* NOV 2 1911 *! 
 
 Divisioa :B5 49 I 
 
 .E58 
 
 Section 
 
 18 
 
THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL 
 
 SHAILER MATHEWS, General Editor 
 
 PROFESSOR OF HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE THEOLOGY 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO 
 
 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 GEORGE A. BARTON 
 
THE BIBLE FOR 
 
 HOME AND SCHOOL 
 
 SHAILER MATHEWS, General Editor 
 
 GENESIS 
 
 By Professor H. 
 
 G. Mitchell 
 
 DEUTERONOMY 
 By Professor W 
 
 G. Jordan 
 
 JOB 
 
 By Professor George A. Barton 
 
 ISAIAH 
 
 By Professor John E. McFadyen 
 
 MATTHEW 
 
 By Professor A. 
 
 T. Robertson 
 
 ACTS 
 
 By Professor George H. Gilbert 
 
 GALATIANS 
 
 By Professor B. 
 
 W. Bacon 
 
 EPHESIANS AND COLOSSIANS 
 By Reverend Gross Alexander 
 
 HEBREWS 
 
 By Professor E. 
 
 J. Goodspf.f.d 
 
 VOLUMES IN PREPARATION 
 JUDGES 
 
 By Professor Edward L. Curtis 
 
 I SAMUEL 
 
 By Professor L. 
 
 W. Batten 
 
 PSAEMS 
 
 By Reverend J. 
 
 P. Peters 
 
 AMOS, HOSEA, AND MICAH 
 By Professor J. M. P. Smith 
 
 MARK 
 
 By Professor M 
 
 W. Jacobus 
 
 JOHN 
 
 By Professor Shailer Mathews 
 
 ROMANS 
 
 By Professor E. 
 
 I. Bosworth 
 
 I AND II CORINTHIANS 
 By Professor J. S. Riggs 
 
THE BIBLE FOR HOME AND SCHOOL 
 
 commentary' NOV 71911 ' 
 
 
 ^LOSWM «>i^^ 
 
 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 BY 
 
 GEORGE a/^BARTON, Ph.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL LITERATURE AND SEMITIC 
 LANGUAGES IN BRYN MAWR COLLEGE 
 
 THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
 1911 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
Copyright, 1911, 
 By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. 
 
 Set up and electrotyped. Published September^ 1911. 
 
 The references in the foot-notes marked " SV " are to the American Standard 
 Edition of the Revised Bible. Copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons. 
 
 By permission of the Publishers. 
 
 NorijjooU 53«3g 
 
 J. S. Gushing Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. 
 
 Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. 
 
MY HONORED TEACHER 
 
 CRAWFORD HOWELL TOY 
 
GENERAL INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Bible for Home and School is intended to place 
 the results of the best modern biblical scholarship at the 
 disposal of the general reader. It does not seek to dupli- 
 cate other commentaries to which the student must turn. 
 Its chief characteristics are (a) its rigid exclusion of all 
 processes^ both critical and exegetical, from its notes ; 
 ip) its presupposition and its use of the assured results 
 of historical investigation and criticism wherever such 
 results throw light on the biblical text; (c) its running 
 analysis both in text and comment; {d) its brief explana- 
 tory notes adapted to the rapid reader ; {e) its thorough 
 but brief Introductions ; (/) its use of the Revised Version 
 of 1 88 1, supplemented with all important renderings in 
 other versions. 
 
 Biblical science has progressed rapidly during the past 
 few years, but the reader still lacks a brief, comprehensive 
 commentary that shall extend to him in usable form mate- 
 rial now at the disposition of the student. It is hoped 
 that in this series the needs of intelligent Sunday School 
 teachers have been met, as well as those of clergymen 
 and lay readers, and that in scope, purpose, and loyalty 
 to the Scriptures as a foundation of Christian thought and 
 life, its volumes will stimulate the intelligent use of the 
 Bible in the home and the school. 
 
 vii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 I. Introduction 
 
 1. General Analysis of the Book 
 
 2. The Story and the Poem of Job, by Different Authors 
 
 3. The Original Home of the Story of the Prologue and 
 
 Epilogue 
 
 4. The Problem of the Poem and its Treatment 
 
 5. Portrayal of the Growth of a Soul in Suffering 
 
 6. The Poet's Solution of the Problem of Sufferin 
 
 7. The Text of Job 
 
 8. The Integrity of the Book . 
 
 9. 
 10. 
 II. 
 12. 
 
 13- 
 14. 
 
 The Omissions of the Septuagint . 
 The Elihu Speeches 
 
 (a) These Speeches Interpolated 
 (d) The Work of Two Writers . 
 Other Interpolations 
 
 (a) The Praise of Wisdom (ch. 28) 
 (<5) The Description of Behemoth 
 Leviathan (40: 1 5-4 1 : 34) 
 Editorial Work in Other Parts of the 
 (chs. 24-30) 
 The Art of the Book . 
 The Date of the Poem 
 The Author .... 
 Detailed Analysis of the Argument 
 Selected Bibliography 
 The More Important Abbreviations 
 
 (I) 
 (2) 
 
 (3) 
 
 (4) 
 
 II. Commentary 
 Index . 
 
 and 
 
 Poem 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 7 
 
 9 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 19 
 19 
 22 
 22 
 27 
 30 
 30 
 
 32 
 37 
 39 
 
 45 
 46 
 
 53 
 54 
 
 55 
 318 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 GEORGE A. BARTON 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The book of Job belongs to the ''Wisdom" literature 
 of the Hebrews. Other books belonging to this class of 
 writings are Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, among canonical books ; 
 Ecclesiasticus (or the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach) and 
 the Wisdom of Solomon, among Old Testament Apocrypha. 
 Of all these books Job is the greatest both in religious depth 
 and in literary power. The "Wisdom" Uterature was 
 produced by Israel's sages. In their way they made a 
 contribution to Israel's religious thought as important as 
 that of priests or prophets. 
 
 General Analysts of the Book 
 
 As the text of the Book of Job stands it falls into the 
 following divisions: 
 
 1. The Prologue; chs. i, 2. This is in prose. 
 
 2. Job's Wail of Despair; ch. 3. 
 
 3. The great Debate between Job and his Friends on 
 Suffering; chs. 4-31. Chs. 3-31 are in poetry. 
 
 4. The Elihu Speeches. Chs. 32-37. Of these 32 : i-6a 
 are in prose and the rest in poetry. 
 
 5. Jehovah's Address and the final Colloquy between 
 Jehovah and Job ; 38 : 1-42 : 6, in poetry. 
 
 6. The Epilogue; 42:7-17, in prose. 
 
 The Story of Job and the Poem by Different Authors 
 
 It requires no very profound study of Job to convince 
 one that the prologue and epilogue are not the work of 
 the poet who wrote the bulk of the book, but that they 
 belong to an old folk tale which he found already in cir- 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 culation and which he selected to form the plot of his poem. 
 The reasons for this conclusion are : (i) The prologue and 
 epilogue are in prose, while the body of the work is in 
 poetry. (2) In the prologue and epilogue the divine name 
 used is Jehovah, while in the rest of the work it is El, 
 Eloah, and Shaddai, as if Jehovah had been purposely 
 avoided. Once or twice only the author has used Jehovah, 
 apparently by slip of memory. (3) The Job of the pro- 
 logue differs fundamentally from the Job of the poem. 
 He is patient, submissive, and resigned ; the latter is im- 
 patient, bitter, and defiant. (4) The words attributed 
 to Jehovah in 42 : 7 are incompatible with the present 
 discussion which precedes them. They imply that 
 Eliphaz and his friends had spoken in the strain of Job's 
 wife in 2 : 9 and that Job had maintained throughout 
 the attitude described in 1:21 and 2 : 10. (5) The dis- 
 cussion of the poem moves in the realm of spiritual re- 
 Ugion and ethical endeavor only. Even Job's friends, 
 who represent the orthodox theology of the day, never 
 suggest that Job should offer sacrifices to atone for his 
 sins; Job in the moment of his repentance never thinks 
 of such a thing. Right doing and a right attitude of soul 
 toward God are in the poem all that is necessary for rec- 
 onciHation to God. This is the point of view of the great 
 prophets and of the greatest psalmists, such as the authors 
 of Psalms 50 and 51. The prologue and epilogue, on the 
 other hand, represent the old popular, unspiritual ritualistic 
 side of religion in which animal sacrifices formed a prom- 
 inent feature. (6) The epilogue rewards Job with a 
 double measure of earthly blessings, implying that such 
 blessings are the ultimate rewards of virtue — a doctrine 
 which the poem has vigorously combated. We conclude, 
 therefore, that the prologue and epilogue belonged to an 
 old folk tale and that there once stood between them a 
 description of Job's demeanor under suffering different 
 from that which we now find there — a description which 
 also portrayed the three friends in a different way. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Some confirmation of this view exists in outside sources. 
 Ezekiel 14 : 14 quotes Job, as he does Noah and Daniel 
 (probably Enoch originally stood where Daniel now stands), 
 as examples of men who had been righteous and exemplary 
 under trial. The Job of our poem was certainly not 
 always exemplary, and it is most probable that Ezekiel 
 knew a different form of the story. The author of the 
 Epistle of James (Jas. 5 : 11), says, "Ye have heard of the 
 patience of Job." The Job of our poem was anything 
 but patient, and it is probable that the New Testament 
 writer had in mind the same form of the story as Ezekiel. 
 Theodore of Mopsuestia, who died about 428 a.d., bears 
 witness (cf. Migne, LXVI, cols. 697, 698) to the existence 
 in his time of a story of Job as a holy and great prophet, 
 and Theodore charges the author of Job with having taken 
 undue Hberties with the story. Mohammed in the Coran 
 (Suras 21 : 83, 84 and 38 : 40-44) alludes to Job as to a 
 holy man who was especially favored by God — ap- 
 parently having in mind this story; and a long Arabic 
 story about Job in Ath-Thalabi's (ched 1035, 1036) Stories 
 of the Prophets exhibits a curious blending of strands from 
 this old popular story and our canonical Job. A transla- 
 tion by Professor Macdonald of this story may be found 
 in the American Journal of Semitic Languages, XIV, 145- 
 161. The conclusion reached by a study of the internal 
 evidence is thus confirmed by external testimony. This 
 story the poet took and, substituting his own poetic and 
 powerful treatment of the problem of suffering for the 
 older picture, gave us the work which we now have. 
 
 The Original Home of the Story of the Prologue and 
 Epilogue 
 
 In the library of Assurbanipal, king of Assyria from 
 668 to 626 B.C., a text has been preserved of a story strik- 
 ingly parallel to the story of Job. It was, as the colophon 
 to the tablet tells us, the second tablet of a series entitled 
 
 3 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 *'I will praise the lord of wisdom." Like our book of Job, 
 it belonged, therefore, to a "wisdom" literature. It is 
 clearly a copy of a story older than the time of Assurbanipal, 
 for part of an older hst of kings also found in his library 
 constitutes a commentary upon a part of it. 
 
 According to this story, a high official or king, of the 
 Babylonian city of Nippur, named Tabi-utul-Bel (a man 
 whose date and place in history are as yet unknown to us), 
 had been very god-fearing and prosperous, but was smitten, 
 as though he had been a wicked man, with a terrible disease, 
 which all the priests and magicians were unable to assuage. 
 This disaster occurred after he had passed the allotted 
 time of hfe. The poem describes the sufferings very 
 vividly. Tabi-utul-Bel says: 
 
 "An evil demon has taken hold upon me (?) ; 
 From yellowish the sickness became white, 
 It threw me on the ground and stretched me on my back, 
 It bent my high stature like a poplar." 
 
 ******* 
 
 "A strap of many twists held me fast, 
 A sharply pointed spear pierced me." 
 
 ******* 
 
 "I was saturated like a sheep in my excrements." 
 
 Like Job the sufferer found in his affliction a testing 
 of the ways of his god, for he declares : 
 
 "The plan of a god is full of mystery ( ?) —who can imderstand it ? " 
 
 If the reader will compare with these extracts the pas- 
 sages from Job collected in the note on 2 : 7, he will find the 
 likeness very striking. 
 
 The tablets are unfortunately broken. A fragmentary 
 text at Constantinople, recently pubhshed by R. Campbell 
 Thompson in the Proceedings of the Society of Biblical 
 ArchcBology, Vol. XXXII (1910), pp. 18-24, contained the 
 turning-point of the story. Unhappily the text of this 
 is much broken, but it would seem from what can be made 
 out that the fortunes of Tabi-utul-Bel were restored, not 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 because he maintained an ideal attitude towards his god, 
 but because he found at last a messenger who laid his case 
 before Bel and succeeded in moving that god to drive 
 away the demons who were tormenting the royal sufferer. 
 If this is the case, the parallel to Job is not so close as at 
 first sight appears. The Babylonian story represents an 
 earlier phase of thought, when the proper form of magical 
 intercession with the gods was more prominent than the 
 ethical and religious attitude of the worshipper.^ 
 
 Has this Babylonian story any connection with the 
 story of Job ? In reply, it must be said that it has no 
 Hterary connection with it. The name of the royal 
 sufferer was not only quite different from the name of Job, 
 but the name of his city Nippur was entirely lost. More- 
 over, in the earliest form of the story which we can trace. 
 Job was not a king. The story of Job probably came to 
 the Hebrews from a foreign source, for the name Job has 
 no etymology in Hebrew; but it came orally and was at- 
 tached to Hebrew locahties and given a Palestinian setting. 
 Stories travel thus in all parts of the world. Old Harvard 
 students tell of the late Professor Andrew P. Peabody the 
 same stories which were formerly told in Germany of Pro- 
 fessor Neander. So the story of Job came into Palestine 
 possibly from Babylonia and found a habitation in Bashan. 
 
 Modern explorers in the country to the east of the Sea 
 of Galilee find the name Uz to the south of the modern 
 Nawa and to the northeast of Tell Ashtara, the site of the 
 Ashtoreth Karnaim of Genesis 14 : 5. A number of neigh- 
 boring places have been named for Job (see note on i : i). 
 In this region, too, within a day's journey, or at the most 
 two days' journey, are the villages of Tema and Naemeh, 
 the cities with which the story probably connected Eliphaz 
 
 1 See Jastrow's article on the poem with copious translations in the Journal of 
 Biblical Literature, XXV, 135-191. Translations of it into German are found in 
 Jastrow's Religion Babylonians und Assyrians, II, 120-133, and in Zimmern's Baby- 
 lonische Hymnen und Gebete, Leipsic, 1905, pp. 28-30, also in Weber's Literatur der 
 Babylonier und Assyrer, 135-137, R. C. Thompson, Proceedings of the Society of Bibli- 
 cal ArchcBology, XXXII, 18-24, and M. F. Martin, Journal Asiatique, July-August, 
 1910, pp. 75-143- 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 the Temanite and Zophar the Naamathite, while another 
 village, Es-Suweda, may be the Shuhu from which it was 
 originally supposed that Bildad came. If the story settled 
 here, as we suppose, it may well have been attached to 
 some man of Uz who had been overtaken by misfortune. 
 Friends of such a good man may well have heard of his 
 misfortune and have come (or have been supposed to come) 
 from these villages to comfort him. As the story circu- 
 lated and became popular there was an inevitable tendency 
 to magnify Job and his friends and to enlarge the theatre 
 of the tale. In the form in which the story is presented 
 in our book Tema has been identified with the more famous 
 Teman in Edom; the original of Shuhu, mth the country 
 Shuhu on the distant Euphrates; while the ''raiders" of 
 the original reading of i : 15 and the "horsemen" of i : 17 
 have by slight textual changes become respectively the 
 Sabaeans and Chaldaeans — two great and distant powers 
 (sec the notes on those verses). 
 
 This tendency to magnify the actors in the story went 
 still farther after our poet had utiHzed it for the back- 
 ground of his immortal work. The addition to 42 : 17 
 found in the Arabic version places Uz itself on the borders 
 of Edom and Arabia and makes Job a king of Edom, and 
 Ehphaz, king of the Temanites ; while the expansion of 
 this now found in the Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic version*^ 
 has made Bildad the Tyrant of the Shuhites, and Zophar, 
 king of the Minseans in South Arabia (see note on 42 : 17). 
 This tendency is carried still farther in the Testament of 
 Job, a still later work. Here Job is represented as a king who 
 tells at great length of all the measures of truly royal munif- 
 icence which he adopted to make his great wealth a benefit 
 to the poor. In this work, too, the friends are kings who come 
 with their splendid body-guards to visit an afflicted mon- 
 arch. (See M. R. James, Apocryph Anecdota, Cambridge, 
 1897, pp. 104-137; and Jewish Encyclopedia, VII, 200 ff.) 
 
 Thus at the end of the development caused by the 
 tendency to glorify Job the simple villagers of these 
 
 6 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 trans- Jordanic hamlets figure in the popular imagina- 
 tion as monarchs surrounded with royal splendor; 
 and the sufferer, as in the Babylonian poem, is a 
 monarch. 
 
 The form in which our book presents the story exhibits 
 it in an intermediate stage of development between its 
 humble Palestinian beginnings and its final form. 
 
 The Problem of the Poem and its Treatment 
 
 The problem of the Book of Job is the problem of suffer- 
 ing — why do good men suffer ? The problem is in part 
 a theological problem and in part a religious one. This 
 is true of it in any period of the world's thought, but it 
 was pecuHarly true of it in the time of our poet. The 
 prevailing theology of that time taught that God rewarded 
 good men with health, wealth, and happiness in this life. 
 During his days of prosperity this theory of Hfe had seemed 
 to Job adequate. Suddenly, when conscious of no sin, his 
 possessions were swept away from him, he was robbed of 
 his children, and was himself subjected to acute bodily 
 suffering. In the prologue, which the writer adapted 
 from the old folk tale, the reader is admitted to the secret 
 of the suffering, and is told that God permitted it in order 
 to reclaim Satan, an angel who was disgruntled and had 
 become skeptical as to the existence of disinterested virtue. 
 All this was, however, hidden from Job. His suffering 
 accordingly plunged him into the deepest perplexity ; it 
 proved his theology false and raised in its acutest form 
 the whole question of his personal relation to God. 
 
 While Job was suffering and pondering the problems 
 thus raised, not calmly, but with the disordered nerves 
 and turbulent feehngs which accompany a terrible disease, 
 his friends came and sat down beside him. Their theory 
 of suffering was the one which up to that time Job had 
 held. They could not look upon him without deep and 
 genuine sympathy, but it was equally impossible for them 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 to look upon him without feeHng that he must have been 
 a terrible sinner — that his whole life, which appeared to 
 be so righteous, was after all a horrible sham. Their 
 sympathy was accordingly tempered by cold condemna- 
 tion. Job felt it through their silence, and it added to his 
 agony. At last silence became unbearable, and he vented 
 his feehngs in the wild ravings of despair which form 
 ch. 3. 
 
 Job's wild utterances seemed to his friends blasphemous, 
 but at first they regarded them as the ravings of an ir- 
 responsible, though sinful, sufferer and treated him gently. 
 As, however, Job reiterated his positions and charged God 
 with using his unlimited power to torture an insignificant 
 creature, their patience gave way; they spoke more 
 and more harshly, finally directly charging Job with com- 
 mon sins. In the original form of the poem each of the 
 three friends was given three speeches (see below, p. 32 ff). 
 In the first cycle of speeches the friends dwell on the 
 nature of God, Eliphaz setting forth his transcendent 
 purity, Bildad his inflexible righteousness, and Zophar 
 his inscrutable wisdom. In the second cycle they paint 
 lurid pictures of the fate of the wicked — liis fife is spent 
 in torments, he suffers a miserable death, his posterity 
 perish. In the third cycle Ehphaz directly charges Job 
 with flagrant sin, while Bildad and Zophar drive the charge 
 home by portraying as in the second cycle the terrible fate 
 of the sinner. 
 
 Job, on his part, while represented as speaking at times 
 in strains of marvellous beauty and vigor, repels the in- 
 sinuations and charges of his friends, and mingles charges 
 against God that are almost blasphemous with expres- 
 sions of touching yearning and of sublime faith. Finally, 
 in chs. 29-31, Job repels the last of the charges made 
 against him by his friends, and then centres his thought 
 upon a desire, which he had several times expressed before 
 (13 : 22 ; 14 : 15 ; 23 : 3-10), to come face to face with God. 
 God at last grants this desire, and by the vision of the 
 
 8 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Eternal (7,8 : 1-42 : 6) Job is satisfied and repents. His 
 problem was solved by a new personal adjustment to God. 
 In treating the problem thus the poet set forth various 
 truths, the most important of which will be mentioned 
 below. One of the results of his treatment was to dis- 
 prove the theology that was then current, according to 
 which it was taught that God punishes the wicked with 
 worldly adversity and rewards the righteous with worldly 
 prosperity. It is true that he permits the three friends of 
 Job to say in the poem all that could be said for this point 
 of view, but he portrays in the character and puts into 
 the mouth of Job arguments on the other side so strong, 
 and at the same time pictures Job as finding his satis- 
 faction in a way so different, that to all who had ears to 
 hear his work must have exploded this theological notion. 
 
 Portrayal of the Growth of a Soul in Suffering 
 
 As a part of his treatment of the problem the poet has 
 graphically portrayed the growth of a soul in suffering. 
 This growth he has exhibited in three particulars : (i) the 
 soul's faith in God; (2) faith in a future life; and (3) the 
 discovery of the healing power of present communion with 
 God. A word concerning each of these points is necessary. 
 
 I. The growth of Job's faith in God is set forth with 
 great artistic power. At first suffering had robbed Job of 
 all faith in God's goodness. In 7:12-21 he bitterly 
 complains that the great ''Watcher" of men is relentlessly 
 and uselessly torturing him; in 9: 21, 22, where he reck- 
 lessly takes his destiny in his hands and declares his integrity 
 in the expectation that God will destroy him for it, he de- 
 clares that God '' destroys the perfect and the wicked " alike. 
 In these passages all faith in God's goodness is gone. 
 
 In 13 : 15, 16 he is repeating this thought in stronger 
 language : 
 
 "Behold he will slay me ; I may not hope, 
 But my ways to his face I will maintain," _ 
 
 9 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 when in spite of himself the conviction of God's essential 
 justice bursts in upon him and he continues : 
 
 " This also shall be my salvation ; 
 For a godless man shall not come before him." 
 
 This new conviction that God is really good did not at 
 once drive out all other thoughts. In all men the best 
 conceptions have to struggle for a foothold. We accord- 
 ingly find Job in i6: 12-18 again making a bitter com- 
 plaint of the way God had delivered him to misfortune to 
 destroy him ; but even while he is saying it the newborn 
 conviction of God's goodness returns with increased 
 power, and he declares: 
 
 "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, 
 And he that voucheth for me is on high." 
 
 The soul cannot get away from the fact that God is really 
 a moral being, and that even when the circumstances of 
 life make it appear otherwise, there is no refuge from God 
 but God. 
 
 Once more this conviction manifests itself in 19 : 25. 
 Job had just been dwelling upon the imminence and the 
 inevitableness of his dissolution, but once more declares 
 his faith in the moral character and unshakable justice 
 of God by saying : 
 
 "But I know that my Vindicator liveth, 
 And he shall arise as a last One over the dust." 
 
 God is the Vindicator and he is the last One because his 
 word shall be final. Thus the sufferer, who began in a 
 strain of blasphemy, ends in a strain of confident faith. 
 
 2. Parallel with the development just sketched there 
 runs a growing faith in a future life. His suffering had 
 made him long to come face to face with God that he 
 might be vindicated (13 : 22) ; this longing had in 14: 14 
 taken the form of a wish that, if a man die, he might 
 live again. Finally faith in the moral nature of God — 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 a faith to which he had been driven even in the midst 
 of the rebeUious feehngs caused by his sufferings — led 
 him in 19 : 26, 27 to the conviction that, though his flesh 
 should perish, yet apart from his flesh he should see God. 
 
 Some scholars object to this conclusion, partly because 
 they beheve the text to be insecure, and partly because 
 they consider such a behef an anachronism. The versions, 
 however, support the text at this point with much una- 
 nimity, so that suspicion of the text cannot rightly be 
 based on external evidence. While it is true that a view 
 of a life after death thus spiritually conceived does not 
 appear in other Jewish writings for a long time, and while 
 it is true that later Psalmists protested against any faith 
 in a life after death at all (see Ps. 88 : 12 and 115 : 17), 
 it is perfectly possible that a great genius such as our 
 poet was, as he sought for an adequate theodicy, should 
 have let his thought take this great flight of faith. 
 
 3. But along with this the poet portrays the discovery 
 of the healing power of present communion with God. 
 Job had at first longed to come face to face with God as 
 with an opponent in a lawsuit (13 : 22); then he had con- 
 ceived it as resulting in some sort of communion (14: 15); 
 but despairing of living till he could come face to face with 
 God, he had reached the conviction that after death he 
 should come face to face with God and be vindicated 
 (19:25-27). This was apparently not an unwavering 
 conviction. Reached in a moment of exaltation, it wavered 
 as the currents of feeling, which in illness are unusually 
 unstable, ebbed again. In his final appeal to God Job's 
 tender mood has passed and he appeals that his great 
 Adversary shall answer him, declaring that he would 
 go into the Divine Presence proudly wearing his indict- 
 ment upon his shoulder. Then God appeared and an- 
 swered Job. The majestic Presence of God affected the 
 springs of Job's feelings in ways that he had not antici- 
 pated. He found repentance springing up in his breast 
 (42:4-6); and his words of submission indicate that he 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 had made the unexpected discovery that the solution of 
 Ufe's sufferings and paradoxes is to be found in present 
 communion with God. 
 
 The Poet's Solution of the Problem of Suffering 
 
 Many interpreters have complained that he presented 
 no solution. They have charged him with raising a pro- 
 found problem, discussing it with relentless logic, and then 
 leaving it unsolved. Duhm {Hioh. i8o ff.) and Peake 
 {Problem of Suffering in the Old Testament, loo, and Job, 
 pp. 1 8, 19, 343) have with better insight pointed out the 
 solution that the poet really offers. With a touch too 
 artistic to permit him to descend to a homiletic attitude 
 the poet has shown that his solution of life's problem is 
 a religious one. He had portrayed with great power the 
 inability of man's mind to comprehend the universe or 
 to understand why man must suffer, but he makes Job, 
 his hero, find in a vision of God the secret of life. Job's 
 questions remain unanswered, but now that he knows God 
 he is content to let them remain unanswered. He cannot 
 solve life's riddle, but is content to trust God, of whose 
 goodness he is convinced, and who. Job is sure, knows the 
 answer. 
 
 The poet has thus taught that it is in the realm of 
 religion and not in that of the intellect that the solution 
 of Hfe's mysteries is to be found. 
 
 In presenting this solution he portrays at once the func- 
 tion of the intellect in religion and its limitations. He 
 shows that it is the function of the intellect to keep theology 
 in touch with facts, and compel the abandonment of dog- 
 mas which have ceased to be satisfactory explanations of 
 experience and are thus seen to be false. On the other 
 hand he pictures with equal clearness the inability of the 
 mind to fathom life and the universe, and shows that here 
 the one way to peace and strength is in a personal ex- 
 perience of God, which begets faith and trust. One goes 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 on then with a happy heart, not because Ufe's problems 
 are solved, but because he lives in the companionship of 
 One who knows the solution. 
 
 The Text of Job 
 
 The Hebrew text of the book of Job has been trans- 
 mitted to us through MSS., something more than two 
 hundred of which have been in whole or in part collated 
 for modern critical editions of the book. These MSS. 
 are all later than the year looo a.d., and the text which 
 they contain presents few variations of importance. 
 Those few are, however, valuable. On the whole it is 
 evident that the text suffered many corruptions in trans- 
 mission before the earhest extant Hebrew MSS. were 
 written. This corruption arose from many causes. Letters 
 were accidentally transposed and one group of letters was 
 sometimes mistaken for another group. As the Hebrews 
 then wrote the consonants of words only, a different set 
 of vowels from those originally intended might be supplied 
 to a word or group of words and give a different meaning 
 from that originally expressed. If a scribe wrote from 
 dictation, defective hearing might lead to changes in the 
 text. 
 
 In addition to accidents of this sort, others arising from 
 the nature of the subject-matter undoubtedly came in. 
 The line poetry of the book was sometimes misunderstood 
 by prosaically minded scribes, and its bold criticisms of 
 the Divine government of the world were certainly objec- 
 tionable to them. Deliberate changes were made to soften 
 such things down. It has come about from such causes 
 as these that the text of the book of Job is corrupt, per- 
 haps more so than that of any other Old Testament book. 
 It is in this respect in striking contrast to the text of the 
 book of Ecclesiastes (cf. Barton, Ecclesiastes, in the In- 
 ternational Critical Commentary, pp. 17, 18). 
 
 13 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 As aids to the correction of the corruptions of the He- 
 brew text we have eleven versions, which are older than our 
 Hebrew MSS. They are as follows: 
 
 1. The Greek Version, which is commonly called the 
 Septuagint, was made at a date which cannot now be 
 determined with accuracy. It is, however, safe to say, 
 with Schlirer (Geschichle des judischen Volkes in Zeitalter 
 Jesu Christi, vierte Auf., Leipsic, 1909, Band III, p. 426 f.), 
 that it was not later than the first half of the first century 
 B.C. This version is preserved for us in two MSS. of 
 the fourth century a.d. and two of the fifth century, 
 not to mention later MSS., and comes to us accordingly 
 in copies from six to seven hundred years earlier than our 
 earliest Hebrew MSS. of the book. The Septuagint is, 
 accordingly, a most important instrument for the cor- 
 rection of the Hebrew text. Origen (185-254 a.d.) tells 
 us that the Septuagint version of Job known to him was 
 about one-sixth shorter than our present text, and that he 
 supphed the passages which it omitted from the version 
 of Theodotion, marking with a certain asterisk the passages 
 so supplied. These marks have been preserved in certain 
 MSS. (see American Journal of Semitic Languages, Vol. 
 XXVII, p. 127 fl.), and the passages are still lacking 
 in the Sahidic version, so that it can still be ascertained 
 what they were. In some cases they undoubtedly rep- 
 resent passages which the Greek translators considered 
 difficult or corrupt, but in some cases they represent 
 additions to the book made at least later than the 
 Hebrew exemplar from which the Septuagint translation 
 was made. For proof, see below, under Integrity of Job. 
 
 2. The Version of Aquila. Because the Septuagint 
 version had become so popular among Christians, Aquila, 
 a Jewish proselyte, made another and much more literal 
 translation into Greek in the second century a.d. Said 
 to have been related by marriage to the emperor Hadrian 
 (i 17-138 A.D.), Aquila became a convert to Christianity, 
 but, refusing to give up the practice of magic, he was ex- 
 
 14 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 communicated and joined the Jews in disgust. His 
 translation was made before 177 a.d., for it was known to 
 Irenasus. Aquila's version was made under the patronage 
 of leaders of the Jewish synagogue, its literalness com- 
 mended it to them, and it attained a considerable popu- 
 larity among the Jews. It contained the passages which 
 the Septuagint omitted. 
 
 3. Version of Theodotion. Theodotion, said by Irenseus 
 to have been a Jewish proselyte, appears to have lived 
 at Ephesus, where he made his translation of the Old 
 Testament into Greek before the end of the second century 
 A.D. Swete says of him: "he seems to have produced a 
 free revision of the Septuagint rather than an independent 
 version." Probably his version was made because 
 Aquila's was too hteral to be pleasing to those who knew 
 Greek well. Like Aquila's, his version contains the por- 
 tions of Job which the Septuagint omitted. 
 
 4. The Version of Symmaclms. Symmachus, a man ap- 
 parently of Jewish or Samaritan parentage, who, probably, 
 became an Ebionite Christian, made a fourth translation 
 of the Old Testament into Greek at the end of the second 
 or beginning of the third century. His version was 
 known to Origen in the year 228 a.d., and consequently 
 cannot have been made later than the first quarter of the 
 third century. The earHer Greek versions were, it is 
 thought, known to him. His aim was to catch the mean- 
 ing of the Hebrew and to express it in elegant Greek. 
 
 5. The Old LatinVersion. The Old Testament was trans- 
 lated into Latin for the use of the Latin-speaking Christians 
 of North Africa as early, probably, as the second century. 
 This version, so far as the book of Job is concerned, is 
 with the exception of a few fragmentary portions which exist 
 in MS. form, known to us only in the quotations of Cyprian 
 (who died 258 a.d.) and other Latin Fathers. This trans- 
 lation, so far as we can obtain it for Job, agrees closely with 
 the Septuagint. It is clearly dependent on that version, 
 rarely exhibiting independent influence of the Hebrew. 
 
 15 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 6. The Latin Vulgate. The basis of this version was 
 made by St. Jerome between 383 and 420 a.d. He 
 translated from the Hebrew text, but had full knowledge 
 of the Greek versions and also the benefit of knowledge 
 gained from the Jewish teachers of whom he learned 
 Hebrew. His version is often independent of all others, 
 therefore, but in a number of cases in Job it agrees with 
 the Targum, showing that the Jewish information to 
 which Jerome had access was identical with that which 
 formed the Targum. 
 
 7. The Sahidic Version. The Old Testament was, it is 
 believed, translated into the Egyptian dialects during the 
 second century. The translation into Sahidic, the dialect 
 of Upper Egypt, was pubhshed by Ciasca, 1 885-1 889, 
 under the title Sacrorum Bibliorum Fragmenta Copto- 
 Sahidica Musei Borgiana. With the exception of one or 
 two small lacunae where the MS. was fragmentary, it con- 
 tains the whole of the book of Job. The translation into 
 Sahidic was made from the Septuagint version before that 
 version had been enlarged by Origen ; it is, accordingly, a 
 very important witness to the readings of the original 
 Septuagint. 
 
 8. The Ethiopic Version. Abyssinia was evangelized 
 during the fourth century, when (or soon after) the 
 Scriptures were translated into Ethiopic. The Ethiopic 
 text of the book of Job was edited from 23 MSS. by F. M. 
 E. Pereira in Firman-Didot's Patrologia Orientalia, Tom. 
 II, Paris, 1905, pp. 565-688. This version is as clearly 
 based upon the Septuagint as the Sahidic version is, but 
 there is this difference: the Septuagint from which the 
 Ethiopic translation was made was the Septuagint which 
 Origen expanded from the text of Theodotion. The 
 Ethiopic version is accordingly chiefly valuable as a witness 
 to the Septuagint text of Job after the time of Origen. 
 
 9. The Syriac Version. The origin of this version is as 
 obscure as when Theodore of Mopsuestia declared that no 
 one knew who made it. It was, perhaps, made in the 
 
 16 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 second century and probably not later than the third. 
 While in some of the books of the Old Testament this 
 version was clearly influenced by the Septuagint transla- 
 tion, that is not the case with the book of Job. In Job 
 the Syriac was clearly obtained by translating directly 
 from the Hebrew text, and the translators had before them 
 a text which often differed from our present Hebrew MSS ; 
 the version is, therefore, a valuable instrument for the 
 correction of the present text. 
 
 10. The Targum. The Targumim are Jewish transla- 
 tions or paraphrases of Jewish books in the Aramaic 
 language. The Targum of Job is a real translation of the 
 book. It was made, so Bacher {Jewish Encyclopedia, 
 Vol. XII, p. 62) concludes, before the fall of Rome in 
 476 A.D. The phenomena which he adduces point to a 
 date between 395 and 476. The Targum of Job contains 
 more variations from the Hebrew text than the Targumim 
 of Old Testament books usually do. It is, therefore, of con- 
 siderable importance in determining the original readings. 
 
 11. The Arabic Version. The Arabic version, made by 
 Saadia Gaon, who died in 942 a.d., closely follows in Job 
 the Syriac version in most of its readings, though it oc- 
 casionally betrays a trace of direct Hebrew influence. 
 
 These versions have been compared by the writer and 
 their important variations from the Hebrew text are given 
 along with the marginal readings of the Revised Version. 
 From what has been said above, as well as from a com- 
 parison of the readings cited below, it is evident that, 
 as in the case of New Testament MSS., these versions in 
 part fall into groups. The members of these groups 
 generally appear together in support of the same readings. 
 The two most striking groups are (i) that composed of 
 the Septuagint, Old Latin, Sahidic, and Ethiopic, (2) that 
 composed of the Syriac and Arabic, while far less often 
 (3) the Vulgate and Targum stand together. 
 
 Important as the versions are, they cannot be followed 
 blindly. Their translators sometimes had a text which 
 c 17 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 was as corrupt as our Hebrew. It is clear in numerous 
 instances that they misunderstood the Hebrew which lay 
 before them, and at times it would appear that they en- 
 deavored by violent methods to force a meaning out of a 
 text that had become unintelhgible. But after allowance 
 has been made for these drawbacks, there remains a large 
 residuum of cases in which it is clear that the versions in 
 contrast to the Hebrew text have preserved the true 
 reading. 
 
 After all the help which these versions give us, however, 
 it is clear to the careful student that some passages remain 
 hopelessly corrupt. It is certain that a poet of the abiHty 
 of the author of Job would express thoughts that are in- 
 telligible, clear, and poetical. There are in Job a number 
 of passages, probably greater than one will find in any 
 other book of the Old Testament, in which neither the 
 reading of the Hebrew nor of any of the versions affords 
 a thought that is intelligible and clear. Our textual 
 material for Job is too scanty to make the textual criticism 
 of the book anything like the exact science that the text- 
 ual criticism of the New Testament is. All that the 
 interpreter can do in such cases is to fall back upon 
 conjectural emendations. These emendations are clearly 
 hypothetical; they are not, perhaps, in most cases what 
 the poet actually wrote ; but if they present an idea that 
 is intelligible, clear, and poetical, they are more likely to 
 be correct than the readings which do not present such an 
 idea. The present writer holds conservative \dews as 
 to the freedom that should be accorded to conjectural 
 emendation. It is his conviction that, if an ancient 
 text affords a possible meaning, it should be given 
 preference over a modern guess. He has, nevertheless, 
 in the pages that follow been compelled to recom- 
 mend the student in a considerable number of cases to 
 adopt 'a modern conjecture as the best that can be done 
 at present toward ascertaining the poet's original ex- 
 pression. 
 
 i8 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Integrity of the Book 
 
 It will conduce to clearness to consider this subject 
 under the following topics : (i) the omissions of the Sep- 
 tuagint version; (2) the Elihu speeches; (3) other inter- 
 polations; (4) editorial changes in genuine portions of the 
 book. 
 
 I. The Omissions of the Septuagint Version. The Sep- 
 tuagint version, as already noted, omitted, so Origen states, 
 about one-sixth of the text of Job. The late Professors 
 Hatch of Oxford and Bickell of Vienna held that none 
 of the material which the Septuagint omitted belonged to 
 the original text of the poem. The views of Hatch, pub- 
 lished in his Essays in Biblical Greek, Oxford, 18S9, are 
 more consistently carried out than those of Bickell, which 
 were pubHshed in various numbers of Wiener Zeitschrift, 
 fiir die Kunde des Morganlandes, for 1892, and in his book. 
 Das Buch Job nach Anleitung der Strophik und der Sep- 
 tuaginta, Wien, 1894. Bickell omits quite as many verses 
 because they do not conform to his theory of the metre 
 as he does because they are lacking in the Septuagint. 
 The views of Hatch were subjected to a thorough exami- 
 nation by the late Professor Dillmann of Berlin, in an 
 article published in the Sitztmgsberichte of the Berlin 
 Academy for 1890, Band II, pp. 1345 ff. Dillmann went 
 to the other extreme, holding that the omissions of the 
 Septuagint were made deliberately. The problem has 
 been recently examined by Dr. H. H. Nichols in the 
 American Journal of Semitic Languages, Vol. XXVII, 
 pp. 126 ff., who rightly holds that, while the Septuagint 
 cannot be thoughtlessly followed in all its omissions, it 
 does in some important cases point to real interpolations. 
 
 A careful study of the subject indicates that the Sep- 
 tuagint translator was wont to omit what appeared to him 
 to be repetitions in altered form. Sometimes this led him 
 to omit a mere phrase ; sometimes, the second member of 
 
 19 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 a parallelism; sometimes, a verse or more which for 
 emphasis restates the thought in altered form; some- 
 times, quotations from other parts of the poem ; and some- 
 times, difficult passages. When once this tendency on the 
 part of the translator is recognized, the necessity of re- 
 garding with suspicion every line or verse which this 
 version omits is removed. There remain, however, some 
 longer omissions which ought to be noted here. 
 These longer omissions are as follows : 
 
 21 : 
 
 128- 
 
 -33- 
 
 36: 
 
 : yb-g. 
 
 
 24: 
 
 : i4C-i8a. 
 
 36: 
 
 : iob-13. 
 
 
 26: 
 
 :5-] 
 
 [I. 
 
 36: 
 
 : 16-17. 
 
 
 28: 
 
 : 14- 
 
 -19. 
 
 36; 
 
 ; 26, 27b, 
 
 28a. 
 
 32: 
 
 II- 
 
 -17. 
 
 36: 
 
 29-32. 
 
 
 34: 
 
 28- 
 
 -33- 
 
 37: 
 
 2-5a. 
 
 
 
 
 37:11, 
 
 i2ab, I 
 
 3- 
 
 
 Of these omissions, 24 : i4C-i8a will be treated below 
 under "Other Editorial Revision" and 32:11-17 under 
 the "Elihu Speeches." It will be more convenient to 
 consider the remaining omissions in the reverse order to 
 that in which they are given above. 
 
 The last four of the omissions noted above, viz. 36 : 26, 
 27b, 28a, 29-32 and 37 : 2-5a, 11, i2ab, 13, fall, as Dr. 
 Nichols has shown, into a group by themselves. When 
 these portions are taken from their present positions and 
 read one after the other, they form a connected and 
 spirited psalm on a rain-storm — a psalm superior in poetic 
 skill to the context in which they stand. Moreover, when 
 this is done, the portions of the speech of Elihu from 
 which these passages have been separated gain greatly in 
 clearness and in poetic power. The reader will find the 
 psalm of the rain-storm connectedly translated in the note 
 on 37 : 13, and the parts of the speech of Ehhu from which 
 it has been separated, in the note on 37 : 12, and may see 
 for himself how much clearer both compositions become 
 when separated than the present text is now. The in- 
 ternal evidence of the material combines here with the 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 external evidence of the Septuagint and Saliidic versions 
 to show that this psalm was broken up and interpolated 
 here after the exemplar from which the Septuagint was 
 translated was written. The union of these two lines of 
 evidence is on such a point conclusive. 
 
 It has also been shown by Dr. Nichols that three other 
 sections which the Septuagint omits belong together, viz. 
 34:28-33; 36:7b-9 and iob-13. These form a poem, 
 or are parts of two poems, on the conduct and the fate 
 of kings. (For the way they fit together, see note on 
 36: 13.) When these sections are removed, the portions 
 of the speeches of Elihu in which they are respectively 
 embedded gain in clearness and force (see, for example, 
 the note on 36:18). Here again the external evidence 
 of the Septuagint and Sahidic versions combines with the 
 internal evidence of the material itself to prove that an 
 interpolation was made in the Hebrew text after the 
 exemplar from which the Septuagint was made was written. 
 
 When we turn to 28 : 14-19, the same thing is true. 
 The poet in the first thirteen verses of the chapter has 
 shown that gems are mined from the earth, but that wis- 
 dom can be found in no locality. Verse 20, 
 
 "Whence then cometh wisdom? 
 And where is the place of understanding ? " 
 
 connects directly with v. 13. Verses 14-19, which form a 
 disquisition on the price of wisdom, enlarge upon a matter 
 which, though incidentally mentioned in v. 13, is in 
 reality, when thus expanded, irrelevant, and weakens the 
 comparison of the chapter as a whole. We accordingly 
 conclude again that the omissions of the Septuagint and 
 Saliidic versions attest a late addition to the text. 
 
 In the case of 26:5-11 the decision is not so easy. 
 Several of the leading modern interpreters beheve that 
 those verses originally belonged in another part of the 
 poem, that they are misplaced in their present position, 
 and that the Septuagint and Sahidic versions preserve 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 the memory of a time when they did not belong here. 
 This opinion does not, however, seem well founded. Verse 
 12 does not connect at all with v. 4 and it is certain that 
 something must have stood between them. Verses 5-1 1 
 not only form an admirable connection where they now 
 stand, but treat of a theme which the poet has elsewhere 
 (9: I ff., ch. 12), represented Job as treating. The theme 
 is handled here in the vigorous, poetic way in which the 
 poet, who puts his best poetry into the mxouth of Job, 
 makes Job speak, and it seems most probable that he 
 wrote these verses for the place where we now find them. 
 
 On the other hand, the likeness of the theme to that of 
 9:1 ff., together with some differences in the handling of 
 the theme, which seem to contradict ch. 9 (see notes on 
 26 : 7 and 10), would seem to have afforded the Septua- 
 gint translator, whose tendency to omit repetitions we 
 have already noted, a reason to omit these verses. If 
 this is the right explanation, as seems most probable, our 
 difficulty has been caused by the fact that his method led 
 him in this case to omit an unusually long section. 
 
 With regard to 21 : 28-33 ^ decision is still more 
 difficult. The verses when correctly translated are very 
 fitting in the mouth of Job, contain some fine poetical 
 touches, and are not out of harmony with the context 
 (see notes on them). On the other hand, they might be 
 dropped out and would never be seriously missed. Verse 
 34 connects very well with v. 27. The internal evidence 
 is very evenly balanced. If, however, as we have seen, 
 the Septuagint translator could omit one section of con- 
 siderable length, he may have omitted another, and a 
 possible motive for such an omission may be found in the 
 fact that 21 : 28 may have been regarded as a repetition 
 of 20 : 7, On the whole, therefore, we do not seem to be 
 justified in regarding the verses as an interpolation. 
 
 2. The Elihu Speeches. — Chs. 32-37. A study of the 
 omissions of the Septuagint has revealed the fact that 
 there are in Job some minor interpolations. Are there 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 any larger ones? In answer to this inquiry it must be 
 noted that chs. 32-37, which constitute the Elihu speeches, 
 have been regarded by a large number of scholars during 
 the past century as an addition to the book made by 
 some one later than the author of the original work. 
 
 The main reasons which have led to these conclusions 
 are as follows: (i) While all the other characters are 
 mentioned in the prologue and the epilogue, Elihu is not 
 mentioned in either of these. His absence from the 
 prologue is atoned for, it is true, by a Httle prose prologue 
 to his speeches (32 : 1-6). That prologue, however, itself 
 excites suspicion by the way in which it interrupts the 
 flow of the poetical thought, and it also fails to account 
 for Elihu's presence at the great debate. But even if 
 this prosaic introduction of Elihu in ch. 32 be thought 
 to account satisfactorily for his absence from the pro- 
 logue, his absence from the epilogue, where a reward is 
 assigned to each of the great actors in the poem, is still 
 inexphcable. If Elihu had been a creation of the poet 
 and had been intended by him as the vindicator of Jehovah 
 from Job's aspersions, he should have so changed the 
 epilogue as to make him receive a greater reward than 
 Job ; if he intended him to be a mere repeater of the 
 arguments of the friends, who, like them, is but a plausible 
 champion of an outworn theology, he should have made 
 his condemnation in the epilogue as prominent as theirs. 
 The absence of Elihu here strongly suggests that he is 
 the creature of a later interpolator. 
 
 (2) The speeches of Elihu interrupt the development 
 of the poem and detract from its artistic perfection. Job 
 at the end of ch. 31 {i.e. 31 135-37) appeals to Jehovah. 
 The whole question had previously been threshed out; 
 the friends had presented their arguments, had been foiled, 
 and had found nothing in reply better than denunciation. 
 Job had turned away from earthly help and made his 
 appeal to God. A poet possessed of the great artistic 
 sense which the author of this book manifests in other 
 
 23 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 respects would, if he were going to make Jehovah reply 
 at all, make him speak, one feels, at that point. To pre- 
 pare the way for the denouement, to work the imagination 
 up to the highest pitch for it, and then to introduce a 
 long disquisition from a new character which adds noth- 
 ing of importance to the poem, is an inartistic procedure. 
 It weakens the force of the climax. Of such a violation 
 of the canons of good art there is reason to beUeve the 
 poet was not guilty. The opening words of the address 
 of Jehovah in 38 : 2 ff. refer, as all interpreters agree, to 
 Job. They connect directly with 31 : 35-37. The Divine 
 Speaker utterly ignores Elihu. Had the author of ch. :^S 
 been also the author of chs. 32-37 this probably would 
 not have been the case. 
 
 (3) The speeches of Elihu contain nothing that is not 
 contained either in the speeches of the friends or in that 
 of Jehovah. His arguments are substantially the argu- 
 ments of the friends. He presents no explanation for 
 suffering which they have not presented, though he en- 
 larges slightly more than they upon the function of suffer- 
 ing in bringing the sinner to repentance. The real attitude 
 of the author towards these arguments is presented in 
 chs. 4-31. In those chapters he has portrayed the in- 
 adequacy of these arguments; he has shown how out of 
 accord with experience this view of life is. It is hardly 
 conceivable, therefore, that he should permit the same 
 things to be said again and to pass without reply as 
 though they were unanswerable. He, then, can hardly have 
 been the one who placed the Elihu speeches in the book. 
 
 (4) In their descriptions of the connection of God with 
 nature the Elihu speeches anticipate in an inferior way 
 what is said more powerfully by Jehovah subsequently. 
 This detracts from the full majesty and force of the 
 speech of Jehovah. Were a great poet to represent God 
 as spealdng (and our poet was incontestably one of the 
 world's greatest) he would hardly have adopted a de\dce 
 to detract from the majesty and sublimity of the Divine 
 
 24 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 utterance. That he did not do this is shown by the fact 
 that in 32 : 13 EUhu protests against bringing God into 
 the discussion at all. One cannot well beheve that the 
 poet condemned his own course in advance. Such a protest 
 might come from the pen of an interpolator, who wished 
 to mark his disapproval of a poem which he could not 
 suppress, but hardly from the pen of the original writer. 
 
 (5) Another point which tells against the genuineness of 
 the Elihu speeches is the inferior character of their poetry 
 in comparison with the rest of the poem. The phrasing 
 is frequently lacking in rhythm, descending often to the 
 prosaic, and the splendid imagination which marks the 
 genuine work of the great poet is here conspicuously 
 absent. The use of figures is less frequent, and where 
 figures occur their use is less original and powerful. The 
 chapters bear the literary marks of having been coined 
 in a much more commonplace mind. 
 
 (6) The language of these chapters points in the same 
 direction. It is less pure Hebrew than the rest of the 
 book ; the proportion of Aramaisms in it is much greater. 
 
 These reasons have been sufficient to persuade the 
 majority of modern scholars that chs. 32-37 are an inter- 
 polation. On the other hand the genuineness of these 
 chapters has been defended by Budde, Wildeboer, Cornill, 
 Briggs, and Genung. Those who maintain their genuine- 
 ness do not all estimate the value of Elihu' s contribution 
 to the poem in the same way. Briggs and Genung hold 
 that he is introduced as the self-confident young man, 
 who intervenes in the debate to set both parties right, 
 but contributes httle that is of value. On this view the 
 poet introduced him to show finally and more fully the 
 inadequacy of the views of the friends, and to prepare for 
 the transition from Job's warped conceptions to the 
 majestic address of Jehovah. Plausible as this theory 
 may be at first sight, it is not satisfactory. It entirely 
 fails to account for the inartistic way in which these 
 chapters come in, nor does it explain their inferior quality 
 
 25 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 and unpoetical character. Moreover, if the author had 
 intended to represent Ehhu as the self-confident, bom- 
 bastic dialectician, he would carefully have refrained from 
 allowing him to anticipate the majestic words of Jehovah. 
 
 Cornill's defence of the genuineness of these chapters 
 is different. He claims that without them the book con- 
 tains no solution of the problem of suffering; he holds 
 that a thinker of such power as this poet must have had 
 a solution for the problem, and that we actually find 
 that solution in the speeches of Elihu in the teaching that 
 suffering has a teleological value, its aim being to give 
 man self-knowledge, bring him to repentance, and induce 
 him to take a right attitude toward God. 
 
 This view is not, upon closer examination, more satis- 
 factory than the preceding one. It is not true that the 
 author does not elsewhere oft'er a solution of the problem. 
 While he does not present that solution in argued speech, 
 he suggests it in a still more powerful way by dramatic 
 action. His solution, as noted above (p. 12. fif.), is 
 that religious experience is the explanation of life's enigma. 
 He not only has a solution, but one much more profound 
 than any which the Elihu chapters furnish, and the presen- 
 tation of which in strong and artistic form the presence of 
 the Elihu speeches mars. 
 
 We conclude, therefore, that these speeches are an in- 
 terpolation. The motive for such an interpolation, too, 
 it not far to seek. The poet had made Job speak with a 
 boldness which shocked the moral sense of orthodox 
 behevers; he had also permitted Job to silence the de- 
 fenders of the views which had satisfactorily explained 
 God's providences to preceding generations, and which 
 the pious held in grateful reverence. If the poem was 
 to circulate at all (and it was too popular to suppress en- 
 tirely) it was very natural that some pious soul or souls 
 should seek to make it less offensive by the introduction 
 of a speaker who should voice the orthodox \'iews, and 
 who, because no reply was made to him, should seem to 
 
 26 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 do so triumphantly. The history of other Old Testament 
 books, as for example Ecclesiastes (see Barton's Eccle- 
 siastes in the International Critical Commentary, pp. 43-46)1 
 proves that such motives were potent among the Jews. 
 
 Until recently it has been held by those who beheve 
 the EHhu chapters to be an interpolation that one author 
 composed them ah. The present writer is compelled, 
 however, to agree with Dr. H. H. Nichols (see American 
 Journal of Semitic Languages, Vol. XXVII, pp. 97-186) 
 in beheving that the work of two different supplementers 
 to the book, or critics of it, has been combined in what 
 now constitutes the Elihu speeches. 
 
 The reasons for this view are as follows: i. In ch. 
 32 there is considerable repetition. The prose introduc- 
 tion (vs. 1-5) is really repeated in the poetry of vs. 6-17. 
 An examination of vs. 6-17 shows that vs. 11-17 repeat 
 in part Elihu's reasons for speaking advanced in vs. 6-10, 
 concluding with the same words. This suggests a dupli- 
 cation. This suggestion is confirmed by the contents. 
 Verses 11-17 are addressed to the friends, while vs. 6-10 
 are addressed to Job. The suggestion also finds confirma- 
 tion in the Septuagint and SaMdic versions, which omitted 
 vs. 11-17. While it is possible, as noted above, that the 
 translator of the Septuagint omitted these verses because 
 he thought them, a repetition, it is also possible that their 
 absence is due to an early disturbance of the text at this 
 point. If, now, we regard 32 : 1-17 as a compound of two 
 separate introductions to two originally separate Elihu 
 addresses, one of which was addressed to Job and the 
 other to the friends, it is quite possible to separate the 
 two strands and to gain two introductions, each of which 
 is complete and clear and contains no repetitions. (See 
 below, p. 29.) 
 
 2. On examination of the remaining parts of the Elihu 
 speeches, exclusive of the interpolated psalm of the rain- 
 storm and poem on kings referred to above, we find a 
 similar difference. Chapter 34 is addressed, not to Job, 
 
 27 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 but to ''wise men," the class to which the friend pres- 
 sumably belonged. Job is mentioned in the third person, 
 no sympathy with Ms sufferings is expressed, no hint is 
 given that he had any problem to solve, but he is merci- 
 lessly condemned as a blasphemer and a "man of in- 
 iquity" (vs. 7, 8,36). The chapter is a passionate appeal to 
 the wise to condemn the positions taken in the poem made 
 by one who felt the greatest repugnance for its doctrine. 
 
 This is in striking contrast to the rest of the Elihu 
 speeches as represented in 32 : 18-22, and chs. t,;^, 35, 36, 
 and 37. In these portions Elihu not only addresses 
 himself to Job, but is represented as a divinely appointed 
 messenger for Job's reclamation (see note on S3 • 23). 
 The tone of his remarks to Job is one of kindly, but 
 serious, admonition, not of severe condemnation. He 
 plays throughout the role of one who would redeem Job 
 and win him to repentance, who would explain to his 
 reason the mysterious ways of Providence and bring Job 
 into harmony with God. His monologue is to the end 
 a "mild-mannered homily," in striking contrast to the 
 severe tone of ch. 34. We conclude, therefore, that two 
 different writers have been at work here. 
 
 This is confirmed by the fact that ch. 34 as it now 
 stands interrupts an address of Elihu to Job. In :^^ : 
 31-33 Elihu has admonished Job to listen to him and has 
 promised to teach him wisdom. As the text now stands, 
 instead of doing this he, in ch. 34, denounces Job to 
 others, but in 35 : 2 returns to address Job. Chapter 35:1 
 (''Moreover Elihu answered and said") is clearly a later 
 editorial addition. Remove ch. 34 and this editorial 
 gloss, and 35:2 ff. so naturally continues the discourse 
 for which ^7, : 31-33 has prepared the way, that we can- 
 not but believe that a piece of cloth from another literary 
 garment has been placed between them by some editor. 
 
 With ch. 34 we should also put 35 : 15, 16, two verses 
 which speak of Job in the third person, and which are 
 evidently out of place where they now stand. 
 
 28 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 If we designate the main Elihu writer — the author of 
 the "mild-mannered homily" — by A, and the writer 
 who appeals to the wise men by B, the material con- 
 tributed by each is as follows : 
 
 To A belong 32 : i, 6-10, 18-22 ; ss ' ^SS ', 35 • 2-14; 
 36:2-5, loa, 6a, 12 [of the Septuagint text], 14, 15, 6b, 
 7a, 18-25, 27a, 28b, ^T,; 37 : I, 5b, 6a, 7-10, 14-24. To 
 B belong 32 : 2a, 3a, 17a, 11-16 ; 34 : 2-24, 26, 27 ; 35 : 15, 
 16, and 34:34-37. The rearrangement of the material 
 in chs. 36 and 37 just indicated is made on the authority 
 of the Septuagint and Sahidic versions, which reveal that 
 the rain-storm psalm and a part of the poem on kings 
 have been interpolated here, and that in the process the 
 original order has been destroyed. In ^2: 1-6 it is clear 
 that two strands have not only been woven together, but 
 that an editorial hand has expanded the result. This 
 hand added vs. 2b, 3b, 4, and 5. 
 
 It is probable that these two interpolators did their 
 work independently. Their tone is so different that it is 
 inconceivable that one of them intended to supplement 
 the other. They represent two different attitudes which 
 the orthodox took toward the book. The one, B, adds 
 his postscript to the discussion to scornfully condemn 
 Job ; the other, A, seeks by a more gracious handling of 
 the theme to make the work contribute to what he re- 
 garded as the real solution of the problem of suffering. 
 Probably the work circulated for a Httle in two copies, 
 each of which contained one of these antidotes to the 
 book's heresy. An early editor wove these two interpo- 
 lations together, thereby mixing the two antidotes into one. 
 
 While the reasons advanced convince the present 
 writer that the Elihu speeches are not a unity, it should 
 be noted that this view is a newer one than the view 
 that the Elihu material is interpolated, and, because it 
 has not, like the other theory, been subjected to long 
 criticism, cannot be regarded as resting on as secure a 
 basis. 
 
 29 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 3. Other Interpolations. In addition to the Elihu 
 speeches two other passages in the poem are regarded by 
 many scholars as later interpolations. These are the 
 praise of wisdom in ch. 28 and the description of behe- 
 moth and leviathan, the hippopotamus and the crocodile, 
 40:15-41:34. These passages should be considered 
 separately. 
 
 (i) The praise of Wisdom in ch. 28 represents a very 
 different mood and point of view from that portrayed in 
 the chapters on each side of it. Job in 27:1-6 had 
 been engaged in a passionate assertion of his integrity; 
 he was smarting under the injustice of his friends' re- 
 marks to him. In 29 : 2 ff. his thoughts are still pas- 
 sionately centered upon himself as he pathetically recalls 
 the former joys of his prosperous Ufe to contrast them 
 with his present desolation. In contrast to this the 
 mood of ch. 28 is the mood of calm meditation. The 
 character that speaks there tells all he knows of the 
 marvels of the processes of mining, in order to say that, 
 difficult as it is to obtain silver and gold, it is still more 
 difficult to find wisdom. This calm, contemplative mood 
 in which one recalls strange processes in long-drawn-out 
 detail is entirely out of harmony with Job's mood at this 
 stage of the discussion. 
 
 The point of \dew of the chapter is equally foreign to 
 that of Job. Job had up to this point been earnestly 
 protesting against the way in which God had ordered his 
 Ufe. In chs. 29-31 that protest still continues. Chapter 
 28, on the other hand, is written from the point of view of 
 one who acquiesces in the will of God, and who regards 
 his way as the embodiment of the suprem.est wisdom. 
 If Job had reached this point of view at this stage of the 
 discussion, the speech of Jehovah would have been un- 
 necessary. 
 
 The situation is not much relieved if we regard 27 : 
 7-23 as a speech of Zophar, for the calm tone and ex- 
 alted poetry of ch. 28 are equally out of harmony with 
 
 30 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 the rabid violence of the speeches of Zophar. We are 
 compelled, therefore, to believe that this chapter is a 
 later insertion in the poem. It is kindred to the poetical 
 praises of wisdom in Pr. 8 and the Wisdom of Solomon 7. 
 
 Whether this praise of wisdom was taken from an- 
 other work, or whether, as Duhm has suggested, it was 
 an independent poem complete in itself, having as its 
 refrain, ''Whence then cometh wisdom?" we cannot say. 
 If, as shown above, p. 21, verses 14-19 are a later ad- 
 dition to ch. 28, the symmetry of the strophes between 
 the recurring refrain is somewhat spoiled and the prob- 
 ability that it was an independent, complete whole is 
 lessened. From whatever source it came, though, it is 
 certainly foreign to the book of Job. This fact, however, 
 in no way detracts from the intrinsic beauty of the chap- 
 ter itself. 
 
 (2) Most scholars are also agreed that the description 
 of behemoth and leviathan in 40:15-41:34 is a later 
 addition. In this view we also concur for the following 
 reasons : (a) The description of these animals is unsuited 
 to their present context and diverts attention from the 
 theme in hand. The second address of Jehovah to Job, 
 wliich begins in 40 : 6, deals with the fact that Job 
 presumed to be more righteous than God. He had 
 challenged God's righteousness, and by doing so had im- 
 pHed that he possessed a finer sense of justice than God. 
 The critic of God is asked to put himself in God's place, 
 to humble the proud, to see whether he can bring about 
 a more just rule than God; then suddenly the long de- 
 scription of these animals follows. Instead of asking Job 
 if he can subdue wicked men, God appears to be asking 
 him if he can subdue gigantic brutes who have nothing 
 to do with righteousness. Then, too, the description of 
 the animals is so long that the memory of the original 
 question is lost. The description greatly weakens the 
 treatment of the theme, (b) If the poet had composed 
 this description, he would have placed these animals with 
 
 31 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 the description of other animals in ch. 39. In that chap- 
 ter such descriptions come in appropriately and reenforce 
 the argument; here they detract from it. (c) The long- 
 drawn-out and labored descriptions in this passage are in 
 striking contrast with the descriptions of ch. 39. There 
 a few poetic lines in the form of questions make the hinds, 
 the wild ass, the wild ox, the ostrich, the horse, and the 
 eagle stand out in lifelike reality; here a long and un- 
 poetic enumeration of details produces in the end an im- 
 pressive picture, but the effect is produced by methods 
 so different and so inferior that it is hardly possible that 
 the same writer can have composed them both. 
 
 4. Editorial Changes in Other Parts of the Book. If whole 
 chapters have been interpolated, such as chs. 28, 32-37, 
 and 40: 15-41:34, is the remainder of the poem in the 
 form in which it left the hands of the author ? In reply 
 it should be said that with the exception of 14 : 4; 22:8, 
 17, 18, which seem to be glosses, there is no reason to 
 question that up to the end of ch. 23 the poem is, apart 
 from textual corruption, as the poet left it. In ch. 24, 
 however, difficulties present them.selves. Verses 5-8 of 
 that chapter interrupt Job's description of the doings of 
 a certain class of violent, wicked men, who kidnap chil- 
 dren and make them slaves, by the description of some 
 poor, wretched outcasts, who would be powerless to harm 
 any one. The passage is certainly out of place. It seems 
 like a description of the fate of the wicked made by one 
 of the friends, reminding one of the words of Bildad in 
 
 18:5 ff. 
 
 Again, it should be noted that the Septuagint and Sa- 
 hidic versions omit vs. i4C-i8a, and that vs. 17-22 and 
 24 are out of harmony with the tenor of Job's discourse 
 and are, like vs. 5-8, quite in the tone of Bildad. This 
 raises a somewhat complicated problem, since the omis- 
 sion of the Septuagint does not coincide with the portion 
 which is contrary to the spirit of Job. Scholars have, 
 however, recognized that 14c is out of place, and it is 
 
 32 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 probable that the omission was, like many others, made 
 by the translator of the Septuagint in the effort to gain 
 what seemed to him a harmonious text. The difference 
 of point of view in vs. 17-22, 24, as compared with the 
 rest of the chapter and their likeness to the trend of Bil- 
 dad's utterances and to vs. 5-8, lead one to beHeve that, 
 like those verses, they were taken from a speech of this 
 friend. As the Septuagint contains vs. 5-8 and vs. 
 i8b-24, it is probable that the transfer of these verses to 
 their present position had already been made in the 
 exemplar used by the Septuagint translator, and that the 
 omission of vs. i4C-i8a was made by him for the reason 
 already suggested. 
 
 It has long been recognized that the speech of Bildad 
 in ch. 25 is far too short; its length does not correspcfnd 
 to that of the speeches in the remainder of the poem. If, 
 therefore, the parts of ch. 24 which are not in harmony 
 with their context can be fitted on to it in such a way as 
 to make a continuous speech which in tone shall accord 
 with the general point of view of Bildad, we may feel some 
 confidence that we have recovered what was, perhaps, 
 the poet's original order. 
 
 Before attempting this, however, a passage of similar 
 tone in ch. 30, which is also out of harmony with its con- 
 text, must be considered. Job is in ch. 30 describing how, 
 in contrast to his former dignity, men of lower station 
 mock at him. In the midst of this description vs. s-^ 
 introduce a description of some outcasts from society who 
 lived apart from men, skulking about in holes, not near 
 enough to mock at Job and for whose scorn one even in 
 his condition would not care. The verses are quite out 
 of place where they stand, but would well continue the 
 description of the fate of the ignoble wdcked which we 
 have already found in 24 : 5-8. It is probable that they 
 belonged to the same context originally. 
 
 Accordingly we tentatively reconstruct Bildad's third 
 speech as follows: 25:1-6; 24:17, 18, 5-8; 30:3-8; 
 » 33 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 24: 21, 2 2, 19, 20, 24. For a connected translation of the 
 passages, see note on 25:6. Reconstructed in this way 
 the last address of Bildad began with a statement of the 
 exaltation and awe-inspiring majesty of God. With this 
 he proceeded to contrast the wormlike condition of men. 
 The iigure of the worm suggested the way the low-born 
 or unfortunate wicked are driven forth by God to drag 
 out a miserable existence in deserts or out-of-the-way 
 places. He then returns for a moment to describe the 
 brief, prosperous career of successful sinners (24: 21, 22) 
 and closes with a statement of the swift destruction of all 
 sinners. 
 
 We thus gain a characteristic and consistent speech for 
 Bildad. The portions of chs. 24 and 30 which remain 
 are consistent speeches of Job quite in his usual vein in 
 this part of the book. The reader can test this for him- 
 self in ch. 30 by reading it without vs. 3-8; he may 
 also find the parts of ch. 24 which belong to that speech 
 of Job connectedly translated in the note on 24 : 25. Job 
 is in one of his bitterest and most discontented moods ; 
 he begins by declaring that we cannot understand God's 
 ways. Oppressors remove landmarks, wrong the orphan, 
 the widow, and the poor, kidnap children and make 
 slaves of them. Murderers, adulterers, and thieves prowl 
 about at night, and God gives them security. He con- 
 cludes with the challenge: ''If it isn't so, who will prove 
 me a liar?" It was this speech which led Bildad to dwell 
 on God's purity and majesty at the beginning of ch. 25. 
 
 One cannot read ch. 24 relieved of its extraneous ma- 
 terial without perceiving how greatly the address of Job 
 gains in point and in power by the removal of the 
 contradictory matter. Whether we have rightly recon- 
 structed the speech of Bildad or not (and our recon- 
 struction is, of course, purely tentative), we are certainly 
 right in thus restoring Job's argument here. 
 
 When Job's speech in ch. 24 is thus recovered, it be- 
 comes clear why material was taken away from Bildad 
 
 34 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 with which to dilute it. It could only seem to orthodox 
 editors brutally blasphemous. 
 
 It should be noted here that, instead of reconstructing 
 Bildad's third speech out of chs. 24 and 30 as we have 
 done, many scholars reconstruct it out of ch. 26. Indeed 
 this is the favorite method with those who attempt its 
 reconstruction at all. In favor of this procedure the 
 names of Grill, Kuenen, Bickell, Duhm, Peake, and 
 McFadyen may be quoted. Marshall, like the others, 
 couples the two chapters, but thinks that they form a 
 speech of Zophar. With none of these scholars can we 
 agree. Zophar's third speech is, as we shall see, embedded 
 now in ch. 27, but ch. 26 seems clearly to belong to Job. 
 
 It has been claimed that it is out of harmony with 
 Job's present mood, but that statement does not appear 
 to be well founded. Job in ch. 24 had not said that 
 God would favor the wicked man ; he had said that God's 
 ways are hidden from man, that man does not see God's 
 day, and that for the present God gives the wicked se- 
 curity. The whole speech was an irritable and suffering 
 invalid's statement of the irritating side of the fact that 
 we cannot understand the ways of God. In ch. 26 Job 
 takes up the same theme again. He enlarges upon God's 
 greatness and power, declaring that we see the outskirts 
 of his wa3^s only, but that no one can understand the 
 greatness of his power. Upon this same thought Job had 
 dwelt in chs. 7, 9, 12 with indignation, because of the 
 treatment which he was receiving at the hands of God; 
 here his thought is slightly more calm, because his mind 
 is for the moment turning a little away from himself. 
 
 The general thought is not, therefore, inconsistent in 
 the mouth of Job, and the argument from the poetry and 
 the allusions is in favor of assigning the speech to him. 
 The poet places his greatest poetry in Job's mouth. 
 Bildad is a commonplace man, as he is portrayed, and 
 deals in commonplace thoughts. Zophar is a rough, 
 ruthless fellow, the strains of whose speech are uniformly 
 
 35 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 harsh. Chapter 26 is neither commonplace nor harsh. 
 It is a magnificent flight of imagination vigorously and 
 poetically expressed. Its vigorous figures are many of 
 them borrowed from the Babylonian Creation Epic (see 
 notes). These allusions give great vigor to the poetry 
 wherever we find them. Elsewhere the poet puts allu- 
 sions to that Epic into the mouth of Job only (see chs. 3 
 and 9), and this is a strong argument for supposing that 
 he wrote ch. 26 for the lips of Job also. We accordingly 
 conclude that the poet intended ch. 26 as Job's reply to 
 Bildad's third speech. 
 
 Passing now to ch. 27, it, like ch. 24, contains consider- 
 able material which is unsuited to Job's whole point of 
 view. This material is found in vs. 7-1 1, 13-23, and, as 
 Stuhlmann, Kuenen, Bickell, Duhm, Peake, and McFadyen 
 agree, this material constituted the third speech of Zophar. 
 It is impossible that it should have been uttered by Job 
 unless he renounced altogether the point of view held by 
 him both before and afterwards ; it is, on the other hand, 
 quite in the style of Zophar. 
 
 This speech of Zophar originally followed ch. 26, while 
 Job's last address to the friends and appeal to Jehovah 
 was composed of 27:1-6, 12; 29:2-25; 30:1, 2, 9-31; 
 31 : 1-34, 38-40, 35-37- 
 
 When the original order of these chapters is restored 
 and the various interpolations are removed, it appears 
 that the form of the poem was symmetrical to the end, 
 and that the artist who composed it exhibited to the very 
 last his masterly skill — indeed some of the finest mani- 
 festations of that skill came at the end of the work. It 
 is only due to later editors that that skill is not now 
 patent to every reader of the book. 
 
 The motive of this editorial work is not far to seek. 
 The poet had made Job a relentless critic of orthodox 
 opinion and even of God, and yet had allowed the epilogue 
 to say that his course was more pleasing to Jehovah than 
 that of the friends who had defended orthodox views and 
 
 36 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 had championed God. Such literature seemed to ortho- 
 dox readers of the book most irreverent, and this transfer 
 of material from the speeches of the friends to those of 
 Job was no doubt undertaken in order to make it appear 
 that he came around to the orthodox point of view, at 
 least in some degree. In other words the motive was the 
 same as that which led to the Elihu interpolation — to 
 break the force of the great heresy of the poem. 
 
 The Art of the Book 
 
 The book of Job has sometimes been called a drama. 
 If by this designation it is intended to class the poem 
 with the dramas of Shakespeare or Euripides, the term is 
 a misnomer. There is not in Job the action and the 
 development of a plot necessary to a drama. A drama 
 intended for acting would never have had all the actors 
 sitting on a dunghill throughout the play and moving 
 only their tongues ! The ancient Semitic world had no 
 drama; even the Song of Songs is not an exception. 
 Such dramatic elements as the poem of Job possesses are 
 inherent in all Oriental life. The Orientals are much more 
 expressive than we of the West. All their speech and 
 gestures have an element which appears to an Occidental 
 dramatic. Job is a dramatic poem only in the sense that 
 it is true to Oriental life; but it is not a drama in the 
 sense that it develops a plot which can be revealed by 
 action. The poem depicts the growth of a soul when 
 tried by suffering. Genung has happily named it "The 
 Epic of the Inner Life." It is a powerful and artistic 
 portrayal of the struggles of such a soul, of its wild and 
 unreasonable arraignment of life as it suffers acutely and 
 its suffering is aggravated by disordered nerves (see, e.g.j 
 ch. 3) ; of the way a vigorous intellect, quickened by 
 suffering, brushes aside false and inadequate theology and 
 seeks to ground itself upon reality ; how such a soul, as it 
 is driven to accuse Providence of injustice, is as inevitably 
 
 37 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 driven, if it is thoroughgoing, to find its one hope of justice 
 in God, there being no refuge from God but God; how 
 the inadequacy of the present hfe for a reasonable the- 
 odicy leads to faith in a hereafter ; and, finally, how the 
 mystic experience of God is the one solution for life's 
 baffling problems. 
 
 The poet possessed the splendid artistic genius which 
 touches the common things of life and transfigures them. 
 Like all who live in Palestine, he was familiar with farm- 
 ing, cattle raising, the reaping of grain, the winnow- 
 ing of wheat. The struggle of the weary slave through 
 the long hot day's work, the calving of the hinds, the 
 patience of the ox in the furrow, become in his hands 
 luminous pictures of the toil and sorrows of man. He 
 was an acute observer of nature. The calamity which 
 the drying up of a spring brings, the suggestiveness of the 
 way the roots of trees seek water and the roots of an old 
 stump send up sprouts, the marvels of thundercloud and 
 snowflake, all become in his hands beautiful figures ; and 
 their own wonder and beauty seem the greater as the 
 poet's fine presentation of them makes them revealers of 
 things human and divine. With a few powerful words he 
 makes the wild ox, the wild ass, the ostrich, and the horse 
 stand before us, each caught in a characteristic attitude, 
 as though by an instantaneous photograph. Clouds 
 floating in the sky are like bottles filled with water. The 
 dawn is a beautiful woman peeping over the hills; the 
 rays of light are her eyelashes. 
 
 The book is studded with exquisite figures, and the 
 speech of Jehovah is, for sustained dignity and beauty, 
 unsurpassed in the world's Hterature. It is the product 
 of the highest genius. 
 
 The poet has devoted his best efforts to the speeches of 
 Job and Jehovah. These contain his finest poetry, and 
 in depicting the character of Job his skill in catching the 
 mixture of good and bad, sane and foolish in an invahd 
 who has a really noble nature, is masterly. The char- 
 
 38 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 acters of the friends are less well done. They interested 
 the poet less. Nevertheless each of them stands out with 
 an individuahty of his own: EHphaz, the dignified ortho- 
 dox wise man, who has just a touch of mysticism ; Bildad, 
 the commonplace mind who finds in the out- worn proverbs 
 of the past the basis of hfe's philosophy; and Zophar, 
 the rough debater, who cares less for the form of his 
 argument or for the feelings of his friend than he does for 
 carrying his point. 
 
 The book of Job is one of the world's masterpieces. 
 It stands beside the greatest of the works of ^schylus, 
 Sophocles, or Euripides, or Dante's Divina Comedia, or 
 Goethe's Faust as an immortal portrayal of the struggles 
 of the soul. 
 
 Date of the Poem 
 
 It is no longer necessary to discuss seriously the Tal- 
 mudic opinion (Baba Bathra, 15a), which was also 
 shared by the translators of the Syriac Bible, that the 
 poem of Job was written by Moses. Critical and his- 
 torical study has made it quite clear that the problems 
 discussed in this poem were not yet problems in that early 
 time. The elements in the language and coloring of the 
 poem which were formerly thought to confirm that opinion 
 are now seen to be in part due to the skill of the poet in 
 adapting his picture to the supposed situation. The 
 linguistic indications are now understood to be incon- 
 sistent with this view and to point to a later date. 
 
 The points of contact with the book of Deuteronomy 
 (compare Job 24 : 2 with Deut. 19 : 14; 27 : 17 ; Job 31 : 26 
 with Deut. 4:19; 17:3-7, and Job 31:9 with Deut. 
 22:22) point conclusively to a date for Job later than 
 Josiah's reform in the year 621 B.C. 
 
 In the present state of our knowledge a date earher 
 than Jeremiah is out of the question. The poem is 
 written from an absolutely monotheistic standpoint. 
 There is no hint in it that there can be any god but One. 
 
 39 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Amos was a practical monotheist, it is true, but Jeremiah 
 was the first to definitely declare that heathen deities 
 were mere figments of the imagination (Jer. 8 : 19; 10 : 14, 
 15; 14: 22). The poem is also written from a purely in- 
 dividuaHstic standpoint. It discusses the problem, Why 
 does the righteous individual suffer? Such a discussion 
 seems hardly possible before the time of Jeremiah and 
 Ezekiel. The earlier point of view had been national. 
 Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah speak of national sins. In their 
 preaching the sins of the individual gain significance as 
 they affect the fortunes of the nation. When the nation 
 was not the moral unit, that unit was the family, as in 
 the story of Achan (Josh. 7). Jeremiah was the first to 
 declare the individual the moral unit (Jer. 31:31), and 
 Ezekiel had explained and enforced the provision at 
 length (Eze. 18). The influence of this prophetic teach- 
 ing led to the insertion of a statement of the principle in 
 Deut. 24 : 16, but the insertion is later than the code, as 
 it interrupts the context in which it now stands. The 
 general outlook of our poem upon religious and moral 
 problems places it, accordingly, at once either in or after 
 the Babylonian Exile. This general outlook is confirmed 
 by the fact that the poem (Job 3: 3 i^. and 10 : 18) is de- 
 pendent upon Jer. 20 : 14-18. 
 
 The great prophet of the Exile, the author of Isa. 40- 
 55, discusses, as does the author of Job, the problem of 
 suffering. The relation of these two discussions to one 
 another should be a factor in determining the date. 
 There are a number of points of close similarity in thought 
 and phrasing between the two works. Compare Job 14 : 2 
 with Isa. 40:7; Job 9:8 with Isa. 44:24; Job 15:35 
 with Isa. 59 : 4; Job 13 : 28 with Isa. 50 : 9 and 51 : 8; Job 
 26: 12 with Isa. 51 : 9; and Job 30: 21 with Isa. 63 : 10. 
 It is impossible, however, from these passages to reach a 
 definite conclusion. The allusions are for one reason or 
 another indeterminate. No clear literary dependence of 
 one writer on the other can be asserted. 
 
 40 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Broadly considered, the two works have much in com- 
 mon. The suffering Job as presented by the poet is strik- 
 ingly similar to the suffering Servant whom the prophet 
 portrays. Nevertheless a closer examination shows that 
 there are fundamental differences. The Servant is a 
 national figure — the personified nation. His sufferings 
 are the sufferings of the nation; Job is an individual. 
 The sufferings of the Servant are vicarious, by means of 
 them the Gentiles are to be brought to God ; there is in 
 Job no hint at vicarious suffering. It might be argued 
 that Job is earHer than the Second Isaiah because if he 
 had known the explanation of suffering which the vica- 
 rious view offers, he would have used it. This argument 
 is, however, inconclusive. In one sense the poet does 
 make use of vicarious suffering. By allowing the prologue 
 to stand (or possibly by himself shaping part of the pro- 
 logue into its present form) he has let the reader into the 
 secret that Job is suffering in reality for the conversion of 
 Satan. To this extent he has made use of the principle 
 of vicarious suffering. The idea, however, forms no 
 part of his plan; it is simply an incident. He never 
 returns to tell us whether Satan was convinced, and he 
 pictures Job as quite ignorant of the purpose of his suffer- 
 ings. Job struggles on, growing in soul as he struggles, 
 reaches the port of calm peace through the mystic vision 
 of God, and at the end never guesses that he has suffered 
 vicariously. This solution was, accordingly, no real 
 solution to our poet. It might well seem to the 
 prophet that the sufferings of the one nation that 
 knew the true God were intended to benefit other 
 nations, while the poet may have seen in the vicarious 
 theory no adequate moral explanation of the suffer- 
 ings of an indi\ddual. The fact that he did not make 
 larger use of the vicarious principle does not prove that 
 he was not familiar with it, but only that it did not 
 appeal to him. There is, then, no reason for not dating 
 the poem later than the Second Isaiah, if other evi- 
 
 41 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 dence shall justify such a date. There seems to be such 
 evidence. 
 
 In Job 12 : 17-19 there is apparently a reference to the 
 carrying away of kings, counsellors, and priests at the time 
 of the Babylonian Exile. While this allusion would not 
 necessarily place the poem later than the Second Isaiah, 
 the calm and dispassionate way in which the allusion is 
 made indicates that the event had become somewhat 
 remote in time. Some have thought to find in Job 12:7- 
 10 an allusion to the P document (Gen. i : 20, 25), but 
 while it is possible that there is such allusion, the language 
 is too vague to make it certain. If such an allusion could 
 be proven, it would show that the composition of Job is 
 later than 450 B.C. 
 
