1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
11 I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
1 Moreover Job H347 continued H3254 H5375 his parable, H4912 and said, H559
2 As God H410 liveth, H2416 who hath taken away H5493 my judgment; H4941 and the Almighty, H7706 who hath vexed H4843 my soul; H5315
3 All the while H5750 my breath H5397 is in me, and the spirit H7307 of God H433 is in my nostrils; H639
4 My lips H8193 shall not speak H1696 wickedness, H5766 nor my tongue H3956 utter H1897 deceit. H7423
5 God forbid H2486 that I should justify H6663 you: till I die H1478 I will not remove H5493 mine integrity H8538 from me.
6 My righteousness H6666 I hold H2388 fast, and will not let it go: H7503 my heart H3824 shall not reproach H2778 me so long as I live. H3117
7 Let mine enemy H341 be as the wicked, H7563 and he that riseth up H6965 against me as the unrighteous. H5767
8 For what is the hope H8615 of the hypocrite, H2611 though he hath gained, H1214 when God H433 taketh away H7953 his soul? H5315
9 Will God H410 hear H8085 his cry H6818 when trouble H6869 cometh H935 upon him?
10 Will he delight H6026 himself in the Almighty? H7706 will he always H6256 call H7121 upon God? H433
11 I will teach H3384 you by the hand H3027 of God: H410 that which is with the Almighty H7706 will I not conceal. H3582
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen H2372 it; why then are ye thus altogether H1892 vain? H1891
13 This is the portion H2506 of a wicked H7563 man H120 with God, H410 and the heritage H5159 of oppressors, H6184 which they shall receive H3947 of the Almighty. H7706
14 If his children H1121 be multiplied, H7235 it is for H3926 the sword: H2719 and his offspring H6631 shall not be satisfied H7646 with bread. H3899
15 Those that remain H8300 of him shall be buried H6912 in death: H4194 and his widows H490 shall not weep. H1058
16 Though he heap up H6651 silver H3701 as the dust, H6083 and prepare H3559 raiment H4403 as the clay; H2563
17 He may prepare H3559 it, but the just H6662 shall put it on, H3847 and the innocent H5355 shall divide H2505 the silver. H3701
18 He buildeth H1129 his house H1004 as a moth, H6211 and as a booth H5521 that the keeper H5341 maketh. H6213
19 The rich H6223 man shall lie down, H7901 but he shall not be gathered: H622 he openeth H6491 his eyes, H5869 and he is not.
20 Terrors H1091 take hold H5381 on him as waters, H4325 a tempest H5492 stealeth him away H1589 in the night. H3915
21 The east H6921 wind carrieth him away, H5375 and he departeth: H3212 and as a storm hurleth H8175 him out of his place. H4725
22 For God shall cast H7993 upon him, and not spare: H2550 he would fain H1272 flee H1272 out of his hand. H3027
23 Men shall clap H5606 their hands H3709 at him, and shall hiss H8319 him out of his place. H4725
1 And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my right, And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul:
3 (For my life is yet whole in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4 Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you: Till I die I will not put away mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: My heart shall not reproach `me' so long as I live.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, And let him that riseth up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the godless, though he get him gain, When God taketh away his soul?
9 Will God hear his cry, When trouble cometh upon him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God; That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; Why then are ye become altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, And the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty:
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword; And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death, And his widows shall make no lamentation.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare raiment as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as the moth, And as a booth which the keeper maketh.
19 He lieth down rich, but he shall not be gathered `to his fathers'; He openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters; A tempest stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth; And it sweepeth him out of his place.
22 For `God' shall hurl at him, and not spare: He would fain flee out of his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.
1 And Job addeth to lift up his simile, and saith: --
2 God liveth! He turned aside my judgment, And the Mighty -- He made my soul bitter.
3 For all the while my breath `is' in me, And the spirit of God in my nostrils.
4 My lips do not speak perverseness, And my tongue doth not utter deceit.
5 Pollution to me -- if I justify you, Till I expire I turn not aside mine integrity from me.
6 On my righteousness I have laid hold, And I do not let it go, My heart doth not reproach me while I live.
7 As the wicked is my enemy, And my withstander as the perverse.
8 For what `is' the hope of the profane, When He doth cut off? When God doth cast off his soul?
9 His cry doth God hear, When distress cometh on him?
10 On the Mighty doth he delight himself? Call God at all times?
11 I shew you by the hand of God, That which `is' with the Mighty I hide not.
12 Lo, ye -- all of you -- have seen, And why `is' this -- ye are altogether vain?
13 This `is' the portion of wicked man with God, And the inheritance of terrible ones From the Mighty they receive.
14 If his sons multiply -- for them `is' a sword. And his offspring `are' not satisfied `with' bread.
15 His remnant in death are buried, And his widows do not weep.
16 If he heap up as dust silver, And as clay prepare clothing,
17 He prepareth -- and the righteous putteth `it' on, And the silver the innocent doth apportion.
18 He hath built as a moth his house, And as a booth a watchman hath made.
19 Rich he lieth down, and he is not gathered, His eyes he hath opened, and he is not.
20 Overtake him as waters do terrors, By night stolen him away hath a whirlwind.
21 Take him up doth an east wind, and he goeth, And it frighteneth him from his place,
22 And it casteth at him, and doth not spare, From its hand he diligently fleeth.
23 It clappeth at him its hands, And it hisseth at him from his place.
1 And Job continued his parable and said,
2 [As] ùGod liveth, who hath taken away my right, and the Almighty, who hath embittered my soul,
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of +God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips shall not speak unrighteousness, nor my tongue utter deceit!
