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Job Chapter
Ten
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 10
Job
here declares the greatness of his afflictions, which made him weary of his
life, and could not help complaining; entreats the Lord not to condemn him but
show him the reason of his thus dealing with him, Job 10:1; and
expostulates with him about it, and suggests as if it was severe, and not
easily reconciled to his perfections, when he knew he was not a wicked man, Job 10:3; he puts
him in mind of his formation and preservation of him, and after all destroyed
him, Job 10:8; and
represents his case as very distressed; whether he was wicked or righteous it
mattered not, his afflictions were increasing upon him, Job 10:13; and all
this he observes, in order to justify his eager desire after death, which he
renews, Job 10:18; and
entreats, since his days he had to live were but few, that God would give him
some respite before he went into another state, which he describes, Job 10:20.
Job 10:1 “My
soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in
the bitterness of my soul.
YLT
1My soul hath been weary of
my life, I leave off my talking to myself, I speak in the bitterness of my
soul.
My soul is weary of my life,.... And yet nothing of a
temporal blessing is more desirable than life; every man, generally speaking,
is desirous of life, and of a long life too; soul and body are near and
intimate companions, and are usually loath to part; but Job was weary of his
life, willing to part with it, and longed to be rid of it; he
"loathed" it, and so it may be here renderedF24נקטה נפשי בחיי
"fastidit anima mea vitam meam", Beza, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator. , he would not live always, Job 7:15; his
"soul" was uneasy to dwell any longer in the earthly tabernacle of
his body, it being so full of pains and sores; for this weariness was not
through the guilt of sin pressing him sore, or through the horror of conscience
arising from it, so that he could not bear to live, as Cain and Judas; nor
through indwelling sin being a burden to him, and a longing desire to be rid of
it, and to be perfectly holy, to be with Christ in heaven, as the Apostle Paul,
and other saints, at certain times; or through uneasiness at the sins of
others, as Isaac and Rebekah, Lot, David, Isaiah, and others; nor on the
account of the temptations of Satan, his fiery darts, his buffetings and
siftings, which are very distressing; but on account of his outward
afflictions, which were so very hard and pressing, and the apprehension he had
of the anger and wrath of God, he treating him, as he thought, very severely,
and as his enemy, together with the ill usage of his friends. The Targum
renders it,"my soul is cut off in my life;'or I am dying while I live; I
live a dying life, being in such pain of body, and distress of mind; and so
other versionsF25"Excisa est anima mea in vita mea",
Pagninus, Vatablus; so Ben Gersom & Ben Melech. :
I will leave my complaint upon myself: not that he
would leave complaining, or lay it aside, though someF26So Junius
& Tremellius. render it to this sense; rather give a loose to it, and
indulge it, than attempt to ease himself, and give vent to his grief and sorrow
by it; but it should be "upon himself", a burden he would take upon
himself, and not trouble others with it; he would not burden their ears with
his complaints, but privately and secretly utter them to himself; for the wordF1שיחי "meditationem meam", Schindler, col. 1823.
"my sighing", Broughton. used signifies "meditation",
private discourse with himself, a secret and inward "bemoaning" of
his case; but he did not continue long in this mind, as appears by the
following clause: or since I can do no other but complain; if there is any
blame in it, I will take it wholly upon myself; complain I must, let what will
be the consequence of it; see Job 13:13; though
the phrase may be rendered, as it is sometimes, "within myself", see Hosea 11:8;F2עלי "intra me". Vid. Noldium, p. 701. ; and then
the sense may be, shall I leave my inward moan within myself, and no longer
contain? I will give myself vent; and though I have been blamed for saying so
much as I have, I will say yet more:
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul: as one whose
life is made bitter, against whom God had wrote and said bitter things, and had
brought bitter afflictions upon him, which had occasioned bitter complaints in
him, as well as he had been bitterly used by his friends; and amidst all this
bitterness he is determined to speak out his mind freely and fully; or to speak
"of the bitterness"F3במר
"in vel de a maritudine", Mercerus. of his soul, and declare, by
words, what he in his mind and body endured.