 A more decisive reference is found in Job 7:17, where 
 it seems clear that we have a parody of the language of 
 Ps. 8 : 5. It is now generally recognized that the Psalter 
 was compiled to be the hymn-book of the second temple, 
 and the first book of Psalms (3-41) was in all probability 
 collected in the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. A parody 
 on the familiar words of a well-known hymn points, ac- 
 cordingly, to a date later than 444 B.C. The force of this 
 argument is confirmed by another consideration. The 8th 
 Psalm is so similar in tone and point of view to the little 
 fragment which now forms vs. 1-6 of Psalm 19, and 
 which is clearly out of place there, that it is clear that the 
 two are of the same date, if not originally parts of one 
 psalm. Since it has long been recognized that Ps. 19:2 
 by the use of the word "firmament" is posterior to the P 
 document, or at the earliest contemporary with it, it be- 
 comes increasingly probable that the Psalm to which Job 
 makes allusion is not earher than about 450 B.C. 
 
 We are thus led to date Job about 400 B.C., and this date 
 is confirmed by the fact that the book of Malachi, which 
 dates from about 400, proves that the problem discussed 
 in Job, as to whether God does reward the righteous with 
 prosperity in this life and punish the wicked by adversity, 
 
 42 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 was at that period an acute one; see Mai. 1:2; 2 : 17; 
 and 3: 13-15. 
 
 This date is confirmed by two other considerations. 
 Satan, who appears in the prologue, is in Hebrew thought 
 a post-Exilic figure. He is mentioned elsewhere only in 
 post-Exilic works, viz. Zech. 3 : i and i Chr. 21:1. In 
 the earher time the Hebrews had been such thorough 
 monotheists that they needed no Satan; Jehovah had, 
 they thought, done everything. Amos says (ch. 3:6), 
 ''Shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it?" 
 Another example of the same thing is found in i Kgs. 22 : 
 19-23. While there are, as we have already noted, ele- 
 ments of thought in the prologue which point to pre- 
 Exilic times, it is altogether probable that this figure of 
 Satan was introduced into the story after the Exile, and, 
 perhaps, by the poet himself. 
 
 Another mark of post- Exilic date is the strong Aramaic 
 coloring of the language. Aramaic words are scattered 
 throughout the poem, although most numerous in the 
 Elihu interpolations. But the days of classical Hebrew 
 had passed before Job was composed, and the Aramaic 
 which ultimately supplanted the Hebrew was beginning 
 to make itself felt. 
 
 There is no good reason for placing the composition of 
 Job at a later date than about 400. In the likenesses 
 between Job and later parts of the Psalter {e.g. Job 7 : 10 
 and Ps. 103 : 16; Job 12:21, 24 and Ps. 107 : 40, 42), the 
 Psalmists are probably dependent upon Job and not Job 
 on the Psalms. The likenesses between Job and the book 
 of Proverbs are all indeterminate as to priority. Compare 
 Job 15 : 7 with Pr. 8:25; Job 18 : 5, 6 and 21 : 17 with 
 Pr. 13 : 9 and 24 : 20; and Job 29 : 23, 24 with Pr. 16 : 15. 
 In no instance is it clear that Job is dependent upon our 
 book of Proverbs. If it be thought that he quoted prov- 
 erbs, it must be remembered that the individual proverbs 
 are much older than the present collection, and such 
 quotation from Pr. 10-22 might well have been made from 
 
 43 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 floating sa3dngs and not from our book. The case is some- 
 what different when we come to the connected discourse 
 material of Pr. 1-9, which is generally recognized as the 
 latest portion of Proverbs. The one allusion to that in 
 the genuine work of our poet is indeterminate. It is by 
 no means clear that he knew Pr. 8:25. The likenesses 
 between Job 28 : 15-19 and Pr. 3 : 14 and 8 : 11, 19 need 
 not come into consideration here, for, as already shown, 
 ch. 28 is a later interpolation. 
 
 A view which is as old as Theodore of Mopsuestia.^ 
 who died about 428 a.d., that Job was written late enough 
 to be influenced by Greek literary forms and by Greek 
 philosophic thought and that the use of dialogue is due 
 to Greek influence, has been advocated in modern times by 
 Holtzmann,2 Siegfried,^ and Friedlander.^ The last-men- 
 tioned writer dates Job about 200 B.C., while Siegfried 
 thinks that Job 15 : 20 ff. alludes to the fate of Alexander 
 Jannaeus, who died in 79 B.C. This view has rightly met 
 with little favor among Old Testament scholars. The 
 view that the use of dialogue is due to Egyptian influence ^ 
 rests on no more secure foundation.® 
 
 By the time that Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of the Son 
 of Sirach was composed, about 180 B.C., Job was already a 
 canonical book, for Sirach (49 : 9 Hebrew text) includes Job 
 in his list of famous men, bringing him in between Ezekiel 
 and the twelve minor prophets in a way which shows 
 that he was gathering the names of books which had a 
 sacred, or semicanonical, if not a canonical, character. 
 
 Such considerations as these have led many recent com- 
 mentators to date the poem about 400 B.C. The Elihu 
 speeches and other interpolations were probably added 
 
 1 Cf. Migne, LXVI, cols. 697, 698. 
 
 2 In Stade's Geschickte des Volkes Israel, II, 348-352. 
 » Cf. Jewish Encyclopedia, VII, 197. 
 
 * See his Griechische Philosophie in Alien Testament, Berlin, 1904, pp. 90-130. 
 
 * See Gunkel, Zum religionsgeschichtlichen Verstandniss des Neuen Testament, Got- 
 tingen, 1903, p, 27. 
 
 8 Cf. Clemen, Religionsgeschichtliche Erkldrung des Neuen Testaments, Giessen, 
 1909, p. 137. 
 
 44 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 within the next century, for the time to antagonize such 
 a work would be soon after its appearance, when the im- 
 pact of its thought was fresh, and before a considerable 
 degree of antiquity had rendered it sacred. 
 
 The Author 
 
 The author of Job counted Job among the children of 
 the East (1:3). The author himself, then, lived in west- 
 ern Palestine. If he wrote after the Exile, his home was 
 somewhere in Judah. He was a man of wide experience 
 of life and of keen observation. His sympathy with 
 hired servants who work in the fields under a scorching 
 sun (7:1, 2) makes it probable that he had known at 
 some time such toil from experience. His familiarity with 
 the ways of trade (17:3) suggests that he had been at 
 one time engaged in it, and his vivid realization of the 
 vicissitudes of caravan life makes it probable that he had 
 engaged in caravan trading. On his journeys he had seen 
 the wady-streams turbid with snow and ice (6 : 16), and 
 at other times had suffered from the intolerable thirst 
 which at the end of a long hot day afiOiicts those who 
 find the stream dry by which they had planned to en- 
 camp (see Barton, Wandering in Bible Lands, pp. 215 ff.). 
 He had travelled as far as the sea, and its restless and 
 powerful waves had impressed him as the embodiment of 
 pride (38:8, 11). He had in his trading travelled to 
 Egypt, had been enough impressed by the papyrus and 
 reed grass that he saw there to borrow an Egyptian 
 proverb about them (8: 11). The papyrus boats on the 
 Nile had also attracted him (9 : 26) and he had borrowed 
 an Egyptian word for ''girdle" (12: 21). Wherever he 
 had travelled he had been keenly ahve to nature. The 
 beauties of dawn, the splendor of the thunder-storm, the 
 ways of animals and men in the desert places of the earth 
 (39 • 5-30 ; 24 : 5-8) had impressed him and called forth 
 his sympathy. 
 
 45 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 More important than the events of his outward Hfe is 
 the fact that he had pondered deeply the problem of the 
 moral and rehgious order of the world. Unable to be 
 satisfied with the ready-made and easy solutions of his 
 time, he mercilessly exposed them in his poem, suggesting, 
 as we have seen, in a most artistic way a religious instead 
 of an intellectual solution of them. In poetic power and 
 moral insight this man, who must to us remain nameless, 
 takes his position beside the greatest of our kind. 
 
 Detailed Analysis of the Argument 
 
 I. The Prologue; chs. i, 2. 
 
 (i) The station, character, and family of Job; 
 1 : 1-5. 
 
 (2) The first heavenly conference at which Job's 
 
 trials were ordained; 1:6-12. 
 
 (3) The first series of disasters ; i : 13-19. 
 
 (4) Job's demeanor under these misfortunes; 
 
 1 : 20-22. 
 
 (5) The second heavenly conference ; 2 : 1-6. 
 
 (6) The second test and its outcome ; 2 : 7-10. 
 
 (7) The coming of Job's three friends ; 2 : 11-13. 
 
 II. Job's wail of despair ; ch. 3. 
 
 (i) Would God I had never been born ; 3 : i-io. 
 
 (2) Would God I had died at birth; 3 : 11-19. 
 
 (3) Why is death denied to the wretched ? 3 : 
 
 20-26. 
 
 III. The great debate on suffering; chs. 4-31. 
 I. The first speech of EHphaz; chs. 4, 5. 
 
 (i) The surprise of EUphaz at Job's despair; 
 4: i-ii. 
 
 (2) The holiness of God and his creatures con- 
 
 trasted; 4 : 12-21. 
 
 (3) Eliphaz applies the principle to Job ; 5 : 1-7. 
 
 (4) Job should seek God whose chastisements 
 
 lead to richer blessing; 5:8-27. 
 46 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 2. Job's first reply to Eliphaz; chs. 6, 7. 
 
 (i) Job justifies the violence of his complaint; 
 6 : 1-13. 
 
 (2) Expresses disappointment at the attitude of 
 
 his friends ; 6 : 14-30. 
 
 (3) Renews his outburst, complaining that, in 
 
 addition to the hardships suffered by all 
 men, God is cruelly tormenting him ; 7 : 
 1-21. 
 
 3. Bildad's first speech ; ch. 8. 
 
 (i) The discriminating fairness of God ; 8 : 1-7. 
 
 (2) The moral wisdom of the ancients ; 8 : 8-19. 
 
 (3) Bildad's summary of the case; 8: 20-22. 
 
 4. Job's first reply to Bildad ; chs. 9, 10. 
 
 (i) The greatness and terribleness of God pre- 
 vent a man from establishing his innocence ; 
 ch. 9. 
 
 (2) Job appeals to God to know how his suffer- 
 ings are consistent with the divine nature ; 
 ch. 10. 
 
 5. Zophar's first speech ; ch. 11. 
 
 (i) Would that God would really answer Job; 
 II : 2-6. 
 
 (2) Zophar praises God's wisdom; 11 : 7-12. 
 
 (3) He exhorts Job ; 11 : 13-20. 
 
 6. Job's first reply to Zophar; chs. 12-14. 
 
 (i) Job's irony as to the wisdom of his friends; 
 12 : 1-6. 
 
 (2) All creation testifies to God's almighty rule; 
 
 12 : 7-10. 
 
 (3) No one can resist God's might; 12 : 13-25. 
 
 (4) Job's attitude towards government is superior 
 
 to that of the friends; 13 : 1-12. 
 
 (5) In spite of God's greatness Job will speak his 
 
 mind; 13 : 13-22. 
 
 (6) Job would know with what sins God charges 
 
 him; 13 : 23-28. 
 47 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 (7) The brevity of man's days ; 14 : 1-6. 
 
 (8) Trees more immortal than men ; 14 : 7-12. 
 
 (9) Job longs for life after death, that he may 
 
 meet God; 14:13-17. 
 
 (10) This longing is hopeless; 14:18-22. 
 
 7. The second speech of EUphaz; ch. 15. 
 
 (i) Eliphaz reproves and convicts Job ; 15 : 1-16. 
 (2) He quotes the wise as to the condition of the 
 wicked; 15: 17-35. 
 
 8. Job's second reply to Eliphaz; chs. 16, 17. 
 (i) Job is weary of vain talk ; 16:1-5. 
 
 (2) He asserts his behef that God is permanently 
 
 hostile to him ; 16:6-17. 
 
 (3) Faith in God and the vaHdity of righteous- 
 
 ness struggles through his storm of feeUng ; 
 16: 18-17 : 9. 
 
 (4) Nevertheless he expects Sheol only ; 17 : 10-16. 
 
 9. Bildad's second speech ; ch. 18. 
 
 (i) Why does Job treat his friends wdth such 
 
 contempt? 18 : 1-4. 
 (2) The terrible fate of the wicked ; 18 : 5-21. 
 
 10. Job's second reply to Bildad; ch. 19. 
 
 (i) Job remonstrates against the continuance of 
 unkind criticism ; 19:1-6. 
 
 (2) He vainly cries for help; 19:7-12. 
 
 (3) Declares he is forsaken by all ; 19 : 13-19. 
 
 (4) He appeals to his friends for pity ; 19 : 20-22. 
 
 (5) Faith is born out of despair; 19 : 23-29. 
 
 11. Zophar's second speech ; ch. 20. 
 
 (i) Does not Job know how brief all the joy of 
 the wicked is ? 20 : 1-29. 
 
 12. Job's second reply to Zophar; ch. 21. 
 
 (i) Job challenges the attention of his friends; 
 21 : 1-6. 
 
 (2) He declares that the wicked are not over- 
 taken by calamity, but Hve and prosper ; 
 21 : 7-34. 
 
 48 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 13. The third speech of Eliphaz ; ch. 22. 
 
 (i) Job's punishment proves him a sinner; 22 : 
 
 i-S- 
 
 (2) He charges Job with certain specific sins; 
 
 22 : 6-11. 
 
 (3) He warns Job by the fate of the wicked not 
 
 to think that God cannot see; 22 : 12-20. 
 
 (4) He instructs Job how to regain health and 
 
 prosperity; 22 : 21-30. 
 
 14. Job's third reply to EKphaz ; ch. 2^ and 24 : 1-4, 
 
 9-16, 23, 24. '^ 
 (i) Job again expresses his vain longing to come 
 face to face with God ; 23 : 1-9. 
 
 (2) God terrifies Job, though innocent, until Job 
 
 is afraid; 23 : 10-17. 
 
 (3) Job charges God with encouraging the 
 
 wicked by deferring judgment upon them ; 
 24: 1-4, 9-16, 23, 24. 
 
 15. Bildad's third speech; 25: 1-6, 24: 17, 18, 5-8; 
 
 30:3-8, 24: 19-22, 24. 
 (i) God's holiness and man's impurity con- 
 trasted; 25:1-6; 24:17, 18. 
 
 (2) The fate of ignoble sinners ; 24 : 5-8 ; 30 : 
 
 3-8. 
 
 (3) The fate of powerful sinners ; 24 : 21, 22, 19, 
 
 20, 24. 
 
 16. Job's tliird reply to Bildad; ch. 26. 
 
 (i) Bildad has never helped the men whom he 
 decries to be better ; 26 : 1-5. 
 
 (2) God sees everything, but is himself inscrut- 
 able ; 26 : 6-14. 
 
 17. Zophar's third speech; 27 : 7-11, 13-23. 
 
 (i) The hopelessness of the godless; 27:7-11, 
 
 13.-23. 
 
 18. Job's third reply to Zophar and his appeal to 
 
 God; 27:1-6, 12; 29:1-25; 30:1,2, 
 9-31; 31:1-40. 
 E 49 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 (i) Job swears his innocence; 27: 1-6, 12. 
 
 (2) An interpolated poem on wisdom — not a 
 
 part of Job's speech; ch. 28. 
 
 (3) Job longs for the bygone days of his pros- 
 
 perity; ch. 29. 
 
 (4) He contrasts with these his present forlorn 
 
 condition; 30:1, 2, 9-31. 
 
 (5) He reasserts his innocence and appeals to 
 
 God; 31 : 1-34, 38-40, 35-37. 
 IV. The Elihu Interpolations ; chs. 32-37. 
 
 I. The work of an Elihu interpolator whom we call 
 "A"; 32:1, 6-10, 18-22; S3' ^-33; 35:2- 
 14; 36:2-5, loa, 6a, 12 [Septuagint text], 
 14, 15, 6b, 7a, 18-25, 27a, 28b, SSI 37' I, 5b, 
 6a, 7-10, 14-24. 
 (i) The introduction of Elihu; 32 : i, 6-10, 18- 
 22. 
 
 (2) Elihu's first address to Job ; 33 : 1-30. 
 
 (a) Job is invited to listen to Elihu, who is a 
 
 man and will not terrify him ; S3'' 
 
 (b) Elihu restates Job^s position ; 33 : 8-13. 
 
 (c) God seeks by night visions and by chastise- 
 
 ments to redeem men ; S3 • i4~30. 
 
 (3) Elihu's second address ; SS • 3i~34 j 35 * 2-14. 
 
 (a) Elihu adjures Job to listen further ; sS • 
 
 31-33. 
 
 (b) God is impassible ; Job's sins cannot harm, 
 
 nor his righteousness profit God; 35: 
 2-8. 
 
 (c) Men in misfortune cry to God in pride 
 
 and not in penitence: therefore God 
 does not hear; 35:9-14. 
 
 (4) EUhu's third address ; chs. 36 and 37, with 
 
 the exceptions noted below, 
 (a) Elihu begs Job to listen while he tells the 
 truth about God ; 36 : 2-4. 
 so 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 (b) God, though mighty, chastises to pro- 
 
 duce penitence; 36:5, loa, 6a, 12 
 [Septuagint text], 14, 15, 6b, 7a, 18. 
 
 (c) He urges Job to repent; 36: 19-25. 
 
 (d) As a motive to repentance God's great- 
 
 ness is urged; 36:27a, 28b, $3', 37- 
 I, 5b, 6a, 7-10. 
 
 (e) Elihu's final appeal to Job ; 37 : 14-24. 
 
 2. The work of an Elihu interpolator whom we call 
 
 "B"; 32:2a, 3a, 17a, 11-16; 34:2-24, 26, 
 27; 35:15, 16; 34:34-37. 
 (i) The introduction of Elihu; 32:2a, 3a, 17a, 
 
 11-16. 
 (2) Elihu appeals to all wise men to make a sweep- 
 ing condemnation of Job ; 34 : 2-24, 26, 
 
 27; 35:15, 16 ; 34: 34-37- 
 
 (a) Elihu asks the attention of wise men to 
 
 Job's statement; 34 : 2-9. 
 
 (b) He asserts that God can do no wrong; 
 
 34:10-15. 
 
 (c) Injustice is not tolerable in earthly rulers, 
 
 much less does it exist in God; 34: 
 16-24, 26, 27. 
 
 (d) Job is only complaining because God 
 
 takes no notice of arrogance; 35: 15, 
 16. 
 
 (e) Therefore all wise men must condemn 
 
 Job; 34:34-37. 
 
 3. A poem on kings; 36:7bc; 34:28-33; 36:8 
 
 9, lob, 11-13. 
 
 4. A psalm on a thunderstorm ; 36 : 26, 27b, 28a, 29- 
 
 32; 37:2-4a, 11, i2ab, 13. 
 
 5. Later glosses; 32 : 2b, 3b, 4, 5, 17b; 34: 25. 
 Jehovah's address and the final colloquy between 
 
 • Jehovah and Job ; ^8: 1-42 : 6. 
 I. The great address of Jehovah ; 38 : 1-40 : 2. 
 
 (i) Jehovah challenges Job's attention ; ^8 : 1-3. 
 SI 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 (2) H^ asks whether Job had anything to do with 
 
 the laying of the earth's foundations ; $8: 
 
 4-15. 
 
 (3) Does Job know the secrets of Hght, darkness, 
 
 snow, hail, and the various mysteries of 
 nature? ;^S : 16-30. 
 
 (4) Does Job control the constellations ? 38 : 31- 
 
 38. 
 
 (5) Does Job care for or control the various wild 
 
 animals ? ^8 : 39-39 : 30. 
 
 (a) Does he find prey for the lions ? 38 : 
 
 39-41. 
 
 (b) Does he control the calving of wild goats 
 
 and deer ? 39 : 1-4. 
 
 (c) Did he give the wild ass his freedom? 
 
 39:5-8. 
 
 (d) Can he make the wild-ox his servant? 
 
 39:9-12. 
 
 (e) God has given the ostrich her pecuHar 
 
 qualities; 39: 13-18. 
 (/) Has Job given the horse his noble 
 
 quahties? 39:19-25. 
 (g) Do the hawk and eagle soar by Job's 
 
 wisdom ? 39 : 26-30. 
 
 (6) Jehovah challenges Job to answer; 40: i, 2. 
 
 2. Job dechnes to reply ; ch. 40 : 3-5. 
 
 3. Jehovah asks Job to compare his power with 
 
 God's, 40 : 6, 9-14. (40 : 7, 8 are a gloss.) 
 
 4. The interpolation concerning the hippopotamus 
 
 and crocodile; 40:15-41:34. Not a part of 
 the original work, 
 (i) Description of behemoth or the hippopota- 
 mus; 40: 15-24. 
 (2) Description of leviathan or the crocodile; 
 ch. 41. 
 
 5. Job's final reply and penitent submission ; 42 : i, 
 
 2, 3b, 5, 6. (42 : 3a and 4 are later glosses.) 
 
 52 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 VI. The Epilogue; 42 : 7-17. 
 
 1. Job was healed as he made intercession for his 
 
 friends ; 42 : 7-10. 
 
 2. Job's friends \dsit and comfort him; 42: 11. 
 
 3. The material blessings which attended Job's later 
 
 years; 42 : 12-17. 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 Commentaries 
 
 A. B. DAvmsoN. The Book of Job in the Cambridge Bible for 
 
 Schools and Colleges. 
 Gibson. Job in the Westminster Commentaries. 
 J. J. Marshall. The Book of Job in An American Commentary 
 
 on the Old Testament. 
 A. S. Peake. Job in the Century Bible. 
 
 New Translation and Commentary 
 Genung. The Epic of the Inner Life. 
 
 New Translations 
 
 E. J. Dillon. Skeptics of the Old Testament, pp. 159-237. 
 E. J. Dillon. The Original Poem of Job. 
 
 N. Schmidt. The Messages of the Poets, in Sanders and Kent's 
 Messages of the Bible. 
 
 General Introduction 
 
 S. R. Driver. Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament. 
 Edinburgh and New York, 189 1, pp. 384-408. Six other edi- 
 tions have since appeared. 
 
 C. Cornill. Introduction to the Canonical Books of the Old Testa- 
 ment. New York and London, 1907, pp. 419-436. 
 
 T. K. Cheyne. Job and Solomon. New York, 1893, pp. 1-115. 
 
 C. A. Briggs. Study of Holy Scripture. New York. 
 
 J. E. McFadyen. Introduction to the Old Testament. New York 
 and London, 1905, pp. 264-281. 
 
 E. J. Dillon. Skeptics of the Old Testament, pp. 1-84. 
 
 T. K. Cheyne. Job, Book of, in Encyclopedia BibUca, Vol. II. 
 
 W. T. Davison. Job, Book of, in Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, 
 Vol. II. 
 
 M. Seligsohn and C. Siegfried. Job, Book of, in Jewish Encyclo- 
 pedia, Vol. VII. 
 
 S3 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 W. Taylor Smith, The Book of Job, in Hastings' Dictionary of the 
 
 Bible (complete in one volume). 
 D. B. Macdonald. Job, in the Standard Bible Dictionary. 
 
 Articles on Special Topics 
 
 D. B. Macdonald. The Original Form of the Legend of Job, in the 
 Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. XIV, pp. 63-71, 
 
 D. B. Macdonald. Some External Evidence on the External Form 
 of the Legend of Job, in the American Journal of Semitic Lan- 
 guages, Vol. XIV, 137-164. 
 
 M. Jastrow, Jr. A Babylonian Parallel to the Story of Job, in the 
 Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. XXV, 135-191. 
 
 R. C. Thompson. The Third Tablet of the Series Ludlul bel nimeki, 
 in the Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology, Vol. 
 XXXII, 18-24. 
 
 H. H. Nichols. The Composition of the Elihu Speeches, Job, 
 32-37, in the American Journal of Semitic Languages, Vol. 
 XXVII, pp. 97-186. 
 
 On the Problem of Job 
 
 A. S. Peake. The Problem of Suffering in the Old Testament, 
 Ch.V. 
 
 The More Important Abbreviations 
 
 Aq Aquila's Version. 
 
 Ar Arabic Version. 
 
 Eth Ethiopic Version. 
 
 Gr Septuagint Version. 
 
 Heb Hebrew. 
 
 m Margin of Revised Version. 
 
 OLat Old Latin Version. 
 
 RV Revised Version. 
 
 Sah Sahidic (Egyptian) Version. 
 
 Sym Version of Symmachus. 
 
 Syr Syriac Version. 
 
 Syr. Hex. . . . Hexaplar Syriac. 
 
 SV American Standard Version. 
 
 Targ Targum (Jewish Aramaic Version). 
 
 Theod. or Th. . . Version of Theodotion. 
 
 Vulg Latin Vulgate. 
 
 S4 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 I. The Prologue, Chs. i, 2 
 I. J oh, his Station, Character, and Family, i : 1-5 
 
 1. There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was 
 ^ Job ; and that man was perfect and upright, and one 
 
 2. that feared God, and eschewed ^evil. And there 
 
 1 m. Heb. lyob. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. every evil deed. 
 
 I. Uz. It is clear from v. 3 (" this man was the greatest of all 
 the children of the east ") that Uz lay to the east of Palestine. In 
 the genealogies of Genesis, in which tribes and lands are personified 
 as men, the references to Uz are not altogether consistent. 
 Gen. 10: 23 assigns it to the Aramaeans, by making Uz a son of 
 Aram; Gen. 22 : 21 accomplishes the same result by making Uz a 
 son of Nahor, Abraham's brother ; while Gen. 36 : 28 makes Uz a 
 son of Seir, i.e. Edom. This last view seems to be confirmed by 
 Lam. 4: 21. Gen. 10: 23 and 22: 21 point to a locality to the 
 northeast of western Palestine, possibly as far away as the 
 Euphrates, while Gen. 36: 28 and Lam. 4: 21 indicate a locality 
 in or near Edom. Perhaps Jer. 25 : 20 refers to the same locality, 
 though some think Jeremiah placed Uz between Egypt and Phi- 
 listia. Evidence from outside the canonical text is in like manner 
 divided between these localities. Shalmeneser II (860-825 B.C.) 
 received tribute from Sasi, the Uzzite. From the context it 
 appears that this Uz lay somewhere between the Euphrates and 
 Lebanon. This accords with the genealogy of Gen. 22. Jo- 
 sephus {Antiquities, I, 6:4), says that " of the four sons of Aram 
 Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus." He probably thought 
 of Uz, then, as lying to the east or northeast of the Sea of Galilee 
 and not so far away as the Euphrates. Several modern travellers 
 have called attention to traditions of Job which still survive in 
 this region. In little villages around Nawa, which lies about 
 twenty miles east of the north end of the Sea of Galilee, various 
 ruins are named after Job, the tombs of Job and his wife are shown, 
 
 55 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 
 
 3. His ^substance also was seven thousand sheep, 
 
 and three thousand camels, and five hundred 
 
 1 m. Or cattle. 
 
 and in the same region there is a place called the "Threshing- 
 floor of Uz " (cf. Ewing, Arab and Druze at Home, pp. 17-19, and 
 Schumacher, Across the Jordan, p. 179). Traditions concerning 
 Job abound in this region and are probably a survival of traditions 
 which through Josephus we can trace back to Gen. 10. 
 
 On the other hand an addition to the last chapter of Job which 
 is found in the Greek, Sahidic, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions 
 (see note on 42 : 17), and which is older than the Christian era, 
 places Uz " on the borders of Edom and Arabia." This view is a 
 survival of that reflected in Gen. 36 and Lamentations. Some 
 scholars find a confirmation of this view in that the name Uz seems 
 to be identical with the name of an old Arabian deity. Some 
 have thought that Uz must have lain as far to the east as the Uz of 
 Shalmeneser, for it is said in the Hebrew of v. 17 that the Chal- 
 daeans fell upon Job's camels. We learn, however, from Eze. 
 21 : 20 ff., that the Chaldaean king of Babylon had marched into 
 the region east of the Jordan to attack Rabbah Ammon, and such a 
 fact would justify this feature of the folk tale even if Uz lay in the 
 Hauran or to the east of Edom. The original text, however, made 
 no reference to the Chaldaeans (see note on i : 17). Probably 
 the story originally referred to the localities in the Hauran, where 
 we have the " Threshing-floor of Uz," and the villages of Naemeh 
 and Tema. From these last Eliphaz and Zophar came (see notes 
 on 2: 11). As the story became popular the stage on which it 
 was enacted was in thought enlarged. Job. We learn from 
 Eze. 14 : 14 that Job was the name of a patriarch or hero, noted for 
 his righteousness. Ezekiel associates him with Noah as an 
 example of a remarkably upright man. Perfect. Not sinless, 
 but blameless is the idea implied. Eschewed, i.e. "shunned "or 
 "avoided." 
 
 2. Seven sons and three daughters. Both three and seven 
 were mystic or sacred numbers not only in Israel but throughout 
 the world. See 2 Sam. 24 : 13 ; i Kgs. 17 : 21 ; Dan. 6 : 10 ; also 
 Gen. 7:2; 21 : 28-30 ; i Kgs. 18 : 43 ; etc. These numbers run 
 through the enumeration of the herds of Job in v. 3. Appar- 
 ently these numbers are due to the elaboration of the folk tale. 
 
 3. Sheep . . . camels . . . oxen . . . asses. These are to 
 this day the chief form of wealth for a great Emir of that part of 
 
 56 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 yoke of oxen, and five hundred ^ she-asses, and a 
 very great household 2; so that this man was the 
 
 4. greatest of all the children of the east. And his 
 sons went and held a feast in the house of each 
 one upon his day; and they sent and called for 
 
 5. their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And 
 it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone 
 about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up 
 early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. she grazing asses. 2 xhe Gr. Sah. Eth. add and he had great works in 
 the land. 
 
 the East. The numbers are not intended to be strictly accurate. 
 They are symbolical, implying that the wealth of Job was com- 
 plete and sufficient. They are due to the idealizing, half-poetiz- 
 ing form of the folk tale. Household. The Heb. word implies 
 a household of servants. Greatest. Greatest in wealth, i.e. the 
 richest. 
 
 4. House of each one upon his day. I.e. in the house of each 
 in turn. The sons seem to have had houses of their own, al- 
 though it does not appear from the story that any of them were 
 married. The sisters lived at the home of Job. The statement 
 implies that each brother made a feast at his house on successive 
 days of the week to which the sisters were invited. When the 
 week was finished. Job offered a sacrifice on their behalf. It is 
 implied that their life was a continual feast. We are not here in 
 contact with actual history. The tale has been shaped by the 
 popular fancy as to the enjoyments of the rich. 
 
 5. Sent and sanctified them. Probably this means he sent for 
 them to come and sanctify themselves for the sacrificial ceremony. 
 The sanctification consisted of washings and a change of clothing. 
 The every-day garments of secular occupations were laid aside and 
 clothing worn on religious occasions substituted. See Gen. 35 : 
 2; I Sam. 16:5. Offered burnt offerings. As among the primi- 
 tive Semites the father is here the priest of the family, offering the 
 sacrifice himself. The whole idea of the efficacy of sacrifice be- 
 longs to a stage of thought more crude than the poem itself, 
 though the belief in the necessity of sacrifice survived long after 
 the age of the poet. It was thought in primitive times that 
 God could thus be appeased for ceremonial transgressions of 
 which the individual was ignorant (see Lev. 4). From this the 
 
 57 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 according to the number of them all ^ : for Job said, 
 It may be that my sons have sinned, and ^ renounced 
 God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 
 
 * Gr. Sah. Eth, add even one calf for a sin ojffering for their souls. ^ m. Or blas- 
 phemed. 
 
 inference was drawn that God could be moved by sacrifice to 
 forgive or overlook conscious sins of one's spirit or will. The 
 story represents Job as holding this latter view. The burnt 
 offering had, however, no connection with Lev. 4. It was for 
 sins. It was all given to God. The worshipper ate none of it. 
 Number of them all. Probably this means ten burnt offerings, 
 one for each child including the daughters. If it meant seven, 
 one for each son, as some have supposed, the word all would 
 hardly have been added. My sons have simied. The word 
 rendered " sons " is in the plural equivalent to " children." 
 
 Renounced God. The Hebrew word here used means " bless." 
 It is clearly a euphemism for curse. Some scholars think that, 
 as it was used in salutations and in formulas of farewell (see 
 I Sam. 25 : 14; Gen. 47 : 7, 10), and is so used in the East to this 
 day, it at times acquired the significance of "bid adieu to," 
 or "renounce," but there is no trace elsewhere of such a meaning. 
 Thus did Job continually. Job appears to have desired his 
 children to enjoy innocent pleasures suitable to their years, even 
 though such pleasures no longer appealed to him. He was not 
 present at their feasts, and feared that under the stimulus of wine 
 they might have said some word to offend God or that they might 
 actually renounce him. He accordingly permitted the feasts 
 to go on, but offered sin-offerings for them. Renunciation of 
 God, the sin to which he feared his children might be led by 
 life's joys, is just the sin to which Job's sufferings almost drove 
 him. 
 
 In order to explain the misfortunes which overtook Job, the 
 reader is now transferred to the court of Jehovah, and a scene 
 there is described to him. The conceptions which underlie this 
 scene belong to a fairly primitive stratum of thought. There 
 is nothing quite like it in the Old Testament, except in i Kgs. 22, 
 where the conceptions expressed are more primitive than those 
 revealed here. In both passages Jehovah is pictured as a king of 
 spiritual beings who has times of counselling with the spirits who 
 are subordinate to him. In Job he has certain court days when 
 the subordinate spirits come to pay their respects to him. The 
 scene which is the theme of vs. 6-12 occurred on such a day. 
 
 58 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 2. The Heavenly Conference at which the Trials of Job are 
 Ordained, i : 6-12 
 
 6. Now there was a day when ^ the sons of God came 
 to present themselves before the Lord, and ^ Satan 
 
 7. came also among them. And the Lord said unto 
 Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. the angels. 2 m. That is, the Adversary. 
 
 6. Now there was a day. I.e. the regular day for such an 
 assemblage of heavenly beings in Jehovah's presence as is de- 
 scribed in the following verses. When the sons of God. This 
 means beings of the divine order, who belonged in contrast to 
 mortals to the same class as Jehovah himself. Such beings are 
 mentioned in Gen. 6:2; Ps. 29 : i ; and according to the Gr. in 
 Deut. 32:8. For a long time Israelites, although recognizing 
 that they ought to worship, when in Palestine, Jehovah only, 
 believed in the reality of other deities (see Ex. 20 : 3 ; i Sam. 26 : 
 19; and Micah 4:5). Jeremiah (14:22) was the first to de- 
 clare that such deities were mere nothings, and his view was, 
 perhaps, never accepted by all. More believed that such beings 
 became subject to Jehovah and became his messengers or angels. 
 Three of the ancient versions actually so translate the words here. 
 The conception of the passage before us is on the borderland be- 
 tween real deities and angels. These "sons of God " are pictured 
 as Jehovah's nobles or courtiers rather than his mere messengers. 
 They are thought to hold to him much the same relation that 
 the nobles of a kingdom hold to their monarch. Satan came also. 
 This is one of the three passages in the Old Testament in which 
 the name Satan occurs. The others are Zech. 3 : 2 and i Chr. 
 21:1. In the earlier time the Hebrews thought Jehovah did 
 everything both good and evil. Amos, e.g., says (3 : 6), "can an 
 evil befall a city and Jehovah not have done it? " The develop- 
 ment of Satan in Hebrew religious thought belongs to the time 
 after the exile (cf. i Chr. 21:1 with 2 Sam. 24 : i). The Satan of 
 this book is a less developed adversary than the one in Zechariah 
 or Chronicles. He is still one of the divine beings, a member of 
 Jehovah's heavenly court, and comes like the other angels to the 
 gatherings of heavenly beings to pay his respects to his sovereign. 
 He is pictured as a kind of disgruntled angel, who has lost his 
 belief in human virtue ; he has become cynical, and holds that 
 every man has his price. 
 
 59 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the 
 
 8. earth,^ and from walking up and down in it. And 
 the Lord said unto Satan, Hast .thou considered 
 my servant Job ? ^ for there is none lilce him in 
 the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that 
 
 9. feareth God, and escheweth ^ evil. Then Satan an- 
 swered the Lord, and said. Doth Job fear God for 
 
 10. nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, 
 and about his house, and about all that he hath, on 
 every side ? thou hast blessed the ^ work of his hands, 
 
 11. and his ^ substance is increased in the land. But 
 put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he 
 
 12. hath, and ^ he will renounce thee to thy face. And 
 the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath 
 
 1 Targ. adds to examine the work of the children of men. 2 m. Or that. ^ Gr. 
 
 Sah. Eth. every evil deed. * Gr. Sah. Eth. Targ. works. ' m. cattle. ^ Heb. 
 
 he will bless thee. 
 
 7. Going to and fro in the earth. This implies that Satan 
 had been using his opportunities to observe the ways and the 
 characters of men. 
 
 8. Hast thou considered? The Lord calls Satan's attention 
 to Job as to a conspicuous example of virtue, in order that by this 
 means Satan's cynical estimate of men may be dispelled and he 
 may be restored to a healthy attitude of mind. Escheweth evil. 
 I.e. turns away from or avoids evil. 
 
 9. Doth Job fear God for naught? Satan has noticed Job, 
 but he considers that Job is so prosperous in his virtue that that 
 virtue never has been tested. Job's integrity and uprightness, 
 accordingly, are to Satan's mind no proof that Job does not like 
 other men have his price. 
 
 10. Hast thou not made an hedge about him? This and the 
 words which follow set forth strikingly the greatness of Job's 
 possessions, and how absolutely free he is from attack. 
 
 11. Touch all that he hath. I.e. touch any of his possessions. 
 Touch is used in the sense of injure or remove. Renounce. The 
 Hebrew uses again the euphemism bless. The idea conveyed is 
 "he will curse thee." 
 
 12. All that he hath is in thy power. In order to convince 
 Satan that he is wrong in his suspicion of Job's disinterested 
 
 60 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 is in thy ^ power ; only upon himself put not forth 
 thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence 
 of the Lord. 
 
 3. The First Series of Disasters, 1 : 13-19 
 
 13. And it fell on a day when his sons and his daugh- 
 ters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest 
 
 14. brother's house, that there came a messenger unto 
 Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses 
 
 15. feeding beside them: and ^ the Sabeans fell upon 
 
 I Heb. hand. 2 m. Heb. Sheha. Gr. Sah. Eth. by the change of one letter 
 
 read those who take captives, i.e. raiders. 
 
 virtue, Jehovah gave Job's possessions into Satan's power. He 
 thus permitted Satan, according to this story, to experiment on 
 Job. The object is clearly in order to reclaim Satan. Inlsa. 
 40-55 the great doctrine is set forth that Israel suffered in order 
 to bring the world to Jehovah ; this writer represents Job as suf- 
 fering in order that God may win back an angel who is on the 
 downward road. Only upon himself put not forth thine hand. 
 In this first experiment only Job's possessions were to be touched. 
 Jehovah measures each of Job's afflictions by the gauge of Satan's 
 sneer. 
 
 13. It fell. I.e. it happened. 
 
 14. The oxen were ploughing. Ploughing can only be done in 
 that country in the winter, i.e. the rainy season, after the mois- 
 ture has softened the soil. This calamity, therefore, happened in 
 winter. 
 
 15. The Sabeans. The men of Saba, a city in the southwest 
 part of the Arabian peninsula. Gen. 10 : 7 and 28, also 25 : 3, men- 
 tion it among the clans of the Arabs. According to i Kgs. 10 
 the queen of this city visited Solomon. From numerous inscrip- 
 tions brought in recent years from South Arabia, it appears that 
 Saba became an independent kingdom about 500 B.C. Before 
 that time it had been for some 250 years subject to the neighbor- 
 ing city of Main. During this period its rulers were called 
 Mukarrihs. In the year 715 B.C. Sargon, king of Assyria, sent 
 a military expedition into the Arabian desert and among others 
 received tribute from Yathamar, Mukarrib of Saba. Accord- 
 
 61 
 
i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 them^ and took them away ; yea, they have slain the 
 ^ servants with the edge of the sword ; and I only am 
 
 i6. escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet 
 speaking, there came also another, and said, The 
 2 fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath 
 burned up the sheep, and the ^ servants, and 
 consumed them ; and I only am escaped alone to tell 
 
 17. thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also 
 another, and said, ^ The Chaldeans made three bands, 
 
 ^va.Hth. young men. '^'Sdh.'Eth. fire from heaven. ^Heh. young men; Gr. 
 
 Syr. Sah. Eth. shepherds. * Gr. Sah. Eth. Iwrsemen. 
 
 ing to Job 6 : 19 caravans from Saba penetrated the northern 
 deserts. If these were Sabeans, they were probably members 
 of such a caravan. The Gr. Sah. and Eth Versions by the change 
 of one letter make the destroyers of Job's oxen and asses raiders 
 whose habitat is not defined. They have slain the servants. 
 Probably the servants, like the Bedu to-day, were armed and 
 showed fight. If the attacking party tried to steal some of Job's 
 animals and the servants resisted, it would account for the 
 slaughter. The Arabs seldom shed blood unless attacked. 
 
 16. The fire of God. I.e. lightning. Since thunder- storms 
 occur there in winter only, this is another indication that these 
 misfortunes occurred at that season. 
 
 17. The Chaldeans. These were a Semitic people who made 
 their appearance in southern Babylonia about 1000 B.C. and 
 played an important role in the history of that country for five 
 hundred years. One of their number, Merodach-Baladan (cf. 
 2 Kgs. 20: 12 and Isa. 39 : i), made much trouble for the Assyrian 
 kings Sargon and Sennacherib. He fomented many rebellions 
 against them and tried to draw Hezekiah of Judah into his plans. 
 In 625 B.C. Nabopolassar, a Chaldean, became king of Bab3don, 
 which was thus ruled by Chaldeans till it was conquered by Cyrus 
 in 538. Under Nabopolassar's son Nebuchadnezzar many cam- 
 paigns were sent into Palestine (cf. 2 Kgs. 24 and 25 ; Jer. 46 ; Eze. 
 21: 25; and 29: 17 Q.). These campaigns made the Chaldeans 
 very well known in the West. Three ancient versions read 
 "horsemen " instead of Chaldeans here, and perhaps in the 
 original narrative the Chaldeans did not appear. Horsemen 
 in Hebrew could easily be corrupted into Chaldeans. Made 
 three bands. So as to hem the camels in on three sides and pre- 
 
 62 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 and ^ fell upon the camels, and have taken them away, 
 yea, and slain the ^ servants with the edge of the 
 sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 
 
 1 8. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, 
 and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating 
 and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 
 
 19. and, behold, there came a great wind ^ from the wilder- 
 ness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it 
 fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I 
 only am escaped alone to tell thee. 
 
 4. JoVs Demeanor under these Misfortunes, i : 20-22 
 
 20. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved 
 his head, and fell down upon the ground, and wor- 
 
 1 m. Or made a raid. ^ m. Heb. young men. ' m. Or over. 
 
 vent their escape, except in the direction that they wished them 
 to go. The camel is easily frightened, and when alarmed runs in 
 any direction that he can. Attacking on three sides was, however, 
 common in Oriental raids ; see Jud. 7:16; 9 : 43 ; i Sam. 11: 11. 
 
 19. A great wind from the wilderness. That is, an east wind 
 from across the great eastern desert. Such winds were especially 
 strong, see Jer. 13 : 27 ; but this one must have been a whirlwind 
 or cyclone. The young men. This must be understood as the 
 yoimg people, for it must have included the daughters also. Thus 
 with the death of his children the desolation of his prosperous 
 estate was completed. In three swiftly succeeding blows all 
 had been swept away. 
 
 20. Rent his mantle. Not a mantle, but an outer garment 
 worn over the tunic. The tunic was worn next the skin, and this 
 outer garment completed the toilet. In early times it was made 
 of linen, later of cotton. It had sleeves and reached to the 
 ankles. Such garments were worn by Saul and Jonathan (i Sam. 
 18:4; 24:5, 12) and by "princes of the sea" (Eze. 26:16). 
 They were also worn by women of high rank (2 Sam. 13: 18). 
 They might be ornamented in various colors (Gen. 37:3). To 
 rend one's garment was a token of grief ; see Gen. 37 : 29 and 34; 
 44:13; 2 Sam. 13:19; and Joel 2:13. Shaved his head. 
 
 63 
 
21 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 21. shipped; and he said, Naked came I out of my 
 mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: 
 the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; 
 
 22. blessed be the name of the Lord. ^ In all this Job 
 sinned not, nor charged God with fooUshness. 
 
 5. The Second Heavenly Conference, 2 : 1-6 
 
 2. Again there was a day when the sons of God came 
 2 to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan 
 came also among them to present himself before the 
 
 2. Lord. And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence 
 comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and 
 said. From going to and fro in the earth, ^and from 
 
 3. walking up and down in it. And the Lord said 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. In all these things which happened to him. 2 Some Gr. MSS., 
 
 also Aq. Th. Sah. Eth., omit to present themselves before the Lord. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. 
 
 and walking up and down everywhere am I come. 
 
 This was among the Hebrews, as among many other compara- 
 tively primitive peoples, a sign of mourning, see Jer. 16 : 6, Eze. 
 7: 18; Amos 8: 10. It is prohibited in Deut. 14: i. This pro- 
 hibition seems not to have been observed. Its existence, how- 
 ever, proves that the custom had been practised. Lev. 21:5 
 forbids the high priest to shave his head as a sign of mourning for 
 his relatives, implying that others might do so. Among the 
 Arabs the custom seems to be practised by women only. And 
 worshipped. In token of his profound submission to God. 
 
 21. Naked shall I return thither. The thought is plain, 
 though the language is inexact. "Came I out of my mother's 
 womb " must be Kteral, but "naked shall I return thither " must 
 be a figurative expression for death. Blessed be the name of 
 the Lord. Instead of cursing God as Satan had predicted. Job 
 submits to the inscrutable affliction with words of blessing. 
 
 22. Nor charged God with foolishness. Better: "he did not 
 ascribe unseemliness to God." 
 
 I. Again there was a day. The folk tale pictured Jehovah 
 as having, like an earthly king, certain days on which his nobles 
 gathered about him. 
 
 64 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? 
 ^ for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and 
 an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth 
 evil : and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although 
 though movedst me against him, ^ to destroy him 
 
 4. without cause. And Satan answered the Lord, and 
 said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he 
 
 5. give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and 
 touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee 
 
 6. to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, 
 he is in thine hand ; only spare his life. 
 
 3 m. Or, that. * Heb. to swallow him up. 
 
 3. Hast thou considered my servant Job? Satan did not 
 refer to his experiment upon Job until questioned about it. He 
 was not eager to confess failure. Holdeth fast his integrity. 
 Satan's prediction as to what Job would do had been signally- 
 falsified. Escheweth evil. I.e. " turns away from," or "avoids evil." 
 
 4. Skin for skin. The expression is apparently proverbial. 
 It is obscure in meaning, and various interpretations have been 
 suggested for it. The most probable of these is "the skin of an- 
 other will a man give for his own." Perhaps it was a proverb 
 among the Bedu ; they may have threatened a shepherd by 
 telling him that he must give the skins of his flock in order to save 
 his own._ In any case the saying is quoted here to imply that Job 
 was willing to sacrifice the skins of all his herds and even of his 
 children to save his own. Satan is not convinced of Job's integ- 
 rity. According to his view his prediction concerning Job has 
 failed only because of the limitation put upon Satan's test of him. 
 He was not permitted to touch Job closely enough. 
 
 5. Touch his bone and his flesh. A Hebrew idiom for "his 
 person." This clause vouches for the general correctness of our 
 interpretation of the preceding verse. He will renounce thee 
 to thy face. The Heb. here, as in i : 11, is "will bless thee to thy 
 face." "Bless," as before, is used euphemistically for "curse." 
 
 6. Behold, he is in thine hand; only spare his life. Once 
 more Jehovah, for the sake of reclaiming Satan and restoring his 
 faith in the reality of disinterested virtue, accepts Satan's condi- 
 tions, and allows him to test Job by afflicting his body. The one 
 limitation is that Job's hfe shall be spared. 
 
 F 65 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. The Second Test and its Outcome, 2 : 7-10 
 
 7. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, 
 and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his 
 
 8. foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd 
 
 to scrape himself withal ; and he sat among the ashes. 
 
 1 Gr. Th. Sah. Eth. to scrape away the ichor. 
 
 7. Sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown. Many 
 opinions have been entertained as to the nature of the disease 
 with which Job was afflicted. The folk tale tells us that the whole 
 body was covered with sores, including even the face, which was 
 so disfigured that his friends did not recognize him (2:12). 
 These sores emitted pus which formed scabs, that could be 
 scraped off with a bit of potsherd (v. 8). Possibly this scrap- 
 ing was to allay the itching ; some have thought that it was to 
 allay this that he sat in ashes. The poet adds the following 
 details: from pain Job groaned continually (3 : 24), his nerves 
 were unstrung (3 : 25), he felt as though burned with a fiery poison 
 (6:4), his sores were infested with maggots (7: 5, compare also 
 the addition to 2 : 9 in the Gr. Sah. and Eth.), and his breath was 
 fetid (19:17). Origen thought he had leprosy; Kimchi, the 
 mediaeval Jewish scholar, the form of leprosy called Elephantiasis ; 
 others have suggested smallpox, a kind of boil known as "Aleppo 
 button " or " Baghdad date " and ecthyma. In some respects the 
 description in the text does not conform to the symptoms of any 
 one of these. Probably it is hopeless now to try to identify the 
 malady from which Job suffered. Even in the folk tale which 
 the poet adopted as the background for his work the symptoms of 
 some real disease were loosely described and heightened as in 
 all popular descriptions of sickness, and the touches which the 
 poet has added were probably added from his observation of what 
 would be likely in such diseases, and are not first-hand infor- 
 mation as to the symptoms of this particular patient. It 
 appears, then, that we cannot now tell the exact nature of Job's 
 malady. 
 
 8. A potsherd to scrape himself. As suggested above, either 
 to remove the scabs, or to allay the itching. He sat among the 
 ashes. Possibly to allay the itching, but more probably in token 
 of his desolate condition, since sitting in ashes was a sign of grief. 
 See Esth. 4:1; Isa. 58:5; Jer. 6:26; Jonah 3:6. 
 
 66 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. ^ Then said his wife unto him, ^ Dost thou still hold 
 
 10. fast thine integrity ? ^ renounce God, and die. ^ But 
 he said unto her. Thou speakest as one of the ^ foolish 
 women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at 
 the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil ? ® In 
 all this did not Job sin with his lipsJ 
 
 7. The Coming oj JoVs Three Friends^ 2 : 11-13 
 
 11. Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil 
 that was come upon him, they came every one from 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. After much time had passed his wife said to him. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. 
 
 How long will thou be steadfast, saying : Behold I will wait a little time expecting the 
 hope of my salvation ? For behold thy memorial has perished from the earth — thy sons 
 and daughters, the labors and pangs of my womb, whom in vain I bore with pains. 
 Thou sitting in the corruption of worms passing the night in the open air, while I even 
 as a hired slave wander from place to place and from house to house, longing for the set- 
 ting of the sun, that I may rest from the hardships and toils which now encompass me. 
 3 Gr. Sah. Eth. but say a certain word unto the Lord and die. < Gr. Sah. Eth. 
 
 But looking up he said. ' m. Or, impious. * Gr. Sah. Eth. In all the things 
 
 which happened to him. Targ. adds, but Job thought things in his heart. 
 
 g. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast 
 thine integrity? Job's wife was with Job, and not with the 
 children at the feast, so she naturally escaped. Some ancient 
 editor, as the Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic versions show (see 
 the addition from them given above), felt that the question of 
 Job's wife is altogether too brief to express the feelings of a be- 
 reaved and loquacious woman ; he therefore inserted an addition 
 to the text for the purpose of supplying what he felt to be an 
 artistic defect in the form of the story. Renounce God and die. 
 Even the wife in her despair became an unconscious ally of Satan. 
 
 10. Foolish. We should read, as the margin does, "impious." 
 In the wisdom literature impiety is folly, and folly impiety. Shall 
 we not receive evil ? The point of view is kindred to that of 
 Amos 3 : 6. God does everything, both good and evil. On any mon- 
 otheistic view of the world, however, God must either do or permit 
 all that is done. Job's phrase accordingly becomes a classic ex- 
 pression of resignation to the will of God. Sinned not with his lips. 
 The writer does not intend to imply that he sinned in thought. 
 The addition of the Targum, "but Job thought things in his heart," 
 while true for most men under these conditions, is foreign to the 
 thought of the tale, which pictured Job as an example of resignation. 
 
 67 
 
II THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the 
 Shuhite, and Zophar the ^ Naamathite : and they 
 
 1 Gr. the MincBan. 
 
 II. Eliphaz the Temanite. In Gen. 36 : ii the Priestly writer 
 represents both Eliphaz and Teman as clans or districts in Edom. 
 Teman appears elsewhere in the Old Testament as a district of 
 Edom famed for its wisdom (see Jer. 49: 7, and Baruch 3: 22) 
 or as the most important town of Edom; see Amos i : 12; Eze. 
 25:13; Hab. 3:3; and Obad. 9. Most commentators have 
 taken this town to be the home of Job's friend Eliphaz. If Uz 
 lay in the Hauran, Teman may originally have been Tema, a 
 village which lies in the northern end of Gebel-ed-Druz some two 
 days' journey to the east of the " Threshing-floor of Uz " mentioned 
 above (see note on i : i). If this were so, it would be natural 
 that in later times it should have been confused with the better- 
 known Teman in Edom. That there was a tendency to magnify 
 the importance of Job and his friends as time went on is shown 
 by the fact that in the Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic versions 
 Eliphaz is represented as king of Teman. Bildad the Shuhite. 
 *'The Shuhite" is usually supposed to be a man from the city of 
 Suhu. This was an Aramaean city on the Euphrates. With 
 the inhabitants of this city Tiglathpileser I, about iioo B.C., 
 and Assurnasirpal, 880 B.C. (both kings of Assyria), came into 
 conflict. In Gen. 25 : 2 Shuah is said to be one of the sons of 
 Keturah, and recent commentators think that this statement 
 refers to the city on the Euphrates. It is possible that originally 
 some obscure place in the Hauran near to the "Threshing-floor of 
 Uz " was intended, and that, when the obscure Tema of that 
 region was thought to be Teman, Shuah was identified with the 
 more famous place upon the Euphrates. Wetzstein identifies 
 it with Es-Suweda on the western slope of Gebel-ed-Druz. The 
 Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic versions represent Bildad as the 
 "Tyrant of Shuah." The Naamathite. The only Biblical city 
 the name of which corresponds to this is Naamah, Josh. 15:41, 
 the modern Naaneh, a wretched mud village on the railway from 
 Jaffa to Jerusalem, but all scholars have realized that this could 
 not be the village referred to. Probably the reference originally 
 intended was to a village in the Hauran still called Naemeh, 
 which is within about a day's journey from the "Threshing-floor 
 of Uz." Later, when it had become customary to think of 
 Eliphaz as a king of a part of Edom and of Bildad as tyrant of 
 distant Suhu on the Euphrates, Naemeh was transformed into 
 Main, a city of South Arabia, by the transposition of two Hebrew 
 
 68 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 made an appointment together to come to bemoan 
 
 12. him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up 
 their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up 
 their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his 
 mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads ^ toward 
 
 13. heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground 
 seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word 
 unto him : for they saw that his ^ grief was very great. 
 
 II. Job's Wail of Despair, Ch. 3 
 
 1. Would God I had never been conceived or born, 3: i-io 
 
 3. After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his 
 
 2. day. ^ And Job answered and said : 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. omit toward heaven. m. ^ Or pain. ^ Gr. Sah. Vulg. Ar. 
 
 Eth. read only And he said. 
 
 letters. Thus the Greek and Sahidic versions call Zophar "king 
 of Main." Main was an older city than Saba, the Biblical Sheba, 
 and was equally famous with it. It was brought into the story 
 of Job by that natural tendency to enlarge the area over which 
 Job's fame spread and to glorify him by magnifying the rank 
 of his friends, which as time went on was the natural result of the 
 fame that the popularity, first of the story, and later of the poem, 
 gave him. To bemoan him and to comfort him. There are mis- 
 fortunes which it is beyond human power to remedy, but even these 
 are mitigated by human sympathy. By the "sympathizing tear " 
 of others many a sufferer has found courage to play the man. 
 
 12. Lifted up their voice, and wept. Orientals are very ex- 
 pressive and manifest in dramatic ways either sorrow or joy. 
 Weeping, rending of garments, and putting earth on one's head 
 are customary ways with them of expressing grief ; see Josh. 
 7:6; I Sam. 4:12; and Lam. 2 : 10. 
 
 13. None spake a word unto him. A beautiful touch. Often 
 grief is too deep to be reached by mere words. Silent, patient 
 sympathy and tears are far more expressive. The author and 
 the transmitters of this story had sounded the depths of grief 
 and learned the Umitations of words. 
 
 I. After this. That is, after the silence of Job's friends. 
 It is at this point that the poet breaks away from the folk tale 
 
 69 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born, 
 
 And the night ^ which said, ^ There is a man child 
 conceived. 
 
 4. Let ^ that day be darkness ; 
 
 Let not God ^ regard it from above, 
 Neither let the light shine upon it. 
 
 5. Let darkness and ^ the shadow of death claim it 
 
 for their own ; 
 Let a cloud dwell upon it ; 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Targ. Ar. Eth. in which it was said. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. 
 
 Behold, a male; Syr. A man is conceived. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. that night. * m. 
 
 Or inquire after. ^ m. Or deep darkness (and so elsewhere) . 
 
 and begins his great discussion of the problem of suffering. In 
 order to make the connection he allows two sentences of prose to 
 stand before the poem begins. Cursed his day. The day of his 
 birth, as the following verses show. This curse is the wild, half- 
 delirious outcry of a man beside himself with suffering. The 
 poet reveals rare poetic genius in the way he has portrayed the 
 reckless utterances of one wild with pain from whom weakness 
 has taken the power of self-control. 
 
 3. Let the day perish. We should read as the Gr., Sah., and 
 Eth. versions suggest : 
 
 " Perish the day in which I was born, 
 And the night when they said, 'It's a boy' ! " 
 
 The reference is clearly to the night of Job's birth, and not to 
 his conception. "It's a boy" is a quotation from the report of 
 the midwife on that night. 
 
 4. Let that day be darkness. Each day was supposed to have 
 a permanent existence and a definite character. The day of 
 Job's birth, although it had long passed, came around each year 
 in the troop of the days, bringing with it its own malign character. 
 In the East to this day a curse is not simply an angry expression 
 by which one relieves his feelings, but is regarded as a kind of 
 permanent entity charged with energy for its own accomplish- 
 ment. What follows presupposes these two considerations. 
 Regard it. The Hebrew means rather "seek it out." 
 
 5. The shadow of death. Rather "deep darkness." Let all 
 that maketh black. The expression in the Hebrew is an unusual 
 one and greatly puzzled the ancient translators, as the quotations 
 from the versions made above show. Perhaps we should trans- 
 
 70 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 ^ Let all that maketh black the day terrify it. 
 
 6. As for that night, let thick darkness seize upon it : 
 2 Let it not rejoice among the days of the year ; 
 Let it not come into the number of the months. 
 
 7. ^ Lo, let that night be "^ barren ; 
 Let no joyful voice come therein. 
 
 8. Let them curse it that curse the day, 
 Who are ^ ready to rouse up leviathan. 
 
 9. Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark: 
 
 i Gr. Sah. Eth. May the day be cursed! Syr. May the bitter of days terrify it/ 
 Vulg. and be involved in bitterness. Aq. Targ. May they terrify it like the bitter of 
 days! 2 m. gome ancient versions read JeyomgJ mm^o. ^ Gr. Sah. 5m/. Syr. 
 
 Vulg. Ar. Eth. omit. * m. Or solitary. ^ m. Or skilful. 
 
 late: "May the deep gloom of day." Terrify it. So that it 
 shall fear to reappear every year. 
 
 6. Among the days of the year. According to the ideas men- 
 tioned in the note on v. 4, Job hopes that his curse will erase this 
 day from the calendar, so that it will not continually recur with 
 each revolving year. 
 
 7. Be barren. Job does not wish it to do to another, by bring- 
 ing another life into the world, the wrong it did him. No joyful 
 voice. No birthday rejoicing. 
 
 8. Who are ready. " Ready " in the sense that they have the 
 skill to do it. Leviathan. Literally, the "twister " or "coiler," 
 was primarily a name for a mythological serpent or dragon that 
 could darken the sun. It is in Isa. 27: i and Ps. 74: 13 and 14 
 connected with the sea. Scholars have for some years recognized 
 that this mythological dragon, which is in the Old Testament 
 frequently called Rahah also (see Job 9 : 13 ; 26: 12 and 13; Ps. 
 8g : 10), is a popular adaptation of the dragon Tiamat of the 
 Babylonian Creation Epic. Tiamat was the dragon of the 
 primeval abyss who attempted to overcome all the beneficent 
 gods, and who fought a great battle with Marduk, the god of 
 light. Although Marduk overcame her, she became the symbol 
 of the sun-darkener. Enchanters were supposed to have the 
 power of arousing her, so that she should darken the sun, or of 
 quieting her. This would accomplish for the day of Job's birth 
 just what he wished, and is clearly the reference here. The name 
 of this mythical monster. Leviathan, was sometimes applied figur- 
 atively to the whale, as in Ps. 104 : 25 and 26 ; and sometimes to 
 the crocodile, as in Job 41. 
 
 71 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Let it look for light, but have none ; 
 
 Neither let it behold the eyelids of the morning : 
 
 10. Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's 
 
 womb, 
 Nor hid trouble from mine eyes. 
 
 2 Would God I had died at birth, 3: 11-19 
 
 11. Why died I not ^ from the womb ? 
 
 Why did I not give up the ghost when I came out 
 of the belly ? 
 
 12. Why did the knees receive me ? 
 
 Or why the breasts, that I should suck ? 
 
 13. For now should I have lien down and been quiet ; 
 I should have slept ; then had I been at rest : 
 
 1 Gr. Eth. in the womb. 
 
 9. The eyelids of the morning. A beautiful poetic figure. 
 Possibly it refers to a dawn myth in which the dawn was thought 
 of as a beautiful woman. Thus we have in Isa. 14: 12, "O day 
 star, son of the Dawn." 
 
 10. Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb. 
 This verse gives the reason why Job has uttered the preceding 
 curses ; it was because his birth, which exposed him to all his 
 present suffering, had not been prevented. The day is vividly 
 personified in the expression it shut not up, and there is poetically 
 attributed to it a power that belongs only to God. 
 
 11. Why died I not from the womb? As the wish of the pre- 
 ceding verses that Job had never been born could not be fulfilled, 
 he next asks why he could not have died from birth. 
 
 12. Why did the knees receive me? The child was laid at birth 
 upon the knees of the father, who had the right of acknowledging 
 it his and of stating whether he would become responsible for its 
 maintenance, see Gen. 50 : 23. The same was true at times of a 
 foster mother, see Gen. 30 : 3. Why the breasts, that I should 
 suck? In Job's despair these acts of kindness in his unconscious 
 infancy by which he had been kept alive are for the moment 
 regarded as personal injuries. He holds those who performed 
 them responsible for his present sufferings. 
 
 72 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 14. With kings and counsellors of the earth, 
 Which ^ built up waste places for themselves ; 
 
 15. Or with princes that had gold, 
 Who filled their houses with silver : 
 
 16. Or as an ^ hidden untimely birth I had not been ; 
 As infants which never saw light. 
 
 1 m. Or built solitary places. Gr. Sah. Eth. who were upborne on swords. 
 
 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. coming forth. 
 
 14. "With kings and counsellors. Death is the great leveller. 
 The unknown man and the nameless child rest in death with 
 kings. This thought finds expression in Isa. 14 : 9 ; Eze. 32: 29 
 and 31. Bryant in his Thanatopsis has expressed the same thought : 
 
 "Thou shalt lie down 
 With patriarchs of the infant world — with kings, 
 The powerful of the earth — the wise, the good, 
 Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, 
 All in one mighty sepulchre." 
 
 Built up waste places for themselves. This is an obscure expres- 
 sion, and the text is, perhaps, corrupt. Some of the ancient 
 versions read "swords" instead of "waste places," but such a 
 reading is manifestly inappropriate to the context. The word 
 rendered "waste places" is used often in the Old Testament 
 for ruined cities, see Isa. 58: 12; 61:4; Eze. 36: 10 and :^yi 
 Mai. 1 : 4. Since one monarch was apt to let cities built by his 
 predecessors fall into ruins, some have thought that the meaning 
 here is "who built cities which are now in ruins." Since the 
 Hebrew word has a general resemblance to the Coptic and Arabic 
 word for pyramids some have supposed that we should render 
 here: "who built for themselves pyramids." Cheyne would 
 amend the text so as to read "who built everlasting sepulchres." 
 In whatever way the expression is understood, it is clear that it 
 refers to the great works of monarchs, and is parallel to the 
 
 "princes that had gold. 
 And filled their houses with silver " 
 of V. 15. 
 
 16. Hidden untimely birth. The present text is appropriate 
 in that a child born dead is "hidden " or buried at once out of 
 sight. For sentiments similar to those of this verse see Jer. 
 20:18; Eccl. 4 : 2 and 3 ; 6:3; 7:1. 
 
 73 
 
3 : 17 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 17. There the wicked cease from ^ troubling; 
 And there the weary be at rest. 
 
 18. There the prisoners are at ease together; 
 They hear not the voice of the taskmaster. 
 
 19. The small and great are there ; 
 
 And the servant is free from his master. 
 
 3. Why do those who in Wretchedness long for Death con- 
 tinue to Live? 3 : 20-26 
 
 20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, 
 And life unto the bitter in soul ; 
 
 1 m. raging. 
 
 17. Troubling. The Hebrew word means ''raging." It may 
 mean "troubling others," or it may refer to the effect of the 
 wicked's own restlessness upon themselves. The last is probably 
 the reference here. The weary be at rest. The unbroken calm 
 of Sheol seems to Job in comparison with his present suffering 
 more desirable than anything else. 
 
 18. Prisoners. Rather "captives," who are forced as slaves 
 to labor for foreign masters, or on public work for the king. 
 Taskmaster. See Ex. 3:7. He was the counterpart of the 
 "overseer " who in the days of American slavery goaded the slave 
 to his utmost exertions. 
 
 19. The servant is free from his master. The inequalities 
 of earth vanish in Sheol. Death is the great leveller. Small 
 and great are there on an equality. In the entire lack of sensa- 
 tion no one is exalted above another, no one toils for another, 
 none suffers the humiliation of subjugation, nor the restlessness 
 of an uneasy conscience or of unfulfilled desire, nor the pains of 
 cruel disease or bereavement. Hence Job longed for this haven. 
 
 20. Wherefore is light given. In contrast with the peaceful- 
 ness of death the misery of life seems intolerable. The acuteness 
 of Job's sufferings leads him to regard all life for the moment as 
 full of agony, and a curse rather than a blessing. He puts the 
 question at first in an impersonal way, but it is clear from v. 23 
 that he has God in mind. In this first wild outcry of agony, accord- 
 ingly. Job charges God with cruelty — a thought that comes to the 
 surface again and again as the discussion with his friends proceeds. 
 To him that is in misery. The inquiry is made general at first, 
 but in V. 24 it is made clear that Job is thinking of himself. 
 
 74 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 21. Which 1 long for death, but it cometh not ; 
 
 And dig for it more than for hid treasures ; 
 2 2. Which rejoice ^ exceedingly, 
 
 And are glad, when they can find the grave ? 
 23. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, 
 
 And whom God hath hedged in ? 
 
 1 m. Or wait. 2 m. Or unto exultation. 
 
 21. And dig for it more than for hid treasures. A very vivid 
 figure. In an old country like Palestine hoards of gold, the owners 
 of which have long since passed away and been forgotten, are 
 sometimes found. Such a discovery was made at Beit Degan 
 (the ancient Beth Dagon) in the spring of 1903. Such occasional 
 finds fire the imagination of the peasant to hope that he may be 
 the fortunate discoverer of such a treasure. Thompson (Land 
 and Book, p. 135), says: "I have heard of diggers actually faint- 
 ing when they have come upon even a single coin. They become 
 positively frantic, dig all night with desperate earnestness, and 
 continue work till utterly exhausted. There are at this hour 
 hundreds of persons thus engaged all over the country. Not a 
 few spend their last farthing in these ruinous efforts." In Egypt 
 we hear of such search for treasure seven hundred years before the 
 time of our poet, and our poet had been in Egj^t. 
 
 22. Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can 
 find the grave ? The Hebrew text is here unusual and perhaps 
 corrupt. The Gr. Sah. and Eth. versions read simply: "And are 
 beside themselves for joy if they find it." This would make the 
 comparison a tristich as follows : 
 
 "Who long for death, and it cometh not, 
 Who dig for it more than for hid treasures, 
 And who are beside themselves with joy, if they find it." 
 
 This is perhaps right, though the Greek translators may have 
 simply omitted some difficult words. 
 
 23. Whom God hath hedged in. Job, like many another suf- 
 ferer, feels like a caged bird. There is no escape. ' In whatever 
 direction he turns for relief he but beats his suffering soul against 
 the iron bars of a God-ordained fate. His word "hedged in" 
 is a quotation from the language of Satan in i : 10, only now 
 it is the hedge of a crushing fate and not of protection. The 
 poet has purposely made Job use the same word in this widely 
 different sense to emphasize the contrast of his present condition 
 in comparison with his former one. 
 
 75 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 24. For my sighing cometh ^ before I eat, 
 And my roarings are poured out like water. 
 
 25. For 2 the thing which I fear cometh upon me, 
 And that which I am afraid of cometh unto me. 
 
 26. 3 1 am not at ease, neither am I quiet, neither 
 
 have I rest ; 
 But trouble cometh. 
 
 III. The Great Debate on the Meaning and Cause 
 OF Suffering, Chs. 4-31 
 
 I. The First Speech of Eliphaz, Chs. 4, 5 
 4. Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 
 
 2. * If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou 
 
 be grieved ? 
 
 1 m. Or like my meat. ' m. Or the thing which I feared is come, etc. 3 m. 
 
 Or / was not at ease . . . yet trouble came. * Or. Sah. Eth. read Has it not fre- 
 
 quently been spoken to thee in suffering? Aq. Sym. Th. Vulg. // we undertake to speak 
 with thee, wilt thou be grieved ? 
 
 24. Before I eat. This gives no good meaning, and it is better 
 to read with the margin, "like my meat." 
 
 25. The thing which I feared. Job here returns from general 
 to personal statements. We should render vs. 25, 26 : 
 
 " When I fear an evil, it cometh upon me, 
 And whatsoever I dread, it overtakes me ; 
 I have no ease, neither quiet, nor rest, 
 But trouble cometh." 
 
 The poet has given a striking picture of one phase of a terrible 
 illness — the suffering which comes from shattered nerves. It 
 is not only what the patient suffers, but what he dreads, which 
 forms the exquisite torture. Then the power of the mind over 
 the body, especially in disease, to bring about a physical realiza- 
 tion of its own fears adds greatly to the patient's difficulties. 
 The author of this poem had been a close observer of illnesses. 
 
 (i) The surprise of Eliphaz at Job's despair, 4 : i-ii. 
 
 2. If one assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved ? 
 "Commune" is old English for "speak." Notice the gentle, 
 
 76 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 But who can withhold himself from speaking ? 
 
 3. Behold, thou hast instructed many, 
 
 And thou hast strengthened the weak hands. 
 
 4. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, 
 And thou hast confirmed the ^ feeble knees. 
 
 1 m. Heb. bowing. 
 
 even tender, beginning which Eliphaz makes. The friends, like 
 Job himself, were in the dark as to why Job was thus afiflicted. 
 The reader has been let into the secret by the prologue, but not 
 so the actors in the poem. For them the curtain of heaven had 
 not been withdrawn, and they were left to guess at causes in a 
 purely human way. Eliphaz and his companions fully believed 
 that Job had been a good man, and their theology could not then 
 account for his misfortunes. They had sat before him in dumb 
 sympathy, but with puzzled minds. Then came Job's wild out- 
 cry : his cursing of his birth, his longing for death, his hint that 
 God was responsible for his suffering. This greatly shocked 
 the listeners. Job did not speak as a religious man ought to. 
 Their theology had all through the seven days made them suspect 
 that Job had been guilty of some terrible sin, or his terrible 
 troubles would not have come upon him. His reckless speech 
 confirmed this suspicion. So Eliphaz, the elder of the listeners, 
 undertakes to comfort Job, and by correction to bring him back 
 to views of life that accord with the orthodox notions of the 
 divine administration. His former integrity is a ground for hope 
 of God's forgiveness, but his sin, which is in process of punish- 
 ment, must be repented of. Although Eliphaz had not the in- 
 sight tp see that most of that which shocked him in what Job 
 had said was but the irresponsible utterance of a man beside him- 
 self with pain, he nevertheless had enough sympathetic insight to 
 know that Job's condition required the most gentle and tactful 
 handling ; hence the considerate inquiry with which the verse 
 begins. "Wilt thou be grieved?" is equivalent to, "will it be 
 too much for thee? " 
 
 3. Behold, thou hast instructed many. It strikes Eliphaz 
 as a surprise that one who has instructed others how to bear sor- 
 row (see what Job says of himself in 29 : 15 and 16) should him- 
 self so completely break down under it. Weak hands. A sign 
 of helplessness and despondency, see 2 Sam. 4: i and Tsa. 13 : 7. 
 
 4. Feeble knees. Read with the margin "tottering knees." 
 The figure is of one staggering under a heavy load. Compare 
 Isa. 35 : 3 and 4; Heb. 12:12. 
 
 77 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 5. But now it is come unto thee, and thou 
 
 1 faintest; 
 It toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. 
 
 6. Is not thy fear of God thy confidence. 
 And thy hope the integrity of thy ways? 
 
 7. Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being 
 
 innocent ? 
 Or where were the upright cut off ? 
 
 8. According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, 
 And sow ^ trouble, reap the same. 
 
 9. By the breath of God they perish, 
 
 1 m. Or art grieved. 2 m, Qr mischief. 
 
 5. Thou faintest. Thou hast broken down, or lost thy self- 
 possession. Doubtless Job in comforting others had pointed out 
 to them such aspects of divine providence and the uses of adver- 
 sity in God's hands, that they were consoled. Eliphaz is sur- 
 prised that such consolations do not occur to Job now. He does not 
 mean to be sarcastic. His mood is entirely gentle and friendly. 
 He rather wishes to recall to Job that which Job well knows. 
 
 6. Is not thy fear of God thy confidence ? In comforting 
 others Job had probably himself used such arguments. Eliphaz 
 believed that Job's life had been essentially good. There might 
 have been grave slips, but his general integrity was ground for 
 believing that God would not utterly destroy him. 
 
 7. "WIio ever perished, being innocent? This is not said here 
 to prove Job a sinner, but rather to encourage him. He has been 
 on the whole a righteous man, and God will yet deliver him. 
 
 8. As I have seen. Eliphaz had tried this view of life in his per- 
 sonal experience and observation, and wished to testify that it had 
 stood the test. Plow iniquity, and sow trouble. An agricultural fig- 
 ure forcibly indicating that they make a regular business of a life of 
 sin (compare Hos. 10 : 13). Job had not done that. Whatever fault 
 had brought upon him his present calamities, his life had been de- 
 voted on the whole to the business of righteousness. Hence this is 
 mentioned for Job's encouragement. Possibly Eliphaz dwelt upon 
 it also partly as a warning to Job, lest from this time onward he 
 make the sin, which had already brought such havoc into his life, a 
 regular habit. 
 
 78 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And by the blast of his anger are they consumed. 
 
 10. The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce 
 
 lion, 
 And the teeth of the ^ young lions, are broken. 
 
 11. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, 
 
 And the whelps of the lioness are scattered 
 abroad. 
 
 12. Now a thing was ^ secretly brought to me, 
 And mine ear received a whisper thereof. 
 
 L * Gr. Sah. Eth. dragons. * m. Heb. brought by stealth. 
 
 g. The blast of his anger. It consumes as the hot sirocco, or 
 wind from the desert, withers vegetation. Compare Isa. 40 : 7 ; 
 and Amos i : 2. 
 
 10. The roaring of the lion. Verses 10, 11 compare the de- 
 struction of the wicked with the breaking up of a den of lions. In 
 the Hebrew five different words are used for different sorts of 
 lions. The Semitic languages had numerous words by which to 
 designate the lion. It is said that the Arabs had four hundred 
 synonyms for him. In the attack pictured by Eliphaz the lions 
 were not all killed, but the teeth of those fully grown were broken. 
 No longer able to tear their prey, they perished of hunger. When 
 the old lions had died, the whelps were scattere-d. As Eliphaz 
 spoke, he either unconsciously enlarged upon a familiar theme, 
 or else, forgetting for a moment his sympathy, is intent to deter 
 Job from habitual sin. 
 
 (2) Eliphaz contrasts the holiness of God with that of all creatures, 
 4 : 12-21 
 
 12. Now a thing was secretly brought to me. Having sought 
 to induce Job to regard his general integrity as a ground of hope, 
 and having made the general statement clear that sinners only are 
 punished, Eliphaz now seeks gently to lead Job to realize that 
 his suffering must come from some sin in himself. Eliphaz 
 proceeds very cautiously and with great consideration by nar- 
 rating a vision or dream in which this truth was enforced upon 
 him. The poet in the description of this dream has achieved one 
 of the greatest of literary triumph?. He has succeeded in vividly 
 conveying such a sense of vague horror at the impalpable and 
 unknown that the reader feels something of the horror. Eliphaz 
 
 79 
 
13 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, 
 When deep sleep falleth on men, 
 
 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, 
 Which made all my bones to shake. 
 
 15. Then ^ a spirit passed before my face ; 
 The hair of my flesh stood up. 
 
 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the appear- 
 
 ance thereof ; 
 
 1 m. Or a breath passed over. 
 
 is represented as living over again the terror of his dream as he 
 relates it, and by interesting Job in the details of this personal 
 experience he is pictured as seeking so to draw the thoughts of 
 the sufferer away from himself, that he might be prepared for 
 the truth which Eliphaz desired him to grasp. 
 
 13. Visions of the night. The mystery of dreams greatly 
 impressed the ancient world. It was thought that God made 
 known his will through them, or disclosed the future. This is 
 especially the view of the writer of the E document in the Pen- 
 tateuch (see Gen. 20 : 6 ; 28 : 12 ; 37 : 5 ; 40 : 5). In spite of the 
 more spiritual conception of the prophets, who found the vision 
 of God in direct intellectual and spiritual insight, the essentially 
 divine character of dreams lingered on to the latest period of Old 
 Testament writing. Thus we are told that Daniel received his 
 revelations in "visions of the night" (Dan. 2: 19 and 28). To 
 Eliphaz accordingly the fact that the thoughts that follow were 
 impressed upon him in a night vision stamped them with divine 
 authority. When deep sleep falleth on men. At this time 
 their attention is not outwardly distracted ; their minds are open 
 to the unseen world. Such was the ancient point of view. 
 
 14. Fear came upon me. The approach of the uncanny 
 spectre was subconsciously apprehended, so that the fear and 
 trembling began even before the vague spiritual shape was visible. 
 
 15. A spirit passed. It is better with the margin to read 
 "breath." He saw nothing, but felt the moving of the air. 
 What he saw is described in the next verse. The hair of my 
 flesh stood up. The horror of fear ran over the whole body. 
 The rising of the hair is a familiar figure for the expression of 
 fear, common, for example, in Virgil. 
 
 16. It stood still. These and the words which follow convey 
 vividly the vague impression of a supernatural presence which 
 
 80 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 A form was before mine eyes : 
 
 ^ There was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 
 
 17. Shall mortal man ^ be more just than God ? 
 Shall a man ^ be more pure than his Maker ? 
 
 18. Behold, he putteth no trust in his servants; 
 And his angels he chargeth with folly : 
 
 1 m. Or heard a still voice. Better, Silence I I heard a voice. ^ m. Or be just 
 
 before God. ^ m. Or be pure before his Maker. 
 
 the dream itself made upon Eliphaz. A form was before mine 
 eyes. He seemed to discern an indistinct outline, while he could 
 not distinguish individual features. There was silence. We 
 gain a more vivid picture by translating the Hebrew literally, 
 omitting the words in italics. Eliphaz makes the scene live again 
 as he says : "Silence : I heard a voice ! " 
 
 17. More just than God. While this is a possible translation 
 of the words, it clearly gives an impossible meaning. The 
 thought that man could be more just than God is too absurd 
 ever to have suggested itself to the orthodox Eliphaz. Even Job, 
 in the heat of the later debate, though he suggests that God is 
 unrighteous, never suggests that man can be more righteous than 
 he. The vision of Eliphaz, too, was experienced before he knew 
 what Job was going to say, 'or even of Job's calamity. A better 
 translation is given by the margin. This rendering, ''Shall mortal 
 man be just before God? " is supported by the Greek, Sahidic, 
 and Ethiopic versions, and is such a thought as Eliphaz could 
 entertain. The Vulgate approaches it by translating: "Shall 
 man be accounted just in comparison with God? " A man more 
 pure than his Maker. The thought is as absurd as to suppose 
 that water will rise to a higher level than the source that feeds it. 
 We should read with the margin : "be pure before his Maker." 
 
 18. His servants. As the following line shows, this refers to 
 the angels. His angels he chargeth with folly. In the oldest 
 part of the book of Enoch (chs. 1-36), which was probably 
 written between 200 and 170 B.C., angels are divided into good 
 and bad, and the bad angels play an important part in the cor- 
 ruption of the world. This distinction was accepted by later 
 Judaism and Christianity, see Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6: 12; Rev. 
 12: 7. In earlier parts of the Old Testament, however, angels 
 were undifferentiated ; they might do anything either good or 
 bad, see Gen. 6:2; i Kgs. 22 : 21-23. The conception of angels 
 in the poem here is intermediate between these two; it corre- 
 
 G 81 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 19. How much more them that dwell in houses of 
 
 clay, 
 Whose foundation is in the dust, 
 ^ Which are crushed ^ before the moth ! 
 
