,  adopted,  but  I  do  not 
make  this  a  sine  qua  non"  I  have  accordingly  incorpo- 
rated much  of  this  material  in  the  commentary  on  these 
parts  of  the  text;  to  have  distinguished  it  constantly  from 
the  additions  and  modifications  required  would  have  unduly 


PREFACE  Vii 

complicated  the  notes,  but  here  and  there,  especially  when 
my  own  judgement  sh'ghtly  differed  {e.g.  on  3^),  I  have 
made  use  of  inverted  commas  to  indicate  direct  quotation. 
Broadly,  however,  it  may  be  said  of  pp.  31-87  and  354-371 
that  the  notes  on  individual  verses,  as  distinct  from  the 
introductory  and  certain  longer  notes  {e.g.  on  pp.  40  f., 
'jy  f.),  are  very  largely  in  substance  and  largely  also  in  ex- 
pression, Dr.  Driver's.  For  the  rest  the  commentary  is, 
mine,  though  in  order  to  perpetuate  Dr.  Driver's  point  of 
view,  I  have  frequently  cited  not  only  his  Book  of  Job  in  the 
Revised  Version,  but  also  his  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of 
the  Old  Testament,  and  occasionally  I  have  transferred  to  the 
commentary,  as  being  more  appropriate  there,  a  passage 
from  the  philological  notes,  distinguishing  this  matter  by 
adding  "  Dr." 

With  the  philological  notes  I  have  adopted  a  different 
course.  It  was  to  these  the  greatest  attention  and  the  fullest 
revision  had  been  given.  It  seemed  desirable  then  (i)  that 
they  should  to  the  fullest  possible  extent  be  reproduced  and 
their  authorship  made  clear ;  yet  (2)  that  these  notes  should 
be  as  complete  and  homogeneous  as  possible.  I  have,  there- 
fore, while  adding  freely,  perhaps  to  the  extent  of  about  a 
third  of  the  whole,  distinguished  all  my  own  additions  in 
substance,  except  in  cc.  i.  2.  12^-^  and  ^2^'^'^,  which  are 
entirely  mine,  by  placing  them  in  square  brackets  ;  but  I 
have  not  thought  it  necessary  unduly  to  multiply  these  signs 
by  using  them  for  the  filling  in  of  obvious  references  left 
blank  in  the  MS,  nor  to  distinguish  slight  formal  changes 
made  in  preparing  the  MS  for  press,  or  in  proof.  As  men- 
tioned in  the  passage  already  cited  from  the  memorandum, 
cc.  1-14  had  been  more  fully  revised  than  the  rest;  some 
notes,  or  parts  of  notes,  were  still  unwritten  even  in  these 
earlier  chapters,  but  the  blank  spaces  in  the  MS  were  far 
more  frequent  in  the  later  chapters,  and  unfortunately 
occurred  where  many  of  the  most  important  or  difficult 
passages,  such  as  iq^^^-,  were  concerned. 

Final  responsibility  for  the  whole  must,  as  I  have  said. 


Vlll 


PREFACE 


under  the  circumstances  rest  upon  me ;  but  with  this  proviso^ 
the  distribution  of  the  work  may  be  thus  tabulated  : 


Translation. 

Commentary. 

Philological 
Notes. 

Driver     .     . 
Gray  ,    .    . 

3-28 

I.  2.  29-42  ; 
also  1925-27. 

(in  large  part). 

I.  2.  9^^-40^^.  42 

entire,  and  the 

rest  in  part. 

3-3  ^  32'-42^ 
(except   matter  en- 
closed  in  square 
brackets). 

I.  2.  32i-«  427-17 
and,     in      the     re- 
mainder,   matter 
enclosed      in 
square  brackets. 

For  the  Introduction  I  am  entirely  responsible. 

The  aim  of  the  philological  notes  is  indicated  in  these 
sentences  of  the  memorandum:  "On  philological  points  I 
found  there  was  a  good  deal  to  say,  and  1  wished  the  philo- 
logical basis  of  the  commentary  to  be  strong,  and  thought 
that  many  things  deserved  a  fuller  discussion  than  they 
generally  received  in  the  volumes  of  the  ICC,  Notes  and 
explanations  of  the  principal  emendations  of  Du.  and  Be. 
ought  also,  I  thought,  to  be  given  for  the  use  of  students 
(though  I  do  not  believe  myself  that  I  in  10  is  necessary  or 
probable), — sometimes  also  the  conjectures  of  Bi.  and  others 
(though  I  content  myself  mostly  with  merely  mentioning 
these  from  time  to  time,  and  do  not  polemize  against  them). 
...  I  have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  quote  exhaustively 
authorities  for  renderings  and  readings :  the  principal  recent 
ones  seemed  to  me  sufficient.  Improbable  conjectures  I 
have  also  omitted  (except  sometimes  those  of  Du.  and  Be^). 
An  emendation  quoted  at  the  end  of  a  note  is  not  intended 
to  imply  my  acceptance  of  it."  "In  textual  matters  I  gener- 
ally find  myself  in  agreement  with  Bu. ;  but  I  cannot  adopt 
his  view  of  the  Elihu  speeches.  I  intended  to  acknowledge 
generously  in  the  Preface  the  great  value  and  help  which 
Be"^  had  been  to  me.      But  I  cannot  accept  many  of  his 


PREFACE  ix 

emendations;  he  seems  to  me  often  hypercritical  and 
prosaic." 

On  account  of  the  extent  of  and  the  importance  attached 
to  the  philological  notes,  they  are  printed  in  the  larger  type, 
and  in  the  American  edition  issued  in  a  separate  volume. 

I  need  not  repeat  here  much  that  I  wrote  in  the  Preface 
to  Isaiah  ;  it  applies,  mutatis  mutandis^  to  the  present  com- 
mentary; but  in  the  matter  of  transliterations  I  may  observe 
that  owing  to  the  circumstances  under  which  the  present 
volume  has  been  prepared  there  remain,  much  to  my  regret, 
certain  inconsistencies — the  p,  for  example,  being  some- 
times transliterated  k,  sometimes  q;  and  similarly  different 
abbreviations  of  some  names  and  titles  will  be  found  to  have 
been  used;  but  I  trust  that  neither  the  one  inconsistency 
nor  the  other  will  occasion  any  practical  inconvenience. 

G.  BUCHANAN  GRAY. 


CONTENTS 


PRINCIPAL  ABBREVIATIONS  EMPLOYED 
Introduction.  .... 

§§    1-2.  Title  and  Place  in  the  Canon 
§       3.  Subject  and  Main  Divisions  . 

§§    4-6,  Literary  Form  . 

§§  7-31.  Origin  and  History  of  the  Book  of  Job:  Possible 
Sources  and  Additions  . 

(a)  Traditional  Elements  :  Names  and  Terms 

(b)  The  "  Babylonian  Job  "    . 

(c)  Relation  of  Prologue  and  Epilogue  to  the  Dia 

logue  :  the  Divine  Names  (§  19) 
{d)  Cc.  25-28    . 
{e)  Cc.  32-37  :  Elihu  (see  also  §  41) 

(a)  The  Divine  Names,  §  24 

(b)  'JN  and  'djx,  §  25 

(c)  Particles,  §  26 

{d)  Other  stylistic  features,  §§  27-29 
(e)  Aramaisms,  §  28      , 

(/)  Cc.  38^-42^  :  The  speeches  of  Yahweh 

Table  of  Original  and  Later  Elements  in  the 
Book  :  also  of  Passages  absent  from  ffi 
§§  32-41.  Purpose  and  Method  of  the  Writer 
§§  43-47.  The  Age  of  the  Book 

(a)  External  Evidence 

{b)  Political  and  Social  Conditions 

(c)  Parallel  Passages  . 

{d)  Theological  and  Religious  Ideas 

(e)  Language  . 


FACE 

xlii 
xix 
xix 

XX 

xxi 

XXV 

xxvil 
xxxi 

XXXV 

xxxviii 
xl 
xlii 
xliii 
xliv 
xlv 
xlvi 
xlviii 

xlix 

1 

Ixv 
Ixv 
Ixvi 
Ixvii 
Ixvlii 
Ixx 


Xll  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

§48-51.  The  Text  ••••••         Ixv 

§       52.  The  Rhythms  ,.•••••      Ixxvii 

Part    I,  Translation  and  Commentary  •  •  •  i 


ADDENDA    ET    CORRIGENDA. 


Translation  and  Commentary, 

P.  87.  For  **the  chambers  of  the  south"  in  9^,  F.  Pedes  (in 
Orient,  Studien  Fritz  Hommel  .  .  .  gewidmet  (1918),  ii. 
132)  suggests  '*the  (stars)  surrounding*  the  south,"  after 
the  rendering  of  0  'E^p.  in  the  Hexapla — Kal  irdvTa  to. 
darpa  t^  KVKkovvTa  votov  =  pH  ^^"in. 


PRINCIPAL  ABBREVIATIONS  EMPLOYED 


1.  TEXTS  AND  VERSIONS. 


'A,  Aq.   . 

AVm.  . 
EV{V).  . 
MS(S)     Ken., 

Rossi 
Oc,  Or(ient)  . 


OT. 

PBV.  . 
RVm.      . 

S,  Symm. 
G,  Theod. 
(&   . 


n'> 


•     • 


•     • 


.     Aqulla. 

,     Authorised  Version  (margin). 

.     English  Version(s). 
de     Hebrew  Manuscripts  as    cited   in    Kennicott  or  De 
Rossi. 

,  Occidental  (Palestinian)  and  Oriental  (Babylonian), 
see  G-K.  'jh  n. ;  and  for  the  readings  of  the  two 
schools  in  Job,  S.  Baer,  Liber  Jobi  (1875),  pp.  56-58. 

.     Old  Testament. 

.     Prayer  Book  Version. 

.     Revised  Version  (margin). 

.     Symmachus. 

.     Theodotion. 

,  The  ancient  Greek  (LXX)  Version  of  the  OT.  (ed. 
Swete,  Cambridge,  1887- 1894).  The  readings  of 
the  codices  are,  when  necessary,  distinguished 
thus:— (!&A  ^B  (Alexandrian,  Vatican,  etc.).  For 
the  cursives,  reference  has  been  made  to  Vet.  Test. 
Greece^  cum  variis  lectionibus^  ed.  R.  Holmes  et 
J.  Parsons  (Oxon.  1823),  which  is  cited  as  HP 
followed  by  a  numeral  denoting  the  cursive.  Edi- 
tions of  Job  contain  much  that  is  really  0  (see 
Introd.  §§  48-51) :  such  matter  is  commonly  cited 
as  (K  (9). 
.  .  The  Hebrew  (unvocalized)  text,  i.e.  the  consonants  of 
the  ordinary  Hebrew  MSS  and  printed  Bibles. 

,  The  consonants  of  the  traditional  Hebrew  text  (|!^) 
irrespective  of  the  present  word  divisions  and  after 
the  removal  of  the  vowel  consonants  (cp.  Isaiah^ 
p.  xxv). 

,     The  Coptic  (Sahidic)  Version  of  ffi  (§  48). 

.     Old  Latin  Version  of  ffi. 


XIV 


PRINCIPAL    ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 


The  Massoretic  Text  (i.e.  the  vocalized  text  of  the 
Hebrew  Bible).  Variants  in  the  Hebrew  codices 
have  been  cited  from  De  Rossi,  Varies  Lectio nes 
Vet.  Test.  ;  Kennicott,  Vet.  Test.  Heh.  ciini  variis 
lectionibiis  ;  or  R.  Kittel,  Bihlia  Hebraica. 

Targum  Onkelos. 

The  Syriac  Version  (Peshitta). 

The  Syro-Hexaplar  Version  of  ffi. 

Targum  :  C^  UT^  etc.,  first,  second  renderings  in  ^. 

Vulgate. 


2,  AUTHORS'  NAMES  AND  BOOKS. 

[See  also  the  literature  cited,  especially  in  the  Introduction,  §§  23  n.,  28, 
41,  45>  48,  son-.  51  «•] 

Anon.      •         t         .     Anonymous  Hebrew  Commentary,  ed.  W,  A.  Wright, 
with  Eng.  tr.  by  S.  A.  Hirsch  (1905) — later  than  Ibn 
Ezra  and  Qi. 
A/SL      •         •         •     Avierican  Journal  of  Seinitic  Languages  and  Litera- 
ture. 
Baer        .         •         .     S.  Baer,  Liber  Jobi,  1875. 
BOB       .         .         .See  Lex. 

Be[er,      G.]      Be^.     {i)  Der  Text  des  Biiches  Hiob  {\Sg'j)—Be^. 
Be^it-  (2)  Notes  in  R.  Kittel,  Bibl.  ffebr.—Be^K 

Bi[ckell,  G.]   .         •     (0  Carmina  VT  me  trice,  1882,  pp.  151-187. 

(2)  Krit.  Bearbeittiug  des  Job-Dialogs,   WZKMy  1892, 
pp.    137  ff-.   241  ff.,  327  flf.  ;    1893,  pp.    I  ff.,    153  ff. 
Cp.  (3).  Das  Btich  Hiob  nach  AnleitungderStropJiik 
u.    d.    Septttaginta   auf  seine    ursprilngliche   Form 
ZMrilck-gefiihrt  u.  ini  Versmasse  des  Urtextes  iiber- 
sclzt,  1894. 
•     Opera  Omnia,  Lugd.  171 2. 
,      Comnt.  in  Johum,  1631. 
.     (i)  Beitriige  zur  Kritik  des  B.  Hiob,  1876. 

(2)  Das  Buck  Hiob  (in  Nowack's,  Handkommentar\ 
I1896,  ^1913. 
.     See  G-B. 

.     The  Book  of  Job  trajislated,  etc.,  1858. 
K.]    .     {\)  Job  and  Solomon,  1887. 

(2)  Job  and  other  contributions  to  EBi. 
ChWB    .         ,         .     See  Levy. 

CIS         .         .         •     Corpus  Inscriptionum  Semiticarum,  Paris,  1881  fF. 
Cooke,  G.  A.  .     N[_orth\  S[emitic]  ^Inscriptions],  Oxford,  1903. 

Cox,  S.   .         .         ,     A  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Job,  1880. 
CP.         .         .         .     See  Rogers. 
Da[v[idson],  A.  B.       (i)  A  Commentary  on  the  Book  of  Job\\-y\v\  1862. 

(2)  The  Book  of  Job  in   The  Camb.  Bible  for  Schools^ 
1884. 


Boclifart] 
Bolducius 
BuLddc],  K. 


Buhl 

Carey,  C.  P. 
Ch[e[yne,  T. 


PRINCIPAL   ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 


XV 


DB         ,        .        . 

Del[itzsch,  Franz], 
Del[itzsch,  Fried.]. 

Di[llmann,  A.]        , 
Dr[iver,  S.  R.]        . 


W.] 


Du[hm,  B.] 

EBi. 

Ehrlich,  A.  B 

ET 

Ew. 

Exp. 
Forms 

Freyt[ag-,  G. 
G-B.       . 


Ges[enms,  W 
GGA       . 
Gi[nsburg-,  C 

G-K.      . 

Gr[atz,  H.] 
Gray,  G.  B. 


Ha[hn,  H.  A.] 
Hfm,  or  Hoftm. 
Hi[tz[igr,  F.]   .         . 
Hirzel  (or  Hrz),  L. 
Honth[eim,  J.] 


D.]. 


Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  and  in  particular^  Dicfimiary 

of  the  Bible,  ed.  James  Hastings,  1898-1904. 
Das  Buck  HLob  in  Biblischer  Comm.  il.  d.  AT,  ^1864 

(Eng.  tr.),  -1876. 
(i)  Assyrisches     Handworterhuchy      1896,      cited     as 

H  WB. 
(2)  Das    Buck    Hioh    neu    iibersetzt    u.    kurzerkldrt^ 

Leipzig-,  1902. 
Hiob  (in  K\xirzgefasstes'\  E\xegetisches'\  II[andbuch]), 

^1891. 
(i)  ^   Treatise  on  the   Use  of  the  Tenses  in  Hebrew^ 

31892. 

(2)  An  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old  Tested' 
ment  (abbreviated  LOT)y  '1913. 

(3)  7  he  Book  of  Job  in  the  Revised  Version,  1906. 

(4)  Notes  on  the  Hebrew  Text  of  the  Books  of  Samuel, 
21913. 

Das    Buch   Hiob  erkldrt  in    Marti's    Kurser    Hand- 

commetitar  zum  AT,  1897. 
Encydopcedia  Biblica,  edited  by  T.   K.  Cheyne  and 

J.  S.  Black,  1899-1903. 
Randglossen  zur  Hebr.  Bibel  {\<^\-^,  vi.  18&-344. 
Expository  Times. 

(1)  Lehrbuch  d.  Hebr.  Sprache, 

(2)  Die  Dichter  des  Alten  Bundes,  dritter  Theil,  '1854. 
The  Expositor. 

See  Gray,  3. 

Lexicon  Arabico-Latinunty  1830. 

Wilhelm  Gesenius  hebrdisches  u.  aram.  Handwor- 
terbuch  iiber  das  AT  »  »  ,  bearbeitet  von  Frants 
Buhl,  1^1915. 

The^^aurus\ 

Gottingische  gelehrte  Anzeigen. 

ui  ty-pn  nsD  nyaiNi  Dniyy,  i.e.  The  Old  Testament  in 
Hebreiv  according  to  MSS  and  old  editions,  1894. 

Gesenius'  Hebrew  Grammar  .  .  .  English  edition  by 
A.  Cowley,  ^1910  (  =  28th  German  edition,  1909). 

Emendationes  in  plerosque  .   .   .    VT  libros,  1892. 

(i)  Studies  in  Hebrew  Proper  Names,  1896  (abbre- 
viated HPN). 

(2)  \^A  Critical  and  Exegetical  Commentary  on]  Isaiah 
[i-xxvii]. 

(3)  {^^A  Forms  [of  Hebrew  Poetry],  1915. 
Commentar  iiber  d.  B.  Hiob,  1850. 

Hiob  nach  J.  C.  E.  Hoffmann,  1891. 
Das  Buch  Hiob  iibersetzt' u.  ausgelegt,  1874, 
KEH^  (1839),  see  Di. 

Das  Buch  Hiob  als  strophisches  Kunstwerk  nachgV' 
wiesen  Ubersetzst  u.  erkldrt,  1904. 


XVI 


PRINCIPAL   ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 


Houb[igant,  C.  F.] 

HPN     . 

I[bn]  E[zra],  Aora- 

ham  (t  1167) 
ICC 

Isaiah  .  .  • 
JBLit     . 

Jer[ome]  (t  420;  • 
JDT       . 

JPh  .  .  . 
JQR  .  .  . 
JThS      . 


Kamph[ausen] 
KB 


Ki  . 

Klo[stermann, 
K6n[ig,  E.]    . 


A.], 


K6nigsb[erger,  B. 
Kue[nen,  A.] . 

Lane,  E.  W.  . 
Lex         • 


Levy,  J. 


Lidz[barski,  M.] 

LOT      . 

Matthes,  J.  C. 
Me[rx,  A.] 
Meyer,  E. 
Mich[aelis,  J.  li.] 
NH{  H')B        . 
N61[d[eke,  T.] 
Nichols,  Helen  H. 


Nofce  criticcB  in  universos  VTUbros,  H.  155-218(1777), 

See  Gray,  1. 

Hebrew  Comm.  on  Job  in  Buxtorf  s  Biblia  Rabbinica, 

International  Critical  Commentary^ 
See  Gray,  2. 
Journal  of  Biblical  Literature, 

Jdhrbiicher f.  deutsche  Theologie* 

Journal  of  Philology, 

Jewish  Quarterly  Review^ 

Journal  of  Theological  Studies, 

Die  Keilinschriften  u.  d.  A  T,  von  Eberhard  Schrader, 

dritte  Auflage  neu  bearbeitet  von  H.  Zimmem  u.  H. 

Winckler,  1903. 
In  Bunsen's  Bibelwerk^  Abth.  i.  Bd.  3,  1865. 
Keilinschriftliche  Bibliotheky  von  E.  Schrader,  1889- 

1901. 
See  Qi. 

Hiob  in  PRE  viii.  97-126. 
Historisch-Kritisches    Lehrgehaude    der   Hebrdischen 

Sprachey  1881,   1895  :  the  concluding  volume  (cited 

as  Kon.  iii.  or  simply  Kon.)  appeared  in  1897  with 

a    fresh    title,    Historisch-comparative   Syntax    d. 

Hebr.  Sprache. 
Hiob  Studieny  1896. 
Historisch-Kritisch  Onderzoek  naar  het  Ontstaan  •  •  • 

van  de  Boeken  des  Ouden  Verbondes,  ^1865. 
An  Arabic-English  Lexicon,  1863. 
Lexicon,  and  unless  otherwise  defined  A  Hebrew  and 

English  Lexicon  of  the  Old  Testament  based  on  the 

Thesaurus  of  Gesenius,  by  F.  Brown,  C.  A.  Briggs, 

and  S.  R.  Driver,  Oxford,  1906. 
(i)  ChWBy    i.e.,    Chalddisches  Worierbuch   iiber   die 

Targumimy  Leipzig,  1881. 
(2)  NHWBy  \.e. y  Neuhebrdisches  u.  Chalddisches  Wor- 

terbuch  iiber  die  Talmudim  u.  Midraschiniy   1876- 

1889. 
(i)  Handbuch  d.  Nordsem.  Epigraphiky  18^— NSE. 
(2)  Eph\emeris  f,  sem.  Epigraphiky  1900  ff. 
See  Dr.  2. 

Het  Boekjob  vertaald  en  verklaardy  1865. 
Das  Gedicht  von  Hiob,  1871. 

\_Die\  I[sraeliten  u.  ihre]  Nlachbar]  S[tdmme\  1906^ 
Annotationes  in  Hagiogr, 
See  Levy,  2. 

Beitr[age  zur  sem.  Sprachwissenschaff],  1904. 
The    Composition  of  the  Elihu  Speeches  (in  AJSL, 

vol.  xxvii.,  191 1,  and  printed  separately). 


PRINCIPAL    ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 


XVU 


NSE       , 
NSI 

01[sh[ausen,  J.] 
Oo[rt,  H.]      . 

P[ayne]  S[mith,  R.] 
Pe[a[ke,  A.  S.]        . 
PEFQuSt       . 
Pedes,  F. 
PL.        .        .        , 
PRE      . 

Q».  ... 

Ralbag-  .        . 

Ra[shi]  . 


RB 


R[ei]sk[e,  J.  J.] 
REJ       . 
Renan,  E. 
Richter,  G.     . 
Rogers,  R.  W. 
Ros[enmuller] 
Saad.      . 
Sam[uelf 
Schl[ottmann] 
Schnurrer 
Schult[ens,  A.] 
S[ie]gf[ried,  C] 

Sievers,  E.     • 


Sta[de,  B.] 


St[ick]el . 

Strahan,  J.  .  . 
Stu[der,  G.  L.] 
Stuhl[mann,  M.  H.] 
Thomson,  W.  M.  . 
Tristram,  H.  B.  . 
TSK  . 
Voi[gt,Cl.]    .         . 


See  Lidz. 

See  Cooke. 

KEH^{\Ss2):  see  Di. 

Textus  Hehraici  emendationes  quihus  in    VT  Neer- 

landice  vertendo  usi  sunt  A.  Kuenen  aL 
Thesaurus  Syriacus,  1900. 
The  Century  Bible  :  Job,  1905. 
Palestine  Exploration  Fund  Quarterly  Statement, 
Analekten  zur  Textkritik  des  AT,  1895. 
Migne,  Paleologia  Latina. 
Herzog's  Real-Encyklopddie  f.  Protestantische  Theo- 

logiey  3rd  ed.  by  A.  Hauck. 
David  Qimhi  (ti23o). 
R[abbi]  L[evi]b[en]  G[ershon]  (11344):  Heb.  Comm. 

in  Buxtorfs  Biblia  Rabbinica. 
R[abboni]  Sh[elomoh]  Y[ishaki]  (1040-1105). 

Hebrew  Commentary  on  Job  in  Buxtorfs  Bihl. 

Rabbinica. 
Revue    Biblique    Internationale  publide  par  V^cole 

pratique    d Etudes    Bibliques    ^tablie    au    convent 

Dominicain  Saint- Atienne  de  Jerusalem  (Paris). 
Conjecture  in  Jobum  et  Proverbia,  Lips.  1779. 
Revue  des  £tudes  Juives. 
Le  livre  de  Job,  i860. 
Dunkle  Stellen  im  Buche  Hiob,  191 2. 
C[unei/orm]  P[arallels  to  the  Old  Testament], 
Jobus,  Lips.  1806. 
Saadiah  (f  942). 
See  Dr.  4. 
D.  B.  Hiob,  1 851. 

Animadversiones  ad  qucedam  locajobi,  Tiib.  178 1-2. 
Liber  Jobi,  Lugd.  1737. 
The  Book  of  Job ,  critical  edition  of  the  Hebrew  Text, 

1893. 
Metrische  Studien  in  the  Abhandlungen  der  phil.-hist. 

classe  d.  konig.  sdchsischen  Gesellschaft  d.   Wissen- 

schaften,  xxi.  (1901).     The  Textproben  include  Job 

3-7- 
(i)  Lebrbuch  d.  hebr.  Sprache,  1879. 
(2)   JF^  =  Siegfried,   C.  u.  Stade,   B.,    Hehr.    Worter- 

buch  zum  A  T. 
Das  Buch  Hiob,  1842. 
The  Book  of  Job  interpreted,  191 3. 
Das  Buch  Hiob,  i88i. 
Hiob,  1804. 

The  L[and  and  the]  Biook],  1867. 
{The]  Niatural]  H\istory  of  the]  B{ible],  1867. 
Theologische  Studien  u.  Kritiken. 
Einige  Stellen  d.  B.  Hiob,  Lauban,  1895. 


Xvill  PRINCIPAL    ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 

WeHlh.] .  .  .  Wellhausen,  J. 

Wetz[stein]  .  .  Notes  in  Del. 

Wr[ight,  G.  H.  B.]  The  Book  of  Job,  1883. 

WZKM  ,  .  Wiener  Zeitschrift  f,  d.  Kunde  des  Morgenlandes. 

ZA          ,  •  .  Zeitschrift f.  d.  Assyriologie. 

ZA{T)W  .  .  Zeitschrift f  d.  Alttestamentliche  Wissenschaft. 

ZDMG  .  .  Zeitschr.  d.  deutschen  morgenldndischen  Gesellschaft. 

ZDPV  .  .  .  Zeitschrift  d.  deutschen  Pdlastina-Veriins. 

Biblical  passages  are  cited  according  to  the  Hebrew  enumeration  of 
chapters  and  verses  :  where  this  differs  from  the  English  envjmeration,  the 
reference  to  the  latter  has  commonly  (except  in  the  philological  notes)  been 
added  in  a  parenthesis.  In  the  translation  of  c.  41,  however,  it  seemed  more 
convenient  to  place  the  English  enumeration  first. 

The  sign  f,  following  a  series  of  references,  indicates  that  all  examples 
of  the  phrase,  word,  form  or  meaning  in  question,  occurring  in  the  OT, 
have  been  cited. 

The  signs  •"  ^  enclosing  words  in  the  translation  {e.g.  3^**)  indicate  depart- 
ures from  f^  (occasionally  also  departures  even  from  IH  have  been  so 
indicated).  Small  print  in  the  translation  indicates  probable  additions,  and 
unleaded  type  the  longer  interpolations  of  cc.  28.  32-37. 

al.  =  alii  (others). 

Cp.=  Compare. 

Ct.=  Contrast 


INTRODUCTION 


I.  Title  and  Place  in  the  Canon. 

§  I.  The  Book  of  Job  is  one  of  the  eleven  books  which  con- 
stitute the  third  of  the  three  parts  of  which  the  Hebrew  Scrip- 
tures, D^ain:)1  D'^K^D:  min,  consist.  In  printed  Hebrew  Bibles  it 
takes  the  third  place  among  those  eleven  books,  following  Ps. 
and  Pr.  This  order  goes  back  to  Hebrew  MSS,  especially 
those  of  German  provenance  ;  but  other  arrangements  occur  in 
other  MSS  or  Jewish  lists.  Job  preceding  Pr.  in  the  Talmudic 
list  (Baba  BathrUj  14b)  and  in  many  MSS,  especially  the 
Spanish,  and  preceding  both  Ps.  and  Pr.  in  Jer.'s  list  of  the  third 
part  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures. ^  But  of  Jewish  arrangements 
it  may  be  said  (i)  that  Job  is  generally  grouped  together  with 
the  poetical  books  Ps.  and  Pr.  ;  and  (2)  that  this  group  gener- 
ally stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  Hagiographa  (and  conse- 
quently immediately  after  the  prophets),  or  preceded  by  one 
book  only  (Ruth  or  Ch.).2 

In  ffi  and  in  Greek  and  Latin  lists,  owing  to  the  abandon- 
ment of  the  Jewish  tripartite  division,  the  different  positions 

^  Prol.  Gal.  {Prcef.  in  Libr.  Samuel  ei  Malachim) :  "  Tertius  ordo 
'Ayi6ypa<pa  possidet ;  et  primus  liber  incipit  ab  /ob.  Secundus  a  David, 
.  .  .  Tertius  est  Salamon."  The  premier  position  thus  given  to  Job  was 
probably  due  to  a  chronological  consideration,  such  as  is  cited  and  rejected 
in  Baba  Bathra,  14b  :  "  The  order  of  the  Kethubim  is  Ruth,  the  Book  of 
Psalms,  Job  and  Proverbs,  etc.  .  .  .  Now,  if  it  be  said,  Job  lived  in  the 
days  of  Moses,  Job  therefore  should  be  placed  at  the  head :  verily  we  do 
not  begin  with  calamity." 

-  Some  exceptions  to  both  these  general  rules  are  recorded  in  H.  E. 
Ryle,  The  Canon  of  the  Old  Testament^  281  f.  More  generally  on  the  place 
of  Job  in  lists,  Jewish  and  others,  see  Ryle,  op.  cit.  ch.  xii,,  and  Swete, 
Jntrod.  to  the  OT  in  Greeks  part  ii,  ch.  i. 


XX  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [§§  1-S. 

assigned  to  Job  become  far  more  numerous.  **  Much  difficulty 
seems  to  have  been  felt  as  to  the  place  of  Job  :  the  book 
normally  appears  in  connexion  with  the  poetical  books,  either 
last  or  first,  but  it  is  sometimes  placed  among  the  histories 
(Augustine,  Innocent,  Cod.  Clarom.,  Ps.-Gelasius,  Cassio- 
dorius),  or  after  the  Prophets."^  In  EV.,  under  the  influence 
of  what  had  come  to  be  the  standard  arrangement  of  U,^  the 
book  stands  in  an  ambiguous  position — last  of  the  historical  or 
first  of  the  poetical  books.  In  deference  to  theories  connecting 
Job  with  Moses  or  his  age,  the  book  was  placed  in  &  between 
Deut.  and  Jos.^  In  Epiphanius  {de  mens  et  pond.  2'^  it  stands 
between  Jos.  and  Judges. 

§  2.  Like  Joshua  or  Ruth,  the  book  bears  as  its  title  simply 
the  name  of  its  hero — 3VN,  *Ift)/S.  The  dissyllabic  Hebrew 
name  'lyyob  became  in  F  Job,  and  hence  in  EVV.  mono- 
syllabic. 

II.  Subject  and  Main  Divisions. 

§  3.  The  Book  of  Job  contains  (i)  the  story  of  the  sudden 
change  in  the  fortunes  of  a  sheikh  of  ancient  times,  and  (2)  the 
speeches  in  a  discussion  arising  out  of  this.  Job,  so  the  story 
runs,  was  a  man  conspicuous  for  his  wealth  and  good  fortune 
which  he  had  long  enjoyed,  but  not  less  so  for  his  character, 
which  was  beyond  reproach  from  either  God  or  man.  On  a 
single  day  he  was  stripped  of  all  his  possessions  and  of  all  his 
children,  and  shortly  afterwards  smitten  with  a  fell  disease. 
The  occasion  of  this  tragic  change  remains  unknown  to  Job, 
but  the  reader  is  at  once  acquainted  with  it.  One  day  when 
Yahweh  in  heaven  was  surrounded  by  the  sons  of  the  gods,  He 
commends  Job  to  the  attention  of  one  of  them,  the  Satan,  as  the 

1  Swete,  op.  cit.  228. 

2  MSS  of  ^  show  many  different  positions  of  Job  (S.  Berger,  Histoire  de 
la  Vulgate,  331-339) :  the  still  prevailing  arrangement  according  to  which 
Job  follows  the  historical  books  and  immediately  precedes  Ps.  became  fixed 
in  the  13th  cent.  (Berger,  p.  304). 

*  Job  is  also  mentioned  in  this  order  in  Jer.  Ep.  liii,  ("Ad  Paulinum"  • 
Migne,  PL  xxii.  545).  *'  Saint  Jerome,  qui  ^crivait  en  Syrie,  s'est-il  inspir^ 
de  T'usage  des  populations  qui  I'entouraient  ?  "  (Berger,  op.  cit.  p.  305). 


§§  3-4.]  SUBJECT   AND    MAIN    DIVISIONS  XXl 

best  man  on  earth.  The  Satan  at  once  disputes  the  depth  of 
Job's  piety:  it  is,  he  suggests,  but  skin-deep:  if  Job  be 
deprived  of  his  wealth,  he  will  abandon  his  fear  of  God  and 
blaspheme.  Yahweh  permits  the  Satan  to  put  the  matter 
to  the  test.  The  Satan  strips  Job  of  his  wealth ;  but  Job 
stands  the  test.  The  Satan  then  with  equal  unsuccess  tests 
Job  by  depriving  him  also  of  his  health.  Job's  wife,  indeed, 
now  breaks  down,  and  bids  her  husband  curse  God  and  die ; 
but  Job  himself  still  with  undiminished  piety  accepts  everything 
in  a  spirit  of  resignation.  After  an  interval  of,  it  is  implied 
(see  n.  on  1^^"^^),  at  least  some  weeks,  three  friends  of  Job 
come  to  comfort  him,  and  for  seven  days  sit  silently  with  him. 
Job  then  breaks  the  silence  in  a  monologue  raising  the  question 
why  he  and  other  sufferers  are  born  or  compelled  to  live.  There 
follow  two  cycles  each  of  six  speeches,  one  by  each  of  the  three 
friends  and  an  answer  to  each  by  Job,  and  a  third  cycle  which, 
whether  so  originally  or  not,  is  now  incomplete,  two  only  of 
the  friends  taking  part  in  it.  In  these  speeches  the  friends 
assert  and  Job  denies  that  his  calamities  are  due  to  his  sin.  After 
Job's  speech  at  the  conclusion  of  the  third  cycle,  a  new  speaker, 
Elihu,  intervenes  at  great  length.  Then  Yahweh  replies  to 
Job,  eliciting  brief  responses  from  him.  After  the  speeches  the 
story  is  resumed :  taking  no  account  of  Elihu,  Yahweh  con- 
demns what  the  three  friends  had  said,  approves  what  Job  had 
said,  and  restores  to  him  twice  his  former  wealth.  Thus  five 
main  divisions  of  the  existing  book  are  clearly  marked : 

1.  Introduction  or  Prologue,  1-2. 

2.  Speeches  of  Job  and  the  three  Friends,  3-31. 

3.  Speeches  of  Elihu,  32-37. 

4.  Speeches  of  Yahweh  with  Job's  responses,  38^-42^. 

5.  Conclusion  or  Epilogue,  42^"^^. 

For  fuller  analysis  of  the  book  see  §  31 ;  and  cp.  §§  32-41. 

III.  Literary  Form. 

§  4.  On  the  ground  of  the  subject  discussed  in  the  speeches 
(§§  3>  32-41)5  Job  has  commonly  and  appropriately  been  classed 
with    Pr.,    Qoh.,    Sir.,   and   Wisdom    as    belonging  to    the 


XXll  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [§  4. 

**  Wisdom  *'  or  reflective  literature^  of  the  Jews  in  which 
human  life  is  considered  broadly  without  the  overruling 
national  interest  that  characterizes  most  other  Hebrew  litera- 
ture. But  in  two  matters  of  form  Job  differs  from  these  other 
specimens  of  Jewish  wisdom : — (i)  in  its  combination  of  prose  and 
poetry,^  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue  being  prose, ^  the  speeches 
poetry:  and  (2)  in  its  use  of  dialogue.*  Something  distantly 
similar  to  both  these  characteristics  of  the  book  may  be  found 
in  other  Hebrew  literature ;  but  the  resemblances  are  partial, 
and  the  book  of  Job  remains  unique  not  only  in  the  '*  Wisdom," 
but  in  the  entire  literature  of  the  Jews.^ 

iSee,  e.g.,  C.  H.  Toy,  "Wisdom  Literature,"  in  EBi. -.  Dr.  LOT 
392-394  ;  W.  T.  Davison,  The  Wisdom  Literature  of  the  O.  T.  :  C.  Sieg-fried, 
"Wisdom,"  in  DB. 

^  Pr.  and  Sir.  are  poetry  throug-hout ;  Wisdom — written  in  Greek— is 
written  throughout  in  a  style  strongly  affected  by  Hebrew  parallelism, 
possibly  also  by  Hebrew  rhythm  ;  whether  on  this  account  it  should  be 
termed  poetry  or  prose  may  here  be  left  an  open  question  (cp.  Forms  of 
Hebrew  Poetry,  32  f.,  136).  Qoh.  **  is  written,  as  a  whole,  in  prose  ;  but  when 
the  thought  becomes  elevated,  or  sententious,  it  falls  into  the  poetical  form 
of  rhythmic  parallelism "  (Dr.  LOT^  465) :  yet  even  though  this  be  so, 
the  distribution  of  prose  and  poetry  in  Job  and  Qoh.  is  entirely  different : 
in  Job  the  prose  parts  are  prose  not  passing  into  poetry,  and  the  poetry  is 
sustained  poetry  not  dropping  into  prose. 

'  Prose  also  are  the  formulae  introducing  the  several  speeches  (3^*  ^  4'  6^ 
etc.)  and  the  longer  introduction  to  Elihu's  speeches  (32^'^*).  The  distinction 
between  poetry  and  prose,  already  mentioned  by  Jer.  {Prcef.  in  Lib.  fob :  PL 
xxvii.  1081),  is  imperfectly  marked  in  |Hby  the  use  of  two  different  systems 
of  accentuation — the  ordinary  system  in  1^-3^  and  42'"",  the  system  emploj'ed 
in  Pr.  and  Ps.  in  3^-42*,  including  the  prose  of  32^'^*  and  the  introductory 
formutae. 

*  Perhaps  we  might  add  as  a  third  difference  its  sustained  treatment  of 
a  single  theme.  Sir.,  the  work  of  a  sing^le  writer,  is  indeed  longer  than 
Job,  but  it  ranges  discursively  over  a  variety  of  aspects  of  human  life  and 
conduct ;  so  does  Pr. ,  the  work  of  many  writers.  Qoh.  and  Wisdom  are  con- 
siderably shorter  than  Job.  Outside  the  **  Wisdom  "  literature  the  historical 
compilations  are,  of  course,  much  longer  than  Job,  but  the  nearest  approach 
to  the  sustained  treatment  of  a  theme  is  to  be  found  in  Is.  40-55  and  Ezk. 
40-48,  both  of  which  are  shorter.  In  any  case,  Job  has  this  interest  that  no 
other  single  Hebrew  poet  has  left  us  the  same  amount  of  poetry  :  this 
remains  true  even  though  a  considerable  part  of  Job  (28.  32-37.  38-41)  be 
assigned  to  different  poets. 

^  Nor  is  it  unique  merely  as  an  exotic,  which  has  its  own  well-defined 
class  elsewhere.  It  is,  for  example,  no  more  similar  to  a  Greek  or  any 
other  epic  or  drama  than  to  other  works  of  Hebrew  literature.     A  drama 


§§6-6.]  LITERARY   FORM  Xxlil 

§  5^  Many  books  of  the  OT.  contain,  it  is  true,  both  prose 
and  poetry  ;  but  those  books  are  either,  like  the  prophetical 
books,  which  contain  both  prose  memoirs  and  prophetic  poems 
(cp.  the  Introd.  to  Isaiah)^  not  single  works,  or,  as  in  the 
prose  historical  books  which  cite  poems,  they  combine  the 
styles  differently.  On  the  other  hand,  Job,  if  the  substantial 
integrity  of  the  book  can  be  maintained,  is  a  single  work 
written  partly  in  prose,  partly  in  poetry,  the  narrative  in  prose, 
the  speeches  in  poetry.  For  analogies  to  this  we  must  go  beyond 
Hebrew  literature  :  e.g.  to  the  Makdmdt  of  Hariri  in  which  the 
narrative  is  in  rhymed  prose,  but  the  (longer)  speeches  of  the 
characters  are  (commonly)  metrical  poems. 

§  6.  Again  some  analogy  to  the  dialogue,  to  the  response 
of  two  or  more  speakers  to  one  another,  is  to  b«  found,  for 
example,  in  Canticles  {e.g.  \^^-  ^^'-  2^"^) ;  but  for  dialogue  as  a 
means  of  discussing  problems  of  life,  we  must  again  pass  for 
analogy  beyond  Jewish  literature.  Such  dialogue  ^  until  recently 
was  quite  unknown  in  Babylonian  literature  ;  but  certain  texts 
— one  of  the  age  of  Sargon  (722-705  B.C.) — have  now  been 
published  containing  what  their  editor  describes  as  specimens 
of  philosophical  dialogue.-     These,  however,  offer  a  very  distant 

in  any  strict  sense  it  is  certainly  not ;  in  the  Prologue  there  is  movement 
indeed,  but  the  Prologue  is  narrative, — an  anticipation  of  the  novel  rather 
than  of  the  drama, — and  in  the  dialogue  there  is  no  dramatic  movement. 
There  are  in  the  book,  it  is  true,  all  the  elements  that  might  have 
been  combined  by  a  Greek  into  a  great  drama  :  the  Hebrew  writer  has 
used  them  differently,  and  his  work  was  certainly  never  acted  in  ancient 
Judah.  Job  has,  I  am  informed,  been  recently  staged  in  New  York,  and, 
according  to  my  informant,  the  performance  was  very  impressive ;  but 
this  no  more  proves  that  the  Hebrew  work  was  a  drama  than  H.  G. 
Wells'  Undying  Fire  proves  that  it  was  a  novel.  Reference  may  also  be 
made  to  the  judicious  criticism  by  C.  G.  Montetiore  in  the  Harvard  Theo- 
logical Review,  1919,  219-224,  oi  The  Book  of  Joh  as  a  Greek  Tragedy^  in  which 
the  author  (H.  M.  Kallen)  seeks  to  prove  that  the  existing  book  of  Job  is 
the  result  of  editorial  manipulations  of  what  was  originally  a  Hebrew 
imitation  of  a  Euripidean  tragedy. 

*  Dialogue  of  a  differe^it  type  was  known  ;  and  Kon.  {Einl.  410  f.)  had 
even  compared  that  in  the  **  Descent  of  Ishtar"  (Rogers,  CP  121  ff.)  with 
that  in  Job,  on  the  ground  that  both  were  cases  of  dialogue  introduced  into 
epic. 

^  E.  Ebeling,  Keilinscrifttexte  aus  Assur  rel.  Inh.  iii.  193  ;  Mitteilungen 
der  vorderasiatischen  Gesellschaft,  191 8^,  pp.  50-70  (German  translation  with 


xxiv  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [§  6. 

parallel  to  the  dialogue  as  handled  in  Job;  they  are  simple, 
brief,  and  exceedingly  schematic.  In  a  dozen  sections  all  cast 
in  the  same  scheme  and  some  eight  lines  in  length,  the  advan- 
tages and  disadvantages  of  various  courses  of  action  are  dis- 
cussed by  a  master  and  his  slave.  Between  the  Babylonian 
**  philosophical  dialogue,"  so  far  as  yet  known,  and  the  dialogue 
in  Job  the  difference  is  so  great  as  to  render  any  direct  in- 
fluence of  one  over  the  other  altogether  improbable.  And  the 
same  is  true,  though  in  this  case  the  difference  is  of  quite 
another  kind,  of  the  Greek  dialogue.  It  is  curious  that  the 
most  famous  examples  of  this  were  written  at  probably  no  great 
distance  of  time  from  Job,  and  it  is  barely  possible,  though  not 
probable  (§§  42-47),  that  the  author  of  Job  wrote  later  than 
Plato ;  yet  between  the  dialogue  of  Job,  consisting  exclusively 
of  long  set  speeches  in  poetical  form,  and  the  prose  dialogues 
of  Plato,  with  their  closely  knit  analytical  argument  carried 
on  by  means  of  much  quickly  responsive  conversation,  the 
difference  is  so  great  that  the  probability  that  the  Hebrew 
writer  was  influenced  by  those  Greek  literary  models  is  so 
slight  as  to  be  negligible.  So  long  as  Job  was  commonly  re- 
garded as  long  anterior  to  Plato,  it  was  not  customary  to  look 
upon  Plato  as  an  imitator  of  Job ;  there  is  just  as  little  reason 
now  that  Job  is  referred  to  a  later  age  than  formerly  to  assert 
that  it  is  ''unquestionably  a  Hebrew  imitation  of  the  philo- 
sophical dialogue  of  Plato."  ^  Whence  the  author  derived  any 
suggestion  for  the  use  of  dialogue  in  discussing  the  problems 
of  life  thus  remains  quite  obscure. 

notes).  Cp.  ET^  1920,  pp.  420-423,  where  will  be  found  an  Eng-lish 
translation  of  six  of  the  sections,  of  which  one  may  here  serve  as  an 
illustration : 

"Slave,  attend  to  me!     'Yes,  my  lord,  yes.' 

*  I  will  love  a  woman.'     *  Yes,  love,  my  lord,  love  ! 

A  man  who  loves  a  woman  forgets  trouble  and  care.' 

*  No,  slave,   I   will   not   love  a  woman.'      *  Love   not,  my  lord, 

love  not. 
Woman  is  a  pit,  a  hole  that  is  dug" ; 
Woman  is  an  iron  dagger,  sharp,  which  cuts  a  man's  throat.'" 

*  Oscar  Holtzmann  in  Stade's  Gesch.  des  Volkes  Israel^  ii.  331, 


§7.]  ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  XXV 

IV.  Origin  and  History  of  the  Book:  Possible 
Sources  and  Additions. 

§  7.  The  unique  character  of  the  combination  of  prose  and 
poetry  in  the  book  (§  5)  has  sometimes  been  treated  as  the 
result  of  the  origin  of  the  book,  of  the  existing  material  which 
the  author  utilized.  What  was  this?  That  the  book  is  a 
report  of  facts  of  history,  the  exact  record  in  prose  of  the  actual 
fortunes  of  a  particular  individual  and  of  the  words  spoken  in 
verse  by  him  and  others,  is  a  view  that  was  long  maintained  or 
accepted,^  though  not  even  in  earlier  times  without  occasional 
suggestions  that  the  book  is  fiction.^  It  is  unnecessary  to 
repeat  here  the  arguments  against  a  view  which  has  become 
entirely  antiquated.  But  if  the  book  is  not  history,  and  the 
speeches  not  the  ipsissima  verba  of  speeches  reported  verbatifriy 
it  need  not  be  pure  invention ;  the  story  with  which  it  opens 
and  closes  may  be,  and  in  part  almost  certainly  is,  based  on  or 
derived  from  popular  tradition  or  literature ;  and,  indeed,  this 
is  quite  certain,  if  the  book  is  rightly  inferred  to  have  been 
written  after  the  Exile  (see  §  42  ff.),  for  Ezk.  14^*- 20  refers  to 

*  A  defence  of  the  strictly  historical  character  of  the  book  may  be  found 
in  the  learned  work  of  S.  Lee,  The  Book  of  the  Patriarch  Job  (1837),  p.  6ff.  : 
this  was  directed  especially  against  Warburton,  Divine  Legation,  Book  vi. 
sect.  2,  in  which  reasons  for  regarding  the  book  as — in  the  main  at  least — 
not  historical  are  already  set  forth. 

2  n^T]  VifD  nSn  N133  hS^  hm  nS  dvn  is  a  judgement  attributed  to  an  unnamed 
contemporary  of  Samuel  b.  Nachmani  {Baha  Bathra,  15a:  Eng.  tr.,  Ryle, 
Canon,  276  f.).  Similarly  in  Bereshith  Rahha,  §  57,  a  judgement  is  attributed 
to  Resh  Lakish  (3rd  cent.  A.d.) — though  it  is  noted  that  this  conflicts  with 
another  judgement  assigned  to  the  same  Rabbi — to  the  effect  that  the  suffer- 
ings of  Job  are  not  historical  though,  had  they  actually  befallen  him,  he 
would  have  endured  them.  kVi  r\''r\  «*?  '«d  .  .  .  .Tni  wVi  rrn  k"?  avK  ton  fp"?  rn 
jn3  nicy"?  h-\y  rx^n  v'?y  in3  iS'nb'  nVn  v'?y  i3nD3  nn"?"!  v'?y  lanDJB'  onicn  r\''rM.  See, 
further,  Isaac  Wiernikowski,  Das  Buch  Hiob  nach  der  Auffassung  des 
Talmud  u.  Midrasch  (Breslau,  1902),  p.  28.  Maimonides  {Moreh  Nehuchim^ 
iii.  22)  says  of  the  book  :  "its  basis  is  a  fiction,  conceived  for  the  purpose 
of  explaining  the  different  opinions  which  people  held  on  Divine  Providence. 
You  know  that  some  of  our  sages  clearly  stated  Job  never  existed,  and 
was  never  created,  and  that  he  is  a  poetic  fiction.  Those  who  assume  that 
he  existed,  and  that  the  book  is  historical,  are  unable  to  determine  when 
and  where  Job  lived.  .  .  .  This  difference  of  opinion  supports  the  assump- 
tion that  he  never  existed  in  reality." 


XXvi  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [^l  7-8. 

Job  *  along  with  Noah  and  Daniel,  as  a  conspicuously  righteous 
man.  Among  those — and  they  are  all  but  all  who  have  dis- 
cussed the  subject — who  admit  that  the  author  has  utilized 
tradition  or  popular  story,^  there  is,  however,  wide  difference 
of  judgement  as  to  how  much  he  has  derived  from  thence,  some 
holding  that  he  owes  nothing  more  to  tradition  (and  that  in 
the  form  of  popular  oral  tradition)  than  that  there  was  once  a 
righteous  man  named  Job,^  others  that  the  entire  prologue  and 
epilogue  were  excerpted  by  him  from  a  book  containing  the 
popular  story  (a  **Volksbuch").'*  Between  these  two  extremes 
it  is  possible  to  hold  as  a  middle  view  that  the  fundamental 
elements  of  the  story — the  righteousness  of  Job,  his  endurance 
under  trial,  etc. — the  scene  in  which  it  is  laid  and  the  names  of 
the  persons  are  some  or  -all  of  them  derived  from  tradition  ;  if 
this  were  so,  it  might  offer  some  suggestions  as  to  whence  the 
story  came. 

§  8.  The  scene  of  the  book  is  outside  the  land  of  Israel. 
This  might  be  explained  as  due  to  the  deliberate  choice  of  a 
**  Wisdom"  writer,  seeking  in  this  way  to  enforce  the  wide 
human  and  not  merely  national  nature  of  his  subject.  If  this 
were  the  correct  explanation,  the  particular  scene  chosen  by 

^  It  is  quite  unnecessary  with  Hal^vy  (I^E/  xiv.  20)  to  substitute  ruK  for 
2VH  in  Ezk.  141^-  '^. 

^  On  the  divergence  of  the  book  of  Job  from  the  popular  legend, 
whether  written  or  oral,  and  for  the  history  of  the  legend  independently  of 
our  book  of  Job,  see  D.  B.  Macdonald,  "Some  External  Evidence  on  the 
Original  Form  of  the  Legend  of  Job  "  {AJSL  xiv.  (1898)  137-164)  and  earlier, 
JBLii.  xiv.  63-71.  Macdonald  suggests  that  not  only  Ezk.  but  also 
James  (5")  refers  to  the  legend,  not  to  our  book  of  Job. 

•^  So  Karl  Kautzsch,  Das  sogenannte  Volhsbuch  von  I/t'ob  (jgoo),  i8ff.,  87. 
Rather  more  traditional  basis  is  postulated  by  Che.  :  "  Most  probably  all 
that  he  adopted  from  legend  was  (i)  the  name  of  the  hero  and  the  land  in 
which  he  lived  ;  (2)  the  fact  of  Job's  close  intercourse  with  God  ;  and  (3) 
the  surprising  circumstance  that  this  most  righteous  and  divinely  favoured 
of  men  was  attacked  by  some  dread  disease  such  as  leprosy,  but  was 
subsequently  healed  "  {EBL  ii.  2469). 

■*  Du.  (p.  vii) :  of  the  "  Volksbuch  the  opening  has  been  preserved  in 
cc.  I.  2  of  the  existing  book  of  Job,  the  conclusion  in  42'^"^'^  and  also  perhaps 
a  fragment  in  38^ ;  discussions  between  Job  and  the  three  friends,  and  a 
speech  of  Yahweh  to  Job,  also  formed  part  of  this  popular  book,  but  these 
have  given  place  to  discussions  of  an  entirely  opposite  character  in  the  ex- 
isting book." 


§§  8-10.]      ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  XXvIi 

the  writer  would  be  of  little  significance,  and  the  reason  for  the 
author's  choice  withdrawn  from  us.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
scene  was  traditional,  it  may  point  to  the  region  whence  the 
story  passed  to  Israel,  just  as  the  scene  of  the  story  and  its 
place  of  origin  are  associated  in  such  a  story  as  that  of  the 
Tower  of  Babel  (Babylon).  Broadly  the  scene  is  clearly  fixed 
as  east  of  Canaan ;  but  whether  it  lay  in  or  about  Edom  or 
farther  north,  and  in  particular  in  the  Hauran,  is  less  certain, 
the  evidence  afforded  by  (i)  names  and  terms  (§§  9-13),  (2) 
tradition  (§  14),  and  (3)  the  nature  of  the  country  implied  in  the 
story  (§  15)  being  inconclusive  and  conflicting. 

§  9.  (i)  Names  and  terms. — Job  himself  lived  in  the  land  of 
'Us,  and  was,  it  is  implied,  one  of  the  "  sons  of  the  East  "  (i^) : 
unfortunately  the  position  of  the  land  of  'Us  cannot  be  closely 
determined,  and  the  '*sons  of  the  East"  is  a  term  of  wide 
application. 

The  "sons  of  the  East"  (onp  'J3  ;  cp.  'JDipn,  Gn.  15'^)  in  Jg-.  63-33  7I2  gio 
are  coupled  with  Midianites  and  Amalekites  as  nomad  raiders  of  Western 
Palestine,  in  Is.  ii^**  they  are  opposed  to  the  Philistines  on  the  W.,  and 
mentioned  with,  but  probably  as  distinguished  from,  Edom,  Moab  and 
Ammon,  and  in  Ezk.  25^* '''  they  are  nomads  (cp.  Jer.  49-^  nomads  :  |i  Kedar) 
disting-uished  from,  as  dwellings  E.  of,  Ammon  and  Moab.  In  i  K.  5^**  (4'''^) 
they  are  merely  mentioned  as  famed  for  their  wisdom  ;  on  Gn.  29^  f,  see 
below.  The  **  land  of  the  East "  (□^p  p»<)  lay  east  of  Abraham's  settlement 
in  southern  Canaan  (Gn.  25^).  From  Gn.  29^  it  has  been  inferred  that  the 
"sons  of  the  East"  and  their  land  extended  also  to  the  far  wor//f-east  of 
Palestine,  to  beyond  the  Euphrates  ;  but  this  is  a  precarious  inference  from 
a  composite  narrative  ;  the  source  may  rather  have  intended,  as  in  Gn.  a^**, 
country  E.  or  south-east  of  Palestine  (see  Skinner  on  Gn.  29^ ;  Meyer,  JA'S 
242  ff.)  ;  a  southern,  but  not  necessarily  any  far  northern,  district  is  implied 
in  an  Egyptian  reference  (about  2000  B.C.)  to  Kedem  :  in  this  Sinuhe  relates 
that  he  passed  out  of  Egypt  into  the  desert,  moved  thence  from  place  to 
place  and  arrived  at  Kedem,  whence  he  was  invited  into  Palestine  :  see  W. 
Max  Miiller,  Asien  u.  Europa,  46;  Meyer,  I.e.  ;  Breasted,  Anclejit  Records^ 

»•  493- 

§  10.  The  name  'U?  i^vi)  appears  to  be  brought  into  connection  with 
three  distinct  districts,  (a)  Northern  Mesopotamia  :  to  this  district  Gn.  10'-^ 
(P)=i  Ch.  i^^'Us  the  "son  "  of  Aram  is  commonly  referred  :  see  Skinner, 
Genesis,  p.  206.  But  apparently  the  same  'Us  is  (Gn.  22'-')  brother  of  Buz., 
who  in  Jer.  25*3  is  associated  with  the  distinctly  Arabian  Dedan  and  Tenia. 
(6)  Damascus  and  the  country  S.  of  it  :  Jos.  {Ant.  I.  vi.  4  ;  cp.  Jer.  Qncest. 
in  Gen.  10-^)  states  that  O^o-t^s  the  son  of  Aram  {i.e.  the 'Us  of  Gn.  10^) 
lounded    Damascus  and  Trachonitis,  i.e.  the  volcanic  country  heginning^ 


XXviii  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§  10-11. 

25  m.  S.  of  Damascus  and  40  m.  E.  of  the  sea  of  Galilee  (see  EBi. 
Trachonitis).  (c)  Edom,  or  the  neighbourhood  of  Edom  :  in  Gn.  36^^  = 
I  Ch.  i*^  Us  is  a  fig-ure  in  the  g-enealog-y  of  "  Seir  in  the  land  of  Edom" 
{ib.  2<^'-).  In  La.  4^^  "  the  land  of  Us  "  {^^V  p«  precisely  as  in  Job  i^)  stands 
in  parallelism  with  Edom  ;  unfortunately  some  doubt  rests  on  the  text,  for 
rhythmically  the  line  can  spare  a  word  and  ®r  om.  py  ;  however,  the  mere 
omission  of  X'sv  with  ffi  leaves  an  unsatisfactory  phrase  and  an  improbable 
text.  Doubt  also  rests  on  pyn  ynw  in  Jer.  25-^  for  ffi  omits  the  clause  con- 
taining it.  If  the  geographical  distribution  of  the  term  'Us  was  as  wide  as 
this  survey  suggests,  viz.  from  Edom  to  Northern  Mesopotamia,  this  may 
have  been  due  to  'U§,  or  rather  'Aus  (fflr  Auo-irts),  itself  certainly  tribal 
rather  than  geographical,  being  the  name  of  widely  scattered  tribes — Arab 

tribes,  perhaps,  deriving  their  name  from  a  god  'Aud  (^c»i),  as  W.  R. 
Smith  suggested  {Kinshipy  261,  and,  in  reply  to  No.'s  criticism  in  ZDMG  xl. 
183,  Rel.  of  the  Semites,  43).  But  though  the  tribes  of  'Us  were  widely 
scattered,  it  would  not  necessarily  follow  that  the  whole  region  over  which 
they  were  scattered,  or  several  distinct  districts  within  it,  passed  by  the 
name  of  the  land  of  Us.  Apart  from  Job  i^,  the  only  passage  casting  a 
direct  light  on  the  situation  of  the  land  of '  Us  is,  if  the  text  can  be  trusted, 
La.  4'^',  and  this  decisively  connects  it  with  Edom. 

§  II.  Of  the  three  friends  of  Job,  Eliphaz  certainly  appears 
to  come  from  Edom,  Bildad  from  a  tribe  that  may  have  been 
closely  associated  with  Edom,  while  Sophar's  origin  is  very 
uncertain.     (On  the  name  and  origin  of  Elihu,  see  32^  n.) 

Teman,  the  home  of  Eliphaz,  lay  at  one,  and  that  probably  the 
northern,  extremity  of  Edom  (Ezk.  25'^),  though  other  sites  within  Edom 
have  been  attributed  to  it  (see  EBi.  s.v.).  Shuah  (Gn.  25^=1  Ch.  i^^*-), 
Bildad's  tribe,  claimed  descent  from  Abraham  through  Keturah,  and, 
according  to  Gn.  25^  ffi,  was  ''uncle"  of  Sheba,  Teman  and  Dedan, 
whence  we  may  infer  that  Eliphaz  and  Bildad  lived  in  regions  not  very 
remote  from  one  another.  The  suggestion  formerly  put  forward  by  Fried. 
Del.  and  accepted  or  favourably  entertained  by  many  writers  (Dr.  on 
Gn.  25'';  Peake  on  Job  i^ ;  G-B.^^^  s.v.',  Meyer  INS  314;  Glaser, 
Skizzen,  ii.  445  f.),  that  Bildad's  home  was  Suhu  on  the  Euphrates — some 
weeks'  journey  from  Teman — has  been  withdrawn  by  Del.  himself  {Hioh, 
p.  139).  Sophar  the  Na'amathite  certainly  did  not  come  from  Na'amah 
(Jos.  15*^)  in  the  Philistine  plain  (though  Ley  {Das  Buck  Hioh.  27)  is 
willing  to  believe  it,  and  to  infer  that  he  was  intended  to  play  the  role  of  a 
representative  of  the  religion  of  Israel !),  nor  necessarily  from  the  Calebite 
Naam  (i  Ch.  ^%  so  that  Sophar  also  would  be  an  Edomite  {EBi.  5427), 
nor  from  distant  Ma'in  in  southern  Arabia,  or  even  from  the  Minsean  colony 
or  trading  station  at  El-Ola — which  lay  some  three  or  four  hundred  miles 
S.  of  the  home  of  Eliphaz.  (ffic,  it  is  true,  describes  Sophar  as  6  Mira/wc 
/SaaiXejJs,  thinking  not  of  El-Ola,  which  as  a  trading  colony  would  not  be 
the  seat  of  a  king,  but  presumably  of  Ma'in  1200  miles  away ;  but  this  is 


§§11-13.]        ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY   OF    THE    BOOK  XXIX 

in  accordance  with  its  tendency  to  turn  Job's  friends,  great  sheikhs  of 
neighbouring  tribes,  into  kings  and  tyrants  of  nations.  Barton  {JBLity 
191 2,  p.  66),  reviving  suggestions  of  Wetzstein  in  Del.,  connects  Na'amathite 
with  en-No'eme  in  the  Nukra  (see  §  14) — a  suggestion  that  may  fall  in 
with  but  cannot  establish  a  theory — and  Temanite  with  Tema  in  the  same 
region  ;  but  judiciously  finds  the  connection  of  Shuite  with  Sueta  (t^  ^_««i^). 
also  in  the  same  region,  "unsatisfying." 

§  12.  Some    of    the    personal   names    are    suggestive,    or 
possibly  suggestive,  of  Edom. 

Not  Job  itself:  svx  is  unknown  in  Hebrew  literature  except  as  the  name 
of  the  hero  of  the  book,  for  with  3V  (Gn.  46^' :  EV.  Job),  and,  in  spite  of 
42"  ffi,  aav  (Gn.  lo^^),  it  has  nothing  to  do.  The  name  may,  on  the 
analogy  of  ^i^!,  have  suggested  to  Hebrew  readers  or  hearers  of  the  story 
the  meaning  "the  object  of  enmity,"  though  the  form  Vitsp  regularly 
expresses  an  active  sense ;  alternatively  it  has  been  connected  with  the 

root  which  gives  the  Arabic  ^-^ j'  (penitent).  But  the  etymology  and  the 
identification  with  the  proper  name  A-ia-bu  (Tel  el-Amarna  Tablet,  237''  i') 
are  alike  uncertain.  If  of  foreign  origin  the  name  may  have  been  modified 
in  the  course  of  Hebrew  tradition  so  as  to  express  a  meaning.  Eliphaz, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  well  authenticated  as  an  Edomite  name  (Gn.  36^*^**  = 
I  Ch.  i^'^'-)*  though  being  of  a(n  early)  type  that  was  widely  spread,  it 
must  not  be  assumed  that  the  name  was  exclusively  Edomite.  Bildad 
(ii'?3,  BaX5a5)  is  unknown  except  through  the  story  of  Job,  though  Che. 
{EBi.  4495)  and  Bu.  recall  the  Edomite  ma  (Gn.  36^5) :  the  first  element 
perhaps  recurs  in  the  Edomite  jnSa,  BaXaaj/  (Gn.  36^7),  which  is  also  the 
name  of  a  Benjamite  (i  Ch.  7^"),  and  in  DySn  (Ammonite?;  Nu.  22^)  and 
j;y*?a  (Babylonian-Jewish,  Ezr.  2^) :  the  second  element  occurs  in  the 
Hebrew  m'^N  and  elsewhere  {HPN  60  ff.).  Sophar  as  written  in  J^  in  11^ 
42^  (ns^f:  but  isix  in  2"  20^)  is  identical  with  the  name  of  the  father  of 
Balak,  king  of  Moab,  as  written  in  Nu.  22^^  23^^  (nsx ;  but  Tisx  elsewhere). 
In  (&  the  name  of  Job's  friend,  2w0a/o,  2o0ap,  is  always  distinguished  from 
Balak's  father  I,eir^u}p,  2e0a;/).  In  |^  n£3is  does  not  occur  except  in  Job  ;  but 
2a>0ap  occurs  in  Gn.  36"-  ^^  (|^  i£5s),  i  Ch.  i^^  (J^  '£3s)  in  Edomite  genealogies 
and  in  close  connection  with  Eliphaz  and  Teman.  The  Palmyrene  Nisx 
(Lidz.  NSE  359;  Eph.  i.  347,  ii.  293,  312)  is  ^e<p<pepa  (cp.  De  Vogu^,  Sj^rie 
Centrale,  p.  15),  and  so  probably  is  nus  (Lidz.  i.  199,  ii.  303). 

§  13.  The  references  to  Sheba  (i^s)  and  the  "Chaldeans" 
(i^^)  as  raiding  Job  have  also  been  invoked  in  determining 
the  situation  of  his  home:  thus  Dhorme  (RB^  191 1,  105)  con- 
cludes that  '*nous  sommes  amends  au  nord-ouest  de  TArabie 
quelque  part  au  sud  de  Ma'an,"  i.e.  to  the  frontiers  of  Edom. 
Yet  even  if  the  terms  are  correctly  read,  such  a  conclusion 
is  probably  too  precise. 


XXX  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§  13-15. 

©  in  i'^  has  ot  aixiJ-a,\i>}TevovT€i  {  =  ^5^  taken  collectively),  and  in  "  oi 
i-rnreis,  which  may  be  an  interpretation  of  DnifD  (see  phil.  n.  on  i^'),  or  a 
translation  of  a  different  text— of  D'B-ns  (Che.  ^rviii.  433)  rather  than  of 
D'CDT  (Nestle,  ib.)  or  D'Sin  (Hommel,  ib.  378 f.,  431).  Barton  {JBLit.,  1912, 
67)  follows  Cr :  Che.  {EBL  968,  2469)  emends  D'i»'3  into  D^'rD  (north- 
Arabian)  Cushites,  and  Hommel  {I.e.)  into  D''?in,  those  of  Havilah.  None  of 
these  sugjifestions,  however,  is  more  probable  than  |^.  But  what  does  |^ 
mean?  That  Job,  a  great  sheikh  indeed  but  not  a  monarch,  was  raided 
by  the  forces  of  two  distant  and  famous  kingdoms — the  Chaldseans  of 
Babylonia  and  the  Sabaeans  (see  on  i^^) — is  unlikely  even  in  fiction.  Even 
if  this  is  the  meaning,  which  seems  highly  unlikely,  any  part  of  the  land  of 
the  children  of  the  E.  would  have  been  as  likely  as  any  other  to  receive  an 
attack  from  this  curious  combination.  But  if  a-ir^  here  and  in  2  K.  24^ 
are  nomads  E.  or  S.E.  (note  the  order  in  2  K.,  particularly  if  m«  be  read 
for  mK)  of  Judah  (see  on  i^^,  also  Dhorme,  RB,  1910,  384;  1911,  105),  Job's 
home  must  no  doubt  be  placed  not  too  far  north,  but  whether  it  is  necessary 
to  place  it  farther  south  than  the  Hauran  is  questionable.  The  Sheba 
intended,  though  not  the  south  Arabian  kingdom,  certainly  lay  south  of 
Edom  (lis  n.). 

§  14.  (2)  Tradition,  Christian  (from  the  4th  cent,  a.d.)  and 
Moslem,  persistently  connect  Job  with  the  Hauran, ^  and  more 
exactly  with  the  Nukra,  *'  the  great  plain  of  the  Ha\iran  and 
the  granary  of  Syria"  (Baedeker,  Palestine^^  183),  where  Der 
'Eyyub,  some  forty  miles  S.S.W.  of  Damascus,  perpetuates  Job's 
name  to  the  present  day.  Dhorme  (RB^  191 1,  103  f.),  however, 
explains  this  tradition  as  due  to  a  series  of  confusions,  and 
finds  traces  of  an  early  alternative  Christian  tradition  in 
Chrysostom  on  Job  2^  and  'Isho'dad  (f  c,  850)  on  Job  i^  who 
speaks  of  a  land  of 'Us  still  existing  in  Arabia.  However  this 
may  be,  still  earlier  association  of  Job  with  Edom  is  certainly 
found  in  the  appendix  to  ©,  which  makes  Job  a  king  of  Edom. 

§  15-  (3)  T^"*^  nature  of  the  country  in  which  Job's  home 
lay,  if  considered  by  itself,  would  point  strongly  to  such  a 
district  as  the  Hauran  rather  than  to  Edom.  For  Job's  home 
lay  in  a  country  of  great  farms,  at  once  near  a  town  and  yet 
open  to  the  desert  (see  on  i^^^,  p.  2).  But  Edom,  the  home  of 
Esau,  was  among  the  Hebrews  proverbially  distinguished  from 
such  coimtry  as  being  "  away  from  the  fatness  of  the  earth  and 
from  the  dew  of  heaven"  (Gn.   27^^).     Job  obviously  in  habit 

1  See  Wetzstein's  Appendix  in  Del.  ;  Clermont -Ganneau,  Rec.  d' ArchSo- 
logie  Orientale^  v.  uff.  ;  Guy  Le  Strange,  Palestine  under  the  Moslems^ 
515- 


§§16-16.J      ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  XXxi 

of  life  more  nearly  resembles  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  than 
Esau. 

Thus  a  number  of  small  considerations  combine  to  suggest, 
though  not  to  prove,  that  certain  elements  in  the  story  of  Job 
came  to  Israel  from  or  through  Edom  ;  but  others,  while  still 
compatible  with  an  Eastern  origin,  would  seem  to  indicate  that 
certain  features  of  the  story,  if  originally  Edomite,  have  become 
blurred  and  indistinct  or  transformed. 

§  16.  More  recently  quite  a  different  class  of  evidence  from 
that  already  considered  has  been  adduced  in  order  to  suggest 
that  the  ultimate  source  of  Job  is  in  Babylonian  literature.  In 
this  case  it  is  not  the  scene  and  the  names,  but  the  substance 
of  the  story,  and  in  particular  the  speeches  of  Job,  that  are 
involved.  The  particular  Babylonian  poem^  which  has  pro- 
voked this  theory  has  sometimes  been  described  as  the 
*' Babylonian  Job."  The  hero  of  the  poem — a  king,  as  most 
have  concluded — was  named  Tabi-utul-Bel  (Jastrow),  or  Subsi- 
mesri-Nergal  (Landersdorfer),  Tabi-utul-Bel  in  the  latter  case 
being  another  king  warned  by  Ur-bau  in  a  dream  to  take  a 
message  to  Subsi-meSri-Nergal.  Tabi-utul-Bel  is  described  as 
dwelling  in  Nippur,  and  the  god  Marduk  is  mentioned ;  other 
names  of  places  and  persons  do  not  occur. 

The  poem  opens : 

I  will  praise  the  Lord  of  Wisdom, 

*  It  has  survived  fragmentarily  in  several  copies  of  the  7th  cent.  B.C., 
and  a  commentary  on  the  poem  has  also  been  discovered  ;  and  so  we  may 
infer  that,  probably  itself  far  older  than  the  7th  cent.,  the  poem  was  then 
still  much  read  and  studied.  It  appears  to  have  extended  to  four  tablets, 
containing  about  300,  or  perhaps  about  480  lines  :  of  the  first  tablet  only  a 
few  lines  survive,  of  the  second  the  greater  part,  of  the  third  and  fourth  less 
— in  all,  probably  somewhat  more  or  less  than  a  half.  The  poem  is  mostly 
in  4 : 4  rhythm  (Job  is  in  3:3:  see  §  52).  On  the  history,  restoration  and 
interpretation  of  the  poem,  see  M.  Jastrow,  Rel.  Bah.  u.  Assyr.  ii.  120-133  5 
JBLU.^  1906,  135-191;  Contemporary  Review^  Dec.  1906,  801-808;  S. 
Landersdorfer,  "  Eine  babylonische  Quelle  f.  d.  B.  J.  "  {Biblische  Studien^ 
xiv.  2),  191 1;  Martin,  **  Le  juste  souffrant,"  'vc\  Joitriial  Asiatiqiie,  loth  series, 
xvi.  75-143.  See  also  Zimmern  in  ^^1 7"^  384-386  (where  parallelism  not 
with  Job,  but  with  the  servant  of  Yahweh  is  suggested)  ;  Rogers,  CP  164- 
169  (translation  of  the  second  tablet);  R.  Campbell  Thomson,  PSBA^  1910, 
18  ff.     Further  literature  is  given  by  Jastrow  and  Landersdorfer  (pp.  1 1-14). 


XXxii  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§16. 

presumably  for  release  from  the  sufferings,  which  the  rest  of  what  survives 

of  the  first  tablet  describes  : 

Although  a  [kin]g,  I  have  become  a  slave. 

The  day  is  filled  with  groaning,  the  night  with  weeping : 

The  night  with  howling,  the  year  with  mourning  (cp.  Job  7"-). 

The  second  tablet  opens  as  follows  : 

I  attained  to  (long)  life,  I  moved  beyond  the  appointed  time; 

(Wherever)  I  turn,  (there  is)  evil,  evil ; 

Oppression  is  increased,  righteousness  I  see  not ; 
and  then  after  recording  that  he  had  appealed  to  his  god,  his  goddess  and 
various  classes  of  enchanters,  etc.  (11.  4-9),  he  passes  on  to  say  that  trouble 
has  overtaken  him  as  though  he  had  been  negligent  in  his  religious  duties 
(12-23),  whereas  he  was  only  conscious  of  having  been  exemplary  in  his 
conduct : 

But  I  myself  took  thought  only  for  prayers  and  supplications, 

Prayer  was  my  rule,  sacrifice  my  order. 
This  passage  concludes  with  the  lines : 

The  respect  of  the  king  I  made  of  highest  power :  ^ 

In  reverence  of  the  palace  I  instructed  the  people : 

For  I  knew  that  before  the  god  such  deeds  are  in  good  favour. 
This  is  immediately  followed  by  reflections  on  the  mysterious  ways  and 
judgements  of  the  gods,  which  are  beyond  the  comprehension  of  man's  short 
life  and  subject  to  sudden  changes  of  fortune  : 
That  which  seemeth  good  to  itself,  that  is  evil  with  god: 
And  that  which  in  its  heart  is  rejected,  that  is  good  with  his  god. 
Who  can  understand  the  counsel  of  the  gods  in  heaven  ? 
The  plan  of  the  gods  full  of  darkness,  who  shall  establish  it  ? 
How  shall  pale-faced  men  understand  the  way  of  the  god !  (cp.  Job  4"'*)« 
He  who  lives  in  the  evening  is  in  the  morning  dead  (cp.  Job  342'*  27^^  4^^*-). 
Quickly  is  he  in  trouble,  suddenly  is  he  smitten  ; 
In  a  moment  he  is  singing  and  playing. 
In  an  instant  he  is  howling  like  a  complainer; 
Every  moment,  so  are  their  thoughts  changed. 
Now  they  are  hungry,  and  are  like  a  corpse, 
Again  they  are  full,  and  like  unto  their  god. 
If  it  go  well  with  them,  they  speak  of  climbing  up  to  heaven : 
If  they  be  in  trouble,  they  talk  of  going  down  to  hell. 

The  suffering  king  now  describes  his  sufferings  and  the  symptoms  of 
his  malady  :  the  particularity  of  the  description  and  some  of  the  figures 
employed  recall  Job's  descriptions  of  himself;  of  this  long  description  it 
it  must  suffice  to  cite  a  few  lines  : 
With  a  whip  he  has  beaten  me, — 

With  a  staff  he  has  pierced  me,  the  point  was  strong. 
All  day  long  doth  follow  the  avenger, 

1  Variant :  like  a  god.     Jastrow  supposes  that  the  king  had  sinned  in 
allowing  the  people  to  pay  him  divine  honour. 


§§16-17.]     ORIGIN   AND    HISTORY   OF   THE   BOOK         XXXlil 
In  the  middle  of  the   night   he   lets  me   not  breathe  for  a   moment  (cp 

Jb.   7^31.  30IT)., 

Throug-h  tearings  my  joints  are  sundered. 

My  limbs  are  undone  .  .  . 

Upon  my  couch  I  passed  the  night  like  a  bull, 

I  was  covered  with  my  excrement  like  a  sheep. 

My  symptoms  of  fever  were  not  clear  (?)  to  the  magicians. 

He  felt  himself  forsaken,  in  immediate  prospect  of  death,  and  already 
given  up  for  dead : 

The  god  helped  me  not,  he  took  me  not  by  the  hand  ; 
My  goddess  did  not  pity  me,  she  came  not  to  my  side. 
The  sarcophagus  hath  opened  (cp.  Jb.  17^*  ^^^')  .  .  . 
Before  I  was  dead,  the  death  wail  was  finished. 
My  whole  land  cried  out,   "Alas!"  (or.  He  is  ruined). 
Mine  enemy  heard,  his  face  glowed, 

To  my  female  enemy  they  brought  the  good  tidings,  her  spirits  brightened  up. 
The  opening  line  of  the  third  tablet,  "Heavy  was  his  hand,  I  could  no 
more  endure  it "  (cp.  Jb.  23'  (K),  seems  to  represent  the  sufferer  as  reduced 
to  despair.  But  God  now  intervenes  on  his  behalf:  for  at  this  point,  so  far 
as  can  be  judged  from  the  broken  and  difficult  text,  a  revelation  relating  to 
the  sufferer's  case  is  communicated  to  him.  When  the  text  becomes  clearer 
again,  the  sufferer  ie  obviously  recording  the  removal  of  his  sins  and  of  the 
various  symptoms  of  his  illness  : 

My  sins  he  caused  the  wind  to  carry  away; 

Into  the  depths  of  the  abyss  he  sent  back  the  evil  spirit ; 

and  the  poem  appears  to  conclude  with  the  restoration  of  the  sufferer  to 
the  favour  of  Marduk. 

§  17.  Among  the  points  of  resemblance  between  this  poem 
and  Job  are  the  poetical  form,  the  subject,  viz.  the  sudden  reduc- 
tion of  a  man  of  great  position,  who  had  already  lived  a  long 
and  prosperous  life,  to  great  misery  of  mind,  body  and  estate, 
the  long  description  of  his  sufferings  put  into  the  mouth  of  the 
sufferer,!  the  contrast  between  these  sufferings  and  the  kind  of 
life  to  which  his  long-maintained  piety  might  have  been 
expected  to  lead,  the  reflections  on  the  mysteries  of  God's 
dealings  with  mortals.  These  resemblances  are  certainly 
noticeable,  but  the  differences  are  equally  striking.  The 
names  of  the  persons,  the  topography,  the  rank^  of  the  sufferer 

^  Parallels  to  this  are  frequent  among  the  so-called  Babylonian  "peni- 
tential Psalms  "  and  the  Hebrew  Psalms  {e.g;  22.  102). 

'^  Landersdorfer  rightly  insists  that  the  transformation  of  a  king  into 
a  sheikh  is  against  the  normal  tendency  of  popular  tradition. 


XXxiv  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§17-18. 

are  all  dIfTerent :  there  is  no  parallel  in  the  Babylonian  work  to 
the  combination  of  narrative^  and  discourse  in  Job,  there  is  no 
parallel  at  all  to  the  dialogue  which  forms  so  conspicuous  and 
distinguishing"  a  feature  of  Job  :  there  is  a  sharp  and  crucial 
difference  between  the  two  works  on  the  question  of  guilt  as  a 
cause  of  the  sufferings  described  ;  Yahweh  in  the  Prologue  and 
Job  in  his  speeches  agree  in  asserting  the  innocence  of  Job  ; 
Yahweh  asserts  the  perfection  of  Job's  character,  and  Job  is 
certain  that  his  sufferings  cannot  be  explained  by  any  sin  that 
he  has  committed.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Babylonian  sufferer, 
though  he  is  conscious  of  having  been  punctilious  in  the  dis- 
charge of  duties  the  neglect  of  which  would  have  explained  his 
sufferings,  is  anything  but  certain  that  he  has  not  committed 
some  sin  which,  unknown  to  him,  may  have  been  displeasing  to 
the  gods  and  therefore  the  cause  of  his  sufferings ;  and  he 
more  or  less  clearly  admits  that  he  had  done  amiss.  His 
problem  is  to  discover  what  it  is  that  he  has  done  to  displease 
the  gods  and  so  to  bring  his  sufferings  upon  himself.  Job's 
problem  Is  to  understand  how  God  can  plague  him  though  he 
has  done  nothing  to  displease  Him.  Finally,  the  difference  in 
the  name  and  country  of  the  heroes  of  the  two  works  points 
strongly  away  from,  at  any  rate,  any  close  connection  between 
them. 2  At  present,  at  all  events,  it  cannot  be  said  that  any 
Babylonian  source  of  the  book  of  Job  has  been  made  out. 

§  l8.  Whence  and  in  what  form  the  story  used  by  him  came 
to  the  author  of  the  book  of  Job,  what  predecessors  he  may 
have  had  in  the  employment  of  dialogue  as  a  literary  form,  are 
questions  that  evidence  external  to  the  book  and  such  Internal 
evidence  as  we  have  so  far  examined  answer  at  best  very 
incompletely  and  uncertainly.  But  there  are  some  who  find  a 
much  more  precise  answer  at  least  to  the  question  in  what  form 

^  Even  if  the  two  or  three  lines  mentioning  the  name  and  residence  of 
Tabi-utul-Bel  were,  as  Jastrow  claimed,  narrative,  standing  as  they  do  in 
the  middle  of  the  poem  and  being  themselves  in  verse,  they  would  form  no 
real  parallel  to  the  sustained  prose  narrative  of  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue 
of  Job. 

2  Che  {^EBi.  2469)  suggests  a  different  Babylonian  origin  for  both  the 
Hebrew  story  and  the  name  of  its  hero  :  'lyyob  is  Eabani,  the  friend  of 
Gllgamesh. 


§§18-19.]     ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  XXXV 


the  story  came  to  the  author  of  the  existing  book.  On  the 
ground  of  differences  in  style  and  in  other  respects  it  has 
been  claimed  that  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue  are  the  work 
of  a  writer  not  identical  with  the  author  of  the  Dialogue, ^  but 
that  the  latter  extracted  these  from  a  prose  book  of  Job,"^  and 


inserted  his  Dialogue  between  them. 


There  is  one  difference  between  Prologue  and  Epilogue  on 
the  one  hand  and  Dialogue  on  the  other  that  might  at  first 
seem  to  point  to  a  use  of  sources  in  Job  similar  to  that  apparent 
in  the  Pentateuch  :  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue  employ,  the 
Dialogue  (3—31)  studiously  avoids,  the  use  of  the  name  Yahweh, 
regularly  employing  in  its  stead  God  (El,  Eloah)  or,  like  P, 
the  Almighty  (Shaddai). 

§  19.  The  use  of  the  divine  names  in  different  parts  of  the  book  is  as 
follows : 


Number  of  Occurrences  in 

Name. 

Total. 

Cc.  I.  2  and'    p^    .  ^^ 
427-17.       •   ^^'  3-31- 

Cc.  32-37. 

Cc.  38-42«. 

0 
0 

33 
33 

19 
6 

3 
2 

55 
41 

0 
8 

24 
3 

6 

2 

I 

31 

H 

D'nSNrr 

3                   0 

0 

0 

3 

m.T 

23                         1  (12^) 

0 

5 

.9 

1  In  an  earlier  stage  of  criticism,  a  theory  (now  generally  and  rightly 
abandoned),  according  to  which  the  Dialogue  was  written  first  and  the 
Prologue  and  Epilogue  were  added  later  by  another  writer,  gained  some 
currency :  so,  according  to  K.  Kautzsch,  to  whose  dissertation,  Das 
sogenantite  Volkshuch  von,  Hiob,  3ff.,  reference  may  be  made  for  the 
history  of  this  theor}',  first  Simon  (1685),  then  Schultens  (1737),  Hasse 
(1789),  Stuhlmann  (1804),  de  Wette  (1807),  Studer  (1875),  who  threw  out 
the  suggestion  that  the  original  introduction  to  the  poem  exists  in  c.  29  f. 
{Jahrb.  f.  protest.  TheoJogie,  i.  706  ff.).  S.  Lee  (1837)  held  that  Job  com- 
mitted the  speeches  to  writing,  and  that  Moses  added  the  Prologue  and 
Epilogue. 

-  So  Du.  most  incisively  (see  p.  xxvi,  n.  4).  For  earlier  theories  of  the 
Prolog  le  (and  Epilogue)  as  derived  from  or  resting  on  an  earlier  popular 
(prose)  book  of  Job,  see  Che.  Job  and  Solomon,  p.  66  ff.  ;  Hoffmann  ;  Bu. 


XXXvi  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§19-20. 

]vh]}  never  occurs  in  Job,  nor  Vkh,  for  in  view  of  the  frequent  occurrence 
of  Vk  without  the  article  it  would  be  illegitimate  to  assume  its  presence  with 
the  particles  h  and  3  (|H,  hnh,  hns)  in  138  ai^^  22"  31=8  33^^  34I0.  37  (cp.  Q-B. 
pp.  36b,  37a).  The  pi.  D'Sk  occurs  nowhere  in  the  existing  text,  nor  should 
it  be  introduced  by  emendation  (Che.)  in  41M9).  ,j^n  occurs  only  in  28^8. 
The  terms  regularly  used  in  other  parts  of  the  book  never  occur  in  the 
Prologue  and  Epilogue,  and  the  terms  used  in  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue 
occur  either  not  at  all  or  very  rarely,  or  only  under  special  circumstances,  in 
the  other  parts  of  the  book  :  thus  the  single  occurrence  in  cc.  3-31  of 
m.T  is  in  12^ — an  interpolated  v.,  and  the  five  occurrences  in  38-42®  all  occur 
not  in  the  speeches,  but  in  the  narrative  links  (38^  40^-  ^-  *  42^) ;  the  three 
occurrences  of  D'nVN  in  3-31  are  in  c.  28^^  (probably  an  interpolated  c),  20^^* 
a  rhythmically  overloaded  line,  and  58,  where  perchance  D'n'^x  has  arisen  from 
m'?N  under  the  influence  of  the  following  D'tyx  ;  and  of  two  occurrences  in 
32-37,  one  occurs  in  the  prose  introduction  (32^),  the  other  in  34^  which  may 
be  an  interpolation.  In  part  the  difference  of  usage  in  different  parts  of  the 
book  is  merely  part  of  the  difference  between  the  language  of  prose  and 
that  of  poetry  :  so  at  least  we  may  account  for  the  use  of  "^k  to  the  almost 
complete  exclusion  of  D'hSk  in  the  poetical  parts.  But  the  use  of  "?«,  nc  and 
niSx  to  the  complete  exclusion  of  ni.T  in  the  speeches  must  be  due  to  the  fact 
that  the  speakers  are  represented  as  living  before,  or  outside  the  sphere  of, 
the  revelation  of  the  name  Yahweh  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  narrator^  alike 
in  the  Prologue  and  Epilogue  and  in  38-42^,  regularly  uses  Yahweh.  Again, 
as  the  term  Yahweh  is  avoided  in  the  speeches  of  3-42*",  so  is  it  absent  from 
the  words  of  Job  in  1^  2^^  and  of  the  messenger  in  i^®,  and  of  Job's  wife  in 
2',  D\n"7N  (n)  being  used  instead  ;  only  in  i^^  is  Yahweh  used  in  words  of  Job, 
this  speech  thus  differing  not  only  from  the  longer  speeches  of  3-42''  but 
also  from  the  briefer  sayings  in  1.2.  Whether  or  not  this  difference  within 
the  Prologue  can  be  satisfactorily  explained,  in  view  of  the  difference  of 
usage  in  speeches  within  the  Prologue  and  the  identity  of  usage  in  narrative 
in  the  Prologue  and  in  38-42®  (in  3-31  there  is  no  opportunity  for  the  use  of 
ni.T  in  narrative),  it  is  very  precarious  to  infer  from  the  use  of  the  divine 
names  that  the  Prologue  and  Dialogue  are  the  work  of  different  writers. 
Other  differences  may  be  more  significant:  viz.,  in  c.  28  the  use  (see  p. 
232  n.)  of  Elohim  and  Adonai  and  the  greater  relative  frequency  of  Vk  in 
32-37  (see  §  24). 

§  20.  If  the  differing  use  of  the  divine  names  in  the  Prologue 
and  Dialogue  and  the  mere  fact  that  the  one  is  prose,  the  other 
poetry  do  not  point  to  difference  of  authorship,  certainly  nothing 
else  in  the  style  and  vocabulary  does  so  :  on  the  other  hand, 
there  are  certain  noticeable  similarities  of  usage  which,  if  they 
do  not  by  themselves  prove,  yet  rather  favour  the  common 
authorship,  or,  failing  that,  a  rather  thorough  assimilation  by 
the  author  of  the  one  of  the  style  of  the  other. 

Thus  Prologue  and  Dialogue  agree  in  describing  Job  as  perfect  and  in 
expressing  this  preferably  by  the  forms  Di?  and  nan  as  against  the  forms  O'Dn 


§§20-21.]     ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK       XXXvii 

and  on  which  are  more  frequent  in  other  books  (see  n.  on  i^).  The  particle 
n'?iK  is  a  common  characteristic  of  various  parts  of  the  book,  beingf  as 
frequent  in  Job  as  in  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  OT.  (see  phil.  n.  on  33^) ; 
note  also  V^i,  meaning  io  destroy  (2^  n.) ;  lU,  to  console  2"  42^^,  tj,  16^  (2^^  n.) ; 
'a  '3£5  "^y  (defiantly),  i"  ('a  ^n,  2^  12^^)6^^  2i^\q^v^  of  Job's  three  friends  (2^^  1921), 
3K3,  2^^  16^  (but  3N3D  in  Elihu,  33^^).  Most  of  these  with  several  other — 
mostly  insignificant — similarities  of  vocabulary  are  given  in  K.  Kautzsch, 
Das  sogenannte  Volksbuch  von  Hiob,  pp.  39-44.  Noticeable  also  in  this  con- 
nection is  the  presence  in  2^°  of  the  very  pronounced  Aramaism  '?3p  (for 
Hebrew  npS),  as  a  companion  of  the  Aramaisms  of  the  Dialogue  (§§  28,  47). 
It  may  be  observed  that  these  similarities — for  what  they  may  possess  of 
positive  worth — are  confined  to  the  Prologue,  and  do  not  extend  to  the 
Epilogue. 

Other  grounds  for  assuming  difference  of  authorship  have 
been  sought  in  certain  supposed  inconsistencies  of  details,  such 
as  the  alleged  reference  in  ig^'^  (but  see  n.  there)  to  Job's 
children  as  still  living,  or  of  general  attitude  and  purpose  (but 
see  §§  32  ff.).  But  whether  the  author  was  content  to  provide 
his  dialogue  with  a  ready-made  setting,  which,  according  to 
the  exponents  of  this  theory,  was  incongruous  and  out  of 
harmony  with  his  own  purpose,  or  whether  he  moulded  the 
more  plastic  material  of  oral  story  to  his  own  purpose,  the  work 
in  either  case  as  it  left  his  hands  consisted  of  Prologue,  Dialogue 
and  Epilogue.  We  have  next  to  inquire  how  far  this  work 
has  been  affected  by  subsequent  expansion,  mutilation  or  other 
modification. 

§  21,  Apart  from  shorter  passages,^  which  have  been 
suspected  of  being  additions  to  the  original  text,  but  which, 
even  if  such,  do  not  affect  the  general  structure  of  the  work, 
there  are  two  sections  which  are  or  have  been  under  suspicion 
of  being  in  whole  or  in  part  additions,  and  a  third  which  has 
probably  been  in  some  way  seriously  modified. ^  The  sections 
in  question  are : 

^  See  particularly  the  commentary  on  7®  lo**  ii^°  jgSb.  4-12  j^aoa  i69c-n 
178-W  2oi«-23«  2i22  22"^-  238^'  24  (introductory  note). 

2  Reference  may  also  be  made  here  to  the  theory  that  the  scenes  in 
heaven  (i*""  2^"^'')  are  additions  to  the  original  Prologue  (so,  e.g.^  Kon.  Einl. 
415) :  certainly  i^^  connects  formally  in  a  certain  respect  (see  n.  on  i")  even 
better  with  1°  than  with  i^^^  and  by  reading  '*  And  Yahweh  smote"  in  2"' 
this  might  attach  though  rather  abruptly  to  i^^  But  a  theory  which  on 
inadequate  grounds  destroys,  as  this  does,  the  dramatic  effectiveness  of  the 
Prologue  is  not  to  be  accepted. 


xxxviii  THE  book  of  job  [§21. 

(a)  Cc.  25-28,  the  conclusion  of  the  third  cycle  of  speeches ; 
(b)  Cc.  32-37,  Elihu;  (c)  Cc.  38^-42^,  the  speeches  of  Yahweh. 

(a)  Cc.  25-28.^ — Down  to  24  the  interchange  of  speeches 
has  proceeded  quite  regularly,  a  speech  of  one  of  the  friends, 
ranging  in  length  from  19  to  34  distichs,  receiving  in  reply  a 
speech  of  Job,  in  every  case  longer  and  in  the  present  probably 
expanded  text  of  cc.  12-14  much  longer.  Each  of  the  friends 
has  spoken  twice  :  Eliphaz  has  also  spoken  a  third  time  and 
received  Job's  reply.  After  c.  28  there  follows  a  speech  of  Job 
(29-31)  which,  like  his  opening  speech  (3),  is  neither  addressed 
to,  nor  takes  any  account  of,  the  friends,  though,  unlike  3,  it 
is  in  part,  though  a  very  small  part,  addressed  to  God  {^O"^'^^). 
Thus  the  conclusion  of  the  dialogue  proper  is  to  be  sought  in 
or  within  25-28,  or  rather  25-27,  for  28  is,  as  a  quiet  impersonal 
description  of  Wisdom,  differing  from  the  Dialogue  in  its  use  of 
the  divine  names  (§  19)  and  for  various  reasons  discussed  in  the 
commentary,  best  regarded  as  an  independent  poem,  which 
formed  no  part  of  the  original  work. 

Now  25-27  at  present  contain  a  brief  speech  of  Bildad  (25^"^, 
consisting  of  5  distichs  only  as  against  the  19  distichs  of  the 
shortest  of  the  preceding  speeches,  viz.  Sophar's  first  speech), 
and  one  longer  speech  (of  about  35  distiches),  or  rather  (cp.  27^) 
of  two  shorter  speeches  (of  about  13  and  22  distichs  respectively), 
addressed  by  Job  to  Bildad  in  particular  (26-^^),  or,  like  Job's 
previous  speeches,  to  the  three  friends  in  common  (27^"^).  In 
the  brevity  of  Bildad's  third  speech  and  the  absence  of  the 
attribution  of  any  third  speech  to  Sophar,  it  has  frequently 
been  held  that  the  poet  provided  a  formal  indication  that  the 
friends  had  exhausted  their  arguments  and  thrown  up  their 
case.  This  explanation  might  be  more  favourably  entertained, 
if  everything  else  in  22-27  containing  the  third  cycle  of  speeches 
were  in  order ;  but  this  is  not  so.  Even  in  c.  24,  as  is  pointed 
out  in  the  commentary,  there  is  more  or  less  matter  that  fits 
ill  in  a  speech  of  Job:  in  26  f.  there  is  much  more:  and  indeed 
we  may  analyse  26 f.  into  (i)  matter  appropriate  to  a  speech  of 

^  Cp.  G.  A.  Barton,  "The  Composition  of  Job  24-30,"  in  JBLit.y  191 1, 
66flf. 


§21.]  ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  XXxIx 

Job's  and  inappropriate  to  a  speech  of  one  of  the  friends — 
2^2  6.  (n)i2.  ^2)  matter  inappropriate  (for  opinions  to  the  con- 
trary, see  the  commentary)  to  a  speech  of  Job,  but  appropriate 
to  the  friends — 2y''~'^^' '^^'-^ ;  and  (3)  neutral  matter,  i.e.  matter 
not  inappropriate  either  in  Job  or  the  friends — 262-*-  ^-1*.  Now 
(2)  has  been  by  some  (Stu.  Bernstein,  We.  Sg-f.  Kue.)  dismissed 
as  consisting-  of  interpolations  ;  but,  since  so  regarded  they  are 
entirely  suitable,  it  is  far  more  probable  that  these  passages 
are  contributions  to  the  third  round  of  the  debate  by  Bildad 
and  Sophar.  In  this  case  25-27  should  contain  in  whole  or  in 
part  Bildad's  third  speech  and  Job's  reply  to  it,  and  Sophar's 
third  speech  and  (unless,  as  indeed  might  well  be,  the  mono- 
log-ue  in  29-31  takes  the  place  of  this)  Job's  reply  to  Sophar — 
in  all  four  or,  at  least,  three  speeches.  But  from  the  limited 
extent  of  these  chapters  we  must  conclude  that  part  only  and 
not  the  whole  of  these  four  (or  three)  speeches  survive. 

The  three  cc.  contain  the  equivalent  of  about  40  distichs,  whereas  four 
speeches  equalling  in  length  only  the  shortest  of  the  preceding-  speeches 
of  Job,  Bildad  and  Sophar  would  amount  to  about  95,  three  speeches  to 
about  70  distichs.  By  assigning  to  Job  all  the  neutral  in  addition  to  the 
positively  appropriate  matter,  20  distichs  can  be  obtained  for  him  which 
would  perhaps  suffice  for  one  speech  (his  shortest  previous  speech  ran  to 
28  distichs)  though  certainly  not  for  two  ;  but  in  this  case  there  remain  only 
20  distichs  to  be  distributed  among  Bildad  and  Sophar  which  are  far  too 
few.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  neutral  matter  be  assigned  to  Bildad  and 
Sophar,  even  then  there  is  scarcely  enough  to  bring  up  their  speeches  to 
even  approximately  normal  length  ;  and  the  effect  is  to  leave  only  7 
distichs  in  all  to  Job — altogether  insufficient  for  his  reply  to  Bildad  alone, 
even  if  29-31  may  be  regarded  as  taking  the  place  of  any  reply  to 
Sophar. 

The  probability  is  g'reat,  not  that  to  the  third  cycle  Sophar 
contributed  nothing  and  Bildad  less  than  half  a  dozen  distichs, 
but  that  the  speeches  of  the  third  cycle  have  through  some 
accident  reached  us  in  a  very  imperfect  form,  part  of  them 
having  been  lost,  the  remainder  dislocated.  This  single  hypo- 
thesis of  mutilation  of  the  text  accounts  at  once  for  the  whole 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  existing  close  of  the  third  cycle — the 
brevity  of  Bildad's  speech,  the  absence  of  Sophar's,  the  utter- 
ance by  Job  of  matter  contradicting  his  own  and  in  harmony 
with  previous  utterances  of  Bildad  and  Sophar,  and  the  attri- 


xl  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§  21-22. 

bution  to  Job  of  two  formal  openings  (26^"*  272"^)  in  reply  to  a 
single  speech — the  brief  words  of  Bildad. 

But  if  there  has  been  serious  loss  and  dislocation  of  matter, 
the  data  for  any  complete  or  certain  reconstruction  of  the  third 
cycle  do  not  exist.  We  cannot  determine,  for  example, 
whether  the  loss  has  affected  the  speeches  of  Sophar  and  Bildad 
equally,  whether  Sophar's  speech  was  wholly  lost  while  most 
of  Bildad's  survives,  or  whether  most  of  Sophar's  but  only  a 
mere  fragment  of  Bildad's  has  survived.  The  main  point  is  to 
recognize  that  the  passages  inappropriate  in  the  mouth  of  Job 
formed  no  part  of  his  speech  in  the  original  poem. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  may  suffice  to  record,  without  entering 
into  particular  criticism  of  them,  some  of  the  reconstructions  which  have 
been  attempted.  Most  of  those  who  find  any  of  §ophar's  speech  find  it  in 
2f-"^  to  which  Gratz  {Monatsschrifty  1872,  pp.  241-250)  adds  c.  28  as  a 
development  of  Sophar's  standpoint  in  11'"^".  Marshall  exceptionally 
attributes  2^'^  26^-1^  to  Sophar;  and  Bi.  (1894)  27'-i0' ^''"^o.  Among-  the 
reconstructions  offered  of  Bildad's  speech  are  the  following: — (i)  25  +  28 
(Stuhlmann,  1804) ;  (2)  25 +  26^-"  Elzas,  The  Book  of  J  oh  (1872),  p.  83,  cited 
by  Che.  Book  of  Job,  p.  114,  n.  i  ;  Che.  ih.  (in  EBi.  2478  he  regards  these 
vv.  as  substituted  for  a  lost  third  speech  of  Bildad) ;  Reuss,  Sgf.  ;  (3) 
26=-*  +  252-«  265-14  (Du.);  (4)  252- 3  +  265-1*,  Peake;  (5)  i5"-i»  25*-«,  Honth.  ; 
(6)  25.  2413-25,  Hoffm.  ;  (7)  25.  24i«-2o  2713-23^  L^y  .  (g)  24I8-21,  Marshall ;  (9) 
25.  278-10- 13-23,  Bi.  (1882)  ;  but,  in  1894,  252-3  2612- 13-  i4c  254-6. 

§  22.  {h)  Cc.  32—37.  Elihu. — These  cc.  consist  of  a  brief 
introduction  in  prose  (32^"^),  and  a  long  speech  or  series  of 
speeches  in  verse  delivered  by  Elihu.  The  cc.  were  obviously 
written  to  occupy  their  present  position  in  the  book:  as  32^"* 
explains,  Elihu  speaks  when  the  three  friends  had  ceased  to 
reply  to  Job  ;  and  in  the  speeches  Elihu  rebukes  Job  and  the 
friends  alike  ;  and  from  Job's  previous  speeches  he  cites  actual 
words,  or  summarizes  statements  in  them  (p.  278),  in  order  to 
refute  them.  But  it  is  scarcely  less  obvious  that  the  rest  of  the 
book  was  not  written  with  any  knowledge  of  these  speeches  ; 
and  consequently  that  they  formed  no  part  of  the  original  work. 
In  contrast  to  Elihu's  frequent  direct  reference  to  the  friends 
and  to  Job,  there  is  no  reference,  direct  or  indirect,  in  any 
other  part  of  the  book  to  Elihu  ;  the  Prologue  gives  the  setting 
for   the    debate    that    follows,    and   explains    how   the    three 


§§22-23.]     ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF   THE    BOOK  xli 

friends  who  subsequently  take  part  in  it  come  to  be  present, 
but  it  says  nothing  of  Elihu,  and  the  special  prose  introduction 
to  Elihu's  speeches  only  partially  supplies  the  omission ;  it 
gives  a  reason  why  Elihu  speaks,  it  gives  no  reason  why  he  is 
present.  Neither  Job  nor  the  friends  take  the  slightest  notice 
of  Elihu's  attacks  on  them,  or  of  his  arguments  ;  his  speech  is 
of  greater  length  than  any  that  have  gone  before,  but  no  one 
interrupts  him  while  he  is  speaking,  no  one  has  a  word  to  say 
of  or  to  him  when  he  has  done.  Job's  last  speech  closes  with 
an  appeal  to  God  to  answer  him  (31^^^),  and  Yahweh's  reply 
opens  (38^)  with  words  obviously  addressed  to  the  person  who 
has  just  finished  speaking ;  since  this  cannot  be  Elihu  but  must 
be  Job,  Yahweh's  opening  admits  of  no  intervening  speech  of 
Elihu.  Finally,  in  the  Epilogue  Yahweh  expresses  a  judgement 
on  what  Job  has  said  and  what  the  three  friends  have  said,  but 
makes  not  the  slightest  reference  to  Elihu.  Thus  this  entire 
section  can  be  removed  from  the  book  without  any  sense  of 
loss  or  imperfection  in  its  construction  being  created. 

But  the  speeches  are  not  only  superfluous,  they  are  also 
destructive  of  the  effect  of  what  follows.  They  are  superfluous, 
because  they  add  nothing  substantial  to  what  the  friends  have 
said  except  in  so  far  as  they  anticipate  what  Yahweh  is  to  say ; 
they  fail,  as  those  speeches  had  failed,  to  meet  Job's  case. 
They  repeat  arguments,  and  even  words  of  the  friends  (see 
339. 19. 26  3^7.8-11. 2if.  3.5-7  ^ith  nn.  there).  But  they  also  antici- 
pate (32^'^— 3721)  in  part  what  Yahweh  says  (sS"^"^^) — a  fact  which 
is  entirely  explained,  if  the  writer  had  before  him  or  in  his 
mind  the  whole  book,  the  speech(es)  of  Yahweh  equally  with 
those  of  the  friends,  but  most  unnaturally  if  they  were  the  work 
of  the  original  author  who  intended  Yahweh's  speech  to  round 
off"  the  debate. 

§  23.  Further  in  the  style  and  language  of  these  chapters 
there  is,  in  spite  of  very  much  that  is  common  to,^  much  that 

^  See  Bu.  Beitrdge,  92-123;  W.  Posselt,  Der  Verfasser  d.  Elihu  Reden 
(1909),  67-1 1 1.  The  common  features  are  the  natural  result  of  the 
familiarity  of  the  writer  with  the  book  which  he  was  supplementing  ;  so, 
e.g.^  he  naturally  uses  the  same  names  for  God,  but  (see  §  24)  with  differing 
relative  frequency. 


Xlll 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB 


■[§§  23-24. 


is  notably  different  from  the  rest  of  the  book,  alike  in  the 
verbose  prose  of  32^"^  as  compared  with  the  Prologue,  and  in 
the  poetry  of  the  speeches  as  compared  with  the  other  speeches 
in  the  book.  Some  differentiation  in  the  style  and  even  in 
vocabulary  (Eliphaz,  for  example,  alone  uses  nsT  in  the  sense  of 
religion,  4^  n.)  might  be  attributed  to  dramatic  differentiation  : 
and  we  might  seek  to  explain  the  prolixity  of  these  speeches  as 
a  dramatist's  indication  that  the  speaker  is  a  wise  young  man 
who  is  conscious  of  possessing  much  more  wisdom  than  his 
elders,  and  makes  up  for  lack  of  real  contribution  to  a  discus- 
sion by  the  abundance  and  violence  of  his  speech  ;  and  yet 
such  an  explanation,  however  consonant  with  the  impression 
made  on  many  readers  by  Elihu's  speeches,  is  not  true  to  the 
writer's  own  intention  (see  on  ^2^'^'^).  And  in  any  case  there 
remains  much  which  cannot  be  attributed  to  dramatic  differ- 
entiation, and  which,  tn  the  niass^  is  most  reasonably  attributed 
to  diversity  of  authorship. 

§  24.  (i)  Elihu  shows  a  marked  relative  preference  for  7X, 
using  this  term  more  frequently  than  all  other  terms  for  God 
together,  whereas  in  the  Dialogue  m^JX  is  used  with  the  same 
frequency,  and  ^n*j^  also  frequently  (§  18). 

Naturally  enough  even  in  the  Dialogue  the  relative  frequency  of  the 
three  terms  differs  in  different  groups  of  cc.  ;  but  never  does  the  differ- 
ence in  any  six  consecutive  cc.  equal  that  found  in  the  six  cc.  of  Elihu's 
speech  ;  and  the  occurrences  in  Bildad's  speeches  are  too  few  for  a  safe 
comparison.     The  following  table  will  serve  to  bring  out  the  differences  : 


Occurrences  in 

Vk 

.tiVk 

nisf 

Elihu 

»9 

6 

6 

Rest  of  the  Book 

Job's  Speeches  down  to  c.  24 

Cc.  26-31 

Eliphaz's  Speeches     . 

Bildad's           „             ... 

36 
10 

7 
8 
6 

35 

17 

7 

6 

0 

25 
7 
7 

7 

2 

Sophar's          „             ... 
Cc.    3-8 

2 
5 

3 
8 

I 
5 

,*      9-14 

5 

7 

2 

».    15-20 

9 

6 

' 

§§24-25.]     ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK 


xliii 


The  net  result  of  Bu.'s  additions  and  omissions  is  to  reduce  the  occur- 
rences of  hiSk  and  nr  by  one  each.  He  adds  Sn  in  32^  33^  and  omits 
33'*  36"^''  containing-  Sx,  35^  containing-  nt?,  and  37^^  containing  ni'?K  (also  34® 
containing  D'nVN). 

Throughout  the  Dialogue  the  three  names  are  used  without  marked 
preference  for  any  one  of  them,  a  more  frequent  use  of  one  of  them, 
in  say  a  dozen  occurrences  of  all  three  being-  balanced  by  a  more  frequent 
use  of  the  others  in  the  following  passage  :  note  these  most  striking  cases  : 
in  cc.  3-7  *?«,  niSx,  nt?  occur — i,  8,  3  times  respectively,  in  c.  8 — 4,  o,  2  ;  in 
cc.  9-1 1 — I,  5,  T  ;  in  cc.  12-15 — 8,  3,  2  ;  in  c.  22 — 3,  2,  5.  One  considera- 
tion g-overning-  the  choice  of  the  names  may  be  noted  :  where  in  each  line  of 
a  distich  a  divine  name  is  used  (often  the  parallelism,  if  expressed  at  all,  is 
expressed  by  means  of  a  pronoun),  a  marked  preference  is  shown  for  "ito  as 
one  of  the  two  :  this  is  true  of  all  parts  of  the  book  :  in  Elihu  'IK'  occurs 
four  times  in  parallelism  with  another  divine  term,  twice  at  most  not  in  such 
parallelism  ;  in  the  rest  of  the  book  it  occurs  17  times  in,  8  times  not  in 
parallelism  with  another  term.  On  the  other  hand,  '7K  occurs  in  Elihu  15 
times  not  in  parallelism  against  4  times  in  parallelism,  and  in  the  rest  of 
the  book  23  times  not  in  parallelism  against  13  times  in  parallelism.  Thus 
the  relative  infrequency  of  nc  in  Elihu's  speeches  is  but  another  side  of  a 
difference  between  those  speeches  and  the  rest  of  the  book :  in  Elihu  a 
single  divine  name  with  no  expressed  parallel  is  a  more  frequent  occurrence 
than  elsewhere.  Finally,  when  but  a  single  name  is  used,  Elihu  shows  a 
very  marked  preference  for  *?«  (in,  15  ;  ni'?N,  6),  the  rest  of  the  book  a  slight 
preference  for  mVx  (Sk,  23  ;  ni'?K,  27). 

§  25.  (2)  Elihu  shows  a  decidedly  increased  preference  for 
^3^^  rather  than  "•33N. 

The  occurrences  of  the  two  forms  of  the  ist  pers.  pronoun  in  various 
parts  of  the  book  is  as  follows  : 


'JK 


Prologue  ,  • 
Dialogue  .  . 
Yahweh  (40^*)  , 
42*  (  =  21**)  • 

Elihu 


o 
II 
o 

I 

2 


xliv  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [§§  25  -26. 

To  avoid  either  over-  or  under-emphasizing-  the  significance  of  the 
figures,  a  closer  analysis  of  the  usage  is  needed.  Increased  preponderance 
of  UN  over  '33X,  in  so  far  as  it  is  due  to  the  age  of  the  writing,  is  due  to  late- 
ness (Dr.  LOT  155  n.).  The  four  occurrences  of  UK  in  the  Prologue  would 
therefore  be  striking,  if  they  were  really  four  ;  but  they  are  merely  the 
four-times  repeated  phrase  na"?  un  pn  neVcNi,  where  UK  follows  a  particle  as 
it  frequently  does  in  both  the  Dialogue  and  Elihu.  Too  slight  again  is  the 
use  in  40^^  and  42^  (a  virtual  quotation  of  21^)  to  throw  light  on  either  the 
age  or  authorship  of  these  passages. 

As  between  the  Dialogue  and  Elihu,  while  some  of  the  difference  might 
be  otherwise  explained,  some  of  it  is  most  reasonably  attributed  to  the 
difference  of  authorship  and  the  somewhat  later  date  of  cc.  32-37.  One 
occurrence  of 'djn  in  the  Dialogue  is  due  to  a  repetition  (12^=132)  probably 
not  in  the  original  text ;  another  is  open  to  some  doubt  (see  phil.  n.  on  21* 
where  ^  omits  'djn).  So  also  one  occurrence  of  UK  (9'''*)  may  be  secondary. 
Similarly  in  Elihu  one  occurrence  of  UK  occurs  in  a  repetition  (32^*"^=''''). 
Allowing  for  these  textual  uncertainties  the  ratio  in  the  Dialogue  is 
14  :  9,  in  Elihu  8  :  2.  Both  agree  in  using  both  forms  for  the  prefixed 
subj.  of  a  vb. :  so  in  Elihu  -yyv/^  UK  35'*,  but  naiK  ojki  t>'\x\r\  33^1  (cp.  21*) ;  in  the 
Dialogue  'n'KT  UK  ^  and  so,  though  always  after  \  or  other  particles,  and, 
except  in  19^^,  with  the  impf ,  5^  6^^^  7^^  13^-  ^^  ig^^*  ^,  but  nanK  'djxi  uiKf  21' 
and  with  preceding  1  or  other  particle  9^"*  13^^  14''*  i6^  and  without  preceding 
],  9^®.  As  the  subj.  of  a  non-verbal  pred.,  Elihu  uses  UK  in  33^*  32^  '33K  only 
in  33^^  where  desire  for  a  variation  in  a  parallel  line  may  account  for  the 
use  of  the  (with  Elihu)  very  infrequent  form  ;  the  Dialogue  so  uses  UK  in  7'-^ 
920  (=21)2915,  but  with  equal  frequency '33X9^*5  J23(=i33)  29^^  After  particles 
(other  than  i),  while  Elihu  uses  UK  exclusively  (uk  »]K321*'*»  (="'')  i'*,  uk  }n  33^, 
UK  D3  33^,  UK  kSi  34^),  the  Dialogue  uses  both  (uk  dSik  58  13',  uk  dj  7"  13^ 
UK  o  13IS,  UK  N*?!  i5«,  UKnB'K  \<^^ ,  and  'DJk  'd  »]k  9I*,  ojk  dj  i6^  'ojkh  2i''(?)).  In 
particular,  the  contrast  is  interesting  between  mmK  033  '33k  dj  16^  and  UK  \n 
VkS  TS3  33^  To  sum  up  ;  whereas  in  the  Dialogue  '33K  is  a  frequent  alter- 
native to  UK,  in  Elihu  '3jk  occurs  only  in  33^^  a  reminiscence  of  21^  and  in 
33^''  where  '33K  is  a  parallel  term  to  uk  in  33^*. 

§  26.  (3)  Similarly  Elihu  makes  distinctly  less  use  of  certain 
rarer  forms  of  particles  and  pronominal  suffixes. 

No  doubt  several  of  these  forms  occur  too  infrequently  to 
have  separately  much  or  any  significance.  But  the  significance 
of  the  whole  group  is  hardly  to  be  cancelled  by  the  considera- 
tions which  Bu.  and  Posselt  have  brought  forward.  The 
usages  may  be  tabulated  thus : 


§§26-27.]       ORIGIN    AND    HLSTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  xlv 


Occurrences  of 

In  Elihu 
(E). 

Rest  of 
Job  (R). 

Rest  of  OT. 

m   :  :  :  : 

2 

13 

25 

O 

2  (7^  20«) 

10  {Isaiah,  p.  467) 

O 

4" 

0 

pD3»          .          .          .          . 

I 

3(4) 

4(5) 

-^iD?          .        .        ,         . 

o 

J  j4 

32 

Id^           .          .         .         . 

o5 

4« 

0 

'3D'          .           .           .           . 

3 

16 

13 

'bs  (without  prefix)      . 

2 

8 

II 

r  toS»     .      .      .      . 

\iDi^Vio       .         .         .         . 

o 

10 

45 

o 

8 

4 

§  27.  (4)  In  certain  cases  E  expresses  ideas  common  to 
himself  and  R  by  different  terms :  e.^.  V"^  (p.  2J4),  D^^J^  (except 
in  E,  only  in  the  probably  interpolated  v.  12*)  in  lieu  of  Dn 
(p.  3)y  ■'^^  in  lieu  of  Dn^3  (p.  ^j-o).  Cp.  also  32^  n.,  33I  n.,  and 
the  phil.  nn.  on  njyo  32^,  ^Jji'S  36^  (ct.  ^^\r;]j  31^^),  y^^T  34^2^ 
Note  also  that  E  always  uses  ^w*3N  in  phrases  of  the  type  VK^">  '^< 
(-^48.10.34.36.  jn  377  the  text  is  probably  corrupt),  whereas 
elsewhere  in  such  phrases  ^np  is  always  employed  (ii^^  igi^  22^^ 

1  The  occurrences  in  Job  are  in  6=  7*  (Qre)  8^  q^*  152?  i6^5  iS^**  20''  293-  "*• ' 
3324  4i22  I  33IB  3628^  Add  perhaps  ^i''^  (1.  en  ''?y).  Cp.  the  occurrences  of  ^y 
in  the  poetical  parts  of  the  book:  R  48+12  (Syi),  E  15+ i  (hvi).  Note 
further  in  R  n]}  and  '^h  always,  and  ''?y,  except  in  four  cases  (16^^  18'°  293-  ^), 
occur  before  a  tone  syllable  (7*  n.):  both  cases  in  E  are  before  toneless 
syllables  (33!^  36'^).     ny  occurs  R  21,  E  2  (32^1  34^6  n^i  ny) ;  Vk  R  22,  E  5. 

^  3^^  5^*  15''  29I9. 

3  (gso)  ,64.  5  19I6  I  378^  Is.  (2510)  432  44I6.  w   Ps.  Ii2. 

4  615   ,o22biB   12^   149  1922  285  3l37  38"  40"  41I6. 

'  There  would  be  one  occurrence  in  E,  if  in  33'^  we  read  D'no  bh, 
«  27^^  2921  38^0  40^ 

7  616  y6  g3.  25   „9  1222  ,^11   I  ^22.  30  16I6   jgl?  30^  bis  28*  30^  ^l^  \  33I8.  23.  30 

8  8^1  24^"  3o«  31=*'  38^  39^'  4^1 ''  42'  I  33'  34'. 

»  314  6i«  ,4-^i  1528  22i^- 1«  2416-  "  30^3  3^4.     Against  these  ten  occurrences  of 
loS  there  are  in  E   i,  in  R  4  cases  of  cn^ :  Mandelkern,  Concord.  Minor 
811  f. 

1"  Three  (20^3  22^  27^^ :  cp.  also  i8^*>  (K  :  see  nn.  on  the  passages),  if  the 
text  is  correct  =  r'?y  (which  occurs  in  E  4,  in  R  20  times) :  five  times  (6'^  21^' 
3o2.  5  29=2)  =  D,T'?y  (which  occurs  once  in  E,  twice  in  R).  Statistics  based  on 
Mandelkern,  Concord.  Minor,  528,  529.     Note  also  1D'S3,  272s,  G-K.  91/. 


xlvi  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§  28. 

§  28.  (5)  In  common  with  R,  E  contains  a  number  of 
Aramaisms  ;  1  but,  though  this  feature  has  been  on  the  one 
hand  exaggerated,  On  the  other  minimized,  in  E  the  Aramaic 
element  is  somewhat  more  prominent.  Since  in  detail  there 
is  much  that  is  open  in  varying  degrees  to  uncertainty,  exact 
statistics  cannot  usefully  be  presented ;  but  of  32  Aramaisms 
which  Kautzsch  (Die  Aratndismen  ini  alien  Teslamenl^  p.  loi) 
claims  in  Job,  5  are  common  to  E  and  R,  8  peculiar  to  E,  19 
peculiar  to  R,  whereas  the  ratio  of  E  to  R  (i  :  6)  would  lead 
us  to  expect  but  three  peculiar  to  E.  I  now  give  the  Aramaisms 
claimed  as  certain  by  Kautzsch  with  the  passages  under 
which  the  words  are  discussed  in  the  philological  notes,  and 
then  add  a  few  from  Kautzsch's  list  of  uncertain  Aramaisms  or 
elsewhere.  Most  of  the  words  in  question  occur  but  once  in 
Job ;  of  those  that  occur  more  frequently  I  place  the  number 
of  occurrences  after  the  word.  I  prefix  a  ?  to  certain  words 
open  to  doubt  textually  or  as  to  their  actual  Aramaic  character, 
and  give  references  to  Noldeke's  criticism  in  his  important 
review  of  Kautzsch  (ZDMG  Ivii.  412-420:  cited  below  as  N 
with  the  number  of  the  page). 

Common  to  E  and  R  are  f^ii,  (Piel  to  teach^  15^  33^^  35^^  • 
Qal  to  learn,  Pr.  22^5*  :  in  2i:^  =  Heb.  IDS'),  nin  (R  i,  E  4) 
iS^'i'^o^  (R  I,  E  i)  82,  n^D^  (R  20,  E  14)  42,  x2t^,  r\i^ 
(R  2  +  1,  E  i)87. 

Peculiar  to  R  are  ninx  I3^^2  ?  |-,^  if^'^  ^^^  f^  ^'^  g26^  p  t,2j3  i^^y 

^  On  the  Aramaisms  in  Job,  cp.  in  addition  to  the  works  cited  above 
and  those  of  Bu.  and  Posselt  cited  in  §  23  n.,  Bernstein,  "  Inhalt,  Zweck  u. 
gfeg^enwartigfe  Beschaffenheit  des  B.  Hiob,"'  in  Keil  u.  T ■L'f,z\\\vx\^r  s  Analekten 
(1813),  i.  3,  pp.  49-79;  Che.  Job  and  Solomon,  293-295,  in  many  respects 
modified  in  EBi.  2486  f. 

2  Che.  {EBi.  2487)  omits  15^'  and  13^',  thus  leaving  the  root  mn  confined 
toE. 

*  N.  413  claims  SSd,  n^D  as  "echt  hebraisch."  In  Job  nSo  is  a  synonym 
of  "im  and  idn  :  it  is  relatively  more  frequent  in  E  (nSo,  14  ;  nON,  4 ;  nm  :  4  : 
R  n'?D,  20;  nON,  6;  "im,  12).  For  the  Aramaizing  pi.  (but  see  N.  413,  n.  2) 
pSo,  E  has  a  preference,  using  it  7  times  against  D''?D  3  times  ;  R  p^D  6, 
D'Sd  7  times. 

*  Kautzsch  claims  6  occurrences — 9^"-  12^^**  23*  40'"'*;  but  see  9^=^  n., 
where  Dr.  admits  at  most  9'-  40^  :  cp.  N.  416. 

*N.4i5. 


§§28-29.]     ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY   OF   THE   BOOK  xlvli 

I3S  ">P%  glorious  3i2«,  5}2  (2)  30^  |Q3  (2)  5^2,  ??  jni?,  therefore 
302*,  ?  -jajDi  24-^'*,  nm,2  /<?  descend  21^^  (lyiG)^  -,^-,y3  ^^5^  pj^^  2j7^ 

?mn:^y  i2-\  bp  (2)  21^  3ip>*  w«r  382^  -^r^^  le^^  Ponn^^  40^^ 
^pn  i4^«- 

Peculiar  to  E  are  ?  nn3  34*,  Cjn^  33^  nnD  36^,  nayD  3425, 
2pj;  ( =  32y)6  37S  vyi  ( =  r^'i)  34^*>  «':i^  (2)  362^  nitj*  37^ 

Other  words  which  should  also  probably  be  considered 
Aramaisms  are  f]3N  33^,  i)t:p  13^^  24^^  (*'  probably  Aramaic,"  N. 
417),  and  nzrb^  15^*^  (N.  417) — 2*.^.  one  word  only  in  E,  two  only 
in  R.  3p1  in  13^8,  if  it  meant  wirte-skin  (Be. ;  Nestle,  ZATW 
XX.  172;  Che.  EBi,  2487),  would  also  be  an  Aramaism,  but 
DX^  7^  cited  by  Kautzsch  in  his  doubtful  examples,  may  be 
disregarded. 

§  29.  (6)  As  important  as  the  details  which  can  be  statisti- 
cally presented  is  the  general  impression  of  the  style.  ''The 
style  of  Elihu  ...  is  prolix,  laboured  and  somewhat  tautologous 
^^26end.iob.i7bj.  ^j^g  p^^^^.  ^^^  brilliancy  which  are  so  con- 
spicuous in  the  poem  generally  are  sensibly  missing.  The 
reader,  as  he  passes  from  Job  and  his  three  friends  to  Elihu, 
is  conscious  at  once  that  he  has  before  him  the  work  of  a 
writer,  not  indeed  devoid  of  literary  skill,  but  certainly  inferior 
in  literary  and  poetical  genius  to  the  author  of  the  rest  of  the 
book.  The  language  is  often  involved  and  the  thought  strained  " 
(Dr.  LOT  429).  With  this  view  Bu.,  who  in  his  Beitrage 
offered  the  most  elaborate  defence  of  the  identity  of  style  in 
cc.  32-37  and  the  rest  of  the  book,  now  practically  concurs 
(Comm.  xix.2  xxvii.):  but  he  attributes  this  diversity  of  style 
in  the  section  as  a  whole  to  the  interpolation  of  some  30  verses 

/^22-5.  11-12.  15-17    22'*-  15^-  ^^  34^-  1^^-  -5-28.  290    ^-4    ^513.  14.  17.  25.  26.  29.  30 

2^13. 15. 16J  2iX\6.  much  corruption  of  the  text.  Some  of  the 
harshness  and  obscurity  is  certainly  due  to  corruption  (see  on 
33^^   34^*^'  ^^"^   36^^)*   and   some    interpolation    there  may  have 

*  N.  414.  2  N.  414  "kann  althebraisch  sein." 
^  N.  413 — perhaps  a  good  Hebrew  synonym  of  khb. 

*  N.  4i3f.  :  traditional  Arama.ic punctualiofi  nnj?  not  necessarily  correct. 
^  N.  415  points  out  that  the  meaning  required  in  33^  does  not  occur  in 

Aramaic. 

*  In  addition  to  the  n.  on  37^  cp.  Rothstein  in  ZDMG  Ivii.  82. 


xlvlil  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§29-30. 

been  {e.g..,  perhaps  in  34^^  3626- 29-30 j  here,  as  elsewhere  in  the 
book ;  but  it  is  in  general  improbable  that  these  chapters  have 
been  7noye  extensively  interpolated  than  the  rest,  and  in  par- 
ticular there  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  regarding  as  inter- 
polations most  of  the  passages  omitted  by  Bu.  The  assumption 
again,  that  the  omissions  of  ^  represent  additions  to  the 
original  text,  is  as  precarious  here  as  elsewhere  (see  §  50).  A 
different  theory  of  diversity  of  authorship  within  32-37  is 
put  forward  by  Nichols,  who  distinguishes  32^1"^^  34.  35^^-  ^^ 
(placed  between  34-^  and  '^*)  as  the  words  of  a  *' second  wise 
man  "  addressed  not  at  all  to  Job  (34^^  is  omitted,  and  with 
^  3428-33)^  but  throughout  to  the  wise ;  the  style  of  both 
authors  in  32-37  is  held  to  differ  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the 
book. 

The  various  reasons  already  given,  independently  of  con- 
siderations adduced  in  §  32  ff.,  suffice  to  show  that  cc.  32-37 
are  the  work  of  another  writer  than  the  author  of  the  book. 

§  30-   W  ^^-  Z^^-^^^y  th^  speech(es)  of  Yahweh. 

The  only  ground  for  questioning  this  section  as  a  whole 
lies  in  the  nature  of  the  contents  which  have  appeared  to  some 
incapable  of  reconciliation  with  the  standpoint  of  the  author 
of  the  Dialogue.  This  will  be  discussed  below  (§§  38-39). 
Apart  from  this  everything  is  In  favour  of  the  main  part  of  the 
section  having  formed  part  of  the  original  work.  The  speeches 
of  Elihu  may  be  removed  without  causing  a  tremor  to  the 
structure  of  the  book ;  but  without  some  speech  of  Yahweh 
the  structure  falls  to  pieces.  The  book  as  a  finished  structure 
can  never  have  closed  with  c.  3 1  (or  37) ;  a  speech  of  Yahweh 
is  the  natural,  if  not  the  necessary  sequel  to  Job's  closing 
soliloquy;  and  a  speech  of  Yahweh  is  certainly  presupposed 
in  the  opening  words  of  the  Epilogue  (42"^).  Thus  there  are 
three  alternatives  :  (1)  the  speech  is  authentic  ;  (2)  the  original 
author  left  his  work  unfinished,  and  a  subsequent  writer  added 
the  speech  of  Yahweh ;  (3)  the  present  has  been  substituted 
for  a  speech  in  the  original  work.  In  either  of  the  last  two 
alternatives  we  might  expect  difference  of  style ;  but  such 
difference,  If  it  can  be  detected  at  all,  does  not  extend  beyond 
40^-41^^  ^^^\      Cc.   38  f.  at   least   are   by   general   consent    un- 


§§  30-31.]      ORIGIN    AND    HISTORY    OF    THE    BOOK  xllx 

surpassed  for  poetical  power.  On  the  whole,  then,  38.  39 
together  with  40^'^  and  42^"^  appear  to  be  integral  to  the  book, 
but  40^-42^  for  reasons  given  in  the  commentary  (pp.  348  f., 
351  f.)  are  probably  later  additions. 

§  31.  The  conclusions  on  the  main  questions  now  reached, 
and  those  on  minor  details  indicated  in  the  commentary,  may 
be  tabulated  so  as  to  indicate  the  original  structure  of  the 
book  and  additions  which  at  various  times  it  may  have  received. 
The  passages  absent  from  ffli,  representing  (in  the  main)  a 
subsequent  abbreviation  of  the  book  (§  48 f.),  are  also  given: 
as  omissions  from  (&  are  reckoned  lines  absent  from  l£t  (with 
half  a  dozen  exceptions),  or  (in  39^-40^)  asterisked  in  ^^,  and 
also  17^^  20^  (see  §  49). 


THE  ORIGINAL  STRUCTURE  AND  SUBSEQUENT 
MODIFICATIONS  OF  JOB 


Original  Elements. 

Additions  Prob- 
able OR  Possible. 

Omissions  in  (St. 

I.   Prologue,  I.  2 

[Enumeration  of  vv.  by 

2.  Job's  soliloquy,  3 

Swete  ;  where  that  of 

3.   Dialogue  between  the 

the  translation  differs 

friends  and  Job 

from  this,  it  is  added 

First        cycle       of 

in  brackets.] 

speeches 

Eliphaz,  4.  5 

5f- 

Job,  6.  7          except 

f 

f- 

Bildad,  8 

Job,  9.  10             „ 

io3c 

Q24b.  c  io4a  r^  ,  io4a.  b  Sw. 

both=io^'>|^). 

Sophar,  11           ,, 

,160 

Il5b 

Job,  12-14           „ 

J  2Sb.  4-lS 

j28b'.  9.  18b.  21a.  23        j^l9b.  20b 
,412c  18.  19, 

Second     cycle     of 

speeches 

Eliphaz,  15     except 

,,.30a 

J -10.  26b.  27, 

Job,  16.  17 

,69c-ll  J  78-10 

J  53b.  8b.  9(7b^-8)  22(21)b, 

,  -3b-5a.  12.  16_ 

jg'Jb.  10,  15  (bu't  19c  ^  _  15a  |fa) 

Bildad,  18 

16.  17b, 

Job,  19 

,Q24a.  28b, 

Sophar,  20           „ 

20I6.28 

2o3-  »•  11-13-  14b.  20b.  2ia.  23a.  25o^ 

Job,  21                  „ 

21^2 

2jl5.19b.  21.  23.  88-83^ 

THE    BOOK    OF    JOB 


[§  31-32. 


The  Original  Structure  and  Subsequent  Modifications 
OF  Job — continued 


Original  Elements.        Additions  Prob- 
ABLE  OR  Possible. 

Omissions  in  ffi. 

3.  Dialogue  between  the 

friends  and  Job 

Third       cycle       of 

speeches 

Eliphaz,  22     except  !  22"'* 

223b.  13-16.  20.  24.  2».  8»^ 

Job,  23.  24           ,,         23^^  and  ?  parts  of 

2^.  15  (14)       2±*^-  5c.  *8a-  1<-18» 

24  (p.  206) 

(1<»    SW.,   Cp.   3425?^)  25b^ 
(25b)^ 

Bildad,  2s(  +  ?26) 

265-11.  14a.  b^ 

Job,  272-«- 11-12 + 

Sophar  ?,  zf'-^'-  ^""-^'^ 

2yl9b.  21-23^ 

28  Poem  on  Wisdom 

2g3b-4a.  5-9a.  14-19.  21b.  22a.  26b- 

27a^ 

Job's  closing-  solilo- 

2QlOb'.lla(10a.b.  gw.  l*'*^!^ 

quy,  29-31 

lla\  13a.  19.  90.  24b.  26^ 
y^\c.  2.  3.  4a  (?).  7a.  llb'lSa.  16a. 

18b.  20b.  27^ 
r.  J  1-4.  18.  23b.  24a.  27a.  35a^ 

32-37  Elihu 

^24b.  5.  lib  (lie).  12.  16.  16  (17?). 

228a.  19b.  20b.  28.  29.  31h-33^ 

^  ,3.  4.  6b.  7.  lib.  18b.  23a*.  25b. 

28-33^ 
^e'b-lOa.  12a.   15.  16.    ^5.%.  6.  7 
(6a.  7b.  c  .   6b.  7a  ^  ;_  I5b.  17a 
^)  8-11.  13.  16.  20.  21b.  22»^ 
^524b.  25a.  26.  27b.  28a.  29-33^  ' 
-,yl-5a.  6b.  7ft.  10a.  lla-12c.  13.  18. 

21b  (c)^ 

4.  Yahweh  38^-40-except 

39^^ 

„g26.  27.' 32  ^gla.  3b-4.  6b.  8^ 

40«-4i"(28; 

3^18-18.  28.  29b.  31  (.qI)^ 

^Ol8(23)b.l9(20).21(26)a^ 

Job,  402-5  ^22.  Sc.  d.  5.  6 

.,3   (12).    7   (l«)a.    8   (17).    14  (28)b. 
17  (26)b.  20  (29;a.  23  (S2)b^ 

5.  Epilogue,  42'-!' 

^2^'  I6c.  17. 

V.  The  Purpose  and  Method  of  the  Writer. 

§  32.  If  we  are  rig^ht  In  concluding  that  a  single  writer  is 
responsible  for  the  Prologue,  the  speeches  of  Job,  of  his  three 
friends  and  of  Yahweh  (apart  from  the  passages  indicated  in 
the  preceding  table  as  possible  additions),  and  the  Epilogue, 
what  was  the  purpose  of  this  writer,  and  what  are  the  dis- 
tinctive features  of  his  thought  and  outlook  on  life  which  he 
reveals  in  his  work  ? 


§  32.]        rURPOSE   AND    METHOD    OF    THE    WRITER  11 

It  would  no  doubt  be  as  inadequate  a  description  of  Job,  as, 
for  example,  of  Paradise  Losty  to  call  it  merely  a  didactic  poem  ; 
it  would  be  even  further  from  the  truth  to  regard  it  as  a  purely 
objective  dramatic  poem  in  which  the  author  maintains  an 
interested  but  quite  impartial  attitude  towards  the  various 
characters  which  arc  introduced  and  the  various  points  of  view 
which  are  expressed  by  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  author 
obviously  ranges  himself  with  Yahweh  in  approving  Job  as 
against  his  friends ;  as  passionately  as  Job  he  rejects  the  inter- 
pretation of  life  maintained  by  the  friends,  and  as  decisively  as 
Yahweh  the  estimate  of  human  character  (so  closely  associated 
with  the  friends'  outlook  on  life)  that  is  offered  by  the  Satan.  The 
writer's  purpose  is  never  so  directly  formulated  as  Milton's — to 

assert  Eternal  Providence 
And  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  men  ; 

nor  is  it  coextensive  with  it ;  but  it  is  akin,  and  not  really 
concealed,  and  the  differences  of  opinion  which  have  prevailed 
with  regard  to  the  purpose  of  the  book  have  been  due  to 
seeking  from  the  author  more  than  he  was  able  or  intended  to 
offer.  He  had  no  clear-cut  theology,  like  Milton's,  enabling  him 
to  say  why  God  acted  as  He  did  and  thus  positively  to  justify 
His  ways;  but  through  pain  and  trial  he  had  discovered  in 
his  own  experience  that  God  did  not  abandon  the  sufferer,  and 
therefore  he  was  able  to  assert  that  God  did  not  send  sufferinirs 
on  men  merely  for  the  reasons  commonly  assigned,  and  that  it 
was  not  necessarily  or  always  true  that  as  an  individual  suffered 
so  he  had  sinned;  and  thus,  if  he  could  not  positively  justify 
God,  he  could  at  least  vindicate  Him  against  the  ways  attributed 
to  Him  by  the  current  opinion  of  his  time,  represented  in  the 
poem  by  the  friends.  There  was  also  another  side  to  his 
experience :  he  had  discovered  not  only  that  God  did  not 
abandon  the  sufferer,  but  also  that  suffering  and  loss  had  not 
detached  him  from  God,  that  it  was  possible  to  serve  and  love 
God  not  for  the  outward  things  He  gave,  but  for  what  He  was 
in  Himself.  The  book  aims  not  at  solving  the  entire  problem 
of  suffering,  but  at  vindicating  God  and  the  latent  worth  of 
human  nature  against  certain  conclusions  drawn  from  a  partial 
observation  of  life. 


lii  TPIE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§§33-34. 

§  23-  The  book  opens  with  the  presentation  of  a  perfect 
character  :  Job  is  so  described  in  the  first  words  of  the  narrative 
(i^),  and  the  truth  of  the  description  is  endorsed  by  Yahweh 
(i^  2^) ;  the  kind  of  Hfe  and  character  thus  described  in  general 
terms  is  indicated  in  detail  elsewhere  in  the  book  (cp.  especially 
c.  31  :  also,  e.g.,  4^^' ;  and  see  n.  on  i^).  But  the  Satan  disputes 
the  inherent  worth  of  this  character :  Job,  he  insinuates,  had 
lived  as  he  had,  not  simply  with  the  result  (i^  n.)  that  he  had 
become  outwardly  prosperous,  but  in  order  that  he  might 
prosper ;  he  had  served  God  not  for  God's  sake,  but  to  obtain 
the  handsome  price  of  such  service  :  human  nature  is  incapable 
of  pure  devotion  to  God,  human  conduct  is  not  disinterested ; 
if  the  payment  for  it  ceases,  or  becomes  uncertain,  man's 
service  of  God  will  cease,  man  will  no  longer  address  God 
reverentially,  or  affectionately,  but  blasphemingly  ;  where  love 
and  trust  had  seemed  to  be  while  such  qualities  received  their 
price,  there  hate  and  contempt  will  certainly  be  when  the  price 
is  withdrawn.  Such  is  the  issue  between  Yahweh  and  the 
Satan,  Yahweh  upholding,  the  Satan  calling  in  question,  the 
integrity,  the  sincerity,  the  disinterestedness  of  Job.  Such  also 
had  been  the  issue  in  the  mind  of  the  writer  who  wrote  the 
speeches  that  follow  the  opening  narrative ;  he  had  faced  the 
same  problem  of  life  as  Plato  in  the  Republic  (Bk.  ii.);  he  had 
realized  that  the  really  perfect  man  must  be  prepared  to  prove 
his  perfectness  by  maintaining  it  even  when  there  befell  him 
calamity  such  as  would  have  seemed  the  meet  sequel  to  wicked- 
ness, and  such  as  actually  had  the  effect  on  the  ordinary  judge- 
ment of  men  of  making  him  seem  to  have  been  wicked  though 
actually  he  had  been  good.  The  very  friends  of  Job,  held 
by  the  dogma  that  a  man  of  broken  fortunes  cannot  have 
been  *' integer  vitae  scelerisque  purus,"  infer  from  Job's 
calamities  that  he  must  have  been  wicked,  though  his  own 
conscience  and  God's  unerring  judgement  assert  that  the  life 
on  which  these  calamities  descended  had  been  free  from 
blame. 

§  34'  Within  the  Prologue  the  issue  is  decided  against  the 
Satan  :  when  the  Satan  sneeringly  says  to  God,  Take  away  all 
the  wealth  Thou  hast  given  Job,  then  go  and  see  him,  and  he 


§  34.]         PURPOSE   AND    METHOD    OF    THE   WRITER  IHI 

will  curse  Thee,  he  is  obviously  contemplating  the  immediate 
result  of  deprivation  on  Job ;  for  when  in  the  second  scene  in 
heaven  he  is  challenged  by  Yahweh  to  admit  that  Job's  conduct 
and  temper  under  loss  have  proved  the  Satan's  estimate  of  him 
wrong,  he  does  not  plead  that  the  experiment  has  not  had  long 
enough  to  work,  but  claims  that  it  is  merely  necessary  to  with- 
draw health  as  well  as  wealth,  and  Job  will  at  once  cease 
blessing  and  curse.  The  Satan's  estimate  is  based  on  weaker 
characters,  exemplified  by  Job's  wife,  who  would  have  Job  do 
what  the  Satan  had  counted  on  his  doing ;  but  Job  himself  rejects 
the  advice  of  his  wife  in  words  which  are  tantamount  to  saying : 
to  curse  God  now  would  be  to  prove  that  I  have  served  and 
blessed  Him  hitherto  not  for  what  He  is,  but  for  the  good- 
fortune  which  for  so  long  He  gave  me ;  now  that  ill-fortune 
has  befallen  me  I  can  show  that  I  serve  Him  for  what  He  is. 
Thus  Job  left  at  last  only  with  bare  life,  without  which  he 
could  be  no  subject  of  testing,  and  his  character  which  had 
been  called  in  question,  but  which  he  had  maintained  intact 
under  the  last  test  that  the  Satan  could  suggest,  by  these  words 
proves  his  disinterested  attachment  to  Yahweh,  that  he  had 
not  served  Him  for  what  He  gave,  and  thus  finally  and  com- 
pletely puts  the  Satan  in  the  wrong,  and  that  so  obviously  that 
it  is  unreasonable,  as  some  have  done,  to  complain  that  the 
writer  has  not  depicted  Yahweh  pressing  home  the  Satan's 
discomfiture,  whether  by  a  third  scene  in  heaven,  or  in  the 
Epilogue. 

Job  by  his  attitude  in  the  Prologue  has,  unknown  to  himself, 
vindicated  Yahweh's  against  the  Satan's  estimate  of  his  char- 
acter ;  but  the  result  of  the  Satan's  experiments,  the  origin  and 
purpose  of  which  remain  unknown  on  earth,  is  to  expose  Job's 
character  to  attack  from  another  quarter.  The  Satan  in  heaven 
disputes  the  integrity  of  Job's  character,  because  prosperity 
had  necessarily  left  it  untested ;  when  his  prosperity  forsakes 
Job,  his  friends  on  earth  dispute  his  integrity  on  the  ground 
that  he  must  have  sinned  because  he  no  longer  prospers.  Thus 
the  Prologue  opens  up  the  question  of  the  relation  of  loss  and 
suffering  to  sin :  with  this  question  the  Dialogue  is  concerned, 
and  necessarily  (for  it  is  a  crucial  instance  for  the  theory  at 


llV  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§  34-35. 

issue)  interwoven  with   the  discussion  of  it  is   the  attack   on 
and  defence  of  Job's  integrity. 

§  35.  Between  Job's  rebuke  of  his  wife  with  its  implicit 
assertion  of  his  own  resignation  and  the  opening  of  the 
Dialogue  some  weeks  intervene  :  in  the  interval  Job's  experience 
has  raised  questions  in  his  own  mind  :  why  is  he,  why  are  men 
born  to  suffer  ?  The  ready  answer  of  his  old  faith  would  have 
been  :  men  are  not  born  to  suffer  ;  they  only  suffer  if  they  sin  ; 
but  his  experience  has  proved  this  false  in  his  own  case,  and, 
as  he  is  now  ready  to  believe,  it  would  also  be  false  in  the 
case  of  countless  others,  but  to  the  bitter  question  he  now  finds 
no  answer.  Thus  he  goes  into  the  following  debate  con- 
vinced that  the  solution  there  repeatedly  put  forward  is  false, 
but  with  no  other  theory  to  oppose  to  it.  To  these  questionings 
of  Job  his  three  friends,  who  being  no  fair  weather  friends  had 
come  to  him  on  hearing  of  his  calamities,  had  listened :  they 
had  brought  with  them  the  same  old  faith  as  Job's,  but  not  the 
direct  personal  experience  which  had  proved  to  Job  its  in- 
adequacy. In  all  friendliness  they  would  recall  Job  to  the  faith, 
and  lead  him  to  the  course  which  that  faith  indicated — humble 
acceptance  of  the  discipline  of  suffering,  confession  and  abandon- 
ment of  the  sin  which  had  brought  his  suffering  upon  him,  and 
return  to  God.  Job  cannot  accept  such  advice,  for  in  doing  so 
he  would  be  false  to  his  conviction  of  his  integrity.  The  nature 
of  the  Dialogue — so  different  from  those  of  Plato — is  thus 
determined  by  the  nature  of  the  difference  in  character  of  what 
the  two  parties — for  the  three  friends  constitute  a  single  party 
— stand  for :  the  friends  maintain  a  theory.  Job  defends  a  fact 
— the  reality  and  truth  of  his  conviction  of  innocence.  The 
Dialogue,  therefore,  is  not  directed  towards  reaching  a  correct 
or  more  adequate  theory,  but  towards  emphasizing  the  certainty 
of  the  fact  and  the  consequent  falseness  of  the  prevailing  theory. 
So  far,  indeed,  is  Job  from  opposing  a  different  theory  to  the 
theory  of  the  friends  that  his  own  outlook,  and  his  own  inter- 
pretation of  what  has  happened,  is  still  largely  governed  by  the 
theory  which  he  also  had  once  unquestioningly  held  ;  and  which 
is  still  the  only  positive  theory  to  hold  the  field  till  driven  from  it 
by  the  vindication  of  the  truth  of  Job's  conviction,  which  proves 


§  35.]  PURPOSE    AND    METHOD    OF    THE    WRITER  Iv 

the  theory  false.  Because  he  has  no  other  theory  of  suffering 
than  that  of  the  friends,  he  can  imagine  no  other  jus^  cause  for 
his  own  sufferings  than  sin  on  his  part ;  since,  then,  as  he 
knows  directly  and  for  certain  that  such  just  cause  does  not 
exist,  he  infers  that  his  suffering  has  been  unjustly  inflicted, 
that  God — the  God  at  least  of  his  own  old  and  the  friends'  still 
cherished  theory — is  unjustly  causing  his  suffering,  has  changed 
without  good  cause  from  being  his  friend  into  his  enemy.  In 
the  early  days  of  his  loss,  Job  was  conscious  only  of  his  own 
unchanged  attitude  towards  God  ;  as  time  gives  opportunity 
for  reflection,  and  more  especially  as  the  friends  press  home  the 
inference,  inevitable  under  the  theory,  that  because  Job  greatly 
suffers  he  must  have  greatly  sinned,  Job  awakes  to  another 
aspect  of  his  strange  fortunes  ;  loss  gives  him  the  opportunity 
of  proving  his  willingness  to  receive  from  God  ill-fortune  no 
less  than  good  fortune  ;  of  remaining,  when  rewards  fail,  for 
His  own  sake,  the  servant,  the  friend  of  God  ;  but  loss  at  the 
same  time,  if  the  friends  and  their  theory  are  right,  is  God's 
unambiguous  assertion  that  He  has  rejected  Job  and  become 
his  enemy.  This  is  Job's  severest  trial  of  all — a  trial  the  Satan 
failed  to  think  of;  and  under  the  stress  of  it  Job  says  much 
that  doubtless  needs  correction,  and  yet  nothing  that  corresponds 
to  anything  the  Satan  can  have  meant  by  ''cursing  God  to  His 
face,"  nothing  that  reflects  back  upon  Job's  previous  character 
in  such  a  way  as  to  indicate  that  it  lacked  the  wholeness  which 
Yahweh  claimed  for  it  and  the  Satan  denied.  Job  nowhere 
regrets  his  previous  service  of  God,  and  never  demands  the 
restoration  of  the  previous  rewards ;  what  he  does  seek  is  God 
Himself,  God  unchanged,  still  his  friend — on  his  side,  un- 
estranged  from  him,  and  not,  as  the  theory  assures  him  He 
has  now  become,  his  enemy ;  and  what  he  seeks  he  never  really 
and  permanently  despairs  of  finding  ;  against  God,  seeming  by 
the  calamities  He  sends  to  take  away  his  character,  he  appeals 
to  God  to  vindicate  it  (16^^"^^  n.  17^),  and  rises  to  certainty  that 
He  will  do  so,  if  not  this  side  death,  then  beyond  (19^^) ;  but  it 
is  only  for  this  vindication,  for  the  realization  that  God  really 
remains  his  friend,  not  for  the  restoration  of  good  fortune,  that 
Job  contemplates  the  intervention  of  God  on  his  behalf. 


Ivi  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [§36. 

§  36.  It  is  unnecessary  to  review  in  detail  here  all  the 
speeches  of  the  friends  and  Job's  replies  to  them  :  they  cover 
the  same  ground  again  and  again.  So  far  as  the  friends  are 
concerned  it  is  of  the  very  essence  of  the  writer's  purpose  that 
they  should  one  and  all  say  essentially  the  same  thing :  they 
are  not  introduced  to  represent  many  existing  theories  ;  but 
the  three  of  them,  expounding  the  same  theory,  represent  that 
as  the  unchallenged  judgement  of  ancient  and  still  current 
opinion.  All  the  variety  that  is  thus  possible  in  the  friends' 
speeches  is  variety  of  expression,  the  formulation  of  different 
aspects  of  the  same  theory,  or  different  proofs  of  it,  such  as 
the  divine  origin  of  it  (/\}^^-  Eliphaz),  its  antiquity  (8^*-  Bildad, 
i^isf.  Eliphaz,  20*  Sophar),  the  impossibility,  due  to  man's 
ignorance,  of  successfully  disputing  it  (i  i^^-  Sophar),  or  of  such 
subsidiary  theories  as  had  been  called  in  to  help  it  out.  Of 
these  a  word  or  two  may  be  said  here.  Briefly,  the  theory 
itself  is  that  the  righteous  prosper,  the  unrighteous  come  to 
grief,  and  conversely  that  suffering  implies  sin  in  the  individual 
sufferer,  and  prosperity  the  righteousness  of  the  prosperous. 
But  the  facts  of  life  at  any  time  too  obviously  challenge  this 
simplest  form  of  theory ;  and  these  had  already  led  to  certain 
additional  details  which  accordingly  are  not  represented  as 
elicited  by  the  debate,  but  are  many  of  them  already  expressed 
or  implied  in  the  very  first  speech  of  Eliphaz.  Such  details  are 
the  suggestions  that  all  men  are  impure  and  sinful  to  some 
extent,  and  that  therefore  suffering  is  to  some  extent  due  to 
all ;  that  righteous  individuals  might  suffer  to  some  extent 
and  for  a  time,  and  unrighteous  individuals  might  similarly 
prosper,  but  that  the  unrighteous  did  and  the  righteous  did 
not  come  to  an  untimely  end  {e.^.  4"^  S^^-'^^) ;  that  the  wicked, 
even  when  seeming  to  be  prosperous,  were  haunted  by 
terror  of  the  coming  calamity  that  was  their  due  (is^^*'^-). 
Again — and  here  there  persists  the  influence  of  that  strong 
sense  of  the  solidarity  of  the  family  or  clan,  with  its  relative 
indifference  to  the  individual,  that  preceded  the  increased  value 
set  on  the  individual,  which  is  the  presupposition  of  the  book 
of  Job — it  is  urged  that  even  if  an  unrighteous  man  lives  out  a 
long    prosperous    life,  his  children  pay  the  penalty  for  it   (5^ 


§§36-37.]     PURPOSE    AND    METHOD    OF    THE    WRITER      Ivii 

20^^).  Or  again  it  is  conceded,  especially  by  Eliphaz  in  his 
first  speech  (5^^^' :  so  also  Elihu,  passitn),  that  suffering-  need 
not  be  mere  penalty,  but  may  have  as  its  end  the  conviction 
and  removal  of  sin,  the  purification  of  character ;  in  other 
words,  that  suffering  is  not  only  penal,  but  may  also  be  dis- 
ciplinary. But  with  all  the  admissions  and  concessions  that 
the  current  theory  allows  them  to  make,  the  friends  in  the 
development  of  the  debate  clearly  make  plain  that  the  sub- 
stance of  the  theory  is  that  God  distributes  suffering  and 
prosperity  to  the  unrighteous  and  righteous  respectively,  and 
that  in  proportion  to  their  righteousness  or  unrighteousness. 
Accordingly  Eliphaz,  who  in  his  first  speech  introduces  the 
subject  of  disciplinary  suffering  (arguing  that  since  no  man  is 
free  from  sin,  all  men  must  suffer,  but  that  if  they  rightly  accept 
suffering  due  to  essential  human  infirmity,  they  will  ultimately 
prosper,  whereas  if  they  prove  obstinate  and  greatly  suffer  they 
must  greatly  have  sinned)  in  his  second  speech  ^  expresses  his 
conviction  that  Job  must  be  a  peculiarly  heinous  sinner  (15^*"^^), 
and  in  his  third  speech  invents  charges  against  him  of  certain 
specific  sins  of  great  enormity  (22°"^),  thus  lying  on  behalf  of 
his  theory  of  God.  Bildad  and  Sophar  by  dwelling  in  their 
second  speeches  (and  Sophar  also  in  his  third,  if  this  survives 
in  27)  almost  exclusively  on  the  fate  of  the  wicked — depicted 
often  in  colours  borrowed  from  Job's  experience — indirectly 
convey  the  same  judgement  that  Eliphaz  expresses  directly. 

§  37.  In  his  replies  to  the  friends.  Job  insists  on  his  integ- 
rity— the  fact  by  which  their  theory  is  shattered,  their  advice 
rendered  nugatory.  He  agrees  with  them  as  to  the  might  of 
God,  and  as  to  the  frailty  of  human  nature,  carrying  with  it 
proneness  to  sin  and  yielding  to  temptation  in  all  men,  himself 
included  ;  that  all  should  suffer  raises  a  question  (3^^),  which, 
however,  perplexing  as  it  is,  would  be  relatively  intelligible  and 
endurable ;  but  while  all  men  sin,  men  differ  widely  in  the 
extent  to  which  they  sin,  and  yet  it  is  those  who  like  himself 
are  relatively  free  from  sin  and  within  the  limitations  of  human 
frailty  perfect  who  suffer — not  invariably,  but  often  ;  and  it  is 

^  Cp.  in  Sophar's  very  first  speech,  ii^°;  but  the  line  is  probably  not 
original. 


Iviii  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§§  37-38. 

the  wicked  who  prosper — not  again  invariably,  but  often,  so 
that  it  may  be  said  that  God  sends  suffering  indifferently  on 
the  perfect  and  the  wicked  (g^""^^).  7/",  then,  suffering  is  always 
punishment,  God  is  an  unjust  judge,  inflicting  punishment 
where  it  is  not  due,  and  failing  to  secure  its  infliction  where  it 
is  due.  Nor  again  will  the  plea  of  the  friends  do,  that  Job's 
sufferings  are  sent  in  kindness  by  God  to  deflect  him  from 
his  wicked  way,  and  so  even  yet  secure  an  end  of  life  richer 
and  more  amply  blessed  than  even  his  earlier  life  had  been : 
Job  has  no  wicked  way  to  be  deflected  from,  as  his  own  con- 
science attests  and  God  Himself — though  this,  of  course,  is 
unknown  to  Job  and  the  friends — has  insisted.  Starting  from  the 
same  point — that  all  suffering  is  penal — Job  and  the  friends  thus 
reach  different  conclusions — he,  with  eyes  opened  to  the  facts  of 
life  but  himself  not  yet  rid  of  the  theory,  concluding  that  God 
is  unjust  (gi^^-  19^)  though  mighty  (9-^-  i2^^''^^)y  not  only  letting 
Job  suffer,  but  letting  the  wicked  enjoy  life  to  the  full  and  to  the 
end  (c.  21),  they,  distorting  or  blind  to  facts,  that  God  is  both 
mighty  and  just.  This  is  a  sufficiently  clear-cut  difference. 
But  Job  is  also  at  issue  with  himself.  The  old  theory  leads 
inevitably  to  the  conclusion  that  God  is  unjust,  but  the  old 
experie^ice  of  God  still  prompts  him  to  trust  God  as  being  good 
as  well  as  mighty.  So  long  as  the  theory  dominates  him,  he 
can  only  wish  and  pray  that  this  mighty  unjust  God  would 
leave  him  alone,  cease  to  think  it  worth  His  while  to  continue 
to  torment  him  (717-21  jqSO  1^22^ .  y^^^  when  the  old  experience 
of  God  (292^-)  reasserts  its  influence,  what  he  longs  for  is  that 
God  should  again  speak  to  him,  recognize  him  (14^^),  yearn  for 
him  (7^^*^),  admit  his  innocence  and  even  vindicate  it  against 
(16^^—17  19'^^"^'^)  His  own  charges,  made  in  the  language  of 
misfortune,  that  he  has  sinned,  and  so  far  from  being  perfect 
is  one  of  the  most  imperfect  and  wicked  of  men. 

§  38.  The  double  issue — that  of  Job  with  the  friends,  and 
that  of  Job  with  himself — should  be  determined  when  God 
intervenes ;  and  if  we  have  rightly  analysed  these  issues,  in 
the  speeches  of  Yahweh — less  directly,  perhaps,  than  we  might 
at  first  expect — and  in  the  Epilogue,  these  issues  are  deter- 
mined.    Certainly  the  speech  of  Yahweh  does  not  contain  what 


§  38.]         PURPOSE    AND    METHOD    OF    THE   WRITER  lix 

Job  had  not  demanded,  a  positive  theory  of  the  meaning  or  pur- 
pose of  suffering — and  doubtless  for  the  very  good  reason  that 
the  author  himself  had  no  such  theory;  had  he  had,  he  would 
probably  have  represented  Job  discovering  this  theory  through 
suffering,  and  God  at  last  approving  Job's  theory  as  against 
that  of  the  friends ;  as  it  is,  he  is  content  to  make  clear  the 
truth  of  Job's  and  the  falseness  of  the  friends'  assertion  as  to  the 
fact  of  Job's  integrity.  What  Job  had  demanded  was  that  God 
should  formulate  the  charges  of  sin  for  which  his  sufferings  had 
been  sent ;  and  to  this  God  replies  in  the  only  possible  way  (cp. 
I*)  by  formulating  no  such  charge.  The  speech  of  Yahweh 
contains  a  charge,  it  is  true ;  but  it  is  a  charge  of  a  different 
kind ;  and  the  Epilogue  in  the  most  direct  terms  pronounces 
Job  in  the  right  and  the  friends  in  the  wrong.  Are  the  speech 
with  its  charge  and  the  Epilogue  with  its  vindication  at  vari- 
ance with  one  another?  In  particular,  does  the  speech  con- 
demn where  the  Epilogue  acquits  Job  ?  There  certainly  is  a 
difference  of  judgement ;  but  is  it  on  the  same  issue  ?  When, 
in  the  opening  words  of  His  speech,  Yahweh  asks  :  Who  is 
this  that  darkeneth  the  purpose  (of  God)  with  words  spoken 
without  knowledge,  He  is  certainly  under  the  form  of  a  question 
definitely  charging  Job  with  having  spoken  ignorantly  and 
misleadingly  about  God,  and  this  Job  in  his  response  admits 
(42^).  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  Epilogue  Yahweh  directly 
asserts  that  Job  has  said  what  was  right,  and  the  friends  what 
was  wrong  about  God.  Is  the  one  a  condemnation,  the  other 
an  acquittal  on  the  same  charge'^  In  attempting  a  reply  to  this 
question,  it  is  necessary  to  take  into  account  the  speech  of 
Yahweh  as  a  whole,  and  to  observe  what  it  does  not  contain  as 
well  as  what  it  does.  What  the  speech  does  not  contain  is 
singularly  important ;  for  its  silence  is  a  tacit  repetition  of  the 
judgement  challenged  by  the  Satan  in  the  Prologue,  an  antici- 
pation of  the  vindication  of  Job  against  the  friends  expressed 
in  the  Epilogue,  and  a  justification  of  one  of  Job's  two  thoughts 
of  God  against  the  other.  The  speech  in  no  way  goes  back  on 
Yah weh's  judgement  in  the  Prologue;  it  does  not  in  the  slightest 
degree  admit  the  justice  of  the  Satan's  impugnment  of  the 
inner  springs,    or   the    friends'    impugnment   of   the   outward 


Ix  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§§38-89. 

elements  of  Job's  conduct  before  his  sufferings  came  upon  him  : 
it  does  not,  as  Job  had  at  times  feared,  show  God,  when  He 
appears,  unjustly  treating-  him  as  and  pronouncing  him  guilty 
of  sins  such  as  could  account  for  his  sufferings.  Thus  the 
speech  tacitly  confirms  the  voice  of  Job's  conscience,  that  his 
life  had  been  free  from  blame.  The  condemnation  implied  in 
the  opening  and  closing  words  (38^  40^)  of  the  speech  is  of 
Job's  criticism  of  God's  ways,  not  as  they  actually  were,  but 
as  they  would  have  been  if  the  theory  of  suffering  being 
always  and  merely  penal  were  true;  in  other  words,  it  is 
a  condemnation  of  something  that  had  taken  place  after  the 
calamity  had  befallen  Job,  of  something  consequently  that  was 
not  ie  cause  of  that  suffering.  It  is  at  the  same  time  a  con- 
demnation of  the  theory  persistently  maintained  by  the  friends 
and  only  half  abandoned  by  Job  himself ;  for  that  theory  implied 
a  claim  to  an  extent  of  acquaintance  with  God's  ways  which  it  is 
the  purpose  of  the  speech  to  show  that  man  did  not  possess. 
For  the  rest,  the  speech  is  directed  towards  illustrating  the 
marvellous  range  of  Yahweh's  activities,  the  innumerable 
elements,  inexplicable  by  man,  in  His  ways.  In  certain 
respects  this  may  seem  irrelevant :  Job  no  less  than  the  friends 
had  acknowledged  that  God's  ways  were  past  finding  out ;  but 
Job  in  charging  God  with  injustice  had  made  use  of  the  old 
theory  that  implicitly  laid  claim  to  a  complete  knowledge  of 
God's  ways  with  men ;  Job's  acknowledgment  of  fault  (42^"^) 
is  accordingly  limited  to  the  confession  that  he  had  spoken 
beyond  his  knowledge. 

§  39,  But  the  speech  of  Yahweh  accompanies  an  appearance 
or  direct  manifestation  of  Yahweh  to  Job,  and  in  this  respect  is 
the  direct  response  of  Yahweh  to  Job's  deepest  desire  :  Job  has 
at  last  found  Yahweh ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  rebuke  of  his  words 
beyond  knowledge,  he  has  found  Yahweh  on  his  side,  no  more 
estranged  from  him  than  in  the  days  of  his  former  prosperity, 
but  more  intimately  known ;  as  compared  with  his  former,  his 
present  knowledge  is  as  sight  to  hearing,  as  direct,  first  hand 
personal  to  second  hand  and  traditional  knowledge.  So  far 
from  his  earlier  sense  of  God's  friendship  having  been  shown 
by  his  sufferings  to  be  a  delusion,  its  reality  has  been  vindicated, 


§§39-40.]     PURPOSE   AND    METHOD    OF    THE   WRITER       1x1 

and  by  God's  response  to  his  appeal  his  communion  with  God 
has  been  intensified. 

So  we  may  relate  the  speech  and  the  accompanying" 
manifestation  of  God  to  the  purpose  of  the  book ;  but  inas- 
much as  that  speech  had  to  condemn  the  theory  without 
putting  another  in  its  place  and  to  criticize  Job  for  continu- 
ing to  make  use  of  it,  even  when  his  own  experience  was 
showing  that  it  had  broken  down,  for  the  sake  of  clearness  at 
least  it  was  essential  that  the  book  should  close  with  an  un- 
equivocal reassertion  of  what  God  had  asserted  in  the  Prologue, 
and  the  Satan  there  and  the  friends  in  the  Debate  had  denied 
— the  integrity  of  the  man  on  whom  the  great  sufferings  had 
fallen.  This  is  reasserted  in  two  ways,  both  of  which  leave 
nothing  lacking  in  the  explicitness  of  the  assertion.  In  the  first 
place,  Yahweh  in  the  Epilogue  directly  pronounces  Job  to  have 
been  in  the  right,  the  friends  to  have  been  in  the  wrong ;  but 
there  is  one  remarkable  aspect  of  Yahweh's  words :  what  He 
says  is  that  Job  has  spoken  truly  and  the  friends  falsely  about 
Him',  in  this  there  is,  so  far  as  the  judgement  on  Job  is  concerned, 
an  apparent  divergence  from  the  condemnatory  questions  in 
38^  40^ ;  but  in  God's  speech  to  Job  there  was  no  reference  to 
what  the  friends  had  said  of  Him ;  and  it  is  this  that  stands 
first  in  the  Epilogue  and  carries  with  it  the  judgement  on  Job's 
words,  which  if  it  stood  alone  unlimited  by  the  context  would 
perhaps  be  irreconcilable  with  38^  40^.  It  is  true,  Yahweh 
might  have  said  expressly  that  the  friends  falsely  deny,  and 
Job  rightly  asserts  his  innocence ;  but  this  in  itself  would  only 
indirectly  have  indicated  the  falseness  of  the  friends'  theory  of 
God  in  relation  to  human  suffering,  which  it  is,  as  we  have  seen, 
a  main  purpose  of  the  writer  to  assert ;  he  has  therefore  pre- 
ferred to  present  Yahweh's  judgement  on  Job  and  the  friends 
in  a  form  of  words  which  directly  asserts  that  the  friends  have 
spoken  wrongly  about  God,  and  that  in  the  point  where  they 
have  been  wrong  Job  has  been  right ;  in  inventing  charges 
against  Job  they  have  told  lies  to  maintain  their  theory  of  God ; 
in  repudiating  these  charges  and  denying  that  his  calamities  are 
God's  accusation  of  wickedness  in  him.  Job  has  spoken  right. 

§40.  Not  only  does   Yahweh   thus   expressly  assert  Job's 


fxli  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§40. 

integrity  of  character,  He  also  marks  it  by  renewed  and 
increased  outward  tokens  of  His  favour.  This  aspect  of  the 
Epilogue  has  often  been  judged  unworthy  of  the  author  of  the 
poem,  and  really  inconsistent  with  his  purpose  of  maintaining 
the  possible  disinterestedness  of  human  conduct,  and  a  virtual 
giving  of  the  case  away  to  the  friends  on  the  ground  that  Job's 
fate  illustrates  afresh  the  formula  that  the  righteous  can  only 
suffer  for  their  sins  for  a  time  and  must  ultimately  prosper. 
But  the  two  points  are  not  quite  rightly  taken.  If  the  double 
prosperity  of  Job's  latter  days  had  been  the  price  he  demanded 
for  continued  service  of  God,  the  objection  would  hold ;  but  it 
was  not :  and  what  Job  had  demanded  was  something  very 
different — the  vindication  of  his  character.  Again  the  restora- 
tion to  fortune  falls  not  after  any  confession  on  the  part  of  Job 
of  sins  which  had  caused  his  sufferings,  as  Ellphaz  had  led  him 
to  expect  that  it  might,  but  immediately  after  the  judgement  of 
God  that  Job  the  sufferer  has  far  surpassed  the  friends  who  had 
not  suffered,  in  righteousness.  Job's  character  being  directly 
vindicated,  his  disinterestedness  established,  there  was  no 
reason  why  the  story  should  end  with  the  sufferings  inflicted 
for  a  particular  purpose  made  perpetual  after  the  purpose  had 
been  achieved. 

