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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Job 21:22-26

By insisting on a doctrine of providence which did not correspond to God's providence as actually seen in facts, Job's friends were making themselves wiser than God and becoming His teachers Will any teach knowledge unto God? Shall we insist on His method of government being what it plainly is not? This is what it is: One man dieth in his full prosperity, wholly at ease and quiet. Another man dieth in the bitterness of his soul and has not tasted pleasure. They lie down alike in the dust and the worm covers them. Their different fortune is not determined by their different character. The one is not good and the other wicked. But God distributes to them as He chooses.

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See also Job 21:22-26 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Job 21:22. _SHALL_ ANY _TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE?_] Who among the sons of men can pretend to teach GOD how to govern the world, who himself teaches _those that are high_-the heavenly inhabitants, tha...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    SHALL ANY TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE? - This commences the reply of Job to the sentiments of his friends to which he had just adverted. The substance of the reply is, that no one could prescribe to God how h...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 21 JOB'S REPLY _ 1. Hear my solemn words--then mock on (Job 21:1)_ 2. His testimony concerning the experiences of the wicked (Job 21:7) 3. Your answers are nothing but falsehoods (Job 21:27...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB 21. JOB'S REPLY. Zophar was graphic and vigorous, but had nothing to say. Nevertheless his speech suggests to Job his next argument. The facts are quite the opposite of what Zophar has said: the w...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    LO, THEIR GOOD IS NOT IN THEIR HAND— After the foregoing elegant description of the prosperity of some wicked men, Job proceeds, on the other hand, to confess what was likewise apparent in the ways of...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    3. Sometimes they suffer, but not regularly. (Job 21:17-22) TEXT 21:17-22 17 HOW OFT IS IT THAT THE LAMP OF THE WICKED IS PUT OUT? That their calamity cometh upon them? That _God_distributeth sorro...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _SHALL ANY TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE? SEEING HE JUDGETH THOSE THAT ARE HIGH._ Reply of Job.-`In all these assertions you try to teach God how He ought to deal with men, rather than prove that He does in fac...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB'S SIXTH SPEECH Zophar, like the other friends, had insisted on the certain retribution for sin which befalls the wicked in this life. Now at length these views draw from Job a direct contradictio...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 21 JOB REPLIES TO ZOPHAR’S...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    This is like Job’s earlier words in Job 3:13-19. Job described well the death of the body. But he did not describe what happened to the men’s spirits. See Luke 16:19-26. THE REPORTS OF TRAVELLERS...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    SHALL ANY TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE? may be regarded as the hypothetical reply of the antagonist. If the reader prefers to understand these latter verses in any other way, it is open to him to do so, but in...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    הַ לְ אֵ֥ל יְלַמֶּד ־דָּ֑עַת וְ֝ ה֗וּא

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XVIII. ARE THE WAYS OF THE LORD EQUAL? Job 21:1 Job SPEAKS WITH less of personal distress and a more collected mind than before Job begins a reply to Zophar. His brave hope of vindication has forti...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    “SHALL ANY TEACH GOD?” Job 21:1 After a brief introduction, in which he claims the right to reply, Job 21:1, Job brings forward a new argument. He affirms that his friends are wrong in assuming that...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here, as in the first cycle, Job answered not merely Zophar, but the whole argument. First of all, he set over against their statement and illustrations the fact patent to all that often the wicked ar...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Shall [any] teach (l) God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high. (l) Who sends to the wicked prosperity and punishes the godly....

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (14) Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. (15) What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 4 THROUGH 31. As to the friends of Job, they do not call for any extended remarks. They urge the doctrine that God's earthly government is a full measure and...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    SHALL [ANY] TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE?.... Who is a God of knowledge, and knows all things, that teaches men knowledge; will any one take upon him to teach him the path of judgment, and the way of understan...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Shall [any] teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high. Ver. 22. _Shall any teach God knowledge?_] None but a presumptuous fool will take upon him to do that. Such as was Alphonso the...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Shall any teach God knowledge_ How to govern the world? For so you do while you tell him that he must not afflict the godly, nor give the wicked prosperity; that he must invariably punish the wicked,...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Shall any teach God knowledge? seeing He judgeth those that are high, the heavenly dignitaries, the angels themselves. How, then, can a mere mortal presume to be the teacher of God?...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    JOB POINTS OUT THE DIFFERENCE IN CALAMITIES BEFALLING MEN...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    JOB SILENCES ZOPHAR (vv.1-34). The callous cruelty of Zophar's speech would surely cause some men to be bitterly angry, but while Job was incensed by such treatment, he did not lose his temper. He...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "CAN ANYONE TEACH GOD KNOWLEDGE?" In the verses that follow Job notes that there are wicked people who die in the prime of life (Job 21:23), others die completely happy and content, while another die...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    17-26 Job had described the prosperity of wicked people; in these verses he opposes this to what his friends had maintained about their certain ruin in this life. He reconciles this to the holiness a...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    KNOWLEDGE, i.e. discretion, or how to govern the world. For so you do, whilst you tell him that he must not sorely afflict the godly, nor give the wicked much and long prosperity here. HE JUDGETH THOS...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 21:22 teach H3925 (H8762) God H410 knowledge H1847 judges H8199 (H8799) high H7311 (H8802) teach -...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Job's answer to Zophar in which he denies any secret sin. CHARACTERS: God, Job, three friends. CONCLUSION: The providences of God in the government of this world are sometimes hard to be u...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 21:2. _Consolations._ נחם _nicham,_ though mostly translated consolation, comfort &c., as in Isaiah 40:1; is in several places understood of a change of mind, or of repentance. So in Judges 21., w...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Shall any teach God knowledge?_ MENTAL INDEPENDENCE OF GOD The mental independency of God involves two things--uninstructibleness and irresponsibleness. The former in man is either a calamity or a c...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _But Job answered and said._ JOB’S THIRD ANSWER There is more logic and less passion in this address than in any of Job’s preceding speeches. He felt the dogma of the friends to be opposed-- I. To...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 21:1 Job’s response closes the second cycle of the dialogue with his friends. ⇐ ⇔...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 21:22 Since God is the judge of THOSE WHO ARE ON HIGH, who are therefore unseen, the friends should be all the more careful about claiming to understand what God’s purposes are, based...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _JOB’S REPLY TO ZOPHAR’S SECOND SPEECH_ The ungodly, instead of experiencing the miseries indicated by Zophar, often, perhaps generally, enjoy continued ease and prosperity in this life. I. INTRODUC...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JOB 21:1 Job answers Zophar, as he had answered Bildad, in a single not very lengthy chapter. After a few caustic introductory remarks (verses 2-4), he takes up the challenge which Zophar...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    By Chuck Smith This time shall we turn to the book of Job, chapter 21. Zophar has just concluded in chapter 20 his second speech in which, again, he sort of just gives some of the traditions and quote...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 6:3; 2 Peter 2:4; Ecclesiastes 5:8;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Teach — How to govern the world? For so you do, while you tell him that he must not afflict the godly, nor give the wicked prosperity. That he must invariably punish the wicked, and reward the righteo...

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