Job 8:21

_TILL HE FILL THY MOUTH WITH LAUGHING, AND THY LIPS WITH REJOICING._ Fill thy mouth with laughing - (Psalms 126:2). Until х_ `AD_ (H5703)] - literally, 'to the point that;' God's blessing on thee, when repentant, shall go on increasing to the point that, or until, etc....

20-22 Bildad here assures Job, that as he was so he should fare; therefore they concluded, that as he fared so he was. God will not cast away an upright man; he may be cast down for a time, but he shall not be cast away for ever. Sin brings ruin on persons and families. Yet to argue, that Job was an ungodly, wicked man, was unjust and uncharitable. The mistake in these reasonings arose from Job's friends not distinguishing between the present state of trial and discipline, and the future state of final judgment. May we choose the portion, possess the confidence, bear the cross, and die the death of the righteous; and, in the mean time, be careful neither to wound others by rash judgments, nor to distress ourselves needlessly about the opinions of our fellow-creatures....

Verse Job 8:21. _TILL HE FILL THY MOUTH WITH LAUGHING_] Perhaps it may be well to translate after Mr. _Good_ "_Even yet_ may he fill thy mouth with laughter!" The two verses may be read as a _prayer_; and probably they were thus expressed by Bildad, who speaks with less virulence than his predecessor, though with equal positiveness in respect to the grand charge, viz., _If thou wert not a sinner of no_ _mean magnitude, God would not have inflicted such unprecedented_ _calamities upon thee_. This most exceptionable position, which is so contrary to matter of fact, was founded upon maxims which they derived from the _ancients_. Surely _observation_ must have, in numberless instances, corrected this mistake. They must have seen many _worthless men_ in high _prosperity_, and many of the _excellent of the earth_ in deep adver

TILL HE FILL THY MOUTH WITH LAUGHING - Until he make thee completely happy. The word rendered “till” (עד _‛__ad_), is rendered by Dr. Good, “even yet.” Noyes, following Houbigant, DeWette, and Michaelis, proposes to change the pointing, and to read עד _‛__ôd_, instead of עד _‛__ad_ - meaning, “while.” The verse is connected with that which follows, and the particle used here evidently means “while,” or “even yet” - and the whole passage means, “if you return to God, he will even yet fill you with joy, while those who hate you shall be clothed with shame. God will show you favor, but the dwelling of the wicked shall come to naught.” The object of the passage is to induce Job to return to God, with the assurance that if he did, he would show mercy to him, while the wicked should be destroyed....

EXPOSITION JOB 8:1 THEN ANSWERED BILDAD THE SHUHITE, AND SAID. Bildad the Shuhite has the second place in the passage where Job's friends are first mentioned (Job 2:11), and occupies the same relative position in the dialogue. We may suppose him to have been younger than Eliphaz and older than Zophar. He does little more than repeat the arguments of Eliphaz, stating them, however, more bluntly, and with less of tact and consideration. The chief novelties of his discourse are an appeal to the teaching of past ages (verses 8-10), and the employment of new and forcible metaphors (verses 11-19). JOB 8:2 HOW LONG WILT THOU SPEAK THESE THINGS? An exclamation li

TILL HE FILL THY MOUTH WITH LAUGHING, AND THY LIPS WITH REJOICING. Directing himself to Job; and suggesting, that if he was a perfect, sincere, and upright man. God would not cast him away utterly, but help him out of his present circumstances, and restore him to prosperity; and not leave him until he had filled his heart with so much joy, that his mouth and lips, being also full of it, should break forth in strong expressions of it, and in the most exulting strains, as if it was a time of jubilee with him; see Psalms 126:2; but Bildad tacitly insinuates that Job was not a perfect and good man but an evil doer, whom God had cast away and would not help; and this he concluded from the distressed circumstances he was now in; which was no rule of judgment, and a very unfair way of reasoning, since love and hatred are not to be known by outward prosperity and adversity,...

CHAPTER 8 BILDAD'S ADDRESS _ 1. How long, Job? (Job 8:1)_ 2. Enquire of the former age (Job 8:8) 3. God's dealing with the wicked and the righteous (Job 8:11) Job 8:1. Bildad the Shuhite now speaks to Job. He is less dogmatic than Eliphaz, and less courteous, but more outspoken. He must have lost his patience listening to Job's reply. Especially does he resent what Job had said about God, the insinuations which had fallen from his lips. But we shall see he too follows the logic of Eliphaz, that God punishes Job for his sins. He starts in at once to rebuke Job for what he had said. “How long, Job, wilt thou speak these things? How long shall t

Bildad has warned Job of the fate of the impious. Now he returns to the other half of his doctrine also, and sums up his whole position in Job 8:20. God can neither reject the blameless, nor uphold the wicked. If Job is really blameless, _i.e._ if he humbly accepts the Divine chastisement, God will yet reward him (Job 8:21 f.)....

REJOICINGS. shouting for joy....

Finally Bildad repeats his general principle and augurs from the one side of it a happy and brilliant future for Job. _cast away a perfect man_ This word "perfect" is the title given to Job by the Author, and acknowledged due to him by God, see on ch. Job 1:1. The phrase, God will not cast off a "perfect" man, becomes almost the text of Job's reply, cf. ch. Job 9:20-21; Job 10:3. _help the evil doers_ lit. _hold by the hand of_evil-doers, cf. Isaiah 41:13; Isaiah 42:6....