The  removal  of  the  speech  of  Yahweh,  if  the  Epilogue 
remained,  would  leave  the  vindication  of  Job  and  the  consequent 
condemnation  of  the  theory  of  the  friends  unobscured,  not  to 
say  clearer  than  it  is  ;  and  since  the  speech  contains  no  positive 
theory  of  suffering,  no  counter  theory  to  that  of  the  friends,  it 
has  to  some  appeared  alien  to  the  original  work.  Yet  the 
omission  of  the  speech  would  leave  Job  without  that  direct 
manifestation  and  speech  to  him  of  God  which  he  had  desired, 
and  unanswered  except  by  the  restoration  of  his  fortunes,  which 
he  had  not  desired ;  God  would  still  speak  at  the  end  of  the 
debate,  but — in  condemnation,  it  is  true — to  Eliphaz  only ! 
Towards  Job  he  would  then  remain  silent  to  the  end.  If,  then, 
the  speech  can  be  related  in  some  such  way  as  has  been 
attempted  above  to  the  rest  of  the  book,  it  is  certainly  safest  to 
retain  it ;  for  (§  30)  there  are  no  independent  reasons  of  style, 
etc.,  for  regarding  the  chapters  as  secondary.     Had  an  inter- 


§3  40-41.]     PURPOSE   AND    METHOD    OF    THE   WRITER     Ixiii 

polator  felt  called  upon  to  compose  a  speech,  it  is  only  too 
probable  that  he  would,  like  the  author  of  Elihu,  have  dwelt 
more  clearly  and  directly  upon  Job's  blameworthiness.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  is  difficult  to  see  what  kind  of  speech,  creating- 
fewer  difficulties  or  giving  greater  satisfaction,  could  have  been 
composed  by  a  writer  who  like  the  original  author  (i)  intended 
to  insist  that  Job  had  not  suffered  for  sins  he  had  committed, 
and  that  the  theory  which  necessitated  the  inference  that  he 
had,  was  therefore  false ;  and  (2)  had  yet  no  positive  theory  of 
suffering  to  propound,  and  was  rather,  perhaps,  inclined  to 
deprecate  the  formation  of  fresh  theories,  lest,  resting  as  they 
must  upon  inadequate  knowledge,  they  too  should  have 
practical  results  as  terrible  as  his  own  experience  had  shown 
flowed  from  the  current  theory.  For  these  reasons,  while  still 
sensible  of  certain  difficulties  and  the  necessity  for  some 
subtlety  in  defending  the  speech  as  an  integral  part  of  the  book, 
I  now  retain  it  more  decisively  than  in  my  Crit,  Introd.  to  the 
OT.y  pp.  1 19-122. 

§  41.  Any  judgement  of  the  scope  and  purpose  of  the  book 
is  much  more  affected  by  the  question  of  the  integrity  of  the 
speech(es)  of  Elihu.  Reasons  which  have  appeared  and  are 
Hkely  to  appear  to  many  sufficient  to  show  that  this  part  of  the 
book  is  an  addition  to  the  original  poem,  and  consequently 
must  not  be  used  in  determining  the  purpose  of  the  author 
of  the  original  work,  have  already  been  given  (§  22  ff.);  and 
these  reasons  are  enforced  rather  than  weakened  by  the 
attempts  that  have  been  made  to  find  here  the  original  author's 
solution  of  the  problem  of  the  book. 

The  ablest  and  most  elaborate  of  these  attempts  is  Bu.'s,  which  is  thus 
described  and  criticized  by  Dr.  LOT^  43° f  : — "A  different  view  of  the 
scope  of  the  book  is  taken  by  those  who — as  Schlottmann,  Hengst.,  Riehni 
{Einl.  ii.  263  f.,  278  f.),  and  especially  Budde — acknowledge  the  Elihu- 
speeches  as  an  original  part  of  the  poem.  These  writers  consider  that 
what  was  indicated  above  as  a  collateral  aim  of  the  book,  viz.,  the 
doctrine  of  the  disciplinary  or  pzirifying  value  of  suffering,  is  in  reality  its 
main  aim  —  or,  at  least  (Riehm),  its  main  positive  aim.  Thus  Budde 
{Comm.  p.  XXX  (^  xl)  ff.  etc.)  observes  that  Job,  though  righteous  before 
the  visit  of  his  friends,  in  defending  his  righteousness  against  their  silent 
reproaches  (2^*)  and  (c.  4-5,  etc.)  open  attacks,  fell  into  sin  :  spiritual  pride y 
a  sin  subtler  even  than  the  selfishness  of  his  piety,  which  was  what  th© 


Ixlv  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§41. 

tempter  suspected,  was  latent  in  his  nature  from  the  first  (cp.  Riehm,  p. 
263)  :  and  the  object  of  the  suffering  sent  upon  him  was  to  bring  this 
hidien  sin  to  his  consciousness,  to  lead  him  to  confess  it,  as  he  does  in 
42""^,  and  so  to  purifj'  and  confirm  his  spiritual  nature.  .  .  .  The  original 
folk-tale  [§  7]  of  Job,  in  which  the  question  was,  Is  Egoism  the  root  of 
piety  ?  Is  there  such  a  thijig  as  disinterested  piety  ?  .  .  .  the  poet  adopted 
as  the  framework  for  his  thoughts.  With  him,  however,  the  question 
becomes  a  deeper  and  broader  one,  Can  the  righteous  suffer?  and  if  so, 
why?  and  the  trial  of  Job's  righteousness  (which  is  the  theme  of  the 
Prologue)  becomes  the  purification  of  his  character  and  the  confirmation 
of  his  faith.  .  .  .  Consistently  with  this  view  of  the  general  scope  of  the 
book,  the  same  writers  consider  not  only  that  the  Elihu-speeches  are  the 
work  of  the  original  author,  but  that  ihey  present  his  own  solution  of  the 
problem.  And  so  Budde  remarks  (^  pp.  xlvff.,  223)  that  Eliphaz  (c.  4-5) 
explains  suffering  only  as  a  punishment  of  actual  sin  :  Job  takes  the  same 
view  of  it ;  Elihu,  on  the  contrary,  explains  it  as  designed  to  make  man 
conscious  of  latent  sm,  and  thereby  to  enable  him  to  repent  and  overcome 
it.  Budde  defends  his  theory  of  the  book  with  marked  skill  and  ability  ; 
but  it  may  be  doubted  whether  a  doctrine  which,  however  true  and  pro- 
found in  the  abstract,  is  so  little  developed  by  the  poet  himself,  can  have 
formed  the  main  idea  of  his  work.  The  doctrine  of  the  disciplinary 
function  of  suffering  is  very  subordinate  in  the  book  ;  even  in  Elihu  it 
does  not  stand  out  with  the  clearness  and  directness  that  would  be 
expected,  if  the  poet  were  there  presenting  his  own  solution  of  the  problem. 
Nor,  though  it  is  true  that  Elihu  sees  in  suffering  a  purpose  of  grace,  is  it 
at  all  clear  that  he  views  it  as  sent  only  (or  even  chiefly)  for  the  correction 
o{  late7it  sin  :  and  pride  is  alluded  to  by  him  only  in  33'''  36^."  It  may  be 
added  that  the  text  and  meaning  of  33"  is  not  quite  certain  (see  n.  there), 
and  that  the  term  in  36"  (naarr)  implies  anything  but  subtle  spiritual  pride  : 
it  refers,  as  the  context  also  shows  (vv.*"-^-),  to  proud,  defiant,  opposition 
to  God's  will  and  refusal  to  serve  Him — the  very  opposite  of  Job's  blame- 
less and  God-fearing  life.  There  would,  too,  be  something  humorous  in 
Elihu,  who  certainly  suffers  from  no  excess  of  humility,  rebuking  Job  for 
spiritual  pride.     See,  further,  on  33^^"^^  (p.  285)  34^ 

Of  the  very  extensive  literature,  in  addition  to  commentaries,  introduc- 
tions to  the  OT.,  and  articles  in  Bible  Dictionaries  on  the  purpose  of  the 
book,  the  following  may  be  mentioned  :  Bernstein  (as  cited  in  §  28  n.) ; 
Seinecke,  Der  Grundgedanke  des  B.  Ijoh  (1863);  Godet,  Etudes  Bihliques 
(1873),  E.  T.  (1875);  Froude,  Short  Studies  on  Great  Subjects  (1867),  i. 
266 f.  ;  Wellhausen,  in  JDT,  1871,  552-557  ;  W.  H.  Green,  The  Argument 
of  the  Book  of  Job  unfolded  (1873);  J.  B.  Mozley,  Essays  Historical  and 
Theological,  1878,  ii.  164-254  ;  Giesebrecht,  Der  Wendepunkt  des  B.  H. 
(1879);  C.  H.  H,  Wright,  Biblical  Essays  (1886),  1-33;  A.  M.  Fairbairn, 
The  City  of  God  {\^^6),  143  ff.  ;  G.  G.  Bradley,  Lectures  on  the  Book  of  Job 
(1888)  ;  Meinhold,  **  Das  Problems  des  B.  H.,"  in  Neue  Jahrbb.  f  deiitsche 
Theol.  (1892),  63  ff.  ;  J.  Ley,  "  Das  Problem  in  B.  H.  u.  dessen  Losung,"  in 
Neue  Jahrbb.  f  Phil.  u.  Pcidag.  (1896),  I25ff.  ;  E.  Meyer,  Gesch.  d. 
Altertums  (1901),  iii.  228-231  ;  A.  S.  Peake,  The  Problem  of  Suffering  in  the 
OT.  (1904),  especially  c.  v,  ;  H.  W.  Robinson,  The  Cross  of  Job  (1916). 


^^42-43.  THE   AGE   OF   THE    BOOK  IxV 


bJ3' 


VI.  The  Age  of  the  Book. 

§  42.  As  to  the  age  of  Job,  opinions  have  differed  perhaps 
more  widely  than  with  regard  to  any  other  book  of  the  OT., 
though  in  recent  times  there  is  increasing  agreement  that 
while  the  book  is  certainly  older  than  the  ist,  it  is  scarcely 
older  than  the  5th  or  at  all  events  the  6th  cent.  B.C. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  book  was  traditionally  ascribed  to 
Moses  ;  this  is  not  correct,  if  by  it  is  meant  that  such  was  the 
consistent  ancient  opinion.  On  the  other  hand,  early  Jewish 
was  scarcely  less  divided  than  modern  opinion.  In  the  well- 
known  passage  in  the  Babylonian  Talmud  [Baba  Bathra^  14b, 
15a)  on  the  origin  of  the  books  of  the  OT.  it  is  stated  that 
*'  Moses  wrote  his  own  book,  and  the  passages  about  Balaam 
and  Job " ;  but  in  the  discussion  that  follows  various  Rabbis 
ascribe  the  book  (or  the  lifetime)  of  Job  to  the  age  of  Isaac,  or 
Jacob,  or  Joseph,  or  the  spies,  or  the  Judges,  or  of  the  kingdom 
of  Sheba,  or  of  the  return  from  the  Captivity,  or  of  Ahasuerus. 

The  passage  is  translated  in  full  in  Ryle,  Canon  of  the  OT.  273  ff.  The 
various  opinions  rest  on  a  very  crude  form  of  criticism  ;  e.g.  the  similarity 
of  py  Job  i^  and  f'y  Nu.  i-f^  \  the  use  of  isk  in  Job  19^  and  Ex.  33^^  ;  the 
supposition  that  Job  was  married  to  Dinah,  Jacob's  daughter,  since  in 
connection  with  both  Dinah  and  Job's  wife  the  term  n^3J  is  used  or  implied 
(Job  2^0,  Gn.  34'). 

§  43.  External  evidence  clearly  defines  c.  100  B.C.  as  the 
downward  limit  of  date ;  and  by  then  the  book  already  con- 
tained the  speech(es)  of  Elihu,  and  had  been  translated  into 
Greek. 

The  evidence  con«^ists  of  a  passage  extracted  by  Eus.  {Prcep.  Ev.  ix.  25) 
from  Alexander  Polyhistor  (80-40  B.C.),  who  in  turn  cites  from  Aristeas  ; 
Aristeas  having-  summarized  the  story  in  the  Prologue  runs  much  more 
summarily  over  the  rest  of  the  story  ;  in  Polyhistor's  words  :  'Apiaralas  Si 
(j)7i(XLV  ev  Ti^  irepl  'lovSaicov  .  .  .  0aiyXa>s  5^  avrou  (sc.  *Iw|3)  dtaKeifjLivov  iXdeiu  els 
iiriffKeypiv  'EXi^ai'  rbv  QaifiaviTwv  ^aatXia  Kal  BaXSaS  tCjv  2avxa.i(av  riupavvov  Kal 
2uj0a/)  TOP  Mavfaluv  jSacriX^a,  IXOtiv  8c  Kal  'EXiovv  rhv  Bapaxiq^  ^ov  Zfa^iri]V, 
UapaKaXov/xivov  8^,  (pdvai  Kat  x^P^^  frapaKXrjaeui  ifM/xevelv  avrbv  ^v  re  ry  evcrejSeiq. 
Kal  Tois  deipoXs.  Tbv  5^  6ebv,  dyaadepra  tt}v  ev\pvx^o.v  airroO,  rijs  re  v6<xov  atrbv 
dirvKvaai,  /cat  'JtoXXwi'  K^piov  virdp^ecop  iroiTJaai, 

e 


IXVI  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [§§43-44. 

Ben-Sirach  ^  {c.  i8o  B.C.)  refers  to  Job  as  a  person  mentioned 
in  the  book  of  Ezekiel ;  but  this  would  suggest  unfamiliarity 
rather  than  familiarity  with  the  Book  of  Job,  and  yet  the 
parallel  passages  (§  45)  prove  that  (unless  Job  was  written 
later  than  Sir.)  Sir.  was  actually  familiar  with  the  book  of 
Job. 

§  44.  We  are  thus  thrown  back  on  internal  evidence  for 
such  determination  of  the  upward  and  of  such  exacter  deter- 
mination of  downward  limits  of  date  as  may  be  possible. 

(i)  Since  the  author's  imagination  extends  to  the  setting  of 
the  poem,  it  is  a  mistake  to  infer  the  age  of  the  writer  from  the 
circumstances  of  the  hero  of  the  book.  Broadly  speaking,  the 
age  in  which  the  writer  intends  us  to  think  of  Job  as  living,  but 
certainly  not  that  to  which  he  himself  belonged,  is  the  patri- 
archal age,  and  he  depicts  conditions  which  he  regarded  as 
characteristic  of  that  age.  This  is  very  clearly  seen  in  the 
length  of  life  assigned  to  Job  :  he  lived  140  years  after  the 
restoration  of  his  fortunes,  and  therefore  something  approach- 
ing, if  not  exceeding  200  in  all  (perhaps  210  years,  42^^  n.); 
in  other  words,  his  years  exceeded  those  of  Abraham 
(175,  Gn.  257),  Isaac  (180,  Gn.  3528),  and  Jacob  (147, 
Gn.  47^^),  though  they  fell  much  short  of  those  of  the  ante- 
diluvians. As  part  of  this  imaginative  setting,  not  necessarily  as 
reproducing  the  conditions  actually  prevailing  in  or  peculiar  to 
the  author's  own  age,  or  applying  to  the  writer's  own  circum- 
stances, we  may  regard  the  description  of  Job's  wealth  in  cattle 
and  slaves  (i^,  cp.  Gn.  13;  26^^"^*  33),  his  sacrificing  as  head  of  a 
family,  like  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  without  the  assistance 
of  a  priest,  his  use  of  burnt-offerings  rather  than  the  more 
specific  expiatory  sacrifices  of  the  later  codes  (i^  n.),  the 
currency  of  the  k'sitah  (42^^,  Gn.  33^^,  Jos.  24^^^).  It  is  only 
when  familiarity  with  conditions  and  customs  not  belonging  to 
the  patriarchal  age,  or  at  all  events  less  characteristic  of  it 
than  of  later  ages,  is  shown,  that  we  may  look  for  light  on  the 
writer's  own  age  :  thus  in  contrast  to  the  Hebrew  patriarchs. 
Job  is  apparently  himself  a  monogamist  (2^'-   19^^  31^^)  and  a 

1  49I0  pi^f  om  ^3  VdVodh  3V{<  t\h  TDjn  .  .  .  '?Npin'.     In  (5  which  mistrans- 
lates, and  EV.  which  depends  on  fflr,  the  reference  disappears. 


§§44-45.]  THE   AGE   OF    THE   BOOK  Ixvil 

member  of  a  society  in  which  monogamy  prevails  (27^^  not 
being  proof  to  the  contrary) — a  feature  most  characteristic  of 
an  age  later  than  Dt.  (21^^"^^)  and  reflected  also  in  other 
Wisdom  literature  (cp.  EBi.  2947) ;  the  part  played  by  Sheba 
— the  Sabseans — in  i^^  n.  6^*  can  be  illustrated  by  an  inscrip- 
tion dating  probably  from  about  525  B.C.  ;  and  the  political 
vicissitudes  reflected  in  9^*  12}^^' y  the  unhappy  social  conditions 
suggested  by  3^^  7^  24^^^  the  developed  judicial  system  implied  in 
the  phraseology  of  9^^"^^  (cp.  Index,  s,v.  Law),  are  scarcely  those 
of  the  patriarchal  but  of  some  later  age,  though  whether  that  be 
the  age  of  Sennacherib,  Nebuchadnezzar,  Alexander  the  Great, 
or  some  other,  the  allusions  are  far  too  general  to  determine. 
See,  further,  15^^  n. 

This  line  of  evidence  does  not  by  itself  lead  to  any  very 
precise  or  secure  result,  though  some  of  it  suggests  a  date  not 
earlier  than  the  Exile. 

§  45.  (2)  The  book  is  certainly  not  a  product  of  the  earliest 
periods  of  Hebrew  literature.  It  is  certainly  later  than  Ps.  8, 
for  in  7^^  the  writer  parodies  Ps.  8^  ^*^ ;  if,  as  is  probable,  Ps.  8 
implies  familiarity  with  P,  and  P  was  written  about  500  B.C., 
this  alone  brings  down  the  book  of  Job  as  late  as  the  5th  cent. 
B.C.  It  is  scarcely  less  certain  that  in  3*"^^  the  author  of  Job 
is  dependent  on  Jer.  2o^*"is,  though  Di.  (p.  xxxii  f.)  still 
strongly  argued  for  the  dependence  of  Jer.  2<^^~^^  on  Job  3^^®. 

There  are  many  other  passages  in  Job  which  have  points  of  resemblance 
with  passages  in  other  books,  and  some  of  such  a  character  as  to  indicate 
direct  literary  dependence  on  one  side  or  other ;  but  (i)  it  is  generally  diffi- 
cult to  determine  on  which  side  dependence  lies ;  (2)  some  of  the  passages 
in  question  are  of  uncertain  date.  If  the  dependence  lies  mainly  or 
exclusively  on  the  side  of  Job,  it  shows  very  great  familiarity  of  the 
author  with  the  literature  of  his  people,  and  also  his  great  literary  craftman- 
ship,  for  the  phrases  or  figures  borrowed  are  used  by  him  freshly  and 
independently ;  if  the  dependence  is  on  the  side  of  the  other  writings,  the 
parallels  show  the  extent  of  the  influence  of  the  book  of  Job  on  subsequent 
writers.  Probably  by  far  the  greater  number  of  cases  of  real  literary 
dependence  is  on  the  part  of  the  author  of  Job.  Of  the  vast  number  of 
"parallels"  that  have  been  collected,  a  selection  may  be  given,  though  in 
by  no  means  all  even  of  these  is  direct  literary  connection  necessarily 
implied. 


Ixviil 


THE    BOOK   OF   JOB 


[§§  45-46. 


/ith 

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For  further  discussion  of  these  and  other  parallels  and  conclusions  (often 
in  different  directions),  see  J.  Earth,  Beitrnge  zur  Erkldriing  des  Buches 
Hiob,  1-17 ;  Di.  xxx.-xxxiv.  ;  Seyring,  Die  Ahhangigkeit  der  Sprilche 
Salomos  cc.  i-g  von  Hiob  (1889);  H.  L.  Strack,  «*  Die  Prioritat  d.  B.  H. 
gegeniiber  den  Einleitungsreden  z.  d.  Spriichen  Salomonis,"  in  TSK,  1896, 
609  ff.  ;  Che.  Job  and  Sol.  83-89  ;  The  Prophecies  of  Isaiah^^  i.  228  (on 
parallels  with  the  Song  of  Hezekiah),  ii.  245  f.  ;  Dr.  LOT^  434  f. 


§  46.  (3)  The  theology  and  religious  ideas  of  the  book  of 
Job  are  those  of  a  relatively  late  period,  though  not  of  quite 
the  latest  period  represented  in  the  OT.  The  book  presupposes 
(a)  a  general  agreement  as  to  the  religious  value  of  the  individ- 
ual independently  of  the  community,  of  personality :  yet  also 
{h)  a  practically  unchallenged  conviction  that  the  real  life  or 
personality  of  the  individual  is  terminated  by  death  ;  {a)  is  the 
necessary  condition  of  the  entire  discussion,  and  {h)  determines 
its  limitation :  had  there  been  a  general  belief  in  the  survival 


§46.]  THE   AGE   OF   THE    BOOK  IxiX 

after  death  of  the  personality  with  undiminished  or  enhanced 
relations  with  God,  this  must  have  affected  the  discussion  by 
Job  and  the  friends  of  the  sufferings  of  the  righteous  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked  in  this  life.  Now  of  these  two  ideas 
(a)  is  seen  emerging  against  the  still  prevalent  acceptance  of 
the  principle  of  solidarity  at  the  end  of  the  7th  cent.  B.C.  (Dt. 
24^^,  Ezk.  18.  33,  Jer.  31-'^^-),  and  (b)  was  already  discarded  by 
at  least  the  important  circles  represented  by  the  book  of  Daniel 
(12^:  cp.  also  the  post-exilic  prophecy,  Is.  24-27  ;  and  see  Isaiah^ 
p.  399  f.),  i.e,  by  about  167  b.c.^  Consequently  the  book  of 
Job  is  best  explained  as  the  product  of  a  period  lying  between 
the  close  of  the  7th  and  the  beginning  of  the  2nd  cent.  B.C., 
and  indeed  at  some  distance  from  either  of  these  extreme 
limits;  considerably  earlier  than  the  2nd  cent.,  for  even  the 
Elihu  speeches,  separated  probably,  as  the  linguistic  differences 
suggest,  by  a  century  or  two  from  the  rest  of  the  book,  say 
nothing  of  an  after  life ;  and  considerably  later  than  the  7th 
cent.,  for  what  there  appears  as  a  freshly  gained  perception 
is  here  the  common  possession  of  Job  and  his  opponents  in 
debate  who  represent  the  current  theology  of  the  time. 
Certainly  the  question  of  the  sufferings  of  the  righteous  was 
much  discussed  from  the  close  of  the  7th  cent,  onwards,  but 
the  question  is  at  first  raised  either  with  reference  to  nations 
(Hab.  i^^'-.  Is.  40-55),  or  if  in  reference  to  individuals  (Jer.  12^"^) 
yet  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  suggest  that  it  was  one  of  general 
concern.  Such  Pss.  as  37.  49  and  73,  which  discuss  the  question, 
are  themselves  of  uncertain  date  though  scarcely  pre-exilic. 
But  Mai.  2^^  3^*-  ^^,  certainly  written  in  the  middle  of  the  5th 
cent.  B.C.,  offer  significant  parallels  to  the  formulation  of  the 
problem  in  Job. 

Other  ideas  agree  well  with  such  a  date  as  the  5th  cent,  or 
independently  suggest  it.  A  lofty  monotheism  (cp.  i^  n. 
2i26-28  j^  j^  such  as  Deut. -Isaiah  had  argued  fovy  is  presupposed 
in  all  parts  of  the  book ;  and  the  descriptions  in  Job  of  God's 
majesty  and  might  in  nature  and  history  are  not  as  the  similar 

*  The  doctrine  of  a  future  life  also  appears  in  f&. — not  only  in  the  Appen- 
dix to  the  book,  most  of  which  at  least  is  later  than  the  original  version 
but  also  in  14^*  :  see  Exp.^  1920  (June),  430. 


Ixx  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [§§46-47. 

description  in  Deut.-Is.  introduced  to  prove  that  there  is  no  room 
for  any  other  but  one  God,  but  that  that  one  God's  ways  are 
past  man's  comprehension.  Under  God  are  ang-els  (5^  15^^  37^) 
with  well-defined  functions  (ct.  i  K.  22),  such  as  that  of  inter- 
ceding for  men  (5^  n.  332^  n.)  or  criticizing  them — the  Satan. 
The  Satan  of  Job  appears  to  belong  to  an  earlier  period  than 
Satan  (without  the  art)  of  i  Ch.  21^  (not  earlier  than  c.  300  B.C.), 
and  is  decisively  earlier  than  0  hid^oXof;  of  Wis.  2^*,  but  is  later 
rather  than  as  early  as  or  earlier  than  the  Satan  of  Zee.  3 
(520  B.C.) :  see  i*  n.  The  highly  developed  ethical  standpoint, 
implicit  particularly  in  c.  31,  also  points  to  a  relatively  late 
period. 

§  47«  (4)  Like  the  ideas,  the  language  of  the  book  is  late, 
though  not  so  late  as  that  of  some  other  books  of  the  OT.  {e.g, 
Eccl.  Ch.).  Certain  linguistic  features  taken  by  themselves 
would  point  even  to  a  period  earlier  rather  than  later  than  the 
5th  cent.  B.C. :  thus  ^33K  (§  25)  is  relatively  more  frequent  in 
Job  than  in  Is.  40-55  (Job — excluding  Elihu — "'D:x  12,  '•i5<  20; 
Is.  40-55,  •'33K  18,  ^3X  54).  Many  other  features  point  away 
from  the  latest  periods — e.g.  the  use  of  the  waw  conversive 
(ct.  Eccl.),  the  avoidance  of  ^  (ct.  e.g.  Eccl.).  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  distinct  signs  of  lateness.  Even  apart  from  the 
Elihu  speeches,  the  Aramaisms  (§  28) — decidedly  more  con- 
spicuous than  in  Is.  40-55 — are  very  noticeable ;  and  so  also  is 
the  use  of  h  as  the  nota  ace.  :  see  5^  n.  8^  n.  9^^  n.  12^^  14^^ 
1^28  2 1 22  238 — and  perhaps  34^  (Elihu).  The  rarer  forms  of 
particles  and  pronominal  suffixes  (§  26),  which  form  a  striking 
feature  of  the  language  of  Job,  might  be  largely  explained  as 
the  idiosyncrasy  of  a  writer  of  any  period,  but  as  a  whole  (cp. 
Isaiah^  p.  467)  point  rather  to  a  relatively  late  period.  The 
vocabulary  contains  very  much  that  is  peculiar  (see  Index  II.) 
to  the  book,  including  a  number  of  words  explicable  only  from 
the  Arabic,^  and  sometimes  termed,  with  questionable  propriety, 
Arabisms ;  but  this  does  not,  at  all  events  directly,  contribute 
anything  to  the  determination  of  the  date. 

Thus  the  various  lines  of  evidence  converge  towards  the 
conclusion  that  Job  was  most  probably  written  in  the  5th  cent. 

*  See  references  under  "Arabic"  in  Index  I. 


g^  47-48.]  THE    TEXT  1 


XXI 


B.C. ;  since  much  of  the  evidence  taken  in  isolation  Is  neither 
rigorous  nor  indicative  of  such  narrow  limits  as  a  century,  the 
possibility  of  a  somewhat  earlier  or  a  somewhat  later  date  may 
be  entertained  as  alternatives  ;  but  several  lines  of  evidence 
are  very  unfavourable  to  any  theory  of  much  earlier  or  much 
later  date. 

VII.  The  Text. 

§  48.  As  in  other  books  of  the  OT.,  so  in  Job  variants  that 
materially  affect  the  sense,  whether  between  existing  MSS  of 
J^  or  between  the  Qre  and  K^thib,  are  not  numerous  ;  but  ffic 
here,  as  elsewhere,  points  to  the  existence  of  now  lost  MSS 
that  differed  more  extensively.  Unfortunately  the  determina- 
tion of  the  Hebrew  text  lying  behind  &  is  rendered  peculiarly 
difficult  in  Job  by  the  fact  that  the  version  is  often  free  and 
paraphrastic ;  ^  and  the  use  of  (B:  for  determining  the  original 
text  of  J^  is  greatly  limited  by  the  fact  that  much  of  that  text 
was  not  rendered  at  all. 

Printed  editions  of  (&  (including  Swete's),  following  the 
great  mass  of  Greek  MSS,  it  is  true,  present  a  text  not  differing 
greatly  in  extent  from  P| ;  but  this  text,  as  we  know  from 
the  most  direct  and  certain  evidence,^  has  resulted  from  the 
addition  to  the  short  ancient  version  of  Job,  dating  from  before, 
but  not  necessarily  long  before,  80  b.c.,^  of  renderings  of  many 
passages  not  contained  in  that  version  from  later  Greek  versions, 
chiefly  0,  very  much  more  rarely  'A,  X  (2nd  cent.  a.d.). 
These  additions  to  the  original  text  of  (&  were  made  by  Origen 
in  the  Hexapla,  but  were  there  distinguished  by  the  use  of 
diacritical  marks ;  subsequently  the  Hexaplaric  text  drove  out 
the  much  shorter  text,  and,  further,  the  diacritical  marks  were 

*  Many  illustrations  of  this  will  be  found  in  the  phil.  nn.  {e.g.  on  8^^  9" 
14^*  iS^  \f' »  20^5  2918  30I3. 14  32I4  3619).  See  also  Bi.  De  Indole  vers.  Alex. 
Jobiy  1862. 

^  Origen,  Ad  African.  4.     Cp.  Jer.  Prcef.  in  Hioh. 

'  Aristeas  {c.  80  B.C.)  made  use  of  the  version  (cp.  §  43).  On  this  and  the 
date  of  ffi,  see  Swete,  OT.  in  Greeks  25,  370 f.  ;  Schiirer,  Gesch.  d.  jiid. 
Volkes^,  311,  356f. ;  J.  Freudenthal,  Hellenistische  Sfudien,  136 fF.  Gratz 
in  the  Monaisschrift,  1877,  p.  83 IF.  (cp.  Exp.,  June  1920,  p.  430)  arg-ued 
unconvincingly  that  €r  was  no  older  than  the  middle  of  the  first  cent.  a.d. 


Ixx  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [§§46-47. 

description  in  Deut.-Is.  introduced  to  prove  that  there  is  no  room 
for  any  other  but  one  God,  but  that  that  one  God's  ways  are 
past  man's  comprehension.  Under  God  are  angels  (5^  15^^  37^) 
with  well-defined  functions  (ct.  i  K.  22)^  such  as  that  of  inter- 
ceding for  men  (5^  n.  33^3  n.)  or  criticizing  them — the  Satan. 
The  Satan  of  Job  appears  to  belong  to  an  earlier  period  than 
Satan  (without  the  art)  of  i  Ch.  21^  (not  earlier  than  c.  300  B.C.), 
and  is  decisively  earlier  than  0  5tay9oXo9  of  Wis.  2^"^,  but  is  later 
rather  than  as  early  as  or  earlier  than  the  Satan  of  Zee.  3 
(520  B.C.) :  see  i*  n.  The  highly  developed  ethical  standpoint, 
implicit  particularly  in  c.  31,  also  points  to  a  relatively  late 
period. 

§  47*  (4)  Like  the  ideas,  the  language  of  the  book  is  late, 
though  not  so  late  as  that  of  some  other  books  of  the  OT.  {e.^, 
Eccl.  Ch.).  Certain  linguistic  features  taken  by  themselves 
would  point  even  to  a  period  earlier  rather  than  later  than  the 
5th  cent.  B.C. :  thus  ''33N  (§  25)  is  relatively  more  frequent  in 
Job  than  in  Is.  40-55  (Job — excluding  Elihu — ''33«  12,  ''3j<  20; 
Is.  40-55,  •'D3N  18,  ^3K  54).  Many  other  features  point  away 
from  the  latest  periods — e.^.  the  use  of  the  waw  conversive 
(ct.  Eccl.),  the  avoidance  of  K'  (ct.  e.^;  Eccl.).  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  distinct  signs  of  lateness.  Even  apart  from  the 
Elihu  speeches,  the  Aramaisms  (§  28) — decidedly  more  con- 
spicuous than  in  Is.  40-55 — are  very  noticeable ;  and  so  also  is 
the  use  of  f)  as  the  twla  ace.  :  see  5^  n.  8^  n.  9^^  n.  12^3  1421 
1^28  2i22  238 — and  perhaps  34^  (Elihu).  The  rarer  forms  of 
particles  and  pronominal  suffixes  (§  26),  which  form  a  striking 
feature  of  the  language  of  Job,  might  be  largely  explained  as 
the  Idiosyncrasy  of  a  writer  of  any  period,  but  as  a  whole  (cp. 
Isaiahy  p.  467)  point  rather  to  a  relatively  late  period.  The 
vocabulary  contains  very  much  that  is  peculiar  (see  Index  II.) 
to  the  book,  including  a  number  of  words  explicable  only  from 
the  Arabic,^  and  sometimes  termed,  with  questionable  propriety, 
Arabisms ;  but  this  does  not,  at  all  events  directly,  contribute 
anything  to  the  determination  of  the  date. 

Thus  the  various  lines  of  evidence  converge  towards  the 
conclusion  that  Job  was  most  probably  written  in  the  5th  cent. 

*  See  references  under  "  Arabic  "  in  Index  I. 


SS  47-48.]  THE    TEXT  Ixxi 

B.C. ;  since  much  of  the  evidence  taken  in  ivSolation  is  neither 
rigorous  nor  indicative  of  such  narrow  limits  as  a  century,  the 
possibility  of  a  somewhat  earlier  or  a  somewhat  later  date  may 
be  entertained  as  alternatives  ;  but  several  lines  of  evidence 
are  very  unfavourable  to  any  theory  of  much  earlier  or  much 
later  date. 

VII.  The  Text. 

§  48.  As  in  other  books  of  the  OT.,  so  in  Job  variants  that 
materially  affect  the  sense,  whether  between  existing  MSS  of 
5^  or  between  the  Qre  and  K^thib,  are  not  numerous  ;  but  ffi: 
here,  as  elsewhere,  points  to  the  existence  of  now  lost  MSS 
that  differed  more  extensively.  Unfortunately  the  determina- 
tion of  the  Hebrew  text  lying  behind  (&  is  rendered  peculiarly 
difficult  in  Job  by  the  fact  that  the  version  is  often  free  and 
paraphrastic ;  ^  and  the  use  of  €r  for  determining  the  original 
text  of  ^  is  greatly  limited  by  the  fact  that  much  of  that  text 
was  not  rendered  at  all. 

Printed  editions  of  ^  (including  Swete*s),  following  the 
great  mass  of  Greek  MSS,  it  is  true,  present  a  text  not  differing 
greatly  in  extent  from  p] ;  but  this  text,  as  we  know  from 
the  most  direct  and  certain  evidence,^  has  resulted  from  the 
addition  to  the  short  ancient  version  of  Job,  dating  from  before, 
but  not  necessarily  long  before,  80  b.c.,^  of  renderings  of  many 
passages  not  contained  in  that  version  from  later  Greek  versions, 
chiefly  0,  very  much  more  rarely  'A,  ^  (2nd  cent.  a.d.). 
These  additions  to  the  original  text  of  (&  were  made  by  Origen 
in  the  Hexapla,  but  were  there  distinguished  by  the  use  of 
diacritical  marks ;  subsequently  the  Hexaplaric  text  drove  out 
the  much  shorter  text,  and,  further,  the  diacritical  marks  were 

*  Many  illustrations  of  this  will  be  found  in  the  phil.  nn.  {e.g:  on  8'^  9^' 
14^*  1528  if'  3  20^5  29I8  30^3- 1*  32^*  3619).  See  also  Bi.  Be  Indole  vers.  Alex. 
Jobi,  1862. 

^  Origen,  Ad  African.  4.     Cp.  Jer.  Prcef.  in  Hioh. 

'  Aristeas  {c.  80  B.C.)  made  use  of  the  version  (cp.  §  43).  On  this  and  the 
date  of  CR,  see  Swete,  OT.  in.  Greek,  25,  370 f.  ;  Schurer,  Gesch.  d.  jiid. 
Volkes^,  311,  356f.;  J.  Freudenthal,  Hellenistische  Studien,  136 ff.  Gratz 
in  the  Monatsschrift,  1877,  p.  83  ff.  (cp.  Exp.,  June  1920,  p.  430)  argued 
unconvincingly  that  <&  was  no  older  than  the  middle  of  the  first  cent.  a.d. 


ixxii  THE    BOOK   OF    JOB  [§48. 

commonly  omitted,  surviving"  only  in  two  Greek  minuscules, ^ 
in  two  Latin  MSS,^  and  in  the  unique  MS  of  ,S".^  These  five 
MSS  *  differ  in  some  places  as  to  the  positions  of  the  marks, 
and  so  leave  a  certain  amount  of  doubt  as  to  the  exact  extent 
of  the  additions  made  by  Origen. 

A  witness  of  another  kind  to  the  original  extent  of  (S 
appeared  with  the  discovery  of  iSt — the  Sahidic  version  of  ffi.^ 
Ciasca,  who  edited  this,  argued  that  33t  was  a  pre-Hexaplaric 
version  of  ©,  and  his  view  was  commonly  accepted.  Burkitt, 
on  the  other  hand  [EBi.  5027  f.),  argues  that  lit  is  *'  a  transla- 
tion of  Origfen's  revised  text  with  the  passages  under  asterisk 
omitted''^ ;  in  this  case  f3t  is  still  a  valuable  witness,  though  its 
evidence  is  now  in  reality  early  evidence  as  to  the  use  of  the 
Hexaplaric  marks.  Be  the  exact  relation  of  i^  to  the  Hexa- 
plaric  text  what  it  may,  from  it  the  passages  asterisked  in 
the  MSS  of  ffi^,  iL,  and  ^  are,  broadly  speaking,^  absent,  and 

^  HP  248  (  =  Cod.  Vaticanus,  346,  c.  xiv.  saec.)  and  the  Cod.  Colbertinus 
(Paris,  nr.  1952). 

'^  An  Oxford  MS  (Bodleian  2426)  and  a  Tours  MS  (Turonensis  18) :  ed. 
P.  de  Lagarde  in  Mittheilungetiy  ii.  193-237  :  cp.  G.  Beer  in  ZATW^  1896, 
297-314;  1897,  97-122;   1898,  257-286. 

3  Published  in  facsimile  by  A.  M.  Ceriani,  Codex  Syro-hexaplaris 
Ambrosianus,  Milan,  1874. 

*  The  evidence  of  these  together  with  the  fragments  of  62  'A  were 
collected  by  Field  in  Origenis  Hexaplorum  quce  supersunt  (1875) — published 
before  the  discovery  of  1^.  For  corrections  of  and  additions  to  Field,  see 
J.  B.  Pitra,  Analecta  Sacra  (1883),  556  f.  ;  E.  Klostermann,  Analecta  zui 
Septuaginta  (1895),  68-74.  See  also  E.  Tisserant  in  RB^  1912,  481-503  ; 
1919,  89-105,  500-505,  and  A.  Rahlfs,  Mit.  d.  Septuaginia-Unternehmen^  i. 
7  (1915)— all  on  the  Greek  Uncial  Cod.  Hierosolymitanus  Sanctse  Crucis, 
no.  36. 

5  Edited  by  Ciasca  in  Sacrorum  Bihl.  fragmenta  Copto-Sahidica,  Romse, 
1889,  ii.  1-68.  From  mutilation  of  MSS,  cc.  39^-40^  of  this  version  are 
missing.  The  lower  Egyptian,  or  Bohairic,  version  of  ®t  was  edited  and 
translated  by  H.  Tattam  {The  aticient  Coptic  Version  of  the  hook  of  Job, 
London,  1846) ;  but  this  version  contains  the  Hexaplaric  additions  and  is  of 
relatively  little  interest.  An  index  of  existing  Coptic  texts  of  Job  is  given 
by  A.  Vaschalde  in  RB,  1920,  95-98. 

^  Thus  the  only  stichoi  asterisked  in  S"  and  yet  present  in  IS  are  9*'^''  (in 
IS  before  g^^*)  1 7^^^  20^-  ^  2$^^  27^  30^2^  ;  and  of  these  25^''  and  27^  (in  (J5  exactly 
=  29^  which  is  not  asterisked  even  in  ^")  are  not  asterisked  in  any  other 
MSS.  On  the  possibility  of  some  of  the  remaining  four  passages  being 
pre-Origenian,  see  p.  Ixxiii,  n.  3. 


§§  48-49.]  THE    TEXT  Ixxiil 

so  far  as  extent  is  concerned  ISt  closely  represents  the  pre- 
Origenian  and  presumably  also  the  original  state  of  ffir.  It  is 
probable,  indeed,  that  to  a  very  small  extent  the  present  defect 
of  i^  is  due  to  loss  in  the  transmission  of  It  itself.^  On  the 
other  hand,  there  is  some  reason  for  thinking  that  two  passages 
corresponding  to  nothing  in  5^  but  found  in  iat  as  in  all  other 
authorities  for  ^  after  2^  42^'',  formed  no  part  of  the  original 
text  of  iS  ;  ^  and  it  is  also  possible  that  a  very  small  number  of 
entire  stichoi  common  to  ^,  1^,  and  J^,  are  derived  from  or 
influenced  by  the  later  Greek  Versions.^ 

§  49.  Of  the  existing  text  of  5^,  then,  there  appears  to  have 
been  in  the  original  text  of  ffi  no  equivalent  for  (i)  the  passages 
absent  from  It  (except  i^^^  G^^a  1519a  ^^ibh.WB.  3y2ib) .  (2)  some 
dozen  stichoi  in  39^-40^*  (lost  through  mutilation  of  the  MS  in 

*  Due  to  loss,  probably  in  the  transmission  of  1^  (and  if  not,  then  in  the 
earlier  transmission  of  the  text  of  ffir  rendered  by  1^)  are  probably  the  few 
lines  absent  from  It  though  not  asterisked  in  a?^_>/  of  the  existing-  MSS  con- 
taining the  Hexaplaric  marks  :  there  are  i*^^  6^^*  and  15^^*  33^^''-  ^^^  37^^*". 
In  the  case  of  33^^*'-  ^"^  homoioteleuton,  as  Ciasca  pointed  out,  would  easily 
account  for  the  loss  of  the  lines  in  Sahidic,  while  the  rendering  of  nn  by  vovs 
instead  of  irvevfia.  points  strongly  to  dS  rather  than  0  or  any  of  the  other 
later  versions. 

^  See  The  Additions  in  the  Ancient  Greek  Version  of  Job  {Exp.^  June 
1920,  422-438).  The  conclusions  there  reached  were  that  the  speech  of 
Job's  wife  in  2^  as  well  as  the  Appendix  (after  42^')  formed  no  part  of  the 
original  version  :  the  vocabulary  in  2^  points  strongly  to  a  different  hand  : 
note  Xdrpis,  fidx^os,  aWpios,  diavvKTepeveip,  irXavTJTLS,  els  rb  ksvov.  The  minor 
additions  of  a  word  or  a  clause  such  as  occur  in  i^*  ^'  ^-  ^*'  ^  2^°  5'*-  ^  7^^-  ^^ 
13^^  1^28  2^4  21^  3323  38^  41^  42^-  ^o-  ^1'  16  may  most  or  all  of  them  be  original  to 
the  version. 

^  From  what  has  been  said  above  (p.  Ixxii,  n.  6),  it  is  clear  that  the  stichoi 
present  in  It,  which  all  the  MSS  with  the  Hexaplaric  marks  agree  in  marking 
as  additions,  do  not  exceed  half  a  dozen.  In  one  or  two  of  these  cases,  style 
supports  the  suggestion  of  the  Hexaplaric  marks  that  the  stichoi,  though 
in  1^,  were  derived  from,  or  at  least  as  now  read  influenced  by,  6.  Thus  in 
17'^  Xw/ict  (  =  n£j;)  points  to  0,  who  substitutes  it  for  <&'s  ir^rpa  in  14^,  for  fflc's 
yi]  in  19-^  ;  note  also  in  20^  iraidela  (cp.  0  36^"  37^  ;  and  ct.  vovd^Trj/na  in  5" 
ffir).  It  is  possible  3ct  in  these  cases  rests  on  a  text  of  ffi  not  yet  affected  by  0  : 
thus  in  1 7^6  eiTKA^  might  render  yTp  (which,  if  the  stichos  actually  stood  in 
(B,  would  almost  certainly  have  been  used)  just  as  well  as  the  xcijuaros  of  the 
existing  text.  So  in  20^  iraidela  and  perhaps  also  aTroKpidrja-erai  [xol  rather 
point  to  0  ;  but  let  might  be  a  rendering  not  of  these  words,  but  of 
vovOirriixa  (cp.  5^'^)  and  5c6(ret  /tot  air6Kpt.aLv  (cp.  13^^  <&  and  It),  which  would 
probably  have  been  used  by  <&. 


IxxiV  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [§§  49-50. 

^),  viz.  3g53-^8-  28-  (eV'  i^o^y  7reTpa<;  koX  a7roKpv(f>(p)  ^^-  ^^ 
asterisked  in  <S^,  and  in  some  or  all  of  the  other  MSS  giving 
the  Hexaplaric  marks  ;  (3)  certain  stichoi,  present  in  33t  but 
asterisked  in  ^^  and  (or)  other  MSS,  such  as  17^*  20^.  The 
number  of  stichoi  involved  in  (i)  and  (2)  is  between  350  and 
400 ;  to  these  (3)  adds  at  most  a  relatively  negligible  quantity.^ 
A  list  of  the  omissions  of  ffi  is  given  in  §  31. 

§  50.  Does,  now,  this  defect  of  dSt  represent  an  earlier  or  later 
form  of  the  text  than  J^  ?  2  Is  it  due — in  the  main  at  least — to 
the  loss  or  disregard  on  the  part  of  the  translation  of  what 
previously  existed  ?  or  is  it  due  to  the  subsequent  expansion  of 
the  Hebrew  text  by  the  addition  of  the  matter  now  found  in  J^, 
but  absent  from  the  earlier  form  of  (K?  In  considering  this 
question  these  observations  may  be  made : 

(i)  The  main  structure  of  the  book  is  unaffected  by  the 
defect  of  S  :  in  ©  as  in  Jl^  there  are  found  Prologue,  Dialogue, 
with  three  cycles — two  complete  and  one  incomplete — of 
speeches,  the  speeches  of  Elihu,  the  speeches  of  Yahweh  (includ- 
ing the  lengthy  descriptions  of  Behemoth  and  Leviathan),  and 
the  Epilogue. 

(2)  The  defect  is  not  at  all  evenly  distributed  over  the  book. 
The  following  table  may  serve  to  indicate  this  sufficiently : 

*  A  defect  of  350  stichoi  represents  about  ^  of  the  whole,  the  total 
length  of  the  existing  text  of  ^  being-  equivalent  to  about  2200  stichoi,  and 
the  stichoi  of  the  conflate  Greek  text  ranging  in  different  MSS  from  202 1-* 
2i26i*  to  2153^.  Some  of  the  stichometries  indicate  a  larger  proportion  of 
originally  absent  stichoi,  giving  the  number  of  non-asterisked  stichoi,  i.e. 
the  stichoi  of  the  original  version,  as  1800,  1700,  1600,  the  last  figure  having 
the  better  authority  (cp.  Swete,  Introduciion,  347,  350 ;  PRE  viii.  loi  with 
references).  Klostermann  {ib.  102)  concludes  that  (!&  was  originally  shorter 
by  at  least  a  quarter  than  the  existing  text  of  ^. 

^  The  priority  of  |§  was  generally  unchallenged  till  1889,  when  E.  Hatch, 
in  Essays  on  Biblical  Greek  (vi.),  argued  for  the  priority  of  © — that,  in  the 
main  ffi  represented  the  original  extent  of  the  book  and  J^  an  amplification. 
In  favour  of  the  priority  of  (&  is  also  Bi.  (2);  cp.  the  English  translation  of 
Job  by  E.  J.  Dillon  in  The  Sceptics  of  the  OT,,  1895.  This  theory  has  been 
criticized  and  the  priority  of  fir  maintained  especially  by  Di.  {Sitzungs- 
berichte  d.  Berliner  Ak.,  1890,  pp.  1345-1373),  Dr.  (Contemporary  Review, 
Feb.  1896,  p.  159  ff.).  Bu« 


§50.] 


THE    TEXT 


Ixxv 


Approximate  Per- 

Stichoi  absent 

CKNTAGE  OF    THE 

FROM  ffi. 

WHOLE    Number 

Prologue        •        •        •        . 

OF  Stichoi  in  % 

1 

First  Cycle  of  Speeches— 

Cc.      3-6  . 

0 

M      7-"    . 

6 

„    12-14  . 

17-23 

4 

Second  Cycle     15-21     , 

59 

16 

Third        „         22-31     , 

124 

25 

Elihu                   32-37 

114 

35 

Yahweh              38-422« 

43 

16 

Epilogue 

3 

(3)  The  passages  absent  from  ffi  are  not  in  Hebrew  dis- 
tinguished from  the  rest  by  any  differences  of  style  and  vocab- 
ulary, but  on  the  other  hand  they  are  connected  with  them  by 
some  noticeable  similarities.  Thus  what  is  absent  from  (& 
employs  the  same  three  terms  for  God — hii  (7  times),  niiw  (3 
times),  >^^  (2  times) ;  and  as  within  J^  there  is  a  difference  in 
the  degree  of  preference  for  hi<  (see  above,  §  24),  so  also  is 
there  in  the  passages  of  Elihu  absent  from  ffir  (^N  six  times, 
ni5)X  once).  Similarly  the  passages  absent  from  (&  contain  in 
J^  several  of  the  rarer  particles  (see  above,  §  26),  as,  e.£.y  ^^i^  in 
29^^  and  iD"!)j;  (272^  30^7).  | 

(4)  The  removal  of  the  passages  absent  from  (!5  in  many 
cases  destroys  the  poetical  structure  by  depriving  one  parallel 
line  of  its  fellow,  e.^.  io*»  20^*^  3127*  338*  346b.11b.i8b  ^^eb^ 
while  in  few  if  any  cases  does  ffir  yield  good  distichs  where  J^ 
has  tristichs  or  isolated  stichoi.  It  is  true  Bi.  establishes  at 
least  an  appearance  of  a  very  rigid  poetical  structure,  but  this 
he  does  not  by  accurately  reproducing  ^,  but  by  omitting  both 
more  and  less :  e.^.  in  10*  he  omits  10**  with  dSc,  but  then  also 
10^*  without  the  authority  of  ffi,  in  order  to  obtain  a  distich  of 
sorts  indeed,  but  inferior  to  either  of  the  distichs  in  J^. 

Of  the  foregoing  (i)  is  obviously  quite  indecisive:  a  book 
of  the  present  length  of  J^  may  have  been  abbreviated ;  on  the 
other  hand,  a  shorter  book  which  had  already  been  expanded 


IxXVl  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [§§50-51. 

by  the  addition  of  the  speeches  of  Elihu  might  at  a  later  date 
have  been  expanded  in  quite  a  different  way  by  the  addition  of 
what  is  present  in  JLf,  but  was  absent  from  (&.  But  (2)  already 
inclines  the  balance  against  the  priority  of  ^  :  it  would  have 
been  natural  for  an  abbreviator  to  shorten  increasingly  in  the 
successive  cycles,  which  in  general  cover  much  the  same  ground, 
and  most  of  all  in  the  speeches  of  Elihu,  which  contribute  so 
little  that  is  fresh.  On  the  other  hand,  increasing  activity  on 
the  part  of  an  expander  such  as  would  be  required  to  account 
for  the  distribution  of  the  additional  matter  is  less  likely. 
Finally,  (3)  and  (4)  tell  heavily  against  the  priority  of  ffi  and  in 
favour  of  J^. 

But  although  in  the  main  Ji^,  so  far  as  extent  is  concerned, 
represents  an  earlier  text  than  ffi^,  some  of  the  omissions  of  (Sc 
are  of  passages  which  there  are  independent  reasons  for  sus- 
pecting not  to  belong  to  the  original  text  of  ^  :  see,  e.g".,  7^  12^ 
23^  with  the  notes.  Yet  it  must  remain  uncertain  whether  even 
these  passages  which  relatively  to  the  whole  omissions  of  ffi 
are  exceedingly  few,  are  absent  because  not  in  ^'s  Hebrew  text, 
or  like  the  rest  of  the  omissions  are  due  to  abbreviation— in 
these  cases  accidentally  restoring  the  original  text. 

§  51.  In  those  parts  of  the  book  rendered  by  the  early  version, 
ffi  sometimes  points  to  a  better  text  than  ?^,  though  less  fre- 
quently, and  on  account  of  Its  paraphrastic  tendency  less  clearly, 
than  in  some  other  books  {e.£:  Samuel).  The  other  ancient 
versions^  made  direct  from  the  Hebrew  rarely  serve,  where 
fflr  fails,  to  correct  ?^.  Many  places  remain  In  which  neither  J^ 
nor  any  text  to  which  the  versions  point  can  be  regarded  as 
original :  in  these  cases  the  original  must  be  regained,  if  at  all, 
by  conjecture,  and  here  rhythm  becomes  a  valuable  aid. 

*  On  these  see  for  S,  A.  Mandl,  Die  Peschittha  z.  Hiob,  Leipzig,  1892  ; 
E.  Stenij,  De  Syriaca  libri  Johi  interpretatione  quce  PescMta  vocatuTy 
Helsingfors,  1887  ;  E.  Baumann,  **  Die  Verwendbarkeit  der  Pe§ita  z.  B. 
Hiob  fur  die  Textkritik,"  in  ZATWy  1898-1900:  for  C,  W.  Bacher,  "  Das 
Targum  z.  Hiob,"  in  Monatsschrifi,  1871,  208-223,  283  f.;  M.  Lewin, 
Targum  u.  Midrasch  zum  Buche  Hioby  1895, 


§  52.]  THE    RHYTHMS    OF    THE    BOOK    OF    JOB        IxxvII 

VIII.  The  Rhythms^  of  the  Book  of  Job. 

§  52.  The  prevailing  rhythmical  form  in  the  book  is  that  of 
the  balanced  distich  of  two  lines  each  containing  three  stresses 
(3:3);  but  this  is  only  the  prevailing,  not  the  exclusive 
rhythm ;  still  less  do  the  lines  necessarily  consist  exclusively 
of  seven  syllables  (Bi.),  or  the  distichs  regularly  coalesce  into 
quatrains  (Bi.  Du.). 

The  dominance  of  the  3  :  3  rhythm  is  too  obvious  to  call  for 
proof  here,  but  on  the  extent  of  departure  from  it — certainly  in 
the  existing  and  probably  also  in  the  original  text — something 
more  must  be  said.  It  follows  from  their  rigid  quatrain  theory 
that  Bi.  and  Du.  allow  no  tristichs  in  the  original  text,  though 
in  what  they  regard  as  additions  to  the  original  they  some- 
times imagine  more  tristichs  than  exist  now,  or  ever  existed 
(see  p.  205).  In  the  existing  text  there  are  in  all  a  considerable 
number  of  tristichs,  or,  alternatively,  distichs  preceded  or 
followed  by  isolated  stichoi ;  ^  some  of  these  are  open  to  more 
or  less  suspicion,^  but  a  number  remain  which  there  is  no 
reason  whatever,  beyond  the  fact  that  they  are  tristichs,  for 
questioning.  Although  elsewhere  combined  with  3  :  3  there 
occur  as  occasional  variants  other  divisions  of  the  full  six-stress 
period,  viz.  2  :  2  :  2  or  2  :  4  or  4  :  2  ;  in  the  book  of  Job  these 
variants  are  at  most  exceedingly  rare:  see  phil.  n.  on  17^'^^, 
also  AJSL  xxxvi.  95  ff.  A  striking  example  of  2  :  2  :  2  would  be 
9^1,  if  the  text  is  correct  there. 

On  the  other  hand,  of  other  rhythms  there  are  examples, 
relatively  rare,  it  is  true,  yet  actually  too  numerous  in  the 
present  text  for  it  to  be  probable  that  none  are  original.  Thus 
in  the  phil.   n.   on   17^^  (p.    114)   references  are  given  to   22 

1  Cp.  G.  B.  Gray,  The  Forms  of  Hebrew  Poetry ;  and  more  briefly,  Isaiah^ 
pp.  lix-lxviii,  on  the  subject  of  Hebrew  rhythm  generally.  For  rhythm  in 
Job  in  particular,  see  Bi.  ;  J.  Ley,  TSK,  1895,  635  ff.,  1897,  p.  7  fF.  ;  P. 
Vetter,  Die  Metrik  des  Bitches  Job,  1897  ;  H.  Grimme,  Theolog.  QuartaU 
schrift,  1898,  pp.  295  ff.,  421  fF.,  1899,  112  ff.,  259  ff.  ;  Sievers  ;  Honth.  44-70. 
Bu.'s  Comm.  contains  much  detailed  criticism  of  Bi. 

2  See  3*-  ^'  ^-  ^  4^"*  5^  6*-  "  7^^  8^  (^  lo^-  "  W-  22  1 1«.  Wf.  123.  4. 6. 13.  27  ^^au  7. 12. 

13. 14.  19  i^2«.  30  (,,^1. 11)    ig4    igl2.  27.  2K  20^3   2l"-  ^   2^'  "•  13.  IB.  18(30).  24   26"   aS^- *•  » 
303  3i7.  34  33I5.  23f.   3^37  3^21.  23  3341  3925. 

'  See,  e.g.^  p.  30  on  the  four  tristichs  in  3**^. 


IxXVlil  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [§52. 

examples  of  3  :  2  (several  with  the  echoing  parallelism  charac- 
teristic of  this  rhythm :  see,  e.g,^  8^1  12^^  18^^  2721  29*5  33^2  36^* 
37^  38^  39^),  to  which  a  few  more  might  be  added,  for  example, 
two  in  721.  But  40^*  is  very  questionable  proof  that  2  :  3  was 
used.  Of  4  :  3  a  dozen  examples  are  referred  to  in  the  same 
note ;  and  of  these,  too  (add  42- 10  and  29^^),  a  few  are  likely 
to  be  original,  though  several  are  open  to  serious  doubt  on 
one  ground  or  another.  Even  possible  instances  of  3  :  4  are 
very  rare  (phil.  n.  on  21^^  p.  7^7:  cp.  29*,  p.  200).  The 
examples  of  4  :  4  are  few:  however,  see  3^  15^*^  22^^  27^^  29* 
34^^,  but  15^3  21^8  and  23^  are  all  doubtful  (see  phil.  nn.). 
The  rhytnm  2  :  2,  i.e.  a  single  period  of  four  stresses  divided 
Into  equal  parallel  lines,  is  very  rare;  but  10*  seems  a  secure 
example  of  it :   19^*  is  much  more  doubtful  (see  phil.  n.). 


PART    I. 
TRANSLATION   AND    COMMENTARY. 


I.  II.  The  Prologue.— This  consists  of  a  prelude,  ii-«,  two 
scenes  in  heaven,  i^^^  and  2^"*,  two  series  of  consequences  to 
Job  on  earth  of  what  had  been  determined  in  heaven,  i^^"^^ 
2^~^^,  and  a  conclusion,  2""^.  The  prelude  depicts  Job  at  the 
height  of  his  prosperity,  rich  in  children  and  possessions ;  in 
the  conclusion,  Job  is  seen,  not  for  any  fault  in  him,  but  for 
reasons  revealed  to  the  reader  though  concealed  from  the 
sufferer  and  his  friends,  deprived  of  children,  possessions,  and 
health,  and  thus  brought  to  such  a  degree  of  adversity  as  to 
stupefy  into  silence  the  very  friends  who  had  come  to  comfort 
him.  The  writer  relies  on  repetition  rather  than  variation  for 
emphasis  and  effect;  for  it  is  the  repetitions  rather  than  the 
slight  variations,  in  so  far  as  these  latter  are  original,  that  are 
prominent  in  the  account  of  the  scenes  in  heaven,  the  descrip- 
tions of  Job's  character  (x^  ^  2^),  and  his  constancy  (i^*  2^®), 
and  in  the  words  of  the  messengers  (x^*"^^) ;  and  yet  along 
with  this  use  of  repetition,  there  is  an  almost  more  striking 
effect  of  concentration  and  compression.  In  these  two  brief 
chapters  the  long  and  peaceful  earlier  life  of  Job,  and  the  series 
of  tragic  actions  of  what  threatens  to  be  its  close,  are  alike, 
though  briefly,  yet  vividly  depicted  with  sufficient  fullness  for 
the  writer's  purpose,  but  with  a  severe  neglect  of  all  that  is 
unessential. 

Two  things  the  writer  intends  to  stand  out :  the  character 
of  Job  and  his  prosperity ;  the  one  as  constant,  the  other  as 
passing ;  the  one  as  esssential,  the  other  as  accidental.  The 
I 


2  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [l.  1-5. 

I.  ^  There  was  (once)  a  man  in  the  land  of  Us,  whose  name 
was  Job.     That  man  was   perfect  and  upright,   fearing  God 


wealth  and  the  fortune  of  Job  grow,  culminate,  vanish ;  the 
character  of  Job  remains  intact.  Without  his  character  Job  is 
nothing ;  without  his  wealth  he  remains  everything.  But  it 
is  with  this  constancy  of  character,  not  the  growth  or  formation 
of  it,  that  the  writer  is  concerned  ;  how  Job's  wealth  came  is 
indicated,  how  it  vanished  is  described ;  how  his  character  was 
formed  is  not  even  indicated :  but  that  it  existed  before  his 
wealth  is  implied,  and  how  it  endured  through  prosperity  and 
in  adversity  is  depicted.  In  the  interest  of  these  two  themes, 
the  changing  fortunes  and  the  enduring  character  of  Job,  the 
restraint  in  the  choice  of  detail  and  the  repetitions  are  alike 
employed.  A  modern  writer  would  almost  certainly  have 
depicted,  even  within  the  scope  of  the  Prologue,  character  as 
well  as  fortune  developing,  the  two  in  action  and  reaction ; 
the  ancient  writer  does  not. 

I.  1-5.  The  character  and  wealth  of  Job. 

I.  The  name  and  country  of  the  hero  of  the  story  are  given  (*), 
and  then  immediately  the  writer  passes  to  the  main  point — the 
character  of  Job  (^) ; — this  was  completely  good,  and  so,  on 
the  current  theory,  explained  his  great  wealth,  but  made  his 
deprivation  of  wealth  a  riddle.  There  was  (once)  a  man]  cp. 
2  S.  12^,  and  see  phil.  n. — Us]  One  of  the  tribes  who  together 
made  up  **  the  children  of  the  East  '*  (^) :  the  land  of  Us  lay  to 
the  East  of  Palestine,  but  whether  in  the  Hauran,  or  farther 
south  on  the  confines  of  Edom,  cannot  be  certainly  determined 
(see  Introduction) ;  and  it  has  been  suggested  (Bu.  p.  xi)  that 
even  to  the  writer  himself  it  was  a  wide  and  vague  term.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  the  writer  had  a  clear  idea  of  the  nature  of  Job's 
country :  it  lay  on  the  confines  of  the  desert  (^^ ;  cp.  ^^-  ^^)  to 
the  E.  of  Palestine  (^),  yet  in  a  district  of  great  farms  (^*), 
and  near  a  town  (29^;  cp.  2^  n.).  Job  was  at  once  a  great 
sheep-master,  like  Mesha  of  Moab  (2  K.  3*),  a  great  agri- 
culturist, and  a  man  of  great  influence  in  the  town.— ybd] 
strictly 'I>{)/od :  see  further,  on  the  name.  Introduction. — That 
man  'was\  the  tense  is  frequentative,  the  following  tense  (^) 


1.  1.]  THE    PROLOGUE  3 

consecutive:  first  the  character,  then,  and  in  consequence, 
the  children  and  the  wealth.  But  the  children  are  all 
grown  up,  and  the  sons  at  least  settled  in  houses  of  their 
own  :  this  character  of  Job  is,  therefore,  carried  far  back, 
and  throughout  the  long  years  it  had  habitually  manifested 
itself.  Job,  like  Noah  before  the  Flood  (Gn.  6^  P),  like 
Abraham  (Gn.  17I  P)  and  Jacob  (Gn.  2527_JE  or  ?  R),  is 
complete,  sound,  free  from  defect,  and,  in  this  sense,  perfect 
{tam^  ^  2^  8^^  9^^'  ^^-  ^^  and  six  times  f  outside  the  book  of  Job ; 
tamtniy  12*  36*  37^^>  ^^^  nearly  ninety  times  f  elsewhere). 
A  satisfactory  single  rendering  for  the  adj.,  which  will  preserve 
in  English  the  connection  with  the  corresponding  substantives 
{tummahy  2^-^27^  31^,  also  Pr.  ii^f;  tomy  4^,  also  Pr.  2^,  Ps. 
26^-  ^^  al.),  is  difficult  to  find  ;  EV.  renders  the  adj.  hy  perfect ^ 
the  subst.,  excellently,  by  integrity.  Used  as  ethical  terms 
these  nouns  and  adjectives  describe  rather  generally  the  good 
as  contrasted  with  the  bad  man :  thus  one  or  other  of  them  is 
used  combined,  or  in  synonymous  parallelism,  with  ")tj>%  upright 
(n.  or  adj.),  in  Ps.  37^7  2521,  Pr.  221  2810  (?)  29I0  (?)  (cp. 
I  K.  9^  Pr.  2^");  with  plV  (n.,  adj.,  or  vb.),  righteous^  in  920  12*, 
Ps.  f,  Gn,  69,  Pr.  ii^  (cf.  c.  22^  2f^-,  Ps.  152) ;  with  T\'0^,  fidelity, 
truth,  in  Jg.  9^^- 1^,  Jos.  24^*;  with  r\p^,  to  he  innocenty  in  Ps.  19^* 
(cp.  Gn.  20^) ;  they  are  used  in  antithesis  to  D"'V")»)  evil  doers 
in  320  (cp.  Ps.  645  <4>  after  ^  (2)) ;  yt^-,,  wickedy  in  920-  22^  p^. 
11^  28^2  J  Qs^-j  "iK'DX,  blood-guilty  men y  in  Pr.  29^^;  and  (implicitly) 
*ikkeshy  twistedy  in  920,  Pr.  lo^  19^,  Dt.  32^  (after  v.*). 
Noticeable  also  is  the  association  of  being  tdmlm  with  walking 
before  God  in  Gn.  17^  (cp.  6^) ;  and  of  those  whose  way,  or 
conduct,  is  perfect  ("jm  *'D^Dn),  with  ''those  who  walk  in  the 
law  of  Yahweh  "  (Ps.  119^).  In  so  far  as  the  terms  retain  the 
special  meaning  suggested  by  the  common  meaning  of  the  root 
alike  in  Hebrew  and  Arabic,  they  refer  to  the  completeness  of 
the  character ;  in  Job  tmn  does  not  mean  perfect  in  the  sense 
of  absolutely  sinless,  for  Job,  who  maintains  that  he  is  tmn 
(27^,  cp.  2^),  admits  the  presence  in  himself  of  the  sins  common 
to  humanity  (132^  14^^^*)  ^P-  I4^>  if  original) ;  but  it  is  more 
than  a/Ae/xTTTO?  (S),  **  blameless"  (RVm.  in  Gn.  6^) ;  it 
implies  a  character  that  is  complete,  all  of  a  piece,  not,  /is  the 


4  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [l.  1-3. 

and  avoiding  wrong.     ^  And  so  there  were  born  to  him  seven 
sons   and   three  daughters.      ^  And   his    cattle    came   to   be 


Satan  and  after  him  the  friends  insinuate,  one  thing  on  the 
surface  and  another  within ;  it  is  a  character  that  seeks  its 
ends  openly,   along   the   one   true  path,   not  like   the  'ikkesh 
trickily,  by  crooked  and  devious  paths;   or,  in  a  figure  used 
by  the  writer  himself,  the  tdniy  or  perfect  man,  is  one  whose 
character    is   full- weight:     "let    me    be   weighed    in    correct 
scales  that  God  may  recognize  my  integrity,"  ue,  that  I  am 
full  weight  (31®). — Upright]  another  of  the  frequently  recurring 
ethical    terms    for    the    good    man :    yashar   etymologically 
describes    the    good    man    as    straight,    straightforward;    it 
commonly  occurs  combined  or  in  parallelism  with  other  wide 
ethical  terms  such  as  tarn  (see  last  n.),   ""pD  (4^   17^),  "]?  (8^), 
P''^^  {^'g'  Ps.  33^  140^*) ;  in  I  S.  29^^-  the  term  expresses  the 
idea  of  loyalty.     As  the  first  adj.  applied  to  Job  associates  him 
with  Noah,  Abraham,  and  Jacob,  so  does  the  second  with  the 
Hebrew  ideal  of  conduct  as  expressed  in  the  title  **the  book 
of  the  upright"  for  the  collection   of  early   poems,   and  the 
national  epithet  Yeshurun  (see  Numbers^  p.  347).     At  the  same 
time  there  is  nothing  exclusively  Jewish  associated  with  either 
term ;  for  Abimelech  of  Gerar  acts  in  the  integrity  (totn)  of  his 
heart  (Gn.  20^),  and  Achish  of  Gath  and  the  Philistine  princes 
set  store  by  the  quality  of  uprightness  (i  S.  29^^-). — Fearing 
God]  this,  rather  than  the  distinctively  Jewish  phrase  fearing 
Yahwehf  is  chosen,  and  is  even  used  in  the  speech  of  the  Satan 
to  Yahweh  in  v.^ ;  cp.  "  the  fear  of  God  "  (Gn.  20*),  **  the  fear 
of  the  Almighty  "  in  6^*.     Corresponding  to  the  fear  of  God,  as 
the  principle  of  conduct,  is  the  habit  of  avoiding  evil  (cp.  28^^, 
Pr.  3^),  i.e.    not  the  abandonment  of  evil  courses  previously 
followed  (an  idea  otherwise  expressed  at  least  in  Is.  i^^),  but 
the  resolute  rejection  of  the  opportunities  to  evil  w^hich  life 
offers;  so  in  Pr.  13^^  <*  to  avoid  evil"  is  the  antithesis  to  the 
satisfaction  of  (evil)  desire  ;  cp.  also  Is.  59^^  and,  though  less 
obviously,  Ps.  34^^  37^^»    Evil  is  avoided  by  constant  adherence  to 
the  path  of  right  (Pr.  4^^).    Job's  life  had  offered  many  opportuni- 
ties of  wrong-doing  (cp.  c.  31),  but  he  had  refused  to  use  them. 


I.  2-3.]  THE   PROLOGUE  5 

seven  thousand  sheep  and  goats,  and  three  thousand  camels, 
and  five  hundred  yoke  of  oxen,  and  five  hundred  she-asses, 


2,  3.  The  ideal  character  of  Job  was  rewarded  with  ideal 
good  fortune — many  children,  the  majority  of  whom  were  sons 
(the  foundation  of  a  man's  strength  and  security:  Ps.  127^^ 
128),  vast  numbers  of  sheep  and  goats,  of  camels  for  distant 
journeys  and  transport,  of  asses  and  oxen  for  work  in  the 
fields,  and  many  slaves.  The  addition  of  child  to  child,  and 
the  increasing  multitude  of  his  live-stock  as  the  years  passed, 
were  recurring  tokens  of  God's  approval  of  Job's  constant 
character.  The  recurrence  of  the  numbers  seven,  three  (in 
sum,  ten),  and  of  five  and  five  (again,  in  sum,  ten),  symbolize 
the  perfection  of  Job's  wealth.  Nabal,  who  was  *  *  a  very  great " 
(i  S.  25^)  man,  had  4000  sheep  and  goats  as  against  7000 
assigned  here  to  Job.  And  Job's  possessions  are  not  exhaust- 
ively described,  for  there  is  no  direct  reference  to  his  arable 
land,  v.^*  21^"^^  (though  the  **oxen  "  suggest  agriculture:  cp. 
I  K.  1919  21,  2  S.  2421^-,  Dt.  22I0  25*)  or  to  other  forms  of  wealth, 
such  as  gold  (cp.  Gn.  132). 

3.  Cattle]  The  term  (n3p»),  though  etymologically  wide 
and  applicable  to  possessions  of  all  kinds,  is,  with  one  or  two 
doubtful  exceptions,  such  as  Gn.  49^^,  limited  in  usage  to 
possessions  of  cattle  (see  Lex.). — Sheep  and  goats]  expressed  in 
Hebrew  by  a  single  collective  term  (jK^),  inadequately  rendered 
by  EV.  *' sheep,"  or  sometimes,  less  inaccurately,  ** flock": 
so  Gn.  30^^'-,  a  passage  which  proves  the  extent  of  the  term 
in  Hebrew.  A  single  term  sufficed  to  cover  the  two  classes  of 
animals,  inasmuch  as  the  flocks  generally  contained  both  sheep 
and  goats,  as  they  commonly  still  do  to-day.  So  Doughty 
(Arabia  Deserta^  ii.  234)  records  the  contrary  as  exceptional: 
**  we  soon  saw  a  great  flock  trooping  down — and  unlike  all 
that  I  had  seen  till  now,  there  were  no  goats  in  that  nomad 
flock."  Cp.  Robinson,  Biblical  ResearcheSy  ii.  169,  180. — She- 
asses]  the  she-ass  (cp.  Gn.  32^^)  is  more  valuable  than,  in 
modern  Syria  costing  three  times  as  much  as,  the  male 
(Wetzst.  in  Del.).  The  number  of  Job's  male-asses  is  not 
given— an  indication   that   his   wealth   even   in  cattle   is  not 


6  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [1.3-4. 

and  very  numerous  slaves.     And  so  that  man  became  greater 
than  any  of  the  sons  of  the  East. 

*  His  sons   used  to  go  to  one  another's  houses,  and  each 


exhaustively  stated.  The  terms  used  for  sheep  and  goats, 
and  for  oxen,  are  collective,  and  as  such  include  females  ;  the 
masc.  pi.  used  of  the  camels  is  applicable  also  to  females 
(Gn.  32^^).  —  The  sons  of  the  East\  a  wide  term  for  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country  to  the  E.  of  Canaan  ;  see  Introduc- 
tion. In  some  cases  the  nomadic  tent-dwellers  of  the  Syrian 
desert  are  intended  (Jer.  49^^*-,  Ezk.  25*-  ^^) ;  here,  and  probably 
in  I  K.  5^^  (4^^))  the  term  at  least  includes  the  settled  house- 
dwellers  in  (rich)  agricultural  country  on  the  confines  of  the 
desert. 

4,  5.  A  picture  of  Job's  past  life  before  the  opening  of  the 
main  story  (cp.  c.  29).  It  serves  in  part  to  illustrate  Job's 
position  :  his  numerous  sons  live  an  ample  life  in  houses  of 
their  own ;  but  its  main  purpose  is  to  give  an  example  of  Job's 
constant  fear  of  God.  The  numerous  frequentative  tenses  (see 
phil.  n.)  indicate  that  it  had  (long)  become  habitual  with  the 
children  to  entertain  one  another  at  a  series  of  banquets ;  and 
that  it  had  become  a  habit  with  Job  to  turn  aside  by  means  of 
burnt-offerings  any  anger  of  God  which  they  might  at  such 
times  have  aroused  by  unbridled  act  or  thought. 

4.  A  banquet  (nriK^^)]  was  so  called  from  the  prominence 
at  such  feasts  or  banquets  of  drinking  (cp.  Is.  25^  5^^),  which 
led  at  times  to  excessive  drunkenness  (i  S.  25^^,  Jer.  51^^); 
such  banquets  were  given  at  the  weaning  of  a  child  (Gn.  21^), 
a  wedding  (Gn  29^^,  Jg.  14^*^),  a  birthday  (Gn.  40^^),  sheep- 
shearing  (i  S.  252^-^^,  2  S.  13^*^  ®),  and  doubtless  on  other 
special  occasions ;  but  the  term  implies  neither  the  ordinary 
meal  of  daily  life,^  nor  the  sacred  meal  eaten  before  Yahweh  at 
the  great  annual  festivals.^  Is  it  meant,  now,  that  what  was 
exceptional  with  other  people  was  constant  with  Job's  children, 
that  every  day  in  the  year  (^  Ka&  eKaaTTjv  rj/juipav)  they  sat 
down  and  drank  and  made  merry  (so  Da.  Du.  Peake)  ?  or 
only  that,  as  opportunities  incident  to  their  life,  such,  e.^'.y  as 
*  So  Del.  here.  '  So  Ew.  here. 


I.  4.]  THE    PROLOGUE  7 

on  his  day  to  give  a  banquet :  and  they  used  to  send  and  call 
their  three  sisters  to  eat  and  to  drink  with  them.  ^  When 
they  had  completed  a  round  of  the  banqueting  days,  Job  sent 


sheep-shearing,  presented  themselves,  they  made  a  habit  of 
keeping  a  week  (cp.  Jg.  14^2-  ^^)  of  banquets,  the  eldest  enter- 
taining on  the  first  day,  and  so  on  to  the  youngest,  who  would 
entertain  on  the  last  day  of  the  festal  week  (so,  in  the  main, 
Bu.  Di.)?  Nothing  in  the  text  very  directly  decides  those 
questions,  certainly  not  the  last  clause  of  ^  to  which  Du. 
appeals,  for  in  view  of  the  first  clause  of  that  v.  all  the  days 
cannot  in  any  case  mean  every  day  in  the  year,  but  simply  all 
the  days  that  concluded  a  week  spent  in  banqueting.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  first  clause  of  ^  would  read  a  little  unnaturally, 
if  the  writer  really  meant  that  all  the  days  of  the  year  were 
banqueting  days ;  and  again  a  daily  invitation  to  the  sisters  is 
less  probable  than  an  invitation  sent  as  often  as,  after  an 
interval,  a  banqueting  week  was  approaching ;  see  also  on  ^^. 
— On  his  day\  the  day  on  which  it  fell  to  him  to  entertain  : 
scarcely  his  [birth-)day  (cp.  3^),  for  the  banqueting-days  were 
apparently  (^)  a  round  of  seven  successive  days,  which  the 
birthdays  of  the  seven  would  not  naturally  have  been. — To 
call  their  three  sisters\  the  sisters  may  be  thought  of  as  still 
unmarried  and  in  their  father's  house  to  which  their  brothers 
send^  as  in  turn  Job  sends  from  his  house  to  the  houses  of  his 
sons.  But  the  writer  may  as  little  have  thought  distinctly 
of  this  point  as  of  the  family  affection  which  the  invita- 
tion to  the  sisters  suggests  to  some  commentators,  or  of 
the  easy  or  loose  manners  which  Du.  infers  from  it ;  or  of  all 
the  brothers  being  unmarried  (Du.) ;  the  last  point,  if  intended, 
would  find  a  very  partial  analogy  in  David's  sons  Amnon  and 
Absalom  each  living,  though  unmarried,  in  houses  of  their  own 
(2  S.  13^-  2^) ;  for  seven  adult  sons  of  a  single  mother — and  Job 
is  represented  as  a  monogamist — to  be  all  unmarried  would 
be  flagrantly  out  of  keeping  with  the  social  customs  of  the 
time  and  country.  In  any  case  such  details  are  immaterial 
to  the  purpose  of  the  story ;  and  it  is  wiser  not  to  press  the 
inferences. 


8  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [l.  5. 

and  consecrated  them,  his  habit  being  to  rise  up  early  in  the 
morning,  and  to  offer  burnt-offerings  for  them  all,  one  for  each. 


5.  Sent  and  consecrated  them]  terse  to  obscurity.  The  con- 
secration in  question  is  the  preparation  by  ritual  washings  and 
the  like  (cp.  Gn.  35^)  for  participation  in  some  sacred  ritual 
(cp.  Ex.  19^®- 1*,  Jos.  3^  713J — here,  as  is  generally  supposed  in 
the  ritual  of  the  burnt-offerings  on  the  next  morning.  So 
Samuel  (i  S.  16^)  calls  on  Jesse  and  his  family  to  consecrate 
themselves,  and  himself  consecrates  them,  that  they  may 
participate  with  him  in  a  sacrificial  meal.  Some  (Di.  Bu. 
Peake)  suppose  that  Job  sends  and  summons  or  brings  his 
children  to  his  house,  and  consecrates  them  there;  others 
(Fried.  Del.)  that  Job  sends  a  priest  to  consecrate  them  in  their 
own  homes.  B.  Jacob  (ZA  TWy  191 2,  p.  278)  suggests  that  trip 
was  synonymous  with  N"ip  and  meant  to  invite  some  one  (cp. 
2C  :  see  phil.  n.)  to  make  himself  ritually  ready  for,  and  to  come 
to,  a  feast ;  and  that  what  is  meant  in  ^^  is  that  at  the  end  of  the 
round  of  secular  meals  in  the  sons'  houses,  Job  sent  and  invited 
the  children  to  a  sacred  meal  in  his  own  house,  and  that  on 
the  morning  after  this  meal  Job  offers  sacrifice  against  sins  of 
thought  (for  other  sins  the  children  would  not  have  ventured 
in  their  father's  presence)  which  might  have  been  committed 
in  his  own  house,  so  compromising  him.  But  the  parallelism 
of  tJ»np  and  Nnp  in  Jl.  i^*  2^^  4*  does  not  prove  that  the  two 
vbs.  were  so  completely  synonymous  that  tj^np  included  the 
sense  of  invitation ;  and  if  a  meal  in  Job's  house  had  been 
intended,  it  would  probably  have  been  more  clearly  indicated. 
To  offer  burnt-offerings]  after  the  manner  of  the  patriarchs  in  JE 
(Gn.  820  222-7.13  3i64),  Job  as  the  head  of  the  family,  without 
the  assistance  of  any  priest,  offers  sacrifice  ;  also  in  accordance 
with  early  custom  he  offers  for  an  expiatory  purpose  (cp. 
2  S.  242^)  burnt-offerings  (cp.  42^),  not  the  more  special  sin- 
offerings  of  later  times — a  want  which  (&  supplies. — For  them 
all)  one  for  each]  lit.  according"  to  the  number  of  them  all;  i.e. 
ten,  if  **sons"  include  the  daughters  (cp.  Gn.  3^^,  Ex.  21^  22^^, 
Jos.  172):  otherwise,  seven. — Cursed]  Hebr.  blessed— 2.  euphem- 
ism or  scribal   correction   for  cursed:    see  phil.  n. — In  ihei? 


I.  6-12.]  THE    PROLOGUE  9 

For  Job  said,  **  If  haply  my  sons  have  sinned,  and  cursed  God 
in  their  heart."      So  used  Job  to  do  on  all  the(se)  days. 


heart]  unless  we  can  adopt  Jacob's  suggestion  noted  above. 
Job  fears  sin  committed  by  the  children  in  their  own  homes ; 
but  so  sure  is  he  of  the  character  of  his  children  that  even 
when  they  are  out  of  his  sight  and  control  he  fears  only  that 
they  may  commit  some  unintentional  sin  or  sins  that  are  stifled 
before  they  issue  in  speech  or  outward  action.  Yet  such  is 
Job's  fear  of  God  that  he  is  careful  to  counteract  the  mere 
possibility  of  even  such  sins  as  these. — On  all  these  days\  on 
the  morrow  of  the  last  day  of  each  week  of  feasting. 

6-12.  The  first  scene  in  heaven :  the  Satan  questions 
the  disinterestedness  of  Job's  religion. — The  scene,  though  not 
explicitly  defined,  is,  like  that  in  which  Mastemd  questions  the 
whole-hearted  devotion  of  Abraham  to  God  (Jub.  17^^^),  clearly 
heaven  :  it  is  here  that  the  '*  sons  of  the  gods  "  present  them- 
selves before  (f)y)  Yahweh,  who  is  pictured,  as  the  prep,  prob- 
ably implies,  seated  (on  a  throne) :  so  in  a  companion  picture 
(i  K.  22^^)  Yahweh  is  depicted  **  sitting  on  his  throne  and  all 
the  host  of  heaven,"  which  correspond  to  the  **sons  of  the 
gods"  here,  "standing  before  him  (V^y  IDV)  on  his  right  hand 
and  on  his  left,"  and  ready  (i  K.  22^^),  as  here  (i^^  2^)^  to  go 
out  (n^^)  from  the  divine  assembly,  and  affect  human  affairs 
according  to  the  will  or  permission  of  Yahweh.  Cp.  also  Zee. 
6*  **  the  four  winds  of  heaven  going  out  from  presenting  them- 
selves before  (ijy  a^Tino  rm^r)  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth." 
Since  the  Satan  does  not  report  immediately  and  alone,  but 
presents  himself  along  with  the  other  sons  of  the  gods  (2^),  it 
may  be  inferred  that  Yahweh  was  conceived  as  holding  a 
session  at  stated  intervals  for  the  dismission  of  his  messengers 
to  earth,  and  for  the  reception  of  reports  from  them  on  their 
return. — The  sons  of  the  gods]  **the  sons  of  God"  (EV.)  is 
grammatically  an  equally  legitimate  rendering,  and  might  be 
compared  with  **sons  of  the  Most  High"  {\\'hv  ''33,  Ps.  82^), 
but  whether  interpreted  offspring  of  the  one  true  God,  or 
beings  dependent  on,  but  sharing  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  one 
true  God,   this  rendering  fails  to  reproduce  the  Hebrew  con- 


lO  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [l.  6. 

^  And  there  was  a  day  when  the  sons  of  the  gods  came  to 
present  themselves  before  Yahweh ;  and  the  Satan  came  also 


ception.  **The  sons  of  the  gods"  (D^nf'i^n  '•n)  are  individuals 
of  the  class  god,  as  **the  sons  of  man"  (D'^^{^  ^33,  i  S.  26^^) 
are  individuals  of  the  class  man  :  cp.  also  **  the  sons  of  the  pro- 
phets," meaning  members  of  a  prophetic  guild.  Consequently 
the  same  class  of  beings  who  are  called  *'the  sons  of  the 
gods"  (D^n^N(n)  -32,  2I  38^,  Gn.  62;  D-i?N  '':3,  Ps.  29I  89^:  cp. 
(\*1^X  13,  Dn.  y^^)  can  also  be  called  simply  ''gods"  (D^'^^^^ 
Ps.  82^-^:  cp.  D^N*  (point  oi'N*)  in  Ps.  58-).  The  phrase  is  trace- 
able to  a  stage  of  thought  in  which  Yahweh  was  not  supreme 
or  sui generis :  the  class  of  gods  like  that  of  men  was  numerous, 
though  members  (''sons")  of  the  two  classes  were  sharply 
distinguished  in  appearance  (Dn.  3^5)  and  manner  of  life  (Ps. 
82^*-).  But  within  this  class  Yahweh,  to  this  writer,  is  abso- 
lutely supreme ;  Yahweh  is  not  a  man,  but  one  of  the  elohim ; 
and  yet  not  merely  any  one  of  the  elohim,  but  that  one  who  is 
in  absolute  control  of  all  other  elohim,  as  also  of  all  men  and  of 
the  affairs  of  the  whole  world.  There  is  as  little  suggestion 
here  in  the  Prologue  as  in  the  speeches  of  the  earlier  Hebrew 
thought,  that  Yahweh's  power  and  authority  were  limited  to 
certain  areas,  and  that  other  gods  shared  with  Him  the  control 
and  allegiance  of  men  (cp.  e.g.  i  S,  26^^) ;  on  the  other  hand, 
the  sons  of  the  gods,  including  the  Satan,  are  completely  sub- 
ordinate to  Him,  and  act,  not  on  their  own  initiative  or  autho- 
rity, but  on  His ;  like  Him  in  contrast  to  men  they  are  elohim, 
or  holy  (15^^  5^),  but  no  less  than  men  they  are  His  servants 
(4^^"^^).  As  employed  by  Him  in  the  administration  of  human 
affairs,  these  beings  are  termed  angels  (D"'3Nf'D,  ib.).  fflr,  there- 
fore, in  rendering  here  ol  a'yyeKoL  rod  6eov  (so  2^,  cp.  38^), 
gives  a  substantially  correct  equivalent  of  the  entire  Hebrew 
phrase,  though  not  an  exact  equivalent  of  either  of  the  terms 
that  compose  it. — The  Satan\  here,  as  in  Zee.  3^-2,  with  the 
article,  and  therefore  not  yet,  as  it  virtually  has  become  in 
I  Ch.  21^  (without  the  article),  a  proper  name.  But  here  and 
in  Zee,  no  less  than  in  Ch.,  though  in  these  three  passages 
only  in  the  OT.,  the  term  denotes  a  distinct  and  permanent 


I.  6-7.]  THE    PROLOGUE  1 1 

among   them.     ^  And   Yahweh    said    to    the    Satan,    Whence 
comest  thou?     And  the  Satan   answered  Yahweh,  and  said, 


personality,  who  was  thus  designated  originally  in  reference  to 
his  function  of  opposing  or  accusing  (cp.  ^'s  BidfioXo^;)  men 
before  God,  before  he  had  developed  his  later  character  (Ch., 
NT.)  of  tempter  or  instigator  of  men  to  act  in  opposition  to 
God.  The  force  of  the  word  is  well  shown  in  Nu.  22^2  where 
the  angel  of  Yahweh  becomes  for  the  occasion  a  satan  in  order 
to  oppose  Balaam  and  to  stay  his  course  ;  or  somewhat  differently 
in  Ps.  109^  where  opposition  in  the  sense  of  accusation  before  a 
legal  tribunal  is  intended  (cp.  v.^^^  where  ^^^"^  is  parallel  to  D'^ID'in 
^C'Di  i'V  Vt):  cp.  also  i  S.  29*,  2  S.  1923(22)^  i  K.  s^^^^)  uUflf.^ 
Here  the  Satan  opposes  Job  by  endeavouring  to  overthrow  his 
good  standing  with  God  (cp.  the  antithesis  between  the  vb.  jtDC^ 
and  the  phrase  "  to  seek  our  good  "  in  Ps.  38^^),  not  as  in  Zee. 
by  drawing  Yahweh's  attention  to  actual  sins  which  He  is 
prepared  to  pardon  and  remove,  but  by  suggesting  unworthy 
motives  in  a  man  in  the  outward  manifestations  of  whose  life 
even  he  can  find  no  fault.  See,  further,  on  the  history  and 
development  of  the  term,  art.  *' Satan"  in  EBL — Came  also 
among  them]  not  as  a  being  of  a  different  class,  but  as  himself 
one  of  the  sons  of  the  gods :  "TiriQ  is  not  infrequently  tant- 
amount to :  (one)  of  the  number  of,  with  others  of  the  saTne 
class  (see  Gn.  23IO  42^,  Nu.  1721  26^2,  i  S.  iqIo,  Ezk.  29I2). 
But  as  in  several  of  the  passages  just  cited  the  person  or 
persons  in  question  are  peculiar  or  pre-eminent  in  the  class  to 
which  they  are  referred,  so  is  the  Satan  here :  he  is  one  of  the 
sons  of  the  gods,  or  angels,  and  as  such  subject  to  and  under 
the  control  of  Yahweh  and  incapable  of  acting  beyond  the 
terms  of  His  permission ;  but  there  are  perhaps  germs  of  the 
later  idea  of  Satan,  the  opponent  of  God,  dividing  with  Him  the 
allegiance  of  men  (Wisd.  22*),  in  the  freedom  with  which  he  here 
moves  about  in  the  earth,  so  that  Yahweh  asks  where  he  has 
been  C^  22),  in  contrast  to  the  angels  who  are  sent  to  definite 
persons  and  places. 

7.    Whence  comest  thou]  if  the  implication  of  the  question 
is  as  just  suggested,  the  Satan  is  the  **  vagabond  among  the 


12  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [I.  7-8. 

From  g"oingf  hither  and  thither  in  the  earth,  and  walking  to  and 
fro  in  it.  ^  And  Yahweh  said  to  the  Satan,  Hast  thou  con- 
sidered my  servant  Job,  that  there  is  none  Hke  him  in  the  earth, 
a  man  perfect  and  upright,  fearing  God  and  avoiding  wrong  ? 


heavenly  beings "  (Da.).  Others  find  in  the  question  a  dis- 
tinction between  the  angels  to  whom  superintendence  of  special 
nations  and  countries  was  entrusted  by  Yahweh  (Dt.  32^  ©,  Dn. 
iQi3.20f.^  Sir.  17^^),  and  the  Satan  whose  function  confined 
his  energies  to  no  fixed  region  of  the  earth,  and  who  *'  in  his 
unresting  service  of  Yahweh  has  been  visiting  all  parts  "  of  the 
world  (Peake). — From  going  hither  and  thither]  the  vb.  (tj^^r) 
may  be  used  of  roving  aimlessly  or  distraught  (Jer.  49^,  Hithp., 
and,  if  correctly  restored  there,  Gn.  24^^) ;  but  it  occurs  more 
frequently  of  movement  hither  and  thither  within  a  given  area 
and  with  a  definite  purpose,  which  requires  something  more  than 
direct  passage  from  one  point  to  another :  so  the  Qal  is  used 
of  the  manna-gatherers  (Nu.  ii^)  and  the  census-takers  (2  S. 
24^),  and  the  intensive  Po'lel  of  movement  in  diligent  search  for 
information  (Jer.  5^,  Am.  8^^) ;  so  the  eyes  of  Yahweh,  moving 
hither  and  thither  in  the  whole  earth,  put  him  in  possession  of 
complete  information  of  all  that  goes  on  there  (Zee.  4^^  2  Ch. 
16^).  It  is  in  this  sense  that  the  vb.  is  used  here  in  combina- 
tion with  ^^nnn,  which  is  similarly  used  at  times  of  so  walking 
to  and  fro  in  a  given  area  as  to  leave  nothing  undiscovered 
(Zee.  i^^^' :  cp.  67,  Jos.  iS^-^).  Thus  the  Satan,  if  a  vagabond, 
is  yet  a  vagabond  with  a  purpose  :  he  scours  the  earth,  leaving 
no  corner  unvisited,  that  he  may  discover  the  failings  of  men. 

8.  Of  course,  the  Satan  in  his  complete  tour  of  discovery 
(7)  must  have  come  across  Job ;  but  has  he  devoted  his 
attention  to  ((?i<)hv  lb  D^K^:  cp.  e.g.  2  S.  i8^  Ex.  9^1 ;  with  hf 
I  S.  9^^^,  Ezk.  40^)  him,  and  to  the  fact  that  here,  at  least,  is  a 
man  against  whom  no  accusation  can  be  brought  ?  or,  is  it 
for  that  very  reason  that  he,  unlike  Yahweh,  has  found  no 
further  interest  in  him? — That]  rather  thsin  for  (EV.);  so  2^. 
— There  is  none  like  him  in  the  earth]  this  goes  beyond  ^  : 
Yahweh  endorses  the  judgment  of  Job's  character  in  the 
narrative,  and,  by  an  addition,  enhances  the  startling  nature 


I.  8-12.]  THE    PROLOGUE  1 3 

^  And  the  Satan  answered  Yahweh,  and  said,  Is  it  for  nothing 
that  Job  has  feared  God  ?  ^®  Hast  not  thou  thyself  made  a 
hedge  about  him,  and  his  house,  and  all  that  he  hath  every- 
where ?  the  work  of  his  hands  thou  hast  blessed,  and  his  cattle 
hath  increased  in  the  land.  ^^  But  stretch  forth  thine  hand 
now,  and  touch  all  that  he  hath :  surely  he  will  curse  thee  to 
thy  face.    ^^  And  Yahweh  said  unto  the  Satan,  Behold,  all  that  he 


of  the  change  of  fortunes  that  is  to  come :  Job's  piety, 
according  to  the  narrative  (^~^),  had  led  to  his  being  prosperous 
beyond  all  the  children  of  the  East ;  as  certified  by  Yahweh,  it 
would  justify  his  being  the  most  prosperous  man  in  the  earth, 
and  so,  on  the  current  theory,  makes  him  the  least  likely  object 
in  the  world  of  a  disastrous  change  of  fortune. 

9.  The  Satan  admits  what  he  must,  but  no  more.  Up  till 
now.  Job  has  feared  (t<T,  pf.,  not  the  part.,  for  note  the  order : 
cp.  Dr.  §  135  (*))  God,  but  the  future  may  reveal  even  outward 
failings ;  and,  as  it  is,  his  piety  is  probably  a  mere  quid  pro  quo. 
Yahweh  has  given  a  good  price  to  the  man  for  the  life  which 
pleases  Him  so  much ;  and  the  man  has  had  the  sense  not  to 
imperil  a  good  bargain  by  failing  in  his  part  of  it. 

10.  Thou  thy  self  \  (fj«  for  nriN ;  Lex,  61*)  emphatic:  the 
hedge,  which  surrounds  and  screens  Job  and  his  children  and 
his  possessions,  has  been  made  by  none  other  than  God  Him- 
self, and  for  this  reason  must  remain  unbreached — unless  God 
Himself  can  be  induced  to  breach  it,  and  let  in  destruction  (cp. 
Is.  5^). — Cattle]  ^  n.  Here  mentioned  as  the  principal  part  for 
the  whole  of  Job's  wealth. 

11.  But  (an  emphatic  adversative,  see  phil.  nn.  on  13*  33^) 
let  Yahweh  reverse  His  treatment,  and  Job  will  certainly  reverse 
his  conduct;  when  piety  no  longer  pays.  Job  will  become 
defiantly  profane.  Yahweh  may  think  that  He  has  found  a 
man  good  all  through  :  the  Satan  knows  better,  and  confidently 
challenges  Yahweh  to  bring  the  matter  to  a  test. — Touch] 
hurtfully  or  destructively  (3  Vi3),  as  ig^i,  i  S.  6*,  and  (with  a 
human  subj.)  Gn.  26^^,  Jos.  9^^  Zee.  2^2^  ^nd  (of  the  wind)  c.  2^^ 
(RV.  ''  smote").— Curse]  lit.  blessy  as  »  (n.). 

12.  Yahweh   accepts   the   Satan's   challenge,    and   on   the 


14  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [I.  12-22. 

hath  is  in  thy  hand ;  only  against  himself  stretch  not  forth  thy 
hand.     And  the  Satan  went  out  from  the  presence  of  Yahweh. 


Satan*s  terms,  except  that  He  delegates  to  the  Satan  the  work 
of  destruction,  instead  of  performing  it  Himself;  the  reservation 
that  Job's  person  is  not  to  be  injured  is  within  the  terms  of  the 
challenge ;  at  present  (ct.  2^'-)  the  Satan  is  confident  that  the 
destruction  of  Job's  children  and  property  will  suffice  to  turn 
this  pattern  of  piety  into  a  profane  person ;  and  Yahweh 
empowers  him  to  do  what  he  likes  with  all  that  Job  possesses. 
To  speak  of  the  **  rapidity  and  coldbloodedness"  with  which 
Yahweh,  in  accepting  the  challenge,  gives  up  his  favourite  to 
torture,  or  of  lack  of  omniscience  in  Yahweh,  making  it 
necessary  for  him  to  test  Job's  disinterestedness  (Du.),  is  not 
very  helpful :  everything  in  the  Prologue  moves  rapidly,  and 
is  told  with  few  words ;  nor  would  it  have  eased  the  situation 
to  have  shown  Yahweh  being  gradually  compelled  to  give  up 
His  servant  to  trial.  That  He  does  allow  him  to  be  tested, 
and,  though  righteous,  to  suffer,  is  simply  the  unexplained /«c/ 
of  life,  as  the  author  observed  it,  but  which  the  current  theory 
denied. — In  thy  hand\  as  Gn.  i6^:  cp.  c.  8*. 

13-22.  Job  bereft  of  children  and  wealth. — The  Satan 
uses  his  power  to  the  full :  in  a  single  day  Job  loses  every- 
thing, but  he  maintains  the  integrity  of  his  character.  With 
simple  but  effective  art  the  writer  heightens  the  impression  of 
the  suddenness  and  completeness  of  the  calamity.  The  opening 
V.  of  the  section  depicts  afresh  the  old  (^)  careless,  happy  life 
of  Job's  children ;  and  leaves  us  to  think  of  Job  still  tranquil 
and  unexpectant  of  evil  up  to  the  very  point  when  the  first 
messenger  of  ill  comes  (^^).  The  calamities  are  only  described 
through  the  mouth  of  the  messengers ;  they  all  happen  on  the 
day  that  has  begun,  as  so  many  days  before,  quietly  and 
happily  for  Job  and  his  children ;  each  messenger  is  the  sole 
survivor  of  the  calamity  he  describes ;  each  messenger  after 
the  first  arrives  before  his  predecessor  has  completed  his  tale 
of  woe.  Within  a  single  day  all  the  calamities  happen  ;  within 
a  few  moments  Job  receives  the  news  of  them.  The  first 
message,  like  the  paragraph  as  a   whole,  begins  (^*)  with  a 


I.  13.]  THE    PROLOGUE  1 5 

13  And  there  was  a  day  when  his  sons  and  his   daughters 
were  eating  and  drinking  wine  in  the  house  of  their  eldest 


peaceful,  familiar  picture  of  Job's  cattle  ploughing,  then  suddenly 
(1^)  this  picture  is  completely  wiped  out — for  ever.  The  next  two 
messages  at  once  suggest  a  new  calamity  with  their  opening 
words  :  *'  the  fire  of  heaven  fell  "  ;  **  the  Chald^eans  made  three 
bands " :  the  last,  like  the  first,  begins  with  an  old  familiar 
scene — the  children  banqueting;  but  this,  after  the  recital  of 
so  much  calamity,  only  heralds  the  last  and  crowning  stroke, 
and  by  recalling  the  happier  days,  for  ever  ended,  only  adds  to 
the  poignancy  of  this  final  message.  The  alternation  of  human 
beings  (the  Sabaeans  and  the  Chaldaeans,  ^^- 1^)  and  the  elements 
of  nature  (the  lightning  and  the  hurricane  from  the  desert,  i^-  ^^) 
as  the  instruments  of  calamity  is  noticeable.  The  last  calamity 
is  obviously  the  greatest :  the  third — the  loss  of  three  thousand 
camels — more  severe  than  the  second  (seven  thousand  sheep 
and  goats) ;  the  second  perhaps  also  more  severe  than  the  first 
(a  thousand  kine  and  five  hundred  she-asses).  As  the  section 
opens  with  a  picture  of  the  old  life  on  its  sensuous  side,  so  it 
closes  with  the  picture  of  the  new  life,  brought  about  by  the 
calamities,  on  its  spiritual  side — Job  deprived  of  all,  naked  of  all 
outward  belongings,  as  when  he  issued  from  his  mother's  womb, 
but  maintaining  his  fear  of  God  and  his  God-approved  character. 
13.  Hzs  sons]  though  Satan  is  the  person  last  named,  the 
writer  uses  the  suffix  in  reference  to  the  main  person  of  the 
story.  (& :  the  sons  of/oby  a  correct  and  obvious  interpretation 
rather  than  a  diff"erence  of  text. — A  day  .  ,  .  in  the  house  of  their 
eldest  brother]  the  first  day  of  a  week  of  banqueting  (cp.  *). 
If  every  day  of  the  year  was  a  banqueting  day  with  Job's 
children,  the  day  of  calamity  is  a  day  on  which  Job  had  offered 
expiatory  sacrifices  for  the  preceding  week  (^),  and  the  day  may 
be  specified  so  as  to  bring  Job's  godliness  and  his  calamity  into 
the  closest  connection  (Dav.),  or  so  as  to  prevent  the  calamity 
being  attributed  to  unexpiated  sins  of  Job  or  his  children  (Du. 
Peake).  If,  however,  the  periods  of  banqueting  were  separated 
from  one  another  by  intervals,  the  point  is  that  the  Satan  chose 
the  first  opportunity,  when  all  the  children  were  gathered  into 


1 6  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [1.13-15. 

brother :  ^*  and  a  messenger  came  to  Job,  and  said,  The  oxen 
were  plowing,  and  the  asses  were  feeding  beside  them :  ^^  and 


one  house,  to  use  the  authority  given  him  to  destroy  them  by 
one  fell  blow  (so  Bu.).  An  interval  between  the  Satan's 
departure  from  heaven  and  his  destructive  activity  on  earth  is 
rather  suggested  by  the  insertion  of  the  clause.  And  there  was  a 
day  (cp.  ^  2^) :  ct.  2^,  where  we  have,  **  he  went  out  and  smote," 
without  any  such  intervening  clause. 

14.  Were  plowing]  the  season  is  winter. — The  asses\  fem., 
as  in  ^;  see  n.  there. 

15.  Shebd\  in  6^^  the  travelling  companies  of  Sheba  are 
closely  associated  in  synonymous  parallelism  with  the  caravans  of 
Tema.  Sheba  (^?^)  is  the  name  of  the  South  Arabian  (cp.  Gn. 
lo^s  J)  people  whose  capital  was  Marib,  about  45  miles  east 
of  San'a,  and  about  1200  miles  south  of  Jerusalem.  The 
Sabaean  inscriptions,  discovered  and  deciphered  within  the  last 
century,  record  many  kings  of  Sab'a  (n^'C  =  Heb.  Sheba  ^2t')  and 
the  buildings  of  these  kings  and  others  in  later  times  continued 
to  bear  witness  to  the  wealth  and  power  of  ancient  Sheba.  The 
remoteness  of  Sheba,  its  trade  in  frankincense,  gold,  and  pre- 
cious stones,  and  its  wealth,  are  the  subjects  of  most  of  the 
OT.  references  (i  K.  iqI^-,  Is.  6o\  Jer.  620,  Ezk.  2722,  Jl.  48,  Ps. 
^210.15 — 2\\^  with  the  possible  exception  of  i  K.  lo^^-,  as  late  as 
or  later  than  the  end  of  the  7th  cent.  B.C.).  The  association 
with  Dedan  in  Gn.  10^  25^,  Ezk.  38^^,  and  with  Tema  [c.  350 
miles  south  of  Jerusalem  and  230  miles  north  of  Medina)  in  6^^, 
and  the  reference  to  Saba  in  inscriptions  of  Sargon  (Gen.  in- 
scription 1.  32:  Rogers,  CP,  p.  332),  and  in  the  Minaean 
inscription  cited  below,  have  been  thought  to  point  either  to  a 
northern  home  of  Sheba  prior  to  their  settlement  in  southern 
Arabia,  or  to  the  existence  of  trading  stations  of  the  South 
Arabian  Sheba  in  northern  Arabia  and  '*in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Edom  "  (Dr.).  The  present  is  certainly  the  only  passage  in 
the  OT.  which  represents  Sheba  as  raiders  or,  as  some  would 
put  it  more  definitely,  as  ''Bedouin  of  the  northern  desert" 
(Skinner,  Genesis,  p.  203);  but  a  Minaean  inscription  (Gl.  1155) 
records  the  thanks  of  the  donors  to  'Athtar  of  ^abd  for  the 


I.  15-17.]  THE   PROLOGUE  1 7 

Sheba  fell  (upon  them),  and  took  them,  and  the  young  men  they 
smote  with  the  sword ;  and  I  only  have  escaped  alone  to  tell 
thee.  ^^  This  one  was  still  speaking",  when  another  came  and 
said.  The  fire  of  God  fell  from  heaven,  and  burnt  up  the  sheep 
and  goats,  and  the  young  men,  and  consumed  them ;  and  I  only 
have  escaped  alone  to  tell  thee.  ^^  This  one  was  yet  speaking, 
when  another  came  and  said,  Kasdim  formed  (themselves  into) 
three  companies,  and  made  a  raid  upon  the  camels,  and  took 
them,  and  the  young  men  they  smote  with  the  sword ;  and  I 
only  have  escaped  alone  to  tell  thee.  ^^  This  one  was  yet  speak- 
ing, when  another  came  and  said.  Thy  sons  and  thy  daughters 
were  eating  and  drinking  wine  in  their  eldest  brother's  house : 


deliverance  from  Sab'a  of  their  caravan  with  their  camels  and 
possessions,  on  its  return  from  Msr  (Egypt?),  and  perhaps 
during  its  passage  through  northern  Arabia.  According  to  one 
theory  (Glaser)  this  inscription  dates  from  c.  1 100  B.C. ;  accord- 
ing to  another  and  more  probable  theory  (Hartmann),  however, 
the  inscription  refers  to  the  Medes  {i.e.  the  Persians)  in  Egypt, 
and  accordingly  dates  from  the  time  of  Cambyses  (c,  525  B.C.). 
On  Sheba,  see,  further,  Ed.  Glaser,  Skizze  der  Gesch.  u.  Geog. 
ArabienSy  ii.  3998". ;  Hartmann,  D.  islamische  Orient^  ii.  i3off.  ; 
D.  S.  Margoliouth,  Sheba^  in  DB. — The  young  men]  i.e.  the 
servants  (d''"iV3  as  Nu.  2.2^  and  often)  in  charge  of  the  cattle  : 
of  these  the  messenger  alone  escapes. 

16.  The  fire  of  God]  i.e.  lightning,  but  lightning  of  extra- 
ordinary destructiveness,  since  it  burns  up  and  consumes  the 
whole  of  Job's  large  flocks  and  all  the  shepherds  with  them, 
except  only  the  messenger  that  escapes.  The  fire  of  God  is  on 
this  occasion  directed  by  the  Satan  :  Yahweh  having  permitted 
the  end,  the  destruction  of  Job's  possessions  (i^),  permits  the 
use  of  the  means. 

17.  Kasdim]  or  the  Kasdim  (see  phil.  n.).  The  term  is 
that  commonly  rendered  Chaldasans ;  but  the  Chaldaeans,  who 
formed  the  nucleus  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  army  and  empire, 
would  appear  here  even  more  strangely  than  in  2  K.  24^, 
where  we  read  of  marauding  "bands  of  Kasdim,  and  bands  of 
Aram  (?  read  Edom),  and  bands  of  Moab,   and  bands  of  the 

2 


1 8  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [1.17-20. 

1^  and,  behold,  a  great  wind  came  (sweeping)  across  the 
wilderness,  and  smote  the  four  corners  of  the  house,  and  it  fell 
in  upon  the  young  men,  and  they  died  ;  and  I  only  have  escaped 
alone  to  tell  thee.     ^^  And  Job  rose  up,  and  rent  his  robe,  and 


sons  of  Ammon,"  let  loose  on  Judah  to  destroy  it.  In  both 
these  passages  the  Kasdim  are  rather  (Aramaean :  cp.  Gn.  22^^ 
with  Skinner's  n.  there)  nomads,  whether  ultimately  connected 
with  the  Kasdim  (Chaldseans)  of  Babylonia  or  not :  cp.  Wi. 
AOF  ii.  250 ff.  Che.  (£^Bt.  968,  2469)  substitutes  Kushim  for 
Kasdim.  These  marauders,  whoever  they  were,  formed  into 
three  companies  so  as  to  attack  from  three  sides,  and  so  the 
more  easily  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  camels. 

19.  The  wilderness]  The  great  desert  stretching  across 
from  the  eastern  confines  of  Palestine  to  the  Euphrates  valley. 
The  violence  or  destructiveness  of  the  east  wind  (the  sirocco, 
152  27^^),  or,  as  it  is  here  called,  the  wind  from  the  other  {i.e. 
eastern)  side  of  the  wilderness^  is  elsewhere  referred  to  :  see 
Hos.  13^^,  Jer.  4^^  18^^;  here  the  wind  is  a  whirlwind  which 
strikes  all  four  corners  of  the  house. — The  young  7?ten]  Job's 
children,  both  sons  and  daughters  (cp.  29^),  together  with  their 
attendants :  see  phil.  n. 

20.  Job  has  received  the  messengers  seated  (cp.  i  S.  4^^ 
2  S.  i8^^^-) :  their  messages  have  followed  one  another  without 
a  moment's  interval,  so  stunning  Job  that  he  does  not  in- 
terrupt them ;  but  when  the  last  has  spoken  he  rises  from 
his  seat  and,  still  apparently  without  spoken  comment  on 
the  news,  rends  in  a  moment  his  outer  garment  in  token 
of  his  sudden  distress  (cp.  2  S.  13^^),  and  then  performs  the 
customary  mourning  rite  of  shaving  the  head  so  as  to  make 
it  bald  (cp.  Am.  S^^,  Is.  152  22^2,  Jer.  iG^).  The  latter  rite 
cannot  have  been  momentary ;  Job  must  have  gone  himself,  or 
sent  another,  in  search  of  the  necessary  instrument.  Conse- 
quently ««^A^/^///o//i^^w««^  does  not  describe  an  immediate 
half-involuntary  physical  reaction  against  the  distressing  news 
(Di. :  cp.  I  S.  28^^),  but  an  act  of  reverential  obeisance  or  wor- 
ship; so,  e.g.y  with  man  as  the  obj.  and,  as  here,  followed  by 
worships  in  2  S.  i^  9®  14*,  Ru.  2^®,  with  God  as  obj.   2  Ch.  20^^, 


I.  20-21.]  THE   PROLOGUE  1 9 

shaved  his  head,  and  he  fell  on  the  ground,  and  worshipped, 
and  said, 

21  Naked  came  I  forth  from  my  mother's  womb. 
And  naked  shall  I  return  thither : 
Yahweh  gave,  and  Yahweh  hath  taken  away ; 
Blessed  be  the  name  of  Yahweh. 


cp.  Jos.  5^*.  The  implied  object  of  obeisance  is  Yahweh  :  but 
what  follows  is  not  a  prayer  to  Him  (for  He  is  referred  to 
in  the  3rd  pers.),  but  a  confession  in  the  presence  of  the 
messengers  of  Job's  entire  dependence  on  God,  and  of  his 
acquiescence  in  His  dealings  with  him. — His  robe]  the  m^tl  (of 
Jb.  29^*:  of  the  friends,  2^^)  was  the  outer  garment  worn  above 
the  tunic — especially  the  outer  garment  of  men  of  position ;  so 
of  Jonathan,  i  S.  18*;  of  Saul,  i  S.  245;  of  Samuel,  i  S.  28^*; 
of  the  high  priest,  e.g:  Ex.  28^^ ;  of  Ezra,  Ezr.  9^  See,  further, 
£Bt,  2933  n. 

21.  Cp.  Gn.  3^9,  Ec.  S^^^^^\  ^  Ti.  6^  Owning  nothing  Job 
(like  all  men)  came  into  life,  carrying  nothing  with  him  he  will 
leave  it  and  descend  to  Sheol ;  life  and  all  that  it  had  brought 
him  (2^-)  were  the  gift  of  Yahweh ;  at  death  at  latest  he  must 
have  left  all  these  gifts  behind — Yahweh  who  had  given  would 
then  have  taken  them  away ;  He  has  done  so  earlier,  as  He  had 
an  absolute  right  to  do;  nevertheless  Job  does  not  curse,  as 
the  Satan  had  expected,  but  blesses  the  name  of  Yahweh.  To 
ancient  Hebrew  thought  the  state  after  death  was  not  identical 
with  that  before  birth ;  but,  as  compared  with  the  rich  activity 
of  life  on  earth,  the  thin  and  unsubstantial  life  after  death 
in  Sheol  was  not  very  different  from  the  absence  of  life  that 
preceded  birth;  so  Job  in  3I3-16  plays  on  the  similarity  of 
the  two  states ;  and  so  here,  as  elsewhere,  expressions  that, 
strictly  speaking,  would  imply  identity  of  the  states  before 
birth  and  after  death  are  employed,  without  that  precise  im- 
plication being  intended  by  the  writer.  With  thither^  cp.  there 
in  3^7. 19.  ^jth  return^  cp.  30^8,  Ps.  9^8.  To  infer  from  thither 
that  my  mother's  womb  means  the  womb  of  mother  earth  (cp, 
Ps.  139^^)  is  mistaken  (cp.  Noldeke  in  Archiv  f.  Religions- 
geschichte^  viii.    161 -166) ;    and  had  the   writer   intended   his 


20  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  I.  21-11.  1-3. 

22  In  all  this  Job  sinned  not,  nor  charged  God  with  unworthi- 
ness, 

II.  ^  And  there  was  a  day  when  the  sons  of  the  gods  came 
to  present  themselves  before  Yahweh  ;  and  the  Satan  came 
also  among  them.  ^  And  Yahweh  said  to  the  Satan,  Whence 
comest  thou  ?  And  the  Satan  answered  Yahweh  and  said, 
From  going  hither  and  thither  in  the  earth,  and  walking  to 
and  fro  in  it.  ^  And  Yahweh  said  to  the  Satan,  Hast  thou 
considered  my  servant  Job,  that  there  is  none  like  him  in  the 


mother's  womb  in  the  first  line,  and  the  womb  of  mother  earth 
in  the  second,  he  would  doubtless  have  expressed  the  idea  as 
clearly  as  Ben  Sirach  (40^).  In  this  saying  Job  uses  the  name 
Yahweh ;  for  the  rest,  in  the  Prologue  as  in  the  Dialogue, 
the  human  speakers  use  the  term  God  (i^-is  2^-'^^)^  though  the 
narrative  regularly  employs  Yahweh  ;  see  Introd. 

22.  In  all  this\  viz.  all  that  happened,  or  that  Job  had 
thought  or  done,  or  perhaps  in  spite  of  all  this  (3  as  Is.  q^^). 
Job,  true  to  his  character,  avoided  sin. — Unworthiness^  see 
phil.  n. 

II.  1-6.  The  second  scene  in  heaven  closely  resembles  the 
first,  and  is  largely  described  in  identical  language :  here  as 
there  the  sons  of  the  gods  with  the  Satan  among  them  come 
before  Yahweh  :  ^  Yahweh  puts  the  same  question  to  the  Satan, 
and  receives  the  same  answer, 2 — but  the  same  answer  under 
different  conditions :  the  Satan  avoids  reporting  the  effect  of 
the  permission  given  to  him  at  the  last  assembly.  Yahweh 
repeats  His  second  question,^  but  now  with  an  addition, 
bringing  out,  what  the  Satan  has  not  been  ready  to  volunteer, 
that  Job's  character  has  stood  the  strain  of  calamity,  and  that 
the  Satan's  insinuation  against  it  had  not  been  justified.  Thus 
challenged,  the  Satan,  with  the  same  assurance  as  before, 
claims  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  attack  Job's  own  person,  to 
plague  him  with  disease,  in  order  to  make  him  curse  God,*-  ^. 
Yahweh  permits  the  Satan  to  try  the  further  experiment,  and 
he  departs,  ^-  ^*. 

I.  Among  them]  ^+to  present  himself  before  Yahweh :  sefl 
phil.  n.     2.  =  i^     3a.  =  i^ 


II.  3-4.]  THE   PROLOGUE  2 1 

earth,  a  man  perfect  and  upright,  fearing  God  and  avoiding 
wrong?  and  he  still  holds  fast  his  integrity,  and  yet  thou  hast 
enticed  me  against  him  to  destroy  him  without  cause.  *  And 
the  Satan  answered  Yahweh,  and  said.  Skin  for  skin,  yea,  all 
that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life.     ^  But  stretch  forth 


3b.  And  he  still  holds  fast  .  ,  .  and  yet ^  etc.]  or,  perhaps, 
.  .  .  and  so  in  vain  hast  thou  enticed  me  to  destroy  him :  see 
phil.  n. — Integrity]  or,  perfection ;  see  n.  on  perfect  in  i^,  and 
on  integrity  in  27^. — Destroy]  the  same  vb.  (vhl)  with  a  similar 
sense  occurs  in  10^ :  cp.  also  8^^  37^^,  Is.  3^^  19^,  2  S,  20^^'-. — 
Without  cause]  cp.  9^^  in  a  similar  connection  ;  so  also  i  S.  19^ 
and  often.     For  the  sense,  in  vainy  see  Pr.  i^^,  Mai.  i^^. 

4.  Skin  for  skin]  **  the  meaning  apparently  is:  a  man  will 
sacrifice  one  part  of  his  body  to  save  another,  an  arm,  for  instance, 
to  save  his  head,  and  he  will  similarly  give  all  that  he  has  to  save 
his  life:  Job's  resignation  (i^^),  therefore,  is  not  disinterested: 
it  is  still  not  shown  that  he  serves  God  *for  naught'  (i*)";  so 
Dr.  following  %  Rashi,  Ibn  Ezra,  Del.  The  objection  has  been 
raised  to  this  that  i^y  does  not  denote  a  member  of  the  body. 
Numerous  other  interpretations  of  the  phrase  skin  for  skin  have 
been  offered  :  it  was  probably  a  proverbial  saying,  and,  as  such, 
to  those  who  were  familiar  with  it,  it  would  have  enforced  the 
following  clause  ;  to  us  its  origin  and  associations  are  unknown, 
and  its  meaning  can  only  roughly  be  determined  by  what 
follows.  On  the  force  of  the  prep.,  see  phil.  n.  Among  other 
interpretations  that  have  been  offered,  there  may  be  mentioned  : 
(i)  Leave  Job's  skin  unbroken,  and  he  will  so  leave  you  yours 
(Olsh.) :  if  this  were  correct,  the  language  of  the  Satan  would 
indeed  be  **  rather  vulgar  "  (Peake :  cp.  Du.) — indeed  to  Del. 
this  seemed  too  indecent  even  for  the  Devil ;  otherwise  the 
language,  as  in  i^-  ^*^,  is  cynical,  but  hardly  vulgar ;  (2)  like  for 
like  a  man  readily  gives  up,  how  much  more  his  outward 
possessions  for  life  and  health  (Ew.  Di.);  (3)  the  skin  of  an 
animal  or  of  his  children  a  man  gives  up  to  save  his  own  :  so 
Ros.  Hupf.  Da.  Du.,  who  think  the  proverb  arose  in  circles  in 
which  skins  were  an  important  article  of  exchange.  Similarly 
Dhorme  (RB^  I9i4)  128  f.),  who,  however,  suggests  that  the 


22  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [H.  4-8. 

thine  hand  now,  and  touch  his  bone  and  his  flesh,  surely  he 
will  curse  thee  to  thy  face.  ^  And  Yahweh  said  to  the  Satan, 
Behold,  he  is  in  thy  hand ;  only  preserve  his  life. 

^  And  the  Satan  went  out  from   the  presence  of  Yahweh, 
and  smote  Job  with  malignant  ulcers  from  the  sole  of  his  foot 


skin  was  not  itself  the  unit  of  exchange,  but  stands — the  part 
for  the  whole — for  what  was,  viz.,  the  animal ;  **  skin  for  skin," 
therefore,  means  "  animal  for  animal,"  i.e,  "  money  (cp.  pecunia 
from  peciis)  for  money  "  ;  (4)  one  skin  surrounds  another ;  a  man 
can  give  up  one  skin,  i.e.  much,  and  yet  have  another,  i.e. 
something,  left:  against  Di.'s  objection  that  the  figure  of  men 
having  two  skins  is  untrue,  Bu.  appeals  to  the  Arabic  use 
of  hasarat  for  the  outer ;  'adamat  for  the  inner  skin ;  (5)  see 
on  v.^  end. 

5.  Beneath  the  skin  lie  bone  and  flesh ;  let  Yahweh  smite 
Job's  body,  and  that,  too,  more  than  skin-deep,  with  disease. 
For  the  bon^s  as  the  seat  of  disease,  see,  e.g.^  La.  i^^.  for  the 
flesh.  Is.  iqIs. 

6.  As  before  (i^^)^  Yahweh  meets  the  Satan's  wish  to  the 
full,  and  gives  him  permission  to  do  all  that  he  has  asserted 
will  suffice  to  show  up  Job.  Before,  as  he  had  then  asked. 
Job's  possessions,  now  Job's  body  is  put  in  his  power;  the  only 
limitation  imposed  this  time  is  that  Job  must  not  be  killed 
outright.  The  limitation  is  necessary  in  order  to  allov»r  of  the 
experiment  being  carried  through ;  but  the  use  of  the  same 
word  IK'aj,  his  soul  or  life^  at  the  end  of  *  and  ^  is  awkward, 
and  is  perhaps  due  to  the  first  occurrence  of  the  word  belonging 
to  the  proverb  cited  by  the  Satan,  which  most  have  limited  to 
*'skin  for  skin";  in  this  case  it  would  be  tempting  to  read 
1  in^v  for  1  "iiVj  ^^^  render  (another)  skin  for  (i.e.  to  save)  his 
own  skin,  yea,  all  that  he  hath  will  a  man  give  for  (i.e.  to  save) 
his  life,  niy  and  ic^Q3  thus  being  parallel  expressions. 

7-8.  Job  smitten  with  malignant  disease.— The  Satan 
this  time  immediately  (ct.  i^^)  works  out  his  will  on  Job,  and 
the  scene  in  heaven  dissolves  into  the  picture  of  Job  suddenly 
smitten  with  a  malignant  and  loathsome  disease  that  leaves  no 
corner  of  his  body  sound.     The  disease  is  not  named,  but  here 


II.  7-8.]  THE    PROLOGUE  23 

a  single  prominent  symptom,  and  elsewhere  in  the  book  many 
other  symptoms  are  indicated.  These  have  commonly  been 
supposed  to  indicate  elephantiasis,  a  disease  so  named  from  the 
swelling  of  the  limbs  and  blackening  of  the  skin  which  dis- 
figured the  sufferer,  so  that  his  limbs  and  skin  resemble  those 
of  an  elephant.  The  term  pnK^  occurs  also,  qualified  as  here  by 
the  adj.  j;"i,  in  Dt.  28^^,  qualified  by  the  gen.  *'  of  Egypt "  in  Dt. 
28^'^,  and  without  an  adj.  in  2  K.  20^  =  Is.  38^1  (of  Hezekiah's 
sickness,  which  was  treated  with  a  fig-plaister),  in  the  phrase 
nDr\22)  DnK3  ms  nynv^N  ]'n^  used  of  the  Egyptian  plague  in 
Ex.  9^"^^,  and  lastly,  in  the  law  of  leprosy  in  Lv.  13I8-20. 23t^ 
It  is  not  clear  that  in  all  these  passages  pntJ'  indicates  the  same 
disease:  Dr.  Macalister,  for  example  (DB  iii.  229  f.),  holds 
that  the  Egyptian  plague  may  have  been  small-pox,  Hezekiah's 
sickness  (bubonic)  plague,  and  Job's  the  Oriental  sore ;  the  last 
suggestion  Dr.  Masterman  (PEFQuSt^  1918,  p.  168)  finds 
highly  improbable,  since  the  Oriental  sore  is  ''commonly  a 
single  lesion  and  never  a  general  eruption "  ;  Job's  disease 
was  rather  **a  very  extensive  erythema."  The  term  sh'hin^ 
from  a  root  which  in  Arabic  (sahuna)  means  to  he  hoty  inflainedy 
and  in  Aram,  (sh^han)  to  he  warm^  appears  to  have  denoted 
inflamed  eruptions  of  various  kinds,  and  here,  as  the  next  v. 
suggests,  such  an  eruption  as  discharges  purulent  matter  and 
produces  itching ;  the  discharge  and  the  subsequent  crusting 
over  of  these  eruptions  are  referred  to  in  7^.  Other  symptoms 
of  Job's  disease  are  the  maggots  bred  in  the  ulcers  (7^),  the 
fetid  breath  (19^^),  the  corrosion  of  the  bones  (30^^),  the  blacken- 
ing and  falling  off"  of  the  skin  (30^*^),  feelings  of  terror  (3^^  6^^), 
and  by  night  terrifying  dreams  and  nightmares  (7^*  n. ;  cp.  "j^). 
There  are  also  many  allusions  to  intensity  of  pain  and  to 
groanings  and  cryings  out ;  and  7^^  is  commonly  taken  to  refer 
to  the  feeling  of  strangulation  that  is  a  symptom  of  elephanti- 
asis, and  2^2  to  the  disfigurement  that  is  so  prominent  a 
characteristic  of  that  disease.  See,  further,  for  a  discussion  of 
the  symptoms  and  of  the  diseases  to  which  they  have  been 
considered  to  point,  Dr.  on  Dt.  2^'^'^-  ^^  and  Ex.  9^ ;  EBi.  articles 
Boil  and  Leprosy;  Z>^  iii.  329 f.:  the  commentaries  on  this 
passage  of  Stickel,  Del.  Di.,  and  the  references  there  given.    The 


24  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [U.  7-8. 

to  the  crown  of  his  head.    ^  And  he  took  for  himself  a  potsherd 
to  scrape  himself  with,  as  he  sat  among  the  ashes. 


writer  may  or  may  not  have  had  a  single  disease  in  mind 
throughout ;  but,  in  any  case,  we  must  beware  of  extending  to 
Job's  case  irrelevant  symptoms  of  the  disease :  for  example, 
elephantiasis  develops  slowly,  and  often  lasts  some  years  before 
death  ensues ;  but  the  narrative  almost  certainly  intends  us  to 
understand  that  Job  was  immediately  smitten  with  intensely  pain- 
ful and  loathsome  symptoms,  attacking  every  part  of  his  body, 
and,  as  the  discussion  proceeds,  death  does  not  appear  far  off. 

8.  Job  already,  when  the  disease  smites  him,  sitting  among 
the  ashes,  as  a  sign  of  mourning  (cp.  42^,  Jon.  3^,  Is.  58^), 
additional  to  those  mentioned  in  i^o,  takes  up  a  potsherd  lying 
there  and  uses  it  to  allay  the  intolerable  itching  caused  by  the 
disease.  So  taken,  ^  is  a  circumstantial  clause  of  a  normal  and 
very  frequent  type  (Dr.  §  160).  The  v.  has  also  been  trans- 
lated :  And  Job  took  for  himself  a  potsherd  to  scrape  himself 
with.  And  [as)  he  was  sitting-  among  the  ashes^  ®  his  wife  said 
to  himy  and,  were  this  correct — though  it  would  naturally  be 
expressed  by  "iDJ<  "iriK'XI,  or  the  like,  instead  of  "iDXni  (cp.  e.g. 
J  18b.  19  and  Dr.  §§  165-169) — ^Job  first  retired  to  the  ashes  after 
being  smitten  with  disease,  whether  as  a  further  means  of 
allaying  the  itching  [DB  iii.  329),  or  because  the  ash-heap  or 
hill  was  the  proper  place  for  lepers.  In  the  latter  case  certainly 
the  ashes  would  be  the  mound  of  burnt  dung  lying  outside  the 
town  ((&  T?}?  Koirpia^  efo)  t^9  TroXew?).  Still  a  conspicuous 
feature  of  the  Hauran  towns  and  villages,  such  a  mound  is  now 
termed  mezhele^  and  is  vividly  described  by  Wetzst.  (in  Del.): 
* '  The  dung  ...  is  carried  in  baskets  in  a  dry  state  to  that 
place  outside  the  village,  and  there  generally  it  is  burnt  once 
a  month.  .  .  .  The  ashes  remain.  ...  If  a  place  has  been 
inhabited  for  centuries,  the  mezhele  attains  a  height  far  greater 
than  that  of  the  place  itself.  The  rains  of  winter  reduce  the 
layers  of  ashes  to  a  compact  mass,  and  gradually  convert  the 
mezhele  into  a  solid  hill  of  earth.  .  .  .  The  7nezhele  serves 
the  inhabitants  of  the  place  as  a  watch-tower,  and  on  sultry 
evenings  as  a  place  of  concourse,  for  on  this  height  there  is  a 


n.  8-10.]  THE    PROLOGUE  25 

*  Then  his  wife  said  to  him,  Art  thou  still  holding  fast  thine 
integrity  ?  curse  God,  and  die.  ^^  And  he  said  to  her.  As  one 
of  the  impious  women  wilt  thou  speak?  shall  we  receive  good 


breath  of  air.  .  .  .  There  lies  the  outcast  who,  smitten  by 
loathsome  disease,  is  no  longer  admitted  to  the  dwellings  of 
men.  .  .  .  There  lie  the  dogs  of  the  village,  gnawing  perhaps 
some  fallen  carcase,  such  as  is  often  thrown  there." 

9,  10.  Job's  wife,  like  Adam's  (Gn.  3),  becomes,  even  if 
unwittingly,  **  diaboli  adiutrix "  (Aug.);  subtle  psychological 
analyses,  however,  whether  to  heighten  or  diminish  her  weak- 
ness, are  probably  as  foreign  to  the  author's  intention  as  the 
lengthy  harangue  attributed  to  her  by  ©,  the  translator, 
**  feeling,  no  doubt,  nature  and  propriety  outraged,  that  a 
woman  should  in  such  circumstances  say  so  little  "  (Da.)  as 
in  5^.  Her  terse  question  serves  to  bring  out  the  uniqueness 
of  Job's  character:  many  others  of  more  ordinary  character 
might  well  have  failed  at  this  point  (cp.  Is.  S^^,  Rev.  \&^) :  Job 
stands  fast.  Once  again,  it  is  best  to  think  of  the  wife's 
question  as  following,  not  long  (ffir),  but  immediately  after  the 
disease  has  attacked  Job ;  the  symptoms  hold  out  no  hope  of 
alleviation  and  recovery  ;  let  Job  therefore  curse  God  and  take 
the  penalty,  death  (i  K.  21^^  Lv.  2/i^'^^' \  cp.  Ex.  2227  (28)j^  as 
preferable  (cp.  7^^)  to  life  under  present  conditions. — Integrity] 
see  n.  on  ^ 

10.  Job  rejects  the  impious  advice,  yet  in  terms  suggesting 
that  his  wife  may  have  offered  it  unthinkingly,  not  fully  realiz- 
ing its  enormity.  Her  speech  is,  in  fact,  nothing  less  than 
impious ;  and,  if  spoken  intentionally,  she  herself  must  be  an 
impious  woman.  But  Job  neither  says  directly  that  she  has 
spoken  impiously,  nor  that  she  is  an  impious  woman :  he  rather 
implies  that  she  has  spoken,  under  momentary  stress,  as  any 
one  of  a  class  to  which  she  did  not  normally  belong:  cp. 
similar  locutions  in  2  S.  3^  13^^,  Jg.  16^  (Samson  will  become 
again  what  he  had  not  been,  like  one  of  ma7ikindy  i.e,  like  any 
ordinary  man). — Impious]  the  Heb.  nahhal  (30^,  2  S.  3^  13^^, 
Pr.  177-  21  30^2,  Jer.  17^^,  Ezk.  13^,  with  the  references  cited 
below)  does  not  mean,  though  it  is  often  so  rendered  in  EV., 


26  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [II.  10-13. 

from  God,  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil  ?     In  all  this  Job  sinned 
not  with  his  lips. 


foolish  or  fool]  for  '.'the  fault  of  the  ndbhdl  was  not  weakness 
of  reason  but  moral  and  religious  insensibility,  an  invincible 
lack  of  sense  or  perception,  for  the  claims  of  either  God  or  man. 
The  term  is  thus  applied  to  Israel  unappreciative  of  Jehovah's 
benefits  (Dt.  32^),  to  the  heathen  (v.21,  Ps,  741^-22),  to  the 
man  that  cannot  perceive  that  there  is  a  God  (Ps.  14^).  Isaiah 
states  explicitly  what  he  understands  by  the  nabhal :  he  con- 
trasts him  (32^)  with  the  '  noble  '  or  *  liberal  '  man,  and 
adds  (v.^),  '  For  the  senseless  man  speaketh  senselessness,  and 
his  heart  worketh  naughtiness,  to  practise  profaneness,  and  to 
utter  error  against  Jehovah,  and  to  make  empty  the  soul  of  the 
hungry,  and  to  cause  the  drink  of  the  thirsty  to  fail ' ;  the 
description  is  that  of  a  man  who  is  at  once  irreligious  and 
churlish  (cp.  i  S.  252^).  .  .  .  The  corresponding  subst.  \rbl'y\  sense- 
lessness is  used  of  acts  of  profanity  (Jos.  7^^),  churlishness 
(i  S.  25-^),  and  immorality  (Gn.  34^^,  Dt.  22^1,  2  S.  \'^'^\  and 
elsewhere)" — Dr.  Parallel  Psalter y  p.  457. —  Wilt  thou  speak] 
or  ca7tst  thou  speak  (cp.  Dr.  §  39),  as  you  have  done  just  now, 
or  oughtest  thou  to  have  spoken  (cp.  10^^  with  phil.  n.,  2  S.  3^^) 
are  better  renderings  than  thou  speakest^  for  the  idea  is  cer- 
tainly not,  thou  speakest  habitually  and  so  now  also  impiously. 
Possibly  (see  phil.  n.)  the  text  originally  had  a  pf.  tense:  As 
one  of  the  impious  woinen  hast  thou  spoken. — Job  sinned  not  with 
his  lips]  did  not  speak  sinfully  as  the  Satan  (^)  had  been  con- 
fident that  he  would.  There  is  no  emphasis  on  "with  his 
lips,"  and  there  is  no  implication  that  Job  sinned  otherwise 
than  with  his  lips,  viz.  in  his  heart  (Baba  Bathra^  i6«) :  Ehrlich 
well  cites  the  parallel  phrase  not  to  sin  with  my  tongue  in  Ps.  39^. 
II-I3-  Job's  three  friends  come  from  their  several  coun- 
tries to  comfort  Job. — It  is  clearly  implied  that  some  time 
elapsed  between  Job's  last  calamity  (^~^^)  and  the  arrival  of 
his  friends  :  for  first  the  news  has  to  reach  each  of  them  in  their 
several  homes,  which  lay  some  distance  from  one  another; 
then,  as  nyVI  implies,  they  communicated  with  one  another  and 
fixed  on  a  rendezvous  from  which  they  should  proceed  in  com- 


II.  11-12.]  THE    PROLOGUE  27 

11  And  the  three  friends  of  Job  heard  of  all  this  evil  that  had 
come  upon  him.  And  they  came  each  from  his  own  place — 
Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  Bildad  the  Shu^ite,  and  Sophar  the 
Na'amathite.  So  they  met  together  at  the  place  agreed  upon 
to  come  to  show  their  grief  for  him  and  to  comfort  him. 

12  And  they  lifted  up  their  eyes  afar  off,  and  they  did  not 
recognize  him.  And  they  lifted  up  their  voice,  and  wept :  and 
they  rent  each  his  robe,  and  tossed  dust  upon  their  heads 
towards  heaven.     ^^  And  they  sat  down  with  him  on  the  ground 


pany  to  Job's  home,  and  then  the  journey  itself  must  have  taken 
some  time.  With  this  implication  of  the  Prologue  allusions  in 
the  speeches  agree ;  for  in  7^  Job  speaks  of  months  of  pain 
already  past :  cp.  7'^  30^^^-  ^7  and,  indeed,  the  entire  tenour  of  c. 
30  and  iqI-  ^^^. 

11.  Place]  in  the  sense  of  home  or  country;  cp.  Nu.  2411-25. 
— Eliphaz  the  Temanite^  etc.]  on  the  names  of  the  friends  and 
their  homes,  see  Introduction. — Teman  lay  in  Edom,  and  was 
proverbial  for  its  wisdom  (Jer.  49^) ;  Shuah  was  a  tribe  belong- 
ing to  the  ''East"  (Gn.  252-6);  Sophar's  home  is  quite  un- 
certain.— They  met  together^  etc.]  for  the  vb.,  cp.  Am.  3^,  Neh. 
52.10^  J QS,  11^  (of  allied  kings  meeting  at  a  fixed  place  for  the 
opening  of  a  campaign),  Ps.  48^. — To  show  their  grief]  from  the 
primary  physical  sense  to  move  to  arid  fro  (i  K.  141^,  Jer.  iS^^), 
the  vb.  (T13)  seems  to  have  come  to  mean  to  make  gestures  (of 
grief) ;  cp.  Jer.  221^,  weep  not,  nor  make  gestures  (of  grief)  for 
him  ;  and  then,  with  a  weakening  or  loss  of  the  physical  sense, 
to  m,anifest  grief ^  to  solace  (cp.  the  noun  in  16^),  to  comm,iserate  i 
so,  e.g.^  Jer.  15^  481^,  and  coupled  (as  here),  or  in  parallelism 
with  the  vb.  Dn3,  42I1,  i^    ^jio^  pg^  5^21^  N^h.  3^. 

12.  Condensed.  The  friends  catch  sight  of  Job,  a  con- 
spicuous object  on  the  lofty  ash-mound  outside  the  city  (^), 
while  they  are  still  some  distance  away.  When  they  draw 
near  enough  to  discern  his  features,  they  find  them  marred 
by  disease  beyond  recognition  (cp.  Is.  52!'^) ;  when,  in  spite  of 
this,  they  know  that  it  really  is  Job,  they  break  out  into  weeping, 
and  toss  quantities  (see  phil.  n.)  of  dust  on  their  head  in  token 
of  distress  (cp.  Jos.  7^,  i  S.  4I2,  2  S.  131^  La.  2i^  Ezk.  2f^). 


28  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [ll.  13-III. 

for  seven  days  and  seven  nights :  but  none  spoke  a  word  to 
him,  for  they  saw  that  the  pain  was  very  great. 


13.  For  a  whole  week  the  friends  show  their  sympathy  by 
sharing  with  Job  his  seat  on  the  ash-mound ;  but,  overwhelmed 
by  the  greatness  of  his  suffering,  they  speak  no  word  :  even  at 
the  end  of  the  period,  it  is  not  they  but  Job  who  breaks  the 
silence. — The  pain]  EV.  *' grief,"  but  probably  with  the  mean- 
ing of  **pain":  cp.  Shakespeare's  *' grief  of  a  wound,"  see 
Dr.'s  n.  Here  physical  pain  is  intended  by  the  noun  2X3,  as 
most  obviously  by  the  vb.  in  14^2,  Gn.  34^^ :  cp.  also  Jb.  5^^, 
Ezk.  282*. 

III.  In  the  first  moments  and  days  of  his  troubles,  Job  still 
remembered  and  praised  God  for  the  happiness  of  his  former 
life  (i"^^  2^^):  God  still  filled  his  mind.  But  months  have  now 
passed  (see  on  2^^"^^) ;  and  his  misery  is  already  of  long  stand- 
ing. How  great  that  misery  is  the  advent  of  his  friends  seven 
days  ago,  and  their  attitude  since,  have  but  served  to  make 
clearer  ;  they  came  to  express  their  grief  in  words,  but  having 
found  Job's  calamities  beyond  the  power  of  words  to  express  or 
mitigate,  they  have  kept  silence.  Job  does  not  reproach  them 
for  this,  regarding  their  silence  as  perhaps  the  best  substitute 
for  a  comfort  (cp.  21 2)  which  circumstances  do  not  allow  them 
to  give  him.  But  for  the  time  being  they  are  almost  beyond 
his  thought  or  attention  :  so,  too,  has  God  become.  Thus  when, 
in  the  presence  of  his  friends,  he  breaks  the  long  silence,  it  is 
in  a  speech  which,  like  cc.  29-31,  but  unlike  those  that  inter- 
vene, is  addressed  neither  to  his  friends  nor  to  God.  He  is 
absorbed  with  two  thoughts — his  misery  and  the  wherefore  of 
it:  his  misery,  though  so  relatively  recent,  has  blotted  out 
all  sense  of  former  happiness,  and  so  completely  obsesses  him 
that  his  life  from  the  very  day  of  his  birth  now  seems  to  him 
to  have  been  mere  wretchedness  and  pain  i^'^^) :  his  misery  is 
so  intense  that  it  needs  no  foil  of  happier  times  remembered 
(cp.  29)  to  set  it  off:  it  is  such  that  Sheol  itself  is  by  com- 
parison with  it  to  be  longed  for  or  welcomed  (i^-^^).  Why, 
then,  is  life  thrust  upon  him  and  others  wretched  like  himself? 
(i9-26j^     In  the  last  section  the  wider  question  is  put  first  (20-22^^ 


III.]  JOB  29 

III.  ^  After  this  Job  opened  his  mouth,  and  cursed  his  day. 
2  And  Job  answered  and  said  : 


and  is  followed  by  the  particular  (23-26J .  ^j^y  must  the 
wretched  live,  and  why  Job  in  particular  ?  This  order  flows 
naturally  out  of  the  preceding  section  in  which  Job,  expressing 
his  longing  for  death,  has  had  occasion  to  refer  to  the  different 
classes  who  meet  in  the  realm  of  death — princes,  masters,  the 
great,  whose  life  raises  no  wherefore  ?  and  the  toil-worn,  petty, 
servile  folk,  whose  life  is  intolerable.  Why  are  these  last  born 
at  all  ?  Thus  Job,  though  absorbed  with  his  own  misery  and 
the  mystery  of  it,  is  not  so  absorbed  as  to  regard  his  fate  as 
singular ;  rather  has  his  own  trouble  deepened  his  fellow-feeling 
with  the  wretched :  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity  he  had  been 
anything  but  unsympathetic  towards  them,  for  he  had  helped 
the  victims  of  misfortune  (4^*-) ;  but  in  those  days  their  lot  had 
not  presented  to  him  a  problem,  now  it  does  (cp.  4^).  Why 
are  there  weak,  stumbling,  miserable  men  to  be  helped  and 
comforted  ?  Why  are  men  born  to  grow  up  to  such  conditions 
as  these  ?  This  question  must  ultimately  raise  that  of  God's 
responsibility :  what  does  God  mean  by  creating  and  maintain- 
ing such  lives  ?  But  in  this  first  speech  Job  does  not  clearly 
and  directly  raise  the  question  in  this  form,  though  God  may 
perhaps  be  the  unnamed  subject  in  ^^,  and  in  ^sb  ^j^g  Q^e  place 
in  the  chapter  in  which  God  is  mentioned,  it  is  at  least  hinted 
that  (but  ct.  the  explicitness  of  10^^)  He  is  the  source  of  Job's 
troubles,  and  of  the  moral  perplexities  which  they  occasion  ; 
but,  for  the  most  part,  it  is  the  bare  fact  of  misery,  and  the 
question  whether  such  misery,  however  caused  or  to  whatso- 
ever due,  ought  to  be,  that  are  considered.  Just  as  God  is 
kept  at  least  somewhat  in  the  background,  so  also  is  any  moral 
distinction  in  men  of  differing  fortunes :  not  here  or  yet  is  the 
question  clearly  formulated,  why  do  the  righteous  live  miserably  ? 
It  is  the  wider  question  that  is  put :  Why  are  men  allowed  to 
be  wretched?  Why  are  they  born  at  all,  if  to  live  is  to  suffer? 
V.^  (prose)  connects  the  prose  Prologue  (cc.  1-2)  with  the 
speech  (poetry),  in  which  Job  opens  the  succession  of  speeches 
(poetry)  of  himself  and  his  friends  extending  down  to  c.  31. 


30  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [ill.  1-10. 

V.^  is   the   usual   formula   introducing   a   speech  :    so   4^   6^, 
etc. 

1.  Day]  i.e.  birthday,  which  is  elsewhere  otherwise  ex- 
pressed (v.^,  Gn.  40^^^,  Jer.  20^^  Ec.  7^). 

2.  Answered]  as  often,  not  of  reply  to  any  previous  re- 
marks, but  of  beginning  to  speak  as  an  occasion  required  {Lex. 

773«>  2). 

3-10.  Job  curses  the  day  (3*)  of  his  birth  (cp.  Jer.  20^*-^^), 
and  the  night  of  his  conception  (^^  5^,  not  ffi),  praying  that  they 
may  both  be  blotted  out  of  existence.  Personifying  the  day 
and  night  in  question,  he  treats  them  as  possessing  independent 
and  continuous  existence,  so  that  they  have  hitherto  reappeared 
every  year :  his  wish  is  that  they  may  now  cease  to  exist,  and 
henceforward  appear  no  more. 

The  verse  division  of  ill,  followed  by  RV.,  in  this  opening  section  of  the 
poem,  gives  four  tristichs  (^*  °-  ^*  ^)  and  four  distichs — an  extraordinary 
proportion  of  the  former,  even  though  we  do  not  with  Bi,  Du.  rule  out  the 
possibility  of  tristichs.  The  tristichs  of  ^' '  could  be  most  easily  removed,  and 
distichs  restored,  by  transposing  4^-  °.  Bi.^  assumes  the  loss  of  a  line  after 
**,  unites  ^  with  ^  (omitting  **  that  night "  in  ^*),  and  expands  ^*  into  a  distich. 
Du.  transfers  ^^  to  follow  *^  :  this  yields  a  good  distich,  and  improves  rather 
than  spoils*;  of^^  like  Bi.,  he  makes  three  distichs;  and  certainly  ^- ^ 
would  stand  well  as  a  complete  distich,  and  ^^-  '^  better  by  itself  than  tacked 
on  to  ^* ;  moreover,  ^°'  ^*  would  form  a  good  distich  except  that  the  casus 
pendens  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  line  is  not  very  natural ;  on  the  other 
hand,  if  we  simply  omit  '*  that  night  "  in  ^%  with  Bi.  Du.,  the  line  is  reduced 
to  two  stresses,  though,  by  reading  innp'i  for  'p',  Bi.  is  able  to  satisfy  his 
system.  It  must,  however,  also  be  observed  that,  as  it  stands,  ^*  is  over 
long  (four  stresses).  On  the  whole,  the  tristichs  remain  suspicious,  even 
though  no  attempt  hitherto  made  to  remove  them  is  beyond  criticism  :  the 
same  may  be  said  of  "that  night  "  in  ^,  and  also  of  "  Lo,  that  night "  in  ''. 
It  has  sometimes  been  claimed  on  the  basis  of  ^  (for  variations  in  fflr,  see 
below)  that  the  special  curse  on  the  night  of  conception  (^"^°)  is  twice  as 
long  as  that  on  the  day  of  birth  (^  ^),  and  the  reason  for  this  has  been  very 
artificially  found,  and  against  the  standpoint  of  the  context,  in  the  fact 
that  it  was  the  night  of  conception  which  properly  gave  Job  being.  The 
quatrain  theory  of  Bi.  and  Du.  leads  them  to  obscure  the  really  rather 
obvious  and  effective  articulation  of  the  passage,  since  they  are  bound  to 
unite  **  (Du. +  '*^)  with  ^  and  (Du.)  ^b.  c  ^vith  ^*^.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in 
a  single  opening  distich  (^)  the  writer  defines  the  day  and  night  he  has  in 
view,  and  in  a  single  closing  distich  i^^)  gives  the  reason  for  his  curse  ; 
what  lies  between  amplifies  the  single  word  of  malediction  (lOK')  in  ^. 
Had  the  writer  really  been  bound  by  a  system  of  quatrains  he  could 
easily,  and  we  must  believe  would,  have  expended  ^'  ^"each  into  a  quatrian. 


III.  3.]  JOB  31 

2  Perish  the  day  wherein  I  was  born  ! 

And  the  night  which  said,  A  man  is  conceived ! 


3.  And  the  night  which  said]  The  night  is  personified,  and 
so  able  to  bear  witness  to  v/hat  had  happened  in  it :  the  poet 
even,  if  J§  be  right,  endows  it  with  the  faculty  of  knowing 
what  no  human  being  could  know,  the  sex  of  the  child  at  the 
moment  of  conception. — A  man  is  conceived]  (&  Behold  a  male  ! 
(see  phil.  n.) — referring  to  Job's  dirth.  If  this  reading  is 
correct,  the  poet  will  first  use  day  in  its  broader  and  more 
general  sense,  and  then  in  the  parallel  clause  specify  the 
particular  part  of  the  **day"  meant  by  him,  viz.  the  first  half 
of  the  vv^^drj/jLepov. — Thus,  whereas  according  to  J^  the  night 
of  conception  as  well  as  the  day  of  birth  is  cursed,  according 
to  ©  the  day  of  birth  is  the  sole  object  of  the  malediction, 
**  These  objections  have  been  urged  against  5^  (Be.  Du.) : 
(i)  in  ^  only  Job's  birthday  is  mentioned  as  having  been  cursed 
by  him  ;  (2)  in  the  sequel  it  is  only  this  day  that  he  curses 
(notice  especially  ^^-  ^^^) ;  (3)  he  is  unlikely  to  have  spoken  of 
the  same  night  as  both  the  time  of  conception  and  (^'  7)  the 
time  of  birth  ;  (4)  133  is  a  poet,  word  for  vir  adultus.  Job  was 
neither  born  nor  conceived  as  a  nnj ;  (5)  Jer.  (20^*"^^)  curses 
only  the  day  of  his  birth,  and  uses  the  term  lar,  male  (^^).  On 
the  other  hand,  (i)  -^  in  any  case  does  not  summarize  the  whole 
ch.  :  if  it  does  not  summarize  the  whole,  it  need  not  mention 
more  than  the  first  and  most  prominent  part  of  it ;  (2)  and  (3) 
it  is  quite  possible  that  ^~^^  refer  to  the  night  of  conception ; 
and  even  if  they  do  not,  a  glance  (^^)  at  the  time  of  conception 
is  very  natural  and  fitting  in  Job's  position;  (4)  Job  is 
speaking  as  a  poet,  not  as  a  physiologist ;  and  he  may  well  use 
the  term  man  (cp.  avQpoaiTo^^  John  16^^),  'looking  at  what  he 
essentially  is,  not  at  the  stage  of  development  he  has  reached ' 
(Pe.).  Even,  however,  though  n2J  be  still  deemed  inap- 
propriate, "I3r  might  be  accepted  without  n^n ;  (5)  whatever 
be  the  original,  the  terms  used  by  Jer.  do  not  decide  those 
which  may  have  been  used  by  Job.  On  the  whole,  though  ffir 
may  be  right,  J^  is  not  necessarily  wrong."  In  addition  to  the 
considerations   thus   carefully   balanced   by   Dr.    there   is   yet 


32  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [ill.  3-5. 

*  That  day — let  it  be  darkness ! 

Let  not  God  inquire  after  it  from  above  I 

Neither  let  the  light  shine  upon  it ! 
^  Let  darkness  and  black  gloom  claim  it ! 

Let  a  cloud  dwell  upon  it ! 

Let  the  blacknesses  of  the  day  terrify  it ! 


another  that  weighs  heavily  in  favour  of  ffi :  Job's  quarrel  is 
not  with  his  conception,  but  with  his  birth,  with  the  fact  that 
he  had  issued  from  the  womb  living  into  the  world  with  its  life 
of  trouble  and  pain ;  to  have  been  conceived,  yet  not  to  have 
been  born,  is  indeed  one  of  the  two  alternative  fates — the  silence 
of  the  womb  or  the  silence  of  Sheol — that  he  desires ;  if  his 
mother  had  miscarried,  or  he  had  been  still-born,  all  would 
still,  even  in  spite  of  his  conception,  have  been  well  with  him 

(16-12;    cp.    I018-19). 

4-5.  If  it  is  too  much  for  Job  to  expect  his  birthday  to  be 
blotted  out  of  the  year  (^),  may  it  at  least,  when  it  comes 
round,  be  a  day  of  blackness,  uncared  for  by  God,  unreached  by 
His  light,  affrighted  by  appalling,  preternatural  obscurations ! 

4.  That  day]  **  (&  that  nighty — no  doubt  a  paraphrase  due  to 
*■  day '  being  understood  to  refer  to  that  part  of  the  day  which 
it  must  have  referred  to,  if  ^^  were  understood,  as  C&  under- 
stood it,  of  Job's  hirth''^  (I^^-)* — ^^^  ^^^  ^^^  inquire  after  it] 
viz.  to  give  it  its  light  when  its  time  comes ;  let  Him  be  in- 
different to  it,  and  leave  it  a  day  of  darkness. — Neither  lety 
etc.]  as  a  consequence  of  God's  not  caring  for  it. 

5.  Black  gloom]  niDi'X,  the  strongest  word  which  Heb. 
possesses  to  express  the  idea  of  darkness.  If  the  rendering 
shadow  of  death  (so  JH)  is  correct,  the  meaning  will  be  darkness 
as  intense  as  that  of  the  abode  of  death,  Sheol  (Ges.  Thes. 
^^  tenehrcB  Orciy  i.e.  tenebrce  densissini(B^^  \  cf.  lo^i- 22  381*^):  if, 
however,  it  is  to  be  regarded,  with  most  moderns,  not  as  a  com- 
pound, but  as  an  independent  word  (see  phil.  n.),  it  must  be 
rendered  by  some  other  expression  denoting  intense  darkness 
(RVm.  deep  darkness). — Claim  it]  The  word  (^JNi)  means  properly 
to  claim  effectively  property  the  possession  of  which  has  lapsed 
{i,e.  to  redeem  it) ;  the  right,  or  duty,  of  doing  this  devolved 


ra.5-8.]  JOB  33 

*  That  night — let  thick  darkness  take  it ! 

Let  it  not  rejoice  among  the  days  of  the  year ! 

Into  the  number  of  the  months  let  it  not  come ! 
^  Lo,  that  night — let  it  be  sterile  ! 

Let  no  joyful  voice  come  therein  ! 
^  Let  them  curse  it  that  ban  the  day ! 

Who  are  ready  to  rouse  up  Leviathan. 


commonly  upon  the  owner's  nearest  relation  (the  PNIJ :  see 
GoEL  in  EBi.) ;  hence  the  idea  is,  as  soon  as  the  day  appears, 
let  darkness,  as  its  nearest  relation,  at  once  assert  it  rights, 
and  take  possession  of  it. — The  blacknesses  of  day]  Let  it  not 
merely  be  taken  possession  of  by  ordinary  darkness :  let  the 
appalling  and  abnormal  obscurations,  produced  by  eclipses, 
tornadoes,  sandstorms,  etc.,  such  as  are  apt  to  darken  the  day, 
make  it  a  day  not  of  darkness  only,  but  of  terror.  Cf.  the 
descriptions  of  the  ''day"  of  Yahweh,  Zeph.  i^^,  Joel  2^  al. 

6.  That  nighi\  Bi.  Du.  omit  (see  above  on  ^~^^).  Honth. 
that  day. — Take\  with  the  implication  of  take  away  (Gn.  5^^), 
so  that  it  can  no  more  take  its  place  in  the  year.  Seize  on 
(EVV.)  does  not  quite  express  the  right  nuance. — Rejoice 
among\  let  it  have  no  part  in  the  band  of  happy  days  that 
make  up  the  year.  C,  vocalizing  differently,  has  he  united  to 
(so  AV.  Hi.  Me.  Bu.  Du.  Sgf.) :  this  is  supported  by  the  par- 
allelism of  the  next  clause ;  but  the  thought  is  more  prosaic 
(Dr. ;  so  Di.  Pe.). 

7.  "  While  other  nights  ring  with  birthday  gladness,  let  it 
sit  barren"  (Da.) ;  let  not  there  ever  be  heard  in  it  the  joyful 
sound  of  one  announcing  to  the  father  the  good  news  of  the 
birth  of  a  son  and  gladdening  his  heart  thereby ;  cp.  Jer.  20^^ 
(iK'a  and  innctJ'  TXi'^). — Sterile\  Tiof):,  stony,  stone-barren,  un- 
productive as  the  rock  (Arab,  jalmud,  a  rock,  or  mass  of  rock) 
1^34  2o3,  Is.  4921.     Not  the  usual  Heb.  word  for  barren  (mpj;). 

8.  That  ban  the  day]  enchanters  or  magicians  reputed  to 
have  the  power  to  make  days  unlucky, — either  in  general,  or, 
in  particular  (cp.  ^),  by  producing  eclipses,  the  day  on  which 
an  eclipse  occurred  being  considered  inauspicious. — To  rouse 
tip  Leviathan]  i.e.  the  dragon  which,  according  to  ancient  ideas, 

3 


34  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [lU.  8-9. 

®  Let  the  stars  of  its  (morning-)  twilight  be  dark ! 
Let  it  wait  for  light,  but  have  none ! 
Neither  let  it  look  upon  the  eyelids  of  the  dawn  I 


was  supposed — and  in  many  parts  of  the  world  is  supposed 
still  (see,  ^.^.,  E.  B.  Tylor,  Primitive  Culture^  i.  328  fF.) — when 
an  eclipse  occurred,  either  to  swallow  up  the  sun,  or  moon,  or 
to  surround  it  in  its  coils  ;  an  allusion  to  this  idea  is  detected 
by  some  in  26^^.  Leviathan  (in^lij),  properly  something 
wreathed  or  coiled  (cp.  n;p,  a  chaplet^  Pr.  i^  4^),  and  denoting 
apparently  the  crocodile  in  41^^-  (ofp^^-).  The  crocodile,  a  symbol 
of  Egypt  in  Ps.  74^*,  and  a  sea-monster  in  Ps.  104*^^,  is  here 
an  imaginary  serpent-like  monster,  represented  as  stirred  up 
to  produce  the  eclipse  by  the  incantations  of  the  professional 
cursers.  The  ethnic  parallels  do  not,  however,  furnish  us  with 
instances  of  attempts  to  make  the  eclipse-monster  swallow  the 
sun  and  so  produce  eclipses,  but  only  of  attempts  to  make  it 
disgorge  or  let  go  of  the  sun,  and  so  prevent  or  end  eclipses. 
Du.  explains  differently :  as  in  ^*-  ^-  ^*  he  sees  not  ordinary 
darkness,  but  the  darkness  of  chaos  (Gn.  i^),  which,  rising  up 
out  of  the  deep,  like  a  heavy  cloud  (^^),  may.  Job  hopes, 
overwhelm  his  birthday;  so  here  in  Leviathan  he  sees  the 
chaos-dragon  (Tiamat)  who,  as  a  personification  of  the  powers 
opposed  to  light,  threatens  the  world  of  gods  and  men  with 
destruction.  When  the  enchanters  disturb  this  monster,  the 
tohu  wabhohu — the  chaos  which  Jer.  42^^-  so  finely  describes — 
threatens  to  break  forth  and  engulph  the  day  on  which  this 
takes  place.  A  mythological  allusion  of  this  kind  might 
readily  occur  in  Job  (cp.  7^^  9^^  26^^-  ^^) ;  but  it  may  be  doubted 
whether  this  explanation  does  not  put  more  into  Job's  words 
than  they  naturally  express.  Gu.  {Schopf.  u.  Chaos^  p.  59), 
Che.  UQ^>  1897,  p.  975;  ET  X.  (1899)  380)  Be.  would  read: 
''  that  lay  a  spell  upon  the  sea  "  (D^  for  DV) ;  but  this  introduces 
an  idea  foreign  to  the  context. 

9.  Let  its  morning  stars,  Venus  and  Mercury,  the  harbingers 
of  day,  never  appear !  Let  it  remain  an  endless  night  waiting 
for  a  dawn  that  never  breaks.  The  idea  is  fully  expressed  in 
*  and  *',  the  stricter  parallels,  and  ^  may  be  out  of  place  (see 


III.  9-26.]  JOB  35 

^®  Because  it  shut  not  up  the  doors  of  my  (mother's)  womb, 
Nor  hid  travail  from  my  eyes ! 


above). — Twilight]  nesheph  denotes  the  evening  twihg-ht  in 
24^^,  Pr.  7^  al.,  and  the  morniiig  twiHght,  as  here,  in  7*, 
Ps.  119^*'^. —  Wait  for\  EVV.  have  the  expressive  rendering- 
look  for  (so  elsewhere,  e.g.^  Is.  59^^,  Jer  13^^) ;  but  the  figure  is 
not  in  the  Heb.,  mp  meaning  simply  to  wait. — The  eyelids  of 
the  dawn\  a  beautiful  figure  repeated,  or  imitated,  in  4110(18)^ 
the  first  crimson  streaks  of  light  which  herald  the  rising  sun  ; 
cp.  Soph.  Ant.  103,  ypvaka^i  aiiepa^^  jSXecpapov. 

10.  Sh7it  not  up,  etc.]  like  similar  but  not  identical  phrases 
in  Gn.  16^  {rrhl2  ••nvy),  20^^  (qp,-,  ^^3  -^^;y)^  j  g^  j5  ('^  ^^^>^^  e 
('"I  lyn  "13D),  the  phrase  "'JDl  TlH  "liD,  to  shut  the  doors  of  the 
womb,  might  here  refer  to  prevention  of  conception,  as  Dm  nna,' 
to  open  the  womb,  in  Gn.  29^^  30^-  means  to  render  conception 
possible ;  in  this  case  the  subj.  would  be  the  night  on  which 
Job  was  conceived.  But  the  phrase  would  obviously  be 
equally  suitable  to  the  closing  of  the  womb  against  the  egress 
of  the  embryo ;  in  this  case  the  day  (or  night)  of  Job's  birth 
(cp.  ^)  is  the  subject,  and  the  poet  is  giving  a  special  turn  to 
an  idea  that  occurs  elsewhere  (Is.  37^  66^^).  It  can  scarcely 
be  more  than  an  accident  that  the  closing  of  doors,  when 
mentioned  in  the  OT.,  generally  has  in  view  the  prevention  of 
ingress  {e.g.  Gn.  19^^,  Neh.  6^^,  Is.  45^)  and  rarely  the  pre- 
vention of  egress  (?38^). — My  [mother^s)  womb]  Heb.  my  womb, 
i.e.  the  womb  which  bare  me :  so,  though  other  views  have 
been  taken,  19^''. — Travail]  Heb.  ^oy,  properly  labour  (Qoh. 
j3  2^0  etc.;  Ps.  90^^),  toil  (cp.  the  vb.  Ps.  127^);  hence  fig. 
travail  (EVV.  usually  trouble),  Ps.  10^^  25^^  etc..  Is.  53^^  (cp. 
the  adj.  below,  v. 2^) :  when  prepared  by  the  wicked  for  others, 
generally  rendered  in  EVV.  for  distinctness  mischief  (15^^, 
Ps.  715.17(14.16)  io7-i4etc.). 

II-26.  To  the  curse  succeeds  the  questioning  and  com- 
plaint, in  two  unequal  paragraphs,  each  beginning  with 
''wherefore" — '^^~^^  (nine  distichs)  and  20-26  (seven  distichs). 
The  curse  reveals  Job's  deep  and  passionate  judgment  of  the 
facts  of  his  life :  it  is  travail,  travail  so  bitter  that  the  day  that 


36  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [in.  11-16. 

^^  Why  did  I  not  die  from  the  womb, 

Come  forth  from  the  belly,  and  expire? 

^2  Why  did  the  knees  receive  me  ? 

Or  why  the  breasts,  that  I  should  suck  ? 

^*  For  then  should  I  have  lain  down  and  been  quiet ; 
I  should  have  slept ;  then  were  I  at  rest : 


failed  to  prevent  this  existence  deserves  the  severest  malediction. 
But  malediction  does  not  alter  the  fact ;  Job  is  alive,  and  Job's 
life  is  travail.  Why  ?  If  he  was  not  to  perish  in  the  womb 
(1^),  but  to  come  out  through  its  doors  into  the  world  of  life, 
yet  why,  even  so,  did  he  not  die  at  once,  before  he  could 
become  conscious  of  the  travail  of  life  ?  Why  (^"•)  the  bitter 
mockery,  as  it  seems  now,  of  his  parents'  welcome  to  him  and 
care  for  his  infant  life  ?  That  care  had  robbed  him  of  the  great 
prize  P'-)  of  death,  and  had  forced  on  him  misery  (20-26)  in 
place  of  the  stillness  and  peace  of  death  (i^"^^).  Job  disregards 
here  (see  introductory  note  to  the  ch.)  not  only  the  long  years 
of  happiness  that  he  had  previously  enjoyed,  but  also  the 
drearier  aspects  of  Sheol,  which  elsewhere  he  could  vividly 
portray.  At  present  his  mind  is  filled  with  the  thought  of 
life  as  travail,  and  death  as  rest. 

11.  Du.  may  be  right  in  placing  ^<*  immediately  after  ^^  (see 
phil.  n.).     The  two  verses  would  then  read  together  thus  : 

Why  did  I  not  die  from  the  womb, 

Come  forth  from  the  belly,  and  expire  ? 

Or  (why)  was  I  not  like  a  hidden  untimely  birth, 
As  infants  which  never  saw  the  light  ? 

From  the  womb]  i,e,  immediately  after  birth,  ffi  **in  the 
womb  "  is  not  to  be  preferred. 

12.  The  knees]  commonly  explained  of  the  knees  of  the 
father,  on  which  the  newborn  child  was  laid  as  a  mark  of 
acceptance  and  legitimation  ;  cp.  Gn.  502^. — Receive  me]  Prop. 
com,e  in  front  of  m,e^  come  to  meet  me — with  some  service  or 
kindness  (e.g;  Dt.  23^,  with  food). 