 20. 2 Betwixt morning and evening they are * de- 
 
 stroyed : 
 They perish for ever without any regarding it. 
 
 1 Gr Sah. Eth. Whom he crushed. * m. Or, like. * m. Or From morning unto 
 evening. * m. Heb. broken in pieces. 
 
 spends to the conception of them in the prologue, chs. i and 2. 
 There Satan was still an angel, but God regards him as holding 
 erroneous views of human virtue, charges him with it, and tries 
 to convert him from it. "His angels he chargeth with folly," 
 implies just this sort of thing. The distinction of angels into 
 classes as in Enoch and the New Testament is not here contem- 
 plated. Folly. The word in the original is difficult as it occurs 
 nowhere else in Hebrew. It appears to come from one of two 
 stems which in Arabic and Ethiopic respectively mean "to wan- 
 der," "go astray." "Error " rather than folly seems to be the 
 meaning. 
 
 19. Houses of clay . . . the dust. A reference to the 
 account of man's creation in the J document in Genesis. See Gen. 
 2 : 7 ; 3 : 19. A similar thought is expressed in Ps. 78 : 39 : "He 
 remembered that they were but flesh." There is in the Old Testa- 
 ment none of the Persian conception that matter is inherently 
 corrupt, but these passages recognize that the flesh is frail and 
 that because of this men are exposed to temptations to which 
 pure spirits are free. Which are crushed before the moth. 
 The Greek version translated: "he crushes them like a moth "; 
 the Sahidic and Vulgate: "They are crushed like a moth." 
 The idea being not that the moth consumes the body, so that it 
 is crushed before them, but that the body is fragile like them and 
 is as easily crushed. 
 
 20. Betv/ixt morning and evening they are destroyed. The 
 figure of the moth is still in the poet's mind. He thinks of them 
 as living less than a day, and makes their life a vivid figure of 
 the brevity of human existence. Without any regarding it. 
 The killing of a moth, which is at the best but an ephemerid, is 
 too insignificant an event to attract attention. It becomes a 
 powerful figure of the slight impression that the death of a man 
 makes in the universe. 
 
 S2 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 5:2 
 
 21. ^ Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them ? 
 
 They die, and that without wisdom. 
 5. Call now ; is there any that will answer thee ? 
 
 And to which of the ^ holy ones wilt thou turn ? 
 2. For vexation killeth the foolish man, 
 
 ^ m. Or Is not their excellency which is in tfietn removed? * m. See 15 : 15. 
 
 21. Their tent-cord plucked up. The reading of the margin, 
 "Is not their excellency which is in them removed?" while a 
 possible translation, is far inferior to that of the text. There is 
 much analogy for taking the word which the margin renders 
 "excellency" as "tent-cord," and the figure is clearly drawn 
 from nomadic life. The tent is easily "plucked up " and moved 
 away. It is at the best but a transitory dwelUng, and when 
 removed leaves few traces of its presence. It thus becomes, as 
 in Isa. 38: 12, a powerful figure of the brevity of human Ufe. 
 Without wisdom. As the angels are charged with "error," so 
 man, more frail, ends his brief life "without wisdom." 
 
 (3) Eliphaz applies the principle to J oh, 5:1-7 
 
 1. To which of the holy ones wilt thou turn? "Holy ones" 
 refers to "angels," to whom Eliphaz had referred in 4: 18. Job 
 had implied in his complaint (3 : 23) that God was to be 
 blamed for his suffering. Eliphaz believes that it is due to some 
 sin in Job. It occurred to Eliphaz that Job might appeal to one 
 of the angels, either to take his part against God, or to intercede 
 with God. In Bab34onia penitents often called upon one god to 
 intercede with another, and the idea seems to have been wide- 
 spread in the Semitic world that such intercession was possible. 
 Among monotheistic Semites it was naturally angels who were 
 thought to perform that office, see Goran, Sura 53 : 26. Such is 
 the thought here, though no such idea is expressed elsewhere in 
 the Old Testament. Ch. 33 : 23 is generally cited by scholars 
 as a parallel, but it is probable that no angel is referred to there, but 
 a messenger only, and that by the messenger Elihu means himself. 
 The idea of angelic intercession is, however, found in the Ethiopic 
 Enoch, a Jewish book considerably later than Job ; see Eth. Enoch 
 97:3; 99: 16 — a part of the work written between 104-79 B.C. As 
 the thought is one that belongs to the old Semitic inheritance, and 
 was entertained by Jews later, it is not strange to find it here. 
 
 2. For vexation killeth the foolish man. The preceding verse 
 had asked if Job would appeal to any, even to angels, against God. 
 This verse gives the reason why such an appeal should not be 
 
 83 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ jealousy slayeth the silly one. 
 
 3. I have seen the foolish taking root : 
 But suddenly ^ I cursed his habitation. 
 
 4. His children are far from safety, 
 And they are crushed ^ in the gate, 
 Neither is there any to deliver them. 
 
 5. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, 
 
 ^ And taketh it even out of the thorns, 
 
 1 m. Or indignation. 2 Gr. Sah. Syr. Ar. and Eth. his habitation was consumed. 
 
 3 Sah. omits in the gate. * Gr. and Sah. And they shall not be delivered from the 
 
 wicked. Aq. He shall be taken at the hands of armed men. Sym. They shall be taken at 
 the hands of armed men. Eth. The wicked shall not make war upon them. Syr. Ar. And 
 they shall be poured out for thirst. Vulg. Tlie armed man shall seize him. 
 
 made. It would but increase Job's vexation without obtaining 
 for him any relief, and so but aggravate his calamity and hasten 
 his death. Jealousy. It is better to read with the margin, 
 "indignation." The hot restlessness of one in such a temper 
 helps to burn out his life. 
 
 3. I cursed his habitation. This makes no good sense. Why 
 should Eliphaz curse his habitation? He might recognize that it 
 was cursed, but the context demands the statement of some strong 
 antithesis in the fortune of the wicked himself. This antithesis 
 is secured if with the five versions noted above we read, "sud- 
 denly his dwelling was consumed." It means in Hebrew the 
 change of but two letters. 
 
 4. In the gate. The courts of justice, consisting of the elders 
 of the city, sat in the gate (see Ruth 4 : iff.). When the powerful 
 protector of a family, the father, was gone, the children were over- 
 powered or crushed before the tribunals. The strongest arm and 
 longest purse obtained the verdict. 
 
 5. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up. They cannot pro- 
 tect the income of their fields. It is the prey of rapacious thief or 
 hungry animal. And taketh it even out of the thorns. This 
 rendering of the Hebrew is impossible — indeed the Hebrew is 
 itself impossible. That it was already corrupt in ancient times 
 is shown by the renderings of the versions given above. The 
 line probably arose originally from an accidental repetition of a 
 Hebrew word, other words being added afterward to make sense 
 of it. If it is dropped and we read simply : 
 
 " Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, 
 And the thirsty swallow up their substance," 
 
 84 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ the snare gapeth for their substance. 
 
 6. For ^ affiction cometh not forth of the dust, 
 Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 
 
 7. But man is born unto trouble, 
 As ^ the sparks fly upward. 
 
 8. But as for me, I would seek unto God, 
 And unto God would I commit my cause : 
 
 1 According to many ancient versions, the thirsty swallow up. ^ m. Or iniquity. 
 See 4:8. 3 m. Heb. the sons of flame or of lightning. Gr. Sah. the nestlings of 
 
 the vulture. Aq. Sym. Syr. Ar. Eth. the young of birds. Targ. sons of demons. 
 
 we have a much clearer thought and a stronger verse. The 
 snare gapeth for their substance. The marginal reading, which 
 is supported by Aq. Sym. Syr. Vulg., should be adopted. 
 
 6. Affliction cometh not forth of the dust. Eliphaz means 
 that a£9ictions are not accidental. They have a cause. Eliphaz 
 is reasoning here from effect back to cause. Since Job is afflicted, 
 he should recognize that there is a cause for his suffering. 
 
 7. Man is bom unto trouble. The expression is vague, but seems 
 to imply that he is born to trouble because he is born to sin, 
 and that sin brings trouble upon him. Some scholars would 
 make this thought more obvious by rendering (through a change 
 of the Hebrew pointing) "man begets trouble." The versions, 
 however, support the present text. The sparks. The versions, 
 as shown above, understood this in quite different ways, but 
 whether we render "sparks " or "lightning " or "young vultures " 
 or "young birds," it is clear that the figure referred to something 
 that was impelled to rise by the laws of its own nature. Although 
 scholars have found many difficulties in the interpretation of 
 this and the preceding verse, it seems probable that Eliphaz 
 intends to imply that it is man's nature to sin, and, since sin 
 brings trouble, he is necessarily always in trouble. 
 
 (4) Job should seek God, whose chastisements lead to richer blessing, 
 5 : 8-27 
 
 8. But as for me. The Hebrew expresses here a strong con- 
 trast ; it is the contrast between what Job is doing, and what Eli- 
 phaz thinks he would do under similar circumstances. I would 
 seek unto God : in humility, for light to understand my error 
 and for help to correct it. Eliphaz did not understand what Job 
 at a later point makes clear, that Job felt his way to God cut off. 
 
 85 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. Which doeth great things and unsearchable ; 
 
 ^ Marvellous things without number : 
 
 10. Who giveth rain upon the earth, 
 And sendeth waters upon the fields : 
 
 11. ^ So that he setteth up on high those that be low ; 
 And those which mourn are exalted to safety. 
 
 12. He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, 
 
 So that their "hands ^ cannot perform their enter- 
 prise. 
 
 13. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness : 
 
 » 16 Heb. MSS. Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Ar. Eth. Even marvellous things. 2 Gr. Vulg. 
 Sah. Eth. Who setteth up. ^ m. Or, can perform nothing of worth. Gr. Sah. Eth. 
 
 rendered anything true. Syr. msdom. Vulg. what they undertake. Targ. the counsel 
 of their msdom. Ar. purpose. 
 
 9. Which doeth great things and unsearchable. This is 
 urged as the reason for the exhortation implied in v. 8. God's 
 abiUty to accomplish that which the understanding of man can- 
 not fathom affords ground for hope that he may solve the perplex- 
 ities of Job's tangled problem, if Job but commits his case to God. 
 
 10. Who giveth rain upon the earth. This is cited as a token 
 of his power and his universal goodness. In the thirsty East rain 
 is one of the greatest blessings. Eliphaz implies that he who 
 refreshes the thirsty earth may soothe and heal the suffering Job. 
 
 11. So that he setteth up. It is better with the versions cited 
 above to read "who setteth up." The verse does not express a 
 consequence of the giving of the rain, but an entirely separate 
 instance of God's supreme power. It is an instance, too, espe- 
 cially appropriate to the case in hand, for he that "raiseth up the 
 low " may raise up Job. 
 
 12. He frustrateth the devices of the crafty. This is a favorite 
 thought with the sages of the Old Testament. Cannot perform 
 their enterprise. The word rendered enterprise is in the Hebrew 
 an unusual and difficult one. It occurs mainly in the wisdom 
 books. The various renderings of the versions cited above show 
 that it was not well understood by the ancient translators. It 
 apparently means "abiding success," and the clause should be 
 translated: "do not achieve abiding success." 
 
 13. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness, continues 
 and expands the thought of the preceding verse. The quotation 
 of this in i Cor. 3 : 19 is the only direct quotation from Job in the 
 
 86 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the counsel of the froward is carried head- 
 long. 
 
 14. They meet with darkness in the day-time, 
 And grope at noonday as in the night. 
 
 15. But he saveth from the sword ^ of their mouth, 
 Even the needy from the hand of the mighty. 
 
 16. So the poor hath hope, 
 
 And iniquity stoppeth her mouth. 
 
 17. 2 Behold, happy is the man whom God ^ cor- 
 
 recteth : 
 
 1 m. Heb. out of their mouth. Gr. Sah. Eth. render the verse But they perish in 
 war, and are unable to escape from the hand of the conqueror. ' 5 Heb. MSS. Gr. 
 
 Syr. Vulg. Sah. Ar. Eth. omit Behold. ^ m. Or, reproveth. 
 
 New Testament, though Job 3:21a is quoted almost verbatim 
 in Rev. 9:6; and Job 41 : 11 in Rom. 11 : 35. 
 
 14. And grope at noonday as in the night. A vivid picture of 
 the perplexity of one who, baffled in the labyrinth of life, seeks for 
 a ray of hope. Compare Deut. 28 : 29, and for physical parallels, 
 Gen. 19 : II ; 2 Kgs. 6 : 18-20 ; and Acts 13 : 11. 
 
 15. From the sword of their mouth. This line makes no sense, 
 and is very unusual Hebrew. Three of the ancient versions, as 
 noted above, had a very different text, though their reading is no 
 more intelligible than the present Hebrew. As modern inter- 
 preters have noted, some word like "poor " must have stood in 
 place of "their mouth." If we restore this, the verse would read : 
 
 "But he saves from the sword the poor, 
 And the needy from the hand of the mighty." 
 
 This gives a clear thought, makes the verse a natural contrast to 
 the preceding one, and prepares the way for the one that follows. 
 
 16. So the poor hath hope. It is such interference on their 
 behalf, Eliphaz believed, that gives the poor their hope in God. 
 Iniquity stoppeth her mouth. Compare Ps. 107 : 42. When they 
 see their designs frustrated, and those whom they have sought to 
 destroy rising in prosperity, the wicked are dumb with astonish- 
 ment. This, at least, was the view of Eliphaz. In real life the 
 wicked under such circumstances still have power to curse. 
 The verse gives us Eliphaz's view of the end contemplated by the 
 sweep of God's providences. 
 
 17. Happy is the man whom God correcteth. Compare 
 Pr. 3: II and 12 (quoted in Heb. 12: 5 and 6), also Ps. 94: 12. 
 
 ^1 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the 
 Almighty. 
 i8. For he maketh sore, and bindeth up ; 
 
 He woundeth, and his hands make whole, 
 
 19. He shall deliver thee ^ in six troubles ; 
 
 Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. 
 
 20. In famine he shall redeem thee from death; 
 And in war from the power of the sword. 
 
 21. Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue ; 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. from six troubles. 
 
 The imagination of Eliphaz kindles as he thinks of God's goodness 
 to the penitent sinner, and he portrays afflictions as though they 
 were choice blessings. Underlying all, however, is the assumption 
 that Job has sinned, and that his present affliction is a punish- 
 ment for sin. As Job is conscious that he has committed nothing 
 to warrant the infliction of such sufferings, the words of Eliphaz 
 irritate him, rather than lead him to repentance. 
 
 18. He maketh sore, and bindeth up. Rather "he maketh 
 sore that he may bind up." Like the skilful surgeon, God uses 
 the knife in order that the healing may be the more complete. 
 For similar thoughts see Deut. 32 : 39 and Hos. 6:1. 
 
 19. In six troubles ... in seven. This is a vivid way of 
 expressing the idea of "many." Compare Isa. 17:6; Micah 
 5:5; and Eccl. 11:2. Similarly "some " was expressed by the 
 numbers "three and four " or "four and five " in Amos i : 3, 
 6, 9, II, 13 ; 2 : I, 4, 6 ; Pr. 30 : 15, 18, 21 ; Ex. 20 : 5 ; 34 : 7 and 
 "few" by "two and three" in Job 33 : 14, 29; Ps. 62 : 11 ; and Isa. 
 17: 6. 
 
 20. Death . . . sword. These are explanatory examples 
 illustrating the "troubles" referred to in the preceding verse 
 21. Of the tongue. Slander, or the scourge of the envious tongue, 
 is an evil of which many Psalmists complain (see Ps. 5 : 9 ; 15:3; 
 52:2; 57:4; 64:3; etc.). Protection from slander seems, 
 however, inappropriate here, since all the other dangers enu- 
 merated are objective, such as famine, war, and wild beasts. 
 Although all the ancient versions support the reading "tongue," 
 those scholars may be right who think we should substitute here 
 a word meaning "pestilence." If we do this, the four dangers 
 mentioned are the same as those enumerated in Eze. 5:17 and 
 14: 21 ff. 
 
 88 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB^ 
 
 Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when 
 it Cometh. 
 
 22. At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; 
 Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the 
 
 earth. 
 
 23. ^ For thou shalt be in league with the stones of 
 
 the field ; 
 And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with 
 thee. 
 
 24. And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace ; 
 And thou shalt visit thy ^ fold, and ^ shalt miss 
 
 nothing. 
 
 25. Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be 
 
 great, 
 
 1 Gr. Sym. Sah. Eth. omit For thou shall he in league with the stones of the field. 
 
 2 m. Or, habitation. ' m. Or, shalt not err. 
 
 2 2. Neither shalt thou be afraid. The rendering is not quite 
 accurate, and misses a delicate shade of meaning. The negative 
 is not the same that was used in v. 21. It conveys the thought, 
 "thou needest not fear." 
 
 23. The stones of the field. Which might easily render the 
 land unfruitful, if they were too numerous; see Isa. 5: 2. The 
 beasts of the field shall be at peace. One element of the highest 
 conceptions of the kingdom of God in both the Old Testament 
 and the New consists of the ideal of a profound sympathy and 
 harmony between man and nature. See Isa. 11 : 6-9 and Rom. 
 8 : 19 and 22. 
 
 24. Thy tent. This is the literal meaning of the word and is 
 better than the marginal rendering, "habitation." Shall miss 
 nothing. This is to be preferred to the marginal reading, " shalt 
 not err." According to the theology of Eliphaz and his friends 
 righteousness is rewarded by outward prosperity. This verse 
 expresses the security that Eliphaz believed the really good man 
 would experience. 
 
 25. Thy seed shall be great. A numerous posterity was 
 throughout the Old Testament considered one of the choicest 
 blessings, see Gen. 15:5; Num. 23 : 10 ; Ps. 25 : 13 ; 37 : 26 ; 89 : 
 29, 36; 102:24; Isa. 38: 10; 53:10. Eliphaz accordingly 
 
 89 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And thine offspring as the grass of the ^ earth. 
 
 26. Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, 
 Like as a shock of corn cometh in its season. 
 
 27. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is ; 
 
 2 Hear it, and know thou it ^ for thy good. 
 
 2. JoVs First Reply to Eliphaz, Chs. 6, 7 
 6. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. Oh that my vexation were but weighed. 
 
 And my calamity laid in the balances together ! 
 
 3. For now it would be heavier than the sand of the 
 
 seas: 
 
 » Gr. Sah. Tzxg. field. « Gr. Syr. Sah. Ar. Eth. We have heard it. a m. Heb. /or thyself. 
 
 enumerates this among the blessings that will come to Job, quite 
 iorgetful for the moment that Job's children have all perished. 
 it is possible, however, that he meant to suggest that if Job were 
 reconciled to God he might hope for another family. This would 
 accord well with the point of view of the Arab of to-day. 
 
 26. In a full age. We should rather render "in firm strength." 
 Long life is presupposed (see Ps. 91 : 16) and is expressed in the 
 next clause; Eliphaz declares that vigor to enjoy it all is given 
 to the righteous. A shock of com ... in its season. This 
 expresses the promise of long life. 
 
 27. Hear it. The Hebrew word is very peculiar. We should 
 adopt the reading of the versions cited above, "we have heard 
 it." Know thou it. Eliphaz exhorts Job to put it to the test 
 of experience. For thy good. The marginal reading, "for thy- 
 self," is to be followed here. 
 
 (i) Joh justifies the violence of his complaint, 6 : 1-13. 
 
 2. Oh that my vexation were but weighed. Job had been 
 deeply hurt by the words of Eliphaz, who had entirely failed to 
 understand or to enter into sympathy with him. Eliphaz had 
 expressed surprise at Job's impatience (4: 3-5), and had implied 
 that such vexation consumed foolish people (5:2). This Job 
 resents, and declares that if his vexation were put in the balance 
 with his calamity, it would be found that he was not more impa- 
 tient than the misfortune warranted. 
 
 3. Sand of the seas. Sand is in the Old Testament a favorite 
 figure for that which is infinite in weight or number or measure ; 
 
 90 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Therefore have my words been rash. 
 
 4. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, 
 The poison whereof my spirit drinketh up : 
 
 ^ The terrors of God do set themselves in array 
 against me. 
 
 5. Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass ? 
 Or loweth the ox over his fodder ? 
 
 6. Can that which hath no savour be eaten with- 
 
 out salt ? 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. When God rouses me, they hurt me. 
 
 see Pr. 27:3; Gen. 32: 12; Jer. 33:22. Have my words been 
 rash. Job does not mean that the content of his utterance was 
 not justified, but that the form was wild and delirious. This is 
 clear from his reference to the cause — the poison of the arrows 
 of Jehovah — in the next verse. 
 
 4. For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. Job re- 
 garded this as the explanation of his bearing. It was not the 
 calamities themselves that unmanned him, but his doubt of God. 
 Job was conscious of no sin, hence his misfortunes seemed to prove 
 that God had without reason turned against him. An irre- 
 sponsible tyrant ruled the universe and was amusing himself by 
 torturing Job. For the arrow as a figure of the shafts of affliction, 
 see Job 16 : 12 and 13 ; Deut. 32 : 23 ; and Ps. 38 : 2 and 3. The 
 poison whereof. God's arrows were poisoned arrows. This 
 is a strong figure of the effect which the agony created by Job's 
 doubt of God produced. The terrors of God do set themselves 
 in array against me. This is not a good ending to Job's meta- 
 phor. We should adopt the reading of the three versions noted 
 above: "When God rouses me they hurt me." It means in 
 Hebrew but the transposition of two letters, and restores the lost 
 sense. The Almighty's arrows are sticking in Job, their poison 
 fevers his brain, he cannot move without being hurt by them. 
 No wonder his complaint was vehement and wild ! 
 
 5. Doth the wild ass bray . . . loweth the ox. Since animals 
 do not cry out when their wants are satisfied, but only when in 
 distress, Job's friends should know that his cry has an adequate 
 cause. 
 
 h. 6. Can that which hath no savour. The point of this remark 
 comes out in the next verse. The white of an egg. The Hebrew 
 
 91 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or is there any taste in ^ the white of an egg ? 
 
 2 My soul refuseth ^ to touch them; 
 
 ^ They are as loathsome meat to me. 
 
 Oh that I might have ^ my request ; 
 
 And that God would grant me the thing that I 
 
 long for ! 
 Even that it would please God to crush me ; 
 
 ^ m. Or, the juice of purslain. Syr. the juice of anchusa. Gr. Sah. Eth. in vain words. 
 Vulg. that which tasted brings death. Ar. spittle of the foolish. Targ. white of an egg. 
 2 m. Or, What things my soul refused to touch, these are as my loathsome meat. ^ Gr. 
 Sah. Eth. to rest. * Gr. Sah. Eth. / see the stink of my food as the smell of a lion. 
 
 Syr. At. Or cries out like drunken men to fight me. Vulg. Now before my distress is my 
 food. Targ. They make me sick and are enough for my dinner. * 3 MSS. Vulg. 
 Targ. this. 
 
 words here are obscure, and the readings of the ancient versions 
 cited above show that in ancient times they were not understood. 
 The Targum only supports the reading of the text of RV. It is 
 not an insuperable objection to this rendering that the domestic 
 hen is not mentioned in Palestinian writings until the New Testa- 
 ment period, having been first domesticated in eastern Asia and 
 introduced into the West through Persia, for Deut. 22:6 and 
 Isa. 10 : 14 show that the eggs of wild birds might be gathered. 
 The eggs of the ostrich are mentioned in Job 39 : 14, and the Arabs 
 to-day make an omelette of these which is highly prized. It is, 
 however, more probable that the reading of the margin should 
 be adopted. The reference would then be to the tastelessness of 
 the juice of some plant. This affords a better meaning than to 
 follow the Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic versions, as some scholars 
 do, and render "vain words." The taste of vain words is a mixed 
 metaphor of which it is unfair to suppose this great poet guilty. 
 
 7. My soul refuseth to touch them. "Them " refers to Job's 
 afflictions. They are as unattractive to his spirit as the tasteless 
 things of V. 6 to the palate. They are as loathsome meat to me. 
 This represents a very unusual, if not an impossible, Hebrew. 
 That the text is probably corrupt the renderings of the ancient 
 versions quoted above show. It is now perhaps impossible to 
 restore it. On the whole the suggestion of Ley to change two 
 letters of the Hebrew and read, "They make me loathe my food," 
 is the simplest and best. 
 
 8. My request. This refers to Job's longing for death ex- 
 pressed in 3 : 20-24. His reference to his sufferings brings to 
 remembrance this desire, and leads to renewed expression of it. 
 
 92 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 That he would let loose his hand, and cut me off ! 
 
 10. Then should I yet have comfort ; 
 
 ^ Yea, I would ^ exult in pain ^ that spareth not : 
 * For I have not ^ denied the words of the Holy 
 One. 
 
 11. What is my strength, that I should wait? 
 
 And what is mine end, that I should be patient ? 
 
 12. Is my strength the strength of stones? 
 Or is my flesh of brass ? 
 
 13. ® Is it not that I have no help in me, 
 
 1 m. Or, Though I shrink back. 2 m. Qr, Jiarden myself. ^ m. Or, though he 
 
 spare not. < m. Or, That. » m. Qr, concealed. ^ Syr. Vulg. Ar. Behold there is 
 no help in me. 
 
 9. Let loose his hand. Job felt that God had hitherto smitten 
 him with a fettered hand. If he would but give his hand free 
 play and entirely crush Job or cut him off, then Job's misery 
 would be over. Job has here forgotten his defence in sheer 
 wretchedness, and has broken out in this passionate cry. 
 
 10. Then should I yet have comfort. Job's comfort would be 
 in death, the calmness and peace of which he had so vividly 
 described (3: 20-24). Yea, I would exult in pain that spareth 
 not. The text is in each case to be preferred to the marginal 
 renderings. The short period of pain which preceded death he 
 would gladly endure for the calmness which would follow. For 
 I have not denied the words of the Holy One. Again the text is 
 to be preferred to the marginal readings. The sentence^ seems 
 so meaningless on Job's lips that many scholars regard it as a 
 later interpolation. Job did not look forward to a future life, 
 but to the inanimate Sheol (3 : 20-24). All the versions read the 
 text here, however, and it seems difficult to throw it out. It 
 seems to be a parenthetical assertion on Job's part of his inno- 
 cence — a sort of suddenly interjected reply to the insinuations 
 of Eliphaz concerning his guilt. 
 
 11. Be patient. In this verse Job returns to the insinuation of 
 Eliphaz that the calamities should have been borne in a different 
 spirit, and strongly asserts that that was too much to expect. 
 
 12. Stones . . . brass. It would take hard, unfeeling metal 
 to bear the strain, and Job was quivering, sensitive flesh. 
 
 13. Is it not that. We should read with three versions cited 
 above, "Behold there is no help in me." Effectual working. 
 
 93 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And that ^ effectual working is driven quite from 
 me? 
 
 14. To him that is ready to faint kindness should be 
 
 shewed from his friend ; 
 2 Even to him that forsaketh the fear of the 
 Almighty. 
 
 15. My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, 
 As the channel of brooks that pass away ; 
 
 16. Which are black by reason of the ice, 
 
 1 m. Or, sound wisdom. ^ m. Or, Else might he forsake. Or, But he forsaketh. 
 
 Better than either the text or the margin is the rendering "abid- 
 ing success." In contrast to the strength of stones and brass 
 Job declares that he is destitute of ordinary human strength, 
 and is able to achieve abiding success in nothing — not even 
 in being patient. 
 
 (2) J oh expresses disappointment at the attitude of his friend, 6 : 14-30. 
 
 14. To him that is ready to faint. The Hebrew word here is 
 peculiar, occurring nowhere else. The ancient versions (Gr. 
 Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. Sah. Eth.) had readings which suggest a 
 stem meaning " deny." Perhaps we should read : 
 
 " To one who is denied kindness from his friend, 
 Even he forsakes the fear of the Almighty." 
 
 The thought of the verse would then be, when taken in connection 
 with the last clause of v. 10, that, although Job had not become 
 godless, the attitude of Eliphaz might drive him to it. 
 
 15. Dealt deceitfully. This is a strong way of expressing Job's 
 disappointment in his friends. When they came, he had hoped for 
 real understanding and sympathy, but the speech of Eliphaz had 
 shown that this hope was not to be fulfilled. "Deceitfully " is a 
 reference to the false nature of this fair promise. As a brook, 
 as the channel of brooks that pass away. There are in Palestine 
 but few perennial streams. On the other hand, numerous valleys 
 are in the rainy season turned into temporary brooks. When the 
 rain ceases they speedily run dry. They may hold out a promise of 
 refreshment to the traveller, but are almost sure to disappoint it. 
 The following verses develop the figure with vivid details. 
 
 16. Black by reason of the ice. A reference to the turbid 
 waters of the streams when the ice melts to augment the current. 
 
 94 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 A fid wherein the snow hideth itself: 
 
 17. What time ^ they ^ wax warm, they vanish : 
 When it is hot, they are consumed out of their 
 
 place. 
 
 18. ^ The caravans that travel by the way of them 
 
 turn aside ; 
 They go up into the waste, and perish. 
 
 19. The caravans of Tema looked, 
 
 The companies of Sheba waited for them. 
 
 20. They were ashamed because they had hoped ; 
 They came thither, and were confounded. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. it is warm. 2 m. Or, shrink. ' m. Or, The paths of their way are 
 turned aside. 
 
 The snow hideth itself. By melting. This increases the volume 
 of water. 
 
 17. They wax warm. The text is preferable to the marginal 
 reading, but we should read with the versions cited above, "it 
 is warm." They are consumed out of their place. Nothing is 
 more desolate than the dry valley of such a brook in the summer- 
 time; see Barton, Wandering in Bible Lands, opp. p. 133. 
 
 18. The caravans. The text is better than the marginal 
 reading. The picture is that of a caravan that has come from a 
 long way and planned to camp by such a stream. It finds no 
 water and is compelled to turn aside on the chance of finding a 
 pool near by ; it cannot reach the next stream. To experience 
 the force of the figure one should have experienced such a dis- 
 appointment in the thirsty East. For an account of such an 
 episode, see Barton, Wandering in Bible Lands, pp. 215 flf. Into 
 the waste, and perish. They perish while seeking water in the 
 desert. 
 
 19. Tema . . . Sheba. The former was in Edom on the con- 
 fines of northern Arabia (see Isa. 21: 14; Jer. 25: 23). Sheba 
 was the famous city Saba in South Arabia (see note on i : 15). The 
 lives of the caravans of towns from far and near are imperiled 
 by the unexpected failure of the lonely, insignificant brook. It 
 is a powerful figure of the deadly harm that results from the 
 failure of even an insignificant character to live up to that which 
 may be justly expected of it. 
 
 20. Ashamed. As often in the Old Testament, means "dis- 
 appointed." 
 
 95 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 21. ^ For now ye ^ are ^ nothing ; 
 Ye see a terror, and are afraid. 
 
 22. Did I say, Give unto me ? 
 
 Or, Offer a present for me of your substance ? 
 
 23. Or, Deliver me from the adversary's hand ? 
 
 Or, Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors ? 
 
 24. Teach me, and I will hold my peace : 
 
 And cause me to understand wherein I have 
 erred. 
 
 25. How ^ forcible are words of uprightness ! 
 But what doth your arguing reprove ? 
 
 1 Syr. At. Eth. Thus. * m. Another reading is are like thereto. ' Syr. Ar. to 
 
 me. * I Heb. MS. and Targ. sweet. 
 
 21. For now ye are nothing. The Hebrew is very unusual, 
 and the versions show that it early became corrupt. We should 
 probably read with the versions cited above: "Thus are ye to 
 me," i.e. ye are like the disappointing streams previously de- 
 scribed. Ye see a terror, and are afraid. Their imaginary con- 
 ception of Job's sinfulness dries up their sympathy and makes 
 them like the disappointing brook. 
 
 22. A present ... of your substance. Had Job asked mate- 
 rial aid — a gift of money or goods — he would not have been 
 surprised, he says, at their lack of sympathy. Even friendship 
 could not be expected to undergo such a strain as that ! 
 
 23. Adversary's hand. That is, the hand of a bandit. Such 
 deliverance would require a ransom, as the next line shows. 
 Modern instances like the case of Miss Stone, the American 
 missionary in Macedonia, and Ian Perdicarris, who was captured 
 by Rais Uli in Morocco, illustrate the thought. The verse ex- 
 presses in another form the thought of v. 22. 
 
 24. Teach me. Job claimed that he was ready to be taught 
 his real faults, but he could not see that the words of Eliphaz 
 touched upon any reality. 
 
 25. How forcible are words of uprightness! The Hebrew 
 word rendered "forcible" does not have that meaning. We 
 should read with one Heb. MS. and the Targum, *' How sweet ! " 
 Job feels that words that were really just to him would be sweet. 
 But what doth your arguing reprove? The Hebrew is, "What 
 doth reproving from you reprove ! " Job is very scornful, for 
 
 96 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 26. Do ye imagine to reprove words ? 
 
 Seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate 
 are ^ as wind. 
 
 27. Yea, ye would cast lots upon the fatherless, 
 And make merchandise of your friend. 
 
 28. Now therefore be pleased to look upon me ; 
 2 For surely I shall not lie to your face. 
 
 29. Return, I pray you, let there be no injustice ; 
 Yea, return again, ^ my cause is righteous. 
 
 1 m. Or, for the wind. * m. Or, And it will be evident unto you if I lie. * m. Heb. 
 my righteousness is in it. Perhaps we should read let justice come. 
 
 to his supersensitive mind the words of Eliphaz have been most 
 unjust. 
 
 26. To reprove words. One in the impatience of illness says 
 many things that he does not half mean. Job in this verse admits 
 that he has done so, and expresses wonder that his friends knew 
 so little of human nature that they should seriously undertake 
 to answer the wild utterances of a despairing man. 
 
 27. Ye would cast lots upon the fatherless. They have been 
 so unfeeling that Job declares that they would even cast lots upon 
 the fatherless. Pity toward orphans and care for them is incul- 
 cated throughout the Old Testament and the Coran (see e.g. 
 Deut. 24:17 and 19; Ps. 68:5; Pr. 23:10; Isa. 1:23; 
 etc.). Those who were unfeeling toward such were severely 
 denounced. Such a charge against the friends of Job is, of course, 
 unjust, and many scholars have thought it a difficulty that it 
 comes in here so abruptly and inappropriately. It is, however, 
 just the sort of extravagant charge that an exasperated invalid 
 whose nerves were all on edge might make, and the poet has dis- 
 played his insight and skill in putting it upon Job's lips. Mer- 
 chandise of your friend. Like the preceding charge, it is extrav- 
 agantly unjust, but Job is led to these wild utterances by his 
 keen sense of the lack of real insight and sympathy on the part of 
 his friends. 
 
 28. Be pleased. As we say "be good enough." Surely I 
 shall not lie to your face. Job's thought is that by looking him 
 straight in the face they could tell whether in the assertion of 
 innocence he was lying. Consciousness of falsehood betrays itself 
 in the countenance. The test proposed is a real test. 
 
 29. Return. We should rather translate "turn." Job con- 
 tinues the request that they shall look in his face. My cause is 
 
 H 97 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 30. Is there injustice on my tongue ? 
 
 Cannot my taste discern mischievous things ? 
 7. Is there not a ^ warfare to man upon earth ? 
 
 And are not his days like the days of an hireHng ? 
 2. As a servant that earnestly desireth the shadow, 
 
 1 m. Or , time of service. 
 
 righteous. As this stands it is an assertion of his innocence, but 
 as it is preceded by the request that they "turn," we should prob- 
 ably change one letter of the Hebrew and read, "let justice com ." 
 It would then continue Job's invitation that they apply the test 
 of scrutiny while he asserts his innocence. 
 
 30. Is there injustice on my tongue? This does not mean," have 
 I said anything wrong? " but "is my tongue wrong? " i.e. has 
 it lost its sense of taste so that it deceives me ? Cannot my taste 
 discern? "Taste" is used figuratively for moral insight. He 
 means, Have I not power to distinguish right and wrong? 
 
 (3) A renewed outburst in which Job charges God with cruelly torment- 
 ing him, 7 : 1-2 1 
 
 1. Warfare. This is a better reading than that of the margin. 
 The Hebrew word is regularly used of military expeditions and 
 military service. It is the same word that is rendered "warfare " 
 in Isa. 40 : 2. 
 
 The poet with masterly skill makes Job pass for a moment 
 from his own particular suffering to the agonizing travail of man- 
 kind. Job catches for a moment through the window of his own 
 torture a glimpse of the sufferings of humanity, and those suffer- 
 ings are pictured under the figure of a hard military campaign. 
 The hardships must be endured, and endured to the end ; there is 
 no discharge (cf. Eccl. 8:8). The hard marches, the cold and 
 heat, the wounds and sickness, must be endured till the campaign 
 is finished. Hireling. This might mean a mercenary soldier, 
 since it is so used in Jer. 46 : 21 ; but as it means "hired laborer " 
 in the next verse, it probably means that here. The master of a 
 slave has a property interest in the slave's welfare, but for the 
 hired laborer he cares nothing personally. He wrings from him 
 all that he can. So the poet thinks the lot of this type of laborer 
 is especially hard. 
 
 2. A servant that earnestly desireth the shadow. "Panteth 
 for the shadow " would be a better translation of the Hebrew 
 word than "earnestly desireth." The phrase vividly pictures a 
 slave sweltering under the fierce Syrian sun and panting for the 
 
 98 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And as an hireling that looketh for his wages : 
 
 3. So am I made to possess months of vanity, 
 And wearisome nights are appointed to me. 
 
 4. When I He down, I say, 
 
 ^ When shall I arise ? but the night is long ; 
 And I am full of tossings to and fro unto the 
 dawning of the day. 
 
 5. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust ; 
 My skin ^ closeth up and ^ breaketh out afresh. 
 
 6. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. When will it be day thai I may arise? m. Or, When shall I arise 
 and the night be gone? 2 m. Qr, is broken and become loathsome. ^ Syr. Targ. read 
 is moistened. 
 
 cool shadows of evening when labor will be over. Looketh for 
 his wages. Hired laborers are paid at evening. The phrase 
 is equivalent to saying that he longs for evening. 
 
 3. So am I. Job's intense suffering will not permit him to be 
 impersonal for long. He comes quickly back from his glance at 
 humanity to a personal complaint. Months . . . nights. At 
 first sight this is a strange parallel, but the "months " expresses 
 the duration of sufferings, and the "nights " the degree of his pain, 
 which was more intense then. 
 
 4. When I lie down. This explains why "night " was used so 
 peculiarly in the preceding verse. Job's malady made the nights 
 particularly irksome. When shall I arise? It is better to read 
 with the Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopic, "When will it be day that 
 I may arise? " I am full of tossings. This explains why the 
 night seems so long. 
 
 5. With worms. Maggots. This is one of the results of 
 the disease. Closeth up. It is better, taking the Hebrew word 
 from a different root, to render " hardens." Breaketh out 
 afresh. This is the sense of the reading which the Syriac and 
 Targum support. Scabs form, then the pus pushes through again. 
 
 6. My days are swifter. This is not in contradiction to v. 4, 
 for " days " refers here not to individual days, but to life as a 
 whole. The Greek and Sahidic render it " life." Life as a whole 
 is brief and passes quickly, even if individual days seem endless 
 throes of agony. As noted below, however, we should, perhaps, 
 render " light " (i.e. fragile) instead of " swifter," which would 
 change the figure somewhat. Than a weaver's shuttle. The 
 
 99 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And are spent without hope. 
 
 7. Oh remember that my life is wind : 
 Mine eye shall no more see good. 
 
 8. ^ The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me 
 
 no more : 
 Thine eyes shall be upon me, but I shall not be. 
 
 1 This verse was omitted from the original Greek version, is lacking in Sah., and is 
 marked as doubtful in Theod. 
 
 Hebrew word translated " weaver's shuttle " really means 
 ''weaver " or " web." Indeed it is uncertain whether the looms 
 known in Job's time had shuttles. The most primitive loom of 
 the wandering Arabs had nothing to correspond to a shuttle, the 
 thread being laboriously put through by hand. That described 
 in Jud. 16: 13, 14, like some of the looms pictured on Egyptian 
 monuments, apparently carried the thread through the warp by 
 means of a stick somewhat wider than the web, which also served 
 to beat the thread of the woof back into place (see G. F. Moore, 
 Commentary on Judges, pp. 353 ff., and Encyclopedia Biblica, 
 cols. 5280 and 5286). Since this uncertainty about the shuttle 
 is so great, it is perhaps better, as some scholars have done, to 
 render, " my days are as light as a weaver's thread." This 
 would mean that the cord of life snaps as easily as the fine thread 
 of the warp of a web in process of being woven. And are spent 
 without hope. In case we adopt the rendering of the first half 
 of the verse just suggested, we should render this, " and come 
 to an end for lack of thread " — a meaning to which the Hebrew- 
 lends itself. 
 
 7. Oh remember. This is addressed to God ; when Job 
 addresses his friends, he uses in the Heb. the plural, which would 
 be, " remember ye." For a moment in this address there crops 
 out a touching bit of Job's old free familiarity with God. It is 
 touching in view of the arraignment of God which he makes in 
 the following verses. My life is wind. In its passing brevity. 
 No more see good. That is, in this brief life. As the unat- 
 tractive existence in Sheol was not regarded as life, it means that 
 he will never again see peace and prosperity. 
 
 8. The eye of him that seeth me shall behold me no more. 
 This verse was not contained in the Greek version used by 
 Origen, is lacking in the Sahidic, and is marked as doubtful in 
 Theod. As it anticipates the climax reached in v. 21 and is 
 tautological in itself, it should probably be omitted. 
 
 100 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB .7 : 14 
 
 9, As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, 
 
 So he that goeth down to ^ Sheol shall come up no 
 more. 
 
 10. He shall return no more to his house, 
 Neither shall his place know him any more. 
 
 11. Therefore I will not refrain my mouth ; 
 I will speak in the anguish of my spirit ; 
 
 I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 
 
 12. Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, 
 That thou settest a watch over me ? 
 
 13. When I say, My bed shall comfort me, 
 My couch shall ease my complaint ; 
 
 14. Then thou scarest me with dreams. 
 
 m. Or, tlie grave. 
 
 9. As the cloud. A beautiful symbol of transitoriness, espe- 
 cially in a dry country like Palestine. Shall come up no more. 
 This is the old Semitic and Old Testament view. No resurrec- 
 tion was looked forward to. 
 
 10. Shall return no more. This verse together with v. 9 
 forms a four-line couplet on the hopelessness of death. 
 
 11. Therefore I will not refrain my mouth. The brevity of 
 life and the absence of a future life made the intense suffering of 
 the few brief years of existence unbearable. Goaded by this, 
 Job determined to speak out his mind, even to God. 
 
 12. Am I a sea. In 38: 11 the poet has beautifully ex- 
 pressed the thought that God at creation set a limit to the waves 
 of the sea and gave directions that they should not transgress it. 
 That thought seems to be in his mind here. Floods occurred at 
 times in many parts of the world, and these gave him the idea that 
 the sea was ever seeking to pass beyond its limit, and that God was 
 compelled to keep a constant watch over it to prevent its doing 
 so. The verse contains the first words of Job's defiant outpour- 
 ing to God of the bitterness of his soul, to which v. 11 led up. A 
 sea-monster. This is a reference to the primitive dragon 
 Tiamat of the Babylonian Creation story. See the note on 3 : 8. 
 
 14. Then thou scarest me with dreams. All who have been 
 ill know how restless the patient's sleep often is, how disturbed 
 with dreams. Hoping to gain a little refreshment from slumber 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And terrifiest me through visions : 
 
 15. So that my soul chooseth strangling, 
 And death rather than these my bones. 
 
 16. ^ I loathe my life; I ^ would not live alway,^ 
 Let me alone ; for my days are ^ vanity. 
 
 17. What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, 
 And that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him, 
 
 18. And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, 
 And try him every moment ? 
 
 19. How long wilt thou not look away from me, 
 Nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle ? 
 
 1 m. Or, / waste away. 2 m. Or, shall. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. read the line Not 
 
 Jorever shall I live that I should he patient. * m. Or, as a breath. 
 
 he often awakens more weary than ever. Job charges God with 
 deliberately torturing him thus. 
 
 15. Strangling. This was probably suggested by the choking 
 or sense of suffocation which was a result of Job's disease. 
 My bones. It is thought by many to be a graphic way of de- 
 scribing his emaciated body. Many modern scholars by the 
 change of one letter obtain a word which occurs in 9:28 and 
 means ''my pains." The text as it stands is, however, not im- 
 possible and is supported by all the versions. 
 
 16. Let me alone. The brevity of his life seems to Job 
 a good reason why God should not fill its few days with torment. 
 
 17. What is man. These words are quoted from Ps. 8:5. 
 In the Psalm they are spoken in thankfulness that God should 
 think upon man when he is so insignificant in contrast to the 
 starry heavens. Job, however, quotes the words in sarcasm, and 
 in the same spirit alters the conclusion of the sentence. Shouldest 
 magnify him. I.e. in thy thought, — consider him a being of any 
 importance. Set thine heart upon him. I.e. shouldst think 
 about him at all. 
 
 18. Visit him every morning. The word rendered "visit" 
 is one that suggests a tour of inspection, as though God could not 
 trust man alone for a single day. Try him every moment. The 
 word rendered "try" we might translate "scrutinize." Job 
 sarcastically says "man is a little creature, but God thinks him 
 so important that he watches him all the time." 
 
 19. Till I swallow down my spittle. This is an Arabian pro- 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. If I have sinned, what ^ do I unto thee, O thou 
 
 2 watcher of men ? 
 Why hast thou set me as a mark for thee, 
 So that I am a burden to ^ myself ? 
 
 21. And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, 
 
 and take away mine iniquity ? 
 For now shall I lie down in the dust ; 
 And thou shalt seek me diligently, but I shall not 
 
 be. 
 
 3. The First Speech of Bildad the Shuhite, Ch. 8 
 
 8. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 
 
 2. How long wilt thou speak these things ? 
 
 1 m. Or, can I do. ^ 2 m. Or, preserver. ' 2 MSS. Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. and 
 
 Jewish scribal corrections read thyself. 
 
 verbial expression for a short time, like our "in the twinkling of 
 an eye." 
 
 20. Thou watcher of men. While the rendering of the margin 
 is possible, we should by all means keep that of the text. Job 
 is in a defiant, not a reverential mood. Sarcastically he ad- 
 dressed God as the " watcher of men " ; it seems to him in his 
 present mood petty business for the great God, He claims that 
 even if he has sinned, he is so small that his sin could in no way 
 harm the omnipotent God. Thou hast set me as a mark. 
 The figure is here changed. Job thinks of himself as a target at 
 which God amuses himself by shooting. To myself. On the 
 basis of the authorities quoted above we should read "to thyself." 
 Job in that case was saying that all God's unnecessary attention 
 to him made him a burden to God. Of course it is a continuation 
 of his sarcasm, 
 
 21. Why dost thou not pardon . . . mine iniquity? The 
 thought of the verse is, that even if Job had sinned against God, 
 God could afford to forgive him, since Job's life is brief and he 
 will soon be undistinguishable from any other dust. 
 
 (i) The discriminating fairness of God, 8: 1-7 
 
 1. Bildad the Shuhite. See note on 2 : 11. 
 
 2. These things. A reference to the words of Job in 7 : 12-21, 
 
 103 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And how long shall the words of thy mouth be 
 like a mighty wind ? 
 
 3. Doth God pervert judgement ? 
 
 Or doth the Almighty pervert justice? 
 
 4. ^ If thy children have sinned against him, 
 
 And he have delivered them into the hand of 
 their transgression: 
 
 5. ^ If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, 
 And make thy supplication to the Almighty ; 
 
 6. If thou wert pure and upright ; 
 Surely now he ^ would awake for thee, 
 
 1 m. Or, If thy children sinned . . . he delivered &*c. 2 Qx. Sah. Eth. But do thou 
 
 seek. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. would be entreated of thee. 
 
 Possibly Bildad also had in mind 6: 10, 29 and 7: i, 2. A 
 mighty wind. This comparison may have been intended to sug- 
 gest that Job's words were empty, i.e mere wind, or (and this is 
 the more probable view) that like a whirlwind they uprooted long- 
 cherished beliefs. 
 
 3. Doth God pervert judgement? "God "and "Almighty" 
 are placed by Bildad in emphatic positions in the two clauses. 
 Bildad thereby expresses his astonishment at Job's utterances. 
 Job's words reduced to their essence charged God with injustice. 
 To Bildad God and injustice were mutually exclusive ideas. 
 Bildad was right, except that his philosophy of God's relation to 
 suffering was erroneous. 
 
 4. If thy children have sinned. It is better to translate the 
 verse according to the suggestion of the margin as a sentence com- 
 plete in itself: "If thy children sinned, he delivered them into 
 the hand of their transgression." I.e. their death came to them 
 as a just punishment from God. 
 
 5. If thou wouldest seek. It is better to read with the three 
 versions cited above, "But do thou seek." Bildad means to 
 imply that Job's sin is less heinous than that of his children 
 because God has spared his life. This presents an opportunity 
 for repentance and for seeking forgiveness. Bildad exhorts Job 
 to embrace this opportunity. 
 
 6. If thou wert pure and upright. The Hebrew contains no 
 verb ; it is simply : "If pure and upright thou." Bildad believes 
 that Job had sinned or he would not have been afflicted, but he 
 thinks that perhaps affliction has produced repentance and made 
 
 104 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And make the habitation of thy righteousness 
 prosperous. 
 
 7. And though thy beginning was small, 
 Yet thy latter end should greatly increase. 
 
 8. For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, 
 And ^ apply thyself to that which ^ their fathers 
 
 have searched out : 
 
 9. (For ^ we are but of yesterday, and know noth- 
 
 ing, 
 * Because our days upon earth are a shadow :) 
 10. Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee. 
 
 And utter words out of their heart ? 
 
 1 Syr. Ar. understand that which. 2 Gr. Sah. Vulg. Eth. omit their. * Heb. 
 
 Gr. OLat. Vulg. Syr. Sah. yesterday are we. * Syr. Ar. Like a shadow are our days. 
 
 Job sufficiently pure so that God would hear his prayer. He 
 would awake for thee. With the three versions quoted above 
 we should read: "He will be entreated of thee." This is much 
 more in accord with Bildad's reverent way of speaking of God. 
 
 7. Thy beginning. This refers to Job's condition before his 
 affliction. Thy latter end should greatly increase. Bildad 
 heartily believes the doctrine that goodness brings material 
 prosperity in this life. He looks forward, if Job repents, to a 
 material prosperity for Job which shall make all his former wealth 
 seem insignificant. 
 
 (2) The moral wisdom of the ancients, 8 : 8-19 
 
 8. Former age . . . fathers searched out. Reverence for 
 the past is deeply ingrained in most pious souls. It always 
 seems that the ancients stood nearer than we to the fountain 
 of wisdom, that they were endowed with superior intelligence, 
 and that the cumulative experience of their lives we, whose lives 
 cover but a span, have no right to question. This is the attitude 
 of Bildad. 
 
 9. Our days are a shadow. Bildad thinks the individual has no 
 right from his little bit of experience to question the accumulated ex- 
 perience of the ages. 
 
 10. Out of their heart. As the heart was one of the terms 
 for the whole inner nature, including the mind, this is equivalent 
 to saying that they will utter words out of their wisdom. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 11. Can the ^ rush grow up without mire ? 
 Can the ^ flag grow without water ? 
 
 12. Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut 
 
 down, 
 It wi there th before any other herb. 
 
 13. So are the ^ paths of all that forget God ; 
 And the hope of the godless man shall perish: 
 
 14. Whose confidence shall ^ break in sunder. 
 And whose trust is a spider's ^ web. 
 
 15. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not 
 
 stand : 
 He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not 
 endure. 
 
 16. He is green before the sun, 
 
 1 m. Or, papyrus. ^ m. Or, reed-grass. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. latter end. < m. Or, 
 be cut of. ' m. Or, house. 
 
 11. Rush . . . flag. These are both Egyptian words which the 
 Hebrew has borrowed ; it is better with the margin to render them 
 "papyrus " and "reed-grass." Bildad begins here to quote actual 
 samples of the wisdom of the ancients. This wise observation 
 about cause and efifect is clearly quoted from the Egyptians. 
 
 12. In its greenness. Before it begins to ripen and show 
 signs of decay. It withereth. Lack of moisture is as fatal to 
 it as the scythe. 
 
 13. So are the paths. Here the application of the figure 
 begins. It is better to read with the three versions cited above, 
 "the latter end." The transposition of two letters, and a slight 
 change in another, made the difference. 
 
 14. Spider's web. As the margin shows, it is literally "spi- 
 der's house." This makes the connection with v. 15 plain. 
 Nothing is more fragile than a spider's web. This is a favorite 
 simile in the East. Mohammed in the Coran, Sura 29 : 40, says : 
 " the weakest of all houses is the house of the spider." It becomes 
 a powerful simile of Bildad's view of the hope of the wicked. 
 
 15. He shall hold fast thereby. In order to support himself. 
 
 16. He is green before the sun. The poet returns now to the 
 figure of a plant which he had begun in v. 11. The godless man 
 is likened to a luxuriant plant growing in a garden. 
 
 106 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And his shoots go forth over his garden. 
 
 17. His roots are wrapped ^ about the heap, 
 2 He beholdeth ^ the place of stones. 
 
 18. If he be destroyed from his place, 
 
 Then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen 
 thee. 
 
 19. * Behold, this is the joy of his way. 
 
 And out of the ^ earth shall others spring. 
 
 20. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, 
 
 1 m. Or, beside the spring. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. He lives. « i Heb. MS. Gr. 
 
 Vulg. Sah. Eth. read between instead of the place of. ^3 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Thus 
 
 is the destruction of. ^ Or, dust. 
 
 17. About the heap. This makes no sense, and it is better to 
 read with the margin, "beside the spring." The Hebrew word 
 used here means spring in Cant. 4: 12. One of the greatest ad- 
 vantages a plant can have in the East is to have its roots beside 
 a spring. He beholdeth. It is better to read with the versions 
 cited above "He liveth." The reading is obtained by the change 
 of one Hebrew letter, and gives us a much more vital meaning. 
 The place of stones. The authorities cited above give a much 
 better reading, "among the stones." Again it is obtained by 
 the change of a single Hebrew letter. By the side of a spring a 
 plant will flourish even in a rocky soil, and in Palestine all soil 
 is rocky. Some, however, keep the Hebrew text of the phrase 
 and translate " He lives in a house of stones," i.e. the stone house, 
 above the spring. As plants do not flourish so well in a house, 
 this does not seem so natural as the explanation first given. 
 
 18. Then it shall deny him. However luxuriant the plant, it 
 passes away, leaving no trace. The place where it stood bears no 
 witness to its ever having been there. This lack of testimony 
 the poet vividly represents as denial. 
 
 19. Behold, this is the joy of his way. A far more powerful 
 and appropriate conclusion to the figure is obtained, if, with the 
 authorities cited above, we read: "Thus is the destruction of his 
 way." Like the once flourishing plant, the sinner disappears in 
 an absolute destruction, and out of the dust where he stood an- 
 other rises. Such is Bildad's belief. 
 
 (3) Bildad's summary, 8 : 20-22 
 
 20. God will not cast away a perfect man, etc. This is the 
 doctrine toward which Bildad has all along been aiming. It is 
 
 107 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Neither will he uphold the evil-doers. 
 
 21. ^ He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, 
 And thy lips with shouting. 
 
 22. They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame ; 
 And the tent of the wicked shall be no more. 
 
 4. JoVs Reply to Bildadf Chs. 9, 10 
 
 9. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. Of a truth I know that it is so : 
 
 2 But how can man be just ^ with God ? 
 
 3. ^ If he be pleased to contend with him, 
 
 I m.Or, Till he fill- ^m.Oi, For. ^ m. Oi , before. * m. Or, I 
 
 should desire . . . he could not &*c. 
 
 identical with the doctrine of Eliphaz and assumes that Job has 
 sinned. 
 
 21. He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter. In this verse 
 the reading of the text is preferable to that of the margin. The 
 verse expresses Bildad's exhortation to Job to repent and find 
 joy. The exhortation is skilfully expressed as a conviction, 
 because it was more tactful so to do. 
 
 22. They that hate thee, etc. By this expression Bildad 
 implies that he and his friends are not of this number ; they are 
 Job's friends and well-wishers. The wicked. The wicked are 
 skilfully identified with those who hate Job. Job is excluded 
 from the number. Thus Bildad implies that Job, though he has 
 merited chastisement, is not thoroughly bad, and thus seeks to 
 lead him back to God. 
 
 (i) God is so great and terrible that man cannot establish his inno- 
 cence with him, ch. g 
 
 2. I know that it is so. These words refer back to BildadV 
 statement in 8 : 20 : 
 
 "Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man." 
 The truth of this Job admits, but he asks : How shall a man be 
 just with God ? A man may be upright, as Job is conscious that he 
 is ; and yet, if God take a different view of the case, how is the man 
 to establish his righteousness? This is Job's point of view. God 
 is omnipotent, majestic, terrible, how shall puny man answer him? 
 
 3. If he be pleased. We should read with the margin, *'I£ 
 
 108 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 He cannot answer him one of a thousand. 
 
 4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength : 
 Who hath hardened himself against him, and 
 
 prospered ? 
 
 5. Which removeth the mountains, and ^ they know 
 
 it not, 
 2 When he overturneth them in his anger. 
 
 6. Which shaketh the earth out of her place. 
 And the pillars thereof tremble. 
 
 7. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not ; 
 And sealeth up the stars. 
 
 1 Syr. Ar. he knows it not. « Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. And overturns. 
 
 one should desire." To contend. The word is the technical 
 term for entering upon a lawsuit. Such a suit involves question- 
 ing and cross-questioning. He cannot answer him. Man could 
 not answer the puzzling questions that God would put. This 
 is now Job's feeHng, and it is interesting to note that later, when 
 God does answer Job out of the whirlwind, his answer consists 
 almost exclusively of questions to which man can give no answer. 
 
 4. Wise in heart. "Heart " here stands for the mind. And 
 prospered. Literally "been well" or safe. We should say: 
 "Who hath hardened himself against him with impunity? " 
 
 5. Which removeth mountains. We should render, "Who 
 removeth mountains." The reference is to God. They know it 
 not.^^ We should read with the Syriac and Arabic, "he knows it 
 not." The thought is that God is so powerful that he can remove 
 a mountain without being conscious of it. When he overturneth. 
 We should read with the versions cited above, "And he over- 
 turneth." 
 
 6. Which shaketh the earth. Better, "Who shaketh the 
 earth." The verse is a poetical description of an earthquake. 
 The pillars thereof. With many of the ancients the author, 
 perhaps, believed that the earth rested upon pillars (Cf. Ps. 
 75 : 3)) but this is apparently contradicted in 26 : 7. 
 
 7- Which commandeth. Again, "Who commandeth" is 
 better. The sun, and it riseth not. Possibly the reference is to 
 echpses, but it is more probably to clouds and storms, which ob- 
 scure the sun and make it seem not to have arisen. He sealeth 
 up the stars. They were thought to remain in dweUings whence 
 
 109 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 8. Which alone stretcheth out the heavens, 
 And treadeth upon the ^ waves of the ^ sea. 
 
 9. Which maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, 
 And the chambers of the south. 
 
 10. Which doeth great things past finding out ; 
 Yea, marvellous things without number. 
 
 11. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: 
 He passeth on also, but I perceive him not. 
 
 12. Behold, he seizeth the prey, who can ^ hinder him ? 
 
 1 m. Heb. high places. ^ 3 Heb. MSS. clouds. ' m. Or, turn him back. 
 
 God brought them out to shine, calling them all by their names 
 (see Isa. 40 : 26). The coming of clouds is here poetically called 
 the sealing up of their dwellings. 
 
 8. WMch alone. Better, "Who alone." Waves of the sea. 
 There is a little manuscript authority for reading instead of 
 "waves of the sea," "high places of the clouds." This would 
 make the last clause synonymous with the first. " High places " is, 
 however, a very poetic term for "waves," and as all the versions 
 and most of the MSS. read "sea " we must retain the present text. 
 
 9. Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades. All scholars agree that the 
 Hebrew terms refer to stars, but there is some uncertainty as to 
 which constellations were meant. "The Bear" or Arcturus 
 seems certain. The word rendered "Orion" literally means 
 "fool," and is thought to refer to an old myth that a giant was 
 bound in the sky. Perhaps the myth referred to Orion. The 
 word rendered "Pleiades," if it is of Hebrew origin, means 
 "heap," and is thought to refer to the "heap " of seven stars in 
 the Pleiades. Some think, however, that the reference is to the 
 dog star Sirius and find in 38:31 a reference to the chain by 
 which the dog was held. To whatever stars reference is made, 
 it is clear that the poet regards their creation as one of the evi- 
 dences of God's greatness. 
 
 10. Which. "Who" is a better rendering. Doeth great 
 things. The verse is quoted from Eliphaz in 5:9. Job, how- 
 ever, quotes it with a very difierent purpose. 
 
 11. I see him not. Because God is invisible and his activities 
 are elusive. Job feels that they are the more terrible. 
 
 12. He seizeth the prey. God's actions are irresistible. 
 Job likens them to the actions of a powerful beast of prey before 
 which man is helpless. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Who will say unto him, What doest thou ? 
 
 13. God will not withdraw his anger ; 
 
 The helpers of ^ Rahab ^ do stoop under him. 
 
 14. How much less shall I answer him, 
 
 And choose out my words to reason with him? 
 
 15. 3 Whom, ^ though I were righteous, yet ^ would 
 
 I not answer ; 
 I would make supplication to ® mine adversary. 
 
 1 m. Or, arrogancy. See Isa. 30 : 7. m. Or, did. ^ Gr. Sjt. Sah. omit whom. 
 
 * Heb. if. B Gr. Theod. Syr. Sah. Eth. would I not be answered. " m. Or, him that 
 would judge me. Gr. Sah. Eth. his justice. 
 
 13. Helpers of Rahab. These were the helpers which the myth- 
 ical sea-monster of the Babylonian Creation poem created (see 
 note on 3:8). These ''helpers" were pictured in the following 
 terms : 
 
 " monster-serpents, 
 Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang ; 
 With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies. 
 Fierce monster-vipers she clothed with terror, 
 With splendor she decked them, made them lofty of stature. 
 Whoever beheld them, terror overcame him. 
 Their bodies reared up and none could withstand their attack." 
 
 (See King's Seven Tablets of Creation, Vol. II, p. 17). Job, re- 
 placing the Babylonian god by God, declares that even these 
 mighty monster-like helpers of Rahab bowed under his power. 
 
 14. How much less shall I answer him. In striking contrast 
 to these superhuman monsters is puny man. If they were help- 
 less, how much more is he ! 
 
 15. Whom, though I were righteous. The Hebrew text of the 
 verse is corrupt. It should be corrected by the ancient authori- 
 ties cited above so as to read : 
 
 "Though I were righteous, I should not be answered; 
 I should make supplication for his justice." 
 
 Job declares that God does not answer even the righteous. They 
 cry, and he is silent. They have to supplicate even for his mere 
 justice.^ It is a severe arraignment of God; but it shows the 
 beginning in Job of a feeling that there should be an ethical 
 quality in God. Might is, he feels, not right simply because it 
 is omnipotent. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. If I had called, and he ^ had answered me ; 
 
 Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto 
 my voice. 
 
 17. 2 For he breaketh me with a tempest, 
 And multiplieth my wounds without cause. 
 
 18. He will not suffer me to take my breath, 
 But fiUeth me with bitterness. 
 
 19. ^ If we speak of the strength of the mighty, ^ lo, 
 
 he is there ! 
 And if of judgement, who will appoint me a time ? 
 
 1 The oldest Gr. MS. reads he would not answer. * m. Heb. Ee who. ' m. Or, 
 // we speak of strength, lo he is mighty. Gr. Sym. Syr. Sah. Ar. he is mighty. * m. Or, 
 Lo, here am I, saith he ; and if of judgment. Who &'c. 
 
 16. If I had called, and he had answered me. The verse 
 as it stands makes Job declare that if God really answered him, 
 he would not believe his own experience of the answer. This 
 seems impossible, even for a man in Job's condition. It is prob- 
 able that, as one ancient authority shows, a "not " has fallen out 
 of the text, and that we should translate the verse : 
 
 "If I called, he would not answer me; 
 I cannot believe that he would hear my voice." 
 
 This makes the verse a sane assertion and a continuation of the 
 thought of the preceding verse. 
 
 17. For he breaketh me with a tempest, etc. Job's calamities 
 had come upon him suddenly, like a whirlwind, and, so far as he 
 could see, without cause. He declares, in his present mood, 
 that such is God's usual course of action. This is his reason for 
 believing that God will not hear him, or, indeed, any suppHant. 
 
 18. FiUeth me with bitterness. A forcible exhibition of the 
 sufferings which formed the basis of Job's judgment on the point 
 under discussion. 
 
 19. Of the strength of the mighty, lo, he is there ! The text 
 should be amended with the versions (see above) and the margin, 
 and we should translate : "If we speak of strength, he is mighty." 
 Job acknowledges God's omnipotence. "Who will appoint me a 
 time? Job here recurs to the thought of v. 16. God is omnip- 
 otent, but he heeds no suppliant. Job accordingly asks, if we 
 talk of judgment (i.e. of obtaining justice from God), who will 
 secure an appointed meeting with him for the purpose? 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 9:23 
 
 20. Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall 
 
 condemn me : 
 Though I be perfect/ it shall prove me perverse. 
 
 21. 2 1 ajn 3 perfect ; I regard not myself ; 
 I despise my life. 
 
 22. It is all one ; therefore I say, 
 
 He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. 
 
 23. If the scourge slay suddenly, 
 
 1 m. Or, he. 2 m. Or, Though I be perfect, I will not regard 6*c. ^ m. See 
 
 ch. I : I. 
 
 20. Mine own mouth shall condemn me. Job says that if 
 such a meeting could be secured, and he were perfect, he would 
 be so overawed by God's greatness that his own mouth would 
 condemn him in spite of himself. This is just what happens, 
 though in a different way than Job now means it, in 42 : 6. 
 
 21. I am perfect. The English would better reveal the force 
 of the original if it read ''Perfect I am." As Job speaks he under- 
 goes a sudden revulsion of feeling. The consciousness of his 
 innocence surges up, and he declares, "Perfect I am." I regard 
 not myself. Job throws prudence to the winds. God is omnip- 
 otent; he may crush Job, if he will, but in the consciousness that 
 he has not merited his present sufferings, Job suddenly declares 
 that he will tell the truth as he sees it regardless of consequences. 
 I despise my life. He means that he is not speaking as prudence 
 would dictate, if he did regard it. The first clause of v. 22 should 
 be attached to this verse. We should then obtain a full line : 
 
 "I despise my life ; it is all one ; " 
 
 i.e. it makes no difference what happens to him. 
 
 22. It is all one. See note on v. 21. He destroyeth the perfect 
 and the wicked. Having thrown prudence to the winds. Job 
 speaks out his real thought, which is that in reality God destroys 
 the perfect and wicked alike. If one looks to outward prosperity 
 only, this often seems to be the case. Therefore I say is too short 
 for a line. It should probably, as Duhm suggests, be omitted. 
 As that leaves v. 22 but half a verse, he further suggests that 
 the last line of v. 24, which has three lines, be transferred to this 
 place. We then obtain the following complete verse : 
 
 "He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. 
 If not he, then who is it? " 
 I 113 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 He will mock at the ^ trial of the innocent. 
 
 24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: 
 He covereth the faces of the judges thereof ; 
 
 If it be not he, who then is it ? 
 
 25. Now my days are swifter than a ^ post : 
 They flee away, they see no good. 
 
 26. They are passed away as the ^ swift ships : 
 As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey. 
 
 27. If I say, I will forget my complaint, 
 
 I will put off my sad countenance, and ^ be of 
 good cheer : 
 
 28. I am afraid of all my sorrows, 
 
 1 m. Or, calamity. * m. Or, runner. ' m. Heb. ships of reed. * m. Heb. 
 
 brighten up. 
 
 23. He will mock at the trial of the innocent. Many, when 
 smarting under deep suffering, have, in the absence of clear faith 
 in God, felt just as Job does here, that omnipotence simply makes 
 sport of the tenderest feelings and acutest agonies of the heart. 
 
 24. The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. It is 
 often hard for those in happier circumstances than Job not to 
 feel thus. Cf. Ps. 73. If God is omnipotent, is he not responsible 
 for this? It is this thought which makes Job say: He covereth 
 the faces of the judges. I.e. so that they cannot discern justice. 
 If not he, etc., should be transposed to the end of v. 22. 
 
 25. My days are swifter than a post. We should read with 
 the margin "a runner." Job returns from his general indict- 
 ment of God's government to bewail his own swiftly passing days. 
 He Hkens them to a swift messenger, chosen for his fleetness in 
 running. They see no good. Their hard experiences as well as 
 their swiftness embitter them. 
 
 26. Swift ships. The margin renders ''ships of reed." The 
 reference is to papyrus boats with wooden keels which were used 
 on the Nile. They were light and very swift. They are the 
 "vessels of papyrus" of Isa. 18:2. They are mentioned by 
 Pliny and Lucan among ancient writers. Job, as he heaps up 
 metaphors expressive of the brevity of life and the swiftness with 
 which it passes, seizes upon these boats as an illustration. 
 
 28. I am afraid of all my sorrows. This is the conclusion to 
 the condition expressed in the preceding verse. It is a fine pic- 
 
 114 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. 
 
 29. I shall be condemned ; 
 
 Why then do I labour in vain ? 
 
 30. If I wash myself ^ with snow water, 
 And 2 make my hands never so clean ; 
 
 31. Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ^ ditch, 
 And mine own clothes shall abhor me. 
 
 32. For he is not a man, as I am, that I should an- 
 
 swer him, 
 That we should come together in judgement, 
 ^T,. There is no ^ daysman betwixt us, 
 
 1 m. Another ancient reading is, with snow. 2 m. Heb. cleanse my hands with lye. 
 3 Gr. Aq. Vulg. Sah. Eth. mire. * m. Or, umpire. 
 
 ture of the condition of a patient whose nerves are shattered. 
 Moments of relief from suffering come, but the sufferer cannot 
 then be cheerful because of the anticipation of the pain which is 
 sure to return. Thou wilt not hold me innocent. Job does not 
 recognize the action of general laws. All is in his view the direct 
 activity of a personal God. Each pang is a stroke of God in- 
 flicted because God accounts him guilty. 
 
 29. I shall be condemned. Rather "be guilty." He means 
 that God will account him guilty, and worthy of suffering, so 
 why labor to establish his innocehce? 
 
 30. With snow water. It is better with the margin to render 
 "with snow." The whiteness of snow seems to have suggested 
 to the poet that it had some special cleansing power. 
 
 31. Plunge me in the ditch. We should read with the versions 
 cited above "in the mire." An Oriental ditch is often too dry 
 to soil perceptibly the kind of clothing worn. The verse is a 
 poetical way of saying emphatically what had already been said 
 at the beginning of v. 29, viz. that God will hold him guilty. 
 
 32. He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him. Job 
 here returns to the thought of God's greatness which he had 
 powerfully described in vs. 3-10. He declares that there is no 
 common ground of reasoning between the Omnipotent and a 
 mere man; how then can Job be justified? 
 
 33. There is no daysman between us. The margin suggests 
 "umpire" for "daysman." The Hebrew word means "judge." 
 "Daysman," one who appoints a day for hearing a cause, orig- 
 inally signified a magistrate or "judge." Job feels that he has 
 
 "5 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 That might lay his hand upon us both. 
 
 34. Let him take his rod away from me, 
 And let not his terror make me afraid : 
 
 35. Then would I speak, and not fear him ; 
 For I am not so in myself. 
 
 10. My soul is weary of my life ; 
 
 1 1 will give free course to my complaint ; 
 I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 
 2. I will say unto God, Do not condemn me ; 
 
 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. / will let loose unto him my complaint. 
 
 been unjustly treated by God, but there is no one to act as judge 
 between him and the Almighty. 
 
 34. Let him take his rod away from me ... let not his 
 terror make me afraid. He returns here to the thought of v. 20. 
 The mere thought of the Omnipotent one frightens a man out of 
 his self-command. Then, too, the terrible affictions which Job 
 suffered, which he, like his friends, regarded as the "rod of God," 
 had unmanned him. 
 
 35. For I am not so in myself. This refers to his terror in 
 God's presence. Job means that suffering and the sense of 
 omnipotence might make him afraid, but he was not so in himself, 
 i.e. he found no cause in consciousness of wrongdoing for such 
 terror. 
 
 (2) A new appeal that God would show how Job's sufferings are 
 consistent with the divine nature, ch. 10. 
 
 1. My soul is weary of my life. Job recurs to the attitude as- 
 sumed in 7 : 15. His soul is weary of life; he longs for death. 
 Compare 3:21. I will give free course to my complaint. It is 
 better to read with the versions cited above, "I will let loose unto 
 him my complaint." As in 9: 21 Job throws prudence to the 
 winds and, regardless of consequences, speaks out his irmermost 
 thought. 
 
 2. Do not condemn me . . . show me wherefore, etc. Again 
 there emerges into conscious thought in Job's mind the feeling 
 that there should be fairness in God, that simple omnipotence is 
 not sufficient to hold the reverence of men. That God is man's 
 ethical ideal is a conviction deeply implanted in the human heart. 
 To this conviction religion owes its upward ethical evolution. 
 
 116 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB lo 
 
 3. Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, 
 That thou shouldest despise the ^ work of thine 
 
 hands, 
 And shine upon the counsel of the wicked ? 
 
 4. Hast thou eyes of flesh, 
 
 Or seest thou as man seeth ? 
 
 5. Are thy days as the days of man, 
 Or thy years as man's days, 
 
 6. That thou inquirest after mine iniquity, 
 And searchest after my sin, 
 
 7. Although thou knowest that I am not wicked; 
 
 1 m. Heb. labour. 
 
 Job in his suffering begins to recognize the need of ethical qualities 
 in God. The recognition led him to speak in a way which seemed 
 to his friends to be blasphemous. Negative work always seems 
 blasphemous, even though it proceed, as in Job's case, from con- 
 victions which are true and the recognition of which makes in the 
 end for deeper reverence and better religion. 
 
 3. That thou shouldest oppress . . . despise the work of thine 
 hands . . . shine upon the counsel of the wicked. This verse 
 gives a fuller expression to the ethical defects in God's govern- 
 ment of the world against which Job's heart was rebelling. The 
 indictment of this government was Job's way of expressing the 
 conviction that goodness should rule the world. 
 
 4. Hast thou eyes of flesh? etc. If God had human limita- 
 tions. Job could understand why his government of the world 
 should be so defective ; it would be for lack of proper information. 
 
 5. Are thy days as the days of man? A man's life is short. 
 When the oldest, he still has experienced but a little of life ; he 
 may accordingly make mistakes. If God's life were thus brief, 
 Job could understand that his misgovernment of the world might 
 come from inexperience. 
 
 6. That thou inquirest after mine iniquity. Job interprets 
 his sufferings as tortures inflicted to wrest from him a confession. 
 The verse taken in connection with vs. 4, 5 means that if God 
 were ignorant and inexperienced like man, Job could understand 
 why he should need to resort to such torture to gain information. 
 
 7. Although thou knowest that I am not wicked. The ut- 
 terances of the preceding verses were mere suppositions. Job 
 
 117 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And there is none that can deliver out of thine 
 hand? 
 
 8. Thine hands have framed me and fashioned me 
 
 ^ Together round about ; yet thou dost destroy 
 me. 
 
 9. Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fash- 
 
 ioned me as clay ; 
 And wilt thou bring me into dust again ? 
 
 10. Hast thou not poured me out as milk, 
 And curdled me like cheese ? 
 
 11. Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh. 
 And knit me together with bones and sinews. 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Sah. Ar. Eth. Afterward thou turnest about and destroyest me. 
 
 cannot escape believing in God's omniscience. He knows that 
 he is innocent ; he feels sure that God knows it. The verse is 
 in reality an appeal from God to God — from God's seeming 
 government to God's ideal goodness. There is none that can 
 deliver out of thine hand. As the clause stands it is an assertion of 
 the all-powerfulness of God. In the development of the thought 
 this comes in appropriately, since Job has just declared his faith 
 in God's omniscience. It does not, however, make a good poet- 
 ical parallelism to the first half of the verse. Duhm accordingly 
 corrects to: "There is no iniquity in my hand." The versions, 
 however, support the text as it stands. 
 
 8. Together round about. We should read with the versions, 
 "Afterward thou turnest about. Yet thou dost destroy me. 
 Read with the versions, "and destroyest mc." To one who does 
 not catch the moral purpose which lies behind life, it often seems 
 as though God created on purpose to destroy. So it seemed 
 to Job. 
 
 9. Thou hast fashioned me as clay. The figure is that of a 
 potter who has spent infinite pains in bringing to perfection a 
 beautiful vessel and who then wantonly shatters it. Job feels 
 that God has created him by the expenditure of much time and 
 skill, and now is by torture destroying prematurely his handiwork. 
 
 10. Poured me out as milk. The verse describes poetically 
 the initial processes of procreation. 
 
 11. Clothed me with skin and flesh. The verse refers to the 
 marvellous formation of the child in the womb. 
 
 118 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 12. Thou hast granted me Hfe and favour, 
 
 And thy ^ visitation hath preserved my spirit, 
 
 13. Yet these things thou didst hide in thine heart; 
 I know that this is with thee : 
 
 14. If I sin, then thou markest me. 
 
 And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. 
 
 15. If I be wicked, woe unto me ; 
 
 And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head ; 
 ^ Being filled with ignominy 
 And looking upon mine affliction. 
 
 16. ^ And if my head exalt itself, thou huntest me as a 
 
 lion: 
 
 1 m. Or, care. 2 m. Or, I am filled with ignominy, but look thou, . . . for it in- 
 
 creaseth: thou &c. ^ Syr. Ar. /// rise up. 
 
 12. Life and favour. This is a reference to his birth. Thy 
 visitation hath preserved my spirit. It is God's constant care 
 that has kept Job alive. A part of that care has been expended 
 to keep his spirit cheerful and happy. 
 
 13. Yet these things thou didst hide in thine heart. "These 
 things " refers to the things mentioned in the succeeding verses. 
 While apparent prosperity and happiness were given to Job, God 
 had these misfortunes in his mind for Job all the time — at least 
 so Job thinks. I know that this is with thee. Better, "this was 
 with thee." Job feels that it was all the time God's sinister pur- 
 pose to destroy him. His former happiness but threw Job off 
 his guard, so that the blow fell with the greater severity. 
 
 14. Then thou markest me. God notes every deviation from 
 the path of righteousness. Thou wilt not acquit me from mine 
 iniquity. Job feels that God is perfectly relentless. If one sins 
 in the least, all is over ; there is no forgiveness. 
 
 15. If I be wicked. This refers to greater and more heinous 
 offences than "sin." Shall I not lift up my head. Sin condemns, 
 but righteousness does not avert condemnation. So Job feels 
 in his present mood. And looking upon mine affliction. Neither 
 the text nor the margin gives a good sense. Several interpreters 
 have suggested that the change of one Hebrew letter would give, 
 "And saturated with afffiction." This emendation should be 
 adopted. 
 
 16. If my head exalt itself. The Hebrew has no word for 
 
 119 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon 
 me. 
 
 17. Thou renewest ^ thy witnesses against me, 
 And increasest thine indignation upon me ; 
 ^ Changes and warfare are with me. 
 
 18. Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out 
 
 of the womb ? 
 I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me. 
 
 19. I should have been as though I had not been ; 
 
 I should have been carried from the womb to the 
 grave. 
 
 20. Are not ^ my days few ? ^ cease then, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. upon me my stroke. ^ m. Or, Host after host is against me. Better 
 
 still with Gr. Syr. Sah. Ar. Eth. Thou renewest a host against me. * Gr. Syr. Sah. 
 
 Ar. Eth. the days of my life, * m. Another reading, let him cease and leave me alone. 
 
 "my head " and it is better to read with the Syriac and Arabic 
 versions, "If I rise up, thou huntest me as a lion." The verse 
 continues the thought of the preceding verses in a slightly diflfer- 
 ent form. Job thinks that if one raises himself a little too high, 
 or walks a little too proudly, God takes pleasure in hunting him 
 down. The thought is similar to that which underlies our phrase 
 "tempting Providence." 
 
 17. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me. The versions 
 quoted above give a better rendering: "Thou renewest upon me 
 my stroke," i.e. my affliction. Changes and warfare are with 
 me. Again it is better with the versions to read : "Thou renewest 
 a host against me." The thought is that affliction after affliction 
 comes upon him like the successive individuals of an attacking 
 army. 
 
 18. Wherefore hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? 
 If God is so determined to destroy Job, why did he cause him to 
 be born alive? The thought returns to the question of v. 9, 
 though with different imagery. 
 
 19. I should have been carried out of the womb to the grave. 
 In expanding in synonymous terms the thought of v. 18, he uses 
 the figure employed in 3 : 11 ff. 
 
 20. My days few. Read with the versions cited above, "the 
 days of my life." Cease then. These words are omitted by the 
 versions, which read "the days of my life are few." As we fol- 
 
 120 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB n 
 
 And let me alone, tha-t I may ^ take comfort a 
 little, 
 
 21. Before I go whence I shall not return, 
 
 Even to the land of darkness and of the shadow 
 of death ; 
 
 22. A land of thick darkness, as darkness itself ; 
 
 A land of the shadow of death, ^ without any 
 
 order. 
 And where the light is as darkness. 
 
 5. Zophar^s First Address, Ch. 11 
 
 11. Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 
 2. Should not the ^ multitude of words be answered ? 
 
 1 m. Heb. brighten up. » Gr. Sah. Eth. without brightness. ' Gr. Sym. Sah. 
 
 Eth. one who multiplies words. 
 
 lowed that reading in the former clause, we omit this. That I 
 may take a little comfort. Job's thought is that life is very brief, 
 death means simply gloom in Sheol, the one chance he has for any 
 happiness is in the fleeting days of a short life, and it is accord- 
 ingly most cruel of God to fill those brief days with torture. 
 
