Job 22:24

_THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD AS DUST, AND THE GOLD OF OPHIR AS THE STONES OF THE BROOKS._ Rather, containing the protasis from the last clause of Job 22:23, If thou regard the glittering metal as dust-literally, lay it on the dust-to regard it of as little value as the dust on which it lies. The apodosis is at Job 22:25. Then shall the Almighty be, etc. God will take the place of the wealth in which thou didst formerly trust. GOLD - rather, 'precious' or 'glittering metal,' parallel to "(gold) of Ophir," in the second clause (Umbeit and Maurer). OPHIR - derived from a Hebrew word, dust-namely, gold dust. Heeren thinks it a general name for the rich countries of the South, on the African, Indian, and especially the Arabian coast (where the port Aphar was. El Ophir, too, a ci

21-30 The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had hitherto not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion. The counsel Eliphaz here gives is good, though, as to Job, it was built upon a false supposition that he was a stranger and enemy to God. Let us beware of slandering our brethren; and if it be our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated; yea, how Jesus was reviled, that we may be patient. Let us examine whether there may not be some colour for the slander, and walk watchfully, so as to be clear of all appearances of evil....

Verse Job 22:24. _THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD AS DUST_] The original is not fairly rendered in this translation, ושית על עפר בצר _veshith_ _al aphar batser_, which _Montanus_ renders: _Et pone super pulverem_ _munitionem_, "And fix a tower upon the dust;" ובצור נחלים אופיר _ubetsur nechalim Ophir, et in petra torrentes Ophir_, "and in the rock, the torrents of Ophir." The _Vulgate_ is widely different: _Dabit pro terra silicem, et pro_ _silice torrentes aureos_, "He will give thee flint for earth: and torrents of gold for flint;" which _Calmet_ thus paraphrases: "Instead of brick thou shalt build with solid stone; and for ornaments, instead of stone as formerly, thou shalt have massive gold!" All the versions are different. Mr. _Good_ translates: "Then count thou treasure as dust: then shall he make foun

THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD AS DUST - Margin, or, “on the dust.” Dr. Good renders this, “Thou shalt then count thy treasure as dust” - implying that he would have much of it. Noyes, “Cast to the dust thy gold” - implying that he would throw his gold away as of no account, and put his dependence on God alone. Kim-chi, and, after him, Grotius, suppose that it means, “Thy gold thou shalt regard no more than dust, and gold of Ophir no more than the stones of the brook; God shall be to thee better than gold and silver.” The editor of the Pictorial Bible supposes that there is here a distinct reference to the sources from which gold was for merly obtained, as being washed down among the stones of the brooks. The word rendered “gold” here בצר _betser_ is from בצר _bâtsar_ - to cut off, Psalms 76:12, a

EXPOSITION JOB 22:1 Eliphaz returns to the attack, but with observations that are at first strangely pointless and irrelevant, _e.g._ on the unprofitableness of man to God (verses l, 2), and on the slight importance of Job's case (verse 3). After this weak prelude, however, there is more vigour in his assault. In verses 4-9 he directly charges Job with a number of specified sins, and in verses 10, 11 declares his sufferings to be the consequence of them. He then proceeds to accuse him of denying God's omniscience (verses 12-14), and, alter some not very successful attempts to retort on him his own words (verses 15-20), finally recurs to his favourite devices (see Job 5:17) of exhorting Job to submission and repentance, and promising him restoration to God's favour and a ret

THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD AS DUST,.... Have such plenty of it, as not to be counted: AND THE [GOLD] OF OPHIR AS THE STONES OF THE BROOKS; which was reckoned the best, probably in Arabia; not in the East and West Indies, which were not known to Job; though some take this to be an exhortation to despise riches, and as a dissuasion from covetousness, rendering the words, "put gold upon the dust", or earth i, and trample upon it, as a thing not esteemed by thee, as Sephorno interprets it; make no more account of it than of the dust of the earth; let it be like dirt unto thee, "and among the stones of the brooks", Ophir k; that is, the gold of Ophir, reckon no more of it, though the choicest gold, than the stones of the brook; or thus, "put gold for dust, and the [gold] of Ophir for the flint of the brooks" l; esteem it no more than the dust of the earth, or as flint stones; the latter cla...

THE THIRD SERIES OF CONTROVERSIES CHAPTER 22 The Third Address of Eliphaz _ 1. Is not thy wickedness great? (Job 22:1)_ 2. In what Job had sinned (Job 22:6) 3. The omniscience of God and the ways of the wicked (Job 22:12) 4. Eliphaz's exhortation and promise (Job 22:21) Job 22:1. The third cycle of addresses begins again with Eliphaz, the wise man from Teman. He tries to maintain his dignity and lofty conception, but he proves too well that Job's accusation of insincerity is well-founded. He starts out with reminding Job of the majesty

JOB 22. THIRD SPEECH OF ELIPHAZ. The only new thing that Eliphaz has to say, is definitely to describe the sin of Job! Yet his mildness makes him end with bright promises. JOB 22:1. Is it not to Job's advantage to be pious? Will God chasten him for anything else but sin? Eliphaz would point out that it is Job s advantage to be pious, but he completes his statement by adding that it is no advantage to God. He means that God is too exalted to take any interest in man, except to reward and punish him. Hence the cause of man's calamities cannot be in God, but only in man (Job 22:6). Job 22:6 ascribes to Job the sins typical of the rich man....

The Third Circle of Speeches In the first round of speeches the three friends exhausted the argument from the general conception of God. In the second they exhausted the argument from the operation of His providence in the world, as observed in the fate of the wicked. To the last Job had replied by a direct contradiction, adducing facts and testimony in proof that the fate of the wicked man in God's providence was in no way so uniformly miserable as the three friends had represented (ch. 21.) There is, manifestly, now left but one weapon in the hands of the three friends, namely, to express openly what they had hinted at formerly in a veiled manner, and charge Job directly with great sins. This charge is made by Eliphaz in the opening speech of the third round of debate (ch. 22.) As in the two preceding circles of debate, Job's mind is too much absorbed in the contemplation of the grea...

THEN SHALT THOU LAY UP GOLD, &C.— _And count the fine gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks:_ Job 22:25. _For, the Almighty shall be thy fine gold,_ &c. Heath; who observes, that Grotius has given a right exposition of the 24th verse: _Value not the gold more than dust, nor the gold of Ophir than the stones of the torrent._...