14-15.  He  would,  moreover,  instead  of  being  an  outcast, 
lying  in  squalor,  and  an  object  of  contempt  to  all  (19^^*'-  30^-  ^•), 


ni.  14-17.]  JOB  37 

^*  With  kings  and  counsellors  of  the  earth, 

Who  built  '^ pyramids  1  (?)  for  themselves  ; 
1^  Or  with  princes  that  had  gold, 

Who  filled  their  houses  with  silver : 
.  1^  Or  as  an  hidden  untimely  birth  I  had  not  been ; 

As  infants  which  never  saw  light. 
^^  There  the  wicked  cease  (their)  raging ; 

And  there  the  weary  be  at  rest. 


have  at  least  been  in  the  company  of  the  wealthy  and  illustrious 
dead. — Counsellors  of  the  earlh]  12^"^. — Pyramids]  MT.  has,  **  who 
built  up  waste  places  for  themselves"  (so  ^),  i.e.  who  r^-built 
ruined  cities  or  habitations  (so  Is.  58^^  61*  al.),  that  they  might 
inhabit  them  themselves.  This,  however,  yields  a  poor  sense  ; 
kings  do  not  usually  attain  fame  by  r^-building  ruined  sites,  nuin 
may  be  an  error  for  ni^DNn,  palaces  (Be.),  or  (Ol.  Di.)  niDlont^, 
fortified  palaces;  or  (Ew.  Bu.  Du.)  it  may  be  a  corruption  of 
^^^^l}*  pyramids  (cf.  Arab,  hiramy  a  pyramid,  which  may  be  of 
Egypt,  origin) :  the  allusion,  in  this  case,  will  be  to  the  pyramids 
built  for  themselves  as  mausoleums  by  the  kings  of  Egypt. 
<*  Palaces  "  would  be  mentioned,  like  the  gold  and  silver  of  v.^^, 
as  an  indication  of  the  earthly  greatness  of  those  with  whom 
Job  would  then  be:  ** pyramids"  would,  in  addition,  suggest 
impressively  the  placid  sleep  of  those  who  lay  buried  in  them. 

16.  Or  (attaching  to  ^^),  like  one  prematurely  born,  put 
away  at  once  out  of  sight,  or  {^^^)  like  a  stillborn  child,  he 
would  have  had  no  existence  at  all :  if  he  had  not  been  with 
the  famous  dead,  he  would,  at  least,  have  been  equally  removed 
from  life  and  its  troubles. — An  untimely  birth]  ?^},  (ffi  eKjpoDfiaf 
as  I  Cor.  158),  as  Ps.  58^,  Qoh.  e^f. 

17-19.  He  dwells  on  the  thought  of  the  peacefulness  of 
Sheol, — a  peacefulness  shared  in  by  all  alike. 

17.  Raging]  the  Heb.  is  a  subst.y  and  cannot  have  the 
transitive  sense  oi  troubling  (EVV.).  The  idea  of  wn  is  strong 
agitation  \  the  vb.  Ml  is  lit.  to  shake  (intrans.)  violently ^  as 
mountains.  Is.  5^^;  then  fig.,  of  different  strong  emotions, 
usually  of  terror  (Ex.  15^^  Dt.  2^^,  Is.  32^^),  but  also  of  wrath 
(Is.  28^1,  Pr.  299),  surprise  (Is.   14^),  violent  grief  (2  S.   19^). 


^S  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [ill.  17-21, 

1^  (There)  the  captives  are  at  ease  together ; 

They  hear  not  the  voice  of  the  taskmaster. 
1^  The  small  and  great  are  there ; 

And  the  servant  is  free  from  his  master. 

20  Why  doth  he  give  light  to  him  that  is  in  travail, 
And  life  unto  the  bitter  in  soul ; 


So  Tj'l,  agitation  (though  it  cannot  always  be  rendered  In  English 
by  the  same  word),  is  used  in  37^  of  the  rolling  of  thunder,  Hab. 
32  of  wrath,  in  ch.  3^^  of  a  tumult  of  feeling,  14^  (cf.  Is.  14^)  of 
the  unrest  of  life,  here  of  the  turbulence  of  passion  (cf.  for  the 
unrest  of  the  wicked.  Is.  57^*^).  The  ** troubling"  of  others 
may  be  a  consequence  of  this  ;  but  it  is  not  itself  the  idea  which 
Til'l  expresses. 

18.  Captives]  As  ^  shows,  captives  employed  in  forced 
labour,  like  the  Israelites  in  Egypt.  ^WY,  priso7ters)  but  this 
so  much  suggests  persons  who  are  imprisoned,  that  it  is  here 
misleading  and  unsuitable.  The  Heb.  (lit.  the  bound)  is  not 
limited  to  persons  imprisoned,  but  is  used  in  the  broader  sense 
of  those  confined  in  captivity  (Ps.  69^*  loa^i). — The  voice  of  the 
taskmaster]  (Ex.  3^  5^- 1^-  ^^'  1^),  urging  them  to  their  work  with 
shouts  and  curses.  The  word  means  properly  the  hard-presser 
(Is.  3^2  9^  14^**;  in  the  exaction  of  money,  Dt.  15^- ^  2  K.  23^^). 

20-26.  Why  does  God  prolong  life  to  those  who  in  general 
^2o-22j^  and  like  Job  in  particular  (23-26j^  \^  their  misery,  long 
only  for  death  ? 

20.  Doth  he  give]  or,  is  given  (see  phil.  n.).  He  does  not 
name,  though  he  alludes  to  God;  and  the  indirect  reference, 
though  partly  due  to  reverence,  betrays  a  rising  alienation  in 
his  heart  (Da.).  He  hints  in  ^3  that  he  owes  his  calamity  to 
God ;  but  it  is  only  after  Eliphaz's  rebuke  (c.  5)  that  he  says  it 
outright  (6^). — Hijn  that  is  in  travail]  Lit.  one  labouringy  toil- 
ing'^ cognate  to  the  word  rendered  travail  m  1^. — Bitter  in  soul\ 
i.e.  soured,  disappointed,  aggrieved.  The  combination  (with 
adj.,  verb,  or  subst.)  Is  frequent:  Jg.  i8-^  i  S.  i^^  22^  30^, 
2  S.  17^  (as  a  bear  robbed  of  its  cubs). 

21.  Search]  Lit.  dig  (Ex.  72^);  but  11  ^^  3929  show  that  the 


III.  21-25.]  JOB  39 

21  Who  long  for  death,  but  it  cometh  not ; 

And  search  for  it  more  than  for  hid  treasures ; 

22  Who  are  glad  unto  exultation, 

And  rejoice,  when  they  find  the  grave  ? 

23  Unto  a  man  whose  way  is  hid, 

And  whom  God  hath  hedged  in  ? 
2*  For  instead  of  (?)  my  bread  my  sighing  cometh. 

And  my  roarings  are  poured  out  like  water. 
25  For  I  fear  a  fear,  and  it  cometh  upon  me. 

And  that  which  I  dread  cometh  unto  me. 


word  may  be  used  without  any  thought  of  its  lit.  meaning  :  cf. 
Pr.  2*  (n^b^snn  D'^JIODDDI).  It  is,  however,  specially  apposite 
here,  as  D^^D^D  (from  J  pD,  **  to  hide  ")  were  often  *'  hidden  " 
in   the   earth   (Jer.   41^   '31  Q^i^n  mSJ^a  D^3DDD  i:i)  B^^  ''3,  Jos.    721 

23.  A  many  etc.]  Job's  way  is  **  hid,"  so  that  he  cannot  see 
in  which  direction  to  turn,  and  "hedged  in,"  so  that  he  knows 
no  way  of  escape  from  the  difficulties  in  which  he  finds  himself. 
The  reference  is  not,  perhaps,  merely  to  his  physical  sufferings, 
but  also  to  the  mental  distress  occasioned  by  them :  the  sense 
that  the  calamities  which  have  befallen  him  are  undeserved, 
the  difficulty  of  reconciling  them  with  his  belief  in  the  justice  of 
God, — these  form  a  riddle  which  he  cannot  solve,  and  place 
him  in  a  situation  of  dire  perplexity,  from  which  he  can  find  no 
outlet  (cf.  19^^-). — Hedged  in]  (virtually)  the  word  used  by  the 
Satan  in  i^®  in  a  different  sense :  there  of  the  protection  which 
God  had  thrown  around  Job,  here  of  the  mental  embarrassment 
which  His  treatment  of  him  had  occasioned.  Cf.  for  the 
figure,  Hos.  2^,  c.  19^,  La.  3^. 

24.  Instead  of  (?)  7ny  bread]  the  rendering  is  doubtful  (see 
phil.  n.).  For  the  thought,  cf.  Ps.  424<8^  So^^^^,— Cometh] 
Cometh  constantly  or  regularly :  the  sense  of  the  Heb.  impf. — 
My  roarings]  Properly,  the  roaring  of  a  lion  (4^^) ;  then  fig. 
of  loud  groanings  or  complaints;  so  Ps.  222  32^;  cf.  38^ — 
As  'mater]  In  a  continuous  stream. 

25.  I  fear  a  fear]  he  has  but  to  imagine  some  direful  mis- 
fortune, and  it  comes  upon  him. 


40  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [HI.  26-IV.  V. 

^  I  have  no  ease,  and  no  quiet, 

And  no  rest ;  and  (yet)  torment  cometh. 

IV.  ^  And  Eliphaz  the  Temanite  answered,  and  said, 


26.  His  hopeless  monotony  of  unrest.  He  has  no  time  to 
breathe  {9^^),  no  time  to  recover  from  one  thought  of  agony  or 
despair  before  another  overwhelms  him. — To?7nenf]  the  strong 
word  (tJ"!)  explained  on  ^^.  Here  it  denotes  the  vehement  tumult 
of  feeling — sense  of  injustice  and  desertion  by  God,  despair, 
alarm  (cf.  7I1-1*) — produced,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  his  disease. 
Cf.  the  TJl  37,  or  **  agitated  heart,"  which  Israel,  in  its  anxiety 
for  its  life,  its  restlessness,  its  constant  fear,  is  to  have  when 
in  exile  (Dt.  28^6,  cf.  ^6-67). 

IV.  V.  Eliphaz's  first  speech. — Silent  a  whole  week 
through,  while  Job  was  silent  (2^^),  the  friends  are  driven  into 
speech  by  his  words  ;  partly  from  their  concern  for  God,  for 
Job's  words,  though  not  directly  and  by  name  accusing  God,  must 
have  seemed  to  border  on  blasphemy,  so  that  God  needed  to  be 
defended  (13^''  42^) ;  partly  from  their  concern  for  Job,  lest  his 
attitude  under  trial  (4^)  should  annul  the  merit  of  a  life  of  piety 
(4*),  and  prevent  that  restoration  to  happiness  which  must 
certainly  follow  a  humble  acceptance  of  present  calamity  (5^"^^). 
Eliphaz  is  the  first  of  the  friends  to  speak,  probably  because  he 
was  the  eldest  of  them  (cp.  15^^,  if  this  is  a  covert  allusion  to 
Eliphaz's  own  age,  and  32^,  where  Elihu  explains  that,  as  the 
youngest,  he  had  kept  silence  to  the  last),  or,  perhaps,  because 
he  was  the  most  eminent  (cp.  29^)  of  them.  He  begins  with  a 
word  of  apology  (4^),  and  of  surprise  that  Job,  who  has  so 
often  comforted  others  in  their  adversity,  should,  in  his  own 
trouble,  abandon  himself  to  despair  {^-^).  Then,  so  far  from 
making  an  immediate  attack  upon  Job,  he  recalls  Job's  former 
perfect  life ;  and  to  enforce  the  point  that  this  should  even  now 
give  him  hope  and  confidence  (^),  he  utters  some  general 
truths  :  the  righteous  man  never  perished  under  affliction  (^) : 
it  is  the  wicked  who  receive  the  reward  of  their  deeds  {^-^^) : 
above  all,  he  had  learnt  by  a  mysterious  revelation  that  no 
man   is  righteous   before   God  (^2-21^^     pjg  now  turns  to  Job, 


IV.  2-4.]  ELIPHAZ  4 1 

2  If  one  attempt  a  word  with  thee,  wilt  thou  be  impatient  ? 
But  to  restrain  words,  who  is  able? 


advising  him  to  apply  these  truths  to  himself.  Resentment 
against  God  only  incurs  disaster  (5^~^).  In  Job's  place  he  would 
betake  himself  to  God  (^),  whose  government  of  the  world  is 
wonderful  and  good  (^^^),  and  whose  chastisements  are  designed 
only  to  lead  to  ultimate  blessing  (i7-26j .  jg^  Jq^  ^ake  heed  (2^). 

In  this  first  speech,  Eliphaz,  for  the  most  part,  applies  his 
theory  of  life  and  of  God's  dealings  to  Job's  case  with  con- 
sideration and  tenderness;  yet,  in  4^,  he  is  rather  *' joining 
words  together  against  Job"  than  placing  himself  in  Job's 
place  (16*),  so  as  to  be  able  to  do  for  Job,  in  this  greater 
distress,  what  Job  had  been  wont  to  do  to  others ;  Job  used  to 
speak  to  those  in  danger  of  despair,  but  not,  like  Eliphaz  in  ^, 
merely  to  tell  them  what  poltroons  they  were ;  and  to  the  be- 
reaved (29^2f.j^  but  not  merely,  as  Eliphaz  in  5^^,  almost  oblivious 
of  the  poignancy  of  the  sudden  loss  of  children,  to  speak  con- 
ventionally of  others  yet  to  be. 

2.  Eliphaz  begins  with  a  question,  as  also  in  15^  22^;  and 
so  Bildad  in  8^  18^  Sophar  in  11^;  indeed,  the  only  speeches  of 
the  friends  not  opening  with  a  question  are  Sophar's  second 
(20^)  and  Bildad's  (mutilated)  third  (25^)  speech.  —  If  one 
attempt^  etc.]  for  an  alternative  translation  of  f^,  see  phil.  n. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  ©,  on  which  Be.^  is  inclined  to  base  a 
variant,  is  more  than  a  paraphrase  of  J^.  *  is  overlong  in  J^, 
but  also  in  ffi ;  it  may  originally  have  been  shorter  and  more 
closely  parallel  to  ^. — Impatient]  Heb.  wearied,  ** Grieved"  in 
EVV.  is  an  archaism  for  troubled  ox  harassed",  and  "commune" 
is  an  archaism  for  **  speak." 

3,  4.  The  second  lines  of  each  v.  are  complete  parallels  to 
one  another,  and,  if  united,  would  give  a  distich  of  the  type 
a.  b.  c  I  a',  b'.  c';  with  slight  variations  they  actually  do 
occur  elsewhere  (Is.  35^),  so  united  in  a  distich  of  the  form 
a.  b.  c  I  b'.  c'.  a'  (cp.  Forms  of  Hebrew  Poetry^  p.  66  f.).  In 
spite  of  this,  it  is  unnecessary  and  even  inadvisable  to  trans- 
pose 3b  and  ^;  the  parallelism  of  ^  with  ^b  and  **  with  '^^ 
though  incomplete,  is  entirely  normal  (FormSy  pp.  59 f.,  72  ff.). 


42  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [IV.  3-6. 

^  Behold,  thou  hast  instructed  many, 

And  slack  hands  thou  hast  been  wont  to  strengthen. 
*  Him  that  was  stumbling,  thy  words  would  raise  up, 

And  bowing  knees  thou  wouldst  confirm. 
5  Because  now  it  cometh  unto  thee,  and  thou  art  impatient, 

It  reacheth  unto  thee,  and  thou  art  dismayed. 

^  Is  not  thy  fear  (of  God)  thy  confidence, 

■^And^  thy  hope  the  perfectness  of  thy  ways? 


3.  Instructed\  i.e.  according  to  the  proper  meaning  of  IDS 
** instructed  morally'"  (see  Dr.  on  Dt.  4^^),  teaching  them,  for 
instance,  to  view  their  afflictions  as  a  father's  chastening,  and 
as  having  a  moral  purpose. — Slack\  or,  hanging  down^  a  sign 
of  helplesness  and  despondency. 

4.  Him  that  was  stumbling  and  the  bowing  knees  are  both 
figures  for  those  unable  to  bear  up  under  the  weight  of  affliction  ; 
cp.  Is.  35^  (of  the  despondent  Israelites  in  exile). 

5.  Becatise\  gives  the  reason  why  Eliphaz  speaks  as  he  has 
done  in  ^  [Lex.  474^) ;  at  the  first  taste  of  trouble,  so  it  seems 
to  Eliphaz  the  onlooker,  Job  has  broken  down  entirely,  losing 
patience  and  self-possession.  With  this  reason  for  venturing 
to  speak,  the  apologetic  introduction  to  the  speech  is  at  an 
end;  the  speech  proper,  which  Eliphaz  feels  compelled  to  address 
to  Job,  begins  with  ^. 

6.  Having  briefly  and  rather  Indirectly  expressed  his  surprise 
at,  and  disapprobation  of.  Job's  words  a,nd  present  temper  (^•^), 
Eliphaz  starts  the  main  argument  of  his  speech  with  a  recogni- 
tion of  Job's  character  as  reflected  in  his  life  before  trouble 
came ;  he  admits  that  Job  had  been  perfect  (see  on  i^),  and  his 
life  regulated  by  ''fear"  (nt<T,  which  Eliphaz  (15^  22^),  but  he 
only,  uses  absolutely  in  the  sense  of  the  more  usual  phrase, 
'*  fear  of  God  "  ;  cp.  the  adj.  in  i^).  This  being  so.  Job  ought 
not  to  have  lost  confidence  and  hope ;  since,  however,  as  his 
words  had  shown,  he  had  done  so  for  the  moment  at  least, 
Eliphaz  proceeds,  in  the  light  of  his  own  observation  of  life  (^), 
to  show  (j-  ^)  why  a  *'  perfect "  man  has  no  need  to  despair  even 
if  affliction  comes  to  him. 


rV.  7-9.]  ELIPHAZ  43 

^  Remember,  I  pray  thee,  who  (ever)  perished,  being 

innocent  ? 

Or  where  were  the  upright  cut  off? 
^  According  as  I  have  seen,  they  that  plow  naughtiness. 

And  they  that  sow  trouble,  reap  it. 
^  By  the  breath  of  God  they  perish. 

And  by  the  blast  of  his  anger  are  they  consumed. 


7-9.  No  righteous  man  ever  perished  under  affliction  ;  if 
the  righteous  suffer,  their  afflictions  are  disciplinary  only,  and 
not  intended  for  their  destruction.  It  is  the  wicked  who,  if 
they  fall  into  misfortune,  are  reaping  the  fruits  of  their  own 
misdeeds.  Eliphaz's  theodicy  is  that  of  the  old-fashioned  school 
represented  by  the  author  of  Ps.  37.  It  is  not  very  tactfully  ex- 
pressed, however  :  Job's  longing  was  to  find  release  from  misery 
by  death  :  it  is  the  reward  of  the  righteous,  Eliphaz  begins, 
that  they  do  not  die  {i.e,  before  completing  the  full  tale  of  life). 

8.  Naughtiness\  \47ven  seems  to  denote  properly  what  is 
empty ^  disappointing^  valueless  \  and  it  is  used  in  different 
senses,  according  to  the  context.  Thus  it  denotes  {a)  calamity^ 
misfortune^  Am.  5^,  Bethel  shall  come  to  misfortune  (i.l^^p  HM^) ; 
Pr.  12^1  no  calamity  (f^^5)  will  happen  to  the  righteous;  22^  He 
that  soweth  unrighteousness  reapeth  misfortune ;  (d),  as  here, 
naught-y  conduct,  naughtiness^  a  term  of  disparagement  for 
wickedness,  as  Mic.  2^  Ah,  they  that  devise  naughtiness^  and 
work  evil  upon  their  beds;  Ps.  7^^  10^  36^-^  etc.,  and  often  in 
the  expression  |.1.^?  vVS,  Ps.  5^^^^  etc. ;  (c)  a  thijtg  of  nought^ 
especially  an  idol^  Is.  66^  He  that  burneth  incense  is  as  ( =  no 
better  than)  he  that  blesseth  a  thing  of  nought  (an  idol).  Zee.  lo^. 
For  the  figures,  expressing  significantly  how  the  consequence 
follows  inevitably  from  the  action,  cf.  Hos.  8^  lo^^  ^nd  Pr.  22^. 
—  Trouble^  ?^V,  the  word  explained  on  3^^.  The  meaning  of  the 
verse  is  thus  that  those  who  '*plow,"  ^dweii,  in  the  form  of 
"naughtiness,"  will  reap  it  in  the  form  of  ''misfortune,"  and 
that  those  who  "sow,"  'amal,  or  "travail,"  for  others  will 
reap  it  in  its  consequences  themselves. 

9.  The  verse  describes  what  the  "harvest"  implied  in  ^^is. 
The  underlying  figure  is  that  of  herbage,  withered  and  burned 


44  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [IV.  9-12. 

1^  The  roaring  of  the  Hon,  and  the  voice  of  the  loud  lion, 
And  the  teeth  of  the  young  lions  are  dashed  out. 

1^  The  stout  lion  perisheth  for  lack  of  prey, 

And  the  whelps  of  the  lioness  are  scattered  abroad. 

^2  But  to  me  was  a  word  brought  stealthily, 
And  mine  ear  received  a  whisper  from  it. 


up  by  a  hot  blast  blowing  up  from  the  desert,  with  which 
Yahweh's  breath  is  implicitly  compared.  Cf.  Hos.  13^^  ("the 
sirocco  shall  come,  the  breath  [or  'wind\  of  Yahwehy  coming  up 
from  the  wilderness,  and  his  spring  shall  become  dry,  and  his 
fountain  shall  be  dried  up  "),  Is.  40^^. 

lO-II.  Another  graphic  figure  describing  the  sudden  de- 
struction of  the  wicked  :  the  breaking-up  and  dispersion  of  a 
den  of  lions ;  the  lions,  powerful  and  terrible  as  they  were, 
have  their  strength  broken  by  a  sudden  blow;  the  old  lion 
perishes  for  lack  of  food,  and  the  cubs  are  dispersed.  Cf.  5^"^, 
where  the  actual  breaking-up  of  the  home  of  the  wicked  is 
described.  The  sudden  blow  is  described  in  ^^  by  the  perf. 
tense ;  the  ptcp.  and  impf.  in  ^^  describe  what  then  follows. 
Are  dashed  out  (same  word  as  Ps.  58^)  belongs  properly  only  to 
teeth ;  roaring  and  voice  are  connected  with  it  by  zeugma. 

12-21.  Let  Job  remember  that  no  man  can  be  pure  before 
God.  Eliphaz  has  insisted  that  no  righteous  man  perishes  in 
his  afflictions ;  but  the  question  still  remains.  What  is  the 
cause  of  Job's  afflictions?  This,  he  proceeds  to  impress  upon 
Job,  was  not  anything  peculiar  to  Job  himself:  it  was  the 
general  imperfection  of  all  created  beings,  which  Job  shares 
not  only  with  other  men,  but  even  with  angels,  the  highest 
and  purest  of  God's  creatures.  This  truth  he  places  before  Job 
with  delicacy  and  consideration :  it  had  been  impressed  upon 
him  by  a  voice  from  heaven,  coming  in  the  still  hours  of 
night :  Job  might  not  have  had  such  an  experience :  Eliphaz 
thus  at  once  excuses  Job,  and  also  instructs  him. 

12.  To  me]  The  words  are  emphatic:  they  contrast  what 
was  revealed  to  Eliphaz  personally  (cp.  15^^  22^2)  with  what 
Job  and  other  persons  might  have  learnt  from  ordinary  experi- 


IV.  12-14.]  ELIPHAZ  45 

^3  Amid  thoughts  (arising)  out  of  visions  of  the  night, 

When  deep  sleep  falleth  on  men, 
"  Fear  came  upon  me,  and  trembling. 

And  filled  my  bones  with  dread. 


ence. — A  whisper  from  ii\  **  His  ear  caught  it  all,  but  the  whole 
of  it  was  but  a  whisper"  (Da.). 

13-16.  How  the  truth  was  borne  in  upon  him  which  he 
desires  to  impress  upon  Job.  It  was  in  the  dead  of  night, 
when  all  around  were  in  deep  sleep.  His  mind  was  agitated 
by  perplexing  thoughts  arising  out  of  visions  of  the  night. 
Suddenly  a  great  terror  fell  upon  him ;  and  he  was  conscious 
of  a  breath,  or  cold  wind,  passing  before  him.  Then  he  seemed 
to  perceive  a  figure  standing  before  him,  too  dim,  however,  to 
be  discerned  distinctly,  from  which  came  forth  a  still  voice, 
which  said.  Can  a  mortal  be  just  before  God,  or  can  a  man  be 
pure  before  his  Maker  ? 

13.  Thoughts]  The  word  (D^SVb^,  20^!;  cf.  D^ajnt5^,  Ps.  9418 
139^^  t)  seems  to  denote  divided  (cf.  fiepfirjpL^co),  tangled,  per- 
plexing thoughts. — Deep  sleep]  33^^^  q^^  ^^i  1512^  i  S.  26^2^ 
Pr.  19^5^ 

14b.  Lit.  made  the  multitude  of  my  bones  to  fear ^  i.e,  my 
bones,  as  many  as  they  are  :  as  we  should  say,  my  whole  frame. 
The  bonesy  as  the  supporting  framework  of  the  body,  are  often 
in  Heb.  poetry  taken  as  representing  it;  and  affections,  and 
even  emotions,  pervading  or  affecting  strongly  a  man's  being, 
are  poetically  attributed  to  them,  or  conceived  as  operating  in 
them.  See,  for  instance,  Pr.  3^  (wisdom,  moisture  to  thy  bones), 
12*  (a  bad  wife,  rottenness  in  the  bones),  15^^  (D^y  jlS'in  nD^t3  ^V1Dt^'), 
1722  (D"13  K'n^n  nND3  mi);  in  prosperity  they  *' sprout,"  Is.  66^* 
(nDmen  Nl^'ia  DD'rilDVin) ;  in  sickness  or  trouble  they  are  parched 
up,  Jb.  30^^  Ps.  102*  (nn3  ipiDD  TIID^V),  cf.  Lam.  i^^  (5^^  rh^ 
TllDVya),  or  shrivelled,  Ps.  31IK10)  (ic's:'^  '•OJ^ITi),  or  wear  away, 
32^  ('•D^yii^a);  in  great  fear  **  rottenness "  enters  into  them 
(Hab.  3^^);  in  deep  emotion  they  are  dismayed,  Ps.  6^^^ 
(^»Vy  1^n33),  or  rejoice,  5110(8)  ^^^y^  ^^^^^  n:h^T\),  and  Ps.  3510  in 
the  praise  of  God  they  even  ''speak."  And  so  here  they 
*'fear"  (not  ''quake,"  EVV.). 


46  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [IV.  15-17. 

^^  And  a  breath  passed  before  my  face ; 

The  hair  of  my  flesh  bristled  up. 
^^  It  stood  still,  but  I  discerned  not  its  appearance ; 

(It  was)  a. form  before  mine  eyes: 

I  heard  a  still  voice  (saying), 
^'^  **  Can  a  mortal  be  just  before  God? 

Or  can  a  man  be  pure  before  his  Maker? 


15-16.  Notice  the  graphic  imperfects. 

15.  A  breatJi]  An  uncanny  breath,  or  cold  air,  the  symbol  of 
a  presence  which  he  could  not  discern,  seemed  to  pass  over 
him.  nn,  ''spirit,"  does  not  occur  in  the  OT.  in  the  sense  of 
an  apparition  (EVV.). 

16.  It  {i)\  the  mysterious  object  in  his  presence. — A  foT^ni] 
Heb.  r\y\'OT\  denoting  here  a  form,  the  presence  of  which  could 
be  felt,  though  its  appearance  or  contour  could  not  be  distinctly 
descried  :  cf.  of  the  intangible,  yet  quasi-sensual,  manifestation 
of  Yahweh  which  was  vouchsafed  to  Moses  (Nu.  12^),  and  to 
which  the  Psalmist  aspires  to  be  admitted  (Ps.  lyi^^i*)) ;  and  see 
Dr.  on  Dt.  4^2, — ^  still  voice]  Lit.  stillness  and  a  voice — a  hen- 
diadys  =  fl  still  low  voice,  Cf.  i  K.  19^2  p,p-|  -jddT  S"^,  ^Hhe 
sound  {ox  a  voice)  of  thin  stillness''^  =  **  a  still,  small  voice." 

17-21.  The  contents  of  the  revelation.  V.^^  states  the 
revelation  itself;  ^^"^i  gives  the  proof  of  it.  With  ^^~^^  com- 
pare i5i*-i6  (Eliphaz),  25*"^  (Bildad),  where  the  argument  and 
largely  also  the  expressions  are  similar. 

17.  Just  before  God\  see  phil.  n.  The  grammatically  possible 
alternative  rendering  "more  just  than  God"  (EV.)  is  unsuit- 
able, and  whatever  may  be  the  case  in  32^  (Elihu)  was  not 
intended  here,  as  ^^  shows.  Before  God  and  before  his  Maker 
are  emphatic :  men  might  judge  a  man  just  and  pure,  not  so 
God,  who  finds  even  angels  imperfect,  and,  a  fortiori^  men. 
For  Job's  attitude  to  the  subject  of  this  revelation,  see  9^.  It 
is  noticeable  that  Eliphaz  even  here  rather  implies  an  Identi- 
fication of  omnipotence  and  absolute  moral  purity;  God  is 
omnipotent  and  all-just  (^^) ;  the  angels,  as  His  servants,  are 
inferior  to  Him  in  power  and  in  liability  to  error  {^^) ;  men 
subject  to  the  frailties  of  the  body  and  the  transltoriness  ol 


IV.  17-21.]  ELIPHAZ  4Jr 

^8  **  Behold,  in  his  servants  he  putteth  no  trust; 

And  his  angels  he  chargeth  with  error : 
1^  How  much  more  them  that  dwell  in  houses  of  clay, 

Whose  foundation  is  in  the  dust. 
They  are  crushed  before  the  moth  ; 

20  Betwixt  morning  and  evening  they  are  beaten  to  pieces. 
Without  any  heeding,  they  perish  for  ever. 

21  If  their  (tent-)  cord  is  plucked  up  within  them, 

Do  they  not  die,  and  that  without  wisdom  ?  " 


human  life  are  by  far  inferior  to  the  angels  in  power,  and  in 
moral  standing  before  God  (^^). 

18.  Hzs  servants]  t\e.  (cp.  ^)  His  heavenly  attendants. — 
Error]  or,  changing  a  letter, /(?//)/ ;  see  phil.  n. 

19.  Houses  of  clay]  bodies  made  of  clay  (cp.  10^  33^),  or 
dust  (Gn.  2^  3^^  I  Cor.  15*^  Ik  775?,  ;\;otAf09).  For  the  fig. 
**  houses,"  cp.  2  Cor.  5^  r]  eiTL'yeLO^  ^ficov  oUla  tov  (Tktjvov^i 
Wis.  9^  TO  7eaj5e9  a-Krjvo^ :  2  P.  i^^  -q  air66eai<i  tov  (JKtjvcofiaro^ 
fiov. —  Whose  foundations^  etc.]  their  very  foundation  is  of  the 
earth  ;  they  are  derived  from  earth,  and  limited  to  earth.  And 
that  being  so,  they  are  the  more  fragile  and  destructible.  For 
**  foundations"  as  a  figure  for  the  *' conditions  of  existence" 
(Bu.),  cp.  22^6  (Eliphaz)  and  Pr.  io25. 

19c,  20a.  These  lines  are  obvious  parallels  (cp.  FormSy  70 ; 
cp.  66  f.)  forming  together  a  distich,  which  expresses  the  frailty 
and,  hyperbolically,  the  brevity  of  human  life :  man  is  the 
creature  of  a  day,  dying  more  quickly  and  easily  than  such  a 
fragile  insect  as  the  moth  i^^^\  cp.  Is.  51^),  born  in  the  morning 
and  dead  before  nightfall  (20*;  cp.  Is.  3812,  Ps.  go^f-).  The 
verbs,  expressing  man's  destruction,  appear  to  be  chosen  with 
reference  to  the  clay  houses  of  their  bodies  (^^) ;  it  is  true  that 
the  first  (D1^<^^^)  is  elsewhere  used  metaphorically  (Lex.)^  but 
here  it  seems  to  be  literal :  they  are  crushed  or  pulverized  back 
into  the  fine  dust  (SD^,  Ps.  90^)  from  which  they  were  made 
(Gn.  3^^,  Qoh.  12^),  beaten  to  pieces  or  reduced  to  fragments 
(in^"' :  of  a  potter's  vessel.  Is.  30^*). 

20b,  21.  Scarcely  a  tristich ;  but  whether  apparently  so,  or 
an  isolated  stichos  and  distich,  the  form  is  suspicious  and  the 


48  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [IV.  21-V.  1. 

V.  ^  Call  now ;  is  there  any  that  will  answer  thee  ? 
And  to  which  of  the  holy  ones  wilt  thou  turn  ? 


text  contains  some  questionable  features  (see  phil.  n.). —  With" 
out  any  heeding\  if  the  text  is  correct,  this  should  mean :  so 
insignificant  are  they  no  one  notices  them,  or  cares  for  their 
ate. 

21.  If  the  text  is  correct,  the  end  of  life  is  compared  to  the 
collapse  of  a  tent  as  soon  as  the  cord  holding  it  in  its  place  is 
plucked  up ;  if  the  figure  be  pressed,  the  body  will  correspond 
to  the  tent  (cp.  Is.  38^2  <<my  habitation  (m)— fig.  for  my  body 
— is  plucked  upy  and  carried  away  from  me  like  a  shepherd's 
tent "),  and  the  life  to  the  cord.  The  v.  emphasises  the  quick- 
ness and  completeness  of  man's  end.  Elsewhere  the  end  of 
life  is  represented  by  the  figure  of  cutting  off  a  thread  (6^ 
Is.  38^2bj,  Qj.  cutting  the  cord  which  suspends  a  lamp  (Qoh.  12^). 
— And  that  without  wisdom]  Eliphaz  has  pointed  out  the  physical 
imperfections  of  human  nature ;  here  he  reverts  to  the  point 
/i7-i9aj  which  the  thought  of  these  is  intended  to  lead  up  to, 
viz.  its  moral  imperfection ;  men  die  without  having  attained 
wisdom,  i.e,  without  having  realized  the  moral  limitations  of 
human  nature,  without  having  perceived  —  as  Job,  for  in- 
stance, has  not  perceived — that  no  man  (i^)  can  be  morally 
perfect. 

V.  1-7.  Since  no  man  can  be  just  before  God,  it  is  only 
the  foolish  who  resent  God's  dealings  with  them,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, bring  upon  themselves  disaster. 

I.  Call  now,  is  there  any,  etc.]  *'The  imperative  is  not 
ironical,  but  merely  a  very  animated  way  of  putting  a  supposi- 
tion :  if  thou  appeal  then  against  God,  is  there  any  that  will 
hear  thee  or  aid  thee?"  (Da.). — Holy  ones]  angels:  so  15^^ 
(Eliphaz) ;  also  Zee.  146,  Ps.  896- »,  Dn.  410- 1^.  20  313,  Ecclus.  42^^ 
En.  i^  (and  very  often  :  see  Charles,  n.  ad  loc).  The  heavenly 
beings  are  so  termed,  not  on  account  of  moral  perfection 
(ct.  4^^),  but  of  their  proximity  to  God.  The  v.  appears  to 
indicate  that  the  writer  was  familiar  with  the  custom  of  seeking 
the  intercession  of  angels  (cp. ,  perhaps,  332^,  Elihu).  The  germ 
of  this  custom,  though  not  the  custom  itself,  may  be  found  in 


V.  1-2.]  ELIPHAZ  49 

2  (Nay) ;  for  it  is  the  foolish  man,  whom  vexation  killeth, 
And  the  silly  one  whom  jealousy  slayeth. 


Zee.  i^^,  where  the  angel  of  Yahweh,  voluntarily  and  unsought 
by  man,  intercedes  with  God  on  behalf  of  Jerusalem.  Later, 
Raphael  is  represented  as  bringing  the  **memorial  of  the  prayer" 
of  Tobit  and  Sara  before  God  (Tob.  1212),  and  (Tob.  12^^  (&^^)  as 
one  of  the  seven  angels  who  present  the  prayers  of  the  saints  ; 
**the  holy  ones  of  heaven"  are  besought  by  the  souls  of  the 
righteous  dead  to  bring  their  cause  before  God  (En.  9^-  ^®) ;  and 
in  En.  15^  it  is  implied  that  angels  are  the  natural  intercessors 
for  men :  see,  further,  on  this  doctrine  between  200  B.C.  and  100 
A.D.,  Charles's  n.  on  Test.  Levi  3^.  Though  the  doctrine  of 
angelic  intercession  found  here  is  different  from,  and  presum- 
ably a  later  development  than,  that  of  Zee.  i^^  ^^jg  b.c.),  and 
finds  no  clear  and  exact  parallel  earlier  than  Enoch  (2nd  cent. 
B.C.),  it  is  scarcely  necessary  on  this  ground  to  treat  the  v.  as 
a  marginal  comment  on  4^^  that  subsequently  found  its  place 
here  (Du.);  and  if  the  connection  between  4^^  and  5^  is  not 
altogether  obvious,  neither  would  that  between  4^1  and  5^ 
be  closer  (see  Peake's  criticism  of  Du.) ;  for,  as  Bu.  and  Peake 
point  out,  4^1  speaks  of  the  common  lot  of  frail  man ;  52^-  of 
the  destruction  of  fools  in  particular.  And,  again,  5^  may 
stand  related  to  5^ :  let  not  Job  appeal  to  the  angels,  thereby 
manifesting  the  irritation  of  the  foolish ;  but  let  him  turn  in 
the  right  temper  to  God  Himself. 

2.  Since  no  man  can  be  just  before  God,  it  is  foolish,  and 
indeed  fatal,  to  cherish  vexation  or  resentment  at  misfortune. — 
Vexah'on]  J^V?  (DV?)  means  always  the  feeling  of  chagrin  aroused 
by  treatment  regarded  (rightly  or  wrongly)  as  unmerited.  Only 
the  foolish  man  displays  it  under  misfortune.  Cf.  especially 
Pr.  12^^  **  As  for  the  fool,  his  vexation  is  made  known  presently." 
— Killeth  II  slayeth]  viz.,  by  causing  them  to  murmur  at  their 
lot,  and  so  bring  upon  themselves  further  calamities. — The  silly 
one]  nriD :  cp.  nns  HDV,  a  silly  dove,  Hos.  7^^.  The  term  is  akin 
to  the  more  frequent  TlQ,  the  simple,  credulous  (Pr.  14^^)  man ; 
see  Toy  on  Pr.  i^^^,— Jealousy']  nK3p  is  parallel  to  b^v^*  vexation^ 
as  are  the  corresponding  vbs.  in  Dt.  32^^'  21.  The  word  is  here 
4 


50  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [V.  2-4. 

3  /  have  seen  the  foolish  taking  root ; 

But  his  habitation  ^  was  cursed  1  suddenly. 
^  Far  now  are  his  children  from  safety, 

And  they  are  crushed  in  the  gate  with  none  to  deliver 

them. 


almost  equal  to  passion^  passionate  anger-,  cp.  Pr.  14^"^,  Is.  42^^ 
(a  warrior's  passion). 

3-5.  Eliphaz  cites  an  instance  from  his  own  experience 
(see  4^)  confirming  the  truth  stated  in  ^i  he  saw  a  *' foolish" 
man  prospering  for  a  time,  but  suddenly  overtaken  by  mis- 
fortune.— Taking  root]  The  fig.  is  that  of  a  tree,  which  is 
common  in  Job  (8^^'-  i^^'^  15^'  18^'  19''  24^0  2g^^).— Was 
cursed,  etc.]  ^  I  cursed \  his  habitation  having  been  ruined,  I 
suddenly  cursed  it  as  the  abode  of  one  who  had  been  a  sinner 
(cf.  Ps.  37^^'-  I  passed  by  it,  and,  lo,  it  was  gone,  etc.).  But 
"  suddenly  "  goes  badly  with  ''  I  cursed  "  :  what  we  expect  is 
a  verb,  stating  directly  what  happened  to  the  habitation,  as,  e.g,, 
that  the  curse  of  God  fell  on  it :  others,  emending  differently, 
render  ''was  worm-eaten,"  or  *' was  emptied  out,"  or  "was 
laid  waste"  (see  phil.  n.). — Habitation  i^)}^\  properly  a  pastoral 
term,  meaning  a  homestead,  or  abode  of  shepherds  and  flocks 
(Is.  65^^  Jer.  23^),  but  often  used  in  poetry  of  a  habitation  in 
general  (as  Pr.  3^^,  Is.  3320). 

4.  The  effects  of  the  disaster  upon  his  family :  deprived  of 
their  protector,  his  children  are  helpless,  and  cannot  get  their 
just  rights.  In  the  mention  of  the  fate  of  the  foolish  man's 
house  and  family,  there  is  an  indirect  glance  at  what  has  hap- 
pened to  Job  himself  (i^^-i^).  The  ''gate"  (or  rather  "gateway," 
— a  passage  of  some  length  with  seats  on  both  sides)  of  an 
Eastern  city  was  the  place  where  justice  was  often  administered; 
see,  e.g.,  c.  31^^  Dt.  25^,  Am.  5^^  Is.  29^1,  Ps.  127^  (where  a 
man  with  a  number  of  stalwart  sons  to  support  him  can 
"  speak  "  successfully  "with  his  enemies  in  the  gate  ").  With 
are  crushed,  comp.  Pr.  22^2  *<  Rob  not  the  poor  because  he  is 
poor;  and  crush  not  the  afflicted  in  the  gate.''''  On  this  v. 
Wetzstein  remarks  {ap.  Del.^  p.  84),  "What  a  Semite  dreads 
more  than  anything  is  the  desolation  of  his  family,  so  that  its 


V.  4-6.]  '  ELIPHAZ  5 1 

^  That  which  T  they  have  reaped  1  the  hungry  eateth, 
And  r  their  sheaf  the  poor  taketh  1  (?), 
And  ^  the  thirsty  draweth  from  their  well  ^  (?). 

^  For  affliction  cometh  not  forth  from  the  dust, 
Neither  doth  travail  spring  out  of  the  ground  ; 


members  all  perish  or  come  to  misery,  his  home  is  laid  waste, 
and  its  ruins  become  a  proverb  for  future  generations."  This 
feeling  is  particularly  strong  among  the  Bedawin,  although 
naturally  in  their  case  there  can  be  no  question  of  the  traces 
left  by  their  hair-tents. 

5.  The  fate  of  the  foolish  man's  possessions :  with  none  to 
protect  them,  his  crops  become  the  prey  of  the  hungry  Bedawi 
plunderer.  Literally  rendered,  5^  reads:  whose  (sing.)  harvest 
the  hungry  eateth,  and  unto  from  (szc)  thorns  he  taketh  it, 
and  the  snare  is  eager  for  their  substance.  Some  of  this  is 
impossible,  more  improbable  (see  phil.  n.).  Alternative  emen- 
dations of  ^  give :  And  the  thirsty  drinketh  their  milk  (or,  their 
wine).  If,  as  is  probable,  '*  thirsty  "  is  correctly  restored  in  ^, 
^  which  would  then  separate  the  more  immediate  parallels 
''hungry"  and  ''thirsty"  may  well  be  intrusive  and  respon- 
sible for  an  original  distich  becoming  a  tristich. 

6-7.  Eliphaz  justifies  ("For")  his  position,  that  it  is  foolish 
to  complain  of  misfortune,  by  the  principle  that  travail  (3^^  n.) 
and  affliction  (fi&?,  4^  n.)  do  not  spring  out  of  the  earth  like 
weeds,  are  not  something  external  to  man,  which  might  come 
upon  him  undeservedly,  but  result  from  causes  inherent  in 
human  nature :  Job  ought  not,  therefore,  to  be  surprised  if  he 
has  to  experience  them.  Eliphaz,  as  before  (4^^"^^),  seeks  to 
make  it  easy  for  Job  to  reconcile  himself  to  his  position,  by 
showing  him  that  his  case  is  no  exceptional  one,  but  merely 
the  exemplification  of  a  general  law :  there  is  nothing  strange  in 
his  suffering  affliction ;  for  it  is  natural  to  man  so  to  do. 

6.  Cometh  for^h]  of  vegetable  growth,  as  14231^0,  Dt.  14^2, 
Is.  w^.—The  dust\  the  soil:  so  S^^  (n.).  "The  dust"  and 
"the  ground,"  like  "the  dust"  and  "the  earth"  in  14^,  and 
like  the  vbs.  in  both  lines,  here  simply  belong  to  the  fig.  of 
vegetable  growth :   and  it  is  a  mistake,  therefore,  to  detect  in 


52  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [V.  6-16. 

^  But  man  is  born  unto  travail, 
As  sparks  fly  upwards. 


**from  the  dust"  an  implied  contrast  to  **from  on  high" 
(Peake). — Spring  out]  nov  is  used  regularly  of  trees,  vegeta- 
tion, etc.,  growing  up  from  the  ground:  cp.  Gn.  2^  41^. 

7.  Is  bom  unto  trouble^  etc.]  **  It  is  as  natural  for  man  to 
experience  misfortune  as  it  is  for  sparks  (see  phil.  n.)  to  fly 
upwards.  If  pressed,  Eliphaz  would  have  said  that  man  did 
not  merely  fall  into  misfortune,  but  brought  misfortune  upon 
himself  by  following  the  impulses  of  his  evil  nature ;  but  in  his 
first  speech  he  keeps  the  question  of  Job's  sin  in  the  back- 
ground, and  alludes  to  it  as  lightly  and  indirectly  as  possible  " 
(Dr.).  This  interpretation  (see  also  on  ^-^i  and  cp.  Di.  al.) 
has  appeared  to  some  to  labour  under  difficulties  either  in 
itself,  or  as  an  interpretation  of  an  original  part  of  Eliphaz's 
speech.  To  avoid  what  appears  to  them  inconsistency  with 
other  parts  of  Eliphaz's  speech,  We.  (Jahrb.f.  deutsche  Theologie^ 
xvi.  557),  Sgf.  Be.  Du.  om.  vv.^*  ^.  Bu.  finds  the  sense  almost 
identical  with  that  of  4^ — that  man  is  actively  responsible  for 
his  own  misfortune;  and,  pointing  the  vb.  in  ^*  as  a  Hif., 
renders  :  But  man  begets  travail.  Du.  urges  that  ^  Is  pointless, 
since  Job  has  not  urged  the  contrary,  and,  taken  affirmatively, 
inconsistent  with  Eliphaz's  position  in  4^**- ;  nor  is  It  probable 
that  ^  should  be  taken  interrogatively :  torn,  as  they  are,  from 
their  context  the  vv.  remain  obscure.  Peake,  not  perhaps  with- 
out reason,  questions  whether  **not  from  the  dust "  in  ^  really 
means  not  without  a  cause,  and  hazards  the  suggestion  that  ^ 
may  originally  have  affirmed  what  it  now  denies  (cp.  Richter, 
who  proposes  '^x\  for  ^  "^a),  and  that  the  meaning  was  :  man  Is 
doomed  to  travail  by  the  conditions  of  his  earthly  life,  but  (v.^^) 
the  angels  escape,  since  they  soar  high  above  the  earth.  But 
the  assumption  that  **sons  of  flame"  mean  not  **  sparks" 
but  **  angels  "  (ST  demons)^  is  precarious. 

8-16.  Were  Eliphaz  In  Job's  place,  he  would  betake  himself 
to  God,  who  in  His  rule  of  the  world  is  guided  uniformly  by 
purposes  of  good  i^^~^^)y  and  who,  even  when  He  sends  chastise- 
ments, designs  them  as  a  blessing  (^^"^^j. 


V.  8-12.]  ELIPHAZ  53 

*  But  as  for  me,  I  would  seek  unto  God, 

And  unto  God  would  I  lay  out  my  cause : 

•  Who  doeth  great  things  and  unsearchable, 

Marvellous  things  without  number : 
^®  Who  giveth  rain  upon  the  earth, 

And  sendeth  waters  upon  the  fields : 
^^  r  Who  1  setteth  up  on  high  those  that  be  low ; 

And  they  which  mourn  are  exalted  to  safety. 


8.  Bu^]  In  the  Heb.  a  strong  adversative  (2^),  marking  a 
contrast  with  the  behaviour  described  in  i-  2. — Seek  unto  God]  as 
an  inquirer  (Is.  8^^  ii^^  al.),  asking  humbly  for  help  and 
guidance. 

9-16.  A  description  of  the  wonderful  power  and  operation 
of  God,  intended  to  show  why  Job  should  lay  his  case  before 
Him.  God  is  wonderful  in  power  and  goodness,  both  generally 
(^),  and  in  particular  in  fertilizing  the  thirsty  earth  (^*^),  and  in 
adjusting  the  many  inequalities  of  society,  in  encouraging  and 
lifting  up  those  that  are  abased,  and  in  defeating  the  malicious 
devices  of  the  crafty,  and  rescuing  the  needy  from  their  clutches 

(U-16). 

9.  Cf.  9^^  (almost  the  same  words). 

10.  An  example  at  once  of  God's  power  and  of  His  benevo- 
lence :  He  supplies  the  thirsty  earth  with  rain  and  streams  of 
water.     Cf.  Ps.  147*;  and  (for  ^)  104^^ 

II-16.  In  the  moral  sphere,  God's  providence  acts  by  raising 
up  and  helping  the  lowly  and  the  mourners,  and  by  rescuing 
the  poor  from  the  devices  of  the  crafty. 

Iia.  Cf.  I  S.  2^,  Ps.  113^'*.  He  secures  the  mourner 
against  the  avarice  of  hard-hearted  oppressors :  cf.  2  K.  4^. 
The  Heb.  word  (mp)  does  not  denote  a  state  of  mind  (sorrowing 
or  grieving),  but  (meaning  properly  to  be  dirty)  has  reference 
to  the  squalid  person  and  dark  attire  (head  sprinkled  with 
ashes,  sackcloth,  etc.)  of  a  mourner  in  the  East:  cf.  2  S.  13^^, 
Est.  4I. 

12  f.  He  frustrates  the  malicious  devices  of  the  crafty,  who 
scheme,  for  instance,  to  benefit  themselves  at  the  expense  of 
the  innocent  or  the  poor  (cf.  Mic.  3^-^  7^,  Is.  32^  etc.). 


54  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [V.  12-15. 

^2  Who  frustrateth  the  devices  of  the  crafty, 

So  that  their  hands  cannot  carry  out  sound  counsel. 
^^  Who  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness ; 

And  the  counsel  of  the  tortuous  is  carried  headlong. 
1^  In  the  daytime  they  meet  with  darkness, 

And  as  in  the  night  they  grope  at  noonday. 
1^  But  he  saveth  ^  the  fatherless^    from  their  sword, 

And  the  needy  from  the  hand  of  the  mighty. 


12.  Frustrate\Q.{,  Ps.  33^^*,  Is.  44^^. — Carry  out  sound  counsel] 
or,  perhaps,  achieve  success:  see  phil.  n. 

13.  Taketh]  as  in  a  net  or  trap,  Am.  3*-  5,  Ps.  35^  (the  same 
word). — In  their  own  craftiness]  It  becomes  the  means  by 
which  they  are  themselves  ruined  (cf.  Ps.  7^^  57^  ^^^  Pr.  26^7  28^^). 
— The  tortuous]  i.e.  men  who  pursue  tortuous  or  crooked  ways 
to  attain  their  ends.  Cf.  Pr.  8^  **  there  is  nothing  tortuous  or 
crooked  in  them"  {^^yi\  i^riDJ  Dna  r5<) ;  Ps.  i827  ''With  the 
crooked  thou  showest  thyself  tortuous  "  p^snri  t^'i5y  Dy) ;  Dt.  32^ 
pjnpnp  C^'ijjy  "ih, — Is  carried  headlong]  Lit.  haste?ted  [unduly),  i.e. 
precipitated  before  it  is  ripe,  and  so  frustrated,  ^^a  jg  ^j^e  only 
passage  of  Job  quoted  in  the  NT.  (i  Cor.  3^^  o  Spaa-aofjLevo'; 
Tov?  a-o(j>ov<;  iv  rfj  Travovpryia  avrojv).  (&  has  0  KaraXa/ji^dvcov 
aocfiov<;  iv  ^povrjaei  (A  +  avTOiv) :  St.  Paul  must,  therefore, 
have  either  translated  himself  from  the  Hebrew  or  used  some 
version  of  the  OT.  other  than  (&.  For  the  implicit  criticism  of 
''the  wise,"  cp.  372*. 

14.  The  perplexity  and  bewilderment  of  those  whom  God 
thus  thwarts.  They  are  like  blind  people  groping  about  in  the 
bright  day.  For  the  thought,  cf.  I224f-,  i^  igisf. ;  for  the 
figure,  1225%  Dt.  2829,  Is.  59I0. 

15  f.  And  so  the  poor,  whose  ruin  these  **  crafty"  ones  had 
been  contriving,  are  .delivered  from  their  clutches,  and  evil, 
abashed,  is  obliged  to  stop  her  mouth. 

15.  Lit.  f^  reads  :  "  So  he  saveth  from  the  sword  from  their 
mouth.  And  from  the  hand  of  the  mighty  the  needy."  The 
imperfectly  balanced  parallelism  shows  that  there  must  be 
some  error  in  the  text.  The  error  cannot  be  certainly  corrected 
(see  phil.  n.) ;  but  the  general  sense  is  clear. 


V.  16-19.]  ELIPHAZ  55 

^^  So  the  poor  hath  hope, 

And  unrighteousness  stoppeth  her  mouth. 
^^  Behold,  happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth : 

And  despise  thou  not  the  chastening  of  the  Almighty. 
^^  For  he  maketh  sore,  and  bindeth  up ; 

He  woundeth,  and  his  hands  heal 
^^  In  six  troubles  he  will  deliver  thee ; 

And  in  seven  no  evil  will  touch  thee. 


l6b.  Cp.  Ps.  loy'^^b  -,,pj  -i^.pjp  n^^V'i'31-  These  verses  place 
before  us  a  strange  picture  of  the  social  customs  of  the  time. 
But  the  prophets  and  the  Psalms  fully  corroborate  it.  Then, 
as  nov/,  in  the  East,  men  of  any  wealth  or  position,  landowners, 
government  officials,  tradesmen,  money-lenders,  etc.,  leave  no 
stone  unturned  to  aggrandize  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the 
defenceless  and  the  unfortunate. 

17-26.  And  so  there  is  a  purpose  in  Job's  afflictions :  they 
are  designed  to  end  in  more  abundant  blessing ;  and  Eliphaz 
draws  an  idyllic  and  engaging  picture  of  the  happiness  awaiting 
Job,  if  he  will  but  receive  God's  chastisement  aright.  The 
passage  is  a  beautiful  and  striking  one,  admirably  adapted  to 
move  one  differently  circumstanced  from  Job  to  penitence  and 
submission.  But  Job  has  not  sinned ;  and,  naturally,  Eliphaz's 
argument  makes  no  impression  upon  him. 

17.  Eliphaz  begins  by  applying  to  Job  the  maxim  of  Pr.  3^^-  ^* 
(quoted  Heb.  \2^-^)^  ''^Despise  not^  my  son,  the  chastening  of 
Yahweh,  and  spurn  not  His  reproof;  for  whom  Yahweh  loveth 
He  correcteth ;  and  (treateth)  as  a  father  (or,  with  ffi  (cf.  ^^^  here), 
and  maketh  sore ^  or  paineth)  the  son  in  whom  He  delighteth." 

18.  For  He  does  not  make  sore  only,  He  also  heals. 
"God's  drastic  surgery  is  for  the  sufferer's  higher  good,  and 
the  hand  that  uses  the  knife  without  flinching  is  also  the  gentle 
hand  that  tenderly  binds  up  the  wound"  (Pe.).  Cf.  Hos.  6^, 
Dt.  3239;  also  Is.  3o26b. 

19  ff.  An  eloqent  enumeration  of  the  blessings  which  Job 
may  expect,  if  he  but  follows  Eliphaz's  advice. 

19.  Out  of  all  troubles  and  dangers,  however  numerous 
they   may  be,    he   will   be   delivered. — Six  .  .  .  seven]   is  an 


56  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [V.  19-21. 

20  In  famine  he  will  redeem  thee  from  death ; 

And  in  war  from  the  power  of  the  sword. 

21  r  From  1  the  scourge  of  the  tongue  thou  shalt  be  hid ; 

Neither  shalt  thou  be  afraid  of  T  desolation  ^  when  it 

Cometh. 


example  of  the  **  ascending  numeration,"  of  which  there  are  a 
good  many  cases  in  the  OT.  The  meaning  is,  that  six  would 
be  a  large  number,  but  it  is  increased  to  seven.  So  in  other 
cases :  a  number  which  would  be  complete  or  sufficient  by 
itself  is  increased — or,  if  it  denotes  a  sin,  for  instance,  is 
aggravated — by  a  unit  (cp.  G-K.  134^).  For  six  and  seven  (as 
here)  see  Pr.  6^*,  where  seven  instances  are  given  in  the  follow- 
ing vv.^^^"^^^;  so  with  nine  and  ten  in  Sir.  25^;  two  and  three^ 
Sir.  50^;  three  a,nd /our^  Pr.  30^^.  In  other  cases,  even  when 
instances  follow,  they  are  not  made  to  equal  either  of  the 
numbers  previously  mentioned  (so  Am.  i^~^^).  Here,  in  vv.^^"^^, 
there  is  some  appearance  of  the  mention  of  seven  distresses : 
viz.  famine,  2^*;  war,  ^^^;  slander,  ^la;  destruction,  ^i^;  destruc- 
tion and  dearth,  22a.  ^jj^^  beasts,  ^^^.  But  if  precisely  seven 
instances  were  intended,  the  text  must  have  suffered ;  for  two 
of  the  instances,  at  least  in  JH,  are  identical,  viz.,  destruction, 
21b  (-iicjf)  and  22*  (l^) ;  and  famine  and  dearth  are  practically 
identical.  Perhaps,  however,  in  any  case,  one  occurrence  of 
'*  destruction  "  should  be  removed  by  reading  for  l)^  in  ^^  riNIt^, 
desolation  (Dr.),  or  ItJ',  a  demon  (Hoflfm.),  in  which  latter  case 
we  might  perhaps  compare  Ps.  91^.  Seven  instances  were 
certainly  not  given  by  the  writer,  though  they  may  have  been 
intended  by  the  interpolator,  if  Be.  Bu.  Du.  are  right  in 
regarding  22  as  interpolated,  partly  on  the  ground  of  the 
repetition  of  destruction  and  the  virtual  repetition  of  hunger, 
partly  on  the  ground  that  ^^  is  more  forcible  if  not  anticipated 
by  22b. 

20.  In  famine  and  war — those  scourges  of  the  ancient  East 
— his  life  will  be  secure. 

21.  The  scourge  of  the  tongtce]  I.e.  slander,  calumny.  Cf. 
for  the  figure,  Jer.  18^^  **  Come,  let  us  smite  him  (Jer.)  with  the 
tongue"     "Slander"  is  a  rather  special  ''distress"  as  com- 


V.  21-24.]  ELIPHAZ  57 

22  At  destruction  and  dearth  thou  shalt  laugh ; 

And  of  the  beasts  of  the  earth  be  thou  not  afraid. 

23  For  thou  shalt  be  in  league  with  the  stones  of  the  field ; 

And  the  beasts  of  the  field  shall  be  at  peace  with  thee. 


pared  with  the  others  instanced.  Du.  suggests  that  '*  pesti- 
lence," perhaps  "13*1,  the  only  one  of  the  four  sore  judgments 
mentioned  in  Ezk.  1421  and  not  mentioned  here,  may  once  have, 
been  mentioned  instead  of  the  tongue ;  Ehrlich  suggests  that 
tongue  stands  for  tongue  (of  fire). 

22.  The  beasts  of  the  earth\  Wild  beasts  were  much  dreaded 
in  Palestine  in  ancient  times,  especially  if  the  country  was 
depleted  of  its  population  (e.g.  2  K.  172^).  They  form  one  of 
Ezekiel's  *' four  sore  judgments  ":  '*  the  sword,  famine,  noisome 
beasts,  and  pestilence"  (142^). 

23.  Poetical  figures,  implying  that  stones  will  not  accumulate 
to  mar  the  fields,  nor  wild  beasts  attack  the  folds  or  trample 
down  the  crops.  Job's  flocks  and  herds,  and  his  harvests,  will 
thus  be  both  plentiful  and  secure ;  cf.  Hos.  ^^  ^^^^  (where 
covenant  represents  the  same  Heb.  word  as  ** league"  here). 
The  text  scarcely  requires  emendation ;  otherwise  an  old 
suggestion  of  Rashi's,  recently  revised  by  Kohler  (Archt'v  fur 
Religionswissensch.y  19 10,  75  ff-)  and  Be.  (ZATWy  191 5,  63  f.), 
would  be  attractive  :  for  stones  ("'33N)  of  the  field  they  substitute 
elfsy  or  gnomes  (•'33  or  ^ns),  impish  beings  which,  according  to 
widespread  folklore,  may  be  as  injurious  as  wild  beasts  to 
agricultural  prosperity;  the  parallel  to  **  beasts  of  the  field"  in 
^  would  be  admirable.  For  the  term  sonSy  or  lords^  of  the  fields 
which  on  this  hypothesis  would  be  applied  to  them,  cp.  the 
Arabic  'ahlu^Vard^  people  of  the  land  {see,  e.g..  Doughty,  Arabia 
Deserta,  i.  136).  Be.  suggests  that  these  elfs  may  be  com- 
panions or  doubles  of  the  sfirim  (EV.  **  satyrs":  see  EBi, 
S.V.),  The  emendations  of  Ehrlich  (sling-)stones  of  the  devastator 
('M^)i  and  Kichtev,  fatnesses  ("'3DEJ'),  may  be  dismissed. 

24-26.  His  homestead  will  be  prosperous,  his  offspring 
numerous,  and  he  himself  will  be  gathered  to  his  fathers  in  a 
ripe  and  vigorous  old  age. 

24.  Know]  His  knowledge  of  his  security  will  be  the  climax 


58  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [V.  24-VI.  VII. 

2*  And  thou  shalt  know  that  thy  tent  is  in  peace ; 

And  thou  shalt  visit  thy  homestead,  and  shalt  miss 

nothing-. 

25  Thou  shalt  know  also  that  thy  seed  shall  be  great, 

And  thine  offspring  as  the  herbage  of  the  earth. 

26  Thou  shalt  come  to  thy  grave  in  firm  strength  (?), 

As  a  shock  of  corn  cometh  up  in  its  season. 

27  Lo  this,  we  have  searched  it  out,  so  it  is  ; 

^  We  have  ^  hear(d)  it,  and  note  ^/lou  it  for  thyself. 
VI.  ^  And  Job  answered  and  said. 


of  his  happiness. —  Visi^]  or,  inspect^  to  see  that  all  is  right. 
So,  e.g.^  Jer.  23^;  of  a  shepherd  inspecting  his  sheep. — Shalt 
miss  nothing\  Nothing  will  have  been  stolen ;  no  animal  will 
have  strayed  away,  or  been  devoured  by  a  wild  beast. 

25.  His  offspring  will  be  numerous.  His  lost  children  (c.  i) 
will  thus  be  replaced. — As  the  herbage  of  the  earth]  For  the 
comparison,  cf.  Ps.  72^^,  they  shall  blossom  out  of  the  city  like 
the  herbage  of  the  earth. 

26.  In  firm  strength]  see  phil.  n. — Cometh  up]  to  the  thresh- 
ing-floor (which  was  usually  situated  on  an  elevation,  that  the 
wind  might  blow  the  chaff  away). 

27.  This,  then,  is  what  we  have  **  sought  out"  [i.e.  arrived 
at  as  the  result  of  meditating  on  our  experience) ;  as  we  have 
thought  it  out,  do  thou  take  good  note  of  it.  Our  conclusion 
has  not  been  arrived  at  suddenly,  and  is  worthy  therefore  o\ 
thy  attention. 

VI.  VII.  Job's  reply  to  Eliphaz's  first  speech.— Address- 
ing first  the  friends  (62-*^^:  note  the  pi.  in  62^29j  rather  than  Eliphaz 
alone,  Job  defends  the  language  of  his  previous  speech  (c.  3), 
for  which  Eliphaz  had  rebuked  him,  on  the  ground  of  his 
sufferings  (2"^),  and  reiterates  his  desire  to  die  (S-io) ;  for  why 
should  he  live,  being  without  hope  (^^~^^),  and  without  help  or 
sympathy  from  his  friends  in  the  hour  of  his  need  (i4-23j  p  j|jg 
friends  rather  have  become  his  covert  accusers  :  if  they  must 
accuse,  let  them  at  least  do  so  openly  (2*-^*^).  Though  innocent, 
his  lot  is  hard — as  is  human  life  in  general  (7^^-)— and  pitiable : 
for  he  is  racked  with  disease,  without  hope  in  this  brief  life  or 


VI.  2-4.]  JOB  59 

2  O  that  try  vexation  were  but  weighed, 

And  my  calamity  laid  in  the  balances  together ! 

^  For  then  it  would  be  heavier  than  the  sand  of  the  seas : 
Therefore  have  my  words  been  rash. 

^  For  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty  are  present  with  me, 
The  venom  whereof  my  spirit  drinketh  up  : 
The  terrors  of  God  array  (themselves)  against  me. 


when  it  is  over  (7^"^^).  Addressing  God,  probably  from  7^,  at 
least  from  "f  (*' remember"  is  2nd  sing.),  and  unmistakably 
from  7^2  onwards.  Job,  after  a  brief  appeal  to  God's  com- 
passion (^"^^),  boldly  and  without  restraint  (^^)  asks  why  He 
plagues  him  so  continually  (^^~^^). 

VI.  2-3.  Job  only  wishes  that  his  ** vexation,"  i.e.  (see  on  5^), 
the  sense  of  undeserved  treatment  under  which  he  is  smarting, 
and  which  he  has  expressed  in  c.  3,  could  be  weighed  against 
his  sufferings :  it  would  then  quickly  appear  that  it  was  not 
excessive,  and  that  it  formed  an  abundant  excuse  for  his 
words. — My  vexiition\  with  which  Eliphaz  (5^)  had  taunted 
him. — Together]  viz.,  with  my  vexation — of  course,  in  the 
other  scale. 

3.  Heavier  than  the  sand  of  the  sea]  for  the  fig.  cf.  Pr.  27^. — 
I^ash]  Job  allows  that  his  words  have  been  rash,  but  submits 
that  his  sufferings  form  a  sufficient  excuse  for  them. 

4.  Job  here — for  the  first  time,  distinctly — names  God  as 
the  author  of  his  afflictions.  The  thought  of  this  is  the  sting 
which  goads  him  to  desperation — not  the  afflictions  as  such, 
but  his  feeling  that  they  are  sent  upon  him  undeservedly  by 
an  angry  God :  it  is  on  this  account  that  his  pains  terrify  and 
paralyse  him.  V.^  is  a  tristich,  ^  (which  is  overlong)  separating 
the  more  closely  parallel  lines  ^•°.  Like  the  similar  case  in  5''', 
this  may  be  due  to  some  dislocation  of  the  text.  Du.  combines 
^^  with  ^*  (emended  :  see  phil.  n.  on  ^^),  thus  obtaining  two 
possible,  though  not  very  good,  distichs.  The  separation  of  ^^ 
from  ^^  is  questionable ;  and,  '^%  if  it  really  goes  with  any  part 
of*,  is  connected  by  ^'  my  soul "  with  the  parallel  **  my  spirit  " 
in  *^ :  in  this  case  the  first  part  of  ^*  would  require  to  be  suitably 
emended.     But  though  *  for  the  reasons  indicated  is  doubtful 


6o  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [VI.  4-7. 

^  Doth  the  wild  ass  bray  when  he  hath  grass  ? 

Or  loweth  the  ox  over  his  fodder  ? 
*  Can  that  which  is  insipid  be  eaten  without  salt  ? 

Or  is  there  any  taste  in  the  slime  of  purslain  ? 


and  ^  very  strange,  no  certain  reconstruction  can  be  suggested. 
— The  arrows  of  God]  **  Figures  in  the  poetry  of  the  OT.  for 
the  sicknesses,  pains,  and  plagues  with  which  He  assails  men, 
Ps.  383 <2)  (Ps.  714(13)^  Dt.  3223,  Ezk.  5I6;  cf.  c.  i6i2f),"  Di.— 
Present  with  me]  On  the  idiom,  see  phil.  n.  He  is  constantly 
and  intensely  conscious  of  them. —  Venom]  lit.  heat\  so  Ps.  58^, 
Dt.  322^-  33.  As  a  poisoned  arrow  causes — if  nothing  worse — 
fever  and  irritation,  so  the  **  venom"  of  God's  arrows — i.e,  the 
intolerable  thought  that  they  are  sent  against  him  unjustly — 
penetrates  his  being,  and  disturbs  his  whole  mental  condition. 
— Array  (themselves)  against  7ne]  By  a  change  of  metaphor  he 
picturesquely  represents  God's  terrors  as  arraying  themselves 
against  him  like  a  hostile  army  (cf.,  for  the  figure,  10^^  i6^2f.j^ 
But,  transposing  two  letters,  we  should,  perhaps,  read  undo 
me  (see  phil.  n.) — the  vb.  meaning  properly,  as  Arab,  shows, 
to  make  turbid)  and  hence  fig.  destroy  the  happiness  of  undo. 

5-7.  Job's  complaints  are  proof  of  the  reality  of  his  pain  ; 
does  any  animal  complain  when  it  has  its  natural  and  accus- 
tomed food  ?  But  Job's  suff'erings  are  like  insipid  and  repulsive 
food,  which  no  one  can  take  without  complaining. 

5.  Wild  ass]  39^  n. — Grass]  39^  n. — Fodder]  Wa  (24^,  Is. 
30^*  t)  is  properly  mixed  fodder  (  J  fe,  to  mix)^  fodder  com- 
posed of  different  kinds  of  food  ;  Lat.  farrago  (of  spelt,  barley, 
vetches,  and  pulse) ;  Verg.  G.  3.  205. 

6.  The  slime  of  purslain]  a  plant,  the  flower  of  which,  as  it 
fades  away,  resolves  itself  into  an  insipid  mucilaginous  jelly. 
It  is  this  tasteless  jelly  which  is  here  alluded  to.  EV.  **the 
white  of  an  egg " :  very  improbable ;  see  phil.  n.  In  JQR 
XV.  704  f.  an  identification  is  suggested  of  the  sli?ney  or  saliva 
(rir),  of  hallamilth  with  the  insipid  liquid  exuding  from  a  soft 
kind  of  cheese  termed  in  Arabic  hdliim  or  halltlm  {Lisdnu  7 
'Arab.  xv.  38.  6f.). 

7.  Job   compares   his   sufferings   to  repulsive    food.      The 


VI.  7-10.]  JOB  6 1 

^  My  soul  refuseth  to  touch  (them) ; 

•"  It  loatheth  "^  the  sickness  of  my  food. 
8  Oh  that  I  might  have  my  request ; 

And  that  God  would  grant   (me)  the  thing"  that  I 

^long^  for! 
•  And  that  it  would  please  God  to  crush  me ; 

That  he  would  let  loose  his  hand,  and  snip  me  off  I 
^®  So  would  there  still  be  my  comfort ; 

And  I  would  ^  exult  l  in  anguish  that  spareth  not : 

For  I  have  not  disowned  the  words  of  the  Holy  One. 


"soul"  is  in  Heb.  psychology  the  seat  of  desire  (e.g,  Dt.  24^^, 
Hos.  4^),  and,  in  particular,  of  appetite  {e.g.  Dt.  142*  23^^, 
Is.  29^,  Mic.  7^,  Pr.  232,  where  SJ'Qj  ^"^i  means  a  greedy  man  ; 
c.  33^^  where  see  note) ;  hence  its  use  here.  See,  further.  Dr. 
Par.  Psalt.  p.  459  f.  V.''  is  in  detail  very  uncertain  ;  see  phil.  n. 
8-13.  The  intensity  of  his  sufferings  wrings  from  him  the 
passionate  cry  for  death  (^~^*^).  He  has  no  strength  for  the 
patience  and  life  which  Eliphaz  (4^  ^22-26^  jj^^j  inculcated  (^^"^^). 

8.  My  request]  the  wish  to  die,  expressed  in  c.  3. — The 
thing  that  Ilongfor\  J^  has  my  hope  of  death,  "  with  a  delicate 
allusion  to  the  *  hope '  of  deliverance  and  ultimate  happiness 
with  which  Eliphaz  (4^  5^^)  had  sought  to  support  him"  (Di.). 
But  (cp.  Pr.  lo^*)  my  desire  (see  phil.  n.)  would  agree  better 
with  the  feeling  which  Job  had  really  expressed;  as  EVV.,  by 
the  rendering  **the  thing  that  I  long  for,"  which  is  not  a 
legitimate  rendering  of  J^,  have  unconsciously  admitted. 

9.  Let  loose  his  hand]  not  merely  torment  him  and  protract 
his  misery,  but  give  his  hand  free  play  and  slay  him  outright. 
— Snip  me  o^(''3yV3'')]  implying  **  cut  off  the  thread  of  my  life  "  : 
cf.  278,  Is.  38^2  **  from  the  thrum  he  will  snip  me  ^("'JVVT)." 

10.  Comfort]  death  would  speedily  end  his  sufferings. — 
Exult]  see  phil.  n. — Anguish  that  spareth  not]  i.e.  the  last 
quick  agonies  of  death. 

IOC.  If  the  line  is  original  it  means,  for  I  have  not  dis- 
owned or  disregarded  God's  (moral  commands)  (cf.  23^^'- ;  c.  31) 
— giving  the  reason  (Di.)  why  God  should  grant  his  request, 
and  at  the  same  time  showing  that  he  has  grounds  for  his 


62  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [VI.  10-14. 

^^  What  IS  my  strength,  that  I  should  wait? 

And  what  is  mine  end,  that  I  should  be  patient  ? 
^2  Is  my  strength  the  strength  of  stones  ? 

Or  is  my  flesh  of  bronze  ? 
^3  r  Behold,!  my  help  within  me  is  nought, 

And  effectual  counsel  is  driven  quite  from  me. 
^*  r  He  that  withholdeth  ^  kindness  from  his  friend 

Forsaketh  the  fear  of  the  Almighty. 


"  vexation  "  (^)  at  God's  treatment  of  him,  and  for  refusing  to 
listen  to  Eliphaz's  exhortations  to  admit  his  guilt.  De.  Hi.  Bu. 
al.  render,  "Then  would  it  be  still  my  comfort — and  I  would 
leap  in  pain  that  spareth  not — ikat  I  have  not  disowned  the 
words  of  the  Holy  One,"  making  the  righteousness  of  his  life 
the  ground  of  his  consolation  in  the  last  agonies  of  death. 
Du.  also  thinks  the  latter  meaning  was  intended — but  by  an 
interpolator,  who  desiderated  an  explication  of  '^^^ ;  with  Sgf.  he 
omits  1®°,  thus  making  ^°  a  distich,  not  as  now  a  tristich :  on 
either  view  he  thinks  that  ^^  only  has  meaning  if  Job  believed 
in  rewards  and  punishments  after  death  (cp.  Peake). 

II-13.  Job  passionately  describes  his  desperate  condition. 
His  strength  is  shattered  :  the  only  future  he  can  **  hope  "  for 
is  death ;  and,  how  can  he  avoid  being  impatient  when  this  is 
so  long  in  coming  and  releasing  him  from  his  pains  ? 

II.  Thai  I  should  wattP]  for  the  happier  future  which 
Eliphaz  had  promised  him  (s^^*^*)* — ^^^^  ^'s  my  endy  etc.?] 
what  hope  have  I  of  a  happy  end  of  my  sufferings,  that  I 
should  be  patient  under  them? — Be  patient]  lit.  prolong  my 
soul:  so  the  idiom  for  **  impatient"  is  short  of  soul  \  cf.  Nu.  21* 
(RVm.),  Zee.  ii^  and  elsewhere  with  np,  as  Ex.  6^  Mic.  2^, 
Pr.  1429,  Jb.  21*;  and  mi  TjlK,  Ec.  f, 

13.  Inward  (mental)  help  and  resourcefulness  also  fail  him, 
not  less  than  physical  strength ;  he  can  imagine  no  means  of 
extricating  himself  from  his  desperate  plight. 

14-23.  His  friends  have  failed  him  in  the  hour  of  his  need : 
they  have  not  shown  him  the  sympathy  that  was  his  due. 

14.  Job  charges  his  friends  with  themselves,  by  their  lack 
of  sympathy,  forsaking  true  religion :  so  SF,  whose  text  is  at 


VI.  14-17.]  JOB  6^ 

^^  My  brethren  have  dealt  faithlessly  like  a  wady, 
Like  the  channels  of  wadys  that  pass  away : 

1^  Which  are  turbid  by  reason  of  the  ice, 

When  the  snow  hideth  itself  upon  them : 

^'^  What  time  they  are  scorched,  they  vanish  away : 

When  it  is  hot,  they  are  extinguished  out  of  their  place. 


least  more  probable  than  J^ ;  the  difficult  and  uncertain  text  of 
5^  is  best  rendered  :  Kindness  is  (due)  to  him  that  is  in  despair, 
And  that  forsaketh  the  fear  of  the  Almighty ;  according  to  this. 
Job,  with  allusion  to  himself,  says  that  one  who  is  in  despair, 
and  (in  danger  of)  loosing  his  faith  in  the  Almighty,  deserves 
from  his  friends,  not  querulous  insinuations  of  guilt,  but  help 
and  sympathy,  to  strengthen  his  failing  piety;  and  he  is 
keenly  disappointed  at  not  receiving  this  from  them.  But 
against  f^,  see  phil.  n. 

15-20.  He  compares  his  friends  picturesquely  to  a  wady,  a 
stream — such  as  are  common  in  and  about  Palestine — running 
along  a  rocky  valley,  which  may  be  turbid  and  swollen  in 
winter,  but  completely  dry  in  summer ;  and  his  own  disappoint- 
ment to  that  of  a  thirsty  caravan,  journeying  hopefully  towards 
such  a  wady,  only  to  find  its  waters  dried  up  through  the  heat. 
Cf.  for  the  figure  Jer.  15^^  **  Wilt  thou  be  to  me  as  a  deceptive 
wady"  (3T3i<  hn:)? 

15.  My  brethren]  so  Job  here  terms  the  three  friends ;  op. 
v.^^,  which  applies  the  simile  here  begun  to  those  whom  he  is 
addressing. — Channels]  or  bedy — which,  when  in  summer  the 
traveller  comes  to  it,  he  finds  dry. 

16.  Hide ih  itself  upon  them]  falls  upon  them,  and  disappears 
in  them.  **The  streams  of  Lebanon,"  and  the  high  parts  of 
Gilead  and  Bashan,  **send  down  great  floods  of  dark  and 
troubled  waters  in  spring,  when  the  ice  and  snow  of  their 
summits  are  melting ;  but  they  dry  up  under  the  heat  of 
summer,  and  the  track  of  the  torrent,  with  its  chaos  of  boulders, 
stones,  and  gravel,  seems  as  though  it  had  not  known  a  stream 
for  ages  "  (Geikie,  Holy  Land  and  the  Bible  (1887),  i.  124). 

17.  But  in  the  hot  summer  these  wadys,  swollen  in  winter, 
dry  up. 


64  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [VI.  18-20. 

^s  Caravans  divert  their  way ; 

They  go  up  into  the  waste,  and  perish. 
^®  The  caravans  of  Tema  looked, 

The  companies  of  Sheba  waited  for  them. 
^^  They  were  disappointed  because  ^  they  ^  had  hoped, 

They  came  thither,  and  were  abashed. 


l8.  Travelling"  companies  or  **  caravans,"  expecting  to  find 
water  in  such  wadys,  divert  their  course  towards  them,  but  upon 
reaching  them  find  none  and  perish  through  thirst  (so  abandon- 
ing the  vocalization  of  JJl,  Ew.  Ol.  Di.  Du.  RV.),  **go  up," 
meaning,  in  this  case,  go  up  into  the  hills  in  search  of  moun- 
tain streams,  but  only  to  find  everything  dried  up  and  desolate. 
But  De.  Da.  Hi.  Bu.,  adhering  to  ilH,  less  probably  render 
**  ^he  paths  of  their  way  (the  course  of  such  streams)  wind  about 
(the  thread  of  water,  to  which  in  summer  they  are  reduced,  has 
to  make  its  way  round  every  stone  or  other  obstacle),  they 
(the  streams)  go  up  into  emptiness  (evaporate)  and  disappear." 
On  \r\T\i  wastCy  see  Skinner,  Genesis,  p.  i6;  Dr.  on  Gen.  i.  2; 
Lex.  1062b  (where,  however,  the  meanings  rage,  roar,  bluster, 
for  Aram,  xnn  must  be  deleted  as  due  to  an  oversight :  correct 
Levy,  ChWB  836,  530^,  by  NHWB  iv.  628).  The  word  may 
denote  either  an  empty  waste  (Jb.  12^*,  Ps.  107*^,  Dt.  32i<*),  or 
(as  in  the  second  rendering)  actual  emptiness  or  (virtual) 
nothingness  (cf.  26^,  Is.  40^2,  the  judges  of  the  earth  he  maketh 
as  nothingness), 

19.  Temd\  a  trading  Ishmaelite  tribe — mentioned  in  Gn. 
25^^  by  the  side  of  Nebaioth,  Kedar,  and  other  tribes,  as  a 
"son"  of  Ishmael,  and  also  in  Is.  21^*,  Jer.  2523.  The  name 
is  still  preserved  in  Teima,  the  name  of  a  place  in  N.W. 
Arabia,  about  250  miles  S.E.  of  Edom,  and  the  centre  of 
trade-routes  (cf.  Hogarth,  Penetration  of  Arabia  (1905),  p.  250, 
**  evidently  of  old  a  more  important  road-station  than  it  now 
is"),  where  some  interesting  inscriptions  have  been  found 
(Cooke,  NSIy  nos.  69,  70),  the  longest  dating  from  about  the 
5  cent.  B.C. — Looked\  expectantly  and  wistfully.  The  poet,  in 
using  the  past  tenses,  pictures  a  particular  scene. — Sheba\  i^^. 

20.  Job's  friends,  living  like  himself  on  or  near  the  borders 


VI.  20-23.]  JOB  65 

21  "^  So  1  are  ye  now  become  unto  *"  me  ^ ; 

Ye  see  a  terror,  and  are  afraid. 
^  Did  I  say,  Give  unto  me  ? 

Or,  Offer  a  bribe  for  me  of  your  substance  ? 
23  Or,  Deliver  me  from  the  adversary's  hand  ? 

Or,  Redeem  me  from  the  hand  of  the  terrible  ? 


of  the  Arabian  desert,  would  feel  the  force  of  the  simile. —  Were 
disappointed]  the  Heb.  idiom  is  lit.  were  put  to  shamey  i.e, 
not  "felt  a  sense  of  shame,"  but  "were  disconcerted  by  the 
frustration  of  plans  and  hopes."  So  frequently,  as  Ps.  6^^^^®^ 
226  (5)  252. 3.  20  gtc.  The  word  is  often  used  of  the  disappointment 
experienced  by  those  who  rely  upon  false  gfods,  or  untrust- 
worthy political  friends,  as  Is.  20^  44^^,  Jer.  2^^.  To  be  abashed 
(^)  is  often  parallel,  as  Ps.  35^^  40^^.  Comp.  Is.  i^^  "and  ye 
shall  be  put  to  shame  ( =  be  disappointed)  on  account  of  the 
oaks  ye  have  desired  [not  obtaining  from  them  the  expected 
help  or  deliverance],  and  ye  shall  be  abashed  on  account  of  the 
gardens  ye  have  chosen." 

21.  Job's  friends  now  fail  (disappoint)  him  in  the  hour  of 
need,  like  such  dried-up  wadys  (see  phil.  n.). —  Ye  see  (isin)  a 
terror^  and  are  afraid  (iNTn)]  notice  the  assonance  in  the 
Hebrew:  so  Zee.  9^,  Ps.  40*  52^  al.  The  "terror"  is  Job's 
overwhelming  calamity :  judging  this  to  be  sent  upon  him  by 
God,  and  to  be  sent  upon  him,  moreover,  as  a  punishment  for 
his  sins,  they  have  not  the  courage  to  show  him  sympathy, 

22-23.  He  had  asked  nothing  very  great  of  his  friends,  no 
expenditure  of  money,  or  deed  of  valour,  for  instance,  on  his 
behalf,  but  merely  sympathy. 

22.  A  bribe\  in  accordance  with  the  too  prevalent  Eastern 
custom  (Is.  i^^  Mic.  3^^  etc.),  to  secure  his  acquittal  from  a 
judge. — Substance]  lit.  strength  (nb) :  so  Pr.  5^**. 

23.  He  had  never  asked  to  be  delivered  from  any  situation 
of  peril  or  difficulty :  to  be  rescued,  for  instance,  by  arms  from 
the  hands  of  brigands,  or  to  be  ransomed,  whether  from 
brigands  or  from  enslavement  by  a  cruel  creditor  for  debt. 
With  ^  comp.  Jer.  1521  "And  I  will  deliver  thee  from  the  hand 
of  the  evil,  and  I   will  redeem  thee  from  the  clutch   of   the 

5 


66  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [VI.  23-28. 

2*  Teach  me,  and  /will  hold  my  peace  : 

And  cause  me  to  understand  wherein  I  have  erred. 

25  How  ''pleasant!  are  words  of  uprightness  ! 

But  what  doth  reproving  from  you  prove  ? 

26  Do  ye  think  to  reprove  words  ? 

But  the  speeches  of  one  that  is  desperate  are  for  the 

wind. 

27  Yea,  ye  would  cast  (lots)  upon  the  fatherless, 

And  make  merchandise  over  your  friend. 

28  Now,  therefore,  be  pleased  to  look  upon  me  ; 

For  surely  I  shall  not  lie  to  your  face. 


terrible.'"  The  *<  terrible"  (piy)  may  be  any  powerful  and 
dreaded  oppressor  or  tyrant,  whether  native  or  foreign:  1520 
27^3  (each  time  1|  to  -  wicked  "),  Is.  25^-  ^  2^^'  20^  p^.  5^5  (||  851^). 
Peake  suggests  that  27  once  immediately  followed  23  :  so  far 
from  ransoming  me,  you  would  rather  have  bartered  me  away. 
24-30.  In  answer  to  Eliphaz's  covert  insinuations,  he  claims 
to  be  told  plainly  what  sins  they  impute  to  him.  Hitherto  they 
have  only  found  fault  expressly  with  his  words,  which,  however, 
were  merely  wrung  from  him  by  his  despair  {^^),  He  reproaches 
them  for  their  unfeeling  treatment  of  him  (27),  and  beseeches 
them  to  judge  him  fairly. 

25.  Pleasant]  see  phil.  n. —  Words  of  uprightness]  honest, 
straightforward  words,  such  as  Job  cannot  discern  in  Eliphaz's 
speech. — Reproving  from  you]  what  do  your  vague  and  dark 
insinuations  prove? 

26.  Is  it  your  purpose  to  reprove — not  my  life  indeed,  but 

my  words  (those  spoken  in  c.  3) :  but  the  words  of  one  who 

is  desperate,  such  as  those  were,  are  for  the  wind — are  quickly 
blown  away,  so  that  they  need  not  be  taken  too  seriously 
(cf.  3b). 

27.  His  friends,  he  declares,  are  as  heartless  as  ruthless 
creditors,  who  would  cast  lots  for  the  orphan  child  of  a  man 
who  had  been  their  debtor,  in  order  to  sell  it  into  slavery 
(2  K.  4^),  or  as  men  who  would  make  a  bargain  over  their 
friend.     But  see  phil.  n.,  and  above  on  2^. 

28.  Be  pleased]  i.e.  Be  good  enough,  or  *' Please!"     His 


VI.  J^8-Vn.  3.]  JOB  d'J 

29  Turn  back,  I  pray  you,  let  there  be  no  unrighteousness ; 

Yea,  turn  back,  my  righteousness  is  still  in  ''me^. 
^^  Is  there  unrighteousness  in  my  tongue  ? 

Cannot  my  palate  discriminate  calamities  ? 


friends,  we  may  suppose,  had  turned  their  eyes  from  him  while 
he  had  been  descanting  on  their  lack  of  sympathy :  so  he 
entreats  them  now  to  look  him  in  the  face,  as  he  can  look 
them  in  the  face,  and  judge  from  his  countenance  whether,  in 
maintaining  his  innocence,  he  is  lying  to  them. — To  your  face\ 
defiantly,  as  i^^. 

29.  Turn  back]  from  the  unfair  course  you  have  adopted : 
do  not  unjustly  assume  my  guilt. — My  righteousness  is  still  in 
me]  ^  in  it\  i.e.  (Hrz.  Di.)  in  the  matter  under  discussion, 
I  am  still  unconvicted,  or  (Du.)  I  am  justified  in  speaking  as 
I  do,  or  (Da.)  my  right  is  still  hi  it^  i.e.  "is  here,  is  present. 
I  have  a  righteous  cause."  But  all  these  explanations  of  in 
it  are  unsatisfactory  and  lame ;  and  it  is  better,  with  Hi. 
Bi.2  Bu.  (note)  Sgf.  Be.,  to  read  in  me  {^1  for  na),  which 
at  once  yields  the  suitable  and  natural  sense :  I  am  still 
unconvicted. 

30.  Job  insists  on  the  soundness  of  his  moral  judgments. 
There  is  no  unrighteousness  in  (or  on)  his  tongue ;  his  tongue 
does  not,  when  it  declares  his  innocence,  express  a  judgment 
morally  unsound ;  and  his  '*  palate,"  the  organ  of  taste  (12^^) 
to  which  his  troubles  are  loathsome  (6^^-),  has  the  power  of 
distinguishing  between  ''calamities"  (v. 2),  and  perceiving 
whether  or  not  they  are  deserved  and  just.  In  maintaining 
that  his  calamities  have  been  undeserved,  he  has  been  guilty 
of  no  unrighteousness. 

VII.  This  consciousness  of  innocence,  and  of  his  capacity 
to  judge  his  calamities  correctly,  makes  him  feel  his  position 
the  more  acutely ;  and  he  breaks  forth  into  a  fresh  and  singu- 
larly pathetic  cry  of  despair  on  his  lamentable  and  hopeless 
condition. 

I-3.  Life  is  hard  always  :  his  own,  vexed  by  loss  of  children 
and  property,  torturing  disease,  and  a  burning  sense  of  in- 
justice, hard  especiall}^ 


6S  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [VII.  1-3. 

VII.  ^  Hath  not  man  a  warfare  upon  earth? 

And  are  not  his  days  like  the  days  of  an  hireling  ? 

2  As  a  servant  that  is  eager  for  the  shadow, 

And  as  an  hireling  that  looketh  for  his  wages : 

3  So  am  I  made  to  possess  months  of  emptiness, 

And  nights  of  misery  are  appointed  to  me. 


1.  Warfare]  a  time  of  hard  service,  like  a  campaign,  a 
constant  struggle  with  difficulties  and  hardship,  never  ceasing 
till  the  time  for  which  the  soldier  has  been  engaged  has  expired. 
The  word  is  used  similarly  in  14^*,  Is.  40^. — Of  an  hireling]  a 
hired  labourer,  whose  life  is  one  of  unceasing  toil,  and  who  has 
constantly  to  endure  the  '* burden  and  heat  of  the  day"  (Mt. 
20^2).  The  word  might  also  denote  a  mercenary  (Jer,  46^^) ; 
but  2b  makes  the  former  sense  more  probable. 

2.  A  servant]  or  slave :  a  field-labourer  is  more  particularly 
thought  of. — For  the  shadow,  etc.]  the  shades  of  evening,  which 
are  so  long  in  coming,  but  when  he  can  enjoy  cool  air  and  rest, 
and  when  also  he  will  be  paid  for  his  day's  work.  Labourers 
in  the  East  were  paid  daily:  cf.  Dt.  24^^  (''in  his  day"  thou 
shalt  give  him  his  wages),  Mt.  20^.  ''The  point  of  compari- 
son between  Job's  life  and  the  day  of  the  hireling  thus  lies 
in  their  common  toil  and  their  common  longing  for  the  end 
of  it"  (Da.). 

3.  Am  made  to  possess  (or  inherit]  **A  pathetic  word,  made 
to  inherit,  through  no  fault  or  cause  of  mine  "  (Da.^),  but  by  the 
mere  arbitrary  will  of  him  whose  slave  I  am. — Months  of  empti- 
ness] months  of  uselessness,  disappointment,  and  vexation. 
N^K'  denotes  what  is  hollow,  groundless,  and  unsubstantial',  and 
it  is  applied,  according  to  the  context,  to  what  is  (a)  materially 
unsubstantial,  i.e.  unreal,  or  vain,  or  {h)  morally  unsubstantial, 
\.^,  frivolous,  false,  or  insincere.  Cf.  for  {a)  Ex.  23^  Thou  shalt 
not  take  up  a  groundless  report,  Jer.  18^^  (  =  unreal  gods),  Ps. 
3i7(6)  ^i  unreal  v2iV\\\\^s.^'*  (of  false  gods),  60^^^^^^  for  vain  is  the 
help  of  man,  Sq'^^^*^^  O  remember  how  short  my  time  is:  for 
what  vanity  (uselessness,  emptiness  of  life,  disappointment) 
hast  thou  created  all  the  children  of  men !  and  for  {h)  Ps.  12^^^^ 
(  =  insincerity),  24*  (  =  what  is  either  frivolous  or  insincere), 


Vn.  3-10.]  JOB  69 

*  When  I  lie  down,  I  say,  When  shall  I  arise  ? 

But  the  evening  is  long ;  and  I  am  full  of  tossings  to 
and  fro  unto  the  (morning)  twilight. 
^  My  flesh  is  clothed  with  worms  and  clods  of  dust ; 

My  skin  hardens,  and  then  runneth  (again). 
^  My  days  are  swifter  than  a  weaver's  shuttle, 

And  are  come  to  an  end  without  hope. 


26^  men  of  unreality  (i.e.  insincere  or  frivolous),  41^^^^  (  =  in- 
sincerity), 119^^:  so  Ex.  20^  Thou  shalt  not  take  up  the  name 
of  Yahweh  thy  God  for  unreality  (i.e.  use  it  for  any  false  or 
frivolous  object).  Cf.  on  15^^. — Nights  of  misery^  lit.  of  toil 
i^^V):  see  on  3^^.  The  ''months"  indicate  the  duration,  the 
* 'nights'*  the  intensity,  of  his  sufferings  (Pe.). 

4-6.  A  graphic  description  of  the  condition  to  which  his 
malady  has  brought  him :  his  wearisome,  restless  nights,  his 
loathsome  disease,  his  days  ebbing  quickly  (cp.  ^*),  without 
hope  of  recovery  or  relief  (cp.  ^^),  to  their  close. 

4.  When  shall  I  arise  ?\  When  will  it  be  morning?  (Dt.  28^^). 
— But  the  evening  is  long ;  and]  or,  since  the  Hebrew  is  unusual 
and  to  gain  a  better  parallelism,  very  slightly  emending  (see 
phil.  n.).  And  as  often  as  evening  (comes). 

5.  His  ulcers  breed  worms,  form  a  hard  crust,  and  then 
break  out  and  run  again. 

6a.  Cp.  9^5  My  days  are  swifter  than  a  post.  On  ancient 
weaving,  from  which  the  simile  in  *  is  derived,  see  Kennedy 
in  EBi.  iv.  5276-5290  (with  illustrations).  Ibn  Ezra  notes  that 
^  may  continue  the  simile  of  *  if  nipn  be  given  the  sense  it 
has  in  Jos.  2^^:  and  so  Marshall  renders  ^,  "They  come  to  an 
end  for  lack  of  thread  "  ;  but  this  would  require  "h^O  rather 
than  D2X3. 

7-IO.  He  turns  pathetically  to  God,  beseeching  Him  to 
remember  how  brief  his  life  is,  and  to  have  compassion  on 
him  for  the  short  time  that  remains  before  he  descends  for  ever 
into  the  grave.  In  Sheol,  according  to  Hebrew  ideas,  there 
was  no  fellowship  with  God:  the  Shades,  in  their  dreary,  shadow- 
like existence,  were  "cut  off  from  God's  hand,"  and  could  neither 
praise  Him,  nor  experience  His  benefits  (Ps.  6^  88^*  ""i^,  Is.  38^^). 


70  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [VII.  7-21. 

^  Oh  remember  that  my  life  Is  wind : 

Mine  eye  will  no  more  see  good. 
^  The  eye  of  him  that  seeth  me  will  behold  me  no  more : 

Thine  eyes  will  be  upon  me,  but  I  shall  not  be. 

^  A  cloud  Cometh  to  an  end  and  vanisheth  away ; 

So  he  that  goeth  down  to  Sheol  cometh  up  no  more. 
'®  He  returneth  no  more  to  his  house, 

Neither  doth  his  place  know  him  any  more. 


7.  Remember]  the  vb.,  like  the  pron.  in  ^,  is  2nd  sing., 
addressed  not  to  Eliphaz  (cp.  26^  n.)  but  to  God :  but  for  what 
follows,  7^~^  (like  6^^"^^)  could  be  regarded  as  still  addressed  to 
the  friends ;  as  it  is,  these  verses  are  best  regarded  as,  if  not 
transitional  in  the  tone  of  soliloquy,  the  beginning  of  the 
address  to  God  with  which  the  speech  most  clearly  closes 
(^2-21). —  Wi'ftd]  a  symbol  of  what  is  transient  and  unsubstantial: 
Ps.  78^^,  Is.  41^^,  Qoh.  i^*  etc. — Good]  i.e.  happiness,  pro- 
sperity: *'good"  (niD),  as  Ps.  ^  34^^  (each  time  with  **see"), 
Jb.  21^^  36^^,  and  frequently:   so  also  n31D,  9^^  2\^^  al. 

8.  Soon  *  none  will  behold  him  any  more :  ^  even  God,  if 
He  should  wish  to  show  him  some  kindness,  will  be  unable  to 
find  him.  The  v.  is  absent  from  (Ur,  repeats  the  words  '*  eye  " 
(twice)  and  '*see"  used  in  '',  anticipates  ^^  and  the  close  of  the 
speech  (2^),  and  separates  '^  and  ^  which  go  well  together ;  it 
may,  therefore,  be  an  addition  to  the  original  text  (so  Bi.  Bu. 
al.).  *  strictly  rendered  reads:  the  eye  of  him  that  seeth  me 
will  not  behold  me ;  the  translation  above  presupposes  that 
**  seeth  me"  means  seeth  me  no'w\  perhaps  it  rather  means 
looks  for  me  in  the  future ^  though  20'^  is  scarcely  decisive,  and 
in  passages  such  as  2  S.  13^,  2  K.  8^^  (cp.  Lex.  s.v.  nj^l,  6  d), 
cited  as  justifying  the  rendering  of  nxi  by  lookfor^  the  meaning 
is  not  exactly  the  same,  not  even  in  Gn.  392^. 

9.  10.   No  return  from  Sheol  is  possible  (lo^i). 
lOb.  So  Ps.  103^^^;  cf.  also  c.  20^. 

II-2I.  A  passionate  remonstrance  with  God.  Why  does 
He  thus  torture  him,  and  make  his  life  a  burden  to  him?  Is 
not  man  too  insignificant  to  be  thus  persecuted  by  his  Maker? 
Why  does  He  not  at  once  pardon  his  transgression,  and  take 


VII.  11-14.]  JOB  71 

^^  I  also  will  not  refrain  my  mouth ; 

I  will  speak  in  the  anguish  of  my  spirit ; 

I  will  complain  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 
^2  Am  I  a  sea,  or  a  sea-monster, 

That  thou  settest  a  watch  over  me  ? 


pity  on  him?  Job  goes  here  far  beyond  the  point  he  had 
reached  in  c.  3.  There,  though  he  had  complained  bitterly  of 
his  lot,  he  had  said  little  against  God.  Here  he  openly  charges 
Him  with  being  his  tormentor,  and  ironically  taunts  Him  with 
turning  His  care  for  him  into  a  means  of  persecuting  him. 

11.  I  also]  As  God  shows  no  regard  for  man,  but  lets  him 
pass  from  a  life  of  misery  into  a  night  of  darkness,  so  he  also 
will  show  no  regard  for  Him  by  restraint  of  speech,  but  he  will 
give  full  vent  to  his  complaint.  The  "also"  expresses  the 
correspondence  of  one  action  to  another,  especially  in  retalia- 
tion (the  Da  "  correlativum  "  :  Lex,  i6gb) :  cf.  Hos.  4^  Jer.  4^^^ 
Ps.  52^(5)  (EVV.   "likewise")  7122. 

12.  He  asks  indignantly.  Am  I,  frail  mortal  that  I  am,  like 
a  dangerous  monster  to  be  guarded  strictly  by  its  keeper? 
Am  I  like  the  turbulent  sea,  threatening,  when  its  angry  waves 
arise,  to  overpass  the  barriers  imposed  on  it  by  God  (cf.  38^"^^ ; 
Jer.  52231^5,  Ps.  104^)?  Or,  with  an  allusion  to  the  dragon 
Tiamat, — the  personification  of  the  unruly  powers  of  chaos, 
and  more  or  less  identified  with  the  roaring  waters  of  the  huge 
primaeval  abyss  (cf.  Gn.  i2^), — who,  as  Babylonian  mythology 
told,  had  been  slain  by  the  Creator  Marduk^  (cf.  9^^),  Am  la 
sea-tnonster^  that  thou  settest  a  watch  over  mey  lest  I  should  do 
some  great  damage  in  the  world  (cp.  38^-^2  n.)? — Sea-monster] 
|^:n,  a  serpent,  sometimes  of  a  land-reptile,  Ex.  79.10.12^  j)^^ 
32^^,  Ps.  91^^  ;  more  often  of  a  sea-  (or  river-)  monster,  Gn.  i2i, 
of  the  Egyptians  or  Pharaoh  under  fig.  of  a  crocodile,  Ps.  74^2, 
Ezk.  322  (rd.  p3n  for  D^in),  of  a  mythological  or  imaginary 
dragoriy  Is.  27^  51^,  Jer.  51^^. 

13-14.  The  methods  used  by  God  to  keep  Job  harmless : 
when  he  looks  to  the  natural  rest  of  sleep  to  give  him  some 

^  Cf.  the  Fourth  Tablet  of  the  Creation  Epic  (Rogers,  Cuneiform  Parallels 
to  the  OT.,  1912,  p.  24 ff.),  esp.  1.  95  fF. 


72  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [VH.  13-18. 

^^  When  I  say,  My  bed  shall  comfort  me, 

My  couch  shall  ease  my  complaint ; 
1*  Then  thou  scarest  me  with  dreams, 

And  terrifiest  me  through  visions  : 
^^  So  that  my  soul  chooseth  stranglingf, 

And  death  rather  than  my  •^pains^. 
^^  I  refuse  (it) !  not  for  ever  would  I  live ! 

Desist  from  me !  for  my  days  are  (as)  a  breath. 


relief,  then  He  scares  him  with  terrifying  dreams — such  as  are 
said  to  be  one  of  the  accompaniments  of  elephantiasis. 

13,  Ease]  lit.  bear  in^  i.e.  help  in  bearing:  so  Nu.  11^^ 
Heb. — Complaint]  (sad)  musing :  see  9^^  n. 

15.  And  so  he  prefers  death  to  the  continuance  of  these 
intolerable  sufferings.  Strangling  (cf.  the  verb,  2  S.  17^^),  i.e. 
suffocation,  may  be  mentioned  with  allusion  to  the  sense  of 
choking,  which  is  often  experienced  in  elephantiasis.  For  my 
pains  (••nn^v)  (9^^,  Ps.  147^),  M  has  nty  bones  ("TllDVy),  which,  if 
correct,  will  be  equivalent  to  what  we  should  express  by  this 
skeleton :  but  the  explanation  is  forced  ;  and  it  is  better  chang- 
ing one  letter  to  read  my  pains. 

16.  He  exclaims  passionately  that  he  cares  nothing  for  life : 
he  only  entreats  God  to  leave  him  at  peace  for  the  short  time 
that  he  has  still  to  live. — I  refuse  {it)]  i.e.  my  life  :  the  object 
must  be  supplied  from  the  context;  cf.  9^^  **  I  refuse  my  life." 
— Not  for  ever]  would  he  live^  even  if  he  could,  such  a  life  as  his 
has  become  :  on  these  terms  life  is  intolerable  to  him,  though 
on  other  terms  only  the  brevity  of  life  would  be  distressing 
(6a) ^ — Desist]  or  cease  (Is.  i^^.  Am.  7^),  forbear  (16^,  i  K.  22^, 
Zee.  11^2,  and  often):  exactly  as  here,   Ex.    14^^  cease^  desist 

from  us  =  let  us  alone. — A  breath]  Is.  57^^  **«  breath  vj\\\  take 
them":  Heb.  ^JH,  also,  like  **wind"  (^),  a  fig.  of  what  is 
transient:  usually  in  EVV.  rendered  vanity.  Ps.  396.7.12(5.6.11) 
6210.10(9.9)  1444  (all,  of  man);  Qoh.  i^  xihir\  bn,  ''vanity  of 
vanitiesy''  and  constantly  in  that  book :  also  in  other  books  of 
what  is  unsubstantial  and  unreal,  as  false  gods,  Dt.  32^^  al. 

17-18.  A  bitter  parody  of  Ps.  8^^*^  **  What  is  man,  that  thou 
art  mindful  of  him  ?     And  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest 


VII.  17-19.]  JOB  "Jl 

^^  What  is  man,  that  thou  magnifiest  him, 

And  that  thou  directest  thine  attention  to  him, 

^^  And  that  thou  visitest  him  every  morning. 
And  triest  him  every  moment  ? 

1®  How  long  wilt  thou  not  look  away  from  me, 

Nor  let  me  alone  while  I  swallow  down  my  spittle  ? 


him?"  "The  Psalmist,  impressed  with  the  wonders  of  the 
starry  heavens,  asks  what  is  man  that  God  should  be  so  mindful 
of  him,  and  place  him  in  a  position  of  such  high  authority  in 
the  world.  Job  asks,  not  why  God  should  lavish  on  a  creature 
so  insignificant  such  honour  and  thoughtful  care,  but  why  he 
should  be  subjected  to  attention  so  alert  and  suspicious,  as  if 
he  could  really  be  of  any  importance.  Job's  morbid  imagina- 
tion distorts  the  unsleeping  care  of  God  into  a  maddening 
espionage.  .  .  .  How  petty  His  character  must  be,  since  He 
condescends  to  torture  one  so  frail,  and  harry  him  with  per- 
secution so  untiring  "  (Peake). 

17.  Magiiifiesi\  i.e.  ironically,  think  much  of,  consider  of 
importance,  viz.  by  counting  him  worthy  of  constant  (unfriendly) 
attention. — Directest  thine  attention  to  hint]  lit.  settest  thine  heart 
upony  a  common  idiom  and  meaning,  pay  heed  to^  consider 
(Ex.  723,  I  S.  420,  Ps.  48i4<i3).  and  with  a  synonym  (sqm)  for 
**set,"  Jb.  I®  2^  al.).  EVV.  set  thine  heart  upon  suggests  a 
false  sense ;  for  in  ordinary  English  it  would  mean  set  thy 
affection  on',  but  in  Heb.  psychology  the  '*  heart  "  is  not  the 
organ  of  affection,  as  in  English  (cf.  **  heart-less"),  but  of 
understanding  {ci.  81*^36^):  so -^  pi<  (Hos.  7^1)  is  not  **  heart- 
less," but  without  understanding y  or  as  we  might  say  collo- 
quially **  without  a  head,"  or  "  without  brains  "  (the  ''head" 
in  Heb.  is  never  the  seat  of  thought  or  intelligence). 

18.  Visitest  hhn\  not,  as  Ps.  8^,  with  marks  of  providential 
care,  but  to  prove  him :  cp.  the  parallel  term  here,  and  the 
same  vb.  (with  the  |1)  in  31^*. — Triest\  i.e.  test  or  prove,  Gn. 
^^215. 16.  Qf  God,  as  testing  by  His  all-seeing  scrutiny  the 
thoughts  and  character  of  men,  Ps.  yi^^^^^  n^  ly^  26^  1392^,  or  as 
proving  man's  faith  or  obedience  by  discipline,  Ps.  66^^  81^  ^'^l 

19.  How  long.  Job  mdignantly  asks,  will  God  continue  to 


74  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [Vn.  19-21 

20  If  I  have  sinned,  what  do  I  unto  thee, 

O  thou  keeper  of  men  ? 
Why  hast  thou  set  me  as  a  thing  for  thee  to  strike  against, 
So  that  I  am  a  burden  to  myself? 

21  And  why  dost  thou  not  take  away  my  transgression, 

And  cause  mine  iniquity  to  pass  away  ? 


direct  upon  him  incessantly  His  malevolent  glance? — Look 
away]  so  14^,  Ps.  39^*^^^^;  cf.  Is.  22*. — Let  me  alone]  more 
exactly,  let  me  drop  or  let  me  go  (Ca.  3*  13Q"|N*  vh]  Vnmx  ;  Jb. 
276,  Pr.  4^^) ;  often  in  a  favourable  sense,  Dt.  4^1  ^^^  ^^^.  i6 
inMK^N  31^' ^  Jos.  1^. — Till  I  swallowy  etc.]  a  proverbial  ex- 
pression =ybr  a  moment:  Schult.  ad  loc.  (Ges.  Thes.  213) 
cites  the  Arabic  expression,  *'Let  me  swallow  my  spittle" 
(abltni  riki)^  meaning,   ''  Wait  a  moment." 

20,  21.  Even  assuming  that  he  has  sinned,  how,  he  asks, 
can  this  in  any  way  injure  God,  that  He  should  continue  to 
persecute  him  ?  Job  denies  consistently  that  he  has  ever  sinned 
to  a  degree  that  would  justify  his  extraordinary  sufferings : 
why  then,  seeing  his  sins  can  be  but  venial  ones,  will  He  not 
forgive  him  before  forgiveness  is  too  late  ? 

20.  The  rhythm  of  ^- ^  is  strange:  Be.^  om. —  What  do  I 
unto  thee  ?]  What  harm  do  I  do  Thee  by  my  sin  ?  God  is  too 
holy,  too  exalted,  to  be  affected  by  any  of  man's  actions, 
whether  good  or  bad  (222-*  35^"^)- — ^  ^'^^^^  keeper  of  men]  the 
verb,  used  often  of  God's  fatherly  care  and  protection  of  His 
servants  (Is.  27^  Ps.  128^7^312*^23)^^0.  [EVV.  preserve^)  is  here, 
with  bitter  irony  (cp.  i^*-),  applied  so  as  to  yield  a  title  of 
reproach,  to  denote  God  as  one  who  *'  keeps,"  or  guards,  men 
closely,  in  order  to  prevent  them  escaping  from  Him,  and  to 
note  their  actions. — Thing  to  strike  against]  an  object  of 
deliberate  and  persistent  attack.  Cf.  the  cogn.  verb  in  i  K. 
225.29.31  etc.  (EVV.  fall  upon).—So  that  I  am  a  burden  to 
myself?]  i.e.  weary  of  myself  and  of  my  life.  For  the  ex- 
pression, cf.  2  S.  15^'^.     On  the  reading  to  thee^  see  phil.  n. 

21.  If  he  has  inadvertently  sinned,  why,  since  his  sin  cannot 
affect  God,  does  He  not  pardon  it  at  once,  instead  of  waiting 
to  do   so  till  it  is  too  late  ? — Take  away]   in   EVV.   usually 


VII.  21 -VIII.  3.]  BILDAD  75 

For  now  shall  I  He  down  in  the  dust ; 

And  thou  wilt  seek  me  diligently,  but  I  shall  not 

be. 

VIII.  ^  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  said, 
2  How  long  wilt  thou  speak  these  things  ? 

And   (how  long   will)  the  words    of  thy  mouth   be 

(like)  a  mighty  wind? 
^  Doth  God  pervert  judgment  ? 

Or  doth  the  Almighty  pervert  justice? 


rendered  pardon  or  forgive ^  as  Gn.  50^^,  Ex.  32^^. — Cause  .  .  . 
to  pass  away^  as  2  S.  12^^24^^,  Zee.  3^. — Now]  i.e.  immediately. 
— Lie  down  in  the  dust]  21^6:  cp.  iq^^  n. — Seek  me  diligently] 
a  single  word  in  the  Heb.,  occurring  twelve  times  in  poetry, 
and  implying  diligent,  careful,  or  earnest  search.  Job  still 
believes,  in  spite  of  all  that  he  has  said,  that  God  is  a  God  of 
love,  who  will  one  day  seek  earnestly  to  renew  His  former 
communion  with  His  servant,  and  visit  him  again  with  His 
favour,  but  he  will  have  passed  into  Sheol,  and  it  will  be  too 
late! 

VIII.  Bildad's  first  speech.— In  spite  of  Job's  violent 
accusations,  God  is  not  unjust  (2-  ^) :  Job's  children  have  died 
an  untimely  death  it  is  true,  but  that  was  because  they  were 
wicked  (^) ;  but  Job  himself  still  lives,  and,  if  he  is  really 
righteous,  God's  justice  will  restore,  and  more  than  restore,  his 
former  prosperity  (^~'^).  Let  Job  learn  from  the  experience  of 
past  generations  (^"i^)  that  God  does  not  suffer  the  wicked  to 
enjoy  any  continuing  prosperity  ("~^^),  nor  ever  subjects  to 
continuing  adversity  the  class  to  which  Job  claims  to  belong — 
that  of  the  perfect  (20-22). 

2.  Cp.  1 82  (Bildad's  second  speech). — These  things]  z'.^.  such 
things  as  these, — especially  the  charge  that  God  assails  him 
unjustly  (7^2-20j — £^1^^  ^  mighty  wind]  i.e.  at  once  violent  and 
empty. 

3.  An  indignant  retort;  God  does  not,  as  Job  declares, 
rule  the  world  unjustly.  As  their  position  in  the  Heb.  shows, 
"God"  and  **  the  Almighty"  are  the  emphatic  words  in  the 
sentence:   God,   the  Almighty,   cannot  pervert  justice;   what 


"J^i  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [VIH.  3-7. 

*  If  thy  children  have  sinned  against  him, 

Then  he  hath  delivered  them  into  the  hand  of  their 

transgression. 

^  If  thou  wilt  seek  diligently  unto  God, 

And  make  thy  supplication  to  the  Almighty ; 


has  happened  to  Job  cannot  be  unjust,  because  it  comes  from 
God. 

4.  Illustration  of  God's  justice  on  its  negative  side  :  as  God 
cannot  do  injustice,  the  death  of  Job's  children  is  evidence  of 
their  sin.  Bildad  says  ify  from  a  desire  to  spare  Job,  but  he 
means  Because.  The  allusion  to  i^^  is  obvious,  and  is  not  to 
be,  and  is  not,  avoided  by  making  *"^*  protasis,  and,  omitting 
^^,  making  the  apodosis  begin  at  ^^  (Ehrlich).  The  conclusion 
is,  of  course,  fallacious ;  for  though  it  is  true  that  God  does 
nothing  unjustly,  it  is  not  true,  as  the  friends  throughout  tacitly 
assume,  that  the  sole  principle  by  which  God  is  guided  in  His 
dealings  with  man  is  that  of  retributive  justice. — Delivered  them^ 
etc.]  that  they  might  suffer  the  punishment,  which  it  would 
naturally  bring  with  it.  For  the  thought,  cf.  Is.  64^  ^^^  RVm. 
(reading  ^^P.5P^  for  iJilDfl) ;  for  the  quasi-personification  of  trans- 
gression, Nu.  32^3  (n.). — Into  the  hand]  cp.  i^^  n. 

5~7*  J^^  ^^^  suffered,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  his  children 
had ;  his  life  had  been  spared :  hence,  if  he  will  but  turn  to 
God — as  Eliphaz  also  had  exhorted  him  to  do  (5^) — if  he  is 
only,  as  he  maintains,  pure  and  upright,  God  will  interpose  on 
his  behalf,  and  restore  him  to  greater  prosperity  than  ever. 
Bildad  speaks  with  moderation  and  friendliness.  From  the 
severity  of  Job's  sufferings  he  might  (upon  his  principles)  have 
inferred,  and  undoubtedly  did  infer,  that  he  had  sinned  greatly ; 
but  he  leaves  this  inference  unsaid.  And  in  ^,  though  the 
condition.  If  thou  art  pure ^  etc.,  cannot,  in  the  belief  of  the 
friends,  be  satisfied  by  Job,  he  still  assumes  it,  and  promises 
him,  if  it  is  true,  a  favourable  issue,  hoping  that  Job  will  be 
thus  indirectly  brought  to  see  that,  since  God  does  not  repel, 
or  (2*^)  cast  off,  the  righteous,  and  he  is  cast  off,  and,  as  Bildad 
expects,  will  remain  cast  off,  he  is  not  himself  as  righteous  as 
he  maintains  himself  to  be. 


VIII.  5-8.]  BILDAD  77 

6  If  thou  art  pure  and  upright ; 

Surely  now  he  will  arouse  himself  on  thy  behalf, 

And  restore  the  habitation  of  thy  righteousness. 
^  And  though  thy  beginning  was  small, 

Thy  latter  end  will  be  exceeding  great. 
^  For  inquire,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  former  generations. 

And  apply  thyself  to  that  which  their  fathers  have 

searched  out: 


5.  Thou]  emphatic,  in  opposition  to  his  children. — Seek 
earnestly]  7^^. 

6.  Arouse  himself  \  interpose  actively:  cf.  Ps.  35^3  *^ Arouse 
thyself  and  awake  to  my  judgment." — Restore]  properly  make 
whole^  complete^  often  in  the  sense  make  whole  by  payment^  pay 
in  full,  make  good  (Ex.  2i34.36  222(3X11(12),  Lv.  24I8).  (&  airo- 
Karacnrjaei:  cp.  the  Syr.  ^N  •  1  (Pa.)  in  Mt.  17^1  koX  airo- 
Kara(7Trja€L  irdvTa. — The  habitation  of  thy  righteousness]  the 
habitation  which,  by  its  prosperity,  will  be  evidence  of  the 
righteousness  of  its  possessor.  The  **  habitation  "  (5^  n.)  must 
be  pictured  as  a  homestead  in  the  country  with  numerous  slaves 
and  abundant  herds  and  flocks,  such  as  is  described  in  i^-s. 

7.  Keeping  closer  to  the  Hebrew  idiom  we  may  render : 
And  so  thy  begifining,  i.e.  thy  former  estate,  will  be  (seem) 
small  in  comparison  with  what  thou  wilt  enjoy  then,  and  thy 
latter  end  (the  closing  years  of  thy  life)  will  be  exceeding  great. 
In  these  words  the  poet  allows  Bildad  to  utter  a  prophecy,  the 
fulfilment  of  which  is  recorded  in  42^^:  **And  Yahweh  blessed 
the  latter  end  of  Job  more  than  his  beginning." 

8-10.  Cp.  i5"-i»  (Eliphaz).  The  doctrine  which  Bildad 
propounds  is  no  new  one,  derived  from  the  ignorance  of  mere 
creatures  of  yesterday  (v.^) :  it  is  based  upon  the  experience 
and  research  of  the  immemorial  past. 

8.  Inquire,  etc.]  cp.  Dt.  32'^^. — The  former  generations]  the 
Hebrew  phrase  is  sing.  (jltJ'i^n  nn) :  hence  EV.  "the  former 
age  " ;  but  the  reference  is  not  to  some  particular  generation  in 
the  past  as,  for  example,  as  some  have  suggested,  the  genera- 
tion of  such  men  as  Methuselah,  who  lived  vastly  longer  lives 
than  the  long  lives  of  Job  and  his  friends,   who  themselves 


yS  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [VIII.  8-9 

®  (For  we  are  but  of  yesterday,  and  know  nothing, 
Because  our  days  upon  earth  are  a  shadow :) 


belong"  to  the  patriarchal  period.  But  the  whole  past  of  man- 
kind is  regarded  as  a  single  generation  (in) ;  and  this  genera- 
tion is  immeasurably  more  ancient  than  individuals  like  Job. 
The  phrase  is  virtually  equal  to  *' antiquity"  in  the  phrase 
"the  voice  of  antiquity,"  as  the  antithetical  phrase  fjnnN  "in, 
the  latter geyieration^  is  virtually  equal  to  *'  posterity  "  (in  such  a 
phrase  as  **  the  judgment  of  posterity  ")  in  Ps.  48^*  78*-  ^  1021^^1^^ 
(II  ''people  yet  to  be  created"),  and,  with  the  article  in  prose, 
in  Dt.  29^^  The  "former  generation  "  is  the  generation  con- 
taining all  the  former  (people :  D"'3tJ'X"));  the  "latter generation," 
the  generation  containing  all  the  latter  (people),  mankind  past 
and  future  being  divisible  into  two  groups — the  former  and  the 
latter  (people  :  Qoh.  i^^).  Men  living  at  any  particular  moment 
are  in  touch  with  this  former  generation,  and  can  ask  it,  now 
hoary  aged,  for  its  wisdom,  as  they  are  also  in  touch  with  the 
youthful  generation  to  come,  and  can  pass  on  to  it  in  its  child- 
hood what  they  have  learnt  from  the  past  (Ps.  48^*).  But  if 
their  fathers  is  correctly  read  in  ^^  this  quasi-personification  of 
the  entire  past  of  mankind  is  resolved  in  the  parallel  line,  and 
the  appeal  is  to  the  fathers  of  those  who  composed  the  later 
individuals  among  the  ' '  former  people  " ;  to  some  degree,  though 
not  entirely  parallel,  is  the  combination  of  "the  latter  genera- 
tion" and  "their  sons"  in  Ps.  78^ — not  entirely  parallel,  for 
there  the  insertion  of  the  parallel  term  "sons  yet  to  be  born  " 
eases  the  transition.  But  the  fathers  (ffi),  or  our  fathers 
(see  phil.  n.)  would  be  a  stricter  parallelism;  cp.  "the  latter 
generation,  your  sons"  in  Dt.  29^^. — Apply  thyself  to]  Heb.yfjc 
{thy  mind)  to ;  but  we  should  perhaps  read  attend  to  (see 
phil.  n.). 

9.  Left  to  ourselves  we  shortlived  individuals  know  nothing; 
but  we  can  receive  the  knowledge  of  the  past,  Bildad's  position 
is  that  what  is  true  is  not  new,  and  what  is  new  is  not  true  ; 
that  Job  is  wrong,  because  he  is  propounding  a  monstrous  new 
doctrine ;  and  Bildad  right,  because  he  is  simply  repeating  an 
old  doctrine,  so  old  that  it  must  be  true.     Peake  objects  that 


VIII.  9-19.]  BILDAD  79 

^®  Shall  not  they  teach  thee,  and  say  to  thee, 

And  bring  forth  words  out  of  their  understanding? 


**  it  is  the  heirs  of  all  the  ages  who  are  the  *  true  ancients,*  and 
each  generation  adds  its  own  quota  to  the  stock,  the  former 
age  being  less  wise  than  the  most  recent " :  this  is  excellent 
philosophy,  but  questionable  exegesis.  The  contrast  in  Bildad's 
mind  is  between  modern  individuals  and  the  whole  past  of 
mankind ;  and  he  conveniently  forgets,  after  the  manner  of 
traditionalists,  that  that  past,  too,  was  composed  of  individuals, 
that  the  oldest  doctrine  was  once  new,  and  that  novelty  and 
antiquity  are  alike  irrelevant  as  tests  of  truth. — Know  nothing^ 
Heb.  and  do  not  knoWf  the  vb.  to  know  being  used  absolutely, 
as  in  34^  (where  the  part.  **(Ye)  that  know,"  is  parallel  to 
''(Ye)  wise"),  and,  negatived  as  here.  Is.  44^,  Ps.  73^2. — Because 
our  days  .  .  .  are  a  s?iadow\  cp.  14^,  Ps.  102^2  10923^  Qoh.  6^^ 
8^^,  Wis.  2^,  all  of  which  passages  the  present  would  more 
closely  resemble  if  we  read,  And  our  days  .  .  .  are  like  a  shadow 
(tel  for  h'i  "3  :  so  S). 

10.  They\  the  pronoun  is  independently  expressed  in  the 
Hebrew,  and  therefore  emphatic. — Out  of  their  understanding] 
as  their  position  in  the  Hebrew  shows,  the  emphatic  words  in 
the  clause.  Words  of  understanding  (nS  heart  \  see  on  7^^) 
are  theirs,  in  opposition  to  the  empty  ill-considered  words  of 
Job  (v.2). 

II-I9.  The  teaching  of  the  ancients,  cast  by  the  poet  into 
his  own  words,  and  expressed  in  imagery,  drawn  from  plant- 
life,  so  common  in  this  book,  and  the  fragile  spider's  web. 
And  first  (^^~^^)  the  rapid  ruin  of  those  who  forget  God,  and  are 
deprived  of  His  sustenance  and  support,  is  compared  to  the 
speedy  collapse  of  some  lofty  water-reed,  when  suddenly  de- 
prived of  water.  The  allusions  to  the  papyrus  and  reed-grass, 
which  are  for  the  most  part  referred  to  in  connection  with 
Egypt,  may  be  due  to  the  poet's  knowledge  of,  or  personal 
acquaintance  with,  Egypt ;  but  in  view  of  the  growth  of 
papyrus  (at  least  in  modern  times)  in  the  Jordan  valley,  and  of 
the  references  to  papyrus  in  Is.  35^  (if  the  text  may  be  trusted) 
and  (probably)  to  the  reed-grass  in  Hos.  13^^,  this  is  not  certain. 


8o  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [VIII.  11-14. 

1^  Will  the  papyrus  rise  up  proudly  without  mire  ? 

Will  the  reed-grass  grow  without  water? 
^2  Whilst  it  is  yet  in  its  greenness,  without  being  cut  down, 

Before  any  other  herb  it  withereth. 
13  So  is  the  ^  end  ^  of  all  that  forget  God  ; 

And  the  hope  of  the  godless  man  perisheth : 
"  Whose  confidence  is  cut  off. 

And  whose  trust  is  a  spider's  web. 


11.  Papyrtis]  Wehr^-w  gomey  Ex.  2^,  Is.  iS^  35^  t*  A  tall 
reed,  consisting  of  a  bare  stem,  ten  feet  or  more  in  height  with 
a  large  tuft  of  leaves  and  flowers  at  the  top  (see  illustration  in 
Tristram,  NHB  ^2>^^  or  EBi.  3557),  abundant  in  ancient  Egypt, 
but  now  extinct  there  and  found  only  on  the  banks  of  the 
**Blue"  and  **  White"  Nile.  It  also  grows  in  the  Jordan 
valley,  especially  in  the  Huleh  swamps  (Post  in  Z>^  iv.  212^). 
— Mire]  or  swampy  ground:  HJfa,  40^1  (EVV.  y^«),  Ezk.  47^^  t 
{miry  place) ;  cf.  |**3,  Jer.  38^21. — Reed-grass]  Heb.  ^ahuy  Egypt. 
ahu  (from  aha,  to  be  green):  so  Gn.  412- is  j  ( -f  according  to 
some,  Hos.  13^^);  and  in  the  form  a^^et  in  (&  Gn.  412.3.18.19^ 
Is.  197,  Sir  40I6;  and  0  Jb.  S^^.     See,  further,  EBi,  1532/. 

12.  His  greenness]  cf.  Ct.  6^^  f  ^njn  ^3N,  the  freshy  green 
shoots  of  the  wady ;  and  the  Aram.  N?^^,  fruity  Dn.  4^-  ^i-  ^^ 
(12. 14. 21)  I  .  in  %  N2l<,  Gn.  f  3.\.— It  withereth]  in  its  full  luxuri- 
ance, without  being  cut  off,  merely  by  the  withdrawal  of  its 
water. 

13.  Such  is  the  fate  of  those  that  forget  God. — The  end] 
as  ^  "^hdiS  the  paths  {n'\m\<)\  but  *' end  "  ((&)  is  much  more 
suitable  :  so  Me.  Hi.  Sgf.  Gr.  Bu.  Klo.  Du. — The  godless  man] 
Heb.  hdnef'.  Jb.  8^^  i^ie  i^34  j^s  20^  27^  34^^  36^3;  elsewhere 
only  Is.  916(17)  1063314^  Ps.  3516^  Pr.  n^f,  with  derivatives  in 
Is.  32^,  Jer.  23!^  f.  The  cognate  verb  means  to  he  profane y 
Jer.  23I1,  or  polluted,  especially  by  bloodshed,  idolatry,  or  other 
grave  offence.  Is.  24^,  Jer.  3^  al.  With  ^,  cf.  Pr.  lo^s  <<  and  the 
hope  of  the  wicked  perisheth'^ 

14.  Whatever  he  relies  upon  to  secure  his  position,  and 
protect  him  against  ruin,  fails  him.  Line  *  slightly  emended, 
to  the  great  improvement  of  the  parallelism,  reads:  *'  Whose 


VIII.  14-18.]  BILDAD  8 1 

^^  He  leaneth  upon  his  house,  but  it  standeth  not : 

He  holdeth  fast  thereby,  but  it  endureth  not. 
^^  Full  of  sap  is  he  before  the  sun, 

And  his  shoots  go  forth  over  his  garden. 
1^  His  roots  are  twined  over  the  heap, 

He  ^  pierceth  1  the  place  of  stones. 
^8  If  one  destroy  him  out  of  his  place, 

Then  it  will  deny  him  (saying),  I  have  not  seen  thee. 


confidence  (on)  gossamer  is  (placed),  see  phil.  n. — Trust]  i.e. 
object  of  trust,  as  iS^*  Heb.,  312*,  Jer.  48^3,  Ezk.  29I6  (EVV. 
confidence). — A  spider^ s  web]  Heb.  house.  An  obvious  emblem 
of  fragility:  cf.  27^8  n..  Is.  59^- ^  Hirzel  compares  aptly  Qor. 
29**^  '*the  likeness  of  those  who  take  to  themselves  patrons 
beside  God  is  as  the  likeness  of  the  spider  who  taketh  to  herself 
a  house ;  and  verily  the  frailest  of  houses  is  the  spider's  house 
(baitu  H^ankabUti).'^ 

15.  Development  of,  or  (Bu.)  a  gloss  on,  1*^.  His  own 
**  house"  is  as  fragile  as  the  spider's:  though  he  leans  upon 
it,  and  holds  it  firmly,  it  affords  him  no  support.  **  House  "  is 
naturally  to  be  taken  here  in  a  broad  sense,  including  his  family, 
establishment,  and  the  resources  implied  in  the  possession  of 
an  estate. 

16-18.  Another  comparison  to  a  plant.  Such  a  man  is  like 
a  creeper,  firmly  rooted  in  a  garden,  thriving  in  the  warmth  of 
the  sun,  and  spreading  luxuriantly,  which,  however,  if  it  is  once 
destroyed,  is  utterly  and  for  ever  forgotten.  The  figure  and 
the  thing  signified  are  blended  into  one  by  the  poet :  the  sub- 
ject of  the  description  is  the  godless  man,  conceived  and  pictured 
as  a  plant. 

16.  Full  of  sap]  properly  moist;  cf.  the  cognate  verb,  24^ 
(EVV.  are  wet)  f. — Before  the  sun]  under  the  fostering  heat  of 
the  s«n. 

17.  Pierceth]  Or  (with  other  points)  taketh  hold  of:  see 
phil.  n.  f&,  beholdeth. — Place  of  stones]  questionable :  see 
phil.  n. 

18.  Destroy]  lit.  swallow  upy  fig.  for  entire  annihilation.  So 
2^  (see  n.)  al.     The  unnamed  subject  may  be  either    **he" 


82  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [VIII.  18  22. 

^®  Behold,  that  is  the  joy  of  his  way, 

And  out  of  the  dust  another  spring  '^ethl. 

2^  Behold,  God  rejecteth  not  a  perfect  man, 

And  taketh  not  hold  of  the  hand  of  evil-doers 

21  He  will  yet  fill  thy  mouth  with  laughter, 

And  thy  lips  with  shouting. 

22  They  that  hate  thee  will  be  clothed  with  shame, 

And  the  tent  of  the  wicked  will  be  no  more. 


(God),  or  Vhr2n  (  =  ««one");  see  on  320  phil.  n.  ;  and  add 
E.  Konig,  Stilistik.  Rhetorik,  Poetik^  p.  115. — I  have  not  seen 
thee\  a  formula  of  emphatic  repudiation  (Dt.  33^). 

19.  That  is  the  joy  of  his  7vay]  i.e.  of  his  path  in  life :  the 
*' joy,"  of  which  he  was  himself  so  proud,  and  which  may  have 
been  envied  by  others,  is  shortlived,  and  comes  abruptly  to  an 
end.  The  expression  is  used  with  a  touch  of  irony.  There  is 
no  need  to  correct  the  text  (see  phil.  n.). — Out  of  the  dust 
another  springeth\  the  figure  of  the  plant  is  still  maintained. 
He  is  not  missed :  his  place  is  immediately  filled  by  another, 
just  as  though  he  had  never  been,  npv,  to  spring  up  (as  a  plant), 
Gn.  2^  etc.  ;  fig.  of  men,  as  Is.  44*.  "isy,  dusty  poet,  for  the 
soil  forming  the  surface  of  the  earth,  as  5^  14^  282  30^  4126(33)^ 
Is.  2^*- 1^.  The  fall  of  the  godless  man,  here  described,  from 
the  height  of  prosperity  to  the  direst  adversity  resembles  that 
of  Job  ;  and  Bildad,  though  he  does  not  say  it  in  so  many 
words,  no  doubt  desires  Job  to  consider  whether  his  own  mis- 
fortune may  not  be  due  to  the  same  cause. 

20-22.  But  God  does  not  forsake  the  righteous,  not  even 
when  he  is  in  adversity,  if  he  only  turns  to  Him  for  help  (^~'^) : 
if,  therefore.  Job  is  really  blameless  (^),  he  may  rest  assured 
that  he  will  again  be  blessed  with  prosperity. 

20.  Perfect\  i^  n. — Taketh  not  holdy  etc.]  to  support  him: 
the  figure,  as  Is.  41^^  42^  al. 

21.  Development  of  2<^a:  happiness  is  still  in  store  for  Job. 
— Befilled  with  laughter]  Ps.  1262  ^rs  pintT  xi'D"'  TX. — Shouting] 
i.e.  joyous  shouting  :  cp.  the  cognate  vb.  in  38^,  Is.  442^. 

22.  Development  of  20b .  Job's  enemies,  who  delight  in  his 
misfortune,  will  be  filled  with  disappointment  when  they  see 


VIII.  22-IX.  4.]  JOB  S^ 

him  again  prosperous  ;  and  disaster  will  overtake  the  wicked. 
Bildad's  last  words  are  double-edged.  On  the  one  hand,  in  so 
far  as  he  seems  to  identify  Job's  enemies  with  the  wicked,  he 
implies  that  he  does  not  class  Job  among  them ;  on  the  other 
hand,  the  last  line  suggests  ominously  that  it  is  just  Job's  tent 
which  is  already  no  more. — Clothe  themselves  'with  shame]  the 
figure,  as  Ps.  3526  10929  (nsijs)  122^^.— The  tent]  52^. 

IX.  X.  Job's  reply  to  Bildad's  first  speech.— Though 
there  is  no  unambiguous  address  to  Bildad  in  particular,  or  to 
the  three  friends  together  (ct.  622-29)^  gi-24  ^nay  be  regarded  as 
the  direct  reply  to  Bildad,  opening,  as  it  does,  with  reference 
to  Bildad's  opening  words,  and  in  22-24  giving  direct  contradic- 
tion to  his  closing  words  in  82^-22^  g^^-  jj^  ^j^g  remainder  of  the 
speech  Job,  disregarding  the  friends  (as  in  the  latter  part  of 
his  previous  speech,  c.  7),  is  rather  musing  to  himself  on  God's 
mysterious  ways  (92^*-  32-35^^  ^^j^^j  considering  how  he  will  ques- 
tion Him  (io2^-),  or  directly  addressing  himself  to  God  (928^31^^ 
In  the  direct  reply  Job  takes  up  Bildad's  conception  of  the 
divine  might  and  justice.  Certainly  God  is  irresistible  in  His 
might  (9*"^^) :  if,  then,  to  be  almighty  (cp.  8^  n.)  is  to  be  just, 
if  justice  is  whatever  an  almighty  being  may  do,  God  is  just 
(92*-),  and  certainly,  if  He  insists  on  holding  Job  to  be  guilty. 
Job  cannot  establish  his  innocence  over  against  Him  (9^^~2i), 
On  the  other  hand,  Bildad  is  quite  wrong  in  maintaining  (82^-22) 
that  God's  might  or  justice  was  discriminative ;  it  is  not :  for 
innocent  and  guilty  alike  go  down  before  it  (922-24).  j^  ^.j^g 
remainder  of  his  speech  Job  muses  on  the  brevity  of  life  (925-27 
,o20-22)^  on  the  futility  of  attempting  to  establish  his  innocence 
against  God's  determination  to  hold  him  guilty  and  treat  him 
with  severity  {g^^~^)i  and  on  the  apparent  contradictoriness  of 
God's  actions  in  thus  treating  him  (lo^"*^-  ^^"^"^j,  after  having 
lavished  such  care  on  him  both  before  (^~^^)  and  after  (^2)  birth. 
Why  did  He  bring  him  into  life  (10^^')?  Why  cannot  He  at 
least  leave  him  alone  for  the  few  days  of  life  that  remain  (20-22)  p 

IX.  2-4.  Job  ironically  concedes  Bildad's  position  (8^)  that 
God  never  acts  unjustly,  and  consequently  whatever  He  does 
is  right :  man  is  powerless  before  Him ;  what  chance  has  he  to 
prove   himself   innocent,    when   God,    who   sets    Himself   the 


84  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [IX.  2-10. 

IX.  ^  And  Job  answered  and  said, 
2  Of  a  truth  I  know  that  it  is  so : 

And  how  can  a  man  be  just  with  God? 

*  If  he  were,  to  desire  to  dispute  with  him, 

He  could  not  answer  him  one  of  a  thousand. 

*  Wise  in  heart,  and  mighty  in  strength — 

Who  (ever)  hardened  (himself)  against  him,  and 

prospered  ? 


standard  of  righteousness,  and  is  irresponsible  and  omnipotent, 
is  resolved  to  prove  him  guilty  ? 

2,  Of  a  truth]  ironically,  as  12^. — That  it  is  sd\  what  Bildad 
has  said  (8^). — And  how ^  etc.]  Eliphaz's  principle  (4^^),  with  the 
change  of  IP  into  DV — perhaps  (Dr.)  to  suggest  the  double 
sense,  **  How  can  man  be  just  in  the  estimation  of  (oy,  withy  as 
I  S.  2^^,  2  S.  6^2)  God?  "  and  **  How  can  man  have  right  (in  a 
contest)  with  God  ? "     For  DV>  with^  suggesting  in  a  contest 

withy  Cf.  3-  1*  10"^  1 621,  ps^  g^l6  j^sy-,^  Qy  ^tJ  j3^p^  s^^ 

3-4.  If  man  did  wish  to  contend  with  God,  for  the  purpose 
of  establishing  his  righteousness,  he  would  be  foredoomed  to 
failure,  he  could  not  answer  Him  one  of  the  innumerable  ques- 
tions which,  in  His  infinite  superiority  to  man,  He  would  put 
to  him  :  His  wisdom,  combined  with  His  might  (** — a  summary 
anticipation  of  ^*^-:  cp.  also  ^^  Is.  40^^),  would  bring  about  his 
complete  discomfiture.  A  less  probable  view  of  ^*  is  that  it 
goes  with  **who"  in  ^ — who,  however  great  and  strong, 
hardened  himself,  etc.  (Olsh.  Ehrlich). 

4.  In  heart\  in  intellect^  'f^  n. — Hardened  (himself)  against 
hini\  probably  with  an  ellipse,  hardened  (his  neck)  against  him^ 
i.e,  (Da.)  braved  him :  cf.  Dt.  lo^^,  Jer.  7^^,  Pr.  29^  (vb.), 
Ex.  32^  (adj.)  al.  Possible  also  is  an  ellipse,  as  perhaps  in 
Ex.  I3l^  of  heart  (Ps.  95^,  Pr.  28I*)  or  spirit  (Dt.  2^%— And 
prospered]  or,  more  exactly,  was  (came  off)  whole  (8^  n.),  i,e. 
safe  and  sound. 

5-IO.  Description  of  God's  omnipotence  as  manifested  in 
the  mighty  works  of  nature.  Cf.  the  picture  drawn  by  Eliphaz, 
^9-16^  who,  however,  in  agreement  with  his  line  of  argument, 
selects  examples  of  the  beneficent  operations  of  God,  whereas 


IX.  5-9.]  JOB  85 

*  Who  removeth  the  mountains,  and  they  know  it  not, 

Who  overturneth  them  in  his  anger : 

*  Who  shaketh  the  earth  out  of  her  place, 

And  the  pillars  thereof  tremble : 
'^  Who  commandeth  the  sun,  and  it  beameth  not ; 
And  sealeth  up  the  stars : 


Job  selects  examples  illustrating  His  unlimited  and  even  irre- 
sponsible and  destructive  power. 

5.  A  hyperbolical  description  of  the  dislodgment  of  huge 
masses  of  rock  from  a  mountain,  either  by  an  earthquake  or, 
in  a  thunderstorm,  by  lightning,  or  of  great  boulders  being 
rolled  down  the  gullies  by  the  torrents  of  water  which  in  a 
storm  rapidly  fill  them  (as  may  be  witnessed  sometimes  in  the 
Sinaitic  Peninsula;  see  **Neh.-Mal."  in  the  Century  Bible y 
p.  99 f.). — And  they  know  it  not]  so  quickly  is  it  done:  cf.  (for 
the  meaning  of  the  expression)  Ps.  35^,  Is.  47^^,  Pr.  5^,  Jer.  502*. 
Or,  to  obtain  a  closer  parallel  with  the  last  part  of  ^  reading 
the  vb.  in  the  sing.,  with  God  as  the  subj..  Who  removeth 
mountains  without  knowing  it^  so  easily  and  without  effort  does 
He  act. 

6.  Earthquakes.  The  description  is  again  hyperbolical. 
The  earth  was  supposed  to  be  supported  upon  massive  pillars : 
cf.  38^  I  S.  28,  Ps.  1045  (ct.  2^'.  see  n.).  Or  the  pillars  of  the 
earth  may  be  identical  with  what  in  26^^  are  called  the  pillars 
of  heaven  :  i.e.  the  mountains  rising  from  the  horizon  on  earth 
and  supporting  heaven. 

7.  Abnormal  obscurations  of  the  heavens,  whether  caused 
by  heavy  thunderstorms,  or  by  sandstorms  (see  Dr.  on  Ex.  lo^^), 
or  eclipses. — Beameth  not]  The  word  is  the  one  regularly  used 
of  the  sun's  ** rising"  :  but  its  proper  meaning  is  to  beam  or 
rhine  forth ;  and  it  is  not  confined  to  the  literal  rising  of  the 
sun  (cf.  Is.  5810). 

8-10.  Regarded  by  some  as  an  insertion :  see  phil.  notes. 
Note  8a=  Is.  4424^  (cp.  Is.  4o22b,  Ps.  1042);  b  cp.  Mic.  i3b;  »  cp, 
Am.  58;  10  =  59. 

8-9.  God's  power,  as  shown  in  the  workmanship  of  heaven, 
and  (8b)  in  His  sovereign  control  of  the  billows  of  the  sea. 


S6  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [IX.  8-9. 

^  Who  alone  stretched  out  the  heavens, 

And  treadeth  upon  the  waves  of  the  sea : 

*  Who  made  the  Bear  (and)  Orion, 

And  the  Pleiades,  and  the  chambers  of  the  south : 


8.  Treadethy  etc.]  Viz.  in  a  tempest,  when  the  waves  (Heb. 
*'  high  places  ")  rise  mountain-high,  and  Yahweh  was  supposed 
to  walk  on  their  crest.  Elsewhere  Yahweh  is  described  as 
treading,  or  marching,  on  the  "high  places"  of  the  earth 
(Am.  4^^,  Mic.  i^).  The  expression  implies  undisputed  posses- 
sion of,  or  uncontrolled  sovereignty  over :  cf.  (of  Israel  in 
Canaan)  Dt.  32^3  3329,  is.  581^;  also  Ps.  i83*<33),  Hab.  3I9. 

9.  Three  constellations,  which,  though  the  ancients  were 
completely  unaware  of  their  gigantic  size,  impressed  them  by 
their  brilliancy  and  magnificence,  as  they  glowed  in  the  nocturnal 
heavens.  The  identifications  are  not  certain  :  see  more  fully  on 
38=^1^-,  Del.  and  Di.  here  and  on  3831^-,  EBi,  s.v.  Stars,  §  3  (Burney). 
—  The  Bear]  Heb.  *ash,  in  38^21  spelt  more  correctly  * ayish, 
though  (as  Syriac  shows)  'iyyush  would  be  the  best  pronuncia- 
tion. In  38^^  the  reference  is  to  'Ayish  and  her  children,  the 
children,  if  the  identification  with  the  Bear  be  correct,  being 
presumably  the  three  stars  of  the  tail.  But,  on  account  of  its 
greater  meteorological  significance  (cp.  38^2-31),  ^j^g  Pleiades 
have  been  thought  to  be  the  constellation  invoked,  'Ayish  being 
strictly  the  principal  star  of  the  group  (Alcyone),  the  remainder 
her  children. — Orio7t]  38^^  Am.  5^;  and  in  the  pi.  Is.  13^®!, 
'*  For  the  stars  of  the  heavens  and  their  Orions — i,e,  their 
constellations  like  Orion — shall  not  give  their  light,"  etc.  The 
Heb.  is  Tp3,  the  common  word  iox fool  (Pr.  122.32  etc.):  c.  38^1 
speaks  of  the  '*  bands  "  of  Orion  :  as  Orion  was  supposed  by  the 
ancient  Greeks  to  be  a  giant  bound  in  the  heavens  by  chains,  it 
is  difficult  not  to  think  that  some  similar  idea  underlay  the  Heb. 
name,  and  that  there  was  some  legend  of  a  giant  who,  confiding 
foolishly  in  his  strength,  and  defying  the  Almighty,  was,  as  a 
punishment  for  his  arrogance,  bound  for  ever  in  the  sky.  The 
identification  of  ^"'03  with  Orion  is  as  ancient  as  (&  38^^,  Is.  13^^, 
and  is  generally  accepted.  Saad.  and  some  others  identify  it 
with  Canopus. — The  Pleiades]  38^^,  Am.  5^  f.     If  the  first-named 


IX.  9.]  JOB  Sy 

^®  Who  doeth  great  things  past  finding  out ; 
Yea,  marvellous  things  without  number. 


constellation  be  rightly  identified  with  the  Pleiades,  that  now 
named  (riD^a)  must  be  something  else — possibly  Sirius.  The 
Bear,  Orion,  and  the  Pleiades  attracted  notice  at  an  early  period 
among  the  Greeks  also,  partly,  perhaps,  on  account  of  their 
conspicuousness,  and  partly  because  their  risings  and  settings 
with  the  sun  marked  the  seasons.  Comp.  Horn.  //.  i8.  483-9 
(as  depicted  on  the  shield  of  Achilles) : 

^Ev  fiev  yalav  eT€v^\  iv  S'  ovpavov,  iv  he  OdXaaaav, 
^HeXiov  S*  cLKafiavTa,  Xekrivrjv  re  irXTJOovaav, 
iv  he  ra  leipea  Trdvra,  rd  t  ovpavo<;  eVre^aj/WTat, 
Il\7)ldZa^  0*  'Tdha^  re,  to  T€  <T6evo<i  ^flprnvo^^^ 
"ApKTov  ffy  rjv  KoX  dfxa^av  eTTCKXTjatv  KokeovaiVy 
7]  T  avTov  arpe^erai,  Kal  t  ^flplayva  hoKevet, 
otrj  S*  dfjLfjLop6<;  iarc  XoeTpcov  ^ flKeavolo. 
Od.  V.  272-5  (Ulysses  sitting  by  the  helm,  sleepless — IlXrjid8a<! 
T    iiTopcovTi  Kal  oyfre  Bvovra  Bocottjv  ^Apicrov  6 ,  ktX. — as   in 
the   three  lines  just  quoted).     //.  22.   27-31   (Achilles  in  his 
flashing  armour  compared  to  the  dog-star) : 

09  pd  T   OTTooprjf;  elaiv,  dpL^rjXoi,  Be  ol  avyal 
<f)aivovTai  TToXXolai  fier  aarpaat  vvkto^  d/jLoXy^' 
6v  T€  KVV  ^flpLcovo^  eTTLKXrjcnv  KaXeovcTL' 
XafiTTpoTUTo^  fiep  oB'  earl,  kukov  Be  re  arjfia  TervKTUc, 
Kal  Te  (f)epei,  iroXXov  irvperop  BeiXolat  ^porolaiv. 
The  chambers  of  the  south\   this   translation   of  the   Hebrew 
phrase  assumes  an  unusual  orthography  (ion  for  jJOTl),  but  is 
more  probable  than  the  alternative  the  chmnhers  of  the  Twins 
(JDn  =  |P^y^,  Aramaic  pi.  for  D^DXn).     But  the  chambers  of  the 
south  can   hardly  refer   to   a   single   particular  constellation, 
though  in  the  context  it  would  be  most  natural  to  look  for  this  ; 
if  the  text  and  translation  are  correct,  the  term  probably  refers 
to  constellations  which,  as  the  poet  knew,  appeared  above  the 
horizon  as  a  traveller  journeyed  south  (Dr.).     Less  probable  in 
the  context  would  be  the  identification  with  **  the  storehouses  of 
elemental  forces,  such  as  the  storm,  or  light  and  darkness: 
cp.  37®  38^2  "  (Peake).     Hoffm.  by  a  slight  emendation  (iD^ni  mn 


88  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [IX.  9-13. 

^^  Lo,  he  goeth  by  me,  and  I  see  him  not : 

He  passeth  on  also,  but  I  perceive  him  not. 

^  If  he  seizeth,  who  can  turn  him  back? 

Who  can  say  unto  him.  What  doest  thou  ? 

13  God  doth  not  turn  back  his  anger ; 

The  helpers  of  Rahab  did  stoop  under  him. 


for  'n  ''"iin)  obtains  the  names  of  two  constellations — Hdr  and 
the  Twins. 

10.  Repeated  almost  verbatim  from  5^  (Eliphaz). 

11-24.  From  the  general  truth  that  man  cannot  establish  his 
right  in  a  conflict  with  God  (2'-),  whose  might  is  overwhelming 
(*~^^)>  Job  passes  (^^"^^)  to  its  special  application  to  himself,  and, 
in  particular,  first  on  the  supposition  that  God  summons  Job  to 
answer  a  charge  (^**  ^^),  and  then  on  the  supposition  that  Job 
summons  God  (I6-20J .  j^  either  event  he  would  be  overwhelmed 
by  God's  might,  terrorized  into  not  maintaining,  but  at  best 
supplicating  for,  his  right  P),  or,  having  summoned  God,  to 
charge  not  Him,  but  himself,  with  wrong  (^o).  And  so  he 
returns  to  generalization :  God  destroys  men  indifferently, 
whether  they  are  actually  good  men  or  bad  men  (^2),  or,  if  He 
discriminates,  it  is  in  favour  of  the  wicked  (2*). 

11.  Job,  like  the  mountains  (^),  lay  in  the  path  of  God  as  He 
passed  along  in  His  anger ;  and  though  He  passed  invisibly.  Job 
knows  that  He  has  passed  by  the  eff"ect  of  His  passage ;  like 
mountains  overturned  by  the  same  cause.  Job's  life  lies  in  ruins. 
Instead  of  directly  stating  this  fact,  Job  speaks  quasi-hypotheti- 
cally  (see  phil.  n.),  but  only  in  order  to  suggest  the  more  strongly 
the  divine  origin  and,  therefore,  the  irreparableness  of  his  ruin, 
and  the  impossibility  of  withstanding  or  questioning  God's  action 

(12-14). 

12.  Cp.  1 1 10  23^3^ 

13.  Man  cannot  (^^j^  and  God  Himself  (emphatic),  who  might 
(and,  as  others  thought,  often  did,  Ps.  78^^),  does  not,  turn  back 
His  anger;  the  only  thing  to  do  then,  as  the  mighty  beings  of 
ancient  story  found,  was  to  sink  down  under  Him  as  He  passed 
along.  The  anger  of  God  does  not  appear  to  Job  as  it  did  to 
the  prophets  (e.g.  Is.  9^1  etc.),  to  be  provoked  or  maintained  in 


EX.  13.]  JOB  89 

action  by  human  sin  :  it  is  ethically  uncontrolled,  sheer  power  in 
action,  destroying  things  and  men  indifferently,  whether  mighty 
mountains,  or  frail  though  innocent  men  like  Job,  who  come 
in  its  way.     The  conception  has  its  parallel  in  early  popular 
thought  of  Yahweh  (see,  e.g.^  2  S.  6^^-),  which  left  its  mark  even 
on  much  later  theology;  see,  especially  in  P,  Nu.  1^^  17^^  18^ 
(see  nn.  on  those  passages  in  /CC,  and  also  on  Nu.  22^^) ;  but 
Job  rather  heightens  the  picture  of  man's  helplessness  in  a  world 
subject  to  God's  anger :  popular  thought  pictured  that  anger 
aroused  by  man's  intrusion,  however  unwilling  and   involun- 
tary, on  what  was  holy  or  sacred  to  God ;  Job  thinks  of  man 
passively  and  helplessly  exposed  to  that  anger,  if  God  merely 
happens  to  come  his    way. — The   helpers  of  Rahab]    Rahab, 
meaning  boisterousness,  arrogancy,  and  perhaps  overbearing- 
ness  (cp.  Is.  3^  and  n.  on  Is.  14*),  is,  apparently,  a  popular  name 
given  in  Hebrew  folklore  to  the  sea-monster  (pjn,  7^^),  who  in 
primaeval  times  (Is.  51^)  had  defied,  but  been  vanquished  by, 
Yahweh  (26^2^  where  Rahab  is  I|  to  the  sea;   Is.  51^,  1|  pan,  Ps. 
89^^:  cp.  Is.  30^?).     In.  Ps.  87*  Rahab  is  employed  as  a  name 
for  Egypt,  which  country  in  the  person  of  its  king  is  addressed 
elsewhere  as :   **Thou  great  monster  (pJDn)  which  lieth  in  the 
midst  of  its  streams  (V"ii<''),  who  saith,  Mine  is  the  Nile  (iN"*), 
and  /made  it "  (Ezk.  29^).    This  sea-monster  of  Hebrew  popular 
story  is  obviously  derived  from  the  Tidmat  (philologically  =  Heb. 
fhSniy   the  abyss)  of  the  Babylonian  myth,  the  great  dragon 
representing  the  sea  and  the  forces  of  disorder,  which  were 
vanquished  by  Marduk  before  Creation.     The  helpers  of  Rahab 
come  from  the  same  source  :  in  Tablet  IV.  lines  105  ff.  oi  Enuma 
Elish  (L.  King,   The  Seven  Tablets  of  Creation ;  Rogers,  CP)y 
Marduk,  after  slaying  Tiamat,  deals  with  her  helpers  : 
When  he  had  slain  Tidmat,  the  leader, 
Her  power  was  broken,  her  army  was  scattered 
And  the  gods,  her  helpers^  who  marched  at  her  side, 
Trembled  and  were  afraid  and  turned  back. 
They  broke  away  to  save  their  lives, 
But  they  were  surrounded,  they  could  not  escape. 
He  took  them  captive,  he  broke  their  weapons. 
In  the  net  they  were  thrown,  and  in  the  snare  they  remained. 


90  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [IX.  13-17. 

^*  How  much  less  shall  /  answer  him, 

And  choose  out  my  words  (to  reason)  with  him  ? 

1^  Whom,  though  I  were  righteous,  I  could  not  answer; 
I  should  make  supplication  to  mine  adversary. 

^®  If  I  had  cited  (him),  and  he  had  answered  me ; 

I  should  not  believe  that  he  would  give  ear  unto  my  voice 


.  .  .  The  world  they  filled  with  cries  of  sorrow, 
They  bore  his  punishment,  they  are  shut  up  in  prison 

(Rogers'  translation). 

In  Ps.  89^1  these  helpers  are  referred  to,  in  parallelism  with 

Rahab,  as  Yahweh's  enemies. 

14.  Answer  hini]  rebut  the  charge  brought  against  me  by 
God,  who  is  here  represented  as  Job's  opponent-at-law.  So  ^ 
means  :  how  incapable  should  I  be  of  selecting  a  successful  line 
of  defence  in  my  conflict  with  (dj;,  as  ^ :  see  n.  on  2)  Him  in  the 
law  court. 

15.  Though  his  case  were  perfectly  good,  with  such  an 
opponent,  he  could  not  so  argue  as  to  get  a  decision  on  its 
merits ;  he  could  at  best  cast  himself  on  the  favour  of  his 
adversary  (  =  opponent-at-law :  see  phil.  n.),  with  a  view  to 
obtaining  as  a  favour  what  was  really  his  by  right. 

16-18.  Even  though  Job  were  to  summon  God  to  answer  a 
charge  (cp.  13^^^),  and  God  were  to  appear  in  court  in  response 
to  the  summons,  yet  God  would  by  violent  methods  (^^'•)  in  court 
prevent  him  from  formulating  his  just  charge  against  Him. 

16.  Cited  (htm)]  Heb.  called,  N"ip  being  used  of  a  legal 
summons  as  in  Is.  59*  (||  DD^j). — Answered\  i.e.  appeared  in 
response  to  the  summons,  so  rather  similarly  5^,  where  appear- 
ance in  response  to  Job's  call,  not  a  speech  in  reply,  is  intended. 
Du.,  understanding  answer  in  the  sense  of  speech  in  reply, 
reads  ''  he  would  not  answer  me  "  (after  &)  to  harmonize  *  on 
this  view  with  ^ :   see  phil.  n. 

17  f.  The  vbs.  describe  what  would  be  God's  conduct  in 
court,  if  He  were  to  appear  there ;  but  if  &  be  followed  in  '^^ 
they  describe  God's  present  actual  treatment  of  Job  :  then  render 
(Hi.  Du.,  and  in  ^^  RV.):  bruiseth^  muUiplieth,  suffereth  me 
not,  2i.n6.  satiateth ;  in  this  case  with  ^^,  cp.  7^^^  and  with  ^^^  132^. 


IX.  17-20.]  JOB  91 

^^  For  he  would  bruise  me  with  a  tempest, 

And  multiply  my  wounds  without  cause. 
1^  He  would  not  suffer  me  to  take  my  breath, 

But  would  satiate  me  with  bitterness. 
^^  If  (it  be  a  question)  of  the  strength  of  the  mighty,  **  Here  [I 

am] !  "  (saith  he) ; 
And  if  of  judgment  (he  saith),  **  Who  will  appoint  me  a 

time  ?  " 
^^  Though  I  were  righteous,  mine  own  mouth  would  condemn 

me; 
I  am  perfect ;  and  he  declares  me  crooked ! 


17.  Bruise]  see  phil.  n. — Tempest]  cp.  38^  40^;  and  see  phil.  n. 
Hi.  gives  the  word  (myK^)  the  meaning  of  hatr  (cp.  QL  :  see 
phil.  n.)  as  in  4^^,  and  renders  ^'^*:  who  drags  me  by  the  hair 
(cp.  i6^2j.  But  the  sing,  of  the  noun  would  be  as  questionable 
here  as  in  4^^,  and  the  vb.  does  not  mean  to  drag. — b.     Cp.  2^. 

19.  **  God's  might  is  such  that  he  is  ready  for  any  contest, 
and  superior  to  the  summons  of  any  judge  "  (Dr.).  See,  further, 
phil.  n. — Appoint  me  a  time]  the  Hif.  (Jer.  49^^  =  50**^)  of  the 
vb.  used  in  c.  2^^  (n.):  the  meaning  here  is:  Fix  the  day  on 
which  I  must  appear  to  be  judged. 

20.  Righteous  .  .  .  condem,n\  the  second  vb.  is  the  declara- 
tive Hif.  (G-K.  53c)  of  j;K'"j  (the  antithesis  of  pnv,  righteous), 
and  means  would  declare,  or  pronounce,  unrighteous.  Primarily 
both  the  vb.  and  adj.  of  piv  and  j;c^T  mean  right  or  wrong  in  a 
particular  case,  innocent  or  guilty  of  a  particular  charge  (cp. 
e.g.  Dt.  25^:  judges  are  to  *' pronounce  the  innocent  innocent, 
and  the  guilty  guilty "  :  EV.  renders  badly) ;  and  here,  with 
the  prevailing  figure  of  the  law  courts,  we  might  render :  though 
I  were  in  the  right,  mine  own  mouth  would  pronounce  me  in 
the  wrong.  But  the  implied  charge  here  is  so  general  (cp.  ^), 
that  there  is  no  substantial  difference  in  this  particular  case 
(ct.  Dt.  25*)  between  the  two  renderings,  in  the  right  and 
righteous, — Mine  own  mouth  .  .  .  he]  the  parallelism  would 
be  more  exact,  if  we  read  his  mouth  (but  see  phil.  n.)  in  %  or 
(better)  treated  **  mouth  "  not  **  God  "  as  the  subj.  in  ^  render- 
ing "  it  declares." — Perfect  .  .  .  crooked]  see  i^  n. 


92  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [IX.  21-24. 

21  I  am  perfect ;   I  care  not  for  myself; 

I  refuse  my  life. 

22  It  is  (all)  one ;  therefore  I  say, 

The  perfect  and  the  wicked  he  bringeth  to  an  end  I 

23  If  the  scourge  slay  suddenly, 

He  mocketh  at  the  trial  of  the  innocent. 


21,  22.  A  succession  of  short  clauses  giving  a  verse  structure 
very  different  from  the  normal  :  this  is  perhaps  original  and 
intentional  (Bu.),  to  give  effect  in  form  to  the  emotional  con- 
tents of  the  vv.  For  a  reconstruction  of  the  text,  see  phil.  n. 
The  vindication  of  his  integrity  is  all  that  Job  any  longer  cares 
about ;  life  he  is  quite  ready  to  hazard  ;  it  is  all  one  to  him 
whether  he  lives  or  dies  :  consequently  he  can  and  will  speak, 
and  freely  (cp.  13^^) :  God  may  slay  the  wicked,  as  Bildad  had 
asserted  (S^^^-),  but  He  also  slays  and  so  rejects  the  good, 
which  Bildad  had  denied  (S^*^) ;  and  so  in  reality  by  His  undis- 
criminating  action  He  perverts  justice,  which  also  Bildad  had 
denied  (8^). 

21,  /  am  perfect]  perhaps  merely  an  accidental  repetition 
from  20  (Be.^). — /  care  not  for  myself  ]  Heb.  I  know  (v^x)  not 
my  soul  [i.e.  myself:  ||  "  my  life  "),  the  vb.  being  used,  as  not 
infrequently,  in  the  sense  of  caring,  troubling  about  a  thing ; 
cp.  Gn.  39^  Dt.  33^. — I  refuse  my  life]  cp.  7^^  and  see  phil.  n. 
there. 

22,  It  is  all  one]  ^  omits.  %  it  is  one  measure t  i,e,  good 
and  bad  are  requited  alike  (cp.  Qoh.  92),  so  Del.^  (but  not  2)  and 
Ehrlich.  But  the  phrase  is  to  be  explained  with  most  moderns 
as  above  in  the  n.  on  21-  22, 

23,  24.  Examples  of  God's  moral  indifference :  when  the 
scourge  of  God  (cp.  Is.  io2*^)  is  applied  in  the  form  of  some 
plague  that  suddenly  carries  men  off  by  the  thousands,  the 
innocent  die  as  well  as  the  wicked,  and  God  shows  Himself 
more  than  quietly  indifferent  to  their  fate :  He  mocks  at  (cp. 
Ps.  2^)  their  trials  or  despair  (see  phil.  n.).  Again,  the 
government  is  in  the  hands  of  godless  men  ;  judges  have  been 
blinded  so  that  they  do  not  see  the  right,  or  perhaps,  having 
been    bribed,    they   deliberately   overlook    the    right    of    the 


IX.  23-26.]  JOB  93 

2*  The  earth  is  given  into  the  hand  of  the  wicked : 
He  covereth  the  faces  of  the  judges  thereof; 
If  not,  then,  who  is  it  ? 


innocent ;  in  such  social  and  political  conditions  the  innocent 
come  to  an  end  at  least  as  often  as  the  wicked :  indeed,  the 
wicked  is  uppermost.  Yet  who  is  responsible  for  this,  if  not 
God  (2**^)?  therefore  God  discriminates,  if  at  all,  against  the 
innocent. 

24.  The  earth]  or  possibly  a  landy  i.e,  a  province.  On  the 
former  view,  cp.  with  the  judges  thereof^  Ps.  2^^  * 'judges  of 
the  earth"  ||  to  ''kings."  In  either  case  the  writer  may  have 
had  in  view  the  government  and  administration  of  some  world 
empire  of  which  Judah  formed  at  the  time  a  province:  pagans 
ruled,  pious,  innocent  Jews  suffered. — Is  given]  or,  pointing 
differently:  He,  i.e.  God,  hath  given  it.  Vomits  ^'*^,  and  the 
words  "it  is  (all)  one"  in  22 — probably  to  soften  down  the 
strong  expressions  in  20-24.  ^p.  ffi's  substitution  of  "great" 
for  "innocent"  in  ^^^. 

25-35.  Having  completed  his  reply  to  Bildad  with  a  direct 
contradiction  of  Bildad's  contention,  Job,  musing  now  to  himself, 
bemoans  the  brevity  of  his  life  (cp.  7^^-),  and  the  impossibility 
of  any  alleviation  of  his  distress  while  God  retains  His  present 
attitude,  the  impossibility,  too,  of  establishing  his  innocence 
so  long  as  God  is  bent  on  besmirching  (^^^■)  him ;  but  if  God 
would  change  His  attitude  and  cease  to  overbear  him  with 
His  terrible  might,  then  Job  would  establish  the  integrity  of 
which  he  is  conscious  (v.^^*-).  The  lament  over  the  brevity  and 
near  end  of  his  life  follows  immediately  on  his  expression  of 
readiness  to  have  done  with  it  in  ^^^- :  cp.  conversely  7^^^-  after  7^'-. 

25  f.  The  speed  with  which  his  brief  life  is  hurrying  to  its 
goal.  Job  illustrates  by  three  finely  varied  and  very  suggestive 
figures,  25a  that  of  the  solitary  runner  (p)  making  all  haste  to 
deliver  his  message  (cp.  2  S.  1822-24),  26a  ^^at  of  the  fragile 
craft  of  reeds  (see  phil.  n.)  that  skim  so  swiftly  over  the 
surface  of  the  Nile — another  indication  of  the  poet's  acquaint- 
ance with  Egypt  (cp.  8^^  n.),  and  26b  that  of  a  griffon  swooping 
down  on  its  prey. 


94  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [IX.  25-28. 

25  And  my  days  are  swifter  than  a  post : 

They  flee  away,  they  see  no  good. 

26  They  shoot  along  like  skiffs  of  reed, 

Like  an  eagle  that  swoopeth  on  the  prey. 

27  If  I  say,  **I  will  forget  my  complaint, 

I  will  put  off  my  (sad)  countenance,  and  brighten  up  ** : 

28  I  dread  all  my  pains ; 

I  know  that  thou  wilt  not  hold  me  innocent. 


25.  And  my  days]  the  and  is  better  omitted,  with  2  MSS, 
5^U:  cp.  7^. — I^lee  .  .  .  see]  or  have  fled  .  .  .  have  seen-,  the 
terms  are  pf. :  so  in  ^^,  In  7^^-  '^^  Job  had  no  hope  of  any 
further  sight  of  prosperity;  here  his  present  calamities  have 
blotted  out  his  memory  of  the  prosperity  that  he  had 
seen. 

