Job 26:14

_DEAD THINGS ARE FORMED FROM UNDER THE WATERS, AND THE INHABITANTS THEREOF._ As before, in Job 9:1; Job 12:1, Job had shown himself not inferior to the friends in ability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes at as manifested in hell (the world of the dead), Job 26:5; on earth, Job 26:7; in the sky, Job 26:8; the sea, Job 26:12; the heavens, Job 26:13. DEAD THINGS ARE FORMED - rather, 'the souls of the dead

5-14 Many striking instances are here given of the wisdom and power of God, in the creation and preservation of the world. If we look about us, to the earth and waters here below, we see his almighty power. If we consider hell beneath, though out of our sight, yet we may conceive the discoveries of God's power there. If we look up to heaven above, we see displays of God's almighty power. By his Spirit, the eternal Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters, the breath of his mouth, Psalms 33:6, he has not only made the heavens, but beautified them. By redemption, all the other wonderful works of the Lord are eclipsed; and we may draw near, and taste his grace, learn to love him, and walk with delight in his ways. The ground of the controversy between Job and the other disputants was, that they unjustly thought from his afflictions that he must have been guilty of heinous crimes. They...

Verse Job 26:14. _LO, THESE_ ARE _PARTS OF HIS WAYS_] קצות _ketsoth, the_ _ends_ or _extremities_, the _outlines_, an _indistinct sketch_, of his eternal power and Godhead. _HOW LITTLE A PORTION IS HEARD_] שמץ _shemets_, a _mere whisper_; admirably opposed, as Mr. _Good_ has well observed, to רעם _raam, the_ _thunder_, mentioned in the next clause. As the _thunder_ is to a _whisper_, so are the _tremendous and infinitely varied works_ of God to the _faint outlines_ exhibited in the above discourse. Every reader will relish the dignity, propriety, and sense of these expressions. They force themselves on the observation of even the most heedless. _By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens_. - Numerous are the opinions relative to the true meaning of this

LO, THESE ARE PARTS OF HIS WAYS - This is a small portion of his works. We see only the outlines, the surface of his mighty doings. This is still true. With all the advances which have been made in science, it is still true that we see but a small part of his works. What we are enabled to trace with all the aids of science, compared with what is unseen and unknown, may be like the analysis of a single drop of water compared with the ocean. BUT HOW LITTLE A PORTION IS HEARD OF HIM? - Or, rather, “But what a faint whisper have we heard of him!” Literally, “What a whisper of a word,” - דבר וּמח־שׁמץ _yuvmah_ _shėmets_ _dâbâr_. The word שׁמץ _shemets_ means a transient sound rapidly passing away; and then a whisper; see the notes at...

EXPOSITION The long discourse of Job now begins, which forms the central and most solid mass of the book. It continues through six chapters (Job 26-31.). In it Job, after hastily brushing aside Bildad's last speech as superfluous and out of place (verses 1-4), proceeds to deliver his real sentiments apart from controversial issues. He sets forth, first of all, the might and majesty of God (verses 5-14), after which he proceeds to deal with the questions which concern his own integrity, and God's dealings with mankind. The former he still maintains; with respect to the latter, he recants his earlier argumentative contention (Job 24:2), and admits that retribution always or almost always comes upon the wicked at last (Job 27:1.). In...

LO, THESE [ARE] PARTS OF HIS WAYS,.... This is the conclusion of the discourse concerning the wonderful works of God; and Job was so far from thinking that he had taken notice of all, or even of the chief and principal, that what he observed were only the extremities, the edges, the borders, and outlines of the ways and works of God in creation and providence; wherefore, if these were so great and marvellous, what must the rest be which were out of the reach of men to point out and describe? BUT HOW LITTLE A PORTION IS HEARD OF HIM? from the creatures, from the works of creation, whether in heaven, earth, or sea; for though they do declare in some measure his glory, and though their voice is heard everywhere, and shows forth the knowledge of him; even exhibits to view his invisible things, his eternal power and Godhead; yet it is comparatively so faint a light, that men grope as it were...

CHAPTER 26JOB'S REPLY _ 1. A sarcastic beginning (Job 26:1)_ 2. Job also knows and can speak of the greatness of God (Job 26:5) Job 26:1. You have helped me greatly, Bildad, me, who am without power. Whom dost thou instruct anyway? And what kind of a spirit is it which speaks through thee? In other words he means to say, I have no more use for your argument at all. Job 26:5. But let me, Bildad, tell you something about the greatness of God before which your words pale into nothing. And so he utters a description of God's greatness which is indeed greater than Bildad's. And after this sublime unfolding of God's greatness and power, he

CONCLUSION OF BILDAD'S SPEECH. Bildad pursues the theme of the greatness of God, begun in Job 25:2. The giants (Deuteronomy 2:11) tremble at God (Job 26:5). Rephaim (Genesis 14:5 *) means both shades (_mg._) and giants; perhaps the connexion is that the giants, the oldest inhabitants of the earth, were the first to go down to Sheol, and so gave their name to all the shades. In any case it is best to translate here giants. It gives an excellent illustration of God's power that these mighty men, who are conceived as having once done battle with Him, tremble under it. Abaddon ...

BUT HOW LITTLE. PORTION. 'tis but. whisper....

The verse reads, Lo these are the outskirts of his ways; And how small a whisper is that which we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? The power of God is illustrated in the mighty works described in Job 26:5. Yet what we see of Him in these is but the ends, the outskirts of His real operations. And what we hear of Him is but as a faint whisper; the thunder of the full unfolding of His power who can understand? The nervous brevity and sublimity of these words are unsurpassable....