 21. Before I go whence I shall not retiim. He means, to 
 Sheol. In 7 : 9 Job had said : 
 
 "He that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more." 
 
 The thought is a very old one. In the Babylonian poem of Ishtar^s 
 Descent the underworld is called the ''Land' of No-Return.'* 
 The land of darkness. This thought also goes back to Baby- 
 lonia. In Ishtar's Descent, it is said of those in the underworld : 
 "Light they see not; in darkness they dwell." 
 
 22. Without any order. The verse continues and impres- 
 sively elaborates the thought of the preceding verses. These 
 words "without any order" come in awkwardly and without 
 meaning. We should by a very slight change in the Hebrew 
 read with the versions cited above, "without brightness." 
 
 (i) Would that God would answer Job, 11 : 2-6 
 
 1. Zophar the Naamathite. See note on 2:11. 
 
 2. Should not the multitude of words be answered? We 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And should a man full of talk be justified ? 
 
 3. ^ Should thy boastings make men hold their 
 
 peace ? 
 And when thou mockest, ^ shall no man make 
 thee ashamed ? 
 
 4. For thou sayest, ^ My doctrine is pure, 
 And I am clean in ^ thine eyes. 
 
 |. But Oh that God would speak, 
 
 And open his lips against thee ; 
 6. And that he would shew thee the secrets of wis- 
 
 dom, 
 
 ^ That it is manifold in effectual working ! 
 
 1 Syr. At. Concerning thy boastings should men, b'c? 2 Gr. Syr. Ar. Eth. there is 
 
 no one who restrains thee. 3 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Ar. My walk. * Gr. Sah. 
 
 Eth. his eyes. * m. Or, For sound wisdom is manifold. 
 
 should read with the versions cited above, "Should not one who 
 multiplies words," which makes the parallelism of the two parts of 
 the verse synonymous. Job's long speech had irritated Zophar, 
 and he begins his reply with impatient words. 
 
 3. Thy boastings. We should read with the Syriac and Arabic, 
 "concerning thy boastings should men be silent?" Job had in 
 his last speech asserted his innocence (see 9: 21). It is to this 
 that Zophar refers. Such a boast seems to him blasphemous. 
 When thou mockest. Job's arraignment of the divine govern- 
 ment in the preceding chapters naturally seemed to the friends 
 mockery. Shall no man make thee ashamed? The versions 
 cited above give a better meaning, " When thou mockest and there 
 is no one to restrain thee." 
 
 4. My doctrine is pure. We should read with the versions 
 cited, "My way is pure," i.e. my course of life is pure. In thine 
 eyes. It is better to keep the reading of the Hebrew text, since 
 Zophar is quoting what Job has said to God. Zophar is shocked 
 that Job should dare to say "I am perfect " (9: 21). 
 
 5. Oh that God would speak. Job had intimated (9 : 14 ff. 
 and 32 ff.) that he longed to come face to face with God. Zophar 
 devoutly wishes that he might, feeling sure that if he did, God 
 would make Job understand that he is a sinner. 
 
 6. Wisdom. The wisdom of God, which orders human life. 
 Effectual working. The word might be rendered "efficient 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB ii 
 
 1 Know therefore that God ^ exacteth of thee less 
 than thine iniquity deserveth. 
 
 7. 3 Canst thou by searching find out God ? 
 
 Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfec- 
 tion? 
 
 8. ^ It is high as heaven ; what canst thou do ? 
 Deeper than ^ Sheol ; what canst thou know ? 
 
 9. The measure thereof is longer than the earth, 
 And broader than the sea. 
 
 10. If he pass through, and shut up, 
 
 And ® call unto judgement, then who can hinder 
 him? 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Ar. Sah. Eth. That thou migktest know that, b-c. « m. Or, remitteth 
 
 (Heb. causeth to be forgotten) unto thee of thine iniquity. ^ m. Or, Canst thou find out 
 
 the deep things of God? * m. Heb. The heights of heaven. Aq. Vulg. Higher than 
 
 heaven. * m. Or, the grave. ^ m. Heb. call an assembly. 
 
 wisdom " or "abiding success." Zophar's thought is that God's 
 wisdom has ordered the world in the wisest way for the achieve- 
 ment of the highest ends. Know. It is better with the versions 
 to read "That thou mightest know." Exacteth of thee. The 
 margin gives the better rendering. The thought is that God 
 causes to be forgotten a part of Job's sins. This amounts to say- 
 ing that less is exacted of Job than he deserves. 
 
 (2) Zophar praises Gocfs wisdom, 11 : 7-12 
 
 7. Canst thou by searching find out God? This translation 
 hardly does justice to the Hebrew. The margin, " Canst thou 
 find out the deep things of God? " is better. The Hebrew means 
 " Canst thou find out what is to be explored of God? " i.e. canst 
 thou understand his whole nature? 
 
 8. It is high as heaven. We should read with Aquila and the 
 Vulgate, "It is higher than heaven." This brings it into accord 
 with the phrases which follow. While Zophar leaves it unde- 
 termined whether he is speaking of God's nature or God's wisdom, 
 it is probable from the context that he refers to the unsearchable 
 character of God's wisdom. 
 
 ID. If he pass through. Or as we might translate it "pass by." 
 Zophar takes up Job's words in 9:11, 12. And shut up. 
 Arrest, or put in prison to await trial. Call unto judgement. 
 
 123 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 11. For he knoweth vain men : 
 
 He seeth iniquity also, ^ even though he consider 
 it not. 
 
 12. 2 But vain man is void of understanding, 
 Yea, man is born as a wild ass's colt. 
 
 13. If thou ^ set thine heart aright, 
 
 1 m. Or, and him that considereth not. Gr. Sah. Eth. and does not overlook it. Syr. 
 At. and he considers it. 2 m. Or, But an empty man will get understanding, when b'c. 
 ' Gr. Sah. Eth. purify thine heart. 
 
 The margin gives the actual force of the Hebrew ''call an as- 
 sembly," but the text gives the real meaning, since judgments 
 were reached in an assembly (see Pr. 5 : 14) and usually 
 executed at once. Who can hinder him? Literally, "turn him 
 back." They are the very words employed by Job in 9: 12. 
 
 11. He seeth iniquity even though he consider it not. This 
 is according to the present pointing of the Hebrew text, but it 
 puts into Zophar's mouth an improbable sentiment and is out of 
 harmony with the context. The marginal rendering is hardly 
 possible from the Hebrew. It is better to emend the text with the 
 Gr. Sah. and Eth. so as to read "he does not overlook it." 
 
 12. But vain man is void of understanding. This rendering 
 is hardly possible from the Hebrew. The verse is very difficult 
 and many suggestions have been made. That in the margin is 
 the most probable. According to this the verse reads : 
 
 " And an empty man will get understanding 
 When a wild ass's colt is born a man." 
 
 The verse forms a transition from Zophar's eulogy of God's 
 wisdom to his exhortation to Job. God sees all iniquity, he 
 argues; he never overlooks it; his punishments are severe; 
 but foolish men, whatever the divine chastisements, never be- 
 come wise. 
 
 (3) Zophar's exhortation to Job, 11 : 13-20 
 
 ^ 13. If thou set thine heart aright. Probably we should read 
 with the versions cited above, "If thou purify thine heart." 
 Zophar, like Eliphaz, closes his speech with an exhortation to Job 
 to repent, promising him prosperity if he does. Since the argu- 
 ment has advanced considerably farther, and Zophar as he lis- 
 tened has become heated by the debate, he assumes Job's guilt 
 in a more open manner than Eliphaz had done. 
 
 14. If iniquity be in thine hand. The verse assumes that Job 
 is sinful and his house corrupt. Zophar exhorts him to show the 
 
 124 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And stretch out thine hands toward him ; 
 
 14. If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, 
 And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents ; 
 
 15. ^ Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face ^ with- 
 
 out spot ; 
 Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear : 
 
 16. For thou shalt forget thy misery ; 
 
 Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed 
 away: 
 
 17. And thy life shall ^ be clearer than the noonday; 
 Though there be darkness, it shall be as the 
 
 morning. 
 
 18. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope ; 
 
 1 Targ. Surely then. Gr. Sah. Eth. Surely. Syr. Ar. then. 2 Qx. Sah. Ar. like water. 
 ' m. Or, arise above. 
 
 fruits of true repentance by self-reformation and the reformation 
 of his household. 
 
 15. Surely then. The Hebrew means ''For then." If we 
 read "surely," we follow the Gr. Sah. and Eth. versions, but 
 ''surely then " is redundant, and we should choose between 
 "surely " of the three versions just mentioned or "then " of the 
 Syriac and Arabic. "Without spot. This is better than the read- 
 ing of some of the versions, "like water." Shalt be stedfast, 
 and shalt not fear. This refers to Job's description of his fluc- 
 tuating feelings in 9: 27, 28 and 10: 15-17. Zophar thinks he 
 has an adequate remedy for these varying states of feeling. 
 
 16. Thou shall forget thy misery. Zophar in this verse vividly 
 portrays how effective his remedy will be. 
 
 17. Though there be darkness, etc. It is better with some 
 of the versions to read: "Darkness shall be like morning." 
 Perhaps the reference is to Job's description of the darkness of 
 Sheol, 10:21 ff. In this case Zophar means that even Sheol 
 is light to a good man. He may mean, however, that affliction 
 is light because the good man is conscious that it is for his purifi- 
 cation. 
 
 18. Shalt be secure, because there is hope. Zophar here 
 touches upon a psychological fact; the feelings of security and 
 cheerfulness arise out of one's attitude of mind. The verse 
 
 125 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Yea, thou shalt search about thee, and shalt take 
 thy rest in safety. 
 
 19. Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make 
 
 thee afraid; 
 Yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 
 
 20. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail. 
 And ^ they shall have no way to flee. 
 
 And their hope shall be the giving up of the 
 ghost. 
 
 6. Joh^s Reply to Zophar, Chs. 12-14 
 
 12. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. No doubt but ye are the people. 
 
 And wisdom shall die with you. 
 
 1 m. Heb. refuge is perished from them. 
 
 draws a contrast to Job's gloomy pictures of life in 7:6 ff., 9 : 
 27 £f., and 10 : 21 ff, 
 
 19. Many shall make suit unto thee. The weak, help- 
 less, and hopeless are always appealing to the strong and 
 peaceful for aid. Zophar declares that, if Job will follow his 
 advice. Job's Hfe will become so peaceful and strong that he shall 
 be the recipient of such appeals. 
 
 20. The eyes of the wicked shall fail. Like Bildad (8: 22), 
 Zophar closes his speech with a picture of the punishment 
 of the wicked. Unhke Bildad, however, Zophar implies that 
 Job may be among those who will be thus punished. 
 
 (i) JoVs ironical remarks on the wisdom of his friends, 12 : 1-6 
 
 2. Job begins with one of the finest examples of irony : No 
 doubt but ye are the people. The word "people " is commonly 
 taken to be equivalent to "everybody." Some have conjectured 
 that the original reading was "the men who know " and that by 
 the accidental erasure of two letters it became "people." If we 
 could read : 
 
 " No doubt but ye are they who have knowledge, 
 And wisdom will die with you," 
 
 we should have a better parallelism. This certainly is the thought 
 even if we keep the word "people," which has the support of the 
 
 126 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 3. But I have understanding as well as you ; 
 I am not inferior to you : 
 
 Yea, who knoweth not such things as these ? 
 
 4. I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neigh- 
 
 bour, 
 A man that called upon God, and he answered 
 
 him: 
 The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock. 
 
 5. In the thought of him that is at ease there is 
 
 contempt for misfortune ; 
 
 MSS. and versions, for it would mean, "doubtless you are every- 
 body — you sum up the entire experience of the race — and when 
 you die wisdom will have vanished." 
 
 3. I am not inferior to you. These words are omitted by 
 the Gr. Sah. and Eth. As several scholars have perceived, they 
 have crept in here from 13 : 2. If we omit them, the verse becomes 
 much stronger, reading : 
 
 "But I have understanding as well as you, 
 And who knoweth not such things as these? '* 
 
 The last clause continues the irony of v. 2. The boasted wisdom 
 of the friends is after all but the common knowledge of mankind. 
 
 4. I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbour. Job 
 keenly feels the injustice of the remarks of his friends. They 
 have so signally failed to diagnose his case and to enter into sym- 
 pathy with him that he feels that they are mocking him. This 
 is especially true of Zophar, who in his address more openly as- 
 sumed Job's guilt than either of the previous speakers had done. 
 A man that called upon God, and he answered him. We might 
 better translate, "A man who calls upon God and he answers 
 him." The line is a sarcastic reference to Zophar, the " neighbor " 
 referred to in the previous line. Job had declared "If I called 
 upon him, he would not answer me " (9 : 16 emended text), and 
 he now ironically says that the self-righteous Zophar is "a man 
 that calls upon God and he answers him." The just and the 
 perfect man. This is a reference to Job himself, and is an asser- 
 tion of his innocence against the imputations of Zophar. 
 
 5. There is contempt for misfortune. The clause means that the 
 prosperous despise the unfortunate, attributing their misfortunes 
 to some fault of their own. The Hebrew is difficult and the 
 poetical balance of the clauses imperfect, but none of the emenda- 
 
 127 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 It is ready for them whose foot shppeth. 
 
 6. The tents of robbers prosper, 
 
 And they that provoke God are secure ; 
 
 1 Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. 
 
 7. But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee ; 
 And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee : 
 
 8. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee ; 
 
 m. Or, TItat bring their god in their hand. 
 
 tions proposed are improvements. It is ready for them whose 
 foot slippeth. In Job's time, as now, the world was ready to kick 
 a man when he is down. 
 
 6. The tents of robbers prosper, or "are at ease." Job, in 
 his consciousness of innocence, is led to color his reply by his 
 resentment of Zophar's criticism. In denial of Zophar's doctrine 
 of rewards and punishments, Job declares that it is the 
 
 "Tents of the wicked that are at ease, 
 And they that provoke God are secure." 
 
 Into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. We should read with 
 the margin, "That bringeth their god in their hand," i.e. who 
 worship their own power. For a similar assertion cf. Hab. 
 I : II with Hab. i : 16. 
 
 (2) All creation testifies to God's almighty sway, 12 : 7-12 
 
 7. But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee. Such 
 rudimentary wisdom as the friends have been uttering is, Job 
 declares, not the property of men only, but even of animals. 
 The passage is poetry, but it must be remembered that the an- 
 cients did not draw as sharp a line between the animal and the 
 human intelligence as we do. This verse and the next are quoted 
 in the fragment of "Sayings of Jesus," found at Oxyrhynchus in 
 Egypt in 1903. See Grenfell and Hunt, New Sayings of Jesus, 
 Oxford University Press, 1904, p. 15. 
 
 8. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. Although this 
 reading is supported by all the versions, it is the almost unani- 
 mous opinion of recent commentators that some word has fallen 
 out of the text. After asking the "beasts " and "birds " in v. 7 
 and before asking the "fishes" in the last clause of this verse, 
 one would expect a reference to reptiles ; and it is probable that 
 the original text read "creeping things of the earth," and that 
 the word for "creeping things " was accidentally omitted in an 
 
 128 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 
 9. Who knoweth not ^ in all these, 
 
 That the hand of the Lord hath wrought this ? 
 
 10. In whose hand is the soul of every Hving thing, 
 And the ^ breath of all mankind. 
 
 11. Doth not the ear try words, 
 
 Even as the palate tasteth its meat ? 
 
 12. ^ With aged men is wisdom, 
 
 And in length of days understanding. 
 
 1 m. Or, hy. 2 qj. Qr, spirit. ' m. Or, with aged men, ye say, is wisdom. 
 
 early copy. This difficulty was felt in the " Sayings of Jesus " 
 just referred to, for it makes the clause read "the beasts which are 
 under the earth and upon the earth." At all events the "earth " 
 cannot speak, and if we supply "creeping things " we obtain the 
 four classes of the brute creation mentioned in Gen. i. 
 
 9. Who knoweth not in all these. If we keep the reading 
 "in," the question means, "Who among all these animals does not 
 know?" If with the margin we read "by," it means "Who 
 is so ignorant as not to know by all these examples? " Compare 
 Isa. 41 : 20. Hath wrought this. I.e. this work that you refer to. 
 Job apparently says, " Who is so ignorant, Zophar, as not to know 
 that God does such things as you say? " 
 
 10. In whose hand is the soul of every living thing. This 
 verse completes the thought of v, g. Zophar's remarks simply 
 amount to this, that God is the absolute sovereign of all. To 
 Job such a thought is an axiom so self-evident as to be unworthy 
 of mention. 
 
 11. Doth not the ear try words ? The verse is, like Luke 12 : 57, 
 an assertion of the inherent ability and right of the individual 
 to discriminate between the false and true in what he hears. 
 Job asserts this right in view of the doctrine from the ancients 
 which his friends were forcing upon him. 
 
 12. With aged men is wisdom. This cannot represent Job's 
 own opinion, as it is inconsistent with the preceding verse. The 
 margin suggests the insertion of "ye say," making it the opinion 
 of the friends. It is simpler to read the verse as a question, 
 
 "Is wisdom with aged men. 
 And understanding in length of days? " 
 
 The positive question is rhetorically equivalent to a negative 
 
 assertion. 
 
 K 129 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 13. With him is wisdom and might ; 
 He hath counsel and understanding. 
 
 14. Behold, he breaketh down, and ^ it cannot be 
 
 built again ; 
 He shutteth up a man, and there can be no 
 opening. 
 
 15. Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry 
 
 up; 
 Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn 
 the earth. 
 
 16. With him is strength and ^ effectual working ; 
 The deceived and the deceiver are his. 
 
 1 m. Gr. Syr. OLat. Sah. Ar. Eth. who shall build up? ' m. Or, sound wisdom. 
 
 (3) None can resist God's might, 12 : 13-25 
 
 13. With him is wisdom and might. I.e. with God, In con- 
 trast to the lack of wisdom among men implied in the preceding 
 question Job asserts that wisdom in all its varieties and might belongs 
 to God. 
 
 14. And it cannot be built again. We should read with the 
 versions cited above, "who shall build it up? " Again the posi- 
 tive question is equivalent to a negative assertion. While Job 
 acknowledges God's wisdom, he insists in this and the following 
 verses especially upon God's absolute power. This insistence 
 Job does not mean altogether as praise. In his present mood 
 it is one of the sore points with him, that God exercises this abso- 
 lute power in a way that seems to Job arbitrary. 
 
 15. Behold, he withholdeth the waters. Droughts and floods 
 seem to Job exhibitions of the arbitrary power of God. He 
 apparently felt that these occurrences were proofs that God knew 
 how to do such things, but that a moderate continuous water 
 supply would be more intelligible to man's understanding. 
 
 16. Effectual working. The phrase means, perhaps, "abiding 
 success," see note on 5 : 12. Job means that God has power, 
 and continually succeeds in achieving his ends. The deceived 
 and the deceiver are his. I.e. God is responsible for them both. 
 This is the point of view of the Hebrew prophets. Amos says : 
 "Shall evil befall a city, and the Lord hath not done it? " (3 : 6), 
 and the Second Isaiah, "I make peace and create evil; I am the 
 Lord, that doeth all these things " (Isa. 45 : 7). 
 
 130 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 12:22 
 
 17. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled, 
 And judges maketh he fools. 
 
 18. He loose th the bond of kings, 
 
 And bindeth their loins with a girdle. 
 
 19. He leadeth priests away spoiled, 
 And overthroweth the mighty. 
 
 20. He removeth the speech of the trusty, 
 
 And taketh away the understanding of the elders. 
 
 21. He poureth contempt upon princes. 
 And looseth the belt of the strong. 
 
 22. He discovereth deep things out of darkness, 
 
 17. He leadeth counsellors away spoiled. The thought of the 
 verse is that God outwits the wisdom of crafty counsellors, and 
 makes the insight of the most astute judges appear foolish. The 
 parallelism between the two parts of the verse is not close and the 
 first line is suspiciously like the beginning of v. 19. This has led 
 some scholars to emend the text to "He makes foolish the coun- 
 sellors of the earth." As the versions support the present text 
 with great unanimity, there does not seem sufficient warrant for 
 so drastic a change. 
 
 18. He looseth the bond of kings. I.e. the bond imposed by 
 kings ; he frees their prisoners, liberates the captives they have 
 taken in war, or exempts provinces from taxes which they have 
 imposed by dissolving the power of the kings themselves. With 
 a girdle. Since to bind with a girdle is usually a synonym for 
 strength, and such an idea is out of harmony with the context 
 here, we should with several scholars change one letter of the 
 Hebrew and read "with a fetter." The thought would then be, 
 "He brings the kings themselves into bondage." 
 
 19. He leadeth priests away spoiled. Priests were an impor- 
 tant and powerful order in ancient Israel, and in older civiliza- 
 tions, like those of Egypt and Babylonia, they were still more 
 important, sometimes stepping from the priesthood to the throne. 
 It is quite natural, therefore, that they should be mentioned in 
 this connection. 
 
 20. Speech of the trusty. Sagacious and eloquent men, such 
 as propose measures and persuade a people to carry them out, 
 
 2 1 . He poureth contempt upon princes. Quoted in Ps. 107 : 40. 
 
 22. He discovereth deep things out of darkness. The verse 
 apparently means that there is no secret so deeply hidden that 
 
 131 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. 
 
 23. He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them : 
 
 He spreadeth the nations abroad, and ^ bringeth them in. 
 
 24. He taketh away the heart of the chiefs of the ^ people 
 
 of the ^ earth. 
 And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where 
 there is no way. 
 
 25. They grope in the dark without light, 
 
 And he maketh them to ^ stagger like a drunken man. 
 13. Lo, mine eye hath seen ^ all this, 
 
 1 m. Or, leadeth them away. ^ Gr. Syr.-Hex. Sah. Eth. omit people. * m. Or, 
 land. * m. Heb. wander. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. these; 12 Heb. MSS. i Gr. MSS. OLat. 
 Vulg. Syr. Ar. all these. 
 
 God cannot penetrate it — no darkness so deep but that he can 
 see through it. 
 
 23. He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them. The 
 rise and fall of nations constitute one of the mysteries of history. 
 It fascinated our poet as it has many others. He declares this to 
 be explicable only as a manifestation of God's sovereign purpose. 
 
 24. He taketh away the heart. The heart here, as often in the 
 Old Testament, stands for the intellect. Chiefs of the people of 
 the earth. With the authorities cited above we should read, 
 "chiefs of the land." The verse continues the thought of the 
 preceding. One of the causes why nations are destroyed is the 
 folly of their rulers. That such folly could exist was due, this 
 monotheist declares, to the will of God. Wander in a wilderness. 
 The word rendered "wilderness" means rather "chaos." It 
 is the word rendered "waste " in Gen. 1:2. It is equivalent to 
 saying, "He causeth them to wander in utter confusion." This 
 half verse is quoted in Ps. 107 : 40. 
 
 28. He maketh them to stagger. As the margin shows, the word 
 is the same that was in the preceding verse rendered "wander." 
 Their activity continues, but it is without purpose or effective- 
 ness. The comparison to a drunken man is used in Ps. 107 : 27, 
 but there with a verb which properly means stagger. 
 
 (4) J oh holds his own attitude toward God's government to be better 
 than that of his friends, 13 : 1-12 
 I. Mine eye hath seen all this. From the general descrip- 
 tion of the intelligence and power manifested in God's works, Job 
 
 132 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Mine ear hath heard and understood it. 
 
 2. What ye know, the same do I know also : 
 ^ I am not inferior unto you. 
 
 3. Surely I would speak to the Almighty, 
 And I desire to reason with God. 
 
 4. But ye are forgers of lies, 
 
 2 Ye are all physicians of no value. 
 
 5. Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace ! 
 And it should be your wisdom. 
 
 6. Hear now ^ my reasoning, 
 
 1 Gr. Sym. Syr. Sah. Eth. Targ. Ar. And I ant not. 2 Gr. Syr. Sym. Sah. Vulg. Targ. 
 Eth. Ar. And ye. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. the argument of my mouth. 
 
 passes to an assertion of his own knowledge of them and attitude 
 toward them. 
 
 2. What ye know, the same do I know. Job regards the air of 
 superiority which his friends have assumed as entirely out of 
 place. 
 
 3. Surely I would speak to the Almighty. Instead of "surely," 
 we should translate, "But I would speak to the Almighty." 
 Although Job knows God's might and the marvels of God's works 
 as well as his friends, he persists that it is with God that he wishes 
 to speak and not with these self-appointed advocates. 
 
 4. Forgers of lies. The word rendered "forgers " is literally 
 "plasterers." Probably the meaning is that the friends seek 
 by their false statements to smear over and cover up the real 
 nature of life and of God's government of the world. Physicians 
 of no value. The friends sought to act as healers of Job's spirit- 
 ual ills, but they had proven so clumsy and short-sighted in their 
 diagnosis of his troubles that he declares that they have no value 
 as healers. 
 
 5. Hold your peace ... it should be your wisdom. The 
 friends have spoken volubly of wisdom, but Job apparently re- 
 gards all that they have said as an exhibition of folly. His 
 remark here suggests the proverb : 
 
 "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise; 
 When he shutteth his lips, he is esteemed as prudent." 
 
 (Pr. 17:28.) 
 
 6. My reasoning. We should read with the versions cited 
 above, "the argument of my mouth." This makes a perfect 
 parallelism between the two parts of the verse. 
 
 133 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And hearken to the pleadings of my lips. 
 
 7. Will ye speak unrighteously for God, 
 And talk deceitfully for him ? 
 
 8. Will ye ^ respect his person ? 
 Will ye contend for God ? 
 
 9. Is it good that he should search you out ? 
 
 Or as one ^ deceiveth a man, will ye ^ deceive 
 him? 
 
 10. He will surely reprove you, 
 
 If ye do secretly ^ respect persons. 
 
 11. Shall not ^ his excellency make you afraid, 
 
 * m. Or, shew him favour. * m. Or, mocketh. ' m. Or, mock. * m. Or, shew 
 favour. Sym. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. respect his person or show him favor. ^ Gr. Sym. 
 
 Syr. Sah. Vulg. Ar. Eth. his devastation. 
 
 7. Speak unrighteously for God. The verse explains the 
 meaning of v. 4. 
 
 8. Will ye respect his person ? The phrase is one that is used 
 of judges who pervert judgment in favor of those who can make 
 it of financial advantage to the judge. Job regards the question 
 between him and God as a question of fairness and justice. It 
 seems to him that a fair-minded person could give a verdict only 
 in one way, but because God is so great and all-powerful he hints 
 that the friends will curry favor with him by urging that which 
 violates their own estimates of what is just. Contend for God. 
 The word in the Hebrew which corresponds to "contend " is the 
 one employed to designate a special plea as in a court of law. 
 The idea is "Will you become special pleaders for God? " 
 
 9. Is it good? That is, will it be good for you, to have God 
 search you out and unmask your pretended reverence, which is 
 only sycophancy. As one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive 
 him? We should read as in the margin "mocketh." A man 
 can be fooled by flattery, but such deception is really a mockery 
 of his manhood. Will you thus mock God, Job asks. The ques- 
 tion implies, of course, that God cannot thus be mocked. 
 
 10. If ye do secretly respect persons. We should read with 
 the versions cited above, "respect his person." Job declares that 
 God's love of justice is so great that he will reprove partiality 
 shown even to himself. 
 
 11. His excellency. We should read with the versions cited 
 above, "his devastation." The reference is to such works of God 
 
 134 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 13: 
 
 And his dread fall upon you ? 
 
 12. Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, 
 Your defences are defences of clay. 
 
 13. Hold your peace, ^ let me alone, that I may speak, 
 And let come on me what will. 
 
 14. ^ Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth, 
 And put my life in mine ^ hand ? 
 
 15. ^ Though he slay me, yet will I wait for him : 
 
 1 Gr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. omit let me alone. 2 m. Qr, At all adventures I will take &•€. 
 » 5 Heb. MSS. I Gr. MS. Syr. Vulg. Eth. hands. * m. Or, Behold he will slay me; I 
 wait for him, or, according to another reading, / will not wait, or, / have no hope. 
 
 as Job has described in 12: 17-25. Job was greatly impressed 
 with the terrors of God. In his longing to come face to face with 
 God he begged that God's more awful aspects might not over- 
 come him, see below, v. 21 and 9:34. Even in modern times 
 something of the ancient point of view finds expression in the 
 lines : 
 
 " God moves in a mysterious way 
 
 His wonders to perform, 
 
 He plants his footsteps in the sea 
 
 And rides upon the storm." 
 
 Make you afraid. Job wonders that in the danger of exciting 
 God's terrors his friends can dare to be so insincere. 
 
 12. Memorable sayings. The traditional maxims with which 
 they had tried to silence Job. Proverbs of ashes. These sayings 
 are so out of touch with reality, that Job declares that they are 
 like the ashes of burnt wood or the dust of the dead. Like the world 
 in which they seemed to be true, there is no life in them. 
 
 (5) Job will speak his mind to God, 13 : 13-22 
 
 13. Let me alone. Several versions, as cited above, omit these 
 words, and the poetry is improved by their omission. Let come 
 on me what will. Job's mood again becomes desperate, and 
 as in 9 : 19 £f. he throws prudence to the winds and speaks out his 
 mind. 
 
 14. Wherefore should I take? We should read with the mar- 
 gin, **At all adventures I will take." The verse expresses in 
 another way Job's fixed resolution to speak out regardless of 
 consequences. 
 
 15. Though he slay me. The Hebrew does not mean this. 
 We should read with the margin, " Behold he will slay me." Yet 
 
 135 
 
13 : i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Nevertheless I will ^ maintain my ways before 
 him. 
 
 1 6. ^ This also shall be my salvation ; 
 
 3 For a godless man shall not come before him. 
 
 17. Hear diligently my speech, 
 
 And ^ let my declaration be in your ears. 
 
 18. Behold now, I have ordered my cause ; 
 I know that I ^ am righteous. 
 
 19. Who is he that will contend with me ? 
 
 For now ® shall I hold my peace and give up 
 the ghost. 
 
 1 m. Heb. argue. 2 m. Or, He. ^ m. Or, That. * Gr. Sah. Eth. / wili 
 
 make a declaration. * m. Or, shall be justified. * m. Or, if I hold my peace, I 
 
 shall give up &'c. 
 
 will I wait for him. The context requires that we read with the 
 second suggestion of the margin, "I have no hope." The verse 
 is a further statement of Job's reckless determination to speak 
 regardless of consequences. He has no hope that God will not 
 crush him like a moth, but nevertheless he will give a defence of 
 himself and his course in life. 
 
 16. This also shall be my salvation. In spite of all of Job's 
 sorrow and suffering and in spite of all the harsh things which 
 in some moods he says about God, his faith in the unswerving 
 justice of God remains. Even conduct which the orthodoxy 
 of the day regarded as blasphemous would contribute to his 
 salvation, he believed, because God is the God of truth and sin- 
 cerity. This sublime confidence in the unswerving fairness of 
 God is one of the fine touches of the poem. 
 
 18. I know that I am righteous. We should read with the 
 margin, "I know that I shall be justified." Job has declared his 
 readiness to plead his case against God. He is ready with his 
 arguments, and expresses his confidence that he will be justified. 
 
 19. Who is he that will contend with me?^ The question 
 means, "Is there any one that will contest my righteousness? " 
 As in Isa. 50 : 8 it is asked in the firm confidence that there is no 
 one who can do so. For now I should hold my peace. Neither 
 the text nor the margin gives the exact idea. Job says, "For 
 then I should hold my peace and die," i.e. if any one should 
 appear to argue against me. 
 
 136 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. Only do not two things unto me, 
 
 Then will I not hide myself from thy face : 
 
 21. Withdraw thine hand far from me ; h . 
 And let not thy terror make me afraid. 
 
 22. Then call thou, and I will answer; 
 Or let me speak, and answer thou me. 
 
 23. How many are mine iniquities and sins ? 
 
 Make me to know ^ my transgression and my sin. 
 
 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face. 
 And holdest me for thine enemy ? 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. what they are. 
 
 20. Only do not two things unto me. The two things are speci- 
 fied in the following verses, and are identical with those mentioned 
 in 9 : 34. 
 
 21. Withdraw thine hand far from me. A synonym for, 
 "Let him take his rod away from me " (9 : 34). The last half of 
 the verse is identical with the last half of 9 : 34. 
 
 22. Then call thou, and I will answer. Freed from the over- 
 mastering terror of the omnipotence of God, Job believes that 
 he could answer any plea that God could make against him, or, 
 as the last clause of the verse shows, put in a plea for God to 
 answer. 
 
 (6) Joh asks with what sins he is charged, 13 : 23-28 
 
 23. How many are mine iniquities and sins? All recent com- 
 mentators have noticed that the diction of the verse is bad. 
 The word "sin " comes into each half of it in a way far more 
 offensive to the ear in the Hebrew than in English. The versions 
 cited above omit two of the words for transgression, and suggest 
 that the verse read originally : 
 
 "How great is my transgression? 
 And my sin — make me know it." 
 
 This is the beginning of Job's plea or defence of himself. 
 
 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face? The verse refers to 
 God's general treatment of Job in his aflflictions. It was the be- 
 lief of the time that God hid his face from those who sinned, 
 and that he punished them as enemies. Job is conscious that he 
 has not sinned. The friends are sure that he has or he would not 
 
 137 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 25. Wilt thou harass a driven leaf ? 
 
 ^ And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble ? 
 
 26. For thou writest bitter things against me, 
 
 And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my 
 youth : 
 
 27. Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and 
 
 markest all my paths ; 
 Thou drawest thee a line about the soles of my 
 feet: 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Ar. Eth. Or. 
 
 be subjected to such suffering. Puzzled by the situation, Job 
 asks in v. 23 how great his sin is, and in this verse, why it is that 
 God has hidden his face. 
 
 25. A driven leaf . . . dry stubble. These are emblems of 
 Job's insignificance as compared with God. He wonders that 
 God should take the trouble to buffet anything so small. 
 
 26. Thou writest bitter things. Another way of saying, " Thou 
 prescribest bitter things"; compare Isa. 10: i, and Hos. 8: 12. 
 Iniquities of my youth. Job acknowledges that in the ardor and 
 inexperience of youth he had done wrong, though he is conscious 
 of no sin in manhood. Such sins on the part of youth men are apt 
 to condone. Job regards God's treatment of him as especially 
 severe because he supposes that these sins of thoughtless inex- 
 perience are remembered. In no other way can he account for 
 his present calamities. 
 
 27. Puttest my feet in the stocks. If "stocks " is to be taken 
 in the ordinary sense, the statements contained in the rest of the 
 verse would be meaningless, unless it refers to a different time, 
 which is improbable. "Stocks," which is in Hebrew in the sin- 
 gular, probably refers to a block of wood chained to a captive's 
 foot to impede his movements. Markest all my paths. I.e. 
 prescribest the limits of my movements and watchest me Hke a 
 prisoner to see that I do not overstep them. Soles of my feet. 
 As the line stands it is a synonym of the preceding phrase. The 
 Hebrew is literally, "the roots of my feet" — a very unusual 
 expression. Commentators have suggested many emendations 
 to make the text accord with more ordinary ways of saying 
 things, but as the present reading is a possible metaphor for a 
 poet, and is supported by the versions, it seems better to let it 
 stand. 
 
 138 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 28. ^ Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth, 
 
 Like a garment that is moth-eaten. 
 
 14. Man that is born of a woman 
 
 Is of few days, and full of trouble. 
 
 2. He 2 Cometh forth like a flower, and ^ is cut down : 
 He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. 
 
 3. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, 
 And bringest ^ me into judgement with thee ? 
 
 4. ^ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? 
 
 not one. 
 
 1 m. Heb. And he is like. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. springeth up. » m. Ot„ wither' 
 eth. Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. falleth. * Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. him. « m. Or, 
 
 Oh that a dean thing could come out of an unclean/ not one can. i Heb. MS. omits the 
 
 28. Though I am like. The Hebrew, as the margin suggests, 
 is, "And he (or it) is like." This makes no sense where it stands. 
 The verse has probably been accidentally misplaced. If we insert 
 it after 14: 2, we gain an excellent meaning for it, and also 
 relieve the situation here. 
 
 (7) The brevity of man's days, 14 : 1-6 
 
 1. Bom of woman. Orientals regard woman as the frailer 
 and weaker vessel. Hebrews believed that sin and death entered 
 the world through her (cf. Gen. 3 : 16 and Ecclus. 25 : 24). The 
 thought recurs in Job in 15 : 14 and 25 : 4. The phrase is 
 introduced here as a partial explanation of the brevity and trouble 
 of human life. 
 
 2. He Cometh forth like a flower. We should with the ver- 
 sions cited above read, "He springeth up like a flower." Human 
 life in its bright promise and its tragic end is likened to the rapid 
 growth of a bright flower, which is soon cut oflf. As noted above, 
 13 : 28 probably belongs here. If so, the comparison went on : 
 
 "He wastes away like a rotten thing, 
 Like a garment that is moth-eaten." 
 
 3. Upon such an one. It seems strange to Job that the eternal 
 God should so closely watch one so frail. Bringest me into 
 judgement. We should read with the versions cited, "bringest 
 him into judgment," i.e. frail man. While Job has himself in 
 mind, he keeps up the figure. 
 
 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? We should 
 
 139 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 5. Seeing his days are determined, the number of 
 
 his months is with thee, 
 And thou hast appointed his bounds that he 
 cannot pass ; 
 
 6. Look away from him, that he may ^ rest, 
 
 Till he shall ^ accomplish, as an hireling, his day. 
 
 7. For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, 
 
 that it will sprout again. 
 And that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 
 
 1 m. Heb. cease. * m. Or, have pleasure in. 
 
 read as in the margin, "Oh that a clean thing could come out of 
 an unclean ! not one can." It is impossible to connect the verse 
 with its context. It is no doubt the sigh of a pious reader which 
 was scribbled on the margin and afterward copied into the text. 
 With the MS. noted above and several modern commentators, 
 we omit it. 
 
 5. Seeing his days are determined. This connects directly 
 with V. 3. Job wonders that God should watch man so carefully 
 or care what he does, for man's days are determined, the bounds 
 of his activity are set, and what can he do to God? 
 
 6. Look away from him that he may rest. To the inevitable 
 agonies of life there is added, Job feels, the torture of being 
 watched by God. Cf. for the thought Ps. 39 : 13. Accomplish 
 as an hireling his day. For "accomplish" we should read, as 
 in the margin, "take pleasure in." The hireling has a hard and 
 lonely lot. His master cares only to get from him all the work he 
 can for his wages ; there is no personal bond of affection. If he 
 is not watched by the taskmaster, however, the hireling can 
 loiter along and get some little pleasure. Such enjoyment Job 
 thinks God ought not to begrudge man in this work-a-day world. 
 
 (8) Trees are more immortal than men, 14 : 7-12 
 
 7. There is hope of a tree. The reason for this hope follows. 
 If it be cut down, that it will sprout again. It is still the custom 
 near Damascus to cut down old fig trees, walnut and pomegranate 
 trees, and vines, and let the roots sprout again. This custom 
 gives to the tree a kind of immortality. Job had compared man 
 to a flower. Perhaps he means to suggest here that in justice 
 man ought to share the immortality of the vegetable world as 
 he shares its brevity of life. 
 
 140 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 8. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, 
 And the stock thereof die in the ground ; 
 
 9. Yet through the scent of water it will bud, 
 And put forth boughs like a plant. 
 
 10. But man dieth, and ^ wasteth away : 
 
 Yea, man giveth up the ghost, ^ and where is he ? 
 
 11. ^ As the waters ^ fail from the sea, 
 And the river decayeth and drieth up ; 
 
 12. So man lieth down and riseth not : 
 
 Till the heavens be no more, they shall not 
 
 awake. 
 Nor be roused out of their sleep. 
 
 1 m. Or, lieth low. 2 j Heb. MS. Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth, Ar. and is no more. 
 
 « m. See Isa. 19 : 5. * m. Heb. are gone. 
 
 9. Like a plant. That is, like a fresh new plant. 
 
 10. Wasteth away. Not even the margin gives the exact 
 shade of thought of the Hebrew. We should render, "Man 
 dieth and falleth prostrate." The comparison with the tree is 
 continued. And where is he ? We should read with the versions 
 cited above, "and is no more." It is a part of the running com- 
 parison with the tree. If the tree is cut down, its root sprouts, 
 but Job declares : 
 
 " Man dieth and falleth prostrate. 
 Yea he giveth up the ghost and is no more." 
 
 The striking contrast intensifies the hard lot of mankind. 
 
 11. Waters fail from the sea. "Sea " is used as in Arabic of 
 an inland lake or pool or even a large laver (i Kgs. 7 : 23 ff.), 
 as well as of a real sea. Here it has this limited meaning. Com- 
 parison has often been made, as the margin indicates, with Isa. 
 19 : 5, where we have almost the same words applied to the Nile, 
 and several scholars think the words have been introduced into 
 the text of Job from that passage. The words are in a much more 
 natural context here than in Isaiah, and, if there has been any bor- 
 rowing, it was probably on the part of the other writer. River 
 decayeth. The word "river" is also used figuratively for the 
 Palestinian streams which dry up in summer. 
 
 12. Till the heavens bene more. That is, never. The heav- 
 ens were regarded as eternal, see Ps. 89 : 29. 
 
 141 
 
14 : 13 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 13. Oh that thou wouldest hide me in ^ Sheol, 
 
 That thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy 
 
 wrath be past, 
 That thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and 
 
 remember me ! 
 
 14. If a man die, ^ shall he live again? 
 
 All the days of my warfare ^ would I wait, 
 Till my ^ release should come. 
 
 15. ^ Thou shouldest call, and I would answer thee : 
 
 1 m. Or, the grave. 2 Qr, gah. Eth. and live again. ^ m. Qr, will . . . skzU 
 
 come. ^ m. Or, change. ^ m. Or, Thou shall call and I will b'c. 
 
 (9) Job longs for life after death, 14 : 13-17 
 
 13. Hide me in Sheol. "Sheol " is the Hebrew name for the 
 underworld. In it the dead were thought to live half-animate, 
 cheerless existences. Job has already described it in 3 : 13-19 
 and 10:21, 22. Other descriptions are found in Isa. 14:9 ff. 
 and Eze. 32 : 21-32. The Babylonian conception is portrayed 
 in the poem of "Ishtar's Descent " ; the Egyptian, in Steindorf's 
 Religion of the Ancient Egyptians, p. 126 ff. ; the Greek, 
 in the eleventh book of the Odyssey. Keep me secret until thy 
 wrath is past. Sheol with its gloom would be a welcome retreat, 
 if God would ever change his attitude toward man and afford him 
 hope. Remember me. Job, after strenuously denying another 
 life for man, passes to the expression of passionate longing for it. 
 
 14. Shall he live again? As the sentence stands it interrupts 
 the context. If we read "and live again " with the versions cited 
 above (and the change affects but a single letter of the Hebrew), 
 the connection of the thought is restored. Job says in substance : 
 "If, when a man dies, he was to live again," etc. All the days 
 of my warfare. Life is figuratively spoken of as a campaign. 
 All its hardships Job would cheerfully bear were there but hope 
 of release. My release should come. The reading of the text 
 is to be preferred to the margin. Job is thinking of his release 
 from the campaign, and the Hebrew word suggests the return to 
 one's house from such service. 
 
 15. Thou shouldest call. Job has expressed the thought in 
 v. 13 that God's punishments are due to his inexplicable anger. 
 It is, like most of our human conceptions of God, a piece of an- 
 thropomorphism. In men such anger usually passes, and a more 
 
 142 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Thou wouldest have a desire to the work of thine 
 hands. 
 
 1 6. But now thou ^ numberest my steps : 
 Dost thou not watch over my sin ? 
 
 17. My transgression is sealed up in a bag, 
 And thou fastenest up mine iniquity. 
 
 18. And surely the mountain falling 2 cometh to 
 
 nought, 
 And the rock is removed out of its place ; 
 
 1 Syr. Ar. wouldst not number. 2 m. Heb. fadeth away. 
 
 tender and penitent mood follows. Job hopes that there may be 
 such a change in God's attitude. He is not certain of it, and the 
 translation of the text is to be preferred to that of the margin. 
 But if Job were hidden in Sheol, and God should ever yearn for 
 him and call him, then Job would answer. The work of thine 
 hands. Job is, after all, God's creature. The fact is mentioned 
 to touch God's heart. Even the Almighty should have a tender 
 feeling for his own handiwork. 
 
 16. But now thou numberest my steps. It is probable that 
 Budde and Peake are right in thinking that vs. 16, 17 continue 
 the description of the ideal relations between God and Job, 
 which might exist in a future life. We should accordingly adopt 
 the reading of the versions cited above and translate : 
 
 "For then thou wouldst not number my steps, 
 Nor watch over my sin." 
 
 17. Is sealed up. On the view of the passage just expressed 
 we should render "would be sealed up." Thou fastenest up. 
 The word means literally "glued over." It is usually taken_ to 
 mean that Job's transgressions are fastened up for safe keeping 
 against the day of judgment. " Glued over " or smeared over 
 might also mean "hidden," "palliated," or "forgotten." On the 
 view taken above of these verses, it should be understood in one 
 of these senses. 
 
 (10) The hopelessness of such longing, 14 : 18-22 
 
 18. And surely. We should translate simply "But." This 
 word forms the transition to the strong adversative contrast from 
 the ideal picture of the preceding verses to the stern reahty. 
 Mountain . . . rock. If the unchanging mountains and firm 
 rocks are removed, how little hope is there for frail man ! 
 
 143 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 19. The waters wear the stones ; 
 
 The overflowings thereof wash away the dust of 
 
 the earth : 
 And thou destroyest the hope of man. 
 
 20. Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth ; 
 Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him 
 
 away. 
 
 21. His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not ; 
 And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not 
 
 of them. 
 
 22. ^ But his flesh upon him hath pain, 
 And his soul within him mourneth. 
 
 7. The Second Speech of Eliphaz, Ch. 15 
 
 15. Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 
 2. Should a wise man make answer with ^ vain knowledge, 
 
 1 m. Or, Only for himself his flesh hath pain, and for himself his soul mourneth. * jq^ 
 Heb. knowledge of wind. 
 
 19. The overflowings thereof. The Hebrew is difficult. 
 Probably we should adopt a slight change in it suggested 
 by Budde, and read "waterspouts." And thou destroyest the 
 hope of man. The hope of the much-desired future life. " And " 
 should be rendered " So." 
 
 20. Thou prevailest for ever against him. In his last struggle 
 for life man is worsted. Even the hope of immortaHty is denied 
 him, Job feels. Thou changest his countenance. A reference 
 to the pallid countenance of the dead, which soon becomes hor- 
 rible through corruption. 
 
 21. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not. This was 
 one of the sharp pangs of death. All that he had loved and 
 lived for must go on without him. 
 
 22. His flesh upon him hath pain. Though in Sheol the man 
 is conceived to consist as upon the earth of body and soul, the 
 flesh, as in Isa. 66 : 24, suffers from the pains of decomposition. 
 His soul . . . mourneth. For the bright life of the upper world. 
 The ancients uniformly thought of the dead as longing in the 
 gloomy underworld for the brightness of life. 
 
 144 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And fill his belly with the east wind ? 
 
 Should he reason with unprofitable talk, 
 
 Or with speeches wherewith he can do no good? 
 
 Yea, thou doest away with fear, 
 
 And ^ restrainest ^ devotion before God. 
 
 For ^ thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth, 
 
 And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 
 
 1 m. Heb. diminishest. ^ m. Or, meditation. • ^ m. Or, thy mouth teacheth 
 
 thine iniquity. 
 
 (i) Eliphaz reproves and convicts Job, 15 : 1-16 
 
 2. A wise man. In 12:3 and 13:2 Job had claimed to 
 be wise. Eliphaz refers to these claims and asks if this is the 
 manner in which a wise man would speak. Vain knowledge. 
 The margin, "knowledge of wind " or "windy knowledge " gives 
 the Hteral meaning of the Hebrew. Job seemed to his friends to 
 pour forth windy words. Bildad in 8 : 2 had used the same 
 figure of Job's reply to Eliphaz. East wind. Several of the 
 ancient versions render "burning wind," the equivalent of the 
 modern "sirocco." In Palestine this wind pours in from the arid 
 and heated desert sometimes for weeks at a stretch. It sucks 
 the moisture from everything, causing leaves to wither, parch- 
 ing the skin, and rendering life a burden. Such, says EHphaz, 
 is the effect of Job's words. 
 
 3. Unprofitable talk. This and the rest of the verse further 
 explain Eliphaz's conception of Job's speech. 
 
 4. Doest away with fear. One of the commonest terms for 
 worship in antiquity was "fear." Job had lost all fear or rever- 
 ence for God. His utterances seemed to Eliphaz to do away 
 with all religion. Restrainest devotion. The margin, "di- 
 minishest meditation" is more literal. The idea seems to be that 
 Job destroys that quiet stillness before God which is the heart 
 of religion. 
 
 5. Thine iniquity teacheth thy mouth. The Hebrew is ambig- 
 uous. If we read it as in the text, it means that Job's sinfulness 
 has prompted his irreverent speech. If we read it as in the 
 margin, "Thy mouth teacheth thine iniquity," it means that Job's 
 utterances are proof to his friends of his guilt. Probably we 
 should prefer the text to the margin, but in either case Eliphaz 
 declares that Job has now proven himself a sinner. 
 
 L 145 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I ; 
 Yea, thine own lips testify against thee. 
 
 7. Art thou the first man that was born ? 
 
 Or wast thou brought forth before the hills ? 
 
 8. ^ Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God ? 
 And dost thou ^ restrain wisdom to thyself ? 
 
 9. What knowest thou, that we know not ? 
 What understandest thou, which is not in us ? 
 
 10. With us are both the grayheaded and the very 
 
 aged men, 
 
 * m. Or, Dost thou hearken in the council. 2 Syr. Ar. reveal. Gr. Sah. Eth. discover. 
 
 6. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I. The words 
 remind us of words in the New Testament : " What further need 
 have we of witnesses? " Mk. 14: 63. Eliphaz feels that noth- 
 ing could so conclusively prove corruption as such utterances. 
 
 7. Art thou the first man. The pent up indignation of Eli- 
 phaz finds expression in a series of ironical questions. It was 
 an axiom of the time that wisdom pertained to age. Eliphaz 
 asks, "Art thou the first man that was born," that thou art able 
 to speak with such surpassing wisdom? Brought forth before 
 the hills. For the expression compare Ps. 90:2, and Pr. 
 8 : 25. In the latter passage (Pr. 8 : 25-30) wisdom is person- 
 ified as existing before the hills and as standing by God as an archi- 
 tect during creation. 
 
 8. Hast thou heard the secret counsel. We obtain the 
 thought of the Hebrew by slightly altering the marginal reading, 
 making it, "Didst thou hear the secret council? " Eliphaz 
 asks sarcastically whether Job has been admitted to the special 
 secrets of God. Restrain wisdom to thyself. This is usually 
 taken to mean, "Didst thou draw wisdom to thyself? " This, 
 however, makes a weak contrast to the first line. We should 
 emend the text either with the Syriac or the Greek as cited above 
 and read, "Didst thou reveal wisdom to thyself?" or "Didst 
 thou discover wisdom for thyself? " Eliphaz ironically asks if 
 a special revelation is the source of Job's wisdom, or does it spring 
 from his own remarkable personality. 
 
 9. What knowest thou that we know not? The positive 
 question is a negative assertion. Eliphaz does not believe that 
 Job is a bit wiser than his friends. 
 
 10. Grayheaded . . . aged . . . elder than thy father. The 
 
 146 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Much elder than thy father. 
 
 11. Are the consolations of God too small for thee, 
 1 And the word that dealeth gently with thee ? 
 
 12. Why doth thine heart carry thee away ? 
 And why do thine eyes ^ wink ? 
 
 13. That thou turnest thy spirit against God, 
 And lettest such words go out of thy mouth. 
 
 14. What is man, that he should be clean ? 
 
 And he which is born of a woman, that he should 
 be righteous ? 
 
 15. Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones; 
 
 m. Or, Or is there any secret thing with thee ? 2 Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. tremble or roll. 
 
 idea persists with Eliphaz that age means wisdom, although Job 
 had denied this in 12 : 12. 
 
 11. The consolations of God. Probably a reference to the con- 
 solations contained in the former speech of EHphaz. Too small 
 for thee. A Hebrew idiom for something that is unsatisfying 
 or insufficient; cf. Num. 16:9 and Isa. 7: 13. The word that 
 dealeth gently with thee. The text is far preferable to the mar- 
 gm. The reference is still to Eliphaz's former speech, in which 
 he had endeavored to deal gently with Job. 
 
 12. Thine heart. We should say thy feelings. Thine eyes 
 wink. We should read with the versions cited above "tremble," 
 i.e. ''roll." The reference is to the flashing or rolling of the eyes 
 in anger or passionate feeling. 
 
 13. Thy spu-it against God. The heart of religious unrest is 
 the lack of resignation. Eliphaz could not appreciate the causes 
 which for the moment made it impossible for Job to be resigned ; 
 Job's attitude accordingly seemed to him wilful rebellion. Such 
 words. That is, bitter, rebelHous words — the outpourings of a 
 rebellious spirit. 
 
 14. He which is bom of woman. Eliphaz cites the Oriental 
 estimate of woman, which Job himself had mentioned in 14 : i, 
 as proof of the impossibility of human purity. The revelation 
 of this impossibility to himself Eliphaz had told in his former 
 speech, 4: 12 ff. 
 
 15. Holy ones. The angels as in 5:1. The heavens. The 
 heavens and stars were to the Hebrews a symbol of clearness, 
 brightness, purity (cf. Ex. 24; 10 and Job 25 : 5), but even these 
 
 147 
 
15 : i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. 
 
 1 6. How much less ^ one that is abominable and corrupt, 
 A man that drinketh iniquity like water ! 
 
 17. I will shew thee, hear thou me; 
 
 And that which I have seen I will declare : 
 
 18. (Which wise men have told 
 
 ^ From their fathers, and have not hid it ; 
 
 19. Unto whom alone the land was given, 
 And no stranger passed among them :) 
 
 20. The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, 
 
 ^ m. Or, that which is. 2 Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. And their fathers have not hidden. 
 
 are, Eliphaz declares, impure in God's sight. So far does the 
 divine standard exceed the human. 
 
 16. Abominable and corrupt. The terms are used of man in an 
 ethical sense in contrast with the angels. The word for "cor- 
 rupt" occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament only in Ps. 14 : 3 and 
 53 : 3, where it has an ethical meaning. A man. Man in general, 
 but with a hint at Job. Drinketh iniquity like water. That is, 
 as naturally as he drinks water to quench his thirst. 
 
 (2) The wise, on the wicked, 15 : 17-35 
 
 17. I will shew thee. Having finished his reproof, Eliphaz 
 again undertakes to instruct Job. That which I have seen. As 
 before, he speaks from experience and observation. 
 
 18. Which wise men have told. What Eliphaz will say is also 
 the wisdom of the ancients. His observation, he feels, has taught 
 him the truth because it is in accordance with the experience of 
 the past. From their fathers, and have not hid it. We should 
 read with the versions cited above, "And their fathers have 
 not hidden." The tradition, he declares, has come down in an 
 unbroken chain from remote antiquity. 
 
 19. No stranger passed among them. To devastate the land 
 by conquest and to corrupt the stream of orthodox tradition by 
 the admixture of foreign currents. 
 
 20. The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days. This 
 is the philosophy of life which has been handed down from the 
 past. Eliphaz believes it true. The author of Ps. 73, like Job, 
 had occasion to form a diflferent view of the matter; see Ps. 
 73 : 4) 5> 7 J 12. In the last clause of the verse the text is to be 
 preferred to the margin. 
 
 148 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 Even the number of years that are laid up for 
 the oppressor. 
 
 21. A sound of terrors is in his ears ; 
 
 In prosperity the spoiler shall come upon him : 
 
 22. He believeth not that he shall return out of 
 
 darkness, 
 And he is waited for of the sword : 
 
 23. 2 He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where 
 
 is it? 
 3 He knoweth that the day of darkness is ready 
 at his hand : 
 
 24. ^ Distress and anguish ^ make him afraid ; 
 
 1 m. Or. And years that are numbered are laid up b'c. 2 Qr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Fe is 
 
 appointed Jorjood of vultures. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. He knows that he is destined to 
 
 calamity, and the day of darkness terrifies him. * Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Distress and 
 
 angtiish overwhelm him. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. take the phrase with the preced- 
 
 ing verse as above. 
 
 2 1 . A sound of terrors is in his ears. Even when he is prosper- 
 ous he is tortured by anticipations of coming retribution. The 
 spoiler shall come upon him. His gloomy anticipations are swiftly 
 realized. It is a very different view from that of Ps. 73 : 5. 
 
 22. He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness. 
 When the calamity comes he has no hope of restoration, for he 
 knows he does not deserve it. He is waited for of the sword. 
 We should probably read with the versions cited above, "laid 
 up for the sword." The passage seems to mean that he is taken 
 captive by the spoilers and reserved for slaughter. 
 
 23. He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? We 
 should read with the versions cited above, "He is appointed 
 for food of vultures." The reading involves the change of but 
 a single letter in the Hebrew, and continues much better the 
 thought of V. 22. It is natural after one is given to the sword to 
 say that he will be food for vultures. He knoweth that the day 
 of darkness is ready at his hand. We should read with the 
 versions cited above: "He knows that he is destined to calam- 
 ity." With these versions we should connect "the day of dark- 
 ness " with the first verb in v. 24, making the sentence, "The day 
 of darkness terrifies him." 
 
 24. Distress and anguish make him afraid, they prevail against 
 him. We should read with the versions just quoted, "Distress 
 
 149 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 They prevail against him, as a king ready to the 
 battle : 
 
 25. Because he hath stretched out his hand against 
 
 God, 
 And ^ behaveth himself proudly against the Al- 
 mighty ; 
 
 26. He runneth upon him with ^ a stif neck, 
 ^ With the thick bosses of his bucklers : 
 
 27. Because he hath covered his face with his fatness, 
 
 1 m. Or, biddeth defiance to. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. pride. » m. Or, Upon. 
 
 and anguish overwhelm him." The four lines then become five 
 and read : 
 
 "He is appointed for food of vultures, 
 He knows that he is destined to calamity, 
 The day of darkness terrifies him, 
 Distress and anguish overwhelm him 
 As a king ready for the onset." 
 
 As a king ready to the battle. The word rendered "battle " 
 occurs nowhere else and is doubtful. It would, perhaps, be 
 better to render it "onset." Some scholars think the clause 
 unsuitable here, and regard it as a gloss to v. 26. If, however, 
 we connect it directly with "distress and anguish," as is done 
 above, it is a fitting conclusion to the thought. In his foreboding 
 he pictures distress and anguish as a king ready for the onset, 
 and is, in anticipation, already overwhelmed by them. 
 
 25. Because he hath stretched out his hand against God. 
 This verse gives the reason for the mental forebodings previously 
 described. Behaveth himself proudly. The margin renders 
 "biddeth defiance to." It is expressed in Hebrew by a word 
 which means "to act like a warrior." This word is further illus- 
 trated in the following verses. 
 
 26. With a stiff neck. We should read with the versions 
 cited J above, "with pride" or "insolence." With the thick 
 bosses. "With " is better than "Upon " of the margin. The 
 verse is a picture of how the man who "acts like a warrior " 
 conducts himself in battle. Like such a man, the sinner makes 
 his attack upon God. 
 
 27. Covered his face with his fatness. Fatness is used in the 
 Old Testament as a synonym for a spirit that is rebellious and 
 
 150 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And made collops of fat on his flanks ; 
 
 28. 1 And he hath dwelt in 2 desolate cities, 
 In houses which no man ^ inhabited, 
 Which were ready to become heaps. 
 
 29. He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance 
 
 continue, 
 Neither shall * their produce bend to the earth. 
 
 30. He shall not depart out of darkness ; 
 The flame shall dry up his branches. 
 
 And by the breath ^ of his mouth ^ shall he go 
 away. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. And viay he dwell. 2 m. Heb. cut off. 3 ni. Or, would inhabit. 
 * m. Or, their possessions be extended oti the earth. Gr. Sab. Eth. cast a shadow upon 
 the earth. Gi. Sah. his flower. ^ Eth. his fruit. ^ Gr. Ssih. Eth. shall fall. 
 
 insensate to all the higher and finer sensibilities. See Deut. 
 32:15 and Ps. 73 : 7- Collops of fat. That is, thick folds of fat 
 or a superabundance of it. 
 
 28. And he hath dwelt in desolate cities. As the text stands 
 it refers to the past. The dwelling of the prosperous sinner could 
 only be said to be desolate in a figurative way on account of his 
 foreboding of evil. It is better to read with the versions cited 
 above, " And may he dwell in desolate cities." This involves no 
 change in the Hebrew letters, but in two vowel points only. The 
 verse then becomes a pious wish of Eliphaz expressive of his con- 
 ception of a fate befitting one who so insolently attacks God. 
 
 29. Neither shall their produce bend to the earth. The 
 Hebrew word for "produce " is unusual and doubtful. Perhaps 
 we should read with the versions cited above, "Neither shall he 
 casta shadow upon the earth." We should then have an anti- 
 thetic parallelism : he shall not become rich, but on the contrary 
 shall waste away. The casting of a shadow begins the compari- 
 son of the sinner to a tree. 
 
 30. He shall not depart out of darkness. This sentence inter- 
 rupts the comparison of the sinner to a tree, which the previous 
 verse had begun. As several commentators have perceived, it is 
 a gloss brought in here from v. 22, and should be omitted. The 
 flame. Figurative for the fierce heat of the sun. And by the 
 breath. We should read " by the wind." " Breath " and " wind " 
 are expressed in Hebrew by the same Hebrew word. Of his 
 
 151 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 31. Let him not trust ^ in vanity, deceiving himself; 
 For vanity shall be his recompence. 
 
 32. 2 It shall be ^ accomplished before his time, 
 And his branch shall not be green. 
 
 33. He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, 
 And shall cast off his flower as the olive. 
 
 34. For the company of the godless shall be barren. 
 And fire shall consume the tents of bribery. 
 
 35. They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity, 
 And their belly ^ prepareth deceit. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. that he shall continue. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. His cutting. » m. Or, paid 
 in full. Syr. Ai. shall wither. * Gi. Syi. OLa.t.Eth. Ai. containeth. 
 
 mouth. We should read with the versions cited above either "his 
 flower " or "his fruit." Shall he go away. We must read with 
 the versions cited, "shall fall." The verse then becomes: 
 
 " The flame shall dry up his branches 
 And by the wind his flower shall fall." 
 
 31. Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself. Most 
 lecent interpreters omit this verse as an abstract gloss which 
 interrupts the thought. If, however, we read with the two ver- 
 sions cited : 
 
 "Let him not trust that he shall continue, 
 For vanity shall be his recompense," 
 
 we have a verse which admirably fits the context. Vanity. 
 Here equivalent to "disaster." 
 
 32. It shall be accomplished before his time. We should 
 read with the versions cited above, "His pruning shall be 
 accomplished before its time," or "shall wither before its tirne." 
 The figure of the tree is continued. The approaching calamities 
 are metaphorically spoken of as a pruning out of season. 
 
 33. He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine. Under 
 still other metaphors the figure of calamity as the premature 
 falling of the unripe fruit of a vine or tree is continued in this 
 verse. How disappointing is such failure ! 
 
 34. For the . . . godless shall be barren. This sums up in 
 plain words all that Eliphaz has been setting forth through this long 
 figure. 
 
 35. Prepareth deceit. We should read with the versions 
 
 152 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 1 6 
 
 8. Job's Second Reply to Eliphaz, Chs. i6, 17 
 
 16, Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. I have heard many such things : 
 1 Miserable comforters are ye all. 
 
 3. Shall 2 vain words have an end ? 
 
 Or what provoketh thee that thou answerest? 
 
 4. I also could speak as ye do ; 
 
 If your soul were in my soul's stead, 
 I could join words together against you, 
 And shake mine head at you. 
 
 1 m. Or. Wearisome. ^ m. Heb. words of wind. 
 
 quoted above, "containeth deceit." Eliphaz concludes with 
 this sweeping description of the wicked. 
 
 (i) Job is weary of vain talk, 16 : 1-5 
 
 2. I have heard many such things as these. Probably what 
 Job means is that the friends say the same things over and over. 
 In reality they all repeat the same thought, viz. that Job must 
 have sinned or he would not suffer, and that the righteous enjoy 
 outward prosperity. He had declared in 12:3 that everybody 
 knew such things, but Eliphaz had said the same things again. 
 It is hard when ill to hear an unjust platitude once; to have it 
 repeated again and again is exasperating. Miserable comforters. 
 The margin gives the literal meaning. Instead of comforting 
 him the friends increased his suffering. The words refer, perhaps, 
 to the question of Eliphaz, "Are the consolations of God too 
 small for thee? " 15 : 11. 
 
 3. Vain words. Literally, as the margin has it, "words of 
 wind." Job returns upon Eliphaz his own accusation of "windy 
 knowledge," 15:2. What provoketh thee? Job seems quite 
 unconscious that he has said anything to irritate his friends. 
 This is true to human nature. 
 
 4. I also could speak as ye do. It is easy to moralize when 
 the torture is inflicted upon another. Job perceives this and 
 implies that the man with real insight and genuine sympathy 
 would rise above such temptation. Join words together. _ Make 
 artificial speeches. Shake mine head. A gesture of astonishment 
 or scorn ; cf. Ps. 22:7 and Isa. 37 : 22. Here it is, as Hitzig and 
 
 153 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 5. But I would strengthen you with my mouth, 
 And the solace of my Hps ^ should assuage your 
 
 grief. 
 
 6. Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged : 
 And though I forbear, ^ what am I eased ? 
 
 7. But now he hath made me weary : 
 
 ^ Thou hast made desolate ^ all my company. 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Sah. A.r. / would not spare you. ' m. Heb. what departethfrom me? 
 
 « Gr. OLat. Sah. He hath made me desolate. * Gr. Sah. Eth. omit all my company. 
 
 Davidson note, as much as to say : "Ah ! I would not have thought 
 that a man who seemed so pious was as great a sinner as his 
 misfortunes show that he is." 
 
 5. Should assuage your grief. We should read with the ver- 
 sions cited above, "I would not spare you." Job does not say 
 that he would assuage their grief. His mood is rather that in 
 which he wishes for the moment that the tables were turned, that 
 he might let his friends know by experience how one in his position 
 feels to be thus addressed. 
 
 (2) Joh asserts his belief that God is permanently hostile to him, 
 16: 6-17 
 
 6. Though I speak, my grief is not assuaged. This verse is a 
 transition between what precedes and what follows. Job has 
 flung out his taunt to his friends, and now turns to himself. In 
 his preceding speeches he has uttered with unexampled freedom 
 all the wild thoughts which came into his mind, but his suffer- 
 ing is lessened neither in body nor mind. Naturally he wonders 
 whether speech avails anything. Though I forbear, what am I 
 eased ? The thought is the same whether we adopt the reading of 
 the text or the margin. Silence brings no more relief than speech. 
 
 7. He. That is, God. Hath made me weary. Has exhausted 
 my patience. Thou hast made me desolate. We should read 
 with the Greek and other versions, "He has made me desolate." 
 All my company. These are strange words here. They are 
 supposed to refer to Job's friends, but it is better with the ver- 
 sions cited above to omit them, and fill out the line by taking 
 over the first verb from v. 8. The verse would then read : 
 
 "He has wearied me out, 
 Made me desolate, and seized me." 
 
 154 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 8. And ^ thou hast ^ laid fast hold on me, which is a 
 
 witness against me: 
 And my leanness riseth up against me, it testifieth 
 to my face. 
 
 9. He hath torn me in his wrath, and ^ persecuted 
 
 me; 
 
 He hath gnashed upon me with his teeth : 
 
 Mine ^ adversary sharpeneth ^ his eyes upon me. 
 10. They have gaped upon me with their mouth; 
 
 They have smitten me upon the cheek reproach- 
 fully: 
 
 They gather themselves together against me. 
 
 ^Gr.he. ^m. Or, shrivelled me up. Gr. takes this with the preceding verse. 
 
 ' m. Or, hated me. Gr. OLat. Sah. overthrew me. * Sym. Syr. Ar. adversaries. 
 
 * Sym. Syr. Ar. their eyes. 
 
 8. Which is a witness against me. As the italics show, the 
 revisers have added some words. These are unnecessary. We 
 should read the verse in connection with v. 7, thus : 
 
 "He has wearied me out, 
 Made me desolate, seized me ; 
 For a witness is it that he stands against me ; 
 My leanness answers to my face." 
 
 Testifieth to my face. Of what God is doing and what his atti- 
 tude toward me is. 
 
 9. Tom me in his wrath. The verse pictures another step in 
 the manifestation of God's hostility. Persecuted me. Better 
 than either the text or the margin is the reading of the versions 
 given above, "he hath cast me down." He hath gnashed upon 
 me with his teeth. The whole description is that of a beast of 
 prey pursuing his victim. He wearies him in the chase, seizes 
 him, tears him, throws him down, and gnashes his teeth at him. 
 Mine adversary. We should read with the versions cited, "ad- 
 versaries " and "their eyes." The line begins a description which 
 is continued in the next verse. As other interpreters have no- 
 ticed, V. II should come before this clause. 
 
 10. They have gaped upon me. The whole verse continues 
 the description of adversaries begun in v. 9. Probably Job has 
 his friends in mind, and this verse reveals how their consolations 
 have impressed him. 
 
 155 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 11. God delivereth me to the ungodly, 
 
 And casteth me into the hands of the wicked. 
 
 12. I was at ease, and he brake me asunder ; 
 
 Yea, he hath taken me by ^ the neck, and dashed 
 
 me to pieces : 
 He hath also set me up for his mark. 
 
 13. His ^ archers compass me round about, 
 
 He cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare ; 
 He poureth out my gall upon the ground. 
 
 14. He breaketh me with breach upon breach ; 
 
 * Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. the hair. ' m. Or, arrows, or, mighty ones. 
 
 11. God delivereth me to the ungodly. As noted above, this 
 verse should come before gc. Up to that point God has been por- 
 trayed as a lion pursuing his prey. As the lion casts something 
 to the jackals, so God, having worried Job, has cast him to lesser 
 tormentors. The wicked. The strength of the language makes 
 one think of men who are actually sinners, but Job's actual ex- 
 periences and the connection in which the phrase stands make 
 one think it a reference to his friends. In his excited state he 
 might apply to them such language. The friends thus become 
 the jackals of the figure used above. 
 
 12. He brake me asunder. The verse returns to speak of God's 
 own treatment of Job. Other figures are now employed to describe 
 how the divine wrath was manifested. He hath also set me up 
 for his mark. Shooting at a target was in ancient time a princely 
 sport. An inscription found in front of the Sphinx in Egypt 
 names as one of the accomplishments of Thothmes IV, who ruled 
 from 1420 to 141 1 B.C., "shooting at a target with copper bolts." 
 Job represents God as similarly setting him up as his target. 
 
 13. His archers compass me. We should read as in the margin, 
 "His arrows." The figure of the prince practising at a target is 
 continued. About the target the arrows fly swiftly. He cleaveth 
 my reins asunder. Now an arrow pierces the victim's body. 
 "Reins," as often in Hebrew, is used for the vital parts. He 
 poureth out my gall. An arrow pierces the gall bladder, and 
 through the wound the gall exudes. The words look in two direc- 
 tions. They carry on the figure of the archer, and figuratively in- 
 terpreted they eloquently set forth the bitterness of Job's suffering. 
 
 14. He breaketh me with breach upon breach. The figure is 
 now changed. Job is a fortress which God is storming. Like a 
 
 156 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 He runneth upon me like a ^ giant. 
 
 15. I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, 
 And hsLvef laid my horn in the dust. 
 
 16. My face is ^ foul with weeping, 
 
 And on my eyelids is the shadow of death ; 
 
 17. Although there is no violence in mine hands, 
 And my prayer is pure. 
 
 18. O earth, cover not thou my blood, 
 
 1 m. Or, mighty man. 2 m. Or , defiled. ' m. Or, red. 
 
 giant. Neither the text nor the margin gives quite the shade of 
 thought. The word simply means "warrior." True there is 
 associated with it the idea of success or heroism in war, but it 
 means here the kind of warrior who successfully breaks his way 
 into a fortress — a man like Richard Coeur de Lion. 
 
 15. Sackcloth. A coarse dark cloth made from the hair of 
 goats and camels. It was worn on the loins next the skin in 
 mourning. See 2 Kgs. 6 : 30. In primitive times it was probably 
 the only garment the Semites wore, so in times of mourning or 
 humiliation it was resumed. Laid my horn in the dust. Lit- 
 erally "thrust my horn in the dust." The horn was a symbol 
 of strength. To exalt one's horn was to strengthen or prosper 
 him (i Sam. 2:1); for one to lift up his horn was to be arrogant 
 (Ps. 75 : 3, 4) ; to break or cut off one's horn was to weaken him 
 (Jer. 48 : 25 ; Lam. 2:3). Accordingly, to thrust one's horn in the 
 dust was utterly to humble one's self. 
 
 16. My face is foul with weeping. Not even the marginal 
 "red " quite gives the force of the word. "Inflamed is my face " 
 is the meaning of the Hebrew. Shadow of death. _ He feels that 
 the darkness of death is settling down over his vision. 
 
 17. Although there is no violence in mine hands. Three of the 
 four words by which this clause is expressed in the Hebrew are 
 identical with words in the first clause of Isa. 53 : 9. Perhaps 
 there was a conscious adoption of the words of the great Servant 
 of Jehovah. My prayer is pure. Job repels the charge of irrev- 
 erence which Eliphaz had made in 15:4. The whole verse 
 is a repudiation of his insinuations of sinfulness in 15 : 5 and 35^ 
 
 (3) Faith in God and righteousness struggles through his storm'of 
 feeling, 16 : 18-17 : 9 
 
 18. O earth, cover not thou my blood. The injustice of his 
 terrible fate, that he, an innocent man, should be thus done to 
 
 IS7 
 
19 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And let my cry ^ have no resting place. 
 
 19. Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, 
 And he that voucheth for me is on high. 
 
 20. 2 My friends scorn me : 
 
 1 m. Or, have no more place. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. May my prayer come before God, and 
 
 my eyes pour out tears before him. 
 
 death, breaks over Job anew, and he utters a passionate appeal 
 that his blood be not covered. There was a widespread feeling 
 in antiquity, which the Hebrews shared, that blood spilled on 
 the ground cried for vengeance (cf. Gen. 4:10; Heb. 11:4; 
 12: 24). Its cry might be stifled by covering it (Gen. 37: 26), 
 so Ezekiel (24:7, 8) declared that certain blood should be 
 poured on the rock where its cry could not be suppressed by being 
 absorbed. It is true the earth might disclose the blood thus 
 absorbed (Isa. 26: 21), but the absorption was nevertheless an 
 interruption of its cry. That this was the thought in Job's, 
 mind is shown by the next clause. Let my cry have no resting 
 place. It would be a little consolation if the cry against so cruelly 
 unjust a fate could go up unceasingly. In reality Job's blood 
 was not actually shed, and the whole passage is figurative, but 
 it nevertheless expresses his passionate feeling. 
 
 19, My witness is in heaven. One of the finest threads which 
 the poet has woven into this great poem is the thought that after 
 all God is just. However much Job may in his rebellion against 
 his fate charge God with ill-treating him, the poet represents 
 him as coming back again and again to unshakable confidence in 
 the moral integrity and ultimate justice of God. One instance 
 of it is found in 13 : 16, and another instance occurs here. 
 Job in the hopelessness of his unjust fate demands that the cry 
 for justice shall never be silenced or interrupted, when suddenly 
 his unshakable conviction in the moral character of God — a 
 conviction which no tortures could eradicate from him — surges 
 up again, and he declares that his Witness is in heaven, and that 
 there is on high One to vouch for him. He no longer hopes for 
 life; he has not now faith that God will ever call him up from 
 Sheol ; but, when his present mood of anger is gone by, God will 
 some day acknowledge that Job was innocent and pure, and Job's 
 good name will be vindicated. 
 
 20. My friends scorn me. Literally, "My scorners are my 
 friends." The versions quoted above had a different reading, 
 but one which is out of harmony with the context. Several 
 emendations have been proposed, but the passage is touchingly 
 
 158 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 But mine eye poureth out tears unto God ; 
 21. ^ That he would maintain the right of a man with 
 
 God, 
 
 And of a son of man with his neighbour ! 
 2 2. For when a few years are come, 
 
 I shall go the way whence I shall not return. 
 17. 2 yiy spirit is consumed, my days are extinct, 
 
 1 m. Or, That one might plead for a man with God, as a son of man pleadeth for his 
 neighbour. 2 Qj, QLat. Sah. Eth. / am ruined, tortured in spirit; I long for the grave 
 and do not find it. 
 
 beautiful as it stands. Buffeted to death by God and scorned by 
 his friends, Job lifts his tear-stained face to the Almighty. 
 Crushed by God himself, the heart still flees to God as the one 
 source of consolation and justice. 
 
 21. That he would maintain the right of a man with God. 
 The text is to be preferred to the margin. The thought is that 
 God should become with himself Job's advocate. In 9 : 33 he 
 had asked for a daysman; he now asks that God himself shall 
 be the Daysman. However illogical such a thought may seem, 
 it has great religious depth, and has in one form or another found 
 expression in many religions. The Anselmic doctrine of the 
 Atonement, that God's love pleads with his justice, and the belief 
 that God the Son pleads with God the Father are different forms 
 of it. Job, of course, has no such thought as either of these; 
 he is thinking rather of God's tenderer and fairer mood pleading 
 with his fierce and angry one. The thought that underlies all 
 of these is found in Islam also and was beautifully expressed by 
 Mohammed, "There is no refuge from God except God " {Coran, 
 Sura 9 : 119). 
 
 22. Few years. In view of the conviction just expressed that 
 death was near (v. 17), "few years " seems strange and out of 
 place. We should probably with two or three interpreters make 
 two slight changes in the Hebrew and read : 
 
 " For the mourning women will come 
 And I shall go whence I shall not return." 
 
 It is a picturesque and poetical way of speaking of his death. 
 The vindication which he expects is to come after death and to 
 affect his reputation only. He has no hope that he will be re- 
 called from Sheol to be rewarded by happiness. 
 
 I. My spirit is consumed, etc. The verse continues the 
 
 159 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 The grave is ready for me. 
 
 2. ^ Surely there are ^ mockers with me, 
 
 And mine eye abideth ^ in their provocation. 
 
 3. Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself ; 
 Who is there that will strike hands with me ? 
 
 4. For thou hast hid their heart from understanding : 
 
 * Gr. Sah. / have cried out. 2 m. Heb. mockery. Gr. Sah. exhausted. Vulg. 
 
 / have not sinned. ^ Syr. Vulg. Ar. «i bitterness. 
 
 thought of 16:22. He had said that the mourning women 
 would soon come and he would go to that bourn from which no 
 traveller returns. He now declares that he is ready to go ; his 
 tribulations have broken his spirit. The grave is ready for me. 
 The Hebrew is difficult, the versions differ, and scholars have 
 proposed many emendations. By the change of one letter of the 
 Hebrew we can translate, "The grave is mine." This change 
 we should probably make. 
 
 2. Surely there are mockers with me. The verse is supposed 
 by many to refer to Job's friends, but all recognize that it is 
 very obscure and difficult. As Peake has said, the poet, had he 
 intended this reference, would probably have expressed it more 
 plainly. The versions as cited above differ widely and one can- 
 not be certain about the meaning. If, however, we slightly emend 
 the text in both halves of the verse on the basis of the Vulgate, 
 Syriac and Arabic versions, it would read : 
 
 "Although there is no sin with me, 
 Yet my eye abides in bitterness." 
 
 The verse thus rendered gives an additional reason for the con- 
 ditions described in v. i. 
 
 3. Be surety for me with thyself. In 16 : 21 Job had appealed 
 from God to God, i.e. from God's present mood to that better 
 mood which he felt sure would come to the Almighty when he would 
 regret the harshness of his present treatment of Job and would 
 vindicate his memory. Job now asks of God that he will deposit 
 with himself a pledge to thus vindicate him. Who . . . will 
 strike hands with me ? This is the action by which the pledge is 
 sealed. In Babylonian "he struck his hand " means to conclude 
 a bargain. In reality it is God who will, Job hopes, make the 
 agreement. His thought reminds one of Heb. 6 : 13 : "For . . . 
 God. . . since he could swear by no greater, sware by himself." 
 
 4. Thou hast hid their heart from understanding. That is, the 
 heart of all others but thyself. Perhaps there is a special ref- 
 
 160 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 17 
 
 Therefore shalt thou not exalt them. 
 
 5. He that denounceth his friends for a ^ prey, 
 Even the eyes of his children shall fail. 
 
 6. ^ He hath made me also a byword of the people ; 
 And I am become ^ an open abhorring. 
 
 7. Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, 
 And all my members are as a shadow. 
 
 8. Upright men shall be astonied at this, 
 
 And the innocent shall stir up himself against 
 the godless. 
 
 1 m. Heb. portion. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. Thou hast. ' m. Or, one in whose face they spit. 
 
 erence to his friends. Job believes that he can be understood 
 only by God. 
 
 5. He that denounceth his friends for a prey. The verse is 
 difficult, and many interpretations have been proposed for it. 
 Probably we ought with Peake to change the pointing of the verb 
 rendered "prey" and translate: 
 
 "One invites friends to partake 
 While the eyes of his children fail." 
 
 We should then take the verse to be the quotation of a proverb 
 illustrating the lack of understanding spoken of in v. 4. It wouM 
 mean " men are so foolish that they keep open house while their 
 own children starve; how can they be expected, then, to look 
 beneath appearances and do justice to one who is wronged? '' 
 
 6. He hath made me a b5rword. We should read with the 
 versions cited, "Thou hast made me a byword." Job turns his 
 address to God, declaring that because of all that God has brought 
 upon him, the story of his woes will be told everywhere and he will 
 be regarded as an object of scorn because men will believe that his 
 sufferings prove him to have been wicked. Underlying^ this ad- 
 dress to God there is a further reflection upon the intelligence of 
 every one but God. Thus the thought is closely connected with v. 4. 
 
 7. Mine eye has become dim. Through constant weeping. 
 All my members are as a shadow. The word rendered " members " 
 may be rendered "features." In either case the reference is to 
 the wasting of his form through illness. 
 