26.  An  eagle]  strictly  a  vulture ^  a  griffon-vulture :  see 
Tristram,  NHB  172  ff.  ;  Dr.  on  Dt.  1412  32II;  EBu,  s.v. 
Eagle:  though  Post  in  DB  (cp.  Lex,  s.v.  iB'j)  claims  that  the 
Heb.  nesher,  like  the  Arabic  msry  might  include  eagles  as 
well  as  vultures.  In  any  case,  the  Hebrew  associations  with 
the  word  nesher  were  unlike  the  English  associations  with 
vultures ;  for  though  the  nesher' s  habit  of  feeding  on  carrion 
was  of  course  known,  and  is  sometimes  referred  to  (39^^ ;  cp. 
Mt.  2428  a€Tot  =  Pesch.  \  ^  i)j  it  is  most  commonly  mentioned 
in  the  OT.  in  nobler  comparisons;  see,  e.g.f  Ex.  19*,  Dt.  32^^, 
Is.  40^^.  Its  swiftness,  the  point  of  comparison  here,  is  fre- 
quently mentioned :  see  Hab.  i^  (swift  on  the  prey,  as  here), 
2  S.  i23,  Jer.  413,  La.  419. 

27a.  Cp.  7^3^. — Complaint]  (sad)  musing,  and  the  expression 
of  it  in  words  (see  phil.  n.  on  7^^) :  the  whole  phrase  is  nearly 
equivalent  to  our  **I  will  forget  my  thoughts." — Put  off  my 
countenance]  this  curious  expression  has  a  close  parallel  in 
I  S.  i^^  ?^  (not  ffi) :  **her  (sad)  countenance  was  no  more 
hers";  in  Gn.  312-^  the  expressions  are  much  less  similar. — 
Brighten  up]  icP-^ :  see  phil.  n. 

28a.  Cp.  7^5.  b.  The  pains  (*)  will  continue,  for  God  is  bent 
on  regarding  Job  as  not  innocent,  and,  therefore,  on  afflicting 
him  as  2^*  one  guilty. 


IX.  29-33.]  JOB  95 

29  I  am  to  be  guilty ! 

Why  then  do  I  labour  in  vain  ? 
^  If  I  wash  myself  with  snow, 

And  cleanse  my  hands  with  lye ; 
'^  Then  thou  wilt  plunge  me  in  the  ditch, 

And  mine  own  clothes  shall  abhor  me. 
'2  For  (he  is)  not  a  man,  as  I  am,  that  I  should  answer  him, 

That  we  should  come  together  in  judgment. 
*^  There  is  no  umpire  betwixt  us. 

That  might  lay  his  hand  upon  us  both. 


29.  If,  whatever  happens,  Job  must  endure  the  sufferings  of 
the  guilty  (^^) ;  if,  as  often  as  he  clears  himself,  God  fastens  on 
him  afresh  the  false  charge  of  guilt — this  point  being  expressed 
by  the  figure  of  a  man  cleansing  himself  in  the  most  thorough 
manner  possible  only  to  be  flung  back  by  one  stronger  into  a 
filthy,  stinking  ditch  {^^^•) — what  use  is  there  in  any  further 
attempt  to  clear  himself  p^)  ? 

30.  IVtth  snow]  regarded  not  unnaturally,  though  errone- 
ously, as  more  cleansing  than  water.  Me.  As  snow  (cp.  Is.  i^®) 
— 103  for  103. — Lye]  alkali,  obtained  from  the  ashes  of  plants 
and  used  for  cleansing  the  person ;  "13  in  this  sense  only  here 
and  Is.  i25(?);  cp.  71^3,  Jer.  222,  Mai.  32.  The  parallelism 
strongly  favours  giving  n3  this  sense  here  (so  ^  and  most 
moderns  ;  S>  took  it  in  the  sense  of  cleanness,  as  in  22^,  2  S.  22'^^). 

31.  The  moment  he  has  finished  washing,  before  he  has 
dressed  again,  God  plunges  him  in  the  filthy  mire ;  when  he 
issues  from  it  his  very  clothes  regard  him  as  an  abomination 
to  be  kept  at  a  distance  (cp.  30^^,  Ps.  88^^^^),  and  so  refuse  to 
cover  him.  Some  (Ew.  al.),  finding  this  powerful  personifica- 
tion too  strong  or  strange,  think  of  Job  as  having  been  dipped 
in  the  filth  clothed,  and  render  (cp.  Ezk.  iG^^)  :  my  clothes 
make  me  an  abomination  (to  others) :  others  (see  phil.  n.) 
emend  *' clothes"  into  '* friends"  (then  cp.  Ps.  88^). 

32.  A  just  decision  is  impossible  to  obtain  :  for  Job  is 
human,  God  is  not,  and  therefore  Job  cannot  reply  to  (cp.  ^^^•) 
God's  charge. 

33.  Nor  is  there  any  one  superior  to  them  both  to  pronounce 


96  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [IX.  33-X. 

^  Let  him  take  away  his  rod  from  me, 

And  let  not  his  terror  affright  me : 
^  Then  would  I  speak,  and  not  fear  him. 

For  not  so  am  I  with  myself. 


a  decision  and  arbitrate  between  them. — There  is  no]  so  JH : 
J^  might  also  be  rendered  :  Would  that  there  were  an ;  but  see 
phil.  n. —  Umpire]  n''3'iD  is  here  one  who  gives  a  decision  in  a 
dispute  between  two  parties :  cp.  the  use  of  the  vb.  in  Gn.  313^ 
and  Is.  2*  (Yahweh  will  arbitrate  in  the  disputes  arising  among 
many  nations). — Lay  his  hand  upon]  exercise  authority  and 
control  over:  cp.  Ps.  139^. 

34  f.  But  let  God  meet  Job  on  equal  terms,  not  taking 
advantage  of  His  irresistible  might  to  beat  him  and  terrify  him 
into  silence,  and  Job  will  freely  utter  his  conviction  of  his  own 
innocence,  and,  consequently,  of  the  injustice  of  God's  present 
violent  treatment  of  him. 

34.  See  1321  33^ 

35.  Not  so  .  .  .  with  myself]  I  am  aware  of  nothing  to 
make  me  afraid  of  Him,  if  He  acts  not  in  might,  but  in  right : 
with,  as  10^3  J -9  23I4  27 11. 

X.  And  yet,  whether  God  remove  His  rod  and  His  terrors 
(9^*)  or  not,  since  Job  is  sick  of  life  (^*)  and  has,  therefore,  nothing 
more  to  fear  (cp.  7^^^-  9'^^**),  he  will  speak  out  his  thoughts  freely 
(^^•^),  and  unreservedly  interrogate  God  as  to  the  reason  of  His 
contention  with  him  (3-6f.)j  he  asks  God  whether  the  reasons 
that  occur  to  him,  and  yet  seem  so  insufficient  or  irrelevant, 
are  really  the  reasons  :  (i)  Does  God  get  any  benefit  or  pleasure 
out  of  ill-treating  and  rejecting  a  life  that  has  cost  Him  much 
labour  to  produce  (^)  ?  (2)  Is  God  after  all  of  limited  vision  and 
perception  like  men,  so  that  He  judges  Job  wrongly,  and 
contends  with  him  because  He  really  has  concluded  that  Job 
deserves  the  treatment  (*)  ?  or  (3)  Is  God  after  all  shortlived 
like  men,  so  that  He  is  in  a  hurry  to  seek  out  Job's  sin  before 
it  has  been  committed  (^)?  Of  these  questions  (2)  and  (3)  are 
no  further  considered,  perhaps  because  the  answers  to  them 
are  too  obvious :  God  cannot  see  amiss  and  cannot  die  ;  but 
the  various  elements  in  (i)  are  elaborated  in  ^"^2,  viz.  the  pains 


X.  1-8.]  JOB  97 

X.  *  My  soul  loatheth  my  life  ; 

I  will  let  my  complaint  take  its  course  upon  me ; 
I  will  speak  in  the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 
2  I  will  say  unto  God,  Do  not  condemn  me ; 

Make  me  to  know  wherefore  thou  contendest  with  me  ? 
*  Is  it  good  for  thee  that  thou  oppressest, 

That  thou  rejectest  the  work  of  thine  hands, 
And  that  thou  shinest  upon  the  counsel  of  the  wicked  ? 


taken  by  God  to  produce  Job  (8-i2)^  and,  in  spite  of  this.  His 
vigilant  and  persistent  hostility  to  Job  (^^"^^),  and  the  question 
itself;  why  so  strange  a  combination,  why  not,  at  least  for  the 
few  days  that  remain  to  Job,  leave  him  alone  (i8-22jp  ^^^ 
transitions  of  thought  at  the  beginning  of  the  chapter  are  not 
too  clearly  marked  :  in  particular,  the  precise  point  of  ^  is  rather 
uncertain,  whether  interpreted  as  above  or  otherwise,  and  ^ 
would  follow  more  easily  as  an  alternative  presentation  of  the 
case  to  ^^  than  as  the  conclusion  to  ^.  Du.  omits  ^ ;  possibly, 
if  we  omit  at  all  to  recover  an  easier  connection,  it  would  be 
better  to  omit  ^^-^. 

1.  To  avoid  a  tristich  Bi.  Du.  omit  ^  as  a  variation  on  7^1 ; 
but  of  the  three  lines  ^-  ^  are  the  better  parallels ;  if  omission 
were  required  1*  (a  variation  of  9^^)  could  be  better  spared. — . 
Complaint\  musing ;  9^^  n. — Let  .  .  .  take  its  course]  Job  will 
no  longer  keep  his  musings  to  himself  (cp.  y^^),  but  let  them 
loose :  3rv,  as  20^^  (antithetical  to  yjD,  to  hold  back)y  Ex.  23^, 
and  in  the  proverbial  expression  aim  ">1Vy,  shut  up  or  let  loose, 
e.g,  Dt.  2>2^^.—  Upon  me]  as  302-16  i^^'ih^  Pg.  42^(5)  al.  :  see  Lex, 

753^. 

2.  Do  not  condemn  me]  without  formulating  the  charge 
(cp.  ^),  or  giving  me  the  opportunity  to  rebut  it. 

3.  Is  it  good  for  thee]  i.e.  advantageous  to  Thee:  so  Ex. 
14I2,  Nu.  143,  Jg.  <^^.—That  thou  oppressest]  ffir  eav  dBtKijaca 
(  =  VK^IN),  if  I  am  guilty  (cp.  Ps.  51^),  is  not  preferable  to  |^.— 
The  'work  of  thy  hands]  the  product  of  the  toil  (y^i^)  of  thy 
hands,  different  from  the  phrase  D^SD  HK^VIO,  commonly  so 
rendered  (see  phil.  n.).  By  this  phrase,  which  he  elaborates  in 
8"^i,  Job  refers  to  himself:  but  it  is  of  course  equally  applicable 

7 


98  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [X.  3-6. 

*  Hast  thou  eyes  of  flesh, 

Or  seest  thou  as  man  seeth  ? 
^  Are  thy  days  as  the  days  of  man, 

Or  thy  years  as  man's  days, 
^  That  thou  seekest  after  mine  iniquity, 

And  searchest  after  my  sin. 


to  any  man,  righteous  or  wicked,  so  that  the  antithesis  in  °  is 
rather  lame,  and  °  should  perhaps  be  omitted  (Bu.  al.)  and  the 
V.  reduced  to  a  distich. 

4.  The  supposition,  if  it  could  be  entertained,  might  explain 
the  present  facts ;  but  it  cannot,  for,  though  men  sometimes 
act  in  disregard  of  the  fact,  it  was  a  commonplace  that  God 
was  spirit  and  not  flesh  (Is.  31^),  and  did  not  see  with  limited 
human  vision  (i  S.  16^). 

5.  Another  supposition  that  merely  needs  to  be  stated  to  be 
rejected ;  for  God's  years  have  no  end  (Ps.  102^^). — Man  .  .  . 
man's]  different  words  in  J^  (12^  .  .  .  K^13X) ;  on  the  other  hand, 
dajys  is  repeated,  perhaps  owing  to  an  accidental  replacement 
in  ^  of  days  for  years:  cp.  phil.  n.  on  8^.  The  point  of  the 
question  has  been  diff"erently  taken :  either,  is  God  shortlived, 
and,  therefore,  limited  in  experience  like  men  ?  in  this  case  ^  is 
a  variation  of  the  thought  of  * ;  or,  is  God  so  shortlived  that 
He  must  make  haste  to  achieve  what  He  has  set  before  Him 
before  His  years  come  to  an  end?  In  neither  case  does 
the  question  fit  very  naturally  into  the  context :  see  above 
on  1"-. 

6.  Thai]  or y  I  put  these  questions,  yor(Du.). — Mine  iniquity 
.  .  .  my  sin]  sin  not  yet  committed  by  Job,  but  which  God  by 
the  infliction  of  severe  suff"ering  is,  after  the  manner  of  an 
inquisitor,  seeking  to  compel  Job  to  acknowledge,  and  thereby 
give  a  ground  for  God's  condemnation  of  him  (Del.  Di.  Dr.) ; 
or,  iniquity  and  sin  such  as  Job  admitted  (7^^),  while  refusing 
to  admit  **  wickedness  "  (^*)  such  as  would  justify  the  severity 
of  God's  treatment  of  him  :  *♦  the  fact  of  guilt  he  does  not  deny, 
but  he  cannot  regard  it  as  of  primary  importance :  if  God  is 
regarded  as  a  petty  criminal  judge,  He  is  degraded  to  the 
(merely)  human,  and  it  is  forgotten  that  He  is  the  Creator,  and 


X.  6-9.]  JOB  99 

^  Although  thou  knowest  that  I  am  not  wicked ; 

And  there  is  none  that  can  deliver  out  of  thine  hand? 
^  Thine  hands  have  fashioned  and  formed  me, 

•^Afterwards  thou  turnest^  and  destroyest  me ! 
^  Remember,  I  beseech  thee,  that  thou  hast  formed  me  as  clay ; 

And  wrilt  thou  bring  me  into  dust  again  ? 


that  man  is  not  a  stranger  to  Him,  as  the  criminal  to  the  judge, 
but  a  work  of  His  own  hands  lovingly  produced  "  (Du.). 

7.  The  two  lines  express  two  very  disparate  ideas,  and 
form  very  awkward  parallels ;  *  seems  most  congruous  with 
the  context,  and  Be.  Du.  (see  phil.  n.),  by  a  slight  emendation, 
bring  ^  into  parallelism  with  it,  rendering,  And  that  there  is 
no  transgression  (or,  treachery)  in  my  hand.  Ehrlich,  by  an 
even  slighter  emendation  (>V"J^  for  Vt^^N  in  *),  brings  *  into 
parallelism  with  ^ :  in  this  case  render : 

Because  Thou  knowest  that  I  cannot  save  myself. 

And  that  there  is  none  that  can  deliver  out  of  thy  hand. 

8-1 1.  Amplification  of  ^.  By  a  variety  of  metaphors,  or 
comparisons  with  human  handiwork,  the  poet  emphasizes  the 
care  lavished  by  God  on  the  production  of  Job. 

8.  Fashioned]  like  a  sculptor. — Afterwards  thou  tumesi\  see 
phil.  n.  J^  EV.  together  round  about  with  %  giving  to  the  v.  an 
unrhythmical  structure. — Destroyesi\  2^ :  Job  does  not  know  of 
the  Satanic  instigation  to  God's  action. 

9.  Formed  vie  as  ctaj']  like  a  potter ;  cp.  Is.  64^  45^.  Clay 
is  regarded  as  the  actual  material  of  the  human  body  in 
^19  ^^6 .  SQ  some  would  read  here  IDH  (cp.  ffir)  as  an  ace.  of  the 
material  (G-K.  iiyhh)  or  "lona  (cp.  2  in  Ex.  38^:  Ehrlich),  and 
render :  formed  me  out  of  clay.  Varying  the  figure  the  writer 
repeats  the  thought  of  ^ :  so  much  care  (^*-  ^*)  expended  in  vain 
pb.  9bj .  j^^g  Jq5  been  fashioned  by  the  divine  sculptor  merely, 
through  a  change  of  whim,  to  be  destroyed?  has  he  been 
formed  out  of  clay  into  a  useful  vessel  merely  to  be  broken  up 
by  the  divine  potter,  and  reduced  again  to  meaningless  particles 
of  dust?  It  is  true,  this  line  of  thought  might  easily  have 
carried  Job  to  the  further  point  of  questioning  why  man  thus 
made  should  die  at  all  so  as  to  perish  entirely ;  but  since  it 


lOO  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [X.  0-12. 

^^  Didst  thou  not  pour  me  out  like  milk, 
And  curdle  me  like  cheese  ? 

11  Thou  didst  clothe  me  with  skin  and  flesh, 

And  knit  me  together  with  bones  and  sinews. 

12  rFavourl  and  kindness  hast  thou  done  with  me, 

And  thy  visitation  hath  preserved  my  spirit. 


does  not  in  any  case  do  so  in  s,  it  is  ill-advised,  on  the  ground 
that  it  does  not  do  so  in  ^  to  subordinate  ^^  to  ** remember" 
in  *:     Remember   that   thou   bringest   men   into   dust   again 
(Barth),  i.e.  that  I  am  frail  (cp.  Ps.  103^*)  and  mortal:  and, 
then,  with  Di.,  to  draw  the  necessary  conclusion  that  ^  with 
this  new,  and  in  itself  correct,  but  between  ^  and  ^^  incongruous 
thought,   is   an   interpolation. — Bring  .  .  .  into    dust    again\ 
cp.,  of  the  normal  lot  of  men,  Ps.  90^,  Gn.  3^^  and  see  n.  on  i^i. 
10,  II.  The  poet  has  no  thought  of  the  sinfulness  of  the 
flesh :  the  human  body  is  the   noble  workmanship  of  God  : 
behind  and  in  the  human  functions  of  procreation  and  gesta- 
tion lies  the  activity  of  God :  it  was  He  who  poured  the  milk- 
like semen  into  the  womb,  transforming  it  there  into  the  soft 
cheese-like  substance  of  the  unformed  embryo  (cp.  ira^yeh  iv 
ai/jLarc,  Wis.  7^),  clothing  this  with  skin  and  flesh,  and  then 
within  the  flesh,  providing  a  framework  of  intertwining  (so 
also  Ps.  139^^)  bones  (cp.  Qoh.  11^)  and  sinews;  and  so  made 
Job.     Cp.  Ps.  139^3-1^  and,  with  less  detailed  reference  to  the 
activity  of  God,  2  Mac.  722'- ;  or  without  such  reference.  Wis.  7^. 
Ct.  later,  ignobler  descriptions  of  man's  (physical)  origin  {e.g. 
**know  whence  thou  camest:  from  a  fetid  drop,"  nmiD  HD'^DD, 
Pirke  Abhotk,  3I),  especially  where  there  is  a  contrast  between 
the  natural  man — born  of  blood,  the  will  of  the  flesh  and  the 
will  of  man  (John  i^^) — and  the  spiritual  man. 

II.  Might,  perhaps,  better  be  subordinated  like  ^^^  to  the 
interrogative  in  ^^  Didst  Thou  not  pour  me  out  .  .  .  curdle 
me  .  .  .  clothe  me   .  .  .  knit  me  ...  ? 

12  f.  The  same  care  and  pains  that  had  been  expended  on 
his  formation  had  been  continued  up  through  life,  betokening, 
as  it  seemed,  God's  kindness  to  Job ;  but  {^^)  from  his  recent 
and  present  experiences  he  must  conclude  that  all  this  was  but 


X.  12-16.]  JOB  lOI 

^^  And  (yet)  these  things  didst  thou  hide  in  thine  heart ; 

I  know  that  this  was  in  thy  thoughts : 
^*  If  I  sinned,  that  thou  wouldest  mark  me, 

And  wouldest  not  acquit  me  from  my  iniquity; 


a  mask  to  the  real  thoughts  of  God  (unfolded  in  ^*~^^),  which 
were  not  kindly  but  malignant. — Favour  and  kindness\  on  the 
emendation,  see  phil.  n. ;  or,  since  alike  in  rhythm  and  sense 
the  line  would  be  complete  without  a  second  term,  we  might 
read  simply  :  Kindness  (hast  Thou  done  with  me).  J^  (EV.) 
Life  and  kindness  \  and  this  has  often  been  taken  to  refer  to 
birth — having  formed  my  body  in  the  womb,  Thou  gavest  me 
life  when  I  issued  from  it.  Yet  even  if  J^  is  correct,  **  ^  alike 
probably  refer  not  to  birth,  but  to  the  providence  of  God  pro- 
tecting and  enriching  Job  throughout  his  earlier  years.  Life 
would  be,  not  the  beginning  of  life,  the  introduction  of  the  life 
principle  at  birth,  but  duration  of  life,  as,  e.g>^  in  Ps.  21^  34^^, 
or  life  as  health  or  welfare ;  cp.  Pr.  4^^  (Wisdom's  words  are 
life  unto  those  that  find  them,  and  healing  to  all  their  flesh), 
Mai.  2^  (DiS'CJ'ni  D^'^nn),  Pr.  2i2i  (nu31  .  .  .  D"'"'n) ;  and  with  the 
coupling  of  life  and  kindness  (lon),  we  might  compare  the 
parallelism  of  life  and  favour  in  Pr.  rp  (|n),  8^  (H^'i)- — Thy 
visitation^  i.e.  Thy  providence.  The  noun  (mpD)  in  this  sense 
occurs  only  here,  but  it  corresponds  exactly  to  the  use  of  the 
vb.  in,  e.g.i  Ps.  8^^^^  (cp.  the  ironical  expansion  of  this  in  Job 
7I8),  Jer.  29I0. 

13.  These  things  .  .  .  this\  pointing  forward  to  and  ex- 
plained in  ^*~^^. — /  know]  9^^. — Was  in  thy  thoughts]  Heb.  was 
with  Thee :  9^  n. 

14-17.  The  secret  purposes  of  God  (v.^^),  as  Job  imagines 
them. 

14.  If  Job  committed  any  of  those  sins  which  man  is  liable 
to  commit  (cp.  7^^,  v.^n.),  God  would  be  on  the  alert  that  he 
should  not  escape  punishment  for  it :  there  should  be  no  letting 
of  him  off  even  for  the  least  sin. — Mark]  The  same  vb.  ("DOE') 
as  in  12  (preserve) :  for  the  present  nuance,  cp.  132^. 

15.  Wicked]  The  stronger  term  after  sin  in  1*  (cp.  ^'•),  or, 
rather  (cp.*'),  juridically  (cp.  9^°  n.) — alike  whether  guilty  or 


I02  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [X.  15  16. 

1^  If  I  were  wicked,  (that  it  would  be)  woe  unto  me ; 

And  if  I  were  righteous,  that  I  should  not  lift  up  my 

head, 
Being  filled  with  ignominy, 
And  "^sated  with""  affliction. 
1®  And  if  (my  head)  rose  up  proudly,  (that)  thou  wouldest 

hunt  me  like  a  lion  ; 
And  again  show  thyself  marvellous  against  me  : 


innocent  of  any  charge  you  prefer  against  me,  I  should  suffer. 
— Lift  up  mine  head]  cp.  **Lift  up  the  face,"  ii^^  222^. — 
Filled  with]  vnC' :  cp.  9^^  Dnin»2  ^:^3E'^ — Sated  with]  See 
phil.  n.  ;  M-  probably  means  look  upon  (EV.  **  looking  upon  "). 
15c  d  ^j.g  two-stressed  lines,  and  may  be  an  addition  (Du.), 
or  corrupt. 

16.  But  even  if,  being  righteous,  he  were  to  lift  up  his 
head,  proud  in  the  sense  of  innocence  (ct.  ^^^),  God  would,  as 
fiercely  as  a  lion  (cp.  Hos.  5^*  13^),  hunt  him  down.  But 
neither  is  the  connection  with  ^^^,  after  the  intervening  isc.  d^ 
nor  the  figure  of  hunting  down  a  man  walking  proudly  erect 
particularly  probable;  further,  ^^^  is  more  closely  parallel  to 
^^*  than  to  ^^*  (note:  "  again  "||  **  renew"),  and  if  so  taken, 
17b.  c.  fQi-m  a  distich  instead  of  the  last  two  lines  of  a  tristich  as 
now.  Not  improbably  ^^*  is  out  of  place  (see  phil.  n.  on  ^^). 
Omitting  ^^^*  ^  with  their  rhythmical  peculiarities  and  1^%  the 
presence  of  which  is  the  cause  of  an  apparent  tristich,  and  read- 
ing E^inn''  in  ^'^*,  the  three  distichs  of  which  ^^"^'^  then  consist 
read  as  follows : 

^  If  I  were  wicked  (that  it  would  be),  woe  unto  me ; 

And  if  I  were  righteous,  that  I  should  not  lift  up  my 

head; 
^•^  And   (that)   thou   wouldest   again    show   thyself   mar- 
vellous against  me, 
1'       And  renew  thy  witnesses  before  me ; 

(That)  thou  wouldest  increase  thy  vexation  against  me. 
And  bring  fresh  hosts  upon  me 
The  structural  redundance  of  ^^*  remains,  and  the  other  diffi- 
culties  are  at  best  only  alleviated,  if  we  render  (reading  with  S 


X.  16-19.]  JOB  lO 

1^  (That)  thou  wouldest  renew  thy  witnesses  before  me, 
And  increase  thy  vexation  against  me, 
^And  bring  fresh  hosts!  upon  me. 
18  Wherefore,  then,  hast  thou  brought  me  forth  out  of  the 

womb  ? 
I  ought  to  have  given  up  the  ghost,  and  no  eye  ought 

to  have  seen  me. 
1^  I  ought  to  have  been  as  though  I  had  not  been  ; 

I   ought  to  have  been  borne  from  the  womb  to  the 

grave. 


nX3N*l):  **And  if  I  do  proudly,  like  a  lion,  thou  wouldest  hunt 
me";  or  (reading  riNini),  *'And  thou  wouldest  rise  up  proudly, 
like  a  lion,  to  hunt  me";  or,  following  (&,  *'For  I  am  hunted 
(  ==  >:'-]))i^)  like  a  lion  for  the  slaughter  "  {rMinb  for  nwi). — jRose 
up  proudly]  See  8^^  phil.  n. 

l6b.  Marvels  now,  not  of  creation  (cp.  n^sijW,  9^^)  and 
providence  (^"i^),  but  of  destruction  (cp.  Is.  29^*),  torment,  and 
hostility. 

17.  Thy  witnesses]  Job's  ''sufferings  regarded  as  so  many 
proofs  of  his  guilt"  (Dr.). —  Vexation]  5^  n. — C.  %  is  taken  to 
mean  ''relays  and  a  host  are  against  me,"  i.e.  fresh  forces — a 
military  (cp.  16^*  19^2)  simile — constantly  assail  me,  my  suffer- 
ings never  cease ;  this  sense  is  better  expressed,  with  direct 
reference  to  God  as  securing  this  constant  supply  of  re- 
serves, this  perpetuity  of  suffering,  by  the  emended  text  (see 
phil.  n.). 

18  f.  Cp.  3^1.  For  the  omission  of  i^'-  (Me.  Be.)  there  is  no 
sufficient  ground :  as  Bu.  points  out,  they  connect  well  with 
what  precedes,  and  the  transition  from  them  to  2^'-  is  no  more 
abrupt  than  it  would  be  from  ^^  to  ^°^-  ;  still  less  probable  is 
Sgf.'s  omission  of  ^^'^^  as  a  parallel  to  v.^:  this  would  make 
the  speech  end  with  v.^^ — an  unlikely  conclusion. 

19a.   Cp.  3I6*.— ^^m^]  Cp.  2l32. 

20-22.  Turning  from  the  vain  reflections  of  i^'-  Job,  on  the 
ground  of  the  brevity  of  life  and  of  his  rapid  (cp.  92^')  approach 
to  the  dark  realm  of  death,  appeals  to  God  to  leave  him  alone 
that  he  may  cheer  up  a  little.     He  retains,  in  spite  of  his  present 


I04  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [X.  20-XI. 

20  Are  not  ''the''  days  '"of  my  life"'  few  ? 

•^Look  away""  from  me,  that  I  may  brighten  up  a  little, 

21  Before  I  gfo  whence  I  shall  not  return, 

Unto  the  land  of  darkness  and  dense  darkness, 

22  A  land  of  gloom,  like  blackness, 

(A  land)  of  dense  darkness  and  disorder, 
And  where  the  shining  is  as  blackness. 


sufferings,  which  seem  to  betoken  God's  hostility,  a  certain 
remnant  of  his  former  trust  in  God  and  reliance  on  Him  as  a 
friend,  which  allows  him  to  appeal  to  God  for  pity :  but  there 
is  so  much  sense  of  the  hostility  that  the  relief  he  craves  is 
that  God  may  cease  to  take  notice  of  him  (ct.  292-^). 

20.  f^  literally  rendered  is:  Are  not  my  days  few?  Let  him 
ceasef  let  him  set  (or,  Qre,  Cease^  then^  and  set)  from  me  that  1 
may  brighten  up  a  little.  The  sense  rather  questionably  im- 
posed upon  this  by  interpreters  does  not  differ  substantially 
from  that  which  is  well  expressed  in  the  emended  text  (see 
phil.  n.). — Brighten  up\  g^^n. 

2ia.  Cp.  77-10 1410-12. 

2lb,  22.  Sheol,  the  land  of  darkness,  whose  very  (sun)- 
shine  is  black.  The  text  is  probably  not  altogether  in  order ; 
see  phil.  n. 

XL  Sophar*S  first  speech. — By  way  of  apology,  yet  not 
politely  like  Eliphaz  (42),  but,  like  Bildad  (8^),  bluntly,  at  once 
implying  his  condemnation  of  Job,  Sophar  begins  (2-*)  with  a 
series  of  rhetorical  questions :  Is  a  man,  voluble  like  Job,  and 
a  scoffer  too,  not  to  be  answered  ?  He  then  (^~^2)  takes  up  a 
point  already  alluded  to  by  Eliphaz  (5^^-),  viz.  the  inscrutability 
of  God's  ways ;  Job  had  pleaded  that  God,  knowing  him  to  be 
righteous,  treats  him  as  if  he  were  wicked :  Sophar  answers  : 
You  have  no  right  to  say  this,  for  you  cannot  read  God's  mind; 
you  may  think  yourself  righteous,  but  God  may,  and  indeed,  as 
His  treatment  of  you  shows,  does,  know  that  you  have  done 
wrong;  God  is  beyond  question  and  impossible  to  oppose.  In 
13-20  Sophar  points  the  same  moral  that  both  Bildad  (S^-^-  20-22) 
and  Eliphaz  (si*^^)  have  previously  urged :  Let  Job  turn  to  God 
and  dispossess  iniquity  from  his  life  and  home  :  all  will  then  be 


XI.  2-4.]  §OPHAR  105 

XL  ^  Then  answered  Sophar  the  Naamathlte,  and  said : 
2  Should  a  multitude  of  words  not  be  answered  ? 

And  should  a  man  full  of  talk  be  justified  ? 
•  Should  thy  boastings  make  men  hold  their  peace  ? 

And  shouldest  thou  mock,  with  none  to  make  thee 

abashed  ? 


well — but  dark  is  the  fate  of  the  obstinately  wicked  (^^ ;  cp.  in 
Bildad,  811-19- 22b). 

2-4.  Referring  plainly  enough  to  Job  throughout,  Sophar 
descends  in  expression  from  the  general  to  the  particular :  in 
general,  should  any  man  be  allowed  to  establish  his  case  merely 
because  he  commands  an  uninterrupted  flow  of  language  (^)  ? 
Should  Job  in  particular  be  allowed  to  silence  every  one  by  his 
speech,  which  is  at  once  empty  (^*)  in  spite  of  its  amount  and 
irreligious  {^^)  ?  Should  he  be  allowed  to  give  the  lie  to  God 
by  claiming  to  be  righteous  (^),  when  He,  by  His  present 
treatment  of  Job,  is  declaring  Job  to  be  wicked  ?  For  this  is 
tantamount  to  the  blasphemy  of  charging  God  with  being  in 
the  wrong,  unrighteous  (ct.  Ps.  515*.  (3f.)). 

2.  A  multitude  of  words]  as  Pr.  iqI^,  Qoh.  5^,  or,  one  (or,  a 
man)  of  many  words  (cp.  ^). — A  man  full  of  talk]  lit.  **  a  man  of 
lips  " — **  insinuating  (cp.  Is.  291^)  that  Job's  words  are  not  really 
the  expression  of  his  heart"  (Dr.).  Cp.  16^  **the  solace  of  my 
lips,"  i.e.  hollow  sympathy.  Sophar  is  probably  thinking  less 
of  the  length  of  Job's  last  speech  (Peake),  which  is  scarcely 
longer  than  his  first,  and  not  greatly  longer  than  that  of 
Eliphaz,  than  of  his  apparent  irrepressibility :  the  speeches  of 
Eliphaz  and  Bildad  ought  to  have  silenced  him,  but  they  have 
not. 

3,  4.  Unlike  2,  these  vv.  are  not  marked  as  interrogatives  by 
the  use  of  an  interrogative  particle ;  in  J^,  therefore,  they  are 
ambiguous ;  fSi  intends  both  (not  only  *,  as  in  EV.)  to  be  taken 
affirmatively  :  Thy  boastings  silence  .  .  .  and  thou  mockest 
.  .  .  and  thou  sayest;  see  phil.  n. — Boastings]  for  the  word 
(D'"*13)  see  Is.  i6^  =  Jer.  48^^  (with  the  same  sense  as  here),  and 
Is.  44^5,  Jer.  50^^  f  (meaning  boasters^  praters).  The  punctuation 
of  iUl  presupposes  the  root  113 :  even  so  compare  the  root  Nna 


I06  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XI.  4-6. 

*  '"Shouldest''  thou  say,  **  My  doctrine  is  pure, 

And  I  was  clean  in  thine  eyes  "  ? 
^  But  oh  that  God  would  speak, 

And  open  his  lips  (in  argument)  with  thee ; 
^  And  that  he  would  declare  to  thee  the  secrets  of  wisdom, 

That  it  is  '^marvellous^  in  resourcefulness ! 

Know,  then,  that  God  causeth  to  be  forgotten  unto  thee  somewhat  of 

thine  iniquity. 


of  which  the  vb.  occurs  in  i  K.  12^3,  Neh.  6^t,  in  NH.,  which 
also  employs  the  noun  nK^3,  a  liar  (see  NHWB\  and  in  Syr. — 
Moc1i\  viz.  God:  cp.  the  use  of  the  noun  (jy^)  in  34^,  and  cp.  ^^• 
there  with  *  here.  The  parallel  might  suggest  that  the  implicit 
object  is  men:  so  Renan,  **Te  moqueras-tu  des  gens";  but 
this  is  less  probable. 

4.  Whether  taken  interrogatively  or  affirmatively  the  saying 
attributed  to  Job  refers  not  to  what  he  will  first  say  if  he  is  left 
unanswered  (De.  Bu.),  but  is  a  specimen  of  the  mocking  or 
blasphemy  {^)  in  which  he  has  already  indulged :  is  he  to  go 
on  saying  this  kind  of  thing?  The  words  are  not  an  exact 
quotation,  but  summarize  Job's  assertions  of  his  innocence, 
which  do  not  appear  at  all  in  his  first  speech  (c.  3),  and  but 
indirectly  in  his  second  (6io«' 24. 26. 29f.  ^20f.)^  ^nd  first  become 
prominent  and  emphatic  (9^^-21.  30. 35  jQ5f.  7j  j^  the  speech  to  which 
Sophar  now  replies. — My  doctrine\  for  np^,  cp.  Dt.  32^,  Pr.  4^  ; 
but  read  rather,  My  conversation  (i.e.  7nanner  of  life\  lit.  my 
walking). 

5.  Job  had  expressed  the  wish  to  speak  with  God  (9^), 
claiming  that  given  fair  conditions  he  could  then  establish  his 
innocence:  Sophar  wishes  God  to  speak  with  Job  on  a  different 
subject,  convinced  that  God  could  silence  Job — a  point  which 
Job  would  have  readily  ceded  (cp.  9^^^-) — by  making  him  realize 
the  infinite  range  of  His  wisdom  (^*-  ^-  '^-^^) :  here,  as  elsewhere, 
the  friends  cannot  even  perceive  Job's  point  of  view. —  Wil/i]  92n. 

6.  Marvellous]  %  double^  paraphrased  in  EV.  by  **  mani- 
fold"; see  phil.  n. — Resourcefuhiess\  the  word  rendered  sound 
counsel  in  5^2 .  gee  phil.  n.  on  5^2^ 

6c.  An  isolated  stichos,   exceeding  the  usual  length,   and 


XI.  6-9.]  §OPHAR  107 

^  Canst  thou  find  out  the  immensity  of  God  ? 

Canst  thou  attain  to  the  limits  of  the  Almighty  ? 
8  (They  are)  high'"er  than""  heaven ;  what  canst  thou  do  ? 

Deeper  than  Sheol ;  what  canst  thou  know  ? 
^  Longer  in  measure  than  the  earth, 

And  broader  than  the  sea. 


curiously  expressed.  Its  meaning,  however,  is  clear:  so  far 
from  being  pure  in  God's  sight,  as  you  claim  (*),  and,  therefore, 
unjustly  treated  by  Him  in  being  made  to  suffer,  you  are  very 
wicked  in  His  sight,  and  your  sufferings,  great  as  they  may  be, 
do  not  equal  the  greatness  of  your  wickedness ;  God  forgets 
(cp.  for  the  same  idea  expressed  by  other  words,  e.g.  Am.  8^, 
Is.  43^5  64^,  Ps.  25'^),  i.e.  lets  you  off  the  penalty  of,  part  of 
your  wickedness.  The  direct  denial  of  *  may  be  necessary  (the 
view  taken  by  Dr.  in  the  phil.  n.),  though  it  is  curious  in  this 
case  that  this  direct  denial  is  expressed  by  a  single  stichos  in 
the  middle  of  the  half-dozen  distichs  devoted  to  the  indirect 
repudiation  of  it :  how  can  you  claim  such  knowledge  of  God, 
who  is  infinite  in  wisdom,  and  familiar  with  man's  iniquity  (^^), 
as  to  assert  that  He  thinks  you  just,  though  He  treats  you  as 
unjust  ?  Unless  Bi.  Du.  are  correct  in  rejecting  ^^  as  a  gloss, 
the  words  are  probably  a  mutilated  distich  which  may  not  have 
gone  beyond  contradicting  Job's  words  somewhat  as  follows  : 
Then  thou  wouldest  know  that  God  doeth  rightly,  that  because 
of  thine  iniquity  He  chastiseth  thee. 

7.  Immensity]  the  word  (npn)  **  means"  properly  something 
i'ohe  searched  out  or  explored',  in  38^^  it  is  rendered  [in  EV.] 
**  recesses  "  :  and  it  denotes  here  the  entire  range  of  the  divine 
nature.  **The  rendering  *  by  searching'  is  grammatically 
impossible"  (Dr.),  and,  moreover,  misses  the  point  of  the 
question,  which  is  not  whether,  by  a  particular  method^  God's 
nature  can  be  read  by  man,  but  whether  its  vastness  is  by  any 
method  intelligible  to  him.  The  words  emphasized  by  their 
position  in  the  Hebrew  are  immensity  and  limits  (nv3n :  cp. 
2610  283). 

8,  9.  The  limits  of  the  Almighty  are  beyond  heaven  and 
Sheol ;  He  knows  everything  in  heaven  and  earth  ;  man  cannot 


I08  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XI.  9-11. 

10  If  he  pass  through,  and  imprison, 

And  call  an  assembly  (for  judgment),  who  can  turn  him 

back? 

11  For  he  knoweth  ernpty  men : 

He  perceiveth  naughtiness,  also,  without  considering  it. 


escape  his  eye  (cp.  Ps.  139^"^) ;  but  what  vast  tracts  of  the 
divine  knowledge  are  withdrawn  from  Job's  ken !  Compared 
with  the  unknown  and  unattainable,  his  knowledge  and  efforts 
are  nothing :  how,  then,  does  he  claim  (*)  that  he  is  righteous 
in  God's  judgment?  Somewhere  in  these  regions  unexplored 
by  Job,  the  judgment  that  Job  is  unrighteous  may  have  been 
passed.     Sgf.  omits  these  vv.,  as  also  ^;  cp.  Du. 

10.  Du.  regards  this  as  a  misplaced  distich  of  Job's  speech ; 
Be.  (see  phil.  n.)  as  an  interpolation.  If  the  v.  is  original, 
Sophar  takes  up  Job's  words  (9I2)  and  turns  them  back  upon 
him ;  certainly,  as  you  say,  no  one  can  stay  God,  if  He  seize  or 
call  to  judgment,  by  saying  he  is  not  guilty :  but  this,  not 
because  God  acts  without  regard  to  whether  men  are  right  or 
wrong,  but  because  (H)  He  knows  the  sins  of  men,  however 
blind  men  like  yourself  may  be  to  them.  In  this  case  we  should 
perhaps  read  seize  for  pass  through  (see  phil.  n.),  and  possibly 
kill  (^'''Dp"')  for  call  an  assembly  (Richter) ;  otherwise,  for  the 
judicial  assembly,  cp.  Ezk.  iG^*^  23*^'-,  Pr.  5I*. 

11.  God  acts,  unhindered  (i^)  and  unerringly,  because,  unlike 
men  who,  even  if  they  give  the  closest  attention  to  the  matter, 
are  often  deceived  about  both  others  and  themselves.  He 
knows  all  about  men  and  their  sins,  instantaneously  and  with- 
out effort.  The  thought  would  be  similar  in  34^^,  if  the  text 
there  were  correct. — Empty  men]  so  Ps.  26*  (1|  ''dissemblers"). 
—  Without  considering  it]  Du.  and  it  he  considers,  i.e.  God  gives 
heed  to  it ;  al.  which  they  co7isider,  or  one  considers,  not,  i.e. 
God  perceives  what  man  does  not — a  thought  actually  present 
in  the  passage,  but  not  naturally  expressed  by  |^,  nor  quite 
satisfactorily  by  the  emendation  proposed  (see  phil.  n.).  Jacob 
(ZATW,  191 2,  283):  being  himself  unperceived  {^\y\'^^\  Hithpolal 
for  Hithpolel  of  M) ;  but  this  thought  also  is  not  required 
here. 


XL  12-16.]  SOPHAR  IO9 

^  And  so  a  hollow  man  getteth  understanding", 

And  a  wild  ass's  colt  is  born  (again)  a  man. 
^  If  ^hou  direct  thine  heart  aright, 

And  stretch  out  thine  hands  towards  him — 
^*  If  naughtiness  be  in  thine  hand,  put  it  far  away, 

And  let  not  unrighteousness  dwell  in  thy  tent — 
^  Surely  then  thou  wilt  lift  up  thy  face  without  spot ; 

And  thou  wilt  be  established  and  wilt  not  fear : 
^^  For  thou  wilt  forget  (thy)  misery ; 

Thou  wilt  remember  it  as  waters  that  are  passed  away  ; 


12.  **As  a  result  of  the  judgments  of  the  Almighty  (i<^'-), 
conceit  and  ignorance  are  removed,  and  a  wilful,  defiant  nature 
(like  Job's)  is  softened"  (Dr.).  This  view  of  the  v.  makes  it 
a  transition  to  the  thought  of  ^^-20 .  but  no  such  transition  is 
obtained,  if  the  v.  is  taken,  as  in  itself  it  quite  well  might  be, 
to  mean :  it  is  as  impossible  to  get  sense  into  an  empty-headed 
man  as  to  tame  the  untameable  (39^)  wild  ass.  See  for  this, 
phil.  n. ;  and  for  a  collection  and  criticism  of  many  other 
interpretations  of  the  v.,  see  Di. 

13-20.  By  submitting  to  God's  judgments  (10-12J  and  turning 
to  Him,  Job  may  yet  return  to  prosperity  and  honour. 

13.  Thou]  the  pron.  is  emphatic:  even  thou,  with  all  thy 
wickedness,  if  thou  wilt  abandon  it  (i*),  mayest  be  restored. — 
Hands]  the  hands  opened  (d^M  :  cp.  Ex.  g^^-  33^  Ezr.  9^,  Ps. 
4421  88^0  <»>  635  1412),  and  stretched  out  (e>-iq:  as  i  K.  822-54 
al. :  cp.  nUK^,  Ps.  881*')  in  prayer:  see  3127  n..  Is.  i^^  ^^  gQ^j^ 
here  (see  ^4*)  and  in  Isaiah  the  context  suggests  that  the  idea 
of  innocency  may  have  been  associated  with  the  custom  of 
stretching  out  the  opened  hand  in  prayer.  But  such  associa- 
tion was  scarcely  constant,  for  with  t)3  the  term  T  inter- 
changes:  cp.  e.g,  Ps.  143^  28^. 

14.  Hand]  n-:  ct.  D^S3  in  i^.— b.  Cp.  222^  (Eliphaz). 

15a.  Cp.  lo^^b^ — Without  spot]  commonly  and,  if  original, 
perhaps  correctly  taken  as  antithetical  to  lo^^b.  c.  Jq^'s  face 
will  no  longer  bear  the  marks  of  a  guilty  conscience. 

16.  Waters  that  are  passed  away]  the  whole  line  as  a 
parallel  to  *  can  only  mean :  or  if  you  remember  your  misery 


no  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XI.  16-19. 

1^  And  "^thy^  life  will  rise  up  more  (brightly)  than  the  noonday ; 

Though  it  be  dark,  it  will  become  as  the  morning. 
^^  And  thou  wilt  be  secure,  because  there  is  hope ; 

And  thou  wilt  search  (around),  and  wilt  take  thy  rest  in 

safety ; 
^*       And  thou  wilt  lie  down,  with  none  to  make  thee  afraid. 

And  many  will  make  suit  unto  thee ; 
2^      But  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  will  fail ; 


at  all,  it  will  only  be  a  memory  of  something  that  Is  past  or 
has  vanished;  for  waters  as  perilous  and  dangerous,  cp.  12^^ 
22^1  272^,  Is.  43^ ;  for  the  vb.  (13^)  in  the  sense  required,  cp.  6^^ 
(of  water  as  here,  but  more  commonly  of  time,  e.g.  Ps.  90'*). 
The  vb.  used  of  waters  also  means  to  overflow y  to  flood  (Is.  8^, 
Nah.  i^) ;  but  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  assume  a  play  on  the 
two  meanings — waters  once  in  perilous  flood,  but  now  vanished, 
and  ill-advised  to  rob  the  line  of  its  colour  by  reading  (D'^D"'),  as 
days  that  are  passed  away  (Ehrlich). 

17.  Another  striking  antithesis  to  what  Job  had  said  (lo^^'-) : 
Job's  future  need  not  be  a  day  of  darkness  whose  very  noon  is 
night,  it  may,  if  he  wills,  be  a  day  brighter  than  any  ordinary 
day  at  noon,  whose  very  night  is  bright  as  morning  (cp. 
Is.  5810). 

18.  Searching  round,  before  going  to  rest  for  the  night, 
finding  nothing  amiss.  Job  will  lie  down  with  a  sense  of 
security. — Search  (around)]  the  vb.  (1Dn=^A»-)  used  in  3^1. 
Ehrlich  suggests  thoti  shalt  be  protected  (^"l^ni,  from  lan  =  ,irs^, 
the  sense  protect  being  that  of  the  Arabic,  but  not  elsewhere  in 
the  OT.  of  the  Hebrew  vb.).  On  the  not  altogether  certain 
text,  see  phil.  n. 

19a.  Recurs  in  Is.  17^,  Zeph.  3^^;  cp.  also  Is.  14^*^. — Lit 
down]  the  vb.  (^3l)  involves,  as  in  the  references  just  given,  an 
implicit  comparison  with  animals  (cp.  Gn.  49^). 

19b.  Lit.  *'And  many  will  make  sweet  thy  face."  For 
make  sweet  the  face y  cp.  Pr.  19®,  Ps.  45^^  (as  here  of  men),  and, 
e.g.y  Ex.  32^^,  Mai.  i^,  Jer.  26^^.  Note  the  parallelism  of 
**  thy  face  '*  with  "  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  "  in  ^oa.  If  Job  turns 
to  God,  instead  of  being  given  the  cold  shoulder,  as  poor  men 


IX.  19-Xn.]  SOPHAR  1 1 1 

And  their  refuge  is  perished  from  them, 
And  their  hope  is  the  breathing"  out  of  the  soul 


regularly  are  (cp.  Pr.  19"^),  and  avoided  as  he  is  now  (cp.  19^^^®), 
he  will  become  again  a  great  and  wealthy  personage  whose 
favour  it  is  worth  while  to  seek  (cp.  Pr.  19^). 

20a.  But  if  Job  remains  wicked,  he  will  look  in  vain  for  any 
deliverance  from  his  present  miserable  position.  In  contrast 
with  the  directness  of  the  first  line  of  the  distich,  the  alternative 
fate  that  awaits  Job  is  stated  indirectly:  cp.  8^^^  after  8^^-^^'^. 
—Eyes  .  .  .  will /ail]  if,  Dt.  28^2,  La.  41^,  Ps.  6g^<^\ 

20b,  C.  As  there  is  no  hope  of  deliverance  for  the  wicked  (2^*), 
so  there  is  no  way  of  escape ;  consequently  their  only  hope  is 
death,  or,  perhaps  (see  phil.  n.  on  31^^),  despair. 

XII.-XIV.  Job's  reply  to  Sophar's  first  speech.— This, 
like  his  previous  speeches  (see  on  cc.  6f.  and  gf.),  is  only  in 
part  (122-1319)  addressed  to  the  friends:  the  rest  (i^^-i^^^)  is 
addressed  to  God.  The  connection  in  several  places  is  difficult 
to  detect,  and  some  verses  at  least  (12*'^-®  if  not  also  7f.  10.  iif.j 
seem  out  of  place  and  no  part  of  the  speech.  Grill  {Zur  Kritik 
der  Komposition  des  Bucks  Hiohs,  p.  i3ff.)  goes  so  far  as  to 
omit  12^-13^,  Sgf.  1 2*- 1 3^,  but  that  12}^^'  with  its  description 
of  the  activity  of  God  as  might  not  guided  by  moral  considerations 
was  interpolated  as  proof  that  Job  could  speak  of  God's  'wisdom 
even  better  than  Sophar,  is  improbable.  Job  begins  by  sarcasti- 
cally allowing  that  the  friends  are  exceptionally  wise  (12^) — and 
yet  their  speeches  have  contained  nothing  but  what  was  familiar 
to  himself  (^),  and  even  to  beasts  (^"^^).  What  is  said  even  on 
the  authority  of  the  aged  must  be  received  with  discrimination 
(^^'•).  Job  now  himself  descants  on  the  mighty  (though  also,  he 
suggests,  capricious)  activity  of  God  (^^~^),  for  he  knows  quite 
as  much  about  this  as  do  his  wise  friends  (13^'-)  ;  but  all  this  is 
irrelevant  to  the  case  he  has  to  argue  out  with  God  (3) :  let  the 
friends,  then,  keep  silence,  and  not  continue  to  show  by  their 
interpretation  of  God's  activities  partiality  on  God's  behalf:  let 
them  beware  lest  He  punish  them  for  such  conduct  (*~^^).  Let 
them  keep  silence  while  Job  states  his  case  against  God :  for 
stating  it  God  may  slay  him  :  but  he  will  take  the  risk  :  for  he 


1 1  2  THE    BOOK   OF  JOB  [XII.  2-a 

XII.  ^  Then  Job  answered  and  said, 

2  No  doubt  but  ye  are  ""they  that  know\ 

And  with  you  wisdom  will  die. 

3  But  I  have  understanding  as  well  as  you ; 

I  am  not  inferior  to  you  : 

Yea,  who  knoweth  not  such  things  as  these? 


is  certain  of  his  innocence,  and  his  readiness  to  face  God  should 
be  a  pledge  of  victory  (^^-^^).  And  now  Job  turns  to  address  God 
directly:  Let  Him  not  overwhelm  Job  with  terror  (20-22^;  but 
let  Him  state  the  iniquities  p),  if  there  are  such,  which  would 
justify  His  present  use  of  His  might  In  pursuing  so  helpless  a 
creature  as  Job  (^*~^^),  From  his  own  case  Job  passes  to  that 
of  mankind  in  general :  Is  any  man — frail,  shortlived  and, 
unlike  trees,  without  hope  of  reviving  when  once  cut  down  in 
death — worth  all  the  hostility  shown  by  God  ( 1 4^-12 jp  jf  Q^ly 
God's  anger  might  pass  and  give  way  even  after  death  to  friendly 
intercourse  with  Job,  how  willingly  would  Job  await  this  change! 
(13-15).  But  there  is  no  hope  for  either  Job  or  man :  God  persists 
in  being  hostile  and  dwelling  on  Job's  sins  (i^'-) ;  and  He  brings 
men  one  and  all  to  death  in  which  knowledge  vanishes,  and  only 
pain  remains  Q^~^^). 

2f.  In  2  Job  ironically  concedes  that  the  three  friends  are 
the  only  living,  and  will  prove  to  have  been  the  last  surviving, 
embodiment  of  wisdom  ;  in  3,  dropping  the  irony,  he  claims  that 
all  the  wisdom  uttered  was  previously  and  independently  in  his 
possession,  and  indeed  in  that  of  every  man ;  their  would-be 
wise  speeches  have  consisted  of  well-worn  commonplaces. 

2.  They  that  know]  cp.  34^:  ^  people  \  see  phil.  n. 

3.  Understanding]  cp.  ii^^ :  you  were  so  good  as  to  suggest 
that  even  I  might  get  understanding ;  judged  by  the  standard 
of  your  **  wise  "  speeches,  I  have  it  already. — b  =  13^^. —  Who 
knoweth  not]  lit.  with  whom  (are)  not;  with  (riN)  like  lo^^  (dv)  • 
see  n.  there  and  Lex,  86«,  top. 

4-6.  The  interpretation  of  these  vv.  is  difficult,  partly,  it 
is  probable,  on  account  of  textual  corruption,  partly  because 
they  are  misplaced.  Di.  makes  as  good  an  effort  as  any  one 
to  establish  a  connection:  Job  **  complains  of  the  manner  in 


xn.  4-6.]  JOB  113 

*  I  am  to  be  (as  one  that  is)  a  laughing'-stock  to  his  neig-hbour, 
(A  man)  that  called  upon  God,  and  he  answered  him  I 
The  just,  the  perfect  man,  is  a  laughing-stock  ! 

'  In  the  thought  of  him  that  is  at  ease  there  is  contempt  for  mis- 
fortune ; 
(It  is)  ready  for  them  whose  foot  slippeth. 


which,  on  the  ground  of  such  wisdom,  they  treat  him,  a  pious 
man,  who  can  boast  of  his  inward  relation  to  God — though  to 
be  sure  it  is  like  the  world,  which  has  only  contempt  for  the 
unfortunate,  while  the  prosperous  godless  remain  untouched." 
**  His  neighbour"  (**)  is  on  this  view  an  oblique  reference  to 
Sophar  or  the  three  friends ;  but  Sophar  and  the  other  friends, 
though  they  have  expressed  their  concern  at  what  appears  to 
them  the  impiety  of  Job's  present  manner  of  speech,  and  though 
they  have  suggested  that  his  sufferings  are  due  to  his  sins, 
have  not  laughed  (even  in  1 1^^^  as  Ley  suggests)  at  him  or  his 
calamities,  nor  is  it  altogether  satisfactory  to  say  that  though 
they  have  not  actually  done  so,  Job  may  feel  that  they 
have. 

4.  A  laughing'Stock\  one  at  whose  helplessness  or  mis- 
fortunes men  laugh  as  an  expression  of  their  (malignant) 
delight:  cp.  the  use  of  the  nouns  in  Jer.  20^,  La.  3^*  (PHK^), 
Hab.  i^^  (\>Wd)y  and  the  vb.  in  30^  Ps.  52^,  La.  i^. — b.  The 
line  is  commonly  taken  as  descriptive  of  the  speaker  (Job) 
whom  God  answered  in  the  past  (cp.  292-^) ;  the  part.  (Nip) 
could  of  course  refer  to  the  past,  but  it  is  very  questionable 
whether  the  line  is  a  natural  description  of  himself  by  Job  at  a 
time  when,  though  he  still  calls,  he  appears  to  receive  no 
answer.  Ley  treats  the  line  as  ironically  descriptive  of  the 
neighbour  (i.e,  Sophar) ;  in  which  case  we  should  render  ^-^  in 
English :  To  one  that  calls  upon  God  and  He  answers  him,  A 
laughing-stock  to  the  just,  the  perfect  man. 

5.  The  V.  is  curiously  phrased,  of  unusual  rhythmical  form, 
and  the  text  cannot  be  implicitly  trusted  :  see  phil.  n. — Contempt 
for  misfortune^  ^  may  also  be  translated  a  contemptible  torch ; 
but  this  yields  nothing  satisfactory,  whether  taken  as  continuing 
(*)  **a  laughing-stock,  a  contemptible  torch,"  or  as  subj.  of  ^ 
(King). 

8 


114  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XII.  6-8. 

^  The  tents  of  robbers  prosper, 

And  they  that  provoke  God  are  secure  ; 

(Even)  he  that  bringeth  (his)  God  in  his  hand  ! 
'  But  ask  now  the  beasts,  and  they  will  teach  thee ; 

And  the  fowls  of  the  heaven,  and  they  will  tell  thee : 
8  Or  rthe  crawling  things  ofl  the  earth,  and  they  will  teach  thee: 

And  the  fishes  of  the  sea  will  declare  unto  thee. 


6.  Robbers]  lit.  wasters^  devastators, — b,  C.  The  existing 
text  is  commonly  taken  to  mean  :  those  are  secure  who  provoke 
God  by  their  wicked  conduct  ^,  and  ^  who  so  entirely  disregard 
God  as  to  recognize  only  their  own  might  as  their  god :  cp. 
Hab.  i^^  **  this  his  might  becometh  his  god."  Still  the  form 
of  the  V.  (a  tristich),  the  change  from  the  pi.  in  ^  to  the  sing, 
in  ^  and  the  curious  phrasing  of  ^  together  throw  doubt  on  the 
correctness  of  the  text. 

7-10.  So  far  from  the  wisdom  on  which  the  friends  pride 
themselves  being  their  exclusive  possession  P),  not  only  Job  p), 
but  the  very  beasts  share  it,  ^"^^.  This,  if  the  passage  is  in 
its  right  place,  must  be  the  connection  of  thought ;  but  it  is 
strangely  stated  ;  for  Job's  charge  is  not  that  the  friends  lack 
the  particular  knowledge  in  question,  and  need  to  be  taught^ 
which  is  the  point  emphasized  in  ^^-^  but  that  they  have  no  need 
to  teach  things  so  universally  known,  ^^.  Inasmuch  as  there 
are  other  suspicious  features  in  the  passage  it  may  be  mis- 
placed ;  the  address  to  a  single  person  is  very  unusual  in  Job's 
speeches  (26^  n.),  but  would  be  at  once  explained  if  the  passage 
originally  stood  in  a  speech  of  one  of  the  friends  (cp.  '*  with  8^^) ; 
yet  ^,  at  least,  with  its  use  of  the  name  Yahweh  (see  Introd.), 
is  more  probably  altogether  foreign  to  the  book. — Ask]  the  vb., 
contrary  to  the  prevailing  use  in  Job's  speeches,  is  sing.,  and, 
if  the  text  and  connection  are  original  (but  see  above),  addressed 
accordingly  to  Sophar  exclusively ;  Di.  endeavours  to  account 
for  this  by  suggesting  that  Sophar  has  deserved  this  special 
attention  by  his  words  *' hollow  man"  in  11^'^. 

8.  The  crawling  things  of  the  earth]  ^  might  be  rendered 
either  talk  thou  to  the  earthy  or  the  pla7its  [vWy  as  in  30^)  of  (i?  as 
in  ^*:  see  phil.  n.)  the  earth  ;  but  the  text  needs  emending  as, 
or  substantially  as,  above ;  see  phil.  n. 


XIL  9-10.]  JOB  115 

•  Who  knoweth  not  by  all  these, 

That  the  hand  of  Yahweh  hath  wrought  this  ? 
*•  In  whose  hand  is  the  soul  of  every  living-  thing, 
And  the  breath  of  all  flesh  of  man. 


pa.  By  all  these\  i.e.  by  means  of  (3,  as  Gn.  42^^,  Ex.  7^^, 
Nu.  i628 — all  with  j;t,  as  here),  by  observing,  all  these  creatures. 
Or  the  line  may  be  translated,  who  among {^^  as,  e.g.^  Is.  50^*^; 
Lex.  88fl  bot.),  i.e.  which  of,  all  these  (creatures)  does  not  know. 
But  the  line  may  be  merely  a  misplaced  interpretation  of  s*^, 
and  have  meant :  Who  doth  not  know  the  like  (a  for  3)  of  all 
these  things  ?  In  that  case  ^  (  ==  Is.  4120°)  would  be  an  isolated 
stichos  cited  (originally  on  the  margin)  from  Isaiah.  In  the 
present  context  it  is  not  clear  to  what  this  refers.  Some 
understand  it  to  refer  to  the  universe;  and  appeal  to  the 
similar  meaning  of  **all  these"  in  Is.  66^,  Jer.  14^^;  but  in 
these  passages  the  heavens,  etc.,  are  mentioned  in  the  im- 
mediate context.  Others  have  explained  this  as  (Hi.)  pointing 
backward  and  referring  to  the  security  of  the  wicked  (^) — not  a 
likely  theme  for  the  beasts  to  discourse  on ;  or  to  the  irresistible 
activity  of  God  described  by  Sophar  (ii^^^-),  or  as  pointing 
forward  to  the  activities  of  God  described  in  ^^^- ;  but,  as  Di. 
observes,  ii^^^'-  lies  too  far  behind  to  be  naturally  referred  to 
thus,  and  the  pf.  tense  and  the  intervening  vv.  (i^'-)  render  the 
reference  forward  to  ^^^-  improbable. 

10.  If  ^  be  an  interpolation  (see  last  n.),  this  v.  contains  the 
instruction  given  by  the  beasts,  ^'' ;  in  this  case  render :  that 
(-iK'i^  as  Ex.  ii7,  Lv.  5^,  Dt.  i^i,  Eccles.S^^.  ^p.  9^  phil.  n.;  Lex. 
83^  bot.)  in  His  (God  unnamed,  as  in  v.^^)  hand  is  the  soul  of 
every  living  thing,  etc. — All  flesh  of  man]  a  very  strange  expres- 
sion ;  of  many  it  is  true  (Bu.),  limits  the  expression  all  fleshy 
which  without  it  might,  but  does  not  always  (34^^,  Nu.  16^2  n.), 
include  living  beings  not  human  ;  but  this  fact  does  not  make 
the  expression  natural  or,  least  of  all  in  poetry,  likely.  Equally 
insufficient  is  Del.'s  suggestion  that  the  addition  of  ^>i^  in- 
dividualizes the  expression,  as  though  the  meaning  were  :  the 
breath  of  each  individual  human  being.  (&  omits  all  flesh  ;  but 
rhythm  scarcely  permits  a  shortening  of  the  line.  Possibly  of 
man  is  a  corruption  of  some  term  parallel  to  **in  his  hand" 


Il6  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XU.  10-13. 

"  Doth  not  the  ear  test  words, 

Even  as  the  palate  tasteth  its  food  ? 
^  With  aged  men  is  wisdom, 

And  length  of  days  is  understanding. 
13  With  him  is  wisdom  and  might ; 

He  hath  counsel  and  understanding*. 


in  *,  such  as   wt'ih  hinty    or  he  can  'withdraw   (cp.  34^*,    Ps. 
10429). 

II  (  =  348),  12.  The  connection  is  still  rather  elusive :  It  has 
been  claimed  that  ^"^^  refer  to  what  one  could  see  of  God's 
power,  1^^-  to  what  one  might  learn  by  hearing  what  the  aged 
had  to  say;  cp.  13^  (so  Dav.  Dr.):  on  this  view  ^^  means: 
' '  does  not  the  ear  test  the  words  which  it  hears,  and  accept 
those  which,  like  the  wisdom  of  the  aged  {y>%  embody  sound 
knowledge?"  (Dr.).  But  does  this  allow  for  the  unlimited 
range  which  ^^  claims  for  the  discriminative  faculty,  or  for  the 
fact  that  the  appeal  to  the  wisdom  of  the  ancients  is  elsewhere 
made  by  the  friends,  ^^'^-  15^^  and  criticized  by  Job,  so  that  the 
use  made  of  it,  on  this  interpretation,  by  Job  in  ^2,  though  not 
exactly  inconsistent  with  what  he  has  said  before,  is  yet  rather 
improbable  ?  The  point  of  the  v.  may  then  be  rather  this  :  as 
the  palate  discriminates  between  good  and  bad  food,  and  ac- 
cepts the  one  and  rejects  the  other  (cp.  2  S.  1 9^6  (35))^  go  the  ear 
discriminates  between  the  true  and  false  in  whatever  It  is  told ; 
you  have  poured  your  *' wisdom"  Into  my  ears  (la^),  you  refer 
me  to  what  the  ancients  tell  me ;  but  I  will  accept  none  of  this 
unexamined :  I  will  exercise  my  own  judgment  on  It.  On  this 
view  we  must  understand  "you  say"  before  ^:  cp.,  on  certain 
theories  of  those  passages,  2\^^'^^,  Sgf.  rejects  the  vv.  ;  Di. 
suggests  that  if  retained  they  might  better  stand  between  ^  and 
9 ;  alternatively  the  difficulty  of  the  connection  may  be  due  to 
the  vv.  being  the  fragmentary  survival  of  a  once  longer  passage. 

13.  You  say :  ^^  wisdom  resides  in  old  men,  ^^  I  say  it  Is  to 
be  found  with  God  :  so  if  both  ^^  and  ^^  originally  belonged  here 
we  may  least  awkwardly  connect  them  in  thought ;  but  the 
antithesis  is  formally  unexpressed  and  is  very  artificial,  for  the 
friends  have  never  asserted  that  wisdom  resides  only  in  old  men 


XII.  13-14.]  JOB  117 

and  not  in  God,  and  Job  in  ^^  does  not  assert  that  wisdom  resides 
only  (cp.  c.  28)  with  God,  and  is  not  imparted  by  Him  to  men. 
Further,  while  ^  speaks  of  wisdom,  ^^  speaks  of  wisdom  and 
mighty  so  that  in  this  respect,  too,  the  sharpness  and  clearness 
of  an  antithesis  are  sacrificed.  But  while  ^^  connects  at  best 
rather  awkwardly  with  ^2,  it  might  form  a  starting-point  for 
the  illustrations  which  follow  (i4-25j  Qf  God's  power,  and,  though 
this  is  much  less  prominent,  of  His  wisdom.  If  the  reference 
to  God  unnamed  (which  must  be  assumed  even  if  ^^  originally 
followed  ^2)  can  be  tolerated,  ^^  might  follow  ^  as  Job's  proof 
that  his  knowledge  is  not  inferior  to  that  of  the  friends.  Du., 
retaining  ^i'-,  rejects  ^^  as  a  variant  of  ^^, — Counset\  read,  per- 
haps, power:  see  phil.  n. 

14-25.  Illustrations,  derived  from  Job's  own  observation, 
of  the  way  in  which  God's  might  (^^)  **  frustrates  all  human 
endeavour,  and  overthrows  all  human  institutions  "  (Dr.).  In 
all  this  Job  traces  no  moral  purpose ;  cp.  especially  ^*^,  so 
similar  to  11^^  (Sophar),  but  not  followed  as  in  11^^  by  any 
suggestion  that  the  men  imprisoned  by  God  are  doers  of 
iniquity.  The  writer  (if  ^i-  24f.  are  integral  to  his  poem)  seems 
to  have  in  mind  not  only  Sophar's  speech,  but  also  Ps.  107, 
and  perhaps  Is.  442^-28 ;  in  any  case  ^la-  24b  verbally  reproduce 
Ps.  107^^  and,  by  reason  of  vocabulary  or  figure,   ^^^  recalls 

Ps.  107^^  15  Ps,  10733-36^  22b.  18  Ps.  107I4,  23.  24b.  25b  Ps.  jq;*.  7. 
27a^  25a  pg.    107IO ;    with  17,   Cp.    Is.   442^,    with  ^^a  Jg.   4427.        gut, 

whereas  alike  in  the  Ps.  and  Is.  both  the  constructive  and 
the  destructive  activities  of  God  are  presented,  and  these  as 
determined  by  the  different  moral  characters  of  men,  here  only 
the  destructive  activity  is  presented  :  so,  e.g.^  here  (i^)  waters 
are  withheld  or  destructively  employed,  but  in  Is.  442^  bene- 
ficently employed,  in  the  Ps.  given  or  withheld  according  to 
the  character  of  the  men  concerned.  So  the  Psalmist's  survey 
reveals  to  the  **  upright"  the  loving-kindness,  where  the  ** up- 
right"  (ji)  Job  sees  only  the  might,  of  God.  As  in  717'-  Job 
parodies  Ps.  8*,  so  here  he  sees  facts  noted  by  another  Psalmist 
under  a  very  different  aspect. 

14.  Whether  *  refers  to  the  destruction  of  cities  (Peake)  is 
not  quite  clear ;  the  line  may  refer  figuratively  to  persons  (cp. 


I  1 8  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XII.  14-18. 

1*  Behold,  he  pulleth  down,  and  it  cannot  be  built  again  ; 

He  shutteth  up  a  man,  and  there  can  be  no  opening. 
^^  Behold,  he  withholdeth  the  waters,  and  they  dry  up ; 

Again  he  sendeth  them  out,  and  they  overturn  the  ear  h. 
1^  With  him  is  strength  and  sound  counsel ; 

He  that  erreth  and  he  that  leadeth  into  error,  are  his ; 
1^  Who  leadeth  counsellors  away  stripped, 

And  who  maketh  judges  fools. 
1*  He  looseth  the  [bonds!  imposed  by  kings, 

And  bindeth  a  waistcloth  on  their  loins ; 


Jer.  i^^),  both  lines  meaning :  God  ruins  men's  lives  irretriev- 
ably.— Shutteth  up]  hv  13D ;  but  this  does  not  necessarily  refer 
to  subterranean  dungeons  (op.  Jer.  38^  La.  3^^) :  for  the  same 
idiom  is  used  in  Ex.  14^ 

15a.  Drought ;  b,  destructive  floods.  Ct.  Eliphaz's  reference 
to  rain. 

16.  Sound  counsel]  5^^  n. — b.  All  men  belong  to  God,  and  are 
within  the  range  and  subject  to  the  working  of  Ht's  might. — 
He  that  erreth^  etc.]  all  men  (see  phil.  n.),  viewed  particularly, 
perhaps,  under  the  aspect  of  "  nations  misled  by  their  states- 
men into  a  disastrous  policy  "  (Dr.).  In  any  case  moral  error 
is  not  primarily  intended. 

17.  Doing  with  them  as  He  wills,  God  makes  even  the 
wise  ones  of  the  earth  look  foolish.  There  is  as  little  reason 
to  limit  the  historical  allusions  to  the  fortunes  of  Israel  as  the 
illustrations  from  nature  in  ^^  to  Palestine :  indeed  the  plural 
'•kings"  in  ^^^  and  the  unmistakable  reference  to  nations  in 
23'-  make  it  as  plain  as  may  be  that  the  author  is  reflecting  on 
the  rise  and  fall  of  nations,  and  of  the  ruin  in  which  the  most 
exalted  and  firmly  established  individuals  in  these  nations  are 
involved  when  their  land  and  people  are  overthrown :  there  is 
no  reason,  therefore,  to  think  with  Du.  specially  of  Jewish 
priests  in  ^^^  and  of  the  descendants  of  David  in  ^^^. —  Who 
leadeth  .  .  .  away  stripped]  probably  due  here  to  assimilation 
to  ^** :  the  vb.  in  *  originally  was  more  closely  parallel  to  that 
in  ^ :  see  phil.  n. 

18.  He  sets  at   naught  the  power  of  kings,  undoing  the 


XII.  18-23.]  JOB  119 

^^  Who  leadeth  priests  away  stripped, 

And  overthroweth  them  that  are  firmly  established ; 
*^  Who  depriveth  the  trusty  of  speech, 

And  taketh  away  the  discretion  of  the  elders ; 
2^  Who  poureth  contempt  upon  princes, 

And  looseneth  the  belt  of  the  Tstrongl ; 
*2  Who  discovereth  deep  things  out  of  darkness, 

And  bringeth  out  to  light  black  gloom ; 
*3  Who  increaseth  nations  and  destroyeth  them ; 

Who  spreadeth  Tpeoplesl  abroad,  and  leaveth  them. 


fetters  they  have  placed  on  others  %  and  reducing  kings  them- 
selves to  the  position  of  captives  ^  (cp.  Is.  47) ;  see  phil.  n. 

19.  Similar  treatment  of  other  classes  of  ancient  lineage 
and  secure  position. — Firmly  established]  men  whose  family 
have  long  held,  and  appeared  likely  long  to  hold  (see  phil.  n.), 
their  position :  the  priests  in  *  are  a  particular  illustration  of 
such  classes :  in  Israel,  especially  in  later  times,  as  among 
other  peoples,  the  priesthood  was  hereditary. 

20.  Speech]  Heb.  lip,  as,  e.g.,  Gn.  ii^,  Is.  19^. — The 
trusty]  especially  perhaps  ** trusted  ministers"  (Dr.)  of  state: 
cp.  Is.  1911'-. 

2ia.  =  Ps.  107*^. — Princes]  or  nobles  (d''3^13)  ;  cp.  22^  34^8 
(II  ''king"),  I  S.  28  =  Ps.  1 138  (antithetical  to  **poor"  and 
''needy";  cp.  (&  here),  Nu.  21^^  and  Pr.  S^^  (i|  Q.-j^jf).— 
Looseneth  the  belt  of]  ' '  Fig.  for  incapacitates ;  the  flowing 
garments  of  the  Oriental  being  girt  up  for  active  service 
(i  K.  18^,  Is.  527,  cp.  Is.  45^)"  (Dr.).  Looseneth  is  lit.  causeth 
to  hang  down. — Strong]  this  word  at  least  (see  phil.  n.),  if  not 
the  whole  line,  requires  emendation.  Possibly  ^  is  a  corrupt 
variant  of  (cp.  Du.)  ^^^,  and  the  whole  v.  secondary :  cp.  vv.  2*'  2^. 

22.  Bu.  omits  the  v.  as  in  its  complete  abstractness  alien  to 
the  context :  if  in  its  right  place,  it  must  be  figurative  ;  the 
deep,  dark  things  have  been  explained  as  hidden  plans  and 
conspiracies  of  men  (cp.  Is.  29^^;  so  Di.  Dr.),  the  depths  of  the 
divine  nature  (Schl.),  the  treasures  of  conquered  cities  (Hi.), 
the  poor  (Hgst.  Du.). 

23.  The  rise  and  fall  of  nations  illustrate  God's  caprice :  He 


1 20  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB         [XII.  23-XIII.  1. 

**  Who  taketh  away  the  understanding  of  the  chiefs  of 

the  earth, 
And  causeth  them  to  wander  in  a  pathless  waste. 
^  They  grope  in  the  dark  without  light, 

And  '^theyl  wander  about  (helplessly)  like  a  drun- 
ken man. 
XIII.  ^  Lo,  mine  eye  hath  seen  all, 

Mine  ear  hath  heard  and  understood  it. 


makes  them  increase  in  numbers  and  extend  their  borders  only 
thereafter  to  destroy  and  abandon  them.  This  would  form  an 
effective  climax  and  conclusion,  and  perhaps  originally  did  so ; 
see  on  ^^\ — Peoples]  J^  nations^  as  in  ^. — Leaveth]  f&,  leadeth 
them  (away) :  see  phil.  n.  Leaveth  is  rather  anti-climactic  after 
destroyeth  in  * :  Ehrlich  makes  the  v.  refer  exclusively  to  the 
destruction  of  nations,  rendering,  Who  misleadeth  peoples  and 
destroyeth  them,  layeth  peoples  low  and  (so)  leaveth  them, 
giving  to  ntDtJ^  a  meaning  of  the  Ar.  sataha^  to  prostrate. 

24 f.  From  the  "nations"  in  ^3^  ^^^  returns  to  leading  indi- 
viduals of  the  nations  (as  ^^~2^).  Since  the  opening  words  are 
identical,  ^^a  may  be  a  variant  of  ^^a,  and  similarly  ^^b  of  24b^  and 
a  single  distich  (24b-26aj  ^ay  have  completed  the  description  of 
the  nations  in  ^^.  Alternatively  2*'.  may  have  originally  stood 
after  ^i,  completing  the  allusions  to  prominent  individuals. 

24.  Of  the  earth]  J^  (not  ffi)  of  the  people  of  the  earth. — 
Waste]  Thu  :  cp.  G^  n. 

25.  They  grope]  5^*. — They  wander  about]  f^  he  causeth  them 
to  wander^  exactly  as  ^^^  (cp.  Is.  19^^). 

XIII.  I-5.  Resumes  12^:  Job  has  himself  observed  every- 
thing relating  to  God's  rule  of  the  world,  and  is  in  such 
knowledge  not  a  whit  inferior  to  the  friends,  ^'- :  he,  indeed, 
interprets  differently,  and  does  not,  as  they  have  done,  draw 
the  conclusion  that  he  is  guilty.  Of  their  false  and  worthless 
interpretation,  he  has  had  enough,  and  can  only  wish  that  they 
would  keep  silence,  ^'- ;  with  God,  not  with  them,  he  now 
wishes  to  speak  and  argue  out  the  question  of  his  guilt  (^),  and 
this  is  what  from  ^o  onwards  he  actually  does. 

I.  All]  not  this  (ffi),  or  all  [this) — EV. :  see  phil.  n. 


XIII.  2-5.]  JOB  121 

*  What  ye  know,  /  know  also : 

I  am  not  inferior  unto  you, 
®  But  /  would  speak  unto  the  Almighty, 
And  to  argue  with  God  do  I  desire. 

*  But  ye  are  plasterers  of  falsehood. 

Physicians  of  no  value  are  ye  all. 

*  Oh  that  ye  would  but  hold  your  peace, 

And  it  should  be  your  wisdom. 


2b.  =  1 23b. 

3.  Arg-ue]  v.^^^ 

4.  Plasterers  0/ falsehood]  cp.  Ps.  119^^;  here,  persons  who 
use  falsehoods  as  a  whitewash  or  plaister  (cp.  ^)  to  hide  defects  : 
the  defects  which  appear  to  Job  so  glaring  in  God's  use  of  His 
might  {i2^^~^^)y  the  friends  whitewash  over  with  the  assertion, 
known  to  Job  to  be  false,  that  all  who  suffer  from  that  might 
are  wicked. — Physicians  of  no  value]  the  word  rophe  is  used 
widely  enough  (cp.  Gn.  50^,  2  Ch.  16^^)  to  justify  such  a  trans- 
lation in  a  suitable  context.  But  worthless  healers^  or  menders^ 
would  perhaps  be  better  here.  The  friends  are  men  who  try 
lightly  but  fruitlessly  to  mend  the  broken  scheme  of  things  ; 
Du.  pertinently  compares  for  the  use  of  the  vb.  and  the  here 
implicit  figure,  Jer.  6^*  **  And  they  lightly  heal  what  is  broken 
(in  the  body)  of  my  people,  saying.  It  is  whole,  it  is  whole, 
when  it  is  not  whole"  (cp.  Exp.  TimeSy  xxvi.  347 ff.).  Others, 
falling  back  on  a  meaning  of  the  root  unknown  in  Hebrew,  but 
paralleled  in  Arabic  and  Ethiopic  {to  mendj  stitch  together)y  render 
stitchers  together  of  worthless  (assertions)  (so  Di.),  then  cp.  ^2. 

5b.  Cp.  Pr.  17^8:  even  fools,  if  they  have  but  the  wit  to 
keep  silence,  may  pass  for  wise. 

6-I9.  Before,  in  2^^-,  addressing  God,  as  he  has  in  ^  ex- 
pressed his  intention  of  doing,  Job,  developing  his  accusation 
in  *,  warns  the  friends  of  the  risks  they  are,  as  it  would  seem 
unwittingly,  running  in  using  falsehoods  in  defence  of  God, 
^~^2 ;  on  the  other  hand,  he  himself  will  deliberately  accept 
every  hazard  to  which  he  may  expose  himself  by  asserting  the 
truth,  viz.  that  he  is  guiltless,  i3-i6.  yg^-^  fQj.  ^-j^g  moment  at 
least,  he  is  sure  that  as  God  will  resent  the  falsehood  uttered 


122  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XIII.  6-12. 

*  Hear  now  the  argument  •^ofl  my  Tmouthl, 

And  attend  to  the  pleadings  of  my  lips. 
^  Will  ye  for  God  speak  unrighteously, 
And  for  htm  talk  deceitfully  ? 

*  Will  ye  show  partiality  for  htm  ? 

Will  ye  contend  for  God? 

*  Is  it  good  that  he  should  search  you  out  ? 

Or  as  one  deludeth  a  man,  will  ye  delude  him  ? 
^^  He  will  surely  correct  you, 

If  in  secret  ye  show  partiality. 
1^  Will  not  his  loftiness  affright  you? 

And  his  dread  fall  upon  you  ? 
^2  Your  maxims  are  proverbs  of  ashes, 

Your  defences  are  defences  of  clay. 


by  the  friends  in  His  defence  (^^),  so  He  will  admit  the  truth 
maintained  by  Job  against  Him  (^^). 

6.  Argument]  or,  impeach7nenti  reproof:  cp.  Pr.  i^^-  25,_ 
Pleadings]  or,  accusations. 

7.  Cp.  27*. 

8-10.  Will  you,  as  judges  between  me  and  God,  show  unfair 
favour  to  the  stronger,  pronouncing  me  guilty,  though  all  the 
time  I  am  innocent,  in  order  that  He  may  win  His  case  ?  But 
God  sees  through  this  kind  of  thing  (^),  and  so  far  from  rewarding 
it  punishes  it  (^^). — Show  partiality]  lit.  lift  up  theface^  here  with 
the  sinister  implication  that  this  is  done  from  corrupt  motives  : 
cp.  Dt.  lo^^  "  Who  doth  not  lift  up  the  face,  nor  take  a  bribe  " ; 
Pr.  i8^  "  It  is  not  good  to  lift  up  the  face  of  the  guilty,  (thereby) 
turning  aside  the  innocent  (from  his  right)  in  judgment " ; 
c.  32^1  34^^,  Ps.  82^.  The  phrase  may  also  be  used  without 
this  sinister  implication  :  see  42®*-. 

lOa.  Anticipating  42^^-. 

11.  Loftiness]  3122,  there  also  ||  to  dread^  for  which  cp. 
Is.  2^^'^^  (II  ''glorious  majesty"),  where  it  is  explicitly  used  of 
the  dread  inspired  by  Yahweh  when  He  rises  up  to  judgment. 
In  view  of  41^^^^^^  we  might  also  render  uprising',   so  Du. 

12.  The  sayings,  which  to  the  friends  themselves  seem  so 
wise,  will  prove  worthless  defences  against  God  (^i). — Maxims] 


XIII.  12-16.]  JOB  123 

12  Hold  your  peace,  let  me  alone,  that  /may  speak, 

And  let  come  on  me  what  will. 
1*  ^I  will  take  my  flesh  in  my  teeth, 

And  put  my  life  in  my  hand  ! 
1^  Behold,  he  will  slay  me  ;  I  have  no  hope  ; 

Nevertheless  I  will  maintain  my  ways  before  him. 
^^  Even  that  is  to  me  (an  omen  of)  salvation ; 

For  not  before  him  doth  a  godless  man  come. 


see  phil.  n. — Defences\  scarcely  ramparts  (see  phil.  n.),  but 
rather  bosses  (cp.  1 5^^)  of  shields  ;  being  of  clay  instead  of  iron, 
their  bosses  are  useless. 

13-15.  Job  intends  at  all  hazards  (cp.  g^^*-)  to  speak  freely 
in  maintaining  his  integrity. 

14.  /  take\  5^  wherefore  do  I  iake^  which  is  incompatible 
with  the  context:  RVm.  **At  all  adventures  I  will  take,"  is 
not  a  justifiable  translation  of  Jl] :  see  phil.  n.  The  idiom  in  * 
does  not  occur  again,  but  must  be  synonymous  with  put  my 
life  in  m.y  hand  in  ^,  which  means  to  imperil  one's  life  (see 
phil.  n.).  Herz  (Orient.  Literature. y  Aug.  1913,  p.  343,  and 
/ThSxv,  263),  arguing,  on  the  ground  of  Egyptian  parallels, 
that  the  idioms  mean  to  take  extra  care  of  one's  life,  defends  J^. 

15.  As  in  7^^-  9^^  lo^*'.  Job  expresses  his  sense  of  the  near 
approach  of  death. — /  have  no  hope\  lit.  /  wait  noty  so.  for 
anything  better  (cp.  14^*);  Qre  (cp.  ^A  ^2EU  ^W.)  for  him 
(emphatic)  /  wait]  see  phil.  n. — Maintain^  lit.  argue,  prove 
right y  as  v.^. 

16.  Thai\  the  fact  that  Job  can  and  does  maintain  his 
integrity  before  God  (^^^) :  this  is  his  ground  of  hope  that  he 
will  ultimately  have  salvation,  i.e.  success  or  victory  (so,  e.g., 
Ps.  18^^,  2  S.  23^^),  in  his  argument  with  God,  and  that  God 
will  admit  and  publish  his  innocence ;  the  reason  for  this  hope 
lies  in  the  fact  (^^^)  that  a  godless  man  does  not  thus  of  his 
own  accord  approach  God  to  argue  his  integrity.  The  sense  is 
substantially  the  same  if  the  v.  be  rendered,  Even  that  is  .  .  . 
that  a  godless  man  doth  not  come  before  him ;  in  this  case  ^^^ 
contains  not  the  ground  for  the  assertion  in  *,  but  the  explica- 
tion of  the  pronoun  that :  for  the  pronoun  thus  neutrally  used. 


124  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XEH.  16-22. 

1^  Hear  diligently  my  speech, 

And  let  my  declaration  be  in  your  ears, 
18  Behold,  now,  I  have  set  out  ""my^  case ; 

I  know  that  I  shall  be  justified. 
1^  Who  is  he  that  will  contend  with  me  ? 

For  then  would  I  hold  my  peace  and  give  up  the  ghost. 

20  Only  two  things  do  not  unto  me. 

Then  will  I  not  hide  myself  from  thy  face : 

*i  Thine  hand  withdraw  far  from  me ; 
And  let  not  thy  terror  affright  me. 

22  Then  call  thou,  and  /  will  respond ; 

Or  I  will  speak,  and  answer  thou  me. 


see  15^  31^^  The  rendering,  Even  He,  viz.  God,  is  my  salva- 
tion (RVm.),  is  unsatisfactory;  since  ^,  which  must  be  then 
rendered y(?r,  etc.,  does  not  go  well  with  it. — Godless]  8^^  n. 

18  f.  After  an  appeal  (^^  regarded  by  Bi.  Di.  Du.  as  inter- 
polated) to  the  friends  not  merely  to  give  him  the  opportunity 
to  speak  (^^),  but  also  to  listen  carefully  to  his  statement  of  his 
case.  Job  repeats  in  different  ways  his  conviction  of  his  innocence 
already  expressed  in  i^'- :  the  clear  statement  of  his  case  (i^*) 
must  carry  conviction  ;  he  will  obtain  a  verdict  of  innocent  (i^^) ; 
so  clear  a  case  as  his  no  one  would  care  to  challenge  (^^") ;  were 
it  otherwise.  Job  would  rather  die  than  live  (^^^). 

18.  I  have  set  out  my  case]  in  ^^ff- :  see  phil.  n. — /shall  he  justi- 
fied] the  justice  of  my  plea  will  be  admitted,  and  I  shall  be  pro- 
nounced to  be  in  the  right  in  the  case  at  issue :  cp.  1 1^,  Is.  43^-  26, 

19a.  Is.  50^. 

20.  From  here  on  Job  addresses  God ;  and  first  he  begs,  as 
he  has  done  previously  (9^*),  that  God  will  allow  the  case  to  be 
decided  fairly  and  in  a  legal  way,  and  not  by  the  exercise  of 
God's  irresistible  might ;  this  only  granted.  Job  is  certain  of 
establishing  his  case  whether — he  gives  God  the  choice — he 
prefers  a  charge  against  God,  or  God  prefers  one  against  him. 

21.  Cp.  934  337. 

22.  Let  God  be  plaintiff  (*)  or  defendant  (^),  as  He  will ;  cp. 
gi*''-. — Call]  or  cite\  9^^  n. — Answer]  9^^  n. 


Xm.  23-26.]  JOB  125 

23  How  many  are  mine  iniquities  and  sins  ? 

Make  me  to  know  my  transgression  and  my  sin, 
**  Wherefore  hidest  thou  thy  face, 

And  holdest  me  for  thine  enemy? 
25  Wilt  thou  scare  a  driven  leaf? 

And  wHt  thou  pursue  the  dry  stubble? 
^  That  thou  writest  bitter  things  against  me, 

And  makest  me  to  inherit  the  iniquities  of  my  youth : 


23  ff.  God  failing  to  respond  to  Job's  invitation  in  22a  to 
formulate  His  charges,  Job  speaks  on ;  not,  however,  strictly 
according  to  the  figure  of  22^,  in  the  form  of  a  legal  indict- 
ment, but  at  first  suggesting  by  a  series  of  questions  that  he 
is  suffering  far  beyond  the  deserts  of  any  failings  of  his  (23-28J . 
then  passing  on  to  reflections  on  God's  pitiless  treatment  of 
mankind  in  general  {i/^'^-^^)y  returning  in  ^^-n  to  his  own  case, 
and  appealing  in  ^^-15  to  God's  pity,  only  in  ^^'-  to  record  again 
the  actual  ruthlessness  of  His  treatment  of  him,  and  (I8-22J  Qf 
men  in  general. 

23.  Job,  though  ** perfect"  (i-^  n.),  does  not  deny  that  he 
has  sinned  (cp.  ^^^) ;  but  how  often  ?  how  greatly  ?  not  enough 
to  deserve  all  the  suffering  that  he  endures ;  hence  his  implicit 
charge  against  God  that  He  is  punishing  undeservedly  and 
unjustly. 

24.  Hidest  thou  thy  face]  refusest  to  be  friendly;  for  the 
idiom,  cp.  Ps.  308^7^  (**in  thy  favour,"  and  **thou  hidest  thy 
face  " — antithetical  parallels),  104^^,  27^  (**  hide  the  face  "  ||  **  cast 
off  in  anger").  Is.  54^;  for  **the  hiding  of  the  face  "in  resent- 
ment for  sin  committed  and  wrong  done  against  God  (cp.  v.^^ 
here),  see  Is.  571^,  Dt.  31^^— b.  Cited  by  Elihu,  33I0. 

25  ff.  Is  it  worthy  of  one  mighty  as  God  with  such  persistent 
severity  to  treat  one  so  helpless  and  incapable  of  resistance  as 
Job?  cp.  7^0  iqI^. — Scare  a  driven  leaf]  make  to  tremble  with 
fright  (cp.  pv  in  Is.  2^*-  ^i)  a  dry  leaf  already  driven  (Lv.  26^) 
hither  and  thither  by  the  wind. — Pursue  dry  stubble]  put  to 
flight  (cjm  in  Dt.  32^0,  Am.  i^^)  what  scurries  away  of 
itself. 

26.   Writest  bitter  things]  passest  on  me  sentence  to  painful 


126  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIII.  26-XIV. 

^  And  that  thou  puttest  my  feet  in  the  stocks, 

And  markest  all  my  paths : 

About  the  soles  of  my  feet  thou  drawest  thee  a  line ; 
^  Though  (one  such  as)  he  falleth  away  like  a  rotten  thing, 

Like  a  garment  that  is  moth-eaten. 


punishment :  on  the  custom  of  recording  in  writing  judicial 
sentences,  see  n.  on  Is.  lo^.  In  view  of  ^  a  judicial  is  more 
probable  than  a  medical  figure  here :  the  meaning  of  ^  is  not, 
therefore,  that  Thou  prescribest  for  me  bitter  medicines  (Hi.); 
of  written  medical  prescriptions  among  the  Hebrews  there  is  no 
evidence. — b.  Job  had  sinned  in  the  carelessness  of  youth  like 
others  (cp.  i^,  Ps.  25^^) ;  but  is  it  worthy  of  God  to  drag  up 
these  old  offences,  and  make  Job  suffer  for  them  now?  Even 
in  youth  he  had  not  sinned  more  than  others  ;  why  does  he 
suffer  more? 

27.  Job's  condition  figured  as  that  of  a  prisoner  whose 
movements  are  impeded,  and  who  is  kept  under  close  watch. — 
Stocks]  a  different  word  from  that  so  rendered  in  EV.  of  Jer. 
2o2'-  29^^  and  RVm.  of  2  Ch.  16^®;  on  the  ground  that  some  move- 
ment along  paths  (^)  is  possible,  some  (Du.  Peake)  suppose 
that  the  Hebrew  term  used  here  (sad)  denotes  not  fixed  stocks, 
but  a  block  of  wood  fastened  to  the  legs  of  captives  to  impede, 
though  not  altogether  prevent,  movement  from  place  to  place. 
Yet  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  idiom  favours  this  interpretation  ; 
and  in  the  Talmud  sadda  is  certainly  something  that,  like  stocks^ 
confines  the  person  to  a  single  spot:  Levy  (NHWB^  s.v.)  cites 
from  Pes.  28*  **The  5«^maker  sits  in  his  own  sad'' — i.e.  is 
punished  by  means  of  his  own  workmanship.  If  stocks  is  right 
here,  Job  **  compares  himself  to  a  malefactor,  at  one  time  (*) 
held  fast  in  the  stocks,  at  another  (^)  narrowly  watched,  and 
{^)  unable  to  pass  beyond  prescribed  bounds"  (Dr.). — Soles\ 
Heb.  roots.     On  Du.'s  interpretation  of  *',  see  phil.  n. 

28.  The  text,  meaning  and  position  of  the  v.  have  been 
questioned ;  but  see  phil.  n. 

XIV.  I-3.  How  strange  (cp.  13^^)  that  God  should  strictly 
call  to  account  creatures  so  frail,  shortlived,  and  (cp.  y^-^)  full 
of  unrest  as  man  !     The  parallelism  is  better,  if  we  render  in  ^% 


XIV.  1-6.]  JOB  127 

XIV.  ^  Man  that  is  born  of  woman 

Is  of  few  days,  and  full  of  trouble. 
2  He  Cometh  forth  like  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down : 

He  fleeth  also  like  a  shadow,  and  continueth  not. 
'  And  upon  (one  like)  this  dost  thou  open  thine  eyes. 

And  bring-  ''him''  into  judgment  with  thee  ? 

*  Oh  that  a  clean  thing  could  come  out  of  an  unclean  !  not  one  (can). 

*  If  his  days  are  determined, 

The  number  of  his  months  is  known  to  thee, 
(And)  his  limit  thou  hast  appointed  that  he  cannot 

pass; 

*  Look  away  from  him,  "^and^  forbear. 

Till  he  can  enjoy,  as  an  hireling,  his  day. 


Man  is  born  of  woman ;  or  (Di.)  i-  2,  Man  that  is  born  of  woman. 
Of  few  days,  and  full  of  trouble,  Cometh  forth  .  .  .,  Fleeth,  etc. 
— Bom  0/ woman]  of  such  frail  origin. — Of  few  days]  even  a  life 
of  patriarchal  length  (42^^)  may  he  regarded  as  brief  (Gn.  47^). 

2a.  Cf.  Ps.  90«  103I5'.,  Is.  4o6'-.— b.  Cp.  89  n. 

3.  Cp.  7^^' . 

4.  Cp.  417'-,  Ps.  5i^H  and  see  phil.  n. 

5  f.  If;^  as  is  the  case  (i'*),  man's  life  is  brief,  the  fact  is  both 
known  to  and  ordained  by  God ;  let  God,  then,  desist  (^*)  from 
His  unkindly  gaze  (^),  that  man  may  get  at  least  some  pleasure 
before  his  brief  hard  life  is  over. — If]  the  hypothetical  is 
awkward  :  if  correct,  the  whole  of  ^  may  be  protasis  (so  Di.) ; 
then  render :  If  his  days  are  determined,  (And)  the  number  of 
his  months  known,  etc. — JIis  days]  (&-{-upon  earth:  rhythmi- 
cally the  line  would  admit,  and  indeed  be  improved  by  some 
addition  ;  but  something  like  by  thee  would  be  preferable. — 
Known  to]  Heb.  with :  see  9^^  n. 

6.  Look  away  from]  7^^  lo^^  n, — And  forbear]  or  desist y  7^^  n. 
f^  That  he  may  cease. — Till]  or :  to  the  point  that  (nj;  as  Is.  47^; 
Lex.  ']2^by  3). — An  hireling]  a  labourer  hired  by  the  day  :  7"-  n. 
— His  day]  i.e.  the  close  of  his  life;  at  least  let  the  evening  of 
man's  life  be  free  from  God's  ill-treatment :  cp.  lo^^^^-. 

7-10.  The  plea  (^)  for  some  brief  snatch  of  enjoyment  before 


[28  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIV.  7-12. 

'f  For  there  is  hope  of  a  tree : 

If  it  be  cut  down,  it  will  sprout  agaitii 
And  its  shoots  will  not  cease. 
8  Though  its  root  wax  old  in  the  earth, 

And  its  stump  die  in  the  ground ; 
*  At  the  scent  of  water  it  will  bud, 

And  put  forth  branches  like  a  young  plant. 
1^  But  a  man  dieth,  and  "^passeth  away^ : 

Yea,  man  giveth  up  the  ghost,  and  where  is  he  ? 
^1  Waters  fail  from  a  lake. 

And  a  river  decayeth  and  drieth  up ; 
12  And  (so)  man  lieth  down  and  riseth  not : 

Till  the  heavens  be  no  more,  they  will  not  awake, 
Nor  be  roused  out  of  their  sleep. 


death  is  based  on  the  impossibility  of  any  enjoyment  after 
death ;  man  once  dead,  unlike  a  tree  that  is  cut  down,  cannot 
be  rejuvenated  and  start  life  again,  but  passes  away  for  ever 
leaving  no  trace  behind.  There  may  be  some  reference  here 
to  specific,  deliberate  treatment  of  trees  such  as  Wetzstein  (in 
Del.)  reports  as  customary  on  the  east  of  Jordan,  especially 
round  Damascus ;  trees  which  through  age  begin  to  decay  and 
to  yield  poor  crops  are  cut  down — close  to  the  ground  in  the 
case  of  vines,  figs,  and  pomegranates,  and  within  a  few  feet  of 
it  in  the  case  of  the  walnut ;  the  next  year  new  shoots  spring 
from  the  root,  and  these  subsequently  bear  fruit  freely ;  all 
that  is  needed  is  what  Job  mentions  as  a  conditio  sine  qua  non 
— abundant  water. 

8.  Stump]  VM:  Is.  ii^  (seen,  there). — The  ground]  Heb.  the 
dusty  as  5^. 

g.  At  the  scent  of  water]  cp.  *' As  a  string  of  tow  is  broken, 
when  it  scenteth  the  fire,"  Jg.  i6^. 

10-12.  Cp.  77-10. 

II.    =  Is.  19^;  see  phil.  n. 

12b,  C.  Man  will  never  (cp.  Ps.  72^'  ^*  ^^  89^0. 37f.j  awake  from 
the  sleep  of  death. 

13-15.  Would  that  it  were  otherwise,  and  that  God  would 
make  Sheol  not  a  land  of  no  remembrance  to  which  in  His 


XIV.  13-16.]  JOB  129 

13  Oh  that  thou  wouldest  hide  me  in  Sheol, 

That  thou  wouldest  keep  me  secret,  until  thy  wrath  turn, 

That  thou  wouldest  appoint  me  a  limit,  and  remember  me ! 
1*  If  a  man  die,  will  he  live  (again)  ? 

All  the  days  of  my  warfare  would  I  wait, 

Till  my  release  should  come : 
1^  Thou  shouldest  call,  and  /  would  answer  thee : 

Thou  wouldest  yearn  after  the  work  of  thine  hands. 


anger  He  sends  men  for  ever,  but  an  asylum  (provided  by  His 
love  for  His  creatures,  ^^^),  while  His  wrath  is  abroad.  If  only 
it  were  certain  that  after  a  fixed  period,  God  would  remember 
Job  (as  He  remembered  Noah,  the  object  of  His  grace,  in  the 
asylum  of  the  ark,  Gn.  8^  P),  and  summon  him  back  from 
Sheol  and  death  ;  how  willingly  would  Job  wait,  thus  knowing 
that  in  the  end  life  and  friendly  intercourse  with  God  would  be 
renewed.  But  there  is  no  hope  of  such  a  future  Q^~^^  especially 
i9c-22j^  Thus  Job  here  considers  the  idea,  and  the  meaning  if 
it  were  real,  though  he  still  dismisses  the  reality,  of  a  future 
life  of  communion  with  God:  previously  (7^-^^)  he  has  simply 
doubted  the  existence  of  such  a  future,  without  contemplating 
its  significance  if  it  were  real. 

13.  Turn]  cp.  9^^^  Qn.  27*^'-. 

14.  Line  *  is  perhaps  misplaced,  or  a  marginal  annotation. 
Even  if  rendered,  as  by  Du.  (see  phil.  n.),  **  If  only  a  man  might 
die,  and  live  again,"  it  forms  a  bad  parallel  to  ^2°. —  Warfare] 
7I  n. — Release]  or  relief  from  Sheol;  the  word  appears  to 
embody  a  military  figure  of  one  soldier  or  troop  being  replaced 
and  so  relieved  by  another  (cp.  on  10^^);  but  obviously  the 
figure  is  not  to  be  pressed. 

15a.  Cp.  13^2%  though  t\vQ  figure  oi  t)\2it  line  is  not  repeated 
here. — Yearn  after]  cp.  ''seek  diligently  for,"  7^1  n. — The  work 
of  thine  hands]  cp.  lo^-^-^^^ 

16  f.  Job  has  expressed  the  wish  for  a  happier  future  in  i^"^^, 
for  God's  present  attitude  to  him  is  so  unfriendly  and  unfor- 
giving that  something  different  can  but  be  desired,  hut  (I8-22J 
that  happy  future  of  his  hopes  will  not  be  realized.  Such  is 
the  meaning  and  connection  of  the  vv.  as  expressed  in  the  above 

9 


130  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XI V.  16-19. 

1*  For  now  thou  numberest  my  steps : 

Thou  dost  not  ""pass^  over  my  sin. 
i'^  My  transgression  is  sealed  up  in  a  bagf, 

And  thou  fastenest  up  my  iniquity. 
^^  But  indeed  a  mouritain  falling  crumbleth  away, 

And  a  rock  is  removed  out  of  its  place ; 
^^  The  waters  wear  the  stones  ; 

The  overflowings  thereof  wash  away  the  dust  of  the  earth  : 

And  (so)  thou  destroyest  the  hope  of  man. 


translation.  But  it  is  not  altogether  natural,  and  much  In  the 
vv.  is  ambiguous  :  they  have  accordingly  been  by  others  under- 
stood to  contain  a  continuation  of  the  description  in  ^^  of  God's 
friendly  attitude  hoped  for  in  i\\Q  future  (see  phil.  n.);  but 
unfortunately  this  view,  too,  cannot  conveniently  be  accommo- 
dated to  the  vv.  throughout ;  if  it  were  right  we  should  expect 
in  ^^^  the  impf.  as  in  the  other  lines  rather  than  the  part.  (^^^C")* 

16.  For  now]  as  7^^;  equally  legitimate  is  the  rendering /or 
then;  so  3^^. — T/iou  numberest  my  steps\  watches t  my  move- 
ments to  take  account  of  the  least  slip  :  cp.  31*  (34^^)  and  for  the 
thought,  13^''^.  If  the  vv.  describe  the  future,  it  would  be  best 
to  read  (cp.  <S) :  For  then  thou  wouldest  not  number  my  steps. 
— Pass  over]  so  ffi^ ;  |^  watch  over^  which  would  suit  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  future ;  but  to  accommodate  f^  to  a  description  of 
the  present,  the  line  must  be  translated  interrogatively  (possible, 
but  awkward) :   **  Dost  thou  not  watch  over  my  sin  ?  " 

17.  Job's  transgressions  are  recorded  by  God  in  a  writing 
(cp.  Jer.  17^)  which  is  bound  and  sealed  up  (cp.  Dinn  1")V,  Is.  8^^). 
— Sealed  up]  for  security  in  a  bag  (mx)  to  be  brought  forth 
thence  for  punishment:  cp.  Hos.  13^^  *' Bound  up  ("ipv)  is  the 
iniquity  of  Ephraim,"  Dt.  32^*. — Fastenest  up]  lit.  plasterest  (13^) 
over:  here,  parallel  to  is  sealed  up^  the  phrase  apparently  means 
plasterest  over  with  wax.  Bu.,  who  adopts  the  view  that  the 
vv.  refer  to  the  future,  understands  the  figure  to  be  that  of 
giving  a  white  appearance  (cp.  Is.  i^^)  to  (red)  sin;  the  line 
then  means  that  God  forgives  Job's  sins. 

18.  19.  The  emphatic  words  in  ^^  are  mountain  and  rock  :  if 
even  these  mighty  things  come  to  destruction,  how  much  more 


XIV.  19-XV.]  JOB  131 

2^  Thou  prevallest  for  ever  against  him,  and  he  passeth  ; 
Thou  changest    his   countenance,   and    sendest   him 

away. 

21  His  sons  come  to  honour,  and  he  knoweth  it  not ; 

And  they  are  brought  low,  but  he  perceiveth  them 

not. 

22  Only  his  flesh  upon  him  hath  pain, 

And  his  soul  upon  him  mo'urneth. 


(^^)  does  man  die  without  hope  of  living  again !  On  ^^  see 
phil.  n.  ;  ^^^  is  cited  in  18^. — But]  an  emphatic  adversative, 
which  would  be  best  explained  by  the  view  that  the  description 
of  the  desired  but  despaired  of  future  extends  down  to  ^'' ;  but 
see  on  ^^'•. 

20.  Passeth]  away,  dieth :  so  lo^i,  2  S.  12^3,  Ec.  i*  3^0, 
Ps.  39^* — a  common  sense  of  halaka  in  Arabic. — Thou  changest 
his  countenance]  in  death,  when  *'  Decay's  effacing  fingers. 
Have  swept  the  lines  where  beauty  lingers." 

21.  Dismissed  i^-^^)  to  Sheol,  the  dead  no  longer  have  know- 
ledge (Ec.  9^)  even  of  what  would,  if  they  were  alive  on  earth, 
most  intimately  concern  them  :  cp.  22^^.  Since  from  ^^  and,  in 
particular,  ^^  onward,  the  direct  personal  reference  is  abandoned 
and  the  fate  of  man  in  general  is  depicted,  ^i  is  not,  of  course, 
inconsistent  with  i^^  (the  loss  of  Job's  children). — Are  brought 
low]  come  to  dishonour :  see  phil.  n. 

22.  Knowledge  does  not  survive  death  :  sentiency  does  : 
the  dead  man  feels  the  pangs  of  decay,  as  the  flesh  still  clothing 
him  moulders  away,  and  his  soul  can  grieve  for  the  dreary 
existence  to  which  he  is  condemned  in  Sheol.  Cp.  Judith  16^^^ 
''they  shall  weep  at  feeling,"  viz.  the  fire  and  worm  sent  into 
their  decaying  flesh  :  see  also  Is.  66^*. — Up07i  him]  lo^  n. 
On  various  mistaken  views  of  the  phrase  (such  as  :  only  so 
long  as  his  flesh  is  upon  does  he  feel  pain ;  or,  only  for  him 
does  his  flesh  feel  pain),  see  Di.  or  Bu. 

XV.  Eliphaz's  second  speech. — This,  the  opening  speech 
of  the  second  cycle,  consists  of  a  rebuke  of  the  irreverent  tone 
of  Job's  speeches,  of  his  rejection  of  gentler  correction,  such  as 
Eliphaz  had  off'ered  in  his  previous  speech  ("),  and  of  his  hard 


132  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XV.  2-4. 

XV.  ^  Then  answered  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  and  said, 
2  Should  a  wise  man  answer  with  windy  knowledge, 

And  fill  his  belly  with  the  sirocco, 
2  Arguing  with  unprofitable  talk, 

And  with  speeches,  wherewith  he  can  do  no  good  ? 
*  Yea,  thou  doest  away  with  fear. 

And  restrainest  musing  before  God. 


and  obdurate  temper  (^~i*),  leading  up  to  the  charge  that  he  is 
wicked  beyond  the  general  unrighteousness  of  men  (^*~^^),  and 
a  warning  picture  of  the  dark  and  hopeless  fate  of  the  wicked 
^i7-35j^  The  attitude  of  Eliphaz  in  his  second  is  obviously 
severer  than  in  his  first  speech :  in  the  first  he  addresses  Job 
as  one  who  indeed  fails  to  accept  his  sufferings  with  the 
patience  which  he  had  formerly  recommended  to  others,  but 
who  is  still  held  by  religion  (4^) ;  here,  as  one  who  is  abandon- 
ing religion  (15*),  and  giving  way  to  positive  blasphemy  (^^•) ; 
in  the  first  speech  Eliphaz  introduces  the  universality  of  human 
unrighteousness  (4-^^*^")>  ^^^  "^t,  as  here  (^*"^^),  to  suggest  that 
Job's  wickedness  exceeds  it;  and,  again,  in  the  first  speech 
Eliphaz  seeks  to  induce  resignation  in  Job  by  his  closing 
picture  of  the  ultimate  felicity  of  those  who  humbly  receive 
suffering,  while  here  he  seeks  to  terrify  Job  out  of  what  he 
now  regards  as  his  exceptional  wickedness  by  a  closing  picture 
of  the  fate  of  the  wicked. 

2.  Cp.  8^  11^. — A  wise  man]  such  as  Job  claims  (12^  13^*")  to 
be:  it  is  less  probable  (see  phil.  n.)  that  Eliphaz  asks  whether 
he  as  a  wise  man  should  make  answer  to  Job's  words. —  Wmdy 
knowledge]  cp.  8^  16^. — His  helly\  whence,  and  not  from  the 
heart  (8^^),  the  seat  of  understanding,  words  expressing  windy 
knowledge  are  spoken. — The  sirocco]  violent  (cp.  8^)  and  hurt- 
ful (cp.  i^^  n.). 

3.  Arguing]  13^-^:  Job  had  desired  to  argue  with  God,  but 
his  words  had  been  of  no  use  :  they  had  not  helped  to  establish 
his  case. 

4.  Doest  away  with]  frustratest  (5^^),  annullest,  destroyest. 
— Fear]  of  God,  i.e.  religion,  as  in  4^.  Line  ^  is  doubtless  parallel 
to  *  and  expresses  the  same  general  idea,  viz.   that  Job  has 


XV.  4-7.]  ELIPHAZ  1 3  3 

^  For  thine  iniquity  teacheth  thy  mouth, 

And  thou  choosest  the  tongue  of  the  crafty. 

^  Thine  own  mouth  condemneth  thee,  and  not  I ; 
And  thine  own  lips  testify  against  thee. 

^  Wast  thou  the  first  one  born  a  man  ? 

Or  wast  thou  brought  forth  before  the  hills  ? 


become  positively  irreligious,  *  referring  to  inward  sentiment, 
^  perhaps  to  the  outward  observance  of  religion  ;  but  the  exact 
meaning  of  both  vb.  and  object  is  uncertain  :  restrainest  should, 
perhaps,  rather  be  impairest^  diminishest '.  the  vb.  (yij)  means 
to  subtract  (as  opposed  to  add — Dt.  4^,  Ec.  3^^,  and  in  Nif.  Nu. 
36^*-),  withdraw  (v.^  36^  and,  pointed  Piel,  36^^^  (o«))'  diminish 
(Ex.  21^^).  The  Nif.  in  Nu.  (^^  sometimes  cited  for  the  meaning 
restrain^  means  to  be  withdrawn :  see  n.  there. — Musing^  the 
noun  (nn^E;)  occurs  also  in  Ps.  119^^  (''Thy  law  is  (the  subject 
of)  my  musing")  ^^f:  on  the  root  see  phil.  n.  on  7^^  Du. 
detects  here  a  reference  to  the  reverential  silence  required  of 
worshippers  (cp.  Zee.  2^^,  Hab.  2^0).  Bu.  renders  ^ :  And  thou 
drawest  complaints  (nn^C^  as  rT'C^  in  f-^  (f^  lo^  21*  23^)  before 
God. 

5.  Not  (RVm.)  thy  mouth  teacheth  thine  iniquity^  i,e,  your 
words  show  and  prove  that  you  are  wicked  :  for  this  anticipates 
^*,  is  against  the  usage  of  the  vb.  {^}^\  33^  35^^  t),  and  not 
favoured  by  the  order  of  the  words. — Choosest  the  tongue  of] 
i.e.  speakest  like:  Job,  like  the  "crafty"  serpent  of  Gn.  3^-, 
endeavours  by  what  he  says  to  misrepresent  God. — The  cra/ty] 
5^2 — the  only  other  place  in  Job  where  the  term  is  used — Gn.  3^: 
in  Pr.  t  the  word  is  used  with  the  good  sense  of  shrewdy  wise. 

6.  The  V.  is  placed  by  Du.  before  ^^. — Thine  own  mouth 
condemneth  thee]  9^^. 

7f.  But  is  Job  so  very  wise  (cp.  2*)?  Is  he  the  oldest,  and 
so  the  wisest,  of  men?  or  does  he  attend  God's  council,  and 
so  possess  wisdom  withheld  from  other  men  ^?  Some  such 
extravagant  hypothesis  would  be  required,  if  Job  were  really 
wiser  than  Eliphaz,  the  aged  recipient  of  revelations.  V.^  is 
grammatically  ambiguous  (see  phil.  n.):  it  might  mean,  Didst 
thou  in  the  past,  or  dost  thou  habitually  in  the  present.    Taking 


134  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XV.  7-10. 

^  Dost  thou  hearken  in  the  council  of  God  ? 

And  dost  thou  monopolize  wisdom  to  thyself? 
®  What  knowest  thou,  that  we  know  not  ? 

What  understandest  thou,  which  is  not  in  our  knowledge? 
^^  Among  us  are  both  the  grey-headed  and  the  aged, 

Older  than  thy  father  in  days. 


it  in  the  former  sense  many  see  in  ^  as  well  as  ^  an  allusion  to 
the  myth  of  a  primeval  man,  older  than  creation :  so  Di.  who 
compares  the  Indian  Manu.  In  ^,  if  '^^  be  taken  strictly,  some 
such  idea  certainly  seems  to  be  present ;  unless  with  Bu.  we 
see  in  ^  a  reference  to  Pr.  8^-^-,  and  so  take  '^^  to  mean :  Art 
thou  personified  Wisdom  itself? — Brought  forth  before  the  hills] 
Pr.  8^^  :  cp.  Ps.  90^.  Du.  before  the  high  ones  (DNn3:  for  niy33), 
i.e.  the  angels — unnecessarily. 

8.  Dost  thou]  or  didst  thou :  see  above. — Council  of  God]  i.e, 
the  circle  of  those  admitted  to  intimacy  with  Him,  especially 
the  angels  (Ps.  89^  ^^\  cp.  i  K.  22^^^-)^  but  the  council  of  Yah- 
weh  is  also  conceived  as  accessible  to  true  prophets  (Jer.  2'^^\ 
— Monopolize]  lit.  withdraw  (see  v.*  n.),  i.e,  withdraw  (from 
others). 

pf.  So  far  from  having  the  wisdom  of  the  most  ancient,  Job 
has  no  wisdom  beyond  that  of  the  friends :  and  so  far  from 
being  the  most  ancient  of  men,  amqng  them  are  men  (or  is  a 
man)  old  enough  to  be  Job's  father. 

9.  Cp.  12^  132  (Job). — ///  our  knowledge]  lit.  with  us:  see 
9^  n. 

10.  The  experience  of  age  is  on  the  side  of  the  friends  and 
against  Job. — Among  us  are]  unless  the  first  pers.  pi.  in  ^  and 
here  has  different  meanings,  the  meaning  is :  among  us  three 
friends  is,  one  of  us  three  is :  in  that  case  the  adjectives,  which 
are  in  the  singular,  refer  to  an  individual,  and  doubtless  to 
Eliphaz  who  thus  with  conventional  modesty  refers  to  himself : 
then  render,  Ainong  us  is  one  that  is  both  grey-headed  and  aged. 
One  that  is  older,  etc.  Others  have  taken  the  phrase  to  mean  : 
among  us  Temanites  (Hi.),  or  among  ourselves  (Umbr.),  or 
among  people  who  share  our  opinions  (Hgst.) ;  then  the 
singular  adjectives  should  be  taken  collectively  as  above. 


XV.  11-16.  J  ELIPHAZ  135 

^^  Are  the  consolations  of  God  too  small  for  thee, 

And  a  word  (that  dealeth)  gently  with  thee  ? 
^  Why  doth  thine  heart  carry  thee  away? 

And  what  do  thine  eyes  hint  at? 
^  That  thou  turnest  thy  spirit  against  God, 

And  lettest  (such)  words  go  out  of  thy  mouth. 
^*  What  is  man,  that  he  should  be  clean  ? 

And  that  one  born  of  woman  should  be  righteous? 
^^  Behold  in  his  holy  ones  he  putteth  no  trust, 

And  the  heavens  are  not  clean  in  his  sight. 
^^  How  much  less  one  that  is  abominable  and  tainted, 

A  man  that  drinketh  in  unrighteousness  like  water. 


II.  Ought  Job  to  have  rejected  as  worthless  and  unadapted 
to  his  case  Eliphaz's  former  gentle  and  (cp.  especially  5^^^^) 
consolatory  speech  ? — The  consolations  of  God]  Eliphaz  feels 
that,  since  he  is  the  recipient  of  revelations  (4^^^*),  what  he 
says  is  not  merely  his  own,  but  God's  speech :  cp.  22^2 ;  Job's 
sentiment  is  different  (212). — Gentlj']  see  phil.  n.  :  AV.  RVm. 
erroneously  give  to  t3K7  the  meaning  secret  (cp.  ^N??,  Jg.  421  = 
t2^2,  I  S.  i822). 

12  f.  Why  is  Job  so  passionate  as  to  turn  his  temper  and 
speak  against  God :  so,  if  the  connection  is  right :  between  ^2 
and  ^^  Du.  inserts  ^,  rendering  ^^  For  thou  turnest^  etc. — Hint 
at]  see  phil.  n. 

13.  Spirit]  in  the  sense  of  passion  or  temper :  cp.  Jg.  8^, 
Pr.  16^. — Lettest  {such)  words  g-o]  or,  emending,  hringest  forth 
defiance  \  cp.  232  and  see  phil.  n. 

14  f.  Varied  from  417'- ;  cp.  also  921^  25*'-.  In  ^^  the  parallel- 
ism intended  was  perhaps  of  a.  b  |  b^  a'  type  (Gray,  Forms  of 
Hebrew  Poetry^  64  f.),  in  which  case  render :  What  is  man,  that 
he  should  be  clean,  And  (what)  that  he  should  be  righteous,  (is) 
one  born  of  woman? — One  horn  of  woman]  14^  n. 

15.  His  holy  ones]  the  angels :  cp.  4^^. — The  heavens]  cp. 
**moon  .  .  .  stars  "in  25^;  and  **  the  very  heavens  for  purity '* 
(int:!?;  cp.  intoN  c.  4^^),  Ex.  2410. 

16.  The  «/tfr/zV?rz' after  ^^'-  is  significantly  different  from4i^: 
there,  how  impossible  for  frail,  shortlived  mortals  to  be  pure 


136  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XV.  16-19. 

^^  I  will  tell  thee,  hear  thou  me ; 

And  that  which  I  have  seen  I  will  relate ; 
^^  (Which  wise  men  do  declare, 

Without  hiding  it,  from  their  fathers ; 
^^  Unto  whom  alone  the  land  was  given, 

And  no  stranger  passed  among  them  :) 


in  God's  sight ;  here,  how  impossible  for  Job  (cp.  34"^),  who 
deliberately  soaks  himself  with  unrighteousness,  to  escape  the 
fate  of  the  wicked,  which  Eliphaz  now  proceeds  to  unfold  (^^^•). 
— DHnketh  .  .  .  like  wafer]  in  great  gulps,  greedily  like  a 
thirsty  man  ;  cp.  Ps.  73^*^. 

17-I9.  The  vv.,  as  a  solemn  introduction  to  the  main  theme 
of  the  speech,  correspond  to  4^2-15  j^  Eliphaz's  first  speech  : 
what  Eliphaz  is  about  to  tell  Job  is  the  fruit  of  his  own  experi- 
ence (^^^)  during  his  long  life  (^^),  confirming  and  confirmed  by 
that  of  past  generations  (cp.  8^~^^,  Bildad)  who  had  dwelt  in 
the  land  as  a  pure,  unmingled  community,  undiluted  by  aliens, 
and  so  maintaining  an  uncontamlnated  tradition,  a  dogma  of 
unimpeachable  orthodoxy. 

17.  Seen]  i.e.  learnt,  experienced :  cp.  24^  27^2^ 

18.  From  their  fathers]  having  received  it  from  their  fathers. 

19.  It  is  tempting  to  infer  from  this  v.  some  definite  con- 
clusion as  to  the  date  of  the  writer,  but  perhaps  delusive ;  for 
it  is  not  clear  whether  the  writer  intends  by  the  land,  the  home 
of  Eliphaz,  viz.  Teman,  or  Canaan  (so  Bu.  Du.).  If  Canaan 
is  intended,  a  contrast  appears  to  be  drawn  between  the  present, 
when  Canaan  is  not  the  sole  possession  of  Israel  and  Israel  is 
not  an  unmixed  race,  and  a  time  in  the  past  when  Israel  un- 
contamlnated held  Canaan  unshared  and  by  undisputed  right ; 
the  event  dividing  the  two  periods  has  been  held  to  be  the  Fall 
of  Samaria  (721  B.C.),  and  the  settlement  of  foreigners  In  the 
Northern  kingdom  (cp.  2  K.  17^*^),  or  the  Exile  of  Judah  (from 
586  B.C.).  Du.  by  precarious  detailed  arguments  Infers  that 
Job  is  three  or  four  generations  removed  from  the  pre-exilic 
*'  fathers,"  and  that  about  the  middle  of  the  5th  cent.  e.g.  is 
accordingly  the  latest  date  for  the  poet.  But  all  this  falls 
to  the  ground  if  Del.,  as  Is  possible,  Is  right  in  feeling  thaf 


XV.  19-22.]  ELIPHAZ  1 37 

^^  All  the  days  of  the  wicked  man,  he  travaileth  with  pain, 
And  the  number  of  the  years  (that  are)  laid  up  for  the 

tyrant. 

21  A  sound  of  terrors  is  in  his  ears ; 

In  prosperity  the  spoiler  will  come  upon  him : 

22  He  believeth  not  that  he  will  return  out  of  darkness, 

And  he  is  '^reserved^  for  the  sword : 


Eliphaz,  in  genuine  Arab  fashion,  is  merely  boasting  of  the 
purity  of  his  own  tribe  of  Teman,  and  placing  the  origin  of  the 
doctrine  he  is  about  to  proclaim  back  in  a  remote  past  when 
that  purity  of  the  tribe  was  still  greater  than  now. — The  land] 
not,  here,  Ike  earth. — Stranger]  of  alien  race;  19^^*  n. — Passed 
among  them]  passed  to  and  fro  among  (^1313)  them,  became  one 
of  them  (Del.  Bu.),  rather  than  passed  through  them  as  an 
enemy  (Di.) — the  force  of  3  ")3y  in  Nah.  2^  (1^^);  cp.  "And 
Jerusalem  shall  be  holy.  And  aliens  shall  no  more  pass  through 
it"(J1.4"). 

20-35.  The  fate  of  the  wicked. 

20-24.  Even  while  the  wicked  seem  to  prosper,  they  are 
in  reality  tormented  by  the  expectation  that  misfortunes,  such 
as  are  described  in  21-2*^  vvill  overtake  them :  such  a  theory — it 
is  nothing  more — helps  to  bolster  up  the  orthodox  dogma 
maintained  by  the  friends  that  the  wicked  do  not  prosper  :  the 
apparent  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  they  argue,  or  rather  assert, 
is  not  real ;  the  happiness  which  their  outward  possessions 
might  seem  to  ensure  is  destroyed  by  inward  forebodings :  far 
truer  to  life  is  the  delineation  of  the  temper  of  the  prosperous 
in  Lk.  12^^. — The  tyrant]  the  parallel  term  to  ''wicked  men" 
in  * ;  and,  therefore,  virtually  equivalent  to  him :  but  see  phil. 
n.     For  the  meaning  of  the  term,  see  6^^  n. 

21.  Spoiler]  or  robber^  12^. 

22.  Return  out  of  darkness]  This  should  naturally  mean : 
recover  prosperity  after  the  misfortunes  of  his  forebodings  have 
befallen  him :  we  should  rather  expect  (cp.  ^sbj^  even  if  it  were 
necessary  to  read  "iiD  for  aiK^,  avoid  darkness^  i.e.  misfortune: 
he  has  no  hope  of  escaping  from  misfortune,  whether  that  take 
the  form  of  violent  death  (22b),  or  (2^*)  being  reduced  to  beggary. 


138  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XV.  23-26. 

^'^  He  wandereth  abroad  for  bread,  (saying),  **  Where  is  it?  " 

He  knovveth  that  the  day  of  darkness  is  ready  at  his 

hand: 
2*  Distress  and  anguish  affright  him ; 

They  prevail  against  him,  as  a  king  ready  for  the  fray : 
'^  Because  he  hath  stretched  out  his  hand  against  God, 

And  behaveth  himself  proudly  against  the  Almighty ; 
26  He  runneth  upon  him  with  a  (stiff)  neck, 

With  the  thick  bosses  of  his  shield  ; 


23.  Possibly  2'^^'  23^  have  been  transposed ;  adopting  emen- 
dations noticed  in  the  phil.  n.,  we  might  then  read: 

22   He  believeth  not  that  he  will  avoid  the  darkness, 

23^      He  knoweth  that  his  calamity  is  ready ; 

23a  f|g  js  wandering  abroad  for  bread  (saying),  **  Where  is  it?  " 

22^      And  he  is  reserved  for  the  sword. 

2*   The  day  of  darkness  affrighteth  him. 

Distress  and  anguish  prevail  against  him. 
The  last   clause   of  ^^  is  then   the   third   stichos  of  a  tristich 
unless  we  place  it  after  ^^^  (cp.  Du.),  to  which  it  would  form  an 
admirable  parallel. 

24.  Prevail  against]  14^^. — As  a  king  ready  for  the  fray] 
irresistibly :  though  the  ki7tg  is  not  necessarily  more  irresistible 
than  any  other  warrior,  cp.  Pr.  6^^  ''Thy  poverty  shall  come 
,   .  .  and  thy  want  as  a  man  with  a  shield." 

25-28.  The  conduct  of  the  wicked,  tyrannical  {^^^)  man  is 
described  as  the  ground  of  his  fate  as  just  sketched :  ^^  would 
follow  2*  quite  well,  and  Sgf.  Be.  Bu.  omit  ^5-28 — ^ot  quite 
necessarily. 

25  f.  He  has  been  defiantly  hostile  to  God. — Behaveth  him- 
self proudly]  or  mightily,  playeth  the,  or  acteth  as  a,  warrior 
(")23n^):  cp.  Is.  42^^  "  Yahweh  will  go  forth  as  a  mighty  man 
...  he  will  act  mightily  against  his  enemies":  c.  36^  "He 
declareth  to  them  their  transgressions,  that  they  behave  them- 
selves proudly  (or  mightily)." 

26.  With  a  {stiff)  neck]  or,  emending,  as  a  warrior  (cp.  Is. 
42^^ ;  see  last  n.)  to  which  "  as  a  king,"  etc.,  would  be  the  parallel 
term  if  ^^b^  originally  followed  ^^a. — Bosses]  13^2  „, 


XV.  27-30.]  ELIPHAZ  1 39 

2''  Because  he  hath  covered  his  face  with  his  fatness, 

And  made  collops  of  fat  on  his  loins ; 
28  And  he  hath  dwelt  in  effaced  cities, 

In  houses  which  no  man  should  inhabit, 
Which  were  destined  to  become  heaps. 
^  He  becometh  not  rich,  neither  doth  his  substance  endure, 

Neither  do  his  ears  (of  corn)  bend  to  the  earth. 
^   He  departeth  not  out  of  darkness. 
His  shoots  the  flame  drieth  up, 

And  his  l^bud^  is  Tswept  away!  by  the  wind. 


27.  Grown  rich  and  prosperous,  he  has  become  confirmed 
in  his  insensibility  to  God  and  all  that  is  spiritual :  for  this 
figurative  use  of  fatness,  cp.  Dt.  32^^,  Jer.  5^^,  Ps.  73^  119^^ 

28.  Being  indifferent  to  God  ('^'^),  he  builds  up  and  inhabits 
sites  which  have  been  reduced  to  ruins  by  some  judgment  of 
God,  and  on  which  accordingly  the  curse  of  God  rests,  virtually 
carrying  with  it  a  decree  of  God  that  such  places  are  not  to  be 
rebuilt  (cp.  Jos.  6^^,  i  K.  16^*,  Dt.  13^^).  Lines  *-^  give  a 
complete  distich  which  is  not  improved  by  being  transformed 
into  a  tristich  by  the  addition  of  ^.  Du.,  rather  precariously 
appealing  to  ffir  (see  phil.  n.),  takes  "^^^  (reading  iNE'^  D"'"inj<  nnj^nn) 
with  2^* :  What  he  hath  prepared  others  will  take  away.  And 
his  substance  does  not  endure. 

29.  The  statements  in  *  are,  strictly  speaking,  inconsistent, 
for  the  second  implies  that  the  man  does  acquire  substance,  or 
wealth  (i>^n,  31^^),  though  he  does  not  retain  it.  Possibly  the 
first  negative  is  due  to  error,  and  the  line  originally  ran :  He 
becometh  rich,  but  his  wealth  endureth  not — a  sentence  of  the 
same  type  as  8^^.  On  line  ^,  which  is  also  questionable,  see 
phil.  n. 

30.  Line  * — an  isolated  stichos — looks  like  a  variant  of  22a. 
— b.  C.  The  wicked  man  may  be  rich  and  prosperous  (cp.  ^9*  n.), 
resembling  a  flourishing  plant  (cp.  8^^')  which  gives  promise  of 
fruit,  but  his  wealth  as  suddenly  vanishes  as  a  tree  ruined 
by  lightning  or  wind. — S/ioots]  8^^  14^.  Line  ^^  in  |^  reads. 
And  he  departeth  not  with  (or,  by  means  of)  the  breath  of  his 
mouth,  which  is  obviously  corrupt,  see  phil.  n. 


1 40  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XV.  31-33. 

^^  Let  him  trust  not  in  emptiness,  deceiving  himself: 
For  emptiness  will  be  his  return  for  what  he  doeth. 

32  I^His  palm-branch^  is  l^cut  offl  before  its  time, 
And  his  palm-frond  luxuriates  no  more. 

3^  He  wrongeth,  like  the  vine,  his  unripe  grape, 
And  casteth  off,  like  the  olive,  his  flower. 


31.  This  v.,  too,  in  J^  is  questionable,  but  satisfactory 
emendation  is  not  forthcoming.  The  meaning,  if  J^  is  correct, 
appears  to  be:  "his  vanity  {t\e.  emptiness),  in  the  sense  of 
frivolity  or  worldllness,  brings  as  its  reward  '  vanity '  in  the 
sense  of  what  is  worthless  or  disappointing  "  (Dr.).  Between  ^^ 
and  22^-  (all  figures  from  plant  life),  ^^  may  well  be  out  of  place 
(Be.  Bu.  Du.  Peake),  unless  this  v.  also  in  its  original  form 
referred  to  plant  life :  Richter's  attempt,  however,  to  recover 
such  an  original  is  unhappy. — Emptiness\  7^  n. — His  return  for 
what  he  doeth\  lit.  his  exchange :  cp.  20^^  28^^. 

32a.  Or  (see  phil.  n.)  emending  otherwise,  it  (viz.  the  shoots 
of  ^^*)  is  cut  off  before  its  time.  J^,  which  though  improbable 
has  found  defenders,  reads.  Before  his  time  it — which  is  taken 
to  refer  to  ''his  return"  in  ^^  (DI.),  or  to  mean  ''his  fate" 
(Bu.,  if  f^  were  correct) — is  fulfilled. — Before  his  time\  lit.  on 
not  his  day^  i.e.  on  a  day  not,  but  earlier  than,  that  on  which  he 
would  normally  have  died — not  at  the  end  of  his  days,  but  in 
the  midst  of  his  days  :  cp.  Ps.  55^*^2^^. 

33.  The  wicked  man,  since  he  never  really  enjoys  any  pros- 
perity he  may  appear  to  possess  or  sees  promise  of  success 
fulfilled,  is  like  a  vine  that  produces  grapes  indeed,  but  grapes 
that  never  ripen  ;  or  like  the  olive  that  produces  a  profusion  of 
flowers,  most  of  which,  however,  do  not  set  into  fruit  even  in 
the  alternate  year  in  which  the  olive  bears:  **  every  second 
year,  though  it  bloom,  it  scarcely  produces  any  berries  at  all "  : 
see  Wetzst.  in  Del.,  and  Thomson,  The  Land  and  the  Book^  54  f. 
— He  torongeth^  by  failing  to  mature;  cp.  of  the  sinner.  **  He 
that  sinneth  against  me  wrongeth  his  own  soul,"  Pr.  8^^.  The 
paraphrase  of  the  Heb.  in  ^T  EV.  (**shaketh  off")  is  false  to 
nature:  the  vine  does  not  cast  its  unripe  berries,  but  "the 
unriper  the  berries,  the  faster  they  stick"  (Del.). 


XV.  34-XVII.]  ELIPHAZ  I4I 

3*  For  the  company  of  the  godless  is  sterile ; 

And  fire  devoureth  the  tents  of  bribery. 
^  They  conceive  mischief,  and  bring  forth  misfortune ; 

And  their  belly   prepareth    disappointment  (for   them- 
selves). 


34.  The  whole  class  of  the  viricked  is  like  sterile  ground 
producing  no  crops  :  the  whole  class  furnishes  no  example  of  a 
really,  permanently  successful  man. — Company^  cp.  similarly 
Ps.  22^^^^^^^  and  86^*  ;  it  does  not  here  mediU  family  (Del.),  even 
though  that  meaning  could  be  established  for  16^. — Godless] 
13I6  8^^  n. — Steele]  3^  n. — Fire]  one  of  the  causes  of  Job's 
calamities  (i^^)  to  which  fact  there  is  perhaps  an  oblique  allusion 
here :  cp.  20^^  (Sophar),  22^*^  (Eliphaz). — The  tents  of  bribery] 
the  homes  of  those  who  have  grown  rich  by  accepting  bribes 
(cp.  Is.  1^3),  or  have  used  their  riches  to  bribe  judges  and 
pervert  justice  in  their  own  interest :  bribery  is  obviously 
selected  as  typical  of  gross  sins. 

35.  Cp.  Is.  59*  33II,  Ps.  y'^^^^^K—Mtschtef.  .  .  misfortune] 
4^  n.  3^^  n. — Belly]  i.e.  womb,  as  3^^.  Others  (Del.)  take  belly 
here  of  the  entire  inward  nature  of  man,  including  thought, 
feeling,  and  will  (cp.  Pr.  i8^  2o27-^<'  22^^)^  which  would  suit  the 
vb.  {prepareth)^  but  would  involve  the  abandonment  of  the 
figure  in  *. 

XVI.  XVI I.  Job's  reply  to  Eliphaz's  second  speech.— 
Like  his  previous  replies,  this  speech  also  is  only  in  part  (most 
clearly  in  i6^~^  and,  perhaps,  17^^)  directly  addressed  to  the 
friends.  In  17^'-  (in  ffi  also  in  ^)  God  is  addressed,  and  in  16^^ 
earth  is  apostrophized.  But  more  of  this  than  of  the  previous 
replies  is  in  the  strain  of  musing  or  monologue ;  so  i6^~^^-  20-22 
i^if.  5-9. 11-17  are  not  obviously  addressed  either  to  the  friends 
or  to  God,  and  16^^  is  obviously  not  addressed  to  either. 
Opening  with  a  brief  and  contemptuous  dismissal  of  the  com- 
fort offered  by  the  friends  (16^"^),  Job  passes  on  to  describe 
God's  violent  treatment  of  him  (^~^^),  in  spite  of  his  innocence 
(1^^-).  And  yet  God  is  his  witness  and  vindicator  (^^-17^) ;  and 
accordingly,  with  death  imminent,  to  Him  and  not  to  the 
friends  he  appeals   (iG^o  17*).     But  from  this  bold  appeal  to 


142  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XVI.  1-4. 

XVI.  ^  Then  Job  answered  and  said, 

2  I  have  heard  many  such  thing's : 

Troublesome  comforters  are  ye  all. 
'  Shall  windy  words  have  an  end  ? 

Or  what  provoketh  (?)  thee  that  thou  answerest? 
*  I  also  could  speak  as  ye  do, 

If  your  soul  were  in  my  soul's  stead; 
I  could  join  words  together  against  you, 
And  shake  mine  head  at  you : 


God  against  God,  he  returns  to  describe  further  God's  harsh 
treatment  of  him,  and  his  hopeless  outlook  (17^"^^). 

2-5.  Job  contemptuously  rejects  the  commonplaces  p*)  which 
Eliphaz  (2^),  merely  repeating  what  he  and  the  others  (^^)  had 
said  in  their  previous  speeches,  has  just  uttered.  Instead  of  being 
silent,  as  Job  had  begged  them  to  be  (13^),  what  makes  Eliphaz 
speak  at  all,  if  this  is  all  he  has  to  offer  P)  ?  He  and  his  friends 
may  have  come  to  comfort  him,  but  so  far  from  doing  so  (cp.  21^^) 
in  reality  (cp.  13*),  they  add  to  his  trouble  by  forcing  upon  him 
conventional  words  of  comfort,  not  springing  from  their  hearts. 
How  easily  and  how  abundantly  could  Job,  if  their  parts  were 
reversed,  let  loose  on  them  like  words,  and  give  them  support 
of  the  same  kind  ! 

2.  I  have  heard  such  things]  already  from  you  and  your  two 
companions ;  and  what  they  say  has  already  been  stigmatized 
as  commonplace  (12^). — Troublesome  comforters]  not  conveying, 
as  Eliphaz  had  claimed,  the  comforts  of  God  (15^^),  but  com- 
forters (cp.  2^^)  of,  i.e.  who  cause  to  me,  trouble  (f^ny,  3^^  n.). — 
Are  ye  all]  Eliphaz,  whom  very  exceptionally  (cp.  12^  26^  n.)  in 
^^  he  addresses  by  himself,  is  no  better  than  the  other  two. 

3a.  A  retort  to  15^. — Provoketh]  see  phil.  n. 

4.  If  the  circumstances  of  Job  and  the  friends  were  reversed, 
Job  could  (not  ** would"),  only  too  easily  and  as  vainly,  have 
spoken  like  the  friends ;  what  Job  actually  had  done,  and 
would  have  done  again  for  sufferers  like  himself,  was  very 
different;  for  his  words  had  really  comforted,  restored,  and 
strengthened  (4^'-  Eliphaz,  29^"^^  Job).  b.  Or,  If  only  you? 
soul  were  in  my  souVs  stead!  (see  phil.  n.) :  would  that  ye  could 


XVI  4-7]  JOB  143 

^  I  could  strengthen  you  with  my  mouth, 

And  '^not^  restrain  the  solace  of  my  lips. 
^  If  I  speak,  my  pain  is  not  restrained  : 

And  if  I  forbear,  how  much  (of  it)  departeth  from  me  ? 


look  at  and  judge  your  comfort  from  the  position  of  the 
sufferer. — Join  words  together\  or,  make  fine  speeches  (see 
phil.  n.),  thinking  more  of  my  own  skill  than  your  need. — 
Shake  mine  head  a{\  the  gesture  is  mentioned  in  cases  in  which 
mocking  or  satirical  words  are  added  or  implied :  Ps.  22^  (cp. 
the  li  ryf'n,  and  the  words  of  »),  Is.  3722  (||  i>^^r\^  nta),  Ecclus.  12I8, 
Mt.  2f'^  (cp.  40). 

5.  The  irony  of  *  is  continued ;  mere  lip  comfort  is 
easily  given,  b.  iJH,  And  the  solace  of  my  lips  should  restrain 
(sc.  your  pain :  cp.  ^) ;  then  ^,  and  in  that  case  *  too,  would 
be  more  naturally  taken  seriously,  not  ironically;  but,  if  ^ 
expressed  what  Job  would  actually  do,  in  contrast  to  *  what 
he  could,  but  would  not,  do,  a  strong  adversative  would  be 
required  at  the  beginning  of  ^:  RV.  accordingly  supplies  But\ 
this  is,  however,  virtually  an  emendation,  and  a  bad  one,  for 
if  Job  had  been  turning  from  irony  to  a  statement  of  what  he 
would  actually  do,  he  would  not  lay  stress  on  mouth  and  lips 
(cp.  1 12  n.). — Not  restrain]  or,  emending  otherwise,  **  encourage 
you  with'' ;   the  translation  above  follows  (&  (see  phil.  n.). 

6.  Alike  whether  Job  speaks  or  keeps  silence,  his  pain  is  in 
no  way  alleviated.  The  connection  is  not  obvious,  and  **  speak  '* 
is  rather  ambiguous ;  it  is  commonly  taken  (Di.)  to  mean  :  If 
I  speak  to  my  friends,  I  get  no  comfort  from  them ;  I  may  as 
well,  therefore,  keep  silence ;  but  that  course,  too,  does  not 
ease  me.  But  a  comparison  with  7^^  10^  suggests  that  it  may 
mean:  If  I  say  to  and  of  God  what  I  think  about  His  treat- 
ment of  me,  it  is  true  He  remains  deaf  to  my  appeals,  and  I 
get  no  alleviation,  neither  do  I,  however,  when  I  keep  silence ; 
therefore,  I  will  repeat  my  case  against  Him. 

7-16.  In  the  tone  of  a  soliloquy,  Job  describes  the  condition 
to  which  God  in  His  hostility  has  reduced  him. 

7.  He]  The  subject  is  God,  unnamed  (cp.  32''  n.)  till  ^^ ;  not 
Eliphaz  (for  ^  and  ^  are  closely  connected,  and  s^,  in  any  case. 


144  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVI.  7-9. 

'^  Only  now  he  hath  weaned  me  out,  (and)  appalled  ""me^, 
'^And^  all  my  '^ calamity^  hath  seized  hold  upon  me. 

^  It  hath  been  a  witness  and  risen  up  against  me ; 
My  leanness  testifieth  to  my  face ! 


refers  to  a  visitation  of  God),  nor  **my  pain "  (F). — (And) 
appalled  me  a7id  all  my  calamity  hath  seized  hold  upon  me]  see 
phil.  notes.  ^  Thou  hast  appalledy  or  laid  waste  (EV.  ''made 
desolate ")  all  my  company  (so  iJH),  or  (,S)  all  7ny  tesii?nonyy 
i.e.  all  that  testifies  to  me,  my  good  fortune  (?),  or  (Ehrlich), 
all  that  I  testify y  i.e.  my  arguments,  ^  and  thou  hast  seized  hold 
upon  me.  The  address  in  ^^-  ^,  if  J^  were  correct,  must  be  to 
God,  but  the  transition  from  the  3rd  pers.  in  ^*  to  the  2nd  in 
7b.  8a  jjj^(j  back  to  the  3rd  in  ^  would  be  very  awkward.  '*  Thou 
hast  laid  waste  all  my  company"  in  J^  is  supposed  to  mean 
that  God  has  changed  the  entire  circle  of  the  adherents,  house- 
mates, and  friends  of  Job  Into  his  enemies  (Di.  Da.),  and  so 
left  Job  deserted  and  alone ;  but  to  speak  of  alienating  a  man's 
friends  as  a  "laying  waste,"  not  of  himself  but  of  them,  is 
very  strange  :  nor  perhaps  would  the  estrangement  of  Job's 
friends  (19^^"^^)  be  quite  naturally  referred  to  here.  For  the 
use  of  '*  company  "  in  J^,  cp.  15^*. 

8.  All  this  misfortune  testifies,  on  the  current  theory  of 
prosperity  and  adversity,  to  Job's  guilt;  cp.  lo^'^. — My  leanness] 
cp.  Ps.  109^^ :  see  phil.  n. 

9-14.  In  vv.^*- ^- ^^"^*  we  h.3.\e  figurative  descriptions  of  the 
treatment  measured  out  to  Job  by  God  (the  unnamed  subj.,  as 
already  in  '^a(7b)^  Qf  y^^g^  \^  ^j^g  sing.);  in  ^^  description  of  the 
treatment  of  Job  by  human  adversaries — the  unnamed  subjects 
of  vbs.  In  the  plural :  ^^  states  that  God  delivers  Job  up  into 
the  power  of  such  human  adversaries.  Thus  the  present  order 
of  the  vv.  is  anything  but  natural.  Wr.  places  ^^  before  ^^, 
Peake  before  ^  (reading  the  noun,  vbs.,  and  3rd  pers.  In  the 
pi.),  and  this  would  relieve  the  more  serious  difficulty.  Sgf. 
deletes  ^^^•,  Du.  ^^'^'^  allowing  the  figures  of  ^*-  ^  to  be  continued 
uninterrupted  by  ^2.  The  omission  of  ^^^  only  (fflr)  does  not 
ease  the  difficulty  ;  and  the  Insertion  before  ^^  in  €r  of  the  line 
(cp.  6*),  "  The  arrows  of  his  troops  have  fallen  upon  me,"  only 


XVI.  9-12.]  JOB    -  145 

^  His  wrath  hath  torn  me,  and  with  hatred  pursued  me ; 

He  hath  gnashed  upon  me  with  his  teeth : 
Mine  adversary  sharpeneth  his  eyes  upon  me  ; 
^*       They  have  gaped  upon  me  with  their  mouth  ; 
They  have  smitten  my  cheeks  reproachfully  ; 

One  and  all  they  mass  themselves  ag^ainst  me. 
*^  God  delivereth  me  to  the  unrighteous, 

And  casteth  me  headlong-  into  the  hands  of  the  wicked, 
12  I  was  at  ease,  and  he  hath  cleft  me  asunder ; 

He  hath  taken  hold  of  my  neck,  and  dashed  me  to  pieces. 


partially  :  it  would  account  for  plurals  in  ^^^-  ^  (J^,  but  not  i&), 
but  hardly  for  the  vbs.  used  :  for  the  treatment  described  in 
these  lines  is  scarcely  that  of  those  who  composed  God's  (super- 
human) troops,  but  far  rather  of  such  terrors  as  those  mentioned 
in  11. 

pa,  b.  Yahweh,  or  specifically  His  anger,  is  figured  as  a 
wild  beast  tearing  (cilD  as  Gn.  37^^,  Ex.  22^2^  ^nd  frequently  in 
figures,  e.^-.f  Dt.  33^^  and,  as  here,  of  God,  Hos.  5^'^)  its  prey. 
The  figure  is  continued  in  ^^:  see  last  n. —  JVz^k  hatred  pursued 
me]  or,  transposing  two  letters,  dropped  me^  i.e^  from  his 
mouth  to  the  ground,  which  maintains  the  figure. — c.  Mine 
adversary]  No  doubt  Job  might  so  have  termed  God,  though 
"IX  is  not  exactly  the  term  suggested  by  the  passages  (9^  lo^-  ^^ 
j^isff.j  to  which  Bu.  appeals  ;  but  it  would  be  curious  that  the 
expressed  subject  should  appear  first  in  the  third  line  of  the 
tristich  (9*-  ^-  ^  being  on  this  view  a  tristich).  But  ^^  is  preferably 
taken  as  forming  with  1^*  a  distich  ;  and  the  adversary,  or  rather 
the  adversaries  (^/.)  are  human  :  in  this  case  read  with  %  : 
Mine  adversaries  sharpen  their  eyes, 

10.  Cp.  30^-  ^'- 12^-. — Gaped  .  .  .  with  their  mouth]  in  de- 
rision;  cp.  Ps.  22^*^1^^  Is.  57*. — Smitten  mjy  cheek]  cp.  Mic.  4^*, 
La.  3^0,  Mt.  5^9. 

11.  The  wicked]  JH  children  \  see  phil.  n. 

12a,  b.  If  ^°~ii  be  an  interpolation,  this  v.  continues  the 
figure  of  the  wild  beast  in  ^a.  b^  completing  a  quatrain  devoted 
to  it. — Cleft  me  asunder]  or  mangled^  or  clawed^  me  (see  the 
phil.  n.). 

I2C,  13.  A  fresh  figure  to  which  also  a  quatrain  is  devoted  : 
10 


146  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVI.  12-16. 

He  hath  also  set  me  up  for  his  mark ; 
1*      His  archers  compass  me  round  about ; 

He  cleaveth  through  my  reins,  and  doth  not  spare; 
He  poureth  out  my  gall  upon  the  ground. 
1*  He  breaketh  me  with  breach  upon  breach ; 

He  runneth  upon  me  like  a  warrior. 
1^  Sackcloth  have  I  sewed  upon  my  skin, 
And  I  have  laid  my  horn  in  the  dust. 


God  is  an  archer  (so,  e.g.,  Ps.  ^^^'^\  Job  the  butt  (cp.  La.  3^*) 
for  His  arrows. — Archers\  unless  the  word  may  be  rendered 
arrows  (see  phil.  n.),  God  is  now  in  ^^*  represented  as  a  com- 
mander (so  also  implicitly  19^^)  of  archers  (rather  than,  as  in  ^^c, 
actually  Himself  shooting),  by  means  of  whose  shooting,  rather 
than  by  arrows  shot  by  His  own  hand,  He  pierces  Job's  vital 
parts. — He  cleaveth  through  my  reins]  cp.  **  until  an  arrow 
cleave  through  his  liver,"  i.e.  till  he  is  mortally  wounded, 
Pr.  7^^;  **  He  (God)  hath  caused  the  shafts  of  his  quiver  to 
enter  into  my  reins,"  La.  3^^ — He  poureth  out  my  gall]  cp. 
"  My  liver  is  poured  out  on  the  ground,"  La.  2^^  Cp.  also 
the  reference  to  the  gall-bladder  in  c.  20^5. 

14.  Another  fresh  figure — this  time  developed  in  a  single 
distich  :  God  is  a  warrior  engaged  in  breaching  a  fortified  city, 
Job  the  city  in  whose  walls  breach  after  breach  is  made. — 
Breaketh]  or  makes  a  breach  in ;  so  with  ace.  of  the  fence  or 
wall.  Is.  55,  Ps.  80^3  89*^  (note  the  ||),  Neh.  3^ ;  for  the  noun 
of  a  breach  in  a  wall,  see  30^*,  Am.  4^  i  K.  ii^^. — He  runneth 
upon  me]  cp.  i  s^  \  also  (if  we  there  read  mj  for  mi)  Ps.  iS^^^  ^29) . 
**  For  by  thee  I  run  up  to  a  fence,  and  by  my  God  I  leap  over 
a  vfdiW:'— Warrior]  -iUi,  not  giant  (EV.):  cp.  i  S.  2*,  2  S.  238, 
Pr.  16^2,  Is.  13^  21^^  etc.,  and,  as  here,  figuratively  of  God, 
Is.  42^3  (11  «*manof  war"). 

15  f.  Resuming  ^  Job  describes  his  miserable  condition 
resulting  from  God's  hostility,  ^-w.  He  has  i^*  sewn  together 
a  garment  oi  sak^  and  now  wears  it  next  his  skin  (cp.  i  K.  2i27, 
2  K.  6^^),  or,  perhaps,  the  precise  implication  of  the  line  is 
rather,  the  sackcloth  never  leaves  me  (Ehrlich).  Job's  wearing 
0/  sackcloth,  a  frequently  mentioned  sign  of  grief  or  mourning 


XVI.  15-18.]  JOB  147 

^*  My  face  is  red  with  weeping", 

And  on  my  eyelids  is  thick  darkness ; 

^^  Although  there  is  no  violence  in  my  hands, 
And  my  prayer  is  pure. 

^  O  earth,  cover  not  thou  my  blood, 

And  let  my  cry  have  no  (resting)  place. 


(cp.  Is.  22^2),  is  not  referred  to  in  the  Prologue,  but  it  is  the 
normal  sequel  to  the  rending  or  removal  of  the  garments  (i^^) 
worn  by  the  persons  in  question  (cp.  Gn.  37^*,  i  K.  21^^, 
2  K.  19^,  Jon.  3^). — Lat'd  my  horn  in  the  dust]  a  fig.  of  complete 
humiliation;  so,  **to  exalt  the  horn"  is  to  lift  into  a  position 
of  pride  and  dignity.  The  fig.  is  often  supposed  to  be  derived 
from  the  bull,  whose  strength  and  pride  lie  in  its  horns :  for 
another  explanation,  see  phil.  n. 

l6b.  Darkness  is  already  settling  on  Job*s  eyebrows  and 
will  soon  close  them  in  death ;  or,  as  others  think,  *  refers  to 
the  watering  of  the  eyes  which  is  a  symptom  of  elephantiasis, 
and  ^  to  the  loss  of  sight  consequent  on  the  weeping. 

17.  There  has  been  no  moral  justification  for  God's  reducing 
Job  to  such  misery.  Cp.  10^.  The  v.  is  scarcely,  as  it  is  often 
said  to  be,  a  contradiction  of  Eliphaz's  charge  in  15^'- :  Eliphaz 
there  charges  Job  with  sms  of  speech  about  God  in  the  course 
of  the  discussion ;  what  Job  here  denies  is  violence  of  deed  in 
^^*,  and  in  ^,  if  the  text  be  correct,  insincere  speech  to  God. 
But  ^^^  is  a  curious  parallel  to  ^ ;  like  *  it  may  perhaps  originally 
have  repudiated  insincere  or  deceptive  speech  towards  men 
(cp.  Is.  53^),  or  (with  Tirni,  my  way  (Du.  ?),  or  Tisijnnn,  my 
walkings  course  of  life  (Be.)  for  **my  prayer")  have  contained 
a  reference  to  conduct  in  general. 

18-21.  About  to  die  an  undeserved  (^^)  death,  Job  passion- 
ately appeals  for  the  vindication  of  his  innocence  after  death  (i^), 
and,  though  it  is  God  who  will  inflict  the  undeserved  death, 
it  is  God  to  whom  he  looks  to  vindicate  him  {}^)  both  against 
Himself  (2^*),  who  by  the  sufferings  which  He  has  inflicted 
has  seemed  to  represent  Job  as  wicked,  and  against  his  fellow- 
men  (21^),  who  have  definitely  charged  him  with  wickedness. 

18.  When  he  is  dead,  let  his  assertion  of  innocence  and  his 


1 48  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVI.  18-20. 

^*  Even  now,  behold,  my  witness  Is  in  heaven, 
And  he  that  voucheth  for  me  is  on  high. 

20  My  friends  are  my  scorners : 

Unto  God  mine  eye  droppeth  (tears) ; 


call  for  vengeance  on  his  murderer  go  on  ringing  up  to  heaven ; 
let  his  blood  lie  uncovered  that  its  voice  may  not  be  gagged 
with  the  dust  of  the  grave,  and  let  the  cry  of  his  blood  find  no 
tarrying  place  as  it  travels  up  to  heaven.  By  a  special  develop- 
ment of  the  widespread  belief  in  the  dangers  generated  by 
shed  blood  (cp.  Blood,  §  2,  in  ERE)^  Hebrew  folklore  taught 
that  such  blood,  so  long  as  it  lay  on  the  ground  uncovered  and 
unabsorbed,  or  if,  having  been  covered  over,  it  was  again  laid 
bare,  cried  out  to  God  for  vengeance :  cp.  Gn.  4^^,  Is.  26^^  and, 
especially,  Ezk.  24^'^  with  its  emphasis  on  the  unabsorbent  rock 
in  contrast  with  the  ground  in  general  (pN*),  which  would  have 
been  more  absorbent:  Woe  to  the  bloody  city  ...  for  the 
blood  she  has  shed  is  in  her  midst,  on  the  bare  rock  she  has 
(or,  with  ffir,  I  have)  set  it :  she  poured  it  not  out  upon  the  earth, 
so  as  to  cover  it  over  with  dust ;  (but)  in  order  to  arouse  fury, 
that  vengeance  might  be  taken,  I  have  put  the  blood  she  has 
shed  upon  the  bare  rock,  so  that  it  might  not  be  covered.  Thus 
the  double  aspect  (cp.  7^^  n.)  under  which  Job  apprehends  God 
at  this  stage  is  clear  and  striking :  God  is  his  murderer ;  but 
Job's  blood,  shed  by  Him,  will  cry  not  in  vain  to  heaven ;  for 
there  it  will  find  a  vindicator,  and  that  vindicator  will  be — 
God.  Ehrlich's  explanation,  on  the  basis  of  Talmudic  usage, 
is  singularly  improbable :  according  to  him  the  meaning  is  :  O 
earth,  let  my  blood — by  which  is  meant  the  injustice  done  him 
by  his  opponents  representing  him  as  a  sinner — cry  to  heaven, 
so  that  I  have  no  need  to  cry  out  myself. 

19.  On  high]  or,  in  the  heights — a  synonym  for  heaven,  as 

20.  Job's  friends  scorn  him  for  his  sufferings ;  he  turns  his 
tear-stained  face  to  God  with  the  plea  which  follows  in  21 ;  so 
or  similarly  the  v.  is  understood  on  the  supposition  that  J^  is 
correct,  and  that  *  is  to  be  translated  as  above.  If  ?^  Is  correct, 
the  above  translation,  which  follows  JH,  is  the  least  improbable; 


XVI.  20-22.]  JOB  1 49 

21  That  he  would  decide  for  a  man  (in  his  contest)  with  God, 

And  between  a  son  of  man  and  his  neighbour. 

22  For  a  few  years  will  come, 

And  (then)  I  shall  go  the  way  by  which  I  shall  not  return. 


but  it  could  also  be,  and  has  by  some  been,  translated  in  various 
other  ways:  My  friend,  or  (Hoffm.)  my  shepherd  (z.e.  God),  is 
my  scorner  (or,  translating  pfjD  as  in  332^,  my  interpreter) ;  or, 
they  that  mock  me  are  friends  of  God  (Wr.) ;  or,  my  thoughts 
(or,  aims  ;  see  Ps.  1392*  ^^  f)  are  my  interpreters  (Ehrlich).  (& 
presupposes  a  better  parallelism  and  a  better  rhythm:  it  renders, 
May  my  prayer  come  unto  God, 

Before  him  mine  eye  droppeth  (tears). 

21.  Dependent  on  the  sense  of  petition  expressed  in  20 — 
indirectly  in  ^,  and  perhaps  originally  directly  In  * :  My  prayer 
is  that  my  witness  in  heaven  (^^)  would  secure  my  right  (riDVI : 
cp.  9^^,  Is.  II*),  be  the  arbitrator  whom  I  have  longed  for  (9^), 
in  my  contest  with  God. — Man,  son  o/man]  are  simply  parallel 
terms :  cp.  Ps.  8^^*^;  the  general  term  in  each  case  refers  spe- 
cifically to  Job;  for  the  **and"  can  scarcely,  with  Ehrlich,  be 
taken  as  the  **and  "  of  comparison  (cp.  phil.  n.),  so  that  the  v. 
would  mean :  that  God  may  secure  right  for  Job  in  his  dispute 
with  God,  as  (He  is  wont  to  decide  justly)  between  a  man  and 
his  neighbour  (cp.  i  S.  2^^). — His  netghbour\  or,  friend :  in  this 
latter  sense  the  term  in  the  pi.  is  applied  to  Job's  three  friends 
(2^1  1921) :  the  sing,  here  does  not  refer  to  Eliphaz  (Peake)  in 
particular,  but  obliquely  (as  **  man  "  to  Job)  to  all  three  friends, 
the  sing,  being  chosen  as  common  in  such  phrases  (cp.  e.g", 
Jer.  7^).  Another  mistaken  view  of  the  sing,  is  that  It  is  a 
synonym  for  God  (Du.) ;  but  there  is  no  reason  for  the  choice 
of  such  a  strange  term  for  God  (note  the  antithesis  between  God 
and  a  man's  neighbour  in  Ex.  33^^  and  in  20  if  the  text  there  be 
correct),  for  if  ^  had  been  an  exact  repetition  of  the  thought  of 
*  the  writer  could,  according  to  his  usual  practice,  have  used 
in  ^  an  alternative  name  for  God  (f)j<  or  nu'). 

22-XVII.  2.  Job  gives  as  the  ground  for  the  wish  just 
expressed  his  conviction  of  the  near  approach  of  death. 

22,  This  v.  appears  to  say :  only  a  few  more  years  of  life 


150  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB       [XVI.  22-XVII.  2. 

XVII.  ^  My  spirit  is  broken, 

My  days  are  extinct, 
The  grave  is  (ready)  for  me. 
*  Surely  there  is  mockery  beside  me, 

And  mine  eye  abideth  in  their  defiance. 


remain  to  me,  whereas  the  next  (17^)  naturally  suggests  that 
Job  regards  his  life  as  already  virtually  at  an  end;  thus  the 
two  vv.  do  not  go  well  together.  Further,  if  both  verses  alike 
contain  a  reason  either  why  God  should  intervene  speedilyy  or 
why  Job  must  make  his  plea  without  delay^  it  seems  out  of 
place  to  speak  oi years  of  life,  even  though  but  a  few  years,  yet 
to  come.  Either  22  js  out  of  place  (Sgf.),  or  we  must  emend 
in  such  a  way  that  22  like  17^  implies  that  death  is  imminent 
(see  phil.  n.). — A  few  year s\  lit.  **  years  of  number,"  the  idiom 
being  the  same  as  in  '*  a  few  men,"  Gn.  34^^  Dt.  4^^  etc. 

22b.  Cp.  io2i». 

XVII.  I.  See  phil.  n. — My  spirit  is  broken]  i.e.  my  life  (dT 
my  soul)  is  destroyed ;  death  is  more  commonly  described  as 
the  departure  (Ec.  12"^,  Ps.  1042*  146*),  and  in  Is.  57^^  as  an 
enfeeblement,  of  the  spirit.  AV.  *'  My  breath  is  corrupt,"  but 
the  vb.  does  not  mean  **  is  fetid,"  and,  even  if  it  did,  a  reference 
here  to  Job's  fetid  breath  (19^^)  would  not  agree  either  with  the 
parallel  lines  or  the  context. 

2.  The  V.  is  very  strangely  phrased,  and  is  probably  corrupt. 
Apparently  Job  returns  to  the  charge  against  the  friends  in 
16^0  j^  (but  see  n.  there),  alluding,  as  Dr.  puts  it,  **to  his 
friends'  illusory  promises  of  restoration  (e.£:  5^^"^^),  and  exasper- 
ating insinuations  of  his  guilt"  (e.^.  8^"^  ii4-6.  20.  ^p.  12*'-). 
So  Di.,  who  also  mentions  and  criticizes  numerous  other  un- 
tenable suggestions.  Du.,  reading  bitternesses  in  ^  instead  of 
their  defiance,  understands  mockery  in  *  of  the  constant  dis- 
appointment of  Job's  hopes  (cp.  ^3*),  and  "bitternesses"  in  ^  of 
the  bitter  conditions  imposed  on  him  by  God. — Surely  there  is 
.  .  .  and]  the  rendering,  in  itself  legitimate,  if  there  is  not  ,  .  . 
then  yields  no  appropriate  sense:  for  ^  DN,  surely,  cp.  31^^ 
Lex.  50^. — Beside  me]  the  mockery  of  my  friends,  or  of  fortune, 
surrounds  (dv»   as   29^-  20  25'^),   or  is  in  conflict  with  (oy,    as 


XVII.  2-5.]  JOB  1 5 1 

*  Lay  down,  I  pray  thee,  the  pledge  for  me  with  thyself; 

Who  (else)  is  there  that  will  strike  his  hand  in  to  mine  ? 

*  For  their  heart  hast  thou  hid  from  understanding : 

Therefore  thou  wilt  not  exalt  them. 

*  He  that  denounceth  (his)  friends  for  a  prey, 

Even  the  eyes  of  his  children  shall  fail. 


iqI^  n.)  me. — Ahideth  m]  or,  emending,  faileth  by  reason  of 
(see  phil.  n.). 

3.  Addressing  himself  now  to  God,  Job,  even  more  clearly 
than  in  16^^22^  g^^g  Qygj.  against  one  another  his  two  thoughts 
of  God — God  hostile  and  God  friendly,  God  unjustly  making 
him  suffer  and  so  taking  away  his  character,  and  God  able  and 
ultimately  willing  to  re-establish  his  character;  or,  in  the 
terms  of  the  present  figure,  God  as  the  giver  of  the  pledge  or 
bail  which  releases  Job,  and  God  as  the  receiver  of  the  bail 
who,  till  He  receives  it,  holds  Job  a  prisoner  (cp.  13^^).  He 
does  not  expect  immediate  vindication,  else  no  need  of  bail, 
nor  even  in  this  life  (cp.  ig^^~^'^). 

3b.  There  is  no  one  else  who  can  give  this  pledge  to  clear 
him  from  God's  aspersions,  alike  before  God  and  man  (1621), 
but  God  Himself. — Strike  his  hand]  i.e.  make  the  gesture  that 
accompanies  the  giving  of  a  pledge:  cp.  Pr.  6^  17^^. 

4.  The  friends,  who  might  naturally  have  gone  surety  for 
Job's  innocence,  will  not  do  so,  because  God  has  deprived 
them  of  the  power  of  seeing  the  true  state  of  the  case,  and 
consequently  they  believe  Job  guilty.  But  since  this  conclusion 
of  theirs  is  due  to  blindness,  God  who  is  not  blind,  but  sees 
aright,  cannot  exalt  them  to  the  position  of  victors  in  their 
dispute  with  Job  by  allowing  Job's  innocence  to  remain  per- 
manently unvindicated.  Such  is  commonly  taken  to  be  the 
connection.  Du.  thinks  the  v.,  which  ffi  omits,  due  to  an 
interpolator  mindful  of  42'^*^-,  but  unmindful  of  the  immediate 
context. 

5.  It  is  probable  that  the  text  of  •  is  hopelessly  corrupt  (so 
Sgf.),  and  that  this  accounts  for  the  fact  that  all  attempts  to 
explain  the  v.  either  suffer  from  artificiality,  or  place  on  the 
words  of  the  text  a  questionable  meaning.     Denou7iceth^  of 


152  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XVII.  5. 

informeth  againsty  is  the  only  meaning  that  can  safely  be 
placed  on  Tin,  construed  with  an  ace.  of  the  pers.  (see  phil.  n.); 
there  is  no  justification  in  usage  for  rendering  inviteth^  and 
speaketh  to  (AV.)  is  not  to  be  supported  by  reference  to  26* 
(see  n.  there),  31^^  (aec.  of  the  suffix)y  2  S.  15^^  (see  Dr.  ad  loc,)y 
and  scarcely  even  by  2  K.  7^-^^,  Ezk.  43^*^.  Prey  (RV.)  is  a 
unique  rendering  of  \hj}y  which  is  commonly  rendered  portion^ 
or  sharey  and  may  refer  to,  ifiter  alia^  a  portion  of  spoil  or 
booty  (Gn.  142*,  i  S.  302*),  or  of  food  (Hab.  i^^)^  ^^  ^f  i^nd 
(Jos.  19^  and  often) ;  so  the  vb.  piri  usually  means  to  divide^ 
apportion  (spoil,  food,  land,  etc.);  but  in  2  Ch.  282^  it  has 
virtually  developed  the  meaning  to  plunder^  an  exceptional 
meaning  of  the  vb.  which  supplies  some  ground  for  the  sense 
*'prey"  given  to  the  noun  here  (Ew.  reaches  much  the  same 
meaning  in  another  way).  Flattery  (AV.)  is,  in  itself,  also  a 
legitimate  rendering  of  pfjpl  (cp.  Pr.  721).  Literally  rendered, 
according  to  the  usual  meaning  of  the  words,  the  v.  thus 
reads  :  For  a  portion  one  denounceth  friends^  and  the  eyes  of  his 
children  fail  \  "his"  in  ^  refers  to  "one"  in  *;  "his"  in  » 
(RV.)  is  not  expressed  in  Hebrew.  The  following  may  be 
given  as  the  principal  efforts  to  impose  a  meaning  on  these 
words  and  to  connect  them  with  their  context,  i.  Dr.,  retain- 
ing RV.  without  alteration,  comments:  "Job  compares  his 
friends  (implicitly)  to  a  man  who  heartlessly  distrains  (as  we 
should  say)  the  goods  of  a  neighbour  for  debt,  and  whose 
children  suffer  for  their  father's  cruelty."  On  this  theory  the 
V.  is  at  once  a  charge  and  a  threat :  the  friends  of  Job  are 
cruel ;  the  children  of  the  cruel  suffer ;  therefore  their  children 
will  suffer — a  curious  threat  for  Job  to  make,  for  see  21^®*-. 
Hgst.  makes  the  whole  v.  a  threat,  rendering,  A  prey  [becometh) 
he  who  denounceth  fHends^  A7id  the  eyes  of  his  children  fail, 
2.  Ew.  al.  (cp.  Di.)  take  the  whole  v.  as  descriptive,  thus 
avoiding  the  threat ;  ^  is  then  treated  as  circumstantial ;  and 
the  sing.  pron.  in  ^  is  taken  to  refer  not  to  the  denouncer,  but 
to  the  friends  (plural)  denounced  ;  for  such  enallage  numeri'D\. 
refers  to  18^  24^- ^^'-  272^;  and  Ew.  accounts  for  it  here  by  the 
fact  that  while  using  the  pi.  with  a  general  reference  in  %  Job 
is  all  the  time  thinking  of  himself :  he  r^nderSy  for  allottingy  i,e. 