5 Be it far from me that I should justify you; till I die I will not remove my blamelessness from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart reproacheth [me] not one of my days.
7 Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the ungodly, when [God] cutteth him off, when +God taketh away his soul?
9 Will ùGod hear his cry when distress cometh upon him?
10 Doth he delight himself in the Almighty? will he at all times call upon +God?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of ùGod; what is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, ye yourselves have all seen [it]; and why are ye thus altogether vain?
13 This is the portion of the wicked man with ùGod, and the heritage of the violent, which they receive from the Almighty: --
14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword, and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread;
15 Those that remain of him shall be buried by death, and his widows shall not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare clothing as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on; and the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He buildeth his house as the moth, and as a booth that a keeper maketh.
19 He lieth down rich, but will do so no more; he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters; a whirlwind stealeth him away in the night.
21 The east wind carrieth him away and he is gone; and as a storm it hurleth him out of his place.
22 And [God] shall cast upon him and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.
23 [Men] shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.
1 Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 "As God lives, who has taken away my right, The Almighty, who has made my soul bitter.
3 (For the length of my life is still in me, And the spirit of God is in my nostrils);
4 Surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, Neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 I hold fast to my righteousness, and will not let it go. My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
7 "Let my enemy be as the wicked, Let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, When God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry, When trouble comes on him?
10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty, And call on God at all times?
11 I will teach you about the hand of God. That which is with the Almighty will I not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; Why then have you become altogether vain?
13 "This is the portion of a wicked man with God, The heritage of oppressors, which they receive from the Almighty.
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword. His offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
15 Those who remain of him shall be buried in death. His widows shall make no lamentation.
16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, And prepare clothing as the clay;
17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, And the innocent shall divide the silver.
18 He builds his house as the moth, As a booth which the watchman makes.
19 He lies down rich, but he shall not do so again. He opens his eyes, and he is not.
20 Terrors overtake him like waters; A tempest steals him away in the night.
21 The east wind carries him away, and he departs; It sweeps him out of his place.
22 For it hurls at him, and does not spare, As he flees away from his hand.
23 Men shall clap their hands at him, And shall hiss him out of his place.
1 And Job again took up the word and said,
2 By the life of God, who has taken away my right; and of the Ruler of all, who has made my soul bitter;
3 (For all my breath is still in me, and the spirit of God is my life;)
4 Truly, there is no deceit in my lips, and my tongue does not say what is false.
5 Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.
6 I will keep it safe, and will not let it go: my heart has nothing to say against any part of my life.
7 Let my hater be like the evil man, and let him who comes against me be as the sinner.
8 For what is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul?
9 Will his cry come to the ears of God when he is in trouble?
10 Will he take delight in the Ruler of all, and make his prayer to God at all times?
11 I will give you teaching about the hand of God; I will not keep secret from you what is in the mind of the Ruler of all.
12 Truly, you have all seen it yourselves; why then have you become completely foolish?
13 This is the punishment of the evil-doer from God, and the heritage given to the cruel by the Ruler of all.
14 If his children are increased, it is for the sword; and his offspring have not enough bread.
15 When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them.
16 Though he may get silver together like dust, and make ready great stores of clothing;
17 He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage.
18 His house has no more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent.
19 He goes to rest full of wealth, but does so for the last time: on opening his eyes, he sees it there no longer.
20 Fears overtake him like rushing waters; in the night the storm-wind takes him away.
21 The east wind takes him up and he is gone; he is forced violently out of his place.
22 God sends his arrows against him without mercy; he goes in flight before his hand.
23 Men make signs of joy because of him, driving him from his place with sounds of hissing.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Job 27
Commentary on Job 27 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 27
Job 27:1-23.
It was now Zophar's turn to speak. But as he and the other two were silent, virtually admitting defeat, after a pause Job proceeds.
1. parable—applied in the East to a figurative sententious embodiment of wisdom in poetic form, a gnome (Ps 49:4).
continued—proceeded to put forth; implying elevation of discourse.
2. (1Sa 20:3).
taken away … judgment—words unconsciously foreshadowing Jesus Christ (Isa 53:8; Ac 8:33). God will not give Job his right, by declaring his innocence.
vexed—Hebrew, "made bitter" (Ru 1:20).
3. Implying Job's knowledge of the fact that the living soul was breathed into man by God (Ge 2:7). "All the while." But Maurer, "As yet all my breath is in me" (notwithstanding my trials): the reason why I can speak so boldly.