 8. Upright men shall be astonied at this. Astonished that a 
 man whom they had thought righteous should so suffer. Stir 
 up himself against the godless. Those who regard themselves as 
 
 M 161 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, 
 
 And he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger 
 and stronger. 
 
 10. But return ye, all of you, and come now : ' 
 
 1 And I shall not find a wise man among you. 
 
 11. My days are past, ^ my purposes ^ are broken off. 
 Even the ^ thoughts of my heart. 
 
 1 m. Or, For I find not. 2 Qr. gah. Eth. in rottenness. OLat. in calamities. ^ Gr. 
 Sah. OLat. Eth. connect this verb with the last clause. ^ m. Heb. possessions. 
 
 innocent will become zealous in their exhortations to the godless, 
 using Job's misfortunes as a text to persuade them to repent. 
 
 9. Yet shall the righteous hold on his way. As we have noted 
 above, Job has expressed the conviction that he will ultimately be 
 vindicated by God (16:19 S.). He here expresses the belief 
 that something of his own hard-earned faith in the validity of 
 righteousness will be shared by other pure souls. In spite of 
 God's seeming injustice and varying moods, they will have faith 
 enough in his real goodness to go quietly on their way increasing 
 in strength. Job thus attributes to others his own heroic res- 
 olution. Duhm and Peake have thought the verses an inter- 
 polation here, but, understood as suggested, that is not neces- 
 sary. Davidson's remark is justified, "The passage is perhaps 
 the most surprising and lofty in the book." 
 
 (4) Outwardly Job expects Sheol only, 17 : 10-16 
 
 10. But return ye. An address to his friends. He does not 
 mean to imply that they are going away : the words are rather 
 an invitation to them to repeat their arguments. Not find a 
 wise man among you. His friends were not wise because their 
 arguments, though in accord with tradition, did not ring true to 
 life. 
 
 11. My purposes are broken ofif. The Hebrew of the line is 
 difficult, and probably the text is corrupt. We should read with 
 the versions cited above, "in rottenness" instead of "my pur- 
 poses," and connect the verb with the last half of the verse. 
 Even the thoughts of my heart. Instead of " thoughts " we should 
 read as in the margin "possessions." The whole verse with the 
 emended text would read : 
 
 " My days are passed in rottenness ; 
 My cherished possessions are torn away." 
 
 The verse is a picture of Job's desolate condition. 
 
 162 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB j.^. i, 
 
 12. 1 They change the night into day : 
 
 The light, say they, is near ^ unto the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 13. ^ If I look for ^ Sheol as mine house ; 
 
 If I have spread my couch in the darkness ; 
 
 14. If I have said to ^ corruption, Thou art my 
 
 father ; 
 To the worm, TJiou art my mother, and my sister ; 
 
 15. Where then is my hope ? 
 
 And as for ^ my hope, who shall see it ? 
 
 1 Gr. 7 change. « m. Or, because of darkness. 3 m. Or, If I hope, Sheol is 
 
 mine house; I have spread . . . I have said . . . and where is now my hope? < m. 
 
 Or, the grave. 6 m. Qr, the pit. s Gr. Sah. Eth. my goods. 
 
 12. They change. We should read with the Greek, " I change," 
 as it suits the context far|better. The light, say they, is near unto 
 darkness. This line is very difficult as it stands, and the mar- 
 ginal reading does not improve it. Two changes in the Hebrew 
 have been suggested by Duhm and Beer, which should be adopted 
 with slight modification. The line then reads, "Light before me 
 is darkness." The whole verse would then read : 
 
 "I change the night into day; 
 Morning-light before me is darkness." 
 
 It is^ a continuation of the description of his present suffering 
 condition which the preceding verse began. 
 
 13. If I look, etc. We should read with the margin, "If I 
 hope." 
 
 14. My father, . . . my mother, and my sister. By these very 
 vivid metaphors Job expresses the close kinship of the decaying 
 body to the grave and its repulsive assistants. 
 
 15. Where then is my hope? The meaning of vs. 13-15 is 
 this : Job had said that death was near, and he would soon be 
 in Sheol. He asks, " If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I have 
 spread my couch in the darkness {i.e. of Sheol), if I have said to 
 the pit thou art my father and to the worm, my mother and my 
 sister, where then is my hope of prosperity that you are prating 
 about, if I repent? " And as for my hope. We should read with 
 the versions cited above, "Where then are my goods?" i.e. 
 my earthly goods or prosperity of which you speak. 
 
 163 
 
17: i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. ^ It shall go down to the bars of ^ Sheol, 
 
 ^ When once there is rest in the dust. 
 
 9. Bildad's Second Speech, Ch. 18 
 
 18. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 
 
 2. How long ^ will ye lay snares for words ? 
 Consider, and ^ afterwards we will speak. 
 
 3. Wherefore are we counted as beasts, 
 Aftd are become unclean in ® your sight? 
 
 4. Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger, 
 Shall the earth be forsaken for thee ? 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Shall they go down to Sheol with me? 2 m. Or, the grave. 
 
 » Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. Or shall we descend to the dust together? « Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. 
 wilt thou make an end of words? ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. omit afterwards. ^ Gr. Sah. 
 
 Eth. thine eyes. 
 
 16. Go down to the bars of Sheol. The text is corrupt and 
 should be corrected with the versions cited above so as to read : 
 
 "Shall they go down to Sheol with me? 
 Or together shall we descend to the dust? " 
 
 The reference is to Job's "goods " referred to in v. 15, and gives 
 further sarcastic point to the question there asked. 
 
 (i) Why is Job so contemptuous of his friends? 18 : 1-4 
 
 2. Will ye lay snares. The text is undoubtedly corrupt. 
 Job is addressed in the plural, and "snares of words " makes no 
 sense here. The Hebrew word for "snares," too, occurs nowhere 
 else. We should emend the text on the basis of the versions 
 quoted above so as to read : 
 
 "How long wilt thou make an end of words? 
 Consider, and we will speak." 
 
 Bildad wishes to secure Job's silence and attention. 
 
 3. Unclean. The Hebrew word means "stupid," which makes 
 better sense here. Your sight. We should emend with the ver- 
 sions to "thy sight." 
 
 4. Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger. Job had in 16:9 
 accused God of tearing him; Bildad replies that it is Job who 
 in his impotent rage is tearing himself. Shall the earth be for- 
 
 i6j. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB i8:8 
 
 Or shall the rock be removed out of its place ? 
 
 5. Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, 
 And the ^ spark of his fire shall not shine. 
 
 6. The Hght shall be dark in his tent, 
 
 And his lamp ^ above him shall be put out. 
 
 7. The steps of his strength shall be straitened, 
 And his own counsel shall ^ cast him down. 
 
 8. For ^ he is cast into a net by his own feet. 
 And he ^ walketh upon the toils. 
 
 ^m. Oi, flame. ^m, Ot, beside. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. cause him to stumble. 
 
 * Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. his foot is cast into a net. ^ Gr. OLat. rolls. 
 
 saken for thee . . . the rock removed out of its place? These 
 are figurative expressions. Bildad means, " Shall the fixed moral 
 order of the world be turned upside down that thou mayest 
 escape the deserved imputation of wickedness?" He hits upon 
 one of the real faults of Job as a sufferer — a fault common to 
 many sufferers — he is thoroughly self-centred. 
 
 (2) The terrible fate of the wicked, 18 : 5-21 
 
 5. The light of the wicked shall be put out. Bildad now turns 
 to repeat again the tale of the dire punishments of the wicked 
 on which the friends have dwelt before. The figure with which 
 he begins is a reference to the emphasis which Job had put upon 
 the darkness of Sheol in the last part of his preceding speech, 
 see 17 : 12, 13. 
 
 6. His lamp above him. Which hangs from the roof of the 
 tent. Cf. 29 : 3. 
 
 7. The steps of his strength shall be straitened. This is 
 another figure of the misfortunes of the wicked. For one to 
 make wide his steps is an oriental figure for prosperity (see Ps. 
 4:1). The figure is derived from the wide free stride of the 
 successful and confident man. The unsuccessful man loses self- 
 confidence, becomes timorous, and takes shorter, cautious steps 
 (see Pr. 4: 12). Shall cast him down. It is better by trans- 
 posing two Hebrew letters to read with the versions cited above 
 "shall cause him to stumble," thus continuing the figure. In- 
 volved in misfortune, the very means he takes to extricate him- 
 self involve him more deeply. 
 
 8. He is cast into a net by his own feet. We should read with 
 the versions quoted above, "his own foot is cast into [i.e. thrust 
 iiitol a net." He walketh upon the toils. The reading of the 
 
 165 
 
iSrg THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. A gin shall take him by ^ the heel, 
 And d, snare shall lay hold on him. 
 
 10. A noose is hid for him in the ground, 
 And a trap for him in the way, 
 
 11. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, 
 And shall chase him at his heels. 
 
 12. His strength shall be hungerbitten, 
 
 And calamity shall be ready ^ for his halting. 
 
 13. It shall devour the ^ members of his body, 
 
 1 Syr. Vulg. his heel. 2 m. Or, at his side. ^ m. Heb. bars of his skin. 
 
 two versions cited is better, "he rolls upon the toils." This 
 vividly carries on the preceding figure. As he walks he puts his 
 foot into a net and goes sprawling on the toils. 
 
 9. By the heel. The two versions cited above read "his heel," 
 which is better. The verse repeats in other words the thought of v. 8. 
 
 10. A noose is hid for him in the ground. After having been 
 caught once he expects traps everywhere. It is this which robs 
 him of courage. 
 
 11. Terrors shall make him afraid on every side. This aptly 
 describes a man robbed of his nerve. Chase him at his heels. 
 He is not sure when he has passed a point that it has no terrors ; 
 he is beset behind and before. 
 
 12. His strength shall be -hungerbitten. This is an unusual 
 expression. If the text says this, the meaning is that famine 
 overtakes him. As the text stands, however, the second line does 
 not form a good parallelism. Many interpreters accordingly take 
 the word rendered "strength" from a different Hebrew root, 
 which has the same letters, but which means "sorrow " or " is- 
 aster " and render, "His disaster is hungry," i.e. hungry for him, 
 its prey. This gives a better parallel to the second half of the 
 line. For his halting. Interpreters are divided whether to read 
 "halting" as in the text or "side" as in the margin. The 
 Hebrew is open to either meaning and either makes good sense. 
 
 13. Shall devour the members of his body. The margin tells 
 us that the Hebrew reads "bars of his skin." This is a peculiar 
 phrase upon which commentators have wasted a vast amount of 
 ingenuity. It seems impossible to give it a satisfactory mean- 
 ing which will altogether fit the context. Several scholars haye 
 noted that by the insertion of one Hebrew letter we should obtain 
 the meaning, "By sickness his skin shall be devoured." This 
 
 166 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 18:15 
 
 Yea, the firstborn of death shall devour his members. 
 
 14. ^He shall be rooted out of his tent wherein he trusteth ; 
 And 2 he shall be brought to the king of terrors. 
 
 15. 3 There shall dwell in his tent ^ that which is none of 
 
 his: 
 Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. His healing shall be rooted out of his tent. 2 jjeb. it shall (or 
 thou shalt) bring him. ^ m. Or, It shall dwell in his tent, that it be no more his, or, be- 
 
 cause it is none of. his. * i Heb. MS. Theod. Eth. in his night. 
 
 emendation should be adopted. The firstborn of death. This 
 phrase has been a great puzzle. Some have thought of it as 
 elephantiasis, the disease from which Job was suffering, others 
 as the worms which devour the body. If we interpret the first 
 line as above, it becomes simply the sickness there referred to. 
 
 14. He shall be rooted out of his tent wherein he trusted. 
 The Hebrew as it stands is "his tent, his trust " — a very unusual 
 expression. We should emend the text with the versions cited so as 
 to read, "His healing shall be rooted out of his tent." The verse 
 continues the thought of the preceding verse. He shall be brought. 
 We should read with the margin, " It shall bring him," i.e. the sick- 
 ness shall bring him. The two verses together, then, are read : 
 
 "By sickness his skin shall be devoured. 
 Death's firstborn shall eat his members ; 
 His healing shall be rooted out of his tent. 
 And it shall bring him to the king of terrors." 
 
 15. There shall dwell in his tent that which is none of his. 
 
 How difficult and unusual the Hebrew is, is indicated by the 
 alternatives given in the margin. That the present text had 
 rivals in ancient times is shown by the MS. and versional variant 
 cited above. "In his night " cannot have been the true sub- 
 stitute for "that which is none of his," since it gives no meaning. 
 Some commentators have suggested that Lilith, the name of 
 a night demon (cf. Isa. 34: 14), originally stood in the text here. 
 The line would then read, "Lilith shall dwell in his tent." Duhm 
 suggests "Belial" instead of "Lilith." This would require 
 fewer changes in the Hebrew, but does not seem to me so prob- 
 able as "Lilith." The verse would then read: 
 
 "Lilith shall dwell in his tent. 
 Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation." 
 
 Brimstone. Perhaps an allusion to the destruction of the cities 
 of the plain, Gen. 19 : 24. 
 
 167 
 
i8: i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. His roots shall be dried up beneath, 
 And above shall his branch ^ be cut off. 
 
 17. His remembrance shall perish from the earth, 
 And he shall have no name in the street. 
 
 18. He shall be driven from light into darkness, 
 And chased out of the world. 
 
 19. He shall have neither son nor son's son among 
 
 his people. 
 Nor any remaining where he sojourned. 
 
 20. 2 They that come after shall be astonied ^ at his 
 
 day, 
 
 1 m. Or, wither. Theod. Eth. fall. ^ m. Or, They that dwell in the west are . . . 
 
 as they that dwell in the east are b'c. 3 Qr. gah. Eth. at him. 
 
 16. His roots shall be dried up. The comparison is now changed 
 from a man who dies of a terrible disease and whose habitation 
 becomes desolate to that of a dying tree. Cf. Amos 2 : 9. 
 
 17. His remembrance shall perish from the earth. This was 
 always regarded among the Hebrews as a great calamity, see 
 Deut. 9:14; I Sam. 24:21; 2 Sam. 14:7. Instead of "earth " 
 we should here translate "land." "Earth" makes the state- 
 ment too sweeping, and leaves nothing for the last half of the 
 verse to say. In the street. The Hebrew is literally "on the 
 face of outside." Davidson and Peake take it to refer to the more 
 sparsely settled districts ; it seems rather to refer to regions outside 
 the sinner's own land. 
 
 18. He shall be driven from, etc. The verbs in the Hebrew 
 are in the plural, "They shall chase him," etc. Duhm would 
 make the verbs singular and understand "God " as the subject. 
 The thought is much the same in any case. 
 
 19. Among his people. That is, among his kinsmen there shall 
 be no refugee or survivor from his family. Remaining where 
 he sojourned. It is better to translate, "No one escaped where 
 he sojourned," taking the last clause to refer, not to his own 
 dwelling, but to the dwellings of his relations whom he sometimes 
 visited. The two halves of the verse are thus synonymous. 
 
 20. They that come after. It has been thought by some inter- 
 preters that this contradicts v. 17, which declared that his re- 
 membrance should perish from the earth. This is the reason 
 why the margin renders, "They that dwell in the west , . , 
 
 168 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 19 
 
 As they that went before ^ were affrighted. 
 21. Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous, 
 
 And this is the place of him that knoweth not 
 God. 
 
 10. Job^s Reply to Bildad's Second Speech, Ch. 19 
 
 19. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. How long will ye vex my soul, 
 
 And break me in pieces with words ? 
 
 3. These ten times have ye reproached me : 
 
 Ye are not ashamed that ye ^ deal hardly with me. 
 
 1 m. Heb. laid hold on horror. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. fall upon me. 
 
 they that dwell in the east." Although the Hebrew words used 
 do not have this meaning elsewhere, several recent interpreters 
 favor this translation. The difi&culty is, however, based on a 
 misunderstanding of the Hebrew point of view expressed in v. 17. 
 "Name" and "remembrance" are often in the Old Testament 
 synonyms for posterity (see Deut. 9 : 14; i Sam. 24 : 21 ; i Sam. 
 14:7; and Ps. 72:17). Bildad was not saying that no one 
 would hear the story of the wicked man, but that he would leave 
 no posterity. We may, therefore, well keep the rendering given 
 in the text. At his day. We should read with the versions cited, 
 "at him." They that went before. How could his predecessors 
 be frightened at him? Perhaps, as has been suggested by several 
 scholars, because he came down to Sheol in such an emaciated 
 condition, and was so horrible to look upon. For a kindred 
 thought cf. Isa. 14: 9 £f. 
 
 21. Such are the dwellings of the unrighteous. The verse 
 simply clinches in a summary the point of the whole lurid de- 
 scription. 
 
 (i) He remonstrates against persistently unkind criticism, 19:1-6 
 
 2. Break me in pieces. A very vivid metaphor. It expresses 
 the effect upon Job's nerves of the reiterated accusations of his 
 friends. 
 
 3. Ten times. Used as in Gen. 31:41 for "several times." 
 Seven and eight are similarly used in Micah 5:5. Deal hardly 
 with me. We should read with the versions cited, "fall upon 
 me." It vividly describes the attacks of the friends. 
 
 169 
 
19:4 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 4. And be it indeed that I have erred, 
 Mine error remaineth with myself. 
 
 5. ^ If indeed ye will magnify yourselves against me, 
 And plead against me ^ my reproach : 
 
 6. Know now that God hath ^ subverted me in my cause, 
 And hath compassed me with his net. 
 
 7. Behold, I ^cry out of wrong, but I am not heard : 
 I cry for help, but there is no judgement. 
 
 1 m. Or, Will ye indeed . . . reproach? 2 Qr. Sah. with reproach. ' m. 
 
 Or, overthrown me. * m. Or, cry out, Violence I 
 
 4. Be it indeed that I have erred. Job does not admit that he 
 has. He still feels confident that he has not. He makes the 
 supposition here for the sake of argument. Mine error remaineth 
 with myself. The meaning of this phrase is ambiguous. It 
 might mean, My sin is my own concern and is no business of yours, 
 or, My sin does not injure you, it hurts no one but myself, or, I 
 only know my sin, while you can simply guess at it. Probably, 
 as Peake has noted, the second meaning is the one intended, since 
 Job had said to God in 7 : 20, " If I have sinned, what do I unto 
 thee, O thou Watcher of men? " showing that the thought that 
 his sin could not injure another was a familiar one to him. 
 
 5. If indeed ye will magnify yourselves. The margin reads 
 this as a question, which would be simply a difference of rhetorical 
 form. In either case the verse begins a condition which is com- 
 pleted in V. 6. Plead against me my reproach. Might be 
 translated, ''prove against me my reproach." In that case it would 
 mean, " prove to your own satisfaction my reproach." Some inter- 
 preters emend "my reproach" to " with reproach " on the basis of 
 the versions quoted above, but the text is better as it stands. 
 
 6. Know now that God hath subverted me. Has deprived 
 me of justice. He means to declare that his misfortunes have 
 not been brought upon him by his sins, but by God's injustice 
 to him. Compassed me with his net. This is a reference to the 
 statement of Bildad in 18 : 8, that the wicked man is cast into a net 
 by his own feet. Job declares that God has cast hifn into this net. 
 
 (2) Job vainly cries for help, 19 : 7-12. 
 
 7. Cry out of wrong. It is better to read with the margin, 
 "I cry out, Violence ! " I am not heard. Like many another he 
 feels that he prays in vain. Thus the author of Lamentations (3 : 8) 
 says, " When I cry and call for help, he shutteth out my prayer." 
 
 170 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 19: 12 
 
 8. He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, 
 And hath set darkness in my paths. 
 
 9. He hath stripped me of my glory, 
 And taken the crown from my head. 
 
 10. He hath broken me down on every side, and I am gone ; 
 And mine hope hath he plucked up like a tree. 
 
 11. He hath also kindled his wrath against me. 
 
 And he counteth me unto him ^ as one of\n.^ adversaries. 
 
 12. His troops come on together, and cast up their way 
 
 against me, 
 
 Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. as an enemy. 
 
 8. He hath fenced up my way. It is a very forceful figure, and 
 one that Job had used before (3:23; 13:27; 14:5)- It is 
 also employed in Hosea 2 : 6 and Lam. 3:7, 9. Some of the 
 passages which use it employ the term "hedge," some, the term 
 " wall." The high, thorny, impassable cactus hedges of some parts 
 of Palestine, or the gigantic stone walls of other portions, ef- 
 fectually bar one's path. Job feels that he has been walking in 
 a path thus bordered, and has suddenly come to a point where 
 the high impassable fence extends also directly across the way. 
 Hath set darkness in my paths. The metaphor is changed. 
 Now it is not a fence, but thick darkness, which prevents progress. 
 
 9. Stripped me of my glory. A reference to the loss of his 
 possessions. These in the eyes of the multitude constitute glory. 
 The crown from my head. His reputation for righteousness; 
 this in 29 : 14 is called his crown. The possessions and the 
 reputation are closely connected, for it was the loss of posses- 
 sions which took away his reputation for righteousness by con- 
 vincing men that he was a sinner. 
 
 10. Hath broken me down. The Hebrew verb is one employed 
 to describe the pulling down of structures, such as altars, walls, 
 and buildings. Job represents God as destroying him like an 
 old building. Mine hope hath he plucked up. An antithesis 
 in the parallelism is produced by the way the contrasting figures 
 are brought together. 
 
 11. Kindled his wrath. The metaphor changes once more. 
 As in 10: 17, the figure is borrowed from warfare. One of his 
 adversaries. It is better with the versions cited to read simply, 
 "as his enemy." 
 
 12. Cast up their way. An embankment or rampart from 
 
 171 
 
19 : 13 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And encamp round about my tent. 
 
 13. ^ He hath put my brethren far from me, 
 
 And mine acquaintance are wholly estranged 
 from me. 
 
 14. My kinsfolk have failed, 
 
 And my familiar friends have forgotten me. 
 
 15. They that ^ dwell in mine house, and my maids, 
 
 count me for a stranger : 
 I am an alien in their sight. 
 
 16. I call unto my servant, and he giveth me no 
 
 answer, 
 
 1 1 Heb. MS. Gr. Aq. Sym. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. My brethren are removed far from me. 
 2 m. Or, sojourn. 
 
 which to attack a fortress. My tent. The expression seems in- 
 congruous after the strong military figure which has preceded, and 
 the word is omitted by the Gr. Sah. and Eth. We have no clue, 
 however, as to what to put in its place. 
 
 (3) He is forsaken by all, 19: 13-19 
 
 13. He hath put my brethren far from me. We should read 
 with the authorities cited above, " My brethren are removed far 
 from me." In this and the following verses Job dwells upon his 
 lonely condition. Wholly estranged from me. By combining 
 the Hebrew letters differently some scholars would obtain the 
 meaning, "My acquaintance are fierce against me." This is 
 possible, but does not fit the context so well. 
 
 14. My kinsfolk have failed. The lines of the verse are too 
 short and the first line of v. 15 too long. We should probably, 
 as several scholars have seen, divide thus, slightly modifying one 
 Hebrew word : 
 
 " My kinsfolk have ceased to know me. 
 They that dwell in my house have forgotten me." 
 
 15. They that dwell in mine house. This, as already noted, is 
 a part of the last sentence of the preceding verse. My maids. 
 The verse reads, when reduced to its proper proportions by 
 attaching a part to v, 14 : 
 
 " My maids count me for a stranger, 
 I am an alien in their sight." 
 
 16. He giveth me no answer. Oriental servants ordinarily are 
 
 172 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Though I intreat him with my mouth. 
 
 17. My breath is strange to my wife, 
 
 And 1 my suppHcation to the children ^ of my 
 mother's womb. 
 
 18. Even young children despise me ; 
 
 1 m. Or, / make supplication, or, / am loathsome. 2 m. Qr, of my body. Sym. my 
 
 children. Gr. Sah. Eth. tfie children of my concubines. 
 
 most obsequious to their masters (see Ps. 123 : 2) ; when this is 
 remembered, the low estate to which Job had fallen is obvious. 
 Though I intreat him. We might better translate, "With my 
 mouth I must entreat him." 
 
 17. My breath is strange to my wife. Most scholars take the 
 word " strange " to mean " offensive, " though some derive the He- 
 brew word from a root which means "loathsome " and render, 
 " My breath is loathsome to my wife." It is possible, however, that 
 "strange" is the word that belongs here, and that Job meant 
 to say that his wife avoided him — using this figure to express 
 the thought that she did not come near him. And my supplica- 
 tion. We should read with the margin, "I make supplication." 
 Children of my mother's womb. The word "mother," as the 
 italics show, is supplied by the revisers. The Hebrew word 
 rendered "womb" has really the signification "belly," and 
 though sometimes used for womb, is also used in a similar con- 
 nection for the loins of a man (see Micah 6: 7 and Ps. 132 : 11). 
 The Hebrew is "I supplicate the children of my body."_ Sym- 
 machus supports this by translating simply "my children." 
 The objection to reading this is that his children according to 
 the prologue have all been killed. Does the poet make Job for- 
 get it for a moment? Has the poet, who did not write the pro- 
 logue, forgotten it? Or are we to understand, as the three 
 versions quoted above did, that he referred to children by con- 
 cubines? The prologue and epilogue give the impression that 
 Job was a monogamist. Many interpreters accordingly feel 
 compelled to adopt the reading of the revisers and supply the 
 word "mother," thus making him address his entreaty to his 
 brothers. "Children," following the word "wife," would, how- 
 ever, more naturally be his own. We must remember, too, that 
 in the ancient Orient almost no man of the wealth and dignity 
 of Job failed to have children by slave-girls or concubines. There 
 is no reason, therefore, why the poet should have felt any hesita- 
 tion here in making Job refer to children of his own. 
 
 18. Young children despise me. Once young men regarded 
 
 173 
 
19 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 If I arise, they speak against me. 
 
 19. All ^ my inward friends abhor me : 
 
 And they whom I loved are turned against me. 
 
 20. 2 -^y 3 bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, 
 And I am escaped with the ^ skin of my teeth. 
 
 21. Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye 
 
 my friends ; 
 
 1 m. Heb. the men of my council. Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. those who see me. 2 Gr. Sah. 
 My flesh rots in my skin. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. put bones in the last half of the 
 
 verse. * Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. omit skin. 
 
 him with awe (cf. 29 : 8), but now even children laugh at him as 
 they see him try to get up and hobble about ; cf. 30 : i and 8-10. 
 
 19. All my inward friends. The Hebrew, as the margin 
 shows, means "men of my council," i.e. his intimate associates. 
 It is a strong, fine expression. The versions quoted above lost 
 the fine edge of the phrase. 
 
 (4) He appeals to his friends for pity; 19: 20-22 
 
 20. My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh. A very 
 curious statement. One can understand how, if a man is ema- 
 ciated, his bones may be said to cleave to his skin, but "flesh " 
 makes nonsense of it. One must either strike out "flesh" as 
 many modern scholars do, or adopt the reading of the Or. and 
 other versions quoted above, "My flesh rots in my skin." I am 
 escaped with the skin of my teeth. This is a very puzzling 
 statement. The phrase has become a proverb, but that does 
 not aid us in understanding it here. Some have taken it to 
 refer to the gums, and to mean that the leprosy had not yet 
 reached these. This is, however, prosaic and improbable. The 
 fact that the word "skin" occurs twice in the verse is thought 
 by some to be suspicious, especially as several versions omit it 
 here. They accordingly substitute for it "flesh" and read, "I 
 take my flesh in my teeth," making Job repeat what he had said 
 in 13 : 14. This, however, does not fit the context and seems 
 improbable. It is better, since the teeth have no skin, to take 
 the expression as a vigorous way of saying, "I am escaped with 
 nothing at all." In this case we should drop the word "flesh " 
 out of the first line, making the sense of the verse : — 
 
 " My bones cleave to my skin, 
 I am escaped with nothing at all." 
 
 21. Have pity upon me, O ye my friends. The recital of his 
 woes moves Job to this touching appeal. From many points 
 
 174 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 22. 
 
 23- 
 24. 
 
 For the hand of God hath touched me. 
 Why do ye persecute me as God, 
 And are not satisfied with my flesh ? 
 Oh that my words were now written ! 
 1 Oh that they were inscribed in a book ! 
 That with an iron pen and lead 
 
 Syr. At. A fid were inscribed in a book. 
 
 of view it is one of the finest artistic touches in the poem. 
 Nothing could more graphically illustrate Job's humiliation than 
 that he, the proud, strong man, who has poured out upon his 
 friends his scorn without stint, humbly supplicates them for pity. 
 This vain appeal to men also sets oflf with great force the ex- 
 pression which follows of confidence in God. The mental re- 
 vulsion in this vain appeal to his friends brings back the con- 
 fidence in God which he had twice expressed before, and now the 
 feeling comes with renewed force, carrying him to heights which 
 no one before had experienced. The hand of God hath touched 
 me. Instead of "touched" we should read "smitten." Com- 
 pare the smiting of the Servant of Yahweh, Isa. 53 : 4-9. There 
 is fine irony in this ground for pity which Job urges. These 
 sycophants of God, as he has called them, could hardly be ex- 
 pected to pity one whom God has smitten. 
 
 22. Persecute me as God. The persistent criticisms of the 
 friends seemed to Job as relentless as the successive blows 
 showered upon him by God. Satisfied with my flesh. "To eat 
 the pieces " of a person is an Aramaic idiom for slandering him. 
 This is a similar idiom. 
 
 (5) Faith born out of despair, 19; 23-29 
 
 23. Oh that my words were now written ! Appeal to his friends 
 was vain. Job feels that all his contemporaries misunderstood 
 him. No present vindication is possible. The thought arises, 
 however, that, if the story could survive to posterity, those who 
 came after would reach a more just decision concerning him: 
 hence the expressions in this verse. In a book. The word does 
 not necessarily mean a book, but a "writing " or "document " — 
 something which may survive after Job has gone. 
 
 24. With an iron pen and lead. The expression is peculiar. 
 Many interpreters take it to mean an inscription cut with iron 
 in a rock, the letters of which were filled in with lead to prevent 
 erosion by the weather. So far as appears, such an inscription 
 
 17s 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 They were graven in the rock ^ for ever ! 
 25. 2 But I know that my ^ redeemer Uveth, 
 
 And that he shall stand up at the last upon the 
 ^ earth : 
 
 1 Theod. for a witness. 2 m. Or, For. ' m. Or, vindicator. Heb. god. * m. Heb. dust. 
 
 has not been found in antiquity. Others, accordingly, take it 
 to refer to an inscription made on a tablet of lead with an iron 
 stylus. The form of the expression is not very natural, if this 
 is the meaning, but such inscriptions were known. Graven on 
 the rock for ever. Job changed from the wish for an account in 
 an ordinary book or document because of the perishable nature 
 of the material. His thought passes on to a rock inscription, 
 which, he declares, will last forever. 
 
 25. But I know. This is much better than the marginal read- 
 ing "for I know." What Job means to say is that his wish for 
 an imperishable writing to keep alive his memory for the fairer 
 judgment of posterity is impracticable. Suddenly, however, 
 the conviction for which his previous thoughts had prepared the 
 way (see 13 : 16 and 16 : 19) bursts in upon his soul, and he sees 
 that his vindicator is none other than God. He casts aside the 
 passing thought of an impracticable writing to give expression to 
 this great conviction. Redeemer. The word in Hebrew is goel. 
 As this word is used in Num. 35 : 19 ff. ; Deut. 19 : 6 and 12 ; and 
 Josh. 20 : 3 and 5 in the phrase "avenger of blood," some scholars 
 would translate, "I know that my avenger liveth." This is inap- 
 propriate here, since Job's blood had not been shed and the con- 
 text does not exhibit him in an avenging mood. He does not 
 desire vengeance, but justice. Goel in the book of Ruth means 
 one who honoraljly keeps alive the memory of a kinsman (see 
 Ruth, ch. 4). Job uses it to designate one who will vindicate his 
 name and make his memory honored by posterity. The trans- 
 lation "redeemer " is unfortunate, as it long led scholars to think 
 that Job was looking forward to Christ, while the thought really 
 expressed is something quite different. He shall stand up. 
 Literally, "he shall arise." At the last. The word in the Hebrew 
 is an adjective. As in Isa. 44: 6 and 48: 12 it, like goel, applies 
 to God, meaning " a Last One." Upon the earth. As the margin 
 tells us, the Hebrew is " upon the dust." It probably refers to 
 ashes, into which Job's form will be turned. 
 
 The conviction expressed in the verse is that Job's Vindicator, 
 God, Hves, and that as a Last One [i.e. one whose work can never 
 be undone by another] he will one day stand over Job's ashes. 
 
 176 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 26. ^ And after my skin hath been thus destroyed, 
 Yet ^ from my flesh shall I see God : 
 
 27. Whom I shall see ^ for myself, 
 
 And mine eyes shall behold, and not ^ another. 
 
 1 m. Or, And after my skin hath been destroyed, this shall be, even from 6*c. Or, And 
 though after my skin this hody be destroyed, yet from ^c. ^ m. Or, without. ^ m. 
 
 Or, on my side. * m. Or, as a stranger. 
 
 26. After my skin hath been thus destroyed. The verse is a 
 very difficult one. The revisers recognized this by giving us 
 three translations of it. Many recent commentators have also 
 freely emended the Hebrew text. The text is pretty well sup- 
 ported by the versions, however, and should probably stand as 
 it is. Whichever one of the three renderings of the first line is 
 adopted, it is clear that Job is speaking of the dissolution of the 
 body. The easiest rendering is that which supposes "skin" 
 to be used as a synonym of body. This continues the thought 
 of V. 25. From my flesh. Is ambiguous. It may mean "with- 
 out my flesh," or "looking out from my flesh." This last would 
 mean, "while still in my body," a thought which is quite out of 
 harmony with the context in v. 25. It is, accordingly, to be con- 
 cluded that he means to say, " Without my flesh Shall I see 
 God." This is a new thought — a magnificent leap of faith ! 
 The body may perish, but the real man will see God. It is no 
 argument against its genuineness here that Job has elsewhere 
 (ch. 3, etc.) expressed a different opinion. The poem graphically 
 portrays the free expression of the varying moods and contra- 
 dictory opinions of a sick man. The gradual emergence in his 
 thought of God's moral integrity and that God would be his 
 Vindicator had prepared the way for this new insight. It is 
 no argument against it that nowhere else in the Old Testament 
 do we havethe conception of the spirit surviving without a body 
 to gain a vision of God. It is, however, a great poetic thought. 
 It was the insight of a genius great in intellect and in religious 
 power which put these words into the mouth of a sufferer. 
 
 27. For myself. The marginal rendering is possible, but the 
 text is to be preferred. Job is asserting that he shall himself see 
 God, and makes the fact that it will really be himself as emphatic 
 as possible. And not another. We should read, "and not as a 
 stranger." The Hebrew word means "stranger" and it gives 
 a fine signification here. Job has complained that God is es- 
 tranged; he longed for reconciliation (14: 13 ff.) ; he had ex- 
 pressed the conviction that God would vindicate him (16 : 19) ; 
 
 N 177 
 
19:28 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 My reins are consumed within me. 
 
 28. If ye say, How we will persecute him ! 
 
 ^ Seeing that the root of the matter is found in 
 *me; 
 
 29. Be ye afraid of the sword : 
 
 2 For ^ wrath hringeth the punishments of the sword, 
 That ye may know there is a judgement. 
 
 1 m. Or, And that. 2 m. Many ancient authorities read him. These authorities 
 are about 100 Heb. MSS. the Gr. Sah. Vulg. Targ. Eth. 3 Gr. Sah. Eth. For wrath 
 shall come upon the iniquitous. * m. Or, wrathful are. 
 
 and now in expressing his conviction that he should see God he 
 declares that God will be a stranger no more. God's mood of 
 estrangement will then have passed. It is another fine leap of 
 his faith in God, i.e. in God's essential goodness, whatever his pres- 
 ent mood may be. My reins are consumed within me. That 
 is, my whole being longs for this. "Reins " are often used in the 
 Old Testament for the feelings or whole inner nature. 
 
 28. How we will persecute him. The verse brings us back 
 from Job's fine outburst of faith in God and the future to the 
 realities of his present unsympathetic surroundings upon earth. 
 He addresses his friends, and assumes that they are nursing 
 plans further to push their investigations into his case, or to ply 
 him with their exhortations. The root of the matter is found 
 in me. We should rather translate, emending the text according 
 to the "ancient authorities " quoted above, "and we will find 
 the root of the matter in him." The "root of the matter " is a 
 vague expression and has been thought by some to refer to Job's 
 sincerity ; but, if we take the verse as already suggested, it would 
 mean "we shall find the root of his suffering [i.e. his sin] in him." 
 
 29. Be ye afraid of the sword. God is just. Job feels assured 
 that he will vindicate his reputation. In some way then he 
 will punish these unjust friends. For wrath bringeth the punish- 
 ments of the sword. We should read with the versions cited, 
 "For wrath cometh upon the iniquitous." That the sword was 
 to be the instrument of "wrath " the previous line suggests. 
 That ye may know there is a judgement. This, in Job's thought, 
 was to be the purpose of their punishment. It is an incon- 
 sistency of human nature, which the poet has well illustrated, 
 that even in the moment when his faith takes its greatest flight. 
 Job can think of punishment as coming upon his friends for the 
 very purpose for which they contended it had come upon him. 
 
 178 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 II. Zophar's Second Speech — the Brevity of the Joy of the 
 Wicked, Ch. 20 
 
 20. Then answered Zophar the ^ Naamathite, and said, 
 
 2. 2 Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me, 
 3 Even by reason of my haste that is in me. 
 
 3. I have heard the reproof which putteth me to 
 
 shame, 
 ^ And the spirit of my understanding answereth 
 me. 
 
 4. Knowest thou not this of old time, 
 Since man was placed upon earth, 
 
 5. That the triumphing of the wicked is short, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. the Minaan. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Not so. 3 Gr. OLat Sah 
 
 Eth. This. m. Or, And by reason of this my haste is within me. < Gr. Theod Sah" 
 
 Wind void of understanding answers me. m. Or, But out of my understanding mv si>irit 
 answereth me. ^ j- o^*,..* 
 
 2. Therefore do my thoughts give answer to me. We should 
 read with the versions cited above, ''Not so do my thoughts give 
 answer to me." To Zophar it seemed incredible that such hopes 
 as those expressed by Job at the end of ch. 19, that God would 
 vindicate him and give him a vision of Himself, should be enter- 
 tained by a sinner. Job's chastisements, too, proved him a 
 sinner. With reference to this he accordingly exclaims, "Not 
 so do my thoughts answer me ! " Even by reason of my haste. 
 We should read with the margin, "And by reason of this my haste 
 is within me." Zophar's strong dissent from Job's statements 
 impelled him to answer quickly. 
 
 3. The reproof which putteth me to shame. A reference to 
 Job's words. The spirit of my understanding answereth me. 
 Neither the rendering of the text nor of the margin affords a 
 good meaning. We should emend with the versions quoted 
 above, and render, "Wind void of understanding answers me." 
 The hne still refers to Job's reply, and, like Eliphaz (15 : 2), 
 Zophar calls that reply wind. 
 
 4. Knowest thou not this of old time? The question refers 
 to the verses which follow. 
 
 5. The triumphing of the wicked is short. This is the theme 
 on which each of the friends has harped in former speeches. 
 
 179 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the joy of the godless but for a moment ? 
 
 6. Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, 
 And his head reach unto the clouds ; 
 
 7. Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung : 
 They which have seen him shall say, Where is he ? 
 
 8. He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be 
 
 found : 
 Yea, he shall ^ be chased away as a vision of the 
 night. 
 
 9. ^ The eye which saw him shall see him no more ; 
 Neither shall his place any more behold him. 
 
 10. ^ His children shall seek the favour of the poor, 
 
 And his hands shall give back his wealth. 
 
 ^ Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. disappear. 2 xhis verse is omitted by the Gr. and 
 Sah. ' m. Or, as otherwise read, The poor shall oppress his children. Syr. 
 
 Vulg. Ar. His sons shall be crushed by poverty. 
 
 6. His head reach unto the clouds. The verse contains two 
 exaggerated statements of the self-importance and pride of a 
 prosperous man. 
 
 7. Perish for ever like his own dung. A very forcible simile, 
 even if not elegant. 
 
 8. Be chased away as a vision of the night. We should read 
 with the versions cited above, "he shall disappear." A dream 
 does not have to be chased away. The verse adds to the meta- 
 phors which illustrate the transitoriness of the wicked man's 
 career. 
 
 9. The eye which saw him shall see him no more. Because 
 the verse is omitted by the versions cited above, some modern 
 scholars take it to be a gloss. As Budde remarks, however, it does 
 not appear as a gloss. The poet may well have added this state- 
 ment of the complete disappearance of the wicked. 
 
 ID. His children shall seek the favour of the poor. If we 
 retain the present Hebrew text, the rendering of the margin is to 
 be preferred, "The poor shall oppress his children." This state- 
 ment affords a striking contrast to the once proud position of the 
 rich man. Probably, however, we should slightly change the 
 Hebrew and read, with the versions cited above, "His children 
 shall be crushed by poverty." This suits better the last line of 
 the verse. His hands shall give back. The text here is corrupt. 
 
 180 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20 : 17 
 
 II. 
 12. 
 
 13- 
 14. 
 
 15. 
 
 16. 
 17- 
 
 ^ His bones are full of his youth, 
 
 But it shall lie down with him in the dust. 
 
 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, 
 
 Though he hide it under his tongue ; 
 
 Though he spare it, and will not let it go, 
 
 But keep it still within his mouth ; 
 
 Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, 
 
 It is the gall of asps within him. 
 
 He hath swallowed down riches, and he 
 
 vomit them up again : 
 God shall cast them out of his belly. 
 He shall suck the poison of asps : 
 The viper's tongue shall slay him. 
 He shall not look upon ^ the rivers, 
 
 shall 
 
 1 Gr. and Sah. omit vs. 11-14. 
 
 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. the rivers of the flocks. 
 
 The man has, according to the supposition of the poet, already- 
 passed away. It is plain that his hands cannot return his wealth 
 to those from whom it was taken. As several interpreters have 
 seen, we must either read "their hands," making it refer to the 
 ''children " of the first line, or "his children," which would refer 
 to the children themselves. How often it happens that the 
 children of a man who has accumulated a fortune rapidly squander 
 it and come to want. 
 
 11. His bones are fxill of his youth. The verse expresses in 
 a poetic way the thought that the sinner dies young. 
 
 12. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth. Sin is repre- 
 sented as a dainty morsel, in the taste of which one delights. 
 
 14. It is the gall of asps within him. That which was sweet 
 to the taste often produces disturbance and agony in digestion. 
 The author of Revelation uses this figure of quite a different mat- 
 ter; see Rev. 10 : 9, 10. 
 
 15. Vomit them up again. The verse vigorously develops the 
 figure begun in v. 12. 
 
 16. He shall suck the poison of asps. Again the figure is 
 changed, and the sweets which he takes in his mouth turn out to 
 be the poison of asps. The viper's tongue. Since vipers emit 
 their poison through the tongue, the tongue is poetically spoken 
 of as the poison. 
 
 17. He shall not look upon the rivers. Whether with the 
 
 181 
 
2o:i8 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 The flowing streams of honey and butter. 
 
 1 8. ^ That which he laboured for shall he restore, 
 
 and shall not swallow it down ; 
 2 According to the substance ^ that he hath 
 gotten, he shall not rejoice. 
 
 19. For he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor ; 
 He hath violently taken away an house, ^ and he 
 
 ^ shall not build it up. 
 
 » Gr. Sah. Eth. In vain shall he labor and shall not taste. 2 About 50 Heb. MSS. 
 
 Syr. Ar. In the substance. ^ m. Heb. of his exchange. * m. Or, which he builded 
 
 not up. s Gr. OLat. Sah. Vulg. Targ. did not build. Syr. Ar. it was not built. 
 
 versions cited we fill out the line, or let it stand as it is, the second 
 line explains what is meant by the "rivers." The abundance of 
 sweet and luscious food, especially that which comes from numer- 
 ous flocks and herds, serves in the Old Testament as a frequent 
 synonym for all that is desirable. Some scholars by a slight 
 change in the Hebrew make the first line read, "rivers of oil," 
 which gives a good parallelism, but has no support from the 
 versions. 
 
 18. That which he labo red for shall he restore. The 
 verse is very difficult, and the variations of the versions show 
 that the text is corrupt. Different scholars have sought in va- 
 rious ways to remedy it. The simplest way is to make two 
 slight emendations on the authority of the versions and MSS. 
 quoted above, and to read : 
 
 "In vain he labors and does not eat of it, 
 In the substance of his exchange he does not rejoice." 
 
 The verse continues the thought of v. 17. Swallow it down. 
 This is the literal meaning of the Hebrew. It is a vigorous way 
 of saying that the man does not enjoy the fruits of his labor. 
 
 19. Forsaken the poor. Some scholars by the change of one 
 letter in the Hebrew obtain the meaning "grieved" or "har- 
 assed the poor." This is, perhaps, right. Since, however, the 
 present text is supported by the versions, and gives a sense which 
 is true to life, viz. that a wealthy man oppresses the poor until 
 he has obtained from them all he can, and then abandons them, 
 it seems better to retain the present reading. Shall not build 
 it up. It is better, either with the reading of the margin or of 
 the versions cited, to read "has not built up." The sin of the 
 
 182 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. Because he knew no ^ quietness ^ within him, 
 
 He shall not ^ save aught of that wherein he 
 dehghteth. 
 
 21. There was nothing left that he devoured not; 
 Therefore his prosperity shall not endure. 
 
 22. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in 
 
 straits : 
 The hand of ^ every one that is in misery shall 
 come upon him. 
 
 23. ^ When he is about to fill his belly, 
 
 ' Gr. Sah. safety in his possessions. 2 m. Or, in his greed. Heb. in his belly. 
 
 3 Theod. Syr. Sah. Targ. Ar. be saved by that, b'c. * Gr. V'ulg. Sah. Eth. all misery. 
 
 6 m. Or, Let it be for the filling of his belly that God shall cast b'c. 
 
 man is that he has in his greed simply destroyed ; he has left no 
 compensation to society for all his gains. 
 
 20. Because he knew no quietness within him. As noted 
 above, two of the versions have a different reading for the last 
 part of the line, and one which, as many scholars have seen, 
 makes better sense. The Hebrew word translated "Because" 
 may also be translated "surely." The connection with the pre- 
 ceding verse would lead us to utilize both these facts and to trans- 
 late the line : 
 
 "Surely he shall know no safety in his possessions." 
 
 He shall not save. On the authority of the versions quoted 
 above we would change the voice of the verb here and render the 
 line : 
 
 "He shall not be saved by that wherein he delighted." 
 
 21. There was nothing left that he devoured not. There was 
 no survivor of his destructive greed. His prosperity shall not 
 endure. He shall suffer the same reverses which he brought 
 upon others. 
 
 22. In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits. 
 How often this proves true ! The rich in the fulness of their 
 sufficiency are not satisfied and are really in deep straits. The 
 hand of every one that is in misery. Perhaps we should read 
 with the versions cited, "The hand of all misery shall come upon 
 him." It develops more naturally the thought of the first line. 
 
 23. When he is about to fill his belly. The Hebrew is very 
 
 183 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 God shall cast the fierceness of his wrath upon 
 
 him, 
 And shall rain it upon him ^ while he is eating. 
 
 24. He shall flee from the iron weapon, 
 
 And the bow of brass shall strike him through. 
 
 25. 2 He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his 
 
 body : 
 Yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall; 
 
 1 m. Or, as his food. Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. calamities. « Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. 
 
 The missile passes through the body. 
 
 Strange. Four scholars have suggested a slight change in the 
 Hebrew of the first word, which we should probably adopt. The 
 first two lines would then read : 
 
 "Jehovah, to fill his belly. 
 Shall pour upon him the fierceness of his wrath." 
 
 Shall rain it upon him while he is eating. The marginal reading, 
 like that of the text, gives no satisfactory meaning. By making 
 a slight emendation on the authority of the versions, the line 
 would read : 
 
 " And shall rain upon him calamities." 
 
 This forms a fitting continuation of the first part of the verse. 
 The thought set forth is that, as the man is seeking to fill himself 
 with the good things of earth, God fills him with calamities and 
 his fierce wrath. 
 
 24. The iron weapon . . . the bow of brass. It is God's 
 purpose to destroy him. Accordingly as he flees from one peril 
 a greater peril overtakes him. 
 
 25. He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body. The 
 versions cited above give a far better sense: "The missile passes 
 through the body." The poet undoubtedly continued the figure 
 of the "bow of brass " begun in v. 24. That bow hurls its arrow 
 so powerfully that it passes clear through the victim's body. 
 Cometh out of his gall. This is the very figure which Job had 
 used in 16:12-13 to describe God's treatment of himself. He 
 had said : 
 
 "He hath set me up for his mark. 
 His arrows compass me round about ; 
 He cleaveth my reins asunder and doth not spare ; 
 He poureth out my gall upon the ground." 
 184 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Terrors are upon him. 
 
 26. All darkness is laid up ^ for his treasures : 
 A fire not blown by man shall devour him ; 
 
 2 It shall consume that which is left in his tent. 
 
 27. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, 
 And the earth shall rise up against him. 
 
 28. 3 The increase of his house shall depart, 
 
 His goods ^ shall flow away in the day of his wrath. 
 
 29. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, 
 And the ^heritage appointed unto him by God. 
 
 o l^J^- P^*- ^^^- ^"^ ^^^- " ™- O""' ^^ ^^^^ so ill with him that is left. » Gr. 
 
 Sah. Eth. Destruction shall sweep away his house. < Gr. Sah. Eth. The day of wrath 
 
 shall come upon it. s G r. OLat. Sah. Eth. heritage of his wealth. 
 
 Zophar by using the same figure in much the same way, to por- 
 tray God's destruction of the sinner, doubtless employed it con- 
 sciously in order to hint to Job that the remarks had a personal 
 application. Terrors are upon him. The terrors of death. 
 
 26. All darkness is laid up for his treasures. This is a diffi- 
 cuh phrase. The word rendered "treasures" means simply 
 "hidden things," which here suggests no good meaning. It is 
 better with the versions cited to omit it, and read simply, "All 
 darkness is laid up for him." A fire not blown. One that needs 
 no human breath to foster it, hence a fire of God. 
 
 27. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity. The verse re- 
 minds one of the words of Jesus, "There is nothing covered that 
 shall not be revealed," Matt. 10 : 26. 
 
 28. The increase of his house shall depart. The Hebrew of 
 the verse is unusual and difficult and does not afford a clear mean- 
 ing. If we make the slight changes necessary to secure the text 
 which the versions above quoted support, it would then read : 
 
 "Destruction shall sweep away his house, 
 The day of wrath shall come upon it." 
 This is a clear and definite meaning and also suits the context. 
 
 29. The heritage appointed unto him by God. The Hebrew is 
 literally, "The heritage of his word from God " — a very unusual 
 expression either in Hebrew or English. The Hebrew word 
 rendered by the versions "his wealth " (see those quoted above) 
 is identical with a word which means "his iniquity." This fits 
 here admirably. The line would then read : 
 
 "The heritage of his iniquity from God." 
 
 i8S 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 12. JoVs Second Reply to Zophar, Ch. 21 
 
 21. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. Hear diligently my speech ; 
 
 And let this be your ^ consolations. 
 
 3. Suffer me, and I also will speak ; 
 
 And after that I have spoken, ^ mock on. 
 
 4. ^ As for me, is my complaint ^ to man ? 
 And why should I not be impatient ? 
 
 5. ^ Mark me, and be astonied. 
 
 And lay your hand upon your mouth. 
 
 6. Even when I remember I am troubled, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Targ. consolation. 2 m. Or, tJtou shall mock. Gr. OLat. Syr. Vulg. 
 
 Sah. Eth. Ar. mock ye. Sym. stand ye. ^ Syr. Ar. Do I speak my complaint? 
 
 Gr. OLat. Sym. Vulg. Sah. Eth. But why is my complaint? * m. Or, of. 
 
 s m. Or, Look unto me. 
 
 (i) Job challenges his friends' attention, 21 : 1-6 
 
 2. Your consolations. With the versions cited we should 
 read "consolation." In 15:11 Eliphaz had called the remarks 
 of himself and his companions the "consolations of God " 
 to Job. Job now asks them to be content to ofifer him this one 
 consolation, that they listen attentively to his indictment of the 
 moral government of the world. 
 
 3. Mock on. Many scholars read as in the margin, "thou 
 shalt mock," and believe that the change from the plural to the 
 singular was made in order to single out Zophar, who to Job's 
 magnificent and moving utterance in ch. 19 could make such a 
 brutal reply. The ancient versions are, however, almost unan- 
 imous in reading a plural here, " mock ye," and it is probable that 
 Job scornfully refers to all his friends. 
 
 4. As for me. We should, perhaps, read with the Syriac and 
 Arabic, "Do I speak my complaint to man? " Job feels that his 
 complaint is to God, and it is no concern of these friends who 
 have shown themselves so incapable of understanding it. 
 
 5. Be astonied. What Job is about to say will, he feels, 
 greatly shock his friends. In Job's view, however, they ought to 
 be more astonished at the terrible facts to which he will call their 
 attention than at his statement of them. 
 
 186 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 21:9 
 
 And horror taketh hold on my flesh. 
 
 7. Wherefore do the wicked Hve, 
 Become old, yea, wax mighty in power ? 
 
 8. Their seed is established ^ with them in their sight, 
 And their offspring before their eyes. 
 
 9. Their houses are ^ safe from fear, 
 Neither is the rod of God upon them. 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. omit mith them. ^ m. Or, in peace without fear. 
 
 6. Horror taketh hold on my flesh. It makes Job shudder 
 just to think of God's immoral government of the world. It is 
 this of which his friends are ignorant and the utterance of which 
 will astonish them. It is Job's conviction of this immoral gov- 
 ernment which constitutes the heart of his trouble. It has been 
 with him all through his discussion. In two or three rare mo- 
 ments he has risen to a hope that God's present mood would at 
 some time pass, and he would deal more fairly with his creatures. 
 He has risen to the hope that he might find "refuge from God in 
 God." At no time, however, has this hope driven from his mind 
 the conviction that God's present government of the world is 
 immoral, and Zophar's speech has for the moment driven away 
 Job's higher thought and brought out all the ugliness of his bitter 
 conviction. 
 
 (2) God^s immoral government of the world. The wicked are not 
 overtaken by calamity, but live and prosper, 21 : 7-34 
 
 7. Wherefore do the wicked live? Job's friends had each 
 declared that the wicked do not live, do not become old, do not 
 prosper. Job might have as a debater declared that life's expe- 
 rience did not correspond to these assertions. The problem is to 
 him, however, far too painful a one to be made the means of a 
 cheap dialectic triumph. He had just said that it filled him with 
 horror. Accordingly he ignores the assertions of his friends and 
 goes at the heart of the problem itself. 
 
 8. Their seed is established with them. " With them " is 
 omitted by most of the versions as noted above. When taken 
 in connection with "before them" it is redundant and makes 
 the line too long. It should be omitted. Perhaps the fact that 
 his own children had been destroyed led Job to begin his com- 
 plaint of God's treatment of the wicked with the fact that he 
 spares their children. 
 
 9. The rod of God. Which had so terribly smitten Job. 
 
 187 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not ; 
 
 Their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. 
 
 They send forth their little ones like a flock, 
 
 And their children dance. 
 
 They ^ sing to the timbrel and harp, 
 
 And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. 
 
 They spend their days in prosperity. 
 
 And in a moment they go down to ^ Sheol. 
 
 Yet they said unto God, Depart from us ; 
 
 For we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. 
 
 2 What is the Almighty, that we should serve 
 
 him? 
 And what profit should we have, if we pray unto 
 
 him? 
 
 m. Heb. lift up the voice. 
 
 m. Or, the grave. 
 
 3 Gr. and Sah. omit v. 15. 
 
 10. Their bull . . . their cow. In a pastoral country the 
 main source of wealth is the increase in the cattle. This verse 
 accordingly tells how the wealth of the wicked increases. 
 
 11. Little ones like a flock. That is, as numerous as a flock, 
 see Ps. 107:41. Job's grief over his own children causes his 
 thought to return to this aspect of the wicked's prosperity. 
 Their children dance. While Job's are dead. It takes a heart 
 touched with a grief like Job's to understand how the sight of 
 such dancing on the part of the children of such men would affect 
 him. 
 
 1 2. They sing. That is, the wicked sing. The reference is not 
 to their children, but to the parents. They have the leisure 
 and zest, so it seems to Job, to thoroughly enjoy life. 
 
 13. In a moment. That is, they are spared the torture of a 
 lingering illness. Job had frequently expressed the thought 
 that he longed for death and it came not (3 : 21 ; 7 : 15). The 
 wicked, he declares, in contrast live to a good old age (v. 7), and 
 then die suddenly. They live joyously and die the easiest way. 
 
 14. Said unto God, Depart from us. Such non-religious or 
 irreligious people are mentioned several times in the Old Testa- 
 ment and were a stumbhng-block to many pious souls ; see Ps. 73 
 and 123: 4; Pr. 1:22; 3:34; g'T, etc. 
 
 15. What profit should we have? Their argument is that 
 
 188 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. ^ Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand : 
 The counsel of the wicked is far ^ from me. 
 
 17. 3 How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put 
 
 out? 
 That their calamity cometh upon them ? 
 That God distributeth sorrows in his anger ? 
 
 18. That they are as stubble before the wind, 
 
 1 m. Or, Ye say, Lo &*c. Gr. OLat. Sah. For their prosperity is in their own hands. 
 * Gr. Sah. from him. ' m. Or, How oft is the lamp of the wicked put out, and how 
 
 oft cometh their calamity upon them / God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are 
 as stubble . . . away. 
 
 religion does not pay. Sometimes religious people were tempted 
 to think so too; see Ps. 73 : 13 ff. and Mai. 3 : 14. 
 
 16. Lo, their prosperity is not in their hand. This verse as 
 it stands comes in strangely. If we render as in the Revised 
 text, it is a pious exclamation on the part of Job, which is quite 
 out of harmony with his present mood and argument. If we 
 adopt the marginal reading, it becomes an objection of the 
 friends, which Job anticipates — a procedure which also seems 
 out of harmony with the argument. It seems better with the 
 versions quoted above to make two slight changes in the Hebrew 
 and render : 
 
 "For their prosperity is in their own hands, 
 The counsel of the wicked is far from him." 
 
 The verse is then a continuation of the portrayal of the point of 
 view of the wicked begun in v. 15. They think that they control 
 their own destinies, and their counsel is far from God. 
 
 17. How oft is it that the lamp of the wicked is put out ? The 
 rendering of the margin is clearly wrong ; that of the Revised text 
 alone fits the context. It is inconceivable that Job in his present 
 argument should piously exclaim, "How oft is the lamp of the 
 wicked put out ! " It is fitting for him to ask it as a question, since 
 a positive question is a negative assertion. Understood in this 
 way the verse continues logically Job's arraignment of God's 
 government of the world. He does not say that God never puts 
 out the lamp of the wicked, that he never sends calamity upon 
 them or distributes sorrow to them, but he does say that such 
 instances are rare, and are not the general rule. 
 
 18. That they are as sttibble before the wind? A continua- 
 tion of the rhetorical questions of v. 17. The figure of chafiE 
 
 189 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And as chaff that the storm carrieth away ? 
 
 19. ^ Ye say, God layeth up his iniquity for his 
 
 children. 
 Let him recompense it unto himself, that he may 
 know it. 
 
 20. Let his own eyes see his destruction, 
 
 And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty. 
 
 21. 2 For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, 
 
 ^m. Or, God layeth up his iniquity for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall 
 know it. His eyes shall see his destruction and he shall drink 6*c. The^Gr. and Sah. 
 omit V. 19. 2 The Gr. and Sah. omit v. 21. 
 
 and stubble driven before the wind is applied to the wicked in 
 Isa. 17:13 and Ps. 1:4. Job asks ironically how often this 
 happens. 
 
 19. Ye say, God layeth up iniquity for his children. The 
 words "ye say " are not in the Hebrew. The Revisers intro- 
 duced them to imply that Job is anticipating an objection of his 
 friends. There is, however, the same objection to this here 
 which existed in v. 16. There is no reason for the marginal read- 
 ing except that it was the translation of the Authorized Version. 
 We gain harmony with the context by making a slight change 
 in the Hebrew first suggested by Ley and adopted by Duhm and 
 Peake. We should then translate : 
 
 "He does not lay up iniquity for his children. 
 He pays the penalty himself and knows it." 
 
 That is. Job declares that the sins of the fathers are not visited 
 upon the children, but that such penalty as there is the man him- 
 self bears. 
 
 20. Let his own eyes see . . . and let him drink. As in the 
 preceding verse, we should translate : 
 
 "His own eyes shall see his destruction, 
 And he shall drink the wrath of the Almighty." 
 
 Again Job means that such destruction as sin brings the man 
 himself sees ; it is not reserved for his children. That it does not 
 often come upon the man himself he has already asserted in v. 17. 
 
 21. For what pleasure hath he in his house after him? We 
 should say, " What interest has he in his house after he has passed 
 away?" Job had declared in 14:21 that a man in Sheol 
 knew nothing of that which was happening to his family on earth, 
 
 190 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 When the number of his months is cut off in the 
 midst? 
 
 22. Shall any teach God knowledge? 
 Seeing he judgeth those that are high. 
 
 23. One dieth in his full strength, 
 Being wholly at ease and quiet: 
 
 24. His ^ breasts are full of ^ milk, 
 
 And the marrow of his bones is moistened. 
 
 25. And another dieth in bitterness of soul ; 
 And never tasteth of good. 
 
 26. They lie down alike in the dust, 
 
 1 m. Or, milk pails. Gr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. his bowels. Syr. Ar. his sides. ^ Gr. Syr. 
 Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. fat. 
 
 and in Eccl. 9:5,6 there is a similar assertion. Job's point, 
 then, is that to afflict a man's descendants is no punishment to 
 the man. 
 
 22. Shall any teach God knowledge? This is an ironical 
 reference to the friends. All that they have said sets forth the 
 way they think God ought to run the universe, but he actually 
 runs it in another way. Job suggests that they are really pre- 
 tending to be wiser than God. He judgeth those that are high. 
 Eliphaz had twice expressed the thought that God judges angels ; 
 4: 18; 15: 15. It is a thought which sometimes finds expres- 
 sion elsewhere, as in Ps. 82 : i ; Isa. 24: 21; and the Ethiopic 
 Enoch passim. Job here takes up the statement of Eliphaz to 
 make the thought that his friends could teach God how to im- 
 prove his management of the world the more ridiculous. 
 
 23. One dieth. Job passes now away from the wicked man 
 and takes an illustration from observation of life as a whole. 
 
 24. His breasts are full of milk. The word "breasts" is 
 obviously unfitting when the sentence refers to a man. As the 
 margin informs us, the Hebrew is really "milk pails," but even 
 this reading in incongruous. We should either emend the text 
 with one group of versions to read, "His bowels are full of fat," 
 or with another group, "His sides are full of fat." He means 
 that some die without an emaciating illness. 
 
 25. In bitterness of soul; and never tasteth of good. Job 
 means to say that the joy or ease and the bitterness are not 
 allotted according to any standard of rewards and punishments. 
 
 26. They lie down alike in the dust. Whether they have 
 
 191 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the worm covereth them. 
 
 27. Behold, I know your thoughts, 
 
 And the devices which ye wrongfully imagine against 
 me. 
 
 28. 1 For ye say, Where is the house of the prince ? 
 And where is the tent wherein the wicked dwelt ? 
 
 29. Have ye not asked them that go by the way? 
 And do ye not know their tokens ? 
 
 30. That the evil man is ^ reserved to the day of calamity ? 
 That they are ^ led forth to the day of wrath ? 
 
 31. Who shall declare his way to his face ? 
 
 And who shall repay him what he hath done ? 
 
 1 The Gr. and Sah. omit vs. 28-33. * m. Ox, spared in b'c. « m. Or, led away in &"€. 
 
 suffered or not, whether they have sinned or not, one fate awaits 
 them. The thought is similar to that of Eccl. 9: 2, 3. 
 
 27. I know your thoughts. The last half of the verse makes 
 it clear that Job means that he knows that their discourses as to 
 the terrible fate of the wicked were meant to convince him of his 
 own sinfulness. 
 
 28. Where is the house of the prince ? That is, of the wicked 
 oppressor. According to the doctrine of the friends it was sure 
 to be overthrown. 
 
 29. Have ye not asked them that go by the way? Job means 
 that if they had asked those who have travelled and have had 
 opportunity to see life in the large, they would know that this 
 is a false theory. 
 
 30. That the evil man is reserved to the day of calamity? 
 This rendering presents a meaning quite out of harmony with the 
 context. We must regard "that" at the beginning of the line 
 as a continuation of the question and as suggesting a negative 
 answer and also must adopt the marginal reading. This gives us : 
 
 "Is it that they are spared in the day of calamity? " 
 As above, this question is equivalent to a negative assertion, mean- 
 ing that the testimony of travellers, or men who have observed 
 widely, is that the wicked are not spared in the day of calamity. 
 Led forth. Here, too, the context requires the marginal reading, 
 the meaning being that they are not led away to the day of wrath, 
 
 31. His way to his face. That is, the wicked man's way to 
 his face. What he hath done. Yiz. the wicked man. 
 
 192 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 21 
 
 32. 1 Yet shall he be borne to the grave, 
 And 2 shall keep watch over the tomb. 
 
 ^^. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him, 
 And all men shall draw after him, 
 As there were innumerable before him. 
 
 34. How then comfort ye me ^ in vain. 
 
 Seeing in your answers there remaineth only * false- 
 hood? 
 
 1 m. Or, Moreover he is borne to the grave, and keepeth watch over his tomb. The 
 clods of the valley are sweet unto him, and all men draw fe-c. 2 m. Or, they shall keep. 
 * m. Or, with vanity. * m. Or, faithlessness. 
 
 32. Be borne to the grave. That is, have honorable burial. 
 And shall keep watch over the tomb. This comes in strangely. 
 If this translation is right, it must refer to the fact that an efi&gy 
 of the man was placed over the tomb, which was supposed to 
 guard it, and the poet in accordance with an ancient habit of 
 thought identifies the man with his eflagy. Many scholars, 
 however, translate as in the margin, "they shall keep watch over 
 his tomb." The meaning is then that the man receives honor- 
 able burial and that he is held in such esteem that his tomb is 
 protected from desecration. Beer by a slight change in the He- 
 brew gains the meaning, "The tomb keeps watch over him." 
 The marginal reading is, however, as satisfactory and is obtained 
 without alteration of the text. 
 
 33. The clods of the valley shall be sweet unto him. A fine 
 poetic conception of the sweet sleep of death. The poet has 
 made Job describe the wicked man's happy and prosperous life, 
 his vigorous old age, his peaceful and painless death, his honor- 
 able burial, and then, he declares, that the very clods of the 
 valleys are sweet to him in his pleasant sleep. All men shall 
 draw after him. Shall imitate him. They will desire to live 
 as he lived that they may die as he died. As there were innumer- 
 able before him. From the point of view of Job's mood and 
 argument this is a fine touch. This wicked man had many pred- 
 ecessors. He is no exceptional case. By this one line Job 
 suggests that such careers constitute a large part of human 
 life. 
 
 34. Comfort ye me in vain. Job began in v. 2 by a reference 
 to their "consolation." Here he returns to the emptiness of 
 their comfort. Falsehood. The margin, "faithlessness," gives 
 the literal meaning of the Hebrew. None of their exhortations 
 
 o 193 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 13. The Third Speech of Eliphaz, Ch. 22 
 
 22. Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, 
 
 2. ^ Can a man be profitable unto God ? 
 
 Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself. 
 
 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art 
 
 righteous ? 
 Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways 
 perfect ? ^ 
 
 4. Is it ^ for thy fear of him that he reproveth thee, 
 That he entereth with thee into judgement ? 
 
 1 1 Heb. MS. Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Is there one who teaches God knowledge? 2 Gr. 
 
 and Sah. omit this half verse. 3 m. Qr, for fear oj thee. 
 
 correspond with the facts of life. The text gives the sense ad- 
 mirably. One who would console must speak that which fits 
 life. 
 
 (i) Job's punishment proves his sin, 22 : 1-5 
 
 2. Man be profitable unto God? Eliphaz takes it for granted 
 that God is so far exalted above mankind that man can be of no 
 use to God. He asserts here by means of a rhetorical question 
 that God does not need man's service. The phrase might well 
 be rendered, "Can man be of service to God? " This view of 
 God, while it seems reverently to exalt him, not only removes 
 him far from man, but in reality greatly detracts from his char- 
 acter, making him an unloving, unsocial automaton. Surely 
 should be translated "but." It introduces a contrast with the 
 first half of the verse. He that is wise is profitable unto himself. 
 Eliphaz believed that one's righteousness benefited himself alone. 
 He mentions it here as a reason why Job should repent and reform. 
 
 3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous ? 
 Eliphaz drives home his doctrine of God by means of further 
 rhetorical questions. 
 
 4. Is it for thy fear of him ? The text gives the correct mean- 
 ing, and the reading of the margin should be discarded. "Fear," 
 as so often in the Old Testament, means religious reverence of God. 
 That he reproveth thee ? Eliphaz asks sarcastically whether Job's 
 present sufferings, which in his view constituted a reproof of the 
 strongest kind, had been sent because of Job's proper religious 
 attitude to God. 
 
 194 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 5. Is not thy wickedness great ? 
 
 Neither is there any end to thine iniquities. 
 
 6. For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for 
 
 nought, 
 And stripped the naked of their clothing. 
 
 7. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, 
 
 5. Is not thy wickedness great? So great a punishment 
 could, so Eliphaz reasoned, only be caused by great sins. He 
 accordingly proceeds in the verses which follow to find the sins. 
 He had no specific knowledge of these sins, but takes it for granted 
 that Job had committed them, because they were sins to which the 
 rich were peculiarly liable. In ch. 31 Job specifically denies that 
 he has been guilty of these deeds. 
 
 (2) Eliphaz charges Job with specific sins, 22 : 6-1 1 
 
 6. Taken pledges of thy brother. When loans were made to 
 the poor by the rich it was customary for the latter to take some 
 article of clothing or furniture from the former as security. This 
 was called taking a "pledge." The Hebrew codes endeavored 
 to protect the lives and interests of the poor by placing certain 
 limitations upon pledge-taking; see Ex. 22:26, 27 and Deut. 
 24:6, 10-13, and 17. For nought. This is the sting of the 
 charge which Eliphaz makes. To take a pledge was compara- 
 tively innocent in the eyes of all, but not so to take it for "nought." 
 The meaning is, however, ambiguous. It may signify that Job 
 had taken pledges without giving value received, or that he had 
 taken them when no real necessity on his own part compelled 
 him to do so. Either case would be a violation of what the 
 Hebrews regarded as most pleasing to God. Stripped the naked 
 of their clothing. "Naked" does not in Hebrew phrase mean 
 absolutely naked, but is used of those who possessed only the 
 inner garments worn next to the skin and who were without the 
 warmer outside garment. Such a garment formed, as it does in 
 Palestine to-day, the clothing of the peasant by day and his 
 covering by night. Hebrew law accordingly provided that when 
 such a garment was taken in pledge it should be returned 
 at night, to prevent the debtor from taking cold; see Ex. 22 : 26, 
 27, Deut. 24 : 12, 13 ; compare also Amos 2 : 8. Eliphaz declares 
 Job has shown his hardness of heart by taking as a pledge from 
 the poor his one garment. Job makes answer in 31 : 19. 
 
 7. Not given water to the weary. The verse portrays the 
 opposite of the ideal of righteousness set forth in Isa. 58 : 7, 10. 
 
 19s 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. 
 
 8. But as for ^ the mighty man, he had the ^ earth ; 
 And ^ the honourable man, he dwelt in it. 
 
 9. Thou hast sent widows away empty, 
 
 And the arms of the fatherless ^ have been broken. 
 
 10. Therefore snares are round about thee, 
 And sudden fear troubleth thee, 
 
 11. ^ Or darkness, that thou canst not see, 
 And abundance of waters cover thee. 
 
 12. ® Is not God in the height of heaven ? 
 
 1 m. Heb. the man of arm. 2 m. Or, land. ^ m. Heb. he whose person is accepted. 
 4 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Eth. Ar. thou hast broken. * m. Or, Dost thou not see the 
 
 darkness, and the flood of waters that covereth thee? Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Thy light has 
 gone out in darkness. Syr. Whence is darkness thou dost not see. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. 
 
 Eth. Does not God dwell in the heights ? Syr. Ar. Did not God make high the heavens ? 
 
 8. He had the earth. It is better to translate "the earth is 
 his." The thought is that the mighty man can take what he 
 pleases, and the poor cannot help themselves. Siegfried and 
 Peake may be right in regarding the verse as a gloss. The state- 
 ment sounds like a proverb, and it interrupts the direct charges 
 which Eliphaz is making against Job. 
 
 9. Widows . . . fatherless. Kindness to these formed a 
 prominent feature of Israelitish righteousness as expressed in 
 the laws and by the prophets; see Ex. 22: 22; Deut. 14: 29; 
 16: II, 14; 24: 17, 19, 20, 21; 26: 12, 13; 27: 19; Isa. 1:17; 
 Jer. 7:6; 22:3. Have i)een broken. We should read with 
 the versions cited above, "thou hast broken." Job's answer to 
 this charge is found in 29 : 13 and 31 : 16. 
 
 10. Therefore snares are round about thee. It is thus that 
 Eliphaz explains Job's suffering. 
 
 11. Or darkness, that thou canst not see. As the text stands, 
 the line is a weak repetition of the last line of v. 10. The mar- 
 gin gives a sense equally pointless, for Job, as the whole poem 
 shows, was only too conscious of his calamities. It is far better, 
 accordingly, to read with the Greek and kindred versions, "Thy 
 light has gone out in darkness " — a statement which carries 
 forward the thought. 
 
 (3) By the fate of the wicked Job is again warned, 22 : 12-20 
 
 12. Is not God in the height of heaven? God is far exalted 
 above the world of men. This is the thought even if one adopt 
 
 196 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 22: 15 
 
 ^ And behold the ^ height of the stars, how high 
 they are ! ^ 
 
 13. ^ And thou say est, What doth God know ? 
 Can he judge through the thick darkness ? 
 
 14. Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth 
 
 not; 
 And he walketh ^ in the circuit of heaven. 
 
 15. ^ Wilt thou keep the old way 
 Which wicked men have trodden ? 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. He sees and Immhles those who do violence. Syr. Ar. And he 
 sees the head of the stars. 2 -[a. Heb. head. ^ Gr. on high. * Gr. and 
 
 Sah. omit vs. 13-16. ^ m. Or, on the vault. ^ m. Or, Dost thou mark. 
 
 the reading of the Greek and kindred versions. The connection 
 with the following verses is not clear. And behold. We should 
 certainly read with the Syriac and Arabic versions " And he sees." 
 The height of the stars. As the margin tells us, the Hebrew is 
 "the head of the stars." Interpreters have been puzzled to know 
 what this means. Some have thought of it as a special constella- 
 tion, others, as the pole star. If the text is followed, with the one 
 exception already noted, the verse is an expression of the exaltation 
 of God. Possibly, however, emendations should be made partly 
 from the Syriac and partly from the Greek, etc., so as to read : 
 
 " Did not God make high the heavens 
 And see and humble the mighty on high? " 
 
 The reference would then be to the power of God as exhibited 
 in the creation myth referred to in 9:13. The "mighty" 
 would then be the "helpers of Rahab " and the verse would form 
 a fitting introduction to the warning from the fate of the wicked 
 which Eliphaz is undertaking. 
 
 13. What doth God know? Eliphaz chose to think that Job 
 pursued a sinful course because he persuaded himself that God 
 was ignorant of what transpired on earth. 
 
 14. In the circuit. The marginal rendering "on the vault" 
 is to be preferred. Probably it is a reference to the distant hori- 
 zon where earth and heaven appear to meet. 
 
 15. Wilt thou keep. The margin, "Wilt thou mark," gives the 
 meaning of the Hebrew and should be followed. Eliphaz is ask- 
 ing Job to note an example, not directly exhorting him to abandon 
 a course. 
 
 197 
 
22: i6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. Who were snatched away before their time, 
 Whose foundation was poured out as a stream: 
 
 17. Who said unto God, Depart from us ; 
 And, What can the Almighty do ^ for ^ us ? 
 
 18. Yet he filled their houses with good things : 
 But the counsel of the wicked is far ^ from me. 
 
 19. The righteous see it, and are glad ; 
 And the innocent laugh them to scorn ; 
 
 20. Saying, Surely they that did rise up against us are 
 
 cut off, 
 And ^ the remnant of them the fire hath consumed. 
 
 21. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace : 
 
 1 m. Or, to. 2 Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. us. m. Heb. them. 3 Gr. Sah. 
 
 Eth. from us. * m. Or, thai which remained to them, or, their abundance. 
 
 16. Who were snatched away before their time. Thought 
 by some to be a reference to the antediluvians who were destroyed 
 by the flood, but probably a reference to the inhabitants of the 
 cities of the plain, as v. 20 shows. 
 
 17. What can the Almighty do for us? We should read as in 
 the margin with the versions, "What can the Almighty do to 
 us? " Eliphaz, if the verse belongs here, puts into the mouths 
 of the ancient sinners the same sentiments which he attributed to 
 Job. Verses 17 and 18 are, as several scholars have noted, a 
 gloss made by bringing together several sentences which occur 
 in 21 : 14-16 in a different order. If they are omitted, v. 19 
 follows v. 16 with much more force. 
 
 18. Far from me. As the versions cited above show, this 
 should be, "far from us." 
 
 19. Righteous . . . are glad. A conception identical with 
 Ps. 107 : 42. 
 
 20. The remnant of them. The explanation of the margin 
 which makes this refer to "their abundance " is to be preferred. 
 The reference to the destruction of their substance by fire makes 
 it probable that the poet had in mind the destruction of the 
 cities of the plain, Gen. 18, 19. 
 
 (4) How J oh may gain health and prosperity, 22 : 21-30 
 
 21. Acquaint now thyself with him. The exhortation of Eli- 
 phaz begins here ; in it he holds out to Job the hope of reconcilia- 
 
 198 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 ^ Thereby good shall come unto thee. 
 
 22. Receive, I pray thee, ^ the law from his mouth, 
 And lay up his words in thine heart. 
 
 23. If thou return to the Almighty, ^ thou shalt be 
 
 built up ; 
 ^ If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy 
 tents. 
 
 24. And lay thou thy ^ treasure ^ in the dust, 
 
 And the gold of Ophir ^ among the stones of the 
 brooks ; 
 
 1 m. Or, as otherwise read, Thereby shall thine increase he good. ^ m. Or, instruction. 
 ' Gr. Sah. Eth. humble thyself. * m. Or, I'hou shalt put away . . . and shalt lay up. 
 
 6 m. Heb. ore. ^ m. Or, on the earth. '' Theod. Syr. Targ. Eth. Ar. like. 
 
 tion and amendment, as was done by the friends in their first 
 cycle of speeches. No such hope was expressed in the second 
 cycle ; and it is strange that this address, which surpasses all the 
 preceding for its harshness, should sound the note of hope at the 
 close. Perhaps the poet meant to portray the fact, that, in closing, 
 the old friendship asserted itself, and made Eliphaz long for Job's rec- 
 lamation. Good shall come unto thee. Some Hebrew MSS. read, 
 as in the margin, " thine increase shall be good." Either reading is 
 possible from the Hebrew consonants, and either would probably 
 express well the thought in the mind of Eliphaz. 
 
 22. The law. It is better as in the margin to translate, "Re- 
 ceive instruction." The Hebrew word for "law" primarily 
 means "instruction." 
 
 23. Thou shalt be built up. Instead of this we should read 
 with the versions cited above, "and humble thyself," making the 
 line : 
 
 "If thou return to the Almighty and humble thyself." 
 
 If thou put away. This is the correct rendering. The suggestion 
 of the margin is inappropriate to the context. 
 
 24. Lay thou thy treasure. The thought of the verse is that 
 Job shall "cast away," i.e. cease to care for, his riches in order to 
 care for God instead. The verse is omitted by the Greek and 
 Sahidic versions and by some modern scholars. It seems, how- 
 ever, appropriate to the context and is probably genuine. Dust 
 is correct; the marginal suggestion is not so good. Among the 
 stones. It is better to adopt the reading of the versions quoted 
 
 199 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 25. And the Almighty shall be thy ^ treasure, 
 And ^ precious silver unto thee. 
 
 26. For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, 
 And shalt Hft up thy face unto God. 
 
 27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he 
 
 shall hear thee ; 
 And thou shalt pay thy vows. 
 
 28. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be 
 
 estabHshed unto thee; 
 And Hght shall sliine upon thy ways. 
 
 1 m. Heb. ore. 2 m. Or, precious silver shall be thine. 
 
 above, "like the stones." Job is exhorted to throw away his gold 
 as he would the stones of the brooks, than which nothing is more 
 abundant in Palestine. 
 
 25. Precious silver unto thee. The word rendered "precious " 
 elsewhere is used of something that is "exalted "; it is not ap- 
 propriate to silver. The Greek and kindred versions read, 
 instead of "precious," a verb, but none of the renderings seem 
 appropriate. Modern scholars regard the text as corrupt, but 
 have made almost as many guesses as there are commentators 
 as to what the true reading was. The guess which seems most 
 probable is that which substitutes "his instruction'' for "pre- 
 cious." The verse then produces a beautiful parallelism : 
 
 " Then the Almighty shall be thy treasure 
 And his instruction, thy silver." 
 
 26. Delight thyself in the Almighty. Job's fellowship with 
 God will be restored. For such fellowship Job had longed, see 
 13: 24; 14: 15; 23: 1-7. 
 
 27. And he shall hear thee. This is in reply to Job's com- 
 plaint, "If I called, he would not answer me," cf. 9: 16. Pay 
 thy vows. A vow was a promise to give something toGod on 
 condition that he grant a request. A good example is Jeph- 
 thah's vow, Jud. 11 : 30 ff. The paying of vows is here mentioned 
 as evidence that Job's prayers will be answered, if he follows the 
 advice which Eliphaz is giving. 
 