XVII.  5-7.]  JOB  153 

*  He  hath  made  me  a  byword  of  the  peoples  ; 

And  as  one  at  whom  men  spit  must  I  be. 
^  Mine  eye  also  is  dim  by  reason  of  vexation, 

And  all  my  members  are  as  a  shadow. 


that  the  lot  may  be  cast  for  them  as  for  prisoners,  one  denounces 
friends ^  while  the  eyes  of  his  {i.e.  the  friends')  children  fail.  In 
this  case  as  *  describes  the  folly,  so  ^  the  ruthlessness  of  the 
friends  of  Job,  both  vv.  giving  motives  for  the  request  in  ^ 
(Di.).  3.  Bu.  (cp.  Peake)  treats  the  v.  as  a  proverb  (hence  the 
3rd  pers.  sing.),  one  invites  friends  to  share  (one's  table)^  while  his 
own  children's  eyes  fail  (from  starvation),  applied  to  the  friends 
who,  actually  bereft  of  wisdom  (^),  yet  think  they  can  impart  a 
rich  share  of  their  wisdom  to  Job.  This  explanation  is  less 
forced  than  the  preceding,  but  it  really  requires  N"»p^  instead  of 
T^y.  4.  Du.  also  treats  the  v.  as  a  proverb,  and,  regarding  it 
as  a  marginal  note  not  needing  to  be  closely  related  to  the 
context,  renders  :  He  who  denouiices  friends  on  account  of  a 
pledge^  his  children!  s  eyes  fail, 

6  ff.  Resumed  description  of  God's  hard  treatment  of  Job. 

6.  He\  i.e.  God:  perhaps.  And  thou  hast  made  should  be 
read  (see  phil.  n.). — A  byword  of  the  peoples']  Job  comes  to 
rank  among  neighbouring  peoples,  to  whom  the  story  of  his 
sufferings  spreads,  as  a  great  sinner,  so  that  they  say  **as 
great  a  sinner  as  Job " :  cp.  30^,  and  for  similar  phrases,  Dt. 
28^'',  I  K.  9^,  Jer.  24^. — As  one  at  whom  men  spit]  i.e.  an  object 
of  aversion  (see  phil.  n.):  fflr  «  portent  before  theni^  perhaps 
rightly :  AV.  aforetime  (as)  a  tabrety  confusing  nsn  with  C]n. 

7a.  Cp.  16^^,  Ps.  6^. —  Vexation]  at  God's  undeserved  treat- 
ment of  him :  cp.  6^. — b.  He  has  grown  lean  with  suffering  : 
cp.  16^. 

8-10.  If  these  vv.  are  in  their  right  place.  Job  is  asserting, 
in  contradiction,  it  is  said,  to  Eliphaz's  charge  (15*)  that  Job 
deflects  men  from  religion,  that  this  (^),  viz.  the  pitiable  con- 
dition (^)  to  which  he  is  reduced,  does  indeed  perplex  other 
upright  men ;  but  that  they,  nevertheless,  cling  to  the  path  of 
righteousness  (^*) :  they  do  not  follow  the  godless,  though  the 
prosperity  of  the  godless  angers  them  (^*'),  but,  keeping  them- 


154  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XVH.  8-9. 

'  Upright  men  are  astonished  at  this, 

And  the  innocent  is  disturbed  concerning  the  godless. 
•  Yet  the  righteous  holdeth  to  his  way, 

And  he  that  hath  clean  hands  increaseth  strength. 
*•  But  return  ye,  all  of '"you"',  and  come  now  : 

And  I  shall  not  find  a  wise  man  among  you. 
^1  My  days  are  past, 

My  purposes  are  broken  off, 
(Even)  the  desires  of  my  heart. 


selves  pure,  ultimately  grow  strong  and  prosperous  themselves 
(^^).  Let  the  friends,  then,  come  on  again  vv^ith  fresh  argu- 
ments :  not  one  of  them  in  so  doing  will  prove  himself  wise  to 
Job  (^^).  In  ^^  the  description  of  Job's  miserable  condition  in  ^ 
is  resumed.  Obviously,  then,  it  is  possible  to  pass  from  ^  to  ^® 
at  once ;  whereas  the  intervening  vv.  can  only  be  fitted  in  with 
difficulty ;  for  who  are  these  upright  men  to  be  astonished  at 
Job's  plight  ?  Job's  whole  complaint  is  rather  that  his  sufferings 
mark  him  out  to  all  men  as  one  smitten  by  God  for  his  wicked- 
ness :  then  again,  ^^  with  its  purely  general  reference  follows 
awkwardly  after  ^  with  its  special  reference  to  Job.  It  is  no 
more  satisfactory  to  generalize  the  *'  this  "  of  ^  completely,  and 
to  particularize  the  reference  in  ^  to  Job,  explaining  the  vv.  to 
mean  upright  men  are  perplexed  by  **  these  moral  wrongs 
which  they  see  prevail  in  God's  rule  of  the  world"  (Du.);  yet 
Job,  who  is  one  of  them,  is  resolved  to  cling  to  righteousness. 
Du.  and  Peake  are  probably  right,  therefore,  in  regarding  the 
vv.  (Peake  ^-  ^  at  least)  as  out  of  place,  and  probably  a  part  of 
the  speech  of  one  of  the  friends  ;  Du.  inserts  ^"^^  after  i8^;  the 
meaning  then  being  that  upright  men,  like  the  friends,  are 
astounded  at  Job's  profanity  (**  this  "  (^)  is  then  strictly  parallel 
to  ''the  godless"  (^^)),  but  hold  firm  to  their  righteous  way  of 
life  (^*)  and  grow  strong  therein  (^^).  ^^*  Du.  alters  to  the  sing, 
taking  it  closely  with  i8**;  ^^^  he  regards  as  an  addition  after 
the  vv.  had  become  misplaced. 

8b.  Me.,  transposing  the  terms,  rendered:  And  the  godless 
triumphs  over  the  righteous  ;  but  even  this  does  not  accommOi 
date  the  vv.  satisfactorily  to  their  present  position. 

Q.   Vel]  Hebr.  and. 


XVII.  11-13.]  JOB  155 

*2  They  change  the  night  into  day ; 

**The  light"  (say  they)  **is  near  unto  the  darkness." 


XI  in  continuance  of  ^  describes  Job's  desperate  condition. 
Cp.  v.^  7^  92^'-.  Bu.,  My  days  pass  away  to  my  death,  Broken  are 
the  cords  of  my  understanding:  Du.,  My  days  pass  away  with- 
out hope,  The  desires  of  my  heart  are  annihilated  :  see  phil.  n. 

12.  The  V.  has  been  taken  to  mean :  while  my  condition  is 
really  desperate  (^^*  ^^-  ^^),  my  friends  say :  You  are  passing 
through  dark  days  now,  but  a  brighter  time  is  soon  coming ; 
this  would,  indeed,  be  a  correct  account  of  the  friends'  **  com- 
fort" in  the  first  series  of  speeches  (see  5^^-26  320-22  nis-wj^  ^nd 
Sophar  actually  used  the  fig.  of  light  and  darkness  :  **  Thy  life 
will  rise  up  more  (brightly)  than  the  noonday,  though  it  be 
dark,  it  will  become  as  the  morning"  (11^^).  But  Eliphaz  in 
his  second  speech,  to  which  Job  is  now  replying,  says  nothing 
of  the  kind.  That  the  friends  are  the  subject  of  the  vb.  in  % 
and  authors  of  the  statement  in  ^,  is  not  at  all  clearly  indicated: 
if  10  is  in  place,  we  should  expect  at  least  **  Ye  change"  :  and 
if  ^"^^  are  out  of  place  (see  above),  the  reference  to  the  friends 
is  still  less  natural.  The  v.  would  be  more  in  place  if  it  ex- 
pressed Job's  conviction  that  the  light  of  his  life  is  fading  into 
the  darkness  of  death ;  but  no  very  satisfactory  emendation 
has  been  proposed  (see  phil.  n.). 

13-16.  Job,  being  already  as  good  as  dead,  has  no  further 
ground  for  hope ;  for  the  hope  of  restoration  to  former  happi- 
ness and  prosperity  does  not  descend  to  Sheol,  of  which  Job 
already  feels  himself  an  inhabitant :  "all  hope  abandon  ye  who 
enter  here."  The  general  sense  remains  the  same  whichever 
view  of  the  construction  of  the  v.  be  taken — that  represented 
in  the  translation  above  (so  RV.  Di.  Da.  Bu.  al.),  or  the  older 
(dSnTJ,  AV.)  and  in  many  respects  the  more  striking  view 
adopted  by  Del.  Du.  (cp.  Peake)  according  to  which  i^'-  should 
be  rendered:  If  I  hope,  Sheol  is  mine  house;  I  have  spread 
my  couch  in  darkness;  I  have  said  to  the  pit.  Thou  art  my 
father.  To  the  worm.  My  mother  and  my  sister.  This  does 
more  justice  to  the  identity  of  the  root  of  the  vb.  in  ^^  (n^pi^) 
and  the  noun  in  ^^  (^iipn).     In  the  former  case  the  thought 


156  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XVII.  13-16. 

^^  If  I  look  for  Sheol  as  mine  house ; 

If  I  have  spread  my  couch  in  darkness  ; 
**  If  I  have  said  to  the  pit,  Thou  art  my  father ; 

To  the  worm,  My  mother,  and  my  sister ! 
^  Where  then  is  my  hope  ? 

And  as  for  my  "^prosperity"*,  who  can  see  it  ? 
^^  Will  they  go  down  "^with  me^  into  Sheol  ? 

Or  "^shall  we  descend^  together  into  the  dust  ? 


more  precisely  is :  If  Sheol  is  all  I  have  to  look  for  (^^'•), 
what  real  hope  have  I  left  (i^)?  In  the  latter:  If  I  still  hope, 
death,  not  life,  faces  me  (^^^-j,  and  the  certainty  of  death  ex- 
tinguishes (^^^•)  hope.  If  ^2  refers  to  the  comfort  given  by  the 
friends,  ^^  doubtless  replies  to  it:  if  all  I  have  really  to  hope 
for  is  Sheol,  what  becomes  of  the  false  hopes  with  which  you 
would  buoy  me  up? 

13b.  Cp.  Ps.  139^. — In  darkness]  the  darkness  of  Sheol :  cp. 
io2i. 

14.  For  the  form  of  expression,  cp.  Pr.  7* :  also  c.  30^®. — 
T/ie  pit]  EV.  here  and,  following  (!5,  sometimes  elsewhere, 
incorrectly  connecting  the  noun  nriK^  (from  nWy  to  sink  down,  as 
nn3  from  ni:,  etc.)  with  ^T\TWi  render  comiption.  The  word, 
used  of  a  hollow  dug  in  the  earth  for  catching  prey  (Ps.  7^^  9^^ 
94^^,  Pr.  26^^,  Ezk.  19*),  or  a  natural  hollow  (9^^),  is  applied  to 
the  underworld  (3318.22.24.28.30^  Is.  3317  (^jW)^  Ezk.  288,  Jon.  2^, 
Ps.  1610  3oio(9>  4910(9)  5524(23)  103M),  conceived  as  a  hollow 
within  the  earth ;  or,  if  as  some  suppose  (Lex.)y  the  term 
originally  denoted  a  pit  in  Sheol,  "the  depths  of  Sheol"  (Pr. 
9^^),  the  part  is  here,  as  usually  in  OT.,  used  for  the  whole. — 
Thon  art]  the  words  should  probably  be  omitted :  see  phil.  n. 

15.  Both  lines,  by  rhetorical  questions,  imply  that  hope 
does  not  exist  for  Job:  with  the  form  of  %  cp.  15^3  21^8,  of  ^  7^. 
— Prosperity]  so  ^  :  P^  kopey  repeating  *. 

16.  Cp.  Ps.  4918(17).  The  translation  follows  (&:  RV.  is 
not  a  legitimate  rendering  of  J^,  which  should  mean  rather,  if 
it  meant  anything.  To  the  bars  (?)  of  Sheol  they  (fern.)  shall  go 
down,  if  together  on  the  dust  (there  is)  rest  (or,  into  the  dust  we 
descend) :  see  phil.  n.  —  The  dust]  of  the  grave :  cp.  7^1 19^5  20I1. 


XVIII.  2-3.]  BILDAD  1 57 

XVIII.  ^  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  said, 
2  How  long  wiKt  thou^  lay  snares  for  words  ? 

Understand,  and  afterwards  we  will  speak. 
'  Wherefore  are  we  accounted  as  beasts, 

(And)  are  "^obtuse^  in  "^thy^  sight  ? 


XVIII.  Bildad *S  second  speech. — After  impatiently  asking 
whether  Job  will  never  stop  (2),  why  he  looks  upon  his  friends 
as  blockheads  (3),  and  whether  he  expects  the  order  of  the 
world  to  be  upset  on  his  account  (*),  Bildad  confines  himself  in 
the  remainder  of  his  speech  to  painting  a  dark  picture  of  the 
fate  of  the  wicked,  harassed  and  tormented  while  he  lives  (^"^^), 
and  (leaving  no  posterity)  doomed  to  oblivion  when  he  dies 

2.  According  to  J^,  Bildad  here  and  in  ^,  though  no  longer 
in  S  addresses  himself  not,  as  elsewhere,  and  here  too  according 
to  fflr,  to  Job  alone  in  the  sing.,  but  to  Job  and  others  associ- 
ated with  him — How  long  will  ye^  etc..  Wherefore  are  we 
obtuse  myour  eyes  ?  But  it  is  improbable  that  the  2nd  plurals 
are  original  (see  phil.  n.),  and  ^  perhaps  originally  read, 
**  When  at  last  wilt  thou  cease  talking;  Leave  off  (now),  that 
we  may  begin  to  speak." — How  long]  as  at  the  beginning  of 
Bildad's  first  speech  (8^). — Lay  snares  for  words]  hunt  and  en- 
trap words,  setting  before  us  far-fetched  arguments  which  turn 
out  to  be  irrelevant  and  after  all  nothing  but  words.  In  8^ 
Bildad's  figure  suggests  the  very  opposite  of  this :  there  Job's 
words  pour  forth  like  a  great  wind.  AV.  **  how  long  (will  it 
be  ere)  you  make  an  end  of  words  "  is  a  questionable  rendering 
of  1^,  but  may  coincide  with  the  meaning  of  the  original  text 
(see  phil.  n.). — Understand]  not  the  friends  as  Job  had  asserted 
(17^),  but  Job  himself  has  been  lacking  in  intelligence;  let  him 
now  exchange  his  logic  chopping  for  an  intelligent  treatment 
of  the  question,  and  the  debate  may  continue;  cp.  U,  In- 
telligite  prius,  et  sic  loquamar.  We  in  this  case  includes  Job, 
and  it  would  be  better  to  point  the  vb.  as  Nif.  (cp.  Mai.  3^^- 1^), 
and  render,  we  will  speak  to  one  another.  But  the  reading  of 
ffi  (see  above)  is  preferable. 

3.  Cp.   17^ ^^^\ — Beasts\   i.e.  unintelligent:    cp.  Ps.  73^2^ — 


158  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVIIl.  3-5 

•  •  •  •  • 

Thou  that  tearest  thyself  In  thy  anger, 

Shall  the  earth  on  thy  account  be  forsaken  ? 

Or  a  rock  be  removed  out  of  its  place  ? 

*  Yea,  the  light  of  the  wicked  is  put  out, 

And  the  flame  of  his  fire  doth  not  shine. 

•  The  light  is  dark  in  his  tent, 

And  his  lamp  above  him  is  put  out. 


Obtuse]  suits  the  parallel  better  than  ** unclean"  (fR  EV.). 
Moreover,  Job  has  not  charged  the  friends  with  being  unclean 
— not  even  in  17^  by  implication.  After  ^  Du.  inserts  17^'* :  see 
on  those  vv. 

4.  Du.  inserts  17^^*  (corrected),  thus  obtaining  a  distich  :  But 
turn  (cp.  6^*)  and  come  now,  Thou  that  tearest  thyself  in  thy 
anger.  It  is  not  God,  as  Job  has  asserted  (16^),  who  tears  Job, 
but  Job  himself  in  his  rage  against  God  (cp.  5^).  The  two 
illustrations  in  *^'^  drawn  from  the  physical  order  are  commonly 
supposed  to  point  figuratively  to  the  moral  order  of  the  world, 
and  to  mean,  therefore,  "  Is  the  established  order  of  the  world 
(viz.  that  suffering  is  a  consequence  and  proof  of  sin)  to  be 
interrupted,  in  order  that  thou  mayest  continue  to  be  reputed 
righteous?"  (Dr.). — Forsaken]  oi  its  inhabitants,  and  therefore 
depopulated  (cp.  Is.  6^^,  Lv.  26*^),  though  it  was  God's  inten- 
tion that  it  should  be  populated  (Gn.  i^s,  Is.  45^^). — Or  a  rocky 
etc.]  14I8. 

5f,  However  Job  may  rage  (*),  the  fact  remains  that  the 
wicked  do  not  prosper,  and  that  those  who  do  not  prosper  are 
wicked.— ^*  =  Pr.  13^^  242^^^;  ^^-^•'^  are  variations  of  the  same 
statement :  thus  in  proverbial  and  perfectly  general  terms 
Bildad  denies  that  the  wicked  can  or  do  prosper,  at  the  same 
time  suggesting  plainly  enough  the  particular  application :  Job 
is  not  prosperous.  Job  is  wicked.  The  light,  or  lamp  (®^,  cp. 
I  K.  11^^),  burning  in  the  house,  and  the  fire  burning  on  the 
hearth,  are  symbols  that  the  fortunes  of  the  owner  are  still 
intact;  when  those  fortunes  are  broken,  the  light  goes  out 
(21^^). — His  lamp  above  him]  suspended  from  the  roof  of  the 
tent ;  it  is  unlikely  that  ^  introduces  another  figure  than  that 


XVIII.  5-11.]  BILDAD  1 59 

^  The  steps  of  his  strength  are  narrowed, 

And  his  own  counsel  casteth  him  down. 
®  For  he  is  carried  into  a  net  by  his  own  feet, 

And  he  walketh  upon  the  toils. 
»  A  trap  taketh  hold  of  This""  heel, 

A  snare  layeth  hold  on  him. 
^®  The  noose  for  him  is  hid  in  the  ground, 

And  the  gin  for  him  on  the  way. 
^1  Terrors  affright  him  on  every  side, 

And  chase  him  at  every  step. 


in  *  and  refers  to  the  lamp  that  lights  up  the  way  of  one 
walking  (29^). 

7.  A  fresh  figure  for  the  failing  fortunes  of  the  wicked  :  he 
no  longer,  as  in  the  days  of  his  strength  (Gn.  49^),  walks 
confidently  and  freely,  with  plenty  of  room  (Ps.  18^'^  ^^®\  Pr.  4^^) 
to  walk  in,  but  slowly  under  the  constraint  of  a  narrow  path, 
and  that  full  of  obstacles  which  cause  him  to  stumble  (*'). — 
Casteth  him  down]  or,  rather  (see  phil.  n.),  causeth  him  to 
stumble',  cp.  Pr.  4^^^. 

8-10.  The  piling  up  of  the  terms  and  figures  for  snares  and 
traps  indicates  the  strength  of  Bildad's  conviction  that  there  is 
no  escape  for  the  wicked  from  doom  ;  by  one  means  or  another, 
as  he  treads  his  narrow  way  (^),  he  must  be  brought  down. 

8a.  Or,  rather  perhaps  (see  phil.  n.).  For  his  foot  is  carried 
into  the  net :  **  his  own  "  above  and  RV.  represents  an  emphasis 
which  does  not  exist  in  Ji^. — The  toils]  another  form  of  net  (see 
phil.  n.),  or  *' lattice  work"  (cp.  2  K.  i^)  laid  over  and  con- 
cealing a  pit,  to  capture  wild  beasts,  which,  walking  on  un- 
suspectingly, fall  into  the  pit. 

9.  A  trap]  that  closes  when  trodden  on,  and  catches :  Is. 
8^^  (n.),  Jer.  48^*,  Ps.  124^,  and  often. — A  snare]  see  phil.  n. 

10.  Noose]  Pr.  5^2,  and  in  the  phrase  *' nooses  (RV.  ** cords") 
of  death,"  Ps.  i8«  3\.—Gi7i]  see  phil.  n. 

11.  Terrors]  ninb,  ^^  24!^  2720  30^5 ;  also  Ps.  731®,  Ezk.  2621 
27^^28^^:  sing.  Is.  17^*1.  Wherever  he  goes  the  wicked  man 
hears  spectral  noises  (1521  Eliphaz),  and  sees  spectral  forms, 
which  make  his  life  a  constant  terror  to  him. 


1 60  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVIII.  12-14. 

12  His  strength  ''is''  famished, 

And  calamity  is  ready  for  his  halting". 
^3  "^Through  disease^  his  skin  is  consumed, 

The  firstborn  of  death  consumeth  his  limbs. 
1*  He  is  plucked  out  of  his  tent  wherein  he  trusteth ; 

And  he  is  marched  to  the  king  of  terrors. 


12.  Famished\  undermined  by  hunger.  The  line  agrees 
better  with  ^1,  and  the  parallel  line  if  rendered,  Trouble  hunger- 
eth  forhim'y  but  see  phil.  n. — Calamity^  final  ruin,  21^^,  Ob.  ^^ 
—Is  ready]  i^^^.—For  his  halting]  cp.  Ps.  35!^  38I8,  Jer.  20IO ; 
if  he  halts,  ruin  sees  to  it  that  he  never  gets  going  again. 
Less  vividly  and  less  probably  J^  may  be  rendered  **at  his 
side." 

13.  Fatal  disease  attacks  the  wicked  man.  On  the  text, 
see  phil.  n. — The  firstborn  of  death]  like  the  Arabic  bint  eU 
maniyyuy  ''daughter  of  fate,"  meaning  fever,  this  phrase  should 
mean  fatal  disease,  possibly  the  worst  and  deadliest  form  of 
disease,  though  the  parallel  cited  for  this  superlative  sense  of 
firstborn,  ''the  firstborn  of  the  poor,"  meaning  the  poorest  of 
the  poor  (Is.  14^^),  is  textually  doubtful;  as  in  Is.  14^^  so  here 
a  superlative  is  not  altogether  in  place ;  not  all  the  wicked  die 
of  elephantiasis,  to  which,  with  a  covert  allusion  to  Job  (so 
Dr.),  Bildad  is  here  supposed  to  refer,  and  yet  Bildad  is 
describing  the  fate  of  the  wicked  in  general ;  otherwise  it  is 
tempting  to  see  in  the  line  a  reference  to  a  specific  symptom  of 
elephantiasis,  the  falling  off  of  pieces  of  the  limbs.  Unsuitable 
or  less  probable  explanations  are  :  the  angel  of  death  (ST),  the 
worm  of  corruption  (cp.  24^^:  Marshall),  the  terrors  of  death 
(Ley) ;  or,  one  doomed  to  death  (consumes  his  own  limbs  (cp. 
Is.  9^0)  in  his  ravenous  hunger,  Ew.). 

14.  The  wicked  man  is  torn  away  from  his  home  in  death. — 
a.  F  avellatur  de  tabernaculo  suo  fiducia  eius,  whence  AV.  (cp. 
S),  a  possible,  but  in  the  context  a  less  probable  translation 
of  JL^. — The  king  of  terrors]  Death  personified  as  a  king  with 
spectral  terrors  as  his  subjects  and  ministers ;  a  different 
personification  occurs  in  Ps.  49^^  where  Death  is  the  shepherd 
of  the  wicked  gathered  like  a  flock  to  Sheol :  cp.  also  Is.  28^^ 


XVin.  14-17.]  BILDAD  l6l 

15  In  his  tent  there  dwelleth  that  which  is  naught  of  his  ; 

Brimstone  is  scattered  upon  his  habitation. 
1^  His  roots  are  dried  up  beneath, 

And  above  his  branch  is  cut  off. 
1^  His  remembrance  perisheth  from  the  earth, 

And  he  hath  no  name  on  the  face  of  the  open  plain. 


(Death  (||  Sheol)  a  party  to  a  treaty).  Curiously  the  ancient 
versions,  with  the  exception  of  C,  do  not  recognize  in  the 
phrase  "  the  king  of  terrors  "  (see  phil.  n.). 

15.  After  his  death,  the  wicked  man's  house  lies  uninhabited 
and  accursed. — That  which  is  naught  of  his]  weeds  (Hos.  9^, 
Zeph.  2^)  and  wild  animals  (Is.  1321'-  34^1),  such  as  are  found 
in  desolate  places,  are  probably  intended,  if  the  text  is  correct. 
In  ^  the  desolation  of  his  homestead  is  differently  expressed  ; 
as  a  mark  of  the  curse  of  God,  brimstone  falls  on  it  and  makes 
it  uninhabitable:  cp.  Gn.  192^,  Dt.  29^2,  Ps.  ii«.  Vt  for  *  has : 
His  wife  (J^  :  she)  shall  dwell  in  a  tent  not  his.  According  to 
Ehrlich  the  v.  means  that  "it,"  viz.  the  infection  of  leprosy, 
continues  in  the  house  after  it  has  ceased  to  be  the  leper's,  and 
the  house  is  disinfected  with  sulphur. 

16.  The  wicked  man  leaves  no  posterity ;  his  whole  family 
perishes  with  him,  and  consequently  (i^)  he  not  only  dies,  but 
is  forgotten.  For  the  figure,  cp.  Am.  2^  ;  in  ^^  the  same  state- 
ment is  made  literally.  Bu.  omits  ^^ :  (&  i^^-  ^^  (isa  ^  19c  ^j .  ^^^^ 
the  author  of  Job  is  fond  of  referring  to,  or  drawing  figures  or 
using  metaphors  derived  from,  plant-life:  see  8^^^-  14^  i^30flf. 
19^^. — Iscutoff\  rather  than  droops,  withers  {sqq,  phil.  n.  on  14^)  : 
since  ^  scarcely  states  the  sequence  to  *,  there  is  no  force  in 
Di.'s  argument  that  withering  and  not  cutting  off  is  the  result 
of  drying  up  the  roots :  the  purpose  of  the  figure  is  rather  to 
depict  the  immediate  and  simultaneous  destruction  of  branch 
and  root :  both  perish  at  once,  and  from  the  dried  up  roots  no 
fresh  branches  (ct.  14^)  will  ever  grow. 

17.  He  is  forgotten  in  the  cultivated  country  (cp.  Ps.  49^^^ 
in  which  his  own  homestead  and  fields  lay,  and  over  the  wide 
stretch  of  the  steppe  country  beyond  into  which  he  sent  his 
cattle  to  graze  (see  phil.  n.). 

II 


1 62  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XVni.  18-21. 

18  He  is  thrust  forth  from  light  into  darkness, 

And  chased  out  of  the  world. 
1®  He  hath  neither  offspring  nor  family  among  his  people, 

Nor  any  survivor  in  the  place  where  he  sojourned. 

20  At  his  day  they  of  the  east  are  appalled, 

And  they  of  the  west  lay  hold  on  horror. 

21  Surely  such  are  the  dwellings  of  the  unrighteous, 

And  this  is  the  place  of  him  that  knoweth  not  God. 


18.  19.  V.i^  repeats  the  idea  of  ^^  ^^  of  1^. — From  light  into 
darkness]  from  the  light  (s^^)  of  life  (33^^  Ps.  56I* ;  cp.  c.  3^0 
"light"  II  to   'Mife")  into   the   darkness  of  Sheol   (as   lo^i'- 

19.  Nor  any  survivor]  from  God's  judgment  on  his  house 
and  family. — The  place  (or,  rather,  the  places)  where  he  so- 
journed] enjoyed  guest-right:  the  phrase  (V"11JD3)  is  expressive: 
1^  has  already  stated  that  no  one  of  his  will  remain  in  his  house 
after  him ;  this  v.  goes  further ;  no  one  will  escape  the  judg- 
ment and  be  found  casting  himself  on  the  hospitality  of  others 
(cp.  the  parallel  ''among  his  people"). 

20.  The  whole  world  is  horrified  at  the  wicked  man's  fate. 
— At  his  day]  the  day  of  his  death  and  of  God's  punishment  of 
him :  cp.  i  S.  26^^  Ps.  37^^  Jer.  ^o^\  (&  At  him  ()D'bv  as 
2q23  2^23^  fQj.  i^ij^  Cjyj  is  inferior. — They  of  the  east  .  .  .  they  oj 
the  7vest]  or,  the  later  ones  .  .  .  the  former  ones  (see  phil.  n.) ; 
i,e,  the  wicked  man's  contemporaries  on  earth,  and,  as  the 
news  reaches  them  in  Sheol,  those  who  have  predeceased  him  ; 
so  terrible  is  the  death  of  the  wicked  that  the  very  shades  in 
Sheol  are  horrified  at  it. — Lay  hold  on  horror]  for  the  idiom,  cp. 
21^,  Is.  13^:  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  forsake  J^  for  ffi,  on 
them  of  the  west  horror  lays  hold. 

21.  The  V.  clinches  the  argument  implicit  in  the  previous 
description  of  the  wicked  :  such  a  fate  and  none  other  awaits  the 
wicked :  cp.  the  conclusion  to  Sophar's  speech,  20^^ ;  ct.  the 
conclusion  to  Eliphaz's  first  speech,  which  summarizes  the  pre- 
ceding description  of  the  man  who  fears  God,  and  8^^  where 
Bildad  summarizes,  as  here,  his  description  of  the  wicked,  but 
then  8^^^^  closes  on  a  happier  and  more  hopeful  note ;  Sophar 


XVIII.  21-XIX.  3.]  JOB  163 

XIX.  ^  Then  Job  answered  and  said, 

2  How  long"  will  ye  vex  my  soul, 

And  break  me  in  pieces  with  words  ? 
^  These  ten  times  ye  put  me  to  confusion ; 

Ye  are  not  ashamed  that  ye  deal  wrongfully  against  me. 


alone  in  the  first  round  of  speeches  closes  on  a  sinister  note, 
ii^O;  all  alike  so  close  their  second  speeches. 

XIX.  Job's  reply  to  Bildad's  second  speech.— How  long 
are  the  friends  to  go  on  wronging  Job  by  false  accusations  p'-); 
Job's  calamities  are  due  not  to  just  punishment  for  sin,  but  to 
God's  unjust  and  violent  treatment  of  him  {^''') ;  God's  hostility 
^8-i2j  has  led  to  the  alienation  of  Job's  family  and  acquaintances 
^i3-i9j  a^i^fj  igfi;  him  with  nothing  but  bare  existence  {^^)?  Cannot 
his  friends  pity  him  ?  Why  do  they  instead  increasingly  perse- 
cute him  (2^*-)  ?  If  only  his  assertion  of  innocence  might  be 
perpetuated  (after  his  now  imminent  death)  p^*-) !  It  will  be  ; 
and,  moreover,  God  will  vindicate  him  and  show  Himself  to  be 
on  his  side  (25-27J .  ^nd  so  the  friends  will  contiuue  their  perse- 
cution of  him  at  their  peril  (^^*-) ! 

2-6.  How  long  are  the  friends  to  go  on  aggravating  Job's 
sufferings  by  what  they  say  ?  They  have  repeatedly  and 
shamelessly  wronged  him  {^)  by  suggesting  that  the  cause  of 
his  great  and  extraordinary  sufferings  lies  in  his  sin ;  but  it 
does  not;  on  the  contrary,  the  cause  of  his  suffering  is  that 
God  has  turned  the  scales  of  justice  against  him  (^),  so  that 
there  has  wrongly  fallen  to  him  the  penalty  of  great  crimes 
which  he  had  never  committed ;  and  thereby  God  has  given 
a  ground,  according  to  the  current  theory,  for  an  argument 
against  his  innocence. 

2.  How  long]  beginning  like  Bildad,  18^. —  Vex  my  soul]  by  your 
severe  and  uncompassionate  treatment  of  me;  for  the  vb.,  cp. 
especially  Is.  51^^,  "  I  (Yahweh)  will  put  it  (the  cup  of  my  fury) 
into  the  hand  of  those  that  vexed  thee^  that  said  to  thy  soul,  Bow 
down  that  we  may  pass  over";  La.  i^-  ^'^  of  the  pain  caused  to 
Sion  by  Yahweh's  severe  punishment  of  her ;  3^^  (antithetical 
to  "  show  compassion  ").  Not  only  do  his  ''comforters"  not 
alleviate  (16^*),  they  positively  add  to  his  sufferings  (cp.  16^). 


164  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIX.  3-4. 

*  And  be  it  indeed  that  I  have  erred, 
Mine  error  remaineth  with  myself. 


3.  These  ten  times]  i.e.  these  many  times :  how  often !  cp. 
Nu.  14^^;  also  for  ten  =  many,  Gn.  31^,  Lv.  26^^. 

4.  The  exact  force  of  the  v.  is  far  from  clear.  In  the  first 
place,  does  it  virtually  admit  error  or  (cp.  No.  4  below)  deny  it  ? 
Certainly  an  admission  of  such  error  as  would  deserve  what 
Job  now  suffers  is  out  of  the  question.  But  error  is  a  mild 
word;  cp.  **  Errors,  who  can  discern"  (Ps.  19^^);  the  possi- 
bility of  errors,  unknown  to  himself,  weighs  upon  the  conscience 
of  the  religiously  sensitive  man,  but  these  do  not  account,  like 
great  transgressions,  for  great  sufferings.  If,  then,  the  v.  admits 
such  error  (and  even  sin  Job  admits  elsewhere,  10^  n.  13^^),  it 
is  best  taken  as  meaning:  granted  that  I  have  sinned,  the 
penalty  of  that  sin  no  doubt  comes  home  to  me,  but  it  affords 
no  ground  for  you  (^)  to  argue  from  the  reproach  which  my 
great  sufferings  cast  upon  me  that  I  have  greatly  sinned. 
Richter  (1^3  Di<  for  DDDN)  gives  a  special  turn  to  the  kind  of 
error  admitted :  If  in  my  youth  I  erred  (cp.  13^6,  Ps.  25^),  Is  my 
error  (for  ever)  to  abide  with  me  ?  But  the  vb.  {^)  refers  to  a 
recurrent  and  temporary,  rather  than  to  a  permanent  stay. 
Other  interpretations  are  ;  (i)  Granted  I  have  erred,  my  error 
is  my  affair,  not  yours ;  but  this  is  only  possible,  and  even  then 
unsatisfactory,  if  the  admission  of  error  is  tantamount  to  the 
denial  of  great  sin ;  for  if  Job  has  greatly  sinned,  that  is 
altogether  an  affair  of  the  friends,  being  the  complete  justifica- 
tion of  their  case  against  him :  moreover,  in  6^*  Job  appealed 
to  the  friends  to  make  plain  to  him  what  his  error  was : 
(2)  Granted  I  have  erred,  I  alone  am  cognizant  (nx  as  12^  14^ : 
cp.  Dy,  9^  n.)  of  my  errors,  i.e.  my  sin  is  venial,  not  gross  and 
open,  and  you,  having  no  real  knowledge  of  it,  are  charging 
me  with  sin  without  justification  (Di.);  but,  as  Hi.  pointed  out, 
one  of  the  charges  of  the  friends  against  Job  is  precisely  what 
on  this  hypothesis  he  admits,  viz.  that  he  keeps  his  sin  to 
himself,  making  no  confession  of  it ;  (3)  my  sin  hurts  only 
myself,  not  you — a  parallel  to  7^^  (Job's  sin  does  not  injure 
God):  so  Peake;  (4),  Du.  :   *'  Have  I  indeed  erred .^     With  me 


XIX.  4-7.]  JOB  165 

^  If  indeed  ye  magnify  yourselves  against  me, 

And  argue  against  me  my  reproach ; 
^  Know  then  that  God  hath  subverted  me  (in  my  cause), 

And  hath  compassed  me  about  with  his  net. 
'^  Behold,  I  cry  out,  Violence !  but  I  am  not  answered : 

I  cry  for  help,  but  there  is  no  judgment. 


doth  error  (so  ffi)  tarry  ? "  the  question  (expressed  by  the 
emotional  PjN)  instead  of  the  interrogative  particle)  of  course 
expecting  the  answer  no.  This  would  be  the  best  explanation 
if,  where  the  interrogation  is  so  important,  the  particle  could 
be  omitted  (G-K.  150^). 

5  f.  An  alternative  translation  of  ^  is :  Will  ye  indeed 
magnify  yourselves  .  .  .  and  argue  .  .  .?  cp.  Lex.  s.v.  DN,  50^. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  translation.  If  indeed  ye  will  magnify 
yourselves  against  me,  then  argue  (or  prove),  etc.,  can  scarcely 
be  defended,  the  impf.  with  waw  in  the  apodosis  being  ab- 
normal (Dr.  §  136).  Translated  as  above,  the  imperative  (lyi) 
without  waw  may  be  paralleled  by  i  S.  20^1  21^''  (Dr.  136/3'*). 

6.  God  has  done  what  Bildad  (8^)  and  Elihu  (34^2)  think 
impossible :  He  has  perverted  justice  :  Job  is  ensnared  like 
an  innocent  beast  by  a  mighty,  ruthless  hunter. — IVet]  see 
phil.  n.  :  the  word  is  different  from  any  of  those  used  in  18^"^^. 

7-20.  Description  of  God's  severe  dealings  with  Job,  both 
C^"^^,  a  series  of  figures)  generally,  and  (1^-20^  jj^  particular  by 
estranging  those  to  whom  he  might  most  naturally  have 
turned  for  comfort  and  support,  so  leaving  Job  abandoned  of 
men  and  alone. 

7.  Not  Job  (16^^),  but  God  is  the  doer  of  violence,  and  Job 
is  His  victim ;  he  calls  out,  to  attract  the  notice  of  passers-by 
(Dt.  22^*),  Violence !  (cp.  Jer.  20^,  Hab.  i^),  but  none  of  them 
respond  or  give  him  assistance  to  secure  justice  against  his 
assailant. — I  am  no^  answered]  by  any  man  :  this  is  the  neces- 
sary implication  of  the  pass,  in  Pr.  21  ^3;  if  the  meaning  is  I  am 
not  answered  by  God  (cp.  30^^  Hab.  i^),  then  there  is  the  same 
double  thought  of  God  which  has  appeared  before  (i  6^^-21 17311.): 
Against  God  assailing  me  I  cry  out  to  God  passing  by — but 
receive  no  help. 


1 66  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XIX.  8-13. 

^  My  path  he  hath  fenced  up  that  I  cannot  pass, 

And  upon  my  paths  he  setteth  darkness. 
®  My  glory  he  hath  stripped  from  off  me, 

And  he  hath  taken  away  the  crown  on  my  head. 
^^  He  breaketh  me  down  on  every  side,  and  I  am  gone ; 

And  he  hath  plucked  up  mine  hope  like  a  tree. 

11  He  hath  also  kindled  his  wrath  against  me, 

And  he  counteth  me  unto  him  as  (one  of)  his  adversaries. 

12  One  and  all  his  troops  come  on, 

And  cast  up  their  way  against  me, 
And  encamp  round  about  my  tent. 

13  My  brethren  he  hath  put  far  from  me. 

And  mine  acquaintance  are  wholly  estranged  from  me. 
1*  My  kinsfolk  have  failed, 

And  my  familiar  friends  have  forgotten  me. 


8.  Fresh  figures  :  God  prevents  Job  pursuing  his  way  by 
setting  barriers  across  it  and  involving  it  in  darkness  :  cp.  La. 
3®,  and  see  on  3^^ 

9.  God  has  stripped  Job  bare  of  the  reputation  for  righteous- 
ness which  he  once  enjoyed  (29I*) ;  bereft  of  his  possessions  he 
is  in  the  estimate  of  the  world  a  sinner. 

10.  Breaketh  me  down]  The  fig.  in  ^  is  of  a  building  :  Job's 
life  is  in  ruins :  nor  is  there  any  chance  of  restoration :  ^  any 
hope  he  might  have  had  is  like  a  tree  not  merely  cut  down  and 
still  capable  of  shooting  up  again  (14"^),  but  uprooted. 

lib.  =  1324. 

12.  God's  troops  lay  siege  to  Job  :  military  figures  are  also 
used  in  iqI^  16I*  30!^. — Cast  up  their  way]  i.e.  create  siege 
works  from  which  to  attack  the  invested  fortress. — My  tent] 
absent  from  ^,  in  which  i^  is  a  distich. 

13.  He  hath  put  far]  ffir  have  gone  far^  in  agreement  with 
the  following  lines  (i3b-i9j^  where  the  vbs.  indicate  directly  the 
action  of  Job's  friends  in  avoiding  him  :  so  Di. — Mine  acquaint- 
ance] cp.  42II;  but  a  very  slight  change  (i^T  for  ^yT)  gives 
they  have  known  it  (and):  so  Me.  Bi.i  Bu.,  thus  securing  a 
whole  distich  for  the  "brethren,"  and  avoiding  the  close  juxta- 
position of  '•j;T'  13^  and  ^yn^D  1*^. 


XIX.  14-17.]  JOB  167 

^^  They  that  sojourn  in  my  house,  and  my  maids,  count  me  for 

a  stranger : 

I  am  become  an  alien  in  their  sight. 
1^  I  call  unto  my  servant,  and  he  giveth  me  no  answer ; 

With  my  mouth  must  I  entreat  him. 
^^  My  breath  is  strange  to  my  wife, 

And  I  am  loathsome  to  the  children  of  my  (mother's)  womb. 


14  f.  The  division  of  the  lines  in  fE  is  probably  faulty  (see 
phil.  n.):  an  alternative  division  allows  the  rendering, 
My  kinsmen  and  my  familiar  friends  have  failed, 

They  that  sojourn  in  my  house  have  forgotten  me ; 
And  my  maids  count  me  for  a  stranger, 
I  am  become  an  alien  in  their  sight. 
But    not   improbably   the   fourth    of  these   lines   has   suffered 
transposition  and  originally  was  the  parallel  to  the  first. 

Kinsfolk^  Heb.  those  that  are  near,  used  of  those  nearly 
related:  cp.  Lv.  212*-,  where  the  range  of  the  term  is  exemplified; 
cp.  also  Lv.  25^^,  Nu.  27^^,  and,  in  a  similar  context  to  the 
present,  Ps.  38^^(11)^  <<  those  that  are  near  (of  kin)  to  me  stand 
afar  off." — Failed]  lit.  ceased  (cp.  14^),  i.e.  to  treat  me  as  a  kins- 
man or  the  like.  Du.  for  have  failed  and  my  fatniliar  friends 
reads  have  ceased  to  know  me :  but  see  phil.  n. — Familiar  friends] 
^n^»  as  Ps.  3112(11)  889(8)  5514(12)^  2  K.  iqIi. 

15.  They  that  sojourn]  those  who  had  sought  the  pro- 
tection of  Job's  house  and  enjoyed  his  hospitality — the^^?'(EV. 
** stranger")  of  Ex.  20I®. — Maids]  female  slaves. — A  stranger] 
or  alien,  properly  one  who  belongs  to  another  family,  class,  or 
community  (cp.  Nu.  i^^  n.);  the  tables  are  now  so  completely 
turned  that  the  very  persons  who  owed  their  places  in  the 
household  to  Job  now  look  upon  him  as  one  outside  the  family. 
— Alien]  or  foreigner. 

16.  Job's  slave,  instead  of  waiting  for  and  immediately 
responding  to  the  least  gesture  indicative  of  his  wish  (Ps.  123^), 
does  not  even  obey  an  express  command ;  and  at  best  now  he 
only  responds  to  humble  entreaty  and  appeal  for  compassion. 

17.  The  loathsome  features  of  his  disease  (2^  n.)  repel  Job's 
nearest  and  dearest  relations — his  wife,   and  those  who  had 


1 68  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XIX.  17-20. 

^  Even  young  children  despise  me ; 

I  would  arise,  and  they  speak  against  me! 
^*  All  the  men  of  my  circle  abhor  me ; 

And  they  whom  I  loved  are  turned  against  me. 
^^  My  bone  cleaveth  to  my  skin^, 

And  I  am  escaped  ""with  my  flesh  in  my  teeth.' 


issued  from  the  same  womb  as  himself. — The  children  of  my 
(another's)  wo?nb]  i.e.  my  uterine  brothers  (and  sisters),  a  far 
narrower  term  than  the  ** brethren"  of  ^3;  cp.  the  limiting 
clause  attached  to  *' brother(s)  "  in  Gn.  4329,  Jg.  S^^,  **  My 
brethren,  the  sons  of  my  mother."  **  My  womb,"  meaning  **my 
mother's  womb,"  has  already  occurred  in  3^^.  If  it  were  neces- 
sary to  explain  the  phrase  of  children  (cp.  Mic.  6^,  Ps.  132^^)  of 
Job,  the  passage  would  probably  be  in  conflict  with  the  Pro- 
logue (and  also  8*  29^:  see  n.),  according  to  which  all  Job's 
children  had  perished ;  for  the  alternative  suggestions  are  un- 
satisfactory, viz.  that  the  children  intended  are  children  of 
concubines  ((S  Ew.),  or  grandchildren  (Hrz.).  W.  R.  Smith 
(Kiiiship  and  Marriage  in  Early  Arabia^  p.  34)  explained  the 
phrase  as  meaning  clansmen  {beteii^  as  in  Arabia,  mean- 
ing clan) ;    but  this  would  make  ^^^  more  nearly  a  repetition 

of  13a. 

18.  The  young  children  about  his  house  (see  phil.  n.),  though 
not,  of  course,  his  own  children,  mock  at  (cp.  2  K.  ^^)  his 
diseased  appearance,  or  ^  the  difficulty  with  which  alone  he  can 
rise  from  the  ground. 

19.  The  men  of  my  circle]  or  confidence  (l)0  :  15®  phil.  n.) ; 
the  men  to  whom  he  had  been  wont  to  communicate  his  secrets, 
or  intimate  thoughts  (cp.  Ps.  55^^  ^1^^). 

20.  Job  is  already  little  better  than  a  skeleton,  and  his  hold 
on  life  precarious.  With  *  cp.  Ps.  102^^,  La.  4^. — To  my  skin] 
^  +  and  lo  my  flesh  \  but  see  phil.  n. —  With  my  flesh  in  my 
teeth]  cp.  13I*.  1^  with  the  skin  of  my  teeth :  the  words  have 
passed  into  a  proverb  for  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing ;  but,  as 
they  are  probably  the  result  of  an  accidental  corruption  of  the 
text,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  origin  and  exact  meaning  of 
*'skin  of  the  teeth"  has  remained  obscure;  various  theories 


XIX.  20-22.]  JOB  169 

21  Have  pity  upon  me,  have  pity  upon  me,  O  ye  my  friends ; 

For  the  hand  of  God  hath  touched  me. 

22  Why  do  ye  persecute  me  as  God, 

And  are  not  satisfied  with  my  flesh  ? 


are  cited  and  discussed  by  Di.  and  Del.  Other  emendations  of 
the  V.  are  discussed  in  the  phil.  n. 

21  f.  Ruthlessly  assailed  by  God  and  abandoned  by  other 
men,  even  those  nearest  him,  Job,  yearning  for  some  support, 
appeals  to  the  compassion  of  the  three  friends  who,  unlike 
others,  were  at  least  physically  still  near  him :  for  the  moment 
all  thought  of  argument  is  abandoned ;  he  no  longer  seeks  to 
convince  them,  or  asks  them  to  be  just  to  him ;  he  asks  them 
to  be  kind\  he  makes  his  appeal  on  the  two  grounds  that  they 
were  old  friends  of  his  and  that  he  is  sorely  smitten ;  but  the 
second  ground  of  his  appeal  is  the  very  reason  why  the  friends 
cannot  be  kind  in  the  only  sense  that  will  satisfy  Job ;  he 
wishes  them  not  to  continue  to  hold  him  guilty  of  sin,  and 
they,  because  he  is  smitten  by  God,  are  convinced  that  he  is. 
The  appeal  of  ^i,  so  unlike  Job's  other  addresses  to  the  friends, 
is  abandoned :  the  friends  give  no  sign  of  relenting ;  and  in  ^2^ 
after  his  usual  manner.  Job  asks  them  the  cause  and  meaning 
of  their  cruel  treatment. — Have  pity  upon  me]  or,  be  kind, 
gracious  to  me :  cp.  the  use  of  the  vb.  in  Dt.  7^  28^*^,  Ps.  37^1. 
— Touched]  as  i^^  (see  n.  there)  2^. 

22.  Why,  relentless  and  persistent  as  God,  do  they  never 
come  to  an  end  of  calumniating  him  by  arguing  that  he  has 
committed  great  sins  ? — Are  not  satisfied  with  myfiesh]  here  the 
meaning  (ct.  31^^)  rests  on  the  use  of  the  phrase  *'to  eat  the 
flesh,  or  fragments,  of  a  man,"  in  the  sense  of  to  calumniate  or 
accuse  him;  cp.  in  Aram.  Dn.  3^  52^^24)  <<to  eat  the  fragments 
of"  (EV.  ** accuse");  and  **the  eater  of  fragments"  is  the 
rendering  of  o  Sia/3oXo?  in  the  Peshitta  of  the  NT. ;  and  in  the 
Qor.  (49^^)  Mohammed  plays  on  the  two  meanings  of  the  phrase, 
the  literal  and  the  metaphorical :  '*  Let  not  one  of  you  traduce 
another  in  his  absence.  Would  any  of  you  like  to  eat  the  flesh 
of  his  brother  being  dead?  Surely  ye  would  loathe  it."  See 
further,    Schult.    on   this   passage,   Ges.   Thes.  gia. — Are  not 


170  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XIX.  22-24. 

23  Oh  would,  then,  that  my  words  were  written  ! 

Oh  would  that  they  were  inscribed  in  a  book  I 
2*  That  with  an  iron  pen  and  lead 

They  were  for  ever  graven  in  the  rock. 


satisfied  'with\  never  come  to  an  end  of,  never  have  enough  of; 
cp.  Pr.  30^^^'. 

23  f.  When  Job  dies,  the  insatiable  hunger  of  the  friends 
for  calumniating  him  (2^^)  will  continue  ;  and,  their  accusations 
being  unchallenged,  he  will  pass  down  to  posterity  as  a  great 
sinner.  His  first  reaction  (a  second  follows  in  2^)  against  this 
thought  is  a  wish  :  this  wish  is  expressed  in  ^^a^  and  reinforced 
with  details  so  arranged  as  to  reach  a  climax  in  2^^-  2* :  would 
that  my  words  were  written  (2^*),  for  an  abiding  testimony,  in  a 
book  p^),  or  even  more  enduringly  and  conspicuously  in  (lead 
or)  rock  p^) :  in  that  case,  to  the  end  of  time,  the  charges 
brought  against  his  name  will,  at  least,  never  pass  unchallenged ; 
and  he,  even  after  death,  will  continue  to  defend  his  integrity. 

23.  My  words]  not  the  words  that  follow  in  ^sff-  (Hi.)  (an 
inscription  (2*)  would  start  strangely  with  the  conj.  (""^Nl)  at  the 
beginning  of  2^),  nor  the  exact  words  of  Job's  previous  speeches 
in  their  full  extent,  but  the  substance  of  those  speeches,  in  so 
far  as  they  maintained  his  integrity  against  the  accusations  (^2^) 
of  the  friends. — Inscribed]  Is.  30^. — In  a  book]  or  scroll  (31^^  n.), 
where  they  would  continue  as  an  enduring  testimony :  cp. 
Is.  30^.  The  term  **  book  "  does  not  necessarily  imply  extensive 
contents:  it  is  used,  e.g'.y  of  a  deed  of  purchase  (Jer.  32^^),  or 
divorce  (Dt.  24^),  or  of  a  letter  (2  S.  ii^"^).  Du.,  in  his  (i.e. 
God's)  book,  on  the  ground  that  Job  would  not  express  a  wish 
which  he  could  himself  most  easily  satisfy ;  the  suggestion  is 
well  criticized  by  Peake :  see  also  phil.  n. 

24.  It  is  uncertain  whether  this  v.  referred  to  inscriptions 
on  one,  or  on  two  (cp.  &lrj)  different  materials,  though  J^  is 
most  naturally  taken  as  referring  to  but  one,  and  this  also  seems 
most  effective ;  in  this  case  the  v.  has  been  understood  (since 
Rashi)  to  refer  to  engraving  with  an  iron  stylus  (cp.  Jer.  17^)  in 
the  rock,  and  then,  for  greater  clearness  and  lastingness,  filling 
in  the  letters  with  lead.     If  two  materials  are  referred  to,  it 


XIX.  24-25.]  JOB  1 7 1 

25  But  I  know  that  my  vindicator  liveth, 

And  that  hereafter  he  will  stand  up  upon  the  dust. 


IS  best,  adopting  two  slight  emendations  (see  phil.  n.),  to 
render,  That  with  an  iron  stylus  on  lead.  Or  for  ever  in  the 
rock  they  were  graven.  The  climax  is  then  reached  in  three 
stages :  let  my  assertions  of  innocence  be  perpetuated  in  a 
written  scroll^  or,  in  what  is  more  enduring,  on  lead{er\  tablets), 
or,  in  what  is  more  enduring  still,  immovable  also,  and  so  free 
from  risk  of  being  lost,  and  conspicuous  too — in  the  rock.  Is 
the  poet  thinking  of  inscriptions  cut  in  the  rocks  over  tombs  ? 
Inscribed  leaden  tablets  were  much  used  in  antiquity  (Paus. 
ix.  31*;  Pliny,  H.N.  13.  669),  especially  for  imprecations  (cp. 
Tac.  Ann.  ii.  69,  **nomen  Germanici  plumbeis  tabulis  insculp- 
tum  "),  and  many  such  tablets  have  been  discovered,  including 
one  containing  a  Phoenician  inscription  from  Carthage  of  about 
the  3rd  or  2nd  cent.  B.C. ;  see  Wiinsch,  Defixionum  tahellce 
AtticcB  (cp.  Bliss,  Macalister,  and  Wiinsch,  Excavations  in 
Palestine^  pp.  185-187;  Cooke,  NSI^  No.  50,  and  the  literature 
there  cited). 

25.  But  to  the  first  (^^'-j  there  now  succeeds  a  second  re- 
action to  the  thought  (2^)  that  his  character  after  death  will  be 
undefended  against  the  accusations  which  will  still  continue. 
This  second  reaction  takes  the  form  not,  like  the  first,  of  a 
wish,  but  of  a  conviction  under  great  emotional  excitement 
(cp.  2^).  For  the  moment,  at  least.  Job  is  convinced  that  there  is 
to  be  some  better  defence  of  his  character  than  his  own  assertions 
recorded  in  writing  for  ever ;  not  the  indelible  letters  of  a  dead 
man,  but  a  living  person  will  defend  and  vindicate  his  character : 
none  other  than  the  living  God  Himself  will  at  last  free  his 
name  from  reproach.  In  another  remarkable  respect  the  second 
appears  to  pass  beyond  the  first  thought,  though  corruption 
and  obscurity  of  the  text  leave  this  point  more  ambiguous  than 
could  have  been  desired.  In  ^3^.  job  is,  relatively,  satisfied  to 
die,  if  he  can  be  sure  that  as  in  life,  so  after  death  the  accusa- 
tions against  him  will  not  pass  unchallenged ;  the  written 
record  made  before  his  death  will  endure  afterwards — a  per- 
petual challenge.    After  death,  as  in  life,  Job  will  thus  maintain 


172  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIX.  25 

his  own  integrity.  But  the  second  thought  is  that  his  integrity 
will  be  maintained  not  merely  by  himself,  but  established  by 
another,  and  that  other  God :  in  other  words,  a  great  change 
will  occur  after  death :  and  of  this  change  Job,  even  in  death, 
will  become  conscious  (vv.^^-  2^*) ;  in  life,  right  up  to  death, 
God  has  seemed  to  himself  as  to  his  friends  against  him ;  but 
when  He  vindicates  Job,  He  will  thereby  range  Himself  on 
Job's  side ;  and  this  change  Job  will  see  :  his  eyes  will  behold 
God  on  his  side  at  last.  Even  if,  as  on  the  whole  (in  spite  of 
14^^^-)  seems  best,  we  thus  interpret,  there  is  still  no  belief 
here  in  a  continued  life  of  blessedness  after  death  in  which 
compensation  in  kind  will  be  made  for  the  inequalities  of  this 
life  ;  the  movement  in  the  direction  of  a  belief  in  a  future  which 
is  here  found  is  rather  in  response  to  the  conviction  that  com- 
munion with  God  is  real ;  in  a  moment  after  death  it  will  be 
given  to  Job  to  know  that  he  was  not  deluded  in  maintaining 
his  integrity,  and  that  he  had  not  really  forfeited  the  confidence 
of  God.  An  alternative  theory  of  these  verses  (Bu.  Kautzsch) 
makes  Job  expect  the  vision  of  God  (^^j  this  side  of  death ;  and, 
so  far  as  the  difficult  and  in  part  corrupt  lines  (25^.  26a.  bj  ^^^ 
concerned,  there  would  be  much  to  be  said  for  interpreting 
the  obscurities  and  ambiguities  of  the  text  towards  this  less 
startling  conclusion ;  but  the  theory  does  not  appear  to  give 
due  weight  to  the  fact  that  in  2^^-  (as  also  in  16^^^)  Job  clearly 
expects  to  die  before  his  character  is  cleared,  and  that  no 
transition  to  the  contrary  thought,  that  he  will  only  die  after 
that  has  taken  place,  is  to  be  discovered  in  ^S;  on  the  other 
hand,  the  stress  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  vindicator  lives  can 
be  most  naturally,  if  not  only,  explained  as  due  to  the  implicit 
antithesis  that  Job  will  die.  The  other  thought  would  naturally 
have  been  expressed  in  some  such  form  as :  I  know  that  I  shall 
live,  and  that  I  shall  yet  see  God  upon  the  earth  (cp.  Ps.  42^  ^^\ 
Is.  38^^)  and  on  my  side ;  and  if  this  actually  was  the  thought 
of  the  writer,  it  would  be  best  to  regard  the  word  **liveth  "  as 
an  intrusion  into  the  text :  but  for  this  there  is  no  sufficient 
reason  (see  phil.  n.)  Bruston  [Revue  de  theologie  et  des  ques- 
tions religeusesy  I  goo,  244;  ZATWy  1906,  143-146)  understands 
Job  to  be  describing  a  present  vision  of  God  vindicating  him  in  the 


XIX.  25.]  JOB  173 

future,  when  he  is  dead  and  no  longer  conscious.  The  obscure 
renderings  of  ffi  (understood  by  Clement  of  Rome  [Cor,  26)  and 
Origen  (on  Mt.  172^:  P.G.  xiii.  1566)  of  the  resurrection,  but 
otherwise  by  most  scholars  of  the  Eastern  Church  from  Chry- 
sostom  downwards)  ^^T  do  not  justify  the  conclusion  that  the 
translators  detected  a  reference  to  experience  after  death :  on 
the  other  hand,  U  (hence  AV.),  with  all  clearness,  does  so  and 
even  introduces  the  idea  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  (cp. 
Aug.  De  Civ.  Deiy  xxii.  29).  On  the  history  of  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  passage,  see  Speer,  Zur  Exegese  von  Hioh  i^^'^y  in 
ZA  TW,  1905,  pp.  47-140  (with  references  to  earlier  discussions, 
p.  49). — My  vindicator]  The  one  who  will  vindicate  me,  estab- 
lish my  character;  cp.  "My  witness,"  "He  that  voucheth  for 
me,"  16^^.  The  Hebrew  term  goel  (cp.  3^  n.)  may,  by  itself, 
without  the  addition  of  Din,  denote  "the  avenger  of  blood," 
and  has  sometimes  been  understood  in  this  special  sense  here 
(cp.  i6^s^);  but  the  thought  of  murder  is  not  suggested  here, 
and  the  goel  had  many  other  functions  besides  that  of  securing 
an  equivalent  for  blood  slain  ;  he  had  to  vindicate  various  claims 
and  rights  (cp.  e.g.  Lv.  252^).  With  the  present  usage,  cp. 
especially  Pr.  23^^:  Do  not  oppress  widows  and  orphans,  "  for 
their  vindicator  (i.e.  God)  is  mighty,  He  will  plead  their  cause 
against  thee":  also  Ps.  119^^*. — Liveth]  i.e.  implicitly,  for  ever 
(cp.  the  phrase  "  the  living  God"):  not  something  written  for 
ever  (2*),  but  a  person  who  lives  for  ever  will  for  ever  vindicate 
Job. — Hereafter]  lit.  as  one  {coming)  after  (or,  at  the  last) ;  see 
phil.  n.  The  particular  nuance  given  to  the  phrase  differs 
according  to  the  view  taken  of  the  passage  as  a  whole;  by 
itself  it  might  equally  well  mean  as  one  coming  after  (I  am 
dead) ;  cp.  Ec.  4^^ ;  or,  as  one  who  comes  last  and  says  the  last 
word — and  that  in  Job's  favour — in  the  dispute  (Bu.).  The 
line  would  read  more  easily  if,  instead  of  this  phrase,  there  was 
a  parallel  to  "my  vindicator,"  such  as  "my  afterman "  (but 
see  phil.  n.). — Stand  up]  or  rise  upy  as  witness  (cp.  e.g.  Dt. 
1915'-,  Ps.  2712),  or  judge  (311*,  Ps.  76^0  94^^  Is.  2i9  of  God). 
On  other  interpretations  and  emendations,  see  phil.  n. — Upon 
the  dust]  perhaps,  of  Job's  grave;  cp.  7^^  17^^  20^1  21^6 •  (also, 
more  remotely,  10^  34^^,  Ps.  1042^) ;  though  it  is  true,  as  Bu. 


174  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIX.  25-27 

26  And  . 

And  away  from  my  flesh  I  shall  behold  God. 
2^^  Whom  /shall  behold  (to  be)  on  my  side, 

And  mine  eyes  shall  see  (to  be)  unestranged. 

My  reins  fail  with  longing  within  me. 


urges,  that  in  these  passages,  as  in  others  (Ps.  7^  22^^.30^  jg^ 
26^^,  Dn.  12^),  the  reference  to  the  grave  is  much  more  clearly 
indicated  than  here.  The  alternative  is  to  give  the  phrase  the 
meaning  **  upon  the  earth":  cp.  especially  412^^^^  also  5^ 
(II  ''ground")  14^  39I*  (||  ''earth"):  cp.  also  8^^  22^^  27I6  282 
30^  40^^.  If  the  implication  is  "upon  the  earth,"  there  is  a 
tacit  advance  on  16^^:  there  Job  thinks  of  God  his  witness  as 
in  heaven  ;  ultimately  in  the  judgment  of  God  he  is  innocent ; 
here  he  is  convinced  that  God  will  manifest  his  innocence  to 
those  on  earth  who  have  levelled  accusations  against  him  ;  for 
another  tacit  antithesis  between  "  dust"  and  "  heaven,"  see  4^^ 
(after  ^^).  We.  (see  phil.  n.)  renders  against  dusty  i.e.  Job's 
friends  and  accusers;  Bruston  (ZATWy  1906,  144),  on  behalf 
of  dusty  i.e.  of  Job,  who  is  soon  to  become  dust ;  but  though 
man  may  be  said  to  be  dust  (Gn.  3^^  Ps.  103^*),  that 
particular  individuals  should  be  referred  to  simply  as  dust  is 
unlikely. 

26.  Line  *  is  altogether  obscure  and  uncertain :  see  phil.  nn. 
Unfortunately  *  being  obscure,  the  phrase  in  ^  rendered  above, 
away  from  my  fleshy  i.e.  after  death,  is  ambiguous;  in  itself  it 
may  equally  well  mean/ww  my  fleshy  i.e.  in  life:  on  the  reasons 
derived  from  the  wider  context  in  favour  of  the  former,  see 
on  ^^.— I  shall  behold  God]  cp.  Ps.  ii^  "the  upright  behold 
God,"  Ps.  17^^;  Job  thus,  even  in  this  phrase,  implies  his 
conviction  that  he  will  see  God  recognizing  his  integrity,  and 
reconciled  to  him ;  but  this  thought  is  developed  and  more 
explicitly  stated  in  the  next  distich. 

27.  In  the  vision  Job  will  see  that  God  is  no  longer,  like 
men  (^^'  ^^),  and  as  He  Himself  now  seems,  estranged,  but 
ranged  on  his  side. — /]  emphatic — I,  "of  whom  this  might  be 
deemed  incredible"  (Dr.  T>\.).—On  my  side]  /,  as  in  Gn.  31*2^ 
Ps.  56^^^^^  118^. — Mine  eyes  shall  see]  42^. — [To  be)  unestrangtd] 


XIX.  27-28.]  JOB  175 

28  If  ye  say,  **  How  will  we  persecute  him  ! 

Seeing  that  the  root  of  the  matter  is  found  in  "^him^ " ; 


or  (to  be)  not  a  stranger  p  n.).  The  grammatically  possible 
alternative  rendering  of  the  line,  And  mine  eyes  and  not  (those 
of)  a  stranger^  shall  see^  is  far  less  probable  ;  no  doubt  Job 
alone  might  see  God  while  others  present  at  the  time  only  hear 
Job's  vindication  or  see  some  accompaniment  of  the  vision  (cp. 
2  K.  2 ;  Du. ;  add  Acts  9^) ;  but  Job  is  not  at  this  moment 
interested  in  what  will  not  happen  to  some  one  else,  but  in 
what  will  happen  to  himself,  and  in  particular  the  aspect  under 
which  he  will  see  God — God  once  more  his  friend.  Moreover, 
what  Job  longs  for  is  not  the  mere  outward  sight  of  a  material 
manifestation,  but  direct  inward  vision  or  experience  of  God's 
attitude  towards  him  :  cp.  n.  on  42^. 

27c.  The  thought  of  the  vision  fills  Job  with  deep  emotion, 
and  longing  to  see  it  realized. — Reins^  in  Hebrew  psycho- 
logy the  seat  of  intense  feeling:  cp.  Ps.  16^,  Pr.  2'^'^^. — Fail 
with  longing]  the  vb.  to  fail  (n^D)  with  the  same  meaning  as 
in  Ps.  843  <2)  11^81  (predicated  of  the  soul),  69*^3)  i  ig82c.  i23.__ 
Within  me]  not  the  usual  phrase  (^a"ip3),  but  lit.  in  my  bosom : 
cp.,  perhaps,  Ec.  7^  and  c.  23^^  (emended).  King  (J.Th.S, 
XV.  76 ff.)  to  avoid  **  my  reins  ...  in  my  bosom  "  would  render 
the  line,  "I  am  fully  determined  in  my  bosom,"  or  '*I  fully 
trust  in  my  bosom  "  (cp.  U) ;  but  this  is  hazardous.  Possibly, 
however,  the  line,  an  isolated  stichos,  is  corrupt. 

28 f.  A  closing  warning  for  the  friends:  if  they  persist  in 
persecuting  (^s* :  cp.  ^2)  him  on  the  ground  that  the  sufferings  of 
Job,  the  root  of  the  matter  at  issue  (nm,  as  Ex.  18^^)  and  under 
discussion,  are  due  to  sin  in  Job,  let  them  beware  lest  they 
themselves  become  the  victims  of  the  sword  (Dt.  2)^^^)  of  divine 
justice. — b.  Him]  5^  me :  see  phil.  n.  Adopting  this  emendation 
we  might  alternatively  render  the  line,  And  find  the  root  of  the 
matter  in  him ;  but  the  order  of  the  words  does  not  favour 
this ;  and  if  the  point  were  that  the  friends  will  push  their 
scrutiny  into  Job's  case  till  they  detect  the  hidden  mischief  that 
lurks  within  him  (Peake),  a  stronger  vb.  than  '*find,"  such  as 
**  search  out,"  would  be  used. 


176  •  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XIX.  29-XX.  3. 

^  Be  ye  afraid  of  the  sword  : 

For  ""such  things^  are  iniquities  meet  for  the  sword, 
That  ye  may  know  there  is  a  judge. 
XX.  ^  Then  answered  Sophar  the  Na'amathite,  and  said, 
2  Therefore  my  thoughts  '"disturb"'  me, 

And  by  reason  of  "^this^  my  haste  is  within  me. 
5  The  correction  which  putteth  me  to  confusion  must  I 

hear. 
But  out  of  my  understanding  a  spirit  answereth  me. 

29.  Lines  ^'  °  are  more  or  less  corrupt ;  for  alternative 
emendations,  see  phil.  n. — Such  things\  f^  wrath. — A  judge\  j^ 
judgme7it. 

XX.  Sophar's  second  speech. — Provoked  by  Job's  foolish 
words  (2^-),  Sophar  asks,  though  exceptionally  (see  4^  n.)  the 
speech  does  not  begin  with  the  question,  whether  Job  is  un- 
aware (implying  by  the  question  that,  of  course,  Job  cannot  be 
unaware)  of  the  fact,  old  as  history  (*),  that  the  wicked,  if  they 
are  exalted  for  a  brief  space  (^^•),  perish  ignobly  (^),  and  utterly 
vanish  (^^•),  and  their  children  are  reduced  to  want  (^'•).  All  in 
their  life  that  promised  well  is  turned  to  bitterness  (n-is) ;  they 
are  forced  to  disgorge  their  unjustly  and  cruelly  gained  wealth 
(19-22) ;  for  God  punishes  them  (2^),  and  if  they  escape  one 
disaster,  it  is  but  to  succumb  to  another  (24-26^^  Heaven  and 
earth  turn  witness  against  them  (2^),  and  they  lose  all  (2^) :  such 
is  the  fate  of  the  wicked  (2^). 

2.  Disturb^  J^  answer',  see  phil.  n. — b.  |^  and  by  reason  of 
my  haste  laithin  me ;  see  phil.  n. — Haste\  or,  perhaps,  emotiojt. 
The  rebukes  administered  and  advice  offered  by  Job  {e.g. 
jg2f.23f.)^  which  are  an  affront  (3*)  to  Sophar,  call  forth  the 
present  impetuous  or  passionate  reply. 

3.  The  correction  which,  etc.]  ^nof^a  IDID:  cp.  {\^iyb^  'o,  '*  the 
correction  which  led  to  our  peace,"  Is.  53^). —  Which  putteth  me 
to  confusion]  a  retort  to  Job's  complaint,  19^. — b.  A  bad  parallel 
to  *,  and  scarely  intelligible  :  but  see  phil  n.  Slightly  emended, 
the  line  gives  excellent  parallelism  and  sense :  And  with  wind 
void  of  understanding  thou  answerest  me:  cp.  8^  (Bildad),  15* 
(Eliphaz). 


XX.  4-10.]  SOPHAR  .  177 

*  Dost  thou  know  this  (as  being)  from  of  old, 

Since  man  was  placed  upon  the  earth, 
^  That  the  triumphing  of  the  wicked  is  short. 

And  the  joy  of  the  godless  but  for  a  moment  ? 
^  Though  his  loftiness  mount  up  to  the  heavens, 

And  his  head  reach  unto  the  clouds ; 
'^  Like  his  (own)  dung  he  perisheth  for  ever : 

They  who  have  seen  him  say,  Where  is  he  ? 
8  He  flieth  away  as  a  dream,  and  is  not  found ; 

And  he  is  chased  away  as  a  vision  of  the  night. 
®  The  eye  which  saw  him  seeth  him  no  more ; 

Neither  doth  his  place  any  more  behold  him. 
^*  His  children  court  the  favour  of  the  poor, 

And  his  hands  give  back  his  wealth. 


4b.  Cp.  Dt.  432. 

5.  The  triumphing]  i.e,  the  exultant  joyous  shout  (nan,  as 
37,  Ps.  ioo2  636). 

6.  Cp.  Is.  14I3. 

7a.  Like  his  own  dung]  completely  (cp.  ^  i  K.  i/\^^,  2  K.  9^^) 
and  shamefully.  But  the  unnecessary  suffix,  though  not  the 
coarseness  of  the  figure  (for  cp.  ^^,  though  scarcely  ii^^,  which 
Di.  also  quotes),  may  throw  doubt  on  the  correctness  of  the 
text  or  translation.  S  like  a  whirlwind  \  Ew.  like  his  majesty 
(Ar.  jaldl)\  Che.  (ET,  x.  382)  like  his  glory  (n33) ;  King 
{J.Th.S.  XV.  39),  while  he  is  confiding  (l^i)jD,  a  vb.  :  cp.  Ps.  22^  ^^^ 
37^,  Pr.  16^;  but  these  passages  do  not  justify  giving  to  ^^j  (lit. 
to  roll)  used  absolutely  the  sense  to  confide). —  Where  is  he] 
cp.  14IO. 

8.  For  the  figures,  cp.  Is.  29^,  Ps.  73^^. 

9.  Line  *  closely  resembles  7^*  (Job),  Ps.  103^^^,  ^  y'^^^.  Cp. 
also  818  (Bildad). 

lOa.  Or,  The  poor  oppress  his  children ;  or.  His  children 
are  crushed  into  poor  ones  :  see  phil.  n.  In  any  case,  the 
meaning  is  that  his  children  are,  or  suffer  as,  the  poorest  of 
the  poor  (cp.  5*  Eliphaz).  Coming  after  ^  it  would  be  easy  to 
understand  '^^^  of  the  impoverishment  of  the  children  after  the 
wicked  man's  death ;  but  in  that  case  ^  also  should  refer  to 
12 


178  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XX.  10-16. 

^1  His  bones  are  full  of  his  youth, 

But  it  will  lie  down  with  him  in  the  dust. 
^2  Though  wickedness  be  sweet  in  his  mouthy 

Thoug-h  he  hide  it  under  his  tongue  ; 
^3  Though  he  spare  it,  and  do  not  let  it  go, 

But  keep  it  still  within  his  palate ; 
1*  (Yet)  his  food  in  his  bowels  is  turned ; 

The  gall  of  cobras  is  within  him. 
^5  He  swalloweth  down  riches,  and  vomiteth  them  up  again ; 

Out  of  his  belly  God  doth  cast  them. 
1^  The  poison  of  cobras  he  sucketh, 

The  viper's  tongue  doth  slay  him. 


the  children,  and  their  hands  should  be  read  (see  phil.  n.). 
Alternatively  ^^  may,  as  ^^  certainly  does,  return  to  the  lifetime 
of  the  wicked  man ;  even  in  his  lifetime  his  children  (like  him- 
self ^  ^^)  are  reduced  to  beggary. 

II.  The  wicked  man  dies  in  the  full  bloom  and  vigour 
of  youth — before  he  has  lived  even  half  the  allotted  span 
of  human  Hfe  (Ps.  ^h^^—Of  his  youth]  AV.  follows  F  in 
gratuitously  prefixing  the  sins. — The  dust]  i.e.  the  grave :  cp. 
19^5  n. 

12-14. — Wickedness  is  compared  to  a  dainty  morsel  (^2*-  ^*^) 
which  is  kept  in  the  mouth  as  long  as  possible  (i^^)  that  full 
enjoyment  may  be  had  from  the  taste  of  it  (^^),  but  which,  when 
it  passes  into  the  system,  proves  poisonous  {^^). 

15.  A  different  and  coarser  (cp,  v.^  n.,  also  Jer.  51^*)  figure 
derived  from  eating  :  the  wicked  man,  in  his  haste  to  be  rich, 
gluttonously  loads  his  belly  with  riches,  but  God  administers 
an  emetic,  and  he  has  to  part  with  them  again.  It  is  curious 
that  some  should  connect  ^^  closely  with  ^*  as  continuing  the 
same  figure;  in  helping  the  wicked  to  part  with  what  had 
become  poisonous,  God  would  be  mitigating  the  punishment, 
and  this  is  certainly  not  Sophar's  thought. 

16.  The  V.  may  have  been  a  marginal  parallel  to  ^^^  (so 
Bu.).  ^  is,  of  course,  physiologically  incorrect ;  but  the  darting 
tongue  of  the  serpent  naturally  suggested  itself  as  the  instru- 
ment of  death. 


XX.  17-23.]  SOPHAR  1 79 

^^  Let  him  not  look  upon  the  channels  of  "^oin, 

The  streams  of  honey  and  curdled  milk. 
1^  Restoring  that  which  he  laboured  for,  he  swalloweth  it 

not  down ; 

According  to  the  gains  of  his  exchange  he  rejoiceth  not ! 
^*  For  he  hath  oppressed  (and)  forsaken  the  poor, 

He  seizeth  violently  a  house,  but  doth  not  build  it  up. 
2^  Because  he  knew  no  quietness  in  his  belly. 

He  will  not  escape  with  his  valued  possessions, 
2^  Nothing  escaped  his  greed ; 

Therefore  his  prosperity  endureth  not. 
^2  In  the  fullness  of  his  sufficiency  he  is  in  straits ; 

The  hand  of  every  one  that  is  in  misery  cometh  upon 

him. 


17.  Let  him  not]  or.  Never  can  he  ,  .  .  !  see  phil.  n. — 
Look  upon]  with  delight  and  enjoy  the  sight  of:  cp.  33^^,  Ps. 
106^  etc. — Oil]  see  phil.  n. — Curdled  milk]  a  form  in  which 
milk  was,  and,  in  Syria,  still  is,  specially  enjoyed :  see  n.  on 
Is.  7^5  (Isaiahy  p.  129). 

18.  He  cannot  retain,  or  take  pleasure  corresponding  to,  his 
riches.     The  inconsistency  with  ^^  need  not  be  pressed. 

19-21.  The  greedy  man  acquires  and  consumes  remorse- 
lessly (^^*)  and  greedily  (2^*-  21*) ;  therefore  he  is  not  allowed  to 
retain  and  enjoy  his  acquisitions. 

19.  For]  or  rather,  if  the  v.  be  left  unemended,  because^  as 
in  2^* ;  in  all  three  distichs  the  first  line  gives  the  cause  of  the 
moral  consequence  described  in  the  second  line,  the  cause 
being  formally  indicated  in  ^^'  2^,  the  consequence  in  ^i.  Pos- 
sibly, however,  this  similarity  did  not  exist  in  the  original  text 
(see  phil.  nn.):  in  that  ca.se/or  may  here  give  the  reason  for 
^^ :  and  ^  (And  violently  seized  a  house  which  he  had  not  built) 
a  second  illustration  of  his  violent  conduct. — Build  up]  enjoy 
the  possession  of:   cp.  20b,  21b  ^^^  g^^  |^g^  ^ 

20.  Because]  ^  om. ;  Du.,  following  €r,  renders  *,  He  hath 
no  quietness  in  his  treasure — %  then,  gives  not  the  cause  of  **, 
but  is  a  parallel  statement. 

22b.  Cp.  55. 


l8o  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XX.  23-26. 

»  His  belly  must  be  filled  ! 
(God)  sendeth  forth  the  heat  of  his  anger  upon  him, 

And  raineth  it  upon  him  as  his  '^ bread  \ 
2*  He  may  flee  from  the  iron  weapon, 

(But)  the  bow  of  bronze  will  strike  him  through ; 

25  He  draweth  it  forth,  and  it  cometh  out  of  ""his]  back; 

And  the  glittering  point  out  of  his  gall. 
Terrors  '' are  turned^  upon  him  ; 

26  All  darkness  is  laid  up  for  his  treasures. 


23a.  Be  filled]  **not  with  the  food  he  loved,  but  with  the 
rain  of  Divine  judgments"  (Ps.  11^) — Dr.  But  the  line  is 
probably  a  gloss  or  a  fragment  (see  phil.  n.),  though  Bu.,  if 
one  line  must  be  omitted,  would  omit  ^,  which  is  literal, 
between  two  lines  that  are  figurative. — As  his  bread]  J^  info  his 
flesh ;  ^^  is  in  general,  and  was  originally,  perhaps,  more  closely, 
parallel  to  ^ ;  on  the  interpretation  and  proposed  emendations, 
see  phil.  n. 

24.  The  doom  of  the  wicked  is  certain :  if  he  escape  one 
form  of  Divine  judgment,  it  is  only  to  fall  a  victim  to  another 
(cp.  Am.  5^^  9^^-*).  Such  is  the  point  of  the  v.,  if  the  text  of  * 
in  5^  is  correct ;  but  since  weapon  (plJ'j)  is  elsewhere  a  general 
term  (39^^,  2  K.  lo^,  Ps.  140^,  and,  probably,  even  Ezk.  39^'), 
and  collective,  it  should  include  bows ;  in  that  case  the  anti- 
thesis would  be  reduced,  unsatisfactorily,  to  iron  and  bronze. 
Possibly  in  the  original  text,  *  was  synonymous  with  ^  (cp.  (K), 
not  antithetical.  In  itself  ^  certainly  does  not  suggest  weapons 
used  at  close  quarters  in  contrast  to  arrows  that  hit  at  a 
distance  (Del.  Di.  al.). — Bow  of  bronze]  Ps.  18^^ ;  fig.  for  arrows 
shot  from  a  powerful  bow. 

25.  Lines  **  ^  continue  2* ;  the  glittering  point  of  the  arrow 
has  pierced  his  vitals  (^)  (cp.  16^^),  before  the  smitten  man  can 
extract  it  (*).  For  the  rest,  owing  to  corruption  of  the  text, 
the  figure  of  the  v.  is  blurred ;  and  it  must  remain  uncertain 
whether  the  arrow  was  pictured  as  piercing  the  man  in  front, 
and  so  passing  right  through  him  (CEr),  or  as  piercing  him  in 
the  back  as  he  flees  (2^*  |^). 

25c,  26a  are  best  taken  as  Independent,  neither  continuing 


XX.  26-29.]  SOPHAR  l8l 

A  fire  not  blown  (by  man)  devoureth  him ; 

It  feedeth  on  that  which  is  left  in  his  tent. 
2^  The  heavens  reveal  his  iniquity, 

And  the  earth  riseth  up  ag^ainst  him. 
^  The  increase  of  his  house  goeth  into  exile, 

As  things  swept  away  in  the  day  of  wrath. 
2®  This  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked  man  from  God, 

And  the  heritage  appointed  unto  him  by  God. 


the  fig.  of  24-  25a.  b^  nor  beginning  that  of  26^-  °.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  distich  is  anything  but  a  necessary  conclusion  to  ^y  and  24-  25a,  b 
need  not  be  considered  out  of  place  (Du.),  If  it  were  necessary 
to  find  a  continuation  of  23,  it  would  be  better  found  in  26b.  c^ 
The  text  is  again  very  uncertain :  on  25c^  see  phil.  n.  It  is 
strange  that  in  26a  the  calamity  destined  for  his  treasures  (l^^lSV), 
unless  indeed  this  should  be  taken  personally  for  his  treasured 
ones  as  in  Ps.  83*,  should  be  expressed  figuratively  by  saying 
that  darkness  is  laid  up  (lit.  hidden)  for  them  :  for  treasures 
are  hidden  things  (32^),  and  darkness  suggests  security  rather 
than  peril  for  these.  A  personal  term  of  some  kind  is  re- 
quired :  Me.  for  his  offspring  (r^«J^N^S' :  cp.  <S),  Du.  for  him  (if) : 
cp.  0^). 

26b,  C.  A  fre^h  fig.  :  lightning  (see  phil.  n.  and  cp.  i^^ 
1534  n.)  strikes  him  dead,  and  destroys  what  has  survived  (18^^, 
phil.  n.)  previous  disasters.  That  the  "fire"  is  fever  is  im- 
probable. 

27.  **  Heaven  and  earth  combine  to  testify  to  his  guilt  (viz. 
by  the  judgments  which  they  conspire  to  send  against  him)  " — 
Dr.     A  reference  to  i6^^^-  i925ff.  (Bu.)  is  far  from  certain. 

28.  A  return  to  the  judgments  after  27  is  not  very  satisfactory; 
and  27  and  28  may  have  become  accidentally  transposed — an 
accident  which  would  have  been  facilitated  by  the  similar  be- 
ginning (^r)  of  the  first  lines  of  the  two  distichs. — Goeth  into 
exile]  similarly  Is.  24^1,  Hos.  10^;  but  J^  (pointed  ??['')  may  also 
mean  rolleth  away  (like  a  stream) :  on  this  and  the  questionable 
text  of  ^  see  phil.  n. 

29.  Cp.  1 821  (fQj.  i-j^g  ioxm  of  conclusion),  271^  (for  the  con- 
tents of  the  V. :  also  31^). 


1 82  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXI.  1-3. 

XXI.  ^  Then  Job  answered  and  said, 
2  Hear  diligently  my  speech  ; 

And  let  this  be  your  consolation. 
^  Suffer  me,  and  /  will  speak, 

And  after  that  I  have  spoken,  mock  on. 


XXI.  Job's  reply  to  Sophar's  second  speech.— Vv.^^ 

introductory  ;  ^"^^  the  facts  are  not  as  Sophar  represents  ;  on  the 
contrary,  the  wicked  actually  live  even  to  old  age,  enjoying  all 
manner  of  prosperity.  Why  ?  For  (^*'-)  they  are  even  openly 
defiant  of  God.  No  doubt  it  sometimes  happens  that  calamity 
befalls  the  wicked ;  but  how  often  (^'^^•)  ?  Perhaps,  too,  God 
punishes  the  children  of  the  wicked  after  the  fathers  are  dead  ; 
but  that  does  not  affect  the  wicked  themselves  (^^-^i)^  Vov^ 
once  life  is  over,  one  who  has  enjoyed  prosperity  up  to  the  end 
is  no  worse  off  than  one  who  has  lived  miserably ;  difference  of 
fortune  belongs  to  life  only ;  the  dead  share  all  a  common  fate 
p3-26j^  Not  only  are  the  friends  wrong  as  to  facts,  but  wrong 
also  in  their  inference  that  because  Job's  house  has  been 
destroyed.  Job  is  wicked  (2^'-).  It  is  in  those  that  escape 
calamity  that  wickedness  might  more  safely  be  suspected  ;  but 
men  are  afraid  to  accuse  powerful  sinners,  however  patent 
their  sins ;  they  rather  cringe  before  them  in  their  lifetime, 
and  honour  them  in  death  (29-33j^ 

The  emphasis  in  this  speech  lies  not  on  Job's  suffering  in 
spite  of  his  righteousness,  but  on  the  appalling  (^'•)  fact  that 
men  prosper  in  spite  of  being  wicked — an  appalling  fact  since 
it  seems  to  reflect  on  God  (^) ;  cp.  Jer.  12^"^,  Ps.  73^"^^. 

2.  The  speeches  of  the  friends  gave  Job  no  comfort  (^*  16^  : 
cp.  15^^);  but  their  attention,  if  they  will  give  it,  as  he  pro- 
pounds this  dark  riddle  of  God's  conduct,  he  will  accept  as 
such. — Your  €071501(111071^  ct.  **the  consolations  of  God,"  15^^  n. 

3.  After  he  has  spoken,  they  may,  if  they  can  or  will,  con- 
tinue to  mock. — Mock  07i]  in  J^  (not  ffi)  the  vb.  is  sing,  as 
addressed  to  Sophar  alone:  cp.  16^  26^  (n.);  Bu.  thinks  the 
sing,  original,  and  the  correct  reply  to  20^  where  Sophar  alone 
speaks  for  the  friends ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  20^  could 
have  been  in  the  first  pi. 


XXI.  4-10.]  JOB  183 

*  As  for  me,  is  my  complaint  of  man  ? 

And  why  should  I  not  be  impatient? 
^  Mark  me,  and  be  astonished. 

And  lay  (your)  hand  upon  (your)  mouth ; 

*  Even  when  I  remember  I  am  dismayed, 

And  horror  taketh  hold  on  my  flesh. 
^  Wherefore  do  the  wicked  live. 

Become  old,  yea,  wax  mighty  in  power? 

*  Their  seed  is  established  with  them, 

And  their  offspring  before  their  eyes. 
®  Their  houses  are  safe  from  fear, 

Neither  is  the  rod  of  God  upon  them. 
^®  Their  bull  gendereth,  and  showeth  no  loathing ; 

Their  cow  calveth,  and  casteth  not  her  calf. 


4.  Not  of  men,  and  therefore  not  of  you,  but  of  God  I  com- 
plain, whose  ways  with  men  give  me  good  reason  to  be  impatient, 
—Complaint]  7"  (phil.  n.)  ^^  927  ^q\  2^,— Impatient]  6^^n. 

5f.  If  the  friends  will  lend  Job  their  attention  as  he  ex- 
pounds his  theme,  viz.,  the  anomalies  of  God's  moral  govern- 
ment and  His  preferential  treatment  of  the  wicked,  they  will 
be  astounded,  as  Job  himself  (^)  is  already,  to  find  i^^-)  that 
God  suffers  the  wicked  to  prosper. — Mark  me]  lit.  turn  to  me^ 
i.e.  attentively :  the  two  imperatives  form  a  virtually  hypo- 
thetical sentence. — Lay  hand  upon  mouth]  in  awe-struck  silence: 
40*,  Mic.  7^^. 

7.  Ct.  2o5  and,  with  8. 11  20IO  (Sophar) ;  also  iS^ff- 1^  (Bildad), 
i^20fif.33f.  (Eliphaz). 

8.  The  wicked  continue  to  have  their  children  as  they  grow 
old  (^),  their  children's  children  also,  about  them,  and  to  enjoy 
the  sight  of  them  ;  they  are  spared  the  cruel  bereavements  which 
had  been  multiplied  for  Job.  At  present  the  reference  to  the 
children  is  broken  off  by  ^''  and  resumed  in  ^^ :  Bi.  Du.  place 
8  after  ^^ — the  best  and  simplest  transposition  :  Me.  rearranged 
vv.7-iiintheorder7.8.ii.io.9. 

9.  Safe  from  fear]  prosperous  (52*),  with  no  fear  of  un- 
welcome change. — b.  Another  contrast  to  Job's  lot :  see  9^*. 

10.  No  accident  hinders  the  increase  of  their  herd. — Their] 


1 84  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXI.  10-14. 

^^  They  send  forth  their  young  ones  like  a  flock, 

And  their  children  dance. 
^2  They  sing  to  the  timbrel  and  harp, 

And  rejoice  at  the  sound  of  the  pipe. 
^*  They  "^end^  their  days  in  prosperity, 

And  in  a  moment  go  down  to  Sheol. 


so  ^ :  f^  his^  and  so  in  ^  in  reference  to  the  individual  wicked 
man :  cp.  ^^^•. — Showeth  no  loathing]  or  cause th  not  (the  cow) 
to  loathe  (see  phil.  n.). 

II.  Their  children  are  as  free  from  care  as  small  cattle  let 
loose  on  the  pastures. — They  send  forth  their  young  ones\  so  JH 
(in?^^) ;  better,  because  a  closer  parallel  to  the  intrans.  vb.  in  ^, 
their  young  ones  are  sent  forth^  or  let  loose  (^nfe*^  %  irpo^aX- 
XovTaty  U  egrediuntur).  For  this  idea  expressed  by  the  vb.  cp. 
Is.  32^^. — Like  a  flock]  as  little  here  as  in  Ps.  114*-^  is  the 
point  of  comparison  the  number  of  the  flock  (Du.  Bu.  Peake) ; 
the  point,  as  in  ^,  is  the  careless,  joyous  freedom  of  the  children. 
— Dance\  cp.  Ps.  114^-^ — there  of  animals  skipping  about  in 
terror  at  the  storm  (cp.  Ps.  29^),  here  of  the  dance  of  joy  (cp. 
Ec.  3*).  The  line  is  short,  and  has  possibly  lost  the  clause  like 
rams  (cp.  Ps.  114*),  parallel  to  like  a  flock  ;  if  not,  the  compari- 
son is  implicit. 

12-13.  The  wicked  live  a  merry  life  (^^j^  ^nd  die  an  easy 
death  (^^).  The  instruments  mentioned  in  ^^  are  (i)  the  timbrel^ 
i.e.  the  tambourine — an  instrument  of  percussion  ;  (2)  the  harp 
or  lyre  (see  Dr.  Amosy  p.  236 f.) — in  any  case  a  stringed 
instrument ;  and  (3)  the  pipe  (bag-pipe)  or  flute  (ST),  or  Pan's 
pipe  (U) — in  any  case  the  term  (3:iiy,  30^1,  Gn.  421,  Ps.  150**) 
probably  denotes  a  wind  instrument  rather  than  another 
stringed  instrument  (ffi  in  Gn.  4^^) :  see,  further,  EBi.  s.v. 
Music,  (i)  and  (2)  are  mentioned  together  as  used  for  joyous 
music  in  Gn.  31^7,  Is.  24^,  and  (together  with  other  instruments) 
Is.  5^2. 

13.  JEnd]  ^  lit.  wear  out;  but  see  phil.  n. — In  a  moment] 
and  therefore  painlessly,  not,  like  Job,  lingeringly  and  painfully; 
or  in  tranquillity y  see  phil.  n. 

14  f.  All  these  tokens  of  God's  favour  are  shown  to  the 


XXI.  14-16.]  JOB  185 

^*^  Yet  they  said  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us, 

For  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways, 

^^  What  is  the  Almighty,  that  we  should  serve  him  ? 

And  what  profit  should  we  have,  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?  " 

^^  Lo,  "^is""  not  their  prosperity  in  their  hand? 
(The  counsel  of  the  wicked  is  far  from  me.) 


wicked  C^"^^),  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  had  treated  God  with 
disdain,  and  lived  regardless  of  Him. 

15.  If  men  prosper,  though  they  disregard  God,  they 
naturally  and  cheerfully  conclude  that  nothing  is  to  be  gained 
by  regarding  Him ;  the  same  conclusion  is  uttered  in  despair 
at  the  sight  of  the  prosperous  wicked  by  impatient  **  servants  " 
of  God  in  Mai.  3I*  2^7, 

16.  On  the  text  of  *  followed  in  the  translation,  see  below : 
5t|  reads :  Lo,  their  prosperity  is  not  in  their  hand.  Line  ^ 
recurs  in  22'^^^f  and  possibly  *  and  22^^  are  merely  variants,  as 
Du.  suggests,  who  considers  the  v.  in  place  here  and  out  of 
place  there.  On  the  other  hand,  Bu.  suspects  ^  of  having  here 
extruded  a  more  exact  parallel  to  *.  The  line  is  rhythmically 
more  in  place  in  22^^  (see  phil.  n.),  if  the  text  there  is  correct. 

"The  V.  has  been  very  dififerently  understood:  (i)  taking-  the  words 
[in  J§]  as  Job's  own  :  their  prosperity  is  not  in  their  own  hands  to  retain 
(but  is  secured  to  them  by  God) :  so  Di.  Del.  ;  (2)  expressing  the  same 
sense  by  a  change  of  text :  (a)  dBr  Me.  Be.  (omitting  «*?),  Behold,  their  pros- 
perity is  in  their  hands  {i.e.  secure)  ;  (b)  Be.  (alt.)  liSn  for  ti*?  |n,  Du.  nSd  jn, 
(Behold,)  is  not  their  prosperity  in  their  hands  {i.e.  secure)? — Du.  continu- 
ing, (Is  not)  the  counsel  of  the  wicked  far  from  Him  (udd)  ?  viz.  from  God 
(who  does  not  concern  Himself  with  their  projects  :  ffi  ^pya  S^  aaefiwv  oix 
icpop^) ;  (3)  making  the  words  an  objection,  quoted  by  Job  :  their  prosperity 
is  not  in  their  own  hands  to  retain  (but  may  be  lost  by  them  at  any  moment); 
so  RVm.  (prefixing,  Ye  sajy),  Schl.  Kamph.  Hi.  Bu.  (i)  cannot  be  said  to 
give  a  natural  sense  to  the  Heb.  words  of  * :  if  that  sense  is  thought  to  be 
required,  it  is  better  to  change  the  text  (2  a  or  b);  and  though  the  omission 
seems  violent,  it  is,  of  course,  possible  that  a  scribe,  finding  it  said  that  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked  was  in  their  own  hands,  inserted  «*?,  regardless  of 
the  context,  to  make  the  statement  more  orthodox.  (3)  gives  an  excellent 
sense,  but  there  is  nothing-  in  the  text  to  indicate  that  the  words  are  not 
Job's  own  :  however,  the  same  objection  might  be  raised  on  "*  (cp.  24^^), 
where  the  words  [in  |^]  are  certainly  not  Job's.  ^  will  be  a  protestation, — 
whether  in  Job's  mouth  or  in  that  of  the  objector, — that  the  speaker  does 
not  suffer  himself  to  be  led  into  sin  by  the  sight  of  the  prosperity  of  the  un- 


I S6  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXI.  16-19. 

^'^  How  often  is  it  that  the  lamp  of  the  wicked  is  put  out? 

That  their  calamity  cometh  upon  them  ? 

That  cords  '^ seize  them^  in  his  anger? 
^*  That  they  are  as  stubble  before  the  wind, 

And  as  chaff  that  the  whirlwind  carrieth  away  ? 
^^  (Ye  say),   **  God  layeth  up  his  iniquity  for  his  children." 

Let  him  recompense  it  unto  himself,  that  he  may  know  it ! 


godly  :  it  would  be  more  forcible  ind  pointed  in  Job's  mouth  (who  believes 
in  their  prosperity  :  above,  i  and  2)  than  in  the  objector's  mouth  (who 
realizes  that  it  is  precarious  :  above,  3)." — Dr. 

17  f.  Sometimes,  no  doubt,  calamity  befalls  the  wicked,  and 
they  perish  by  an  untimely  fate :  yet  not  as  the  friends  main- 
tain regularly,  but  only  exceptionally.  With  i^a.  b  ^,p^  igsa.  12b 
(Bildad),  with  ""  1810-12,  with  is*  Ps.  i*,  and  with  is^  2720 
(?  Sophar).  —  Cords  seize  theni]  ^  cordsy  or  less  probably 
pains  (properly  birth-pai7is)  or  portions^  He  distributes:  see 
phil.  n. 

19.  In  *  Job  is  either  citing  from  the  friends  (cp.  on  ^^), 
in  order  to  reject  it  in  what  follows,  a  plea  that  the  wicked  are 
punished  in  the  sufferings  of  their  children ;  or,  if  we  read  (see 
phil.  n.).  Let  not  [God)  lay  up^  etc.,  he  is  already  in  *  rejecting 
such  a  plea.  In  any  case,  in  i9^-2o.  21  j^g  goes  on  to  urge  that 
punishment  inflicted  on  a  wicked  man's  children  when  the  man 
is  dead  is  no  justification  of  God's  government ;  for,  since  once 
dead  the  man  is  beyond  suffering  in  his  own  person,  and  also 
beyond  knowing  that  his  children  suffer,  he,  the  guilty,  entirely 
escapes,  they,  the  innocent,  suffer  :  the  plea,  therefore,  after  all 
in  no  way  assists  the  case  of  the  friends,  but  rather  supports 
Job's  position,  for  it  really  states  a  particular  illustration  of 
what  Job  is  all  along  maintaining  to  be  the  general  rule  in  life, 
viz.  that  the  innocent  suffer,  the  guilty  prosper.  The  friends, 
it  is  true,  have  nowhere  expressly  urged  that  the  children 
suffer  instead  of  the  guilty  fathers  ;  in  5*  (Eliphaz)  20^^  (Sophar) 
the  suffering  of  their  children  is  rather  an  additional  element 
in  the  punishment  of  the  wicked.  But  Job  has  just  previously 
challenged  the  main  thesis  of  the  friends,  that  the  wicked  are 
themselves  regularly  overtaken   by  calamity :    what   in  effect 


XXI.  19-22.]  JOB  187 

^^  Let  his  own  eyes  see  his  l^ calamity^, 

And  let  him  drink  of  the  wrath  of  the  Almighty  ! 

*^  For  what  interest  hath  he  in  his  house  after  him, 
When  the  number  of  his  months  is  finished  ? 

'^  Will  any  teach  God  knowledge, 

Seeing  he  judgeth  those  that  are  on  high  ? 


he  does  here,  if  in  ^^*  he  is  citing-  their  plea,  is  to  argue  that 
if,  as  a  fact,  the  wicked  themselves  generally  (cp.  ^'^^•)  escape 
punishment,  it  is  irrelevant  whether  as  a  matter  of  fact 
after  their  death  their  children  suffer  or  do  not.  With  this 
criticism  of  the  principle  that  on  account  of  the  solidarity  of 
the  class  or  family  innocent  members  of  it  are  legitimate 
objects  of  punishment  due  to  guilty  members  (which  led  to 
such  applications  of  the  blood  feud  as  are  illustrated  in  2  S.  21 
and  such  sanctions  of  law  as  that  in  Ex.  20^),  cp.  Ezk.  iS^*'^-, 
Jer.  3i2^'-. — T/iat  he  may  know  it]  experience,  feel  it:  cp.  Is.  9^, 
Hos.  9^  Ezk.  25!^ 

20.  3^  unsuitably  crafi:  **  destruction"  (EV)  is  merely  a 
conjectural  and  wrong  translation  of  f^. — Drink]  a  piquant 
figure  for  feel  the  effects  of:  see,  e.g-.y  Is.  51^'^. 

21.  In^eres^]  y^n  as  22^.  He  can  have  no  interest  in  what 
goes  on  in  his  old  home,  for  being  dead  he  knows  nothing 
about  it  (1421^-:  cp.  Ec.  9^*-).  Quite  improbable  is  the  view 
(Ew.  Del.)  that  the  meaning  is :  During  his  lifetime  the 
wicked  has  no  interest  in  what  will  go  on  in  his  home  after  he 
is  dead. 

22.  Can  any  mortal,  will  you  in  particular  whom  I  am 
addressing,  instruct  God  (cp.  Is.  40^*)  ?  Such  a  notion  is 
absurd.  He  has  the  knowledge  to  judge  (cp.  22^^)  the  in- 
habitants of  heaven  (cp.  25^  4^^  '5^^))  a  fortiori  He  knows  all 
about  earth  and  how  to  govern  men.  Such  is  the  most 
natural  interpretation  of  the  v.  taken  by  itself:  the  difficulty 
is  to  relate  it  satisfactorily  to  its  present  position.  Job  is 
commonly  understood  to  be  suggesting  that  the  friends  speak 
and  act  as  though  they  could  teach  God:  so,  e.g.^  Da.,  ''By 
insisting  on  a  doctrine  of  providence  which  did  not  correspond 
to  God's  providence  as  actually  seen  in  facts,  Job's  friends 


1 88  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XXI.  22-24. 

23  One  dieth  in  his  very  completeness, 

Being  wholly  at  ease  and  quiet : 

24  Ills  pails  are  full  of  milk, 

And  the  marrow  of  his  bones  is  moistened. 


were  making  themselves  wiser  than  God  and  becoming  His 
teachers."  But  the  friends  accept  their  reading  of  the  facts  of 
life  without  question ;  they  never  suggest  that  those  facts 
could  be  better  or  ought  to  be  other  than  they  are :  Job,  it  is 
true,  urges  that  the  friends  describe  God's  action  incorrectly 
(cp.  27^-  2*) ;  but  incorrect  or  even  dishonest  description  of  what 
a  person  does  do  cannot  naturally  be  regarded  as  teaching 
that  person  what  he  should  do.  On  the  other  hand,  Job,  who 
arraigns  God's  actions  and  suggests  that  the  facts  of  life  might 
and  ought  to  be  other  than  they  are,  might  not  unnaturally 
be  asked  this  question.  Accordingly  others  (e,g:  Hi.)  have  seen 
in  v.22  a  charge  against  Job  cited  (cp.  ^^'  ^'^)  from  the  friends. 
Unfortunately  this  suggestion  also  breaks  down,  for  in  what 
follows  Job  makes  no  reply  to  the  charge  (ct.  ^'^^-  i9^-2i).  It  is 
possible  to  translate  *  differently:  Will  any  for  (cp.  13^)  God 
teach  knowledge?  So  Ehrlich,  who  understands  the  v.  to 
mean,  can  any  man  on  behalf  of  God  explain  such  facts  of 
earthly  life  as  are  described  in  23-27 .  Qq^j  cannot  Himself  give 
the  explanation,  being  so  occupied  with  the  affairs  of  heaven  as 
not  to  notice  what  men  are  doing  on  earth.  Du.  translates  * 
in  the  same  way  and,  emending  D^Ol  to  n^Dl,  renders  ^,  Seeing 
that  he  judges  deceit,  and  sees  in  the  v.  an  angry  protest 
against  a  dogma  which  takes  no  account  of  reality.  But  these 
explanations  also  are  not  convincing,  and  in  its  present  con- 
text the  V.  seems  to  defy  explanation. 

23-26.  Inequality,  difference  of  fortune  in  life — ease  for 
some,  misery  for  others,  but  equality,  a  common  fate,  in  death ; 
then  for  all  alike  the  dust  and  the  worm.  In  Ikts  life,  if 
justice  is  to  be  done,  the  wicked  must  suffer  (2^*-). 

24.  Pails]  see  phil.  n.  :  EV.  breasts  like  the  VV.  not  un- 
naturally seeks  a  closer  parallel  to  ** bones"  in  ^;  but  for  this 
emendation  is  required. — b.  **He  is  well-nourished  and  pros- 
perous (cp.  Pr.  38)  "—Dr.     Ct.  Ps.  32^8), 


XXI.  25-29.]  JOB  189 

25  And  another  dieth  with  a  bitter  soul, 

And  never  tasteth  of  good. 

26  They  lie  down  alike  in  the  dust, 

And  the  worm  covereth  them. 
2^^  Behold,  I  know  your  thoughts, 

And  the  plots  (wherewith)  ye  deal  violently  against  me  ; 
28  For  ye  say,  **  Where  is  the  house  of  the  noble? 

And  where  is  the  tent  wherein  the  wicked  dwelt  ?  " 
2®  Have  ye  not  asked  them  that  go  by  the  way? 

And  do  ye  not  regard  their  tokens  ? 


25.  A  bitter  sout\  320  n. — And  never  tasteth  of]  never  through 
life  having  tasted  any  good  (192^),  i.e.  experienced  any  good 
fortune  or  happiness. 

26.  Lie  down  in  the  dust]  722. — b.  cp.  Is.  14^1^. — The  worm] 

27  ff.  The  arguments  of  the  friends  spring  from  hostility  to 
Job  (2^),  and  are  based  on  a  false  and  dishonest  description 
of  facts  (3*) :  they  argue,  wicked  men  go  to  ruin ;  Job  has 
gone  to  ruin ;  Job  is  wicked ;  but  the  major  premiss  is  false, 
as  they  must  or  ought  to  know :  any  traveller  could  tell  them 
that  wicked  men  are  kept  from  calamity  in  life,  and  after 
death  are  honoured. 

27  [Wherewith)  ye  deal  violently]  **read,  perhaps,  which 
ye  search  out,  or  which  ye  devise'''  (Dr.) — see  phil.  n. 

28.  For]  or,  when ;  but  in  the  latter  case,  28  is  better  made 
the  conclusion  of  27  (Bu.)  than  a  protasis  of  which  29  is  the 
apodosis  (Di.). —  Ye  say]  the  questions  which  follow  are  not 
cited  verbally  from  the  friends,  but  they  correctly  summarize 
such  passages  as  152*  (Eliphaz),  S^^  i8i5-2i  (BiMsid).— Where P] 

=  nowhere :  cp.   e.g.   4'^ :  the  houses  where  once  the  wicked 
dwelt  and  seemed  to  flourish  have  vanished. 

29.  Them  that  go  by  the  way]  travellers :  in  La.  1^2  ^^b^ 
Ps.  80^2  89^2^  Pr.  gi5  passers-by y  with  less  if  any  suggestion  that 
the  persons  in  question  have  travelled  far. — Tokens]  the  word 
(din),  commonly  rendered  **sign,"  here  means  typical  illustra- 
tions drawn  by  those  travellers  from  their  experience  of  men 
and  life  that  {^)  wicked  men  do  not  come  to  ruin. 


I90  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB       [XXI.  30-33. 

^  That  the  evil  man  is  spared  '^in^  the  day  of  calamity? 

That  they  are  f^ delivered  in!  the  day  of  wrath? 
3^  Who  doth  declare  his  way  to  his  face  ? 

And  if  ke  hath  done  a  thing,  who  doth  repay  him  ? 
^  And  Ae  is  borne  to  the  grave, 

And  keepeth  watch  over  the  tomb. 
^  The  clods  of  the  valley  are  sweet  unto  him, 

And  all  men  draw  after  him. 

As  there  were  innumerable  before  him. 


30.  /»  .  .  .  delivered  in]  "^for  .  .  .  led  along  to — impossible 
in  the  context,  and  probably  (the  prepositions  at  least)  due  to 
a  dogmatic  correction  of  the  text:  see  phil.  n. —  WratK\  i,e 
God's  wrath :  cp.  Is.  2^^, 

31.  Wicked  men  are  not  only  spared  by  God  (v.^^),  but  are 
also  left  unrebuked  by  man.     It  is  more  natural  to  take  this  v 
as  resuming  Job's  own  description  of  the  wicked  than  as  con- 
tinuing the  testimony  of  the  travellers. 

32.  Honour  and  good  fortune  continue  to  be  the  lot  of  the 
wicked  in  death :  they  are  buried  with  pomp  (^2*),  provided 
with  a  (fine)  tomb  (^2^),  and  laid  in  sweet  soil  (^^*).  Job 
imaginatively  endows  his  wicked  men  with  sentiency  even  in 
death  (ct.  2^) :  they  enjoy  the  sweetness  of  their  grave,  and 
(perhaps)  look  with  satisfaction  on  the  sepulchral  monument 
erected  in  their  honour.  Not  to  enjoy  such  things  as  these, 
does  Job  demand  for  himself  a  moment  of  sentiency  after  death 
(19^^). — Bome\  lo^^ — The  grave\  a  stately  grave  ;  see  phil.  n. 
on  17^. — Keepeth  watch]  the  subject  may  be  as  in  *  the  wicked 
man  regarded  as  sentient  (cp.  ^*),  or  indef.  and  men  keep 
ivatchy  or  and  watch  is  kepty  i,e,  his  tomb  is  carefully  guarded, 
and  his  memory  kept  alive  (ct.  18^^). 

33.  Valley]  properly  torrent-valley ^  wady,  if  not  rather  dust ; 
see  phil.  n.  For  the  valley  in  which  Moses  was  buried  (Dt.  34^), 
to  which  Hi.  appeals  as  a  parallel,  a  different  term  (^<^i)  is  used, 
^•^have  been  understood  as  meaning  (i)  though  he  does  not 
escape  the  evil  of  death,  yet  in  dying  he  only  shares  the  lot  of 
all  who  ever  have  been  or  will  be  (Del.) ;  and  for  the  wicked, 
even  death,  when  it  comes,  comes  sweetly :  or  (2),  the  wicked, 


XXI.  33-34.]  JOB  191 

3^  How  then  comfort  ye  me  with  vanity, 

Seeing  that  of  your  answers  there  remaineth  (nought 

but)  faithlessness. 


in  consequence  of  the  attractiveness  of  his  lot,  finds  innumer- 
able imitators,  as  he  himself  followed  the  attractive  path  of 
innumerable  wicked  men  before  him  (Ew.  Di.  Da.  Dr.  Peake). 
It  is  on  the  whole  probable  that  whoever  wrote  ^  intended  to 
express  one  of  these  two  ideas.  But  is  ^  original,  or  an  addition 
(Du.  Be.^).^  Certainly,  if  ^  stood  without  ^,  it  would  most 
naturally  be  understood  of  the  thronging  procession  that  followed 
the  wicked  man  to  his  grave,  and  in  this  case  the  hyperbole  in 
**all  men"  would  be  more  natural  than  in  (2);  for  Job  does 
not  hold  that  all  men  are  wicked.  Hi.  pertinently  cites  from 
Burckhardt  the  Arabic  proverb:  *'The  bier  of  a  stranger — no 
man  before  it  or  behind  it,"  which  might  even  justify  taking  ^ 
and  ^  in  this  sense,  but  that  the  idea  comes  late  after  *.  It  is 
noticeable  that  at  present  ^-  °  form  strange  second  and  third 
lines  of  a  distich  to  *  as  a  first  line  :  and  also  that  the  funeral 
pomp  is  at  present  rather  briefly  expressed  in  ^^a .  possibly  3^° 
was  added  by  a  glossator  after  32a.  33b^  g^  distich  describing 
the  funeral  pomp,  and  ^sa.  32b^  ^  distich  describing  the  feelings 
imaginatively  attributed  to  the  wicked  after  death,  had  become 
dislocated. 

34.  Comfort]  2:  16^. —  Wiih  vanity]  with  unreal  assertions 
such  as  that  Job  might  prosper  again,  if  he  would  confess  and 
turn  away  from  his  sins,  whereas  in  reality  the  beginning  and 
condition  of  prosperity  is  wickedness.  All  that  the  friends  say 
is  but  a  dishonest  attempt  to  prove  him  wicked. 

XXII.  The  third  speech  of  Eliphaz.— God  derives  no 
advantage  from  men,  whether  they  are  good  or  bad ;  but  men 
themselves  derive  advantage  (viz.  prosperity)  from  being 
righteous  (2'-).  For,  of  course,  God  does  not  make  Job  suffer 
(lof.)  because  he  had  been  pious  (*),  but  because  he  had  sinned 
manifoldly  (^),  treating  men  inhumanly  (^-9),  and  God  as  of 
no  account  in  human  affairs  (^^-i*) ;  yet  how  mistakenly,  for 
wicked  men  in  the  past,  as  he  does  now,  had  paid  dearly  for 
their  disregard  of  God  (i^-so).     Yet,  even  now,  if  he  would  let 


192  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXII.  1-4. 

XXII.  ^  Then  answered  Eliphaz  the  Temanlte,  and  said, 
2  Can  a  man  be  profitable  unto  God  ? 

Nay,  he  that  doeth  wisely  is  profitable  unto  himself. 

*  Is   it  any  interest  to  the   Almighty,   that   thou   art 

righteous  ? 
Or  gain,  that  thou  makest  thy  ways  perfect  ? 

*  Is  it  for  thy  fear  (of  him)  that  he  reproveth  thee, 

That  he  entereth  with  thee  into  judgment  ? 


God  rule  his  life  and  abandon  unrighteousness,  prosperity 
might  return  to  him  (^^-^^). 

Eliphaz  had  already,  in  his  second  speech,  directly  charged 
Job  with  impious  speech  concerning  God  (15^');  but  it  is  a 
new  feature,  the  only  new  feature,  of  the  third  speech,  that  he 
directly  accuses  Job  of  specific  sins  against  men ;  in  this  respect 
Eliphaz  is  in  his  last  speech  most  severe  in  his  treatment  of 
Job ;  and  yet  he,  the  kindliest  of  the  friends,  closes  even  this 
speech  as  he  had  closed  the  first  (5^'^"^''),  with  a  picture  of  the 
felicity  that  might  yet  be  obtained  by  Job,  and  an  appeal  to 
him  to  take  that  course  which  alone  can  secure  it. 

2-4.  God  has  nothing  to  gain  from  men ;  therefore  Job's 
sufferings  cannot  be  traced  to  any  self-seeking  motive  in 
God.  They  must  be  traced,  then,  to  something  in  Job ;  and, 
since  it  would  be  absurd  to  trace  it  to  his  piety,  it  must  be 
traced  to  sin  in  him.  Such  seems  to  be  the  argument,  but 
certainly  ** Eliphaz  puts  his  point  rather  strangely"  (Peake). 

2a,  3.  Cp.  7^^,  where  Job  urges  that  man's  stn  cannot  affect 
God :  Eliphaz  combines  both  points  that  neither  can  man's 
righteousness  benefit,  nor  his  sin  injure,  God  (35*'*).  With  ^^ 
cp.  35^,  where  the  effect  of  man's  action  is  limited  to  men,  but 
not  to  the  particular  actor. 

3.  Interest]  2121  n. :  here  note  the  parallel  term  **gain." 
EV.  ** pleasure"  is  misleading:  Eliphaz  is  not  denying  that 
God  may  derive  pleasure,  but  that  he  derives  benefit,  from 
human  righteousness. — b^.  Cp.  4^^  **The  perfectness  of  thy 
ways." 

4.  Thy  fear]  i.e.  thy  religion ;  cp.  4®  (n.)  15*. — Reproveth] 

5". 


XXII.  5-8.]  ELIPHAZ  1 93 

^  Is  not  thy  wickedness  great  ? 

Neither  is  there  any  end  to  thine  iniquities. 
•  For  thou  takest  pledges  of  thy  brother  for  nought, 

And  strippest  the  naked  of  their  clothing. 
^  Thou  givest  not  water  to  the  weary  to  drink, 

And  from  the  hungry  thou  withholdest  bread. 
®  And  the  man  with  the  arm,  he  had  the  land, 

And  the  man  of  repute,  he  dwelt  in  it. 


5b.  Or,  the  force  of  the  interrogative  in  *  extending  to  ^ : 
And  are  not  thine  iniquities  endless  ? 

6-9.  Specific  charges  (solemnly  repudiated  in  3119'- le'.  21J 
that  Job  has  harshly  treated  (i)  fellow-clansmen  fallen  into  his 
debt  (^);  (2)  the  faint  and  hungry  (^);  (3)  widows  and  orphans  (*). 
The  lines,  except  in  ^%  where  the  pf.  appears  for  variety,  are 
frequentatives,  indicating  Job's  constant  practice. 

6.  Not  two  charges,  but  the  two  parallel  lines  supplement 
one  another :  the  accusation  is  not  that  Job  took  pledges  for 
money  lent,  nor  even  merely  that  he  did  so  for  nought^ 
ue,  for  fictitious  or  trivial  debts,  or  (cp.  2^  9^^)  without  good 
ground,  such  as  his  own  necessity ;  but  that  he  took  clothing 
in  pledge,  and  thereby  reduced  his  debtors  to  nakedness.  To 
lend  to  2.  fellow- Hebrew  on  interest  was  altogether  forbidden  by 
Hebrew  law  (Ex.  222*^25)).  ^.q  jg^d  and  to  take  something  in 
pledge  as  security  was  permitted,  but  with  the  proviso  that 
such  pledges  should  not  involve  harsh  treatment,  such  as,  e.g,y 
depriving  a  man  of  his  means  of  living  (Dt.  24^),  or  of  covering 
by  night  (Ex.  222^  <26)^  Dt.  2412.  is).  It  is  of  such  harsh  and 
unconscionable  treatment  of  those  to  whom  he  had  lent  that 
Job  is  here  accused :  cp.  24^-  ^,  Am.  2^,  Ezk.  18^2^ 

7.  Job  with  all  his  wealth  had  withheld  food  from  the  needy : 
cp.  Mt.  25^2.35^  js.  587-10. —  Weary\  or  faint  from  thirst:  cp. 
Pr.  2525,  Is.  29^;  so  of  unwatered  land,  Is.  322,  Ps.  632. 

8.  Oblique  references  to  Job ;  ct.  the  direct  address  in  ^-  7-  ^. 
The  V.  may  well  be  out  of  place  (Sgf.  Bu.  Peake) ;  if  not,  it 
appears  to  be  a  covert  charge  of  harshly  dispossessing  the 
needy  from  their  land  in  order  to  add  their  estates  to  his  own  : 
cp.  Is.  5^. — The  man  with  the  arm]  the  man  who  had  power 

13 


194  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXII.  8-12. 

®  Thou  has  sent  widows  away  empty, 

And  the  arms  of  the  fatherless  are  crushed. 
^®  Therefore  traps  are  round  about  thee, 

And  sudden  terror  dismayeth  thee. 
^^  Thy  "^ light ^  is  darkened  that  thou  seest  not, 

And  abundance  of  waters  doth  cover  thee. 
^2  Is  not  God  as  lofty  as  heaven  ? 

And  behold  the  ^  stars,  how  high  they  are ! 


(cp.  35*^),  and  exercised  it  regardless  of  justice  or  humanity. — 
He  had  the  land  .  ,  ,  he  dwelt]  or,  his  is  the  land  {w\z.  according 
to  thy  principles)  ,  .  .  he  should  dwell  (viz.  as  thou  boldest), 
so  Dr.;  cp.  Di.  Rather  differently  Bu. :  *'As  Job  left  the 
helpless  and  poor  in  the  lurch,  and  even  ill-treated  them,  so  on 
the  other  hand  he  left  all  power  in  the  hands  of  the  powerful." 

9.  The  arms  .  .  .  are  crushed]  i.e.  orphans  are  deprived  of 
support:  for  the  fig.  cp.  Ps.  3717  **the  arms  of  the  wicked 
are  broken,  but  Yahweh  supporteth  the  righteous  " ;  for  arm 
used  figuratively,  see  ^  35^,  Ps.  83^^^^  ''they  have  become  an 
arm  (i.e.  have  given  help,  support)  to  the  children  of  Lot." 

lOa.  The  fig.  used  by  Bildad  (18^"^^)  for  calamity  closing  in 
on  the  wicked  in  general,  Eliphaz  here  applies  directly  to  Job; 
so  in  11*  Bildad's  figure  in  18^.— Traps]  i8»*.— b.  Cp.  1811*. 

Iia.  Cp.  18^  (Bildad).  %  Or  seest  thou  not  the  darkness? 
and  this  is  understood  to  mean  :  Dost  thou  not  even  yet  under- 
stand the  meaning  of  the  darkness,  i.e.  the  calamities,  in  which 
you  are  involved  on  account  of  your  sin?  (so  Di.  Da.),  f^  is 
no  more  probable  if  (cp.  EV.)  taken  as  a  second  subj.  to  the 
vb.  in  ^^^y  Or  darkness  (dismayeth  thee)  that  thou  seest  not. — 
b.  For  waters  or  floods  as  a  fig.  of  calamity,  see  1 1^^  (Sophar)  n. 
The  line  recurs  in  38^*,  where  the  waters  are  literal. 

12.  The  belief  in  God's  transcendence  or,  as  the  Hebrews 
expressed  it  concretely,  the  belief  that  God  dwelt  in  heaven, 
led  in  different  minds  to  different  conclusions;  (i)  the  pious 
concluded :  from  such  a  lofty  vantage  ground  God  sees  every- 
thing that  men  do  on  earth,  Ps.  14^  33^^^- ;  but  (2)  the  impious 
drew  the  opposite  conclusion :  God,  being  so  far  withdrawn 
from  men,  neither  sees  nor  takes  account  of  what  they  do:  so 


XXII.  12-14.]  ELIPHAZ  1 95 

18  And  thou  sayest,  **  What  doth  God  know? 

Can  he  judge  through  the  thick  darkness  ? 
"  Thick  clouds  are  a  covering  to  him,  that  he  seeth  not ; 

And  he  walketh  on  the  vault  of  heaven." 


Ps.  lo*'-.  The  second  of  these  conclusions  is  here  attributed 
to  Job  by  Eliphaz  in  ^^-is^  n  ;§  commonly  supposed  that 
Eliphaz  in  ^^  is  indicating  the  first  as  his  own.  Yet  it  is 
curious  that  all  he  actually  does  in  ^2  jg  to  emphasize  the 
common  starting-point  of  the  two  opposite  conclusions  :  he 
certainly  does  not  express  the  conclusion  he  himself  would  draw 
from  it.  Du.,  therefore,  omits  this  v.  as  a  marginal  citation  to 
IS''  Job's  erroneous  conclusion  (^^f.j  js  challenged  by  an  appeal 
to  history  as  Eliphaz  read  it;  the  untimely  death  of  wicked 
men  (i^'-)  is  proof  that  God  does  judge  men  in  spite  of  His 
transcendence.  If  i^'-  are  in  place,  Eliphaz  seeks  still  further 
to  discredit  Job's  conclusion  by  the  statement  that  it  was 
wicked  men  who  held  it. — As  lofty  as  heaven]  cp.  1 1^  (Sophar). 
— T/ie  stars]  J§  the  head  of  the  stars^  which  has  been  explained, 
precariously,  as  meaning  the  highest  stars :  judge  how  high  is 
God's  abode  by  looking  at  the  highest  point  of  heaven.  Or, 
changing  the  punctuation,  we  may  render.  And  He  (God) 
beholds  the  top  of  the  stars  ;  but  this  too  is  strange  and  im- 
probable, and,  if  it  were  right,  would  enhance  the  difficulty  of 
the  connection  of  ^^  with  ^^^' :  for  to  say  that  God  sees  the  top 
of  the  stars,  ue.  presumably  the  side  turned  away  from  earth, 
would  in  no  way  invalidate  the  conclusion  attributed  to  Job,  that 
God  does  not  see  what  goes  on  far  below  the  stars.    See  phil.  n. 

13.  And  thou  sayest]  in  what  follows  Eliphaz  attributes  to 
Job  more  than  and  other  than  he  had  said  in  c.  21 ;  Job's  point 
was  not  that  God  cozdd  not  see  or  judge  what  went  on  on 
earth :  but  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  He  allowed  the  wicked  to 
prosper.  So,  if  21^2  is  original.  Job  says  indeed  that  God  does 
judge  the  inhabitants  of  heaven,  but  not  that  He  could  noty  if  He 
would,  judge  the  inhabitants  of  earth  as  well.  **Job  observes 
reality,  Eliphaz  is  always  theologizing  and  assumes  that  Job  does 
so  too"  (Du.). — Through]  (looking)  out  through:  Lex.  126a, 

14.  On  the  vault]  above  the  clouds  (cp.  *) :  see  phil.  n. 


1 96  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXII.  15-ia 

15  Wilt  thou  keep  the  old  way 

Which  wicked  men  did  tread  ? 
w  Who  were  snatched  away  before  their  time, 

Whose  foundation  was  poured  out  as  a  stream : 
"  Who  said  unto  God,  "  Depart  from  us  "  ; 

And,  "What  can  the  Almighty  do  to  '"us"'"? 
"  Yet  he  filled  their  houses  with  good  things  : 

But  the  counsel  of  the  wicked  is  far  from  me ! 


15 f.  Either:  wilt  thou  persist  in  that  unbelief  in  God's 
judg-ment  which  wicked  men  from  the  earliest  times  down  to 
the  present  have  cherished,  and  like  them  perish  untimely? 
Or,  with  specific  reference  to  some  event  of  ancient  days, 
whether  the  Deluge  (so  most),  or,  since  20**  does  not  fit  the 
Deluge  story,  some  other  (Ew.  Du.  Peake) :  wilt  thou  perish 
in  unbelief  like  that  of  the  men  in  the  well-known  ancient 
story  who  refused  to  believe  that  God's  judgment  was  com- 
ing, but  perished  by  it  none  the  less?  Do  you  want  to 
follow  that  ancient  path  that  led  then  and  will  lead  now  to 
destruction  ? 

15,  Keep  the  .  .  .  'voay\  continue  to  walk  in  the  way :  cp. 
Ps.  i822,  Pr.  2^^.— The  old  way]  cp.  **the  (good)  old  paths," 
Jer.  6^6,  In  such  phrases  old  (d^v)  may  imply  existing  formerly 
and  also  now  (e.g,  "  the  old,  or  everlasting,  hills  "),  or,  existing 
formerly,  but  no  longer  now  (e.g,  **the  days  of  old").  Here, 
if  the  allusion  is  to  a  specific  past  generation  of  men,  it  would 
naturally  be  used  in  the  second  sense,  but  **wilt  thou  keep" 
implies  that  it  has  the  first,  which  it  would  naturally  have,  if 
the  allusion  is  general  and  not  specific. 

l6b.  Fig.  as  4^9 :  whose  life  was  ruined  from  its  founda- 
tions: or,  literally,  the  foundations  of  whose  houses  were 
carried  away  by  the  Deluge. 

17,  18.  i7»  =  21I**;  ^  cp.  2ii5*;  18*,  cp.  2ii6»;  "*>  =  2Il«^  An 
elaborate  retort  in  Job's  own  words  to  Job's  assertion  that 
those  who  dismissed  God  from  their  lives  prospered :  on  the 
contrary,  Eliphaz  asserts,  it  is  those  who  come  to  ruin  who 
have  dismissed  God.  Such  a  retort  in  itself  is  not  unnatural 
or  improbable ;  but  these  verses  are  open  to  suspicion  of  being 
secondary :  for  (i)  the  purpose  of  such  a  retort  has  already  been 


XXII.  18-22.]  ELIPHAZ  197 

w  The  righteous  '^saw''  it,  and  were  glad: 

And  the  innocent  laugh  them  to  scorn : 
20  (Saying),  ** Surely  "'their  substance^  is  cut  off, 

And  their  affluence  the  fire  hath  devoured." 
*i  Accustom,  now,  thyself  to  him,  and  be  at  peace : 

Thereby  will  thine  increase  be  good. 
22  Receive,  I  pray  thee,  direction  from  his  mouth, 

And  lay  up  his  words  in  thine  heart. 


attained  in  "-w ;  (2)  nf.  interrupt  the  connection  between  the 
picture  of  judgment  on  the  wicked  in  i^'.  and  the  emotion  and 
comment  of  the  righteous  called  forth  by  it  (i^-)'  Accordingly 
Bu.  Du.  Peake  omit  ^^f.;  Me.  Sgf.  omit  i^  only.— r^  us]  ^  to 
them :  but  see  phil.  n. 

19.  The  past  tenses  (see  phil.  n.)  are  likely  to  be  right  if 
the  allusion  in  i^'-  is  to  a  specific  event  (see  on  i^'.) ;  but  if  the 
reference  there  is  general,  the  frequentatives  of  ^  should  be  re- 
tained here  :  the  righteous  see  the  fate  which  habitually  befalls 
the  wicked  and  are  glad.  The  frequentatives  would  make  the 
V.  as  a  retort  to  17^  (Bu.)  more  pointed,  but  see  on  17^. 
With  %  cp.  Ps.  107*2. 

20.  Their  substance  is\  so  © :  J^  is  supposed  to  mean  those 
that  rose  up  against  us\  but  see  phil.  n. — Their  affluence^  Dnn" : 
so  Ps.  171*,  cp.  mn%  Is.  15^  "  The  remnant  of  them  "  (EV.)  is 
not  a  preferable  rendering,  even  if  J^  in  *  is  retained. — Thefire\ 

15'*  n. 

21-30.  There  is  still  hope  of  happiness  and  prosperity  for 
Job  if  he  but  leaves  the  way  of  the  wicked  and  returns  to  God. 
This  conclusion  resembles  that  of  Eliphaz's  first  speech,  and 
contrasts  with  the  dark  close  of  the  second  speech. 

21.  If  you  will  but  acquiese  in  His  dealings  with  you,  you 
will  find  yourself  at  peace  with  Him,  and  your  life  prosperous. 
On  ^,  see  phil.  n. 

22.  Direction]  min  ||  mords  (VIDK)  :  cp.  Is.  5**  (||  nnON),  i^** 
(tl  nan).  Cp.  also  the  use  of  the  term  of  human  directions  or 
instructions  {e.g.  Pr.  i^  7^).  The  words  of  God  that  are  to 
direct  Job  aright  are  given  in  ^sff- :  Eliphaz  is  the  mediator  of  a 
divine  revelation:  cp.  4^2ff.  ^27  j^ii. 


198  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXII.  23-29. 

23  If  thou  return  to  the  Almighty,  ""  and  humble  thyself ; 

If  thou  put  away  unrighteousness  far  from  thy  tents ; 
2*  And  lay  gold-ore  in  the  dust, 

And  (gold  of)  Ophir  among  the  rocks  of  the  wadys ; 
2^  Then  will  the  Almighty  be  thy  gold-ore, 

And  '^his  direction "•  will  be  silver  unto  thee; 
2«  For  then  thou  wilt  delight  thyself  in  the  Almighty, 

And  lift  up  thy  face  unto  God. 
^  Thou  wilt  make  thy  prayer  unto  him,  and  he  will  hear  thee ; 

And  thy  vows  thou  wilt  perform. 

28  Thou  wilt  also  decree  a  thing,  and  it  will  be  eitablished  unto 

thee ; 
And  light  shall  shine  upon  thy  ways. 

29  For  '"God"'  abase'"th^  pride, 

But  him  that  is  lowly  of  eyes  he  saveth. 


23.  And  humble  thyself]  J^  thou  shall  be  built  up;  but  see 
phil.  n. 

24.  Let  Job  no  more  place  his  confidence  in  gold  (312*), 
but  rather  throw  it  away  as  worthless. — Gold  of  Ophir]  climactic 
after  gold-ore :  cp.  28^^.  On  identifications  of  the  land  of  Ophir 
whence  this  highly-prized  gold  came,  see  EBi,  and  DB^  s,v, 
Ophir, 

25.  Possibly  Eliphaz  speaks  with  a  recollection  of  the  mean- 
ing of  his  own  name,  my  God  is  fine  gold :  Job  will  have  the 
same  enjoyment  of  God  as  Eliphaz  has. — And  his  direction  will 
be  silver]  RV.  "and  precious  silver"  (as  a  second  predicate 
to  the  **  Almighty"  in  •) — a  conjectural  rendering  of  J^:  see 
phil.  n.     Direction  as  v.22 ;  for  the  sentiment,  cp.  Ps.  19^^. 

26.  With  *  cp.  2710*,  Is.  58I*;  with  ^  cp.  2f^^.—Lift  up  thy 
face]  in  confidence,  to  see  Him  and  to  show  Him  a  face  free 
from  trace  of  shame  and  guilt :  cp.  ii^^.  ^t.  lo^^ 

27b.  is  parallel  to  the  second  half  of  27a  j  job  will  have 
occasion  to  pay  his  vows,  because  God  will  have  granted  the 
prayer  for  the  fulfilment  of  which  the  vows  were  promised. 

28b.  Ct.  v.ii». 

29a.  1^  is  unintelligible  and  cannot  bear  the  meaning,  even 
if  that  were  suitable,  placed  upon  it  in  RV.     See  phil.  n. 


XXII.  30-XXra.]  ELIPHAZ  1 99 

^  He  delivereth  the  innocent  ''man'', 

And  ''thou  shalt"*  be  delivered  through  the  cleanness  of 

thy  hands. 


30.  The  metrically  questionable  and  otherwise  very  improb- 
able text  of  5^  reads :  He  delivereth  him  that  is  not  innocent, 
and  he  is  delivered,  through  the  cleanness  of  thy  hands :  this 
has  been  understood  to  mean  that  God,  on  account  of  Job's 
innocence,  delivers  the  guilty ;  it  would  then  be  an  unconscious 
anticipation  on  the  part  of  Eliphaz  of  what  happens  subsequently 
to  himself  (42^).  Even  as  emended,  the  text  (on  other  emenda- 
tions see  phil.  n.)  is  not  a  very  forcibly  expressed  conclusion 
to  the  speech. 

XXIII.,  XXIV.  Job's  reply  to  Eliphaz's  third  speech. 
— Unlike  any  of  the  previous  replies  (but  cp.  cc.  3,  29—31),  this 
speech  contains  no  direct  address  to  the  friends  :  the  whole 
might  be  monologue.  The  speech  falls  into  two  main  divisions 
corresponding  to  the  two  chapters:  (i)  c.  23 — the  riddle  pre- 
sented by  God's  treatment  of  Job  ;  (2)  c.  24 — by  His  treatment 
of  men  generally.  Partly  on  the  ground  of  form,  partly  on  the 
ground  of  substance,  much  or  all  (except  the  last  v.)  of  c.  24 
has  been  regarded  as  added  to,  or  substituted  for  a  part  of,  the 
original  text.  But  that  Job  should,  as  in  his  previous  speech 
(c.  21),  carry  his  consideration  of  the  riddle  beyond  its  purely 
personal  reference  is  likely  enough,  and  24^5  forms,  as  is  in- 
deed admitted  by  most,  an  altogether  probable  ending  for  a 
speech  of  Job.  The  exceedingly  corrupt  state  of  the  text  com- 
plicates decision  on  the  critical  problem :  see  further  on  c.  24. 
Assuming  c.  24  to  be  in  the  main  genuine,  the  speech  may  be 
summarized  briefly  thus  :  Job,  suffering  still  (23^),  still  longs  to 
find  God  and  argue  his  case  with  Him  (2"^) ;  but  he  cannot  do 
so  (^'•):  could  he,  he  is  certain  what  the  issue  would  be,  for 
God  really  knows  as  well  as  Job  himself  Job's  steadfast 
adherence  to  the  right  (^^-^^).  Yet  since,  in  spite  of  this,  God 
is  evidently  bent  on  carrying  through  His  harsh  treatment  of 
him,  there  is  no  escape  for  Job  (for  what  God  wills.  He  does), 
but  only  dismay  and  darkness  (^^^^).  The  same  disregard  of 
right  by  God  which  Job  feels  in  his  own  case,  he  perceives  in 


200  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXIH.  1-3. 

XXIII.  ^  And  Job  answered  and  said, 

2  Even  to-day  is  my  complaint  '^ bitter^; 
"^His^  hand  is  heavy  upon  my  groaning". 


others  (^^^) ;  so  that  his  question  is  more  than  personal ;  it  is 
not  merely,  Why  must  I  suffer  ?  but,  Why  do  so  many  victims 
of  wickedness  suffer,  God  remaining  all  the  time  indifferent 
and  inactive  (24^)?  For  the  wicked  pursue  their  nefarious 
practices  (2-*),  their  victims  suffer  {^~'^^)t  and  God  takes  no 
account  (^^cj^  Three  classes  of  those  who  shun  the  light 
are  described  (^^~'^'^),  Vv.  1^-24  ^re  through  textual  corruption 
altogether  obscure  or  ambiguous,  but  in  part  they  apparently 
describe  the  fate  of  the  wicked  as  unhappy  (^^^o)^  jn  part  (^i'-  •  2*) 
as  happy.  In  the  concluding  v.  (2^)  Job  insists  that  his  descrip- 
tions have  been  true  to  facts.  In  all  this  Job  makes  no  direct 
reference  to  what  Eliphaz  had  just  said;  but  indirectly  he 
traverses  his  two  main  points :  against  Eliphaz's  accusations 
(22^^')f  he  insists  on  his  innocence  and  integrity  (23^-  10-12J . 
against  Eliphaz's  closing  appeal  to  him  to  return  to  God, 
he  expresses  his  longing  to  find  God ;  but  God  is  not  to  be 
found. 

2.  Even  to-day]  or  to-day  also ;  this  seems  to  imply  that  the 
debate  lasted  more  than  one  day,  and  suggests  that  Eliphaz's 
third  speech  marked  the  beginning  of  the  third  day's  discussion; 
and  that  this  v.  is  thus  Job's  first  remark  on  the  day  in  question. 
On  emendations  suggested  to  avoid  this  implication,  see  phil.  n. 
— Complaint]  21*  n. ;  complaint,  i.e.  complaining,  is  here  closely 
associated  with  acute  suffering;  note  the  parallel  '*  groaning  " 
and  cp.  713.  Job's  sufferings  still  draw  from  him  bitter  com- 
plaining and  groans. — Bitter]  cp.  7^^ ;  J^  defiant^  which  would 
mean  that  Job  is  as  little  inclined  as  ever  to  admit  that  God  was 
dealing  justly  with  him,  and  as  little  likely  as  ever  to  satisfy 
Eliphaz:  see  phil.  n. — His  hand  {y>  as  19^1,  cp.  pj3,  1321)  is  heavy] 
cp.  Ps.  32*,  I  S.  5*;  in  spite  of  Job's  groaning  (32^)  under 
sufferings  already  inflicted,  God  afflicts  him  still ;  so  ffiS. 
f^  has  my  handy  which  is  supposed  to  mean ;  I  do  my  best  to 
check  my  groaning,  but  in  vain:  see  phil.  n. ;  on  AV.  **  mj 
stroke  is  heavier  than  my  groaning,"  see  also  Da. 


XXIII.  3-e.]  JOB  20 1 

^  Oh  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find  huii, 
That  I  might  come  even  to  his  tribunal ! 

*  I  would  set  out  my  case  before  him, 

And  fill  my  mouth  with  arguments. 
*•  I  would  know  the  words  which  he  would  answer  me, 
And  understand  what  he  would  say  unto  me. 

•  Would  he  contend  with  me  in  the  greatness  of  his  power  ? 

Nay :  but  he  would  give  heed  unto  me. 


3-5.  Why  tell  me  to  return  to  God  (2223)?  If  only  I  knew 
where  or  how  to  reach  Him  !  That  I  do  not  is  ground  enough 
in  itself  for  continued  complaining.  If  Job  could  but  reach  God, 
how  gladly  (cp.  13^^)  would  he  state  his  own  case,  and  {^)  hear 
God's  reply  to  it.     On  the  cohortatives  in  *'•,  see  G— K.  loS/l 

4a.  Cp.  13^^. — Arguments]  13^:  the  vb.  13^ 

6  f.  If  only  Job  could  reach  God  and  argue  his  case  before 
Him,  right,  not  might,  would  decide,  and  Job's  innocence  would 
for  ever  be  established.  Job's  attitude  has  changed  since  c.  9 ; 
there  (3- 1^-20.  32f.)  ^g  jg  possessed  by  the  thought  that,  even  if 
he  could  stand  before  God,  God's  might  would  deflect  his  right, 
that  God  would  browbeat  and  terrify  him  into  making  himself 
out  to  be  guilty;  though  even  there  (^*'-,  cp.  also  1320-22)  he  is 
sure  enough  that,  if  God  would  only  abstain  from  exercising 
His  might  to  terrify,  he  could  establish  his  right.  In  some 
measure  13^*  anticipates  the  present  passage;  and  even  here 
he  has  no  confidence  that  he  will  reach  God  (quite  the  reverse, 
8"^®),  and  is  still  convinced  that,  unheard  by  God,  he  must 
become  the  victim  of  His  might  (^^-iij,  g^.,  with  slight 
emendations,  reads :  Behold,  in  the  greatness  of  His  power 
He  might  contend  with  me,  If  only  He  [Himself]  would  give 
heed  to  me :  in  this  case  Job  is  reducing  his  conditions  to  a 
minimum :  he  is  now  ready  to  face  even  God's  might,  if  God 
will  but  attend  to  him. 

6.  He]  the  exact  force  of  the  emphasis  has  been  differently 
understood:  **/ri?,  being  what  He  is  "(Dr.);  **God  Himself, 
and  not  merely  a  man"  (Di.) ;  **He  whom  I  now  know  as 
Him  who  is  always  on  the  side  of  right"  (13^6  ig25j  — 
Du. 


202  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXIII   7-ia 

^  There  would  an  upright  man  be  arguing  with  him ; 

And  I  should  be  delivered  for  ever  from  my  jud^. 
*  Behold  I  go  forward,  but  he  is  not  (there) ; 
And  backward,  but  I  perceive  him  not ; 
■■  I  seek  him ""  on  the  left  hand,  but  I  behold  him  not ; 
r  I  ■•  turn  to  the  right  hand,  but  I  do  not  see  him. 
w  For  he  knoweth  the  way  that  I  take, 

If  he  trieth  me,  I  shall  come  forth  as  gold. 


7.  An  upright  man]  ||  I  =Job  the  upright  (i*);  the  line  is 
not  a  general  statement  (RV.),  but  a  statement  of  what  would 
take  place  if  Job  could  find  God. 

8f.  But  Job  cannot  find  God,  even  with  the  most  persistent 
seeking.  The  vv.  explicate  what  is  implicit  in  ^,  and  interrupt 
the  close  connection  between  7  and  1^,  and  are,  perhaps,  as  Bu. 
Sgf.  Du.  conclude,  an  addition  to  the  original  text,  ffir  omits  ^ 
only.  The  vv.  resemble,  without  however  expressing  quite 
the  same  thought  as,  g^^*-,  Ps.  1395-  '^"i®. — Forward  .  .  .  hack- 
toard  .  .  .  left  hand  .  .  .  right  hand]  or,  east  .  .  .  west  .  . 
north  .  .  .  south. — Perceive  him  not  .  ,  ,  do  not  see  him]  cp- 
9^1 :  in  parallellism  with  these,  he  is  not  in  ^*  means  of  course  : 
he  is  not  to  be  found  by  me. — I  seek  him]  f^  where  he  works,  in 
which  Del.  detects  an  allusion  to  the  belief  that  the  North  is 
the  unfinished  part  of  the  world.  But  that,  or  where,  God  works, 
is  not  the  point  of  the  passage. — /  turn]  f^  he  turns.  RV. 
**  He  hideth  himself,"  giving  to  ?^  a  meaning  possible  in  itself 
(see  phil.  n),  but  unsuitable :  **  for  what  is  there  remarkable  in 
one  not  seeing  one  who  hides  himself"  (Schult.). 

10.  For]  If  ^'  are  an  addition,  ^''"i^  originally  gave  the  reason 
for  Job's  confidence  that  he  would  establish  his  case,  if  ever  he 
could  come  before  God:  this  confidence  arises  from  the  fact 
that  his  conduct  has  been  right,  and  he  himself  true,  and  that 
God  knows,  or  (JH.''.)  would  come  to  know,  this.  If  ^''  are 
original,  10  must  state  **the  reason  why  God  will  not  let  Him- 
self be  found  by  Job :  He  knows  that  he  is  innocent  (^^~'^^),  but 
yet  will  not  be  diverted  {^^-  ^^)  from  his  hostility  towards  Him  " 
(Dr.).  But  in  this  case  the  real  reason  lies  in  is'.,  and  10-12  are 
virtually  concessive :  for,  though  He  knows  I  am  innocent.  He 
will  not  abandon  His  purpose  to  treat  me  as  guilty.    Rendering 


XXIII.  10-14.]  JOB  203 

^1  My  foot  hath  held  fast  to  his  steps ; 

His  way  have  I  kept,  and  turned  not  aside. 
"  The  commandment  of  his  lips — I  never  seceded  (from  ftj ; 

I  have  treasured  up  "^in^  my  bosom  the  words  of  his 

mouth. 
^8  But  he  •"  hath  chosen "",  and  who  can  turn  him  back  ? 

And  his  soul  desireth  (a  thing),  and  he  doeth  it. 
^*  For  he  completeth  that  which  is  appointed  for  me : 

And  many  such  things  are  in  his  mind. 


^D  by  hut  (so  RV.)  instead  oifor^  Peake  explains  the  connection 
thus :  in  spite  of  God's  self-concealment  (^*),  He  still  closely 
watches  Job's  ways  ;  but  if  this  had  been  the  point,  we  should 
have  expected  s'-  to  have  expressed  not  Job's  fruitless  efforts 
to  find  God,  but  God's  successful  measures  to  hide  Himself 
from  Job ;  the  latter  point  is,  however,  not  put  at  all,  not  even 
in  ^^  when  correctly  read  and  interpreted. 

lOb.  Cp.  Ps.  17^  and  with  steps  in  11*,  Ps.  17^. 

12b.  Cp.  Ps.  119I1.  Job  had  done  what  Eliphaz  exhorts 
him  to  do  (2222). — In  my  bosoni]  so  (&:  cp.  **in  my  heart," 
Ps.  119^1.  J^  froniy  or  more  thauy  my  lawy  which  has  been 
strangely  regarded  as  anticipating  the  thought  of  Ro.  7^^ 

13-17.  But  in  spite  of  his  steadfastness  in  the  right.  Job 
recognizes  that  God  remains  immovable  from  His  determina- 
tion to  treat  him  harshly. 

13.  Cp.  9^2, — ffg  hath  chosen]  on  1^,  paraphrased  in  RV., 
**He  is  in  one  mind,"  see  phil.  n. 

14.  The  V.  appears  to  contain  the  application  of  the  general 
truth,  that  what  God  wills,  He  does  (^^j^  to  *  Job's  destiny, 
^  the  destiny  of  like  sufferers — the  theme  developed  in  c.  24 ; 
it  is  obvious  that  in  fact  Job  is  suffering  though  righteous  : 
this  must  be  because  God  wills  it  and  prescribes  suffering  for 
Job;  and  He  will  go  on  undeterred  till  the  full  tale  of  Job's 
suffering  has  been  exacted ;  and  the  same  morally  inexplicable 
course  He  intends  to  pursue  with  others :  they  are  and  will  be 
righteous ;  but  God  allows,  and  will  allow,  them  to  suffer.  But 
4t  is  curious  (i)  that  this  application  of  ^^  is  expressed  in  the 
form  of  a  reason  for  it— for  He  completeth ;  and  (2)  that  what 


204  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB         [XXIII.  14  XXIV 

15  Therefore  am  I  dismayed  at  his  presence ; 

When  I  consider,  I  am  afraid  of  him. 

16  For  God  hath  made  my  heart  faint, 

And  the  Almighty  hath  dismayed  me ; 

17  Because  I  am  not  undone  because  of  the  darkness, 

Or  because  of  my  own  face  which  thick  darkness  covereth. 


God  appoints  for  Job,  viz.  that  he  shall  suffer  to  the  last,  is 
not  more  explicity  put ;  (i)  is  not  very  satisfactorily  avoided  by 
reading  l/ms  (Bu.)  for /or;  and  i^  would  be  still  less  adequately 
prepared  for  by  i^  (which  even  less  explicitly  asserts  that  Job's 
sufferings  will  continue),  if  with  dSt  i*  were  omitted,  or  with  Du. 
transferred  to  follow  i^.  It  is,  however,  not  improbable  that  i* 
was  originally  differently  expressed. — Co7npletet}i\  makes  the 
realization  fully  correspond  to  the  intent:  cp.  Is.  44^^. — That 
which  is  appointed  for  me]  viz.  my  disease  hastening  on  to 
death :  cp.  7^  9^  etc.  The  same  Hebrew  word  (pn)  with 
different  nuances  occurs  in  14^  (see  phil.  n.)  1^  ^8^^.  With  a 
mere  change  of  punctuation,  ^  may  be  rendered :  And  so  (are, 
or  turn  out),  such  is  the  result  of,  processes  at  taw  with  him  (so 
Hoffm.). 

15,  16.  God  alone  is  the  cause  of  Job's  fear :  the  emphatic 
words  are  at  his  presence  (lit.  face),  God,  the  Almighty. 

17.  1^,  translated  as  above,  is  taken  to  be  the  negative 
aspect  of  what  has  been  said  in  i^'* :  God,  i.e.  God  in  the 
mysterious,  inexplicable  ways  of  His  providence  (i^^),  not 
calamity  in  itself  ("*),  or  (^)  his  face  disfigured  (igi^^-)  by  his 
calamities,  is  the  cause  of  Job's  being  overwhelmed :  so  Di. 
Da.  Dr.  (in  Book  of  Job).  But  this  is  scarcely  less  improbable 
than  an  earlier  explanation  of  J^  embodied  in  AV. :  God  dis- 
mays Job,  because  Job  was  not  allowed  to  die  before  calamity 
came  upon  him.  Under  these  circumstances  most  recent 
commentators  have  felt  driven  to  emendation,  and  to  read  : 
Because  I  am  undone  because  of  the  darkness.  And  because 
thick  darkness  hath  covered  my  face ;  God  dismays  Job,  be- 
cause he  cannot  see  the  meaning  of  what  He  does. 

XXIV.  With  the  exception  of  ^^  the  whole  or  a  large  part 
of  this  c.  has  been  regarded  by  many  as  interpolated.     Tha 


XXIV.]  JOB  205 

grounds  alleged  are  (i)  the  difference  in  poetical  form  ;  (2)  the 
unsuitability  of  the  contents  to  the  context. 

(i)  The  poetical  form.— Ule,^  rejecting  "s*,  claimed  that  this  section  con- 
sisted of  two  sets  of  six  tristichs,  each  preceded  by  a  distich,  the  distichs 
being  •  and  i',  the  first  set  of  tristichs  i""-  ",  "  w  w  lo^  w^  ^^le  second  is,  i» 
(a  line  being  assumed  to  have  been  lost),  20,  21.  22a^  226.23^  34^     gj^^  rejecting 
6.8.  jo-24^  regarded  the  remainder,  together  with  3o3-^  as  a  series  of  tristichs 
as  follows:  24.^  *"•  *,  '^-^  '•  ^^.  *  10^  ***••*  s- ^  ^t*- '  a/iiob.  a  12  is  i4  15  le  i? 
(with  three  words  added),  ",  »•  (with  two  words  added),  20  (with  one  word 
added),  21.  22a  (altered),  «»».  as  (altered),  ^\     Du.,  rejecting  1-24,  regards  these 
vv.  as  consisting  of  four  poems  *-^   5-i2  (  +  302-8),   i3-i8a,   i8b-24,   ^11  written 
exclusively  in  tristichs.     He  divides  this  c.  into  the  following  tristichs  :  ^ 
(with  two  words  added:  see  phil.  n.),  2.3a,  sb.  4^  sa.  b.c,  sd.  6^  8.  lo*^  lOb.  11    12 
«  i4  M  w,  17.  ite,  18b.  19^  20^  Mb.  22a  (20-22*  ^^^h  altered).     Du.  omits  ',  ».  '"S 
and  makes  many  changes  (mostly  noted  in  the  phil.  nn.)  in  the  rest  of  the 
c.     It  will  be  seen  that  Me.  Bi.  Du.  agree  in  detecting  here  tristichs  to  the 
entire  (Bi.  Du.),  or  almost  entire  (Me.),  exclusion  of  distichs  ;  though  they 
are  not  altogether  agreed  as  to  the  constituent  elements  of  some  of  the 
tristichs.     If  there  were  actually  anything  like  so   great  a  number  of 
tristichs  as  even  Me.  claims,  there  would  undoubtedly  be  a  strong  argument 
from  form  against  this  section,  for  the   book  of  Job  consists  almost  ex- 
clusively of  distichs  with  tristichs  occurring  at  most  as  very  infrequent 
variations.     But  there  is  not :  some  details  of  form  are  discussed  in  the 
notes  :  here  it  may  suffice  to  point  out  how  illegitimately  in  some,  how 
precariously  in  other  instances,  the  appearance  of  tristichs  is  obtained  : 
Du.  divides  the  obvious  parallel  lines  **•  **  from  one  another  to  give  to  three 
distichs  the  appearance  of  two  tristichs  ;  in  ^  he  expands  two  lines  (one 
overlong)  into  three  by  the  conjectural  addition  of  two  words  ;  thus  in  i-* 
he  constructs  three  tristichs  out  of  an  existing  text  that  shows  no  trace 
even  of  one.     Me.  Bi.  Du.  agree  in  finding  five  consecutive  tristichs  in  12-16, 
and  here  the  existing  text  (cp.  RV. )  lends  them  support ;  yet  the  reasons 
for  transposing  *^  to  follow  ^^  are  very  strong  ;  and  if  the  transposition  is 
made,  even  in  this  part  of  the  chapter  distichs  at  least  intermingle  with 
tristichs.     In  ^'•2*  the  text  is  so  corrupt  that  emendation  is  justified,  not  to 
say  imperative ;  but  for  that  very  reason  from  conjecturally  constructed 
tristichs  in  this  part  of  the  c.  no  conclusion  can  safely  be  drawn  that 
tristichs  were  exclusively  used  in  the  first  part  of  it.     The /orwa/ argument 
that  c.  24  is  mainly  an  interpolation  cannot  therefore  be  maintained. 

(2)  The  nature  of  ike  context.— Though  the  frequent  corruptions  of 
the  text,  especially  in  *'*2*,  render  interpretation  in  detail  extremely  uncer- 
tain, the  chapter  clearly  has  a  certain  character  of  its  own  :  Me.  finds  in 
••2*  a  characterization  of  the  way  of  the  world  in  a  series  of  short  popular 
character  sketches  presented  without  passing  any  moral  judgment  on  the 
classes  described ;  and  Bi.  finds  the  miserable  inhabitants  of  the  desert, 
who  arc  described,  neither  bad  enough  to  serve  as  examples  of  sinners 
that  escape  punishment,  nor  good  enough  to  be  a  type  of  good  men 
wronged  ;  vv.*'*'  *****  seem  to  him  "  a  libro  quodam  gnomico  de  cursu  vitae 
desumpti."     Du.,  with  less  probability,  detects  an  eschatological  element 


206  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXIV.  1-2. 

XXIV.  1  Why  are  times  not  laid  up  by  the  Almighty  ? 

And  why  do  not  they  who  know  him  see  his  days  ? 
*  ^  Wicked  men  "•  remove  land-marks  ; 

They  violently  take  away  flocks,  and  feed  them. 


in  *•*.  Hoffm.  places  *^"^  after  25'  as  part  of  Bildad's  speech.  The  nature 
of  the  contents  is,  to  a  large  extent,  rightly  characterized  by  Me.  and  Bi., 
but  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  c.  24  is  an  inappropriate  continuation 
of  c.  23  ;  and  to  Bu.  it  appears  precisely  what  we  ought  to  expect.  In  any 
case,  the  c.  is  certainly  not  throughout  a  mere  cool  and  unconcerned 
description  of  life,  in  which  case  it  would  certainly  differ  greatly  in  tone 
and  :emper  from  other  speeches  of  Job ;  for  not  only  *,  but  also  "°,  reflect 
the  fi:jeling  of  the  writer,  that  the  facts  of  life  present  moral  anomalies  and 
raise  the  question  of  the  moral  government  of  God — in  other  words,  the 
feeling  that  constantly  underlies  and  finds  expression  in  Job's  speeches. 

The  passages  most  open  to  suspicion  of  interpolation  are 
(i)  the  very  objective  description  of  the  **  night-birds,"  ^^-17^ 
which  also,  even  in  the  original  text,  perhaps  contained  an 
unusual  proportion  of  tristichs,  and  (2)  those  parts  of  ^*-** 
which  refer  to  the  swift  doom  descending  on  the  wicked. 

1.  On  the  connection  with  c.  23,  see  the  introductory  nn.  to 
0.  23  and  to  this  c.  Why  does  God  not  appoint  for  Himself 
set  times  at  which  to  judge  men,  measuring  out  punishment  to 
wrong-doers,  and  rescuing  the  wronged  from  the  violence  done 
to  them  by  their  fellow-men  ?  Why  do  not  men  see  (ct.  22^^ — 
Eliphaz)  God  thus  judicially  active  ?  The  questions  are  wider 
than  in  21^:  attention  is  turned  now  not  only  on  the  wicked, 
but  on  their  victims. — Times  .  .  .  days\  the  parallelism  is  not 
favourable  to  Du.'s  substitution  for  days  of  day y  i.e.  the  day  of 
Yahweh  (eschatological). — Laid  up]  the  same  vb.  as  in  15^^ 
2119. — TTiey  who  know  him]  not  specifically  those  who  know  of 
God's  future  judgment  (Du.) ;  but,  in  general,  the  righteous; 
cp.  **him  that  knoweth  not  God"  (||  to  the  unrighteous,  hy)  in 
18^1 ;  cp.  also  Ps.  36^1.  Or,  possibly,  the  term  here  is  due  to 
corruption ;  in  what  follows  the  wronged  are  not  depicted 
under  the  aspect  of  those  that  know  God  ;  the  connection  with 
what  follows  would  be  easier  if  some  such  term  as  the  wicked, 
or  th(?  oppressed,  were  substituted. 

2,  3,  9,  4. — The  violent  and  their  victims. 

2.   Wicked  men]  see  phil.  n. — Remove  land-marks]  the  bound- 


XXIV.  2-5.]  JOB  207 

*  They  drive  away  the  ass  of  the  fatherless, 

They  take  the  widow's  ox  for  a  pledge. 

*  They  pluck  the  fatherless  from  the  breast, 

And  take  in  pledge  *"  the  infant ""  of  the  poor. 

*  They  turn  the  needy  aside  from  the  way, 

All  together  the  poor  of  the  earth  hide  themselves. 

*  Behold  as  wild  asses  in  the  wilderness. 

They  go  forth  *■  to  ^  their  work,  seeking  diligently  for 

meat, 
The  steppe  (provideth)  ^  food  for  the(ir)  children. 


aries  between  their  own  land  and  their  neighbours*,  in  order  to 
incorporate  their  neighbours'  land  in  their  own :  cp.  Dt.  19^* 
27I'',  Pr.  23^®. — And  feed  thern\  Cr  nioith  their  shepherd \  see 
phil.  n. 

3.  The  most  helpless  classes  are  spoiled  of  their  means  of 
livelihood:  cp.  22^- ^ 

9.  The  V.  is  certainly  out  of  place  between  ^  and  ^o :  if  not 
a  gloss,  it  may  have  stood  here:  see  phil.  n. —  The  infant  of 
the  poor]  JH  over,  or  upon^  the  poor:  but  see  phil.  n. 

4.  The  exact  point  of  *  has  been  differently  taken :  they 
hinder  the  poor  of  their  just  rights  (Da.,  cp.  Am.  5^2) :  they 
thrust  the  poor  out  of  the  public  way,  where  every  one  has  a 
right  to  walk  (Di.),  or  where  the  sight  of  them  displeases  the 
high-handed  wicked  (Du.):  they  violently  get  rid  of  the  poor 
when  these  run  after  them  begging  for  restoration  of  what  has 
been  plundered  from  them  (Hi.). 

5-8.  Description  of  certain  miserable  starvelings  of  the 
steppes,  whose  search  yields  them  little  food  and  no  shelter : 
cp.  30^  Here  there  is  no  allusion  to  the  authors  of  the 
misery:  ct.  ^-*  and  even  i°'-. 

5.  The  text  is  corrupt  and  the  meaning  in  detail  uncertain 
(see  phil.  n.):  but  probably  "wilderness"  and  **  steppe"  were 
originally  parallel  terms  (cp.  Is.  40^  4i^^)»  both  describing  not, 
as  part  of  the  fig.  (Bu.),  the  home  of  the  wild  ass  (6^  1112  395^-), 
but  the  country  remote  from  men  and  cities  where  this  pitiable 
set  of  human  beings,  not  naturally  adapted  to  it  like  the  wild 


2o8  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXIV.  6-11. 

6  The  mixed  fodder  (of  cattle)  they  reap  in  the  field ; 

And  they  take  away  the  late-ripe  fruit  from  the  vineyard 

of  the  rich. 
^  They  pass  the  night  naked  without  clothing-, 

And  have  no  covering  in  the  cold. 
5  They  are  wet  with  the  rain  of  the  mountains, 

And  for  want  of  shelter  they  embrace  the  rock. 

^"  (Others)  go  about  naked  without  clothing", 

And  being  an-hungered  they  carry  the  sheaves ; 

^^  Between  ^  the  ^  rows  (of  olive  trees)  they  make  oil ; 
They  tread  the  wine-vats,  and  suffer  thirst. 


asses  (39^"^  n.),  eke  out  their  existence. — Food  for  the  children] 
children  (D"'"iyD)  as  29^  (n.);  connecting  "the  steppe"  with  ^ 
many  read  for  ^:  there  is  no  food  for  the  children^  or  (Du.),  in 
this  case  better,  for  those  shaken  (out  of  the  land). 

6.  Again  the  text  is  uncertain ;  but  the  meaning  in  general 
seems  to  be :  even  if  they  (stealthily)  issue  from  the  steppe 
into  the  cultivated  land,  they  only  secure  poor  and  scanty  food 
from  the  fields  and  vineyards.  For  details,  see  phil.  nn.^ — The 
mixed  fodder^  etc.]  cp.  6^  n.  Read,  perhaps,  in  the  night, — 
The  late-ripe  fruit]  the  few  grapes  left  to  ripen  on  the  vines  : 
these  they  pilfer  from  the  vineyards,  now  less  carefully  guarded 
than  when  the  main  crop  was  ripe  and  ready  for  picking. — The 
7'ich]  1^,  the  wicked^  which  has  been  understood  to  refer  to 
those  who  have  driven  the  starvelings  into  the  steppe  (Di.),  or, 
assuming  that  not  starvelings  but  plundering  Bedawin  are 
described,  to  the  agriculturalist  who  has  broken  covenant  v/ith 
the  Bedawin  by  refusing  to  pay  the  covenanted  blackmail 
(Wetzst.). 

8.  Rain]  the  heavy  rain  (d^T)  of  the  winter  storms :  cp.  Is. 
25*  30^. — Embrace]  cp.  La.  4^. 

9.  See  after  v.^. 

10.  II.  Slaves,  or  ill-paid,  hard- worked,  weary  labourers 
(72  14^),  not  allowed  by  these  masters  to  still  their  pangs  of 
hunger  and  thirst  with  any  grains  from  the  sheaves  which  all 
day  long  they  carry,  or  the  juice  of  the  grapes  which  they  tread 


XXIV.  11-13.]  JOB  209 

*2  From  out  of  the  city  the  dying"  groan, 

And  the  soul  of  the  wounded  crieth  out  for  help ; 
Yet  God  regardeth  not  the  folly. 

M  Those  are  of  them  that  rebel  against  the  light ; 
That  know  not  the  ways  thereof, 
Nor  abide  in  the  paths  thereof. 


out.  The  ill-treatment  by  the  masters,  violating  the  spirit  of 
the  law  of  Dt.  25*,  is  at  least  suggested :  the  scene  has  shifted 
back  from  the  steppe  (^~^)  to  the  farms  and  the  vineyards. 
10*.  11a  aj-e  probably  out  of  place  or  corrupt :  ^^^-  ^^^  are  parallels : 
see  phil.  n. 

Zia.  The]  J^  Ihetrf  paraphrased  by  **  the  .  .  .  of  these  men" 
in  EV. — Jiows]  the  meaning  walls  (EV.  al.)  is  unsupported  : 
see  phil.  n. 

12.  From  the  steppe  p"^)  and  the  cultivated  country  side 
(^^•),  the  description  here  passes,  if  the  text  is  correct,  to 
human  suffering  in  the  towns ;  in  any  case  ^^-iT  probably  con- 
template town-life.  But  in  12  there  is  nothing  distinctive  of 
town-life  :  men  die  everywhere  and  may  be  wounded  anywhere. 
Bu.  therefore  places  ^2  after  i^^,  as  describing  the  result  of  the 
murderer's  activity ;  but  this  overloads  the  description  of  the 
murderer  as  compared  with  those  of  the  adulterer  and  thief, 
and  "out  of  the  city"  would  be  rather  pointless.  Others 
emend  (see  phil.  n.),  following  S,  which  already,  with  no  very 
different  text,  expressed  quite  a  different  sense :  **  Out  of  the 
city,  out  of  (their)  houses  they  are  driven  forth,  And  the  soul 
of  the  children  crieth  out  for  help." — The  city  the  dying\  JH : 
the  city  of  men. — c.  Or,  emending,  Yet  God  heareth  not  their 
prayer.     On  folly y  see  i^, 

13-17.  Three  classes  of  the  enemies  of  light  {^^)  and  lovers 
of  darkness  (i6^-°  i^jj  the  murderer  (i^*- b),  the  adulterer  (i^),  and 
the  thief  (i*°-  i6*)_violators  of  the  6th,  7th,  and  8th  command- 
ments. For  the  emendation  in  and  the  transposition  of  "^^^^ 
see  phil.  n. 

13'   Those]  now  to  be  mentioned — an   unusual  use  of  the 
pron. — Are  of]  are,  or  have  become,  among  the  number  of: 
H 


no  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXIV.  13-161 

1*  *"  Before  "•  the  light  the  murderer  riseth, 
That  he  may  kill  the  poor  and  needy. 

15  And  the  eye  of  the  adulterer  waiteth  for  the  twilight, 
Saying,  No  eye  shall  see  me : 
And  he  putteth  on  a  covering  for  his  face. 

1*°  And  in  the  night  the  thief  ""  goeth  about  ^ 

1^       He  diggeth  into  houses  in  the  dark. 