4. (Job 6:28, 30). The "deceit" would be if he were to admit guilt against the witness of his conscience.
5. justify you—approve of your views.
mine integrity—which you deny, on account of my misfortunes.
6. Rather, my "heart" (conscience) reproaches "not one of my days," that is, I do not repent of any of my days since I came into existence [Maurer].
7. Let … be—Let mine enemy be accounted as wicked, that is, He who opposes my asseveration of innocence must be regarded as actuated by criminal hostility. Not a curse on his enemies.
8. "What hope hath the hypocrite, notwithstanding all his gains, when?" &c. "Gained" is antithetic to "taketh away." Umbreit's translation is an unmeaning tautology. "When God cuts off, when He taketh away his life."
taketh away—literally, "draws out" the soul from the body, which is, as it were, its scabbard (Job 4:21; Ps 104:29; Da 7:15). Job says that he admits what Bildad said (Job 8:13) and Zophar (Job 20:5). But he says the very fact of his still calling upon God (Job 27:10) amid all his trials, which a hypocrite would not dare to do, shows he is no "hypocrite."
9. (Ps 66:18).
10. Alluding to Job 22:26.
always call—He may do so in times of prosperity in order to be thought religious. But he will not, as I do, call on God in calamities verging on death. Therefore I cannot be a "hypocrite" (Job 19:25; 20:5; Ps 62:8).
11-23. These words are contrary to Job's previous sentiments (see on Job 21:22-33; Job 24:22-25). Job 21:22-33; 24:22-25). They therefore seem to be Job's statement, not so much of his own sentiments, as of what Zophar would have said had he spoken when his turn came (end of the twenty-sixth chapter). So Job stated the friends' opinion (Job 21:17-21; 24:18-21). The objection is, why, if so, does not Job answer Zophar's opinion, as stated by himself? The fact is, it is probable that Job tacitly, by giving, in the twenty-eighth chapter, only a general answer, implies, that in spite of the wicked often dying, as he said, in prosperity, he does not mean to deny that the wicked are in the main dealt with according to right, and that God herein vindicates His moral government even here. Job therefore states Zophar's argument more strongly than Zophar would have done. But by comparing Job 27:13 with Job 20:29 ("portion," "heritage"), it will be seen, it is Zophar's argument, rather than his own, that Job states. Granting it to be true, implies Job, you ought not to use it as an argument to criminate me. For (Job 28:1-28) the ways of divine wisdom in afflicting the godly are inscrutable: all that is sure to man is, the fear of the Lord is wisdom (Job 28:28).
by the hand—rather, concerning the hand of God, namely, what God does in governing men.
with the Almighty—the counsel or principle which regulates God's dealings.
12. "Ye yourselves see" that the wicked often are afflicted (though often the reverse, Job 21:33). But do you "vainly" make this an argument to prove from my afflictions that I am wicked?
13. (See on Job 27:11).
14. His family only increases to perish by sword or famine (Jer 18:21; Job 5:20, the converse).
15. Those that escape war and famine (Job 27:14) shall be buried by the deadly plague—"death" (Job 18:13; Jer 15:2; Re 6:8). The plague of the Middle Ages was called "the black death." Buried by it implies that they would have none else but the death plague itself (poetically personified) to perform their funeral rites, that is, would have no one.
his—rather, "their widows." Transitions from singular to plural are frequent. Polygamy is not implied.
16. dust … clay—images of multitudes (Zec 9:3). Many changes of raiment are a chief constituent of wealth in the East.
17. Introverted parallelism. (See Introduction). Of the four clauses in the two verses, one answers to four, two to three (so Mt 7:6).
18. (Job 8:14; 4:19). The transition is natural from "raiment" (Job 27:16) to the "house" of the "moth" in it, and of it, when in its larva state. The moth worm's house is broken whenever the "raiment" is shaken out, so frail is it.
booth—a bough-formed hut which the guard of a vineyard raises for temporary shelter (Isa 1:8).
19. gathered—buried honorably (Ge 25:8; 2Ki 22:20). But Umbreit, agreeably to Job 27:18, which describes the short continuance of the sinner's prosperity, "He layeth himself rich in his bed, and nothing is robbed from him, he openeth his eyes, and nothing more is there." If English Version be retained, the first clause probably means, rich though he be in dying, he shall not be honored with a funeral; the second, When he opens his eyes in the unseen world, it is only to see his destruction: the Septuagint reads for "not gathered," He does not proceed, that is, goes to his bed no more. So Maurer.
20. (Job 18:11; 22:11, 21). Like a sudden violent flood (Isa 8:7, 8; Jer 47:2): conversely (Ps 32:6).
21. (Job 21:18; 15:2; Ps 58:9).
22. cast—namely, thunderbolts (Job 6:4; 7:20; 16:13; Ps 7:12, 13).
23. clap … hands—for joy at his downfall (La 2:15; Na 3:19).
hiss—deride (Jer 25:9). Job alludes to Bildad's words (Job 18:18).