 28. It shall be established unto thee. One sign of Job's har- 
 mony with God will be that he can carry out his plans. 
 
 200 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 29. When they ^ cast thee down, thou shalt say, There 
 
 is lifting up ; 
 And 2 the humble person he shall save. 
 
 30. He shall deliver ^ even him that is not innocent : 
 ^ Yea, he shall be delivered through the clean- 
 ness of ^ thine hands. 
 
 1 m. Or, are made low. ' m. Heb. him that is lowly^ of eyes. ' Theod. Syr. Vulg. 
 Eth. At. him that is innocent, m. Many ancient versions read, him that is innocent. 
 ^ Gr. Eth. And thou shalt be delivered. ^ Syr. Vulg. Ar. his. 
 
 29. When they cast thee down, thou shalt say. The verse is 
 difficult both to translate and to understand. As the text of 
 RV shows, ''thee" is not in the Hebrew and the words that 
 are in it are, as the margin shows, capable of a different rendering. 
 Moreover, in this glowing description of what will follow recon- 
 ciliation with God, references to further humiliation of Job are 
 inappropriate. The word rendered "lifting up" really means 
 "pride " and "there is " does not occur in the Hebrew. Probably 
 the verse originally contained a statement that God humbles the 
 proud and exalts the lowly. If we make the first verb singular, 
 and substitute " God " for "thou shalt say " — words not unlike 
 in Hebrew letters — the verse reads : 
 
 "For God humbles pride, 
 But delivers the lowly." 
 
 The versions do not help us, and some such guess is necessary. 
 
 30. Deliver even him that is not innocent. This is a difficult 
 verse. As it stands it says that God will deliver even the guilty 
 on account of Job's righteousness — a thing which the epilogue 
 (ch. 42) says actually happened. Possibly the poet let Eliphaz 
 drop this hint of what the epilogue was to say. On the other hand, 
 the versions had different readings. If we emend the text accord- 
 ing to the citations from them given above, we reverse the meaning, 
 thus : 
 
 " He shall deliver the innocent 
 And thou shalt be saved by the cleanness of his hands." 
 
 This is a more appropriate sentiment in the mouth of Eliphaz 
 than the other, and is to be preferred. Perhaps it was changed 
 to make it correspond with ch. 42. 
 
 It should be noted that the Greek and Sahidic versions omit 
 vs. 29, 30. Probably they were omitted because they are diffi- 
 cult. 
 
 201 
 
2311 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 14. JoVs Third Reply to Eliphaz, Chs. 23, 24 
 
 23. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. Even to-day is my complaint ^ rebellious : 
 
 2 My stroke is heavier than my groaning. 
 
 3. Oh that I knew where I might find him, 
 That I might come even to his seat ! 
 
 4. I would order my cause before him, 
 And fill my mouth with arguments. 
 
 5. I would know the words which he would answer 
 
 me, 
 And understand what he would say unto me. 
 
 6. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his 
 
 power ? 
 
 3 Nay ; ^ but he would give heed unto me. 
 
 1 Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. hitter, m. Or, hitter, or, accounted rebellion. 2 m. Or, 
 
 My hand is heavy upon (or hecause of). Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. read, His hand. ' Gr. 
 Sah. Eth. Then. * m. Or, he would only give heed. 
 
 (i) Job longs in vain to come face to face with God, 23 : 1-9 
 
 2. Rebellious. It is better to adopt the first marginal reading 
 "bitter," as that is supported by several versions, and requires 
 but a slight change in the Hebrew. The line means "My com- 
 plaint is just as bitter as it was." My stroke. The word rendered 
 "stroke " is literally "hand." We should emend to "his hand " 
 with the versions above quoted. The verse then affords the clear 
 meaning that Job's complaint is still bitter because God's hand 
 (or stroke) is heavy upon him. 
 
 3. Oh that I knew where I might find him. The cause of this 
 desire to find God is explained in vs. 4, 5. 
 
 5. Understand what he would say. This phrase gives key to 
 vs. 2-5. Job's complaint is still bitter because he can obtain no 
 satisfaction. God continues to afflict him but also eludes him. 
 The inability to understand the reason makes Job frantic. 
 
 6. Nay; but he would give heed. Neither this phrase nor 
 the suggestion of the margin affords a satisfactory sense. Prob- 
 ably we should by a change in the Hebrew of one vowel point 
 translate, "If only he would give heed to me! " 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 7. ^ There the upright ^ might reason ^ with him ; 
 So should I be dehvered for ever from my ^ judge. 
 
 8. Behold, I go forward, but ^ he is not there; 
 And backward, but I cannot perceive him : 
 
 9. On the left hand, ^ when he doth work, but I can- 
 
 not behold him : 
 ^ He ^ hideth himself on the right hand, that I 
 cannot see him. 
 10. ^ But he knoweth ^^ the way that I take ; 
 
 1 4 Heb. MSS. Vulg. Ee would establish justice. * Qr. Targ. Sah. Eth. and would 
 
 reason. ' Vulg. Targ. with me. * Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Ar. Eth. judgment. * Gr. 
 Sah. Eth. / am not there. Syr. Ar. I do not know. " Syr. Ar. / seek. "> Syr. 
 
 \\i\g. ki.'Eth.. I turn myself. ^ m. Or, turneth himself to . . . him, but. ... » m. 
 Or, For. i" Gr. Sah. Eth. now my way. Syr. Ar. my way and my standing-place. 
 m. Heb. tlie way that is with me. 
 
 7. There the upright might reason with him. While the He- 
 brew as it stands gives a possible meaning, the meaning is much 
 clearer and the connection with v. 6 much closer,*if we read with 
 the authorities quoted above, "He would establish justice and 
 would reason with me." So should I be delivered. Job feels 
 that if he could once obtain a hearing with God, he could convince 
 God of his innocence. If the divine misunderstanding were 
 removed, there would be no further trouble. Judge. It is better 
 with most of the versions to read "judgment." Job does not wish 
 to escape from God, but only from God's terrible judgment. 
 
 8. Behold, I go forward. The verse is a beautiful expression 
 of the fruitlessness of a search for God elsewhere than in the 
 human spirit. God cannot be located on the earth or found at 
 the end of a syllogism. 
 
 9. When he doth work. This comes in very awkwardly. 
 The verse gains greatly in strength and connects much better with 
 v. 8, if we read with the version cited above : 
 
 " On the left I seek, but do not find him, 
 I turn to the right, but do not see him." 
 
 (2) Job, though innocent, is terrified by God, 23 : 10-17 
 
 10. The way that I take. This rendering does not represent 
 the Hebrew, which the margin correctly renders. It is better with 
 the Syriac and Arabic versions to make a slight change in the 
 
 203 
 
23:11 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 
 
 11. My foot hath held fast to his steps ; 
 
 His way have I kept, and turned not aside. 
 
 12. I have not gone back from the commandment of 
 
 his lips ; 
 I have treasured up the words of his mouth ^ more 
 than my ^ necessary food. 
 
 13. ^ But ^ he is in one mind, and who can turn him ? 
 And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. 
 
 14. For he performeth that which is appointed for me : 
 And many such things are with him. 
 
 15. Therefore am I troubled at his presence; 
 When I consider, I am afraid of him. 
 
 16. For God hath made my heart faint, 
 And the Almighty hath troubled me : 
 
 * m. Or, more than my own law. Gr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. have, in my bosom. * m. 
 
 Or, portion. See Pr. 30 : 8. 3 Gr. Sah. Eth. But he has decided. * m. Or, he is one. 
 
 Hebrew and translate, "He knows my way and my standing- 
 place." Although Job cannot find God, God knows Job through 
 and through. Tried me . . . come forth as gold. The fact 
 that God knows him so well is after all a comfort to Job, for con- 
 scious of his innocence, Job is sure that in the end he will be ac- 
 knowledged just. 
 
 12. More than my necessary food. We should read with the 
 versions quoted above "in my bosom." 
 
 13. He is in one mind. The Hebrew text contains no word for 
 "mind." The versions undoubtedly contain the correct reading, 
 "he has decided " or "determined." 
 
 14. He performeth that which is appointed for me. This is 
 as good a rendering as can be made of the unusual Hebrew. The 
 Greek and Sahidic versions omitted the verse. Some such state- 
 ment seems, however, to be necessary to prepare for v. 15. 
 
 15. Therefore. Because of the unknown store of afflictions 
 which God's treasury may yet contain for him. When I con- 
 sider. Job had moments when he longed to come face to face 
 with God. At other moments, when he thought of this side of 
 the matter, he was afraid. 
 
 204 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 24 
 
 17. ^ Because I was ^ not cut off before the darkness, 
 
 Neither did he cover the thick darkness ^ from 
 my face. 
 24. ^ Why are times ^ not laid up by the Almighty ? ^ 
 
 And why do not they which know him see his 
 days? 
 2. ^ There are that remove the landmarks ; 
 
 1 m. Or, For I am not dismayed because of the darkness, nor because thick darkness 
 covereth my face. * i Heb. MS. omits not. ^ Gr. OLat. Vulg. Sah. Eth. omit /rojw. 
 * m. Or, Why is it, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, that they which 
 know him see not his days? * 2 Heb. MSS. Gr. Sah. Eth. omit not. See new 
 
 translation of this speech of Job in the note on 24 : 25. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. The wicked. 
 
 Vulg. others. 
 
 17. Because I was not cut off, etc. Neither the text nor the 
 margin affords a good meaning in the context. We should change 
 the Hebrew text with the authorities cited above and translate : 
 
 ''For I am cut off before the darkness, 
 And thick darkness covers my face." 
 
 The verse then clearly continues the thought of v. 16. 
 
 (3) God encourages the wicked by deferring judgment, 24 : 1-25 
 
 1. Why are times not laid up by the Almighty? Neither the 
 text nor the margin affords a clear meaning. Such a meaning 
 is, however, secured, if with the authorities cited above, we omit 
 "not." The verse would then read : 
 
 "Why are times hidden by the Almighty, 
 That they who know him see not his days? " 
 
 His days. His days of judgment. The thought is that the 
 courage of the righteous would be greatly strengthened, if they 
 could know that at definite times the wicked would be punished. 
 If there are such times, God conceals them. 
 
 2. There are that remove landmarks. We should read with 
 the Greek and kindred versions, "The wicked remove land- 
 marks." In Palestine, where the fields are often cultivated in 
 common, each man's share being marked off by placing small 
 stones, this was an easy means of robbery. The law of Deu- 
 teronomy condemns it, Deut. 19 : 14; 27 : 17. In Babylonia large 
 inscribed boundary stones set up by kings to mark the borders 
 of larger tracts have been found. These contain curses and sacred 
 
 205 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 They violently take away flocks, ^ and feed them. 
 
 3. They drive away the ass of the fatherless, 
 They take the widow's ox for a pledge. 
 
 4. They turn the needy out of the way : 
 
 The ^ poor of the earth hide themselves together. 
 
 5. ^ Behold, as wild asses in the desert 
 
 They go forth to their work, seeking diligently for 
 
 ^ meat ; 
 ^ The wilderness yieldeth them food for their children. 
 
 6. They cut ^ their ^ provender in the field ; 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. with their shepherds. 2 Theod. Sym. Syr. Eth. meek. m. Or, 
 
 meek. ^ Gr. OLat. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah Eth. Ar. omit Behold. < m. Heb. 
 
 prey. _ * Theod. Sym. Eth. Sweet to tltem. « m. Or, his. Gr. Sah. Vulg. 
 
 Eth. omit their. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. by night. Vulg. ttot theirs. 
 
 emblems designed to deter one from removing them. Flocks and 
 feed them. Again we should read with the versions, "flocks 
 with their shepherds." The verse refers to robbers on a large 
 scale, who drive away flocks, shepherds, and all. 
 
 3. Widow's ox. This verse describes more characteristic 
 wickedness. Hebrew law protected the widow and orphan from 
 such exactions, Deut. 24: 17, 19, 20, 21. 
 
 4. The poor. The margin, although supported by several of 
 the versions, is probably not to be followed. "The poor" in 
 goods is, as the context shows, the meaning here. 
 
 5. Behold. None of the versions contain this word. We 
 should omit it. Meat. The margin, "prey," is better. The 
 wilderness yieldeth them food. The Hebrew is peculiar and 
 difficult. The revisers supplied the verb "yieldeth," which is not 
 in the text. Modern scholars have suggested various changes 
 to relieve the difficulty. The simplest solution seems to be the 
 dropping of one Hebrew letter, so as to read with the versions 
 cited above : 
 
 "Sweet to them is bread for their children." 
 The meaning then is that like beasts of prey they go out to seize 
 food for their young. This verse together with 6-8 is out of place. 
 Probably originally it formed a part of Bildad's third speech. 
 See note on 25 : 6 and vs. 7, 8 below. 
 
 6. Their provender. By the change of one Hebrew letter we 
 should read with the three versions cited above : 
 
 "They reap by night in the field." 
 206 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And they glean the vintage of the wicked. 
 
 7. They He all night naked without clothing, 
 And have no covering in the cold. 
 
 8. They are wet with the showers of the mountains, 
 And embrace the rock for want of a shelter. 
 
 g. There are that pluck the fatherless from the breast, 
 
 And 1 take a pledge of the poor : ^ 
 10. So that they go about naked without clothing, 
 
 And being an-hungred they carry the sheaves; 
 
 1 m. Or, take in pledge that which is on the poor. 
 
 The Vulgate reads, making a slightly different change : 
 
 "They reap in a field not theirs." 
 
 "By night " is probably right, as it is then that thieves usually 
 work. Of the wicked. This phrase seems unsuitable here. 
 As several scholars have noted, we should transpose the Hebrew 
 letters and read "vintage of the rich." Thieves go where plunder 
 is plenty. 
 
 7, 8. Without clothing . . . they are wet. These thieves 
 make a poor living. 
 
 Verses 5-8 probably formed originally a part of the third speech 
 of Bildad (see below on 25 : 6). The sentiment is similar to that 
 expressed in 18 : 5 ff. by Bildad, whom the poet makes the least 
 original of the friends. They are unsuited to Job's point of view 
 and are out of place here. They were probably transferred from 
 their original position to soften somewhat Job's unorthodox 
 utterances. 
 
 9. There are that pluck. If we remove the interpolation, we 
 may translate simply "They pluck." The sentence continues 
 the description of v. 4, and the subject is the same as in vs. 2-4. 
 Of the poor. Neither the text nor the margin affords a satis- 
 factory sense. As several scholars have noted, by a change in one 
 Hebrew vowel we obtain the word "suckling." We should make 
 the change and read : 
 
 " They pluck the fatherless from the breast, 
 The suckling of the poor they take in pledge." 
 
 10. Naked without clothing. These poor children, reduced to 
 virtual slavery, are not properly clothed. An-hungred. They 
 are underfed. They carry the sheaves. They are put to hard 
 labor in the field. 
 
 207 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 11. They make oil ^ within the walls of these men ; 
 They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst. 
 
 12. From out of the ^ populous city ^ men groan, 
 And the soul of ^ the wounded crieth out : 
 Yet God ^ imputeth it not for folly. 
 
 13. These are of them that rebel against the light ; 
 They know not the ways thereof, 
 
 Nor ® abide in the paths thereof. 
 
 14. The murderer riseth with the ^ light, he killeth 
 
 the poor and needy ; 
 And in the night he is as a thief. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. in distress. * Gr. Sah. Eth. city and houses, m. Heb. city of men. 
 » Gr. Sah. Eth. are thrust. * Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. the infants. s Syr. Ar. and 
 
 perhaps Gr. Sah. Eth. does not hear their prayer. « Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. walk. 
 
 '' Gr. Sah. Eth. darkness. 
 
 11. They make oil. The verse gives further details of the 
 profitable labor to which the wicked men put the boys they have 
 so cruelly gained. 
 
 12. Populous city. The versions afford the better reading, 
 "From out the city and houses." The wounded. Again follow 
 the versions and read "the infants." The reference is to the 
 sucklings in pledge in v. 9. Child labor forces groans from 
 them. Imputeth it not for folly. Once more follow the versions 
 and read, "Yet God hears not their prayer." Job charges that 
 God appoints no day of judgment, and that he does not hear the 
 cries of distress from these innocent children. No wonder that 
 the text was changed in the interest of Jewish orthodoxy ! 
 
 13. Against the light. "Light" is not used in a moral sense. 
 These men prosecute, as the following verses show, their nefarious 
 practices in the dark. Abide. The parallelism is better if we 
 follow the versions and read, "Nor walk in the paths thereof." 
 
 14. With the light. With the versions cited above we should 
 read, "with the darkness." Crimes do not seek the light. The 
 poor and needy. As several scholars have noted, these words 
 do not afford a strong sense. The murderer is not so apt to kill 
 the poor as somebody against whom he has a grudge. Two slight 
 changes in the Hebrew would make out of these words "ad- 
 versary" and "enemy." These changes should be made so as 
 to read, "He killeth his adversary and enemy." He is as a 
 thief. Merx noted that one letter had probably fallen out of the 
 
 208 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 15. The eye also of the adulterer waiteth for the 
 
 twilight, 
 Saying, No eye shall see me : 
 And he ^ disguiseth his face. 
 
 16. In the dark they dig through houses : 
 
 2 They shut themselves up in the day-time ; 
 They know not the light. 
 
 17. For 3 the morning is to all of them as the shadow 
 
 of death ; 
 For 4 they know the ^ terrors of the shadow of 
 death. 
 
 1 m. Or, putietha covering on his face. 2 m. Or, Which they had marked for them- 
 
 selves. Syr. Ax. he had marked. 3 Syr. Ar. they seek for themselves, &*c. ■« Syr. 
 
 they find. » Theod. Eth. terror. ^ 
 
 Hebrew. If we restore it, we may translate, "In the night the 
 thief goeth forth." The line should also be placed after v. 15. 
 We then have a better connection with v. 16, and three kinds 
 of sinners, murderers, adulterers, and thieves, mentioned in the 
 same order as in the ten commandments. 
 
 15. Adulterer. This class of sinners also seek darkness and 
 disguise in order to escape notice. 
 
 16. In the dark they dig through houses. "They dig " should 
 be changed to "he digs." The Hebrew is not in the plural. As 
 noted above, the last line of v. 14 should stand immediately 
 before this. They shut themselves up in the day-time. The con- 
 text demands that we render this as in the margin, except that 
 we change the plural to a singular with the Syriac and Arabic ver- 
 sions. When the corrections here indicated are made the whole 
 statement about the thief reads : 
 
 "In the night the thief goes forth, 
 In the dark he digs through houses 
 Which by day he had marked for himself." 
 
 They know not the light. This statement forms the general sum- 
 mary, and refers to the three classes, murderers, adulterers and 
 thieves. 
 
 17. For the morning. Probably we should read with the 
 version cited, "For they seek for themselves the deep darkness." 
 For they know the terrors. Again follow the versions and read, 
 
 P 209 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 i8. ^ He is swift upon the face of the waters ; 
 
 Their portion is cursed in the earth : 
 He turneth not by the way of the vineyards. 
 
 19. Drought and heat ^ consume the snow waters : 
 So doth ^ Sheol those which have sinned. 
 
 20. The womb shall forget him ; the worm shall feed 
 
 sweetly on him ; 
 He shall be no more remembered : 
 And unrighteousness shall be broken ^ as a tree. 
 
 21. He devoureth the barren that beareth not ; 
 
 1 m. Or, Ye say, He is b'c. 2 m. Heb. violently take away. ^ m. Or, the grave. 
 
 * m. Or, as a tree; even He that devoureth &*c. 
 
 "But they find the terror of death-shade." The verse, with its 
 moralizing tone, is out of harmony with Job's theme and mood. 
 It was probably originally with vs. 18, 19-23, 24 a part of the 
 speech of Bildad and followed 25 : 6. The sentiments are similar 
 to those expressed by Bildad in 18: 10 ff. 
 
 18. He is swift. This belongs with vs. 17-22 and is probably 
 a part of Bildad's speech. But in that connection "he " refers to 
 God, and the verse continues the contrast between God and man. 
 Their portion is cursed in the earth. This refers again to men 
 who are impure. Perhaps it is at this point that 24 : 5-8 originally 
 stood. Placed here, they show how "cursed" the lot of impure 
 man is. He turneth not by the way, etc. The text of this phrase 
 is hopelessly corrupt. It is impossible to extract any good mean- 
 ing from it. Probably it was a gloss added after the editorial trans- 
 fer of the passage to this position. 
 
 19. Consume the snow waters. Even from lofty mountains 
 like Hermon, which is snow-capped until July and from which 
 refreshing streams flow to the thirsty country around, the snow 
 finally disappears. Sheol . . . sinned. If we are right as to 
 the connection of this passage, it originally followed v. 22, vs. 
 19, 20 forming the conclusion of Bildad's first description of the 
 punishment of the wicked. 
 
 20. The worm shall feed sweetly on him. The phrase is the 
 most vivid part of a verse which continues the picture of the 
 destruction of the wicked begun in v. 19. 
 
 21. He devoureth the barren. We should rather render, " One 
 devours the barren," etc. The verse begins the description of 
 a new class of sinners. For the rearrangement of the text see 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And doeth not good to the widow. 
 
 22. ^ He draweth away the ^ mighty also by his power : 
 He riseth up, and no man is sure of ^ Hfe. 
 
 23. God giveth them to be in security, and they rest 
 
 thereon ; 
 ^ And his eyes are upon their ways. 
 
 24. ^ They are exalted ; yet a Httle while, and they are 
 
 gone; 
 ® Yea, ^ they are brought low, they are ^ taken 
 out of the way as ® all other, 
 
 1 m. Or, Yet God by his power maketh the mighty to continue: they rise up, when they 
 believed not that they should live. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. powerless. ^ Gr. Sym. Vulg. 
 
 Sah. Eth. his life. * m. Or, But. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. His exaltation. « m. 
 
 Or, And when they are &"€. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. he is. ^ m. Or, gathered in. 
 
 » Gr. Sah. Eth. salt-wort. 
 
 below, on 25 : 6. Verses 21, 22 describe a class of powerful 
 sinners of a very different sort from that which had preceded. 
 
 22. He draweth away. The marginal rendering, which makes 
 the "He " refer to God, is not a happy suggestion. The verse 
 is needed to complete the meaning of v, 21, and when one rec- 
 ognizes that it was probably a part of a speech of Bildad, the 
 motive for the marginal change, which deals somewhat violently 
 with the Hebrew of the last part of the verse, vanishes. The 
 mighty. With the versions cited above we should read "the 
 powerless." The heinousness of the crime of these mighty 
 sinners lies, not in the fact that they destroy other mighty ones 
 like themselves, but that they destroy the helpless. Sure of 
 life. Read with the versions cited, "his life." 
 
 23. God giveth them to be in security. This verse resumes 
 Job's original address and should follow v. 16. After describ- 
 ing the various classes of sinners that flourish in the dark, Job 
 declares that God gives them their protection. He makes the 
 darkness which shelters them. 
 
 24. They are exalted. With the versions cited read, "He is 
 exalted." As several scholars have recognized, the verse is an in- 
 terpolation in Job's speech, contradicting the general tenor of 
 his thought. Probably it forms the last verse of the third 
 speech of Bildad, connecting directly with v. 22. See note on 
 25:6. They are gone. The Hebrew has correctly "he is gone." 
 Yea, they are brought low. Read with the versions cited, "And 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ are cut off as the tops of the ears of corn. 
 25. And if it be not so now, who will prove me a liar, 
 
 And make my speech nothing worth ? 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. is. 
 
 he is brought low." Are taken out of the way. As other scholars 
 have noticed, this should be corrected to "he is drawn together" 
 or "withered." All other. Read with the versions "like salt- 
 wort." This was undoubtedly some plant that withered easily. 
 Are cut off. Read with the versions cited, "is cut off." 
 
 25. If it be not so. This verse resumes Job's speech and con- 
 nects directly with v. 23. Who will prove me a liar? With 
 this final challenge Job's third reply to Eliphaz closes. This 
 section of the speech, when the interpolations are removed and the 
 text corrections made, reads as follows : 
 
 Why are times hidden by the Almighty, 
 
 That they who know him see not his days? 
 
 The wicked remove landmarks ; 
 
 They forcibly remove flocks and their shepherds. 
 
 Asses of orphans they drive off ; 
 
 They take in pledge the widow's ox. 
 
 They thrust the needy from the way ; 
 
 Together the poor of the land hide. 
 
 They pluck the fatherless from the breast, 
 
 The suckling of the poor they take in pledge. 
 
 Naked they go without clothing. 
 
 And hungry they carry the sheaves. 
 
 Within their walls they make oil. 
 
 They tread their winepresses and suffer thirst. 
 
 From the city and houses they groan, 
 
 The souls of children cry out. 
 
 Yet their prayer God hears not ! 
 13. These are among rebels against light; 
 
 They do not know its ways ; 
 
 They walk not in its paths. 
 I4ab. At darkness the murderer riseth ; 
 
 He kills his adversary and enemy. 
 15. Also the adulterer's eye awaits twilight, 
 
 Saying, No eye shall see me ; 
 
 And he puts a covering on his face. 
 14c. Also by night the thief goes forth, 
 i6ab. In the dark he digs through houses 
 
 Which by day he had marked for himself. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 25 
 
 15. Bildad's Third Speech^ Ch. 25 
 
 25. Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 
 
 2. Dominion and fear are with him ; 
 He maketh peace in his high places. 
 
 3. Is there any number of his armies ? 
 
 And upon whom doth not ^ his light arise ? 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. Ids ambuscades. 
 
 i6c. They do not know the light. 
 
 23. God gives them security and they rest, 
 
 And his eye is on their ways. 
 25. If it isn't so, who will prove me a liar, 
 
 And bring my words to nought? 
 
 Ch. 25. As shown in the notes of chs. 24 and 30, and the notes 
 on 25 : 6 below, this speech has in all probability been abbreviated 
 by the transfer of a considerable portion of its material to chs. 
 24 and 30. The motive for this editorial transfer was to soften 
 the blasphemy of Job's utterances against God. When we restore 
 those portions to what was probably their original position, the 
 third speech of Bildad falls into three parts, consisting of the 
 following verses : 
 
 (i) The purity of God in contrast with man, 25 : 1-6, 24: 17, 
 18. 
 
 (2) The fate of wretched sinners, 24 : 5-8; 30 : 3-8. 
 
 (3) The fate of powerful sinners, 24: 21, 22, 19, 20, 24. 
 
 A reconstruction of the last part of the speech is given in the 
 note on 25 : 6. 
 
 2. Dominion and fear are with him. Bildad's opening words 
 are a reply to Job's charge in the preceding chapter that God 
 encourages and protects crime. Bildad declares that God has 
 not only power (dominion), but suggests that he so exercises 
 it as to produce reverence and fear. He maketh peace in the 
 high places. So far from countenancing crime, God is the es- 
 tablisher of peace, Bildad asserts. 
 
 3. Number of his armies. Bildad refers once more to the 
 familiar thought of God's power. His light arise. The Hebrew 
 text is_ to be preferred to the versions cited. So far from en- 
 couraging sin by darkness Bildad asserts that God's light shines 
 everywhere. Light, too, is pure, and this suggests the contrast 
 between God and man which follows. 
 
 213 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 4. How then can man be just ^ with God ? 
 
 Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman ? 
 
 5. Behold, 2 even the moon ^ hath no brightness, 
 And the stars are not pure in his sight : 
 
 6. How much less man, that is a worm ! 
 And the son of man, which is a worm ! 
 
 » m. Or, before. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. he commandeth. ^ i Heb. MS. Gr. Vulg. 
 
 Targ. Sah. Eth. and it doth not shine. 
 
 4. How then can man be just with God ? This has in the pre- 
 ceding speeches been a favorite thought with Eliphaz, see 4: 17 
 and 15 : 14. It was a fundamental point of the theology of the 
 friends. This theology clearly belongs to a post-prophetic 
 period, when the conception of God was approaching that of 
 the Priestly document. 
 
 5. Even the moon hath no brightness. It is not easy without 
 forcing the Hebrew to make it yield this translation. It is better 
 to read with the authorities cited above : 
 
 "Behold he commandeth the moon and it shines not." 
 
 6. How much less man. Bildad here returns to enforce the 
 thought expressed in v. 4. 
 
 Many scholars have recognized that it is hardly possible that 
 the speech of Bildad concluded here. For reasons given in the 
 Introduction, p. 33 ff, and in the notes on chs. 24 and 30 it is proba- 
 ble that the speech was originally continued by the following 
 verses from those chapters : 
 
 24 : 17. " For they seek for themselves the deep darkness. 
 
 But they experience the terror of death-shade. 
 18. He is swift upon the face of the waters. 
 
 Their portion is cursed in the earth. 
 24: 5. Like wild asses they go out. 
 
 To their work of seeking prey ; 
 
 Sweet is bread to their children. 
 
 6. In the field by night they reap, 
 
 And the vintage of the rich they glean. 
 
 7. Naked they pass the night unclothed. 
 And in the cold have no covering. 
 
 8. With the showers of the mountains they are wet, 
 And without shelter hug the rock. 
 
 30 : 3. They are lifeless from want and famine. 
 They flee to the wilderness, 
 The mother of waste and desolation. 
 214 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 26:2 
 
 16. Job's Third Reply to Bildad, Ch. 26 
 
 26. Then Job answered and said, 
 
 2. How hast thou helped him that is without power ! 
 
 4. They pluck salt-wort by the shrubs, 
 And roots of broom are their food. 
 
 5. From people they are thrust out, 
 They cry after them as after a thief. 
 
 6. In most dreadful valleys they dwell, 
 In holes of the earth and the rocks. 
 
 7. Among the bushes they bray ; 
 Under the chick-pea they couple. 
 
 8. Offspring of fools, yes, offspring of nameless men, 
 They are scourged out of the land. 
 
 24: 21. One devours the barren that beareth not, 
 
 And doeth not good to the widow. 
 22. He drags off the powerless by his strength. 
 
 He rises up and no one is sure of his life. 
 24: 19. Drought and heat consume the snow waters, 
 
 Sheol, sinners. 
 20. The womb shall forget him; 
 
 The worm feeds sweetly on him ; 
 
 No longer shall he be remembered. 
 
 For broken like a tree is unrighteousness. 
 24. His exaltation is brief, and he is gone, 
 
 He is brought low and withers like salt-wort 
 
 And cut off like the top of an ear of corn." 
 
 (For comments on these verses, see the notes on ch. 24.) Of 
 course it is not certain that just these verses and no more formed 
 the speech of Bildad. Several scholars have proposed different 
 reconstructions, in which, with a few verses from ch. 24, they have 
 included parts of ch. 26 or 27 which, as shown below in notes on 
 those chapters, the present writer would assign to Job and to 
 Zophar's third speech. Some reconstruction is necessary, as has 
 been shown in the Introduction, p. 33. While no reconstruction 
 can be regarded as more than tentative, the writer holds that the 
 above best fulfils all the conditions. 
 
 (i) Bildad has never helped the men whom he decries to he better ^ 
 
 26 : 1-5 
 
 2. How hast thou helped him that is without power ! Eliphaz 
 had charged Job in 22:7 with refusal to help the weary and 
 hungry, and Bildad, if we have correctly reconstructed his third 
 
 215 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 How hast thou saved the arm that hath no 
 strength ! 
 
 3. How hast thou counselled him that hath not 
 
 wisdom, 
 ^ And plentifully declared sound knowledge ! 
 
 4. To whom hast thou uttered words ? 
 And whose ^ spirit came forth from thee ? 
 
 5. ^ They that are deceased tremble 
 
 Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof. 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Eth. And declared sound wisdom to him who had not much strength. 
 Sah. no strength. 2 m. Heb. breath. ^ m. Or, the shades. Heb. Rephaim. 
 
 speech (see note on 25 : 6), had taken great delight in contrasting 
 the impurity of man with the purity of God. Job, exasperated, 
 replies with an argnnientum ad hominem, and asks. What have you 
 ever done to help men? 
 
 3. Plentifully declared sound knowledge. The parallelism 
 demands that we read with the Sahidic version : 
 
 "And declared sound wisdom to him who had no strength." 
 
 4. Whose spirit came forth from thee ? As the margin notes, 
 the Hebrew has "breath " instead of "spirit." Job asks in sub- 
 stance, "To whom hast thou given new courage, which was like 
 the breath of life to the recipient? " 
 
 5. They that are deceased. Even if with the margin we read 
 "The shades," the thought is the same. Bildad might have 
 been the "breath of life " to these people, but he permitted them 
 by his neglect to join the shades in Sheol. Beneath the waters 
 and the inhabitants thereof. Sheol, the abode of the dead, was 
 under the earth. There was not only a great sea on the earth, 
 but an abyss under the earth also, see Gen. 7: n; Ex. 20:4. 
 The sea was nown to be full of monsters, and mythical poetry 
 known to the author of Job had pictured it with kinds as awful 
 as could possibly be imagined (see quotation in the note on 9 : 
 13). Possibly these terrible creatures were thought to infest 
 the subterranean ocean also. At any rate the passage supposes 
 that the dead would be exposed to them. Some scholars have 
 suggested that by making a slight change in the Hebrew letters 
 we could read : 
 
 " And they fear the waters and their inhabitants." 
 This would give a more forcible meaning. 
 
 216 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. 1 Sheol is naked before him, 
 And 2 Abaddon hath no covering. 
 
 7. He stretcheth out the north over empty space, 
 And hangeth the earth ^ upon nothing. 
 
 8. He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds ; 
 And the cloud is not rent under them. 
 
 9. He closeth in the face of his throne, 
 And spreadeth his cloud upon it. 
 
 1 m. Or, The grave. ^ m. Or, destruction. ' m. Or, over. 
 
 2. God sees everything and is all-powerful, hut is himself inscru- 
 table, 26 : 6-14 
 
 6. Sheol is naked before him. " Him " refers to God. Bildad 
 had in his last speech (ch. 25 and additions) placed the purity of 
 God and man in contrast. Job in this speech puts in contrast 
 their strength and knowledge. His indignation at Bildad led him 
 in his treatment of humanity to make a personal application to 
 that speaker. Having set forth by one powerful touch in y. 5 the 
 terrible fears which confront the dead as they descend into the 
 dark unknown, he naturally passes to describe again the knowledge 
 and power of God. This has been a favorite theme with Job, see 
 9 : I ff. ; ch. 12, etc. Sheol, though hidden from man, God knows 
 all about. Abaddon. A part of Sheol. See note on 28 : 22. 
 
 7. The north. Some regard this as a reference to the pole 
 star, others, to the earthly mountains of the north. The par- 
 allelism of the next line favors the last-mentioned view. Hangeth 
 the earth upon nothing. This is a striking phrase, almost seem- 
 ing to anticipate modern views. It is hardly consistent with 
 9 : 6, where, as in Ps. 75 : 3, the usual view of the ancients that 
 the earth was supported by pillars is expressed. The poet had 
 apparently outgrown that view, though he could use it still in 
 a poetic metaphor. That he entertained anything like our 
 modern scientific theories, there is no reason to suppose. He 
 simply refers to the fact that one of the mysteries of the universe 
 is how the earth is supported. 
 
 8. Waters in his thick clouds. How clouds could hold moisture 
 was another mystery. 
 
 9. Closeth in the face of his throne. Whatever the mystery 
 of the clouds, they help to hide God's dwelling place. 
 
 217 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 10. He hath described a boundary upon the face of 
 
 the waters, 
 Unto the confines of Hght and darkness. 
 
 11. The pillars of heaven tremble 
 And are astonied at his rebuke. 
 
 12. ^ He stirreth up the sea with his power, 
 
 And by his understanding he smiteth through 
 2 Rahab. 
 
 ^ Syr. Ar. He rebuketk the sea. Gr. Sah. Eth. He sHlleth the sea. m. Or, stilleth. * m. 
 See 9:13. 
 
 10. A boundary Upon the face of the waters. The " boundary " 
 is the shore of the sea (the Babylonians called it the "salt river ") 
 which surrounds the earth. "Upon the face of the waters" 
 suggests that here we have still a different conception of how the 
 earth is supported. Two others have been expressed in 9 : 6 and 
 26 : 7 (see notes). Here, however, the earth is conceived as 
 resting on the "face of the waters." It is afloat on the deep. It 
 is the conception of Gen. 7: 11; Ex. 20:4; and of v. 5 above. 
 In matters of science the poet does not force himself to be con- 
 sistent. The knowledge of the time was hazy. Various myths 
 floated in the air, some of which the more thoughtful had out- 
 grown. The poet represents his characters as using now one, 
 now another, of these as suits his purpose. The characters thus 
 appear to give house-room to inconsistent ideas, just as many 
 people do to-day. The confines of light and darkness. Within 
 the firmament or overarching sky all was supposed to be light ; 
 beyond this was darkness. Where sky and sea meet, the confines 
 of light and darkness were thought to be. 
 
 11. The pillars of heaven. These were the mountains which 
 were supposed to be at the confines of the earth. The Baby- 
 lonians pictured the sun as arising out of them. These sup- 
 ported, they thought, the heavens so that its weight should not 
 rest on the unstable sea. Tremble. When it thunders the very 
 mountains at times seem to shake. This is poetically conceived 
 to be God's rebuke of them. 
 
 12. He stirreth up the sea. With the margin and some of the 
 versions we should read "stilleth," or with other versions, "re- 
 buketh." The next clause shows this to be necessary. Smiteth 
 through Rahab. "Rahab" is a Hebrew name for a Baby- 
 lonian mythical sea monster Tiamat, who figures largely in 
 the Babylonian Creation poem. A reference to her was made 
 
 218 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 13. 1 By his spirit the heavens are ^ garnished; 
 
 His hand hath pierced the ^ swift serpent. 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. The bars of heaven fear him. 2 m. Heb. heauiy. 
 
 Ox, fleeing, or, gliding. 
 
 by Job in ch. 9 (see note on 9 : 13). The reference here is to how 
 
 the monster was overcome. The Babylonian description is as 
 follows : 
 
 " Then advanced Tiamat and Marduk, champion of the gods ; 
 
 To the fight they came, to battle drew near. 
 
 Wide the Lord spread his net to enclose her ; 
 
 The evil wind from behind he let loose in her face. 
 
 Tiamat opened her mouth as wide as she could, 
 
 He drove in the bad wind before she closed her lips. 
 
 The mighty winds tortured her bowels. 
 
 Robbed of her courage she opened wide her mouth ; 
 
 The spear he seized, he pierced her body, 
 
 Her entrails he tore out, he took her heart ; 
 
 He conquered her and destroyed her life ; 
 
 Her body he cast down ; upon it he stood." 
 
 This victory the poet, like all Hebrews who borrowed from 
 Babylonian mythological lore, attributes to Jehovah. 
 
 13. By his spirit the heavens are garnished. In the context this 
 seems an irrelevant statement. We should read with the ver- 
 sions cited above, "The bars of heaven fear him" — "bars' 
 meaning the bolts or bars with which gates were fastened. The im- 
 agery is still borrowed from the Babylonian Creation poem, as 
 in V. 12. After that poem had finished the description of the 
 defeat of Tiamat and her brood, a part of which is quoted in the 
 note on v. 12, it continues: 
 
 "The Lord rested, on her body he looked; 
 
 The body . . . dividing, he formed a cunning plan. 
 
 Like a flat fish he split her into two halves ; 
 
 One half of her he stablished, he roofed over the heavens. 
 
 A bolt he fixed, a watchman he set, 
 
 Not to let out her waters, he commanded." 
 
 The meaning of the passage in Job is much clearer, if we emend 
 the text with the versions and understand the "fear" of the 
 "bars " to be fear to violate the command of Jehovah not to let 
 out the celestial waters. Compare the water which came through 
 the "windows of heaven " in Gen. 7:11. Swift serpent. This, 
 whether we translate as the margin suggests or not, is a reference 
 
 219 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 14. Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways : 
 
 And ^ how small a whisper ^ do we hear of him ! 
 But the thunder of his ^ power who can understand ? 
 
 16. JoVs Third Reply to Zophar, 27 : 1-6, 12 ; Chs. 29-31 
 
 27. And Job again took up his parable, and said, 
 
 2. As God liveth, who hath taken away my right ; 
 
 1 m. Or, how little a portion. ^ m. Or, is heard. ^ m. Or, mighty deeds. 
 
 to the conquered Tiamat, who is often pictured in Babylonian 
 art as a serpent. 
 
 14. These are but the outskirts of his ways. Job declares 
 that the revelations of God in his works, wonderful as they are, 
 are just enough to make us dread his power, while baffled by the 
 mysteries. The mystery of God is one upon which Job had often 
 dwelt with indignation in earlier parts of the poem. As he thought 
 how God was treating him, he had spoken with anger. His thought 
 is here turning a little more away from himself to contemplate 
 more calmly the mystery of God. With the statement of this 
 mystery the present speech closes. 
 
 (i) Job swears that he is innocent, 27 : 1-6 
 
 1. Job again took up his parable. These words were in all 
 probability inserted by the editor who rearranged the material 
 in chs. 24-29. The usual formula of the poet is "And Job an- 
 swered and said " ; we should doubtless restore that here. This 
 verse, too, with vs. 2-6 and 12 should come after v. 23, vs. 7- 
 II, 13-23 being Zophar's third speech. In ch. 26 Job replied to 
 Bildad. According to the plan of the poem an address of Zpphar 
 should come next. These verses, 1-6, 12, form the beginning of 
 Job's reply to Zophar's third speech. See Introduction, p. 36 
 and notes on vs. 6 and 7 below. This rearrangement is indicated 
 by the numbering of the section of the text, 
 
 2. As God liveth. Eliphaz had in his last speech directly 
 charged Job with specific sins (22:4 £f.), Bildad in his had im- 
 plied it (see reconstruction in note on 25 : 6, also 24 : 5-8 ; 24 : 
 19-23), while Zophar in his last effort (27: 7-23) had also as- 
 sumed it, as, like Bildad, he expatiated upon the punishment of 
 the wicked. Job accordingly begins this, his last utterance before 
 Jehovah answers him out of the whirlwind, by swearing his in- 
 nocence in the most solemn manner. "As God liveth" is the 
 formula for an oath, see i Sam. i : 26 ; 17 : 55 ; 2 Sam. 14 : 19 ; etc. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the Almighty, who hath ^ vexed my soul ; 
 
 3. 2 (^Yor my Ufe 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. God forbid 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 Hve. 
 
 17. Zo pharos Third Speech, in which the Hopelessness of the 
 Godless is set forth, 27 : 7-1 1, 13-23 
 
 7. Let mine enemy be as the wicked, 
 
 And let him that riseth up against me be as the 
 unrighteous. 
 
 1 m. Heb. made my soul Utter. ^ m. Or, All the while my breath is in me . . . nostrils; 
 surely. « m. Or, do. * m. Or, doth. ° Gr. OLat. Theod. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. 
 omit it. ^ m. Or, doth not reproach me for any of my days. 
 
 3. For my life is yet whole in me. The rendering of the text 
 is to be preferred to that of the margin. The verse is a paren- 
 thesis. The oath-formula stands in v. 2, the contents of the 
 oath in v, 4. This parenthesis states the relevant fact that Job 
 is still sane. His body may be wasted with disease, but his mind 
 is yet clear. This is said to anticipate objections which might be 
 raised, on the ground of his condition, against the assertion of v. 4. 
 
 4. My lips shall not speak unrighteousness. The marginal 
 reading is better. Job does not mean that he never will speak 
 falsely, but that in the present instance he is not doing so. 
 
 5. Should justify you. By an admission of guilt. Such an 
 admission would be putting away mine integrity. 
 
 6. My righteousness I hold fast. Neither Job's sufferings 
 nor the arguments of his friends had shaken him from this. 
 My heart shall not reproach me. The margin, "my heart doth 
 not reproach me," is better. Job is true to conscience. In the 
 face of God and the king of terrors he had seen that only fidelity 
 to truth would stand (see 13 : 16) ; this vision still sustains him. 
 The remainder of this last long speech of Job is found in v. 12 
 and 29:1 ff. See the notes there. 
 
 7. Let mine enemy be as the wicked. As other commenta- 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 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 con- 
 ceal. 
 
 12. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. that he should hope. m. Or, when God culteth him of, when he 
 taketh &°c. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. unto him. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. will be entreated oj him. 
 
 tors have perceived, the last speech of Zophar originally began 
 here. Doubtless it was preceded by the usual phrase, "Then 
 answered Zophar, the Naamathite, and said" (cf. 20:1). An 
 editor remodelled chs. 24-29 so as to make it appear that a part 
 of Bildad's last speech and all of Zophar's were uttered by Job. 
 This made it appear that Job was not so antagonistic to the 
 orthodox doctrines of the time as he otherwise appeared to be 
 (see Introduction, p. 36 ff.). Zophar is so sure of the terrible fate 
 of the wicked man that he can think of no more fitting wish to 
 utter against his worst enemy than that that fate should be his. 
 8. Though he get him gain. We should read with the margin, 
 "when God cutteth him ofi." The reasoning is, that God cuts 
 off the sinful man early, rewarding the righteous with long life. 
 The sinner, when cut off, has no hope. 
 
 10. And call upon God at all times? As this stands it can 
 only mean "will he call upon God throughout his life?" — 
 a question which fits the context badly. We should emend the 
 text with the versions cited above, making the verse read : 
 
 "Will he delight himself in the Almighty? 
 Should he call on him, would he be entreated of him? " 
 
 11. Teach you. Probably originally it read "teach thee." 
 
 12. All ye yourselves have seen it. As some commentators 
 have perceived, this verse is a fragment of Job's address to his 
 friends. It follows v. 6, closing his last reply to them, before 
 he reviews his case and makes his final appeal to God in chs. 
 29-31. 
 
 222 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 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. 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. their. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. gold. 
 
 13. This is the portion of a wicked. This verse connects with 
 the thought of v. 11 and continues Zophar's speech. Having 
 made a general statement about the fate of the wicked, he now 
 proceeds to describe it in detail. Oppressors . . . they. Should 
 probably be "the oppressor ... he receives." 
 
 14. If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword. Zophar 
 now states in a more bald way what Eliphaz had said on this point 
 in 5 : 4 and Bildad in 18 : 19. When it is remembered that Job's 
 children were killed in this way, and that the poet makes him 
 express delight in the frolics of children (21 : 11), and wist- 
 fully long for the days when his children were about him (29 : 5), 
 it is inconceivable in the face of Job's protestations of innocence 
 (27 : 2-6) that the poet should have put this statement in Job's 
 mouth. It clearly belongs to Zophar. 
 
 15. Those that remain of him. His surviving dependents or 
 slaves. Punishment was not to be confined to his children. 
 His widows. We should read with the versions cited, "Their 
 widows," i.e. the widows of the dependents. 
 
 16. Prepare raiment. Costly garments are in the East one of 
 the forms of investment for accumulated wealth (cf. Matt. 6 : 19, 
 20). 
 
 17. The just shall put it on. This is the orthodox doctrine 
 of the time that the just obtained all the good things. Job 
 had vigorously protested against it (see ch. 21). "Put on" 
 shows that the reading of the versions ("gold ") in v. 16 is wrong. 
 
 223 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 i8. He buildeth his house as the ^ moth, 
 
 And as a booth which the keeper maketh. 
 
 19. He Heth down rich, but he ^ shall not be gathered ; 
 He openeth his eyes, and he is not. 
 
 20. Terrors overtake him hke waters ; 
 
 A tempest stealeth him away in the night. 
 
 21. The east wind carrieth him away, and he de- 
 
 parteth ; 
 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 SjT. Ar. spider. Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. moth and spider, m. Some ancient versions 
 have, spider. 2 m. Some ancient versions [Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar.] have, shall 
 do so no more. 
 
 18. As the moth. We should read with the Syriac, etc., 
 "spider." The frailty of the spider's v^eb makes the comparison 
 here very strong. As a booth which the keeper maketh. A 
 booth was a frail structure in a vineyard for the shelter of the 
 night watchman during the grape season ; compare Isa. i : 8. 
 
 19. He shall not be gathered. Read with the versions cited, 
 "shall do so no more." He openeth his eyes, and he is not. 
 Sudden death takes him in sleep. The Hebrews were not averse 
 to such contradictory statements as this line contains. Thus 
 we have in 2 Kgs. 19 : 35 " when they arose in the morning, behold 
 they were all dead corpses." 
 
 20. Terrors. The terrors of death coming in ways described 
 in the following verses. 
 
 21. The east wind. The scorching sirocco, which saps one's 
 very life. Sweepeth him. It is gusty and tempestuous (Ps. 
 48:7). 
 
 23. Clap their hands at him. The idea of the last couplet of 
 the verse is that men shall scorn him and his memory. Some 
 scholars regard it as an anticlimax and hold the verse to be a 
 gloss, but there seems no sufficient reason to doubt that the speech 
 of Zophar may have ended in this way. He may naturally have 
 reasoned that it was an additional punishment to have the scorn 
 of men added to the judgments of God. 
 
 224 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 2S 
 
 An Interpolated Poem on Wisdom, Ch. 28 
 
 1. Precious Metals and Gems are found in Mines, but not 
 
 Wisdom, vs. 1-6, 9-12 
 
 2. No Bird, Beast of Prey, or Man has seen its Path, vs. 
 
 7, 8, 13-19 
 
 3. Wisdom is nowhere in the Universe except with God, 
 
 vs. 20-28 
 
 28. 1 Surely there is a mine for silver, 
 
 And a place for gold which they refine. 
 2. Iron is taken out of the ^ earth, 
 
 And brass is molten out of the stone. 
 
 1 m. Or, For. 2 m. Or, dust. 
 
 1. Surely. As the margin shows, this word may be translated 
 "for." That would seem at first sight to connect it with ch. 27, 
 but logical connection with that chapter has been sought in 
 vain. Duhm has suggested that "Where shall wisdom be 
 found? " runs like a refrain through the chapter, and that the 
 question once stood at the beginning of the poem. This seems 
 probable, and if it were so, the "for " would come in very natu- 
 rally. If the question stood at the beginning, it must have been 
 removed by the editor who made the insertion to make the "for " 
 connect with the previous chapter. Mine. The Hebrew word 
 means "an issue " or "source," but the description which follows 
 shows that a mine is intended here. This is the only extended 
 reference to mining in the Old Testament. Although Deut. 8 : 9 
 described Palestine as "aland whose stones are iron, and out of 
 whose hills thou mayest dig copper," we have no knowledge that 
 mining was practised in Palestine itself. There were, however, 
 mines in Lebanon, Idumaea, the peninsula of Sinai, and in Egypt. 
 If the poet had never visited these, he must have had ample 
 opportunity to hear about them. 
 
 2. Iron. Knowledge of the use of iron appears in history 
 considerably later than the use of copper. The earliest known 
 iron has recently been found in Egypt in remains of about 1800 
 B.C. The use of it was apparently just making its way into Israel 
 from Philistia in the time of Saul (i Sam. 13 : 19). That was, 
 however, several centuries before our poet. Brass. Better, 
 " copper." 
 
 Q 225 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 3. Man setteth an end to darkness, 
 
 And searcheth out to the furthest bound 
 The stones of thick darkness and of the shadow 
 of death. 
 
 4. ^ He breaketh open a shaft ^ away from where 
 
 men sojourn ; 
 They are forgotten of the foot that passeth by; 
 They hang afar from men, they ^ swing to and fro. 
 
 5. As for the earth, out of it cometh bread : 
 
 And underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. 
 
 1 m. Or, The flood breaketh out from where men sojourn; even the weiters forgotten of 
 the foot: they are minished, they are gone away from man. ^ Gr. Aq. Theod. Sym. 
 
 Eth. out of dust. 3 m. Or, flit. 
 
 3. Setteth an end to darkness. By letting in the light when 
 he digs a mine. 
 
 4. He breaketh open a shaft. The word translated "shaft " 
 is in Hebrew the one which is used for a deep valley, dry in sum- 
 mer, but containing a stream in the winter rains. This is a slender 
 basis, however, for the marginal translation "the flood." We 
 should rather render "He breaketh a wady " or "valley," under- 
 standing it to be a figurative description of the shaft of a mine. 
 This is justified by the word "Nile " for "passage " below. See 
 note on v. 10. Away from where men sojourn. We should 
 follow the versions quoted and read : 
 
 "He breaketh a shaft out of the dust " (or "clods "). 
 
 These versions had the poetic word for "earth" used in v. 2, 
 which RV margin renders "dust." That passeth by. The 
 italics show that these words are not in the Hebrew. They seem 
 to spoil the beauty of the description. We should render : 
 
 " Forgotten, without foothold they hang, 
 Afar from men they swing." 
 
 The words describe the descent into a mine. 
 
 5. Out of it cometh bread . . . underneath it is turned up. 
 
 The verse seems to draw a contrast between the peaceful processes 
 of agriculture on the surface, and the fierce mining operations 
 within the earth. Possibly there is a parallel rather than a con- 
 trast suggested. The earth is "turned up " above by the plough 
 to secure bread, underneath as by fire to secure gems. 
 
 226 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. The stones thereof are the place of sapphires, 
 ^ And it hath dust of gold. 
 
 7. That path no bird of prey knoweth, 
 Neither hath the falcon's eye seen it : 
 
 8. The "^ proud beasts have not trodden it, 
 Nor hath the fierce lion passed thereby. 
 
 9. He putteth forth his hand upon the flinty rock; 
 He overturneth the mountains by the roots. 
 
 10. He cutteth out ^ channels among the rocks ; 
 And his eye seeth every precious thing. 
 
 11. He '^ bindeth the streams ^ that they ^ trickle not ; 
 
 ^ m. Or, And he winneth lumps of gold. * m. Heb. sons of pride. ^ m. Or, 
 
 passages. * Gr. Aq. Theod. Vulg. Sah. Eth. uncovereth. * m. Heb. from. 
 
 « Gr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. depths. 
 
 6. And it hath dust of gold. The marginal rendering, "He 
 winneth lumps of gold," is better. The poet begins now to de- 
 scribe what is found in the mine. 
 
 7. That path no bird of prey knoweth. Verses 7, 8 should prob- 
 ably come between vs. 12 and 13. The Greek and Sahidic ver- 
 sions omit vs. 5-9. The omission indicates that some disturbance 
 of the text has taken place here — probably the transposition of 
 vs. 7, 8 from their original position. If we restore the original 
 order, we have after the question in v. 12, "Where shall wisdom 
 be found? " first the statement that no bird of prey knows (v. 7), 
 then that no beast knows (v. 8), then that no man knows (v. 13). 
 
 8. Beasts. See note on v. 7. 
 
 9. He putteth forth his hand. This should follow directly 
 after v. 6. The description of the processes of mining is here 
 continued. 
 
 10. Channels among the rocks. The Hebrew word rendered 
 "channels" (margin, "passages"), is the plural of the word 
 designating the river Nile. It clearly means "passages " here as 
 "valley " meant shaft in v. 4. The description abounds in poetic 
 hyperbole. 
 
 11. He bindeth the streams that they trickle not. In the 
 context the poet is speaking of the way in which the miner 
 uncovers secrets. "Binding streams from trickling down" fits 
 in badly with such a description. We should read the line with 
 the versions cited, "He uncovers the depths of the streams." 
 
 227 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to 
 Hght. 
 
 12. But where shall wisdom be found ? 
 
 And where is the place of understanding ? 
 
 13. Man knoweth not ^ the price thereof ; 
 Neither is it found in the land of the living. 
 
 14. The deep saith, It is not in me : 
 And the sea saith, It is not with me. 
 
 15. It cannot be gotten for ^ gol-d, 
 
 Neither shall silver be weighed for the price 
 thereof. 
 
 16. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, 
 With the precious ^ onyx, or the sapphire. 
 
 17. Gold and glass cannot equal it : 
 
 1 Gr.OLat. Sah. Eth. their power. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. the way. ' Gr. Aq. Theod. 
 that which is guarded, m. Or, treasure. * m. Or, beryl. 
 
 The thing that is hid. This fits the context better than the rival 
 rendering of the versions given above. 
 
 i2,Wisdom. The intellectual concept or the understanding 
 of the idea which lies behind the universe. See note on v. 27. 
 
 13. Man knoweth not. Verses 7, 8 should immediately pre- 
 cede this. "Man" then stands last in a climactic series. See 
 note on v. 7. The price thereof. We should read with the ver- 
 sions cited, "the way thereof." This continues the figure of 
 vs. 7, 8. 
 
 14. The deep. The primeval abyss. See notes on 9 : 13 and 
 26: 12. The sea. The ordinary sea as distinguished from "the 
 deep." Verses 14-19 were not in the text used by the Greek 
 translators and appear to be a later addition to the interpolation. 
 
 15. Cannot be gotten for gold. As the versions and margin 
 show, the word "gold" is not really in the text. The word which 
 does appear, however, is used in i Kgs. 6 : 20 after gold in the 
 sense of "refined." We are therefore justified in translating: 
 
 "It cannot be gotten for refined gold." 
 
 16. Ophir. A region, probably in Arabia, the gold of which 
 is often referred to in the O. T., see i Kgs. 10: 11 ; 22 : 48; etc. 
 
 17. Glass. It seems strange to have "glass " mentioned as a 
 precious thing. While it was known in Babylonia from a Uttle 
 
 228 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 28:24 
 
 Neither shall the exchange thereof be ^ jewels of 
 fine gold. 
 
 18. No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal : 
 Yea, the price of wisdom is above ^ rubies. 
 
 19. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, 
 Neither shall it be valued with pure gold. 
 
 20. Whence then cometh wisdom ? 
 
 And where is the place of understanding? 
 
 21. ^ Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, 
 And kept close from the fowls of the air. 
 
 22. ^ Destruction and Death say, 
 
 We have heard a rumour thereof with our ears. 
 
 23. God ^ understandeth the way thereof, 
 And he knoweth the place thereof. 
 
 24. For he looketh to the ends of the earth. 
 And seeth ^ under the whole heaven ; 
 
 1 m. Or, vessels. 2 m. Or, red coral, or, pearls. ' Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. 
 omit Seems. * m. Heb. Abaddon. » 5 Heb. MSS. Gr. Sah. Eth. established. 
 
 6 Vulg. Ar. all that is under heaven. 
 
 after 3000 B.C., and to the Egyptians at a comparatively early 
 time, it was apparently so rare in Palestine as to be accounted 
 among jewels. Jewels of fine gold. We should read, as in the 
 margin, "vessels." 
 
 18. Rubies. Read with the margin, "pearls." 
 
 19. Ethiopia. Hebrew "Cush," equivalent to modern Nubia. 
 Egyptian kings worked rich mines there. 
 
 21. Seeing should be omitted with the versions. 
 
 22. Destruction, or with the margin, "Abaddon," is in the 
 wisdom books the name of the part of Sheol where the wicked are 
 destroyed; compare Job 26:6; 31:12; Pr. 15:11; 27:20. 
 In Enoch, ch. 22, we have a much more developed Abaddon than 
 here. Death. Here a synonym of Abaddon. 
 
 23. God understandeth. Perhaps we should read with the 
 authorities cited above, "God established," though the present 
 reading suits v. 24 better. 
 
 24. Under the whole heaven. The reading of the versions 
 cited, "all that is under heaven," is better. 
 
 229 
 
28:25 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 25. ^ To make a weight for the wind ; 
 
 Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure. 
 
 26. When he made a decree for the rain, 
 
 And a way for the Hghtning of the thunder : 
 
 27. Then did he see it, and ^ declare it ; 
 
 He estabhshed it, yea, and searched it out. 
 
 28. And unto man he said. 
 
 Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom ; 
 And to depart from evil is understanding. 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Eth. Ar. He who makes, m. Or, When he tnaketh. 2 m. 
 Or, recount. 
 
 25. To make a weight. The reading of the versions, "He 
 who makes a weight," is clearly to be preferred to either reading 
 of the revisers. 
 
 26. A way. This line is borrowed from 38 : 25. 
 
 27. Declare it. Perhaps the meaning is that God expressed 
 the qualities of wisdom by giving her a name. Wisdom in the 
 poem up to this point is the intellectual idea or conception lying 
 behind the universe, as it is in Pr. 8 : 22-31. 
 
 28. The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. Probably this verse 
 is a later gloss, for it is the only religious note in the chapter and 
 seems to contradict all that has gone before. Up to this point 
 wisdom has been an intellectual idea, here it is the fear of the Lord. 
 Wisdom has been declared to be inaccessible to all but God, here 
 it is assumed to be possible for man. The one way in which the 
 verse may be regarded as genuine is to suppose that the poet 
 meant to say that, though real wisdom in this intellectual sense is 
 inaccessible to man, God gives him religion as a substitute for 
 it. That is an intelligible idea, and as we shall see (cf. note on 
 42 : 6) is found in the poem of Job itself. Had it been the inten- 
 tion of this wisdom poet to express that thought here, one cannot 
 help thinking that he would have done it more clearly. It seems 
 more probable, therefore, that some pious soul added this verse 
 as a gloss. 
 
 (2) Job longs for the joys, religious and secular, and for the occupa- 
 tions of his prosperous life, ch. 29 
 I. And Job again took up his parable, and said. These words 
 were undoubtedly inserted by the editor who rearranged chapters 
 24-29. They occur in the body of Job's last speech and cannot 
 be the work of the poet. 
 
 230 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 29 
 
 18. Job^s Third Reply to Zophar {continued from 27 : 
 
 1-6, 12) 
 29. And Job again took up his parable, and said, 
 
 2. Oh that I were as in the months of old. 
 
 As in the days when God watched over me ; 
 
 3. When his lamp shined ^ upon my head. 
 And by his light I walked through darkness ; 
 
 4. As I was in ^ the ripeness of my days. 
 When the ^ secret of God was upon my tent ; 
 
 5. When the Almighty was yet with me, 
 And my children were about me ; 
 
 1 m. Or, above. ^ m. Heb. my days of autumn. ' Sym. Syr. When God 
 
 hedged about my tent. m. Or, counsel, or, Jriendship. 
 
 2. Oh that I were as in the months of old. Here begins the 
 second part of Job's last long speech, of which 27 : 1-6 and 12 
 form the first part. As the debate had proceeded Job's mind had 
 turned somewhat away from his friends and had centred upon 
 the relation of his life to God. He accordingly dismisses Zo- 
 phar's last harangue with a few words, devoting most of his mon- 
 ologue to a final review of his case and his appeal to God. In the 
 present chapter he goes over with wistful thoughts the days of his 
 prosperity. The opening words of this verse express his longing 
 for them. When God watched over me. In contrast with the 
 way in which Job thought, as he had several times said, God was 
 now treating him as an enemy; see, for example, 7: 12 ff. and 
 16: 12 £f. 
 
 3. His lamp. A metaphor for the divine light or favor shining 
 from above; cf. Isa. 42 : 16. 
 
 4. Ripeness of my days. As the margin tells us, the Hebrew 
 really means "autumn of my days." Some scholars, thinking 
 that such an expression could refer only to old age, have suspected 
 a corrupt text. The autumn was, however, the time of the grape 
 harvest and of rejoicing, and it is probably here a figure for 
 "gladness of my days." The secret of God was upon my tent. 
 With the versions cited we should read," When God hedged about 
 my tent " ; compare i : 10. 
 
 5. My children were about me. A pathetic touch. Next 
 to the consciousness of God's favor he prized the companionship 
 of his children. 
 
 231 
 
29:6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. When my steps were washed with butter, 
 And the ^ rock poured ^ me out rivers of oil ! 
 
 7. When I went forth to the gate unto the city, 
 When I prepared my seat in the ^ street, 
 
 8. The young men saw me and hid themselves, 
 And the aged rose up and stood ; 
 
 9. The princes refrained talking, 
 
 And laid their hand on their mouth ; 
 
 10. The voice of ^ the nobles was ^ hushed. 
 
 And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their 
 mouth. 
 
 11. For when the ear heard 7ne, then it blessed me ; 
 And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me : 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. omit rock. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. my hills. ^ m. Or, 
 broad place. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. the listeners. * Gr. Sah. Eth. blessed me. m. Heb. hid. 
 
 6. Butter. Literally "curd"; in the Old Testament a figure 
 of abundance; see Deut. 32: 14; 2 Sam. 17: 29. And the rock 
 poured me out. The Hebrew is peculiar. Perhaps we should 
 read on the authority of the versions cited : 
 
 "And my hills poured out rivers of oil." 
 
 7. When I went forth. Job turns now from the blessings once 
 enjoyed in his home to speak of the honor paid him in the old days 
 when he appeared in public. Gate . . . street. In Oriental 
 cities the city elders congregate in the gate and men sit about the 
 streets for conversation. Such places correspond to the parlia- 
 ment halls and clubs of Western peoples. Cf . Ruth 4 : i and 
 Pr. 31 : 23. 
 
 8. Hid themselves . . . stood. Evidences of the very great 
 honor in which they held Job. 
 
 9. Refrained talking. One of the universal tributes of respect 
 which lesser men pay to the very great. 
 
 10. Was hushed. This certainly gives the meaning. The 
 versions are out of harmony with the context. Verses 21-25, 
 which continue the description of Job's reception in public, should 
 be placed here before v. 11. 
 
 11. The ear heard ... it blessed. The verse begins Job's 
 description of the way common people regarded him on account 
 of his benefactions to them. 
 
 232 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 12. Because I delivered the poor ^ that cried, 
 
 The fatherless also, ^ that had none to help him. 
 
 13. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came 
 
 upon me : 
 And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 
 
 14. I put on righteousness, and it ^ clothed me : 
 ^ My justice was as a robe and a ^ diadem. 
 
 15. I was eyes to the bhnd, 
 And feet was I to the lame. 
 
 16. I was a father to the needy : 
 
 And ^ the cause of him that I knew not I searched 
 out. 
 
 17. And I brake the ^ jaws of the unrighteous, 
 And plucked the prey out of his teeth. 
 
 18. Then I said, I shall ^ die ^ in my nest. 
 
 And I shall multiply my days as ^^ the sand : 
 
 1 Gr. SjT. Sah. Eth. Ax. from the oppressor. 2 m. Or, and him that had 6*c. 
 
 3 m. Or, clothed itself with me. ■* Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. omit My. 5 m. 
 
 Or, turban. ^ m. Or, the cause which I knew not. ^ m. Heb. great teeth. 
 
 8 Gr. Sym. Sah. Eth. grow old. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. my youth. Vulg. in my nest. m. 
 
 Or, beside. Heb. with. i" Gr. OLat. Vulg. Sah. Eth. the palm tree. m. Or, phcenix. 
 
 12. That cried. Read with the versions cited "from the 
 oppressor." That had none to help him. The text, which is 
 supported by the ancient versions, is to be preferred to the margin. 
 
 13. Widow's heart to sing. Incidentally in his review Job 
 answers the charge of Eliphaz in 22:9. 
 
 14. My justice. With the versions cited omit "My." Dia- 
 dem. Read with the margin, "turban." 
 
 16. The cause of him that I knew not. This rendering is to 
 be preferred to that of the margin. 
 
 17. Jaws. The margin, "great teeth," is better. TheHerbrew 
 word probably denoted the incisors or fangs of a carnivorous animal. 
 
 18. I shall die in my nest. It is difficult to decide whether 
 this or the reading of the versions, "My youth shall grow old," 
 is the original text. The present reading gives the more forcible 
 thought. As the sand. Several of the versions read, "as the 
 palm-tree." Since the palm lives to a great age, this may well 
 have been the original reading. The margin of RV, "phoenix," 
 
 233 
 
29 : 19 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 19. My root is ^ spread out ^ to the waters, 
 
 And the dew Heth all night upon my branch: 
 
 20. My glory is fresh in me, 
 
 And my bow is renewed in my hand. 
 
 21. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, 
 And kept silence for my counsel. 
 
 22. After my words they spake not again ; 
 And my speech dropped upon them. 
 
 23. And they waited for me as for the rain ; 
 
 And they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain. 
 
 24. ^ If I laughed on them, they ^ believed it not ; 
 
 1 m. Heb. opened. 2 m. Qr, by. ^ m. Or, / smiled on them when they had no 
 
 confidence. * m. Or, were not confident. 
 
 is based on a Rabbinical explanation of the Hebrew word used, 
 but it is doubtful whether the Hebrew word denoted the phoenix 
 as early as the Biblical period. The phoenix was a fabled bird, 
 which was said to live 500 years, when it burned itself in its nest 
 and rose again from its ashes. The comparison would fit well 
 here, if we were sure that the Hebrew word had this meaning. 
 The comparison with the palm, however, is more suitable to v. 19 
 and is to be preferred. 
 
 19. My root is spread out to the waters. In a dry country like 
 Palestine this was invaluable to the life of a tree, cf. Ps. 1:3 
 and Jer. 17:8. The dew. In the long rainless summer the 
 heavy night dews help to keep vegetation fresh. 
 
 20. Bow. A symbol of strength, cf. Gen. 49 : 24 and 2 Sam. 1:22. 
 
 21. Kept silence for my counsel. As noted above, vs. 21-25 
 belong between vs. 10, 11. This verse continues the description 
 of the deference once paid to Job in public begun in vs. 7-10. 
 
 22. Spake not again. Because Job's evident wisdom had con- 
 vinced them, or because they were unwilling to oppose the opinion 
 of the great man. 
 
 23. As for the rain. A powerful figure in a country where no 
 rain falls from April to November. 
 
 24. If I laughed on them, they believed it not. As this stands 
 it means that they could not beheve that the great man. Job, 
 would smile upon them — a thought not in harmony with Job's 
 claim already expressed, that he was a great benefactor. The 
 marginal reading is no better, for it leaves the thought hanging 
 
 234 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 30:2 
 
 And the light of my countenance they cast not down. 
 25. I chose out their way, and sat as chief, 
 And dwelt as a king in the army, 
 As one that comforteth the mourners. 
 30. But now they that are younger than I have me in 
 derision, 
 Whose fathers I disdained to set with the dogs of my 
 flock. 
 2. Yea, the strength of their hands, ^ whereto should 
 it profit me ? 
 Men in whom ^ ripe age is perished. 
 
 1 OLat. Vulg. At. was as nothing to me. 2 m. Or, vigor. 
 
 in the air. As several commentators have noted, we should omit 
 "not." This gives the excellent meaning: 
 
 "I laughed upon them and they were confident." 
 The light of my countenance they cast not down. This is a most 
 improbable statement and forms a decided anticlimax. The ver- 
 sions afford no help. Several scholars agree that, if we substitute for 
 "cast not down" the words from v. 25, "comforted mourners," — 
 words which seem to be out of place where they now stand, — 
 both verses would be much improved. The line would then read : 
 "The light of my countenance comforted mourners." 
 25. As one that comforteth the mourners. As already remarked 
 (on V. 24), the idea of "comforting mourners" probably belongs 
 to V. 24. It spoils here the strong ending of Job's description of the 
 position he once held among his fellow-men. That conclusion was : 
 "I chose out their way and sat as chief, 
 I dwelt as king in the army." 
 
 (3) Job contrasts with this his present afflictions, ch. 30 
 
 1. But now introduces the contrast of Job's present position 
 with the happy and honored past described in ch. 29. 
 
 2. Whereto should it profit me ? This begins a series of verses 
 which scholars have found difficult to reconcile with their con- 
 text ; see note on v. 3. This verse fits well, however, if with the 
 versions cited above we read : 
 
 "Yea, the strength of their hands was as nothing to me." 
 Is perished. We should render "has perished." 
 
 235 
 
30:3 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 3. They are gaunt with want and famine ; 
 
 ^ They gnaw the dry ground, ^ in the gloom of 
 wasteness and desolation. 
 
 4. They pluck salt- wort by the bushes ; 
 
 And the roots of the broom are ^ their meat. 
 
 5. They are driven forth from the midst of men; 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. they flee. m. Or, They flee into the wilderness, into 6*c. 2 m. Qr, 
 
 which yesternight was, or, on the eve of. ^ Or, to warm them. 
 
 3. They are gaunt. Translate rather "They are stiff" or 
 "lifeless." They gnaw the dry ground. Read rather with the 
 versions and the margin, "They flee into the wilderness." The 
 gloom of wasteness and desolation. The word rendered "gloom," 
 as the margin recognizes, does not have that meaning. Neither 
 of the marginal readings gives a clear sense. It is better to accept 
 a slight change of the Hebrew text suggested by several scholars 
 and read "mother of waste and desolation." The whole verse 
 would then read : 
 
 "They are lifeless from want and famine, 
 They flee to the wilderness. 
 The mother of waste and desolation." 
 
 Several scholars have noticed that this verse together with 
 vs. 4-8 are unsuited to their context, as they also think v. 2 is. 
 Men who had been so driven to the wilderness and had become 
 outcasts could not thus laugh at Job, or if they did their laughter 
 could do him no harm. Moreover, the tone of contempt running 
 through the verses seems out of place in his present speech. 
 If V. 9 is joined to v. 2 as v. 2 has been interpreted above, it gives 
 a much simpler and stronger meaning. Some scholars have noted 
 how well these verses continue the thought of 24 : 5-8 and 
 have accordingly placed them in ch. 24. As we have seen reason 
 to believe that those verses belong in the speech of Bildad in ch. 
 25, we should place these verses there also. See note on 25 : 6. 
 
 4. Salt-wort. A plant which grows in several varieties in 
 salt marshes. The roots of broom are their meat. Broom is a 
 desert shrub which makes hot coals; see Ps. 120:4, where it is 
 rendered "juniper." As its roots are bitter, many scholars prefer 
 the reading of the margin, but the translation of the text is more 
 appropriate here. 
 
 5. They are driven forth . . . thief. If we place this in con- 
 nection with 24 : 6, we see that they really were thieves and 
 would naturally be driven forth. 
 
 236 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 30 
 
 They cry after them as after a thief. 
 
 6. 1 In the clefts of the valleys must they dwell, 
 In holes of the earth and of the rocks. 
 
 7. Among the bushes they bray ; 
 
 Under the ^ nettles they ^ are gathered together. 
 
 8. They are children of fools, yea, children of ^ base men ; 
 They ^ were scourged out of the land. 
 
 9. And now I am become their song, 
 Yea, I am a byword unto them. 
 
 10. They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, 
 And spare not to spit ^ in my face. 
 
 11. For he hath loosed '^ his cord, and afflicted me, 
 And ^ they have cast off the bridle before me. 
 
 1 m. Or, In the most gloomy valleys. 2 m. Or, wild vetches. 3 Gr. live. Vulg. 
 
 Targ. are numbered. Eth. hide themselves, m. Or, stretch themselves. * m. Heb. 
 
 men of no name. b m. Or, are outcasts from the land. e m. Or, at the sight of me. 
 
 "> m. According to another ancient reading [Syr. Targ. Ar. and Heb. tradition] my cord 
 (or my bowstring). « Theod. Vulg. Eth. he. 
 
 6. In the clefts of the valleys. For "clefts" read "most 
 dreadful,'' ov as in the margin, "most gloomy." Such valleys 
 are the hiding-places of outcasts. 
 
 7. They are gathered together. The versions and the margin 
 afford a variety of renderings. Perhaps we should read "are 
 joined" or "they couple." Possibly the meaning is that they 
 misbeget as they were misbegotten. Verse 8 suggests this. 
 "Bray " would then be used as in Jer. 5 : 8. 
 
 8. Base men. With the margin we should read "nameless 
 men." They are a horde of base-born or illegally born fellows. 
 
 9. And now I am become their song. This connects with v. 2 
 and continues Job's description of how these who once honored 
 him now scorn him. We should, however, read, "But now." 
 
 10. In my face. Read with the margin, "at the sight of me." 
 
 11. He hath loosed. The reference is to God. Job attrib- 
 utes the great change in his circumstances to God's treatment 
 of him. His cord. Read with the margin "my cord." The 
 loosening of a tent cord made the tent collapse; the loosening 
 of a bowstring rendered its possessor defenceless. To which 
 figure Job refers is not clear. Either would be effective in the 
 context. They have cast off. Read with the versions "he 
 hath," etc. Without a bridle the steed is ungovernable. 
 
 237 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 12. Upon my right hand rise the ^ rabble ; 
 They thrust aside my feet, 
 
 And they cast up against me their ways of de- 
 struction. 
 
 13. They ^ mar my path, 
 
 They set forward my calamity, 
 ^ Even men that have no helper. 
 
 14. ^ As through a wide breach they come : 
 
 In the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me. 
 
 15. Terrors are turned upon me, 
 
 ^ They chase ^ mine honour as the wind ; 
 And my welfare is passed away as a cloud. 
 
 16. And now my soul is poured out ^within me; 
 Days of affliction have taken hold upon me. 
 
 17. In the night season my bones are ^ pierced ^ in me, 
 
 1 m. Or, brood. 2 m. Or, break up. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. At me they hurl 
 
 their darts. ^m.. As a wide breaking-in of waters. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. My hope 
 
 is pursued. Syr. Ar. They pursue my paths, m. Or, Thou chasest. ^ m. Or, my 
 
 nobility. "> m. Heb. upon. » m. Or, corroded and drop away from me. 
 
 9 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. omit in me. m. Heb./ro/?i of. 
 
 12. Upon my right hand. The right hand was usually the lucky 
 side. It is a measure of Job's misfortune that it is now just here 
 that the rabble rise against him. Thrust aside my feet. The 
 words afford no good meaning in the context, and as several 
 commentators have noted, probably arose from an accidental 
 insertion here of a part of v. 11. We should omit them. Cast 
 up against me their ways of destruction. As men do in a siege. 
 It is a military figure. 
 
 13. Even men that have no helper. It is much better to read 
 with the versions cited, "At me they hurl their darts." Such 
 a sentence continues the figure of the siege. 
 
 14. As through a . . . breach they come. This is far prefer- 
 able to the suggestion of the margin. It still continues the figure 
 of a siege. 
 
 15. They chase mine honour. Probably with the Greek and 
 kindred versions we should read, " My hope is chased away like 
 the wind." This gives an excellent parallelism with the next line. 
 
 17. Pierced. This rendering is better than the one in the 
 margin. It graphically describes the pain from which Job 
 
 238 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ the pains that gnaw me take no rest. 
 
 1 8. 2 gy the great force of my disease is my garment 
 
 disfigured : 
 It bindeth me about as the collar of my coat. 
 
 19. He hath cast me into the mire, 
 
 And I am become like dust and ashes. 
 
 20. I cry unto thee, and thou dost not answer me : 
 2 1 stand up, and thou ^ lookest at me. 
 
 2 1 . Thou art turned to be cruel to me : 
 
 With the might of thy hand ^ thou persecutest me. 
 
 22. Thou Hftest me up to the wind, thou causest me 
 
 to ride upon it; 
 And thou dissolvest me in the storm. 
 
 * m. Or, my sinews take b'c. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. With great strength my garment 
 
 clings, m. Or, By his great force is 6*c. 3 Syr. Ar. Thou standest. * Vulg. dost 
 
 not look at me. * Gr. Sah. Eth. thou scourgest me. 
 
 suffered. In me. The Hebrew is literally "from upon me" 
 — a very difficult phrase. It should be omitted with the versions 
 cited. The pains that gnaw me. Literally " the gnawers of me." 
 18. By the great force of my disease is my garment disfigured. 
 The Hebrew contains no word for ''disease." We should read 
 with the versions cited "With great force my garment clings." 
 The pus from his sores was the cause of the clinging, which would 
 itself be torture. As the collar. The long flowing Oriental robe 
 clung to the sores as closely as the collar to the neck. 
 
 20. I stand up. Read with the versions cited, "Thou stand- 
 est." And thou lookest at me. Read with the Vulgate, "dost 
 not look at me." Job complains that God takes notice neither 
 of his agony nor his supplication. 
 
 21. Thou persecutest me. The Hebrew word does not mean 
 "persecute," but "bear a grudge against " — a sense not appro- 
 priate. We should read with the versions cited by making a 
 slight change, "thou scourgest me." 
 
 22. Thou liftest me up to the wind. Under a different figure 
 the poet in this verse beautifully carries on the thought. 
 
 23. Thou wilt bring me to death. Job has before asserted 
 that it was God's purpose to slay him (see note on 13 : 15) and 
 that thought still persists in his mind. 
 
 239 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 23. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, 
 And to ^ the house appointed for all living. 
 
 24. 2 Surely against a ruinous heap he will not put 
 
 forth his hand ; 
 Though ii be in his destruction, one may utter a 
 cry because of these things. 
 
 25. Did not I weep for him that was in trouble ? 
 Was not my soul grieved for the needy ? 
 
 26. When I looked for good, then evil came ; 
 
 And when I waited for light, there came darkness. 
 
 27. My bowels boil, and rest not ; 
 Days of afSiction are come upon me. 
 
 28. I go ^ mourning without the sun : 
 
 I stand up in the assembly, and cry for help. 
 
 1 m. Or, the house of meeting for 6*c. 2 m. Or, Howbeit doth not one stretch 
 
 out the hand in his fall? or in his calamity therefore cry for help? 3 m. Qr, 
 
 blackened, but not by the sun. 
 
 24. Surely against a ruinous heap. The marginal rendering 
 of the whole verse is much preferable to the text. If we read : 
 
 "Howbeit doth not one stretch out his hand in his fall? 
 Or in his calamity therefore cry for help? " 
 
 we obtain this intelligible thought : Job knows that his ruin is 
 certain, but it is natural nevertheless to put out his hand to break 
 his fall and to cry for aid. 
 
 25. Did not I weep ? Job had sympathized with others' sorrows. 
 
 26. When I looked for good, then evil came. He marvels that 
 there is no corresponding pity for him. 
 
 27. My bowels boil. "Bowels" in Biblical phrase is equal 
 to "feelings." Job was a tumult of conflicting emotions. 
 
 28. Mourning without the sun. This phrase is improbable, 
 as Job was not deprived of the sun. The margin, "blackened 
 but not by the sun," fits well Job's physical condition, made 
 black as he was by the scabs of the disease (see v. 30), but unfor- 
 tunately the Hebrew word means "mourning." Probably with 
 some recent commentators we should add one letter to the Hebrew 
 and read, "I go mourning without comfort." In the assembly, 
 and cry for help. This is strange. In what assembly could Job 
 stand? Again following the same commentators, by the change 
 
 240 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 31 
 
 29. I am a brother to jackals, 
 And a companion to ostriches. 
 
 30. My skin ^ is black, and falleth from me, 
 And my bones are burned with heat. 
 
 31. Therefore is my harp turned to mourning. 
 And my pipe into the voice of them that weep. 
 
 31. I made a covenant mth mine eyes ; 
 
 - How then should I look upon a maid ? 
 2. ^ For what is the portion of God from above. 
 
