19 And thou hast rested, And none is causing trembling, And many have entreated thy face;
And Abimelech hath gone unto him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phichol head of his host; and Isaac saith unto them, `Wherefore have ye come unto me, and ye have hated me, and ye send me away from you?' And they say, `We have certainly seen that Jehovah hath been with thee, and we say, `Let there be, we pray thee, an oath between us, between us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; do not evil with us, as we have not touched thee, and as we have only done good with thee, and send thee away in peace; thou `art' now blessed of Jehovah.' And he maketh for them a banquet, and they eat and drink, and rise early in the morning, and swear one to another, and Isaac sendeth them away, and they go from him in peace.
And now, take to you seven bullocks and seven rams, and go ye unto My servant Job, and ye have caused a burnt-offering to ascend for you; and Job My servant doth pray for you, for surely his face I accept, so as not to do with you folly, because ye have not spoken concerning Me rightly, like My servant Job. And they go -- Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, Zophar the Naamathite -- and do as Jehovah hath spoken unto them; and Jehovah doth accept the face of Job.
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Commentary on Job 11 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 11
Poor Job's wound's were yet bleeding, his sore still runs and ceases not, but none of his friends bring him any oil, any balm; Zophar, the third, pours into them as much vinegar as the two former had done.
Job 11:1-6
It is sad to see what intemperate passions even wise and good men are sometimes betrayed into by the heat of disputation, of which Zophar here is an instance. Eliphaz began with a very modest preface, ch. 4:2. Bildad was a little more rough upon Job, ch. 8:2. But Zophar falls upon him without mercy, and gives him very bad language: Should a man full of talk be justified? And should thy lies make men hold their peace? Is this the way to comfort Job? No, nor to convince him neither. Does this become one that appears as an advocate for God and his justice? Tantaene animis coelestibus irae?-In heavenly breasts can such resentment dwell? Those that engage in controversy will find it very hard to keep their temper. All the wisdom, caution, and resolution they have will be little enough to prevent their breaking out into such indecencies as we here find Zophar guilty of.
Job 11:7-12
Zophar here speaks very good things concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly: these two compared together, and duly considered, will have a powerful influence upon our submission to all the dispensations of the divine Providence.
Job 11:13-20
Zophar, as the other two, here encourages Job to hope for better times if he would but come to a better temper.