Job 10:2 2 I will say to God, ‘Do not
condemn me; Show me why You contend with me.
YLT
2I say unto God, `Do not
condemn me, Let me know why Thou dost strive [with] me.
I will say unto God, do not condemn me,.... Not that
he feared eternal condemnation; there is none to them that are in Christ, and
believe in him as Job did; Christ's undertakings, sufferings, and death, secure
his people from the condemnation of law and justice; nor, indeed, are the
afflictions of God's people a condemnation of them, but a fatherly
chastisement, and are in order to prevent their being condemned with the world;
yet they may look as if they were, in the eyes of the men of the world, and
they as very wicked persons; and so the word may be rendered, "do not
account me wicked"F4אל תרשיעני "neque judices me improbum", Vatablus; so
Schultens. , or treat me as a wicked man, by continuing thine afflicting hand
upon the; which, as long as it was on him, his friends would not believe but
that he was a wicked man; wherefore, as God knew he was not such an one as they
took him to be, he begs that he would not use him as such, that so the censure
he lay under might be removed; and though he was condemned by them, he entreats
that God would make it appear he was not condemned by him: and whereas he was
not conscious to himself of any notorious wickedness done by him, which
deserved such usage, he further prays:
show me wherefore thou contendest with me. Afflictions
are the Lord's controversy with his people, a striving, a contending with them;
which are sometimes so sharp, that were they continued long, the spirits would
fail before him, and the souls that he has made: now there is always a cause or
reason for them, which God has in his own breast, though it is not always known
to man, at least not at first, or as soon as the controversy or contention is
begun; when God afflicts, it is either for sin, to prevent it, or purge from
it, or to bring his people to a sense of it, to repent of it, and forsake it,
or to try their graces, and make them more partakers of his holiness; and when
good men, as Job, are at a loss about this, not being conscious of any gross
iniquity committed, or a course of sin continued in, it is lawful, and right,
and commendable, to inquire the reason of it, and learn, if possible, the end,
design, and use of such dispensations.
Job 10:3 3 Does it
seem good to You that You should oppress, That You should despise the work of
Your hands, And smile on the counsel of the wicked?
YLT
3Is it good for Thee that
Thou dost oppress? That Thou despisest the labour of Thy hands, And on the
counsel of the wicked hast shone?
Is it good unto thee
that thou shouldest oppress?.... This God does not approve of in others;
he dehorts men from it; he threatens to punish those that do so, and to be a
swift witness against them; he promises to arise to the help of the oppressed,
and to be a refuge for them, and therefore will never do the same himself; it
can never be pleasant to him, nor right and just in his sight, nor is it of any
advantage to him. Job here suggests that his afflictions were an oppression to
him; and, indeed, no affliction is joyous, but grievous, and sometimes the hand
of God presses hard and sore, but then there is no injury nor any injustice
done, as the wordF5תעשק "est
opprimere vim injustam alicui facere", Schmidt. here used signifies; and
he intimates also, as if God took some seeming delight and pleasure in thus
oppressing him, and therefore expostulates with him about it, as if such
conduct was not fit and becoming him, not agreeable to his perfections, and
could afford neither pleasure nor profit. This, and what follows in this verse,
are expostulations too bold and daring, and in which Job uses too much freedom
with the Almighty, and in which he is not so modest as in Job 10:2,
that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands? which he
tacitly insinuates he did. Job means himself, who, as to his body, and the several
members of it, were the work of God's hands, curiously and wonderfully made by
him, as is afterwards expressed; and as to his soul, and the powers and
faculties of it, they were his make, who is the Father of spirits; and
moreover, as a new man, he was made by him, was the workmanship of God, and a
curious piece indeed, created after his image in righteousness and true
holiness; and he was in every sense the work of his hands, or "the labour
of his hands"F6יגיע
"laborem", Pagninus, Montanus, Schultens, Michaelis. ; wrought with
great care and labour, even with the "palms of his hands", as is the
wordF7כפיך "volarum tuarum",
Montanus, Bolducius. used; and could Job think that God "despised"
such a work? he who, upon a survey of his works, said they were all very good;
who forsakes not the work of his hands, nor despises the day of small things,
could never do this; nor are afflictions to be interpreted in such a manner, as