 And the heritage of the Almighty from on high ? 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. is black exceedingly. * Syr. Vulg. Ar. not to look. ^m. Or, 
 
 For what portion should I have of God . . . and what heritage 6*c.? Is there not 
 calamity b'c? 
 
 of a single letter we obtain, "I stand up in the assembly of 
 jackals." This is in accord with the following verse. 
 
 29. Jackals. Better, "wolves." Ostriches. Jackals, wolves, and 
 ostriches all are noted for their distressing cries ; see Micah i : 8. 
 
 30. Falleth from me. "Falleth from" is not in the Hebrew. 
 It is better with the versions cited to read, "is black exceedingly." 
 The verse depicts the effects of Job's disease. 
 
 31. My harp turned to mourning. The force of the verse is 
 greater, if we take it as a reiteration of v. 24. See note on that 
 verse. 
 
 (4) Job protests his innocence and appeals to the Ahnighty, ch. 31 
 
 1. How then should I look upon a maid? Read with the ver- 
 sions cited, "Not to look." As the words stand the chapter 
 begins most abruptly with a resolve not to commit a very preva- 
 lent sin — especially prevalent with the owner of large numbers 
 of slaves. The reason assigned is a general statement of God's 
 moral government of the world (v. 3). We should expect at the 
 beginning an equally general statement of the sin from which 
 Job resolved to keep himself free, especially as in the enumera- 
 tion of particular sins of which he is innocent, which follows, Job 
 has included sins with women (v. 9). We should adopt a slight 
 change of the Hebrew suggested by Peake and read : 
 
 "I made a covenant with mine eyes, 
 Not to look upon folly." 
 
 2. For what . . . portion. Job as a young man asked himself 
 these questions before calamity came. 
 
 R 241 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 3. Is it not calamity to the unrighteous, 
 And disaster to the workers of iniquity ? 
 
 4. Doth not he see my ways, 
 And number all my steps ? 
 
 5. If I have walked with vanity, 
 And my foot hath hasted to deceit ; 
 
 6. (Let me be weighed in an even balance, 
 That God may know mine integrity ;) 
 
 7. If my step hath turned out of the way. 
 And mine heart walked after mine eyes, 
 And if any spot hath cleaved to mine hands : 
 
 8. Then let me sow, and let another eat ; 
 
 Yea, let ^ the produce of my field be rooted out. 
 
 1 m. Or, my of spring. Heb. my produce. 
 
 3. Calamity to the unrighteous. As a young man he recognized 
 this general principle on which the friends have all along insisted. 
 
 4. Doth not he see my ways? Job recognized that the gen- 
 eral principle applied, through the omniscience of God, to his 
 particular case. This was in his youth the ground of his resolve 
 expressed in v. i ; it is now the ground of his protestation of inno- 
 cence, and his appeal to God (vs. 6 and 35). 
 
 5. With vanity. Rather "falsehood" — a general term like 
 "folly " in V. i. 
 
 6. Weighed in an even balance. An even balance is a just one. 
 Job would not be found wanting, cf. Dan. 5 : 27. That Godmay 
 know mine integrity. The poet portrays in this poem how a larger 
 conception of God wavers and flickers in the mind as it is being 
 born. Job started out as a young man with a belief in God's good- 
 ness and omniscience (vs. 2, 3). His calamities and pain had made 
 him doubt God's goodness at times (13: 14, 15; 16: 9), but in the 
 midst of these doubts moments of faith in the real permanence of 
 God's moral character emerged (13:16 ; 16 : 19). That faith emerges 
 again here at the expense of God's omniscience. Job speaks 
 as though God were ignorant of his real character and as though 
 God would be just, could Job only prove his innocence to him. 
 
 7. Mine heart . . . mine hands represent respectively inner 
 and outward sins. 
 
 8. Produce. This is the meaning of the Hebrew and is de- 
 manded by the context. The margin may be disregarded. 
 
 242 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 31 
 
 9. If mine heart have been enticed unto a woman, 
 
 And I have laid wait at my neighbour's door ; 
 
 10. Then let my wife grind unto another, 
 And let others bow down upon her. 
 
 11. For that were an heinous crime ; 
 
 Yea, it were an iniquity to be punished by the 
 judges : 
 
 12. For it is a fire that consumeth unto ^ Destruction, 
 And would root out all mine increase. 
 
 13. If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of 
 
 my maidservant, 
 When they contended mth me : 
 
 14. What then shall I do w^hen God ^ riseth up ? 
 And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him ? 
 
 15. Did not he that made me in the womb make 
 
 him? 
 And ^ did not one fashion us in the womb ? 
 
 1 m. Heb. Abaddon. See 26: 6. 2 Gr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. taketh vengeance. ^ Gr- 
 OLat. Syr. Sah. Targ. Eth. Ar. were we not fashioned in one womb? 
 
 10. Grind unto another. Hebrew, "grind for another." 
 The slave-girls who did the grinding were regarded as the most 
 menial, see Ex. 11:5. Foreigners when captured were often 
 put to this work, see Jud. 16 : 21 ; Isa. 47 : 2. 
 
 11. An heinous crime. Adultery was in Israel a capital 
 offence, see Lev. 20 : 10 ; Deut. 22 : 22 ; John 8 : 5. 
 
 12. Unto destruction. Read with the margin, "Abaddon." 
 It was the part of Sheol where the wicked were confined ; see 
 note on 28: 22. For the r in entailed by adultery, see Pr. 
 5: 8-14; 6: 24-35; 7: 26, 27. 
 
 13. Despise the cause of my manservant. A common fault 
 with masters, whether owners or employers. Job had treated his 
 slaves, not as possessions, but as men. 
 
 14. Riseth up. Read with the versions cited, "taketh ven- 
 geance." Job believed with the great prophets that God cared 
 for the poor and oppressed. 
 
 15. One fashion us in the womb. The Hebrew is peculiar in 
 that it designates God by the numeral "one." We should read 
 
 243 
 
1 6 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. If I have withheld ^ the poor from their desire, 
 Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail ; 
 
 17. Or have eaten my morsel alone, 
 
 And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof ; 
 
 18. (Nay, from my youth ^ he grew up with me as 
 
 with a father, 
 And I have been her guide from my mother's womb ;) 
 
 19. If I have seen any perish for want of clothing. 
 Or that the needy had no covering ; 
 
 20. If his loins have not blessed me, 
 
 And if he^ were not warmed with the fleece of my 
 sheep ; 
 
 21. If I have Kfted up my hand against the fatherless, 
 
 1 m. Or, aught that the poor desired. 2 Vulg. Targ. Ar. caused me to grow up. 
 
 probably with the versions, " were we not fashioned in one womb ?" 
 Perhaps Job did not mean to say that the slaves were sons of the 
 same mother, but only to assert by strong hyperbole that he shared 
 their human brotherhood. 
 
 16. The poor . . . the widow. Eliphaz, 22 : 6, 9, had charged 
 Job with these especial acts of cruelty. 
 
 17. Eaten my morsel alone. To share one's bread with the 
 hungry was a part of the prophetic ideal of a good man, see 
 Isa. 58 : 7 ; Eze. 18 : 7, 16. 
 
 18. Grew up with me as with a father. If Job's charity was 
 limited to those who grew up with him, it was not very merito- 
 rious. We should read with the versions cited, "He {i.e. God) 
 like a father caused me to grow up." The thought then is that 
 as Job had been cared for by God, so he felt the obligation to care 
 for others. Have been her guide from my mother's womb. An 
 impossible assertion. Think of an infant as the guide of a widow ! 
 We should, with several scholars, make a slight change in the He- 
 brew, and read, " And he (God) was my guide from my mother's 
 womb," The thought of the previous line is then well continued. 
 
 19. Needy had no covering. Again he reverts to the stinging 
 charge of Eliphaz (22:6) — all the more stinging because so 
 untrue. 
 
 21. Against the fatherless. As it seems strange to have an- 
 other mention of the orphan, some scholars by a slightly different 
 grouping of the Hebrew letters read, "against the blameless." 
 
 244 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Because I saw my help in the gate : 
 
 22. Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, 
 And mine arm be broken from the bone. 
 
 23. For ^ calamity from God was a terror to me, 
 And by reason of his excellency I could do nothing. 
 
 24. If I have made gold my hope, 
 
 And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my con- 
 fidence ; 
 
 25. If I rejoiced because my wealth was great. 
 And because mine hand had gotten much ; 
 
 26. If I beheld - the sun when it shined, 
 Or the moon walking in brightness ; 
 
 27. And my heart hath been secretly enticed, 
 And ^ my mouth hath kissed my hand : 
 
 28. This also were an iniquity to be punished by the 
 
 judges : 
 For I should have ^ lied to God that is above. 
 
 29. If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. the fear of God seized me. 2 m. Heb. the light. » m. Heb. 
 
 my hand kissed my mouth. * m. Or, denied God. 
 
 23. Calamity from God was a terror to me. Read with the 
 versions cited, "the fear of God seized (or restrained) me." 
 
 24. Gold my hope. Job now begins to deny the sins of the 
 miser or money worshipper. 
 
 26. The sun. While the Hebrew has "light," it probably 
 means the light of the rising sun. All over the Orient, in the 
 poet's time, the sun was a common object of worship and the 
 splendid light of the rising sun fascinated the imagination. Job 
 here begins a repudiation of idolatry. 
 
 27. Kissed my hand. Kissing the images of Baal was a part 
 of his worship (i Kgs. 19:18; Hos. 13:2). In sun-worship, 
 according to Pliny, the hand was, according to the custom men- 
 tioned here, kissed to the sun. 
 
 28. Iniquity to be pimished by the judges. Deut. 17: 2-7 
 makes idolatry, including worship of the sun and moon, punish- 
 able by death. Lied to God. Read with the margin, "denied 
 God." 
 
 24s 
 
30 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or lifted up myself when evil found him ; 
 
 30. (Yea, I suffered not my ^ mouth to sin 
 By asking his life with a curse ;) 
 
 31. If the men of my tent said not, 
 
 2 Who can find one that hath not been satisfied 
 with his flesh ? 
 
 32. The stranger did not lodge in the street ; 
 But I opened my doors to ^ the traveller ; 
 
 33. If * like Adam I covered my transgressions, 
 By hiding mine iniquity in my bosom ; 
 
 » m. Heb. palate. 2 m. Or, Oh that we had of his flesh I We cannot be satisfied. 
 
 • m. Heb. the way. * m. Or, a.fter the manner of men. 
 
 29. Lifted Up myself . Better, "was triumphant." The poet 
 here touches a very lofty note — one that is decidedly superior 
 to the sentiment of most of the Old Testament including many 
 Psalms ; see, for example, the imprecations of Ps. 109 : 
 6-15. 
 
 30. With a curse. A very unusual degree of self-restraint. 
 Nothing is easier than for an Oriental to curse. 
 
 31. The men of my tent. Job not only maintained a lofty 
 conception as to his own inward attitude, but inspired this spirit 
 in those about him. Who can find. We should translate the 
 whole line as in the margin. It begins with a peculiar Hebrew 
 idiom, and the margin correctly renders it. 
 
 32. The traveller. This is correct. While the present He- 
 brew text, as the margin tells us, reads "way," all the more im- 
 portant ancient versions by a slightly different pointing _ read 
 "traveller." Hospitality was one of the most sacred duties in 
 the Semitic world ; the lack of it, one of the greatest sins._ 
 
 33. Like Adam. Most recent commentators read with the 
 margin, "after the manner of men," but "Hke Adam " is better. 
 Verses 38-40 are clearly a reminiscence of the story of Cain and 
 Abel. These verses probably originally followed v. 34 (see 
 notes on them). It is most natural, therefore, that this verse 
 should refer to Adam's attempt to hide his sin. Gen. 3. It is 
 no sufficient proof of the contrary that Job urges in the next 
 verse the fear of men as a motive for himself, while Adam's 
 motive was the fear of Jehovah. The comparison need not 
 cover more than the one point of concealment from fear. 
 
 246 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 34. Because I feared the great multitude, 
 And the contempt of famiUes terrified me, 
 
 So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door — 
 
 35. Oh that I had one to hear me ! 
 
 (Lo, here is my ^ signature, let the Almighty answer 
 me;) 
 
 And that I had the ^ indictment which mine adver- 
 sary hath written ! 
 
 36. Surely I would carry it upon my shoulder ; 
 I would bind it unto me as a crown. 
 
 37. I would declare unto him the number of my steps ; 
 As a prince would I ^ go near unto him. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. hand. m. Heb. mark. ^ m. Heb. book. ^ m. Or, present it to him. 
 
 34. Because I feared. Hidden sin makes one fearful. "Con- 
 science doth make cowards of us all." 
 
 35. Oh that I had one to hear me ! This begins Job's final 
 appeal. Signature. Whether we read with the text, "signature," 
 with the versions, "hand," or with the margin, "mark," Job 
 means that he sets his hand to the foregoing statement and 
 solemnly vouches for its truth. Let the Almighty answer me. 
 He has silenced his friends ; he now challenges God. Indict- 
 ment. This is the correct rendering here. The Hebrew word 
 has a much wider signification than the English "book." Ad- 
 versary. A reference to God. Several commentators hesitate 
 to believe this and look for a human adversary, but there can be 
 no doubt that God is intended. Job's consciousness of innocence 
 has made him defiant all along and he is defiant to the end. 
 
 36. As a crown. Not, as some suppose, because such an accusa- 
 tion would contain nothing against him, but because, although 
 its hideous charges should be commensurate with his sufferings, 
 his conscious innocence would enable him to turn the shame into 
 glory. The approval of his own conscience had made Job in- 
 dependent of the opinions which men held of him; he believed 
 it had made him also independent even of the opinion of God. 
 
 37. As a prince. Such would be the power of a clean conscience. 
 It is a sublime conception of the independence and noble dignity 
 of the pure in heart. When Job had seen the vision of God, 
 however, he thought differently, cf. 42 : 6. Go near unto him. 
 This is preferable to the marginal rendering. 
 
 247 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 38. If my land cry out against me, 
 
 And the furrows thereof weep together ; 
 
 39. If I have eaten the ^ fruits thereof without money, 
 Or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life : 
 
 40. Let 2 thistles grow instead of wheat, 
 And 2 cockle instead of barley. 
 
 The words of Job are ended. 
 
 IV. The Elihu Interpolations, Chs. 32-37 
 
 I . The Prose Introduction to the Elihu Interpolations, 32:1-6 
 
 32. So ^ these three men ceased to answer Job, because 
 2. he was righteous in ^ his own eyes. Then was kindled 
 
 1 m. Heb. strength. 2 m. Or, thorns. ^ m. Or, noisome weeds. * Gr. Sah. 
 
 Eth. his three friends. » i Heb. MS. Gr. Sym. Syr. Eth. Ar. in their eyes. 
 
 38. If my land cry out against me. Verses 38-40 are cer- 
 tainly out of place. Such a skilful poet as the author of this book 
 has shown himself certainly did not spoil the splendid climax 
 reached in v. 37 by the addition of these lines. Scholars are 
 agreed that they belong earlier in the chapter, and that an early 
 copyist, having omitted them by accident, appended them here. 
 Opinions differ, however, as to the part of the chapter in which 
 we should place them. The present writer would place them 
 after v. 34. The "crying out " of the "land " strikingly recalls 
 the cry of Abel's blood from the ground. Gen. 4 : 10. Probably, 
 as in V. 34, the poet made Job refer to Adam, so here he drew 
 a parallel with the story of Cain. The two should follow one 
 another here as they do in Genesis. 
 
 39. Caused the owners thereof to lose their life. Again the 
 phrase is determined by the recollection of the murder of Abel 
 by Cain, Gen. 4 : 8. 
 
 40. Let thistles grow instead of wheat. This impresses one 
 as a punishment quite inadequate to the crime until the reference 
 to Gen. 3, 4 is recognized. It then appears that this is a quota- 
 tion from Gen. 3:18, and by the suggestions afforded by that 
 ancient passage, a real climax is produced. The words of Job are 
 ended is a late editorial gloss. 
 
 I. These three men. Read with the versions cited, "his three 
 friends " ; cf. 2 : 11. In his own eyes. This is right ; the author- 
 ities which read "their eyes" are clearly mistaken. 
 
 248 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, 
 of the family of Ram ^ : against Job was his wrath 
 kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. 
 
 3. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, 
 because they had found no answer, and yet had ^ con- 
 
 4. demned ^ Job. Now Elihu had ^ waited to speak unto 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. add of the land of Uz. 2 Some Gr. MSS. Syr. Hex. justified. 
 
 8 Jewish tradition, God. * m. Heb. waited for Job with words. 
 
 2. Elihu. A new character. The name means *'He is my 
 God." The name was borne by four other characters in the 
 Old Testament : Samuel's great-grandfather, i Sam. 1:1; a 
 chieftain of Manasseh, i Chr. 12: 20; a Korahite, i Chr. 26 : 7 ; 
 and according to i Chr. 27:18 (where it is a mistake for Eliab, 
 I Sam. 16: 6), one of the brethren of David. Elihu may have 
 been the name of the real author of one or both of the additions to 
 the poem which stand under this name, but this genealogy is sus- 
 picious, and the name may be an ideal creation. The son of Ba- 
 rachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. It seems strange that 
 while the genealogy of Job is unknown, that of Elihu should be so 
 fully given. "Barachel" is a name which occurs nowhere else, 
 though names similarly formed occur in Phoenician and Pal- 
 myrene inscriptions. It means "God blesses," and may be an 
 ideal name. The name "Buz" means "despise," though it 
 occurs in Gen. 22 : 21 as a brother of Uz. It is significant, how- 
 ever, that "Buzite of the family " is in Hebrew almost identical 
 with "contempt of families " in 31 :34. "Ram" means "exalted." 
 It occurs elsewhere as a name only in Ruth 4 : 19 ; i Chr. 2: g Q.., 
 25 ff. 
 
 Probably the words, "Then was the wrath of Elihu of the 
 family of Ram kindled," belonged to the introduction of docu- 
 ment B (see Introduction, pp. 27 ff.). The rest of the verse is a late 
 editorial expansion of v. 6a. While the genealogy is ideal, 
 making Elihu a Buzite, he is made to belong to a village near to 
 Uz (Gen. 22 : 21) and so a man who might naturally be present. 
 The Greek and kindred versions say that he was of "the land of 
 Uz." 
 
 His three friends. These words belong to the introduction 
 to the B interpolation. They followed the word "kindled" 
 of V. 2. 
 
 3. Found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. As the 
 text stands it seems to mean that they had condemned Job with- 
 
 249 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 5. Job, because they were elder than he. And when 
 EHhu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of 
 these three men, his wrath was kindled. 
 
 6. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered 
 and said, 
 
 2. Elihu explains why he had hitherto kept silence, and 
 why he now speaks, 32 : 6b-22 
 
 I am young, and ye are very old ; 
 Wherefore I held back, and durst not shew you 
 mine opinion. 
 
 7. I said. Days should speak. 
 
 And multitude of years should teach wisdom. 
 
 8. But ^ there is a spirit in man, 
 
 1 Sym. the. spirit of God is in man. 
 
 out convincing him that they were right. If we read with the 
 versions cited, the meaning is that they "justified " Job by per- 
 mitting him to talk them down and come off triumphant. If we 
 interpret with the Jewish tradition, the meaning is that they had 
 condemned God by their failure to reply effectively to Job's 
 charges. It is difficult to choose between these alternatives, 
 though the first is based on the best attested reading. 
 
 5. His wrath was kindled. A statement apparently in antici- 
 pation of V. 18 flf. 
 
 6. And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered. As 
 the text stands this is a needless repetition. The original in- 
 troduction to interpolation A read : 
 
 "So his three friends ceased to answer Job, because he was 
 righteous in his own eyes. And Elihu the son of Barachel, the 
 Buzite, answered and said." 
 
 6. Wherefore I held back. In the Biblical period great def- 
 erence was paid to the wisdom of age. "Elders" were the 
 rulers of the different cities. Elihu on this account makes a great 
 show of modesty to explain his previous silence, but in the sequel 
 his bashfulness appears to have been lip-modesty. 
 
 8. There is a spirit in man. Perhaps we should read with 
 Symmachus, "the spirit of God is in man." While Elihu makes 
 the statement general, he claims that God's spirit can give divine 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the breath of the Almighty giveth them 
 understanding. 
 9. It is not the ^ great that are wise, 
 
 Nor the aged that understand judgement. 
 
 10. Therefore I ^ said, Hearken to me ; 
 I also will shew mine opinion. 
 
 11. Behold, I waited for your words, 
 I listened for your reasons. 
 Whilst ye searched out what to say. 
 
 12. Yea, I attended unto you, 
 
 And, behold, there was none that convinced Job, 
 Or that answered his words, among you. 
 
 13. ^ Beware lest ye say, We have found wisdom ; 
 God may vanquish him, not man : 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. elders. ^ m. Or, say. ' m. Or, Lest ye should 
 
 say, We have found out wisdom; God thrusteth him down, not man : now he 6*c. 
 
 inspiration to the young (v. 9) and that it has given such in- 
 spiration to himself (v. 10). This justifies him in speaking in 
 the presence of elders. 
 
 9. The great. Read with the versions, "the elders." 
 
 ID. Therefore. This word makes vs. 8 and 9 Elihu's reason 
 for speaking, i.e. he is qualified by inspiration, therefore, though 
 young, he speaks. 
 
 II. I waited for your words. These words repeat in different 
 form the idea of v. 6. The words that follow up to v. 17 really 
 treat of a different theme — the unconvincing character of the 
 friends' arguments — leading up in 17b to the same words that 
 we have had in lob. In v. 18 the thought of v. 10 is resumed 
 and personal reasons are given why Elihu should speak. Prob- 
 ably Dr. Nichols is right, therefore, in regarding these verses 
 as really the introduction to ch. 34. When they are omitted 
 from ch. 32, the argument of Elihu becomes much more consistent. 
 
 13. Lest ye say. The reading of the text for the whole verse 
 is to be preferred to that of the margin. We have found wisdom. 
 That is, in Job. The friends might excuse themselves that they 
 had discovered a wisdom to which their arguments were not 
 equal. God may vanquish him, not man. These words are a 
 direct polemic against the poet for bringing God into the dialogue. 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 14. For he hath not directed his words against me ; 
 Neither will I answer him with your speeches. 
 
 15. They are amazed, they answer no more : 
 They have not a word to say. 
 
 16. And shall I wait, because they speak not, 
 Because they stand still, and answer no more ? 
 
 17. ^ I also will answer my part, 
 
 I also will shew mine opinion. 
 
 18. For I am full of words ; 
 
 The spirit ^ within me constraineth me. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. have for this line Attd Elihu answered and said. 2 m. jjgb, of ffiy idly. 
 
 This interpolator thinks men should have been made to convince 
 Job. 
 
 14. Not directed his words against me. That is, he had not 
 yet debated with Ehhu. Neither will I answer him with 
 your speeches. The interpolator promises to use better argu- 
 ments than the friends had. In reality the same old ideas are 
 repeated. 
 
 15. They are amazed. The friends are referred to in the 
 third person to make it more contemptuous. Compare Isa. 22: 
 i6b. 
 
 16. Wait, because they speak not. Because three men have 
 been worsted is no reason why another should not attempt the 
 task. 
 
 17. I also will answer my part. These words are probably 
 an attempt to make poetry out of "And Elihu answered and 
 said," which is still found in the versions quoted above. We 
 should restore the original reading and place this after v. 5 and 
 before v. 11. This interpolator's statement read, we suppose, 
 in part as follows : 
 
 (v. 5) "And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in 
 the mouth of these three men, his wrath was kindled, (v. 17) 
 And Elihu answered and said : 
 
 (v. 11) "Behold I waited for your words, 
 
 I Hstened for your reasons." 
 
 I also will shew mine opinion. This line is identical with v. 
 lob. It was repeated when the two interpolations were woven 
 together, and should be stricken out. 
 
 252 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 19. Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent ; 
 Like new ^ bottles ^ it is ready to burst. 
 
 20. I will speak, that I may ^ be refreshed ; 
 I will open my lips and answer. 
 
 21. Let me not, I pray you, respect any man's person ; 
 Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man. 
 
 22. For I know not to give flattering titles ; 
 Else would my Maker soon take me away. 
 
 3. Elihu seeks to show Job his Error, Ch. 33 
 33. Howbeit, Job, I pray thee, hear my speech, 
 
 And hearken to all my words. 
 2. Behold now, I have opened my mouth, 
 
 1 m. Or, wine skins. ^ m. Or, which are ready. ^ m. Or, find relief. 
 
 18. The spirit within me. This verse connects directly with 
 V. 10, continuing the thought of vs. 6-10. The "spirit "is the 
 Divine Spirit, the inspiration of which Elihu had claimed in v. 8. 
 
 19. Bottles. The marginal "wine skins " gives us the fact. 
 Compare RV of Matt. 9:17; Mk. 2:22; Luke. 5:37. Such skins 
 are largely used in Palestine instead of bottles at the present time. 
 
 20. Be refreshed. The margin, "find relief," is better. The 
 figure is still that of fermenting wine. 
 
 21. Give flattering titles. The speaker promises to be sincere 
 and fearless. He will discuss the problem solely on its merits. 
 
 22. Else would my Maker. Fear of God preserves him, he 
 believes, from fawning on men. 
 
 (i) He invites Job to hear him, since he is a man and not terrifying 
 God; 33 : 1-7 
 
 1. Job . . . hear my speech. Having made a suitable in- 
 troduction of himself, interpolator A now addresses himself to 
 Job. He makes Elihu the only character in the book who fre- 
 quently calls Job by name. In the main part of the poem the 
 friends do not do this, while interpolator B makes Elihu address 
 himself not to Job, but to the friends. 
 
 2. I have opened my mouth. It is incredible that the genius 
 who wrote the main poem should have devoted a verse to this 
 trivial statement and thought it poetry ! Interpolator A be- 
 longed to that prosaic class of good souls whose chief claim to 
 distinction is orthodox piety, rather than poetic gifts. 
 
 253 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 My tongue hath spoken in my ^ mouth. 
 
 3. My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart : 
 And that which my Hps know they shall speak 
 
 sincerely. 
 
 4. The spirit of God ^ hath made me, 
 
 And the breath of the Almighty ^ giveth me Ufe. 
 
 5. If thou canst, answer thou me ; 
 
 Set thy words in order before me, stand forth. 
 
 6. Behold,"^ I am toward God even as thou art : 
 I also am formed out of the clay. 
 
 7. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid. 
 Neither shall ^ my pressure be heavy upon thee. 
 
 1 m. Heb. palate. 2 gyr. Ar. arouses me. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. instructs me. 
 
 « m. Or, / am according to thy wish in God's stead. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. my hand. 
 
 3. My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart. 
 
 Literally, "My words are the uprightness of my heart" — 
 an awkward expression. Perhaps as Duhm has suggested we 
 should change a single letter and read, "My heart impels my 
 words." 
 
 4. Hath made me. As Peake has seen, this verse should follow 
 V. 6, where it makes good sense. Its accidental transposition 
 to its present position probably gave rise to the readings of the 
 versions. 
 
 5. If thou canst, answer. This should follow immediately after 
 V. 3- 
 
 6. I am toward God even as thou art. This is correct. Elihu 
 is assuring Job that he is a man, and not One whose splendor 
 and power will unman him. The margin is incorrect, for Job 
 had not asked for a human being or even for an angel in God's 
 place, but for God himself ; see 31:35. Verse 4 should follow this 
 verse, to impress its meaning. 
 
 7. My terror shall not make thee afraid. Job had twice com- 
 plained that God's terror overwhelmed and unmanned him 
 (9: 34; 13 : 21). Ehhu assures Job that he, a mere man, comes 
 with no such terrors, that Job can Hsten to him collectedly. My 
 pressure. Read with the versions cited, "my hand." Job had 
 also complained in 19 : 21 that the hand of God had smitten 
 him. 
 
 254 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 8. Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, 
 
 And I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, 
 
 g. I am clean, without transgression ; 
 
 I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me : 
 
 10. Behold, he findeth ^ occasions against me, 
 He counteth me for his enemy ; 
 
 11. He putteth my feet in the stocks, 
 He marketh all my paths. 
 
 12. 2 Behold, I will answer thee, in this thou art not just ; 
 
 1 m. causes of alienation. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. How dost thou say I am just, 
 
 but he does not answer me. m. Or, Behold in this thou art not just; I will answer thee: 
 for 6*c. 
 
 (2) EHhu restates Job's position, 33 : 8-13 
 
 8. Thou hast spoken in mine hearing. After this long, boast- 
 ful introduction, in which the modest Elihu makes himself out so 
 much wiser than his elders and claims to have special information 
 given him by God on these matters, he finally comes to the matter 
 in hand. In order to introduce it, he represents himself again 
 as a listener to the whole debate. 
 
 9. Clean, without transgression. This does Job injustice, for 
 he had admitted transgressions (7:21; 13:26). Nevertheless 
 Job had asserted his integrity with so much more emphasis (9 : 
 21 ; 10 : 7 ; 13 : 18 ; 16 : 17 ; 23 : 7, 10-12 ; 27 : 4-6 ; and ch. 31), 
 that Elihu's sweeping statement is pardonable. 
 
 10. Occasions. The margin, "causes of alienation " gives the 
 meaning. He counteth me for his enemy. Quoted from 13 : 24. 
 
 11. He putteth my feet in the stocks. The verse is quoted 
 from 13 : 27. 
 
 12. Behold, I will answer thee, etc. The versions quoted 
 had a different text, and one that continued the quotations from 
 Job. They are in the main to be followed, though one or two of 
 their mistakes should be corrected. They have probably, as 
 has been noted by others, mistaken the Hebrew word for "cry " 
 for the word for "righteous," the two being much alike. They 
 have also in the second Hne, as Duhm perceived, mistaken the 
 word "hide " for "eternal," the two being from the same stem. 
 If we make these corrections, the verse reads : 
 
 " How dost thou say : I cry and he answers not, 
 God hides himself from men? " 
 
 255 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 ^ For God is greater than man. 
 
 13. ^ Why dost thou strive against him ? 
 
 For he giveth not account of any of his matters. 
 
 14. For God speaketh ^ once, 
 
 Yea twice, though man regardeth it not. 
 
 15. In a dream, in a vision of the night. 
 When deep sleep falleth upon men, 
 In slumberings upon the bed ; 
 
 16. Then he ^ openeth the ears of men, 
 
 i_Gr. Sail. Eth. For he is eternal above mortals. 2 m. Qr, Why dost thou strive 
 
 against him, for that he . . . matters? ^ m. Or, in one way, yea, in two. * m. 
 
 Heb. uncovereth. 
 
 The first line quotes 9:16; 19:7; 30 : 20 ; the second, 13 : 24 ; 
 23: 8, 9; 26: 14. 
 
 13. He giveth not account of any of his matters. This trans- 
 lation makes the meaning, "Why strive to obtain an answer from 
 one who never replies concerning such matters," and implies 
 that the struggle is useless. This is, however, in contradiction 
 with vs. 14 ff., where Elihu tells how God replies. The marginal 
 rendering means, "Why complain that God does not explain his 
 dealings with thee? " In reality both translations of the line 
 are wrong. The Hebrew rendered "matters" really means 
 "words," and, as other scholars have seen, the possessive pronoun 
 should be corrected to "thy." The verse then reads: 
 
 "Why dost thou strive against him? 
 Because he does not answer thy words? " 
 
 (3) God seeks by night visions and by chastisements to redeem 
 men, 33 : 14-30 
 
 14. Once, yea twice. Elihu now turns to tell Job that God 
 does answer and to imply that God has answered him, though 
 Job has missed it through heedlessness. Instead of "once, yea 
 twice," we should read with the margin," in one way, yea, in two." 
 These ways are the two which are described in the following 
 verses, dreams and chastisements. Though man regardeth it 
 not. As Ley has suggested, we should read, "if man regardeth 
 it not." If men heed dreams, God does not send the more severe 
 answer, chastisements, is Elihu's reasoning. 
 
 15. In a dream. The description is based upon that of Eli- 
 phaz in 4: 12 ff., the second line being a quotation from 4: 13. 
 
 256 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And ^ sealeth ^ their instruction, 
 
 17. ^ That he may withdraw man ^ /row his purpose 
 And ^ hide ® pride from man ; 
 
 18. ^ He keepeth back his soul from the pit, 
 And his Hfe from perishing ^ by the ^ sword. ,» 
 
 19. ^° He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, 
 ^1 And with continual strife in his bones : 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Aq. Sah. Eth. terrifies them. Syr. Ar. humbles them. Vulg. instructs 
 them. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. with visions. Aq. Vulg. with correction. ^ m. Or, 
 
 That man may put away his purpose and that he may hide. _ ^ Gr. OLat. Syr. Targ. 
 
 Sah. Eth. At. from wickedness. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. deliver from ruin. ^ Gr. 
 
 OLat. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. his body. ^ m. Or, That he may keep back. s Syr. 
 
 from Abaddon. ^ m. Or, weapons. i" Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Or again he chastens him. 
 " Theod. And the fulness of his bones he restrains. Syr. Ar. And the multitude of his 
 bones are broken. Vulg. And he makes all his bones to rot. m. Another reading [Targ.] 
 is, While all his bones are firm. 
 
 16. Sealeth their instruction. The Hebrew gives the thought 
 as well as any of the versions cited. 
 
 17. From his purpose. Read with the versions, "from wicked- 
 ness." And hide pride from man. Again read with the versions, 
 "And save his body from destruction." The text as it stands 
 is clearly wrong. Some scholars seek to improve it by changing 
 the verb "hide " to "destroy " or "cut off," but the reading of 
 the versions is better, as it makes a progress of thought from 
 "wickedness " (17a) to "destruction of the body " (17b) and the 
 going of the soul to Sheol (18). 
 
 18. He keepeth back. Read with the margin, "That he may 
 keep back." By the sword. This gives no satisfactory mean- 
 ing. The Syriac reading "from Abaddon " points in the right 
 direction. "In Sheol " was, perhaps, the real reading, as in He- 
 brew, it would not differ greatly from "by the sword " and might 
 easily have been corrupted into it. 
 
 M 19. He is chastened. We should read with the versions, "Or 
 he is chastened." Elihu has completed his description of one 
 class of God's warnings, visions, and now turns to the second 
 class, chastisements. The Hebrew text as it stands has lost the 
 transition. And with continual strife in his bones. This is an 
 unintelligible statement. The great variety of readings in the 
 versions (cited above) shows that the text is corrupt. Probably 
 we cannot do better than to read with the Vulgate, "Makes all 
 his bones to rot," cf. 13 : 28. 
 
 s 257 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. So that his Hfe abhorreth bread, 
 And his soul dainty meat. 
 
 21. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be 
 
 seen; 
 And his bones that were not seen stick out. 
 
 22. Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit. 
 And his life ^ to the destroyers. 
 
 23. If there be with him ^ an angel, 
 
 An interpreter, one ^ among a thousand, 
 To shew unto man ^ what is right for him ; 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Ar. Eth. to the dead. 2 m. Qr, a messenger. 
 
 ' m. Or, of the thousand. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. his fault, m. Or, his uprightness. 
 
 20. His life. Stands here for his whole personality. It is 
 a strong expression for his "appetite." 
 
 21. That it cannot be seen. The hyperbole is too strong. In 
 the greatest illness this does not happen. Several commentators 
 have seen that the change of a single letter in the Hebrew would 
 make the line : 
 
 "His flesh is consumed away by leanness." 
 
 22. To the destroyers. By simply spacing the Hebrew letters 
 differently, we should read with the versions, "to the dead." 
 
 23. An angel. Most interpreters make this a supernatural 
 being, but this is unnecessary. As the margin shows, the word 
 means simply "messenger" (cf. Mai. 3:1). A human mes- 
 senger is, perhaps, better for the mission which Elihu is de- 
 scribing than an angel. Elihu is here depicting the role which 
 he himself is playing. By a " messenger " he means himself. 
 One among a thousand. The text here is better than the mar- 
 ginal rendering. Such a " messenger " must be a picked man, 
 inspired by God, as Elihu claimed to be (32 : 8, 9, 18). Not 
 every one was equal to the task. The remark is a reflection on 
 the friends ; they had assayed the task and failed. To shew unto 
 man. This messenger is to be an interpreter to the sufferer of 
 his present painful experience. What is right for him. _ If we 
 retain the text as it stands, we must read with the margin "his 
 uprightness " and understand the "his " to refer to God. That 
 gives an intelligible meaning. Job had failed to understand 
 God's justice in his case, and Elihu sets himself to explain it to 
 him. Perhaps, however, on the basis of the versions cited, we 
 
 258 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 24. ^ Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, 
 DeUver him from going down to the pit, 
 I have found a ransom. 
 
 25. His flesh shall be fresher than a child's ; 
 He returneth to the days of his youth : 
 
 26. He prayeth unto God, and he is favourable imto 
 
 him; 
 So that he seeth his face with joy : 
 And he restoreth unto man his righteousness. 
 
 27. ^ He singe th before men, and saith, 
 
 I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, 
 And ^ it profited me not : 
 
 28. He hath redeemed my soul from going into the pit, 
 And my hfe shall behold the hght. 
 
 29. Lo, all these things doth God work. 
 
 ^ m.Oi, And he is gracious . . . and, say . . . ransom: his flesh &'c. 2 nj. Or, 
 
 He looketh upon men. ^ m. Or, it was ml requited unto me, or, it was not meet for me. 
 
 should read, "To interpret unto man his chastisement." The 
 meaning would then be that Elihu undertakes to make Job un- 
 derstand why he has suffered. 
 
 24. Then he is gracious. That is, when man once compre- 
 hends the true situation. It is taken for granted that then he 
 will repent. The rendering of the text is preferable to that of 
 the margin. Ransom. We should probably add "for his life." 
 
 25. Be fresher. The Hebrew word thus rendered occurs 
 nowhere else and is certainly a corruption. We should probably 
 read, "His flesh becomes abundant as a boy's." This is said in 
 contrast to the emaciation depicted in v. 21. 
 
 26. He is favourable unto him. This verse depicts his religious 
 rehabilitation as v. 25 his physical rehabilitation. 
 
 27. He singeth before men. This is much to be preferred to 
 the marginal reading. Probably the meaning is that he joins 
 in the singing of the synagogue or the temple ; cf. Ps. 42 : 4. 
 Profited me not. Read with the first margin, "It was not re- 
 quited unto me." The penitent rejoices because he was forgiven 
 instead of being punished. 
 
 28. Behold the light. The light of the upper world in contrast 
 to the darkness of the "pit" of Sheol. 
 
 259 
 
30 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Twice, yea thrice, with a man, 
 
 30. To bring back his soul from the pit, 
 
 That he may be enlightened with the light of ^ the living. 
 
 31. Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me : 
 Hold thy peace, and I will speak. 
 
 32. If thou hast any thing to say, answer me : 
 Speak, for I desire to justify thee. 
 
 2)2)' If not, hearken thou unto me : 
 
 Hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom. 
 
 4. Eliku appeals from Job to the Wise, Ch. 34 
 34. Moreover Elihu answered and said, 
 2. Hear my words, ye wise men ; 
 
 1 m. Or, life. 
 
 29. Twice, yea thrice. In his mercy God gives more than one 
 opportunity. 
 
 30. The living. Read with the margin, "life." Elihu's first 
 argument as given by interpolator A ends here. The verses 
 which follow are the introduction to the second argument, which 
 is continued in ch. 35. 
 
 (4) Elihu adjures J oh to listen further, 33 : 31-33 
 
 31. Mark well, O Job. These words begin the second dis- 
 course of Elihu as given by interpolator A. In vs. 31-33 he is 
 inviting Job's attention. Hold thy peace. In the light of the 
 following verse we should understand this to mean, "If thou 
 holdest thy peace, I will continue speaking." 
 
 32. If thou hast any thing to say, answer me. The interpolator 
 makes Elihu assume the appearance of fairness to Job by giving 
 him an opportunity to reply. 
 
 33. If not, hearken. By this device the writer produces the 
 impression that Job found Elihu's argument unanswerable ! As 
 noted above, the discourse to which this is an introduction now 
 stands in ch. 35. 
 
 (i) He invites their attention to JoVs position, 34 : 1-9 
 
 1. Moreover Elihu answered and said. This verse is a late 
 editorial addition similar to 27 : i ; 29 : i ; 35 : i, etc. 
 
 2. Hear my words. With this verse we come again to the 
 
 260 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. 
 
 3. For the ear trieth words, 
 As the palate tasteth meat. 
 
 4. Let us choose for us that which is right : 
 Let us know among ourselves what is good. 
 
 5. For Job hath said, I am righteous, 
 And God hath taken away my right : 
 
 6. ^ Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar ; 
 
 2 My wound is incurable, though I am without trans- 
 gression. 
 
 7. What man is like Job, 
 
 Who drinketh up scorning like water ? 
 
 8. Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, 
 
 1 m. Or, Should I lie against my right 2 m. Heb. Mine arrow. 
 
 work of interpolator B. The introduction to this section is prob- 
 ably, as we have seen, in 32: 17a, 11-16. In those verses the 
 writer had made Elihu address the friends and tell them how 
 inadequate their answers to Job had been. In this section he 
 begins to combat Job's argument. Ye wise men. In form this 
 is an address to the friends, but by choosing the term "wise men," 
 the writer really makes an appeal to all intelligent readers of the 
 poem. He wishes to appeal to their good judgment to condemn 
 the blasphemous sentiments to which Job has given utterance. 
 
 3. The ear trieth words. The verse is borrowed from 12 : 11. 
 See note there. 
 
 4. Choose . . . that which is right. Compare Luke 12: 57. 
 
 5. Job hath said, I am righteous. Compare 13 : 18 ; 27:2. 
 
 6. I am accounted a liar. The rendering of the text is to be 
 preferred to that of the margin. It was in substance one of Job's 
 grievances that, though innocent, God accounted him as guilty, 
 thus in substance counting him a liar. This interpolator makes 
 Job complain that God unjustly wounded him when innocent. 
 According to interpolator A (33 : 10-12) Job's complaint was that 
 after afHicting Job God would not hear his cry. The writer B 
 has perceived the fundamental difficulty better than the writer A. 
 
 7. Scorning. Here almost equal to "blasphemy." Cf. Ps. 
 1:1. Elihu is expressing his abhorrence of Job's utterances. 
 Like water. Cf. 15 : 16. Everything in Palestine drinks water 
 with avidity. 
 
 261 
 
34:9 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And walketh with wicked men. 
 9. For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing 
 
 That he should ^ deUght himself with God. 
 
 10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of under- 
 
 standing : 
 Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness ; 
 And from the Almighty, that he should commit 
 
 iniquity. 
 
 11. For the work of a man shall he render unto him. 
 And cause every man to find according to his 
 
 ways. 
 
 12. Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly, 
 Neither will the Almighty pervert judgement. 
 
 13. Who gave him a charge over the earth ? 
 Or who hath ^ disposed the whole world ? 
 
 14. 3 If he ^ set his ^ heart ^ upon ^ man, 
 
 1 m. Or, consent with. See Ps. 50 : 18. 2 m, Qr, laid upon him. ^ m. 
 
 According to another reading, // he cause his heart to return unto himself. * 5 Heb. 
 
 MSS. Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. cause to return. » Gr. Sah. Eth. omit heart. « Gr. 
 Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. unto himself, m. Or, upon himself. "< m. Heb. him. 
 
 8. "Walketh with wicked men. There is no evidence in the 
 story that Job actually ''walked with the wicked." This is 
 Elihu's inference from Job's words. Such sentiments placed 
 Job, he thought, among wicked men. 
 
 9. It profiteth a man nothing. Job's words in 21:15 are 
 almost literally quoted, but cf. also 9: 22 and 21: 17. On the 
 difficulty of the moral problem of the prosperity of the wicked 
 cf. Ps. 37, 49» 73- 
 
 (2) Elihu asserts that God can do no wrong, 34 : 10-15 
 
 10. God ... do wickedness. A restatement of Bildad's 
 assertion in 8:3. 
 
 11. Work of a man . . . render imto him. The evil really 
 originates with the man, says Elihu. 
 
 13. Disposed. Read with the margin, "laid upon him." 
 Elihu in this rhetorical way asserts that God is supreme. No 
 one has given him his great task and he is accountable to no one. 
 
 14. If he set his heart upon man. The idea conveyed by 
 
 262 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 //he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; 
 
 15. All flesh shall perish together, 
 
 And man shall turn again unto dust. 
 
 16. ^ If now thou hast understanding, hear this : 
 Hearken to the voice of my words. 
 
 17. Shall even one that hateth right govern ? 
 
 And wilt thou condemn him that is just and 
 mighty ? 
 
 18. ^ Is it ^/ to say to a king. Thou art vile ? 
 
 1 Gr. Aq. Sym. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Eth. Ar. // thou under standest. m. Or, Only 
 understand. ^ m. Or, read by some ancient versions [Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar.], 
 Who saith to . . . vile, and to . . . wicked; tltat respecteth 6*c. 
 
 this line is obscure, and the variations of the versions show that 
 the text is corrupt. Probably we should omit the word "heart " 
 and connect "spirit " with the first half of the verse. The whole 
 then reads : 
 
 'Tf he cause to return to himself his spirit, 
 And gather to himself his breath." 
 
 The conclusion of the condition is in the next verse. The passage 
 is a reminiscence of Gen. 2 : 7. 
 
 15. All flesh shall perish together. This is the conclusion to 
 the condition in the previous line. The philosophy underlying 
 the whole passage is that man has no right to criticise God, since 
 he is dependent upon God for his very breath. 
 
 (3) Injustice does not become earthly rulers, much less God, 34 : 16-27 
 
 16. If now thou hast tinderstanding. We should read with 
 the versions, "If thou understandest." The verse is probably 
 an editorial gloss added after the combination of the work of the 
 two interpolators, for it is addressed to Job, whereas the rest of 
 the chapter is addressed to the friends or wise men. 
 
 17. One that hateth right govern. Elihu curiously begs the 
 question. His argument is, in substance, that because one rules 
 he must be just. God is the almighty Ruler, therefore he can- 
 not do wrong. Wilt thou condemn. The peculiar text of the 
 Greek versions suggests that originally the line may have read, 
 "Shall he that is just and mighty do wrong? " 
 
 18. Is it fit to say to a king. According to the text the mean- 
 ing is, "No one calls an earthly ruler vile to his face, how much 
 less should one call God vile? " The meaning according to the 
 
 263 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or to nobles, Ye are wicked ? 
 
 19. How much less to him that respecteth not the 
 
 persons of princes, 
 Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor ? 
 For they all are the work of his hands. 
 
 20. In a moment they die, ^ even at midnight ; 
 The people are shaken and pass away, 
 
 And the mighty are taken away without hand. 
 
 21. For his eyes are upon ^ the ways of a man, 
 And he seeth all his goings. 
 
 22. There is no darkness, nor shadow of death. 
 Where the workers of iniquity may hide them- 
 selves. 
 
 23. For he needeth not further to consider a man, 
 That he should go before God in judgement. 
 
 1 m. Or, and at midnight the people &'c. ^ Gr. Eth. the works. 
 
 versions which the margin follows is, "God, the just and mighty, 
 is the one who calls earthly rulers vile." The inference is that 
 he calls them this because he is more just than they and has the 
 right to do so, 
 
 ig. Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor. He is so far 
 above all, that human inequalities are as nothing before him. 
 The words continue the thought of the preceding verse, which- 
 ever alternative of the interpretation of that verse we choose. 
 
 20. In a moment they die. God who stands so far above 
 princes is eternal, but they perish. The people. Several scholars 
 think we should read here "the rich." It would fit the context 
 better. 
 
 21. His eyes are upon the ways. This statement and those 
 following in vs. 22, 23 are intended to show that the judgments 
 of God are right since they are guided by complete knowledge. 
 
 23. He needeth not further to consider a man. The Hebrew 
 thus translated is very unusual. Several scholars have suggested 
 that we should by a slight change read : 
 
 "For he appointeth no set time for a man, 
 That he should go before God in judgment." 
 264 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 24. He breaketh in pieces mighty men ^ in ways past 
 
 finding out, 
 And setteth others in their stead. 
 
 25. Therefore he taketh knowledge of their works ; 
 And he overturneth them in the night, so that 
 
 they are ^ destroyed. 
 
 26. He striketh them as wicked men 
 ^ In the open sight of others ; 
 
 27. Because they turned aside from following him. 
 And would not have regard to any of his ways : 
 
 28. ^ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come 
 
 unto him, 
 And he heard the cry of the afflicted. 
 
 1 m. Or, without inquisition. 2 m. Heb. crushed. 3 ^n. Heb. In the place of 
 
 beholders. * m. Or, That they might cause . . . and that he might hear. 
 
 24. In ways past finding out. The margin "without inquisi- 
 tion '' is to be preferred. The meaning is that God's knowledge 
 is so infallible that he breaks in pieces the mighty without having 
 to give them a trial, to ascertain their guilt. 
 
 25. Taketh knowledge of their works. This verse is a weak 
 repetition of vs. 20, 21. It interrupts the connection where it 
 stands and is probably a later gloss. 
 
 26. He striketh them as wicked men. The Hebrew text at 
 this point has been somewhat dislocated by the insertion of v. 
 25, and this translation is hardly defensible. Many recent in- 
 terpreters recognize that the phrase " they are crushed " at the end 
 of V. 25 is a genuine part of v. 26 and completes its metre. The 
 omission of a single letter, then, gives us this reading for the verse : 
 
 "They are crushed beneath their wickedness, 
 He strikes them in the place of beholders." 
 This connects admirably with v. 24. In the open sight of others. 
 Read with the margin "In the place of beholders." 
 
 {4) An interpolation — a fragment of a poem on kings, 34: 28-33 
 28. Caused the cry of the poor to come vmto him. This in- 
 troduces a new thought, and one inconsistent with the argument of 
 most of the chapter. Internal and external evidence alike unite 
 to show that vs. 28-33 are an interpolation. They were omitted 
 
 265 
 
29 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 29. ^ When he giveth quietness, who then can condemn ? 
 And when he hideth his face, who then can behold 
 
 him? 
 Whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man, aHke : 
 
 30. That the godless man reign not. 
 
 That there be none to ensnare the people. 
 
 31. ^ For hath any said unto God, 
 
 1 1 Heb. MS. Syr. Ar. When he is quiet. 2 Theod. Syr. Targ. Eth. Ar. For he 
 
 who says. Vulg. Because, then, I speak. 
 
 from the Greek version till the time of Origen and are still omitted 
 from the Sahidic version. They introduce, too, the thought of 
 national oppression from a great king, probably either Persian or 
 Greek, a subject foreign to the Book of Job. The thought is 
 resumed in a few verses in ch. 36, which are omitted by the same 
 versions, and are, like these verses, fragments of a poem on kings. 
 For a reconstruction of the poem, see note on 36 : 13. Elsewhere 
 the Book of Job and even the Elihu speeches deal with the sins, 
 the righteousness, and the fate of individuals alone. Probably 
 the interpolation was introduced at some time of national op- 
 pression. It is particularly inept to the context here, where it 
 comes in between Elihu's description of the way that God destroys 
 the powerful, and his conclusion that wise men must consider 
 Job a sinner. 
 
 29. When he giveth quietness. Read with the authorities 
 cited, "When he is quiet." The thought is that when the far-off 
 autocrat chooses to be quiet, no one can disturb him, however 
 urgent may be the cause which one desires to bring before him. 
 Whether it be done unto a nation, or unto a man, alike. Trans- 
 late rather, "Whether concerning a nation or a man, it is the 
 same." The line connects directly with the preceding. One 
 cannot obtain access to a king, if the king wishes to be quiet ; 
 it makes no difference whether one has the cause of a nation or an 
 individual to plead. 
 
 30. That the godless man reign not. This continues the 
 thought of V. 29. The man who wished to gain an audience with 
 the supreme autocrat might wish to make request concerning his 
 nation that the godless (or ruthless?) satrap or petty king who was 
 ruling them should be removed. That there be none to en- 
 snare. Translate, "That he should not ensnare." The phrase 
 continues the thought of the preceding line. 
 
 31. For hath any said unto God. The versions quoted above 
 
 266 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 I have borne chastisement, ^ I will not offend any more: 
 2,2. ^ That which I see not teach thou me : 
 
 If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more ? 
 T,2>' Shall his recompence be as thou wilt, that thou refusest 
 it? 
 
 For thou must choose, and not I : 
 
 Therefore speak what thou knowest. 
 34. Men of understanding will say unto me, 
 
 Yea, every wise man that heareth me : 
 
 1 m. Or, though I of end not. * Vulg. If I have sinned. 
 
 show that the text is difficult and corrupt, though none of them 
 offers a satisfactory meaning. Perhaps with some modern scholars 
 we should read : 
 
 "But say unto God, I endure, 
 I will not again commit sin." 
 
 This is advice to the man who cannot get at the autocrat to obtain 
 redress. He is advised to regard his suffering as chastisement 
 for sin, to endure it, and to resolve upon reformation. 
 
 32. That which I see not. Read with the Vulgate, "If I have 
 sinned." The verse continues the address which the disap- 
 pointed suppliant of the king is advised to direct to God. 
 
 33. Shall his recompence be as thou wilt? The Hebrew will 
 not really bear this translation. All recent interpreters agree 
 that the text of the verse is corrupt. Probably we should change 
 one letter of the original and read, "According to thy wish shall 
 he recompense him? " That thou refusest it. Translate rather, 
 "But thou refusest it? " And not I. Read with some recent 
 commentators, "not God." The whole verse should, perhaps, 
 run : 
 
 "Shall he recompense him according to thy wish? 
 But thou refusest it? 
 Then shouldst thou choose, not God? 
 What thou knowest, speak." 
 
 Like the preceding verses it is addressed to the rebellious subject, 
 who cannot obtain from his sovereign a hearing for his cause. 
 
 (5) Wise men must condemn Job as rebellious, 34:34-37 
 
 34. Every wise man. This verse resumes the address of Elihu 
 according to interpolator B. Between it and v. 27, 35: 15, 
 
 267 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 35. Job speaketh without knowledge, 
 And his words are without wisdom. 
 
 36. ^ Would that Job were tried unto the end, 
 
 2 Because of his answering Hke wicked men. 
 
 37. For he addeth rebellion unto his sin. 
 He clappeth his hands among us, 
 And multiplieth his words against God. 
 
 5. Elihu's Second Address to Job, Ch. 35 
 
 35. Moreover Elihu answered and said, 
 2. Thinkest thou this to be thy right, 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. But truly Job hath been instructed. « Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. 
 
 That we should not add to our sins. 
 
 16 originally stood. See notes on those verses, Elihu thinks 
 he has made out so strong a case that every intelligent person 
 must concur in the conclusion which he is about to state. 
 
 35. Speaketh without knowledge. Job has been blasphemous 
 because of his folly, or his lack of insight. 
 
 36. Would that Job were tried unto the end. This indicates 
 a vindictive spirit on Elihu's part and is in itself hardly intelli- 
 gible. We gain a clearer thought and one more in harmony with 
 v. 37, if we read on the basis of the versions quoted : 
 
 "But truly Job has been made an example, 
 That we might not add to our sins." 
 
 37. Addeth rebellion. This was the point in which Elihu, 
 according to interpolator B, thought that wise men would gain 
 instruction from Job's case (see note on v. 36) ; Job had rebelled 
 and spoken bitterly — had added blasphemy to his original 
 transgressions. Wise men would be deterred from such impiety, 
 and take God's corrections reverently. 
 
 (i) God is impassible; Job's sins cannot harm, nor his righteous- 
 ness profit God, 35 : 1-8 
 
 1. Moreover Elihu answered and said. The Hebrew is 
 simply, "And Elihu answered and said." Like 27:1; 29:1; 
 and 34 : i the verse is a late editorial addition and should be 
 stricken out. It interrupts the thought. 
 
 2. Thy right. The word "thy" is not in the Hebrew and 
 
 268 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or sayest thou, ^ My righteousness is more than God's, 
 
 3. That thou sayest. What advantage will it be unto 
 
 thee? 
 And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had 
 sinned ? 
 
 4. I will answer thee, 
 
 And thy ^ companions with thee. 
 
 5. Look unto the heavens, and see ; 
 
 And behold the skies, which are higher than thou, 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Eth. Ar. / am more righteous. 2 Qr. Sah. Eth. three 
 
 friends. 
 
 should be omitted. My righteousness is more than God's. 
 
 Read with the versions, "I am more righteous than God." If 
 our analysis is correct, this verse resumes the work of interpolator 
 A and connects directly with ^3 '■ 33- Ch. 33 : 31-33 formed the 
 introduction to a second address of Elihu to Job, and this verse 
 (35 : 2) begins that address. In his first address to Job Elihu 
 had recounted Job's assertions of innocence and of God's unjust 
 treatment of him (33 : 9-12), Here Elihu claims that that is in 
 reality claiming a greater righteousness than God's on the ground 
 that to criticise the morality of the act of another is to assert 
 the possession of greater moral insight than that other. 
 
 3. Advantage . . . unto thee. As others have noted, we 
 should read, "What advantage will it be unto me? " The next 
 line shows that this is the thought. Profit . . . more than if 
 I had sinned? Such a question in Elihu's mind logically fol- 
 lowed from Job's utterances. If rewards for righteousness con- 
 sist of worldly prosperity, and if God punishes the righteous with 
 worldly disaster, there seems to be no advantage in righteousness. 
 
 4. Companions. The Hebrew word is the same as that trans- 
 slated "friends " in 2: 11 ff. Some have supposed that it can- 
 not refer to the "three friends," because Elihu's argument is 
 much the same as theirs. Such scholars understand the words 
 to refer to people of Job's way of thinking. An interpolator 
 would, however, be likely to condemn the whole book and all the 
 characters in it, and it is quite in accord with ancient literary 
 methods to do this, even while borrowing from the speeches of the 
 friends. The versions quoted above clearly took it to refer to 
 the "friends " who appear throughout the book. 
 
 5. Higher than thou. An echo of 11 : 7-9 and 22 : 12. 
 
 269 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 6. If thou hast sinned, what doest thou against him ? 
 And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what 
 
 doest thou unto him ? 
 
 7. If thou be righteous, what givest thou him ? 
 Or what receiveth he of thine hand ? 
 
 8. Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art ; 
 And thy righteousness may profit a son of man. 
 
 9. By reason of the multitude of ^ oppressions they 
 
 cry out ; 
 They cry for help by reason of the arm of the 
 mighty. 
 
 10. But 2 none saith. Where is God ^ my Maker, 
 Who giveth songs in the night ; 
 
 11. Who ^ teacheth us more than the beasts of the 
 
 earth, 
 
 1 I Heb. MS. Sym. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. oppressors. * Syr. Ar. they do not say. 
 
 • Syr. At. our. * Gr. Sah. Eth. separates us. 
 
 6. What doest thou against him ? Vs. 6-8 borrow the thought 
 of Eliphaz in 22:2, 3. Job had first suggested the thought in 
 7 : 20. 
 
 8. A man as thou art. Elihu denies that we can properly 
 reason from man to God, at least in so far as the problem under 
 consideration is concerned. 
 
 (2) Men, when oppressed, do not cry unto God in the right way : 
 they cry from pride, not for comfort, 35 : 9-12 
 
 9. Oppressions. Read with the authorities cited, "oppres- 
 sors." Cry for help. The connection of this section with the 
 preceding is not very close, but Elihu seems to be taking up the 
 point that might naturally be raised against him, "If God's rule 
 is righteous, why does the cry of the oppressed continually go 
 up from earth? " 
 
 10. None saith. Read with the versions cited, "They do not 
 say." My Maker. Read with the versions, "our Maker." 
 "Who giveth songs in the night. If they sought for this religious 
 comfort, Elihu implies that they would obtain it. 
 
 11. Teacheth us more than the beasts of the field. He gives 
 us more knowledge than he gives them. This in Elihu's view 
 
 270 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven ? 
 
 12. There they cry, ^ but none giveth answer, 
 Because of the pride of evil men. 
 
 13. Surely God will not hear vanity, 
 Neither will the Almighty regard it. 
 
 14. How much less when thou say est ^ thou beholdest 
 
 him not, 
 The cause is before him, and ^ thou waitest for 
 him ! 
 
 15. But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, 
 
 1 m. Or, but he answereth not. * m. Or, thou beholdest him not! The cause is 
 
 before him; therefore wait thou for him. ^ Syr. Ai. supplicate thou him. Theod. 
 
 Sym. Sah. Targ. Eth. is not visiting. 
 
 should be a cause for thankfulness. The author of Job had 
 claimed in 12: 7, 8 that animals could teach men. 
 
 12. But none giveth answer. Read with the margin, "He 
 does not answer," i.e. God doth not answer. Because of the 
 pride of evil men. This is frequently taken to mean that the 
 poor cry because of the pride of evil men. On this interpretation 
 the line repeats the thought of v. 9 and is pointless. On this 
 view Elihu says they cry on account of oppressions, but God does 
 not answer because their cry is on account of oppressions. A 
 much clearer thought is obtained if we translate, by dropping a 
 single letter, "Because of the pride of their evil " — a Hebrew 
 idiom for "their evil pride." This makes Elihu give as the in- 
 telligible reason why God is silent, that they do not ask for real 
 religious comfort, but because of the pride of their own evil hearts. 
 
 (3) God heeds not such cries, therefore Job rages, 35 : 13-16 
 
 13. Vanity. The cry of pride is said to be vanity; therefore 
 God hears it not. 
 
 14. Less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not. The 
 text is here preferable to the rendering of the margin. The 
 meaning is. If God will not answer the cry of vanity, how much 
 less will he answer the cry of thy impatient blindness. Thou 
 waitest. With the versions cited we should take the verb as 
 an imperative, rendering, "Wait thou for him." Elihu urges 
 Job not to be impatient. His cause is before God ; Job should 
 await God's answer. 
 
 15. Because he hath not visited. Read with the versions 
 
 271 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 Neither doth he greatly regard ^ arrogance ; 
 1 6. Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity ; 
 
 He ^ multiplieth words without knowledge. 
 
 6. Elihu's Third Address to Job, Chs. 36, 37 
 
 36. Elihu also proceeded, and said, 
 
 2. ^ Suffer me a Httle, and I will shew thee ; 
 
 For ^ I have yet somewhat to say on ® God's 
 behalf. 
 
 1 m. Or, Thou sayest, He dolh not greatly regard arrogance. Thus doth &*c. * Theod. 
 Sym. Vulg. Eth. transgression. ^ Theod. Sym. Eth. makes heavy. * in. Heb. Wait for. 
 * m. there are yet words for God. * Gr. Sah. Eth. speech is yet in me. 
 
 cited, "He is not visiting." Even on this reading Elihu is not 
 quite true to facts. In reality the verse belongs after 34 : 27, where 
 the reference is to the wicked in general, not to Job in particular, 
 and there the words are true. Neither doth he greatly regard. 
 It is better not to supply ''Thou sayest " as the margin does. 
 The words are not in the Hebrew. Arrogance. Read with the 
 versions cited above, ''transgressions." 
 
 16. Therefore. Connects this verse closely with v. 15. 
 Doth Job open his mouth. Job is here spoken of in the third 
 person as in ch, 34. The exhortation to Elihu had reached its 
 climax and logical conclusion in v. 14. Vs. 15, 16 probably 
 belong in ch. 34 after v. 27 and before v. 34. They were 
 probably displaced at that point by the later interpolation of 
 34: 28-33. 
 
 (i) God is mighty, but despises none, 36: 1-12 [genuine parts] 
 
 1. Elihu also proceeded and said. These words, like 27: i; 
 29 : I ; 34 : I ; 35:1 are an editorial addition which interrupt the 
 thought. In estimating the true character of the Elihu discourses 
 they should be disregarded. 
 
 2. Sufifer me a little. These words connect directly with 35 : 
 14. Having finished the treatment of one phase of his thought 
 with an exhortation, Elihu passes to his third address by a gentle 
 transition. Yet somewhat to say on God's behalf. The margin, 
 "Yet words for God," gives the literal rendering, but the text 
 gives the thought. This statement fits well what follows, and 
 is to be preferred to the reading of the Greek and kindred versions, 
 which would simply mean, "I have more to say." 
 
 272 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 36 
 
 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar, 
 
 And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 
 
 4. For truly my words are not false : 
 
 One that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. 
 
 5. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any : 
 He is mighty in strength of ^ understanding. 
 
 6. ^ He preserveth not the life of the wicked : 
 ^ But giveth to the afflicted their right. 
 
 7. ^ He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: 
 
 1 m. Heb. heart. 2 Gr. Sah. place this line after v. loa. ^ Gr. Sah. read 
 
 this line as a part of v. 15. ^ Gr. Sah. read this line just before v. 18. 
 
 3. From afar. The context shows that this means "from all 
 God's known works." Elihu will ascribe righteousness to God 
 by a comprehensive survey of God's works. 
 
 4. One . . . perfect in knowledge. This is extravagant self- 
 praise, and, like all such self-praise, is belied by the speaker's 
 utterances. 
 
 5. Behold, God is mighty. The words which follow this are 
 in the Hebrew strange and awkward. Scholars have suggested 
 various expedients to relieve the situation. The most satisfac- 
 tory is that suggested by Dr. Nichols, viz. that "strength " be 
 transposed so as to stand immediately after "mighty," and that 
 by dropping two letters from "mighty" in the second line we 
 obtain the word "pure." The verse then reads: 
 
 "Behold, God is mighty in strength, 
 He despiseth not the pure in heart." 
 
 6. He preserveth not the life of the wicked. From this point 
 onward to v. 18 the Greek and Sahidic versions presented a 
 much shorter and better text (see Introduction, p. 20 ff). Elihu's 
 argument becomes much clearer, if we reconstruct the text on 
 the basis of these authorities and eliminate an interpolation still 
 later than the Elihu writer. This first line of v. 6 should come 
 after v. loa (see note on v. 10). But giveth to the afflicted 
 their right. The same versions found this line in v. 15 ; we 
 should probably place it after that verse. For a reconstruction 
 of the Elihu speech from vs. 6-18, see note on v. 18. 
 
 7. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous. With a 
 slight change the Greek and Sahidic read this as v, 17, where we 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 ^ But with kings upon the throne 
 
 He setteth them for ever, and they are exalted. 
 
 8. And if they be bound in fetters, 
 
 And be taken in the cords of affliction ; 
 
 9. Then he sheweth them their work, 
 
 And their transgressions, that they have behaved 
 themselves proudly. 
 
 10. ^ He openeth also their ear to instruction, 
 
 ^ And commandeth that they return from iniquity. 
 
 11. If they hearken and serve him, 
 
 They shall spend their days in prosperity, 
 And their years in ^ pleasures. 
 
 12. ^ But if they hearken not, they shall perish by ® the 
 
 sword, 
 
 1 Gr. Sab. omit from this point through v. 9. 2 Gr. Sah. read this after v. 5. 
 
 s Gr. Sah. omit lob, 11. ^ m. Or, pleasantness. ^ Gr. Sah. have an entirely 
 
 different verse here as follows: For they seek not the knowledge of God, and when 
 hastened, they hearken not. ^ Syr. Abaddon, ra. Ot, weapons. 
 
 should place it. See note on v. 18. But with kings upon the 
 throne. These words introduce a new subject — that of the rule 
 of unjust kings. The line with vs. 8, 9 are lacking in the Greek 
 and Sahidic. They are a part of the interpolation on kings. 
 For a reconstruction of the whole interpolation see note on v. 13. 
 
 8. If they be bound in fetters. This refers to the kings. It is a 
 part of the interpolation. See note on v. 13, It probably should 
 follow 34: 33, to tell how God does actually punish a king, 
 
 9. He sheweth. The verse is part of the same interpolation. 
 For its connection, see note on v, 13. 
 
 10. He openeth their ear to instruction. Translate rather, 
 *' Through chastening he openeth their ear." The Greek and Sahidic 
 versions read this immediately after v. 5, which it naturally follows. 
 They followed the line by v. 6a, "But he granteth not life to the 
 wicked." This couplet is a part of the Elihu speech. See note on v. 
 18. And commandeth that they return from iniquity. The versions 
 quoted show that this is a part of the interpolation concerning 
 kings. It followed in its original setting 9b ; see note on v. 13, 
 
 11. If they hearken. This verse continues the thought of v. lob; 
 see note on v. 13. Pleasures. Read with the margin, "pleasantness." 
 
 12. But if they hearken not. This is a part of the inserted 
 
 274 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And they shall die without knowledge. 
 13. 1 But they that are godless in heart lay up anger : 
 
 They cry not for help when he bindeth them. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. omit v. 13. 
 
 poem on kings, connecting with v, 11. See note on v. 13. As 
 noted above, the Greek and Sahidic versions had a different verse 
 here and one which belongs to the Elihu speech. See the re- 
 construction in note on v. 18. By the sword. The Syriac ver- 
 sion reads "Abaddon," suggesting that we should read "in Sheol " 
 instead of "by the sword." 
 
 (2) A warning against sin, 36 : 13-21 [genuine parts] 
 
 13. But they that are godless. Translate rather, "For the 
 godless." The verse is omitted by the Greek and Sahidic ver- 
 sions, and forms the conclusion to the inserted poem on kings. 
 If the verses about kings in this chapter and 34 : 28-33 were 
 taken from the same poem, the poem might, perhaps, be re- 
 constructed as follows : 
 
 36 : 7bc. " But kings upon the throne — 
 
 Forever he setteth them and they are exalted. 
 
 34 : 28. One brings to him the cry of the weak. 
 The cry of the poor he hears. 
 
 29. When he is quiet, who may condemn? 
 When he hides his face, who can behold him? 
 Whether concerning a nation or a man it is the same ; 
 
 30. That the godless man should not reign, 
 Should not ensnare the people. 
 
 31. But say unto God, I endure, 
 I will not again commit sin. 
 
 32. If I have sinned, teach thou me. 
 
 If I have done wrong, I will not repeat it. 
 
 33. Shall he recompense him according to thy wish? 
 But thou refusest it? 
 
 Then shouldst thou choose not God? 
 What thou knowest, speak. 
 36 : 8. But if they be bound in fetters, 
 
 And taken in the cords of affliction ; 
 9. Then he phoweth them their work 
 
 And their transgressions, how they have puffed 
 themselves up, 
 lob. And commandeth that they turn from iniquity. 
 275 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 14. ^ They die in youth, 
 
 And their life perisheth ^ among the ^ unclean. 
 
 15. He delivereth the afflicted ^ by his affliction, 
 And openeth ^ their ear ^ in oppression. 
 
 16. Yea, he would ^ have led thee away ^ out of distress 
 
 1 m. Heb. Their soul dieth. '^Ta.xg. like. m. Or, like. ^ m. Or, sodomites. 
 
 See Deut. 23 : 17. * m. Or, in. ^ Vulg. his. ^ m. Or, by adversity. ^ Theod. Syr. 
 Vulg. Targ. Ar. lead thee out. m. Or, allured thee. ^ m. Heb. out of the mouth of. 
 
 36 : II. If they hearken and serve him, 
 
 They shall finish their days in prosperity, 
 And their years in pleasantness. 
 
 12. But if not, they pass to Sheol, 
 And perish without knowledge. 
 
 13. For the godless of heart lay up anger, 
 They cry not when he binds them." 
 
 One objection to such a reconstruction of the poem is that the 
 verses from ch. 34 presuppose but one king, while those from ch. 
 36 think of kings in general. It is possible, however, that a poet 
 might pass to the singular, to vividly illustrate by a definite in- 
 stance the ways of kings and to exhort an aggrieved subject, and 
 then return again to the general theme, to show how in the end 
 God brings the kings themselves to justice. Such a method 
 would in reality reenforce the exhortation to the aggrieved sub- 
 ject, by helping him to see that "judgment belongeth unto God." 
 Whether these verses ever formed one connected poem must be 
 left an open question, though it seems probable to the writer that 
 they did. 
 
 14. They die in youth. Read with the margin. "Their soul 
 perishes in youth." This verse continues the Elihu speech. For its 
 place in the address, see the reconstruction in note on v. 18. Un- 
 clean. Margin, " sodomites." The word means consecrated ones 
 and designated in the Semitic world those who were dedicated to the 
 service of social impurity in a temple. 
 
 15. He delivereth. The verse continues the thought of v. 14 
 and is part of the Elihu speech. By his affliction. This gives 
 the meaning. The marginal reading, while possible from the 
 Hebrew, is ruled out by the context. Their ear. Read with the 
 Vulgate, *'his ear." In oppression. Read with the margin, 
 "by adversity." Elihu is discoursing on the redemptive power of 
 misfortune and suffering. 
 
 16. Led thee away. The Hebrew is accurately represented by 
 
 276 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Into a broad place, where there is no straitness ; 
 And that which is set on thy table should be full 
 of fatness. 
 
 1 7. But thou ^ art full of the judgement of the wicked : 
 Judgement and justice take hold on thee. 
 
 18. 2 ;Because there is wrath, beware lest thou be 
 
 2 led away by thy sufficiency ; 
 Neither let the greatness of the ransom turn thee 
 aside. 
 
 1 m. Or, hast filled up. 2 Gr. Syr. Vulg. Sah. Eth. Ar. omit Because, m. Or, 
 
 For beware lest wrath lead thee away into mockery. ^ m. Or, allured. 
 
 the marginal reading "allured." The versions read "lead out,'* 
 which is much like the text of RV and which we should follow. 
 
 This verse is omitted by the primitive Greek, and the Sahidic 
 version. Instead of it they had with slight changes 6b and 7a 
 of our present Hebrew text, which fit in here admirably (see the 
 reconstruction in the note on v. 18). Verse 16 is probably a gloss, 
 inserted after the poem on kings was woven in, to make the 
 application to Job clear at this point. It is based on 6b and 7a, 
 but gives the thought a slightly different turn. 
 
 17. Thou art fiill of. This verse was omitted by the Greek 
 and Sahidic versions. It is a part of the same gloss as v. 16, 
 and like it is an address to Job. When this is recognized one must 
 interpret it with the text of RV and discard the marginal reading, 
 
 18. Because there is wrath. With the versions cited the 
 v/ord "because " should be omitted. By another slight change 
 in the text we should read, "Let not wrath seduce thee in chastise- 
 ment." The greatness of the ransom. The greatness of the 
 suffering by which the penitence of the soul has been wrought. 
 
 This verse is a part of the Elihu address. That address from^ v. 
 5 to the present point, after the interpolations are omitted to which 
 the ancient versions bear witness, and the rearrangement made 
 which those versions call for, is as follows: 
 
 36 : 5. "Behold God is mighty in strength, 
 He despiseth not the pure in heart. ^ 
 loa. Through chastening he openeth their ear, 
 6a. But giveth not life to the wicked; 
 Greek vs. 12. For they seek not the knowledge of God, 
 And by admonition learn not. 
 277 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 19. ^ Will thy 2 riches suffice, ^ that thou he not in distress, 
 Or all the forces of thy strength ? 
 
 20. ■* Desire not the right, 
 
 When peoples ^ are cut off in their place. 
 
 21. Take heed, regard not iniquity : 
 
 For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. 
 
 22. Behold, God doeth loftily in his power : 
 
 1 m. Or Will thy cry avail. 2 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. prayer. a m. Or, that 
 
 are without stint. ^ Gr. Sah. omit v. 20. ^ m. Heb. go up. 
 
 36 : 14. Their soul perishes in youth, 
 
 And their Hfe, with the unclean. 
 15. He deUvereth the afflicted by his affliction, 
 
 And openeth his ear by oppression. 
 6b. Judgment to the afflicted he giveth, 
 7a. He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous. 
 18. Let not wrath seduce thee in chastisement, 
 
 Nor greatness of ransom turn thee aside." 
 
 By this arrangement the clearness of thought is greatly improved. 
 
 19. Will thy riches suffice. The present text is difficult, and 
 out of harmony with the context. By a slight change in one of 
 the Hebrew letters the reading would be : 
 
 "Can he order thy salvation without distress? " 
 
 Such a reading continues the thought of v. 18 admirably, and 
 should be adopted. Thy strength. The word *' thy," which is 
 not in the Hebrew, should be omitted. The line continues the 
 question of the previous line, and "strength " is parallel to 
 "distress." 
 
 20. Desire not the right. The primitive Greek version sup- 
 ported by the Sahidic omits this verse. It interrupts the connec- 
 tion here and is probably a gloss. The thought of v. 19 is con- 
 tinued in V. 21. 
 
 21. Regard not iniquity. An exhortation based on vs. 18, 19, 
 and the preceding argument. This. Read instead with many 
 scholars, "iniquity." 
 
 (3) God is too great to he criticised, 36 : 22-33 [genuine parts] 
 
 22. Doeth loftily. Elihu begins here to set forth the ex- 
 altation and majesty of God, a theme which he pursues to the end 
 of his address. 
 
 278 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Who is ^ a teacher Hke unto him ? 
 
 23. Who hath enjoined him ^ his way ? 
 
 Or who can say, Thou hast wrought unrighteous- 
 ness? 
 
 24. Remember that thou magnify his work, 
 Whereof men have sung. 
 
 25. All men have looked thereon ; 
 Man beholdeth it afar off. 
 
 26. ^ Behold, God is great, and we know him not ; 
 The number of his years is unsearchable. 
 
 27. For he draweth up the drops of water, 
 Which * distil in rain ^ from ^ his vapour : 
 
 ^Gr.alord. ^ Gt. Sa.h. Eth. his work. « Gr. Sah. omit vs. 26, 27b, 28a. 
 
 * Theod. Targ. Eth. they are poured out. Vulg. he pours out. ^ m. Heb. belonging 
 to. 6 m. Or, the vapour thereof. 
 
 23. Who can say? Elihu believes none has a right to criticise 
 God, , because no one is above him. 
 
 24. Thou magnify. It is the duty of man to praise, rather 
 than to find fault. Men have sung. The chorus of praise was 
 already well begun by the poets in Elihu's time. 
 
 25. Afar off. The works of God are so obvious that all have 
 seen them; so great that they are visible from afar. 
 
 26. Behold, God is great. The underlying thought of this verse 
 is the same as that of v. 22. Some scholars have on that ac- 
 count omitted it. In reality it is the beginning of a series of in- 
 sertions of fragments of a poem on a thunder-storm — insertions 
 which the primitive Greek version, supported by the Sahidic, 
 omits ; see Introduction, p. 20. This poem was interwoven with 
 the Elihu speech because, like it, it magnified the work of God. 
 When this poem is omitted the original address of Elihu gains in 
 clearness and the poem itself resembles a psalm. For a recon- 
 struction of the poem, see note on 37 : 13. 
 
 27. For he draweth up the drops of water. Rather, "For he 
 restraineth." The Greek and Sahidic show that this is a part of 
 Elihu's address, and that the concluding line of the couplet now 
 forms the second line of v. 28. Which distil in rain. We should 
 read with the Vulgate, " Which he pours out as rain." The Greek 
 and Sahidic omit this line. It is part of the inserted poem of 
 the rain-storm. For its place in that poem see note on 37: 13. 
 
 279 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 28. Which the skies pour down 
 
 ^ And drop upon man abundantly. 
 
 29. 2 Yea, ^ can any understand the spreadings of the 
 
 clouds, 
 The thunderings of his pavilion ? 
 
 30. Behold, he spreadeth his Hght ^ around him ; 
 And he ^ covereth the bottom of the sea. 
 
 31. For by these he judgeth the peoples ; 
 
 1 Gr. 'Sah. Eth. And a cloud overshadows numberless men. 2 Gr. Sah. omit 
 
 vs. 29-32. 3 Syr. At. And who. Theod. Sym. Eth. the equality. * m. Or, 
 
 thereon. ^ m. Or, covereth it with the depths oj the sea. 
 
 28. Which the skies pour down. Translate rather ''drop 
 down" or "distil." By their omission of this line the same 
 versions testify that it is a part of the rain-storm poem. With 
 V. 27b it makes a complete parallelism. See note on 37 : 13. 
 And drop upon man abundantly. The versions cited show that 
 this line was a part of EHhu's address and that it originally ran, 
 "And a cloud o'ershadows many men." As the line completes 
 the parallelism beginning with 27a that reading must be adopted. 
 The change to the present reading was made to harmonize the 
 line with 28a. The couplet restored is : 
 
 27a. "He restraineth the drops of water ; 
 28b. His cloud o'ershadows many men." 
 
 29. Yea, can any understand. Read with the versions cited, 
 "And who can understand." The omission of vs. 29-32 by the 
 Greek and Sahidic shows that they are a part of the poem on the 
 rain-storm; see note on 37 : 13 for their place in it. 
 
 30. Around him. Read with the margin, "thereon " or "upon 
 it." The reference is to the "clouds" of v. 29. Bottom of^ the 
 sea. This is impossible. The bottom of the sea, as the margin of 
 RV recognizes, has nothing to do with the thunder-cloud. We 
 should probably, as Duhm has suggested, make a slight change 
 in the Hebrew and read, " He covereth the tops of the mountains." 
 
 31. Judgeth the peoples. As the text stands the verse is an 
 antithetic parallelism, the first line stating that by storms God 
 sends judgments, and the second that the rains are the means 
 of food supply. It is, perhaps, better to change with some 
 scholars a single letter of the Hebrew and read : 
 
 "For by these he fills peoples, 
 He gives food in abundance." 
 280 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 He giveth meat in abundance. 
 
 32. He covereth his hands with the ^ lightning ; 
 And giveth it a charge ^ that it strike the mark. 
 
 33. 3 The noise thereof telle th concerning ^ him, 
 
 The cattle also concerning ^ the storm that cometh up. 
 37. At this also my heart tremble th, 
 And is moved out of its place. 
 2. ^ Hearken ^ ye unto the noise of his voice, 
 
 1 m. Heb. light. 2 m. Or, against the assailant. 3 Gr. Sah. had for v. 33, 
 
 He appointeth a time for cattle; they know the place of their lying dornn. * m. Or, it. 
 B m. Or, him. « Gr. Sah. omit vs. 2-5a. ^ Theod. Syr. Eth. thou. 
 
 Reference to the more terrible aspects of the storm would then 
 begin in v. 32. * 
 
 32. He covereth his hands with the lightning. A very vivid 
 figure ; God wraps the lightning about his hands that he may 
 hurl it with sure aim. Strike the mark. Read as the text does, 
 ignoring the margin. Shooting at a target was a worthy sport 
 for an Egyptian prince (afterward Thothmes IV) in the fifteenth 
 century B.C. From such sport the figure is taken. 
 
