Job 26:7

_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 26:7. _HE STRETCHETH OUT THE NORTH OVER THE EMPTY PLACE_] על תהו _al tohu, to the hollow waste_. The same word as is used, Genesis 1:2, _The earth was without form_, תהו tohu. The north must here mean the _north pole_, or northern hemisphere; and perhaps what is here stated may refer to the opinion that the earth was a vast extended plain, and the heavens poised upon it, resting on this plain all round the horizon. Of the _south_ the inhabitants of Idumea knew nothing; nor could they have any notion of inhabitants in that hemisphere. _HANGETH THE EARTH UPON NOTHING._] The _Chaldee_ says: "He lays the earth upon the waters, nothing sustaining it....

HE STRETCHETH OUT THE NORTH - This whole passage is particularly interesting as giving a view of the cosmology which prevailed in those early times. Indeed, as has been already remarked, this poem, apart from every other consideration, is of great value for disclosing to us the prevailing views on the subject of astronomy, geography, and many of the arts, at a much earlier period than we have an account of them elsewhere. The word north here denotes the heavens as they appear to revolve around the pole, and which seem to be stretched out as a curtain. The heavens are often represented as a veil, an expanse, a curtain, or a tent; see Isaiah 34:4, note; Isaiah 40:22, note. OVER THE EMPTY PLACE - על־תהוּ ‛

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...

HE STRETCHETH OUT THE NORTH OVER THE EMPTY PLACE,.... The northern hemisphere, which is the chief and best known, at least it was in the time of Job, when the southern hemisphere might not be known at all; though, if our version of Job 9:9 is right, Job seems to have had knowledge of it. Scheuchzer u thinks the thick air farthest north is meant, which expands itself everywhere, and is of great use to the whole earth. But if the northern hemisphere is meant, as a learned man w expresses it, it "was not only principal as to Job's respect, and the position of Arabia, but because this hemisphere is absolutely so indeed, it is principal to the whole; for as the heavens and the earth are divided by the middle line, the northern half hath a strange share of excellency; we have more earth, more men, more stars, more day (the same also Sephorno, a Jewish commentator on the place, observes); and,...

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 ...

NORTH. See note on Psalms 75:6; Isaiah 14:13; Isaiah 14:14. UPON NOTHING. not on any thing....

That Job has no need to be instructed regarding the greatness of God he now shews, by entering upon an exhibition of its operations in every sphere of that which exists, Hades, the Earth and Heaven, in which he far outstrips the feeble effort of Bildad....