3  ,Tn  as  in  Jg.  1 1^. — Them  that  rebel  against  the  lighi\  a  striking 
phrase,  which  in  another  connection  might  well  be  explained 
as  a  mythological  allusion  (Di.);  but  before  ^*"^^  the  light  io 
question  must  be  daylight,  not  the  good  principle.  Certainly 
^^  attaches  loosely  to  what  precedes :  on  the  other  hand  it  forma 
a  good  introduction  to  ^^""^^  with  ^^^•°-  ^'^  as  a  corresponding 
conclusion ;  it  is  therefore  precarious  to  omit  the  v.  (Stud, 
cp.  Di.),  or  to  separate  it  from  i^^-  (Grill,  who  retains  ^-  *•  '^^^^'  ^^' 
as  the  genuine  parts  of  the  c).     With  ^,  ct.  ^^^ 

14.  Before  the  light]  ^  at  the  light,  i.e,  when  it  is  light, 
which  is  inconsistent  with  the  context :  together  with  ^  in  1*** 
it  would  imply  that  the  same  persons  murder  by  day  and  thieve 
by  night  (Del.).  With  **,  cp.  Ps.  lo^'-  and  see  phil.  n.  Line  ° 
(placed  above  after  v.^^.  gee  phil.  n.  on  ^6)  in  J^  reads.  And  by 
night  let  him  be  like  a  thief!  f^  in  *  could  only  be  retained  if  nit< 
had  already  developed  its  later  (Mishnic)  meaning  of  evenings 
night  (see,  e.g.,  Pes.  i^:  NHWB,  s.v,  IIn). 

15.  Cp.  Pr.  7^.  If  °  is  in  place,  the  adulterer  makes  him- 
self doubly  secure  against  detection :  he  waits  till  it  is  dark, 
and  even  then  covers  his  face  with  his  mantle,  or  disguises 
himself  as  a  woman  with  a  woman's  veil  (Wetzstein  in  Del.). 

l6a  describes  the  activity  not  of  the  adulterer  (as  in  5^), 
but  of  the  thief  (see  phil.  n.)  whose  practice  was  to  dig  through 
(Ex.  22^,  Jer.  2^,  Mt.  6^^)  the  clay  walls  of  houses  and  steal, 
avoiding,  probably  from  superstitious  motives,  any  attempt  to 
force  an  entrance  by  the  door  (Trumbull,  The  Threshold  Covenant, 
p.  260  f.).  That  an  adulterer  should  dig  a  hole  through  the 
wall  of  a  house,  creating  the  need  for  awkward  explanations 
when  the  husband  returned,  is  very  improbable :  his  mode  of 
ingress  would  be  different  <cp.  Pr.  7^^)  from  that  of  the  thief. 


XXIV.  16-18.]  JOB  211 

16^  In  the  daytime  they  shut  themselves  up, 

"^  One  and  all  ^  they  know  not  the  light ; 
i^  For  midnight  is  (as)  morning  to  them, 

For  ""they  are"*  acquainted  with  the  terrors  of  *" darkness \ 

18  ii^They"^  are  swift"  (ye  say)  **  upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 
Their  portion  is  cursed  in  the  earth ; 

No  treader  (of  grapes)  turneth  towards  ""their  vineyard^. 


l6b.  All  these  nefarious  persons  keep  at  home  by  day.  An 
alternative  (cp.  AV.  RVm.)  but  less  probable  rendering  of  the 
line  is,  which  they  had  sealed  for  themselves  hy  day  :  i.e,  they  set 
marks  for  purposes  of  recognition  on  that  part  of  the  house 
by  which  they  intend  to  gain  entrance. — Shut  themselves  up] 
securely ;  lit.  seal  themselves  up :  cp.  the  use  oisealm  ^  14^^  37^. 

VJ.  Night  is  for  them,  as  for  wild  beasts  (Ps.  104^0-22^^  day, 
i.e,  the  time  of  their  activity.  An  alternative  rendering  of  * 
is.  For  morning  is  as  midnight  to  them^  i.e,  they  dread  morning 
as  much  as  ordinary  people  dread  darkness. — Midnight]  lit, 
thick  darkness ;  3^  n. 

18-24.  In  part  at  least  these  corrupt,  difficult,  ambiguous 
or  unintelligible  verses  describe  the  unhappy  fate  of  the  wicked; 
this  is  a  constant  theme  of  the  friends,  whereas  Job  admits 
at  most  and  by  way  of  concession  (c.  21)  that  Jt?w^  wicked  men 
meet  with  an  unhappy  fate,  but  only  as  rare  exceptions  to  the 
general  rule  that  the  wicked  prosper.  It  is  necessary,  there- 
fore, to  suppose  either  (i)  that  the  vv.  are  out  of  place  (for 
some  theories,  see  the  introductory  note  to  the  c.) :  or  (2)  that 
Job  in  ^^^^  is  citing  the  opinions  of  the  friends  to  reject  them  in 
v.22^  :  so  RVm. ;  for  other  real  or  assumed  examples  of  such 
citation,  see  21^^*  ^^  The  difficulty  is  not  to  be  avoided  either 
(i)  by  translating  optatively  (let  them  be  swift,  etc. :  cp.  (&SiS)i 
for  this  would  have  required  different  forms  in  %  (m^  ^p  for 
Nin  h\>  and  |Q>  ijK  for  njD''  vh) ;  or  (2)  by  making  i8~2i  and  22-24 
illustrations  of  God's  different  treatment  of  the  wicked — severe 
treatment  of  some,  easy  treatment  of  others  —  without  any 
appearance  of  moral  discrimination  (Di.),  for  of  such  difference 
the  text  says  nothing. 


2 1 2  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXIV.  18-20. 

^®  Drought  and  heat  consume  snow  waters  : 
(So  doth)  Sheol  (those  who)  have  sinned. 

^^  The  womb  forgetteth  him  : 
The  worm  doth  suck  him : 
He  is  remembered  no  more : 
And  unrighteousness  is  broken  as  a  tree. 


18.  T/iey  are]  ^  he  is — in  either  case,  if  *  goes  with  ^'^-j 
the  wicked  generally  (cp.  ^^^  20dj  j-^ther  than  the  special  classes 
of  ^3-17  are  intended  :  their  life  is  short ;  they  are  swiftly  (9^^) 
gone,  like  something  hurried  away  by  the  stream  (Hos.  10^). 
Portiofi]  of  ground,  as  in  2  S.  14^^'-,  Am.  4*. — Is  cursed]  and  in 
consequence  unproductive  (cp.  Gn.  3'7'-) ;  whether  the  curse  on 
the  wicked  man's  ground  is  thought  of  as  pronounced  by  God 
(cp.  Gn.  821,  ti^e  same  vb.  as  here)  or  man  (5^,  a  different  vb.) 
is  uncertain. — c.  ?^  may  be  translated  as  above,  the  meaning 
being:  as  his  (arable)  ground  is  barren,  so  his  vineyard  no 
longer  yields  grapes.  JH :  he  hi-meth  not  by  the  way  of  the 
vineyardsy  which  has  been  understood  as  the  reverse  of  **  to  sit 
under  one's  vine  and  fig-tree  "  (Da.). 

19.  In  f^  the  V.  is  unrhythmical,  awkwardly  expressed  and 
no  doubt  corrupt  (see  phil.  n.);  ^  (apart  from*)  would  be  more 
naturally  rendered,  as  it  is  in  ©,  his  sin  is  asked  for.  Du., 
rejecting  as  glosses  ^^^  and  (in  i^^)  **the  way  of  the  vineyards,* 
and  treating  the  remainder  as  two  parallels  to  ^^^  (reading 
n3QDX:  for  n3D^  N^,  T\hy'  for  'h^'^),  renders,  Drought  and  heat  take 
it  away.  Snow  waters  consume  it :  i.e.  lack  of  rain  in  summer, 
excess  in  winter,  alike  serve  to  ruin  the  wicked  man's  land. 

20a-C.  The  wicked  passes  out  of  all  remembrance,  even  of 
the  mother  who  bore  him  (cp.  Is.  49^^'*),  and  only  the  worm  now 
finds  any  satisfaction  in  him.  But  (see  phil.  n.)  not  improb- 
ably one  or  two  slight  errors  in  transcription  have  quite 
altered  the  figures  of  the  lines,  which  rather  read : 

The  square  of  his  (native-)  place  forgetteth  him, 
And  his  name  is  remembered  no  more. 

20d.  Cp.  19I®:  but  the  line  attaches  awkwardly  and  sus- 
piciously to  those  that  precede,  whether  these  are  read  as  in  f^ 
or  as  emended  (see  last  n.) ;  nor  is  the  awkwardness  less,  if 


XXIV.  20-22.]  JOB  213 

21  He  '^ill-treateth^  the  barren  that  beareth  not: 

And  doeth  not  good  to  the  widow." 

22  Yet  (God)  by  his  power  maketh  the  mighty  to  continue : 

He  riseth  up,  though  he  believeth  not  that  he  will  live. 


with  RVm.  the  line  is  connected  with  21 :  And  unrighteous- 
ness is  broken  as  a  tree :  even  he  that  devoureth,  etc.  Du., 
assuming  extensive  corruption  and  transposition  of  words, 
reads  :  Like  a  rotten  tree  he  is  uprooted  (ipy^  ]}]}")  }^j;3). 

21.  Typical  activities  of  the  wicked  man  (cp.  2.  *•  9)  j  jji. 
treatment  of  the  widow  is  familiar,  but  we  should  expect  as  its 
parallel  ill-treatment  of  the  orphan;  instead  of  this,  J^  as 
rendered  above  refers  strangely  to  ill-treatment  of  childless 
women,  the  point  being  supposed  to  be  that  such  have  no  sons 
to  defend  them  (Di.  :  on  some  curious  earlier  explanations,  see 
Schult.),  or  if  it  be  rendered  he  keepeth  company  with  (Pr.  29^) 
the  barren  (so  Marshall),  to  adultery  with  wives  unlikely  to 
conceive.  Du.,  continuing  his  textual  reconstruction  of  2°**, 
reads,  21^  He  doeth  not  good  to  the  widow,  21a  And  hath  no 
compassion  on  her  child  (Dm  ^  nhvi— n!)lV  from  20^^  Dm  for 
li>n:  rVl^V  ^^T\  has  already  been  taken  back  into  '^^). — RU 
treateth]  ^  grazeth  on  (see  phil.  n.),  or  keepeth  company  with 
(see  above). 

22-24.  So  far  from  the  wicked  suffering  an  untimely  fate, 
as  you  say  (^^"21),  God  prolongs  their  life  (22a)  beyond  their  ex- 
pectation (22^)  and  grants  them  security  (2^*)  and  tenderly  cares 
for  them  (2^^) :  such  is  the  point  of  22f.,  if  J^  is  retained  in  23  and 
is  to  be  translated  as  above  in  22  ;  and  the  same  line  of  thought 
would  be  continued  in  24,  if  this  really  meant  that  though  the 
wicked  share  the  common  fate  of  men,  they  do  so  only  when 
they  are  like  ripe  ears  of  corn  (526),  i.e,  after  a  long  life.  But 
the  antithesis  at  the  beginning  of  22a  is  not  marked  in  f^ 
("  Yet "  is  merely  **  and  ");  and  the  verses  have  been  understood 
by  some  (Du.  for  instance)  as  continuing  throughout  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  unhappy  fate  of  the  wicked. 

22.  Yet  (God)  .  .  .  maketh  .  .  ,  ,  to  continue]  in  life  (see 
phil.  n.) :  f^  may  also  be  translated.  And  he  draweth  away 
(ffiF  EV),  viz.  to  destruction,  the  vb.  being  the  same  as  in  Ps. 


214  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB        [XXIV.  22-XXV 

^  He  granteth  him  to  be  confident,  and  he  stands  supported  ; 

And  his  eyes  are  upon  ^  his  ^  ways. 
'*  They  are  exalted  for  a  little  while,  and  they  are  gone ; 

Yea,  they  are  brought  low,  they  are  ''plucked  off  ^  like 

•"  mallows], 

And  like  the  tops  of  ears  of  corn  are  they  cut  off. 
**  And  if  it  be  not  so,  now,  who  will  prove  me  a  liar, 

And  make  my  speech  nothing  worth? 


28^ — Riseth  up]  from  a  bed  of  sickness  (cp.  Ex.  21^^).  By 
itself  the  line  might  have  a  different  sense :  though  he  stand  up ^ 
endure  (8^^)  for  the  moment,  yet  he  has  no  confidence  in  his  life 
continuing. 

23a.  Du.,  If  he  is  pulled  down,  he  has  no  hope  of  finding 
support:  see  phil.  n.  on  22. — 5.  Ps.  33I8.  For  his  eyesy  Du 
reads  his  oppressor  (vi3V») ;  RVm.  but  his  eyes  understands  the 
line  of  the  punishment  of  the  wicked :  though  God  seems  to 
give  them  security  (*),  yet  all  the  time  He  is  narrowly  watching 
them  to  punish  them. 

24.  Even  in  f^  this  v.  most  naturally  suggests  the  untimely 
end  of  the  persons  referred  to ;  for  the  alternative  view,  that  it 
describes  God's  favour  (see  on  ^^'^^  and  phil.  n.),  reference  is 
made  to  21^^. — They  are  brought  low]  i.e,  (if  the  word  is  rightly 
read)  in  death. — Plucked  off]  J^  contract  themselves  ^  i.e.  in  death. 
— Like  mallows]  So  ^ :  J^  like  all  (men). — Mallows\  30*. — Tops 
of  the  ears  of  com]  this  appears  to  stand  for :  tops  of  the 
stalks  of  corn  :  corn  was  reaped  by  cutting  off  the  tops  of  the 
stalk  a  little  below  the  ear:  see  EBi.  Agriculture  67  with 
illustrations. — Are  cut  off]  or  withered',  so  Di.  who  understands 
the  line  as  referring  to  the  withering  of  the  tops  of  the  ean 
(see  last  n.)  as  the  corn  ripens. 

XXV.  Bildad's  third  speech. — This  speech,  which  speaks 
of  the  majesty  of  God  (^f)  and,  echoing  Eliphaz  (4^^  S^"*'*)*  ^^ 
the  impossibility  of  man  ranking  as  pure  before  God  (*~®),  opens 
abruptly,  without  a  question  (4^  n.),  and  is  of  extreme  brevity. 
The  brevity  has  sometimes  been  regarded  as  an  indication  on 
the  poet's  part  that  the  arguments  of  the  friends  are  exhausted ; 
more  probably  it  is  due  to  early  mutilation  of  the  text  which 


XXV.  2-4.]  BILDAD  21 S 

XXV.  ^  Then  answered  Bildad  the  Shuhite,  and  said, 
2  Dominion  and  fear  are  with  him ; 

Who  maketh  peace  in  his  high  places. 
'  Is  there  any  number  of  his  troops  ? 

And  upon  whom  doth  not  his  light  arise  ? 


led  to  the  loss  or  misplacement  of  the  opening  (see  on  26^-*) 
and  other  parts  of  Bildad's  speech  :  see  the  Introduction. 

2-6.  God  rules  in  such  a  way  as  to  inspire  terror  (2»), 
imposing  His  will  on  all  who  resist  Him,  even  among  the 
inhabitants  of  heaven  {^^) ;  in  the  execution  of  His  will  He  can 
rely  on  innumerable  and  invincible  powers  {^).  Should  man  oil 
earth,  then,  criticize  Him,  as  Job  had  done  (23^^-242^),  or, 
again  as  Job  had  done  (2^'^-^^^-)y  claim  to  be  innocent  (^^)? 
Neither  of  the  terror  of  God's  rule  (see  23^^^-),  nor  of  the 
imperfection  and  impurity  of  human  beings  (see  9^),  did  Job 
need  Bildad  to  instruct  him. 

2.  With  htm]  i.e.  with  God  (see  phil.  n.  on  24^^),  who  may 
have  been  mentioned  previously  in  some  part  of  Bildad's  speech 
now  lost :  in  every  other  speech  the  friends  begin  with  some 
direct  address  to  Job,  or  indirect  reference  to  him ;  Du.  prefixes 
262-*  which  contains  such  an  opening,  but  does  not  contain  an 
antecedent  to  with  him. 

2b.  Cp.  Is.  2421  (with  n.  there)  and  cc.  9^*  26i2f.  (with  notes) 

3.  Troops  .  .  .  ligh{\  not  very  obvious  parallel  terms,  but 
possible,  if  we  think  of  the  troops  as  the  **host  of  heaven." 
Even  so,  however,  ^^  remains  rather  strange,  for  arise  (Dip :  cp. 
1 1^7)  is  not  expressed  by  the  usual  word  (mr)  for  the  rising  of 
the  sun,  and  the  idea  of  Mt.  5*^  that  God  graciously  causes  His 
sun  to  shine  on  all  creatures,  is  obviously  out  of  place  here. 
The  idea,  if  the  text  is  right,  is  rather  that  of  Heb.  4IS  (Peake) : 
no-one  is  concealed  from  God ;  no-one  can  secretly  withdraw 
himself  from  His  dominion.  But  fflc  (see  phil.  n.),  keeping  up 
the  fig.  of  *,  and  giving  to  the  verbal  idiom  a  well-established 
sense,  reads  And  against  whom  doth  not  his  ambush  rise  up 
(i>y  Dip,  cp.  Dt.  19II). 

4-6.  A  mere  variation  of  Eliphaz's  words  in  15^*"^^  (cp.  4^^"')t 
insisting  on  a  point  admitted  by  Job  in  9^:  cp.  14* 


2l6  THE    BOOK   OF  JOB      [XXV.  4-XXVI.  S. 

*  How  then  can  man  be  just  beside  God  ? 

Or  how  can  he  be  pure  that  is  born  of  a  woman  ? 

*  Behold,  even  the  moon  hath  no  brightness, 

And  the  stars  are  not  pure  in  his  sight : 

*  How  much  less  man  that  is  a  maggot ! 

And  the  son  of  man,  which  is  a  worm  I 

XXVI.  ^  Then  Job  answered  and  said, 

*  How  hast  thou  helped  him  that  is  without  power  I 

How  hast   thou   saved   the   arm    that    hath    no 

strength ! 


4.  Beside  God]  ue,  "having  a  righteousness  independent  of 
God's"— Dr. 

5.  Moon  .  .  .  stars\  without  mention  of  the  sun,  as  Ps. 
8*^3^:  in  15^^  **  his  holy  ones  ...  the  heavens":  4^^  **his 
servants  .  .  .  his  angels." 

6.  Son  of  man]  in  Job  only  here,  and  perhaps  16^^. — Maggot] 
or  worm  of  decay  and  corruption  (y**  17^*) :  the  term  in  ^  also  ex- 
presses **  the  idea  of  extreme  abasement  (Is.  41^*,  Ps.  22^) " — Dr. 

XXVI.  2-4.  Job,  if  the  words  are  his,  ironically  acknow- 
ledges the  help  which  he  has  received  from  Bildad's  speech ; 
such  abundant  and  effective  wisdom  (cp.  12^^')  must  have  God 
as  its  ultimate  source  (*^) — as  Eliphaz,  indeed,  had  claimed 
(15^).  But  the  sustained  use  of  the  2nd  pars.  sing,  in  the 
address  (see  below  on  v.^),  and  perhaps  also  the  interrogative 
opening  so  customary  with  the  friends  (4^  n.),  but  only  once 
employed  by  Job  (19^),  suggest  that  the  lines  may  be  the  mis- 
placed opening  of  Bildad's  third  speech.  In  this  case  Bildad 
is  taunting  Job :  By  your  charges  against  God  you  have 
represented  Him  as  weak  and  ignorant  (cp.  22^^  Eliphaz) ;  but 
how  have  you  helped  and  illumined  Him  with  your  wisdom 
uttered  at  such  length?  (^^r  cp.  8^  18^).  Whence  have  you 
such  wisdom  that  you  venture  to  instruct  even  God?  To 
which  question  Bildad  leaves  unexpressed  the  obvious  answer : 
there  is  no  wisdom  above  the  wisdom  of  God  :  so  Du.  explains ; 
but  the  interpretation  is  perhaps  a  little  laboured. 

2.   Thou]  so  **•  2*-  ^  **•  ^,     There  is  no  other  example  of  such 


XXVI.  2-4.]  JOB  2 1 7 

^  How  hast  thou  counselled  him  that  hath  no  wisdom, 
And  plentifully  declared  sound  knowledge ! 

*  '^To^  whom  hast  thou  uttered  words? 
And  whose  spirit  came  forth  from  thee  ? 


sustained  address  by  Job  to  one  of  the  friends  alone.  Job's 
general  habit  is  to  address  all  three  together  in  the  2nd  pers. 
pi.;  so  in  reply  to  Eliphaz,  621-24.26-29  152.  4f.   j^io.  to  Bildad, 

ig2t.  5f.  21f.  28f.  ;       to     Sophar,      122'-  132.  4-13.  17      2l2-  3a(b  (3).  5.  27.  29.  34^ 

The  rare  instances  of  the  sing,  in  address  to  one  of  the  friends 
alone  are  :  to  Eliphaz  i6^,  to  Sophar  i2^^-  (probably  not  original), 
21^^  (J^,  not  (Sr) ;  there  is  no  instance  in  the  previous  replies  to 
Bildad.  Eliphaz  in  15^^-  (scarcely  also  in  42)  and  Bildad  in  8^  i82*- 
speak  in  the  pi.  as  expressing  not  their  individual,  but  their 
common  standpoint;  at  other  times  Eliphaz  (48.i2fF.  ^3.8  j -6.  i7j  ^nd 
Sophar  (202'-),  but  not  Bildad,  use  the  sing.  There  is  nothing  in 
Bildad's  brief  speech  in  c.  25,  nor  in  26^-14,  if  that  be  considered 
the  misplaced  conclusion  to  it,  to  account  for  this  very  excep- 
tional use  of  the  2nd  pers.  sing,  in  addressing  him. — Htm  that 
is  'without  power]  i.e.  (if  the  words  are  Job's)  Job  himself,  not 
(Mercerius,  Schlottm.,  Ehrlich)  God;  but  God,  if  the  words  are 
Bildad's. — The  arm]  the  seat  of  strength:  cp.  40^  and,  e.g.f 
Hos.  715,  Ezk.  3o24'-. 

3.  Sound  knowledge]  the  term  rW\T\  (5^2  n.  and  phil.  n.) 
has  been  previously  used  by  Job,  Eliphaz,  and  Sophar,  but  not 
Bildad. 

4.  To  whoiii]  or,  rather,  with  whose  help  ?  With  God's  ? 
This  certainly  gives  the  better  parallelism  to  ^.  If  we  read  or 
render  (see  phil.  n.)  to  whom^  the  point  is :  will  you  really 
teach  me,  who  have  no  need  of  such  teaching?  (cp.  Is.  28^). 

4b.  You  cannot  but  have  spoken  by  the  inspiration  of  God 
(and  *  by  His  help :  see  phil.  n.) :  so  rightly  Di.  Da.  explain. 
The  meaning  is  not :  you  have  borrowed  what  you  have  to  say 
from  Eliphaz  (Del.),  or  from  me,  Job  (in  cc.  9,  12,  Bu.):  you 
are  comforting  me  with  words  that  you  have  plagiarized  !  (Bu.). 

5-14.  The  power  of  God  extends  to  Sheol  (^^•),  and  is  mani- 
fested in  the  incidents  of  Creation  (doa)  12  (i3)j  ^j^^j  the  recurring 
marvels  of  the  enduring  order  of  the  world  (7-9.  iob.ii(?i3)j^     jj^ 


2l8  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XXVI.  4-«, 

'^  The  shades  do  tremble 

Beneath  the  waters  and  the  inhabitants  thereof. 


the  probably  mutilated  state  of  the  text  in  cc.  25-27  (see 
Introduction),  it  is  uncertain  whether  these  vv.  originally 
formed  part  of  a  speech  of  Job,  or  continued  the  speech  of 
Bildad,  following  25^  (Peake),  or  less  probably  25^  (Reuss,  Du. 
al.).  The  same  general  theme — the  might  and  marvellous 
works  of  God — is  handled  elsewhere  by  Job  {g^~^^  12(7-10).  is. 
more  distantly  parallel  is  the  remainder  of  i2'^~25j .  |^^t  j^  jg  ^Iso 
more  briefly  touched  on  by  Eliphaz  (5^'-  22^2),  Sophar  (ii^~^), 
and  by  Bildad  (25^*-) ;  and  it  forms  a  main  theme  of  the  speeches 
of  Yahweh.  So  far,  then,  ^~i*  might  well  occur  in  a  speech 
either  of  Job  or  of  one  of  the  friends.  But  the  theme  is  not 
closely  related  (ct.  c.  9)  to  the  opening  of  the  speech  (2-*),  nor 
to  what  purports  to  be  its  continuation  (after  a  pause,  27^)  in 
272^'.  It  is  said,  indeed,  that  Job's  object  is  to  show  that  he 
can  outdo  Bildad's  brief  attempt  in  252-8(6)  (Bu.),  or  that  he 
stands  in  no  need  of  instruction  (cp.  ^^)  in  the  greatness  of 
God  (Da.) ;  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  object  is  really 
indicated  in  the  present  text ;  and  something  has  perhaps  been 
lost  between  *  and  *>,  if  both  2-4  and  ^^^  originally  formed  part 
of  Job's  speech.  The  connection  is  not  improved  by  following 
05,  which  omits  5-11- 14*-^  (cp.  Hatch,  Biblical  Greeky  225):  this, 
too,  would  leave  the  treatment  of  the  theme  in  c.  26  as  brief  as 
in  c.  25. 

5.  The  text  is  probably  in  some  disorder  (see  phil.  n.).  A 
mere  change  in  the  accentuation  gives  an — at  least  formally 
— better  distich : 

The  shades  do  tremble  beneath, 

The  waters  and  the  inhabitants  thereof. 
For  the  shades  beneath^  cp.  "  Sheol  beneath,"  Is.  14^ ;  for  the 
**  waters,"  regarded  as  **  under  the  earth,"  and  therefore  a 
possible  parallel  term  to  **the  shades  beneath,"  cp.  Ex.  20*, 
Dt.  4^8  58.  But  the  combination  of  the  waters,  the  shades, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  waters,  i.e.  the  fishes,  is  strange  ; 
and  the  text  may  have  suffered  more  seriously.  As  a  con- 
tinuation of  252  (the  fear  of  God  secures  peace  in  the  heights 


XXVI.  6.]  JOB  2 1 9 

of  heaven),  26^  (and  causes  those  in  the  depths  of  Sheol  to 
tremble)  would  be  admirable ;  but  the  v.  is  by  no  means  so 
suitable  as  the  beginning  of  Job's  rejoinder  to  Bildad,  as  Di.'s 
attempt  to  justify  it  as  such  shows  :  *^  Not  the  heavenly  beings 
alone  (as  Bildad  has  said)^  buty  says  Job,  even  the  shades 
in  the  lowest  deeps  tremble  before  him " ;  if  what  is  here 
(though  not  by  Di.)  italicized  had  been  intended,  it  would  surely 
have  been  expressed. — The  shades]  D"'«D")  as  in  Ps.  88^  ^^''^  (||  the 
dead),  Pr.  2^^  ([|  death)  9I8  (||  *<her  guests  in  the  depths  of 
Sheol "),  2110,  Is.  149  2614  (II  *<  the  dead  ")  i^^ :  so  in  Phcen.,  **  No 
seed  among  the  living  under  the  sun,  nor  resting-place  with  the 
shades"  (Tabnith  Inscription,  1.  8;  Cooke,  NSI  4):  **may 
they  have  no  resting-place  with  the  shades,  nor  be  buried  in  the 
grave  "  (Eshmun'azar's  Inscription  :  CIS  i^,  Cooke,  5) — both 
passages  of  about  300  B.C.  The  term  quite  clearly  denotes  the 
inhabitants  of  Sheol,  who  had  once  lived  on  earth  ;  and  to  the 
author  of  Is.  14^-  it  denoted  them  as  the  weak  and  feeble  sur- 
vivals of  once  lusty  beings  of  flesh  and  blood.  It  is  unlikely, 
therefore,  that  in  and  by  itself  it  meant  or  implied  giants  (SSTH 
&X  'A  here,  Du. :  cp.  Peake),  and,  if  the  context  really  required 
such  a  reference,  it  would  be  better  to  assume  that  words  now 
lost  defined  the  special  ** shades"  intended  as  those  of  the 
primeval  giants  (cp.  **  the  shades,  all  the  bell-wethers  of  earth  ; 
all  the  kings  of  the  nations,"  Is.  14^).  For  etymological 
speculations,  which  do  not  determine  the  meaning  placed  on 
the  term  by  late  Hebrew  writers,  cp.  n.  on  Is.  14®;  EBi.  s.v. 
Dead. — The  waters]  of  the  sea  (cp.  v.^*',  Gn.  i9'-22j^  q^  ^j^g 
surface  of  which  the  earth  was  regarded  as  spread  out  (Ps. 
136^)  or  built  (Ps.  24^) ;  where  there  was  no  dry  land  spread 
out  or  built  upon  and  so  concealing  those  waters,  they  appear 
as  seas  or  rivers,  or  give  evidence  of  their  presence  by  springs 
welling  up  from  below  (Gn.  7");  but  even  these  visible 
waters  were,  according  to  Hebrew  mode  of  speech,  **  under 
the  earth "  (Ex.  20*,  Dt.  4^^) ;  what  was  under  the  waters 
was  therefore  a  fortiori  under  the  earth. — The  inhabitants] 
of  the  waters  must  be  the  fish  in  them ;  alike  the  great  mon- 
sters of  the  deep  and  the  smaller  fish  with  which  the  waters 
swarm  (cp.  Gn.  i^i'-,  Ps.  8^^^^  98"^):  a  special  reference  to  the 


2  20  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XX VI.  6-7. 

•  Sheol  is  naked  before  him, 

And  Abaddon  hath  no  covering*: 
^  Who  stretcheth  out  the  north  over  empty  space, 

(And)  hangeth  the  earth  upon  nothing : 


great  monsters  (cp.  Peake)  might  be  more  appropriate,  but  is 
not  in  the  present  text :  on  the  other  hand,  the  strange 
description  of  the  shades  as  being  under  the  fishes  is  not 
necessarily  expressed  by  the  text,  but  disappears  if  we  place 
the  comma  after  *'  beneath  "  ;  see  above.  With  *'  beneath  the 
waters  and  the  inhabitants  thereof"  might  be  compared  **  who 
spread  out  the  earth  and  all  that  came  out  of  it "  (Is.  42^) ;  but 
there,  though  the  zeugma  is  extreme,  the  allusion  to  all  that 
comes  out  of  the  earth  is  entirely  suitable  to  the  context. 

6.  Cp.  Pr.  15I1,  Ps.  139^^-,  Am.  92*-.  Sheol,  stripped,  with 
all  covering  that  could  screen  it  removed,  lies  exposed  to  the 
eye  of  God  and  defenceless  before  Him. — Abaddon]  a  term  for 
Sheol  as  the  place  of  destruction  :  so  Pr.  15^^  27-^  (coupled  with 
Sheol),  c.  2822  (coupled  with  Death),  Ps.  58^2  (||  the  grave), 
c.  3i^2|.     In  Rev.  9^^  =  *-47roWi;c«)i/. 

7,  8.  Sheol  conceals  no  mystery  from  God  (^) ;  and  of  what 
are  to  men  the  mysteries  of  earth  ^(a).  b^  ^j^^j  sj^y  8^  Qq^j  jg 
Himself  the  cause,  and,  as  such,  cognizant  of  them;  He  hangs 
the  earth  with  its  inconceivable  weight  on  nothing,  and  keeps 
it  so  suspended ;  He  uses  the  clouds  as  vast  water-skins  to 
hold  the  rain,  and  they  do  not  split  in  spite  of  the  immense 
weight  of  the  rain-water  within  them;  the  Hebrews  had  no 
conception  of  the  contents  of  the  clouds  being  the  light  vapour 
of  water. — Stretcheth  oiit\  the  vb.  (nt33)  is  that  commonly  used 
of  stretching  out  the  tent  (-coverings  over  the  supporting  poles) : 
see,  e.g.^  Gn.  12^,  Jer.  \d^-^\  hence  it  is  used  of  stretching  out 
the  heavens  (9^,  Zee.  12^,  and  frequently  in  Is.  40-66,  e.g.^  45^^)> 
which  were  conceived  as  the  coverings  of  a  vast  tent  (Is.  4022, 
Ps.  1042).  If  it  is  here  used  of  the  earth  (see  next  n.),  it  is  so 
used  exceptionally  and  as  a  synonym  of  VpT  heaty  spread  outy 
the  vb.  used  of  the  earth  in  Is.  42^  442*,  where  ntD3  is  used  of 
the  heavens  (another  term  used  of  the  earth  in  parallelism  with 
nt3D  of  the  heavens  is  ^D^  Zee.  12^,  Is.  51^^). — The  north]  this 


XXVI.  7-9.]  JOB  22  1 

^  Who  bindeth  up  the  waters  in  his  thick  clouds, 
And  the  cloud  is  not  rent  under  them : 

•  Who  closeth  in  the  face  of  "^his^  throne. 
Spreading  his  cloud  upon  it. 


might  mean  (i)  the  northern  and  highest  region  of  the  heavens: 
cp.  Is.  14^^,  though  some  think  that  even  here  '*the  north"  is 
the  northern  part  of  the  earth  ;  or  (2)  the  northern  part  of  the 
earth,  as  Ps.  89^^,  Is.  43^.  The  vb.  (see  last  n.)  strongly 
favours  meaning  (i)  here;  and,  as  against  this,  it  is  incon- 
clusive to  plead  that  the  dome  of  sky  was  thought  to  be 
supported  by  pillars  (cp.  ^^)  at  the  horizon.  Since  (see  last  n.) 
the  sky  was  certainly  conceived  as  a  tent-covering,  the  question 
may  easily  have  presented  itself:  how  is  this  vast  tent-covering 
held  up  without  any  central  tent-pole  or  poles  such  as  earthly 
tents  require,  whether  the  pavilion  of  a  monarch  on  campaign, 
puny  though  it  be  by  comparison,  or  the  constant  home  of  the 
nomad :  see  EBi.  4970  f.  for  illustrations  and  descriptions  of 
central  pole(s).  But  if  the  usage  of  the  vb.  may  be  disregarded, 
and  meaning  (2)  adopted,  ^  is  entirely  concerned  with  the  earth, 
and  ^  with  the  (clouded)  sky. — Hangeth  .  .  .  upon]  i.e.  suspends 
from  (ijy  ni^n  as  Gn.  40^^,  Is.  22^*,  Ps.  137^),  or  suspeiids  over  (as 
2  S.  4^2) :  the  ||  favours  the  latter  meaning ;  but  the  conception 
then  expressed  of  the  earth  poised  over  empty  space  would  be 
paralleled,  if  at  all,  only  in  38^ :  moreover,  unless  we  consider 
the  pillars  of  the  earth  (9^)  part  of  it,  constituting,  so  to  speak, 
its  skeleton  (Di.),  and  the  waters  under  it  (^  n.)  also  part  of  it, 
viz.  its  foundations  (z*^.),  the  conception  would  not  be  strictly 
compatible  with  what  is  implied  by  these  expressions. 

8.  For  the  clouds  conceived  as,  or  under  the  figure  of, 
water-skins,  see  38^*^,  Ps.  33*^  ffir:  for  the  marvel  of  rain,  Pr. 
30* ;  also  cc.  3627'.  383*. 

pa  might  also  be  translated  **  Who  closeth  in  the  face  of 
the  full  moon,"  viz.  when  the  moon  is  eclipsed;  but  this  is 
less  likely,  though  even  the  translation  above  is  not  free  from 
difficulty;  see  phil.  n.  "Jehovah's  throne  was  pictured  by  the 
Hebrews  as  being  above  the  solid  firmament  of  heaven  (cp. 
37^^  Am.  9^):  its  *face,*  or  outside  front,  was  hidden  from  the 


222  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXVI.  9-12. 

1®  He  hath  •" marked  out  a  circle''  upon  the  face  of  the  waters, 

Unto  the  confines  of  light  and  darkness. 
^  The  pillars  of  heaven  quiver, 

And  are  astonished  at  his  rebuke. 


view  of  men  upon  the  earth,  partly  by  this  firmament,  partly 
by  the  clouds  underneath  it "  (cp.  22^3-  ^*) — Dr. 

10.  **The  ancients  supposed  the  earth  to  be  a  flat  disk 
encircled  by  waters  [cp.  ^  n.]:  and  so  this  v.  means  that  God 
has  "  marked  out  a  circle  **  (corresponding  to  what  we  call  the 
*  horizon,*  though  conceived  by  the  Hebrews  as  a /fjv^c? boundary) 
upon  the  surface  of  these  waters :  along  their  inner  edge  rise 
the  mountains  supporting  the  great  dome  of  heaven  (cp.  Am. 
9*);  and  the  *  boundary'  thus  formed  marks  the  confines  of 
light  and  darkness,  because  within  this  dome  the  heavenly 
bodies  revolve,  while  outside  all  is  darkness  " — Dr.  See,  fur- 
ther, Whitehouse's  art.  Cosmogony  in  DB  with  the  sketch  on 

P-  503- 

11.  The  pillars  of  heaven]  the  mountains  at  the  horizon 
conceived  as  supporting  the  vault  of  heaven :  see  on  v.^^. 
En.  18^  refers  to  the  phrase  and  wrongly  explains  it.  Even 
the  mountains  tremble  at  the  voice,  i.e.  the  thunders  of  God 
(cp.  Ps.  29,  18^^^^). — J^ebuke]  here  of  God  speaking  angrily  in 
thunder:  cp.  Ps.  18^^ ^^^^  104^  with  the  parallel  and  the  context. 

12  f.  There  have  been  two  main  lines  of  interpretation  of 
these  verses ;  both  vv.  have  been  regarded  as  instancing  either 
recurrent  manifestations  of  God's  power  in  the  phenomena  of 
sea  and  sky,  or  mighty  acts  of  God  at  or  before  the  creation 
of  the  world.  Some  interpret  ^^  only  in  the  second  sense,  ^^  in 
the  first.  The  use  of  the  perfect  tense  in  both  lines  of  ^^  and  in 
13b  ^i3a  i^as  nQ  yb  j^  jn  contrast  to  the  imperfects  and  participles 
of  recurrent  divine  action  which  predominate  in  ^~^\  favours 
the  view  that  the  verses — at  least  ^^ — refer  to  specific  acts  at 
creation,  and  the  correspondence,  again  most  clearly  in  ^^^  to 
conspicuous  features  of  Babylonian  mythology  increases  this 
probability.  If  the  reference  throughout  is  to  recurrent  action, 
present  tenses  (as  in  RV.),  is  stilled  .  .  .  smitethy  should  be 
substituted  for  the  pasts  in  the  above  translation ;  if  ^^  as  well 


XXVI.  12-13.]  JOB  223 

^2  Through  his  power  the  sea  was  stilled ; 

And  by  his  understanding  he  smote  through  Rahab. 
^  By  his  wind  the  heavens  are  brightened : 

His  hand  pierceth  the  fleeing  serpent. 


as  "  refers  to  an  act  at  creation,  the  past  should  be  substituted 
for  the  present  in  ^^  were  .  .   .  pierced, 

12.  The  V.  is  best  taken  (see  last  n.)  as  containing  allusions, 
such  as  have  already  occurred  in  this  book  (9^^),  to  the  Hebrew 
form  (in  which  all  creative  activity  was  attributed  to  Yahweh) 
of  the  old  Babylonian  mythological  account  of  creation :  as,  in 
Babylonian  story,  before  the  creation  of  the  world,  Tiamat, 
the  representative  of  the  sea  and  disorder,  had  to  be  subdued, 
and  as  Marduk,  in  conflict  with  Tiamat,  "seized  the  spear, 
and  tore  her  belly,  cut  her  inward  parts,  pierced  her  heart, 
made  her  powerless,  destroyed  her  life,  cast  down  her  body 
and  sX.QO^.M'^oniX.^''  (Tablets  of  Creationy  iv.  101-105:  Rogers, 
CPy  p.  29),  SO,  in  Hebrew  popular  story,  before  the  creation 
of  the  world  Yahweh  quelled  the  sea,  and,  like  the  wise  Marduk 
of  the  Babylonian  story,  who  used  craft  (ib.  iv.  95-100),  not  by 
mere  might,  but  by  the  use  of  his  understandings  slew  the  sea- 
monster  Rahab  (see  9^^  n.).  The  tenses  do  not  favour  the  view 
that  a  fresh  piercing  of  Rahab  every  time  a  stormy  sea  was  hushed, 
is  here  referred  to. —  Was  stilled]  others  render,  he  stirred  up 
(to  fight) :  see  phil.  n. — He  smote  through  Rahab]  cp.  Is.  51^. 

13.  "  The  V.  describes  how,  after  a  storm,  the  wind, — God's 
*  breath '  (as  Is.  40'^), — clearing  away  the  clouds,  brightens  the 
sky;  and  how  the  *  fleeing  serpent'  (cp.  Is.  27^),  which  was 
popularly  supposed  to  be  the  cause  of  darkness  at  an  eclipse 
(cp.  3^),  is  destroyed  by  His  power,  and  the  light  of  the  sun 
restored" — Dr.  On  this  view  of  the  v.,  for  which  see  also  Di. 
Da.  Del.  Peake,  the  writer  returns  from  illustrating  the  power 
of  God  shown  in  His  mighty  acts  at  creation  (^^j  tQ  examples 
of  His  recurrent  activity  in  nature  (cp.  ^-^^) ;  and  perhaps  ^* 
more  naturally  attaches  to  examples  of  recurrent  activity  than 
of  unrepeated  acts  in  the  past.  Yet  the  pf.  tense  in  ^,  the 
similarity  of  ^  to  ^^b,  and  of  1^^,  ^^b  combined  to  Is.  51^,  together 
establish  a  strong  presumption  for  referring  ^^  ij^e  12  ^q  ^^e 


2  24  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXVI.  13-14. 

^*  Lo,  these  are  but  the  outskirts  of  his  ways ; 

And  what  a  whisper  of  a  word  do  we  hear  of  him ! 

But  the  thunder  of  his  mighty  acts  who  can  comprehend  ? 


past,  though  perhaps  none  of  the  attempts  so  to  explain  it  have 
been  entirely  satisfactory. 

U  ("Spiritus  eius  ornavit  caelos,  et  obstetricante  manu  eius  eductus 
est  coluber  tortuosus")  and  ^  (in  which,  as  in  U  (ct.  B),  the  vbs.  in  both 
lines  are,  as  in  |^  in  ^  in  the  pf.)  understand  the  v.  to  refer  to  the  clearing: 
up  of  the  heavens  at  creation  (cp.  Gn.  i^'-)  and  to  the  creation  of  Leviathan 
(cp.  3^),  which  'dL  definitely  names  here.  But  modern  interpreters  of  the  v. 
appeal  for  support  to  the  parallelism  of  ^^  with  the  Babylonian  story,  which 
parallelism,  it  is  contended,  with  considerable  probability,  continues  in  " ; 
and  to  (&.  ffir,  though  it  implies  in  *  a  Hebrew  text  very  slightly  differing 
from  £H,  gives  *  a  very  different  sense,  viz.  The  bars  of  heaven  shuddered 
before  him-,  this  is  adopted  by  Gunkel  (Schb'pfung  u.  Chaos,  36 f.),  who 
sees  in  *  an  allusion  to  the  bars  or  bolts  which  were  forbidden  to  let  water 
stream  down  from  heaven,  except  when  God  permitted,  and  shuddered  to 
disobey  the  divine  command.  It  will  be  convenient  to  cite  the  lines  of  the 
Creation  story  (iv.  130-132,  135,  137-141  ;  Rogers,  CP 2sS.)  most  immedi- 
ately concerned  : 

*'  With  his  merciless  club  he  broke  her  (Tiamat's)  skull, 
He  cut  through  the  channels  of  her  blood, 
And  he  made  the  North  wind  bear  it  away  to  secret  places. 
Then  the  lord  rested,  he  gazed  upon  her  dead  body. 
He  split  her  open  like  a  flat  (?)  fish  into  two  halves  ; 
One  half  of  her  he  established  as  a  covering  for  heaven. 
He  fixed  a  bolt,  he  stationed  a  watchman. 
He  commanded  them  not  to  let  her  waters  come  forth." 
But  the  "bars  of  heaven  shuddered"  would  be  a  strange  way  of  alluding 
to  this.     We  might  rather  surmise  that  the  allusion  to  the  mytli  lies  not  in 
the  bars  of  (!Br,  but  the  wind  of  f^  (the  remainder  of  *  being  corrupt).     For 
the  part  played  by  the  wind  in  the  conflict  with  Tiamat,  cp.  the  third  of  the 
lines  just  cited,  and,  e.g.,  iv.  45-48  : 

He  created  an  evil  wind,  a  tempest,  a  hurricane, 

A  fourfold  wind,  a  sevenfold  wind,  a  whirlwind,  a  wind  beyond  compare. 
He  sent  forth  the  winds,  which  he  had  created,  the  seven  of  them, 
To  disturb  the  inner  parts  of  Tiamat,  they  followed  after  him. 
In  the  "fleeing  serpent"  of  ^  following  Rahab  in  ^^^  Gu.  sees  evidence 
that  the  Hebrew  myth  spoke  of  two  creatures  slain  by  Yahweh,  as  the 
Babylonian  myth  speaks  of  Kingu  as  well  as  Tiamat.  Daiches  (ZA,  191 1, 
p.  3)  finds  in  *  a  statement  of  the  creation  of  the  heavens,  in  ^  of  the  creation 
of  the  sea,  in  agreement  (as  he  argues)  with  the  order  of  events  after  the 
slaying  of  Tiamat  in  the  Babylonian  story  ;  but  see  phil.  n. 

14.   Marvellous  as  are  the  ways  of  God  just  described,  what 
is  indescribable  13  immeasurably  more  marvellous  ;  the  story  of 


XXVI.  14-XXVII.  2.]  JOB  225 

XXVII.  ^  And  Job  again  took  up  his  discourse,  and  said, 
*  As  God  liveth,  who  hath  taken  away  my  right ; 

And  the  Almighty,  who  hath  embittered  my  soul; 


His  mighty  acts  comes  through  to  man  as  a  mere  whisper  of 
the  thunder  of  their  far  distant  reality.  Even  what  God  does 
is  but  partially  and  faintly  heard  :  how  much  less  can  the 
reason  for  what  He  does  be  discovered !  such  is  probably  the 
indirect  suggestion  of  the  v. 

XXVII.  This  c.  (i)  opens  with  an  introductory  formula 
stating  that  Job  is  the  speaker,  although  it  immediately  follows 
what  is,  according  to  26^,  a  speech  of  Job ;  (2)  is,  for  the  most 
part  of  its  contents,  entirely  at  variance  with  the  standpoint  of 
Job,  and  in  entire  agreement  with  the  standpoint  of  the  friends. 
Both  these  features  are  probably  due  to  dislocations  of  the  text 
in  this  part  of  the  book;  see  on  cc.  25,  26^'*'^'^^  and  Introduction. 
While  2-6  clearly,  ^^  probably,  and  perhaps  ^^  belong  to  a 
speech  of  Job*s,  ^~^®  and  ^^^3  ^re  most  naturally  referred  to  one 
of  the  friends,  and  perhaps  formed  parts  of  the  apparently 
missing  third  speech  of  Sophar. 

I.  Took  up  his  discourse f  and  said]  So  29^,  Nu.  23^-  ^^ 
2^3. 16. 20. 21.  23 .  ggg  f,^  jjj  Numbers^  p.  344  f. — Again\  after  c. 
26,  though  no  other  speaker  has  intervened  (cp.  34^  35^  36^ 
40^).  If  dislocation  of  the  text  is  not  assumed  (see  above),  it 
is  usual  to  assume  that  Job  pauses  for  Sophar  to  reply,  and 
finding  him  silent  resumes  his  own  speech. 

2-6.  Job  once  again  maintains,  and  now  for  the  first  time 
with  a  solemn  oath  (cp.  31^^),  his  integrity,  and  that  his  manner 
of  life  in  no  way  accounts  for  the  calamities  that  have  befallen 
him;  that  these,  on  the  contrary,  prove  not  his  unrighteousness, 
but  God's  perversion  of  his  right ;  and,  consequently,  that  it 
would  be  a  profane  thing  for  him  (^)  to  admit  that  his  friends 
had  spoken  the  truth.  These  verses  read  quite  like  the 
heginning  of  a  speech  of  Job  ;  and  do  not  require,  scarcely 
even  allow,  26^"*  as  an  introduction  to  them.  They  are  not  very 
intimately  related  to  what  survives  of  Bildad's  speech,  even  if 
26^"^*  be  referred  to  him,  nor  to  27^'^^-  ^^"^s  conjecturally  attri- 
buted to  Sophar. 

15 


226  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB       [XXVU.  3-7. 

'  (For  all  my  breath  is  still  in  me, 

And  the  spirit  of  God  is  in  my  nostrils ;) 

*  Surely  my  lips  do  not  speak  unrighteousness, 

Neither  doth  my  tongue  utter  deceit. 

*  Be  it  far  from  me  !     Surely  I  will  not  justify  you ! 

Till  I  die  I  will  not  put  away  mine  integrity  from  me. 

*  My  righteousness  I  hold  fast,  and  will  not  let  it  go : 

My  heart  doth  not  reproach  any  one  of  my  days. 


2.  Job  swears  by  God,  though  in  the  very  terms  of  the 
oath  he  charges  God  with  doing  him  injustice. — Taken  away 
my  right]  34^:  cp.  (with  r\^7\  for  TDH)  Dt.  24^^  27^^,  i  S.  8^ 
the  milder  complaint  against  God  in  Is.  40^^,  and  the  anti- 
thetical phrase  in  c.  36^. — Embittered  my  soul]  cp.  **the  bitter- 
ness of  my  soul,"  7^^  10^;   **a  bitter  soul,"  2i25. 

3.  The  parenthesis  "is  intended  to  add  strength  to  Job's 
protestation :  though  worn  by  his  disease,  he  still  has  life  and 
energy  to  make  it" — Dr.  The  alternative  translation  (see 
phil.  n.),  all  the  while  my  breath  is  in  me^  would  only  be  suit- 
able (cp.  Ps.  1462'-)  if  Job  were  swearing  that  (*)  he  would 
always  in  the  future  speak  truth :  and  here  he  is  swearing  to 
the  fact  that  he  always  has  spoken  and  still  does  speak  truth. 

5.  Justify  you]  Admit  your  charges  to  be  true. — I  will  not 
put  away  my  integrity]  the  equivalent,  stated  negatively,  of 
"I  will  hold  fast  to  my  integrity"  (cp.  2^-^).  To  allow  the 
charges  of  the  friends  to  pass  as  true — a  course  repudiated  in  * 
— would  make  Job  a  liar,  and  so  impair  his  integrity  (i^  n.). 

6.  Heart]  Conscience,  as  i  S.  24^  ^^\  Never  had  Job  com- 
mitted such  sins  as  to  account  for  his  calamities. 

7-10.  The  speaker — not  Job,  but  possibly  Sophar  (see 
above) — expresses  the  wish  (ct.  31^)  that  his  enemy  may  be 
overtaken  by  the  unhappy  lot  of  the  wicked,  in  particular,  that 
he  may — as  Job  does  now  (9^^'*  13^*  19^  30^®) — find  God  deaf  to 
him  when  trouble  befalls  him  (S').  Such  an  execration  would 
be  intelligible  in  the  mouth  of  the  friends  who  hold  the  fate  of 
the  wicked  to  be  the  worst  of  fates,  but  not  in  the  mouth  of 
Job  ;  for  in  his  mouth  it  would  mean  :  May  my  enemy  prosper 
in  life  and  be  honoured  in  death  (cp.  e.g,  2i^*-2^3sjj 


xxvn.  7.]  sophar(?)  227 

[SOPHAR  (?)] 

^  Let  mine  enemy  be  as  the  wicked, 

And  let  him  that  riseth  up  against  me  be  as  the  un- 
righteous. 


Two  attempts  to  explain  the  words  as  Job's  may  be  referred  to.  "  The 
words  being  inconsistent  with  the  condition  of  Job's  mind  as  revealed  in  his 
speeches,  it  is  supposed  (a)  that  he  has  at  last  found  his  way  to  an  assured 
trust  in  God,  or  that  such  a  trust  has  suddenly,  after  the  attacks  of  his 
friends  are  ended,  flashed  upon  him,  and  filled  his  mind  with  the  hope  of  a 
restoration  to  God's  favour  (Ew.  Di.).  This  altered  frame  of  mind,  how- 
ever, though  net  in  itself  inadmissible,  is  difficult  to  reconcile  with  what 
follows:  for  in  3020-23  Jq^  expresses  again  the  same  thought,  which  ex 
hypothesi  he  would  have  overcome  ;  he  denies,  precisely  as  he  has  done 
throughout  the  debate,  that  God  listens  to  his  cry.  And  similarly  in  31S5-37 
he  treats  God  still  as  his  adversary.  At  the  same  time  it  is  conceivable 
that  the  author  only  intended  to  represent  Job  as  having  gained  a  temporary 
calmness  of  mind,  which  afterwards,  as  the  contrast  between  his  past  and 
present  condition  forces  itself  upon  him  (cc.  30-31),  he  fails  to  maintain. 
The  alternative  (6)  is  to  conclude  that  the  implicit  reference  is  to  Job's  ^o^/ 
condition,  and  to  suppose  that  the  state  of  mind  which  Job  denies  to  the 
ungodly  is  suggested  by  memories  of  his  own  former  condition,  as  described 
in  c.  29,  when  the  tokens  of  God's  friendship  were  abundantly  bestowed 
upon  him.  Upon  this  view  the  words  are  considered  to  be  introduced  here 
as  a  continuation  of  vv.^-^,  as  though  to  say  :  How  could  one  have  ever 
been  tempted  to  sin,  who  knew  so  well  the  miserable  mental  state  into 
which  the  sinner  falls?  (Hengstenberg  partly;  Budde  [ZATW,  1882], 
pp.  205-210,  and  in  his  Comm." — Dr.  LOT^  422.  Bu.  in  the  interests  of 
this  interpretation  places  '  after  ^®. 

7.  For  the  form  of  speech,  cp.  Nu.  23^^  To  wish  the  best 
for  oneself — the  lot  of  the  righteous,  and  the  worst  for  one's 
enemy — the  lot  of  the  wicked,  was,  in  spite  of  better  teaching 
(Pr.  24^^),  doubtless  the  average  moral  practice  of  the  day,  and 
this  the  author  might  readily  attribute  to  any  one  of  the  three 
representatives  of  the  normal  religious  dogma :  he  represents 
Job  as  governed  by  a  higher  morality  (si^^*). — Mine  enemy] 
obviously  quite  general — any  one  who  is  my  enemy,  as,  e.g.y 
in  Ex.  23*.  It  is  only,  if  the  v.  is  assigned  to  Job,  that  artificial 
interpretation  is  required  to  establish  a  connection  with  2-6 : 
Di.,  e.g.y  explains:  Let  not  me,  but  my  enemy,  i.e,  him  who 
denies  my  righteousness  (v»^*-),  be,  i.e,  appear,  as  the  one  wh(? 
is  in  the  wrong. 


228  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXVII.  8-13. 

8  For  what  is  the  hope  of  the  godless,  when  he  risi  cut  off, 

When  God  ''requireth''  his  soul? 
®  Will  God  hear  his  cry, 

When  trouble  cometh  upon  him? 
1^  Will  he  delight  hirtiself  in  the  Almighty, 

(And)  call  '^unto^  God  at  all  times? 

[Job] 

^^  I  will  teach  you  concerning  the  hand  of  God ; 

That  which  is  in  the  mind  of  the  Almighty  will  I  not  conceal. 
^2  Behold  all  ye  yourselves  have  seen  it ; 

Why  then  are  ye  become  altogether  vain  ? 


8.  Is  cut  off\  cp.  Is.  38^^.  But  in  this  context  the  expression 
almost  seems  to  imply  that,  in  contrast  to  the  wicked,  the 
righteous,  when  he  is  '*cut  off,"  has  a  hope  of  immortality. 
But  if  so,  the  clause  is  inconsistent  with  the  standpoint  of  the 
book.     See,  further,  phil.  n. — RequiretK\  JE  draweth  out, 

lOa.  Cp.  2226a  (Eliphaz). 

II,  12.  In  ^^  (as  in  ^2)  the  pron.  you  is  pi. ;  unless  this  be 
corrected  to  the  sing,  (see  phil.  n.),  ^^  as  well  as  ^2  must  be 
part  of  a  speech  of  Job  to  the  friends.  Apart  from  the  question 
of  the  pron.,  v.^^  would  be  equally  suitable  in  the  mouth  of 
either  Job  or  one  of  the  friends  ;  each  claims  to  know  the  handy 
or  action,  and  the  mind  of  God,  in  regard  to  the  righteous  and 
the  unrighteous.  In  ^^  the  2nd  plural  (four  times)  is  too 
deeply  embedded  in  the  text  for  the  v.  to  be  anything  but  a 
part  of  Job's  address  through  one  to  all  three  of  the  friends 
(cp.  n.  on  26^) ;  if  the  pi.  in  ^^  is  right,  the  vv.  may  have  stood 
together :  I  will  teach  you  how  God  treats  the  righteous  and 
the  unrighteous  (v.^^),  though,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  you  ought 
not  to  need  to  be  taught  facts  of  life  which  stare  you  in  the 
face  (^2aj .  ygt  you  do,  for  (^^bj  your  entire  conduct  of  your 
argument  has  no  relation  to  reality  (see  phil.  n.).  But  that 
such  a  prelude  should,  in  the  mouth  of  Job,  be  followed  by  ^^^3^ 
cannot  be  shown  to  be  probable  (see  on  i3-23j^ 

13-23.  The  unhappy  fate  of  the  wicked  man  as  described, 
perhaps  by  §ophar,  in  any  case,  not  by  Job. 


XXVII.  13-14.]  SOPHAR  (?)  229 

[SOPHAR  (?)] 

^^  This  is  the  portion  of  a  wicked  man  '^from"'  God, 

And  the  heritage  of  oppressors,  which  they  receive  from 

the  Almighty. 

1*  If  his  children  be  multiplied,  it  is  for  the  sword ; 
And  his  offspring  are  not  satisfied  with  bread. 


For  it  would  be  "  remarkable  (a)  that  Job  should  undertake  to  teach  his 
friends  what  they  had  continuously  maintained,  viz.  the  evil  fate  which 
overtakes  the  wicked;  (A)  that  he  should  himself  affirm  the  opposite  of 
Avhat  had  been  his  previous  position,  viz.  that  an  evil  fate  does  not  overtake 
the  wicked  (922-24  .  c.  21  :  c.  24) ;  (c)  that  while  coinciding-  with  his  friends 
in  opinion,  he  should  reproach  them  with  folly  "  (^^).  *'  The  solution  com- 
monly  offered  of  this  difficulty  is  that  Job  is  here  modifying  his  former 
extravagant  expressions  respecting  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  and  con- 
ceding that,  as  a  rule,  or  often,  a  disastrous  fate  overtakes  them.  But,  as 
Professor  Davidson  remarks  :  (a)  the  limitation,  *  as  a  rule,'  has  to  be 
read  into  the  passage,  for  the  language  is  as  absolute  as  that  of  any  of  his 
friends  ;  (j8)  if  the  passage  be  a  retractation  of  Job's  previous  language,  it 
is  a  retractation  which  errs  equally  in  extravagance  on  the  other  side  :  for 
it  asserts  a  law  of  temporal  retribution  without  any  apparent  qualification 
whatever ;  (7)  it  is  singular  that  in  describing  the  fate  of  the  wicked  at 
God's  hands,  Job  should  use  the  same  figures,  and  even  sometimes  the 
same  words,  which  he  employs  when  speaking  of  his  own  destruction  by 
God  (21,  cp.  9"  30^;  2^,  cp.  16^^;  ^,  cp.  17^  SO*^'").  Perhaps,  however,  this 
coincidence  is  accidental.  A  decidedly  better  explanation  is  that  of 
Schlottmann  and  Budde  {ZATW,  1882,  p.  211  ff.),  who  suppose  the  passage 
to  be  spoken  by  Job  -with  an  eye  to  his  three  friends',  v."  he  ironically 
declares  that  he  will  '  teach  '  them,  which  he  does  by  forthwith  turning 
their  own  weapons  against  them  ;  they  knovi  (^■"*)  what  the  fate  of  the 
wicked  man  is,  and  yet  they  strangely  do  not  see  that  by  their  wicked 
insinuations  against  Job  they  are  invoking  it  deliberately  upon  themselves  ! 
Job  has  spoken  strongly  before  of  the  wrong  done  to  him  by  his  friends 
^,^4. 7.  9  jg2f.  2i34^^  and  has  threatened  them  with  Divine  vengeance  (13^"^ 
19^) ;  and  here,  upon  this  view,  he  holds  up  to  them,  if  they  will  make  the 
application,  a  more  distinct  warning"  (Dr.  LOT^  422 f.).  This  seems 
to  be  the  only  explanation  **  which,  while  leaving  the  text  as  it  is,  and 
retaining  the  passage  for  Job,  gives  it  a  logical  place  in  his  argument. 
But  it  must  be  admitted  that  this  explanation  is  artificial,  and  that  there  is 
nothing  in  z'f^''^  to  suggest  that  it  is  spoken  with  a  view  to  Job's  friends  : 
on  the  other  hand,  zf'^^-  ^^'^  would  be  perfectly  suitable  in  $ophar's  mouth, 
and  consistent  with  what  he  has  maintained  before  "  (c.  20) — Dr.  Joh,  p.  77. 

13.  Cp.  2o29  (Sophar). 

14,  15.   The   wicked   man   may  have  many  children    and 
family  connections,  and  so  (cp.  e,g»  Ps.  127^"^,  and  see  on  i^) 


230  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXVII.  14-18. 

^^  Those  that  survive  of  him  are  buried  in  death, 

And  "^  their  ^  widows  weep  not. 
^^  Though  he  heap  up  silver  as  the  dust, 

And  prepare  raiment  as  the  clay ; 
1^  He  may  prepare  it,  but  the  just  putteth  it  on. 

And  the  innocent  divideth  the  silver. 
^8  He  buildeth  his  house  as  the  "^ spider^, 

And  as  a  booth  which  the  keeper  maketh. 


apparently  be  an  object  of  God's  favour ;  but  he  lives  to  see 
them  come  to  an  untimely  end  through  sword,  famine,  and 
pestilence.  Cp.  5*  (Eliphaz),  iS^^  (Bildad),  20^0  (Sophar) ;  ct. 
21^  (Job).  Sophar  might  insinuate  the  conclusion  that  as  Job's 
children  had  come  to  an  untimely  end.  Job  must  be  unrighteous; 
Job  would  not  himself  make  his  cruellest  loss  prove  his  dearest 
conviction,  that  of  his  own  integrity,  false. 

15.  This  v.  appears  to  mean  :  *  those  belonging  to  the 
wicked  man  who  survive  (cp.  iS^^phil.  n.)  the  sword  and  famine 
of  1*  perish  by  the  pestilence — death  having  this  sense,  as  in  Jer. 
152  1 8^1;  these  not  merely  die  by  the  pestilence,  but  receive  no 
other  burial  than  they  receive  from  it,  i.e.  they  lie  unburied ; 
and  ^  (cp.  Ps.  78^^)  they  lack  the  solemn  funeral  wailing  which 
their  widows  would  normally  have  supplied.  For  the  aggrava- 
tion of  death  by  lack  of  burial,  cp.  e.g.  2  K.  9^^,  Jer.  8^  14^6. 
by  the  lack  of  the  correct  ceremonial  of  death  and  funeral, 
Jer.  22^^-  ^^. — In  death']  rather  by  death. — Their  widows]  f^  his 
widows^  which,  unless  it  means  the  widow  of  each  one  of  them 
(see  phil.  n.),  would  implicitly  anticipate  the  death  of  the  wicked 
man,  which  is  not  directly  referred  to  before  ^^,  even  if  there 
(see  n.  there) ;  it  would  also  imply  that  in  his  lifetime  he  was  a 
polygamist. 

16,  17.  Similarly  the  wicked  man  may  for  a  time  acquire 
much  money  and  great  possessions — here  the  man's  wardrobe 
is  taken  as  typical  of  the  latter — but  only  to  part  with  them  ; 
his  money  and  goods  pass  over  to  the  righteous. 

16.  For  the  comparisons,  cp.  Zee.  9^. 

18.  Cp.  814'-  (Bildad),  ct.  2i9  (Job).  The  house  of  the 
wicked  man,  however  strongly  he  may  build  it  and  however 


XXVII.  18-20.]  SOPHAR  (?)  23 1 

1^  He  lieth  down  rich,  but  rdoeth  so^  no  ''more''; 
He  openeth  his  eyes,  and  he  is  not. 


permanent  he  may  intend  it  to  be,  quickly  collapses  :  it  is 
actually  as  fragile  as  a  spider's  web,  and  has  no  longer  endur- 
ance than  that  most  temporary  of  human  habitations,  the  booth 
(Is.  i^)  or  shelter  made  of  boards  and  matting  for  the  use  of 
watchmen  in  vineyards  or  gardens  during  the  summer,  which 
readily  falls  to  pieces  in  the  storms  of  autumn  and  winter ;  see 
the  picture  of  a  modern  "booth"  in  SBOTj  Isaiah^  p.  162. — 
Spider]  cp.  8^* ;  this  rather  than  moth  (5^)  is  to  be  read. 

19.  A  day  comes  when  the  wicked  man  goes  to  bed  rich 
for  the  last  time ;  next  morning  he  wakes  up  to  find  himself 
dead  (cp.  Is.  37^^),  or,  translating  in  ^  and  it  (viz.  his  wealth) 
is  not,  shorn  of  his  riches.  Dr.,  in  the  above  translation  and 
in  the  phil.  n.,  with  Ew.  Di.  Da.  Del.  al.,  refers  this  v.  to  the 
death  of  the  wicked  man.  But  (i)  in  ^0-23  the  wicked  man  is 
depicted  as  still  alive  to  experience  the  bitterness  of  his  fallen 
fortunes ;  (2)  to  continue  rich  to  the  last  hour  of  life  is  rather 
the  privilege  (from  the  standpoint  of  the  current  theory  of  the 
lot  of  the  righteous  and  the  unrighteous)  of  the  righteous  than 
the  fate  of  the  wicked;  it  is  Job's  complaint  (21^^)  that,  against 
the  current  theory,  the  facts  of  life  show  the  wicked  spending 
their  days  in  prosperity,  and  then,  when  they  must  share  the 
lot  of  all  mankind,  going  down  easily  and  in  a  moment  to 
Sheol.  For  these  reasons  we  may  preferably,  with,  e,g.^  Hi. 
Bu.,  treat  the  v.  as  referring  to  the  sudden  loss  of  the  wicked 
man's  wealth. — But  doeth  so  no  more]  or,  but  does  not  again  (sc. 
lie  down  rich) ;  fSi  and  is  not  gathered^  i.e.  to  the  grave  in 
burial. — He  openeth  his  eyesy  and  he  is  not]  if  this  line  refers  to 
death  (but  see  above),  cp.  2  K.  19^  **when  they  rose  up  early 
in  the  morning,  behold  dead  corpses  were  they  all." 

20-23.  The  last  scene ;  but  even  here  the  death  of  the 
wicked  man  is  not  depicted ;  death,  which  comes  even  to  good 
men,  is  too  good  for  him ;  he  is  depicted  as  flooded  by  waters 
or  hurled  by  the  tempest  out  of  his  house  where  he  had  once 
seemed  to  himself  so  rich  and  secure,  the  mark  of  God's 
arrows,  hurled  unsparingly  at  him,  and  the  object  of  man's 


232  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXVII.  20-23. 

^^  Terrors  overtake  him  like  waters  ; 

In  the  night  a  whirlwind  stealeth  him  away. 
2^  The  sirocco  carrieth  him  away,  and  he  departeth ; 

And  it  sweepeth  him  out  of  his  place. 
22  And  (God)  hiirleth  at  him,  and  spareth  not ; 

He  fleeth  away  from  (before)  his  hand. 
^  Men  clap  their  hands  at  him, 

And  hiss  at  him  from  his  place. 


merciless  contempt  and  scorn — a  terror-stricken  fugitive  from 
God  and  man. 

20a.  Cp.  (implicitly)  20^8  (Sophar),  22"  (Eliphaz). — Terrors] 
ninb:    i8"-^*  (Bildad),  24^^  3016  ljoh).—  Whirlwmd]  21I8  378. 

21.  Sirocco]  152382*;  cp.  i^^  n. 

22.  God,  unnamed  in  f^,  as  in  320  (n.),  is  the  subject.  The 
object,  too,  of  hurleth  must  be  understood  ;  the  arrows  of  God, 
i.e,  the  lightnings,  are  probably  intended  (cp.  16^^).  This  is 
the  one  v.  in  the  entire  description  in  which  God,  though  even 
here  unnamed,  is  referred  to ;  partly  on  this  ground,  partly  on 
the  ground  that  21  comes  haltingly  after  20,  and  22  in  its  present 
position  is  very  much  **post  festum,"  Bu.  omits  21'- but  retains 
23  as  against  ©,  which  omits  21-23  (go  Bi.).     See,  further,  phil.  n. 

23.  Cp.  22^^  (Eliphaz). — Clap  their  hands]  in  malicious  de- 
light :  cp.  La.  2^5,  where  also  hiss  (cp.  Zeph.  2^^,  Jer.  49^^) 
occurs  in  the  parallel,  and  with  a  different  vb.,  Nah.  3^^. 

XXVIII.  The  c.  is  an  independent  poem  ^  on  the  limitations 
of  human  achievement  and,  in  contrast,  the  incomparable  and 
inscrutable  wisdom  of  God,  rather  than  a  speech  either  of  Job, 

*  The  main  arg-ument,  that  c.  28  was  not  originally  part  of  the  Dialogue, 
is  exegetical;  but  it  may  also  be  noted  (1)  that  the  c.  avoids  the  divine 
names  regularly  used  in  the  Dialogue  ;  in  ^  'Jn«,  occurring  nowhere  else  in 
the  book,  or  m.T,  occurring  nowhere  else  in  the  Dialogue  (for  12^  is  no  real 
exception),  is  used,  and  in  ^  dtiSn,  which  occurs  at  most  twice  (5*  20^)  in 
the  Dialogue  (as  against  90  occurrences  in  all  of  niV»<,  Vt<,  and  ns?) :  see 
table  in  the  Introduction ;  (2)  though  the  occurrence  of  unique  words  or 
meanings  in  the  description  of  mining  and  precious  stones — subjects  not 
handled  elsewhere — has  little  significance,  the  occurrence  of  my  ^^  n'?D^^, 
iro  '^  which  might  have  been  but  are  not  used  elsewhere  in  the  book,  is 
noticeable  ;  (3)  the  use  of  a  refrain  ("•^),  is  more  natural  to  an  independent 
poem  than  to  a  speech  in  the  Dialogue. 


XXVIIL]  A   POEM    ON    WISDOM  233 

or,  though  this  would  raise  less  difficulty,  of  one  of  his  friends, 
whether  Sophar  (Gratz,  Monatsschrift^  1872,  pp.  241-250; 
Hoffm.)  or  Bildad  (Stuhlm.).  It  contains  no  single  obvious 
connection  with  the  stage  of  the  debate  now  reached,  and  only 
in  2^,  which  may  refer  obliquely  to  i^,  has  it  any  connection 
whatever  with  any  preceding  part  of  the  book.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  the  mouth  of  Job  it  anticipates^  and  that  in  such  a  way 
as  to  render  nugatory,  the  speech (es)  of  Yahweh  in  cc.  38-40. 
What  Yahweh  there  says,  using  the  very  words  of  ^^  in  38^^^ 
and,  as  in  ^5-27  here,  illustrating  the  divine  wisdom  by  reference 
to  certain  marvels  of  creation,  is  unmistakably  addressed  to  Job 
with  the  purpose  of  bringing  him  to  realize  that  he  does  not 
possess  the  wisdom  of  God :  consequently  what  Yahweh  there 
teaches  him  he  would  himself  here  already  expound,  and  that 
as  calmly  as  if  it  were  a  position  long  reached  by  himself  and 
generally  recognized  ;  for  c.  28  is  not  an  argument,  but  a 
meditation ;  it  does  not  attempt  to  prove  to  the  friends  or  any 
one  else  that  God's  wisdom  is  unattainable :  it  assumes  and 
reflects  upon  the  truth  and  its  corollary,  the  limitations  of 
human  knowledge :  this  at  least  is  true  of  the  c.  down  to  ^^ : 
only  in  the  last  v.  does  the  poem  take  on  a  didactic  character, 
and  that  v.  is  probably  a  later  addition  (see  below). 

The  nature  of  the  attempts  to  explain  the  c.  as  a  speech  of  Job's,  and 
Dr. 's  attitude  towards  them,  are  indicated  in  the  following  citation  from 
LOT^  423  f.  **It  might,  no  doubt,  be  supposed  that  Job,  no  longer 
irritated  by  the  retorts  of  his  friends,  has  reached  a  calmer  mood ;  and 
abandoning  the  attempt  to  discover  a  speculative  solution  of  the  perplexities 
which  distress  him,  finds  man's  wisdom  to  consist  in  the  practical  fulfilment 
of  the  duties  of  life.  But  a  serious  difficulty  arises  in  connection  with  what 
follows.  If  Job  has  risen  to  this  tranquil  temper,  how  comes  it  that  he 
falls  back  (30^°'^)  into  complainings,  and  dissatisfaction  at  not  having  been 
justified  by  God  (31^)?  And,  further,  if  he  has  reached  by  the  unaided 
force  of  his  own  meditations  this  devout  and  submissive  frame  of  mind, 
how  is  the  ironical  tone  of  the  Divine  speeches  (c.  38  ff.)  to  be  accounted 
for?  If  he  is  already  resigned  to  the  inscrutability  of  the  Divine  ways, 
how  does  it  need  again  to  be  pointed  out  to  him?  The  difficulty  is 
analogous  to  that  arising  out  of  27^'' :  the  changed  frame  of  mind,  which 
both  appear  to  imply,  is  not  preserved  in  the  subsequent  parts  of  the  book. 
It  is  hardly  possible  that  such  a  noble  and  characteristic  passage  can  have 
been  inserted  into  the  poem  by  a  later  hand.  May  it  be  supposed,  as  was 
suggested  above,  on  27''^*^,  that  Job's  tranquil  state  of  mind  was  conceived 
by  the  author  as  temporary  only?     It  must,  however,  be  allowed  that 


234  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXVIII. 

there  Is  an  imperfect  psychological  basis  even  for  a  temporary  recovery  of 
calmness  :  Job  is  unmoved  by  all  the  arguments  of  the  friends  ;  and  no 
other  independent  influence  (as  in  cc.  38-39)  has  been  brought  to  bear  upon 
him.  .  .  .  According  to  Budde,  Job's  intellectual  inability  to  reconcile  his 
sufferings  with  his  innocence  having  reached  its  climax  in  c.  27,  he  gives 
up  the  problem,  explaining  his  incapacity  from  the  fact  that  wisdom  is 
reserved  by  God  for  Himself:  what  He  has  given  to  man  under  this  name 
is  a  practical  substitute  for  wisdom,  not  wisdom  itself.  Job,  upon  this 
view,  accepts  the  ordinance  of  Providence,  though  not  in  a  spirit  of 
resignation,  but  in  dissatisfaction  and  despair.  This  explanation  brings 
the  chapter  into  consistency  with  the  context ;  but  it  is  open  to  the  grave 
objection  that  (as  Davidson,  p.  201,  already  remarked)  no  trace  of  such  a 
state  of  mind  is  discernible  in  the  entire  chapter :  on  the  contrary,  the 
writer  seems  to  be  stating,  with  an  eloquence  and  warmth  which  cannot 
be  misunderstood,  the  conclusions  which  satisfy  himself.  Cp.  Di.^  p.  238, 
who,  however,  owns  that  the  chapter  so  understood  cannot  state  the 
ground  (v.^  *for')  of  what  has  immediately  preceded,  and  is  consequently 
obliged  to  assume  that  something  different  stood  originally  in  the  place  of 
what  is  now  27"*^  (p.  234).  For  another  explanation  of  the  for^  see 
Peake,  245  f.,  or  Enc.  Bi.  2482." 

The  argument  of  the  poem  is:  ^"^^  Man  by  his  marvel- 
lous inventions  can  discover  the  secret  of  the  earth's  mineral 
wealth ;  the  hidden  treasure  of  darkness,  which  bird  and  beast 
cannot  find  ('^'•),  his  eye  discovers,  and  he  brings  forth  to  the 
light  for  his  use ;  ^^"^^  but  where  wisdom  is,  he  cannot  discover, 
being  as  helpless  in  this  quest  as  birds  and  beasts,  nor  with 
the  most  precious  things  which  he  has  won  from  the  earth,  can 
he  purchase  it ;  ^^"^^  for  wisdom  has  no  home,  or  secret  lodging, 
on  earth;  it  is  known  to  God  alone,  who  discovered  it  long 
ago,  and  by  it  made  the  world  with  all  its  marvels.  ^8  Qq^j 
does  not  part  with  this  wisdom  to  man  (for  man's  work  is  other 
than  God's  and  needs  it  not),  but  commends  to  him  as  his 
wisdom  to  fear  God  and  avoid  evil — in  other  words,  to  take 
Job  as  his  example  (cp.  i^).  There  is  in  the  last  v.  a  play  on 
two  different  conceptions  of  wisdom ;  wisdom  is  generally  in 
Hebrew  literature  practical  wisdom,  and  this  wisdom,  of  which 
the  greater  part  of  Pr.  1-7  may  be  taken  as  an  exposition,  is 
that  referred  to  in  ^^  as  attainable  by  man  and  commended  to 
him  by  God ;  but  the  wisdom  with  which  the  greater  part  of 
this  chapter  is  concerned  is  **the  knowledge  of  the  principles 
by  which  both  the  phenomena  of  the  physical  world  (cp.  Pr.  3^^') 
and  the  events  of  human  life  are  regulated"  (Dr.) — a  concep- 


XXVni.]      MAN*S  ACHIEVEMENTS  AND  DISCOVERIES      235 

tion  of  wisdom  which  to  Du.  proves  that  **the  author  was  as 
certainly  acquainted  with  Greek  ideas  as  Aristobulus  and  Philo, 
and  may  have  lived  in  about  the  3rd  cent." 

Apart  from  the  question  already  considered,  whether  this  c.  or  any  part 
of  it  can  have  formed  an  original  part  of  the  book,  questions  have  arisen  as 
to  the  original  arrangement  and  extent  of  the  poem  itself:  is  it  complete, 
or  have  parts  of  it  been  lost  ?  has  it  been  expanded  by  the  incorporation 
of  inconsistent  matter  ?  have  any  of  the  verses  become  disarranged  ? 
The  question  of  completeness  is  raised  in  part  by  the  initial  particle,  in 
part  by  the  unexpressed  subject  of  ^*".  "  Surely  "  (v.^)  is  a  doubtful  render- 
ing of  '3  :  if  the  particle  has  its  usual  meaning,  ybr  or  because^  something 
obviously  must  have  preceded  it ;  this  may  have  been  a  strophe  introducing 
the  subject  of  man's  attainments  and  expressly  naming  man.  Du.  suggests 
that  the  case  is  met  by  assuming  that  an  initial  refrain,  found  now  (}^'  ^) 
only  at  the  beginning  of  what  he  regards  as  the  last  two  of  the  four  equal 
strophes  into  which  the  poem  was  divided,  stood  originally  also  before  * 
and  "^ ;  this  is  at  first  sight  attractive,  though  the  resulting  second  strophe 
has  been  well  criticized  by  Peake  (on  ''•).  The  poem  then  opens  with  the 
question :  where  is  wisdom  to  be  found,  for  \  since  silver  and  gold  have 
their  place  and  can  be  discovered,  so  also  should  wisdom.  But  this  does 
not  overcome  the  difficulty  of  the  unexpressed  subject  in  ^*",  nor  does  full 
justice  to  the  thought.  Man  is  unquestionably  the  subject  of  ^*  ^'*^  and,  in 
the  light  of  this,  other  vbs.,  even  if  they  were  originally  passive  in  form, 
must  be  understood ;  consequently  the  thought  is  not  merely  :  silver  and 
gold  and  the  rest  can  be  found,  wisdom  cannot ;  but :  silver  and  gold  and 
other  secret  and  precious  things,  however  hard  to  discover  and  acquire, 
can  be  discovered  by  man  ;  indeed  the  thought  of  marCs  fruitful  activity 
and  attainments  is  most  naturally  taken  to  be  the  dominant  thought  of  ^'^^ ; 
and  this  finds  a  far  more  vigorous  expression,  if  it  was  not  introduced  by  a 
question  suggesting  man's  limitations.  First  the  poet  brings  into  the 
highest  relief  the  powers  of  man,  and  only  then  passes  on  with  ^^^*  to  the 
limitation  of  human  attainments.  The  most  important  question  of  expan- 
sion is  connected  with  ^  and  is  discussed  on  that  v.  :  a  more  extensive 
interpolation  in  the  middle  of  the  chapter  has  been  claimed  by  Di.  Bi. 
Hatch,  Bu.,  though  they  are  not  all  in  agreement  as  to  its  exact  extent. 
Hatch  {Biblical  Greek,  225)  follows  ffir  in  omitting  ^*"^' :  **  the  sequence  of 
ideas  is  not  in  any  way  disturbed  by  the  omission  of  the  section  ^^'^^  which 
amplify  the  main  thought  of  the  passage  with  singular  poetical  beauty, 
but  do  not  add  to  its  substance."  Bu.  omits  ^^'^  {i.e.  both  less  and  more 
than  fflr)  because  they  separate  the  similar  vv."-^"',  are  poetically  feeble 
(ct.  Hatch),  and,  in  asking  what  is  the  price  of  wisdom,  presuppose  its 
discoverability  and  are  therefore  inconsistent  with  ^2-14^  But  it  is  rather  a 
question  of  taste  whether  the  idea  of  vv.^^-^^'*  is  best  emphasized  by  being 
exhausted  in  consecutive  verses  or  by  recurrence  to  it,  and  the  logical 
objection  to  '^^'^^  would  be  inconclusive,  even  if  it  were  as  pointed  as  is 
suggested.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  verses  do  not  ask  what  is  the  price  of 
wisdom,  but  say  that  at  no  possible  price  can  man  acquire  it,  and  this  is  in 
entire  sympathy  with  what  has  been  already  claimed  to  be  the  dominant 


236  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXVIIL  1. 

*  Surely  there  is  a  mine  for  silver, 

And  a  place  for  gold  which  they  wash  out. 


note  of  *"^^ ;  in  spite  of  all  his  attainments  and  acquired  wealth,  ftian  cannot 
at  any  price  obtain  wisdom.  Bu.  also  omits  *^-,  and,  perhaps  rightly,  ^* 
(see  below).  On  the  possible  transpositions  of  lines  in  ^'"•,  see  below  :  two 
transpositions  more  related  to  the  general  thought  of  the  c.  may  be  men- 
tioned here  :  Du.  places  ^^,  as  applicable  to  man,  after  ",  considering  that 
in  its  present  position  it  suggests  as  against  the  thought  of  the  c.  that 
wisdom  is  to  be  found  on  earth.  Peake  places  '^*  after  ^^ ;  but  the  contrast 
secured  by  their  present  position  between  man's  superiority  in  knowledge 
to  all  other  living  things,  and  his  inferiority  to  God  is  effective. 

I.  By  driving  in  shafts  men  obtain  silver  and  gold  ore  from 
the  dark  (cp.  ^)  secret  interior  of  the  earth,  and  then,  at  the  sur- 
face of  the  mine,  after  crushing  the  ore,  they  wash  the  pure  and 
precious  metal  free  from  the  other  components  of  the  ore. — 
Surely]  or,  rather, /<?r ;  see  above  and  phil.  n. — Mine]  Palestine 
is  poor  in  minerals,  and  mining,  unlike  agriculture,  enriched 
the  speech  and  literature  of  Israel  with  no  figures  or  metaphors. 
The  only  other  reference  to  mining  in  the  OT.  is  Dt.  8®,  where 
Canaan  is  described  as  *'  a  land  whose  stones  are  iron,  and  out 
of  whose  hills  thou  mayest  dig  copper " ;  the  first  of  these 
clauses  does  not  necessarily  refer  to  iron  mines,  but  the  second 
clearly  refers  to  copper  mines  (see  Dr.  ad  loc).  In  part,  at 
least,  the  poet  is  almost  certainly  referring  to  mines  outside 
Palestine,  which  he  may  himself  have  seen  when  travelling,  or 
heard  of  from  others.  Thus  he  may  have  had  in  mind  the 
mines  of  Lebanon  (iron:  Seetzen,  Reisen,  i.  188-190);  Idumaea 
(copper  and  ** formerly"  gold:  Jer.  in  Lagarde,  Onom.  log*"^); 
Midian  (gold  :  Burton,  Midian  Revisited,  i.  329) ;  Upper  Egypt 
(gold:  Erman,  Ancient  Egypt,  463);  Lycaonia  (silver:  EBi, 
s.v.  Silver),  and  possibly  even  silver  and  gold  mines  of  Spain, 
which  were  known  to  the  Jews  at  least  as  early  as  the  ist  or 
2nd  cent.  B.C.  (i  Mac.  8^);  but  whether  the  copper  mines  of 
the  Sinaitic  peninsula,  frequently  referred  to  in  ancient  Egyptian 
inscriptions  (Breasted,  as  cited  below),  were  still  being  worked 
as  late  as  the  age  of  this  poem  is  doubtful  (Di.) :  see,  further, 
Di.  EBi.  DB,  s.v.  Mines  ;  and  the  reference  under  Mines  to 
Egyptian  sources  in  Breasted,  Ancient  Records,  v.  144. — Wash 
out]  as  the  use  of  the  same  vb.  in  36^^  shows,  the  separating 


XXVIII.  1-3.]        man's  achievements  237 

*  Iron  is  taken  out  of  the  earth, 

And  stone  is  melted  into  bronze. 


process  referred  to  here  and  in  Mai.  3^  (RV.  **  purge  "),  Ps.  12^^^^ 
(RV.  ** purify"),  i  Ch.  28^8  29*  (RV.  *« refined"),  is  not  by  fire, 
but  by  water.  In  the  second,  no  less  than  in  the  first  line  of 
the  distich,  the  reference  is  to  the  skill  of  man  in  and  about 
the  mine.  The  brutal  treatment  of  man  by  man  in  this  work 
is  not  referred  to  (ct.  24^^'*).  The  following  description,  based 
on  modern  observation  of  ancient  workings  in  Nubia,  and  the 
description  given  by  Diodorus  Siculus  (iii.  1 1  ft'.),  may  serve  as 
an  illustration  of  what  may  have  been  known  to  the  poet  by 
observation  or  report. 

At  Eshuranib  in  Nubia,  the  plan  of  the  workings  of  ancient  gold  mines 
is  plainly  to  be  seen.  "  Deep  shafts  lead  into  the  mountain,  two  cisterns 
collect  the  water  of  the  winter's  rain,  and  sloping  stone  tables  stand  by  them 
to  serve  for  the  gold-washing.  .  .  .  Diodorus  describes  to  us  the  procedure 
followed  in  the  working  of  these  mines,  and  his  account  is  confirmed  by 
modern  discoveries.  The  shafts  follow  the  veins  of  quartz,  for  this  reason 
winding  their  way  deeply  into  the  heart  of  the  mountain.  The  hard  stone 
was  first  made  brittle  by  the  action  of  fire,  then  hoed  out  with  iron  picks. 
The  men  who  did  this  hard  work  toiled  by  the  light  of  little  lamps,  and 
were  accompanied  by  children,  who  carried  away  the  bits  of  stones  as  they 
were  hewn  out.  This  quartz  was  then  crushed  in  stone  mortars  into  pieces 
about  the  size  of  lentils ;  women  and  old  men  then  pounded  it  to  dust  in 
mills ;  this  dust  was  next  washed  on  sloping  tables,  until  the  water  had 
carried  off  all  the  lighter  particles  of  stone  ;  the  finer  sparkling  particles  of 
gold  were  then  collected." — Erman,  Lt/e  in  Ancunt  Egypt,  463  f. 

2.  As  in  ^,  ^  refers  to  the  separation  of  the  metal  from  the 
ore,  *  probably  to  the  extraction  of  the  ore  from  the  mine. 
Iron  is  taken  .  .  .  and  stone  is  melted]  the  first  vb.  can  be 
equally  well,  and  the  second  is  better,  pointed  as  active  (see 
phil.  n.) :  this  would  be  in  agreement  with  the  following  verses, 
and  more  forcible :  render,  therefore,  (man)  takes  iron  ,  .  . 
and  melts  stone. — The  earth]  Heb.  the  dtist  (iBj;)  •  cp.  *'  holes  of 
the  dust "  (i.e.  caves)  in  30^ ;  the  shaft  of  the  mine  is  a  great 
artificial  <*hole  of  the  dust." — Bronse]  or  copper y  not  brass-,  see 
Numbers^  p.  278. — Stone]  ore :  cp.  Dt.  8^. 

3.  Even  the  darkness  of  the  interior  of  the  earth  cannot 
hide  its  treasures,  and  so  withhold  them  from  man :  if,  as  is 
commonly  supposed,  the  writer  is  thinking  of  the  darkness  of 


238  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXVIU.  3-6. 

8  (Man)  setteth  an  end  to  darkness, 
And  searcheth  out  to  every  limit 
The  stones  of  thick  darkness  and  black  gloom. 

*  He  breaketh  open  a  shaft  away  from  them  that  sojourn  ^  in 

the  light  ■» ; 
They  that  are  forgotten  by  the  foot  (that  passeth  by) ; 
That  hang  afar  from  men,  that  swing  to  and  fro. 

*  As  for  the  earth,  out  of  it  cometh  bread, 

Yet  underneath  it  is  turned  up  as  it  were  by  fire. 
«  The  stones  thereof  are  the  place  of  sapphires, 
And  it  hath  dust  of  gold. 


the  mine  as  dispelled  by  the  daylight  let  in  by  the  shaft,  or, 
by  the  light  of  the  miner's  lamp,  he  scarcely  knew  by  personal 
experience  the  feeble  glimmer  of  daylight  that  reaches  down  a 
mine  shaft,  or  the  darkness  made  visible  by  the  miner's  lamp. 
But  perhaps  he  wrote  something  more  nearly  resembling 
Du.'s  emendation:  Man  has  sought  out  the  darkness  to  its 
furthest  bound,  He  has  searched  out  the  stones  of  the  deepest 
darkness  :  see  phil.  n. 

4.  Another  verse  obscure  in  detail:  probably  it  refers  to 
man's  skill  in  driving  shafts  into  the  earth,  possibly  also  to  his 
audacity  in  descending  into  the  mine  in  cages  that  tremble 
on  the  rope.  RV.  is  not  a  translation  of  ^ ;  against  RVm. 
(  =  AV.),  if  it  refers  to  the  flooding  of  a  mine,  and  for  various 
attempts  to  remove  or  elucidate  the  obscure  details,  see 
phil.  n. 

5.  Overhead,  the  peaceful  operations  of  agriculture  yielding 
bread  (cp.  Ps.  104^*) :  underneath,  confusion  and  disorder — like 
that  caused  by  fire,  or  (U)  actually  caused  by  fire,  t.e,  blasting 
— due  to  man's  restless  energy  in  digging  in  the  bowels  of  the 
earth  for  its  hidden  treasure. 

6.  Not  only  metals,  but  precious  stones  reward  man's 
search  into  the  earth.  The  v.  is  closely  connected  with  i'-,  and 
might  have  been  expected  to  follow  there;  Bu.  omits  ^'-  as 
breaking  the  connection  between  *  and  ^. — Sapphires]  lapis 
lazuli',  see  phil.  n. — //]  the  pron.  is  ambiguous,  and  might 
refer  either  to  the  place,  to  the  sapphire,  or  (AVm.)  to  the 
mine:  see  phil.  n.,  where  Dr.  decides  in  favour  of  the  second 
possibility :  the  lapis  lazuli  has  in  it  particles  of  iron  pyrites 


XXVIII.  6-11.]      man's  achievements  239 

^  The  path  (thither)  no  bird  of  prey  knoweth. 
Neither  hath  the  falcon's  eye  seen  it : 

•  The  proud  beasts  have  not  trodden  it, 

Nor  hath  the  fierce  lion  passed  thereby. 

•  Upon  the  flinty  rock  he  putteth  forth  his  hand, 

Mountains  from  the  root  he  overturneth. 
1®  Among  the  rocks  he  cutteth  out  passages  ; 

And  every  precious  thing  his  eye  seeth. 
"  He  bindeth  up  the  streams  that  they  trickle  not ; 

And  the  thing  that  is  hid  bringeth  he  forth  to  light. 


which  have  the  hue  and  colour  of  gold.  A  slight  emendation 
gives :  and  its  dust  is  gold  to  him  (the  miner). 

7,  8.  The  path  to  earth's  secret  treasures  has  been  won  by 
man  only,  not  by  birds  with  all  their  keenness  of  sight  (cp. 
3929),  nor  by  the  great  and  powerful  beasts  of  prey.  This, 
which  must  be  the  meaning  of  the  verses  if  they  are  in  their 
right  position,  seems  ridiculous  to  Du.,  and  unsuitable  to 
Peake  (see  above).  Even  if,  with  Peake,  we  transfer  the  verses 
to  follow  12,  the  mining  operations  are  not  described  without 
interruption  :  between  *  and  ^  would  still  stand  ^  with  its  return 
to  the  description  of  the  contents  of  the  mine. — Falcon]  a 
keen-sighted,  unclean  (Lv.  ii^*,  Dt.  14^3^)  bird:  not  certainly 
identified. 

9-II.  Resumption  of  the  description,  begun  in  ^'  *,  of  the 
operations  of  the  miner,  given  as  illustrations  of  man's  per- 
sistence through  difficulties,  however  great,  to  his  end — the 
acquisition  of  treasure. 

9.  Neither  *  the  hardness,  nor  *  the  mass  of  the  rock,  in 
which  the  treasure  is  concealed,  can  stay  man. 

10,  II.  The  lines  of  the  two  verses  have  perhaps  suffered 
transposition  (so  Du.):  10a.  11a  ^^^  parallels,  and  so  also  are 
10b.  lib .  10b.  iib^  If  tai^en  together  after  lo*-  n*,  form  a  very  forcible 
conclusion  (more  forcible  without,  than  (Du.)  with,  2*  added  to 
them)  to  the  description  of  man's  attainments,  and  a  striking 
preparation  for  the  next  paragraph :  man  discovers  and  brings 
to  light  everything  hidden  in  the  earth,  but  wisdom  he  cannot 
find. 

lOa,  Iia.  The  miner  defends  himself  against  the  dangers 
of  a  flooded  mine  by  staying  the  water  at  its  source  (11*),  and. 


240  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXVni.  11-16. 

12  But  where  can  wisdom  be  found  ? 

And  where  is  the  place  of  understanding? 
18  Man  knoweth  not  the  ''  way ''  to  it ; 

Neither  is  it  found  in  the  land  of  the  living-. 
1*  The  deep  saith,  It  is  not  in  me : 

And  the  sea  saith,  It  is  not  with  me. 
1*  Sterling-  gold  cannot  be  given  for  it ; 

Neither  can  silver  be  weighed  as  the  price  of  it, 
w  It  cannot  be  valued  with  the  gold  of  Ophir, 

With  the  precious  onyx  or  the  sapphire. 


perhaps  (i^*),  by  cutting  channels  tn  the  mine  to  carry  off  the 
water  harmlessly ;  most,  however,  understand  ^o*  to  refer  once 
again  to  the  passages  tn^o  the  mine.     See,  further,  phil.  n. 

12-19.  In  spite  of  all  his  discoveries  (I'^i),  wisdom  lies,  and 
always  will  lie,  beyond  man's  ken  (i^- 14)^  or  his  power  to  buy 

(15-19). 

12.  Understanding\  nm  II  to  njDDH  as  in  Pr.  9I0 ;  cp.  n^UD 
II  to  n03n  in  1212,  Pr.  31^  8I — in  all  these  of  wisdom  in,  or 
accessible  to,  man. 

13.  Way  t6\  so  ffi :  cp.  ^  and  ^3.  |^  price  of',  see  phil.  n. — 
In  the  land  of  the  living\  i.e.  on  earth,  man's  place  during  life, 
in  contrast  to  Sheol  (to  which  22  refers),  whither  he  descends  at 
death :  cp.  Ps.  2713  52^,  Is.  3811  etc. 

14.  As  men  traverse  the  sea  they  may  see  marvels  (Ps. 
10723'),  but  get  no  tidings  of  wisdom  :  its  home  is  not  in  the  sea. 

Ig-ip.  Cp.  Pr.  31*'-  8^*^- 11 :  there  the  wisdom  that  man  may 
find  is  similarly,  though  more  briefly,  described,  in  order  to 
give  a  due  appreciation  of  the  treasure  which  man  may  have 
without  buying ;  here  the  wisdom  that  cannot  be  found  is  thus 
described  in  order  to  show  how  impossible  it  is  to  acquire  it  at 
any  price. 

16.  The  gold  of  Ophir]  the  most  highly  prized  gold  :  cp.  222*. 
— Onyx]  Heb.  shoham,  a  highly  prized  (cp.  Ezk.  28^^)  gg^i^ 
found  in  the  gold-producing  land  of  Hawilah  (Gn.  2ii'-) ;  it  was 
used  for  engraving  (Ex.  28^),  and  was  one  of  the  gems  used 
for  the  "breastplate"  (Ex.  2820)  and  ephod  (Ex.  25^)  of  the 
high-priest ;  but  whether  it  was  the  onyx  {(&  here  :  U  generally), 
or  the  beryl  (SST  regularly ;  (&  in  Ex.  2820),  or  malachite  (Myers 
in  EBi.  4808)  is  uncertain ;  see,  further,  Lex.  EBi,  DBy  s.v. ; 


XXVIII.  16-19.]     man's  achievements  24 

1^  Gold  and  glass  cannot  equal  it ; 

Neither  can  the  exchange  thereof  be  jewels  of  fine  gold. 
18  No  mention  can  be  made  of  coral  or  crystal  ; 

And  the  acquisition  of  wisdom  is  above  that  of  pearls. 
1^  The  topaz  of  Ethiopia  doth  not  equal  it ; 

Neither  can  it  be  valued  with  pure  gold. 


also  EBi,  Stones  {precious). — Sapphire\  or  strictly  lapis  lazuli^ 
as  v.^. 

17.  Glass  (see  Smith's  or  Hastings'  DB  and  EBi,  s.v^  being 
highly  prized  in  antiquity,  suitably  appears  here;  cp.,  for  the 
same  combination  of  gold  and  glass,  Aristophanes,  Ach,  73  f. 
iirivoiJLev  ef  vaXlvwv  i/cirodficLTdiV  Kot  "^pvalSoyv. — jewels  of  fine 
gold]  articles,  especially  perhaps  the  costliest  ornaments, 
wrought  in  fine  gold :  with  the  phrase  (td  ^i)D),  cp.  ant  "h^  (EV. 
"jewels  of  gold"),  Gn.  24^3,  Ex.  3^2  3522,  Nu.  3i50. 

18.  Coral]  niDNi,  Ezk.  27^^  and  ?  Pr.  24^.  Again  the 
exact  gem  or  precious  substance  intended  is  uncertain  (see 
Lex.  EBi.  DB) :  Di.  infers  from  the  difference  in  the  verbal 
expressions  in  *  and  ^  that  the  objects  mentioned  in  *  are  less 
costly  than  those  in  ^.  On  crystal^  see  phil.  n. — Acquisition] 
see  phil.  n.  Yahuda  iJQR  xv.  704),  taking  Heb.  meshek  = 
Arab,  masak  (see  phil.  n.  on  38^1),  proposes  :  an  armlet  of 
wisdom  (cp.  Pr.  i®  322  521)  is  more  precious  than  one  of  pearls ; 
but  this  does  not  accord  well  with  the  thought  that  wisdom  is 
unobtainable. — Pearls]  EV.  rubies.  The  Heb.  D^33S  occurs 
several  times  in  comparison  as  the  pre-eminently  costly  gem 
(Pr.  3^5  gn  2015  31  w  sij.^  ^19  20I6).  La.  4^  apparently  suggests 
that  these  gems  were  red  (whence  G— B.  al.  corals) :  in  spite 
of  this,  Bochart,  Hierozoicon,  part  ii.  bk.  v.  cc.  vi.  vii.,  argued 
at  length  in  favour  of  pearls,  the  meaning  adopted,  among 
others,  by  Del.2  Di.  Dr.  •*  Rubies  is  the  least  probable  rend, 
of  the  Heb.  word ;  and  pearls  on  the  whole  the  most  probable  " 
—Dr. 

19.  There  Is  a  repetition  in  *  of  the  vb.  of  1^*,  and  in  ^  of 
both  the  vb.  and  the  subject  (gold)  of  ^^* — the  only  cases  of  re- 
petition in  1^"!^.  Du.'s  suggestion  is  probable,  that  i^»  is  a 
variant  of  "a  and  ^^^  of  "^^"^ ,— Topaz]  Ex.  28^7  39IO,  Ezk.  281^^ 
Uffi  topaz.     **  As  the  modern  topaz  was  hardly  known  before 

16 


242  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXVIII.  10-24. 

20  Whence  then  cometh  wisdom  ? 

And  where  is  the  place  of  understanding  ? 

21  Seeing  it  is  hid  from  the  eyes  of  all  living, 

And  kept  close  from  the  fowls  of  the  air. 

22  Abaddon  and  Death  say, 

(Only)  with  our  ears  have  we  heard  the  rumour  of  it. 

23  God  understandeth  the  way  to  it. 

And  he  knoweth  the  place  thereof ; 
2*  For  he  looketh  to  the  ends  of  the  earth, 
And  seeth  under  the  whole  heaven : 


Greek  times,  and  is  indistinguishable,  except  by  its  superior 
hardness,  from  *  false  topaz  *  or  yellow  rock-crystal,  it  is 
possible  that  the  latter  is  meant "  (Myers  in  EBi.  4503  f.). 

20-27.  Wisdom,  unknown  to  and  unattainable  by  man  ^2-19^ 
unseen  and,  at  best,  known  only  by  rumour  on  earth  and  in 
Sheol,  nevertheless  has  its  place,  and  from  before  creation  all 
its  secrets  have  been  completely  known  to  God. 

21  f.  Resumptive  of  i*'-.  Sheol  has  knowledge,  which  it 
can  impart  to  the  living  ;  but  it  has  no  knowledge  of  wisdom, 
which,  in  death  as  in  life,  man  will  for  ever  fail  to  find. 

21.  All  living]  Certainly  includes  and  sometimes  refers 
exclusively  or  at  least  mainly  to  men  (12^^  302^,  Ps.  1432  145I6) : 
the  line  is  thus  substantially  a  repetition  of  ^^^.  If  a  fresh 
point  and  a  better  parallel  to  ^  seem  necessary,  n^n  i^D,  every 
beast,  must  be  read  for  '^rrh'^i  all  living-  (Be.^) ;  in  this  case  the 
point  is  :  no  living  creature  other  than  man  has  knowledge  of 
wisdom,  though  bird  and  beast  at  times  have  knowledge  that 
man  has  not  (cp.  the  Serpent  of  Genesis  and  Balaam's  ass).  If 
fSi  is  right,  birds  in  ^  are  singled  out  from  *'  all  living"  In  * 
for  special  reference,  as  those  that  fly  heavenwards,  or  as 
representing  the  air  as  a  fourth  region  to  earth  1^,  sea  1*, 
Sheol  22. 

22.  Abaddon  and  Death y  as  26^  (n.). 

23.  God,  unlike  man  1^,  knows  the  way  to  wisdom.  The 
mode  of  expression  is  dictated  by  the  antithesis,  and  is  the 
easier  for  one  who,  like  the  author  of  Pr.  8,  hypostatizes  the 
divine  wisdom. 

24.  Deleted  by  Bu. ;  transferred  to  follow  i^,  when  it  would 
refer  to  man,  by  Du.  :  see  phil.  n. 


XXVni.  26-27.]    WISDOM  BEYOND  MAN*S  DISCOVERY     243 

25  ''When''  he  made  a  weight  for  the  wind, 

And  regulated  the  waters  by  measure  ; 

26  When  he  made  a  decree  for  the  rain, 

And  a  way  for  the  flashes  of  the  thunder  ; 

27  Then  did  he  see  it,  and  recount  it, 

He  set  it  up,  yea,  and  explored  it. 


25-27.  Wisdom  was  before  the  creation  of  the  world  (Pr. 

•).  Creation  is  indicated  by  reference  to  four  of  its  marvels. 
The  incomparable  intelligence  or  wisdom  of  God  is  handled 
somewhat  differently  but  with  some  of  the  same  illustrations 
and  phrases  in  38^*-,  Is.  ^o^^-, 

25.  At  creation  God  assigned  to  the  wind  its  weight — a 
maximum  of  force  or  weight  when  it  blew  which  it  might  not 
exceed  ;  and  marked  out  with  a  measure  the  extreme  limit  to 
which  the  sea  might  overflow  the  land. —  When  he  made]  f^ 
making  or  to  make^  connecting  with  2* :  see  phil.  n. 

26a.  Cp.  3825a;  b  is  identical  in  both  vv.,  but  *  is  there  more 
strictly  parallel  to  ^ ;  the  decree  (cp.  Pr.  8^^)  here  corresponds 
to  the  measure  and  weight  of  25 ;  God  determined  at  creation 
the  laws  of  rainfall  **  when,  where,  how  heavily"  (Di.)  it 
should  fall. 

27.  Again  hypostatization  of  wisdom  is  as  clear  here  as  in 
Pr.  8 ;  but  the  precise  meaning  of  some  of  the  vbs.  is  difficult 
to  seize.  Dr.  (Book  of  foh^  p.  81) ;  <*  Wisdom  is  regarded  here 
as  a  concrete  object,  or,  as  we  should  say,  an  idea  of  wonderful 
complexity,  which,  at  the  Creation  (v.26),  God  *saw,'  ^recounted,' 
or  surveyed  in  all  its  various  parts,  *  established,'  or  set  up,  as 
though  it  were  a  model,  *  searched  out,*  or  thoroughly  explored, 
and  finally  realized  in  the  universe  of  created  things."  Similarly 
Du. :  He  set  it  up  as  a  model  for  the  work  He  had  to  do,  and 
made  proof  of  it  in  creation ;  first  was  the  X0709,  the  vo\)<i  iroirjTi- 
Ko^y  then  the  execution  (of  the  idea).  Yet  it  is  difficult  not  to  feel 
sympathy  with  Da.'s  criticism  of  similar  earlier  explanations  : 
"  It  is  .  .  .  contrary  to  the  poet's  vivid  conception  of  Wisdom, 
as  a  real  thing  or  being,  to  suppose  that  it  was  *  established ' 
when  embodied  in  the  stable,  permanent  order  of  created  things, 
as  if,  being  merely  an  idea  before,  with  wavering  outlines,  it 
then  became  fixed.     Neither  can  the  meaning  be  that  God  *  set 


244  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXVIII.  37-28. 

28  And  he  said  unto  man, 

Behold,  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  that  is  wisdom  ; 
And  to  depart  from  evil  is  understanding". 


up  '  wisdom  before  Him  merely  as  an  object  of  contemplation : 
much  less  that  He  set  it  up  as  a  *  model '  after  which  to  work 
in  creating  the  world."  Da.  would  give  to  the  third  vb. 
(nr^n),  which  he  renders  "established"  (as  RV.  e.g,  in  Pr. 
8^^),  the  meaning  gave  it  existence  (cp.,  with  a  different  vb., 
Pr.  8^2) ;  but  this  idea  would  be  expressed  too  late  by  the  third 
vb.,  if  the  four  vbs.  express  a  succession  of  activities  :  the  vb. 
at  the  beginning  of  the  second  line  of  the  distich  might,  of 
course,  be  simply  parallel  in  sense  to  and  express  the  same 
activity  as  the  first  vb.  ;  but  if  this  were  so,  n^^an,  he  closely 
observed  ity  would  be  a  more  probable  parallel  than  TST'yTk  to 
HNl,  he  saw  ity  in  *.     For  recount^  explore^  see  phil.  n. 

28.  Up  to  this  point  the  c.  has  insisted  without  any  quali- 
fication that  wisdom  is  the  exclusive  possession  of  God,  has  no 
place  on  earth,  and  is  not  imparted  to  men  (ct.  1 1^  Sophar). 
In  this,  it  differs  strikingly  from  Pr.  8,  where  the  real  wisdom 
that  was  possessed  and  used  by  God  in  the  creation  of  the 
world  presents  itself  as  discoverable  also  by  man.  As  against 
the  previous  part  of  this  c,  ^^  agrees  with  Pr.  8  that  wisdom 
may  be  found  by  men,  although  it  differs  in  defining  the 
wisdom  that  may  become  man's  in  terms  inconsistent  with 
its  being  also  a  possession  of  God :  wisdom  is  here  identified 
with  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and  the  avoidance  of  evil.  There 
is  thus,  at  least  superficially,  a  gulf  between  the  thought  of 
'^~^  and  of  2^,  and  the  only  way  to  bridge  it  is  to  say  that  the 
author  contemplates  two  different  wisdoms :  wisdom  in  God 
here  conceived  intellectually  as  including  the  understanding  of 
the  laws  of  the  universe,  unattainable  by  man,  who  must  con- 
sequently remain  without  understanding  of  the  universe,  and 
wisdom  in  man,  an  ethical  quality.  God  is  thus  represented 
here  as  saying  to  man :  My  wisdom  cannot  be  yours,  but 
your  wisdom  will  be  to  fear  Me  :  you  cannot  understand  the 
universe  which  I  have  made,  but  you  can  fear  Me  like  Job 
(i^),  and  avoid  evil,  and  thereby  find  happiness  and  prosperity. 


XXVIII.  28-XXIX.]      man's   WISDOM  245 

But  is  this  thought  naturally  expressed,  and  is  the  compatibility 
of  the  two  radically  different  conceptions  both  expressed  by  the 
unqualified  term  ** wisdom"  really  indicated?  Or  have  we 
not  rather  the  fundamentally  different  thought  of  a  different 
writer  simply  laid  alongside  the  preceding  poem  ?  Again,  is 
a  writer  who  wishes  to  express  the  supposed  line  of  thought 
likely  to  have  handled  one  part  of  his  subject,  the  unattainable 
wisdom  of  God,  so  elaborately  and  the  other  part  so  briefly  ? 
The  prosaic  opening  2^*  and  the  lack  of  balance  in  ^^^-^  also 
suggest  that  ^^  is  not  from  the  same  hand  as  the  rest  of  the 
chapter. 

XXIX. -XXXI.  Job's  closing  monologue.  —  These  cc 
were  not  originally,  as  in  the  present  text  they  appear  to  be 
(see  Introduction  and  Introductory  Notes  to  26,  28),  merely  the 
final  section  of  Job's  last  speech  in  the  debate  ;  but  the  whole  of 
what  he  says  after  the  friends'  contribution  to  the  third  round 
of  speeches  is  complete.  He  now  takes  no  further  account  of  the 
friends;  in  his  last,  as  in  his  opening  speech  (c.  3),  he  is  concerned 
alone  with  himself  and  God  (to  whom,  however,  he  directly 
addresses  himself  only  in  30^^"^^).  The  speech  falls  into  three 
parts  :  (i)  a  pathetic  survey  of  his  life  before  calamity  befell 
him,  when  God  guarded  him,  men  honoured  him,  and  he  helped 
men  (c.  29) ;  (2)  the  tragic  contrast  of  the  present — God  assail- 
ing, men  reviling  him,  in  his  humiliation  (c.  30) ;  and  (3)  a 
solemn  reassertion  that  not  in  him  or  his  conduct  was  any 
justification  for  the  change,  leading  up  to  his  final  assertion  of 
his  readiness  to  meet  God ;  this  would  appear  to  have  been 
followed  immediately,  in  the  original  poem,  by  Yahweh's  reply 
(c.  38  ff.);  but  at  present  the  speech(es)  of  Elihu  (cc.  33-37) 
intervene.  Thus  the  effect  of  Job's  last  speech  has  been  doubly 
spoilt :  by  the  dislocation  or  interpolation  of  what  now  im- 
mediately precedes  it,  and  by  the  interpolation  of  what  now 
follows  it. 

XXIX.  Opening  with  a  wish  (^)  that  he  might  be  again  as 
in  his  earlier  years,  Job  depicts  his  happiness  then,  finding,  as 
the  quiet  tone  of  this  part  of  the  speech,  and  the  detail  with 
which  he  fills  in  the  picture  (ct.  c.  3),  suggest,  a  momentary 
relief  from  the  present  in  this  musing  on  the  past. 


246  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XXIX.  1-4. 

XXIX.  ^  And  Job  again  took  up  his  discourse,  and  said : 
2  O  that  I  were  as  in  the  months  of  old, 
As  in  the  days  when  God  guarded  me ; 

•  When  he  caused  his  lamp  to  shine  above  my  head, 

(When)  by  his  light  I  walked  through  darkness ; 

*  As  I  was  in  the  days  of  my  ripeness, 

When  God  ■'screened"'  my  tent; 


1.  As  27I  (n.). 

2  ff.  Job's  reminiscences  open  with  what  was  the  ground  of 
all  his  happiness — God's  guardianship  of  him,  God's  friendly 
presence  with  him  pb-5aj.  j^g  then  very  briefly  refers  to  two 
immediate  tokens  of  God's  favour — his  children  gathered  about 
him  (^^),  and  the  affluence  of  his  life  (^) ;  he  next  dwells  longer 
on  the  outcome  of  his  affluence  and  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
had  used  it — the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  all,  including 
the  aged  and  the  nobles  (^""),  and  his  practice  of  helping  the 
weak  and  defenceless,  making  righteousness  the  warp  and 
woof  of  his  own  life,  and  foiling  violence  and  unrighteousness 
in  others  p"^^);  he  then  (I8-20J  recalls  how  in  those  days  he 
looked  forward  to  an  end  so  different  from  the  present  cruel 
reality — prosperity  continuing  right  up  to  a  peaceful  death  ; 
and  he  closes  (2i-25j  ^j^^h  ^  return  to  the  topic  of  ^"^^  viz.  the 
memory  of  the  esteem  which  he  had  enjoyed,  thus  making  a 
transition  to  what  (30^^-)  he  feels  so  keenly  now — the  contempt 
that  has  fallen  upon  him.  It  has  been  questioned  whether  ^^'^^ 
was  originally  separated  from  ^"^® ;  if  not,  and  the  chapter  be 
rearranged  in  the  order  ^"^^  21-25  11-20^  ^j^g  transition  to  c.  30  is 
still  good,  viz.  from  Job's  expectation  of  prosperity  continued 
up  to  a  long-deferred  death  to  the  present  bitter  contrast. 

2.  Guarded  me]  cp.  Nu.  6^*,  Ps.  16^  91^^  121^'-;  ct.  c.  13^^ — 
in  all  these  passages  the  same  vb.  "iDiy. 

3.  Cp.  Ps.  i829(28).  God  lighted  a  lamp  above  Job's  head  to 
shed  its  light  upon  his  path,  so  that  in  the  darkness  he  should 
not  stumble  over  obstacles. 

4.  Job's  memory  is  not  of  his  **  spring"  or  youth,  but  of  his 
maturity,  of  the  rich  increase  of  his  life's  **  autumn,"  when  the 
fruits  of  God's  favour  and  his  piety  were  being  gathered  and 


XXIX.  4-8.]  JOB  247 

*>  While  yet  the  Almighty  was  with  me, 

(And)  round  about  me  were  my  children  ; 
•  When  my  steps  were  washed  with  curds, 

And  the  rock  poured  me  out  rivers  of  oil. 
^  When  I  went  out  of  (my)  gate  up  to  the  city, 

(And)  in  the  broad  place  prepared  my  seat, 
s  The  young  men  saw  me,  and  hid  themselves, 

And  the  aged  rose  up  (and)  stood ; 


enjoyed  by  him ;  his  children  were  about  him  (^^),  but,  as  the 
Prologue  shows,  grown  up ;  and  the  position  of  authority  and 
respect  among  his  neighbours,  on  which  he  chiefly  dwells,  fits 
in  well  with  the  years  of  ripe  manhood ;  in  certain  connections 
the  season  of  autumn  or  ripeness  may  disagreeably  suggest 
winter  and  death,  but  it  is  part  of  Job's  memory  that  in  spite  of 
the  many  years  already  lying  behind  him  he  looked  forward  to 
innumerable  years  yet  to  come  (^).  It  therefore  seems  unneces- 
sary to  emend  away  the  term  ripeness  (see  phil.  n.). —  When 
God  screened^  so  ffi;  cp.  1^^:  |§  lahen  the  friendship  (cp.  Ps.  25^*, 
Pr.  3^2.  see  phil.  n.  on.  15^)  of  God  (rested)  upon:  see  phil.  n. 

5a.  Nothing  marred  Job's  welfare  (^),  nor  had  he  any  evil 
turn  of  fortune  to  fear  (^^2^),  when  God  was  still  with  (cp. 
Ps.  23*  46^  etc.)  him,  protecting  him  and  fending  off  evil,  and 
not  yet,  as  now  (30^^),  turned  into  his  cruel  opponent. — b.  Cp. 
,2.4f.^ — Children  (onyj)  as  i^^  (young  men),  and  2  S.  iS^®  of 
David's  adult  son  Absalom. 

6.  Job's  land  flowed  with  milk  (cp.  and  ct.  20^^)  and  oil — 
figures  of  his  wealth. — Curds^  cp.  20^^  n. — The  rock]  possibly 
corrupt ;  if  not,  either:  the  rockiest  portions  of  Job's  land,  which 
might  naturally  have  been  quite  barren,  or  the  rocky  soil  in 
which  the  olive  flourishes,  and  the  rock  in  which  the  oil-presses 
were  cut  out. 

7.  Job's  great  estate  (c.  i)  lay  near  a  large  (cp.  ^~^^)  town ; 
and  in  this  large  community  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem, 
and  in  its  aff'airs  and  in  its  public  assemblies,  held,  according 
to  the  custom  in  Oriental  cities,  in  the  broad  place  (Ezr.  10^, 
Neh.  8^)  or  square  within  the  city,  he  took  a  prominent  part. 

8.  When  Job  reached  the  assembly  the  young  men  present 


248  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXIX.  8-11. 

^  The  princes  refrained  from  speech, 

And  laid  their  hand  on  their  mouth ; 
^^  The  voice  of  the  nobles  was  '^dumb"', 

And  their  tongue  cleaved  to  the  roof  of  their  mouth. 
"  For  when  the  ear  heard,  it  called  me  happy ; 

And  when  the  eye  saw,  it  attested  me ; 


withdrew  into  the  background,  and  even  the  aged,  who  had 
previously  arrived  and  sat  down,  rose  and  remained  standing 
till  Job  had  taken  his  seat. 

9.  10.  And  men  in  the  highest  position  kept  silence  in  order, 
as  21  expressly  states,  if  21-25  originally  followed  i^,  to  hear  what 
Job  would  advise ;  in  this  case  ^"^^  describes  Job's  entrance, 
21-25  his  speech  and  its  effect :  Bu. ;  but  see  below. 

10.  Dumb]  ^  erroneously  (cp.^)  hid  themselves-,  see  phil.  n. 
II  ff.  These  verses  contain  further  vivid  pictures  of  Job's 

past ;  they  also  assign  the  reason  for  Job's  position  of  esteem 
and  authority  (7-io  +  ?2i-25j .  b^t  there  is  some  little  uncertainty 
as  to  the  exact  connection :  of  this  and  of  the  proposed  trans- 
position of  21-25^  Dr.  wrote:  <«  Vv.^-i*^  describe  the  respect  shown 
to  Job  in  the  assembly  of  his  native  place ;  and  the  same  thought 
is  clearly  resumed  in  21-25  .  ^nd  Bu.  Be.  Du.  St.  Vo.  would 
transpose  21-25  to  follow  1^ :  Job's  dream  of  a  happy  old  age 
(18-20J  would  then  be  forcibly  followed  at  once  by  the  description 
of  the  bitter  reality  in  301^-.  On  the  other  hand,  it  might  be 
argued  that  the  ground  of  the  respect  which  Job  enjoyed  i^^-) 
might  be  mentioned  immediately  after  it  was  first  referred  to 
(8-10)^  The  ground  of  his  respect  (H)  is  not  merely  (Bu.)  the 
prosperity  which  he  enjoyed,  but  the  prosperity,  combined  with 
righteousness,  which  he  used  rightly,  to  succour  the  helpless 
and  the  needy  (i2-i3):  there  is  thus  no  occasion  with  Bu.  to 
regard  vv.12-13  ^s  a  gloss,  suggested  by  a  false  interpretation 
of  *  it  attested  me '  ('•jT'vni),  as  though  this  meant  witness  to 
his  righteousness  rather  than  to  his  prosperity ;  it  was  not  his 
prosperity,  as  such,  but  just  the  beneficent  use  of  his  prosperity 
that  gained  him  his  respect." 

11.  Attested  me]  t\e,  bore  witness  to  my  wealth:  cp.  the 
parallel. 


XXIX.  12-18.]  JOB  249 

12  For  I  delivered  the  poor  who  cried  (for  help), 

And  the  orphan  and  him  that  had  no  helper. 
^^  The  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to  perish  came  upon  me, 

And  I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  ring  out  joy. 
^*  I  clothed  myself  with  righteousness,  and  it  clothed  itself  with 

me; 

My  justice  was  as  a  robe  and  a  turban. 
^^  Eyes  was  I  to  the  blind, 

And  feet  to  the  lame  was  I. 
^^  A  father  was  I  to  the  poor. 

And  the  cause  of  him  whom  I  knew  not  I  investigated. 
I''  And  I  broke  the  great  teeth  of  the  unrighteous. 

And  from  his  teeth  made  him  drop  the  prey. 
^^  Then  I  said :    **  I  shall  die  with  my  nest(lings). 

And  make  my  days  as  many  as  the  (grains  of)  sand ; 


12.  So,  with  slight  verbal  variations  and  in  the  3rd  pers., 
Ps.  72^2^  In  i2f.  15-17  tjjg  ijg  direct  is  given  to  the  charges  of 
Eliphaz,  22^-^. 

13.  Him  .  .  .  ready  to  perish]  131J<,  as  31^^  Pr.  31^. 

14.  It  clothed  itself  in  me]  it  filled  or  possessed  me :  cp. 
Jg.  63* :  "the  spirit  of  Yahweh  clothed  itself  in  Gideon":  I 
wore  righteousness  and  righteousness  wore  me :  see  phil.  n. 
For  the  figure  of  clothing,  cp.  Is.  11^,  Ps.  132^,  of  God,  Is.  59^^. 
J?obe  (i^^  n.)  and  turban  (cp.  Zee.  3^)  represent  complete  dress. 

15.  Job  led  (cp.  Nu.  lo^^)  the  blind,  and  helped  the  lame  to 
walk. 

l6b.  A  case  at  law  Job  was  always  ready  to  look  into, 
whether  he  had  previous  knowledge  of  the  person  claiming  to  be 
wronged  or  not,  and,  if  the  case  were  good,  to  carry  it  through. 

17.  The  wrong-doer  Job  rendered  harmless  and  deprived  of 
his  spoils:  for  the  (implicit)  figure,  cp.  Ps.  3^  58^ ^^\ — Great 
teeth  .  .  .  teeth]  Jl.  i^,  Pr.  30^*. 

18.  With  my  nest]  nest  as  in  Dt.  32^^,  Is.  16^,  of  the 
occupants  of  the  nest ;  as  he  had  lived  (^^),  so  Job  hoped  after 
innumerable  (cp.  Hab.  i^,  Ps.  139^^:  also  Gn.  13'^)  days  to 
die,  not  merely  in  his  nest  (RV.),  i,e.  in  his  house,  but  with 
his  nestlings,  i.e,  surrounded  by  his  children.     Others  render  : 


250  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXIX.  18-24i 

^^  My  root  open  to  the  waters, 

And  the  night-mist  lodging  in  my  branches ; 

20  My  glory  fresh  with  me, 

And  my  bow  pliable  in  my  hand," 

21  Unto  me  men  gave  ear,  and  waited, 

And  kept  silence  for  my  counsel ; 

22  After  I  had  spoken,  they  spoke  not  again, 

And  my  speech  dropped  upon  them ; 

23  And  they  waited  for  me  as  for  the  rain. 

And  their  mouth  they  opened  wide  for  the  latter  rain. 
2^  I  laughed  at  them  when  they  believed  not. 

And  the  light  of  my  countenance  they  cast  not  down. 


I  shall  die  in  my  nest^  And  (then)  like  the  phoenix  make  my  dayi 
ma7iy ;  or,  /  shall  die  in  my  nesty  And  (then)  like  the  palm^  etc. ; 
or  emending,  I  shall  grow  old  in  my  nesty  And  multiply  my  days 
as  the  sand:  for  a  discussion  of  these  and  other  suggestions, 
see  phil.  n. 

19.  Ct.  18^6  (Bildad,  of  the  unrighteous):  with  ^  cp.  Ps.  i^: 
on  the  reviving  night-mist  (382^),  see  Is.  18*  n. 

20.  Conscious  of  his  rectitude  and  kindness,  and  mindful  of 
the  maxim  (Pr.  2121)  that  those  who  make  righteousness  and 
kindness  their  aim  find  life  and  "glory,"  i.e.  reputation  am.ong 
men.  Job  had  trusted  that  his  reputation  and  the  position  it 
gave  him  would  never  grow  less,  and  that  his  power,  symbolized 
by  the  bow,  would  remain  the  same  (cp.  Gn.  492*). — Pliable^  so 
Dr.  (see  phil.  n.) :  Bu.  sprouting^  the  old,  dry  bow  putting 
forth  fresh  shoots  like  Aaron's  rod  (Nu.  i'j'^^^^^)y  which  he  thinks 
a  possible  hyperbole  in  poetry. 

21-25-  The  vv.  should  perhaps  follow  ^^ :  see  above. 

21-23.  Men  waited  silently  for,  and  silently  accepted.  Job's 
advice,  having  no  alteration  or  improv^ement  to  suggest,  no 
desire  to  hear  any  one  else  ;  for  his  words  and  advice  fell  upon 
men  like  fertilizing  rain  (cp.  Dt.  322),  and  were  as  eagerly 
expected  and  received  as  the  latter  rain  (Dt.  11^*,  Pr.  16^^, 
Hos.  6^)  that  falls  in  April  and  May,  refreshing  the  ripening 
crops. 

24.   *<  Job's  clear-sighted  counsel  encouraged  them,  if  they 


XXIX.  24-XXX.]  JOB  251 

^  I  chose  out  their  way  and  sat  as  chief, 
And  dwelt  as  a  king  in  the  army.  .  •  • 


were  despondent :  on  the  other  hand  (line  2),  their  despondency 
never  clouded  his  cheerfulness  " — Dr.  (Book  of  Job).    See  phil.  n. 

25.  Their 'way\  what  was  best  for  them  to  do. — In  the  army] 
^  ■}-  as  one  who  comforteth  mourjiers. 

XXX.  1-8.  But  now,  in  the  present  from  which  Job  has 
just  been  wistfully  looking  back,  the  reputation  he  had  hoped 
to  enjoy  up  to  his  death  has  gone ;  whereas  the  aged  and  the 
noble  used  to  do  him  reverence  (29^"^^),  now  youngsters  (or 
inferiors  or  **  shepherd-boys  "  :  see  phil.  n.)  mock  at  him.  ^b-a 
give,  superfluously  as  it  might  seem,  a  detailed  description  of 
these  mockers  of  Job  (not  of  their  fathers  (i^),  for  see  ^) :  they 
are  low-born,  of  poor  physique,  outcasts  of  ill-repute,  driven  to 
shelter  in  caves  and  to  scrape  a  bare  subsistence  from  the 
wilderness.  In  ^  hut  now  is  repeated,  and  the  contrast  between 
man's  past  and  present  treatment  of  Job  is  resumed  and  con- 
tinued to  ^®,  or,  on  one  view  of  the  interpretation  of  ^^-^^^  to  i^. 
Again  in  ^^  but  now  (in  the  present,  but  perhaps  not  in  the 
original  text)  recurs ;  this  time,  however,  to  introduce  (if  the 
description  of  marCs  treatment  of  Job  extends  down  to  ^^)  a 
fresh  form  of  contrast — viz.  between  the  tranquillity  and  pros- 
perity and  fair  prospect  of  his  past  life  and  God's  friendliness 
to  him  (292-6- ^^"20),  and  the  pain  and  hopelessness  and  God's 
hostility  in  the  present  (^6"^^).  Thus  whereas  but  now  in  i^  on 
one  theory  of  interpretation  would  mark  the  beginning  of  the 
second  main  point  of  contrast,  the  same  words  in  ^  are  in  any 
case  merely  resumptive  of  but  now  in  ^  after  a  digression. 
How  far  such  a  digression  is  probable  must  be  mainly  a  matter 
of  taste;  but  a  difference  of  tone  also  has  been  detected  between 
the  contempt  expressed  in  ^"^  for,  and  the  sympathy  in  3115 
with,  those  inferior  to  Job.  If  for  these  reasons  we  assume 
interpolation  (of  matter  perhaps  displaced  from  24^^-),  it  is 
better  to  omit  ^'^  (Du.)  in  its  entirety  than  only  ^-^  (Bi.)  or  ^-8 
(Peake),  thus  eliminating  the  disdainful  note  of  ^  (as  well  as  of 
^'•),  which  Peake  is  ready  to  retain  and  excuse  as  due  to  Job's 
**too  natural  irritation":    then  ^  introduces  the  contrast  be- 


252  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXX.  1-4. 

XXX.  ^  But  now  they  have  derided  me, 
That  were  of  less  age  than  I, 
Whose  fathers  I  disdained 
To  set  with  the  dogs  of  my  flock. 
'  The  strength,  too,  of  their  hands — of  what  good  is  it 

to  me? 
Within  them  firm  vigour  hath  perished. 

•  With  want  and  with  famine  (each)  is  gaunt, 

(Men),  who  gnaw  the  dry  ground. 

Whose  '^ mother^  (?)  is  devastation  and  desolation, 

*  Who  pluck  salt-wort  by  the  bushes. 

Whose  food  is  the  root  of  the  broom. 


tween  the  former  respect  and  the  present  contempt  of  the  same 
people — the  townsmen,  young  and  old  and  noble.  Peake, 
indeed,  objects  that  these  people  are  too  remotely  referred  to  if 
29  ended  at  ^^  (not  ^^);  yet,  the  antithesis  in  31^  with  glo?y  in 
29^^  would  be  good.  If  ^  were  resumptive  of  ^  we  might  rather 
have  expected  a  different  emphasis — urh  nnyi  or  nf>J<ij  nriiH,  And 
now  to  such  as  these  am  I  become  a  song ! 

I.  The  V.  is  badly  articulated  and  perhaps  corrupt :  (&  om. 
fathers. — The  dogs  of  my  flock]  contemptuous:  cp.  Is.  56^'^'-. 

2a.  Du.  :  Yea  the  strength  of  their  hands  faileth.  This 
improves  the  connection,  and  makes  the  description  begin  with  *. 
Alternatively  2^-^*  might  be  combined  into  a  distich. 

3,  4.  The  reason  for  their  weakness  (2)  :  they  were  starve- 
lings, fed  only  on  the  scanty  produce  of  the  wilderness. 

3.  Gnaw]  so  (RV.)  rather  than^^^  into  (AV.). —  Whose  mother] 
i.e.  the  source  from  which  they  get  their  nourishment;  but  the 
text  and  meaning  are  very  uncertain ;  see  phil.  n. 

4.  Salt-wort]  the  Hebr.  malluah  (cp.  melahy  salt)  here  has, 
since  Bochart's  exhaustive  discussion  (Hieroz.  lib.  iii.  cap.  xvi.), 
been  commonly  identified  with  the  sea  orache,  Atrdplex  HalimuSy 
L. :  it  has  **  small,  thick,  sour-tasting  leaves,  which  could  be 
eaten  .  .  .  but  would  form  very  miserable  food  "  (Tristram, 
Natural  History  of  the  Bihle^  p.  486). — By  the  hushes]  i.e.  under 
the  shadow  of  the  bushes  where,  when  all  else  is  dried  up,  a 
scanty  vegetation  still  subsists.     But  the  force  of  the  prep,  is 


XXX.  4-7.]  JOB  253 

*  From  the  community  they  are  driven  forth, 

A  cry  is  raised  against  them  as  against  a  thief; 

•  In  a  gully  of  the  wadys  must  they  dwell, 

In  holes  of  the  earth  and  rocks. 
^  Among  the  (desert-)  bushes  they  bray: 

Under  the  nettles  they  are  huddled  together. 


ambiguous.  Possibly  and  leaves  of  (desert-)  bushes  should  be 
read :  see  phil.  n. — The  broom]  the  Hebr.  rothem^  like  the  Ar. 
ratavty  was  a  kind  of  broom,  **  the  largest  and  most  conspicuous 
shrub  of  these  deserts";  the  roots  are  very  bitter,  and  are 
regarded  by  the  Arabs  as  yielding  the  best  [cp.  Ps.  1 20*]  char- 
coal "  (Robinson,  Bibl.  Researches^  i.  299 ;  cp.  Hastings*  DB  ii. 
825). — Whose  food]  Since  an  undesirable  article  of  diet,  and 
not  an  excellent  fuel,  suits  the  context,  it  is  obviously  unwise  to 
render  DOnS  with  RVm.,  to  warm  them, 

5.  These  ill-fed  starvelings  are  suspected  of  pilfering  (cp. 
24^);  if,  therefore,  they  ever  appear  near  the  homes  of  the 
better-to-do,  the  cry  of  <*  thief"  is  raised,  and  they  are  driven 
away. 

6.  They  are  ill-sheltered  (cp.  24^'-),  as  well  as  ill-fed  (2'-). — 
In  a  gully  of  the  wddys]  or,  less  probably,  tn  the  most  dreaded 
of  wadys. 

7.  They  bray]  not,  as  the  same  vb.,  with  a  different  prep, 
in  6^,  of  their  cry  for  or  over  their  food ;  nor  of  the  impression 
made  by  their  uncouth  speech,  in  their  assemblies  (^),  on  the 
inhabitants  of  towns;  but  probably,  though  this  particular 
meaning  of  the  vb.  cannot  be  paralleled,  of  the  cry  of  lust. 
The  V.  describes  them  **misbegetting  as  they  were  themselves 
misbegotten"  (^i  Peake):  the  parallelism  is  then  excellent;  they 
bray^  like  donkeys  under  the  excitement  of  lust  (cp.  the  neighing 
of  the  horses  in  Jer.  5^),  and  ^  copulate  with  no  better  bed  or 
screen  than  the  rough  and  scanty  growth  of  the  desert  affords. 
— Nettles]  "  The  rendering  is  uncertain;  but,  whatever  the  harul 
may  have  been,  it  must  have  been  a  plant  characteristic  of  un- 
cultivated places  (Job  30^,  Pr.  24^1).  *  Thorns  '  [the  rendering 
in  RV.  of  kimshonim]  In  Pr.  24^^  ought  to  be  *  nettles  *  (cp. 
Hos.  9^,  Is.  34^^) :  hence  harul^  which  stands  in  the  parallel 


254  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB       [XXX.  7-10. 

5  Sons  of  the  impious,  sons  of  the  nameless  too, 
They  have  been  smitten  out  of  the  land. 

•  And  now  I  am  become  their  song, 

And  I  am  become  a  (by-)word  unto  them. 
1®  They  abhor  me,  they  keep  at  a  distance  from  me, 
And  they  spare  not  to  spit  in  my  face. 


clause,  must  be  something  different:  and  in  Syriac ^a;i9/ signifies 
a  vetch  (hence  RVm.).  On  the  other  hand,  Job  30^  seems  to 
require  some  kind  of  shrub :  and  whereas  the  present  passage 
\i,e.  Z  f.  2^]  implies  that  the  harnll  would  grow  on  a  poor  or  salt 
soil,  vetches  love  a  good  soil.  Tristram  (NHB  475)  suggests 
t\\Q  Prickly  Acanthus  I  Post  {DB^  s.v,)  some  kind  of  thorny  shrub 
such  as  the  Boxthom^  three  species  of  which  are  indigenous  in 
Palestine,  and  grow  in  waste  places  and  salty  soil"  (Dr.  on 
Zf.   29). 

8.  They  are  sprung  from  an  accursed  disreputable  race,  not 
fearing  God  and  enjoying  no  esteem  of  man.  On  impious 
(2^<^  n.),  see  phil.  n. ;  and  for  the  attitude  of  the  settled  popu- 
lation to  the  homeless,  wandering  people  of  the  deserts,  cp. 
Gn.  411'-. 

9.  Perhaps  the  direct  continuation  of  29^5  or  20 :  see  on  1. — 
Their  song]  La.  3^*. 

lOa.  Cp.  19^^'  ^9. — In  my  face]  cp.  Is.  50^;  or,  at  the  sight  of 
me  (but  see  phil.  n.),  which  is  more  compatible  with  **they 
keep  at  a  distance  from  me,"  unless  we  are  content,  with  Di., 
in  spite  of  the  order  of  the  clauses,  to  explain  :  **  they  step  for- 
ward to  spit  in  my  face,  and  then  immediately  step  back  again 
to  show  their  loathing  of  me." 

II-15.  The  text  (see  phil.  notes)  is  so  uncertain  or  am- 
biguous that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  with  confidence 
whether  these  vv.  refer  (i)  entirely  to  the  treatment  of  Job  by 
God  and  His  hosts ;  or  (2)  entirely  to  the  treatment  of  Job  by 
the  men  of  ^-^(lo)  or  of  298-^0. 21-25 .  ^^  (3)  \^  part  ("»)  to  God's 
treatment  of  Job,  in  part  to  the  consequential  conduct  towards 
him  of  men  (ni^-i^),  and  these  (cp.  i^^)  the  men  of  i-^^o).  The 
translation  above  is  accommodated  to  the  first  and,  on  the 
whole,    perhaps    the    most   probable   view;    the   third    view. 


XXX.  11.]  JOB 


255 


11  For  my  (bow-)string  he  hath  loosened,  and  he  hath 

humbled  me. 
And  my  ^ banner^  (?)  from  before  me  ^he'^  hath  ^cast 

downl  (?). 


however,  is  favoured  by  two  features  of  the  existing  text,  viz. 
the  change  from  the  3rd  sing,  in  ii»  to  the  3rd  pi.  in  ^'^^-^^  and 
the  terms  of  ^^^-  °  (they  set  forward  my  calamity,  they  that  have 
no  helper)  which  are  applicable  neither  to  God's  hosts,  nor  to  the 
men  of  c.  29 ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  activities  described  in  i^-^^ 
are  not  naturally  connected  with  helpless  {^^^)  weaklings  (i~^), 
and  much  of  the  existing  text  can  only  be  defended  by  very 
artificial  and  improbable  interpretation  (see  phil.  notes).  The 
second  of  the  above  views  is  only  compatible  with  the  existing 
text,  if  the  sing,  in  n*  refers  to  a  typical  individual  of  the  class 
referred  to  in  the  plurals  that  follow ;  but  such  a  meaning  can 
be  restored  to  the  text  by  emendations  no  more  extensive  than 
those  adopted  above.  If  such  were  the  meaning  of  the  original 
passage  it  may  have  read,  though  in  form  ^^-^^^  is  very  sus- 
picious, somewhat  as  follows : 

"  For,  '"they"'  have  loosened  •" their ^  cord,  and  humbled  me, 

And  they  have  cast  off  the  bridle  before  me. 
12  Against  r  me  ^  the  (low)  brood  riseth  up,  ^ 

And  heap  up  against  me  their  paths  of  destruction, 
1^  They  have  broken  up  my  path. 

They  have  helped  forward  my  calamity, 
They  have  no  helper 

(Or,  there  is  none  to  ''restrain''  them) 
1*  As  through  a  wide  breach  they  come  on. 

Under  the  crash  ^V  wallow, 
1^      Terrors  are  turned  upon  me ; 

My  nobility  "^is  driven  awayl  like  the  wind, 
And  like  a  cloud  has  my  welfare  passed  away. 

II.  For]  the  change  in  the  attitude  of  men  (®-  ^^)  is  due  to 
God's  hostility. — My  {bow-)string  he  hath  loosened]  i.e.  He  (God 
unnamed  as  3^0  n.)  has  disarmed  me,  rendered  me  defenceless  : 
ct.  2^'^,     If  the  K'^tib  his  for  my  were  correct,  the  meaning,  as 


256  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXX.  11-14. 

12  Against  '^me  his  lines  (of  warriors) ^  arise,^ 

And  heap  up  against  me  their  paths  of  destruction. 

13 


^**    As  through  a  wide  breach  they  come  on. 
1*^  Under  the  crash  ^  1 1  wallow, 
^^      Terrors  are  turned  upon  me  ; 


Del.  pointed  out,  could  scarcely  be:  God  has  prepared  to 
shoot  at  Job  (cp.  (5) ;  but  a  violent  and  improbable  anthropo- 
morphism :  God  has  taken  off  the  cord  or  girdle  about  his  loins 
to  chastise  Job  with  it.  Other  interpretations  are  discussed  in 
the  phil.  n. 

lib.  Banner  .  .  .  he\  On  the  emendations,  see  phil.  n.  If 
the  reference  is  not  to  God  but  to  Job's  human  opponents  (see  on 
ii~i^),  |§  may  be  retained :  they  have  cast  off  the  bridle^  which 
used  to  restrain  them  from  unseemly  conduct  in  my  presence. 

12a.  God's  warriors  (restored  to  the  text  by  a  slight  emenda- 
tion) rise  up  against  Job  *;  and  make  ready,  as  besiegers,  to 
storm  him  ^. — Against  me]  5H  on  the  right  hand. — His  lines  of 
warriors]  cp.  19^^*,  and  then  with  ^^^  ^p.  1912^.  J^  {the  low) 
brood  is  commonly  explained  of  the  base-born  crew  that  take 
advantage  of  Job's  misfortunes  to  humiliate  him.  Between  * 
and  ^  in  J^  stand  the  words.  My  feet  have  they  sent  on^  which 
has  been  explained  to  mean :  they  hunt  me  on  from  place  to 
place  ;  but  see  phil.  n. 

I3-I4a.  The  figure  of  ^^  is  carried  on  and  developed  in  ^* : 
God's  warriors  not  only  storm,  but  carry  the  fortress,  pouring 
in  through  a  breach  in  the  walls  so  wide  as  to  admit  an  irresist- 
ible number  of  assailants.  The  intervening  lines  in  J^  fall  out 
of  the  figure  and  are  abnormally  short ;  they  may  conceal  a 
parallel  to  ^**  (see  phil.  n.). 

13a.  They  have  broken  up  my  path]  t,e,  "Job's  path  of  life, 
which  they  seek  to  make  impracticable  for  him  (cp.  19^),"  Dr. 
— b,  C.  See  above  on  ^^"i^,  and  phil.  nn. 

14.  /  wallow]  cp.  ffi;  f^  they  wallowy  or  roll  themselves, 
which  has  been  explained  to  mean  roll  on  irresistibly ;  but  see 
phil.  n. 


XXX.  16-18.]  JOB  257 

My  nobility  is  '^  driven  away^  like  the  wind, 
And  like  a  cloud  has  my  welfare  passed  away. 

^^  But  now  upon  me  my  soul  pours  itself  out, 
Days  of  affliction  take  hold  of  me  : 

1^  By  night  my  bones  are  corroded  (and  fall)  away  from  mCj 
And  (the  pains)  that  gnaw  me  lie  not  down  (to  rest). 


15.  My  nobility]  **  Job's  princely  dignity  and  reputation 
j^gS-io.  21-25^^ »'  j)j. — j^fy  welfare]  or  wealth,  together  with  the 
esteem  associated  with  it  :  cp.  Is.  32^  {nobley  an:  |1  wealthy, 
]3W) :  see  n.  there. 

16.  But  now]  see  phil.  n.  and  above  on  ^~^. — Days]  read 
perhaps  terrors  or  the  like. 

17.  By  night  or  (atid  fall)  away  from  me  should  perhaps  be 
omitted  (see  phil.  n.). — b.  Translated  as  above,  the  line  means: 
I  never  get  any  alleviation  from  my  pains,  since  they  never 
retire  to  rest.  Just  possibly  (see  phil.  n.)  we  should  render  My 
fleshless  hones  lie  not  dowfi  to  resty  i.e.  I,  thus  worn  to  the  bone, 
cannot  lie  down  even  when  night  comes :  for  the  attribution 
to  the  bones  of  personal  activities,  feelings  and  emotions,  cp. 
e.g.  41^  (n.),  Ps.  35I0  5110,  Is.  661^. 

18.  This  v.  appears  to  be  hopelessly  obscure  or  corrupt. 
The  existing  text  has  been  translated  and,  with  great  improba- 
bility, explained  to  mean  :  By  (the)  great  force^  viz.  of  my 
disease,  or  by  the  great  might  (23^),  viz.  of  God,  my  outer 
raiment  is  disfigured,  owing  to  my  body  being  emaciated,  and 
my  clothing,  in  consequence,  hanging  badly  upon  me :  it  (viz. 
my  outer  raiment)  bi7ids  (lit.  girds)  me  about  as  tightly  as 
the  collar  of  my  under  garment ;  but  the  collar  of  the  Hebrew 
under  garment  was  not  tight-fitting,  and  to  render  Job's 
garment  ill-fitting  seems  a  trivial  eff"ect  of  the  mighty  power  of 
God — not  to  speak  of  other  improbabilities  in  this  interpreta- 
tion. If  the  V.  referred  to  Job's  emaciation  affecting  the 
appearance  of  his  clothing,  it  would  be  better  to  read  thivugh 
{?ny)  great  leanness  (cp.  16^)  for  by  the  great  force ;  but  if  the 
unfashionable   set  of  Job's  garments   was  due  entirely,  or  as 

^7 


58  THE   BOOK   OF    JOB  [XXX.  18-20, 

i»  [Behold,  God]  hath  "^ brought "i  me  •"down"'  to  the  clay, 

And  I  am  become  like  dust  and  ashes. 
20  I  cry  unto  thee,  and  thou  answerest  me  not ; 

I  stand  (in  prayer),  and  thou  lookest  not  at  me. 


some  have  supposed,  partly,  to  swellings  on  his  body,  we  might 
even,  with  Richter,  introduce  a  hapax  legomeiioji  (HB  for  nD) 
into  the  text  in  order  to  secure  a  proper  expression  of  the  idea : 
thi'ough  great  swelling  (of  my  body)  my  garment  is  disfigured ; 
but  the  difficulty  remains  that  in  ''  while  the  vb.  may,  the  com- 
parison certainly  does  not,  suggest  tightness  of  fit.  Possibly 
the  reference  to  garments  are  entirely  due  to  corruption,  and 
as  i<^  spoke  of  the  soul,  ^^  of  the  bones,  so  i^  spoke  of  the 
flesh  (so,  so  far  as  ^^^  is  concerned,  Bu. :  see  phil.  n.) ;  or 
(so  (5  in  ^)  the  text  may  have  run  :  In  (his)  great  might  he 
(God  :  Ehrlich,  Job's  pain)  seizeth  my  raiment ;  he  taketh  hold 
of  me  by  the  collar  of  my  tunic  (so  Ehrlich  and  in  part  Sgf.) : 
in  this  case  ''the  underlying  image  is  that  of  pursuit  by  an 
enemy :  the  pursuer  seizes  him  by  his  garment  and  (v.^^) 
throws  him  down  "   (Sgf.). 

19.  God  has  so  humiliated  Job  that  he  is  no  longer  of  any 
account.  That  both  lines  are  metaphorical  is  more  probable 
than  that  only  one  is,  though  some  {e.g.  Bu.)  interpret  *  meta- 
phorically, ^  literally :  God  has  so  humiliated  Job,  that  he,  i.e. 
his  diseased  body,  has  a  dusty  appearance  (cp.  7^). — Clay] 
the  word  (tlDn)  is  here  a  synonym  of  dust  ("iDj;)  and  ashes 
("ISX) :  cp.  10^  13I2419  27I6:  the  rendering  mire  (RV.)  is,  there- 
fore, slightly  misleading ;  and  the  line  may  be  compared  with 
16^^  more  closely  than  with  9^^. 

20-23.  Job  now  turns  and  addresses  God,  of  whom  he  has 
just  spoken  in  i^  if  not  already  from  ^i  onwards.  Job  charges 
God  with  indifference  to  his  cry,  with  actively  enhancing  his 
sufferings. 

20b.  The  above  translation,  which  gives  complete  parallelism, 
follows  the  reading  of  one  MS  only :  the  great  majority  of  the 
MSS  read  /  sta7id  and  thou  (merely)  lookest  at  me ;  one  MS 
and  <%  Thou  standest  and  lookest  at  me.  See  phil.  n.  For  / 
standy  viz.  in  prayer,  cp.  Jer.  15I. 


XXX.  21-25.]  JOB  259 

21  Thou  art  turned  into  one  that  is  cruel  to  me, 

With  the  might  of  thy  hand  thou  persecutest  me. 

22  Thou  liftest  me  up  into  the  wind,  causing  me  to  ride  upon  it, 

And  thou  dissolvest  me  into  the  storm. 
28  For  I  know  that  to  Death  thou  wilt  bring  me  back, 

And  to  the  appointed  meeting-place  for  all  living. 
2*  Howbeit,  will  not  "^one  sinking^  stretch  out  a  hand? 

Or  in  his  calamity  "^will  not  one^  cry  for  help  ? 
25  Is  it  that  I  wept  not  for  the  unfortunate, 

That  my  soul  grieved  not  for  the  needy  ? 


21.  Thou  art  turned  into]  cp.  Is.  63^^ — Persecutest]  cp.  16*; 
(&  scourgest. 

22.  God  in  His  might  and  majesty  may  ride  on  the  wind 
(Ps.  18^1),  but  for  man  it  is  a  giddy  adventure,  the  prelude  to 
(cp.  ^  23)  destruction.  The  figure  of  Job  as  the  sport  of  the 
winds  is  rather  differently  expressed  in  9^^  (272^). 

23.  Death]  —  The  underworld,  as  2822  al. — Bring  me  back] 
cp.  i2i  n.     With  the  phrase  descriptive  of  Sheol  in  ^,  cp.  3^^*^-. 

24.  ^  is  unintelligible:  for  attempts  to  extort  a  meaning 
from  it,  see  phil.  n.  Emended  as  above,  the  v.  is  an  apology 
for  what  Job  recognizes  to  be  a  last  fruitless  appeal  to  God : 
drowning  m.en  catch  at  straws,  and  so  Job,  though  (2^)  certain 
of  death,  still  involuntarily  cries  out  for  help.  By  an  alterna- 
tive emendation  an  entirely  different  meaning  has  been  placed 
on  the  v.,  which  then  reads, 

Howbeit,  have  "^P  not  stretched  a  (helping)  hand  to  "^the 

poor^  ? 
And  "^was  he  not  saved  ^  (by  me)  in  his  calamity  ? 
This  would  obviously  go  admirably  with  25 ;  and  if  it  would 
come  in  abruptly,  so  also  does  25  at  present ;  on  the  other 
hand,  reading  in  2*  ^^  qj^  for  ah  !«,  and  rendering.  If  I  have  not 
stretched.  .  .  ,  If  I  have  not  wepty  both  verses  would  fit  well 
in  c.  31  ;  with  the  pf.  tenses,  cp.  then  3120.  21^ 

25.  The  V.  in  its  present  position  (but  see  last  n.)  is  ex- 
plained as  giving  a  reason  for  Job's  cry  for  help  (implied  in  2*^) ; 
he  had  pitied  others  in  their  distress  (cp.  29II-17)  j  ^hy  then  in 
his  own  distress  should  he  not  appeal  for  compassion  ?     Du. 


2  6o  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  .[^XX.  25-29. 

26  For  I  looked  for  good,  and  evil  came : 

And  I  waited  for  light,  and  darkness  came. 

27  My  bowels  have  been  made  to  boil,  and  are  not  silent ; 

Days  of  affliction  have  come  to  meet  me  ; 
^  I  go  about  (in)  dark  (attire)  '^uncomforted^, 

I  stand  up  in  the  assembly  crying  for  help. 
^  I  am  become  a  brother  to  jackals, 

And  a  companion  to  ostriches. 


emends  so  as  to  make  ^  continue  the  thought  of  ^4  as  emended 
and  translated  above:  *' Or  does  not  "^he^  weep  that  is  un- 
fortunate? Is  not  Hhe"^  soul  '^of  him  that  is  ready  to  perish^ 
grieved  ?  " 

26.  A  (second)  reason  for  Job's  appeal  :  he  is  himself  one 
of  the  class  referred  to  in  2*,  and  in  ^^  also  as  emended  by  Du.  : 
all  his  hopes  (cp.  29^^"20j  ^re  perished. 

27.  My  bowels  have  been  made  to  boii\  cp.  **My  bowels  are 
in  a  ferment,"  La.  i^^  2^^;  there,  of  violent  emotion  at  the  dis- 
tress of  Jerusalem  ;  here,  of  Job's  emotion  at  his  own  calamities, 
or  at  the  conflict  between  (^6)  his  hope  of  good  and  fear,  or  i^'^^^ 
actual  experience,  of  evil.  But  ^^b  even  so  is  not  a  very  natural 
parallel  to  ^^a^  is  suspiciously  similar  to  ^6^,  and  may  have  dis- 
placed a  line  more  closely  parallel  (cp.  La.  i^^  2^^)  to  *.  Bu. 
unnecessarily  omits  the  whole  v. — Are  not  silent]  cp.  of  excited 
emotion,  **my  bowels  sound,  or  make  a  noise,"  Is.  16^^;  **the 
sounding,  or  noise  (RV.  yearning),  of  thy  bowels,"  63^^ 

28.  I  go  about  in  dark  attire]  so  Ps.  38^:  cp.  35^*;  and  see 
5^1  n. — Uncomforted]  so,  by  a  slight  emendation,  Du. ;  jjK 
without  the  suny  which  has  been  explained  to  mean  in  a  sun- 
less, miserable  condition ;  or,  taken  closely  with  the  preceding 
word  :  dark,  not  with  sunburn,  but  disease :  see  phil.  n. — 
In  the  assembly]  of  those  gathered  around  him  (Del.),  before 
people  generally  as  many  as  are  present  about  him,  nearly 
(as  Pr.  26^6)  =  opeiily  (Di.),  or  in  the  public  assembly  of  the 
community — whether  Job  actually  still  attends  it,  or,  as  a  leper, 
could  do  so,  being  of  no  importance  (Bu.) :    see  also  phil.  n. 

29.  Job's  unalleviated  and  unpitied  sufferings  call  forth  from 
him,   and   no   wonder  (2^),   cries  as    melancholy  as    those    of 


XXX.  29-XXXI.]  JOB  261 

2^  My  skin  is  black  (and  falls)  off  me, 

And  my  bones  are  scorched  with  fever-heat. 

^^  And  (the  music  of)  my  harp  has  turned  into  mourning, 
And  that  of  my  pipe  into  sounds  of  them  that  weep. 


jackals  and  ostriches  (cp.  Mic.  \^),-^Jackals\  see  EBi.  s,v,  ; 
others  render  wolves  {DB  i.  62o5). 

30a.  See  on  2^. — b.  cp.  Ps.  102*.  The  v.  with  its  reference 
to  a  couple  of  the  symptoms  of  Job's  disease  may  be  misplaced 
(cp.  Bu.). 

31.  Job's  harp  and  pipe  instead  of  the  merry  and  cheerful 
strains  for  which  they  were  naturally  adapted  (21  ^2)  play  now 
only  the  saddest  airs. 

XXXI.  Job  solemnly  repudiates  all  sin  such  as  might  have 
deservedly  drawn  upon  him  the  overwhelming  misfortunes, 
which  had  turned  his  joy  (c.  29)  into  mourning  (c.  30  :  30^^). 
The  repudiation  consists  of  three  elements  :  [a]  a  general 
claim  that  his  life  had  been  virtuous,  with  the  grounds  which 
had  led  him  to  the  deliberate  choice  of  virtue,  i~*;  {h)  a 
repudiation  in  detail  of  a  large  number  of  sinful  deeds,  feelings 
and  attitudes,  ^~^^,  ^^"^^ ;  (c)  a  passionate  assertion  of  his  readi- 
ness to  lay  bare  before  God  the  record  of  his  life,  and  of  the 
conviction  of  integrity  which  he  could  bring  with  him  into  the 
presence  of  God,  ^-"^^ .  At  present  (c)  interrupts  {h) ;  but  this 
must  be  due  to  misplacement,  not,  however,  of  ^'^'^  from  the 
beginning  of  c.  31  (Che.  EBi.  2479),  ^^^  ^f  38-40b.  these  latter 
vv.  originally  stood  somewhere  between  ^  and  ^^,  but  whether 
after  v.^,  Bolducius  (1637)  as  cited  by  Del. ;  after  ^^^  Bu.  ;  after 
15,  Honth. ;  after  ^2,  Me.  Du. ;  after  ^s^  Kennicott,  or  after  ^*, 
where  in  the  uncertainty  they  are  placed  in  the  present  trans- 
lation, must  be  left  undetermined.  Having  been  accidentally 
omitted,  the  vv.  were  added  at  the  close  of  the  c. ;  just  as 
Is.  38^^^-,  which  originally  stood  after  v.^  (see  2  K.  20^^*).  It  is 
possible  (see  n.  on  30^*)  that  the  c.  has  suffered  further  dis- 
arrangement, as  Hatch,  Bi.  Du.  argue.  But  (i)  in  spite  of 
their  absence  from  (&,  it  is  improbable  that  ^"^  are  an  interpola- 
tion (Hatch,  Bi.  and  Du.).  For  the  vv.  ring  genuine,  and  if 
abrupt,  are  much  less  abrupt  than  ^'^^  would  be  without  them. 


262  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXI.  1. 

XXXI.  ^  I  made  a  covenant  with  my  eyes ; 

How,  then,  could  I  (even)  look  upon  a  virgin  ? 


(2)  In  ^~^*  no  sufficient  means  exist  for  restoring  the  original 
(if  and  in  so  far  as  it  differed  from  the  present)  order.  In 
these  vv.  and  ^~^^  the  repudiations  of  specific  sins  take  the 
form  of  imprecations  by  Job  on  himself,  if  he  had  committed 
them;  but,  as  Bu.  has  pointed  out,  the  **  if"  clauses  occur  15 
or  16  times,  the  imprecatory  clauses  only  4  times  (8. 10. 22.  4oj . 
the  relative  infrequency  of  the  imprecatory  clauses  may  well 
be  due  in  part  to  the  fortunes  of  the  text,  but  not  entirely  ; 
for  there  is  at  least  much  that  is  correct  in  Bu.'s  further 
observation,  that  the  **if"  clauses  are  often  combined  into 
groups  of  stmzlar  content  (5- 7,  13.16.19.20.21^  24.25.26^  38.39) 
followed  by  a  single  imprecation ;  that  at  other  times,  as  often 
elsewhere  (G-K  149),  the  imprecatory  clause  is  simply  omitted  ; 
and  that  at  times  (^'*  ^^')  the  *'if"  clause  is  followed  in  lieu  of 
an  imprecation  by  a  direct  assertion  that  Job  had  pursued  the 
very  opposite  course  to  that  repudiated  in  the  **if"  clause.  It 
would  be  a  great  mistake  to  reduce  all  this  variety  to  the 
monotonous  repetition  of  a  single  scheme. 

I-4.  Job,  at  that  time  unshaken  in  the  belief  that  the  portion 
allotted  by  God  to  wicked  men  was  invariably  disaster  i^-  3), 
and  convinced  that  nothing  in  his  life  would  escape  the  eye  of 
God,  had  from  the  first  made  it  his  rule  not  even  to  allow  his 
eyes  to  wander  where  the  lust  of  the  eye  might  tempt  him  on 
to  sinful  act. 

I.  I  made  a  covenant  with]  or,  rather,  I  imposed  a  covenant^ 
or  rule^  on^  the  prep,  being  not  Dy  (see  Lex.  5036),  used  when 
equal  contracting  parties  are  concerned,  but  f)  {ib.')  of  the 
superior  granting  conditions  to  another:  cp.  e,g.  2  K.  ii*^-: 
**Jehoiada  made  a  covenant  with  (f))  them,  and  made  them 
swear  .  .  .  and  commanded  them,  saying,  This  is  the  thing 
that  ye  shall  do."  The  terms  of  the  rule  imposed  by  Job  on 
his  eyes  is  not  directly  given,  unless  a  virgin  (nhna)  is  merely 
a  corruption  of  some  general  term  such  as  xhllt  for  wickedness^ 
impiety  (Peake) ;  but  in  any  case  ^f-  suggest  that  the  rule  was 
perfectly  general ;  and,  in  the  present  text,  ^^  by  the  rhetorical 


XXXI.  1-5.]  JOB  263 

2  For  what  is  the  portion  (apportioned)  by  God  from  above, 
Or  what  the  heritage  (given)  by  the  Almighty  from  the 

heights  ? 

'  Is  it  not  calamity  for  the  unrighteous, 

And  disaster  for  the  workers  of  iniquity  ? 

*  Doth  not  he  see  my  ways. 

And  number  all  my  steps  ? 

*  If  I  have  walked  with  insincerity, 

Or  my  foot  hath  hasted  unto  deceit ; 


question  (see  phil.  n.)  indirectly  indicates  its  nature,  instancing 
one  of  the  subtler  temptations  against  which  the  general  rule 
was  directed  (cp.  Is.  33^^,  Ps.  119^^).  Du.  amends,  unwisely: 
made  a  covenant  .  .  .  not  to  look  upon  a  virgin ;  Job's 
covenant  was  much  wider  than  this ;  and  ^  does  not  exhaust 
but  illustrates  its  application :  for  example,  I  refrained  from 
even  looking  upon  (cp.  Is.  33^^,  Ps.  119^^)  a  virgin  ;  a  fortiori 
from  unchaste  acts  I  kept  myself  free.  The  comparison  with 
Mt.  5^^  is  interesting,  but  the  ethical  judgment  is  not  quite  the 
same;  for  here  the  look  is  avoided  not  as  being  in  itself  sinful, 
but  as  liable  to  lead  on  to  outward  conduct,  the  "  ways"  and 
**  steps"  of  v.^,  and  therefore  to  the  punishment  of  sin  (cp. 
Ecclus.  9^). 

2.  Cp.  20^^  27^^^-  At  the  time  when  Job  made  his  rule  of 
life,  he  still  held  by  the  current  doctrine  of  sin  and  suffering 
which  had  been  maintained  by  the  friends  in  the  debate,  and 
had  been  unquestioned  by  himself  till  his  personal  experience 
showed   its   falsehood.      This    doctrine   then    restrained    him : 

Pn     14.  23.  28 

4.  He\  emphatic  :  he  whose  general  principle  of  action  is  as 
indicated  in  2- »  and  who,  therefore,  will  punish  me,  if  my  ways 
are  wrong. — b.  cp.  14^^. 

5-8.  First  section  of  the  special  repudiation:  vv.^-'^  '*if" 
clauses,  ^  parenthetic,  ^  imprecation.  Repudiation  of  dis- 
honesty and  (^  ?)  covetousness. 

5.  Walked 'witK\  made  a  companion  of. — Insincerity]  or  false- 
hood (xiK^,  as  Ps  12^  26^). — Unto  deceit]  to  commit  some  act  of 
deceit  or  fraud  (cp.  Is.  59^),  or,  possibly,  with  personification 


264  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB        [XXXI.  5-9. 

^  (Let  me  be  weighed  In  just  scales, 

And  let  God  know  my  integrity:) 
^  If  my  step  turned  out  of  the  way, 

Or  my  heart  went  after  my  eyes, 

Or  "^ought^  Qlave  to  my  hands, 
^  Let  me  sow  and  another  eat, 

And  let  my  produce  be  uprooted. 
^  If  mine  heart  was  enticed  on  account  of  (another's)  wife, 

Or  about  the  door  of  my  neighbour  I  lay  in  wait. 


as  in  *,  to  (the  home  of)  deceit,  to  make  myself  the  housemate 
of  deceit. 

6.  Job  Is  not  himself  a  fraud ;  if  weighed  he  will  be  found 
full  weight :  cp.  i^  n. 

7.  Job  *  had  never  departed  from  the  way  of  rectitude,  nor  ^ 
consented  to  deprive  his  neighbour  of  anything  of  his  that  his 
eyes  coveted,  nor  °  had  any  fruit  or  stain  of  unjust  gain  or 
fraud  ever  stuck  to  his  hands :  this.  In  view  of  ^,  seems  the 
more  specific  thought  lying  behind  the  rather  general  expres- 
sions. With  %  cp.  23^^. — After  my  eyes]  cp.  Nu.  15^^;  even 
If  ^  Is  Inconsistent  with  '^,  It  Is  not  an  Inconsistency  that  calls 
for  removal. — Ought\  ^  a  spot.  Cp.  Dt.  13^^,  i  S.  12^;  see 
phil.  n. 

8.  If  Job  had  deprived  others  of  what  was  rightly  theirs 
(^-  ^),  let  him  be  deprived  of  the  fruit  of  his  own  labours.  Cp. 
5^  27^^'- ;  for  the  proverbial  phrasing  of  *,  cp.  Dt.  28^^. — 
My  produce]  so  (RV.)  rather  than  my  offspring  (RVm.):  see 
phil.  n. 

9-12.  Second  section:  repudiation  of  adultery:  *  **  If" 
clause,  1°  imprecation,  ^^'-  comment  on  the  heinousness  of  the 
sin. 

9.  Job  had  never  lurked  about  his  neighbour's  house, 
secretly  watching  till  he  should  go  out  and  Job  so  obtain  access 
to  his  wife :  cp.  Pr.  7^-  ^-  ^^, — AbotU]  In  some  cover  in  the 
neighbourhood,  from  which  he  could  watch  who  came  out  of 
the  door;  not  at  (RV.  ;  see  phil.  n.),  i.e.  in,  or  immediately  in 
front  of,  the  doorway,  where  the  husband  coming  out  must  see 
him. 


XXXI.  10-12.]  JOB  265 

1°  Then  let  my  wife  grind  for  another, 

And  let  others  bow  down  upon  her. 
1^  For  that  were  wickedness, 

And  that  were  iniquity  (to  be  punished)  by  the  judges  : 
^2  For  that  were  a  fire  that  would  consume  unto  Destruction, 

And  would  ^  burn  ^  all  my  crops. 


10.  Grind  for  another\  become  another's  meanest  slave 
(cp.  Ex.  11^,  Is.  472,  Jg.  16^1);  so  fE;  ?^  will  also,  and  was 
probably  intended  to,  bear  a  meaning  parallel  to  ^  (see  phil.  n.). 
But  whichever  way  *  be  taken,  it  probably  implies  that  Job's 
wife  in  the  supposed  but  unreal  case  is  not  of  her  own  will  to 
be  unfaithful  to  him,  but  to  fall  a  victim  to  another's  violence : 
cp.  Dt.  2^^^.  *'It  does  not  satisfy  our  ethical  sense  that  for 
Job's  offence  his  wife  who  had  no  share  in  it,  but  was  rather 
herself  the  sufferer  by  it,  should  bear  the  greatest  part  of  the 
punishment :  that  is  only  possible  because  the  wife  still  counted 
essentially  as  the  man's  property,"  Du. 

11.  Wickedness\  the  term  (HDT)  is  a  strong  one  (Hos.  6^, 
Pr.  21^'^),  used  especially  in  connection  with  sexual  offences 
(Lv.  18^^  20^^  Jg.  20^). — b.  A  flagrant  offence  not  only 
subject  to  the  divine  punishment,  but  dealt  with  by  the  magis- 
trates and  the  criminal  law  (Lv.  20^^). 

12.  For\  parallel  to  for  in  ^^  and  giving  a  second  reason  for  ^^ ; 
but  in  ^2  it  could  be  well  spared,  ^^  being  then  climactic  to  ^^. 
For  adultery  as  a  fire  consuming  the  adulterer,  see  Pr.  (p-^^ ; 
cp.  also  Sir.  9^. — A  fire  that  wotild  consume  unto  Destruction] 
a  fire  so  fierce  that  it  would  not  burn  itself  out  till  it  had 
burnt  down  to  Sheol :  cp.  Dt.  32-^. — Destructio7i\  Hebr. 
Abaddon^  as  26^  (n.). — Bum\  ^  uproot. — Crops\  if  crops  is 
rightly  read  here,  the  misplaced  section  ^^~*^  dealing  also  with 
Job's  agriculture  may  have  originally  followed  ^2. 

13-20.  Third  section  :  repudiation  of  having  disregarded 
the  claims  of  {a)  his  own  slaves,^^"^^  ;  {h)  others  in  need — the 
poor,  the  widow,  the  fatherless,  ^^~2^.  The  section  contains 
several  "if"  clauses  (i3. 16. 19^  y^^^  j^q^-  2oj  interspersed  with  vv. 
indicating  principles  restraining  or  guarding  Job's  conduct ; 
but  the  imprecation  is    lacking,  for  the  imprecation  in  ^^  too 


266  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXI.  13-17. 

