Job 31:33

_IF I COVERED MY TRANSGRESSIONS AS ADAM, BY HIDING MINE INIQUITY IN MY BOSOM:_ Adam. Translated by Umbreit 'as men do,' (Hosea 6:7, where see the margin). But the English version is more natural. Job elsewhere alludes to the flood. So he might easily know of the fall, through the two links which connect Adam and Abraham (about Job's time) - namely, Methuselah and Shem. Adam is representative of fallen man's propensity to concealment (Proverbs 28:13). It was from God that Job did not "hide his iniquity in his bosom;" as, on the contrary, it was from God that "Adam" hid in his lurking-place. This disproves the translation 'as men:' for it is from their fellow-men that 'men' are chiefly anxious to hide their real character as guilty. Magee, to make the comparison with Adam more exact, for "my bo

33-40 Job clears himself from the charge of hypocrisy. We are loth to confess our faults, willing to excuse them, and to lay the blame upon others. But he that thus covers his sins, shall not prosper, Proverbs 28:13. He speaks of his courage in what is good, as an evidence of his sincerity in it. When men get estates unjustly, they are justly deprived of comfort from them; it was sown wheat, but shall come up thistles. What men do not come honestly by, will never do them any good. The words of Job are ended. They end with a bold assertion, that, with respect to accusation against his moral and religious character as the cause for his sufferings, he could appeal to God. But, however confident Job was, we shall see he was mistaken, chap. Job 40:4;...

Verse Job 31:33. _IF I COVERED MY TRANSGRESSIONS AS ADAM_] Here is a most evident allusion to the _fall_. Adam _transgressed_ the commandment of his Maker, and he endeavoured to _conceal_ it; _first_, by _hiding_ _himself_ among the trees of the garden: "I heard thy voice, and went and HID myself;" _secondly_, by laying the _blame_ on his _wife_: "The woman gave me, and I did eat;" and _thirdly_, by _charging_ the whole directly on _God_ himself: "The woman which THOU GAVEST ME to be with me, SHE gave me of the tree, and I did eat." And it is very likely that Job refers immediately to the Mosaic account in the Book of _Genesis_. The spirit of this saying is this: When I have departed at any time from the path of rectitude, I have been ready to _acknowledge_ my error, and have not sought excuses or palliatives for my sin....

IF I COVERED MY TRANSGRESSIONS AS ADAM - That is, if I have attempted to hide or conceal them; if, conscious of guilt, I have endeavored to cloak my sins, and to appear righteous. There has been great variety of opinion about the meaning of this expression. The margin reads it, “After the manner of men.” Luther, renders it, “Have I covered my wickedness as a man” - Habe ich meine Schalkheit wie ein Menseh gedecht. Coverdale, “Have I ever done any wicked deed where through I shamed myself before men.” Herder, “Did I hide my faults like a mean man.” Schultens, “If I have covered my sin as Adam.” The Vulgate, _Quasi homo_ - “as a man.” The Septuagint, “If when I sinned unwillingly (ᾶκουσίως _akousiōs_ - inadvertently, undesignedly) I concealed my sin.” Noyes, “After the manner of men.” Umbreit, Nach Menschenart - “After the manner of men.” Rosenmuller, As Adam. The Chaldee,...

EXPOSITION The conclusion of Job's long speech (ch. 26-31.) is now reached. He winds it up by a solemn vindication of himself from all the charges of wicked conduct which have been alleged or insinuated against him. perhaps it may be said that he goes further, maintaining generally his moral rectitude in respect of all the principal duties which a man owes either to God (verses 4-6, 24-28, 35-37) or to his fellows (verses 1-3, 7-23, 29-34, 38-40). He protests that he is innocent of impure thoughts (verses 1-4); of false seeming (verses 5-8); of adultery (verses 9-12); of injustice towards dependants (verses 13-15); of hardness towards the poor and needy (verses 16-23); of covetousness (verses 24, 25); of idolatry (verses 26-28); of malevolence (verses 29, 30); of want of hospitality (verses 31, 32); of hiding his transgressions (verses 33, 34); and of injustice as a landlord (verses 38-4...

IF I COVERED MY TRANSGRESSIONS AS ADAM,.... Job could not be understood, by this account he had given of the holiness of his life, that he thought himself quite free from sin; he had owned himself to be a sinner in several places before, and disclaimed perfection; and here he acknowledges he was guilty of transgressing the law of God, and that in many instances; for he speaks of his "transgressions" in the plural number; but then he did not seek to cover them from the of God or men, but frankly and ingenuously confessed them to both; he did not cover them, palliate, excuse, and extenuate them, as Adam did his, by laying the blame to his wife; and as she by charging it on the serpent; and those excuses they made are the inventions they found out, Ecclesiastes 7:29; or the meaning is, Job did not do "as men" k in common do; who, when they have sinned, either through fear or shame, end

CHAPTER 31 _ 1. My chastity and righteousness (Job 31:1)_ 2. My philanthropy (Job 31:13) 3. My integrity and hospitality (Job 31:24) 4. Let God and man disprove me (Job 31:35) Job 31:1. His final word is the final word in his self-righteous vindication. He gives Eliphaz the lie. He gives a review of his life to prove that he is clean in the sight of God and of man. Even if after this outburst his friends would have an inclination to answer him they could not have done so. He silenced them for good. But what are his declarations after all

JOB 31. THE OATH OF CLEARING. Job's final protestation of his innocence, and appeal to God to judge him. This chapter, says Duhm, is the high-water mark of the OT ethic, higher than the Decalogue or even than the prophets, since they deal with social not private morality. Duhm notes especially the humanity towards the slave based on the fact of a common creation, also that we are not to hate our enemies. (Job does not go so far as to say, Love your enemies; that is Christ's.) JOB 31:1. Job clears himself of secret sensual desires. He remembered that the all-seeing God punishes the evildoer. Job speaks from the standpoint he had occupied before his trials made him doubt the Divine justice. JOB 31:5. He clears himself of falsehood and covetousness....

TRANSGRESSIONS. Hebrew. _pasha'._ App-44. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Septuagint, and Vulgate, read "transgression" (singular) AS ADAM. Compare Genesis 3:10....

IF I COVERED MY TRANSGRESSIONS AS ADAM— This passage contains an allusion to one circumstance in the history of the fall. Among the particulars wherein Job vindicates his integrity, one is, that he was ever ready to acknowledge his errors. The allusion to Adam's hiding himself is proper and apposite; but if you render the passage agreeably to the marginal reading of our English Bible, _after the manner of men,_ it becomes an accusation of others; and the vindication of himself has in it a mixture of pride which does not suit the character of the speaker. See Sherlock on Prophesy, p. 212....