if God was indifferent unto, slighted and thought meanly of, what he himself
has wrought; since these are so far from having such a meaning, that they flow
from that great respect he has for his own work, and are for the good of it:
and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? either the
counsel of the wicked one, Satan, who moved God to afflict him in the manner he
had, or of the Sabeans and Chaldeans, who thrived and prospered,
notwithstanding the injury they had done him; or of his friends, who consulted
to brand his character with hypocrisy; or, rather, of wicked men in general, on
whose counsel God may be thought to "shine", when it succeeds, and
God seems to smile upon them in his providence, and they are in prosperous
circumstances, and have what heart can wish, when good men are greatly afflicted;
which sometimes has been a temptation, and greatly distressing, to the latter;
see Psalm 73:2; but
this is not always the case; the counsel of the froward is sometimes carried
headlong, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is made brutish, and
that of Ahithophel was defeated by him; and whenever he seems to countenance
it, it is to answer some ends of his glory.
Job 10:4 4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Or do You see as man sees?
YLT
4Eyes of flesh hast Thou? As
man seeth -- seest Thou?
Hast thou eyes of flesh?.... God has eyes, but
not fleshly ones; he has eyes of love, grace, and mercy, which are always upon
his people for good, and are never withdrawn from them; and he has eyes of
displeasure and wrath on sinful men, to destroy them; these are not made of
flesh, or like the eyes of flesh and blood, or of men; fleshy eyes cannot see
at any great distance, and only in one place at a time, and only one object
after another; they cannot see in the dark, and what they are, and only outward
objects; and in these they are sometimes deceived, and at length fail: but the
eyes of God see all things, at the greatest distance; he looks down from
heaven, and beholds all the children of men on earth, and all their actions;
his eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good; he can see in the
dark as well as in the light, the darkness and the light are both alike to him;
he beholds not only outward actions and visible objects, but the hearts of men,
and all that is in them; nor is he ever deceived, nor will his sight ever fail:
though Job, perhaps, may mean carnal eyes; that is, evil ones, as especially
envious ones are: "is thine eye evil?" Matthew 20:15; that
is, envious; and it is as if Job should say, dost thou envy me my former
prosperity and peace, that thou searchest so narrowly into my conduct to find
iniquity in me, and take advantage against me?
or seest thou as man seeth? look with hatred and
envy, as one man does upon another: so seemed the dispensations of God towards
Job, as if he did, as he suggests.
Job 10:5 5 Are
Your days like the days of a mortal man? Are Your years like the days of
a mighty man,
YLT
5As the days of man [are]
Thy days? Thy years as the days of a man?
Are thy days as the days of
man?.... No, they are not: not so few; the days of the years of man's
life in common are threescore years and ten, Psalm 90:10; but a
thousand years with the Lord are but as one day, 2 Peter 3:8; his
days are days not of time, but of eternity: nor so mutable, or he so mutable in
them; man is of one mind today, and of another tomorrow; but the Lord is in one
mind one day as another; he is the Lord that changes not, Malachi 3:6;
immutable in his nature, purposes, promises, and affections: but Job suggests
as if his dispensations towards him showed the contrary; one day smiling upon
him, and heaping his favours on him, and the next frowning on him, and
stripping him of all: but this was a wrong way of judging; for, though God may
change the dispensations of his providence towards men, and particularly his
own people, his nature changes not, nor does he change his will, his purposes,
and designs, nor his love and affection:
are thy years as man's days? as few as
they, or fail like them? no, he is the same, and his years fail not, and has
the same good will to his people in adverse as well as in prosperous
dispensations of his providence. Some understand all this in such sense, in
connection with what follows, as if Job had observed, that since God was
omniscient, and knew and saw all persons and things, his eyes not being like
men's eyes, eyes of flesh; and since he was eternal, and wanted not for time,
there was no need for him to take such methods as he did with him, through
afflictive providences, to find out his sin; since, if he was guilty, it was at
once known to him; nor need he be in such haste to do it, since his time was
not short, as it is with an envious and ill natured man, who is for losing no
time to find out and take an advantage of him he bears an ill will unto.