^^  If  I  rejected  the  cause  of  my  slave, 

Or  of  my  maid,  when  they  contended  with  me — 
1*  What  then  shall  I  do  when  God  riseth  up  ? 

And  when  he  cometh  to  inquire,  what  shall  I  answer  him? 
^^  Did  not  he  that  in  the  womb  made  me  make  him? 

And  did  not  one  fashion  us  in  the  womb  ? 
^*  If  I  withheld  ought  that  the  poor  desired, 

Or  caused  the  eyes  of  the  widow  to  fail ; 
^'^  Or  ate  my  portion  (of  bread)  alone. 

And  the  fatherless  ate  not  thereof — 


exclusively  corresponds  to.  ^^  to  be  regarded  as  referring  to  the 
whole  group  of  repudiations  in  i3-2i^ 

13.  Job  had  never  treated  his  slaves  despotically,  but  had 
been  governed  by  the  thought  (^^)  that  the  same  God  who 
had  lavished  such  care  on  him  in  the  womb  (cp.  lo^*^-)  had 
lavished  no  less  on  his  slaves  ;  before  the  law  slaves  had  some 
(Ex  21^"^^),  but  few  rights;  but  Job,  when  his  slaves  had 
anything  to  urge  against  him,  even  though  they  might  have 
been  unable  to  make  of  it  a  case  at  law  against  him,  did  not 
turn  them  contemptuously  away,  but  examined  the  case  as 
that  between  fellow-creatures  of  one  God,  and,  so  far  as  might 
be,  as  he  expected  God  would  judge  it  at  His  assize  Q^). 

14.  Riseth  up]  to  judgment ;  see  phil.  n. — Cometh  to  inquire] 
IpD  as  7IS  (see  n.  there). 

15.  Cp.  Mai.  2^^. — The  ethical  standpoint  of  the  v.  (see  on 
^^)  is  very  remarkable,  and  a  striking  illustration  of  the  influ- 
ence of  the  conception  of  God  on  conduct.  In  the  womb  is 
emphatic:  earlier  (lo^^-)  Job  had  argued  that  all  the  marvel- 
lous care  lavished  by  God  on  him  in  the  womb  gave  him  a 
right  to  be  surprised  at  God's  present  dealings  with  him,  which 
seemed  to  be  purely  destructive ;  here  a  similar  line  of  argu- 
ment is  implicit :  what  God  has  fashioned  with  care  must  be 
treated  with  care  and  respect  by  God's  other  creatures. 

16.  Ought  that  the  poor  desired]  or,  the  poor  from  [what  they) 
desire[d). — The  eyes  ,  .  .  to /ail]  through  looking  in  vain  for 
help  :  cp.  11^^. 

17.  Job  shared  his  plain  and  simple  everyday  fare  with  the 


XXXI.  17-21.]  JOB  267 

*^  For  from  my  youth  like  a  father  he  brought  me  up, 

And  from  my  mother's  womb  ■"  he  ^  led  ^  me  ^ — 
^®  If  I  saw  one  ready  to  perish  for  lack  of  clothing, 

And  that  the  poor  had  no  covering, 
^^  '"  And ""  his  loins  blessed  me  not. 

And  with  the  fleece  of  my  sheep  he  obtained  not  warmth  : 
21  If  I  have  swung  my  head  against  the  ^  perfect  ^, 

When  I  saw  my  help  in  the  gate, 


fatherless  :  not  merely  on  occasions  of  sacrifice  when  there 
was  special  and  ample  fare,  but  daily  when  his  meal,  according 
to  custom  (Nowack,  Arch.  i.  109  ff.),  consisted  mainly  of  bread 
(cp.  the  contrast  in  Pr.  17^),  Job  had  shared  his  food  with  the 
fatherless. — Portion]  (ns)  denotes  a  piece  of  bread  broken  off 
the  leaf  (Lv.  2^),  especially  with  a  view  to  being  consumed  at 
a  meal,  but  not  necessarily  a  small  portion  (EV.  **  morsel"), 
for  see  i  S.  28^2,  2  S.  I23,  Ru.  2^K 

18.  Job's  care  for  the  needy  (^^)  rested  on  another  (cp.  ^^) 
principle  of  religion,  viz.  gratitude  for  God's  fatherly  care  of 
himself  from  his  earliest  days  (cp.  Ps.  22^^'-),  and  the  conse- 
quent desire  to  be  like  God  in  his  conduct  towards  his 
needy  fellow-men.  The  v.  so  read  (see  phil.  n.)  and  understood 
is  a  little  abrupt :  unless  with  Du.  we  place  ^*  (which  mentions 
God)  between  ^^  and  1^.  But  ?^  (EV.)  is  not  less  abrupt : — 
(It  was  not  the  case  that  I  disregarded  the  fatherless)  for  (on 
the  contrary)  from  my  youth  up  he  grew  up  unto  me  as  unto 
a  father,  and  from  my  mother's  womb  I  led  her  (i.e.  the 
widow,  ^^) ;  or,  emending  ^  (so  as  to  avoid  the  strange  picture 
of  Job  from  his  babyhood  guiding  widows),  and  from  his 
mother's  womb  I  led  him  (the  fatherless,  as  in  *). 

19.  Ready  to  perish]  29^^  n. — For  lack  of  clothing  .  .  ,  no 
covering]  2^. 

20a.  Cp.  2^^''.—And]  f^  //. 

21-23.  Fourth  section  :  repudiation  of  having  smitten  with 
his  hand  him  in  whom  no  fault  was  to  be  found.  V.^^,  **if" 
clause;  22^  imprecation  on  the  offending  part  of  Job's  body  ;  2^, 
reason  for  Job's  conduct — the  fear  of  God's  lofty  justice. 

21.  Swung  my  hand]  in  order  to  smite;    cp.  Is.    ii^^    19^, 


2  68  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXI.  21-25. 

2=^  May  my  shoulder-blade  fall  from  its  shoulder, 

And  may  my  arm  be  broken  from  its  socket. 
2*  For  the  dread  of  God  [restrained  me], 

And  by  reason  of  his  loftiness  I  could  not  (do  so). 
2*  If  I  made  gold  my  hope, 

Or  to  fine  gold  (ever)  said,  (Thou  art)  my  confidence; 
2^  If  I  rejoiced  because  my  wealth  was  great, 

And  because  my  hand  had  secured  much  : — 


Zech.  2^^.  Job  had  not  used  undeserved  violence,  though  he 
might  in  doing  so  have  relied  on  his  influence  (cp.  29^^-)  to 
parry  a  charge  brought  by  the  injured  party  before  the  elders 
sitting  for  judgment  in  the  ^^/^-way  (cp.  5^  n.)  of  the  city. — 
Perfect^  "^  orphan  :   see  phil.  n. 

22.  Sockei\  see  phil.  n. 

23.  Du.  places  this  v.  after  28,  Bi.  after  1*.— a.  5^  For  a 
terror  (coming)  unto  me  was  the  calamity  (^*)  of  God  ;  see 
phil.  n. — Loftiness\  13^^. 

24  f.  Fifth  section.  **If"  clauses  without  an  expressed 
imprecation.  Job  repudiates  the  idolatry  of  wealth  as  in  ^^ 
another  form  of  idolatry.  He  had  no  need  of  Eliphaz's  exhor- 
tation (22^3-26)  J  for  all  along  he  had  put  his  trust  not  in  gold, 
but — this  is  implicit — in  God. — Hope  ||  confidence]  8^*.  God 
(as  implicitly  here)  is  the  ground  of  hope  (^D2)  in  Pr.  3'^^, 
Ps.  78^,  of  confidence  (nD3D),  e.g.  in  Ps.  71^,  Jer.  I'f :  cp. 
especially  Ps.  40^,  '*  the  man  who  maketh  (Db^n  as  TIDC'  here) 
Yahweh  his  confidence." 

26-28.  Sixth  section :  repudiation  of  having  yielded  to  the 
temptation  to  worship  the  sun  and  moon,  ^ef.^  '*if"  clauses; 
no  expressed  imprecation  follows,  but  ^s  (cp.  n)  emphasizes  the 
heinousness  of  the  oflfence.  The  worship  of  the  heavenly  bodies 
becomes  prominent  in  Judah  in  the  7th  cent.,  and  would  appear 
to  have  been  prominent  in  the  age  of  the  poem,  since  it  is  the 
only  form  of  outward  idolatry  specially  repudiated.  This 
prominence  it  is  unnecessary,  if  not  indeed  ill-advised,  to  attri- 
bute to  Persian  influence ;  for,  as  Du.  observes,  the  special 
prominence  given  to  the  majestic  appearance  of  the  vioon  may 
be    Semitic    rather   than    Persian.     The  direct    appeal    of  the 


XXXI.  26-27.]  JOB  269 

26  If,  seeing  the  sun  when  It  shone, 

And  the  moon  moving  gloriously  along, 

27  My  heart  was  secretly  enticed, 

And  my  hand  kissed  my  mouth, 


beauty  and  awe  of  the  heavens  to  the  writer  is  obvious  ;  but, 
like  others  (Ps.  8,  19 ;  cp.  Dt.  4^^)  of  similar  sensibility  to 
these  impressions,  he  does  not  confound  the  moon  with  the 
Maker :  these  glorious  bodies  of  light  are  God's  creatures, 
their  glory  a  witness  to  Him  ;  to  worship  or  pay  homage  to 
them  is  tantamount  to  denying  the  one  true  God,  the  creator 
of  all.  The  passage  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  writer's 
convinced  monotheism.  Cp.  the  more  direct  development  of 
the  idea  in  Qor.  41^^  6^^  (cited  by  Davidson). 

26.  The  sun]  the  term  "ilN,  commonly  Izo-h^  or  luminary y  is 
best  understood  here  of,  or  with  special  reference  to,  the  sun 
(II  the  moon) :  cp.  37^^,  Hab.  3*. — Shone\  or  (note  the  impf.) 
began  to  shiney  the  reference  being  to  the  salutation  of  the 
rising  sun  in  particular:  cp.  Tac.  Hist,  iii.  24,  et  orientem 
Solem  (ita  in  Syria  mos  est)  tertiani  salutavere ;  and  in  the 
hymn  to  Aton  (the  sun)  by  the  Egyptian  king  Ikhnaton 
{c.  1400  B.C.),  **when  thou  risest  in  the  horizon  .  .  .  the  two 
lands  are  in  daily  festivity  .  .  .  their  arms  uplifted  in  adora- 
tion to  thy  dawning"  (see,  e.g.y  Breasted,  History  of  Egypt  ^  372). 

27.  Secretly]  seems  rather  otiose,  since  the  movements  of 
the  heart  are  essentially  secret :  in  any  case  the  repudiation  is 
not  of  secret  idolatry^  an  idolatry  of  the  mind  only,  but  of  a 
particular  idolatrous  act  ^,  for  which  (^s)  the  judges  could  exact 
a  penalty  (Dt.  17^**). — My  hand  kissed  my  mouth]  so  as  to  throw 
a  kiss  to  the  sun  or  moon  :  the  hand  rather  than  the  mouth  is 
made  subject  of  the  vb.,  as  being  more  active  in  throwing 
kisses.  Kissing  idols  with  the  mouth  as  an  act  of  adoration 
seems  to  be  referred  to  in  i  K.  19^^,  Hos.  13^;  and  the  act  ol 
throwing  kisses  to  objects  of  worship,  though  not  again  alluded 
to  in  the  OT.,  is  frequently  attested  elsewhere  :  see  S.  Langdon, 
*'  Gesture  in  Sumerian  and  Babylonian  Prayer,"  in  \\\^  Journa. 
of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society^  191 9*  PP«  531-555  (with  many  illus 
trations). 


270  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXI.  28-31. 

28  That,  too,  were  iniquity  (to  be  punished)  by  the  judges : 

For  I  should  have  lied  to  God  above. 
2*  If  I  rejoiced  at  the  ruin  of  him  that  hated  me, 

And  '^shouted  for  joy^  when  evil  found  him ; 
so  Neither  did  I  suffer  my  mouth  to  sin. 

In  asking  his  life  with  a  curse. 
»i  If  the  men  of  my  tent  said  not, 

<*  Who  is  there  that  has  not  been  sated  with  his  meat?" 


29  f.  Seventh  section :  repudiation  of  having  found  pleasure 
in  an  enemy's  misfortune,  or  of  having  attempted  by  cursing 
to  secure  his  destruction.  ^9^  *'  if"  clause  :  ^0,  direct  denial ;  no 
expressed  imprecation.  With  the  standard  of  conduct  towards 
personal  enemies  here  expressed,  cp.  Ex.  23^'-,  Pr.  20^2  24^^^- 
2521'- ;  ct.  Bildad's  standard  in  8^2  and  that  expressed  in  the 
words  of  27^  (wrongly)  attributed  to  Job.  How  far  the  so- 
called  imprecatory  Psalms  [e.g.  58,  109,  137)  betray  an  exactly 
contrary  temper,  depends  on  the  extent  to  which  in  them  purely 
personal  enmity  is  subordinated  to  national  and  religious 
opposition. 

29.  Shouted  for  joy\'^  stirred  myself  up  i  in  joy:  otherwise 

if. 

30.  Not  really  parenthetical  (RV.);  but  the  direct  negation 
of  another  sin  is  simply  added  by  the  copula  to  the  indirect 
negation  of  v.^^  (so  without  the  conjunction  ^2  js  direct  asser- 
tion after  ^^  indirect  assertion) :  I  did  not  rejoice  at  the  ruin  of 
my  enemy,  neither  (AV.)  did  I  curse  him  ;  the  Yea  of  RV.  is 
unsuitable ;  ^^  is  not  climactic ;  the  more  striking  disavowal  is 
that  of  29. — In  asking  his  life\  i.e.  in  asking  God  to  take  the  life 
of  his  enemy ;  cp.  i  K.  3^^  i<^^. 

31  f.  Eighth  section  :  repudiation  of  having  ever  shown  less 
than  universal  and  unstinted  hospitality.  ^^  "if"  clause;  ^^^ 
direct  statement :  no  expressed  imprecation. 

31.  J^  in  ^  may  be  rendered,  would  that  there  were  one  not 
sated  with  his  flesh,  that  our  master  might  be  gratified  by  finding 
yet  another  recipient  of  his  hospitality.  In  any  case  the  point 
is :  Job*s  hospitality  had  been  so  universally  and  richly  shown 
to  all  strangers  and  passers-by  i^'^)  that  the  77ien  of  his  tent,  i.e. 


XXXI.  31-33.]  JOB  27 

^2  The  sojourner  passed  not  the  night  in  the  street, 
My  doors  I  opened  to  the  wayfarer. 

^^  If  I  concealed  .   .   .  my  transgressions, 
In  hiding  mine  iniquity  in  my  bosom ; 


his  household  and  entourage,  had  asserted  in  praise  of  it  that 
no  one  was  to  be  found  who  had  not  eaten  to  his  fill  of  Job's 
festal  fare.  Job,  speaking  of  himself  in  ^'',  refers  to  his  every- 
day fare  of  which  the  staple  was  bread ;  his  household,  speaking 
in  praise  of  him,  refer  to  exceptional  fare,  not  eaten  every  day, 
viz.  the  flesh  of  animals  (sacrificially)  slain  on  special  occasions, 
including  commonly  the  advent  of  guests. — Flesh]  a  meat  diet : 
cp.  e.g.  Nu.  iiS  Dt.  1215,  I  S.  213.15,  I  K.  176. 

32.  Cp.  the  narrative  of  Gn.  ig^^-,  Jg.  ig^^-si, 

33  f.  Ninth  section :  repudiation  of  hypocrisy.  The  whole 
is  subordinate  to  the  **if,"  and  there  is  no  expressed  impreca- 
tion. The  form  of  the  section  is  suspicious,  and  the  expression 
of  the  thought  a  little  strange.  At  present  a  distich  {^^)  is 
followed  by  a  tristich  {^^) ;  this  is  certainly  not  improved  by 
omitting  ^^^  with  ffir,  and  (with  Du.)  separating  the  obvious 
parallels  (3**-  ^)  from  one  another,  in  order  to  obtain  in  appear- 
ance two  distichs,  ^^'  3**  and  ^^^- "".  Nor  is  ^^^  to  be  taken  with 
^^!  (Bi.).  If  the  tristich  is  intolerable,  it  would  be  better  to 
omit  ^^^  or  to  assume  the  loss  before  it  of  a  line  parallel  to 
it.  Moreover,  at  present  ^^^'  ^  are  good  parallels,  the  construc- 
tion, to  which  Du.  takes  exception,  being  as  in  3^,  to  which  he 
takes  no  exception.  What  Job  appears  to  assert  here  is  not 
that  after  committing  sins  he  publicly  confessed  them,  but  that 
not  having  committed  transgressions  he  had  none  to  conceal ; 
in  mingling  freely,  as  he  had  done  (29^*^-),  among  men,  he  had 
been  secured  against  fear  of  being  condemned  by  the  crowd,  or 
losing  the  esteem  of  the  clans  of  his  own  and  neighbouring 
tribes,  not  by  a  skilfully  maintained  hypocrisy,  but  by  a 
conscience  wholly  void  of  offence. 

33.  If  I  concealed]  what  follows  in  |^  has  been  rendered  like 
Adaniy  who,  however,  did  not  conceal  sin  through  fear  of  men 
(3^),  or  like  {ordinary)  men,  which  would  cast  a  quite  uncalled 
for  reflection  on  the  rest  of  mankind.     Slightly  emending,  we 


272  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXI.  33-34. 

^*  Because  I  dreaded  the  great  multitude, 

And  the  contempt  of  the  clans  terrified  me, 

So  that  I  kept  silence,  not  going  out  of  the  door ; 


may  obtain  from  nperif  which  would  be  suitable,  but  before  ^^ 
otiose. 

34.  *■  ^  The  reasons  which  might  have  induced  Job  to  conceal 
his  transgressions,  if  he  had  committed  any ;  ^  describes  what 
would  have  been  the  consequence  of  the  supposed  action :  as 
a  matter  of  fact  Job  did  not  remain  at  home. — Kept  silence\  or 
rather,  perhaps,  kept  still  (u^^l  as  in  Jos.  lo^^^  i  S.  14^). 

38-40.  Tenth  section  (wrongly  placed  after  ^^~^^ ;  see  above 
p.  261  f.):  repudiation  of  having  committed  any  wrong  in  his 
agriculture.  ^^^•,  *'  if "  clauses  parallel  to,  or  closely  related  to, 
one  another  :  ^^,  imprecation.  What  precise  wrong  Job  is  here 
repudiating  is  not  clear.  Certainly,  if  ^^  were  not  followed  by 
^^  it  would  be  attractive  with  Du.  to  think  of  unfair  exhaustion 
of  the  ground  by  depriving  it  of  its  year  of  rest  (Ex.  22,^^^-^  Lv. 
2^2!.  26^^^-),  or  the  violation  of  some  taboo  such  as  the  sowing 
of  the  land  with  two  kinds  of  seed  (Lv.  19^^).  In  this  case  the 
imprecation  corresponds  closely  to  the  sin  repudiated,  but  it  is 
arbitrary  with  Du.  to  reject  ^^  as  an  ancient  and  incorrect 
attempt  to  explain  ^ ;  for  ^^  reads  as  anything  but  a  gloss,  and 
its  own  unusual  phrasing  calls  for  explanation.  Is  it  possible, 
however,  that  ^^  is  consistent  with  ^^  as  explained  by  Du.  ;  is 
the  money  or  payment  of  ^^  a  payment  in  discharge  of  re- 
ligious claims  connected  with  the  land ;  and  are  the  owners  of 
^^^,  the  spirits  of  the  land,  the  elves  or  the  like,  to  which  some 
have  found  allusion  in  5^^ ;  and  instead  of  caused  .  .  .  to  expire 
should  we  render  grieved  or  disappointed?  Unless  we  can 
admit  this,  we  must  start  with  the  common  interpretation  of 
^^,  and  explain  ^^  in  accordance  with  it :  ^^^  then  means  that 
Job  had  not  withheld  their  wages  from  those  who  had  worked 
the  land  for  him,  or  the  purchase  price  from  the  former  owners 
pobj  of  his  fields ;  and  ^'^^  that  he  had  not,  in  violently  appro- 
priating (Is.  5^,  Mic.  2^)  the  land,  slain  the  former  owners  out- 
right (cp.  the  case  of  Naboth,  i  K.  21),  or  caused  them  through 
loss  of  their  patrimony  to  die  of  want.     In  this  case  ^^  means 


XXXI.  37-40.]  JOB  27, 

^  If  against  me  my  land  cried  out, 

And  the  furrows  thereof  wept  together; 

2^  If  I  have  eaten  its  produce  without  paying, 
And  caused  the  owners  thereof  to  expire ; 

*^  Instead  of  wheat  let  thorns  come  forth, 
And  instead  of  barley  stinking  (weeds). 


that  the  land  cries  out  for  vengeance  for  a  crime  not  committed 
directly  against  it,  but  on  it,  or  in  connection  with  it,  against 
others.  Certainly,  in  the  nearest  parallels,  it  is  not  the  land, 
but  the  blood  shed  on  it  that  cries  out  (16^^,  Gn.  4^^) ;  but  since 
blood  profanes  (Nu.  35^^  n.,  Dt.  32*^,  Ps.  106^^)  the  land  on 
which  it  is  shed,  we  may  perhaps  infer  that  the  land  itself 
could  be  regarded  as  wronged  by  such  crime,  and  as  itself 
crying  out  for  vengeance,  and  perhaps  even  as  weeping  (^^), 
though  this  last  would  certainly  be  more  naturally  said  in  the 
case  of  a  wrong  more  directly  and  exclusively  done  to  the  land  : 
with  the  cry  in  this  case,  cp.  the  cry  of  the  stones,  apparently 
of  buildings  built  or  procured  violently  and  unjustly,  in  Hab.  2^^. 

38.  Against  me]  emphatic :  unlike  that  of  some  men  (on  the 
usual  interpretation  of  ^'•,  cp.  24^),  none  of  my  ground  had 
cause  to  cry  for  vengeance. — My  land]  the  phrase  is  most 
natural  on  Du.'s  interpretation  (see  above) ;  on  the  usual  inter- 
pretation it  means  that  part  of  my  land  which  I  had  obtained 
by  fraud  or  violence. 

39.  Produce]  lit.  strength :  so  Gn.  4^2^ — Paying]  lit.  silver, 
money. — Owners]  or  owner:  cp.  Ex.  21^^,  Is.  i^;  G-K.  124  i. 

40.  On  account  of  the  murder  of  his  brother,  the  land 
tilled  by  Cain  was  no  longer  to  yield  its  strength ;  the  im- 
precation of  a  similar  misfortune,  therefore,  cannot  prove, 
as  Du.  claims,  that  the  crime  repudiated  here  by  Job  was  not 
the  violent  appropriation  of  land  and  causing  the  death  of  its 
former  owners.  No  doubt  restoration  to  the  lawful  owners  or 
their  heirs  would  have  been  the  correct  reparation ;  but  the 
prayer  that  no  good  might  come  of  Ill-gotten  possessions  is  far 
from  unnatural.  At  the  same  time,  as  remarked  above,  ^^ 
would  be  even  more  appropriate  on  Du.'s  interpretation  of  ^^. 

35-37-   Conclusion    of  the  speech   P^^^^  being   misplaced): 


274  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXI.  35. 

35  Oh  that  ^God  would^  hear  me  !— 

Behold  my  mark — that  the  Almighty  would  answer  me! 

And  the  scroll  which  my  accuser  hath  written ; 


Job  expresses  a  final  wish  that  God  would  answer  him,  and  a 
conviction  that  (in  this  case)  he  would  be  able  triumphantly  to 
maintain  his  innocence  and  integrity.  The  tone  of  desire  in  ^ 
and  of  triumph  in  ^^'-  is  clear;  but  in  detail  the  passage  is 
extraordinarily  ambiguous,  and  has  received  many  different 
interpretations.  In  large  part  this  ambiguity  may  be  due  to 
the  probable  loss  of  a  line,  as  indicated  above,  between  ^^^  and 
^°,  in  part  also,  perhaps,  to  some  further  textual  corruption. 

35.  Oh  that  God  would  hear  me]  J^  0?i  that  I  had  one  to  hear 
me^  i.e.  as  variously  understood,  would  that  God,  or  some 
sympathetic  human  ear,  to  which  he  may  entrust  the  declara- 
tion he  is  about  to  make  (cp.  Peake),  or  (Hi.)  an  arbitrator 
who  will  decide  between  (cp.  9^^)  God  and  himself,  would 
listen  to  Job. — Behold  my  mark]  parenthetical;  Bi.  Hoffm., 
assuming  that  in  already  was  and  is  here  used  as  the  name  of 
the  last  letter  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet,  render.  Behold  my  Taw, 
[i.e.  my  last  word  is  said) :  (now)  let  the  Almighty  answer  me. 
But  more  probably  (unless,  as  may  well  be,  the  word  is 
merely  due  to  a  corruption  of  the  text)  Taw  has  here  the  more 
general  sense  of  mark  (cp.  Ezk.  9*-^t),  whether  it  signifies  a 
mark  resembling  the  early  Taw,  X,  in  lieu  of  an  actual  signature, 
or,  which  is  more  probable,  since  Job  is  scarcely  to  be  thought 
of  as  incapable  of  writing,  the  signature  itself;  in  either  case, 
it  implies  a  document  thereby  acknowledged  or  attested  by  Job. 
On  the  other  hand,  apart  from  this  particular  interpretation, 
there  is  no  indication  of  such  a  document :  for  the  document  of 
^°  is  obviously  something  different,  and  the  vbs.  of  ^^*-  ^,  though 
they  may  be  compatible  with  a  written  document,  which  God 
is  to  answer,  certainly  do  not  require  it,  but  more  readily 
suggest  spoken  words  of  Job  which  God  is  to  hear  and  answer. 
If,  however,  the  lines  implied  a  document  signed  by  Job,  of 
what  nature  was  it?  It  is  commonly  held  to  be  a  docume?tt 
containing  **the  protestations  of  his  innocence  "  just  spokejiy  or 


XXXI.  36.]  JOB  2 


/D 


similar  assertions  of  innocence  (Da.  Dr.  Peake,  Richter, 
Honth.);  but  (i)  protestations  of  innocence  do  not  naturally 
demand  an  answer,  they  are  rather  themselves  answers  to  a 
charge :  (2)  the  protestations  just  made  have  taken  the  form 
of  imprecations ;  the  natural  **  answer"  of  God  to  an  impreca- 
tion would  be  to  inflict  the  ill  imprecated.  Others  (Ew.  Bu. 
Du.)  see  in  the  document  signed  by  Job  his  charge  against 
God  :  Job  ''the  accused  has  become  the  accuser.  His  document 
is  first  presented :  it  is  accordingly  the  charge :  the  answer, 
i.e.  the  defence  of  his  opponent,  is  not  yet  forthcoming:  he 
charges  God  with  violating  justice  (272),  and  of  this  charge  He 
is  said  to  be  unable  to  clear  Himself.  Complete  confidence  in 
his  victory  over  God  with  a  justification  of  the  charge  in  its 
entire  extent  marks  accordingly  this  conclusion  of  Job's  speech" 
(Bu.).  Others  combine  (Hi.),  or  (Di.)  leave  as  alternative  con- 
stituents, in  the  book  charge  and  defence.  If  we  might  follow 
STl^'  AV.  (which  last  is  not  a  rendering  of  J^),  this  ambiguous 
book  disappears  from  the  text,  and  ^^^  becomes  completely 
parallel  to  ^^*  without  any  disturbing  parenthesis  :  in  this  case 
(emending  '•in  into  "rnNn)  render.  Behold  my  desire  (is  that)  the 
Almighty  may  answer  me  (see  phil.  n.). — That  the  Almighty 
would  answer  me]  the  words  may  also  be  rendered :  let  the 
Almighty  answer  me. — And  the  scroll  which  my  accuser  hath 
writteti]  these  words  have  been  taken  (i)  as  dependent  on  Oh 
that  in  35a  J  And  (that  I  had)  the  scroll,  etc.  (EV.),  ^^b  being 
parenthetical ;  or  (2)  on  Behold  in  ^^ ;  Behold  here  is  my 
signature  .  .  .  and  the  scroll,  etc.,  the  last  clause  of  ^^^  (let 
the  Almighty  answer  me)  being  then  parenthetic  (Del.  Me.); 
or  (3)  as  a  casus  pendens  to  ^^ :  As  for  the  scroll  which  mine 
accuser  hath  written — Upon  my  shoulder  would  I  bear  it,  etc. 
(ffir  Hi.  Bu.).  All  these  suggestions  are  unsatisfactory  in  them- 
selves and  involve  a  tristich  (3^*-  ^-  ^  or  ^^^'  ^^^-  ^) ;  and  it  is  prefer- 
able to  assume  the  loss  of  a  line.  Du.  would  prefix  to  ^^  such  a 
line  as :  would  that  I  had  the  roll.  But  the  last  line,  if  such 
there  was,  may,  of  course,  have  been  very  different  from  this : 
it  must  be  remembered  that  ^^^  is  most  naturally  (though  not  in 
the  existing  and  probably  mutilated  context)  rendered :  And 
a  scroll  hath  my  accuser  written.     Such  are  the  ambiguities 


276  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXI.  36-361 

^^  Surely  upon  my  shoulder  would  I  carry  it, 
I  would  bind  it  around  me  as  a  crown ; 


of  construction:  further  ambiguities  of  detail  remain. — The 
scroll]  so  the  Heb.  "iDD  is  best  rendered  here,  if  it  is  the  object 
of  the  vb.  in  ^^:  a  scroll,  but  not  a  book  (RVm.),  may  be 
pictured  as  bound  round  the  head  or  spread  over  the  back  of 
the  neck.  For  scroll,  cp.  Is.  34*:  "  the  heavens  shall  be  rolled 
up  like  a  scroll."  In  form  a  scroll,  in  virtue  of  its  contents  it 
is  a  legal  document  (cp.  Dt.  24^  (EV.  bill),  Jer.  32^^^-  (EV.  deed)); 
and  if  written  by  Job's  accuser  it  is  a  written  statement  of  the 
charges  made  against  him,  an  indictment.  The  custom  of 
accuser  and  accused  (cp.  ?  ^^^)  furnishing  a  written  statement 
of  the  accusation  and  defence  is  attested  for  Egypt  at  least  by 
Diod.  (i.  75). — My  accuser]  or  opponc7it  (at  law) :  see  phil.  n. 
This  has  been  taken  collectively  as  referring  to  the  three  friends 
of  Job  (so,  e.g.,  Del.  Che.  mEBi.  2^yg) ;  but  more  frequently,  in 
its  more  natural  singular  sense,  as  referring  to  God  (so  Di.  Da. 
Bu.  Du.  Peake)  :  this  involves,  indeed,  a  sudden  change  from 
the  attitude  towards  God  in  the  appeal  of  ^^*-  ^  and  a  further 
change  in  ^'^^  where  God  appears  as  judge,  but  (so  Di.)  is  in 
accord  with  </■  i^*-  ^2  lo^  1319  236  402. 

36.  If,  as  he  desired  ^^^,  God's  accusations  against  him  were 
written  on  a  scroll  and  given  to  him,  so  confident  is  Job  In  his 
innocence  of  the  sins  to  which  his  sufferings  appear  to  point, 
that  he  would  receive  the  scroll  without  fear  or  shame,  on  the 
other  hand  would  display  it  openly  on  his  person,  and  wear  it 
proudly  like  a  crown  of  honour — treating  the  very  accusations 
of  God  (which  would  turn  out  to  be  no  accusations)  as  so  many 
marks  of  honour,  and  (^'^^^)  handing  back  to  God  the  scroll,  not 
humbly  like  a  criminal,  but  proudly  like  a  prince :  so  substanti- 
ally Da.  DI.  Dr.  Du.  Peake ;  and  this  is  the  least  bizarre  In- 
terpretation of  the  existing  text. — Carry  il]  f^  can,  of  course, 
equally  well  be  translated  carry  hitn ;  and  it  has  actually  been 
maintained  that  Job  is  expressing  his  intention  of  carrying  on 
his  shoulder  either  (i)  victoriously  (cp.  Hoffmann),  or  as  a 
cherished  child  (Ehrllch),  the  one  who  fulfils  his  wish  (^^*)  by 
listening  to  him,  i.e.  (HofTm.)  God  Himself;  or  (2)  the  accuser 


XXXI.  36-40.]  ELIHU  277 

3^  I  would  declare  the  number  of  my  steps, 

Like  a  prince  I  would  present  it. 
^^  The  words  of  Job  are  completed. 


oi^^^'.—Upon  my  shoulder]  cp.  Is.  22^2:  the  Heb.  term  aatr 
denotes  the  back  of  the  neck  or  shoulder,  on  which  burdens 
were  borne  (e.g,  Gn.  49^^) ;  the  scroll  is  thus  pictured  rather 
strangely,  as  spread  out  to  be  read  not  by  those  who  meet  Job, 
but  by  those  who  come  up  behind  him.  Some,  however,  think 
the  suggestion  is  that  the  scroll  is  worn  as  an  easy  burden 
(Lex.  ioi4«) :  the  accusations  would  hang  lightly  on  Job.  The 
idiom  would,  of  course,  at  once  suit  the  personal  reference  (see 
last  n.)  if  that  were  otherwise  tolerable:  for  persons  borne  on 
the  shoulder  see  Gn.  21^^ ;  and  for  the  figure  of  a  crown  applied 
to  persons,  see  Pr.  12*  17^. 

37.  The  number  of  my  steps]  all  my  actions ;  cp.  *  (steps  |1 
ways),  14^^. — /  would  present  it]  a  better  parallel  to  *  than  the 
questionable  alternative  rendering :  I  would  go  near  unto  him 
(see  phil.  n.). 

40c.  An  editorial  note:  cp.  Ps.  722*^,  Jer.  51^*  last  clause. 
Freely  rendered  the  clause  was  connected  by  €r  with  32^  (so  Bu.). 

XXXII.-XXXVII.  Elihu.— This  entire  section  of  the  book 
must  for  reasons  given  in  the  Introd.  §§  22-29  be  regarded  as 
an  interpolation.  It  consists  scarcely  of  four  speeches,  but  of  a 
single  speech  outwardly  divided  in  the  existing  text  into  four 
sections  by  means  of  the  formulae  in  34^  35^  (as  3^  etc.)  and 
36^  (cp.  27^  29^).  In  some,  perhaps  even  in  all  cases,  this 
formula  may  not  be  original ;  the  additional  occurrences  in  6r 
(32^^  and  HP23  in  34^^ ;  cp.  the  variant  in  ^  33^^)  point  at  least 
to  a  tendency  to  multiply  the  use  of  it ;  still  in  34^  the  formula 
stands  after  words  that  suggest  a  pause,  and  before  Elihu 
turns  to  address  a  fresh  party ;  and  with  36^  a  fresh  main  part 
of  the  speech  begins.  As  Job  in  his  speeches  now  addresses  the 
friends,  now  God,  and  now  soliloquizes,  so  Elihu  in  part  addresses 
himself  to  the  friends  (32^-^*,  including  ^^ :  see  n.),  in  part  falls 
rather  into  the  tone  of  soliloquy  (32^^'22),  in  part  addresses  the 
wise  men  (34^"^^),  or  others  (37^,  if  |^  be  correct),  in  the  audience, 
but  mainly  addresses  Job  (33^'^^  34^^-37"^  except  37^  ?^  and 


278  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XXXII.  1-2. 

XXXII.  ^  And  these  three  men  ceased  to  answer  Job, 
because  he  thought  himself  righteous.  2  ^^d  Elihu  the  son  of 
Barachel  the  Buzite,  of  the  clan  of  Ram,  was  hot  with  anger : 
against  Job  he  was  hot  with  anger,  because  he  considered 
himself  righteous  rather  than  God  ;   ^  and  against  his  three 


?  35^^).  The  speech  falls  into  three  main  parts  :  (i)  in  32^-33*^ 
by  way  of  introduction  Elihu  explains  to  the  three  friends 
(32^-^*)  and  to  Job  (33^"''')  and  to  himself  (32^^-22^  ^j^y  qj.  j^q^  j^^ 
is  going  to  intervene ;  (2)  in  33^-35^^  thrice  citing  or  summar- 
izing words  of  Job  (33^'^^  34^' ^  35^^),  Elihu  refutes  the  claim 
made  in  them  by  Job  to  be  righteous  and  not  to  have  deserved 
the  sufferings  inflicted  on  him  by  God ;  (3)  in  36,  37  he  presents 
independently  his  own  view  of  the  greatness  of  God,  of  His 
creative  activity,  and  of  His  government  of  men.  Certainly 
much  common  ground  is  covered  in  (2)  and  (3),  and  the  dis- 
tinction between  them  would  largely  fall  away,  if  Du.'s  recon- 
struction (see  on  35^^)  of  35^^-36^  were  adopted. 

XXXII.  I-6a. — Prose  introduction  to  the  speeches  :  angry 
alike  with  Job  for  maintaining  that  he  was  righteous  2,  and 
with  the  friends  for  at  last  silently  acquiescing^,  Elihu  breaks 
the  silence,  which  he  had  observed  hitherto  out  of  regard  for 
the  superior  age  of  the  friends,  not  at  all  from  any  doubt  as  to 
how  Job  could  be  shown  to  be  in  the  wrong*. — For  inconclusive 
reasons,  Bu.  HofTm.  regard  as  interpolated  the  vv.  (^•^)  which 
give  the  grounds  (cp.  ^^•)  for  Elihu's  intervention. 

1.  Three  meit\  so  also  in  ^  {i.e.  both  in  what  Bu.  (see  last 
n,)  considers  the  original  and  the  secondary  part  of  this  intro- 
duction) Job's  three  friends  are  named.  The  change  from  the 
term  friends  (2^^  19^^  42^^:  here  also  in  ^J^  and  in  ^-^^i  in 
^0  =  5^1)  is  due  to  a  difference  of  writer  rather  than  to  *'the 
correct  feeling  that  they  could  no  longer  be  termed"  friends 
(Bu.). 

2.  Elihu f  the  son  of  Barachel]  the  father's  name  is  added, 
not  because  so  much  stress  is  laid  on  Elihu's  youth  (Bu.),  but 
in  accordance  with  a  common  custom  when  a  name  is  intro- 
duced into  documents  (cp.  e.g.  Is.  i^,  Jer.  i^,  Ezk.  i^,  the 
Elephantine  papyri,  passim).  In  observing  this  custom  this 
writer  differs  from  the  author  of  the  Prologue.     Both  names 


XXXII.  2-6.]  ELIHU  279 

friends  he  was  hot  with  anger,  because  they  had  found  no 
answer,  and  had  not  shown  Job  to  be  unrighteous.  *  Now 
Elihu  had  waited  for  Job  with  words,  because  they  were 
older  in  days  than  he.  ^  And  when  Elihu  saw  that  there 
was  no  answer  in  the  mouth  of  the  three  men,  he  was 
hot  with  anger.  ^  And  Elihu  the  son  of  Barachel  the  Buzite 
answered  and  said  : 

I  am  young  in  days, 

Whereas  ye  are  aged  ; 
Therefore  I  was  in  dread  and  afraid 

To  declare  my  knowledge  to  you. 


may  have  been  selected  by  the  interpolator  on  account  of 
their  meaning:  Elihu  (i  S.  i^,  i  Ch.  12^^  26^  27^^)  means  (my) 
God  is  he,  and  Barachel  (^^)  bless,  O  God,  or  bless  God,  or 
God  hath  blessed  or  blesses  (see  phil.  n.).  Ba-rik-ili  is  the 
name  of  several  (Jewish)  persons  named  in  the  documents  of 
Murashu  sons  (temp.  Artaxerxes  i.,  see  Bah.  Expedition  of  the 
Univ.  of  Pennsylvania y  Series  A,  vol.  ix.  p.  52). — The  Buzite\ 
since  Buz  was  the  '*  brother"  (Gn.  22^1)  of  Us.  (i^),  Elihu  is 
represented  as  more  closely  akin  than  the  friends  to  Job. — Of 
the  clan  of  Ra7ii\  whereas  Buz  as  a  son  of  Nahor  is  Aramaic ^ 
Ram  is  only  known  as  Jewish  or  Jerachmeelite  (Ru.  4^*, 
I  Ch.  2^-25).  Disregarding  this,  the  author  perhaps  selected 
this  clan  name,  too,  on  account  of  its  meaning — lofty,  exalted. 
In  any  case  it  is  unwise  to  treat  Ram  as  an  abbreviation  of 
Aram  in  order  to  make  both  descriptions  of  Elihu  Aramaic,  or 
Buzite  as  equivalent  to  Bo'azite  (nu  =  "'tiva :  cp.  Ru.  4^1)  to 
make  them  both  Jewish. — Rather  than]  less  probably,  before : 
see  phil.  n. 

3.  No  answer]  no  further  answer:  cp.  ^^'- — Had  not]  less 
probably  yet  had:  see  phil.  n. 

4a.  See  phil.  n. 

6-22.  Elihu,  not  (see  ^^  n.)  addressing  Job  till  33^,  explains, 
partly  (^•^*)  in  direct  address  to  the  three  friends,  partly  (i5-22j 
soliloquizing,  why  he  had  kept  silent  hitherto,  and  why  he  is 
now  speaking.  He  had  kept  silence,  not  because  he  had  any 
hesitation  as  to  the  right  thing  to  say,  but  merely  from  con- 
ventional respect  for  old  men  (^-  ^).  He  had  been  confident 
enough  about  his  own  knowledge  all  along,  knowing  whence 


2  8o  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXII.  7-8. 

7  I  said,  **  Days  should  speak, 

And  multitude  of  years  make  known  wisdom." 

8  But  indeed  it  is  the  spirit  in  man. 

And  the  breath  of  the  Almighty,  which  makes  them 

understand. 


it  came — from  God  Himself  (^).  God,  as  he  thus  knows  by  his 
own  experience,  gives  knowledge  to  the  young ;  but  since  He 
may  sometimes  impart  to  old  men  also,  Elihu  had  given  the 
old  men  before  him  (^-  ^^),  Eliphaz,  Bildad  and  Sophar,  the 
opportunity  of  showing  whether  they  were  inspired  as  well  as 
old  :  the  event  had  proved  that  they  were  not  {^-  ^^^■'^  i^^-)  ;  for 
he  is  not  to  be  put  off  with  the  excuse  that  the  task  set  them 
had  been  so  hard  that  only  God  Himself  could  discharge  it  (^^) : 
he  will  soon  show  the  hollowness  of  this  excuse,  when  he  gets 
to  work  himself.  The  words  of  these  old  dotards  have  dried 
up  (^^^) ;  how  different  is  it  with  him !  He  is  so  uncomfort- 
ably flooded  with  words  that,  had  he  no  better  reason,  he  must 
needs  speak  in  order  to  relieve  the  intellectual  stomach-ache 
which  his  many  words  of  wisdom,  so  long  kept  inside,  have 
given  him  (i8-2oj^  ^nd  when  he  speaks,  let  no  one  expect 
compliments ;  for  they  will  not  get  them  {^^^•).  This  apology 
is  not  a  dramatic  description  of  a  speaker  whose  contribu- 
tion the  writer  ridicules  as  that  of  a  bombastic  youth, 
but  a  self-revelation  of  the  tone  and  temper  of  the  writer 
himself. 

8.  The  dispute  whether  ^he  spirit  and  the  breath  are  merely 
the  spirit  of  God  which  imparts  life  (27^  33*)  and  intelligence 
to  all  men  (Gn.  2^),  or  the  spirit  inspiring  or  giving  special 
knowledge  to  prophets  (cp.  Joel  3^),  is,  in  the  present  connec- 
tion, rather  beside  the  point :  the  spirit  of  God  which  is 
imparted  to  all  men  and  the  spirit  given  in  inspiration,  or  to 
impart  exceptional  skill  and  ability,  to  special  mt^n  (Is.  11^  n., 
Nu.  27^^  Gen.  41^8^-,  Ex.  31^;  cp.  c.  33*^  n.),  are  not  two 
essentially  different  things,  but  the  same  spirit  in  less  or 
greater  measure,  working  for  and  achieving  different  ends. 
Both  ^  and  ^  though  expressed  in  perfectly  general  terms, 
have  a  specific  implication  :  ^  indirectly  asserts  that  the  three 
friends  (cp   ^^),  in  spite  of  their  age,  are  not  wise,  and  ^  that 


XXXII.  8-14.]  ELIHU  28 1 

^  It  is  not  r  the  aged  "•  that  are  wise, 

Nor  is  it  the  old  that  understand  right ; 
1^  Therefore  I  say,  Listen  to  me  ; 

1  also  will  declare  my  knowledge. 
^1  Behold  I  waited  for  your  words, 
I  listened  for  your  wise  sayings  ; 
.Whilst  ye  sought  out  words, 
12      Even  unto  you  I  attended  ; 

And  behold  there  was  none  to  convict  Job, 
None  among  you  to  answer  his  sayings. 
^^  (Beware)  lest  ye  say,  *'  We  have  found  wisdom  ; 

God  may  drive  him  away,  not  man." 
1*  ■"  I  will  "■  not  set  forth  •"  such  "•  words  •"  as  these  "^j 
Nor  will  I  answer  him  with  your  sayings. 


Elihu  through   the  presence  in  him  of  the  spirit  of  God  (cp. 
Gn.  41^^^*),  in  spite  of  his  youth,  is  wise. 

9.  Cp.  12^2  1^10^ — ^  many^  or  the  great  (see  phil.  n.). — 
The  aged]  Eliphaz,  Bildad  and  Sophar  in  particular  are 
intended  :  see  on  ^. 

IO-I7.  If  ^^'^^  were  placed  after  '^,  and  ^'^  omitted  as  a  variant 
of  ^^  the  reasons  for  Elihu's  former  silence  (^^-  i^'-)  and  present 
speech  (i^.  sf.j  would  stand  together  with  ^^-^^  as  transitional. 
But  neither  this  nor  other  proposed  reconstructions  (see  phil. 
n.)  can  be  regarded  as  certain. 

10.  Listen]  sing,  in  most  Hebrew  MSS,  but,  in  spite  of  Di.'s 
argument  (see  phil.  n.),  the  pi..  Listen ye^  should  be  read. 

II  f.  Elihu  had  waited,  but  in  vain,  for  the  friends  to  prove 
their  wisdom  by  putting  Job  in  the  wrong. 

13.  *'  Do  not  think  you  have  found  in  Job  a  wisdom  which 
only  God  can  overcome"  (Dr.).  An  alternative  rendering, 
scarcely  to  be  adopted,  is  :  Lest  ye  say,  We  have  found  wisdom, 
God  (speaking  through  Elihu)  will  drive  him  away,  not  man 
(i.e,  Elihu  uttering  merely  his  own  wisdom);  so  Richter :  cp. 
AV.  RVm. 

14a,  f^.  And  he  hath  not  set  forth  words  against  me:  and 
so,  slightly  paraphrased,  RV.  J§  is  commonly  supposed  to 
mean  "Job  has  not  yet  tried  conclusions  with  me"  (Dr.).  In 
any  case  the  meaning  is  :  when  I  have  spoken,  in  a  manner 
very  different  from  you  {^^^,  if  not  also  ^^*),  you  will  see  that 
it  is  not  necessary  to  call  in  God  in  person  to  vanquish  Job ;    a 


282  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXH.  14-20. 

^5  They  are  dismayed,  they  answer  no  more  ; 

Words  have  failed  them. 
1^  And  am  I  to  wait,  because  they  speak  not. 

Because  they  have  stood  still,  (and)  have  answered  no 

more? 
i'^  I  also  will  give  my  allotted  answer, 

I  will  declare  my  knowledge,  I  too. 

18  For  I  am  full  of  words, 

The  breath  in  my  belly  constrains  me  ; 

19  Behold,  my  belly  is  as  wine  that  hath  no  vent ; 

Like  skins  (filled  with)  new  (wine)  it  is  ready  to  burst. 

20  Let  me  speak  that  I  may  get  relief ; 

Let  me  open  my  lips  and  answer. 

21  Let  me  not,  pray,  show  partiality  to  any  man  ; 

Neither  will  I  give  flattering  titles  to  any  creature  ; 


man,  viz.  myself,  though  youthful,  yet  inspired,  will  do  what 
you,  though  old,  have  failed  to  do.  The  promise  not  to  answer 
like  the  friends  is  not  in  reality  fulfilled :  in  substance  the 
speeches  of  Elihu  supply  nothing  that  the  friends  have  not 
previously  alleged. 

15-22.  The  tone  of  soliloquy  (see  on  xxxii.-xxxvii.)  imparted 
to  these  vv.  by  ^^-^^  can  be  avoided  by  omissions  (of  i^-^^,  Bu.) 
or  transposition  (see  phil.  n.  on  i^^^) ;  but  for  such  there  is  no 
sufficient  independent  reason. 

15.  Have  failed]  lit.  have  moved  away  from. 

17.  Cp.  ^^. — Give  my  allotted  aftswer]  lit.  answer  my  portion  ; 
the  meaning,  in  the  context,  is  scarcely,  I  will  give  my  portion 
of  the  reply  needed  to  convict  Job,  but  (since  Elihu  is  convinced 
that  he  has  himself  a  complete  answer)  I  will  off"er  in  reply  the 
portion  of  knowledge  which  has  fallen  to  me  from  God,  and 
that  portion  will  constitute  a  complete  answer. 

18-20.  Elihu  is  painfully  full  of  words  and  of  the  breath  in 
which  they  should  pour  forth :  he  must  therefore  get  his  words 
out  in  speech,  or  else  burst  like  tightly  closed  skins  containing 
wine  in  fermentation. — My  belly\  briefly  for  *'the  words  in  my 
belly,"  the  words  strictly  corresponding  to  the  wine,  the  belly 
to  the  skins  (^) ;  similarly  new  wine-skins  (|^)  is  briefly  put  for 
skins  containing  new  wine  ;  new  skins  in  themselves  are  least 
liable  to  break,  and  as  such  are  the  proper  receptacles  for  nevi 
wine  (Mt.  g^^). 


xxxn.  22-xxxin.  4.]       elihu  283 

'2  For  I  cannot  give  flattering  titles  ; 

My  Maker  would  soon  take  me  away. 

XXXIII.  ^  Howbeit,  hear  now,  O  Job,  my  speech, 

And  listen  to  all  my  words. 
2  Behold  now,  I  have  opened  my  mouth, 

My  tongue  in  my  palate  hath  spoken. 
®  My  heart  ^overflows^  with  sayings  '^of  ^  knowledge  ; 

My  lips  speak  that  which  is  pure. 
*  The  spirit  of  God  hath  made  me. 

And  the  breath  of  the  Almighty  giveth  me  life. 


22.  He  will  not  give  fair  titles  to  men  ^i,  because  he  could 
not  22%  if  he  wished,  and  would  not,  if  he  could,  for  fear  of 
divine  punishment,  ^^^. 

XXXIII.  I-7.  Elihu  now  turns  to  Job,  with  an  invitation 
to  listen  (i'-)  and  if  possible  to  answer  (^),  repeating  to  him  (^'•), 
what  he  had  already  said  to  the  friends  (32^- 1^^-),  that  he  is 
full  of  words,  due  to  the  action  on  him  of  the  divine  spirit,  and 
assuring  him  that  they  meet  on  equal  terms  (^^')  as  follow 
human-beings. 

1.  O  Joh\  Elihu,  unlike  the  friends,  addresses  Job  by  name 
^31  2714 ;  cp.  the  references  to  Job  by  name  in  34^-  ^-  2^'-  35^^). 
The  difference  is  not  completely  explained  by  the  fact  that, 
unlike  the  friends,  he  does  not  address  himself  exclusively  to 
Job.  The  change  from  address  to  the  friends  to  address  to 
Job  would  have  been  sufficiently  marked  by  the  change  from 
2nd  p.  pi.  to  2nd  p.  sing.  (cp.  34^^  after  34^^).  The  difference 
is  rather  due  to  difference  of  writers. 

2.  The  poverty  of  this  v.  seems  to  Bu.  to  be  cured  by 
making  it  hypothetical :  If  I  have  opened  my  mouth  .  .  .  ^  my 
heart,  etc. 

3.  ?^  my  words  (utter)  the  uprightness  (6^^)  of  my  heart 
(Dt.  9^,  Ps.  119^,  I  Ch.  29^^);  and  the  knowledge  of  my  lips 
they  speak  sincerely  :  see  phil.  n. 

4.  Cp.  32^  n. — **  Elihu  appeals  to  the  Divine  spirit  which 
both  created  him  and  maintains  him  in  life  :  it  is  a  spirit  which 
is  common  to  all  men  ;  but '  in  his  animated  zeal  for  God  against 
the  charges  of  Job  he  feels  that  it  is  within  him  in  a  powerful 
degree  and  gives  him  a  higher  wisdom  than  ordinary '  (Dav. : 


284  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXIII.  4-8. 

^  If  thou  canst,  answer  me  ; 

Draw  up  before  me,  (and)  stand  forth. 
^  Behold,  I  (stand)  towards  God  even  as  thou  (dost) ; 

From  the  (same  piece  of)  clay  I  also  was  snipped  off. 
7  Behold,  my  terror  shall  not  affright  thee, 

And  my  urgency  shall  not  be  heavy  upon  thee. 
*  Nevertheless  thou  said'st  in  my  hearing. 

And  I  heard  the  voice  of  (thy)  words  : — 


similarly  Del.).  It  thus  both  guarantees  his  sincerity  ^,  and 
gives  him  strength  to  confront  Job  confidently  ^.  Bu.  Be.  Du. 
omit  the  v.  as  in  a  sense  a  duplicate  of  ^,  premature  here,  and 
superfluous  after  ^.  But  ^  speaks  only  of  the  material  side  of 
man's  nature  ;  this  v.  emphasizes  his  being  made  and  kept 
alive  by  God's  spirit :  so  that  the  points  of  view  of  the  two 
verses  are  different.  Peake  would  transpose  to  follow  ^  ;  but 
the  point  in  ^  is  that  Elihii  is  a  man^  made  from  the  dust  like 
Job,  and  therefore  ^  he  will  not  browbeat  him  like  God ; 
between  ^  and  '^  the  thought  of  the  Divine  spirit  as  his  maker 
and  sustainer  would  be  out  of  place  "  (Dr.). 

5.  Draw  up\  sc.  your  case,  or  arguments  :  or,  fig.,  your  line 
of  battle  :  see  phil.  n. 

6b.  Cp.  lo^. — From  the  clay  .  .  .  snipped  off\  cp,  the 
phrase,  used  of  Eabani's  creation  in  the  Gilgamesh  Epic 
(Tab.  I,  col.  2,  1.  34),  "snipped  off  clay"  (ti-ta  ik-ta-rt-is),  and 
also  that  in  the  cosmological  fragment  cited  in  Rogers,  CP 
p.  45,  Ea  ik-ru-sa  ti-ta-[am]  ib-ni  it  lihitii^  Ea  broke  off  the 
clay,  he  created  the  god  of  bricks. 

7.   Elihu  comes  "  not  in  terror  as  the  King  of  kings  "  :  cp. 

8-33.  This,  .  the  first  part  of  Elihu's  refutation,  begins 
(9-11.  (13)^^  like  the  two  subsequent  parts  (34^-^  35^*  ^)>  with  a 
summary  of  Job's  position  as  Elihu  understands  it.  Job  has 
asserted  ^  (i)  that  he  is  without  sin,^;  (2)  that  consequently 
God's  hard  treatment  of  him  proceeds  from  mere  enmity,  and 
is  without  moral  justification  or  purpose,  ^^^' ;  (3)  that  God 
refuses  to  answer  him,  ^^f.  (corrected  text).  Elihu  addresses 
himself  primarily  to  (3),  though  his  reply  even  to  this  is  so  far 
indirectly  expressed  that  he  answers  Job's  assertion  about  his 


XXXm.  8-13.]  ELIHU  285 

own  particular  case  by  reference  to  God's  general  treatment  of 
men  ;  still  more  indirectly — though  clearly  enoug-h,  does  he 
express  his  dissent  from  (i)  and  (2).  Job's  assertion  that  God 
does  not  answer  /^^V;^,  Elihu  argues,  arises  from  his  not  dis- 
cerning God's  many  modes  of  speaking  to  men,  1^,  as  for 
example  (i)  by  vision,  ^^-^^  ;  (2)  through  suffering,  i^^-.  Suffer- 
ing rightly  received  (not  wrongly,  as  by  Job),  through  the 
activity  of  angels,  leads  (good)  men  to  say,  *'  I  have  sinned,"  ^7 
(not,  like  Job,  ^,  '*  I  am  sinless  ")  :  and,  thereupon,  God  redeems 
the  sufferer.  In  whatever  way  God  speaks  or  answers,  it  is 
with  the  aim  of  rescuing  men  from  sin,  and  so  from  the 
suffering  which  sin  entails,  i^^-  29'-.  Let  Job  answer  Elihu  if 
he  can,  and  if  not,  silently  listen  to  him,  ^^-^^. 

8-13.  Here  as  in  34^*-  352'-  Elihu  makes,  as  Sophar  had  done 
in  1 1*,  his  starting-point  words  used  by  Job,  or  thought  by  Elihu 
(for  the  quotations  are  not  all  exact)  to  have  been  used  by  him  in 
the  course  of  the  debate  with  the  friends.  But  Bu.  exaggerates 
and  misrepresents  the  significance  of  this  when  he  says :  '*  the 
friends  seek  Job's  sins  in  his  conduct  (Tun)  before  the  time  of 
his  sufferings,  Elihu  only  in  his  assertions,  since  these  have 
befallen  him.  They  embittered  Job  by  false  suspicions. 
Elihu  confines  himself  only  to  the  facts  known  to  all  con- 
cerned." For  if  the  assertions  attributed  to  Job  in  ^  are  true, 
they  are  not  sinful ;  and  if  not  true,  their  falsehood  is  due  to 
Job's  conduct  before  his  sufferings  befell  him.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  ^  is  not  a  true  statement  of  Job's  point  of  view  :  he  had 
never  claimed  immunity  from  all  sin ;  on  the  contrary,  had 
recognized  that  he,  like  all  men,  had  not  been  free  from  sin 
j^2i  1^26^  (,p^  jq6j^  What  he  had  maintained  was  his  integrity 
(i^  n.),  that  he  was  not  contumaciously  vv^icked,  that  he  was  in 
the  right  (9^^^-  lo^  13IS  ^^\i  237.10-12  274-6  ^jj  -^^  ^j^g  j^g^g  which, 
on  the  current  theory,  was  being  decided  against  him  by  the 
very  fact  of  his  sufferings :  in  other  words,  that  he  belonged 
to  the  class  of  those  whose  whole  soul  was  set  against  the 
sins  to  which  human  nature  is  prone  and  devoted  to  the  ways 
of  God,  and  to  whom  accordingly,  on  the  current  theory, 
prosperity  was  due.  Why  these  unparalleled  sufferings  ? 
Not,  Job  had  asserted,  because  I  had  so  sinned  as  to  deserve 


286  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXIII.  8-13. 

®  **  Pure  am  I,  without  transgression  ; 

Clean,  and  I  have  no  iniquity  (in  me) : 
^^  Behold,  he  findeth  Tpretexts^  against  me, 

He  holdeth  me  for  his  enemy. 
1^  He  putteth  my  feet  in  the  stocks, 

He  marketh  all  my  ways." 

12  Behold,  hefein  thou  art  not  in  the  right  a  ; 

For  God  is  greater  than  man. 

13  Wherefore  contendest  thou  with  him  (saying), 

'  *  He  answereth  none  of  ^  my  ^  words  "  ? 


them ;  yes,  the  friends  had  been  driven  to  say,  inventing  sins 
in  Job's  past  life  to  justify  their  answer  because  your  sins  had 
deserved  them  :  yes,  Elihu  seems  to  say  all  irrelevantly,  because 
no  man  is  without  sin  :  neither  are  you. 

g.  Not  an  exact  quotation :  see  on  ^. — Pt/re]  in  reference  to 
Job  (8^  Bildad;  ii*  Sophar) ;  to  Job's  prayer  i6i7  (Job);  to 
the  heavens  (I5^^  Eliphaz) ;  the  stars  (25^,  Bildad).  The 
parallel  term  clean  is  peculiar  to  Elihu. 

lOa.  Cp.  iqI^-i^  ;  ^  is,  allowing  for  the  necessary  change  of 
persons,  an  exact  quotation  of  13^*:  cp.  also  19I1  3021. — 
Pretexts\  for  picking  a  quarrel  with  me :  f^  frustrations :  see 
phil.  n. 

11.  =  13^^ 

12.  In  consequence,  probably  of  corruption  of  the  text,  the 
exact  point  of  the  v.  is  uncertain.  In  *  ffi  reads,  For  how  sayest 
thou,  I  am  in  the  right,  and  (yet)  he  answereth  me  not.  For 
this  and  some  attempts  to  emend  the  text — none  of  them  quite 
satisfactory,  see  phil.  n. — Herein\  in  the  statements  just  cited 
in  ^-11. — In  the  righi\  ft  +  /  {will)  answer  thee, — For  God  is 
greater  than  man]  **and  consequently  above  all  arbitrary, 
unreasoning  hostility  "  (Du.) ;  or  the  meaning  may  be  :  greater 
than  and  so  unaccountable  to  men.  fflr  represents  a  very  differ- 
ent text,  which,  though  not  so  understood  by  fflr,  might  have 
meant:  for  God  hideth  Himself  from  men  (cp.  9^^'). 

13.  Why  quarrel  with  God  ?  the  reason  you  allege,  that 
He  does  not  answer  you,  is  false ;  He  does  answer,  1*. — 
Afy  words]  f^  his  words:  if  this  were  right,  the  pronoun 
would  refer  directly  to  man  (i^^),  in  general,  and  only 
implicitly  to  Job. 


XXXIII.  14-16.]  ELIHU  28/ 

1*  For  God  speaketh  in  one  way, 

And  in  two,  without  (man's)  perceiving  it : — 
1^  In  dream,  in  vision  of  the  night, 
When  deep  sleep  falleth  upon  men, 

During  hours  of  slumber  in  (their)  bed  ; 
1^  Then  he  uncovereth  the  ear  of  men. 

And  dismayeth  them  with  admonishments  (?) ; 


14.  God  speaks  in  more  ways  than  one,  by  dreams,  suffer- 
ings, etc.,  and  men  fail  to  recognize  the  fact — not,  of  course, 
always  (for  see  ^^'^•),  but  often  ;  Elihu  is  content  to  omit  the 
qualification,  because  the  general  law  is  exemplified  by  Job, 
whom  he  has  particularly  in  view.  In  view  of  the  general 
terms  of  '^^^',  it  is  doubtful  whether  we  ought  to  make  ^^ 
specific  in  form,  as  it  is  in  implication,  by  reading  '*  without  /ky 
perceiving  it." — /?i  one  way  .  .  ,  in  two  ways]  i.e.  in  several 
ways  (see  phil.  n.). 

15-18.  First  illustration  of  the  ways  in  which  God  speaks. 
He  speaks  to  men,  as  He  had  spoken  (cp.  7^^)  to  Job  in  particu- 
lar, by  means  of  dreams  with  the  immediate  aim  of  deflecting 
them  from  their  evil  courses  ^^,  and  the  ultimate  aim  ^^  of 
saving  them  from  the  evil  fate  to  which  their  courses  would 
lead. 

15.  Dreamy  vision  of  the  night]  cp.,  in  parallelism,  20^; 
so  in  the  pi.  **  dreams"  1|  "visions,"  7I*. — b.  =41^^:  see  nn 
there. — Hours  of  slumber]  Hebr.  slumherings\  the  pi.  as  in  Pr. 
6'*'  (a  few  moments,  or  snatches,  of  slumber ;  ct.  the  sing, 
in*). 

16.  Uncovereth  the  ear  of]  i.e.  imparts  a  communication  to ; 
the  phrase  is  used  of  a  man  revealing  a  purpose  or  secret  to 
another  (i  S.  20^,  Ru.  4*),  especially  one  that  closely  concerns 
the  person  whose  ear  is  **  uncovered  "  (i  S.  20^^  22^- 1^);  and 
then  of  God's  imparting  to  man  a  promise  (2  S.  7^''),  warning 
(here,  36^^-  ^^)  or  direction  (i  S.  9^^). — b.  A  very  ambiguous  line 
(see  phil.  n.).  Even  fE  seems  to  admit,  and  indeed  to  suggest, 
two  different  renderings  :  (i)  And  he  sealeth  their  fetter,  i.e. 
strengthens  the  bond  that  binds  them  to  God — very  improbable  ; 
or,  (2)  he  sealeth  their  instruction,  which  has  been  interpreted 
in  several  ways  (see  Di.) ;  e.g.  :    [a)  *'puts  the  seal  to,  or  con- 


288  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXIII.  16-19. 

1''  In  order  to  turn  mankind  aside  ^  from  his  ">  (evil)  work, 

And  to  Tcut  away""  pride  from  man  ; 
1*  To  keep  back  his  soul  from  the  pit, 

And  his  life  from  passing  away  through  (God's)  missiles. 
19  He  is  also  disciplined  with  pain  upon  his  bed, 

While  the  strife  of  his  bones  is  perennial  ; 


firms,  their  moral  education"  (Dr.);  or  (^)  imparts  instruction 
to  them  under  seal,  i.e.  secretly  (Ges.  T/ies.  SsSa):  this  would 
correspond  admirably  to  the  sense  of  the  parallel,  but  it  is 
doubtful  whether  the  Hebrew  naturally  expresses  it.  With  a 
change  of  punctuation,  J^  may  also  be  rendered  as  above, 
though  Di.  in  criticism  of  it  remarks,  not  altogether  without 
force,  that  admonishments  are  not  the  means  to  create  dis- 
may, nor  is  dismay  the  purpose  of  admonishment ;  this  criti- 
cism can  be  obviated  by  taking  a  suggestion  from  ^,  and 
rendering :  And  dismayeth  them  with  what  they  see  (d^5<1^3)  : 
by  night  God  suggests  to  men  words  *  of  counsel,  and  brings 
before  them  ^  visions  of  their  fate  (cp.  i^),  if  they  persist  in 
sin  (cp.  1^).  This  reading  would  connect  i^^«  even  more 
strikingly  with  7^* :  Job  there  refers  to  visions  sent  by  God 
which  scared  him ;  but  they  had  not,  in  EHhu's  view,  turned 
Job  from  his  sin. 

17  f.  Cp.  36^^-12,  por  the  emendations  adopted  above,  see 
phil.  n.  Pride,  according  to  Bu.,  is  specially  mentioned  (cp. 
36^)  as,  in  Elihu's  view.  Job's  besetting  sin,  but  see  Introd. 
§  41.  f^  can  be  rendered,  but  only  in  such  ways  as  at  once 
indicate  the  improbability  of  its  correctness :  e.g.  that  mankind 
may  put  away  work,  and  hide  pride  from  man  (cp.  RVm.); 
or,  that  mankind  may  put  away  work  and  pride  from  man, 
who  hides  (both  :  Hoffm.).  Ehrlich,  with  no  more  extensive 
alterations  than  those  adopted  above,  renders :  Hiding  from 
mankind  his  work,  and  concealing  (his)  majesty  from  man. 

18.  The  pit]  17^^  n. — Passhig  away  through  (God's)  missiles] 
i.e.  perishing  owing  to  the  divine  retribution  for  persistent  sin 
overtaking  him;  or  y  passing  on  into  fnissiles,  i.e.  rushing  un- 
consciously to  their  fate  ;  or,  emending,  passing  on  into  Sheol: 
see  phil.  n. 

19.  Secondly,   God   speaks   to   men   through  the   discipline 


XXXIII.  19-22.]  ELIHU  289 

20  His  appetite  abhorreth  food, 

And  his  soul  dainties. 

21  His  flesh  wasteth  away  so  that  it  cannot  be  seen, 

And  his  bones  .    .    . 

22  And  so  his  soul  dravveth  near  to  the  pit, 

And  his  life  to  the  slayers. 


of  pain  and  sickness  (cp.  Ps.  38*) :  all  Job's  pains,  if  Job  but 
understood  it,  are  words  of  God  admonishing-  him.  Eliphaz 
had  said  the  same  (5^^'-);  **Elihu's  originality  is  confined  to  a 
long-winded  description  of  suffering  "  (Du.). — The  strife  of  his 
bones]  fig.  for  racking  pains.  On  the  alternative  reading, 
"the  multitude  of  his  bones,"  and  emendations,  see  phil.  n. — 
Perennial]  see  phil.  n.  on  12^^. 

20.  Sickness  produces  nausea,  so  that,  though  hungry,  the 
sick  man  finds  even  favourite  foods  disgusting :  see  phil.  n. 

21.  His  flesh  wasteth  away]  cp.  Pr.  5^1  "at  thy  latter  end, 
when  thy  flesh  and  thy  body  waste  away  "  ;  Ps.  73^^.  The  vb. 
is  used  with  other  subjects  in  7^  (of  a  vanishing  zXqsm^  compared 
with  man's  vanishing  in  death),  7^  (of  the  days  of  a  man's  life), 
I  i^o  (of  the  eyes),  \(f^  (of  the  reins). — So  that  it  cannot  he  seen] 
if  legitimate,  the  rendering,  so  that  it  is  not  (any  longer)  sightly^ 
would  be  preferable;  but  see  phil.  n. — His  hones  .  .  .]  the 
words  left  untranslated  are  very  questionable.  The  line  has 
commonly  been  rendered  and  interpreted,  And  his  hones^  which 
were  (formerly)  not  seen  (because  then  covered  with  flesh)  are 
(now  that  they  are  denuded  of  flesh  %  laid)  hare ;  improbable : 
see  phil.  n. 

22.  The  slayers]  the  only  allusion  (for  2  S.  24^*^,  Ps.  78*^  are 
not  strict  parallels),  itself  not  absolutely  certain  (see  phil.  n.), 
in  the  OT.,  to  the  angels  of  death,  who  take  the  soul  of  the 
dying  man  to  its  place  in  Sheol.  These  play  a  considerable 
part  in  later  Jewish  literature ;  so  first  in  Test.  Asher  6*, 
"For  the  latter  ends  of  men  do  show  their  righteousness  (or 
unrighteousness),  when  they  meet  (so  read  with  Charles)  the 
angels  of  the  Lord  and  of  Satan "  ;  and  later  the  idea  was 
elaborated,  see,  e.g.,  Kethiiboth,  104*:  "  When  a  wicked  man  is 
destroyed,  three  bands  of  destroying  angels  meet  him  ;  one 
cries.  No  peace,  saith  God,  for  the  wicked ;  another,  Ye  shall 

19 


290  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXIII.  22-23. 

23  If  (now)  there  be  for  him  an  angel, 
An  interpreter,  one  of  a  thousand, 
To  declare  unto  man  what  is  right  for  him  ; 


lie  down  in  pain;  and  a  third,  Go  down  and  lie  with  the  un- 
circumcized."  See,  further,  Charles's  n.  on  Test.  Asher  6* : 
Bousset,  Die  Religion  des  Judenthunis^  284  f. 

23-28.  But  in  the  very  article  of  death  (^2),  an  angel  may  visit 
the  sick  man,  and  interpret  to  him  what  God  had  been  saying 
to  him  through  his  sufferings  (2^),  viz.  that  he  had  sinned ;  if  the 
sick  man  acknowledges  his  sin  and  repents,  then  he  is  brought 
back  from  death's  door  to  complete  health  P*'*).  On  his  recovery 
the  man  publicly  recites  in  song  how  he  had  sinned  and  been 
saved  (26-28j^  T^g  general  sense,  so  far,  of  the  vv.  is  clear ;  owing 
probably  to  more  or  less  mutilation  of  the  text,  several  details 
are  obscure. 

23  f.  The  verses  are  irregular  in  form,  probably  as  a  result  of 
the  loss,  and,  perhaps,  also  of  the  addition  of  words  :  see  phil.  n. 

23.  If\  Du.  reads  TX,  then  (there  is  for  him,  etc.),  on  the 
ground  that  Elihu's  theory  is  futile,  if  it  is  a  mere  accident 
whether  God  sends  an  angel,  and  so  saves  the  sick  man. — For 
him]  working  for  the  good  of  the  sick  man  (see  phil.  n.) ;  Hi. 
Wr.  beside  (cp.  i  K.  22^^)  hiniy  viz.  God ;  but  this  is  equally 
improbable,  whether  we  continue  in  ^  **to  declare  unto  man 
(God's)  uprightness"  (Hi.),  or  **to  proclaim  on  man's  behalf 
his  (man's)  uprightness"  (Wr.). — An  interpreter]  of  angels 
intermediating  between  God  and  man  5^  appears  to  speak  (see 
n.  there) ;  here,  as  the  context  indicates,  the  function  of  this 
special  class  of  angels  was  to  interpret  to  men,  as  it  were,  the 
foreign  and  unintelligible  language  (Gn.  42^^)  of  God's  dealings 
with  them.  As.  Du.  well  points  out,  the  angel  here  performs 
the  same  function  as,  in  earlier  stories,  was  discharged  by 
prophets  (Is.  38) ;  and  it  is  to  prophets  or  the  like  that  the 
same  term  **  interpreters"  is  applied  in  Is.  43^7. — One  of  a 
thousand]  No  sick  man  need  fear  that  there  are  not  enough 
angels  deputed  for  this  service  to  serve  all  needs,  for  angels 
with  this  one  duty  of  interpreting  numbered  thousand(s) : 
angels   of  all    classes  numbered   myriads  (Dn.  7^^). —  What  is 


XXXIII.  23-26.]  ELIHU  29 1 

24  And  (If)  he  be  gracious  and  say, 

"  Release  him  from  going-  down  to  the  pit ; 
I  have  found  a  ransom  [for  his  life] "  ; 

25  His  flesh  becometh  fresh  with  youth, 

He  returneth  to  the  days  of  his  lustihood  ; 


right  for  him]  ^  his  fault'.  Du.  his  discipline^  i.e.  the  meaning 
of  it.  In  (5r  a  line  parallel  to  ^^^  follows:  And  to  bring  him  to 
a  knowledge  of  his  sins ;  this  may  have  formed  part  of  the 
original  text ;  see  phil.  n.  on  ^3-25^ 

24.  And  if  he  he  gracious\  much  less  probably,  then  he  is 
gracious  (RV.),  since  ^^  by  itself  much  less  clearly  even  than  ^3* 
indicates  that  the  sick  man  has  recognized  his  sin — the 
condition  of  favour  being  shown  to  him.  The  subj.  is  the 
interpreting  angel,  who  now  addresses  a  particular  angel  of 
death  (-2)  who  was  on  the  point  of  carrying  off  the  sick  man  to 
Sheol,  a  situation  which  foreshadows  the  later  highly  developed 
doctrine  of  opposed  types  of  angels  interested  in  the  death  of 
men :  cp.  also  Michael's  contention  with  Satan  over  the  body 
of  Moses,  Jude  ^.  Others  take  God  as  the  subj.,  on  the  ground 
(Di.)  that  the  right  of  showing  favour  and  receiving  ransom 
does  not  belong  to  the  angel ;  and  certainly,  if  it  is  not  to  the 
"  slayer,"  it  must  be  to  God  that  the  ransom  is  ultimately  paid 
(cp.  the  illuminating  parallel  in  Ps.  498-10(7-9)).  y^^  the  angel 
may  speak  as  God's  agent. — Ransom\  kopher,  the  price  paid  in 
lieu  of  forfeiting  life  (Ex.  21^^).  The  whole  sentence  implies 
that  the  sick  man  has  confessed  and  repented,  even  though  we 
need  not  with  Di.  Dr.  say  that  the  ransom  is  the  repentance. 

25.  If  the  angel  succeeds  in  his  purpose  of  bringing  the  sick 
man  to  repentance,  ^sf.^  then  he  renews  his  youth.  Du.,  who 
eliminates  the  hypothetical  in  2^,  takes  this  v.  (rendering,  let 
his  flesh  become  .  .  .  let  him  return)  as  continuing  the  words 
spoken  by  the  interpreting  angel  to  the  angel  of  death. —  With 
youth\  or,  more  than  in  youth :  or  (ffir),  as  that  of  a  youth. 

26.  Being  recovered  from  his  sickness,  the  man  (makes  a 
solemn  visit  to  the  Temple,  offers  sacrifice  and)  prays  to  God 
acceptably ;  such  are  probably  the  implications  of  the  v. ;  cp.  the 
similar  passage  in  Eliphaz's  speech  {22^'^)^  "Thou  shalt  entreat 
him  (God),  and  he  will  hear  thee,  And  thou  shalt  pay  thy  vows." 


292  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXIII.  26. 

26  He  entreateth  God  and  he  is  favourable  to  him, 

And  he  seeth  his  face  with  (the  sound  of  Temple)  music  ; 
And  he  '"proclaimeth"'  his  righteousness  unto  man, 

27  He  singeth  unto  men,  and  saith, 


He  seeth  his  face]  the  alternative  rendering  of  f^,  He  (God)  lets 

(him)  see  His  face,  would  be  against  the  analogy  of  222^^.  The 
meaning  is  rather:  he  (the  man  restored  to  health)  sees  His 
(God's)  face,  i.e.  visits  the  temple  (cp.  22^'*^),  and  makes  an 
offering  for  his  recovery:  cp.,  Thou  shalt  not  see  my  face 
empty  handed  (Ex.  231^  3420) ;  see  also  Is.  1^2  (with  n.  there). 
Other  terms  in  the  v.  are  also  probably  used  with  special 
reference  to  the  cultus ;  thus,  the  vb.  to  be  favourable  (to  a 
person:  n^"i)  is  predicated  of  God  frequently,  though  not  ex- 
clusively, in  connection  with  sacrifices :  cp.  2  S.  242^,  Hos.  8^^, 
Jer.  14^^,  Ezk.  20*^-  *^  43^^ ;  cp.  also  the  recurrent  phrase  jivifj  in 
connection  with  sacrifices  {e.g.  Lv.  i^,  Is.  60"^).  The  last 
phrase  of  the  v.  might  mean  simply :  with  shouts  of  joy,  the 
noun  (nynn)  being  used  as  in  821  (||  pint^) ;  but  perhaps  it  refers 
to  the  joyous  sounds  or  music  that  accompanied  ritual  acts ; 
cp.  Ps.  33^  47^  and  especially  Ps.  27^,  (107^^),  *' sacrifices  of 
nvnn,"  i-e.  accompanied  by  music.  Others,  however,  interpret 
26b  of  admission  in  a  spiritual  sense  to  God's  presence  (so  Dr.); 
then  cp.  Ps.  11^. 

26c,  27,  28.  The  man  not  only  prays  to  God  (26^)  in  the 
Temple,  but  there  also  he  makes  public  (27a)  confession  of  sin  (27b) 
which  caused  his  sickness,  and  of  God's  goodness  in  not  dealing 
with  him  according  to  his  deserts  {f^%  but,  instead,  bringing 
him  back  from  death's  door  (28*),  and  allowing  him  once  again  to 
enjoy  health  (28^). 

26c.  He  proclaims  his  righteousness]  i.e.  the  sick  man  pro- 
claims God's  *' righteousness,"  as  shown,  namely,  in  His  faith- 
fulness in  restoring  the  penitent  to  health  ;  cp.  Ps.  40^0'-,  and 
also  Ps.  2223-  32  (22. 3i)  25I8.  Thus  emended  the  line  becomes  an 
admirable  parallel  to  27*.  5^  must  be  rendered:  He  (God) 
restoreth  unto  man  his  (man's)  righteousness^  i.e.  looks  upon  him 
again  as  righteous  ;  but,  besides  involving  an  awkward  change 
of  subject  from  20^,  this  is  really  a  hysteron  proteron ;   for  the 


XXXIII.  27-28.]  ELIHU  293 

**  I  sinned,  and  made  crooked  that  which  was  straigfht, 
Yet  he  requited  me  not  '^according"  to  my  iniquity^  ; 
2^  He  redeemed  my  soul  from  passing  on  to  the  pit, 
And  my  life  (now)  seeth  its  fill  of  the  light." 


sick  man  is  already  again  treated  as  righteous  when  his  health 
returns  to  him  (^^). 

27.  He  singeth  unto\  ^  probably  intends  he  looketh  upon 
(RVm.),  which  is  quite  inappropriate.  It  is  difficult,  as  Du. 
remarks,  to  see  how  otherwise  the  convalescent  could  publicly 
sing  such  a  psalm  of  confession  and  thanksgiving  as  follows 
in  2^^*  ^'  28  than  by  means  of  the  Temple  services  ;  when  a  man 
presented  a  thank-offering  (min)  for  recovery,  the  Temple 
singers  may  have  sung  on  the  man's  behalf  an  appropriate 
psalm  appointed  for  such  purposes ;  we  may  compare  the  title 
to  Ps.  100  *'for  (an  offering  of)  thanksgiving"  (mini';  cp.  Lv. 
7"'-),  though  this  psalm  is  not  suited  for  the  thanksgiving  in 
particular  of  a  convalescent,  and  the  custom  attested  in  the 
Mishnah  of  appointing  Psalms  to  be  recited  by  the  Levites  in 
connection  with  the  offerings  made  by  groups  of  individuals, 
e.g.  Ps.  30,  when  the  inhabitants  of  a  particular  district  pre- 
sented firstfruits  at  the  temple  (Ber.  iii.  :  see  Numbers^  p.  228). 
For  the  close  association  of  fruah  (2^^)  and  Temple-singing, 
cp.  Ps.  27^,  **I  will  sacrifice  in  his  tent  sacrifices  oifriiah^  I 
will  sing  and  make  melody  unto  Yahweh." — Made  crooked  that 
'which  was  straight]  cp.  Mic.  3^  (with  a  synonymous  vb.  EJ»py, 
here  ^n^lVn),  **who  abhor  right,  and  make  crooked  all  that  is 
straight,  building  up  Jerusalem  with  blood,"  etc. ;  cp,  also 
(with  mi;  as  here)  *'he  (God)  hath  made  crooked  my  ways," 
Lam.  3^:   *' they  have  made  their  way  crooked,"  Jer.  3^1 ;  and 

with  EJ'py)  Is.  59^,  **  the  way  of  peace  they  know  not,  and  right 
IS  not  in  their  paths,  their  tracks  they  have  made  crooked," 
Pr.  10^. — 27c.  see  phil.  n. 

28.  From  passing  on]  V. '^^^.— The  pzty^^:  see  phil.  n.—^'^t^^A 
its  fill  of]  ox  has  pleasure  in  the  sight  of  the  expressive  idiom  used 
so  often  in  the  psalms  and  commonly  rendered  **tosee  one's 
pleasure  on." — The  light]  as  in  3i'^-  -^,  the  light  of  day,  or,  as  ^^ 
calls  it,  **  of  life,"  contrasted  tacitly  with  Sheol,  to  which  the  sick 
man  had  drawn  sufficiently  near  to  be  involved  in  its  darkness. 


294  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB      [XXXIII.  29-XXXIV.  4. 

2^  Lo,  all  these  things  God  doeth, 

Twice,  thrice  with  man, 
^^  To  bring  back  his  soul  from  the  pit, 

That  he  might  '^see  his  fill  of^  the  light  of  life. 

31  Give  heed.  Job  ;  hearken  to  me  ; 

Keep  silence,  and  /will  speak. 

32  If  thou  hast  ought  to  say,  answer  me  ; 

Speak,  for  I  desire  to  pronounce  thee  innocent, 

33  If  not,  do  thou  listen  to  me. 

Keep  silence,  and  I  will  teach  thee  wisdom, 
XXXIV.  1  And  Elihu  answered  and  said, 


29.  God  repeatedly  applies  the  methods  just  described  (^~^°), 
chastisements,  dreams,  angelic  messengers. — TwicCy  thrice] 
5i»n. 

30.  See  his  ^11  of]  cp.^^.  f^  has  been  rather  questionably 
taken  to  mean  e^ilighten  (him)  withy  or,  still  more  questionably, 
be  enlightened  with :  see  phil.  n. — Light  of  life]  the  parallel 
terms  of  3^^  are  here  combined  into  a  genitival  phrase. 

31-33.  Elihu  invites  Job  to  listen  to  further  wisdom  from 
his  lips  (31-  33)j  unless  (32)  he  has  any  words  ready  with  which  to 
reply  to  what  Elihu  has  just  said.  To  reduce  Elihu's  wordiness, 
Bu.  omits  33  J  ^  improved  Elihu  even  more  thoroughly  by 
omitting  31^-33.     with  32,  cp.  5. 

XXXIV.  I.  cp.  35I,  and  see  above,  p.  277, 

2-37.  The  second  part  of  Elihu's  refutation  of  Job.  In  the 
first  part  (33^'^^)  Elihu,  though  he  cited  (33^)  Job's  assertion  of 
innocence,  actually  confined  himself  to  meeting  Job's  complaint 
that  God  does  not  speak  to  him :  here,  once  again  (cp.  33^"^^ 
353)  summarizing  Job's  assertions  (^*-^),  he  takes  up  Job's 
claim  to  be  righteous,  with  its  corollary  that  God  is  the  sub- 
verter  of  right,  and,  addressing  himself  at  first  (^~^^)  to  the  wise 
(2- 1^),  and  then  (16-37 .  ^ote  the  2nd  p.  sing,  i^*-  33)  to  Job,  replies 
that  Job  is  wicked  (^^•),  that  God  is  not  a  subverter  of  right  (^^"^2)^ 
nor  can  be,  for  He  is  beyond  question  (^3.  29-32)  ^^^  supreme, 
unerring  in  the  observation  and  unfailing  in  the  punishment  of 
wickedness  (1^-28) :  he  concludes  with  the  opinion  of  the  wise, 
that  Job  speaks  foolishly  in  multiplying  his  wicked  words 
against  God  (3^-37). 

2-4.  Let  the  wise,  exercising  their  power  of  intellectual  and 


XXXIV.  2-8.]  ELIHU  295 

2  Hear,  ye  wise,  my  words. 

And  ye  that  have  knowledge,  give  ear  to  me  ; 

3  For  the  ear  testeth  words. 

As  the  palate  tasteth  ^  food  ^. 
*  What  is  right,  let  us  choose  for  ourselves  ; 

Let  us  know  among  ourselves  what  is  good. 
^  For  Job  hath  said,  **  I  am  righteous, 

And  it  is  God  who  hath  taken  away  my  right ; 
^  Notwithstanding  my  right,  I  am  ^  in  pain  ^  ! 

My   arrow(-wound)   is  incurable,   though   I   am  without 

transgression." 
'^  Who  is  a  man  like  Job, 

Who  drinketh  up  scorning  like  water, 
^  And  taketh  his  path  to  associate  with  workers  of  naughti- 
ness, 

And  to  go  with  men  of  wickedness  ? 


moral  taste  or  discrimination  (^  =  12^^  Job)  choose  (cp.  Is.  7^^) 
or  discriminate  what  is  right  and  ^ood  (Is.  7^^)  over  against 
Job's  blasphemous  assertions. 

2.  Ve  wise]  not  the  three  friends  (Bu.),  for  the  tone  of 
reproof  used  in  addressing  the  latter  (32'^^-)  is  no  longer  present, 
but  a  wider  circle  of  wise  men  whom  the  author  either  pictures 
as  gathered  together  to  consider  Job's  case,  or  addresses  by  a 
literary  convention  (cp.  *'my  son"  in  Proverbs). 

5  f.  Elihu  in  part  cites  (^^  =  27^),  in  part   summarizes  Job's 

position;    cp.   gl^.  20  jQ7a^ 

6.  /  am  in  pain]  J^  /  am  to  lie^  which  is  supposed  to  mean 
I  am  to  be  accounted  a  liar  when  I  maintain  that  right  is  on 
my  side  ;  see  phil.  w.—My  arrows-wound)]  the  wound  inflicted 
by  God's  arrows  (6*). 

7.  Cp.  15^^  (Eliphaz)  ''a  man  that  drinketh  \x^  iniquity  \\V^& 
water  " ;  Elihu  specifies  derisive  speech  about  God  as  one  of 
Job's  sins,  and  gives  (as  Eliphaz,  221^*-,  before  him)  a  specimen 
in  ^ ;  but  Elihu  does  not  limit  his  charges  against  Job  to  sins 
of  speech  (Bu.);  the  terms  in  ^  (y^n  |1«)  are  as  wide  as  that  in 
15^^^  (nhv)' — Scorning]  jy^,  like  the  synonymous  term  (d^^'^)  in 
Ps.  i^,  of  scornful  speech  about  God. 

8.  Cp.  22^^  (Eliphaz).  Elihu  depicts  Job  as  a  man  rnaking 
a  practice  of  selecting  a  path  in  which  he  could  be  sure  of 
companions  in  wickedness. 


296  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB      [XXXIV.  9-ia 

'  For  he  hath  said,  "  A  man  profiteth  not 
By  being  well  pleased  with  God." 
^®  Therefore,  [ye  wise,  give  heed] ; 

Ye  men  of  understanding",  hearken  to  me. 
Far  be  it  from  God  to  do  wickedness, 

And  from  the  Almighty  to  do  unrighteously. 
^^  For  the  work  of.  man  he  repayeth  unto  him, 

And  as  (is)  the  path  of  each  (such  is  what)  he  causes 

to  befall  him. 
^2  Yea,  surely,  God  doth  not  do  wickedly. 

And  the  Almighty  doth  not  pervert  right. 
12  Who  entrusted  to  him  the  earth? 

And  who  hath  laid  ^  upon  him^  the  whole  world? 


9.  The  citation  again  is  not  exact  (cp.  on  •^^•) ;  but  cp.  (f^-  ^^'' 
jq3  2i7ff-.  An  exacter  parallel  outside  Job  is  Mai.  3^^-  ^*.  In  35'^ 
Elihu  substantially  repeats  his  present  charge,  and  then  (not 
in  this  c.)  proceeds  to  refute  it;  on  this  ground  and  because  it 
comes  in  lamely  here,  Bu.  rejects  the  present  v. ;  note  also  the 
occurrence  oi^lohim  (see  p.  232  n.). 

10.  Ye  wise^  give  heed]  see  phil.  n.  For  wise  and  men  of 
understanding  (Heb.  heart'.  7^'^  n.),  see  ^* ;  cp.  2-.  Bi.  Bu. 
Nichols  om.  lo''-^-. — c.  d.  Cp.  83(Bildad). — To  do  unrighteously] 
ffi  to  pervert  justice^  as  in  8^:  see  phil.  n. 

11.  So  far  from  perverting  justice  (^*^-  ^2)  by  granting  to  the 
wicked  prosperity  and  to  the  righteous  adversity,  God  scrupu- 
lously and  exactly  makes  a  man's  lot  in  life  correspond  to  his 
deeds*,  and  path  of  life,  i.e.  his  conduct ^ — Elihu  here  contra- 
dicts in  general  terms,  as  Bildad  (8*)  had  contradicted  in 
particular  terms  by  reference  to  Job's  children,  the  assertion 
(1^  8^)  that  God  makes  men  suffer  beyond  their  deserts. — 
a.  The  same  principle  Is  frequently  stated  in  similar  terms : 
see  Is.  3I1,  Pr.  12^^^  iq^^,  Ps.  28*.— b.  Lit.,  And  the  likeness 
of  the  path  of  a  man  ({^''N)  he  causeth  to  find  him  :  on  the  idiom, 
see  phil.  n.  Job's  sufferings  correspond  to  the  wicked  path  (^) 
he  had  habitually  followed. 

12.  Cp.  10  and  8^. 

13.  God  does  not  do  wickedly  (^2)  j  for  (i3)  He  rules  the  earth, 
not  as  the  deputy  of  someone  else  (cp.  36^^^),  but  as  supreme 
and  answerable  to  none :  consequently  no  one  can  call  Him  to 
account,   and  say  to  Him   (36^3^),  Thou  hast  done  wickedly : 


XXXIV.  13-16.]  ELIHU  297 

^*  If  he  were  ^to  cause  his  spirit  to  return"'  to  himself, 
And  were  to  gather  unto  himself  his  breath  ; 

^^  All  flesh  would  expire  together, 

And  man  would  return  unto  the  dust. 

^^  And  if  r  thou  hast^  understanding,  hear  this  ; 

Give  ear  to  the  voice  of  my  words. 
^^  Can  one  that  hateth  right  govern  ? 

And  wilt  thou  pronounce  wicked  the  mighty  just  one  ? 


consequently  again  He  cannot  do  wickedly.  Such  seems  to  be 
the  line  of  argument  underlying  the  v.,  the  idea  of  God's 
supremacy  being  further  enforced  in  ^*^-  God  may  call  the  '*  sons 
of  the  gods  "  to  account  for  unjust  administration  (Ps.  82),  but 
the  "sons  of  the  gods,"  and  still  less  men,  have  neither  right 
nor  power  to  call  God  to  account :  He  can  do  no  wrong. — Hath 
laid  upon  hini\  though  uncertain,  this  rendering  is  preferable  to 
the  alternatives  disposed  (RV.),  founded  {i.e.  at  creation), 
observedy  attended  to  (see  phil.  n.);  for  all  these  are  open  to 
the  objections  (i)  that,  whereas  the  first  line  expects  the 
answer :  No  one,  the  second  would  require  the  answer  :  No  one 
but  He ;  and  (2)  so  interpreted,  would  obscure  the  line  of 
thought  suggested  by  *. 

14  f.  All  human  life  is  absolutely  dependent  on  God,  who 
creates  human  life  by  imparting  spirit  and  breath  (Gn.  2'^, 
Is.  42^,  Ps.  104^^),  and  ends  it  by  withdrawing  (Ps.  104^^, 
Eccl.  12^)  these.  God  could,  if  He  wished,  demonstrate  His 
supremacy  by  depriving  every  living  thing  of  life  in  a  single 
moment.  Whether  the  further  thought  is  present,  that  man's 
still  living  on  proves  God's  benevolent  care  (Peake),  or  freedom 
from  unrighteousness  (cp.  Bu.  Di.),  is  doubtful.  With  the 
phraseology  here  cp.  particularly  Ps.  104^^:  "He  gathereth 
their  breath,  they  expire,  and  return  unto  their  dust":  Eccl. 
12^,  "  the  spirit  returneth  unto  God."  The  spirit  of  life  in  man 
may  be  described  either  as  man's  spirit  from  its  residing  in  man 
during  life  (so  Ps.  104^^),  or  as  God's  spirit  from  its  originating 
with  Him  (here,  Ps.  104^^).  On  the  text  translated  above,  and 
on  J[^  (quite  illegitimately  translated  in  RV.  ^^*),  see  phil.  n. 

16.  Elihu  turns  from  the  wider  audience  (^"^^)  to  address 
Job  in  particular. 


298  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXIV.  17-20 

18  Him  who  saith  to  a  king,  **  Thou  scoundrel  "  ! 

And  to  nobles,  **  Ye  wicked  "  ; 
^^  Who  showeth  not  partiality  to  princes, 

Nor  regardeth  the  opulent  above  the  poor  ? 


17.  The  point  of  the  question  appears  to  be :  God  actually 
governs,  and  is  ipso  facto  a  lover  and  securer  of  right  within  His 
dominion  ;  for,  *  hatred  and  rejection  of  right  brings  govern- 
ment to  naught :  injustice  and  government  are  incompatible ; 
similarly,  ^  God  is  the  mighty  just  one :  therefore  He  is  not 
unjust,  and  you  must  not  say  that  He  is.  Since  whether  the 
government  of  God  and  perversion  of  right,  God  and  injustice 
are  incompatibles,  is  the  question  that  Job  has  raised,  Elihu's 
questions  imply  assertions  which,  as  Du.  (cp.  Peake)  well 
points  out,  are  really  a  petitio  prhicipii. 

18.  Develops  and  expands  the  idea  of  "the  mighty  just 
one  "  in  ^^ :  God  is  not  deflected  from  the  path  of  equity  by  the 
fear  or  favour  of  the  great  ones  of  the  earth ;  as  their  maker 
(1^)  He  is  immeasurably  mightier  than  they ;  kings  and  princes 
no  less  than  the  poorest  of  mankind,  if  they  are  wicked.  He 
calls  and  treats  as  such ;  men  may,  and  too  often  do  (Is.  32^), 
call  wicked  men  in  high  places  good :  not  so  God.  On  the 
indefensible  interpretation  of  ilH  followed  by  EVV.  see  phil.  n. 
— Scoundrel]  Heb.  Jfliyycial^  belial^  the  term  used  of  various 
forms  of  contemptible  or  outrageous  conduct,  such  as  con- 
temptible niggardliness  (Dt.  15®,  i  S.  25^^  30^^),  outrageous 
sexual  offence  (Jg.  19^^),  professional  perjury  (i  K.  21^^;  cp. 
Pr.  19^^) ;  here  it  is  best  taken  widely  as  implying  any  form  of 
peculiarly  heinous  wickedness. 

19c,  20a.  The  reason  why  God  does  not  excuse  wickedness 
in  the  rich  and  powerful  is  {^^^)  that  they  are  His  creatures 
with  whom  He  has  no  cause  to  curry  favour,  and  the  proof  (2^*) 
that  they  are  wicked  is  the  fact  that  such  persons  die  suddenly. 
But  this  is  awkwardly  expressed,  and  the  form  of  the  distich  is 
suspicious :  see  phil.  n. — At  midnight]  death  steals  upon  them 
when  they  are  not  expecting  it :  cp.  27^^^-,  Jer.  49^,  i  Thess.  5^, 
Lk.  1220. 

20b.  C.  ?^  is  corrupt,  and  the  emended  text  not  certain ; 
see  phil.    n.  —  The  opulent]  v.^^^  ;  J^  (the)  people, — Smitten]  of 


XXXIV.  20-23.]  ELIHU  299 

For  the  work  of  his  hands  are  they  all  ; 

20  In  a  moment  they  die  and  at  midnight : 
The  '"opulent^  are  "^ smitten "•,  and  pass  away, 

And  the  mighty  are  removed  without  hand. 

21  For  his  eyes  are  on  the  ways  of  a  man, 

And  all  his  steps  he  seeth. 

22  There  is  no  darkness,  and  there  is  no  thick  gloom. 

For  the  workers  of  iniquity  therein  to  hide  themselves. 

23  For  not  for  a  man  doth  he  appoint  a  ^  stated  time  \ 

That  he  should  go  before  God  in  judgment. 

24  He  breaketh  in  pieces  mighty  men  without  investigation, 

And  setteth  others  in  their  place. 

25  Therefore  he  knoweth  their  works, 

And  overturneth  (them)  in  the  night  so  that  they  are 

crushed. 


God  II  to  "without  (human)  hand'*  in  °,  the  vb.  being  the 
pass.  (Ps.  73^)  of  that  used  in  i^^  (n.)  ig^i :  f^  shaken  violently, — 
Without  hand]  mysteriously,  not  by  the  hand  of  men,  but  by 
God  :  see  phil.  n. 

21  f.  As  God  allows  no  sinner,  however  powerful,  to 
escape  through  fear  of  Him  i^^-,  so  He  never,  through  limitation 
of  knowledge,  fails  to  observe  and  punish  sin  :  He  is  omniscient. 
Cp.  22^^^-,  where  Eliphaz  misrepresents  Job,  who,  no  less  than 
the  friends,  admits  (31*)  the  omniscience  of  God,  but  draws  the 
different  conclusion  that  He  must  therefore  be  aware  of  his 
innocence  (10^). 

22.  Ps.  1391"-;  Jer.  23^*. 

23  f.  The  punishment  of  God  descends  on  man  in  a  moment 
{^^) ;  for,  being  omniscient  (^^'•),  He  has  no  need  to  be  hindered 
by  'Maw's  delays";  unlike  a  human  judge,  He  appoints  no 
future  day  for  the  hearing  of  the  case,  nor  has  any  need  to 
carry  on  a  lengthy  and  laborious  investigation  of  it.  The 
words  seem  to  be  directed  against  the  wish  which  Job  has 
expressed  that  the  case  between  God  and  himself  might  be 
heard,  and  that  the  reason  of  God's  treatment  should  thus 
be  revealed  (23^^-),  though  he  has  anticipated  Elihu  in 
pointing  out  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  God  and  man  do  not  meet 
at  a  tribunal  (<f^-). — For  .  .  .  a  stated  time\  J^  is  most  simply 
rendered  :  for  of  a  man  he  takes  no  further  notice ;  against  this 
and  other  renderings  of  fl^,  see  phil.  n. 


;00  THE    BOOK   OF    JOB  [XXXIV.  25-33, 

26  [His  wrath]  shattereth  the  wicked, 

He  slappeth  them  in  the  place  of  (all)  beholders. 

27  Forasmuch  as  they  turned  aside  from  following  him, 

And  heeded  none  of  his  ways, 
2®  That  they  might  cause  the  cry  of  the  poor  to  come  unto 

him, 

And  that  he  tnight  hear  the  cry  of  the  needy. 
2^  And  if  he  giveth  quiet,  who  then  can  condemn  ? 

And  if  he  hide  the  face,  who  then  can  behold  him  ? 

30       ,  .  .  .*.'.!. 

^^  For  unto  God  hath  one  (ever)  said,  **  .  .  . 

•  ••••••• 

^2       .  .  .  do  thou  teach  me  : 

If  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  it  no  more." 

^3  According  to  ^'/zj' judgment,  .   .   .  ? 
For  thou  must  choose,  and  not  I ; 
And  what  thou  knowest,  speak. 


25.  If  the  V.  is  in  place  (Du.  om.  ^^y  Bu.  25-28 .  ggg  ^^Jsq  pjjjj^ 
n.  on  26)^  and  rightly  read,  therefore^  as  in  Is.  26^'*,  does  not 
denote  consequence,  but  develops  what  is  implicit  in  what  pre- 
cedes, here  in  23f-  {^Lex.  487^). 

26a.  5^,  unsuitably :  instead  of  the  wicked  he  slappeth 
them,  etc.      See,  further,  phil.  n. 

28.  That  they  might\  the  consequence  being  represented  as 
the  intention  :  cp.  e.g.  Am.  2^,  Jer.  7^^  (Lex.  s.v.  ly^i' ;  cp.  775^). 

29-33.  These  verses  are  as  a  whole  unintelligible,  the 
details  being,  if  not  unintelligible,  then  (as  in  -^)  very  ambigu- 
ous, and  the  ambiguities,  in  face  of  the  extreme  uncertainty  of 
the  remainder,  insoluble.  In  addition  to  its  unintelligibility, 
the  formlessness  of  much  (29^-  ^^-  ^i-  ^)  of  the  passage  points  to 
considerable  corruption  of  the  text.  By  the  help  of  emenda- 
tions, necessarily  conjectural,  for  C&  omits  the  vv.  and  the 
other  VV.  give  no  help,  or  by  forced  and  utterly  improbable 
interpretations  of  the  existing  text,  translations  have  been 
attempted,  but  none,  at  least  of  29c-32a  jg  sufficiently  probable  to 
be  reproduced  above.  One  or  two  alternatives  may  be  given 
here  ;  discussion  of  further  details  may  be  found  in  the  phil.  nn. 
Without  emendation,  and  without  attempting  to  make  indi- 
vidual   clauses  more    intelligible    in   English  than  they  are  in 


XXXIV.  33.]  ELIHU  3OI 

J^,  the  vv.  may  be  rendered  :  ^9  And  (if)  he  Is  (or,  giveth)  quiet, 
who,  then,  can  condemn?  And  (if)  he  hide  the  face,  who, 
then,  can  behold  him  ?  Both  upon  (or,  toward,  or  agfainst)  a 
nation,  and  upon  (or  against)  man  together ;  ^^  That  the  godless 
men  reign  not.  That  (there  be)  no  snares  of  the  people.  ^^  For 
unto  God  hath  one  said,  I  have  borne,  I  will  not  offend  (or, 
without  offending) ;  ^^  Beyond  (that  which)  I  see,  do  thou  teach 
me  :  if  I  have  done  iniquity,  I  will  do  it  no  more.  ^^  According 
to  //zy judgment,  will  he  repay  it?  that  (or  because)  thou  hast 
refused  it.  For  (or,  that)  thou  shouldest  choose,  and  not  I : 
and  what  thou  knowest,  speak.  If  this  strangely  expressed 
passage  was  really  written  originally  as  it  now  stands,  it  might, 
perhaps,  with  least  improbability  be  explained  (cp.  Dr.  in  the 
Book  of  Job)  as  follows  : — ^9  When  God  gives  respite  from 
tyrannical  rule,  who  can  condemn  Him  for  indifference  or 
injustice  ?  and  when  He  hides  His  face  from  the  deposed  tyrants, 
which  of  them  can  recover  His  favour  ?  In  acting  as  these 
questions  suggest,  God  keeps  in  view  alike  the  interests  of  the 
individual  and  of  the  nation,  ^^  preventing  godless  men  from 
continuing  to  reign  and  from  alluring  the  people  to  ruin.  This 
point  of  view  must  be  put,  ^^  for  Job  has  spoken  as  no  one  ever  had 
done  before  him,  asserting  that  he  had  suffered,  though  he  had 
committed  no  offence,  ^^  insisting  that  God  should  show  him 
the  sins  he  knows  not  of,  and  saying  that  if  he  has  sinned  (but 
not  admitting  that  he  has  done  so),  he  will  do  so  no  more. 
3^  Elihu  is  satisfied  with  God's  system  of  recompence  :  Job  is 
not,  but  insists  on  one  according  to  his  judgment  of  what  is 
fitting :  it  is  for  Job  then,  and  not  for  Elihu,  to  choose  what 
this  alternative  system  of  recompence  shall  be :  let  Job  say 
what  it  is.  Apart  from  minuter  details,  the  chief  difference 
among  those  who  attempt  to  interpret  the  text  as  it  stands,  or 
as  it  has  been  variously  emended,  turns  on  the  ambiguity  of 
29,  and  on  the  nature  of  the  speech  in  ^^^-  ^2.  According  to  an 
alternative  interpretation,  ^9  refers  to  the  (seeming)  inactivity 
of  God  ;  even  when  God,  in  spite  of  cries  for  help  (^s)  directed 
to  him,  keeps  quiet  and  hides  his  face  so  as  not  to  give  the 
help  asked  for,  as  many  psalms  show  that  he  frequently  seemed 
to  do,  man  must  not  criticize,  as  Job  has  done  (Du.).     The 


302  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXIV.  33-86. 

34  Men  of  understanding  will  say  to  me, 

And  (every)  wise  man  that  heareth  me, 
85  *<Job  doth  not  speak  with  knowledge, 

Nor  are  his  words  (uttered)  with  discretion. 
36  Would  that  Job  were  tried  unto  the  end. 

Because  of  (his)  answers  like  those  of  wicked  men." 


speech  in  3ib.  32  j^^s  not  only  been  understood  as  above,  but  (i) 
as  containing  a  genuine  and  penitent  confession  of  sin  which 
certainly  seems  to  be  the  most  natural  way  to  take  ^2^^  the  least 
suspicious  and  ambiguous  line  in  the  whole  passage  (Bu.) ;  then, 
if  31*  be  left  unemended,  Elihu  implies  that  Job  has  never  made 
such  a  confession  ( ' '  for  unto  God  hath  he  ever  said  ?  no,  never  ") ; 
or,  if  31*  be  emended,  it  is  (reading  "^^g  for  nDsn)  an  exhortation 
to  Job  to  make  such  a  confession,  or  (reading  "ip^^n?)  a  state- 
ment of  what  is  the  fitting  course  to  take  when  God  seems 
inactive  in  the  face  of  appeals  for  help ;  or,  (2)  3i.  32  ^as  been 
taken  hypothetically,  the  virtual  protasis  beginning  with  33 
(Du.).  31  If  unto  God  one  hath  said  ...  33  on  thy  account 
must  he  repay  it  ?  In  c.  21,  Job  had  demanded  the  punishment 
of  the  godless  as  the  price  of  his  believing  that  the  government 
of  the  world  is  moral,  but  if,  says  Elihu  on  this  interpretation, 
the  godless  makes  a  penitent  confession,  must  God  still  punish 
him  in  order  that  you  may  believe?  This,  too,  involves 
emendation,  and  even  the  emended  text  states  the  hypothesis 
in  an  extraordinary  manner  (see  phil.  n.). 

34.  All  wise  (cp.  2*)  and  intelligent  (cp.  ^^*)  men  must  agree 
with  Elihu,  that  Job's  wicked  words  against  God  display  ignor- 
ance and  lack  of  insight. 

35  f.  The  text  is  again  uncertain  ;  but  as  Job  is  clearly 
referred  to  in  the  third  person  (ct.  ^^'  32),  it  is  better  to  take  the 
vv.  as  continuing  the  citation  of  the  opinion  of  the  wise  men 
begun  in  35  :  the  opinion  cited  is  that  which  Elihu  assumes 
must  be  that  of  those  (^)  for  whom  he  had  summarized  in  ^'• 
Job's  words.  If  the  opening  word  of  36  (^35^)  really  meant  J 
would  that,  and  retained  its  force,  the  words  of  the  wise  would 
be  confined  to  3^,  and  with  36  Elihu  would  resume. 

36.  Tried]  cp.  7^^. — Un^o  the  end]  i.e.  till  he  ceases  from  his 
wicked  answers.     But  the  sense  of  36  may  have  been  rather 


XXXIV.  86-37.J  ELIHU  303 

37  **  For  he  addeth  unto  his  sin  rebellion, 
Among-  us  he  slappeth  (his  hands), 

And  multipiieth  his  words  against  God." 


different;  an  emended  text  (see  phil.  n.)  would  read,  But  would 
that  Job  would  let  himself  be  warned  for  ever,  And  let  him  not 
class  himself  among  wicked  men. 

37.  Jle  addeth  unto  his  sin  rebellion^  i.e.  he  persists  in  sinning, 
becoming  even  more  contumacious  as  fresh  opportunities  arise. 
With  the  idiom  cp.  Is.  30^,  **  to  add  sin  unto  sin*' ;  i  S.  12^^, 
**  We  have  added  unto  all  our  sins  what  is  bad  in  asking  for 
ourselves  a  king,"  and  the  different  though  similarly  constructed 
phrase  in  Jer.  45^. — Rebellion\  the  term  (ytJ'S)  often  occurs  as  a 
mere  synonym  of  other  words  for  sin  or  iniquity;  so  ||  to 
iniquity  (py),  7^1  1417  3183  3^9 .  ^q  sJ,^  (nt<Dn)  13^3  and  (ndh, 
vb.)  8*  35^;  if  so  used  here,  the  entire  phrase  *'add  to  sin 
rebellion"  is  merely  a  variant  on  **  add  sin  to  sin."  But  the 
use  of  two  different  terms  rather  suggests  that  the  second  in 
contrast  to  the  first  is  stronger ;  so  in  8*  35^  it  stands,  climac- 
tically  perhaps,  in  the  second  line  of  the  distich  :  yet  in  Ps.  32^ 
it  stands  first.  Such  a  climactic  use  of  ytJ'D  as  contrasted  with 
nXDn  would  be  in  accordance  with  certain  usages  of  the  nouns 
or  vbs.  ;  the  vb.  j;5J>D  is  used  at  times  of  political  revolt  or 
rebellion  {e.g,  2  K.  i^,  i  K.  12^^),  whereas  nSDH  starts  from  the 
less  positive  meaning  of  missing  the  mark  (see  phil.  n.  on  5^*). 
Yet  even  if  a  difference  is  intended  here,  it  is  a  difference  in 
the  intensity  rather  than  in  the  character  of  the  sin ;  it  is  very 
doubtful,  therefore,  whether  *'  sin  "  refers  in  particular  to  Job's 
earlier  conduct,  assumed  by  Elihu  as  by  Eliphaz  in  c.  22,  to 
have  been  evil,  and  rebellion  to  his  speeches  against  God 
(Di.  :  cp.  Dr.).  Even  more  probably  if  ^sf.  belong  to  the 
speech  of  the  wise  men  of  3*,  if  <<  answers  "  in  ^^b  is  the  correct 
text,  and  if  ^^b  should  be  omitted,  ^7*  would  refer  rather  (like 
its  parallel  37c)  to  Job's  persistent  and  increasingly  violent 
blasphemous  speeches. 

37b.  The  line  is  short  and  elliptical,  and  separates  the  two 
far  more  closely  parallel  lines  *  and  °.  It  may  be  out  of  place. 
— He  slappeth  his  hands]  makes  mocking  gestures  at  God  (cp. 
rather  differently  2723). 


304  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXV.  1-a 

XXXV.  ^  And  EHhu  answered  and  said, 
2  This  thinkest  thou  to  be  right, 

(And)  sayest  (of  it),   **  My  righteousness   before 

God," 
8  That  thou  sayest.  What  advantage  hast  thou, 

**  Wherein  am  I  better  off  than  if  I  had  sinned  ?  " 


XXXV.  In  this  third  part  (cp.  33^  34^)  of  Elihu's  refutation 
much  is  awkwardly  expressed ;  and  the  argument  is  none  too 
clearly  articulated.  Elihu  starts  afresh  (cp.  34^)  with  a  sum- 
mary of  what  he  supposes  Job  to  have  maintained,  viz.  that 
righteousness  does  not  pay  (^^•),  and  argues  {^~'^)  that  God  is  too 
exalted  to  derive  any  benefit  from  Job's  (or,  implicitly,  from 
any  man's)  righteousness,  even  if  this  were  a  reality.  It  is 
perhaps  implied,  though  certainly  not  explicitly  stated  or  even 
clearly  indicated,  that  God  accordingly  is  not,  like  human 
judges,  deflected  from  the  even  course  of  j'ustice  by  the  receipt 
of  bribes :  consequently  He  does  reward  the  righteous :  and 
therefore  righteousness  pays.  It  is,  then,  only  men  who  benefit 
by  or  suffer  from  the  righteousness  or  wickedness  of  their  fellow- 
men  (^) ;  but  men  do  so  benefit  or  suffer,  and  so  there  are  both 
wicked  oppressors  and  victims  of  oppression  (^) ;  these  victims 
often  cry  to  God  for  redress,  and  often,  it  is  true,  they  are  not 
heard  {^^).  This,  however,  is  not  because  God  is  unjust,  but 
because  these  very  victims  are  not  really  religious  Q^^-  ^^) ;  and 
Job  (though  not  the  victim  of  oppression)  is  pre-eminently  one 
of  those  who  have  not  appealed  to  God  in  a  truly  religious 
spirit  (1^-16). 

2f.  Do  you  really  think  that  you  are  placed  in  the  right 
before  God  by  your  repeated  (-IDNH,  freq.)  assertions  that  man 
gets  no  advantage  from  being  righteous? — This]  viz.  ''that 
thou  sayest,"  etc.  (^).  On  different  views  of  the  construction 
and  translation  of  ^^,  see  phil.  n. 

3.  Cp.  34^  with  n.  In  ^  (hast)  ^/loti  (=Job)  is  indirect 
narration  ;  in  ^  /  (  =  Job)  is  direct ;  see  phil.  n.  Richter  takes 
the  whole  to  be  direct  narration,  so  that  thou  in  *  =  God,  and 
Job's  saying  consists  of  two  questions  :  What  advantage  does 
God  get?  (cp.  22^).  What  advantage  do  I  get?  But  this 
would  probably  have  required  more  emphatic  expression  of  the 


XXXV.  3-9.]  ELIHU  305 

*  /will  answer  thee, 

And  thy  friends  with  thee. 
^  Look  to  the  heavens,  and  see ; 

And  behold  the  skies — they  are  higher  than  thou. 
6  If  thou  hast  sinned,  what  achievest  thou  against  him? 

And  if  thy  transgressions  be  many,  what  doest  thou  unto 

him? 
7^  If  thou  be  righteous,  what  givest  thou  to  him? 

Or  what  from  thy  hand  doth  he  receive  ? 
s  A  man  like  thyself  thy  wickedness  (affects), 

And  a  son  of  man  thy  wickedness  ! 
^  By  reason  of  the  multitude  of  oppressions  men  cry  out ; 

They  call  for  help  by  reason  of  the  arm  of  the  '^mighty'' ; 


pronouns  than  is  found  in  ^.  Richter's  view  of  the  chapter  is 
that  Elihu  is  refuting  the  doctrine  that  religion  is  to  be  judged 
from  the  standpoint  of  utility;  but  though  it  is  true  that  ^-^ 
deny  that  man's  religion  is  useful  to  God^  on  the  other  hand 
^"^^  are  anything  but  a  denial  of  the  utility  of  religion  to  man : 
the  argument  there  is  not  that  man  gets  no  advantage  from 
being  religious,  but  that  victims  of  oppression  fail  to  get  the 
help  they  cry  for  because  they  are  not  really  religious ;  in  other 
words,  Elihu  is  attempting  to  harmonize  certain  obstinate  facts 
with  the  eudaemonistic  view  of  religion  which  he  shares  with 
the  friends  (cp.  especially  Eliphaz  in  c.  22),  and  with  the  Satan 
of  the  prologue ;  but  which  the  author  of  the  prologue  repudi- 
ates, and  from  which  in  the  dialogue  he  depicts  Job  emancipa- 
ting himself. 

4.  Thy  friends]  the  three  friends  (ffi  Bu.  Di.  Du.)  must  be 
intended,  not  the  wicked  men  of  348-86  (Del.  Da.)  who  would 
scarcely  have  been  referred  to  by  the  term  elsewhere  used  for 
the  three  friends  (2^^  19^1  and  ?  32^). 

5-7.  Elihu  proceeds  to  "answer"  Job  and  his  friends  by  an 
appeal  to  the  transcendence  of  God  which  places  Him  beyond 
receiving  either  hurt  or  help  from  man — a  point  already  urged 
by  Eliphaz  (222^-)  and  admitted  by  Job  [f^) ! 

5.  God  in  heaven  is  beyond  the  reach  of  man :  cp.  1 1^~^ 
(Sophar)  22^2  (Eliphaz). 

6f.  In  substance  a  repetition  of  222'-  (Eliphaz) :  cp.  7^0  (Job)* 
8,  9.  See  the  introductory  n.  to  this  chapter. 
20 


3o6  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXV.  9-12. 

I*'  And  none  had  said,  '*  Where  is  God  my  Maker, 

Who  giveth  songs  in  the  night : 
1^  Who  teacheth  us  more  than  the  beasts  of  the  earth, 

And  maketh  us  wiser  than  the  birds  of  the  heaven." 
12  There  they  cry  out — but  he  answereth  not — 

Because  of  the  pride  of  the  wicked. 


9.  Oppressions]  or,  oppressors',  see  phil.  n. — Call  for  help] 
cp.  24^'-. — Ar?7i\  fig.  for  might:  cp.  22^-^  n. 

10.  II.  The  kind  of  confession  which  truly  religious  men, 
whether  actually  under  oppression  or  not,  ought  to  make,  but 
which  none  of  these  victims  (^)  of  the  violence  of  their  fellow- 
men  actually  had  made.  Du.  places  ^^  before  1^,  rendering  ^^*, 
And  he  (i.e.  Job)  said  not.  Possibly  Elihu  is  actually  citing 
some  psalm;  with  ^^^  cp.  Ps.  42^  ^^\ — And  none  had  said,  Where 
is\  all  these  victims  had  neglected  to  seek  God :  cp.  in  Jer.  2^ ; 
the  parallel  clauses '' said  not.  Where  is  Yah weh  .  .  .  knew  me 
not  .  .  .  rebelled  against  me." — My  Maker]  cp.  Ps.  95^.  As 
addressed  to  Job,  the  terms  of  the  question  are  ill  chosen ;  Job 
was  not  unmindful  that  God  was  his  Maker ;  but  the  fact  that 
He  was  such,  so  far  from  easing  rather  complicated  the  riddle  of 
his  sufferings  (lo^^-). — So7igs  in  the  night]  the  night  is  fig.  for 
times  of  suffering  and  sorrow  (cp.  Is.  21^^,  Ps.  30^) ;  in  the  very 
midst  of  distress,  before  the  morning  comes  when  His  help 
would  be  more  expected  (cp.  Ps.  46^  90^*  i43^))  God  suddenly 
intervenes   and  by  His   deliverances  gives   occasion  for  songs 

(Ps.  777  (6),   Is.   24l«,   Ps.  952). 

11.  More  than]  he  teaches  the  beasts:  not  from,  by  means 
of,  for  the  requirements  of  the  present  context  are  quite  different 
from  12^. 

12.  The  V.  is  now  most  commonly  (Ew.  Di.  Da.  Del.  Dr. 
Bu.  Peake)  taken  as  in  the  main  resumptive  of  ^ — the  oppressed 
cry  out  because  of  their  treatment  by  those  who  are  here  called 
the  wicked ;  the  fresh  point,  viz.  that  God  does  not  answer 
these  oppressed  persons,  is,  on  this  view,  introduced  paren- 
thetically, the  reason  for  their  receiving  no  answer  being 
suggested,  though  not  formally  expressed,  in  ^^- 1^-  ^^ ;  they  do 
not  seek  God  or  pray  sincerely.  This  is  certainly  very 
awkward ;    and  it  is  with  a  true  instinct  for  what  would  be 


XXXV.  12-14.]  ELIHU  307 

^3  Surely  God  doth  not  hear  unreality, 

Nor  doth  the  Almighty  behold  it  ; 
1*  How  much  less  when  thou  sayest  (that)  thou  beholdest  him 

not, 

(That)  the  cause  is  before  him,  and  thou  waitest  for  him. 


more  natural  that  some  {e.g.  Hi.)  have  sought  in  ^'^  the  reason 
not  for  the  cry,  but  for  the  cry  remaining  unheard :  they  are 
not  answered  because  they  are  proud ;  on  the  other  hand,  to 
refer  to  the  oppressed  allusively  as  the  wicked,  when  the 
oppressors  have  at  least  a  better  title  to  the  term,  is  unnatural. 
For  the  pride  of  the  wicked  as  the  source  of  suffering  to  their 
fellow-men,  cp.  Ps.  10^,  Zeph.  2^^. 

13.  Unreality]  **  mere  empty  complaining  (^),  not  the  voice  of 
true  religious  trust  (^^'•),"  Dr. — Behold]  favourably  ;  cp.  Hab.  i^^. 

14- 16.  The  connection  is  very  obscure  and  uncertain;  and  the 
transition  from  the  address  to  Job  in  ^^  to  the  reference  to  him 
in  the  3rd  pers.  in  ^^  is  strange.  This  may  be  due  to  the  loss 
or  misplacement  of  entire  lines  or  distichs.  Taken  by  itself  ^^ 
is  easy  and  straightforward,  and  the  lines  of  ^*  taken  separately 
would  present  no  great  difficulty,  but  within  ^^  some  mutilation 
of  the  text  has  occurred.  Di.  suspects  the  loss  of  two  lines 
between  ^^^  and  ^ :  Du.  places  ^^  between  ^  and  ^^,  and  takes  ^^ 
with  36^.  Nichols  places  ^^'-  immediately  after  34^'^  and  im- 
mediately before  34^'^.  V.^^  (in  f^  or  as  emended  above)  is 
neither  satisfactorily  taken  as  complete  in  itself,  nor  as  com- 
pleted by  1^.  But  the  attempts  to  surmount  these  difficulties 
by  further  conjectural  emendation  or  rearrangement  are  them- 
selves too  uncertain  to  be  embodied  in  the  above  translation. 

14.  If  God  does  not  listen  to  those  who  call  to  Him  without 
true  religious  feeling  and  resignation  (i^),  much  less  will  He 
listen  to  Job  who  assumes  a  positively  irreligious  and  complain- 
ing attitude. — Thou  beholdest  him  not]  summarizing  such  sayings 
of  Job  as  132*  23^'-  24^^  30^^ — That  the  causey  etc.]  ^  unless 
emended,  is  most  naturally  taken  (Di.  RV.)  as  continuing,  and 
parallel  to,  Job's  words  at  the  end  of  *:  in  this  case  the 
meaning  is  :  Job's  cause  (cp.  13^^  23*,  but  there  tOBC'C,  here  pn) 
lies  unheeded  before  God,  and  Job  waits  in  vain  for  God  to  give 
it  attention.     Less  naturally  the  line  has  been  taken  as  Elihu's 


i.o8  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXV.  14-16. 

\j 

15  And  now,  because  '"  his  anger  visiteth  not  1, 

And  he  careth  not  greatly  about  •"  transgression  "• — 

16  And  Job  openeth  his  mouth  (to  utter)  emptiness  ; 

Without  knowledge  he  multiplieth  words. 


reply  to  Job's  objection  in  *:  Nay,  if  thou  sayest  that  thou 
beholdest  Him  not,  (I  say  in  reply)  the  cause  is  before  Him,  i.e. 
is  receiving  His  attention,  and  thou  shouldst  wait  patiently  for 
His  decision;  so  RVm.  Del.  Bu.  Emending  Perl.  Du.  (cp. 
Peake)  render.  Be  still  before  Him,  and  wait  for  Him,  where  the 
sense  would  indicate  that  the  words  are  Elihu's  reply. 

15.   In  this  V.  too,  taken  by  itself,  and  as  it  stands  in  f^  or 
is  emended  above,  it  is  most  natural  to  take  ^  as  parallel  to  *. 
But  there  are  two  serious  objections  to  so  interpretinglhe  v., 
if  it  states  the  cause   of  which  ^^  gives  the  effect :    for  (i)  this 
would  naturally  imply  that  Eliku  thought  God  inactive  in  the 
face  of  transgression,  which  he  did  not ;    and  (2)  it  would  give 
too  secondary  a  reason  for  Job's  speeches ;    he  had,  it  is  true, 
referred  to  the  failure  of  God  to  punish  the  wicked  (cc.  21,  24I2), 
but  it  is  the  sufferings  of  the  righteous  that  are  the  primary 
cause  of  debate.     These  objections  are  only  partly  met  by  the 
less  natural  interpretation  of  the  v.,  which  has  been  adopted  in 
order  to  avoid  connecting  ^^  and  ^^  as  cause  and  effect :  accord- 
ino-  to  this,  ^^  means  :  And  now  because  (hitherto)  his  anger  has 
not  visited    (the    evil-doers    in    circumstances    such    as    those 
described  in  ^'^•),  (You  say)  he  careth  not  much  about  transgression : 
and  so  righteousness  profits  a  man  no  more  than  sin  (2-  3) ;  16  jg 
then  an  independent  statement  closing  the  speech.     Both  these 
methods  of  interpretation  are  so  unsatisfactory,  that  the  prob- 
ability of  textual  disorder  is  great.     Du.  (who  places  ^^  before 
1^  and  omits  36^),  treating  ^^  as  exclamatory,  and  as  the  starting- 
point  of  a  new  division   of  Elihu's   speech   in  which  he  does 
actually  reply  to  the  position  assigned  (implicitly)  to  Job  in  ^^ 
(see  36^-  ^'  12-14)^  interprets  35^^  36^  thus :  And  now  (as  for  your 
further  assertion)  that  His  anger  punishes  nothing,  and  that  He 
troubleth  Himself  not  much  about  iniquity,  wait  for  me  a  little, 
and  I  will  show  thee.     For  another  attempt  to  surmount  the 
difficulties  of  the  connection  by  conjecture,  see  phil.  n. 
16.  Cp.  34''. 


XXXVI.  1-4.]  ELIHU  309 

XXXVI.  1  And  Elihu  said  further, 

2  Wait  for  me  a  little,  and  I  will  declare  to  thee  ; 
For  •"  P  have  yet  words  (to  say)  on  behalf  of 

God. 
8  I  will  fetch  my  knowledge  from  afar, 

And  I  will  ascribe  righteousness  to  my  Maker. 
*  For  of  a  truth  my  words  are  not  false  ; 

He  that  is  perfect  in  knowledge  is  with  thee. 


XXXVI.  XXXVII.  In  this  final  section  of  his  speech, 
Elihu,  after  briefly  justifying  his  continuing  to  speak  ^-'^,  main- 
tains that  God  treats  men  severely  or  with  favour  according  as 
they  are  righteous  or  unrighteous,  •^■'^,  and  more  especially 
according  to  the  temper  in  which  they  receive  disciplinary 
suffering,  ^-^^ ;  and  Job,  he  points  out,  is  viewing  the  fate  of 
those  who  receive  such  suffering  in  the  wrong  temper,  ^^-^i : 
he  should  rather  (36^*  37^*)  magnify  God  whose  works  are 
great,  past  finding  out,  or  (37^^^*)  participating  in ;  who  is 
therefore  teacher,  not  taught,  nor  open  to  condemnation 
(37^-^-),   but  humbly  to  be  marvelled  at  and  praised  by  men 

2.  Waz^  a  little]  while  Elihu  sets  forth  his  further  defence 
of  God. — /  have]  J^  (there  are)^  or,  the  entire  line  in  J^  might 
(Fried.  Del.),  but  should  not,  be  rendered,  God  has  yet  words  [to 
say). — On  behalf  0/  God]  cp.   I3'''  ^  42^  2122. 

3.  In  justifying  God  ^,  Job  will  speak  comprehen- 
sively *. 

4.  Elihu's  words  for  God  {^)  are  not,  as  Job  had  pronounced 
(13^*"-)  those  of  the  friends  to  have  been,  false. — He  that  is  perfect 
in  knowledge]  here  Elihu :  in  37^^,  God. — Is  with  thee]  is  con- 
versing with  thee. 

5-7.  Without  actually  citing  Job  as  in  33^-^^  34^'-  35^**,  Elihu 
briefly  states  as  the  theme  of  what  follows  (down  to  2^)  that 
God  is  not,  as  Job  had  alleged,  indiscriminate  in  His  treatment 
of  men  ;  this  theme  is  then  developed  in  ^-^i.  In  J^  (see  on  ^) 
two  themes  seem  to  be  indicated  :  i.  God's  might  and  wisdom  ; 
2.  His  discriminating  treatment  of  men :  both  these  themes 
are  treated  subsequently,  but  in  the  reverse  order  (God's  might, 
etc.,  from  36^2  onwards). 


3IO  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXVI.  5-7. 

^    Behold,  God  rejecteth  not  '^the  perfect  1, 

^*      '"And  "•  keepeth  not  the  ungodly  alive. 

7*  He  withdraweth  not  his  eyes  from  the  righteous, 

^^      And  he  granteth  the  right  of  the  wronged  ; 

7^  And  with  kings  upon  the  throne, 

He  caused  them  to  dwell  for  ever,  and  they  are  exalted. 


5.  1^,  awkwardly  and  with  questionable  rhythm,  Behold 
God  is  mighty  (34^^)  and  rejecteth  (8^^)  not  {i.e.  regards  nothing 
and  no  one  as  too  small  to  receive  attention — Di.),  Mighty 
in  strength  of  heart,  i.e.  of  intelligence  (9^  34^*  7^^  ("•))•  ^^^^ 
translation  above  follows  (&  (cp.  8^^). — Rejecteth  not  the  perfect] 
so  ^;  Du.,  conjecturally,  rejecteth  the  hardened  in  hearty  i.e. 
the  obstinately  wicked  who  persistently  refuses  to  obey  God : 
cp.  Ex.  7^^  9^.  Between  ^  and  Du.  (see  phil.  n.)  the  choice  is 
difficult ;  it  is  in  favour  of  Du.'s  conjecture  that  it  gives  an 
entire  distich  to  God's  treatment  of  the  wicked  followed  by  a 
distich  on  His  treatment  of  the  righteous. 

6a.  Job  had  asked,  ''wherefore  do  the  wicked  live"  (21^): 
the  answer  is  that  Job  is  wrong  as  to  the  fact :  the  wicked  do  not 
live  :  God  does  not  suffer  it. — Keepeth  not  ative]  cuts  short  life 
judicially,  as  Ex.  22^^;  ct.  Ps.  30*  33^^  41^.  As  God  keeps  the 
righteous  in  life,  not,  of  course,  for  ever,  but  to  the  full  normal 
period  of  human  life,  so  He  cuts  off  the  wicked  long  before  that 
period  is  reached  (^*). 

7  (with  ^^).  While  God  rejects  the  wicked,  bringing  them  to 
an  untimely  end  ^-  %  he  never  fails  to  look  after  the  righteous  : 
even  though  they  may  be  wronged  and  for  a  time  brought 
low,  He  rights  them  and  greatly  exalts  them. — The  wronged] 
Heb.  *dnt,  which  '*  means  properly  one  humbled  or  bowed  down, 
especially  by  oppression,  deprivation  of  rights,  etc.,  but  also, 
more  generally,  by  misfortune  .  .  .  the  d?iiy  while  often,  no 
doubt,  a  person  in  need,  was  primarily  a  person  suffering  some 
kind  of  social  disability  or  distress  " — Dr.  in  DB  iv.  19.— 
7  b.  C.     Cp.  5I1  n. 

8-I4.  The  right  and  the  wrong  way  of  accepting  discipli« 
nary  suffering. 

8-1 1.  The  right  way  :  men  who  are  afflicted  are  to  recognize 
that  they  have  transgressed,  to  give  up  their  sin  and  to  serve 


XXXVI.  8-15.]  ELIHU  3 1 1 

^  And  if  ^  he  have"'  bound  them  In  fetters. 


(And)  they  be  caught  in  the  cords  of  affliction, 
*  Then  he  declareth  to  them  their  work, 

And  their  transgressions,  that  they  behave  themselves 

proudly. 
1^  And  he  uncovereth  their  ear  to  instruction. 

And  commandeth  that  they  return  from  naughtiness. 

11  If  they  hearken  '^to  his  voice  ^,  and  serve. 

They  complete  their  days  in  prosperity  and  their  years  in 

pleasure. 

12  But  if  they  hearken  not,  a  they  pass  away, 

And  they  expire  without  knowledge. 
1^  And  they  that  are  godless  in  heart  cherish  (?)  anger  ; 

They  cry  not  for  help  when  he  hath  bound  them. 
1*  Their  soul  dieth  in  youth. 

And  their  life  among  the  temple-prostitutes. 
1*  He  rescueth  the  wronged  by  the  wrong  which  he  suffers, 

And  uncovereth  their  ear  by  means  of  distress. 


God :  their  reward  is  release  from  affliction,  length  of  days  and 
prosperity :  cp.  33!*"^^. 

8.  If  he  have  hound  them]  cp.  ^^^ :  f^  zf  {they  are)  bound. — 
Fetters  .  .  .  cords]  fig.  (cp.  Is.  28^^)  of  calamities  and  afflictions 
rather  than  literally,  so  that  there  would  be  an  allusion  to 
captives  (i2^'^~^^)  loaded  with  fetters  (Ps.  149^  Nah.  31^: 
Is.  45^*)  and  bound  with  cords. 

9.  Declareth]  33^^. — Their  work]  i.e.  their  evil  work  :  cp.  33*^. 
— Behave  proudly]  or  mightily:   iS^^n. ;  Introd.  §  41. 

10.  Cp.  33!^     II  f.  Cp.  Is.  ii^'-      On  the  text  see  phil.  n. 
12-14.  The  wrong  way  of  accepting  suffering — angrily  1^* 

and  sullenly  1^^. 

13.  Godless]  8^^  n.  ;  the  godless  in  heart  occurs  here  only. — 
Anger]  against  God  :  on  the  strangeness  of  the  Hebrew  ex- 
pression, see  phil.  n. — They  cry  not]  to  God  ;  cp.  30^^  38" 
where,  however,  the  object  is  expressed. 

14  b.  They  die  the  premature  death  (see  phil.  n.)  of  a 
temple-prostitute.  If  the  text  may  be  trusted,  these  male 
devotees  to  unchastity  [k'dSshim'.  Dt.  23^^;  see  Dr.'s  n.  there) 
must,  worn  out  by  their  excesses,  have  died,  as  a  rule,  at  an 
early  age,  so  that  they  became  proverbial  as  victims  of  an 
untimely  death. — Life]  parallel  to  soul:  see  33^^  phil.  n. 

15.  God  uses  the  suffering  inflicted  on  men  by  their  fellow 


3 1 2  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXVI.  15-17. 

^®  But  thou  wast  enticed  away  from  (?)  the  mouth  of  confine- 
ment, 
By  amplitude  without  straitness, 

And  by  what  was  set  on  thy  table  which  was  full  of 

fatness. 
^'^  And  of  judgment  on  the  wicked  thou  art  full ; 
Judgment  and  justice  take  hold  (on  thee). 


men  as  a  means  of  delivering  and  instructing  sufferers  who 
receive  suffering  in  the  right  temper  (cp.  c.  35  with  introductory 
n.).  Possibly  the  v.  consists  of  doublets  of,  or  glosses  on, 
6b.  loa^     j)j^  places  it  between  ^^  and  ^^. — The  wronged]  "^  n. 

16-21.  In  ^-^^  Elihu  has  spoken  in  general  terms  of  the 
righteous,  the  wicked,  the  wronged  ;  he  now  deals  specifically 
with  Job.  The  text  is  scarcely  intelligible ;  and  details  in  the 
above  translation  are  uncertain.  Alternative  translations  of  ^^"^^ 
by  Di.  and  Du.  will  be  found  in  the  phil.  nn.  (p.  279  f.). 

16.  Job  has  not  learned  by  what  he  suffered ;  on  the  other 
hand  his  ample  and  rich  life  had  been  his  undoing :  and  (^'^)  he 
now  suffers  the  lot  of  the  wicked.  Others  have  understood  the 
V.  quite  differently,  viz.  as  applying  the  comfort  of  ^^  to  Job's 
case:  then  render:  Moreover  he  [i.e.  God)  hath  enticed  thee 
.  .  .  unto  amplitude  .  .  .  and  what  is  set  on  thy  table  is  full, 
etc.  ;  or  with  Bu.  making  one  or  two  slight  emendations : 
Thee,  too,  he  (i.e.  God)  entices  out  of  the  jaws  of  adversity; 
Amplitude,  not  straitness,  is  under  thee;  And  what  is  set  on 
thy  table  is  full  of  fatness. — Confinement]  ■^^^  (narrowness,  fig. 
for  distress,  as  7^^  38^^;  cp.  the  vb.  in  18^  20^2)  is  exactly  anti- 
thetical (cp.  Ps.  4^)  to  width,  amplitude  (3m)  in  ^.  But  the 
entire  phrase /ww  the  mouth  of  narrowness  (or,  of  the  adversary 
— "IV  as  19^^  and  often)  is  extraordinary  and  perhaps  corrupt. 
It  is  highly  artificial  to  interpret,  as  some  have  done,  month  of 
confinement  as  meaning  the  words  or  prayer  addressed  to  God 
by  a  humble  and  patient  sufferer. — A7nplitude'\  lit.  width; 
see  last  n.,  and  cp.  Ps.  18^^  31^  ('*a  wide  place,"  as  fig. 
of  prosperity). — Full  of  fatness]  loaded  with  rich  fare ;  cp. 
Is.  25«. 

17.  fudgment  on  the  wicked]  is  punishment :  cp.  the  use  of 
the  vb.   pn,  to  judge y  in   Gn.   15^*:  the  v.,   then,  if  it  has  any 


XXXVI.  17-21.]  ELIHU  313 

*^  For  (beware)  lest  wrath  entice  thee  into  mockery  ; 

And  let  not  the  greatness  of  the  ransom  turn  thee  aside. 
1^  Will  thy  riches  be  equal  (to  it)  without  affliction, 

Or  all  the  exertions  of  strength  ? 

20  Long  not  after  the  night, 

That  peoples  may  go  up  •"  from  "^  their  place. 

21  Take  heed,  turn  not  to  Iniquity  ; 

For   thou   hast   chosen   r  unrighteousness  ^  rather  than 

affliction. 


meaning,  should  mean  Job  is  now  suffering  to  the  full  the 
penalty  assigned  by  God  to  wickedness.  Others  give  the 
phrase  the  unparalleled  meaning,  the  judgment  passed  by 
the  wicked  on  God,  and  take  the  v.  to  be  hypothetical :  if  you 
wickedly  criticize  God,  God's  justice  will  seize  you. 

18.  Extremely  uncertain ;  but  apparently  the  meaning  Is : 
let  not  your  anger  at  God's  dealing  with  you  lead  you  into 
irreverence  ;  nor  the  severity  of  your  sufferings,  which  form 
the  ransom,  or  price  {ss""^),  which  God  will  accept  in  lieu  of 
your  life,  deflect  you,  from  the  resignation  with  which  suffering 
should  be  received,  into  rebellion  against  God.  Unsatisfactory 
are  such  alternatives  as  :  Because  (there  Is  such  a  thing  as 
the)  wrath  (of  God,  beware)  lest  thou  be  enticed  by  (thy)  suffici- 
ency (cp.  RV.);  or,  If  (thou  hast)  wrath,  let  it  not  entice  thee 
(Hi.). — Mocker)']  lit.  smiting  (of  the  hands  in  mockery) : 
cp.  27^3 ;  for  the  renderings  chastisement,  sufficiency ,  see 
phll.  n. 

19.  Also  very  uncertain  :  see  phil.  n. — Affliction]  "iv,  as  ^^, 

20.  Perhaps  the  most  unintelligible  of  all  these  verses.  Dr. 
explains  :  *'  challenge  not  the  divine  judgement  (*  night '  being 
named  as  a  time  of  disaster,  34-^-  ^6),  which  may  prove  to  be  of 
a  kind  in  which  whole  peoples  perish.  Job  has  often  desired 
to  meet  God  in  judgement  {e.g.  13^^  23^-'^)." 

2lb.  Or,  For  on  this  account  hast  thou  been  tried  through 
affliction:  see  phil.  n. —  Unrighteousness]'^  upon  this,  which, 
referring  to  iniquity  in  *,  would  express  practically  the  same 
sense. 

22-25.  Let  Job  (2^)  join  in  the  praise,  which  as  human 
experience  has  shown,  is  called  forth  from  men  i^^^)  by  their 
sight,    distant  and  incomplete  ("^^^),  yet  admiring  i^^^),  of  the 


3 1 4  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXVI.  22-27. 

22  Behold,  God  doeth  loftily  in  his  strength  ; 

Who  is  a  teacher  like  unto  him  ? 

23  Who  (ever)  assigned  to  him  his  way? 

And  who  (ever)  said,   *'Thou  hast  wrought  unrighteous- 
ness "  ? 

24  Remember  that  thou  extol  his  work, 

Whereof  men  sing. 

25  All  mankind  look  on  it, 

Man  seeth  it  from  afar. 

26  Behold,  God  is  great,  and  we  know  not  (how  great)  ; 

The  number  of  his  years  is  unsearchable. 


mighty  (22*)  work  of  God,  who  takes  His  orders  from  (23a),  and 
gives  account  to  (2^^),  none. 

22.  Doeth  loftily]  (a^rkJ^n)  far  beyond  (cp.  25b)  man's  compre- 
hension;  cp.  Ps.  139^  **the  knowledge  (of  God's  ways)  is  too 
wonderful  for  me:  it  is  lofty  (najt^j)." — A  teacher]  the  term  of 
God,  as  (probably)  Is.  3020 :  the  idea  is  common  in  the  speeches 
of  Elihu  (9^-  35I1  33i^ff-  34^2).  But  the  idea  that  God  teaches 
''  through  the  operations  of  His  providence"  (Dr.)  is  not  quite 
naturally  introduced  into  the  present  passage  ;  and  ^  hvvd<TT7]<;y 
lord^  rulery  gives  a  far  better  parallel  to  *  and  transition  to  23. 

23.  Who  ever,  as  His  superior,  laid  down  for  God  His  line 
of  action  beforehand,  or  subsequently  charged  Him  (as  God  was 
thought  to  charge  the  **gods"  (Pss.  58.  82))  with  having  done 
His  work  badly?  In  view  of  34^3^  the  alternative  rendering  of 
*  (who  ever  visited  upon  Him,  i.e.  punished  Him  for.  His  way) 
is  less  probable.     With  *,  cp.  2i3i ;  with  ^,  9^2^ — jj{^  way]  2i^^» 

24.  Si7tg]  cp.  Ps.  10433  in  reference,  as  here  (cp.  27ff.)^  to  the 
works  of  God  in  nature  :  of  God's  forgivenness,  c.  332^. 

25.  Look  on  it]  with  delight :  cp.  332^  n. — b.  Men  catch 
only  a  far-off  and  therefore  incomplete  view  of  God's  work  (cp. 
26I*). 

26b.  Cp.  Ps  I0228  :  the  line  is  not  related  to  what  follows  here, 
and  is  awkwardly  followed  hy  for  in  27.  Du.  om.  26,  Bu.  25f.  j 
but  possibly  26b  ^t  most  is  out  of  place,  or  corrupt. 

27  ff.  The  illustrations  of  God's  greatness  and  might  (22-25 
(26*))  are  drawn  from  atmospheric  phenomena:  rain,  3627^- 
37^*^ ;  snow,  37^ ;  ice,  37^^ ;  thunder  and  lightning,  362^-  33 
372-4. 11'. ;  light,  3630^372". ;  winds,  37»- 21b;  clouds,  37I6  (see  also 


XXXVI.  27.]  ELIHU  3 1 5 

2'^  For  he  withdraweth  ■" drops  from  the  sea""  ; 

''  He  ^  filtereth  ^  them  ^  through  as  rain  ^  from  ^  his  mist ; 


under  thunder) ;  the  sky,  37^^.  With  these  illustrations  are 
mingled  a  reiteration  of  the  general  theme,  37^ ;  reflections  on 
the  beneficent  purpose  of  these  works  of  God,  36^^  (cp.  ^^^) ;  or 
their  effect  on  the  activities  of  men  and  beasts,  37'^'-  ^^,  or  of  Job 
in  particular,  37^'^ ;  an  exhortation  to  Job,  37^* ;  and  a  statement 
of  the  effect  of  the  thunderstorm  in  particular  on  the  emo- 
tions of  Elihu,  37^.  The  illustrations  in  this  last  part  of 
Elihu's  speech  largely  anticipate  the  first  part  of  the  immedi- 
ately following  speech  of  Yahweh,  and  some  of  them  in  a 
manner  very  unfavourable  to  unity  of  authorship.  On  the 
other  hand,  Bu.  finds  a  strong  argument  for  such  unity  by 
assuming  that  the  thunderstorm  described  by  Elihu  is  drama- 
tically conceived  as  approaching  as  he  concludes  his  speech  (cp. 
37^),  and  as  raging  when  Yahweh  speaks,  38^.  The  point  would 
have  more  force  if  the  description  of  the  thunderstorm  formed 
the  climax  to  Elihu's  speech  ;  as  it  is,  it  is  mingled  with  the 
description  of  other  phenomena,  such  as  ice,  which  were 
presumably  not  to  be  observed  at  the  moment  of  speaking. 
The  passing  backwards  and  forwards  from  one  phenomenon 
to  another,  and  the  interspersion  of  reflections,  etc.,  are  only 
partly    removed   by  omitting   3629*-   3713.  i5f.    (Bu.),  or  37^^  12b 

(Sgf.),     or    3626.    27b.    28a    29-32   3^2.4.   6b.   11.    12a.  b.    13    (Nichols,    who 

regards  the  vv.  as  "  a  psalm  of  the  Rainstorm,"  and  (&  which, 
however,    also    omits    much    more).      Honth.    rearranges   as 

follows  :     3627f.  31.  26  3y5b.i0.  l-5a  ^gogf.  32f.  37II-24. 

27  f.  The  production  of  rain. — **The  author  knows  that 
clouds  are  formed  by  evaporation  from  the  sea ;  the  author  of 
the  divine  speeches  (38  ff.)  is  still  ignorant  of  this,  and  assumes 
that  God  has  somewhere  store-houses  for  the  atmospheric 
elements.  .  .  .  The  author  of  the  Elihu  speeches  must  have 
lived  a  few  centuries  later  than  the  poet,  and  had,  probably 
through  some  Greek  influence,  acquired  some  new  knowledge 
of  physics  "  (Du.). 

27a.  S^  /or  he  withdraweth  the  drops  of  rain',  this  is 
obscurely   expressed ;    it   may  have   meant   the   same   as   the 


3 1 6  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXVI.  27-32 

28  Wherewith  the  skies  pour  down, 

(And)  drop  upon  many  men. 

29  ^And  who^  understands  the  outspreadings  of  the  clouds, 

The  crashings  of  his  pavihon? 
^^  Behold,  he  spreadeth  his  ^  mist  ^  about  him, 

And  he  covereth  (with  it)  the  '"tops"'  of  the  ''mountains''. 
3^  For  by  means  of  these  he  ^  nourisheth  "^  peoples  ; 

He  giveth  food  in  abundance. 
32  He  covereth  both  hands  with  the  light, 

And  commandeth  it  against  the  ■"  mark  \ 

emended  text  translated  above  ;  others  render  J^  he  draweth 
dowHy  viz.  from  the  **  waters  above  the  firmament"  (Del.  Du.); 
or  questionably,  he  gathers^  collects,  viz.  from  the  atmosphere 
(Bu.). — b.  See  phil.  n. — Mist]  or  cloud,  seems  to  be  the  mean- 
ing of  the  obscure  word  ^ed  here  and  in  ^^ ;  in  any  C2ise  flood 
(so  Assyr.  'edu),  preferred  by  many  in  Gn.  2^^-  (see  Skinner,  ad 
lac),  is  unsuitable  here. 

28.  Many  men]  or  perhaps,  in  showers  on  men :  see  phil.  n. 

29.  The  v.,  if  the  text  may  be  trusted,  refers  to  the  clouds 
of  (^)  the  thunderstorm. — And  who  understands]  J^  Yea,  can  one 
understand. — His  pavilion]  i.e.  the  thunder-cloud:  see  phil.  n. 

30.  The  clouds,  and  in  particular,  perhaps,  as  most  take  it, 
the  thunder-clouds  (though  for  these  "mist"  (cp.  ^7)  is  not 
perhaps  the  most  suitable  term),  screen  God,  and  also,  settling 
on  the  mountain  tops,  blot  them  out  from  sight ;  cp.  Ex.  19^^. — 
Mist]  5^  light :  see  phil.  n. — ( With  it)  the  tops  of  the  mountains] 
f^  the  roots  of  the  sea  :   see  phil.  n. 

31.  The  beneficent  effect  of  God's  activity  in  producing 
rain  (cp.  Is.  55^^)  would  be  more  naturally  described  immedi- 
ately after  28  (Bu.  Honth.  Feake).— Nourisheth]  ^judgeth,  *  in 
this  case  referring  to  the  destructive  thunderstorm  of  ^^'.^  ^  to 
the  fertilizing  rain  of  27*..  But  the  structure  of  the  verse  does 
not  suggest  an  antithesis. — Bjy  mea?ts  of  these]  if  ^^  immedi- 
ately followed  28  the  streaming  skies  of  that  v.  are  referred  to  : 
if  not,  these  must  be  explained  more  generally  of  (Dr.)  **  the 
agencies  of  rain  and  storm  alluded  to  in  27-3o  " 

32.  The  v.,  strangely  expressed,  appears  to  mean  that  God 
fills  His  hands  from  the  volume  of  light  that  encompasses  Him 
(see  phil.   n.  on  ^^),  and  despatches  the  light  so  seized  earth- 


XXXVI.  32-XXXVII.  4.]      ELIHU  3 1 7 

33  ffhe  thunder''  declareth  ""his  indignation'', 
r  And"!  the  storm  "^  proclaimeth  his""  anger. 

XXXVII.  ^  Yea,  at  this  my  heart  trembleth, 

And  leapeth  out  of  its  place. 
'  Hearken  unto  the  rumbling  of  his  voice, 

And    to  the    muttering   that    goeth  out  of  his 

mouth. 
8  He  letteth  it  go  under  the  whole  heaven. 

And  his  light(ning)  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
*  After  it  a  voice  roareth  ; 

He  thundereth  with  his  majestic  voice ; 
And  he  delayeth  not  •"  his  lightnings  "•, 

r  From  his  mouth  ^  his  voice  is  heard. 


wards  in  the  form  of  lightning.  **  But  as  though  the  poet  had 
shrunk  from  carrying  this  half-mythical  conception  of  God  as 
the  lightning-slinger  further,  he  does  not  say  "in  order  to 
sling  it,"  but  more  in  the  spirit  of  his  religion  and  com?nandeth 
it  against''  (Di.) :  on  the  other  hand,  Du.  by  emendation  makes 
the  figure  still  clearer:  On  the  sling  he  balanceth  the  light, 
And  slingeth  it  against  the  mark. 

33.  The  above  translation  is  very  conjectural,  but  at  least 
more  probable  than  J^,  his  shouting  (or,  more  questionably 
rendered,  his  war-cry  ^  or,  as  taken  by  ^A'X  S^TU,  his  friend) 
declareth  concerning  hiniy  the  cattle  also  concerning  him  whoy  or 
that  which ^  cometh  up :   see  phil.  n. 

XXXVII.  I,  2.  An  expression  of  Elihu's  emotion  at  the 
thunderstorm  (^),  and  (2)  an  appeal  to  Job  (and  the  friends — 
2^  J^,  not  ffi  (0))  to  listen  to  it.  Originally  (cp.  (&),  perhaps 
both  vv.  were  addressed  to  Job  alone,  and  read :  At  this  do  not 
thy  inward  parts  (ffi  36^^  =  5^  37^)  tremble.  And  doth  not  thy 
(S)  heart  leap  out  of  its  place  ?     Hearken  thou  unto,  etc. 

2.  His  voice]  the  thunder;  see  Ps.  18^*  ^i^)  <<uttereth  his 
voice"  II  "thundereth,"  2g^-^,  i  S.  7^^  Ex.  928  "voices  of  God." 

3.  The  roll  of  the  thunder  fills,  and  the  blaze  of  the  lightning 
lights  up,  the  whole  expanse  of  sky  and  earth — poetical  hyper- 
bole, which  scarcely  proves  that  the  writer  shared  the  popular 
(ct.  perhaps  362^^)  conception  of  the  smallness  of  the  earth 
(Du.). — The  ends]  lit.  wings  or  skirts:  cp.  38^^,  Is.  11^2  2^16, 

4.  His  lightnings^  from  his  mouth]  ^  them  (i.e.  the  lightnings) 


3 1 8  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XXXVII.  4-7. 

5  A  He  doeth  wondrous  things  [past  finding-  out], 

Great  things  which  we  cannot  comprehend  ; 
^  For  he  commandeth  the  snow,  *' ''  Saturate ''  the  earth  "  ; 

The  downpour  '^and^  the  rain,  "^Drop  down\ 
"^  He  sealeth  up  the  hand  of  every  man. 

That  all  ^  men  ^  may  know  his  work, 
•Then  the  beasts  go  into  lairs, 

And  rest  in  their  dens. 


when ;  an  alternative  emendation  giving  a  better  parallel  is : 
He  restraineth  not  his  throat  {c^g.  Is.  58^),  From  his  mouth,  etc.  : 
see  phil.  n. 

5.  At  the  beginning  of  the  v.  In  f^  stands,  increasing  the 
tautology  of  *,  the  line,  God  thunders  with  his  voicCy  a  virtual 
repetition  of  *^.  The  remainder  of  the  v.  (cp.  5^),  translated  as 
above,  resumes  (after  the  completion  for  the  present  of  the 
description  of  the  thunder  in  *)  the  general  statement  of  God's 
marvellous  action  (cp.  36^^),  in  order  to  illustrate  this  afresh 
from  the  phenomena  of  snow  (^  introduced  hyfory  as  in  36^^ 
after  3626). 

6-8.  The  snow  and  heavy  rains  of  winter,  which  do  their 
work  at  God's  bidding,  fertilizing  the  earth,  and  (^)  stopping  for 
the  time  man's  labour  in  the  fields,  and  (^)  driving  the  beasts  to 
shelter,  are  illustrations  andproof  of  (^)  God's  marvellous  activity. 

6.  Saturate]  cp.  Ps.  65^^  and  (with  snow)  Is.  55^^  J^ 
means,  if  anything,  Fall  (to  the  earth). — The  downpour]  not 
"shower"  (RV.):  for  DE'J  is  the  heavy  continuous  rain  of 
winter  (Ca.  2^^,  Am.  4^,  Ezr.  10^) ;  in  virtue  of  its  fertilizing 
function  (Lv.  26^  i  K.  17^*,  Is.  44^*  55^^)  it  was  primarily 
regarded  as  a  blessing  (cp.  Hos.  6^),  though  it  might  also  be 
an  agent  of  destruction  (Gn.  7^2^  gzk.  13^^). — ^  is  overloaded 
in  J^  :  see  phil.  n. ;  as  otherwise  emended  the  line  would  read. 
And  the  downpour  of  His  mighty  rains,  which  gives  a  poorer 
parallelism,  or.  And  the  downpour  and  the  rain,  "  Be  strong." 

7.  In  winter  man's  hand  must  cease  from  (outdoor)  work  ; 
or  (emending.  He  sealeth  up  every  man)  men  must  stop  at  home. 
Hrz.  Di.  cite  Homer's  (//.  xvii.  549  f.)  description  of  Zeus : 
09  pci  re  epycDv  avOpaairovi  aveTravaev  iirl  '^Oovl.  J^  in  ^  may 
be  rendered  either,  that  he  may  know  all  the  men  whom  he 


XXXVII.  7-11.]  ELIHU  319 

^  Out  of  the  chamber  cometh  the  whirlwind, 
And  out  of  the  •"  store-houses  ">  (?)  the  cold. 

1^  By  the  breath  of  God  ice  is  given, 

And  the  breadth  of  the  waters  is  narrowed. 

11  Yea,  heladeth  the  thick  cloud  with  ''lightning'', 

(And)  the  cloud  scattereth  its  light  ; 

12  And  it  [goeth  hither  and  thither]  round  about, 

Turning  itself  by  his  guidance. 
To  do  whatsoever  he  commandeth  them, 
Upon  the  face  of  his  habitable  world, 


hath  made,  or,  that  all   the   men  whom   he   hath  made  may 
know  (it) ;   neither  is  satisfactory ;  see  phil.  n. 

9-IO.  The  cold  of  winter  and  its  freezing  of  water :  cp.  382^'-. 
It  is  more  probable  that  ^  refers  to  the  store-houses  where  wind, 
cold,  etc.,  were  thought  to  be  kept  in  readiness  for  God's  use 
(cp.  3822,  Ps.  135^  Ecclus.  43^4)  than  to  the  regions  from  which, 
or  the  seasons,  defined  by  the  rising  of  stars  and  constellations, 
at  which  storm  and  cold  come  ;  but  there  are  peculiarities  and 
uncertainties  in  the  text ;  see  phil.  n. — Cha7nber\  synonymous 
with  <*  treasury"  (38^^)  rather  than  (RV.)  an  abbreviation  for 
''chamber  of  the  south"  (9^  n.),  or  (Hoffm.)  the  name  of  a 
constellation. — Whirlwind]  cp.  21^^,  Is.  21^.— -Store-houses]  f^ 
scatterersy  winnowerSy  which  has  been  taken  as  an  epithet  for 
(north)  winds,  or  for  a  constellation  (F  Arcturus). 

10.  The  cold  wind  freezes  the  streams  and  pools  (Ecclus. 
4320),  which,  shrinking,  as  they  freeze,  from  the  edges,  become 
narrower.  But,  the  contraction  of  water  through  frost  is  a 
much  less  conspicuous  phenomenon  than  its  solidifying  (cp.  38^^ 
and  Ecclus.  43^^):  and  so,  some  (Bu.)  take  ^  to  mean:  the 
whole  broad  expanse  of  waters  is  constrained,  i.e.  congealed, 
frozen.  Ehrlich  emending  in  *  (melts  for  is  given) ^  and  render- 
ing hecomes  fluid  (instead  of  is  narrowed)  in  ^^  refers  the  v.  to 
the  melting  of  the  ice  by  the  warm  breath  of  God  :  cp.  Ps.  147^^. 
— The  breath  of  God]  the  wind  :  so  Is,  40^^. 

11.  Description  of  the  thunder-cloud  and  lightning  resumed 
(cp.  1,6^^ -i,f).— Lightning]  or,  by  an  equally  slight  emendation, 
hail  (cp.  hail  and  thunder  and  lightning  in  Egypt,  Ex.  92^-  ^^) ; 
5^  saturation^  i.e.  moisture;  but  see  phil.  n. — b.  On  the  in- 
correct translation  of  RVm.  see  phil.  n. 


220  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXVII.  12-15. 

13  Whether  it  be  for  a  rod  T  and  T  for  •"  a  curse  "i, 

Or  for  mercy,  that  he  causeth  it  to  find  (its  mark). 
1*  Hear  this,  O  Job,  (and)  stand  still  ; 

And  consider  the  wonderful  works  of  God. 
15  Knowest  thou  about  God's  ordaining  ■"  his  works  \ 

And  causing  the  light  of  his  cloud  to  shine? 


12.  The  lightning,  which  flashes  in  jagged  lines,  does  not, 
as  it  might  seem,  move  first  this  way,  then  that,  at  random, 
but  always  under  the  guidance  of  God  (cp.  38'^^),  to  fulfil  His 
purposes  of  (i^)  punishing  or  blessing  men. — //]  The  Hght(ning) 
(Bu.  Dr.  Peake),  not  the  cloud  (Di.  Del.  Da.)  of  ^^,—Goeth 
hither  and  thither]  see  phil.  n.  :  cp.  the  same  vb.  of  God's 
<* arrows"  [i.e.  lightnings)  in  Ps.  77^^ — Turning  itself]  the 
vb.  used  in  Gn.  3^*. — The7?i]  i.e.  the  flashes  of  lightning;  or, 
emending,  it,  i.e.  the  lightning. 

13.  Rod]  21^. — And  for  a  curse]  ^  has  been  rendered  (i)  or 
for  his  earthy  which  between  **for   a   rod"  and   <'for  mercy" 

(clauses  of  identical  form)  is  altogether  heterogeneous  and  im- 
possible ;  or  (2)  if  (that  be)  for  (the  good  of)  his  earthy  which  is 
scarcely  more  probable.  Emendation  is  necessary :  with  the 
translation  above  (Du.),  cp.  En.  59I :  They  lighten  for  a  blessing 
and  for  a  curse  as  the  Lord  of  Spirits  willeth.  An  alternative 
emendation  (Dr.  al.)  is  to  omit  or,  leaving  a  rod  for  his  earth. — 
Or  for  mercy]  **  viz.  for  the  deliverance  of  His  people  from  their 
foes  (Ps.  18I*,  Is.  30^^- 31)" — Dr. ;  but  a  national  allusion  is  not 
altogether  probable.  Certainly  thunder  and  lightning  are  not 
generally  mentioned  as  agents  of  mercy  (yet  cp.  En.  59I) ;  Bu. 
therefore  (since  it  would  be  awkward  to  refer  back  to  the  cloud 
of  11)  omits  the  v.  Since  with  1*  Elihu  takes  a  fresh  start,  this 
V.  might  perhaps  be  regarded  as  a  conclusion,  not  merely  to  n'-, 
but  to  the  whole  section  beginning  with  ^ :  God  does  wonderful 
things  ^,  as  illustrated  in  ^^^y  whether  i^  to  punish  or  to  bless. 

15-18.  Questions  after  the  manner  of,  and  in  some  degree 
anticipating,  the  speech  of  Yahweh  (c.  38  f.),  and  intended  to 
imply  that  Job  has  not  knowledge  of,  and  cannot  (i^)  perform, 
the  works  of  God. 

15.  Knowest  thou]  cp.  38^2  39"-. —  Ordaining  his  works]  ^ 
laying  (his  charge)  upon  thenty  i.e.  the  natural   agencies  just 


XXXVII.  15-20.]  ELIHU  32 1 

1^  Knowest  thou  the  balancings  of  the  clouds, 

The  wonders  of  him  that  is  perfect  in  knowledge? 

^7  Thou  whose  garments  are  warm, 

When  the  earth  is  still  by  reason  of  the  south  wind, 

^8  Wilt  thou  with  him  beat  out  the  skies  (into  a  firmament), 
(Which  are)  strong  as  a  molten  mirror? 

19  Make  ^  me  ^  to  know  what  we  (men)  shall  say  to  him  ; 

We  cannot  state  our  case  by  reason  of  darkness. 

20  Should  it  be  told  him  that  I  would  speak? 

Or  did  ever  man  say  that  he  would  be  swallowed  up? 


described.  Parallel  to  the  general  reference  to  God's  works  in  * 
is  the  special  reference  to  the  marvel  of  the  lightning  in  ^ ;  in  ^^  the 
special  marvel  of  the  (rain-laden)  clouds  poised  in  the  air  in  *  is  fol- 
lowed by  the  general  reference  in  ^  So  at  least  in  the  present 
text ;  but  ^^^  is  clumsy,  and  ^^^  rather  uncertain  :  see  phil.  n. 

17.  Every  time  a  sirocco  is  coming,  in  the  stillness  that 
precedes  it,  Job  suffers  from  the  suffocating  heat ;  if  he  is  thus 
a  helpless  victim  of  forces  that  God  controls,  can  he  really  (^^) 
perform  mighty  works  like  God? — South  wind]  elsewhere  in 
the  OT.  the  sirocco,  which  blows  up  from  the  deserts  E.  and 
S.E.  of  Palestine,  is  termed  the  east  wind;  but  cp.  Lk.  12^^. 

18.  €r  omits  this  v.:  Bi.  Du.  place  it  before  21 ;  Ehrlich, 
before  38*. — Can  Job,  like  (40^^  n.)  God  (Gn.  i^),  create  the 
firmament  ?  Can  he  beat  out  that  vast  solid  metal-like  (^ ;  cp. 
Dt.  28^^)  fixed  expanse  of  sky  ?  The  firmament  was  a  solid  sur- 
face supporting  above  it  waters,  which  could  only  come  through 
when  the  ''windows"  of  this  firmament,  generally  closed,  were 
opened  (Gn.  i^  y^^).—Skies]  cp.  (||  to  ''heavens")  35^,  Pr.  8^^ 
Ps.  36^  57I1.  But  the  word  may  also  refer  more  particularly 
to  the  clouds  (cp.  38^^  (||  "water-skins  of  heaven"),  Ps.  77^^ 
(II  "clouds"))  in  which  sense  Bu.  understands  the  term  here. 
But  ^  (of  which  Bu.  takes  no  account)  is  very  unfavourable  to 
this. — Molten  mirror]  the  ordinary  mirror  was  a  polished  metal 
(Ex.  38^)  surface. 

19.  Me]  most  MSS  of  J^,  us\  i.e.  Elihu  and  those  like- 
minded  with  him  (cp.  34^). — Darkness]  ignorance  :  cp.  Eccl.  2^^^-. 

20.  For  ignorant  {^^^)  man  to  utter  to  God  a  case  against 
Him  would  be  equivalent  to  seeking  his  own  destruction — an 
unheard  of  thing  ('^^^),  which  Elihu  has  no  desire  to  attempt  (-^^), 

21 


32  2  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXX VII.  20-21. 

21  And  now  men  saw  not  the  light, 
It  was  obscure  (?)  in  the  skies  ; 
But  a  wind  passed  and  cleansed  them. 


unless,  indeed,  Job,  who  has  often  expressed  a  wish  to  speak 
to  God,  could,  in  reply  to  Elihu's  ironical  request  (^^*),  tell 
him  what  words  he  might  safely  plead.  Such,  if  5^  is  correct, 
appears  to  be  the  meaning  and  connection.  Du.  cleverly 
emends :  Hath  He  (God)  a  reprover  when  He  speaks,  or  doth 
a  man  say  that  He  (God)  is  perplexed?  But  see  phil.  n. — 
Swallowed  vp\  destroyed,  by  God  ;   cp.  2^  n. 

21-24.  The  conclusion  of  Elihu's  speech  is  exceedingly 
obscure  and  ambiguous,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that,  with  the 
exception  of  one  word  ("l\n3,  meaning  perhaps  ^^^^^c^^r^,  perhaps 
bright  (see  phil.  n.),  in  2^^),  the  vocabulary  is  unusually  familiar. 
The  tristich  in  ^i,  and  the  rhythm  in  ^3^  suggest  that  the 
obscurity  may  be  partly  due  to  the  loss  or  misplacement  of  lines 
or  clauses.  The  point  of  the  whole  is  expressed  in  ^4,  which 
probably  means :  men  in  general  fear  God  %  let  Job  do  the 
same  (implied)  ^  In  what  precedes  2*,  it  is  possible  to  suspect, 
though  not  to  discern  with  any  certainty,  allusions  to  certain 
remarkable  observations  or  theories  of  natural  phenomena. 