 33. The noise thereof . . . the cattle. The two parts of this 
 verse are incongruous, and no satisfactory interpretation of it 
 as it stands has been suggested. The primitive Greek and Sahidic 
 versions read it in quite a different form after v. 28b, thus : 
 
 " He appointeth a time for cattle, 
 They know the place of their lying down." 
 
 The present corruption of the verse was, no doubt, brought 
 about in order to bring it into harmony with the insertion from 
 the rain-storm poem. For its original connection, see note on 
 37: 12. 
 
 (4) Elihu trembles at the thought of God's greatness, 37 : 1-13 
 [genuine parts] 
 
 1. At this also my heart trembleth. This verse belongs to the 
 speech of Elihu. Before the interpolation of the poem on the 
 thunder-storm it was followed immediately by v. 5b, to which 
 it directly points. Elihu's heart trembled, not at what he had 
 just described, but at that which he was about to portray. For 
 a reconstruction of that picture as it was originally drawn, see 
 note on v. 12. 
 
 2. Hearken ye unto the noise of his voice. The Sahidic and 
 
 281 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And the ^ sound that goeth out of his mouth. 
 
 3. He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, 
 And his ^ Hghtning unto the ^ ends of the earth. 
 
 4. After it ^ a voice roareth ; 
 
 He thundereth with the voice of his majesty : 
 And he stayeth them not when his voice is heard. 
 
 5. God thundereth marvellously with his voice ; 
 Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. 
 
 6. For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth ; 
 ^ Likewise to the shower of rain, 
 
 1 m. Or, muttering. ^ m. Heb. light. ' m. Heb. skirts.' < 2 Heb. MSS. his voice. 
 » Syr. At. have for the rest of the verse simply, the rain and his mighty storm. 
 
 primitive Greek versions show that this verse is a part of the poem 
 on the thunder-storm, as are vs. 3-5a. It followed 36 : 32 ; 
 see note on v. 13 below. The words are descriptive of the 
 thunder, which is often called in the Old Testament the "voice of 
 Jehovah." 
 
 3. Under the whole heaven. A vivid description of the seem- 
 ing extent of the lightning's flash. 
 
 4. A voice. Read with two Hebrew manuscripts, "his voice." 
 He stayeth them not. As the text stands it is not clear to what 
 "them" referred. Originally v. 6b probably formed a conclud- 
 ing line which connected directly with v. 4, the two lines probably 
 reading (see notes on vs. 5, 6) : 
 
 "And he stayeth them not when his voice is heard — 
 The rain and his mighty storm." 
 
 5. God thundereth marvellously with his voice. Scholars 
 have pretty generally recognized that this is a gloss on v. 4. 
 It was added probably after the interpolation of the psalm on 
 the storm. It belongs neither to that psalm nor to the speech 
 of Elihu. Great things doeth he. The Sahidic and Greek 
 versions show that this connects directly with v. i as a part of 
 Elihu's address. It is the beginning of the statement of the 
 reasons why Elihu trembles. See note on v. 12. Which we 
 cannot comprehend. The Hebrew is literally, "And we do not 
 know." 
 
 6. For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth. As the 
 same versions show, this is a part of Elihu's speech, and completes 
 the couplet begun in v. 5b. Likewise to the shower of rain. 
 
 282 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And to the showers of his mighty rain. 
 
 7. He sealeth up the hand of every man ; 
 
 That all men whom he hath made may know it. 
 
 8. Then the beasts go into coverts, 
 And remain in their dens. 
 
 9. Out of ^ the chamber of the south cometh the storm: 
 And cold out of the ^ north. 
 
 10. By the breath of God ice is given: 
 
 And the breadth of the waters is ^ straitened. 
 
 11. ^ Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture ; 
 
 1 m. See 9:9. "^ ra. Heb. scattering winds. ^ m. Qr, congealed. * Gr. Sah. 
 omit V. II and i2ab. 
 
 There is unpoetical repetition in the last two lines of the verse. 
 We should read with the Syriac and Arabic versions, simply: 
 
 "The rain and his mighty storm." 
 
 This line forms the conclusion of v. 4 and is a part of the psalm 
 of the rain-storm. See notes on vs. 4 and 13. 
 
 7. He sealeth up the hand of every man. This is a very 
 curious statement, and without meaning. With several scholars 
 we should read, changing one Hebrew letter, "On every man he 
 setteth a seal." The seal is the snow which surrounds the dwell- 
 ings of men, and interrupts their activities. Verses 7-10 form 
 part of Elihu's address. See note on v. 12, Whom he hath 
 made. It is better to render simply, "may know his work." 
 
 8. Go into coverts. Snow hampers the movements of animals 
 as well as of men. 
 
 9. Of the south. This is not in the Hebrew. It is doubt- 
 fully supplied from 9:9. North. As the margin tells us,^ the 
 Hebrew word means simply "scatterings," to which the Revisers 
 added "winds." It is better with a number of scholars to make 
 the slightest change in one Hebrew letter and read "granaries." 
 The idea then is that God keeps his storms in chambers and his 
 cold in granaries and brings them out as he sees fit. 
 
 10. Straitened. Read with the margin, "congealed." The 
 winds are figuratively described as the breath of God. Verses 
 9, 10 continue the discourse of Elihu; see note on v. 12. 
 
 11. He ladeth the thick cloud. The Sahidic and primitive 
 Greek versions omit this verse and the first two lines of v. 12, show- 
 
 283 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his ^ lightning: 
 12. And it is turned round about by his guidance, 
 
 That they may do whatsoever he commandeth 
 
 them 
 Upon the face of the habitable world : 
 
 1 m. Heb. light. 
 
 ing that they formed part of the psalm on the thunder-storm; 
 cf. note on V. 13. With moisture. The Hebrew word used here is 
 very unusual, if not impossible. It is better to suppose with 
 Budde that it is a part of the word for lightning, the end of which 
 was accidentally erased. Lightning. Read with the margin 
 "light." 
 
 12. And it is turned round about. The translation of the 
 Revisers regards the verse as consisting of three lines, whereas it 
 consists of four, thus : 
 
 "And it is turned round about, 
 By his guidance to work. 
 All this he commands 
 On the face of the earthly world." 
 
 Of these four lines the first two belonged, according to the Greek 
 and Sahidic versions, to the rain-storm poem (see note on v. 13), 
 the last two formed the conclusion of this part of Elihu's address. 
 Elihu's address, then, when the rain-storm poem is omitted, 
 may be reconstructed from 36 : 25 as follows : 
 
 36 : 25. " All men have looked thereon, 
 Man beholdeth it from afar. 
 27a. For he restraineth the drops of water, 
 28b. His cloud o'ershadows many men. 
 33. He appointeth a time for cattle, 
 
 They know the place of their lying down. 
 37 :i. At this also my heart trembles, 
 
 "And is moved out of its place. 
 Sb. Great things doeth he and we know them not, 
 6a. For he saith to the snow, ' Fall earthward.' 
 
 7. On every man he setteth a seal, 
 That all men may know his doing. 
 
 8. Then the beasts go into coverts. 
 And remain in their dens. 
 
 9. Out of the chamber cometh the storm, 
 And from the granaries, the cold. 
 
 284 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 37 : I4 
 
 13. 1 Whether it be for correction, or for his ^ land, 
 Or for mercy, that he cause it to come. 
 
 14. Hearken unto this, O Job : 
 
 Gr. and Sah. omit v. 13. ^ na. Or, earth. 
 
 37 : 10. By the breath of God ice is given, 
 
 And the breadth of the waters is congealed. 
 i2cd. All this he commands 
 
 On the face of the earthly world." 
 
 13. Or for his land. "Or" should be omitted here. We 
 should read the line, "Whether for correction on his land." The 
 Greek and Sahidic versions show that this verse was a part of the 
 psalm of the rain-storm — in fact, its concluding couplet. That 
 psalm when put together reads as follows : 
 
 36 : 26. " Behold God is great; we know him not; 
 The number of his years is unsearchable. 
 27b. He pours out rain as his mist, 
 28a. Which the clouds distil, 
 
 29. And who can understand the spreading of the 
 
 clouds, 
 The thunderings of his pavilion? 
 
 30. Behold on it he spreads his light, ^ 
 He covers the tops of the mountains. 
 
 31. For by these he fills peoples ; 
 He gives food in abundance. 
 
 32. He covereth his hands with the lightning, 
 He commands it to hit the mark. 
 
 37:2. Hearken to the noise of his voice, 
 
 And the sound going out of his mouth. 
 
 3. Under the whole heaven he sends it. 
 And his light to the ends of the earth. 
 
 4. After it his voice roareth, 
 
 With the voice of his majesty he thunders ; 
 
 And he stayeth them not when his voice is heard. 
 6b. The rain and his mighty storm. 
 II. Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with lightning, 
 
 He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his light. 
 i2ab. And is turned round about, 
 
 By his guidance to work, 
 13. Whether for judgment on his land, 
 
 Or in mercy he command it." 
 285 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. 
 
 15. Dost thou know ^how God layeth his charge upon 
 
 them, 
 And causeth the ^ Hghtning of his cloud to shine ? 
 
 16. Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, 
 
 The wondrous works of him which is perfect in 
 knowledge ? 
 
 17. ^ How thy garments are warm, 
 
 ^ When the earth is still by reason of the south wind? 
 
 18. Canst thou with him spread out the sky, 
 Which is strong as a molten mirror ? 
 
 19. Teach ^ us what we shall say unto him ; 
 
 For we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. how God accomplishes his works. « m. Heb. light. ^ m. Or, 
 
 Thou whose garments are b'c. * m. Or, When he quieteth the earth by the south wind. 
 » 25 Heb. MSS. Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. me. 
 
 (5) Let Job consider God's work in the heavens, 37 : 14-18 
 
 14. Consider the wondrous works of God. Having told Job 
 in vs. 1-12 [genuine portions] how the great manifestations of 
 God in nature impressed him, Elihu asks Job to consider them 
 especially. 
 
 15. Layeth his charge upon them. Read with the versions 
 cited, "how God accomphshes his works." 
 
 16. Balancings. Rather the poising of the clouds in the sky, 
 where, though laden with moisture, they float without support. 
 
 17. How thy garments are warm. Read with the margin, 
 "Thou whose garments are warm." The verse is a very vivid 
 touch, revealing actual experience of a sirocco. One's very gar- 
 ments are hot, and the heat quiets all activities. 
 
 18. Strong as a molten mirror. The reference is to the Hebrew 
 and Babylonian conception of the sky as a solid, overarching 
 vault, in which the stars were fixed and which supported a celestial 
 ocean; cf. Gen. 1:6, 7, 14-16. 
 
 (6) How shall one address a being so great? 37 : 19-24 
 
 19. Teach us. Read with the authorities cited, "Teach me." 
 Elihu is overawed by the instances which he has cited. Dark- 
 ness. Mental darkness or ignorance. 
 
 286 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. Shall it be told him that I would speak ? 
 
 1 Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up ? 
 
 21. And now men ^ see not the light which is bright 
 
 in the skies: 
 But the wind passeth, and cleanseth them. 
 
 22. Out of the north cometh ^ golden splendour : 
 God hath upon him terrible majesty. 
 
 23. r6>Mc^mg the Almighty, we cannot find him out; 
 
 he is excellent in power : 
 And ^ in judgement and plenteous justice he will 
 not afflict. 
 
 1 m. Or, // a man speak, surely he sftall be swallowed up. * m. Or, cannot look on 
 
 the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind hath passed and cleansed them. ' m. 
 Heb. gold. * m. Or, to judgement . . . he doeth no violence. 
 
 20. Should a man wish that he were swallowed up ? Read 
 with the margin, "If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed 
 up." God is so great that Elihu would not think of intimating 
 that he wished to speak to him, declaring that, if one should 
 actually speak, he would be destroyed. The reference is to Job's 
 oft-expressed wish to speak to God. 
 
 21. See not the light. Read with the margin, "cannot look 
 upon the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind hath 
 passed and cleansed them." Elihu means that men cannot look 
 even on the brilliance of the cloudless skies, how much less on God ! 
 
 22. Golden splendor. As the margin tells us, the Hebrew 
 has simply "gold." We should, however, change a single letter 
 of it and read "brightness." The reference is probably to the 
 aurora borealis. In post-Exilic times the Hebrews believed that 
 the home of God was in the north, and the aurora may well have 
 been regarded as a splendor issuing forth from God. 
 
 23. Touching the Almighty. Neither the text nor margin of 
 RV is satisfactory. The Hebrew has three lines and should be 
 rendered thus : 
 
 "The Almighty — we cannot find him; 
 He abounds in strength and justice ; 
 And abundant righteousness he will not violate." 
 
 The last clause refers to Job's complaints that God has dealt 
 harshly with him. 
 
 287 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 24. Men do therefore fear him : 
 
 He regardeth not any that are wise of heart. 
 
 V. Jehovah's Address and the Final Colloquy be- 
 tween Jehovah and Job, 38 : 1-42 : 6 
 
 I. The Great Address of Jehovah, 38 : 1-40 : 2 
 38. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, 
 and said, 
 
 2. Who is this that darkeneth counsel 
 By words without knowledge ? 
 
 3. Gird up now thy loins ^ Uke a man ; 
 
 1 1 Heb. MS. Syr. Ar. like a mighty man. 
 
 24. Men do therefore fear him. This Elihu regards as the 
 correct attitude. Regardeth not . . . wise of heart. He pays no 
 attention to those who are conceited enough to think they know 
 better than he does. 
 
 (i) Jehovah challenges Job's attention, 38 : 1-3 
 
 1. Then the Lord answered Job. With this verse the work of 
 the original poet is resumed, these words connecting directly 
 with 31 : 40. The vigorous poetry which follows in chs. 
 38, 39 is in delightful contrast to that of the Elihu writers. The 
 great author of Job reserved his finest flight for Jehovah's ad- 
 dress. In chs. 29-31 Job's thought had centred on his relation 
 to God. All other problems had fallen into the background. 
 The address of Jehovah solves for him the problem of this re- 
 lationship, not by what Jehovah says, grand as that is, but by 
 personal contact with Jehovah himself. Whirlwind. Better, 
 "storm." The poet employs even here the old Hebrew idea 
 that God both reveals and veils himself in the storm-cloud. 
 
 2. Who is this. As v. i shows, the reference is to Job. If chs. 
 32-37 were an original part of the poem, the reference should be 
 to Elihu. Words without knowledge. Job had criticised the 
 order of life and God's dealings with him as though he understood 
 everything. The first lesson he must be taught was one of 
 humility. His knowledge was not unlimited. 
 
 3. Gird up thy loins. Job is scornfully invited to the contest he 
 has so often demanded. Like a man. Read with the authorities 
 cited, "like a mighty man " or "like a man of war." 
 
 288 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto 
 me. 
 
 4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of 
 
 the earth ? 
 Declare \ if thou hast understanding. 
 
 5. Who determined the measures thereof, 2 if thou 
 
 knowest ? 
 Or who stretched the line upon it ? 
 
 6. Whereupon were the ^ foundations thereof ^ fast- 
 
 ened? 
 Or who laid the corner stone thereof ; 
 
 7. When the morning stars sang together. 
 And all the sons of God shouted for joy ? 
 
 1 m. Heb. if thou knowest understanding. 2 m. Or, seeing. s m. Heb. sockets. 
 
 * m. Heb. made to sink. 
 
 (2) Where was Job when the foundations of the world were laid? 
 38: 4-15 
 
 4. Where wast thou. Of course there was but one answer ; 
 Job did not yet exist. This is the first of a series of ironical 
 questions intended to make Job realize his insignificance and 
 ignorance. 
 
 5. If thou knowest. Margin, "seeing thou knowest." Ren- 
 der "for thou knowest." The statement is a fine bit of irony. 
 It brings into strong relief Job's ignorance of these matters. 
 
 6. Foundations. Literally "bases " or "sockets." In these 
 the pillars which supported the world (cf. 9 : 6 and note) were 
 supposed to rest. These bases apparently rested on nothing, 
 cf. 26 : 7 and note. 
 
 7. Morning stars sang. In the heathen world stars and gods 
 were associated ; here stars and angels. They are "morning 
 stars " because the earth's foundations were laid in the morning 
 of the world. The allusion to singing is a mythological one, and, 
 like the references to leviathan in 3 : 8 and to Rahab in 9 : 13 
 and 26 : 12, shows the influence of the Babylonian Creation myth. 
 In that myth the gods raised a hymn of praise to Marduk when 
 Marduk had completed the creation of the world; see L. W. 
 King's Seven Tablets of Creation. Vol. I, p. 72 ff. Sons of God. 
 Beings of the divine class, or angels. See note on i : 6. 
 
 u 289 
 
38:8 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 8. Or who shut up the sea with doors, 
 
 When it brake forth ^, as if it had issued out of the 
 womb; 
 
 9. When I made the cloud the garment thereof, 
 And thick darkness a swaddhng band for it, 
 
 10. And ^ prescribed for it ^ my ^ decree, 
 And set bars and doors, 
 
 11. And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no 
 
 further ; 
 And here shall ^ thy proud waves be stayed ? 
 
 12. ^ Hast thou commanded the morning since thy 
 
 days began, 
 And caused the day spring to know its place ; 
 
 13. That it might take hold of the ends of the earth. 
 And the wicked be shaken out of it ? 
 
 1 m. Or, and issued. ^ Qj-_ gyr gah. Eth. Ar. / established, m. Heb. brake. 
 
 « Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. a decree. * m. Or, boundary. « Gr. Sah. Eth. the 
 
 pride oj thy waves be broken. ^ Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Is it from thee I have commanded. 
 
 8. Shut up the sea with doors. Again an allusion to theBaby- 
 lonian Creation myth. For the way in which Marduk, in whose 
 place Jehovah is here put, closed the door against the destructive 
 waters of the primal sea, cf. the quotation from the Babylonian 
 poem given above in note on 26: 13. Issued out of the womb. 
 Descriptive of the onrush of the destructive waters. It is better 
 to read with the margin, "and issued," for the next verse shows 
 that the figure is changed and the poet suddenly represents the 
 day of creation as the birthday of the sea. 
 
 9. Garment . . . swaddling band. The clothing of the new- 
 born sea — a beautiful poetic metaphor. 
 
 10. Bars and doors. Again a mythological allusion ; see note 
 on 26 : 13. 
 
 11. Thy proud waves be stayed. Read with the versions cited, 
 "the pride of thy waves be broken." 
 
 12. Commanded the morning. That it may know what time 
 each day to appear. Know its place. In the sky, i.e. on the 
 eastern horizon. 
 
 13. The wicked be shaken out of it. As one shakes dust out of 
 a garment. For the way the wicked avoid the light, see 24 : 13-17. 
 
 290 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 38:19 
 
 14. It is changed as clay under the seal ; 
 And all things stand forth ^ as a garment : 
 
 15. And from the wicked their light is withholden, 
 And the high arm is broken. 
 
 16. Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? 
 Or hast thou walked in the ^ recesses of the deep ? 
 
 17. Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee ? 
 ^ Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of 
 
 death ? 
 
 18. Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth ? 
 Declare, if thou knowest ^ it all. 
 
 19. Where is the way to the dwelling of light, 
 
 And as for darkness, where is the place thereof; 
 
 , 1 m. Or, as in a garment. 2 ra. Or, search. ' Gr. Sah. Eth. And have the 
 
 porters oj the shadow of death seen thee? * Gr. Sah. Eth. how great. 
 
 14. And all things stand forth. Perhaps by a slight change 
 of the Hebrew letters we should read "And be variegated." As 
 a garment. The text is to be preferred to the marginal reading. 
 
 15. The high arm is broken. Because their power lies in darkness. 
 
 (3) Does Job know the secrets of the earth? 38 : 16-30 
 
 16. Springs of the sea. The fountains of the great deep, 
 which led from the supposed subterranean ocean ; see Gen. 7 : 
 11; 8:2. 
 
 17. The gates of death. Sheol lay below the sea (see note on 
 26 : 5). It was natural therefore to mention it next after the sea. 
 The gates of the shadow of death. Probably we should read with 
 the versions cited, "Have the porters of the shadow of death 
 seen thee? " Probably an allusion to the "scorpion men," etc., 
 who in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic guard the way to the 
 underworld. The thought then is that Job has not been even 
 in sight of the porters of Sheol, so he can know nothing of that 
 which lies beyond. 
 
 18. Breadth. From depth God passes to breadth. The earth 
 was considered flat. It all. Read with the versions, "Declare 
 if thou knowest how great." The breadth of the earth surpassed 
 Job's knowledge as much as did the depths of Sheol. 
 
 19. Light . . . darkness. Considered here as physical entities 
 with local habitations. 
 
 291 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 20. That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, 
 And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the 
 
 house thereof ? 
 
 2 1 . Doubtless, ^ thou knowest, for thou wast then born, 
 And the number of thy days is great ! 
 
 22. Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, 
 Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, 
 
 23. Which I have reserved against the time of trouble. 
 Against the day of battle and war ? 
 
 24. 2 By what way is the ^ light parted, 
 
 Or the east wind scattered upon the earth ? 
 
 25. Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood. 
 Or a way for the lightning of the thunder ; 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. / know. 2 m. Or, Which is the way to the place where the light 
 
 is &•€. 3 Gr. Sah. Eth. mist. 
 
 20. Discern the paths to the house thereof. As several 
 scholars have noted, a slight change in the Hebrew would enable 
 us to read, "bring it to the paths of its house," which would give 
 a much better parallelism with the preceding line. 
 
 21. Thou knowest. Again we have cutting irony. The ver- 
 sions quoted apparently thought it too bold and changed the verb 
 to the first person. 
 
 22. Treasuries. Compare 37:9 and note. Here the thought 
 is similar. God keeps his marvellous snow in treasuries and 
 brings it out at will. Treasuries of the hail. Some scholars 
 would change two Hebrew letters and read "treasurers of the 
 hail." It would make better poetry, and finds analogy in Ethi- 
 opic Enoch, ch. 60, where different spirits preside over, guard, and 
 direct each physical phenomenon. 
 
 23. Against the time of trouble. Hail is frequently mentioned 
 as an instrument of divine judgment and warfare; see Josh. 
 10:11; Ps. 18:12, 13; Isa. 28:17; 30:30; Eze. 13 : 13. 
 
 24. Light parted. Read with the versions cited, "the mist 
 allotted." Light has been treated above. 
 
 25. Waterflood. The rain, which was supposed to come 
 through a "channel " from an ocean above the sky, cf. Gen. 7 : 
 11; 8:2. Way for the lightning. God has ordained the track 
 of the lightning also. This line was borrowed by the interpola- 
 tor of 28 : 26. 
 
 292 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 38:31 
 
 26. To cause it to rain on a land where no man is ; 
 On the wilderness, wherein there is no man ; 
 
 27. To satisfy the waste and desolate ground; 
 
 And to cause the ^ tender grass to spring forth ? 
 
 28. Hath the rain a father ? 
 
 Or who hath begotten the drops of dew ? 
 
 29. Out of whose womb came the ice ? 
 
 And the hoary frost of heaven, who hath ^ gen- 
 dered it ? 
 
 30. The waters ^ are hidden as with stone 
 And the face of the deep ^ is frozen. 
 
 31. Canst thou bind the ^ cluster of the Pleiades, 
 
 > 1 m. Or, greensward. ^ m. Or, given it birth. * m. Or, are congealed like 
 
 stone. * m. Heb. cohereth. * m. Or, chain, or, sweet influences. 
 
 26. Where no man is. Such is God's bounty that he does 
 not confine his rain to inhabited regions as a man would. 
 
 27. Tender grass. The margin renders "greensward," but it 
 is better with several scholars to make a slight change in the 
 Hebrew and read, ''And to cause the thirsty land to bring forth 
 grass." 
 
 28. Dew. To the ancients this seemed kindred to the rain, 
 but was a still greater mystery because it came without clouds. 
 
 29. Gendered it. Read with the margin, " hath given it 
 birth." 
 
 30. Hidden . . . frozen. As the verse stands the first line is 
 unintelligible. The waters cannot be said by freezing to hide 
 themselves like stone. With several scholars we should trans- 
 pose the verbs and read : 
 
 "The waters are frozen like stone 
 And the face of the deep is hidden." 
 
 (4) Does J oh control the constellations? 38 : 31-3S 
 
 31. Canst thou. Better " Didst thou." Cluster. Read with 
 the first margin, "chain." Pleiades. The Hebrew word de- 
 notes a constellation, but whether Pleiades or Canis Major (i.e. 
 the star Sirius) is in doubt. As the next line mentions Orion, 
 the hunter, "the chain " might well be that which binds the dog- 
 
 293 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or loose the ^ bands of Orion ? 
 
 32. Canst thou lead forth ^ the Mazzaroth in their 
 
 season ? 
 Or canst thou ^ guide ^ the Bear with her ^ train ? 
 
 33. Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? 
 Canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the 
 
 earth ? 
 
 34. Canst thou Uft up thy voice to the clouds, 
 That abundance of waters ^ may cover thee ? 
 
 35. Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, 
 And say unto thee, Here we are ? 
 
 36. Who hath put wisdom in the ^ inward parts ? 
 Or who hath given understanding to the ^ mind ? 
 
 * Syr. At. Eth. way. Vulg. Sah. circle. Gr. hedge. 2 m. Or, the signs of (he Zodiac. 
 * Syr. Vulg. At. cause to rise. * Gr. Aq. the evening star. ^ m. Heb. sons. * Gr. 
 OLat. Sah. Eth. shall answer thee. ^ m. Or, dark clouds. * Sym. Syr. Ar. the fool. 
 m. Or, meteor. 
 
 Star to the hunter. Bands of Orion. The reading "bands" 
 is uncertain, as the versions cited show. If we read " way " with 
 the Syriac, etc., the meaning would be "Canst thou change his 
 course? " If we read "circle," the thought is, "Didst thou loose 
 his girdle? " 
 
 32. Mazzaroth. The interpretation of the margin, "signs of 
 the Zodiac," is very doubtful. The Hebrew treats the word 
 as a singular, and it is probably the name of some star or con- 
 stellation, but which we cannot now determine. Guide the 
 Bear with her train. The Bear is a well-known constellation ; 
 see note on 9:9. Perhaps we gain a stronger meaning here, if, 
 on the basis of the versions cited, we read : 
 
 "Canst thou cause Vesperus to rise with her sons? " 
 
 33. Knowest thou. As some scholars have suggested, we 
 should slightly change the Hebrew pointing and read, "Dost thou 
 cause the heavens to know laws? " i.e. Dost thou teach the laws 
 of movement to these heavenly bodies? 
 
 34. Cover thee. A clearer thought and better poetry is ob- 
 tained, if we read with the versions as above, "answer thee." 
 
 36. Inward parts. Read with the margin, "dark clouds," or 
 with some scholars, "cloud layers." In this context reference to 
 mental powers is out of place. Mind. Symmachus and others 
 
 294 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 37. Who can ^ number the clouds by wisdom ? 
 Or who can ^ pour out the bottles of heaven, 
 
 38. When the dust runneth into a mass, 
 And the clods cleave fast together ? 
 
 39. Wilt thou hunt the prey for the Honess ? 
 Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 
 
 40. When they couch in their dens. 
 
 And abide in the covert to he in wait ? 
 
 41. Who provideth for the raven his food, 
 When his young ones cry unto God, 
 A?id ^ wander for lack of meat ? 
 
 39. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the 
 
 rock bring forth ? 
 
 1 Aq. (Syr. Hex.) break. 2 m. Heb. cause to lie down. ^ Syr. Ar. grow weary. 
 
 read "fool," which happens in Hebrew to have the same form as 
 the word rendered "Orion" in v. 31 and in 9 : 9. Probably, 
 therefore, the name of some constellation stood here, but we cannot 
 tell what it was. Some think of " meteor," as the margin suggests; 
 others, of the aurora. These were either thought to have intelli- 
 gence or as means of prognostication to convey intelligence to men. 
 
 37. Number. Read with Aquila, "break." It makes a better 
 parallelism with the next line. 
 
 38. When the dust runneth into a mass. This portrays the 
 effect of rain upon the earth. 
 
 (5) Does Job care for the various wild animals? 38 : 39-39 : 30 
 
 39. Hunt the prey for the lioness. Having by skilful ques- 
 tioning reminded Job of his powerlessness to control the heavenly 
 marvels, Jehovah begins now to exhibit in the same way his 
 powerlessness to control the wonders of the nearer and more 
 familiar animal Ufe upon the earth. The lion, the king of beasts, 
 is mentioned first. 
 
 41. Raven. A bird is next taken for illustration. We have 
 not a scientific list, but poetic variety. Wander. Read with the 
 versions cited, "grow weary." Nestlings do not wander, but from 
 lack of food their cries may become faint. 
 
 I. Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock 
 bring forth ? The word for goats is in the Hebrew masculine, and 
 the line as it stands is identical with v. 2b. Probably we should 
 
 295 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve ? 
 
 2. Canst thou number the months that they fulfil ? 
 ^ Or knowest thou the time when they bring forth ? 
 
 3. They bow themselves, they bring forth their young, 
 They cast out their sorrows. 
 
 4. Their young ones are ^ in good liking, they grow 
 
 up in the open field ; 
 They go forth, and ^ return not again. 
 
 5. Who hath sent out the wild ass free ? 
 
 Or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass ? 
 
 6. Whose house I have made the wilderness. 
 And the salt land his dwelling place. 
 
 7. He scorneth the tumult of the city. 
 
 Neither heareth he the shoutings of the ^ driver. 
 
 8. ^ The range of the mountains is his pasture. 
 And he searcheth after every green thing. 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. Or dost thou loosen their birth-pangs f 2 Theod. Sym. Vulg. Eth. 
 
 are scattered (or cast out) . » m. Or, return not unto them. * m. Or, taskmaster. 
 
 « Theod. Vulg. Targ. Eth. He spies out. 
 
 with Duhm read, "Dost thou teach the wild rock-goats heat? " 
 The second line would then follow naturally. The rock-goat or 
 ibex is very shy. 
 
 2. Knowest thou the time. Job is ignorant of many details 
 of animal life, which God in his wisdom has ordered and which 
 God follows with sympathetic intelligence. 
 
 3. Cast out their sorrows. God has tenderly provided that 
 their maternal pains shall be short. 
 
 4. Are in good liking. Read with the versions, "are cast out " 
 or "become separated." Return not again. Read with the mar- 
 gin, "return not unto them." The early age at which they be- 
 come independent is a wise provision of God's. 
 
 5. Wild ass free. A supreme example of a lover of liberty, in 
 striking contrast to his drudge of a brother — the domesticated ass. 
 
 6. Wilderness. The land "where no man is " (38 : 26) — the 
 ideal home for a wild animal, 
 
 8. The range of the mountains. Read with the versions cited, 
 by changing one vowel in the Hebrew, "He spies out the moun- 
 tains as his pasture." 
 
 296 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. Will the ^ wild-ox be content to serve thee ? 
 
 Or will he abide by thy crib ? 
 
 10. ^ Canst thou bind the wild-ox with his band in 
 
 the furrow ? 
 Or will he harrow ^ the valleys after thee ? 
 
 1 1 . Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great ? 
 Or wilt thou leave to him thy labour ? 
 
 12. Wilt thou confide in him, that he will bring home 
 
 thy seed. 
 And gather the corn of thy threshing-floor ? 
 
 13. ^ The wing of the ostrich rejoiceth ; 
 But are her pinions and feathers ^ kindly ? 
 
 14. For she leaveth her eggs on the earth, 
 
 1 m. See Num. 23 : 22. 2 Qr. Syr. Eth. Ar. Canst thou hind his neck with thongs? 
 » Gr. OLat. Eth. thy furrows. * Gr. omits vs. 13-18, the description of the ostrich. 
 6 Sym. like the great owl's, m . Or, like the stork's. 
 
 g. Wild-ox. The Hebrew word is the same here as the As- 
 syrian for "wild-ox." Assyrian sculptures picture him as a huge 
 animal of the bovine variety, belonging to a species now extinct. 
 Tiglathpileser I about iioo b.c. regarded it as a great feat to 
 have killed four of them, and later Assyrian kings used the phrase 
 "overran his land like a wild-ox " as a synonym for great destruc- 
 tive power. In the light of these facts the question in our verse 
 is most significant. 
 
 10. The wild-ox. The versions show that this has been 
 wrongly repeated from v. 9. We gain a much better verse if 
 we read with the versions cited : 
 
 "Canst thou bind with thongs his neck? 
 Or will he harrow thy furrows after thee? " 
 
 13. Are her pinions and feathers kindly? Symmachus read, 
 "like the great owl's," and the margin suggests, "like the stork's." 
 Ley would change the text and read "Are its pinions and feathers 
 too short? " If we keep the text as it stands, the explanation 
 is found in Lam. 4:3, where Israel is said to be cruel because, 
 like the ostrich, she refuses to give shelter to her young. The 
 stork was called "kindly," because she fondly brooded her young. 
 That contrast is here suggested. 
 
 14. Leaveth her eggs. It was formerly believed that the 
 ostrich did not sit upon her eggs at all, but that is only partially 
 
 297 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And warmeth them in the dust, 
 
 15. And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, 
 Or that the wild beast may trample them. 
 
 16. She ^ is hardened against her young ones, as if 
 
 they were not hers : 
 Though her labour be in vain, she is without fear ; 
 
 17. Because God hath ^ deprived her of wisdom. 
 Neither hath he imparted to her understanding. 
 
 18. What time she ^ lifteth up herself on high. 
 She scorneth the horse and his rider. 
 
 19. Hast thou given the horse his might ? 
 
 Hast thou clothed his neck with ^ the quivering mane ? 
 
 20. Hast thou made him to leap as a locust ? 
 
 1 m. Or, dealeth hardly with. 2 m. Heb. made her to forget wisdom. * m. Or, 
 
 rouseth herself to flight. * m. Heb. shaking. 
 
 true. She does not brood until she has laid her full complement 
 of thirty eggs, and then in the early stages of incubation often 
 leaves the nest by day. Toward the end of the period, however, 
 she does not leave the nest at all. While brooding she lays a 
 number of eggs outside the nest for the young birds to eat after 
 they are hatched. 
 
 16. Young ones. This is used by anticipation; it is really 
 the eggs that she abandons. Her labour be in vain. That is in 
 the case the eggs are crushed and no young are born. 
 
 17. Deprived her of wisdom. The Arabs have a proverbial 
 saying, ''more stupid than an ostrich." One of their poets ex- 
 plains that it is because she abandons her eggs. 
 
 18. Lifteth up herself on high. This phrase implies flight like 
 other birds, and that is just what the ostrich does not do. With 
 Wright and Budde we should slightly change the Hebrew and 
 read, "What time the archers come." Scorneth the horse. She 
 is very fleet of foot. 
 
 19. Quivering mane. The word does not occur elsewhere and 
 perhaps refers to the arched and quivering neck. Whether the 
 mane or the neck is designated, it was thought to symbolize the 
 energy and spirit of a noble steed. 
 
 20. To leap as a locust. In Joel 2 : 4 and Rev. 9 : 7 the com- 
 parison is reversed. 
 
 298 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 39 
 
 The glory of his snorting is terrible. 
 
 21. 1 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth ^ in his 
 
 strength ; 
 He goeth out to meet ^ the armed men. 
 
 22. He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed; 
 Neither turneth he back from the sword. 
 
 23. ^ The quiver rattleth ^ against him, 
 The flashing spear and the javelin. 
 
 24. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage ; 
 ® Neither ^ believeth he that it is the voice of 
 
 the trumpet. 
 
 25. As oft as the trumpet soundeth he saith, Aha ! 
 And he smelleth the battle afar off. 
 
 The thunder of the captains, and the shouting. 
 
 26. Doth the hawk soar by thy wisdom, 
 And stretch her wings toward the south? 
 
 27. Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, 
 
 1 m. Heb. They paw. 2 Heb. in strength. Gr. Eth. connect this with the last line. 
 » m. Or, the weapons. * Gr. Eth. The bow. » m. Or, upon. « m. Or, Neither 
 
 standcth he still. '' Sym. he will not he revealed. Syr. Ar. he is not afraid of. Vulg. 
 
 he does not run. 
 
 21. He paweth. The Greek, Syriac, Vulgate, and Ethiopia 
 versions support this reading. The margin, "They paw," may 
 be disregarded. In his strength. Connect this, as the versions 
 cited do, with the last clause, rendering : 
 
 "He paws in the valley and rejoices; 
 In strength he goes out to meet armor." 
 24. He swalloweth the ground. A poetic figure for fleet gallop- 
 ing. Neither believeth he that it is. Neither the text nor the 
 margin affords a good sense. Read with the Syriac and Arabic 
 versions : 
 
 "Neither is he afraid of the voice of the trumpet." 
 
 26. By thy wisdom. Did Job teach the hawk to go south- 
 ward at the approach of winter? Cf. Jer. 8: 7. 
 
 27. Mount up at thy command. The lofty flight of the eagle 
 has impressed men of every age. Did Job give it the power? 
 
 299 
 
28 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 And make her nest on high ? 
 
 28. She dwelleth on the rock, and hath her lodging therCy 
 Upon the crag of the rock, and the strong hold. 
 
 29. From thence she spieth out the prey ; 
 Her eyes behold it afar off. 
 
 30. Her young ones also ^ suck up blood : 
 And where the slain are, there is she. 
 
 40. 2 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, 
 
 2. Shall he that cavilleth contend with the Almighty ? 
 He that argueth with God, let him answer it. 
 
 2. Job declines to answer, 40 : 3-5 
 
 3. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 
 
 4. Behold, I am of small account; what shall I 
 
 answer thee ? 
 
 ^ Gr. OLat. are rolled in. Aq. Sym. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. suck blood. ^ i Heb. 
 
 MS. and Gr. omit this verse. 
 
 30. Suck up. Read rather with Aquila and the kindred 
 versions, "suck blood." Ahhough birds are not mammals, it is 
 bold poetic metaphor, and expresses the fact that eaglets are 
 nurtured on blood. 
 
 (6) Jehovah calls upon Job to answer- him, 40: i, 2 
 
 1. Moreover the Lord answered Job. This verse is, like 27:1; 
 29 : I ; 34 : I ; 35:1; and 36 : i, an editorial addition. It should 
 be omitted. Verse 2 connects directly with 39 : 30. 
 
 2. Shall he that cavilleth. Literally, "Will a fault-finder 
 contend with the Almighty? " This connects directly with 39: 
 30. God has shown in chs. 38, 39 how ignorant Job is of the 
 universe and of hfe. He is not an intelligent critic of it, but 
 simply a fault-finder. Does he have the temerity to contend 
 with the Almighty? Let him answer. The address of God here 
 reverts to the demand made in 38 : 3. Job had there been 
 warned that he would be called upon to answer, as he had pre- 
 viously declared he would be glad to do. Having probed his 
 ignorance, Jehovah returns to this demand. It refers to the dis- 
 play of God's glory and power in creation. 
 
 4. I am of small accoimt. To come face to face with the 
 Creator and Sustainer of the mysteries of life had made Job 
 
 300 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 40:8 
 
 I lay mine hand upon my mouth. 
 
 5. Once have I spoken, and I will not answer ; 
 Yea twice, but I will proceed no further. 
 
 3. Jehovah's Second Address to Job, 40 : 6-14 
 
 6. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, 
 
 and said, 
 
 7. Gird up thy loins now ^ like a man : 
 
 I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 
 
 8. Wilt thou even disannul my judgement ? 
 
 Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be justified ? 
 
 1 Syr. At. like a mighty man. 
 
 rfeel his own insignificance. This was the first step necessary to 
 a healthy frame of mind. His sufferings, as is shown by his 
 earlier speeches, had made him extremely egotistical ; the uni- 
 verse seemed to centre in him. He now realizes what an atom he 
 is. Lay my hand upon my mouth. In token of silence. 
 
 5. Once . . . twice. A Hebrew way of saying "a few times ; " 
 see note on 5 : 19. I will not answer. Many scholars, by chang- 
 ing one letter of the Hebrew, read, "I will not repeat it." Job's 
 submission at this point is, as Marshall has pointed out, a sullen 
 submission. He bows to a superior power. Peake objects to 
 this view on the ground that the second speech of Jehovah is of 
 the same character as the first, and was no more likely than that 
 to produce real repentance, and that the penitence was caused by 
 the vision of God itself, and not by what God said. While Peake 
 is quite right in this, he has overlooked the fact that it takes 
 time for a strong man to change his mind. By picturing Job as 
 at first a little sullen the poet has portrayed a psychological 
 reality. It took the vision of God a little time to exercise its 
 softening influences upon Job. 
 
 6. Out of the whirlwind. These words are probably a gloss 
 introduced from 38:1. The verse probably read, " Then the Lord 
 answered Job and said." 
 
 7. Gird up thy loins now. This verse is a gloss. It is a repe- 
 tition of 38 : 3. 
 
 8. Disannul my judgement. Deny my rectitude as Ruler of 
 the world. This verse should follow immediately on v. 6. Con- 
 demn me. A justification of Job's utterances would be a con- 
 demnation of God. J 
 
 301 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 9. Or hast thou an arm like God ? 
 
 And canst thou thunder with a voice like him ? 
 
 10. Deck thyself now with excellency and dignity ; 
 And array thyself with honour and majesty. 
 
 11. ^ Pour forth the overflowings of thine anger : 
 
 And look upon every one that is proud, and abase him. 
 
 1 2 . Look on 2 every one that is proud, and bring him low ; 
 And tread down the wicked ^ where they stand. 
 
 13. Hide them in the dust together ; 
 Bind their faces in the hidden place. 
 
 14. Then will I also confess of thee 
 
 That thine own right hand can save thee. 
 
 1 Gr. Eth. Send forth the messengers. 2 Gr. Eth. every high one. ' Gr. Eth. 
 
 immediately. 
 
 9. An arm like God. The appeal is not to God's goodness, — 
 that the poet did not, perhaps, fully discern, — nor to his wisdom, 
 but to his power. However, as power is treated in the following 
 verses it is not presented in an offensive aspect, and the choice is 
 justified. Power as the poet presents it turns out to be power 
 guided by wisdom. Thunder with a voice. The thunder was 
 regarded by the Hebrews as the voice of God. It is referred to 
 because of the loudness of thunder. The following verses imply 
 that one must speak in stentorian tones even louder than thunder 
 to make the ungodly obey. 
 
 10. Deck thyself now with excellency. The verse begins a fine 
 bit of irony. 
 
 11. Overflowings. Read with the versions cited "messengers 
 of thy anger." Look upon. This has crept back here from v. 12. 
 We should read the line, " And every proud one — humble him." 
 
 12. Everyone that is proud. Read with the versions cited 
 "every high one." It makes better poetry, and the contrast 
 with "humbling " is stronger. Where they stand. Read with the 
 versions, "immediately." Job in his impatience had seemed to 
 demand such sudden destruction as a characteristic of real justice. 
 
 13. Hide them in the dust. As "tread down" in v. 12 means 
 "kill," so "hide in the dust " means "bury them." The hidden 
 place. Apparently Sheol. 
 
 14. Confess of thee. Better, "praise thee." Thine own 
 right hand can save thee. If Job can do away with sin and 
 
 302 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 4. TJte Interpolation concerning the Hippopotamus and the 
 Crocodile, 40 : 15-41 : 34 
 
 15. Behold now ^ behemoth,^ which I made with thee ; 
 
 He eateth grass as an ox. 
 
 1 m. That is, the hippopotamus. 2 Qx. Sah. omit which I made. 
 
 sinners, then God will praise him as a man able to save himself. 
 The turn of the thought is unexpected ; we should anticipate 
 from the preceding argument that God would have said, "that 
 thou art able to rule the world." In the last analysis, however, 
 it was his own deliverance as an honest man in which Job was 
 most deeply interested. The problems of the world engaged his 
 thought only as they affected his own fortunes. The turn given 
 this expression therefore exactly suits Job's case. Probably, too, 
 the remark is ironical. If Job meted out punishment to the 
 wicked so remorselessly, would he not be doing in this mixed world 
 just the kind of injustice that he has accused God of doing to 
 him? His assertions of purity have savored also of arrogance; 
 to ruthlessly destroy others would but express and increase that 
 arrogance. The irony is not, however, of a hard and unfeeling 
 sort. Job's answer in ch. 42, which originally immediately 
 followed this, shows that the influence of the presence of the 
 Infinite had now had time to touch the springs of his being and 
 bring him to a better frame of mind. 
 
 15. Behemoth. The word is the plural of the Hebrew word 
 for "animal" or " cattle." The description which follows, how- 
 ever, shows that it is used here as a singular and as the proper 
 name of some animal. The margin tells us that this animal is 
 the hippopotamus and in this most interpreters agree. Some, 
 however, claim that it is a purely mythological being like Rahab 
 (see notes on 9 : 13 ; 26: 12). It is true that in Enoch 60: 7, 8 
 leviathan and behemoth have both become mythical monsters, 
 but the_ definiteness of the description here and its appHcability 
 to the hippopotamus and the crocodile make it most probable that 
 these actual animals are referred to. The whole section is, how- 
 ever, a later addition. It interrupts the thought of the poem, 
 which has prepared the reader for Job's submission. If the pas- 
 sage were genuine it should have come in with the other description 
 of animals in ch. 39. Moreover its poetry is distinctly inferior 
 to that of the addresses of Jehovah. It was evidently added 
 by some Jew who had lived in Egypt, where he had seen these 
 
 303 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 1 6. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, 
 
 And his force is in the muscles of his belly. 
 
 17. He moveth his tail like a cedar : 
 
 The sinews of his thighs are knit together. 
 
 18. His bones are as tubes of brass ; 
 His ^ limbs are like bars of iron. 
 
 19. He is the chief of the ways of God : 
 
 2 He 07tly ^ that made him can make ^ his sword 
 to approach imto him. 
 
 20. ^ Surely the mountains bring him forth food ; 
 ^ Where all the beasts of the field ^ do play. 
 
 21. He lieth under the lotus trees, 
 
 In the covert of the reed, and the fen. 
 
 1 m. Or, ribs. 2 m. Or, He that made him hath furnished him with his sword. » Gr. 
 Sym. Sah. Eth. he was made to be served. •« Gr. Sah. Eth. by his messengers. ^ Gr. 
 Sah. Eth. When he goes to the high mountains. ^ Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. omit Where. 
 ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. he makes glad. 
 
 animals, and who thought that the argument for the great power 
 of God as displayed in the animal world was not complete with- 
 out a reference to the two most remarkable animals he had ever 
 seen. Which I made. The line in the Hebrew is too long. We 
 should omit these words with the Greek and Sahidic versions. 
 
 17. His tail like a cedar. Better "his tail is like cedar." 
 Commentators have found in this a gross exaggeration. The 
 tail of the hippopotamus is short and stumpy, and they have under- 
 stood cedar as though it were a cedar tree. It can as well be 
 a cedar log, however, and the poet is saying that the tail of the 
 hippopotamus is Hke a cedar log, straight and strong. 
 
 19. He only that made him can make his sword to approach 
 unto him. Neither the text nor the margin of RV gives an 
 appropriate thought. The Hebrew text is clearly corrupt. As 
 several scholars have seen, we should emend on the basis of the 
 versions cited and read : 
 
 "He was made as ruler of his fellows." 
 
 20. Surely the mountains bring him forth food. Read with 
 the versions cited, "When he goes to the high mountains." The 
 hippopotamus is said to go to the hills when food along the river 
 fails. Where all the beasts of the field do play. Again read with 
 the versions, "He makes glad all the beasts of the field." The 
 
 304 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 41 
 
 22. 1 The lotus trees cover him with their shadow ; 
 The willows of the brook compass him about. 
 
 23. Behold, if a river ^ overflow, he trembleth not : 
 He is confident, though Jordan swell even to his 
 
 mouth. 
 
 24. Shall any take him when he is on the watch, 
 Or pierce through his nose with a snare ? 
 
 40. Canst thou draw out ^ leviathan with a fish hook ? 
 
 Or ^ press down his tongue with a cord ? 
 
 1 Aq. Theod. Sjn-. Hex. Their shade covers him. Sym. (Syr. Hex.) They are over- 
 shadowed by the shade. Syr. Vulg. Targ. Ar. Under the (or its) shade he sleeps. 2 m. 
 Or, be violent. 3 m. That is, the crocodile. « Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. bind his nose. 
 
 Other animals are conceived to be glad that this monster is out 
 of the way. 
 
 22. The lotus trees cover him with their shadow. Many 
 modern interpreters have thought the text corrupt because the 
 "lotus trees " are mentioned again. A glance at the readings of 
 the versions cited above confirms this view and reveals the fact 
 that none of the versions except the Greek and its followers read 
 "lotus trees " in the verse. Probably we should read with the 
 Syriac and kindred versions, "Under their shade he sleeps." 
 
 23. Though Jordan swell. Hippopotami are not found in the 
 Jordan; some scholars would accordingly read here "Nile" 
 instead — a change which would be very easy in the Hebrew. 
 It may be, though, that we should, as some interpreters do, 
 render "a Jordan " and regard the name as a designation of a 
 swiftly flowing stream. On the whole, however, it is more 
 probable that the reference is to the annual overflow of the Nile, 
 and that "Nile" stood originally in the text, and that some de- 
 vout scribe changed it to Jordan. 
 
 24. Shall any take him when he is on the watch. Literally, 
 "Will one take him by the eyes? " i.e. Will one be bold enough 
 to attack him in the eyes? Pierce through his nose. A refer- 
 ence to his broad, thick, impenetrable nose. 
 
 I. Leviathan. The margin tells us that the crocodile is 
 intended, and so most interpreters agree. In Job 3:8; Isa. 
 27:1; and Enoch 60 : 7 the name Leviathan is used of a mytho- 
 logical, writhing, snake-like being, who was no doubt originally 
 identical with Rahab or the primitive sea-monster Tiamat of 
 Babylonian mythology. On Babylonian seals Tiamat is some- 
 
 X 305 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 2. Canst thou put ^ a rope into his nose ? 
 Or pierce his jaw through with a ^ hook ? 
 
 3. Will he make many supplications unto thee ? 
 Or will he speak soft words unto thee ? 
 
 4. Will he make a covenant with thee, 
 
 That thou shouldest take him for a servant for 
 ever? 
 
 5. Wilt thou play with him as with a bird ? 
 Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens ? 
 
 6. Shall the bands of fishermen make traffic of him ? 
 3 Shall they part him among the merchants ? 
 
 » m. Heb. a rope of rushes. 2 m. Or, spike. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. Shall tJte sons 
 
 of the Canaaniks part him ? 
 
 times pictured as a writhing serpent. Some scholars insist that 
 the description in this chapter fits such a mythological monster 
 far better than the crocodile, and it is true that vs. 19-21 below 
 bear out this statement. The chapter as a whole is, however, 
 appropriate to the crocodile, and in the verses mentioned the 
 poet has been led by mythological reminiscences to color too 
 highly his picture of a real animal. 
 
 2. A rope into his nose. Some suppose the reference to be 
 to the insertion of a rope analogous to the cord which was in- 
 serted through the gills of fish after they were caught in order 
 that they might be returned to the water and kept fresh. It is 
 more probable that the reference is to a rope attached to a ring 
 in the nose of an animal by which he could be led. Pierce his 
 jaw through with a hook. Read "hook " with the text and not 
 "spike " as the margin has it. The reference is to the insertion 
 of hooks such as are pictured on Assyrian sculptures inserted 
 into the lips or jaws of captives to which a cord for leading them 
 could be attached. The jaw of the crocodile does not lend itself 
 to such perforation. 
 
 3. Will he make many supplications ? An ironical question. 
 The crocodile does not supplicate ; he fights. 
 
 4. Take him for a servant. That is, "Will he become one of 
 thy domesticated animals? " 
 
 5. Bind him for thy maidens. That is, make a pet of him, as 
 one would of a bird. 
 
 6. Bands of fishermen. The fishers' guilds. Shall they part 
 him among the merchants ? The versions cited by the trans- 
 
 306 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 41 
 
 7. Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, 
 Or his head with fish spears ? 
 
 8. Lay thine hand upon him ; 
 Remember the battle, and do so no more. 
 
 9. Behold, ^ the hope of him is in vain : 
 
 2 Shall not one be cast down even at the sight of 
 him? 
 
 10. None is ^ so fierce that he dare stir him up : 
 Who then is he that can stand before ^ me ? 
 
 11. 5 Who hath first given unto me, that I should 
 
 repay him ? 
 
 1 1 Heb. MS. thy hope. Syr. Ar. thy foot. 2 Sym. But even God shall cast down the 
 sight of him. Syr. Ar. But God shall destroy his rebellion. ^ Syr. Ar. so distant. * 27 
 Heb. MSS. Targ. him. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. Has one opposed himself to me and been safe? 
 
 position of two Hebrew letters gained the reading, " Shall the 
 sons of the Canaanites part him? " The meaning is the same 
 as that of the Hebrew text, for the Canaanites were such traders 
 that to the Hebrews " Canaanite " became synonymous with 
 *' merchant." This is the case in Hos. 12:8; Isa. 23 : 8; Zeph. 
 i:ii; Ezek. 17:4; Pr. 31 : 24. 
 
 7. Barbed irons . . . fish spears. Harpoons were known 
 to the ancients, but the hide of the crocodile was too tough to be 
 penetrated. Herodotus, II, 70, describes how the crocodile was 
 caught by baiting a large hook with a living pig. 
 
 8. Remember the battle, and do so no more. One encounter 
 with such a beast is enough ; one will not wish to repeat the ex-^ 
 perience. 
 
 9. Behold, the hope of him. Read with one Heb. MS. "thy 
 hope," i.e. thy hope of taking him. The Syriac and Arabic 
 versions support this reading, though in them "hope" was 
 corrupted to "foot." In vain. The Hebrew has "is falsified." 
 Shall not one be cast down at the sight of him? Symmachus 
 and the Syriac had different readings, as noted above. They 
 show us that probably the original reading of the Hebrew was, 
 "Has not God hurled his terror abroad? " That is, made the 
 terror inspired by the crocodile of wide extent. 
 
 10. Before me. Read with the Targum and 27 Heb. MSS., 
 "before him." 
 
 11. Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? 
 This question as it stands conveys no clear meaning. We should 
 
 307 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. 
 
 12. ^ I will not keep silence concerning his Hmbs, 
 
 2 Nor his mighty strength, ^ nor his comely proportion. 
 
 13. Who can ^ strip off his outer garment ? 
 Who shall come within his ^ double bridle ? 
 
 14. Who can open the doors of his ^ face ? 
 ^ Round about his teeth is terror. 
 
 15. His ^ strong scales are ^ his pride, 
 
 ^° Shut up together as with a close seal. 
 
 16. One is so near to another, 
 
 1 Syr. At. 7 will not be silent as to his strength. Targ. I will not be silent concerning 
 his falsity. Vulg. / will not spare him. * Syr. Ax. And as to the mighty tendons. 
 
 ' Syr. Ar. omit nor his comely proportion. * m. Heb. uncover the face of his garment. 
 
 » Gr. Sah. Eth. his breastplate. ^ Syr. Ar. mouth. '' m. Or, His teeth are terrible 
 
 round about. » m. Or, courses of scales. Heb. channels of shields. » Gr. OLat. 
 
 Aq. Vulg. Sah. Eth. his back. ^° Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. Its ligament is a seal of stone. 
 
 probably read with the versions cited, *'Has one opposed himself 
 to me and been safe? " Whatsoever is under the whole heaven 
 is mine. If we follow the versions in the preceding line we should 
 change one letter of the Hebrew here and read, "Under the whole 
 heaven not one." When the two parts of the verse are read thus 
 two interpretations are possible : (i) it may be considered an 
 utterance of God, stating that God is stronger than Leviathan ; 
 or (2) it may be regarded as the boastings of a huntsman. 
 
 12. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs. The verse 
 is inappropriate in a soliloquy of God, though perhaps it might 
 not be on the lips of a hunter. The variations of the versions 
 show that the text is corrupt. Probably we should emend with 
 the Syriac and Arabic, so as to read, 
 
 "I will not keep silent concerning his strength, 
 Nor his mighty tendons, nor his warlike outfit." 
 
 The verse is then the poet's introduction to the following de- 
 scription. 
 
 13. Double bridle. Read with the versions cited, "his breast- 
 plate." 
 
 14. His face. Read with the versions cited, "his mouth." 
 
 15. His strong scales are his pride. Read with the versions 
 cited, "His back is channels of shields " — a poetical description 
 of scales. Shut up together as with a close seal. Read with the 
 versions cited, "Its ligament is a seal of stone." 
 
 308 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 41 : 24 
 
 That ^ no air can come between them. 
 
 17. They are joined one to another ; 
 
 They stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 
 
 18. His ^ neesings flash forth Hght, 
 
 And his eyes are Hke the eyeHds of the morning. 
 
 19. Out of his mouth go burning torches, 
 And sparks of fire ^ leap forth. 
 
 20. Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, 
 
 As of a seething pot ^ and burning rushes. 
 
 21. His breath kindleth coals, 
 
 And a flame goeth forth from his mouth. 
 
 22. In his neck abide th strength, 
 And ^ terror danceth before him. 
 
 23. The flakes of his flesh are joined together : 
 They are firm upon him ; they cannot be moved. 
 
 24. His heart is as firm as a stone ; 
 
 ® Yea, firm as the nether millstone. 
 
 1 Aq. Sym. no space. 2 Gr. Aq. Vulg. Targ. Sah. Eth. sneezing. s gyr. 
 
 Vulg. Kr. flame forth. * Gr. Sah. Eth. with a fire of coals. Syr. Vulg. Ar. that boils. 
 ' Gr. Sah. Eth. destruction runs before him. ^ Gr. Sah. Eth. And it stands. Syr. 
 
 Ar. And strong. 
 
 18. His neesings flash forth light. Read with the versions 
 cited, "His sneezing flashes." A poetical description of how the 
 spray from his nostrils flashes in the sunlight. 
 
 19. Burning torches . . . sparks of fire. In this and the two 
 verses that follow there is some exaggeration, induced, perhaps, 
 by the recollection of a description of a mythical monster. 
 
 20. And burning rushes. Perhaps we should read as the Greek 
 does, "with a fire of coals," or as the Syriac does, "that boils." 
 
 21. His breath kindleth coals. Evidently an exaggeration 
 due to mythological influence. 
 
 22. Terror danceth. The Hebrew has "faintness danceth." 
 It is better to read with the versions cited, "destruction runs." 
 
 23. The flakes of his flesh. The parts beneath the neck and 
 belly. In most animals these hang down soft and flexible, but 
 in the crocodile they are hard and firm. 
 
 24. Yea, firm as. Even if we emend with the Greek or the 
 Syriac, the thought remains the same. Nether millstone. It 
 
 309 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 25. When he raise th himself up, the mighty are afraid : 
 By reason of consternation they are beside them- 
 selves. 
 
 26. ^ If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail ; 
 Nor the spear, the dart, nor the ^ pointed shaft. 
 
 27. He counteth iron as straw, 
 And brass as rotten wood. 
 
 28. The ^ arrow cannot make him flee : 
 SHngstones are turned with him into stubble. 
 
 29. Clubs are counted ^ as stubble : 
 
 He laugheth at the rushing of the javehn. 
 
 30. His underparts are like sharp potsherds : 
 
 He spreadeth as it were a threshing wain upon 
 the mire. 
 
 31. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot : 
 He maketh the sea like ointment. 
 
 ^ I Heb. MS. Gr. Sym. Sah. Eth. // the swd^d touch him. 2 ni. Qr, coat of mail. 
 
 » m. Heb. son of the bow. * Gr. Aq. Sym. Theod. Eth. like reeds. 
 
 was proverbially hard, as it had to bear all the wear and tear of 
 the upper stone. 
 
 25. The mighty. Literally, "the gods." By reason of con- 
 sternation they. Read with the versions cited, "The mighty 
 ones." This makes good sense, if we translate "the gods" in 
 the preceding line. In poetry such polytheistic language is 
 possible even to a monotheist. 
 
 26. If one lay at him with the sword. Read with the versions, 
 "If the sword touch him." Pointed shaft. The marginal read- 
 ing, "coat of mail," is not suitable here. 
 
 29. As stubble. Read with the versions cited, "like reeds." 
 
 30. His underparts are like sharp potsherds. The scales of 
 his belly are likened to sharp spikes, which leave a track in the 
 mud as he passes over. Modern scholars differ as to whether 
 this is or is not true, but if in this age of science there is doubt 
 about it, too great exactness cannot be demanded of an ancient 
 poet. 
 
 31. Like ointment. Beaten to a foam to mix the different 
 ingredients. 
 
 310 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 2)2. He maketh a path to shine after him ; 
 
 One would think the deep to be hoary. 
 2,2,- Upon earth there is not his Uke, 
 
 That is made without fear. 
 34. He beholdeth every thing that is high : 
 
 He is king ^ over all the ^ sons of pride. 
 
 5. JoVs Final Reply, 42 : 1-6 
 42. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 
 
 2. I know that thou canst do all things, 
 
 And that ^ no purpose of thine can be restrained. 
 
 3. ■* Who is this that hideth counsel ^ without 
 
 knowledge ? 
 Therefore have I uttered that which I understood 
 not, 
 
 1 Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. and perhaps Targ. over all creeping things. 2 m. See 28 : 8. 
 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. nothing is impossible for thee. * m. See 38: 2. * Qr. OLat. Syr. 
 
 Sah. Eth. Ar. add with words. 
 
 32. A path to shine after him. As in the wake of a modern 
 steamship. 
 
 34. He beholdeth everything that is high. This gives in the 
 context a very unsatisfactory meaning. It is better to make 
 two slight changes in the Hebrew, as most modern scholars do, 
 and translate, 
 
 "Every one that is high feareth him." 
 
 All the sons of pride. Read with the versions, "over all creep- 
 ing things." He is the king of reptiles as the lion is king of beasts. 
 
 1. Then Job answered the Lord and said. This verse should 
 follow immediately upon 40:15. The interpolations concern- 
 ing the hippopotamus and crocodile have now separated Job's 
 final reply from Jehovah's last address. 
 
 2. No purpose of thine can be restrained. Read with the 
 versions cited, "nothing is impossible for thee." 
 
 3 . Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge ? T ! ese 
 words are a gloss which has crept in here from 38 : 2. Prob- 
 ably some one wrote them on the margin as an appropriate 
 comment, and from that they were copied into the text. There- 
 fore have I uttered that which I understood not. The vision of 
 
 311 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. 
 
 4. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak ; 
 
 ^ I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 
 
 5. I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; 
 But now mine eye seeth thee, 
 
 6. Wherefore ^ I abhor myself , and repent 
 In dust and ashes. 
 
 » m. See 38 : 2 ; 40: 7. 2 Syr. Ar. / am silent, m. Or, loathe my words. 
 
 God had made Job conscious of the limitation both of his intelli- 
 gence and power. He confesses now that he has acted unad- 
 visedly. The line should follow immediately on v, 2. 
 
 4. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak. This verse is a gloss 
 and should be removed. The second line of it is quoted from 
 38 : 3, and the first line was apparently composed to make 
 the second one fit. The whole is inappropriate on the lips of 
 Job and mars his beautiful submission. Some have supposed 
 that the words are spoken by Jehovah, who interrupted Job, but 
 that, too, is inappropriate and would mar the beauty and dignity 
 of the conclusion. 
 
 5. Heard of thee . . . seeth thee. These words give us the 
 climax of the whole book. Job's previous knowledge of God had 
 been based on the experiences and traditions of other people; 
 the vision of God had given him a first-hand experience. From 
 his second-hand knowledge he had reasoned erroneously and 
 foolishly ; his first-hand experience had given him a clearer vision 
 which at once humbled, purified, and exalted him. 
 
 6. Wherefore I abhor myself. One of the lines of the verse is 
 too short. It is probable, as the margin of RV suggests, that 
 something has fallen out of the text. Probably we should read : 
 
 " Wherefore I abhor my words. 
 And repent in dust and ashes." 
 The vision of God had brought Job to penitence and reconcilia- 
 tion with his Creator and with life. The poet purposely repre- 
 sented Jehovah as presenting no real answer to Job's problems. 
 Like the three friends, only in a more majestic and powerful way, 
 Jehovah presents the marvels of God's power, the insignificance 
 of man, and the inability of a mortal either to understand or to 
 order the mysteries of life. Not one of God's passionate in- 
 quiries has been answered, and yet Job is satisfied. The vision 
 of God has convinced him that, though he cannot understand, 
 there is One who can. It has taught him to trust his life, his 
 
 312 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 VT. The Epilogue, 42:7-17 
 
 7. And it was so that after the Lord had spoken 
 1 these words unto Job, the Lord said to EHphaz the 
 Temanite, 2 My wrath is kindled against thee, and 
 against thy two friends : for ye have not spoken ^ of 
 me the thing that is right, as my servant Job 
 
 8. hath. Now therefore, take unto you seven bullocks 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. all these words. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. Thou hast sinned. 3 Gr. Syr. 
 
 Sah. At. Eth. before me. 
 
 fortunes, his fate to that One, and to go peacefully forward, 
 happy in the life of trust and communion with God. 
 '- It is thus that this greatest of Hebrew poets — sage though 
 he was — brings out with dramatic force the great lesson that the 
 final solution of life's riddle can never be intellectual, but must 
 always be religious. After the intellect has done its utmost, it 
 is baffled; the only solution is in the mystic experience which 
 brings one face to face with God and teaches one to trust the 
 infinite Intelligence and infinite Goodness. 
 
 In the form in which the poet has cast his work he also portrays 
 both the function and the limits of reason in religion. Job for- 
 ever exploded the unreal orthodoxy of his day, viz. the doctrine 
 that goodness brings outward prosperity and that sin brings 
 outward misfortune. His keen intellect swept away doctrines 
 which had become inadequate explanations of the experiences of 
 life. The function of reason, he thus taught, is to keep theology 
 in touch with reality as in life's progress reality is more clearly 
 seen. In the artistically beautiful and religiously sublime con- 
 clusion to which he brings the discussion in vs. 5, 6 he shows that 
 reason is inadequate to explain the world and life. Here religion 
 is indispensable. Another great lesson which he taught is that 
 religion, to be of value, must rest, not on faith in the experience of 
 some one else, but'upon a first-hand knowledge of God. Traditional 
 religion is in life's tragic moments a broken reed on which to lean. 
 
 7. These words. Perhaps with the versions cited we should 
 read, ''all these words." My wrath is kindled against thee. 
 Possibly here the versions quoted are right in reading, "thou hast 
 sinned." Not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant 
 Job hath. For "of me " read with the versions, "before me." 
 
 It is clear that these words were not written to follow the poem, 
 but that they belong to the old story that the poet borrowed 
 
 313 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer 
 up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant 
 Job shall pray for you ; for him will I accept, that I 
 deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not 
 spoken^ of me the thing that is right, as my servant 
 9. Job hath. So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the 
 Shuhite and Zophar the ^ Naamathite went, and did 
 according as the Lord commanded them: and the 
 10. Lord accepted Job. And the Lord ^ turned the 
 
 * Gr. Sah. Eth. omit of me. Syr. Ar. before me. 2 Gr. Sah. Eth. Minaan- 
 
 ' Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. increased Job. 
 
 for the setting of his great argument. A different discussion 
 must once have preceded them — one in which, perhaps, the 
 friends had voiced sentiments similar to those expressed by Job's 
 wife in 2 : 9 and Job had maintained throughout the tone of 
 1:21 and 2 : 10. Their literal application to the preceding 
 discussion is inappropriate, because the friends have spoken most 
 piously of God, while Job's denunciations of God's providence 
 have not only been severe, but God has himself declared (38 : 2) 
 that Job has "darkened counsel by words without knowledge." 
 Probably the poet retained them, however, as a conclusion to his 
 treatment of the subject because, while not literally applicable, 
 they were in principle appropriate. In his view Job's manly 
 criticism of God and life, together with his equally manly re- 
 pentance, — a course which made his religion real, — merited the 
 divine approval much more than the way in which the friends 
 had maintained by shallow argument, for the sake of saving 
 themselves, a theology that had become obsolete. The poet antic- 
 ipated this in what he put into the mouth of Job in 13 : ?> 8. 
 
 8. A burnt offering. As in 1:5. The story originated in 
 a period when it was still thought that sacrifice atoned for sin. 
 Against this view many prophets and psalmists protested, cf. 
 Amos 5:21, 25; Isa. 1:11-14; Ps. 50. Shall pray for you. 
 The value of intercessory prayer was early appreciated, cf. 
 Abraham's intercession for Sodom, Gen. 18: 22-23 — a passage 
 written by J^. Ezekiel, however, declares (Eze. 14 : 14) that 
 neither Noah, Daniel, nor Job could deliver in this way any but 
 themselves. 
 
 10. Turned the captivity. A figurative expression for 
 " brought back prosperity." Probably the versions which read 
 
 314 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 42 
 
 captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: 
 and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 
 
 11. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all 
 his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaint- 
 ance before, and ^ did eat bread with him in his 
 house : and they bemoaned him, and comforted him 
 concerning all the evil that the Lord had brought 
 upon him : every man also gave him a ^ piece of 
 
 12. money, and every one a ring of gold. So the Lord 
 blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning : 
 and he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand 
 camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand 
 
 13. she-asses. He had also ^ seven sons and three daugh- 
 
 14. ters. And he called the name of the first, * Jemimah ; 
 and the name of the second, Keziah ; and the name 
 
 1 Gr. OLat. Sah. Eth. ate and drank. « Gr. OLat. Sah. a lamb. m. Heb. kesitah. 
 s Tsiig. fourteen. ■* Gr. OLat. Syr. Sah. Ar. Eth. Yomah. 
 
 " made Job great " have preserved the original reading. 
 " Turned the captivity " is an expression which was probably 
 substituted after the Babylonian exile. When he prayed for his 
 friends. The story teaches, perhaps unconsciously, that personal 
 prosperity comes through self-forgetfulness. ' " He that loseth his 
 life for my sake, shall find it," Matt. 10 : 39. Twice as much. 
 This story is based on the principle which the poet has throughout 
 combated, viz. that righteousness brings earthly prosperity. 
 
 II. Piece of money. Margin, "kesitah" — a monetary 
 designation of the early time, the value of which is unknown, 
 cf. Gen. 33: 19; Josh. 24:32. 
 
 13. Seven sons. The Targum, as noted above, reads fourteen 
 sons, making the number of sons double (cf. 1:2) as well as the 
 other possessions, but even the Targum keeps the number of daugh- 
 ters as three. All the other versions read " seven sons " here, 
 and it is probable that the epilogue did not double the num- 
 ber of the children. 
 
 14. Jemimah. The name apparently means " dove." The 
 versions mistook it for " Yomah," which means " day." 
 Keziah. The name means "cassia" and suggests " fra- 
 
 315 
 
15 THE BOOK OF JOB 
 
 15. of the third, Keren-happuch. And in all the land were 
 no women found so fair as the daughters of Job : 
 and their father gave them inheritance among their 
 
 16. brethren. And after this Job lived an hundred and 
 ^ forty years, ^ and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, 
 
 1 Gr. Sah. Eth. seventy. 2 Gr. Ar. add and all the days of Job were two hundred and 
 forty years. Some Gr. MSS. OLat. Sah. Eth. add and all the days of Job were two hun- 
 dred and forty -eight years. 
 
 grance." Keren-happuch. The name signifies " horn of anti- 
 mony," i.e. " beautifier," since antimony was used by women to 
 blacken the eyes and so, to Oriental taste, to make them more 
 beautiful. 
 
 15. Inheritance among their brethren. This was unusual 
 generosity. Hebrew law allowed daughters to inherit when there 
 were no sons (see Num. 27: i-ii), but to give them an inheri- 
 tance with sons was unusual. 
 
 16. An hundred and forty years. This supposes that he was 
 seventy years old at the time of his trial, and that he lived twice 
 as long as before, just as he had twice as many possessions as 
 before. The versions have exaggerated the number. 
 
 17. So Job died. With the brief statement of this verse the 
 story ended. Reverent imaginations, however, continued to 
 work upon it. The Greek, Old Latin, Sahidic, and Ethiopic 
 versions add, " But it is written that he shall be raised with those 
 whom the Lord shall raise up." 
 
 Several of the versions have also the following statement, which 
 originated in Syria, is preserved in its shorter form in the Arabic 
 version, and was afterward added with expansions to the Greek, 
 Sahidic, and Ethiopic. The statement is, according to the Arabic : 
 
 " And Job dwelt in the land of Uz on the border of Edom and 
 Arabia and was before called Jobab. And he took a foreign wife 
 and there was born to him a son whose name was Anun. And 
 Job was the son of Zara, the grandson of Esau ; and his mother 
 was from Bosrah; and he was the sixth from Abraham. And 
 of the kings who ruled in Edom who were over this land, he was 
 before Balak the son of Beor. And the name of the city of this 
 man was Danaba. And after him, Jobab ; he is the one who is 
 called Job. And afterward Job also was the name of him who 
 was prince of the land of Teman ; and after him, the son of Barak. 
 This is the one who uttered the curse and fled to Midian in the 
 plain of Moab. And the name of his city was Gatham. And 
 
 316 
 
THE BOOK OF JOB 42 : 17 
 
 17. even four generations. So Job died, being old and 
 full of days. 
 
 as to the friends of Job who came, Eliphaz of the sons of Esau 
 was king of the Temanites." 
 
 The Greek, Sahidic, and Ethiopia versions differ from this : 
 (i) in stating that it was copied from a Syrian book; (2) in mak- 
 ing Job the fifth from Abraham instead of the sixth ; and (3) in 
 adding that Bildad was Tyrant of the Shuhites, and Zophar, king 
 of the Minsans. The addition in either form has no historical 
 value. It but serves to show that the story of Job excited con- 
 tinued interest, and that popular tradition busied itself in filling 
 out details concerning him. It has, however, an interesting 
 bearing upon the growth of the legend of Job ; see notes on i : i ; 
 2 : II ; and Introduction, p. 6. 
 
 317 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abbreviations, 54. 
 
 Additions to Job, 6. 
 
 Analysis, general, of Job, i ; detailed, 
 
 46 ff. 
 Angels, 81, 83. 
 Anum, said to be name of Job's 
 
 wife, 316. 
 Aquila, version of, 14. 
 Arabic version, 17, 3x7. 
 Aramaisms, 25. 
 Art of the Book of Job, 37. 
 Ashtara, Tell, s- 
 Ashtoreth Karnaim, 5. 
 Ass, wild, 295. 
 Assurbanipal, 3 S. 
 Ath-Thalabi refers to Job, 3. 
 Author of Job, 45. 
 
 B 
 
 Baba Bathra, 39. 
 
 Babylonian Creation Epic, 71, in, 
 
 219, 289, 290. 
 Babylonian parallel to Job, 4 ff. 
 Bacher, W., 17. 
 Balak, 316. 
 Barak, 316. 
 Bashan, 5. 
 
 Bear, constellation of, no, 294. 
 Behemoth, 31 ff., 303 ff. 
 Bibliography, 53. 
 Bickell, G., 19, 35- 
 Bildad, 6, 8, 32, 33 5-, 39, 68, 103 ff., 
 
 164 ff., 214 ff., 314. 
 Briggs, C. A., 25. 
 Budde, K., 25, 298. 
 
 Chaldseaas, 6, 62. 
 Ciasca, A., 16. 
 
 Clemen, C, 44. 
 
 Communion with God, healing power 
 
 of, n ff. 
 Coran, 106. 
 Cornill, C, 25, 26. 
 Crocodile, 305 ff. 
 Cyprian, 15. 
 
 D 
 
 Daniel, 3. 
 
 Date of Job., 39 ff. 
 
 Deuteronomy, relation of, to Job, 39. 
 
 Dillmann, A., 19. 
 
 Disease, Job's, 66. 
 
 Disasters, first series, 61 ff. ; second 
 
 series, 66. 
 Drama, Job not a, 37. 
 Dream of Ehphaz, 79 ff. 
 Duhm, B., 12, 35, 36. 
 
 Eagle, 299 ff. 
 
 Ecclesiastes, i, 13. 
 
 Ecclesiasticus, i, 27, 44. 
 
 Editorial changes in Job, 32 5. 
 
 Edom, 6, 316. 
 
 Egypt, 45, 303 ff- 
 
 EUhu, speeches of, 22 ff., 27 ff., 44 ff., 
 
 248 ff. 
 Eliphaz, 5 ff., 8, 39, 68, 76 ff., 144 ff-, 
 
 194 ff., 313, 314 ff- 
 Emendation, conjectural, 18. 
 Enoch, 3. 
 
 Epic of inner life, 37. 
 Epilogue not by author of poem, i ff., 
 
 313 ff- 
 Esau, 316. 
 
 Es-Suweda, 6, 56, 68. 
 Ethiopic version, 16, 316, 317. 
 Exile, Babylonian, and Job, 42. 
 Ezekiel's reference to Job, 3. 
 
 319 
 
INDEX 
 
 Faith in God, 9 flf., 135 flF., 157 &., 
 
 177. 
 Friedlander, M., 44. 
 Future life, faith in, 10 5., 141 ff., 177. 
 
 Genung, J. F., 25, 37. 
 Gilgamesh Epic, 2gi. 
 Goats, wild, 295. 
 Greek versions, 14 £f. 
 Grill, J., 35. 
 Gunkel, H., 44. 
 
 H 
 
 Hadrian, 14. 
 
 Hatch, E., 19. 
 
 Hawk, the, 299. 
 
 Hebrew MSS. of Job, 13 ff. 
 
 Hippopotamus, 303 fif. 
 
 Holtzmann, H., 44. 
 
 Horse, the, 298 ff. 
 
 Integrity of the Book of Job, 19 ff. 
 Interpolations in Job, 30 ff., 225, 
 
 248. 
 Irenaeus, 15. 
 
 Isaiah, the Second, and Job, 40 flf. 
 Ishtar's Descent, poem of, 121. 
 
 James, Epistle of, refers to Job, 3. 
 James, M. R., 6. 
 Jastrow, Morris, Jr., 5. 
 Jemimah, 315. 
 Jeremiah and Job, 39 fif. 
 Jerome, St., 16. 
 Jobab, 316. 
 
 K 
 Keren-happuch, 316. 
 Keziah, 315. 
 King, L. W., Ill, 289. 
 Kings, poem on, 21, 265, 275. 
 Kuenen, A., 35, 36. 
 
 Latin, Old, version, 15. 
 Leviathan, 31 flf., 71, 305 ff. 
 Ley, J., 92. 
 
 M 
 
 Macdonald, D. B., 3. 
 
 McFadyen, J. E., 35, 36. 
 
 Main, 61, 68 fif. 
 
 Malachi and Job, 43. 
 
 Marshall, J. J., 35, 301. 
 
 Martin, M. F., 5. 
 
 Mazzaroth, 294. 
 
 Midian, 316. 
 
 Minaeans, 6, 317. 
 
 Moab, 316. 
 
 Mohammed, 106; refers to Job, 3. 
 
 Moses, 39. 
 
 N 
 
 Naamathite, 68. 
 Naemeh, 5, 56, 68 
 Nawa, 5, 55. 
 Nichols, H. H 
 
 19, 20, 21, 26, 251, 
 
 273- 
 Nippur, 4, 5. 
 Noah, 3. 
 
 Old Latin version, 15. 
 Origen, 14, 19. 
 Orion, no, 294. 
 Ostrich, 297 ff. 
 Ox, wild, 297. 
 
 Papyrus, 106. 
 
 Papyrus boats, 114. 
 
 Peake, A. S., 12, 35, 236, 301. 
 
 Pereira, M. E., 16. 
 
 Pleiades, no, 293. 
 
 Problem of the Book of Job, 7 ff. 
 
 Prologue, 55 ff. ; not by author of 
 
 poem, I fE. 
 Proverbs, a wisdom book, i ; rela- 
 tion of, to Job, 43 flf. 
 Psalms and Job, 42, 43. 
 320 
 
INDEX 
 
 Rahab, 71, 218, 303, 305. 
 Rain storm, psalm of, 20 ff., 285. 
 
 Saadia Gaon, 17. 
 
 Saba, 61. 
 
 Sabaeans, 6, 61. 
 
 Sahidic version, 16, 21, 32 ff., 316, 
 
 317. 
 Satan, 43, 59 ff., 64 ff. 
 Schiirer, E., 14. 
 Septuagint, 14, 316, 317; omissions 
 
 of, 19 ff., 32. 
 Shalmeneser II, 55. 
 Sheba, 95. 
 
 Shooting at a mark, 156. 
 Shuah, 68. 
 Shuhite, 68. 
 Shuhites, 317. 
 Shuhu, 6. 
 Siegfried, C, 44. 
 Sirach, son of, i, 44. 
 Solomon, wisdom of, i. 
 Solution of problem of suffering, 12, 
 
 312 ff. 
 Soul, growth of, 9 ff. 
 Stars, morning, 289. 
 Stuhlmann, M., 36. 
 Suffering, Job's, 9 ff. 
 Suhu, 68. 
 Swete, H. B., 15. 
 Symmachus, version of, 15. 
 Syriac version, 16; place of Job 
 
 in, 39- 
 
 T 
 Tabi-utul-Bel, a Babylonian Job, 4. 
 Targum, 17. 
 Tema, 5, 56, 68. 
 
 Teman, 6, 68, 95, 316. 
 Text of Job, 13 ff. 
 Theodore of Mopsuestia, 3, 16. 
 Theodotion, version of, 15. 
 Thompson, R. C, 4, 5. 
 Thompson, W. M., 75. 
 Thothmes, IV, 156. 
 Tiamat, 71, loi, 219, 305. 
 Tiglathpileser I, 297. 
 Treasure, digging for, 75. 
 
 U 
 
 Uz, 5, 55 ff., 316. 
 
 Versions, grouping of, 17; defects 
 
 of, 17 ff. 
 Vulgate, Latin, 16. 
 
 W 
 
 Wail, Job's, 69. 
 
 Weber, O., s- 
 
 Wife, Job's speech of, according to 
 
 the versions, 67. 
 Wild ass, 296. 
 Wild goat, 295. 
 Wild ox, 297. 
 Wildeboer, G., 25. 
 Wisdom literature, i. 
 Wisdom of Solomon, i. 
 Wisdom, praise of, 30, 225. 
 Wright, G. B. H., 298. 
 
 Zimmern, H., 5. 
 
 Zophar, 6, 8, 30, 35, 39, 68, 121 ff., 
 
 179 ff., 314, 317; third speech of, 
 
 36 ff., 221 ff. 
 
 321 
 
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 Commentary on the book of Job. 
 
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