THE BOOK OF JOB. _THERE is, perhaps, no book of Scripture, that has so much divided interpreters, and afforded such a field of controversy, as the book of JOB: some supposing it of the remotest antiquity, written by Moses or Job himself; others bringing it down to a very low date; supposing it writ... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GREATEST OF ALL THE MEN OF THE EAST— Grotius and others observe, that Job's being here called _the greatest of all the men of the east,_ is an argument that the book must have been written by some Israelite, or inhabitant of the land of Canaan; Job's country lying eastward from thence, and it be... [ Continue Reading ]
EVERY ONE HIS DAY— Schultens has shewn, that the word יומו _iomo,_ imports _his birth-day._ So ch. Job 3:1. Job is said to have _cursed his day; i.e._ the day of his birth. The verse might be rendered, _And his sons had a constant custom to make a family-feast, every one on his birth-day; and they s... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THE DAYS OF THEIR FEASTING WERE GONE ABOUT— _As the days of their feasting went about._ By _sanctifying them_ is meant, his preparing them, by lustrations and other ritual ceremonies, to perform divine service with him, and to render God propitious to them; see Exodus 19:10 and 1 Samuel 16:5 wh... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THERE WAS A DAY— _It came to pass on the day when,_ &c. Heath. Thus denoting some determinate time, when the _sons of God, i.e. the angels,_ (called the sons of God, because they were like unto God, in being immortal, see Luke 20:36.) _came to present themselves._ The verb להתיצב _lehithiatseb,_... [ Continue Reading ]
HAST THOU CONSIDERED MY SERVANT JOB, &C.?— The Hebrew, לבךֶ השׂמת _hasamta libbeka,_ literally signifies, _hast thou put thy heart,_ &c. The words _going to and fro,_ &c. in the preceding verse, imply roving about with an evil intention, and with a determined resolution of doing mischief; in allusio... [ Continue Reading ]
HAST NOT THOU MADE AN HEDGE ABOUT HIM, &C.— i.e. Hast thou not protected him with a thorny and inaccessible defence? The word rendered _increased,_ is a metaphor, taken from waters which have burst their bounds, and spread themselves on all sides round; so Job's substance had largely increased, and... [ Continue Reading ]
HE WILL CURSE THEE TO THY FACE— _He will blaspheme thee,_ &c. He will, with the highest degree of insolence and contumacy, intirely renounce thee and religion, says Schultens. See the note on chap. Job 2:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
FEEDING BESIDE THEM— _Feeding near them._ Houbigant. _Feeding as usual._ Heath and Schultens. _Job 1:15. The Sabeans fell upon them_] Hebrew, שׁבא. _Sheba fell upon them;_ Sheba was the general name of the nation; so the two kingdoms of the posterity of Jacob were called _Judah_ and _Israel._ These... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM THE WILDERNESS— _From the further part,_ or _across;_ whence it appears that Job's situation was on the northerly side of the Arabian desart; the stormy winds in those countries blowing from the southerly quarters. Heath. It has been urged by some, that it is very unlikely that so many misfortu... [ Continue Reading ]
NAKED SHALL I RETURN THITHER— That is, _into my mother's womb;_ used figuratively, for the bowels of the earth, the common mother of us all.... [ Continue Reading ]
NOR CHARGED GOD FOOLISHLY— _Nor spoke any thing inconsiderately against God._ Houbigant. _Any thing unreasonable_ or _absurd against God._ Heath. REFLECTIONS.—We have here, 1st, the character and greatness of that venerable patriarch Job. 1. His pity was remarkable and eminent; and the more so, pr... [ Continue Reading ]