21.  The  opening  phrase  And  now  is  ambiguous,  and  has 
been  understood  temporally  of  the  present  in  contrast  whether 
to  the  past  or  the  future,  or  (as  in  35^'^)  consequentially,  as 
drawing  a  conclusion  from  what  has  been  just  said.  Among 
the  translations  and  interpretations  which  have  been  proposed, 
there  may  be  noticed:  **(i)  *  And  now  men  cannot  look  upon 
(ni<"i  in  this  sense  without  2  as  Pr.  23^^)  the  light  (  =  the  sun, 
as  31^^),  ^  (When)  it  is  bright  in  the  skies,  ^  And  the  wind  hath 
passed  and  cleansed  them " :  so  Ros.  Ew.  Da.  RVm.  and  (at 
least  in  preference  to  RV.)  Dr.  Peake ;  but  on  this  view  of  % 
^  is  obviously  otiose ;  the  sun  shining  brightly  in  a  clear  sky  is 
always  too  dazzling  to  look  at,  and  not  only  just  after  a  wind 
has  cleared  clouds  away;  moreover,  in  *  ''cannot"  would  be 
more  naturally  expressed  by  the  impf.  ;  it  must  here,  if  correct, 
be  explained  as  a  paraphrase  of:  *'men,  as  we  know  from 
experience,  do  not  ** ;  and,  further,  "  When  it  is  "  in  ^  would  be 


XXXVII.  21-22.]  ELIHU  323 

22  Out  of  the  north  cometh  '"splendour"', 
Upon  God  is  terrible  majesty. 


more  naturally  expressed  by  a  different  order  of  words  (N^ni 
Tnn).  The  connection  with  22  on  this  view  is:  If  men  cannot 
look  on  the  sun,  how  much  less  on  the  majesty  of  God.  (2) 
'*  And  now  men  see  not  the  light,  (Though)  it  is  bright  in  (i.e. 
behind)  the  clouds  (on  the  alternative  renderings  '^  clouds"  and 
"skies  "  see  ^^  n.).  But  a  wind  passeth  over  and  cleanseth  them  " 
(and  then  men  do  see  the  sun) :  so  F  (in  *  and  ^)  Hi.  Del.  RV. 
(virtually).  This  is  taken  to  be  a  figurative  way  of  saying  that 
God  now  hidden  may  at  any  moment  reveal  Himself.  But  the 
use  of  pf.  tenses  or  the  impf.  with  waw  consec.  throughout 
renders  any  translation  involving  such  a  sharp  contrast  between 
present  and  future  most  improbable.  (3)  Bu.  emends  and 
renders,  And  now  we  see  not  the  light.  While  it  is  obscure 
owing  to  the  clouds.  But  the  wind  passeth  over,  etc.,  and 
interprets  the  v.  of  the  weather  actually  prevailing  at  the 
moment  when  Elihu  is  speaking ;  the  sun  is  for  the  moment 
obscured  by  the  thunder-cloud,  but  the  cloud  will  pass,  and 
(22*)  the  sky  clear  up  from  the  northwards.  The  use  of  the 
tenses  in  ^  is  as  unfavourable  to  this  view  as  to  the  last.  (4)  Du. 
places  21b  (It  is  bright  in  the  sky)  after  22*^  with  which  it 
forms  a  quite  possible  distich ;  and  21*-  c  ^fter  1^,  taking  21a-  ^ 
precariously  as  conditional :  And  if  (at  any  time)  men  see  not 
the  light  (owing  to  clouds  obscuring  it),  A  wind  passes  over 
and  cleanses  it  (?). 

22.  The  north]  is  not  here  introduced  as  the  quarter  from 
which  the  ancients  obtained  their  gold  (for  see  phil.  n.),  or  as 
the  quarter  in  which  the  sky  cleared  up  (2^^)  after  rain,  for 
according  to  Pr.  252^  the  N.  was  the  proverbially  rainy  quarter; 
but  more  probably  (Dr.)  "the  allusion  maybe  to  the  Aurora 
Borealis,  the  streaming  rays  of  which,  mysteriously  blazing 
forth  in  the  northern  heavens,  may  well  have  been  supposed  to 
be  an  effulgence  from  the  presence  of  God  Himself"  (cp.  ^) ; 
from  the  N.  came  the  chariot  of  Ezekiel's  vision  (Ezk.  i*):  in 
the  N.  was  the  seat  of  the  Most  High  (Is.  14^^). — Splendour] 
3^  gold)  see  phil.  n. 


324  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXX VII.  23-24. 

23  The  Almighty — we  have  not  found  him  out : 

Great  in  strength  and  judgment, 

And  abounding  in  righteousness,  he  doth  not  '"pervert"'. 
2*  Therefore  men  fear  him  ; 

He  seeth  not  any  that  are  wise  of  heart. 


23.  God  is  incomprehensible,  yet  we  know  enough  to  assert 
that  He  is  righteous :  this  seems  to  be  the  meaning,  though  it 
is  loosely  expressed. —  We  have  not  found  him  ont\  discovered 
Him,  fathomed  the  wisdom  that  rules  His  action  ;  cp.  1 1^,  where, 
however,  as  also  in  Eccl.  3^^,  the  obj.  is  not  personal ;  and  in 
233  (Job's  wish  that  he  might  find  God)  where  the  obj.  is 
personal  as  here,  but  the  sense  rather  different. — b.  C.  ?^  may  be 
rendered  as  above ;  f$l,  much  less  probable,  means  He  is  great 
in  strength,  and  He  doeth  no  violence  to  (lit.  afflicteth  not) 
judgement  and  abundance  of  righteousness ;  see  phil.  n. — 
Pervert\  sc.  justice  (cp.  8^  34^"^)>  or  subvert^  so.  a  man  in  his 
cause  (cp.  19®).  f^  may  mean  either  afflict  (so  jjH),  or  a?is7verf 
viz.  man's  questions  (but  see  38^  and  even  33^^^). 

24.  This  V.  also  is  awkwardly  expressed :  but  *  is  clear, 
and  the  meaning  and  implication  of  the  whole  apparently  is : 
ordinary  men  fear  God  ;  so  should  you  ;  for  to  the  wise  in  their 
own  conceit  (qui  sibi  videntur  esse  sapientes :  U),  God  pays  no 
regard  (cp.  5^^). — Seeth]  regards,  pays  heed  to:  cp.  Ps.  138^ 
and  (with  a  different  vb.)  35^^ 

XXXVIII.-XL.  2.  Yahweh's  speech  in  reply  to  Job, 
now  separated  from  Job's  appeal  at  the  end  of  c.  31  by  the 
interpolated  cc.  32-37 :  see  Introd.  Yahweh  now  responds  to 
Job's  frequently  expressed  and  (31^^)  just  reiterated  wish  that 
He  would  answer  him;  but  not,  as  he  had  asked  {^i^^-^"^  and 
previously  13'^^),  by  formulating  charges  which  were,  as  soon 
as  formulated,  to  be  shown  to  be  baseless,  but,  as  he  had  feared 
^g3.  i4ff.  5^20-25^^  overwhelming  him  with  questions  which  he 
cannot  answer ;  and  yet,  if  not  altogether  as  he  had  hoped,  by 
no  means  altogether  as  he  had  feared ;  for  Yahweh's  questions 
are  not  directed,  as  Job  had  feared  (9I6-20.  28-35j^  towards  impugn- 
ing Job's  integrity,  or  fastening  on  him  the  guilt  of  sins  punish- 
able Dy  such  sufferings  as  his  had  been ;  but  towards  showing 
Job  that  in  maintaining  his  own  he  had  in  his  ignorance  im- 


XXXVIII.  I.]  YAHVVEH  325 

pugned  God's  integfrity.  The  current  theory  of  sin  and  suffering" 
had  led  the  friends  through  ignorance  to  condemn  Job,  and 
Job  through  ignorance  to  obscure  the  wider  purposes  of  God 
and  to  misrepresent  Him.  Job  had  been  right  in  maintaining 
his  integrity  and  that  his  sufferings  were  not  due  to  his  sins,  as 
Yahweh  subsequently  (42'')  makes  clear  :  he  had  been  wrong 
in  passing  beyond  this  matter  of  personal  knowledge,  and  in 
reproving  God  whose  range  of  purpose  and  action  lay  so  far 
beyond  his  knowledge.  The  main  point  of  the  speech  that 
Job  in  his  ignorance  had  misrepresented  God  is  briefly  put  in 
the  challenging  questions  with  which  the  speech  opens  (38^) 
and  closes  (40^).  The  main  body  of  the  speech  (38'^-3g^^),  also 
consisting  for  the  most  part  of  questions,  is  designed  to  bring 
out  the  immensity  of  Job's  ignorance  and  the  greatness  of  God's 
knowledge  and  His  beneficent  use  of  it.  These  questions  fall 
into  two  main  groups,  referring  (i)  to  the  inanimate  world,  its 
creation  and  maintenance,  38*"^^;  and  (2)  to  animals,  and  in 
particular  wild  animals,  their  maintenance  and  habits,  38^^-39^^. 
The  first  group  of  questions  refers  in  detail  to  the  creation  of 
earth  (*-^),  and  sea  (S-") ;  the  succession  of  night  and  day  (i2-i5j . 
the  extent  of  the  sea  (^^),  of  the  realm  of  death  {^'^),  and  of  the 
earth  {^^) ;  the  home  of  light  and  darkness  (^^^ ),  snow  and  hail 
(-2),  wind  p**) ;  the  descent  of  rain  and  lightning  to  the  earth 
(25-27)  J  the  origin  of  rain,  dew  and  ice  (28-3oj .  ^he  stars  (3i-33) . 
clouds  and  lightning  p*^-),  clouds  and  rain  {^'^^').  The  animals 
which  form  the  subjects  of  questions  are  lions  ^^^•,  (ravens  ^^  n.), 
wild  goats  39^'"*,  wild  asses  ^'^,  wild  oxen  ^-^^,  ostriches  ^2-18^ 
horses  ^^■-^,  hawks  and  vultures  '-'5-30 — Qj^g  domesticated  (the 
horse),  the  rest  wild.  Some  of  these  passages  (39^^'^^-  ^^"-^)  have 
been  suspected  of  being  interpolations,  but  for  reasons  that  are 
inconclusive  :  see  on  39^^-^*. 

I.  Va/iwek]  as  40^-  ^'  ^  42^  and  throughout  the  Prologue 
and  Epilogue ;  (see  Introd.  §  ig).—/ob]  is  mentioned  by  name, 
although  he  was  the  last  speaker  (cc.  32-37  being  an  interpola- 
tion) and  had  but  just  finished  speaking,  in  accordance  with 
the  writer's  manner ;  cp.  i^^-.  And  the  Satan  answered  Yahweh 
.  .  .  and  Yahweh  answered  the  Satan:  and  so  i^- ^2  2^-^. — 
T/ie  tefiipest]  (myo)  which  was  considered  to  be  the    normal 


326  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XXXVIII.  1-3. 

XXXVIII.  ^  And  Yahweh  answered  Job  out  of  the  tempest, 
and  said, 

2  Who  is  this  that  darkeneth  the  purpose  (of  God), 

With  words  (spoken)  without  knowledge? 
^  Gird  up  thy  loins  now  like  a  mighty  man ; 

And  I  will  ask  thee,  and  declare  thou  unto  me. 


accompaniment  of  a  theophany :  cp.  Ps.  i8,  Hab.  3,  Ps.  50^, 
And  fire  goeth  before  Him,  and  round  about  it  is  very  tem- 
pestuous (r[T/^:)y  Nah.  i^  Ezk.  i^  Zee.  g^*  (all  myo),  Ps.  8^^^ 
(iVD).  Out  of  this  tempest  there  now  comes  the  voice  of  God 
(cp.  Ezk.  I*-  2^,  ct.  I  K.  19^1^-)  challenging  and  questioning, 
but  not,  as  Job  had  feared,  crushing  him  (9^^).  On  Bu.'s  view 
that  the  tempest  is  that  described  in  ^7^^'  see  on  36^^^-  37^^. 

2.  The  question  implies  a  double  rebuke  :  (i)  Job  has  spoken 
ignorantly,  ^  ;  and  (2)  he  has  thereby  obscured  what  should  be 
plain,  viz.,  that  a  divine  purpose  underlies  the  constitution  and 
maintenance  of  the  world,  *,  The  questions  that  follow  have 
a  corresponding  double  aim  :  they  suggest  the  repeated  answer 
that  God  knows  and  Job  does  not,  and  that  God  achieves,  as  Job 
cannot,  the  end  to  which  His  knowledge  is  applied  (cp.  42^). — 
DarkenetK\  i.e.  hides  or  conceals  (cp.  42^) ;  cp.  Ps.  139^^.  The 
darkness  darkens  not  from  Thee. — The  purpose^  in  Hebrew  unde- 
fined (purpose y  or  a  purpose)  and  used  with  the  widest  reference  to 
God's  purpose  or  purposes  in  the  world-order  ;  for  the  meaning 
of  the  word  (nvy),  though  in  several  of  the  following  passages  it 
is  cited  of  more  special  plans  or  purposes  of  God,  cp.  Ps.  33^,  For 
He  spake  and  it  came  to  pass  ;  He  commanded,  and  it  held  good 
(lit.  stood) :  Yahweh  frustrateth  the  purpose  of  the  nations,  An- 
nulleth  what  the  peoples  devise :  The  purpose  of  Yahweh  holdeth 
good  for  ever,  What  His  heart  deviseth  to  all  generations ; 
Pr.  19^^,  Many  devices  are  in  a  man's  heart.  But  Yahweh's  pur- 
pose is  realized  (Dipn) ;  Is.  19^^,  The  purpose  of  Yahweh  which  He 
purposeth  against  it;  46^^, What  I  purpose  is  realized  (Dipn  ^n^'y), 
and  what  I  wish  I  do ;  see  also  Is.  5^^,  Mic.  4^^,  Jer.  49^^ 

3.  Gird  upy  etc.]  prepare  for  action  (12^^  n.) ;  into  the  com- 
ing conflict  of  argument  with  God,  Job,  like  a  warrior  (iJH  like 
a  man)s  must  enter  with  loins  girt  (Is.  ^^'^). 


XXXVIII.  4-5.]  YAHWEH  327 

*  Where  wast  thou  when  I  founded  the  earth  ? 

Declare,  if  thou  hast  understanding*. 
^  Who  fixed  the  measures  thereof,  since  thou  knowest  ? 

Or  who  stretched  the  line  over  it  ? 


4-7.  The  creation  of  the  earth. — The  earth  is  represented 
as  a  vast  building  carefully  constructed  according-  to  plan  (^), 
and  its  foundation  stones  laid  (^)  to  the  jubilation  of  the  on- 
lookers (^) ;  Job  was  not  among  these  onlookers,  and  had  no 
part  in  or  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  ceremony  (cp.  15^*), 
though  he  has  spoken  as  if  he  had  {^^'  ^*).  For  earth  conceived 
as  a  building,  cp.,  if  Esharra  is  the  earth  (so  Zimmern  in  KAT^ 
496,  510,  after  Jensen),  the  Babylonian  poem  of  Creation,  iv, 
143  fF.  (Rogers,  CP32):  And  the  Lord  measured  the  construc- 
tion (Zimmern  :  building;  see  Jensen's  note  in  KB  vi.  344)  of 
the  Deep,  And  he  founded  Esharra  (i.e.  the  earth),  a  mansion 
like  unto  it,  The  mansion  Esharra  which  he  built  like 
heaven. 

4.  If  Job  was  present  at  Creation  (*)  and  if  thereby  ^  he 
acquired  wisdom  (cp.  15®^),  let  him  answer  the  questions  that 
follow  in  ^^^ — Founded]  so  commonly  with  the  earth  as  obj.  : 
see  Is.  481351I3.16,  Zee.  12I,  Ps.  24^89^2  ^q^'^q  jq^s^  pj..  3i9._ 
b.  Cp.  ^^  42^. — Hast  understanding]  lit.  knewedst  (or  knowest) 
understanding'^  the  idiom  as  Is.  29^*,  Pr.  4^,  i  Ch.  12^^,  2  Ch. 
2^^-  ^2 ;  understanding  is  a  synonym  for  wisdom,  and  often  used 
in  parallelism  with  it;  see,  e.g.^  28^2  ^917^  ot.  46,  Is.  29I*. 

5.  The  scale  of  this  great  house  and  its  parts  was  deter- 
mined beforehand,  and  marked  off  on  the  site  which  it  was  to 
occupy.  Cp.  for  the  measurements  and  the  use  of  the  measur- 
ing line  preparatory  to  building,  Ezk.  40^-43^^,  Zee.  i^^,  My 
house  shall  be  built  in  it  (Jerusalem),  and  a  line  shall  be 
stretched  forth  over  Jerusalem,  i.e.  both  temple  and  city  will 
be  rebuilt;  Jer.  31^^. —  Who\  or,  njohat  is  he  w?io:  and  so  in  ^ 
the  question  asks  not  what  being  (for  this  is  already  defined  in 
^*),  but  what  manner  of  being  planned  the  world ;  the  inter- 
rogative is  used  rather  similarly  in  Am.  7^,  As  who  (RV, 
'*how")  shall  Jacob  stand;  cp.  also  Ru.  3^^ — Siiice]  ironically 
(Cp.  21)  or  2/'(cp.  Pr.  30^^),  or  that:  see  phil.  n. 


328  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXVIII.  6-7. 

^  Whereupon  were  the  sockets  thereof  sunk, 

Or  who  laid  the  corner-stone  thereof, 
^  When  the  morning'  stars  sang  together, 

And  all  the  sons  of  the  gods  shouted  for  joy  ? 


6a.  On  what  were  the  sockets  (Ex.  26'^,  Ca.  s^"*)  of  the 
pillars  that  support  the  earth  (9^  n.)made  to  rest?  On  nothing- 
(26^  n.)?     Is  Job  prepared  to  assert  this  marvel  ? 

7.  The  ceremony  of  laying  the  foundations  of  the  earth  was 
an  occasion  for  joyous  music,  as  were  the  foundation  ceremonies 
of  earthly  buildings  (Ezr.  3^^').  The  singers  were  stars,  here 
conceived  as  existing  before  the  world  (ct.  Gn.  i^^),  and  the 
sons  of  the  gods  (i^  n.,  cp.  Ps.  29^).  As  the  world's  first 
morning  broke,  the  stars  still  shining  sang  their  song  of  praise  ; 
cp.  Ps.  i(f  148^  (after  the  mention  of  the  angels  and  the  host 
of  God  in  v.-). — Sa7ig\  rang  out  their  joy  at  the  mighty  work 
of  God;  so  the  same  vb.  (|n),  e.g.y  in  Is.  12^  24^^^,  Zee.  2^*, 
Is.  49^^  (subject,  the  heavens)  and  in  parallelism  with  the  same 
vb.  (ynn)  as  here  in  Is.  44-"^,  Zeph.  3^*. — The  vioming  stars\  to 
be  explained  as  above,  not  with  Hi.  Del.  on  the  analogy  of  the 
''Orions"  of  Is.  13^^  of  the  morning  star  (Ecclus.  50^  ^,  not 
ft^)  and  others  next  to  it  in  brightness. 

8-II.  The  origin  of  the  sea. — The  sea  is  a  being  that  was 
born  (so  ^^  at  least ;  cp.  Ps.  90^  of  the  earth) — a  monster  need- 
ing to  be  held  in  restraint  (^*^^-)  lest  (such  may  be  the  thought) 
it  should  endanger  ('*'^)  God's  building,  the  earth.  From 
whom  or  how  this  monster  was  born  is  not  said ;  the  womb 
from  which  it  issued  is  left  undefined  ;  and  thus  its  origin,  unlike 
that  of  the  earth,  is  not  traced  directly  to  God.  Nevertheless  its 
dependence  (^)  on  God  at  and  from  birth,  and  God's  supremacy 
over  it  (^^*-)  from  the  beginning  onwards,  illustrate  the  power 
and  wisdom  and  the  uniqueness  of  God.  The  original  indepen- 
dence of  the  sea  and  the  stern  conflict  with  it  before  it  was  sub- 
dued, which  belong  to  the  mythology  lying  behind  these  verses, 
are  blurred  by  the  fundamental  monotheism  of  the  writer,  who 
for  purposes  of  poetry  does  not,  however,  refrain  from  intro- 
ducing traits  that  only  receive  their  full  explanation  from 
polytheistic  thought :  see  on  7^^  9^^  26^2^ 


XXXVIII.  8-12.]  YAHWEH  329 

^  [Or  where  wast  thou]  ^  when^  the  sea  ^  was  born,^ 

When  it  burst  out,  issuing  from  the  womb ; 
*  When  I  made  the  cloud  its  garment, 

And  the  thick  cloud  its  swaddling-bands, 
1^  And  f  prescribed  its  ^  limit  for  it. 

And  set  bars  and  doors, 
^1  And  said,  *'  Hitherto  thou  mayest  come,  and  no  further, 

And  here  shall  thy  proud  waves  •"  be  stayed  "•  "  ? 
^  Hast  thou  (ever)  since  thy  days  (began)  commanded  the 

morning, 
(Or)  hast  thou  caused  the  dawn  to  know  its  place ; 


8a.  J^  A?td  he  hedged  about  the  sea  with  doors^  which  Is  un- 
satisfactory:  see  phil.  n.  Gu.  [Schopf.  u.  ChaoSy  92),  who 
helpedy  i.e.  rendered  the  first  services  (cp.  Ezk.  16*),  whe7t 
etc.?— The  wo77zb]  it  is  questionable  whether  the  writer  at  all 
clearly  defined  to  himself  what  or  whose  was  the  womb, 
whether  chaos  (Du.  Peake)  or  the  interior  of  the  earth  (Di.). 

9.  The  fig.  of  the  newborn  child  is  continued ;  immediately 
after  birth,  it  must  be  ^  clothed  and  ^swaddled  (Ezk.  16^),  and 
for  these  offices  the  newborn  giant  was  dependent  on  Yahweh. 
Its  garments  are  the  clouds  that  gather  over  its  surface;  its 
swaddling-bands  the  darkness  conceived  as  surrounding  the 
horizon. 

10.  5^,  Afid  I  brake  my  limits  or  boundary  ^  upon,  or  against 
it,  which  is  supposed  to  mean  I  made  the  broken,  indented  coast 
line  its  boundary:  see  phil.  n. — b.  Yahweh  prevents  the  monster 
from  escaping  from  its  allotted  limit  by  means  of  barred  doors. 

lib.   See  phil.  n.     Cp.  Ps.  89^^ 

12-15.  The  constant  return  of  morning  and  the  effect 
of  light. — Every  day  since  the  world  began  morning  has 
broken  and  light  has  played  its  marv^ellous  part — ethical  {}^-  ^^) 
and  physical  (^*) — at  God's  command ;  but  (^^)  has  Job,  not  in- 
deed throughout  his  brief  life,  but  on  any  single  day  of  it,  issued 
the  command  and  secured  its  discharge  ?  On  these  vv.  see 
phil.  n.  on  ^*  (end). 

12.  Each  day  takes  its  appointed  place  (cp.  3^'^^)  at  God's 
command. 


330  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB         [XXXVIII.  13-17. 

^^  That  it  might  take  hold  of  the  skirts  of  the  earth, 

And  that  (so)  the  wicked  might  be  shaken  off  it? 
^*  It  changeth  like  clay  under  a  seal, 

And  ^  is  dyed  ^  like  a  garment ; 
1^  And  their  light  is  withholden  from  the  wicked, 

And  the  raised  arm  is  broken. 
1^  Hast  thou  come  unto  the  springs  of  the  sea? 

Or  hast  thou  walked  in  the  recesses  of  the  deep? 
^^  Have  the  gates  of  Death  been  revealed  to  thee  ? 

Or  have  the  gate-keepefs  of  Darkness  ever  ^  seen  thee  ^  ? 


13.  **The  fact  that  the  light  has  the  effect  of  detecting  and 
dispersing  evil-doers  is  expressed  under  a  beautiful  poetical 
figure :  the  earth  is  pictured  as  a  vast  coverlet ;  and  the  dawn, 
which  darts  in  a  moment  from  east  to  west  (Ps.  139^),  seizes 
this  by  its  extremities,  brings  to  light  the  wicked  upon  it,  and 
shakes  them  off  it  like  dust"  (Dr.) ;  cp.  for  the  opposition  of 
light  to  evil-doers,  24^^-^^. — Skirls  of  the  earth]  37^. 

14.  The  earth,  deprived  by  night  of  both  form  and  colour, 
receives  both  again  at  dawn,  which  *  stamps  it  afresh,  so  that 
all  objects  on  it  stand  out  in  clear  relief,  and  ^  colours  it  afresh 
as  a  garment  that  is  dyed. — Is  dyed]  J^  they  (i.e.  the  objects  on 
the  earth)  stand  forth. 

15.  Overtaken  by  morning  in  the  pursuit  of  high-handed 
crime,  the  wicked  are  brought  to  justice  and  punishment. — Their 
light]  which  is  night,  darkness  ;  24^^. 

16-18.  The  depths  and  breadths  of  the  earth.— As 
limited  as  is  Job's  range  through  time,  is  his  range  through 
space  :  he  has  never  fathomed  the  depth  ^^^•,  nor  traversed  the 
breadth  1^,  of  God's  creation. 

16.  Spri7igs]  if  this  be  the  meaning  (see  phil.  n.)  the  refer- 
ence is  to  the  "hidden  channels  connecting  the  sea  with  the 
great  abyss  of  water  (the  ''great  deep"),  which  the  Hebrews 
conceived  to  extend  under  the  earth  (Ps.  24^  136^:  cp. 
Gen.  49^^,  Ex.  20*),  and  from  which  the  waters  of  the  sea  were 
supposed  to  be  derived  "  (Dr.). — Recesses]  see  phil.  n.  and  1 1^  n. 

17.  If  the  depths  of  the  sea  (^^)  are  unknown  to  Job,  still 
more   the  greater    depths  (11^  7^  26^,  Ps.  86^^  Ezk.  32^^)  of 


XXXVIII.  17-21.]  YAHWEH  33 1 

^^  Hast  thou  shown  thyself  attentive  to  the  breadths  of  the  earth? 

Declare,  if  thou  knowest  it  all. 
1^  Which  way  dwelleth  light ; 

And  darkness — where  is  its  place ; 
^^  That  thou  shouldest  take  it  to  its  boundary, 

And  ^  bring-  it  into  ^  the  paths  to  its  house  ? 
21  Thou  knowest,  for  then  thou  wast  born, 

And  the  number  of  thy  days  is  great. 


Sheol.  The  dark  underworld,  the  gated  realm  of  death,  is 
open  and  wholly  known  to  Yahweh  (26^) ;  even  its  outside  is 
unknown  to  Job  ;  one  day,  no  doubt.  Job  will  see  those  gates, 
but  he  will  gain  his  knowledge,  unlike  Yahweh,  at  the  expense 
of  freedom  and  life.  Death  =  Abaddon  (2822)  =  Sheol  (26^ 
Ps.  6^).~Gatesof  Death]  Ps.  9I*  107I8 ;  cp.  ''gates  of  Sheol," 
Is.  38^^  in  all  which  passages,  differently  from  here,  the 
gates  of  death  are  conceived  as  approached  in  severe  sick- 
ness.— Gate-keepers]  so  fflt :  -ffl,  gates ^  as  in  ^ — Darkness]  cp. 
lo^i'- :  for  the  word  (nici?^*)  see  3^  n.  Cp.  the  use  of  darkness 
{y^n  II  land  of  oblivion)  of  Sheol  in  Ps.  88^^  (12).  7  <.&),— Have  .  .  . 
ever  seen  thee  ?]  |^  canst  thou  see  ?  ©  have  .  .  .  terrified  theCy 
the  gate-keepers  being  conceived  as  terrifying  monsters. 

18.  Attentive  to]  see  phil.  n. ;  or,  to  have  understanding 
(4b)  of.—h.  Cp.  ^^.— Bi.  Du.  see  in  21  the  direct  continuation  of 
this  v.,  Du.  placing  ^^^'  after  i^. 

19  f.  The  homes  of  light  and  darkness.— Light  and 
darkness,  since  they  were  separated  (Gn.  i^^-)  at  creation 
(cp.  "then,"  21),  have  separate  dwellings:  light  at  close  of 
day,  its  daily  work  abroad  being  done,  returns  to  its  house, 
and  so  does  darkness  at  the  close  of  night.  Does  Job  know 
which  way  these  houses  lie  ?  Can  he  take  light  or  darkness 
even  to  the  confines  of  its  home,  to  the  paths  that  lead  up  to  it  ? 
Some  (Di.  Bu.)  understand  ^oa  ^q  refer  to  fetching  light  or 
darkness  out  of  its  house  into  the  territory  or  region  in  which 
it  has  to  exercise  its  daily  function,  2ot>  to  taking  it  home. — 
Bring  it  unto]  iJH  discern  or  understand. 

21.  Ironical:  of  course  Job  knows;  for  he  is  as  old  as 
creation:  cp.  15^  (Eliphaz). 


33^  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB        [XXXVIII.  22-25. 

22  Hast  thou  entered  the  treasuries  of  snow, 

Or  seest  thou  the  '^store-houses^  of  hail, 

23  Which  I  have  reserved  against  the  time  of  distress, 

Against  the  day  of  war  and  of  battle? 
2*  Which  is  the  way  to  where  the  ^  wind  ""  is  distributed, 

(And)  the  sirocco  scattered  over  the  earth  ? 
25  Who  hath  channelled  a  conduit  for  the  rain-flood, 

And  a  way  for  the  lightning  of  the  thunder ; 


22  f.  Snow  and  hail— Treasuries]  cp.  37^  n.,  Dt.  28^2  ^a  j-jj^ 
goodly  treasury  the  heavens"),  Jer.  lo^^  {''  He  bringeth  forth 
wind  from  His  treasuries "),  En.  41*  60^1-21  (chambers  of 
winds,  snow,  mist,  rain,  treasury  of  peals  of  thunder). — S/ore- 
houses]  5^  treasuries,  as  *. 

23.  Snow  and  hail  are  kept  by  God  in  His  store-houses  till 
He  requires  them  for  purposes  of  judgement,  e.g.  for  ruining 
the  crops  of  evil-doers,  or  ^  confounding  them  in  battle.  Cp. 
Ex.  922-26,  Is.  281^  Ezk.  13^^  Hag.  2^^  Sir.  3929*.  (fire  and  hail 
.  .  .  these  also  are  formed  for  judgement  ...  all  these  are 
created  for  their  uses,  and  they  are  in  His  treasury,  against 
the  time  when  they  are  required) ;  for  hail  in  battle,  Jos.  10", 
Is.  3o^''^-  ;  for  snow,  i  Mac.  1322  (not  cited  as  a  divine  judge- 
ment), Ps.  6S^^  (?).— Reserved  against]  see  phil.  n.  and  21^^^ 

24.  Winds  have  their  chambers,  too ;  but  where  ?  Cp. 
En.  41*  60I2,  <<and  the  angel  .  .  .  showed  me  .  .  .  the 
chamber  of  the  winds,  and  how  the  winds  are  divided." — 
Wind]  J^  light',   see  phil.  n. 

25-27.  Two  marvels  connected  with  the  descent  of  rain, 
one  common  also  to  lightning.  The  rain  (i)  descends  by  a 
way  determined  (cp.  282^)  for  it,  a§  also  does  the  lightning, 
however  much  it  may  appear  to  flash  at  hazard  :  (2)  the  rain 
falls  (not  only  for  the  service  of  man,  but),  fulfilling  purposes 
of  God  which  have  wider  objects  than  men,  on  uninhabited 
country  ;  for  this  wider  range  of  God's  providence  left  uncon- 
sidered by  Job  in  his  anthropocentric  discussion  of  God's  ways, 
cp.  39^ff-  and  Ps.  10416-18.20-22.25^ 

25.  Channelled]  pillag,  cp.  peleg,  channel  (29^^). — A  conduit] 
the    same    word    is    used    of    channels    for    irrigation    (Ezk. 


XXXVIII.  25-31.]  YAHWEH  3^ 

-^  Causing  it  to  rain  on  a  land  (which)  none  (inhabiteth), 
On  the  wilderness  wherein  is  no  man  ; 

27  To  satisfy  (the  land  of)  devastation  and  desolation, 

And  to  make  ""the  thirsty  (land)''  sprout  with  young 

grass  ? 

28  Hath  the  rain  a  father? 

Or  who  hath  begotten  the  drops  of  night-mist? 

29  Out  of  whose  womb  came  the  ice  ? 

And  who  gave  birth  to  the  hoar  frost  of  heaven  ? 
^^  Like  a  stone  waters  '"  cohere  together  ''j 

And  the  face  of  the  deep  •"  is  hidden\ 
^^  Dost  thou  fasten  the  bands  of  the  Pleiades  (?), 

Or  untie  the  cords  of  Orion  (?)  ? 


31*),    pipes    feeding  a   reservoir   (Is.   7^),  a   trench  to  contain 
water  (i  K.  iS^"^):  here  of  pipes  conceived  as  existing  to  con- 
duct the  rain  down  from  heaven  to  earth. — Rain'flood\  here  (ct. 
Ps.  32^  and  the  vb.  in  Is.  8"^)  of  a  heavy  rain  descending. 
25b.  =  2826^ 

27.  Thirsty  land]  f^  place  of  coming  forth  :  see  phil.  n. 

28.  Rain  and  night-mist. — These  things  have  no  human 
source ;  with  the  figures  of  begetting  and  birth,  cp.  82^. — 
Night-mist]  29^^  n. 

29-30-  Frost  and  ice. — Frozen  water  is  solid  as  stone 
3%  and  ^  hides  the  still  unfrozen  water  beneath  ;   see  phil.  n. 

31  f.  The  stars  and  constellations— can  or  does  Job,  like 
God,  regulate  the  movement  of  these,  causing  them  to  rise 
and  set,  and  at  different  times  of  year  to  take  different  posi- 
tions in  the  heavens  ?  This  in  general  seems  to  be  the  sense 
of  the  vv.,  though  in  details  these  are  full  of  uncertainties.  The 
constellations  appear  to  be  mentioned  here,  after  the  meteoro- 
logical questions  of  22-2^^  on  account  of  the  ancient  association 
of  their  movements  with  changes  in  the  seasons  and  weather 
(see  on  9'^). 

31.  The  vbs.  are  certainly  antithetical,  the  nouns  (though 
their  meaning  is  uncertain)  are  probably  synonymous ;  the 
identification  of  the  constellations,  particularly  the  Pleiades  is 
disputed  (see  on  9^).      The  meaning  in  general  appears  to  be  : 


334  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB        [XXXVIII.  31-32. 

can  you,  like  God,  fasten  together  (something  belonging  to  or 
something  constituting)  one  constellation  or  unfasten  another  ? 
In  view  of  the  consistent  tone  of  the  questions  throughout  the 
speech — can  or  does  Job  do  what  God  does  ? — we  must  rule 
out  what  in  itself  would  be  a  perfectly  possible  alternative  :  can 
Job  fasten  what  God  looses,  or  loose  what  God  fastens  ?  Con- 
sequently the  constellation  named  in  *  was  actually  conceived 
as  being,  at  least  at  times,  bound,  that  in  ^  as  unbound.  But 
with  the  ambiguity  of  the  nouns,  the  uncertain  identification  of 
the  constellations,  and  our  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew- 
mythology  or  stories  of  the  constellations,  it  is  impossible  to 
get  beyond  very  uncertain  conjectures  as  to  the  exact  meaning 
or  the  exact  nature  of  any  of  the  myths  which  may  be  alluded 
to. — Fasten  the  hands  of]  or  ^fasten  into  a  cluster:  this  has  been 
explained  of  the  closeness  of  the  stars  to  one  another  in  the 
Pleiades  (Ew.  Di. :  do  you  perpetually  keep  the  stars  of  the 
Pleiades  clustered  close  together?),  or,  in  various  ways,  of 
restraining  the  constellation  in  question ;  e.g.  those  who 
identify  the  constellation  not  with  the  Pleiades,  but  with  Canis 
major  think  of  the  chains  with  which  Orion  restrains  his  hound 
(so  Burney,  EBi.  4782) ;  but  this  makes  the  activity  of  God 
secondary,  and  the  question  equivalent  to.  Can  you,  like  Orion^ 
hold  the  Dog  in  check?  On  AV.  RVm.  (meaning.  Canst 
thou  bind  the  sweet  influences  of  the  Pleiades,  so  as  to  restrain 
the  gracious  season  of  spring,  or  ^  dismiss  winter  before  its 
time  ?)  see  phil.  n. — The  Pleiades\  other  identifications  are  Canis 
major  (see  last  n.)  which  contains  Sirius,  or  the  Scorpion 
(Jensen  in  ZA  i.  264). — Untie  the  cords  0/ Orion]  if  ^  refers  to 
the  closeness  of  the  stars  to  one  another  in  the  constellation, 
this  should  refer  to  the  greater  distance  between  the  stars  of 
another  :  so,  e.g.y  Bu.,  who  sees  a  reference  to  the  conspicuous 
change  in  apparent  distance  between  the  stars  of  Orion 
according  to  its  height  in  the  sky.  But  in  the  cords  it 
is  now  more  usual  to  see  a  reference  to  the  bonds  which  kept 
Orion  for  ever  fixed  in  the  sky  (see  on  9^) ;  the  untying  or 
loosening  of  these  may  refer  to  Orion's  being  dragged  higher 
up  or  lower  down  the  sky  (Di.). 

32.  Bring fortK\  Is.  40'^^. — Mazzaroth\  doubtless  the  name  of 


XXX Vin.  32-34.]  YAHWEH  335 

^  Dost  thou  bring  forth  Mazzaroth  in  its  season, 
Or  lead  the  Bear  with  her  children  ? 

^  Knowest  thou  the  laws  of  the  heavens  ? 

Dost  thou  establish  their  rule  in  the  earth  ? 

3^  Dost  thou  lift  up  thy  voice  to  the  cloud, 

That  abundance  of  waters  may  cover  thee  ? 


a  star  or  constellation,  but  what  is  altogether  uncertain  :  see 
phil.  n. — Or  lead,  etc.]  P|  may  also  be  translated  (pointing  DH^n), 
or  comfort  the  Bear  for  (the  loss  of  her)  sons ;  this  would  pre- 
sumably refer  to  some  unknown  mythological  trait ;  but  the 
translation,  as  giving  a  bad  parallel  to  *,  is  improbable. — The 
Bear]  Hebr.  'Ayish  (or  ^ lyyusK) :  the  meaning  of  'Ayish  is  quite 
unknown  and  cannot  be  invoked  to  assist  in  identifying  the  star(s) 
intended.  If  the  constellation  referred  to  be  the  Bear,  *Ayish 
is,  strictly,  the  name  of  the  four  stars  composing  the  square, 
her  children  (or  sons)  the  three  stars  of  the  tail :  cp.  the  Arabic 
name  for  the  constellation  nds  (in  no  way  connected  with  the 
Hebr.  ^AyisK),  the  bier,  for  the  four  stars,  which  resemble  the 
bearers  of  a  bier,  and  banal  ndl,  the  daughters  of  the  bier, 
for  the  three  stars,  which  resemble  the  followers  (Lane,  Arabic 
Lex.  2816c).  If  the  constellation  intended  is  the  Pleiades  (9^  n.), 
'Ayish  is  probably  the  name  of  its  brightest  star,  her  children 
the  remaining  stars :  ST  renders  the  Hen  with  her  children — a 
description  actually  applied  to  the  Pleiades  by  some  peoples. 

33.  The  laws  of  the  heavens']  the  laws  (mpn)  enjoined  by  God 
on  the  heavens  in  respect  to  the  appearance  or  disappearance  ot 
constellations,  the  change  of  night  and  day,  etc.  Cp.  Jer.  3i35f. 
3325  :  and  (pn)  2826  and  ?  Ps.  148^.  EBi.  2989,  giving  to  npn  a 
sense  not  elsewhere  found,  though  not  difficult  to  derive  from 
the  root  meaning  to  inscribe,  renders  the  pictures  of  the  heavens, 
understanding  these  to  be  the  signs  of  the  Zodiac. — b.  Under 
God  (Gn.  1^^),  the  heavens  rule  the  earth. 

34.  The  clouds — does  Job  make  them  give  rain?  The 
same  subject  is  continued  in  ^^^- ;  cp.  also  25-28^  Whether  both 
^*  (which  Bi.  omits  :  ^^^  =  22^^)  and  3^'-  were  original,  and,  if  so, 
whether  they  were  originally  separated  by  ^*-  may  be  questioned. 
— Ccver]  aSc  answer:  but  see  phil.  n. 


336  THE   BOOK    OF    JOB        [XXXVIII.  35-38. 

35  Dost  thou  send  forth  lightnings  that  they  may  go, 

And  say  unto  thee,  **  Here  we  are  "? 
^  Who  hath  put  wisdom  in  the  .   .   .  ? 

Or  who  hath  given  understanding  to  the  .   .  .  ? 
3^  Who  counteth  the  clouds  by  wisdom, 

Or  who  tilteth  the  water-skins  of  the  heavens, 
88  When  the  soil  becometh  hard  as  metal, 

And  the  clods  cleave  fast  together? 


35.  Lightning:  cp.  ^^^  With  the  phrasing  of  *  cp. 
Bar.  3^3  (of  light),  of  ^  Bar.  3^5  (of  stars). 

36.  The  terms  left  untranslated  have  been  the  subject  of 
many  guesses  (see  phil.  n.).  (i)  If  the  v.  is  in  its  original 
context,  it  should  refer  to  celestial  phenomeiia :  so,  e.g.y  RVm. 
dark  clouds  in  *,  meteor  in  ^,  the  thought  then  being  that  such 
phenomena  ''from  their  movements  and  the  figures  they 
assume  .  .  .  are  apparently  endowed  with  intelligence"  (Dr.). 
(2)  In  another  context  the  questions  might  refer  to  the  origin 
of  tnan's  wisdom  ;  but  if  the  terms  really  mean  inward  parts 
(cp.  Ps.  51^)  in  *  and  mind  (of  man)  in  ^  (RV.),  the  v.  is  probably 
misplaced.  (3)  A  third  theory  Is  that  anim,als  are  referred  to : 
the  cock^  according  to  an  ancient  theory,  in  ^,  spinning  (spiders), 
perhaps,  in  *.  If  these  animals  were  referred  to  as  prognosti- 
cators  of  the  weather,  the  reference  would  not  be  out  of  place  in 
the  context ;  but  if  as  possessing  some  other  form  of  wisdom, 
the  V.  would  fall  rather  somewhere  between  38'^^  and  39"^. 
That  *  refers  to  man,  ^  to  the  cock  (TJ  al.),  is  quite  improbable. 

37.  Rain  (cp.  ^*)  for  ^^  the  thirsty  earth. — CountetJi\  or, 
emending,  spreadeth  out',  but  see  phil.  n.  —  Tilteth  the  waters 
skins\  the  clouds  (*)  are  in  ^  pictured  (cp.  26^  n.)  as  vast 
water-skins  from  which,  when  laid  down  or  tilted,  the  water 
pours  forth  as  rain. 

38.  Soi1\  -IDV,  5^  n.  8^^  n. — Becoineth  hard  as  metal]  lit.  is 
casty  or  poured  into  a  casting  (as  of  metal);  cp.  *'the  earth 
(shall  be  as)  iron,"  Dt.  28^^;  ''your  earth  as  copper,"  Lv.  26^^. 
Du.  Peake  interpret  the  phrase  of  the  powdery  dusty  earth 
turning,  as  the  rain  falls  on  it,  into  mud  (Du. ;  clods,  Peake) ; 
but  see  phil.  n. 


XXXVIII.  39-41.]  YAIIWEH  ^^y 

^^  Dost  thou  hunt  prey  for  the  lioness, 

Or  satisfy  the  appetite  of  the  young"  lions, 
^®  When  they  crouch  in  dens, 

(And)  sit  in  the  thicket  to  lie  in  wait? 
*^  Who  appointeth  for  the  raven  what  he  hunteth  down, 

When  his  young  ones  cry  unto  God, 

(And)  •^pipe^  for  lack  of  food. 


39-XXXIX.  30.   Marvels  of  the  animal  world. 

39-41.  Lions,  ^^^-y  and  ravens,  ^^ :  who  secures  that  the 
young  of  these  are  fed?  Job,  as  a  man,  would  rather  starve 
and  destroy  than  sustain  beasts  of  prey ;  but  God  in  His  wis- 
dom so  orders  His  world  that  all  His  creatures  are  sustained ; 
cp.  especially  Ps.  1042^-2*. — Lioness]  4^^**. — YoJiiig  li07is\  4^°^. 

40.  Cp.  37^. — Crotich\  lie  low:   cp.  9^-^,  Ps.  10^^. 

41.  For  the  rave?i]  cp.  Ps.  147^.  |^,  differently  pointed, 
may  be  rendered  i?t  the  evening  \  in  this  case,  *^  continues  the 
subject  of  the  lions,  and  the  raven  disappears.  The  compara- 
tive brevity  of  the  treatment  of  lions  and  ravens,  if  both  are 
dismissed  in  2^"*^,  is  suspicious :  so  also  is  the  tristich  in  "^^ ; 
but  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  adopting-  the  rendering* 
in  the  evening',  see  phil.  n. — Pipe\  a  term  parallel  to  cry  in  *, 
and  suitable  to  ravens,  if  ravens  are  the  subject  of  the  v.,  is 
more  probable  than  they  wander  (|^),  or  it — the  parent  bird — 
wanderSy  as  others  conjecturally  emend  ;  see  phil.  n. 

XXXIX.  1-4.  The  rock-  or  wild-goat.  —  The  animal 
intended  is  generally  understood  to  be  Capra  heden^  Wagfn. 
(DB  ii.  195).  "It  is  a  shy  animal,  with  a  keen  scent,  and  its 
coloration  is  so  like  that  of  the  surrounding  rocks,  etc.,  that  it 
is  very  difficult  to  see.  It  usually  goes  in  small  herds  of  eight 
or  ten,  and,  when  feeding,  has  a  sentry  on  the  look  out  for 
enemies"  {EBi.  1743):  see,  further,  Tristram,  Fauna  and 
Flora  of  Palestiney  p.  6  (with  coloured  plate).  The  rocky  (i  S. 
24^)  mountain  haunts  of  this  animal,  inaccessible  to  or  at 
least  unfrequented  by  man  (Ps.  104^^),  impressed  alike  the 
author  of  Ps.  104  and  of  this  passage.  When  they  give  birth, 
these  creatures  in  their  mountain  retreats  are  beyond  man's 
observation  and  care,  but  not  God's :  He  has  given  to  them 
22 


^7,S  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXIX.  1-4. 

XXXIX.  ^  Knowest  thou  ^  the  rock  goats  ? 

Or  dost  thou  observe  the  calving  of  the  hinds  ? 

*  Dost  thou  count  the  months  that  they  fulfil  ? 

Or   dost   thou   "^ appoint^    the    time    when    they 

bring  forth  ? 

*  They  bow  down,  they  give  birth  to  their  young, 

They  let  go  that  wherewith  they  were  pregnant. 

*  Their  young  ones   are  healthy,  they  grow  up  in 

the  open ; 
They  go  forth,  and  return  not  again. 


to  bring  forth  with  ease  P),  and  to  their  young  to  grow  up 
healthily,  and  quickly  to  become  independent  (*). 

1.  Knotvest  thou\  do  you  take  thought  and  care  about :  for 
the  force  of  know,  cp.  9^^  n.  ?^  +  the  time  of  bringing  forth  of. 
Some  prefer  to  read,  Knowest  thou  the  time  of  the  wild  goats , 
i.e.  the  time  or  season  of  heat  in  the  males  \  see  phil.  n. — The 
hinds\  here  the  females  of  the  wild  goats  (cp.  Ps.  29^). 

2.  The  7nonths  that  they  fulfil]  the  period  of  their  pregnancy. 
— Appoint]  1^  know. 

3.  They  bow  dow7t]  i  S.  4^^.  The  v.  describes  the  rapidity 
and  ease  of  the  parturition.  Rabbinic  interpreters  understood 
it  of  difficult  parturition  ;  on  both  Rabbinic  and  classical  stories 
about  the  parturition  of  the  wild  goats,  see  Bochart,  HieroB., 
lib.  iii.  c.  17. — That  wherewith  they  were  pregnant^  EV.  al. 
their  sorrows,  (lit.  *' birth-pangs"),  i.e.  the  young  as  the  cause 
of  their  pains ;  with  which  it  has  become  customary  to  com- 
pare Ovid,  Her.  11.  iii,  *'Nate,  dolor  matris."  Cp.  also  the 
addition  in  ®  in  2^  "  sons  and  daughters  the  pains  and  sorrows 
of  my  womb."     But  see  phil.  n. 

4.  Again]  \\t.  for  the77iselves  \  or  unto  them,  i.e.  the  herd. 
5-8.  The  wild  ass. — God  (^),  not  man,  who  would  rather 

have  kept  it  in  bondage,  has  given  to  the  wild  ass,  now  the 
most  elusive  and  least  tameable  (ii^^  n.)  of  creatures,  its 
freedom  (^) ;  and  made  the  open  country  far  from  human 
dwellings,  not  some  human  master's  stable  such  as  housed  its 
domesticated  brother  (Is.  i^),  its  home  (^) ;  and  given  it  a  con- 
tempt for  man's  angry  shoutings  such  as  compelled  the  domestic 


XXXIX.  5-8.]  YAHWEH  339 

^  Who  hath  let  the  wild  ass  go  free  ? 

And  who  hath  loosed  the  bands  of  the  brayer  ? 
^  Whose  home  I  have  made  the  steppe, 

And  whose  dwelling-places  the  salt  land. 
^  He  laugheth  at  the  tumult  of  the  city, 

He  heareth  not  the  shoutings  of  the  taskmaster ; 


asS;  most  widely  used  of  all  beasts  of  burden,  to  work  in 
servitude  to  man  (^),  and  fleetness  of  foot  to  find  its  food  over 
wide  stretches  of  country  (^).  References  to  the  wild  ass, 
especially  to  its  fleetness,  intractability,  shyness  and  avoidance 
of  the  haunts  of  men  are  frequent  in  the  OT.  (see  ii^'^,  Gn.  16^^, 
Hos.  8^,  Is.  32^^,  and  references  in  the  following  nn.),  and  even 
more  so  in  the  Arabic  poets  (see  Ahlwardt,  Chalif  Al-Ah?nary 
341-360;  ^oXdekey  Beitrdge  zurarahischen  Poesiey  143,  n.  i,  and 
Fi'mf  Moallaqaty  ii.  72  ff.);  for  various  ancient  references  see 
Bochart,  Hieroz.y  lib.  iii.  c.  16 ;  and  for  a  modern  account  of  the 
wild  ass  of  the  Hauran,  Wetzstein  in  Del. 

5.  Wild  ass  .  .  .  braj'er]  the  two  terms  are  used  for  the 
sake  of  parallelism,  and  do  not  refer  to  different  species. 
Neither,  like  the  English  translation  in  *  and  the  Arabic 
hinidr  alwahs^  defines  the  animal  by  its  similarity  to  the 
domestic  ass  {ffmor) ;  but  the  first  (pere^ :  cp.  Ar.  fara)y  which 
has  already  occurred  in  6^  n^^  24^^  probably  means  etymologi- 
cally  the  fleet(-footed),  the  second  the  brayer,  or  less  probably 
the  fleer  away  (viz.  from  man:  see  phil.  n.). — Let  go  free] 
released  from  captivity;  cp.  Dt.  15^2^  Is.  58^. — The  ba?ids]  such 
as  kept  the  domestic  ass  in  servitude  to  man. 

6.  The  home  of  the  wild  ass  is  in  uncultivated  country  far 
from  the  dwellings  of  men  (Dn.  5^^) — in  the  wilderness  (24^, 
Jer.  2^*,  Sir.  13^^:  cp.  ovut  ipefMLTr},  c.  ii^^  ^^  jej..  31^  ^j^  the 
steppe  (24^),  the  salt-land. — The  salt  land]  uninhabited  country 
(Jer.  17^),  unfit  for  cultivation  (Ps.  107^^;  cp.  Jg.  9^^);  a 
secondary  reason  for  the  use  of  the  term  here  may  be  that  as 
a  graminivorous  animal  (^),  the  wild  ass  is  fond  of  salt. 

7.  He  laugheth  at]  has  no  fear  of;  cp.  18-22  ^121  522^_5, 
Cp.  3''  n. 

8.  The  wild  ass  must  search  far  and  wide  for  the  green 


THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XXXIX.  8-9. 

^  He  spleth  out  the  mountains  as  his  pasture  ground, 
And  he  searcheth  after  every  green  thing. 

*  Is  the  wild  ox  wiUing  to  serve  thee? 

Or  doth  he  spend  the  night  over  thy  manger? 


stuff  on  which  it  lives,  but  being  fleet  of  foot  finds  it  with  an 
ease  denied  to  the  unfortunate  human  outcasts  mentioned  in 
24^. — The  nioiintains\  cp.  Ps.  104^^'-. — EveTy  green  thing]  the 
food  of  the  wild  ass  :  cp.  6^,  Jer.  14^. 

9-12.  The  wild  ox. — Ass  and  ox  are  constantly  associated 
as  domesticated  animals  and  beasts  of  burden  (Ex.  21^^  23^-  ^2, 
Dt.  22^^,  Is.  i^  32^^,  Lk.  13^^);  and  so  from  his  contrast  of  the 
wild  [pere)  to  the  domestic  ass  {Jfmdr)^  the  poet  now  passes  to 
contrast  the  wild  ox  {/^ini)  with  the  domestic  ox  {lor).  The  great 
strength  of  the  wild  ox  (^^)  might  make  him  a  suitable  servant 
of  man,  if  he  would  serve ;  but  he  will  not  (^^) :  no  manger 
(^^)  will  entice  him  to  tolerate  servitude  and  to  endure,  like  the 
domestic  ox,  being  harnessed  (^^*)  to  the  plough  or  the  harrow 
(1*^^) ;  but  even  if  he  would  so  submit,  man  would  never  have 
any  confidence  that  his  innate  love  of  freedom  and  his  strength 
would  not  make  him  break  loose  and  cause  loss  (i^'-)  to  his 
employer. 

9.  The  wild  ox\  that  what  was  regarded,  whether  with  zoo- 
logical exactitude  or  not,  as  a  wild  ox  of  some  kind  is  intended, 
is  sufficiently  clear  from  this  passage  alone :  cp.  the  parallel- 
ism of  the  same  Hebrew  term  (Dt^l)  with  ox  (Dt.  33^^),  cows 
(Is.  34^  D"'1S,  unless  we  should  there  read  D''N1D),  calf  (Ps.  29^). 
Its  dangerous  (Dt.  33^^,  Ps.  22-^  ^2^^),  lofty  (Ps.  92^^)  horns  accord 
with  this.  The  Hebrew  r^^ein  is  now  commonly  identified  with 
the  Assyrian  m;z7/,  a  wild  bull  hunted  among  other  large  game 
by  the  Assyrian  kings  (Tiglath-Pileser  i.  in  KB  i.  39),  and 
depicted  in  enamel,  alternately  with  dragons,  on  the  great 
Ishtar  Gateway  of  Babylon  (cp.  KB  iv.  21).  Reproductions  of 
this  representation  are  given  in  R.  Koldewey,  Excavations  in 
Babylon^  plates  26  (in  colour),  27  and  30  (in  colour),  and  R.  W. 
Rogers,  History  of  Babylonia  and  Assyria,  i.  3 18.  **  Among  the 
Assyrians  it  was  often  employed  in  metaphors  of  strength, 
and  at  times  occurs  in  parallelism  with  pi?'iiy  elephant.     Hence 


XXXIX.  9-11.]  YAHWEH  34 1 

^^  Dost  thou  bind  ''him^  to  the  furrow  •"with"'  cords? 

Or  doth  he  harrow  the  valleys  after  thee? 
11  Would'st  thou  trust  him,  because  his  strength  is  great? 

Or  would'st  thou  leave  to  him  what  thou  hast  toiled  for? 


it  is  not  improbable  that  the  animal  referred  to  is  the  Aurochs, 
the  Ums  of  ]u\ius  Caesar  {BG  6.  28)  .  .  .  and  the  Bos  primi- 
genius  of  naturalists.  Its  teeth  were  found  by  Tristram  in 
Lebanon,  in  the  valley  of  the  Nahr  el-Kalb,  which  is  just 
in  the  neighbourhood  where  Tiglah-Pileser  i.  {c,  iioo  B.C.) 
claimed  to  have  killed  the  rimu,  ...  A  similar  animal  is  the 
wild  cow  or  wadiha  which,  according  to  Doughty  (Ar.  Des. 
i.  328),  may  probably  be  the  DN").  Though  of  no  great  size  it  has 
dangerous  horns,  measuring  sometimes  23  inches  .  .  .  with 
which,  when  maddened  with  wounds,  it  will  inflict  fatal  injuries  " 
[EBL  5229).  An  alternative  name  for  the  last-mentioned 
animal  in  the  northern  Bedawin  dialects  is  bakar  al-ioahl^  i,e, 
the  wild  cow,  wadiha^  denoting  it  as  white.  Doughty  {ih,  327) 
gives  an  illustration  of  the  horn.  This  animal  is  strictly  an 
antelope  {ih.  328),  and,  in  particular,  the  Oryx  Beatrix^  Gray, 
an  animal  about  35  inches  high  at  the  withers,  and  of  a  pre- 
vailing dirty  white  colour  with  the  long  conspicuous  horns 
already  referred  to.  A  coloured  illustration  of  it  is  given  in 
Sclater  and  Thomas,  The  Book  of  the  Antelopes^  iv.  plate  Ixxxi. 
In  Arabic  the  term  ri7n^  on  the  other  hand,  is  given  to  quite 
another  species  of  antelope,  a  graceful  little  gazelle,  that  does 
not  correspond  to  the  animal  called  r^'em  in  Hebrew,  viz. 
Gazella  MaricUy  Thos.,  depicted  in  Sclater  and  Thomas,  op.  cit, 
iii.  Ivi. ;  cp.  Hess,  in  ZATW,  1915,  \21-1 2:i^,—Manger\  Is.  i^: 
cp.  DUX-llE^,  Pr.  151^. 

10.  Him  to  the  furrow  with  cords]  f^  the  wild  ox  in  the  furrow 
of  his  cord. — After  thee]  in  harrowing  (unlike  ploughing)  the 
animal  must  have  been  led. 

11.  No  doubt  the  strength  of  the  wild  ox  would  be  most 
useful  to  you ;  but  suppose  you  could  catch  him  and  put 
him  to  work,  would  you  trtist  him?  See  on  ^~i^. —  What 
thou  hast  toiled  for]  the  fruit  of  thy  labour  in  the  field  (cp.  lo^ 
phil.  n.). 


342  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB       [XXXIX.  12. 

12  Would'st  thou  confide  in  him,  that  he  would  return, 
^  And  1  gather  ^  thy  seed  ""  to  the  ""  threshing  floor  ? 


12.  If  you  were  to  send  the  wild  ox  out  to  bring  home  your 
harvest,  you  would  never  expect  him  to  come  back. — Seed]  in 
the  sense  of  the  matured  product  of  the  seed  sown,  corn-crop, 
as  Lv.  27^^  Is.  23^,  Hag.  2^^. — Return]  or  (Qre)  bri7ig  back ;  on 
this  and  the  emendation  adopted  above,  see  phil.  n. 

13-18.  The  ostrich.  —  There  need  be  no  doubt  that  the 
ostrich  (F)  is  the  subject  of  these  verses,  though  the  earlier  VV. 
did  not  recognize  it,  and  the  term  used  for  the  bird  in  *  is 
strange  (see  phil.  n.),  nor  that  the  cruelty  (^*"^^),  and,  if  ^^  be 
original,  the  stupidity  also,  commonly  attributed  to  the  bird 
(cp.  Bochart,  Hieroz.^  lib.  ii.  cc.  14-17,  and  Schultens  on  this 
passage)  are  here  referred  to.  But  the  first  and  last  vv.  of 
the  passage  (^^-  ^^)  are  obscure,  and  in  consequence  the  exact 
point  and  reference  of  the  entire  description  uncertain.  Accord- 
ing to  one  view  of  ^^  there  is  an  implicit  contrast  between 
the  cruelty  of  the  ostrich  and  the  kindness  of  the  stork: 
then  the  marvel,  as  in  ^~^  and  ^"i^,  consists  in  the  striking 
differences  between  animals  that  in  other  respects  closely 
resemble  one  another.  Failing  this,  we  must  fall  back  for  an 
explanation  of  the  ostrich,  though  a  bird,  appearing  in  the 
midst  of  the  quadrupeds,  on  the  fact  that  it,  like  wild  asses 
and  wild  oxen,  is  a  notable  inhabitant  of  the  desert  (see,  e.g.y 
La.  4^,  Is.  13^1  34^^;  Schult.  11 18  top);  or  we  may  suppose 
that  the  section  has  been  misplaced — Wr.  places  it  after  ^^ — 
or,  though  this  is  much  less  probable  than  the  preceding  or 
following  suggestion,  that  it  has  been  separated  from  ^ef. 
through  the  interpolation  of  ^^"^s  (Ehrlich),  or  that  it  has  itself 
been  interpolated  (Bi.  Hatch,  Du.  Che.  in  EBi.  2481 ;  cp.  Di. 
Peake).  Those  who  adopt  the  last  view  appeal  in  proof  to  (&, 
from  which  i^~i^  were  absent,  to  the  length  of  the  section  (six 
distichs  as  against  four  in  the  three  preceding  sections ;  yet 
19-25  js  s^iji  longer),  the  mention  of  God  in  1^,  and  the  pre- 
dominance of  the  directly  descriptive  over  the  interrogative 
mode  of  expression.  If  the  section  is  original,  ^^^  as  well  as 
1^^  was    probably    interrogative;    and    the    remainder  of  the 


XXXIX.  15.]  YAHWEH  343 

^2  Is  the  wing  of  the  ostrich  .  .  ., 
Or ; 

^*  That  she  leaveth  her  eggs  on  the  earth, 
And  warmeth  (them)  in  the  dust ; 

^^  And  forgetteth  that  a  foot  may  crush  them, 
And  the  wild  beasts  trample  upon  them  ? 


section  for  the  most  part  dependent  on  the  question  (cp.  ^) : 
but,  even  if  it  were  independent  of  the  opening  question,  cp. 

7f.  21-25.  28-30^ 

13.  Schultens  (cp.  Bochart,  op.  cit,  c.  16)  was  already  able 
to  collect  twenty  different  translations  or  interpretations  of  this 
v.,  and  this  number  could  now  be  considerably  increased. 
Many  of  these,  including  AV.,  can  be  ruled  out  as  impossible ; 
several  remain  from  which  an  uncertain  choice  may  be  made. 
Probably^  contained  one,  if  not  two  terms,  parallel  to  **  wing" 
in  *;  whether  it  contained  even  (cp.  ^)  one  (AV.),  not  to  say 
two  (2rU  Rashi),  terms  parallel,  synonymously  or  antithetically, 
to  **  ostrich"  is  uncertain.  In  RV.,  **The  wing  of  the  ostrich 
rejoiceth  ;  (But)  are  her  pinions  and  feathers  kindly  (mrg.  (like) 
the  stork's)?,"  the  renderings  **  rejoiceth,"  **  but  "and  "her" 
are  all  questionable ;  as  is  also  (see  above)  the  absence  of  in- 
terrogation in  *.  Less  improbably,  with  two  slight  emendations, 
we  may  translate.  Is  the  wing  of  the  ostrich  sluggish.  Or  is 
pinion  and  feather  lacking  (to  her),  That  she  leaves,  etc.  Wr. 
rendered,  Does  the  wing  of  the  ostrich  soar  aloft.  Or  is  it  strong 
on  the  wing  like  the  hawk  and  the  falcon  ?  Nay,  it  leaves,  etc. ; 
if  such  a  contrast  between  the  ostrich's  eggs  laid  on  the  ground, 
and  the  hawk's  i^^)  or  the  stork's  (Ps.  104^^)  in  lofty  trees  was 
the  point  expressed  in  the  original  text,  f^  requires  more  change 
than  Wr.  allowed  himself  to  make  in  it  (see  phil.  n.). 

I4-16.  The  cruelty  of  the  ostrich  :  cp.  *' cruel  as  ostriches," 
La.  4^ — If  5^  in  ^  is  correct,  the  v.  refers  to  two  actual  habits 
of  the  ostrich,  viz.  that  having  laid  its  eggs  in  holes  scooped  in 
the  sand,  it  *  then  leaves  them  (frequently  during  the  early 
period  of  incubation  and  in  the  daytime  to  go  in  search  of 
food),  but  ^  at  other  times  (and  continuously  during  the  final 
periods  of  incubation)  sits  upon  them  to  hatch  them  :  but  ^  in 


344  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB     [XXXIX.  16-18. 

^^  She  useth  her  young  ones  hardly,  (making  them)  into  none 

of  hers ; 

Her  toil  is  in  vain :   (there  is)  no  fear. 
"  For  God  hath  made  her  to  forg-et  wisdom, 

And  hath  given  her  no  share  in  understanding. 
^8  What  time  she  spurreth  herself  (?)  on  high, 

She  laugheth  at  the  horse  and  his  rider. 


this  case  forms  a  bad  introduction  to  ^^,  and  we  should  prob- 
ably read  in  ^  depositeth  them  (see  phil.  n.)  for  warmeth'y  then 
in  *  we  may  render  by  the  stronger  word  ahandoneth  (cp.  Jer. 
14^);  and  the  whole  v.  refers  to  a  single  striking  habit  of  the 
bird,  viz.  that  it  lays  its  eggs  not  high  up  out  of  danger,  but 
on  the  ground^  and  leaves  them  there  (i^),  exposed  to  the  risk 
of  any  man  or  beast  that  may  pass  by. 

16.  The  V.  is  a  reflection  on  such  habits  of  the  ostrich  as 
that  in  addition  to  the  eggs  laid  and  concealed  in  the  sand  for 
hatching,  it  lays  others  which  it  leaves  exposed  in  the  sand 
and  uses  for  the  nourishment  of  the  chicks;  and  that  ''when 
the  ostrich  is  surprised  with  her  brood  she  runs  away  from  her 
chicks  "  (Post  in  Hastings'  DB  iii.  635). — Her  young  ones]  the 
unhatched  birds. — b."  cp.  Is.  6$^^. — Her  toii\  in  laying  and  in 
sitting  on  her  eggs. — There  is  no  fear\  ''she  is  unconcerned 
about  it"  (Dr.). 

17.  The  stupidity  of  the  ostrich  :  cp.  the  Arabic  proverb, 
"stupider  than  an  ostrich"  (see  Bochart,  o/*.  czV.,  who  cites 
many  ancient  testimonies  to  its  stupidity).  The  v.  in  giving 
the  reason  for  the  cruelty  described  in  i*"^^,  so  far  blunts  that 
charge;  and  it  stands  awkwardly  before  ^^,  which  suggests  wis- 
dom rather  than  stupidity.  Since  also  the  v.  mentions  God  (cp. 
40*-  ^\  it  is  perhaps  an  addition  (cp.  Peake).  In  lacking  wisdom, 
the  ostrich  lacks  what  was  not  confined  to  man,  but  found  also 
in  animals  (12^'-,  Is.  i^,  Jer.  8^,  Pr.  6^),  and  in  some  pre-eminently 
(Pr.  30^^). 

18.  The  speed  of  the  ostrich  :  "  If  helped  by  the  wind,  the 
fleeing  ostrich  spreads  its  tail-feathers  like  a  sail  and  with 
constant  flapping  of  its  outspread  wings  easily  escapes  its 
pursuers"  (Wetzstein    in   Del.).     To   this  habit  the  unknown 


XXXIX.  13-24.]  YAHWEH  345 

^^  Dost  thou  give  strength  to  the  horse? 

Dost  thou  clothe  his  neck  with  ^  might  ^? 
^^  Dost  thou  cause  him  to  quiver  like  a  locust, 

In  the  majesty  of  his  terrible  snorting? 

21  r  He  T  paw'^  eth  ^  in  the  valley,  and  rejoiceth  ; 

In  strength  he  goeth  out  to  meet  the  weapons. 

22  He  laugheth  at  fear,  and  is  not  dismayed ; 

And  he  turneth  not  back  away  from  the  sword. 
2^  The  quiver  twangeth  upon  him, 

The  flashing  point  of  the  spear  and  the  javelin. 
24  Quivering  and  excited  he  swalloweth  the  ground, 

And  he  standeth  not  still  (?)  at  the  sound  of  (?)  the 

horn. 


word  rendered  above  spurreth  herself  \s  supposed  to  allude  (see 
phil.  n.). — Laugheth  at\  the  slow  and  ineffective  pace  of  her 
pursuers:  cp.  ^  n. 

19-25.  The  horse,  and  in  particular  the  war-horse;  its 
excitement,  eagerness  and  absence  of  fear  as  it  carries  its  armed 
rider  (2^)  into  battle. 

19.  Might]  a  conjecture  based  on  the  parallel  term.  Guesses 
at  the  meaning  of  5i^  'mc\ud&  fear  (ffi),  thunder  (AW .)y  neighing 
(^)>  quivering  mane  (RV.);  see  phil.  n. 

20.  Much  in  this  v.  is  uncertain  :  see  phil.  n. — Quiver]  cp. 
24. — Like  a  locust]  the  comparison  of  the  war-horse  with  a  locust 
seems  less  natural  than  the  reverse  (Jl.  2^  Rev.  9^). 

21.  The  valley]  cp.  "thy  choicest  valleys  were  full  of 
chariots:  and  the  horsemen,"  etc.,  Is.  22^:  also,  for  valleys  as 
battlefields  or  the  sites  of  encampments,  Gn.  14^,  Jg.  7I,  Is.  2821. 
— Rejoiceth  ;  In  strength]  JH  rejoiceth  in  strength^  which  unduly 
limits  the  ground  of  the  horse's  joy :  both  sense  and  rhythm 
could  well  spare  in  strength  altogether. 

22.  He  laugheth]  vJ  n. — The  sword]  of  the  enemy:  this 
would  form  an  excellent  parallel  term  to  ''weapons"  in  21^: 
the  order  of  the  lines  may  have  been  21a.  22a.  21b.  22b^ 

24b.  The  translation  is  very  uncertain,  but  on  the  whole 
preferable  to  the  alternative :  he  helieveth  not  that^  or  whefi^  or 
t/"  (there  is)  the  sound  of  the  horn.     Possibly  the  line  is  merely 


346  THE  BOOK  OF  JOB     [XXXIX.  24-26. 

■^^  As  often  as  the  horn  (soundeth),  he  saith,  **  Aha !  " 
And  from  afar  he  scenteth  the  battle, 
The  thunder  of  the  captains,  and  the  shouting. 

26  Is  it  through  thy  understanding  that  the  hawk  taketh  flight, 
That  he  spreadeth  his  wings  towards  the  south  ? 


intrusive,  and   ^4. 25  originally  consisted  not  of  a  distich  and  a 
tristich,  but  of  two  distichs :   see  phil.  n. 

25.  He  neighs  out  his  delight  when  the  horn,  the  military 
(Am.  3^,  Jer.  4^^)  musical  instrument,  sounds  an  advance. — The 
thunder  of  the  captains\  if  the  phrase  is  correct,  this  must  mean 
the  orders  of  the  military  captains  (Nu.  31^*,  Is.  3^)  given  in  tones 
of  thunder. — Shouting\  or  war-cry  :  cp.  Am.  i^"*,  Jer.  4^^,  Zeph, 
1I6  C  the  day  of  the  horn  and  the  battle-shout "). 

26-30.  The  hawk  and,  at  least  in  J^,  the  vulture. — Birds 
have  been  previously  mentioned — the  raven  (38*^  iJH)  and  the 
ostrich  (13-18J  J  here  two  further  birds  conclude  this  survey  of 
the  animal  world.  Is  it  through  wisdom  given  to  it  by  Job 
that  a  sure  instinct  leads  the  hawk  southwards  at  the  approach 
of  winter,  or,  at  his  command,  that  the  vulture  (unlike  the 
ostrich,  1*)  places  its  nest  high  up  out  of  reach,  on  those  rocky 
fastnesses  where  it  makes  its  home  and  from  whence  its  keen 
and  far-seeing  eye  detects  its  carrion  ^^)  food  ? 

26.  The  hawk]  p;  in  Lv.  iji^,  Dt.  141^1  the  term  is 
generic  for  a  class  of  birds  including  (inrDf5)  several  species ; 
birds  of  the  Falconidas  class  appear  to  be  intended  (Bochart, 
Hieroz.^  lib.  ii.  c.  19 ;  Tristram,  NHB^  p.  189  f.  ;  Thomson,  Land 
and  Book,  326;  EEL  and  DB,  s.v.  hawk);  some  of  these,  as, 
e.g-.f  the  lesser  kestrel,  migrate  south  in  winter. — The  allusion  to 
migration  (cp.  Jer.  8")  in  ^\  is  not  to  be  eliminated  by  rendering 
to  the  south-wind,  **  in  which  case  the  reference  would  be  to  the 
strength  of  wing  that  enabled  it  to  fly  in  the  teeth  of  the  south 
wind  "  (Peake  after  Du.),  for  this  would  surely  require  a  stronger 
prep,  than  \). 

27  f.  Du.  (see  phil.  n.).  Or  is  it  at  thy  command  that  it 
maketh  its  nest  on  high.  And  hath  lodging  upon  the  crag  of 
the  rock?  This  removes  the  vulture,  and  makes  the  whole 
strophe  describe  the  hawk.     Du.'s  emendations  greatly  improve 


XXXIX.  27-XL.  3.]  JOB  34] 

27  Or  is  it  at  thy  command  that  the  vulture  mounteth  up, 

And  maketh  his  nest  on  high  ? 

28  Upon  the  rock  he  dwelleth  and  hath  lodging, 

Upon  the  crag  of  the  rock  and  the  fastness. 

29  From  thence  he  spieth  out  food ; 

Afar  ofif  his  eyes  behold  it. 
^^  His  nestlings  also  gulp  down  blood : 
And  where  the  slain  are,  there  is  he. 
XL.  2  Will  the  reprover  contend  with  the  Almighty  ? 
He  that  argueth  with  God,  let  him  answer  it. 

^  And  Job  answered  Yahweh,  and  said. 


the  parallelism,  and  one  bird  rather  than  two  would  be  more 
according  to  the  analogy  of  the  other  sections ;  on  the  other 
hand  the  habits  described  in  ^7-30  agree  with  those  elsewhere 
associated  with  the  vulture. 

27.  The  vulture\  g^^  n.— b.  (with  ^S),  cp.  Jer.  49^^. 

28.  Crag\  Heb.  tooth ;   cp.  Dent  Blanche,  Dent  du  Midi. 

29.  The  vulture  and  its  prey;  cp.  9'^^  Hab.  i^,  Dt.  28^^  (note 
*'from  afar"),  Jer.  48^0  49^2:  cp.  Ezk.  \f^'. 

30a.  Did  Job  endow  the  bird  *'with  her  terrible  instincts, 
that  show  themselves  at  once  in  her  young,  which  suck  up 
blood"?  Cp.  also  Pr.  30^^,  Hrz.  compares  Aelian,  H.A. 
ID.    14,   aapKoov  TjSerai  jSopa  koI   Trivet   aifxa  kol  to,  veoTTta 

€KTp6(f>6C  T0t9  aVTol<^. b.  Cp.   Mt.    24^^. 

XL.  I.  Between  39^^  and  40^  p],  not  ^,  inserts,  And 
Yahweh  answered  Job  and  said,  thus  cutting  off  the  conclu- 
sion (40^)  of  Yahweh's  speech  in  38^-39^^  40'-. 

2.  Very  effectively  the  speech  closes  as  it  opened  (382*-) 
with  a  challenge  : — Will  Job,  who  has  taken  upon  him  the  part 
of  reprover  and  admonisher  of  God  (cp.  38^),  still  carry  on  the 
dispute  ?  if  so,  he  must  answer  (cp.  38-^)  the  questions  Yahweh 
has  put  to  him,  and  explain  the  marvels  of  creation  which  have 
just  been  brought  before  him  in  38^-39"^ ;  if  he  cannot  do  so, 
he  has  no  right  to  criticize  and  reprove. 

4f.  (  +  ,  probably,  422-'^).  Job's  reply  to  Yahweh:  he 
admits  without  reservation  that  he  cannot  answer  God's 
questions  {^^) :  he  will  therefore  give  up  the  role  of  critic  (^^), 


348  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XL.  4-6. 

*  Behold,  I  am  too  mean :  what  can  I  answer  thee? 

I  lay  mine  hand  upon  my  mouth. 
^  Once  have  I  spoken  ;  but  I  will  not  ^  do  so  again  "• ; 
Yea  twice,  but  I  will  no  further. 

•  Then  Yahweh  answered  Job  out  of  the  storm,  and  said  :— 


which  he  confesses  he  had  several  times  assumed  (^).  In  con- 
trast to  his  own  weakness  (40*),  he  acknowledges  the  omni- 
potence of  God  (42^) ;  and,  now  that  he  has  been  challenged 
(38*),  he  sees  that  he  had  spoken  confidently  of  what  really  was 
beyond  his  comprehension  (42^) ;  and  this  had  been  because  his 
previous  knowledge  of  God  had  been  by  hearsay  ;  whereas  his 
present  knowledge  is  the  outcome  of  direct  vision  ;  this  vision, 
and  new  kind  of  knowledge,  have  led  him  to  humility  and 
repentance  (^)  for  what  he  had  said  in  criticism  of  God,  though 
the  text  and  meaning  of  42^  are  by  no  means  certain. 

4.  Too  i?iean]  unequal  to  the  task. — b.  Cp.  21^  29^. 

5.  Once  .  .  .  ^wzce]  i.e.  more  than  once,  several  times  : 
cp.  33I*. — Do  so  again]  J^  answer. 

6-XLI.  26  (34).  According  to  the  present  text  (^  =  38^)  a 
second  speech  of  Yahweh  clearly  begins  with  ^ ;  to  this  second 
speech  Job  then  makes  a  second  reply  in  42^-^-  But  it  is 
probable  that  in  the  original  form  of  the  poem  Yahweh  made 
only  one  speech  (38^-39^^  40^),  and  Job  only  one  reply  and  con- 
fession (40*'-  422-^). 

In  favour  of  this  conclusion  there  are  weighty  considerations  :  (i)  Even 
as  they  now  stand,  unassociated  with  42^"^  40*^*  contain  a  confession, 
without  any  reservation,  that  Job  has  thrown  up  his  case,  and  that  he  has 
nothing  further  to  say  ;  in  other  words,  so  far  as  Job  is  concerned,  Yahweh's 
object  in  speaking  is  already  achieved,  and  there  is  no  need  for  him  to 
deliver  another  speech  ;  (2)  after  such  a  confession  Yahweh's  rebuke  in 
■^■1^  "comes  perilously  near  nagging"  (Peake) :  this  objection  could  be 
slightly  mitigated,  but  not  removed,  by  merely  omitting  '  and  retaining  ^"^^ 
as  a  second  speech  ;  (3)  the  speecii,  if  the  descriptions  of  leviathan  and 
behemoth  be  omitted  (see  below),  is  suspiciously  short ;  and  (4)  though  it 
treats  of  a  new  subject,  it  has  no  sufficient  distinctness  oi purpose  from  the 
first  speech  ;  nor  does  it  draw  from  Job  a  really  distinct  or  different  con- 
fession ;  Yahweh  here  refers  (40^)  to  Job's  impugnment  of  His  righteous- 
ness, and  to  His  government  of  men  (^'"^^),  whereas  in  38.  39  He  had  spoken  of 
His  work  m  Nature  ;  but  this  still  leads  up,  as  do  38.  39,  to  the  povverlessness 
and  ignorance  of  Job  in  contrast  to  the  might  and  wisdom  of  God  (");  and 


XL.  6-9.]  (yahweh)  349 

'  Gird  up  thy  loins  like  a  mighty  man  : 

I  will  ask  thee,  and  declare  thou  unto  me. 
*  Wilt  thou  even  disallow  my  right  ? 

Wilt  thou  condemn  me,  that  thou  mayest  be  justified  ? 


Job's  reply  in  42^-^  offers  no  particular  withdrawal  of  his  impugnment  of 
God's  righteousness,  but  rather  continues,  and  gives  the  reason  for  what 
he  has  already  said  in  40*';  thus  he  specifically  acknowledges  the  mi^h^ 
of  God  (42^),  as  in  40^  he  had  recognized  his  own  impotence,  and  he  gives 
as  a  reason  for  the  silence  on  which  he  is  now  resolved  (40*''),  the  humility 
to  which  the  vision  of  God  has  brought  him  (42^*' )•  Most  of  those  who 
adopt  the  view  that  there  is  but  one  speech  of  Yahweh,  include  in  this 
one  speech,  and  that  as  its  conclusion,  40^"^^  (so  Bi.  Du.  Peake) ;  but  it  is 
more  probable  that  that  speech  concluded  with  40^,  and  that  4o''-4i26  should 
be  looked  on  as  a  variant  of  the  original  speech  of  Yahweh;  for  (i)  the 
forcible  effect  of  the  brief  challenge  in  40^  is  weakened  by  the  addition 
of  a  few  distichs  presenting  a  new  subject ;  (2)  4o'*'-  admitting  Job's 
incapacity  to  answer  and  announcing  his  retirement  from  the  argument, 
follows  far  better  immediately  on  Yahweh's  challenge  to  him  to  answer, 
and  justify  his  argument  if  he  can  (40^),  than  after  ^-i* ;  (3)  if  the  poet 
intended  to  deal  with  the  impugnment  of  God's  righteousness,  it  is  prob- 
able that  he  would  have  done  so  more  nearly  on  the  scale  of  his 
treatment  of  the  divine  wisdom  and  power  in  38.  39  ;  (4)  if  the  speech  of 
Yahweh  dealt  separately  and  concluded  with  the  question  of  the  divine 
righteousness,  it  would  be  strange  that  Job's  confession  should  make  no 
reference  to  it,  but  only  to  the  might  of  God  (42^).  Da.  feeling  this 
remarked  (on  42^),  "Job  does  not,  as  might  have  been  expected,  acknow- 
ledge the  divine  righteousness  "  ;  but  then  proceeded  very  inconclusively  to 
explain  that  "any  one  divine  attribute  implies  all  others.  Omnipotence 
cannot  exist  apart  from  righteousness  "  ;  if  this  reasoning  were  valid  at  all, 
it  would  render  Yahweh's  second  speech  unnecessary. 

7-14.  As  Job  had  questioned  the  justice  of  God's  rule  of  the 
world,  he  is  now  ironically  invited  to  assume  Divine  attributes, 
and  rule  it  himself;  since  he  cannot  accept  the  invitation,  and 
so  gain  by  experience  a  knowledge  of  all  that  is  involved,  he 
has  no  right  to  criticize.  ' 

7.  =383. 

8.  Disallow]  or,  make  wzVf  (15*,  Is.  14^7,  Nu.  3o9- is^s- 12)). 
— Afy  righi\  that  which  is  my  due  (34^,  Is.  lo^),  i.e.  my  claim 
that  I  rule  the  world  justly?  Or  '•DDE^D  might  mean  my  rights 
in  the  sense  of  the  right,  or  justice,  which  I  execute  in  the 
world  (Di.  Da.) :  wilt  thou  condemn  me  that  thou  mayest  be  in 
the  right,  in  thy  claim,  viz.  to  have  been  treated  differently  ? 

9.  Arjn\  the  symbol  of  might,  as  22^  n. ;  of  God,  Ps.  89^* 
and  often. —  Thu7ider\  mentioned  as  an    imposing  manifesta- 


350  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XL.  9-13. 

•  Or  hast  thou  an  arm  Hke  God  ? 

And  canst  thou  thunder  with  a  voice  Hke  his? 
^^  Pray,  deck  thyself  with  majesty  and  loftiness  ; 

And  array  thyself  with  glory  and  state  : 
^^  Shed  abroad  the  overflowings  of  thine  anger  ; 

And  look  upon  every  one  that  is  proud,  and  abase  him : 
^2  Look  on  every  one  that  is  proud,  (and)  bring  him  low  ; 

And  pull  down  the  wicked  where  they  stand  : 
13  Hide  them  in  the  dust  together  ; 

Bind  up  their  faces  in  the  hidden  (world) : 


tion  of  God's  power  (cp.  37^"^). — There  is  a  sudden  transition 
here  from  the  thought  of  God's  justice  to  that  of  His  might. 
The  world  is  so  large,  the  circumstances  and  situations  of 
human  life  so  infinitely  varied,  that  none  but  an  omnipotent 
Ruler  could  rule  them  all  with  perfect  justice:  **one,  there- 
fore, who  does  not  possess  God's  might,  must  refrain  from 
passing  judgment  upon  God's  justice  "  (Di.). 

10-12.  God  challenges  Job,  if  he  really  thinks  he  can  rule 
the  world  even  as  well  as,  not  to  say  better  than  God  does,  to 
assume  His  attributes  of  majesty  and  power,  and  to  abase  the 
wicked  as  God  abases  them. 

10.  Deck  thyself^  put  on  as  an  ornament  (^"IV) :  so  Hos.  2^^, 
Is.  6\^^  2X.— Majesty  (|i«:i)]  of  God,  as  37^  Ex.  15^  Is.  2^^  2\. — 
Loftiness  {^'y^)\  cp.  22^^^ — Glory  and  state  ("nm  lin)]  the  attributes 
of  a  king  (Ps.  21^  45*);  of  God,  Ps.  104^  96^. 

11.  Shed  abroad]  lit.  scatter^  or  disperse  (Pr.  5^^).  The 
figure  is  that  of  an  impetuous,  overflowing  stream  :  cp.  to  pour 
out  wrath,  Hos.  5^^,  and  often. — b.  cp.  Is.  2^^^ — Look  tipoft]  lit. 
see :  do,  if  thou  canst,  as  I  do,  who  merely  see  the  wicked, 
and  they  are  instantly  brought  down  ! 

12a.  =  ^^^,  except  one  word  :  the  repetition,  if  original,  was 
intended  to  give  emphasis  to  the  thought. — b.  Where  they 
stand]  immediately,  and  on  the  spot. 

13.  The  reference  might  be  to  some  dark,  underground 
cavern,  used  as  a  prison,  such  as  that  in  which  Azazel  is  con- 
fined in  En.  lo'^*-  (bind  Azazel  hand  and  foot,  and  cast  him 
into  the  darkness :  and  make  an  opening  in  the  desert,  which 
is  in  Dudael,  and  cast  him  therein.  And  place  upon  him  rough 
and  jagged  rocks,  and  cover  him  with  darkness,  and  let  him 


XL.  13-14.]  (yAHWEh)  351 

"  Then  will  I  also  praise  thee, 

That  thine  own  right  hand  can  save  thee. 


abide  there  for  ever,  koI  rrjv  oyjnv  avTov  ircofiaaov,  koI  ^w? 
fir)  decopelrco, — quoted  by  Di.),  or,  more  probably,  perhaps,  to 
the  dust  of  the  grave  in  %  and  to  the  dark  and  hidden  recesses 
of  Sheol  in  ^. — I/zde  them  in  the  dnst\  Is.  2^^. 

14.  If  Job  succeeds  in  a  position  in  which  (as  his  com- 
plaints imply)  he  deems  God  to  have  failed,  God  will  acknow- 
ledge— not,  indeed,  that  he  is  equal  to  Himself  in  all  things, 
but  that  he  has  an  arm  like  God's  (^^) — that  at  least  his  own 
power  is  sufficient  for  the  task  which  he  has  undertaken,  and 
that  he  is  able  to  wield  effectively  his  sword  for  the  punishment 
of  evil-doers.  The  hand^  right  hand  or  arm^  is  said  in  Heb. 
to  save^  or  give  salvation  {deliverance^  victory)  to  a  person, 
when,  with  none  to  help  him,  he  himself  triumphantly  over- 
comes his  foes ;  of  men,  Jg.  7^  (<<  lest  Israel  vaunt  themselves 
against  me,  saying.  Mine  own  hand  hath  saved  me  "),  i  S.  2^^' 
2^,  Ps.  44*  ^^^ ;  of  God,  Is.  59^^  and  63^  (no  one  else  could  do  any- 
thing, so  **his  own  arm  brought  salvation  to  him"),  Ps.  98^. 

15-XLI.  34  (26).  Behemoth  and  Leviathan.— For  various 
reasons  it  seems  probable  that  the  description  of  these  two 
animals  was  not  written  by  the  author  of  38  f. 

(i)  The  descriptions  are  longer  :  the  longest  description  in  38  f.  extends 
to  six  distichs  and  a  tristich  ;  that  of  behemoth  to  ten,  that  of  leviathan  to 
thirty-four  distlchs.  (2)  Questions,  so  frequent  throughout  38  f.  and  never 
intermitted  for  more  than  a  few  distlchs  (at  most  five,  39^^'^^)  at  a  time,  are 
here  entirely  absent  from  twenty  consecutive  distichs  In  4115-34  (7-;.o)  ^^^  from 
nine  or  ten  in  40^""-^  (2^).  The  questions  that  do  occur  are  massed  together 
in  4i^-'^-  ^^^-  ^^^'  (4025-31  4i2f.  5f.).  (3)  The  constant  recurrence  of  questions  in 
38  f.  serves  to  keep  the  sense  that  God  is  speaking  vivid,  and  to  give  an 
accumulating  urgency  to  the  divine  challenge  to  Job  ;  in  the  prolonged 
absence  of  questions  In,  and  the  purely  descriptive  character  of  especially 
the  close  of,  40^^-41^ C^^),  the  force  of  the  challenge  expressed,  as  in  38  f.,  In 
4ii-"  (40^5-41^)  dies  away,  and  It  is  easy  to  forget  that  God  is  speaking. 
(4)  This  effect  is  not  prevented  by  the  direct  assertion  of  41^2(4)^  which,  if 
the  text  be  correct,  has  no  parallel  in  38  f.  (5)  In  38  f.  it  is  the  habits, 
actions  and  temper  of  the  animals,  and  especially  what  Is  striking  or 
strange  in  these,  that  are  referred  to  ;  In  40^^^-  descriptions  of  the  bodily 
parts  of  the  animal  assume  prominence  (see  especially  ^o^^-^'^  4112.15-23.30 
(4. 7-15. 23))^  (5)  Whether  behemoth  and  leviathan  are  respectively  the 
hippopotamus  and  the  crocodile,   in   which   case  they  are  pre-eminently 


352  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XL.  14. 

Egyptian  aiiimals,  or  w/y/A/ca/ monsters  (see  below),  they  contrast  strikingly 
with  the  actual  animals  of  Palestine  described  in  38  f.  It  is  questionable 
whether  much  or  any  weight  can  be  attached  to  (7)  linguistic  and  stylistic 
differences:  Di.  detecits  such  in  Jordan  (  =  a  river)  40-^  leviathan  40^ 
(assuming  that  it  differs  in  meaning  from  leviathan  in  3^),  joi  41^  (ct.  30^'), 
S3  and  BID  4l^^  '"^a  negativing  the  finite  vb.  41'^  nn  41^5  (ct.  nnn  6"');  but 
both  jDi  and  nn,  even  if  in  themselves  significant,  are  textually  doubtful ; 
on  the  negatives,  the  most  noticeable  among  the  points  adduced,  and  on 
BID,  see  phil.  nn.  on  411^-^^;  on  leviathan  see  the  end  of  this  introductory 
note  ;  the  use  of  Jordan  in  40^^  is  no  doubt  remarkable,  but  there  is  no 
obvious  opportunity  for  its  use  elsewhere  in  the  book.  Di.  also  alleges  the 
style  of  41'*  ^^'  ^^'  ^^,  but  this  is  partly  the  result  of  textual  corruption  and 
for  the  rest  inconclusive.  In  view  of  the  indecisiveness  of  (7),  it  must  no 
doubt  remain  largely  a  matter  of  taste  whether  the  author  of  38  f.  is  con- 
sidered to  be  also  the  author  of  4o^''-4i^(2«>  or  any  part  of  it,  and  whether 
there  were  originally  two  speeches  of  Yahweh  or  only  one.  But  such  a 
second  speech  as  the  present  text  offers,  with  its  brief  introduction  (4o''^'^'*) 
followed  by  these  lengthy  descriptions  of  two  animals,  with  its  small  inter- 
rogative element  and  entire  absence  of  challenge  at  the  close,  is  certainly 
greatly  inferior  in  conception  to  the  first  with  its  vivid,  brief  descriptions  of 
several  animals,  its  recurrent  challenging  questions,  and  its  final  question 
(40^).  To  transfer  the  descriptions  of  behemoth  and  leviathan  to  the  first 
speech,  as  some  have  proposed,  merely  mars  the  first  without  rendering 
the  second  speech  thus  reduced  to  great  brevity  (4o'-i4)  more  probable. 

A  further  question  is  whether  the  whole  of  40^*^-41**  (^6)  is  from  the  same 
hand.  If  not,  it  is  safest  to  distinguish  from  the  rest  41^*^^  (4o^'-4i')  which 
is  mainly  interrogative  (and  so  in  contrast  to  the  rest  which  is  almost 
entirely  descriptive),  and  possibly  treats  of  a  sea  monster  in  contrast  to  the 
Nile  animals  that  form  the  subject  of  the  rest.  This  passage  (41^'")  mightt\\&n 
have  originally  formed  part  of  the  first  or  rather  the  only  speech  of  Yahweh. 
Others  have  distinguished  (1)  the  description  of  leviathan  (41^2-34  (4-26^  from 
(2)  the  description  of  behemoth  and  the  interrogations  about  leviathan  (40^''- 
4i^M3)),  attributing  the  whole  of  (2)  to  the  author  of  38  f.  :  so,  e.g.,  Stuhlmann  ; 
see  also  the  discussions  by  Bu.  (on  40^^-4126)  and  Ku.  {Jlist.  Crit.  Onderzoek, 
iii.  §  loi,  n.  17). 

The  identifications  of  behemoth  and  leviathan  with  the 
hippopotamus  and  the  crocodile  respectively  are  now  commonly 
accepted  :  the  only  modern  competing  theory  is  that  which, 
reviving-  in  a  fresh  form  ancient  Jewish  interpretations  (En. 
5q7-9.  24^  Apoc.  Bar.  29*,  4  Es.  6'*^~^2.  gee  also  references,  s.v. 
in^llj  in  Levy,  NHWB)  sees  in  these  beasts  mythical  monsters 
described  partly  on  the  basis  of  mythological  tradition,  partly 
by  means  of  traits  derived  from  the  hippopotamus  and  the 
crocodile  (Che.  EBi.  2483) :  see  Che.  Job  and  Solomon^  56,  and 
Behemoth  and  Leviathan^  in  EBi.  ;  Toy,  Judaism  and  Christie 


XL.  15.]  BEHEMOTH  353 

^^  Behold,  now,  behemoth,  which  I  made  with  thee ; 
Grass,  like  the  ox,  doth  he  eat. 


anity^  162  f. ;  Gu.  Schopfungu.  Chaos^  57,  61  fF. ;  and  for  a  full  and 
keen  criticism  of  the  theory,  Bu.  The  supposed  mythical  traits 
are  found  mainly  in  the  interrogative  passage  (41^"^^  (40^^-41^)), 
though  not  exclusively,  for  Che.  and  Gu.  find  such  also  in  40^*-  2* 
^i25  (17)31-34  (23-26)^  ^ud  especially  in  the  fact  that  both  animals, 
though  this  so  far  as  the  hippopotamus  is  concerned  rests  pre- 
cariously on  40^^,  are  represented  as  beyond  the  power  of  men 
to  capture,  whereas  the  ancient  Egyptians  hunted  and  captured 
both  the  crocodile  and  the  hippopotamus.  Yet  this  point  can- 
not be  pressed  too  far,  for,  as  Bu.  (on  40^5)  has  pointed  out,  the 
Egyptians  themselves  could  speak  rhetorically  of  the  animals  as 
unapproachable :  so  in  a  hymn  of  victory  Amon-Re  says  of 
Thothmes  :  ''  The  lands  of  Mitanni  tremble  under  fear  of  thee: 
I  have  caused  them  to  see  thy  majesty  as  a  crocodile,  lord  of  fear 
in  the  water,  unapproachable"  (Breasted,  Egyptian  Records,  ii. 
659).  Possibly,  however,  those  who  put  forward  this  theory 
are  so  far  right  that  two  distinct  animals  are  described  in  41^"^* 
(40^^-4 1^^).  In  the  interrogative  passage,  which  is  dominated 
by  the  idea  of  the  beast's  invincibility,  there  is  nothing,  unless 
we  should  so  regard  41^  (40^^),  that  points  necessarily  or  at  all 
strikingly  to  the  crocodile,  and  one  or  two  points  (see  on  41^) 
seem  inconsistent  with  it.  We  should,  perhaps,  distinguish 
(1)  in  41^"^^  (40^^-41^)  a  description  of  a  ^^^-monster,  leviathan, 
which  is  implied  in  Ps.  104^6  to  be  seen  of  sailors  on  the  sea, 
but  is  more  often  mentioned  with  distinctly  mythical  associa- 
tions (38,  Is.  27I,  Ps.  74!^  En.  6o7-9,  4  Esd.  6^9-52,  Apoc.  Bar.  29*), 
from  (2)  a  description  in  4112-34(4-26)  ^f  ^j^g  M'/^-monster,  the 
crocodile,  which  was  never  termed  leviathan,  but  may  have 
been  mentioned  by  name  in  the  rhythmically  irregular  and  more 
or  less  corrupt  opening  v.  of  the  description  (41*  ^^2)^^ 

15-24.  Behemoth.— Its  habits  (i^-  20-23)^  bodily  parts  (i^-is), 
and  avoidance  of  capture  (2'*). 

15.  Behemot}i\  apparently  the  pi.  of  the  common  Hebr.  term 
for  beast  with  intensive  force — tlie  great  beast — here  applied  to 
a  particular  animal  which  may,  on  the  strength  of  the  details 
23 


54  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XL.  15. 

*^  Lo,  now,  his  streng-th  is  in  his  loins, 

And  his  force  is  in  the  muscles  of  his  belly. 


given,  especially  of  its  amphibious  character  (^^^•),  be  identified 
with  the  hippopotamus  (so  most  since  Bochart,  Hierozoicon^  lib. 
V.  c.  15).  On  the  possibility  and  extent  of  mythical  elements 
in  the  description  see  above,  and  the  notes  that  follow. 
Schultens,  himself  inclining  to  the  elephant,  records  and 
criticizes  a  number  of  other  identifications,  mostly  ridiculous, 
such  as  the  worms  feeding  on  Job's  body,  the  domesticated 
ox,  or,  allegorically,  the  Devil  or  Christ.  The  hippopotamus, 
even  if  in  the  time  of  the  author  found  outside  Africa,  and  the 
crocodile  were  probably  mainly  thought  of  by  the  author  as  the 
two  most  conspicuous  animals  of  Egypt  and  the  Nile :  cp. 
Herod,  ii.  68-71,  w^here  the  hippopotamus  is  described  immedi- 
ately after  the  crocodile:  Diod.  i.  35;  Pliny,  HN.  viii.  95. 
''  At  the  present  time  the  river-swine  (as  the  ancient  Egyptians 
called  them)  \i,e.  the  hippopotamus]  do  not  extend  north  of 
Dongola,  between  the  second  and  third  cataracts,  and  even 
there  they  are  rare ;  but  both  the  frescoes  and  writings  of  the 
Egyptians  and  the  fossil  remains  found  in  the  Delta  of  the  Nile 
show  that  in  former  times  it  inhabited  Lower  Egypt,  and  was 
harpooned  by  the  inhabitants.  During  the  Pleistocene  and 
Pliocene  epochs  an  animal  specifically  indistinguishable  from 
the  hippopotamus  was  widely  spread  over  southern  and  middle 
Europe,  extending  even  into  England,  so  that  although  at 
present  there  is  no  distinct  evidence  of  its  existing  in  the  Jordan, 
it  is  possible  that  it  may  formerly  have  done  so  "  {EBi.  2073). 

15.  With  thee]  i.e.  like  thee  (g^^  37I8) ;  both  alike  are  God's 
creatures  (cf.  for  the  thought,  31^^  33^).  Or,  omitting  which  1 
made  with  (Er,  w^e  may  render  is  beside  thee  (seephil.  n.). — Grass^ 
like  the  ox]  from  its  size  and  strength  it  might  have  been  judged 
to  be  a  carnivorous  animal ;  but  like  other  cattle  it  feeds  merely 
on  grass.  The  hippopotamus,  especially  at  night,  issues  forth 
from  its  reedy  ferns  and  "treading  its  way  into  the  cultivated 
lands,  makes  sad  devastation  among  the  growing  crops" 
(Wood's  Mammalia^  p.  762). 

16-18.  The  immense  strength  of  the  animal. 


XL.  16-19.]  BEHEMOTH  355 

"  He  bendeth  his  tail  like  a  cedar : 

The  sinews  of  his  thighs  are  knit  together. 

"  His  bones  are  tubes  of  bronze  ; 
His  limbs  are  like  bars  of  iron. 

"  He  is  the  first  of  the  ways  of  God : 

Let  him  that  made  him  bring  near  his  sword  I 


l6a.  Not  very  distinctive,  since  the  loins  in  general,  or  at 
least  in  men,  were  proverbially  the  seat  of  strength  (Nah.  2^, 
thy  loins  1|  thy  power,  Ps.  69^*  ^^^\  Dt.  33^1 ;  cp.  Latin  delum- 
hare^  to  weaken) ;  on  the  other  hand,  b.  the  muscles  of  the  belly 
in  the  hippopotamus  are  said  to  be  peculiarly  thick  and  strong; 
and,  unlike  the  elephant  (i  Mace.  6*^;  Jos.  Ant.  xii.  9*),  for 
example,  it  was  not  peculiarly  vulnerable  in  the  belly. 

17a.  A  hyperbolical  description  of  its  tail.  This  is  short, 
similar  to  that  of  a  pig,  hairless,  very  thick  near  the  root, 
about  the  thickness  of  a  finger  at  the  end ;  its  muscular  stiff- 
ness, regarded  apparently  as  indicative  of  strength,  forms 
the  point  of  its  comparison  to  a  cedar. — Are  knit  together] 
intertwined,  so  as  to  form  a  compact  mass  of  muscle.  Perhaps 
(Del.)  there  is  in  ^yw"*  an  allusion  to  a  closely  intertwined  bunch, 
or  cluster,  of  vine-tendrils  (cf.  y^y^^  a  cluster  of  tendrils^  Gn.  ^o^^- 12 
[EVV.  bra7ich]). 

18.  Tubes  of  bronze]  so  strong  and  firm  are  they. — Limbs]  or 
perhaps,  strictly,  bones:  see  phil.  n. 

19.  Cp.  in  the  description  of  leviathan,  4i33f.  (25)^ — First] 
or,  chief;  n^SJ'Xl,  lit.  firsts  beginnings  may  denote  either  what 
is  first  in  timcy  as  the  ^^  beginning  oi  vjisdom^^'  Ps.  iii^^,  or  first 
season  (of  a  tree,  Hos.  9^^),  or  what  is  first  in  rank,  as  Am.  6^ 
the  chief  of  the  nations,  v.^  the  best  of  unguents.  Ways 
mean  here  the  creative  work  of  God :  cf.  26^*,  and  especially 
Pr.  8^2  *  *  Yahweh  got  me  (Wisdom)  as  the  beginning  of  his 
way{s:  ^  ^  U)."  Is  **  first,"  now,  here  to  be  taken  in  the 
sense  of  first  in  time  (Gu.  Schopf  u.  Chaos,  62) — according  to 
Jewish  Haggadah,  Behemoth  was  not  created  until  the  5th 
day  (Bar.  29*,  4  Esd.  6^^) — or  (Del.)  first  in  rank,  ''the  most 
majestic  work  of  creation,  un  chef  d^oeuvre  de  Dieu  (Bochart) "  ? 
**  Perhaps  (Hrz.  Di.  Bu.  Du.)  both  ideas  are  to  be  thought 
of:    behemoth  was  the  masterpiece  of  God's  creative  work, 


356  TFIE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XL.  19-20. 

^  For  the  mountains  bring^  him  (their)  produce  ; 
All  the  beasts  of  the  field  do  play  there. 


because  (Hrz.)  His  full,  fresh  creative  force  had  embodied  itself 
in  it  (cp.  the  expression  ^3N  l,  Gn.  49^  al.  '  th^  first  [or  firstfruits) 
of  my  virile  strengthy  of  the  firstborn,  reg-arded  at  the  same 
time  as  the  fullest  representative  of  his  father's  physical 
nature).  *As  mytholog^y  peopled  the  primaeval  times  with 
g-iants,  it  is  natural  they  should  look  on  huge  beasts  like  the 
hippopotamus  as  remnants  of  such  times  '  (Wr.  192)" — Dr. — 
God\  in  a  speech  of  Yahweh  :  cp.  *  39^^  (perhaps  interpolated). 
— Let  him  that  made  bring  7iear  his  sword  f]  viz.  to  assail  him  ;  for 
no  one  else  can  do  so.  This  is  the  only  meaning  which  iW  can 
have ;  but  it  is  not  satisfactory  :  in  particular,  it  anticipates  2* 
and  it  gives  no  reason  for  the  following  For  {^^).  The  conven- 
tional rendering  is,  **  He  that  made  him  bri?igeth  near  his 
sword  "  (fig.  for  his  powerful  teeth),  i.e.  furnishes  him  with  it : 
but  this,  though  it  satisfies  the  following  For  (see  on  ^'^)  is  for 
other  reasons  still  less  satisfactory  (see  phil.  n.).  The  emenda- 
tion (Che.  after  Du.),  which  is  made  to  he  ruler  of  his  fellows 
(i.e.  of  the  other  animals),  is  attractive  and  may  be  right,  ffi 
suggests  which  is  made  for  hiin  to  play  with  (cp.  Ps.  104^^),  i,e> 
to  be  God's  plaything.  Gu.  very  precariously,  which  was  made 
that  he  should  nde  the  dry  land^  cp.  En.  60""^,  4  Esd.  6*^-^2 
(Behemoth  created  lord  of  the  desert;  Leviathan,  lord  of 
the  deep). 

20.  For  the  mountains  bring  Jmn  (their)  produce\ — So  iW, 
**For,"  however,  agrees  only  with  the  conventional  rendering 
of  ^^  just  mentioned  (it  requires  such  a  weapon ;  for  it  needs 
abundant  vegetation  for  its  nutriment),  which  (see  phil.  n.)  is 
far  from  satisfactory;  Du.'s  emendation,  '*For  the  produce  of 
the  mountains  he  taketh  to  himself,"  gives  a  better  sense. 
Produce,  as  20^^,  Lev.  26^^,  Ps.  67^  ^^^  al.  (EVV.  usually  increase). 
**  Mountains  "  in  Egypt  are,  however,  at  some  distance  from  the 
Nile,  and  also  bare  :  probably  smaller  cultivated  heights,  near 
the  river  itself,  are  meant.  The  thought  of  the  line  is,  not 
that  the  animal  feeds  on  mountains  as  opposed  to  plains,  but 
that  whole  tracts  of  wooded  and  grassy  heights  are  depastured 


XL.  20-23.]  BEHEMOTH  357 

•^  Under  the  lotus  trees  he  lieth, 

In  the  covert  of  the  reed,  and  the  swamp. 
^  The  lotus  trees  screen  him  as  his  shade  ; 

The  poplars  of  the  wady  compass  him  about. 
^  Behold,  if  a  river  i" overflow!,  he  is  not  alarmed, 

He  is  confident,  though  Jordan  burst  forth  against  his  mouth. 


by  him. — b.  The  line  according  to  the  existing  text  suggests 
the  harmlessness  of  the  animal :  huge  as  it  is,  it  does  not  assail 
other  creatures ;  they  can  play  fearlessly  beside  it.  Gu.  (see 
phil.  n.)  suggests  that  the  original  text  expressed  the  subjec- 
tion of  other  animals  to  behemoth  in  some  such  form  as  all  the 
beasts  of  the  field  look  up  to  him. 

21-22.  Its  favourite  haunts :  under  the  shade  of  lotus 
trees,  or  poplars,  and  among  the  reeds  and  swamps  of  the 
river's  side.  The  "lotus"  meant  is  not  the  water-lily  called 
Nymphcea  lotus^  though  this  is  common  in  Egypt,  but  the 
Zizyphus  Lotus^  a  low  thorny  shrub,  which  (Wetzst.)  loves 
warm  and  moist  low-lying  regions  (e.g.  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee),  and  is  common  in  N.  Africa  (cf.  the  \(OTO(f>dyoCj  Od, 
9.  82  ff.;   Hdt.  iv.  177). 

21.  The  reed]  the  papyrus:  Is.  19^  Ps.  68^^  **the  beast  of 
the  reed."  Cf.  Ammian.  Marc.  xxii.  15  (cited  by  Bochart) : 
Inter  arundines  celsas  et  squalentes  nimia  densitate  haec  bellua 
cubilia  ponit. 

22.  The  poplars  of  the  V5ady\'s>o  Lev.  23*^;  cf.  the  "wady 
of  poplars"  Is.  15^:  D^my,  also  Is.  44^  Ps.  1372!.  The  Arabic 
equivalent  is  gharah :  and  branches  of  this,  brought  to  Europe 
and  examined,  are  found  to  belong  to  the  Populus  Ettphratica^ 
which  is  very  common  in  Palestine,  being  found  on  the  banks 
of  the  Jordan  and  all  other  rivers  (EBi.  iv.  5302).  The 
**  wady"  suggests  Palestine  rather  than  Egypt. 

23.  The  animal  may  be  asleep  on  the  edge  of  the  river,  or 
even  in  the  river  itself,  with  just  its  eyes,  ears,  and  nostrils 
above  the  water ;  but  it  can  dive  and  swim ;  so  even  though 
the  stream  rises  suddenly  and  dashes  against  it,  it  is  not 
alarmed.  In  ^  {\i  forda7t  is  correctly  read  there)  the  imagery 
is  derived  from  Palestine  (cp.  last  n.  end)  :  ev^en  though  Jordan, 
a  rapid  and  impetuous  stream,  dashed  against  it,  it  would  still 


358  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XL.  23-24. 

^  Can  any  take  him  •"  when  he  is  on  the  watch ', 
Or  pierce  through  f  his  ^  nose  with  metal  teeth  ? 


have  no  fear. — Overflow]  in  RV.  ** overflow"  is  a  paraphrase: 
RVm.  be  violent y  is  a  doubtful  rendering  (see  phil.  n.).  Gu., 
also  by  a  slight  emendation,  obtains  Falleth^  and  then  restores 
the  whole  v.  as  follows :  Behold,  if  the  river  falleth,  he  is  not 
alarmed  ;  He  is  confident,  though  the  stream  burst  forth — alike 
whether  the  Nile  rises  or  falls,  the  hippopotamus  remains  un- 
alarmed. — Is  alarmed]  Dt.  20^,  Heb.  (EVV.  tremble).  The  word 
implies  hurry  mingled  with  alarm:  i  S.  23^6,  2  S.  4*,  Ps.  48^ ^^^ 
104^  (the  waters  **at  the  voice  of  thy  thunder  sped  in  alarm^'). 
24.  A  very  doubtful  v. :  by  itself  it  would  most  naturally 
express  the  ease  with  which  the  animal  is  captured  :  this  being 
impossible  in  the  context,  it  has  been  often  understood  to  mean, 
It  cannot  be  taken  like  an  ordinary  land-animal :  when  it  could 
see  him,  no  one  would  be  able  to  take  it,  nor  can  its  huge 
nostril  be  pierced  by  metal  teeth. — Can  any  .  .  .  ?]  No  inter- 
rogation is  expressed  in  |^ ;  and  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  v. 
was  originally,  like  the  rest  of  the  passage,  descriptive ;  it  may 
have  read.  No  man  can^  or  similarly.  Gu.  surmises  a  mytho- 
logical reference :  God  taketh  or  took  him :  see  phil.  n. — 
Metal  teeth]  ^^^\>\o  is  not  a  'snare'  (EVV.),  i.e,  (Germ.  Schnur^ 
a  string)  a  cord^  or  noose ;  but,  as  its  fig.  use  in  the  sense  of  a 
lure  to  destruction  suggests  (Ex.  lo^  23^^^,  i  S.  18^^,  'that  they 
may  be  a  mdkesh  to  him,  and  that  the  hand  of  the  Philistines 
may  be  upon  him)  the  trigger,  or  metal  tooth,  on  which  the 
bait  was  placed  which,  when  the  animal  touched  it,  was 
released  either  by  the  action  of  the  animal  itself,  or  (as  in 
Egypt)  by  the  fowler  concealed  near  it,  who  pulled  it  by  a 
string,  so  that  the  trap,  or  frame  holding  the  net — see  the 
illustration  of  an  Egyptian  trap-net  in  Dr.  Joel  and  Amos, 
p.  157 — closed  upon  the  animal;  or  sometimes — as  the  present 
passage  would  suggest — pierced  its  nostril,  and  so  secured  it 
(Del.).  Such  an  instrument  might  effectually  capture  smaller 
animals ;  but  it  would  be  useless  against  the  huge,  thick- 
skinned  muzzle  of  the  hippopotamus " — Dr.  See  Burney, 
Judges  40. 


XLI.  1.]  LEVIATHAN  359 

XLI.  (XL.)  ^  <25»  Canst  thou  draw  out  leviathan  with  a  fish  hook? 
Or  press  down  his  tongue  with  a  line  ? 


XLI.    1-34   (XL.   25-XLL  26).— Leviathan :    Can    Job 

capture  leviathan  ?  ^■^.  If  not,  how  stand  before  God  ?  ^-^^ 
(but  the  text,  meaning,  and  connection  of  ^-^^  are  uncertain). 
In  12  34  there  follows  a  description  of,  in  all  probability,  the 
crocodile.  Whether  this  animal  is  also  the  subject  of  ^-^^  is  less 
certain  (see  above,  p.  353).  In  describing  the  crocodile  after 
the  hippopotams,  the  writer  probably  had  at  least  mainly  in 
view  the  crocodiles  of  the  Nile  (cp.  3i  (23)  j^  j^  j^q^  crocodiles  of 
the  streams  flowing  into  the  Mediterranean  south  of  Carmel, 
even  if  crocodiles  at  the  time  were  found  in  any  of  the  streams 
of  Palestine.  The  OT.  never  refers  to  crocodiles  in  Palestine, 
though  it  is  commonly  inferred,  from  the  names  KpoKoSelXtov 
TToXfc?,  attaching  to  a  town  between  Ptolemais  and  Straton's 
Tower  (Strabo,  16.  27),  and  Crocodilon  (Pliny,  UN.  5. 17),  attach- 
ing to  a  stream  generally  identified  with  the  Nahr  ez-Zerka, 
which  flows  into  the  Mediterranean  south  of  Carmel  and  north 
of  Caesarea,  that  crocodiles  existed  in  Palestine  at  least  as 
early  as  these  writers.  Several  mediaeval  writers  speak,  mainly 
on  hearsay,  of  crocodiles  especially  in  the  stream  north  of 
Caesarea  (see  Tobler,  Dritte  Wanderung  nach  PaldstinUy 
375  fF.),  and  the  presence  of  crocodiles,  particularly  in  the 
Nahr  ez-Zerka,  has  been  reported  by  many  modern  travellers 
(see  Memoirs  of  the  Survey  of  Western  Palestine^  ii.  3 ;  H.  B. 
Tristram,  Faima  and  Flora,  155;  Conder,  Palestine,  70; 
Macgregor,  The  Rob  Roy  on  the  fordan,  432  f.  (who  also  claims 
to  have  seen  a  crocodile  in  the  Kishon,  ib.  447  ff.) ;  PEF  Qu. 
St.  1887,  p.  i),  and  the  skin  of  a  crocodile  said  to  have  been 
killed  in  this  stream  is  in  the  possession  of  the  PEF  (see  Qu. 
St.  1893,  pp.  183,  260).  See  more  fully  PEF  Qu.  St.  Oct.  1920. 
XLL  I  (40^^).  Can  leviathan  be  taken  by  an  ordinary  hook 
and  line  ? — Leviathan]  a  term  with  mythological  associations 
(3^n.),  and  never,  presumably,  the  current  Hebrew  term  for  the 
crocodile,  but  here,  if  throughout  down  to  ^*  the  same  animal  is 
referred  to  (yet  see  above,  p.  353),  applied  to  the  crocodile  to 
which    the   details   in  ^^-si  gQ   strikingly  point  that,   with  the 


J 


60  THE   BOOK    OF   JOB  [XLI.  1. 


exception  of  Schultens,  who  still  inclined  to  identify  the  animal 
described  with  the  whale,  most  since  Bochart  have  acquiesced 
in  the  identification,  even  those  who  argue  for  a  mythical 
character  of  both  behemoth  and  leviathan  agreeing  that  ele- 
ments in  the  description  in  ^^-s*  are  taken  from  the  crocodile. — 
Or  press  down,  etc.]  this  has  been  explained  as  meaning  that 
when  the  hook  is  swallowed  and  the  cord  drawn  tightly,  it 
presses  down  the  tongue  (Di.  Da.).  But  the  language  is 
strange  (see  phil.  n.).  Du.  Peake  take  the  line  to  refer  to  lead- 
ing about  the  animal,  after  capture,  by  means  of  a  rope  fastened 
round  the  tongue  and  lower  jaw  ;  and  they  find  the  idea  carried 
on  in  2.  In  this  case  ^^  and  ^^  have  probably  changed  places  ; 
note  that  the  more  closely  parallel  terms  line  and  cord^  fish 
hook  and  hook  would  by  such  a  transposition  be  associated  in 
the  same  distich  ;  ^^  in  this  case  refers  to  what  is  done  before 
capture :  cp.  Ezk.  29*. — His  tongue\  this  reference  is  not 
favourable  to  the  identification  of  leviathan,  ^-^  (as  distinct  from 
the  animal  described  in  ^^ff.)  with  the  crocodile :  for  Herodotus 
(ii.  68)  records  a  widely  prevalent  popular  opinion  when  he 
remarks  of  the  crocodile  that  *'  unlike  all  other  beasts,  he  grows 
no  tongue";  similar  statements  (collected  by  Bochart,  Hieros, 
V.  16)  are  made  by  Aristotle,  Plutarch,  Pliny,  and  Ammianus 
and  others.  The  difficulty  cannot  be  satisfactorily  avoided  by 
pleading  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  crocodile  has  a  tongue, 
though  it  is  immobile  and  adheres  to  the  lower  jaw ;  for  the 
question  is  not  what  is  known  to  modern  and  some  ancient  (see 
Bochart)  correct  observers  of  the  crocodile's  anatomy,  but  what 
was  the  popular  opinion  in  the  age  of  the  writer  ;  it  is  possible, 
though  not  probable,  that  the  Jewish  author  of  this  passage 
did  not  share  the  opinion  current  in  Egypt,  carried  home  thence 
by  Herodotus,  who  was  probably  nearly  contemporary  with 
him,  and  accepted  by  Aristotle.  Peake  very  rightly  rejects 
another  explanation,  remarking,  the  line  hardly  means  **you 
cannot  press  down  his  tongue,  for  he  has  none  ;  but  rather  you 
cannot  press  down  his  tongue,  for  he  is  too  formidable  to  be 
attacked."  But  would  a  writer  so  speak  of  the  tongue  in 
reference  to  an  animal  popularly  believed  to  have  none? 
1^  (see  phil.   n.)  admits  of  being  rendered  into  his  teeth ;  but 


XLI.  1-2.]  LEVIATHAN  36 1 

^  <^'  Canst  thou  put  a  cord  into  his  nose  ? 

Or  pierce  his  jaw  through  with  a  hook? 
»(«)  Will  he  make  many  supplications  unto  thee? 

Or  will  he  speak  soft  words  unto  thee  ? 


this  rendering-  involves  an  improbable  construction,  and  the 
text  probably  refers,  as  most  have  assumed,  to  the  tongue. 
There  is  another  consideration  unfavourable  to  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  beast  described  in  ^-^  ^^^^  with  the  crocodile : 
Herod,  (ii.  70)  describes  the  method  of  capturing  crocodiles  as 
follows :  *'  A  man  puts  the  back  of  a  pig  upon  a  hook  as  bait, 
and  lets  it  go  into  the  middle  of  the  river,  while  he  himself 
upon  the  bank  of  the  river  has  a  young  live  pig,  which  he 
beats  :  and  the  crocodile  hearing  its  cries  makes  for  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sound,  and  when  he  finds  the  pig's  back  swallows  it 
down ;  then  they  pull,  and  when  he  is  drawn  out  to  land,"  etc. 
Now,  as  already  remarked,  though  crocodiles  were  captured, 
even  the  Egyptians  could  speak  of  them  rhetorically  and  in 
general  terms  as  unapproachable ;  but  is  it  natural  to  ask 
incredulously  ifi  detail  whether  that  was  done  which  was  done, 
or  at  least  was  believed  by  such  a  traveller  as  Herodotus  to 
have  been  done  ? 

2  (40^^).  Can  it,  after  capture,  be  treated  like  other  fish  ? 
The  reference  may  be  either  to  the  method  of  carrying  fish  when 
caught,  cp.  the  illustration  in  Wilkinson,  Ancient  Egyptians^ 
ii.  118  {190),  or  (Del.)  to  the  practice  of  passing  a  cord  through 
their  gills,  and  letting  them  down  into  the  water  again,  to 
keep  them  fresh  ;  or  there  may  be  an  allusion  to  the  custom  of 
leading  about  a  bull  or  wild  animal  with  a  cord  and  ring 
(see  on  ^). — Cord]  lit.  a  rush  (4112(20)^  Is.  58-5),  i.e.  a  cord  either 
made  of  rushes,  or  spun  of  rush-fibre  :  cf.  <t-^oIvo^  and  a^oivioi. 
— Hook]  nin  is  properly  a  drier  (2  K.  14^),  then  a  thorn  (Pr.  26^), 
and  fig.  a  spike  or  pointed  hook  for  holding  captives  ;  cp.  2  Ch. 
33",  and  they  caught  (and  held)  Manasseh  (D'^nhs)  with  hooks  : 
and  so  (nn)  Ezk.  19^  29*,  and  Is.  37-^,  I  will  put  my  hook  in  thy 
nostril :  cf.  the  representation  on  a  stele  in  the  British  Museum 
of  Esarhaddon  holding  Tirhakah  of  Egypt  and  King  Baal  of 
Tyre,  who  are  kneeling  before  him,  by  two  cords,  with  rings  at 
their  end  passed  through  their  noses  (PI.  40  in  Rogers,  CF). 


362  THE   BOOK   OF  JOB  [XLI.  3-7. 

4  (28)  Will  hg  make  a  covenant  with  thee, 

That  thou  shouldest  take  him  for  a  servant  for  ever  ? 
8  (29)  Wilt  thQu  play  with  him  as  with  a  bird  ? 

Or  wilt  thou  bind  him  for  thy  maidens? 
6  (30)  Will  the  companies  (of  fishermen)  bargain  over  him  ? 

Will  they  divide  him  among  the  merchants? 
'<2^>  Canst  thou  fill  his  skin  with  barbed  irons, 

Or,  his  head,  with  fish  spears  ? 


3  (40^^).   Will  he  beg  to  be  spared  or  treated  kindly? 

4  (40^^).  Will  he  consent  to  make  an  agreement  with  thee  to 
be  thy  servant  as  long  as  he  lives,  receiving  in  return  his  food 
from  thee? — Covenant\  as  Gn.  31**,  2  S.  3^2*  ^^  etc. — A  servant 
forever]  i.e.  to  the  end  of  his  life:  so  Dt.  15^^,  i  S.  27^^. 

5  (40^^).  Can  Job  play  with  him  as  a  bird,  or  keep  him  in 
his  house  as  a  pet  for  his  maidens  ?  Bochart  and  others 
compare  Catullus'  *' passer  deliciai  meae  puellae." 

6  (40^^).  Is  leviathan  an  article  of  traffic  ?  Will  fisher- 
men make  bargains  (6^7)  over  him,  or  merchants  be  ready 
to  take  portions  of  it  from  them  ?  —  Compafiies]  D^")3n  is 
associates^  partners :  fishermen  often  worked  in  partnership ; 
cf.  Luke  5*^  Karepevcrav  rot?  fieTo^oL^i  iv  toJ  eTepo)  irXoia),  ^^  ot 
Tjaav  Kocvcovol  tw  Si'fJ^oyvi. — Merchants]  lit.  Canaanites  (i.e. 
Phoenicians),  these  being  the  principal  **  merchants"  known 
to  the  Hebrews.  Cf.  Is.  238,  Zech.  1421,  Zeph  i^\  Pr.  312*, 
Ezk.  17*. 

7  (41^^)'  This  V.  might  well  refer  to  the  crocodile  :  can  spears 
pierce  his  sides  so  as  to  enter  his  flesh  ?  But  it  would  anti- 
cipate, so  far  as  the  reference  to  the  shield-like  scales  is  con- 
cerned, ^^'^^  ^'^~^\  and,  so  far  as  the  futility  of  weapons  is  con- 
cerned, 26-29 (i8-2i\  If  ii^Q  reference  is  to  a  sea-monster,  the 
meaning  is  :  as  he  is  not  to  be  captured  with  hook,  so  he  is 
not  to  be  slain  by  spears,  for  ^  no  one  assails  leviathan  with 
impunity :  it  is  the  assailant,  not  leviathan,  that  in  such  a  case 
would  suffer. — Fish  spears]  or,  harpoons  only  here ;  lit.  a 
whizzing  implement.  Spears  of  various  kinds  were  much 
used  in  ancient  Egypt  for  fishing,  and  are  often  represented  on 
the  monuments.  "  The  bident  was  a  spear  with  two  barbed 
points  which  was  either  thrust  at  the  fish  with  one  or  both 
hands  as  they  passed   by,    or   was   darted  a  short  distance, 


XLI.  7-11.]  LEVIATHAN  363 

8  (32)  Lg^y  ijy^  thinc  haHcl  upon  him  ; 

(Then)  think  of  the  battle  ;  thou  wilt  do  so  no  more  ! 
'  <^>  Behold,  the  hope  of  him  (that  assaileth  him)  proveth  itself  false ; 

Even  at  the  sight  of  him  '^  he  is  "•  prostrated. 
10  (2)  r  Is  i^g  1  j^Qf_  (too)  fierce  for  one  to  stir  him  up  ? 

Who,  then,  is  he  that  can  stand  before  me  ? 


a  long  line  fastened  to  it  preventing  its  being  lost,  and  serving 
to  secure  the  fish  when  struck  .  .  .  sometimes  a  common 
spear  was  used  for  the  purpose"  (Wilk.  B.  ii.  121,  cited  in 
£Bi.  i.  1527:  the  line  and  net  were,  however,  also  used;  see 
illustr.,  zbz'd.  11 5- 117). 

8  (41^^).  I.e.  If  thou  merely  layest  thy  hand  upon  him,  the 
thought  of  the  struggle  thou  wilt  have  with  him  will  deter 
thee  from  ever  doing  so  again. 

9-II  (I-3).  It  is  hopeless  to  expect  to  conquer  in  a  contest 
with  the  monster  (9-ioa) .  who,  then,  can  expect  to  stand  in  a 
contest  with  God  ?  (lo^-n).  The  thought  of  ^o^-^i,  however, 
occasions  difficulties,  and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  the  text  through- 
out is  correct.  For  mythological  allusions  found  (after  emenda- 
tion) in  these  vv.  by  Gu.  and  Che.,  see  phil.  n.  Me.  and  Du. 
consider  the  vv.  not  only  in  need  of  emendation,  but  also  out 
of  place ;  see  on  ^2. 

9.  Of  him  [that)y  etc.]  The  pron.,  as  happens  sometimes  in 
Heb.  (see  phil.  n.),  refers  to  the  person  whom  the  poet  has  in  his 
mind,  here  the  assailant. — b.  The  very  sight  of  the  monster 
will  paralyse  his  assailant. — He  is]  J^,  impossibly,  is  he  ?  EVV. 
silently  emend  by  inserting  not. 

lOa.  Commonly  rendered,  **He  (the  assailant) — or  (Del.), 
One — is  not  fierce  (enough),  that  he  should  stir  him  up"  (Di.): 
but  "JT3fc<  is  strictly  cr^el  and  is  better,  as  above,  applied  to  the 
animal  (see  phil.  n.).  The  general  thought  is  in  both  cases 
the  same :  no  one  dares  to  molest  him. 

lib.  The  sudden  introduction  of  God  here,  without  the  least 
emphasis  in  the  Heb.  on  me  to  suggest  that  a  different  reference 
is  intended,  agrees  indifferently  with  the  context;  hence  Gu.  Du. 
Ehrlich,  Honth.  read  the  3rd  p.  instead  of  the  ist.  **  Who,  then, 
is  he  that  can  stand  before  him  {i.e.  Leviathan)  ?  Who  ever  con- 
fronted him,  and  prospered?"  -  *'i$l  is,  however,  attested  (in 


364  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XLI.  11-12. 

11(3)  Who  hath  ever  confronted  me,  and  prosper^ cd"*  ? 
Under  the  whole  heaven  such  a  one  is  •"  not  "■  I 


both  words)  by  © ;  it  is  not  apparent  why,  if  the  3rd  pers. 
stood  ori^'-jnally  in  ^^^-  ^^%  it  should,  after  the  3rd  pers.  in  ^^, 
have  been  changed  into  the  ist:  and  though  27  Heb.  MSS 
and  3r  read  him  for  me  (VDsi'  for  ^i^i^)  in  1^^,  this  may  be  an 
error,  due  to  faulty  assimilation  to  *  stir  him  up' just  before: 
the  remainingf  Versions  all  read  nie^  and  there  is  no  variant  in 
either  MSS  or  VV.  in  'confronted  me'  in  i^^"  (Dr.).— 5'/tf«^ 
(av^n")  before  tjie]  the  expression,  as  Dt.  7^*  (^353)  92  ii25  (^333), 
Jos.  i^. 

11.  Me]  or,  emending-,  him  (see  on  ^^). — And  prospered]  so, 
virtually,  S  :  see  phil.  nn.  pp.  335,  337. — lia.  jiH  Whoever  came 
before  me,  or  to  meet  me  (Mic.  6^,  Dt.  23^^*^)  (sc.  with  a  gift),  Iha^ 
/  shot/ Id  repaj'  (it)?  (so  U,  RV.);  and  the  verse  is  alluded  to 
in  this  sense  in  Rom.  11^'*  ^  Tt9  irpoehaifcev  av7w,  Kal  avTairoSo- 
Oyjaerat  avrw  ;  This  would  be  an  indirect  way  of  saying  that 
no  one  has  any  claim  against  God,  or  ground  of  complaint 
against  Him,  such  as  Job  had  raised :  man  has  given  God 
nothing,  so  He  owes  no  man  anything.  But  the  manner  in 
which  the  thought  that  God  owes  no  man  anything  is  introduced, 
and  the  application  made  of  it  to  the  question  what  God  owes 
man  morally j  are  both  improbable.  For  the  form  of  sentence 
emended  as  above,  see  9^  ;  for  D"'lpn  in  a  hostile  sense,  Am.  9^^  f, 
and  more  usually  D"!.!?,  Is.  37^3^  Ps.  iS'^-i^.— b.  **(EVV.  Whatsoever 
is)  under  the  whole  heaven  is  mine";  this  is,  of  course,  true  in 
itself  (Ps.  50^^),  and  would  perfectly  agree  with  *,  as  read  in 
fE ;  but  unfortunately  there  is  no  word  in  the  Heb.  for  What- 
soever. The  clause  can  only  be  rendered,  ''Under  all  the 
heaven  it  [or  he)  is  mine."  "  It  "  has  no  antecedent :  **  he  "  is 
adopted  by  Bu.,  with  the  meaning,  he  [i.e.  whoever  under  the 
whole  heaven  thus  confronted  me)  is  mine,  cannot  escape  me. 
On  the  emended  text  followed  above  see  phil.  nn.  p.  335  f. 

12-34.  (4-26).  Description  in  detail  of  the  bodily  structure 
of  the  crocodile,  and  of  the  formidable  powers  with  which  it  is 
endowed. 

12.  (4).  The  V.  appears  to  be  corrupt  (see  phil.  nn.),    and 


XLI.  12-14.]  THE    CROCODILE  365 

12  (4)  I  vvill  not  keep  silence  concerning:  his  limbs, 

Or  the  account  of  ^  his  ">  migfht,  or  the  ^  strength  ^  of  his  build. 

13  (5)  Who  hath  (ever)  stripped  off  his  outward  garment  ? 

Within  his  double  '' coat-of-mail "^  who  can  come? 
1*  «6)  Who  hath  opened  the  doors  of  his  face  ? 
Round  about  his  teeth  is  terror. 


may  perhaps  in  its  original  form  have  expressed  a  meaning 
radically  different  from  the  above,  possibly  in  *  naming  the 
crocodile.  Me.,  placing  ^"^^  before  38^,  renders,  I  will  not 
silently  tolerate  his  (Job's)  prattlings  (11^)  and  the  word  of  pride 
and  his  artificial  (kunsfliche)  speeches:  Du.,  placing  ^~^-  after 
40-*,  renders,  He  (the  assailant  of  behemoth)  would  never 
(again  after  a  single  conflict)  renew  his  boastings,  or  his  talk 
about  valiant  deeds  and  his  practical  outfit.  But  these  render- 
ings, though  they  involve  no  more  extensive  emendations  than 
that  given  in  the  text  above,  strain  the  meaning  of  some  of  the 
words  (see  phil.  nn.).  It  is  unwise  to  use  this  v.  to  depreciate 
the  literary  skill  of  the  author  of  the  following  description ; 
this  certainly  does  not  reveal  the  same  kind  of  genius  as  the 
brief  descriptions  in  c.  39,  but  it  is  in  its  own  way  vivid  and 
vigorous;  in  order  to  appreciate  c.  39,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
depreciate  41^'-^-. — Strength]  reading  ^>n  (of  physical  strength, 
as  2i7,  Ps.  1833.40(32.39)3317).  j^^  perhaps,  ^r^2c^  (see  phil.  n.); 
but  the  crocodile  is  not  exactly  remarkable  for  its  gracefulness  ; 
and  the  point  here  is  not  the  animal's  comeliness,  but  its 
formidable  character. — Build]  lit.  arrangement  \  see  phil.  n. 

13  (5)-  Stripped  off]  n^j  as  Is.  22^  (n.)  ^f.~His  outward 
garment]  the  animal's  scales. — His  dcuhle  coat-of-mail]  i.e.  the 
animal's  scales  (cp.  EBi.  i.  605)  and  hide:  so  ©  Wr.  Du.  Be.. 
JH  '*his  double  bridle,''  which  is  interpreted  as  meaning  his 
upper  and  lower  jaws,  each  furnished  with  a  powerful  array  of 
teeth.  But  *' bridle"  would  be  a  strange  term  to  use  of  either 
the  jaws  or  the  rows  of  teeth. 

14  (6).  The  doors  of  his  face]  i.e.  his  upper  and  lower  jaws. 
— b.  The  teeth  of  the  crocodile,  *'in  the  upper  jaw  usually  36, 
in  the  lower  20,  long  and  pointed,  are  the  more  formidable  to 
look  at,  as  there  are  no  lips  to  cover  them  "  (Di.). 

15-17  (7-9).  His  armour  of  scales. 


366  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XW.  15-18. 

15  (7,  r  Hjs  back  ■•  is  (made  of)  channels  of  shields, 

(Each)  shut  up  closely,  (as)  a  compressed  seal. 

16  (8)  One  is  so  near  to  another. 

That  no  air  can  come  between  them. 

17  (9)  They  take  hold  of  one  another  ; 

They  stick  togfether,  that  they  cannot  be  sundered. 
18  (10)  fijs  sneezings  flash  forth  light, 

And  his  eyes  are  like  the  eyelids  of  the  dawn. 


15  (7).  His  hack  is  channels  of  shields]  The  creature's  scales 
are  called  fig.  *'  shields  "  ;  each  scale  of  the  crocodile  is  a  hard, 
horny,  rectangular  plate  ;  they  extend  in  rows  along  the  animal's 
back,  forming  a  strong  protective  covering,  and  the  "channels" 
(6^^  40^^)  are  the  spaces  between  these  rows  found  by  their 
sides  (see  the  illus.  in  Wood's  Reptilian  p.  29).  The  term 
"  shields  "  is  appropriate.  **  The  plates  which  cover  the  skin  of 
the  crocodile  are  of  exceeding  hardness,  so  hard,  indeed,  that 
they  are  employed  as  armour  by  some  ingenious  warriors.  A 
coat  of  natural  scale  armour  formed  from  the  crocodile  skin  may 
be  seen  in  the  British  Museum"  {ib.).  And  even  modern  zoo- 
logists call  the  scales  **  scutes"  (i.e.  scutay  shields);  see  the 
quotation  given  on  v.^^. — b.  The  scales  are  firmly  attached  to  the 
body :  each  is  like  a  seal  pressed  tightly  against  the  underlying 
surface.  A  seal,  in  the  ancient  East,  was  made  of  clay,  sealed 
while  it  was  soft,  and  hardened  afterwards  by  burning.  The 
rows  of  scales  are  like  rows  of  seals,  each  of  the  same  rectangular 
shape,  and  each  pressed  down  firmly  against  the  skin. 

16-I7  (8-9).  How  firmly  the  scales  are  attached  to  one 
another ;  no  air  can  enter  between  them,  and  they  are  insepar- 
able from  each  other. 

18  (lOa).  The  spray  breathed  through  his  nostrils,  as  he 
sneezes,  flashes  in  the  sunlight.  The  crocodile  often  lies,  with 
its  mouth  open — looking  towards  the  sun ;  and  hence  its  ten- 
dency to  sneeze.  Cf.  Strabo,  xvii. :  ^Xcd^ovrai  Ke^^rjpoTG^y  and 
^lian.  Hist.  iii.  11  :  ^EttI  rr]v  S^Orjp  7rpo€\6cov  Kara  rfj^;  dKrlvo<i 
K6^rjv6Pj  cited  by  Boch.  Hieroz.  lib.  v.  c.  17. — b.  Like  the  eye- 
lids of  the  dawn  (3^)]  The  allusion  is  apparently  (Di.)  to  the 
reddish  eyes  of  the  crocodile,  which  appear  gleaming  through 
the  water  before  the  head  appears  above  the  surface.  In  the 
Egyptian  hieroglyphics  the  dawn  is  denoted  by  the  crocodile's 


XLI.  18-23.]  THE   CROCODILE  367 

19(H)  Qut^  of  his  mouth  go  burning  torches, 

(And)  sparks  of  fire  leap  forth. 
**  <i2)  Qyj.  Qf  j^jg  nostrils  a  smoke  cometh  forth, 

As  of  a  boiling  pot  and  rushes. 
^  <i'>  His  breath  setteth  coals  ablaze, 

And  a  flame  goeth  forth  from  his  mouth. 
*2<">  In  his  neck  abideth  strength, 

And  before  him  danceth  dismay. 


eyes ;  Bochart  cites  Horus,  Hieroglyph,  i.  65 :  *AvaTo\rjv 
XiyovTe'i,  Bvo  6^6a\fJiov<i  KpoKoSelXov  ^(oypacfyovaiv  iireihriirep 
(lege  iTreiBrj  irpo)  7ravTo<i  trdofjiaTo^  ^(oov  oi  6(j)9a\fiol  ex  rod 
fiuOov  ava4>aivovTaL, 

19-21  (II-13).  A  hyperbolical  description  of  the  spray, 
which,  as  the  monster  rises  above  the  water  after  a  long  sub- 
mergence, is  expelled  with  some  vehemence  when  its  pent-up 
breath  is  released,  and  sparkles  in  the  sunlight. 

20  (12).  As  of  a  boiling  pol,  and  rushes  (2(4o26))]._The 
monster's  breath  is  compared  to  steam  issuing  forth  from  a 
boiling  pot,  intermingled  (if  the  text  is  correct)  with  the  smoke 
of  the  rushes  used  as  fuel  and  burning  beneath  it.  But  we 
should  perhaps  rather  read  \  as  of  a  pot  blown  upon  and  boilijtg^ 
i.e.  brought  to  the  boil  upon  the  fire  :  Wycliffe  (after  F)  **  as  of 
a  pot  set  on  the  fier  and  boilynge."  Smoke  must  here  be  what 
we  should  call  steam. 

21  (13).  The  drops  of  spray,  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  are 
compared  to  sparks  thrown  out  by  burning  coal,  and  the 
stream  of  spray  itself  to  a  flame  of  fire. 

22  (14a).  The  neck,  mentioned  between  the  conspicuous 
features  in  the  head  (I8-21)  ^nd  the  body  i^^-  3<>,  originally,  perhaps, 
consecutive  vv. :  see  on  30-32j^  jg  inconspicuous  in  the  crocodile 
(see  Bochart) ;  and  so  here  no  description  is  given  of  its  out- 
ward appearance. — Before  him^  etc.]  cp.  Hab.  3^. — Danceth 
dis)nay\  a  beautiful  and  expressive  figure,  denoting  the  con- 
sternation which  his  approach  occasions,  which  it  is  an  injustice 
to  the  poet  to  emend  away — especially  into  questionable 
Hebrew  (see  phil.  n.).  Boch.  quotes  Hes.,  after  the  description 
of  the  chariot  of  Ares,  irapa  5e  Beifio^  re  (f>6po<i  re  "Earaaav, 
Up^evoL  iroXep-ov  KaTahvp^evai  avhpwv. 

23  (15).  Even   the    ''flakes,"    lit.  fallings    i.e.    pendulous, 


368  THE    BOOK    OF   JOB  [XLL  23-25. 

» <^5)  The  flakes  of  his  flesh  are  joined  together, 

(The  whole)  firm  upon  him  (and)  unmoveable. 

« (i«)  His  heart  is  as  firm  as  a  stone  ; 

Yea,  firrti  as  the  nether  millstone. 

»<i"  At  his  uprising  the  mighty  are  in  dread  : 

By  reason  of  consternation  thej^  are  beside  themselves. 


parts  of  his  body,  under  the  neck  and  belly,  which  in  most 
animals  are  soft,  are  in  the  crocodile  firm  and  hard.  **The 
skin  of  the  -vohole  body  is  scaly,  with  a  hard,  horny,  waterproof 
covering  of  the  epidermis,  but  between  these  mostly  flat  scales 
the  skin  is  soft.  The  scutes  or  dermal  portions  of  the  scales 
are  more  or  less  ossified,  especially  on  the  back,  and  form  the 
characteristic  dermal  armour"  {Encycl.  Brit.  vii.  478*). 

24  (16).  His  heart  is  as  Jittti  as  a  stone]. — **The  firmness  " 
meant  is  not  merely  physical  firmness,  but  the  staunch  moral 
firmness,  as  shown  in  undaunted  courage,  of  which  the  physical 
strength  and  firmness  of  the  heart  were  often  regarded  by  the 
ancients  as  the  foundation :  cp.  how  |'0N  and  ptn,  each  mean- 
ing to  be  strong  or  Jirniy  are  regularly  applied  to  the  heart  to 
denote  courage  (e.g.  Ps.  27^*  'Met  thine  heart  be  strong^''  i.e. 
courageous).  Boch.  (op.  cit.)  quotes  from  Elmacinus'  History 
of  the  SaracenSy  the  statement  that  after  a  certain  warrior  was 
dead,  his  heart  was  cut  out,  and  found  to  be  as  ''hard  and 
compact  as  a  stone." — The  nether  millsione\  the  Eastern 
domestic  handmill  used  for  preparing  corn  for  daily  use, 
consisted,  as  it  consists  still,  of  two  circular  stones,  each  about 
18  inches  in  diameter,  the  lower  one  resting  upon  the  ground, 
and  the  upper  one  having  a  hole  in  the  centre  to  admit  the 
corn  being  turned  round  upon  it  by  a  woman  (Ex.  11^),  or 
sometimes  (Mt.  24*^)  by  two  women.  The  lower  stone  is 
always  he^-yier,  and  often  made  of  harder  material,  than  the 
upper  stone  (cf.  Jg.  9^^). 

25  (17).  When  the  monster  prepares  himself  to  fight,  the 
bravest  are  in  consternation. — The  7nighty\  or  the  gods. — By 
reason  of  consternation  they]  the  Hebr.  is  very  questionable  (l  .e 
phil.  n.) ;  perhaps  we  should  read  a7id  at  his  teeth  mighty  men  : 
for  this  and  other  suggestions  see  phil.  n. 

26-29  (18 -21).  Every  weapon  the  monster  defies. 


XLI.  26-30.]  THE    CROCODILE  369 

26  08}  Though  the  sword  reach  him,  it  doth  not  hold, 

Nor  the  spear,  the  dart,  nor  the  pointed  shaft. 

27  (19)  j|g  counteth  iron  as  straw, 

(And)  bronze  as  rotten  wood. 

28  (UO)  'Yhe  arrow  caiinot  make  him  flee  : 

Sling-stones  are  turned  for  him  into  stubble. 
*  <3'>  A  club  •"  is  "•  counted  as  a  ""  reed  ^ ; 

And  he  laugheth  at  the  rushing  of  the  javelin. 
**  '-->  Beneath  him  are  the  sharpest  potsherds  : 

He  spreadeth  (as  it  were)  a  threshing-drag  upon  the  mud. 


26  (18).  The  dart,  nor  the  pointed  shaft]  the  Heb.  is  un- 
certain :  see  phi!,  n. 

28(20).  Arrow]  Heb.  son  of  the  bow.  cf.  La.  3^^  nst^^x  ^33, 
sons  of  the  quiver  ;  and  above,  on  5^. — Slingstones]  cf.  Zee.  9^^  ; 
also  Jgf.  20I6  (cf.  I  Ch.  12^),  I  S.  1740- *^f-  2^-\  ''The  sling  is 
a  simple  and,  with  practice,  effective  weapon,  still  in  frequent 
use  in  Syria,  Egypt  (where  I  have  seen  it  used  myself),  and 
Arabia.     Cf.  EBi.  iv.  4659"  (Dr.). 

29  (21).  A  reed]  '^  ''stubble,"  as  28(20).  jhe  reed  is  a  fig. 
of  weakness  :   Is.  36^,  Ezk.  2cf  .—Laugheth]  cf.  397-  is-  22, 

30-32  (22-24).  Description  of  the  underpart  of  his  body  i^\ 
and  of  his  progress  through  the  water  (^^^•).  The  verses  would 
be  more  in  their  place  after  24(16)^  while  conversely  vv.^^^- ^^sf.) 
would  more  suitably  be  immediately  preceded  by  the  description 
of  the  invincibility  of  the  animal  in  vv.2^~29  ^i7-2ij .  possibly  they 
have  become  accidentally  misplaced.  They  are  omitted  by  % ; 
but  that  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  questioning  their  originality. 

30  (22).  Beneath  him]  i.e.  on  the  underpart  of  his  body. — 
The  allusion  is  to  the  scales  of  the  belly,  which,  though  less 
hard  than  those  on  the  back  (cf.  on  ^^),  are  still  sharp, 
particularly  those  under  the  tail,  so  that,  when  the  animal  has 
been  lying  in  the  mud  by  the  river-bank,  they  leave  an  im- 
pression upon  it  as  if  a  sharp  threshing-drag  had  been  there. 
The  same  comparison  to  potsherds,  at  least  of  the  scales  of  the 
backy  is  made  by  ^lian,  Hist.  x.  24  (cited  by  Boch.) :  Ta  vcora 
Se  ire^^VKS  koX  ttjv  ovpap  apprjKTOfi,  Xeiriat,  fiep  yap  re  Kal  (poXiai 
irecf-^paKTai,  kqI  co?  ap  eiiroi  rt?  &7r\iaTaL,  Kal  ioiKaaiv  oarpd- 
KOL<i  Kaprepol^.  The  threshing-drag  no  doubt  resembled 
the  one,  usually  about  7  ft.  long  by  5  ft.  broad,  still  in  use  in 

24 


370  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XLI.  30-31. 

»i  <28)  He  maketh  the  deep  to  boil  like  a  (perfume-)  pan ; 

The  sea  he  maketh  like  (seething)  perfume. 
82(24)  Behind  him  he  maketh  a  path  to  shine ; 

One  would  think  the  deep  to  be  hoary. 


Syria,  consisting  of  two  oblong-  planks,  fastened  together  by 
two  wooden  cross-pieces,  slightly  curved  upwards  in  front  (in 
the  direction  in  which  the  instrument  would  be  drawn),  and 
set  underneath  crosswise  with  sharp  pieces  of  hard  stone,  or 
basalt :  the  driver  stands  upon  it ;  and  being  drawn  round  the 
threshing-floor  by  oxen,  it  shells  out  the  grain,  and  cuts  up 
the  straw  into  chaff.  It  is  referred  to  in  the  OT.  by  the  same 
name  han'is  or  harts  (something  "sharpened")  in  2  S.  I2^\ 
Am.  i^,  Is.  28^^*,  and  under  the  name  morag  in  2  S.  24^^, 
Is.  41^^  **  Behold,  I  will  make  thee  (Israel)  as  a  sharp  new 
threshing-sledge^  possessing  edges."  See,  further.  Driver y /oel 
and  Amos,  p.  227  f.  (where  an  illustration  is  given).  The 
rendering  (EVV.)  **  threshing-wam"  (i.e.  wagon)  is  un- 
fortunate; for  it  does  not  at  all  suggest  what  the  implement 
was  like:  the  *^  threshing-wagon"  itself  (Is.  28^7^)  being,  more- 
over, of  entirely  different  construction. 

31-32  (23-24).  The  froth  and  foam  which  he  stirs  up,  as  he 
rushes  through  the  stream,  and  lashes  the  water  with  his  tail ; 
and  the  shining  track  of  white  bubbles  which  he  leaves  behind 
him. 

31  (23).  A  (perfume-)  pan]  t.e,  a  pan,  or  pot — **pan"  is 
merely  adopted  for  the  sake  of  variety  in  the  English  such  as 
there  is  in  the  Heb.,  in  this  v.  as  compared  with  v.^^^^®^ — in 
which  oil  and  other  ingredients,  being  boiled  together  to  produce 
an  unguent  or  perfume  (v.^),  yielded  a  white  frothy  foam  :  nj^T 
and  its  derivatives  include  the  ideas  of  unguent,  perfume,  and 
spice  (Ca.  8^,  of  spices  mixed  with  wine).  The  "ointment" 
(EVV.)  ^,  or  perfume,  of  ^  must  be  thought  of  as  a  boiling 
liquid.  Cf.  Ex.  30^^  (of  the  holy  anointing  oil,  made  of  myrrh, 
cinnamon,  aromatic  reed,  cassia,  and  olive  oil),  "a  perfume  of 
perfumery,  the  work  of  the  perfumer,"  and  30^^  (of  the  incense, 
compounded  of  spices,  myrrh-oil,  onycha,  galbanum,  and 
frankincense) :  also  i  S.  8^^  female  perfumers  (or  perfume- 
makers),   Is.  57^  thy  perfumeries  or  imguents.     In  his  choice 


XLI.  Sl-XLH.  8.]  JOB  371 

w  <26)  Upon  earth  there  is  not  his  like,— 

That  is  made  without  fear. 
M<86)  Every  thing  that  is  high  Teareth  him''; 
He  is  king  over  all  the  sons  of  pride. 
XLI  I.  *  And  Job  answered  Yahweh  and  said, 

2  I  know  that  thou  art  omnipotent, 

And  that  no  plan  is  impossible  for  thee. 


of  this  particular  figure  for  the  appearance  of  the  water  after 
being v^^s^*^^  by  the  crocodile,  the  writer  may  have  been 
influenced  by  the  musk-like  smell  of  the  crocodile  which,  as 
Bochart  showed,  was  frequently  and  widely  observed. — The  sea] 
i.e.  the  Nile  (as  Is.  19^,  Nah.  3^),  still  called  by  the  Arabs  el- 
Bahr^  i.e.  the  sea. 

32  (24).  Hoary\  Hf  55',  as  i  K.  2^' »  al.  Hrz.  compares  //. 
i.  350,  %lv  e</)*  ako^  TToXirjfSy  and  Od.  iv.  405  (of  seals)  .  ,  , 
7ro\c'fj<;  aXb'i  i^avahvarat. 

33  f.  (25  f.).  He  has  no  rival,  he  fears  no  one  and  nothing, 
he  is  king  over  all  proud  beasts  upon  the  earth. 

33  (25).  That  is  made^  etc.,  the  antecedent  to  **  that "  is  not, 
of  course,  his  like^  but  the  pronoun  to  be  elicited  from  **his." 
'*He  that  is  made  without  fear"  would  be  clearer:  but  un- 
fortunately it  would  also,  as  English,  be  ungrammatical. 

34  (26).  ilE  has,  ''Everything  that  is  high  he  seeth,"  viz. 
unconcerned  and  unmoved :  but  the  thought  is  weakly  ex- 
pressed ;  and  Gu.'s  emendation,  while  changing  little,  yields  a 
much  more  forcible  sense. —  The  son  of  pride]  i.e.  other  proud 
beasts  :  so  28^. 

XLI  I.  1-6.  In  the  present  state  of  the  text,  2-6  contain 
Job's  reply  to  Yahweh's  second  speech  (40^-41^*),  ^  being  the 
ordinary  introductory  formula ;  but  originally,  as  it  would  seem, 
2~^  formed  the  conclusion  (immediately  following  40*-^)  of  Job's 
reply  to  Yahweh's  only  speech.     See  on  40*'-  and  ^  (p.  348  f.). 

2.  Job  acknowledges  that  God  can  achieve  all  that  He 
plans,  and  that  He  plans  knowing  that  He  can  do  all  things. — 
Is  impossible  for]  lit.  is  cut  off  from :  see  phil.  n. 

3.  a.  b  =  38^,  a  marginal  note.  Dr.  (Book  offob)^  treating 
it  as  an  integral  part  of  the  text,  remarks  ;  **  understand  here. 
Thou  didst  say  truly.    Job  repeats  the  question  addressed  to  him 


372  THE    BOOK    OF    JOB  [XLII.  3-5. 

•  Who  is  this  that  hideth  the  purpose  (of  God), 

*"  With  words  (spoken) ''  without  knowledge  ? 
Therefore  I  have  declared,  without  understanding- 
Things  too  wonderful  for  me,  without  knowing. 

*  Hear,  I  pray  thee,  and  /  will  speak  ; 

I  will  ask  thee,  and  do  thou  inform  me. 
^  By  the  hearing  of  the  ear  I  had  heard  of  thee, 
But  now  mine  eye  hath  seen  thee. 


in  38^,  for  the  purpose  of  admitting  (lines  2  and  3  [  =  *'•'' 
above])  the  justice  of  the  rebuke  implied  in  it." — C.  Cp.  38*^- 1*. 
d.  Cp.  Ps.  i39«. 

4.  Cp.  2i2f-  3331 ;  t)  =  383b.  Like  3»-t>  the  v.  is  probably  a 
marginal  note;  otherwise  Dr.:  **Job  repeats,  in  line  i,  the 
substance  [merely  abandoning  the  figure  of  battle,  Di.],  and  in 
line  2  the  actual  words  of  God's  challenge  to  him  in  38^  (  =  40^), 
prior  to  confessing  (v.^)  his  inability  to  meet  it,  and  retracting 
(v.*)  his  former  presumptuous  utterances." 

5.  In  speaking  of  the  wonderful  ways  of  God  (3)  on  the 
ground  of  what  he  had  heard  about  God,  Job  now  realizes  that 
he  had  spoken  unwisely  and  ignorantly;  for  there  has  now 
come  to  him  through  vision  intimate  first-hand  personal  know- 
ledge of  God,  which  does  not  indeed  clear  up  for  him  all 
mysteries,  but  does  show  him  that,  if  they  are  mysteries,  they 
are  the  mysteries  of  one  in  the  vision  of  whom  there  is  peace 
and  blessedness.  Vision  is  here  contrasted  as  direct  personal 
experience  of  what  a  person  is  and  does  with  hearing  as 
knowledge  at  second-hand,  knowledge  of  some  other's  experi- 
ence or  report  of  that  person,  knowledge  which,  even  if  not 
mingled  with  error,  as  was  the  traditional  doctrine  of  God, 
which  had  been  passed  on  to  Job,  must  at  best  be  blurred  and 
indistinct ;  for  the  contrast,  cp.  2821'-,  Ps.  48^  (the  stories  of  the 
fathers  about  God  (cp.  Ps.  44^)  verified  by  the  direct  sight,  ue. 
experience,  of  the  present  generation).  The  vision  spoken  of 
is  not  the  sight  of  any  form  or  appearance  of  God  ;  for  there  is 
no  indication  that  Job  is  conceived  as  having  seen  such,  and, 
moreover,  the  sight  of  an  appearance  or  outward  form  is  just 
as  far  as  hearing  from  giving  direct,  intimate,  true  knowledge 
(cp.  Js.   ii3,  I  S.  16^).      What  Job  has  seen,  ue,  experienced. 


J 


XLII.  6-7.]  THE    EPILOGUE  373 

*  Wherefore  I  repudiate  (what  I  had  said), 
And  repent,  (sitting)  upon  dust  and  ashes. 

^  And  it  came  to  pass  after  Yahweh  had  spoken  these  words 
to  Job,  Yahweh  said  to  Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  **  My  anger  is 
hot  against  thee,  and  against  thy  two  friends,  because  ye  have 
not  spoken  concerning  me  what  is  right,  as  my  servant  Job 


is  just  what  he  had  wished  to  see  (19^^),  viz.  that  God  is  not 
against  him  or  estranged  from  him  ;  and  his  wish  has  been  more 
than  fulfilled,  for  the  vision  has  come  to  him  before  death. 

6.  The  V.  is  probably  corrupt,  the  words  /  repudiate  and  re- 
pent being  uncertain  and  ambiguous  (see  phil.  n.);  and  the  phras- 
ing of  the  V.  rather  tame  and  unsatisfactory. — Upon  dust  and 
ashes\  2^  :  the  clause,  if  repent  is  rightly  read,  enforces  Job's  grief 
and  penitence  ;  cp.  Is.  58^,  "  Is  this  the  fast  that  I  choose  .  .  . 
that  (a  man)  should  spread  ashes  "  :  Jon.  3^,  **  And  the  king  of 
Nineveh  .  .  .  covered  himself  with  sackcloth  and  sat  on  ashes." 

7-17.  The  Epilogue  recording  (i)  Yahweh's  condemnation 
of  the  three  friends,  whom  He  exempts  from  the  punishment 
due  to  their  wrong  speech  about  Him  after,  at  His  direction, 
they  have  obtained  Job's  intercession  on  their  behalf ;  and  (2) 
the  restoration  of  Job  to  more  than  his  former  prosperity.  If 
the  whole  of  the  Epilogue  and  Prologue  are  from  one  hand, 
that  hand  had  lost  its  cunning  before  it  reached  the  Epilogue ; 
the  repetition  in  ^^  of  the  clause  in  ^^  may  indeed  be  a  mere 
textual  accident :  if  not,  it  is  very  different  in  character  from 
the  repetitions  in  the  Prologue  ;  but  the  contrast  comes  but 
more  strongly  in  the  absence  of  concentration  and  compression 
which  contributes  so  largely  to  the  effect  of  the  Prologue.  We 
may  note  especially  the  irrelevant  particularity  which  gives  the 
names  of  Job's  three  daughters,  and  the  detail  as  to  their 
inheritance  (^**  ^^) ;  and  the  detailed  explanation  in  ^^^  of  the 
general  statement  in  ^^**. 

7a.  The  last  words  spoken  were  Job's  not  Yahweh's,  but  the 
writer  wishes  to  define  the  order  in  which  Yahweh  addresses 
Job  and  his  friends,  and  so  he  refers  to  Yahweh's  last  words. 
—  Yahweh  said  to  Eliphaz]  apparently  not  while  Eliphaz  was  in 


374  THE    BOOK   OF   JOB  [XLII.  7-10. 

hath.  ^  And  now,  take  you  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams, 
and  go  to  my  servant  Job,  and  offer  up  a  burnt-offering  on 
behalf  of  yourselves,  and  let  my  servant  Job  pray  for  you  ;  for 
him  will  I  accept  that  I  deal  not  mercilessly  with  you ;  because 
ye  have  not  spoken  concerning  me  what  is  right,  as  my  servant 
Job  hath.  ^  And  Eliphaz  the  Temanite  and  Bildad  the 
Shuhite  and  Sophar  the  Na'amathite  went,  and  did  as  Yahweh 
had  said  unto  them.     And  Yahweh  accepted  Job. 

1^  And  Yahweh  changed  Job's  fortunes,  when  he  prayed  on 
behalf  of  his  friends  :  and  Yahweh  increased  all  that  Job  had 


Job's  presence,  for  it  is  necessary  for  Eliphaz  and  his  friends  to 
go  to  Job  (^),  but,  perhaps,  when  alone  and  by  night  (Bu.) ;  cp. 
4^^. — Concerning  me]  not  to  me  (Bu.),  for  the  friends  had 
spoken  to  not  God,  but  Job.  God  confirms  (cp.  iG^i)  the  truth 
in  general  of  Job's  account  of  His  ways  and  condemns  as  false 
that  of  the  friends. —  What  is  right]  i.e.  true,  certain  (n:i33,  cp. 
Ps.  5!^  Dt.  I3l^  I  S.  2323). 

8.  The  sin  of  the  friends  having  been  great  must  be  expiated 
by  an  exceptionally  large  burnt-offering,  and  even  so  the  offer- 
ing must  be  reinforced  by  the  prayer  of  one  who  has  proved 
himself  an  exceptionally  steadfast  servant  of  Yahweh. — Hi7n 
will  I  accept]  lit.  his  face  will  I  lift  up',  cp.  13^  n. — Seven 
bullocks  and  seven  rams]  in  Nu.  23  f.  Balaam  offers  on  seven 
different  altars  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams  in  all ;  Ezekiel 
required  as  burnt-offerings  for  the  entire  people  (Ezk.  45^^"^^) 
seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams  daily  during  the  two  great  annual 
festivals ;  but  the  expiatory  sacrifices  required  by  the  law  from 
individuals  were  much  smaller  (Lv.  4). — A  burnt-offering] 
seen,  on  i^. — And  let  fob  pray  for  thee  ^  etc.]  cp.  Gn.  20^,  Nu.  21^, 
I  S  7^'-. — That  I  deal  not  mercilessly  with  you]  "(lit.  do  no 
nebaldh  to  you,  do  nothing  regardless  of  your  feelings  or  claims  : 
see  on  2^^),  i.e.  lest  I  punish  you  without  compunction  or  regret 
...  of  course,  the  expression  implies  an  anthropomorphism  " 
(Dr.). 

10.  Changed  fob' s  fortmies]  lit.,  according  to  the  view  taken 
of  the  etymology  of  the  noun  brought  back  the  captives  of  fob 
(see  especially  Preuschen  in  ZATW^  1895,  i  ff.)  or  turned  the 


XLII.  10-12.J  THE   EPILOGUE  375 

two-fold.  ^^  And  all  his  brethren  and  all  his  sisters  and  all  who 
formerly  knew  him  came  and  ate  bread  with  him  in  his  house ; 
and  they  showed  their  grief  for  him,  and  comforted  him  for  all 
the  evil  which  Yahweh  had  brought  upon  him ;  and  they  gave 
him  each  a  kesitah  and  each  a  ring  of  gold.  ^^  ^nd  Yahweh 
blest  the  last  part  of  Job's  life  more  than  the  first  part :  and  so 
he  came  to  have  fourteen  thousand  sheep  and  goats,  and  six 
thousand  camels,  and  a  thousand  yoke  of  oxen,  and  a  thousand 
she-asses.     ^^  And  he   had   seven  sons  and  three  daughters  : 


turning  of  Job  (Ew.  al.) ;  see  phil.  n. —  When  he  prayed  on  behalf 
of  his  friends\  probably  Hi.  was  right  in  surmising  that  the 
clause  originally  stood  at  the  end  of  ^  (cp.  *).  In  its  present 
position  it  has  been  variously  understood  as  defining  the  time 
(Di.),  or  the  ground,  of  the  change  in  Job's  fortunes  ;  in  the 
latter  case  render  because  he  prayed^  etc.,  and  cp.  Is.  53^2^  (q^ 
And  when  he  prayed  for  the  friends,  he  forgave  them  their 
sin  :  but  between  the  first  and  third  clauses  of  the  v.  this  is 
not  likely  to  be  the  true  reading. — b.  Explicated  in  detail  in  ^2. 
— Increased]  strictly,  as  Du.  points  out,  gave  back  is  required : 
RV.  eases  the  sentence  by  inserting  ''before  "  after  had. 

II.  Job's  kinsmen  and  acquaintance,  who  had  kept  away 
during  his  illness  and  poverty  (19^^^-),  now  that  he  is  restored 
^^^^  to  health  and  wealth,  visit  him,  and  express  their  sorrow 
for  the  troubles  now  past,  accept  his  hospitality,  and  give  him 
presents  such  as  were  customarily  given  by  visitors. — Showed 
their  griej\  2}^  n. — A  kesi(ah\  a  piece  of  money  mentioned  else- 
where only  in  JE  (Gn.  33^^,  Jos.  24^^^^  ^nd  introduced  here, 
perhaps,  as  a  mark  of  the  patriarchal  age.  The  kesitah 
was  presumably  of  no  great  value,  since  Abraham  gave  a 
hundred  kesitahs  for  a  piece  of  ground ;  speculations  on  the 
curious  rendering  lamb  by  ffi  and  on  the  etymology  may  be 
found  in  EBi.^  s.v.  Kesitah  and  Levy,  NHWB'w,  396. — A  ring\ 
such  as  was  worn  (by  women)  on  the  nose  (Gn.  24**^,  Is.  3^1), 
or  (by  men)  especially  among  the  Bedavvin  (Jg.  8^*),  in  the  ear 
(Gn.  35^). 

12a.  Cp.  8^. — b.  Cp.  i^;  the  numbers  of  the  cattle  are 
exactly   double  (cp.  ^^)  of  those  there  given  of  Job's   earlier 


376  THE   BOOK   OF   JOB  [XLII.  12-17. 

1*  and  he  named  the  first  (daughter)  Jemimah,  the  second 
Kesi'ah,  and  the  third  Keren-happuch  ;  ^^  and  women  as  fair 
as  the  daughters  of  Job  were  not  to  be  found  in  all  the  earth  : 
and  their  father  gave  them  an  inheritance  among  their 
brothers.  ^*  And  Job  lived  after  this  a  hundred  and  forty 
years,  and  saw  his  sons,  and  his  sons'  sons,  (even)  four  genera- 
tions.    1^  And  Job  died  old  and  full  of  days. 


possessions ;  the  servants  of  which  no  exact  number  is  given  in 
1 3  are  here  not  mentioned  :  and  the  children  (^^)  are  the  same  in 
number,  not  twice  as  many,  as  formerly  (i-). 

14.  The  names  appear  to  have  been  chosen  to  correspond  to 
the  beauty  or  charms  of  the  bearers  of  them  ;  Jemimah  probably 
means  dove  (cp.  Ca.  2^*  5^  6^)  or  little  dove ;  Kesiahy  a  powdered 
fragrant  bark,  prized  for  its  scent  (Ps.  45^),  and  Keren-happuch^ 
horn,  i.e.  flask  (i  S.  i6\  i  K.  i^*),  of  antimony,  a  black  mineral 
powder  used  (2  K.  9^^,  Jer.  4^),  and  still  used,  by  women  in  the 
East,  to  darken  the  edges  of  the  eyelids  and  so  increase  by 
contrast  the  lustre  of  the  eye. 

15b.  According  to  Nu.  27^  (P)  the  daughters  of  a  Jewish 
father  only  inherited  when  there  were  no  sons ;  the  statement 
may  be  a  remnant  of  a  fuller  story  about  Job's  daughters  (Du.), 
and  the  reason  for  it  is  best  left  undetermined  :  Hi.  Bu.  al.  see 
in  it  proof  of  Job's  wealth  and  fatherly  regard,  Di.  a  provision 
for  allowing  the  daughters  after  marriage  to  continue  to  live 
among  their  brothers — a  parallel  trait  to  i*. 

16.  According  to  ffi.  Job  lived  after  his  restoration  to  pros- 
perity 170  years,  and  in  all  240,  i.e.  he  was  70  years  old  at  the 
time  of  his  trial ;  this  last  point  may  belong  to  the  tradition 
on  which  the  Epilogue  draws :  then  assuming  the  one  hundred 
and  forty  of  3^  to  be  correct,  he  not  only  enjoyed  double 
prosperity  (^®),  but  enjoyed  it  for  double  as  long. 

16.  And  Job  lived  after]  Gn.  5^  (P).  —  b.  Cp.  Gn.  502s, 
Ps.  1286. 

17.  Cp.  Gn.  258  35'^*  (P).  On  the  longer  conclusion  in  (&. 
which  records  that  Job  will  share  in  the  future  resurrection  from 
the  dead,  see  lutrod.  §  45.  48,  and  Exp.  1920  (June),  428  if. 


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