Job 26:5

_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 26:5. _DEAD THINGS ARE FORMED FROM UNDER THE WATERS_] This verse, as it stands in our version, seems to convey no meaning; and the Hebrew is obscure; הרפאים, _harephaim_, "the Rephaim," certainly means not _dead things_; nor can there be any propriety in saying that _dead things_, or things without life, _are formed under_ _the waters_, for such things are formed everywhere in the earth, and under the earth, as well as under the waters. The _Vulgate_ translates: _Ecce gigantes gemunt sub aquis, et qui_ _habitant cum eis_. "Behold the giants, and those who dwell with them, groan from under the waters." The _Septuagint_: Μη γιγαντες μαιωθησονται ὑποκατωθεν ὑδατος, και των γειτονων αυτου; "Are not the giants formed from under the waters, and their neighbours?" The _Chaldee_: אפשר דגבריא

DEAD THINGS - Job here commences his description of God, to show that his views of his majesty and glory were in no way inferior to those which had been expressed by Bildad, and that what Bildad had said conveyed to him no real information. In this description he far surpasses Bildad in loftiness of conception, and sublimity of description. Indeed, it may be doubted whether for grandeur this passage is surpassed by any description of the majesty of God in the Bible. The passage here has given rise to much discussion, and to a great variety of opinion. Our common translation is most feeble, and by no means conveys its true force. The object of the whole passage is to assert the universal dominion of God. Bildad had said Job 25:1 that the dominion of God extended to the heavens, and to the armies of the skies; that God surpassed in majesty the splendor of the heavenly bo

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...

DEAD [THINGS] ARE FORMED FROM UNDER THE WATERS,.... It is difficult to say what things are here meant; it may be understood of "lifeless" things, as Mr. Broughton renders it; things that never had any life, things inanimate, that never had at least an animal life, though they may have a vegetable one; and so may be interpreted of grains of corn, and which indeed die before they are quickened; to which both Christ and the apostle allude, John 12:24; and which, as they cannot grow without water, and their fructification and increase are owing to the earth being plentifully watered with rain, may be said to be formed under the waters; and of these Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom interpret the words; and the latter also makes mention of herbs, plants, and trees in the sea, particularly almug trees, as being probably intended; to which may be added, corals, and other sea plants, formed from under th...

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 ...

DEAD THINGS ARE FORMED FROM UNDER THE WATERS. The Ellipsis must be supplied thus: "[The place where] the Rephaim stay [which is] beneath the waters, and the things that are therein. "This place thus answers to the other place, Sheol, the grave, in the next verse. DEAD THINGS. Hebrew "The Rephaim", the offspring of the fallen angels, akin to the _Nephilim_ (Genesis 6:4. See App-23 and App-25 and note on Isaiah 26:14; Isaiah 26:19). ARE FORMED. remain. Hebrew. _hul_,. Homonym with three meanings: (1) _to stay_, _remain_, as here; Genesis 8:10;...

God's presence and power in the underworld. Job 26:5 reads according to the pointing, The Shades tremble Underneath the waters and their inhabitants. The "Shades" (Heb. _Refáim_, the flaccid) are the departed persons, whose place of concourse is Sheol. Comp. Isaiah 14:9, where "the dead" are the shades, so Isaiah 26:14 (the deceased). This abode of deceased persons lies deep down under the waters of the sea and all the inhabitants of these waters, for the sea belongs to the upper world. Yet the power of God is felt even at this immeasurable distance from His abode on high. Bildad had referred to the power of God as "making peace" on high; Job points to what is a more wonderful illustration of His power, it pervades