Job 10:6 6 That You should seek for
my iniquity And search out my sin,
YLT
6That Thou inquirest for
mine iniquity, And for my sin seekest?
That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my
sin? Narrowly examined every action of his life, to find something
amiss in them; and took notice of every weakness and infirmity, and aggravated
it, to make it appear as sinful as it could be, and watched every halting and
failing, that he might have something against him as a reason why he afflicted
him; dealing with him as if there was no Messiah, no Mediator, Redeemer, and
Saviour, provided, appointed, and promised; and as if there was no forgiveness
of sin, through him, for him: sin pardoned for his sake is covered, that when
it is sought for it shall not be found; so that when it is not pardoned, or not
thought to be so, it lies open, and upon inquiry to be found, charged, and
punished for; see Job 7:21; this
search and inquiry seems to have been made by afflictions; at least Job
imagined that the design of God in them was to put him upon the rack, and bring
him to a confession of sin, find in this way find an occasion against him: now
such a method as this, Job thought, was unbecoming the greatness, majesty, and
perfections of God; and was quite needless, since his eyes were not human nor
shortsighted, that obliged him to pore and pry into things, but were
omniscient, and could see at once whether there was any evil way in him or not;
nor was he as men, short lived, which obliged him to make use of his time while
he had it, to get an advantage of another; and besides, such a method of acting
seemed to him very extraordinary, when he full well knew he was an innocent
person, as follows.
Job 10:7 7 Although You know that I
am not wicked, And there is no one who can deliver from Your hand?
YLT
7For Thou knowest that I am
not wicked, And there is no deliverer from Thy hand.
Thou knowest that I am not wicked,.... Or "in",
or "upon thy knowledgeF1על דעתך "in notitia tua est", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Beza; so Michaelis. it is that I am not
wicked"; it is a thing well known, quite clear, and manifest, without
making such a search and inquiry: not that he thought himself without sin, and
could appeal to the omniscience of God for the truth of that; for he had
confessed before that he was a sinner, and wicked, as to his nature and birth,
and the many infirmities of life; see Job 7:20; but that
he was not that wicked person, and an hypocrite, as his friends took him to be,
and as might be concluded from the sore afflictions that were upon him; he did
not live in sin, nor indulge himself in a vicious course of life; sin had not
the dominion over him, and he had not secretly cherished any reigning iniquity,
and lived in the commission of it: and for the truth of this he could appeal to
the searcher of hearts; and yet he so closely pursued, and so strictly examined
him, as if he suspected he was thus guilty:
and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand; that is, out
of his afflicting hand, until he please to release him from it himself; for
this is not to be understood of deliverance from the avenging hand of justice,
from hell and wrath, and everlasting destruction; for there is one that can and
does deliver his people from sin and Satan; from the world, the law, its curses
and condemnation, and from wrath to come; and from the hands of justice, having
made full satisfaction to it: but what Job observes that God knew was, that
neither he himself, nor any angel, nor man, nor any creature, could take him
out of his hand in which be was; and therefore suggests, not only that his
condition was extremely bad, distressed, and miserable, but that there was no
necessity for God to he so quick upon him, and so strict in his inquiry into
him; nor of enclosing him about on all hands with afflictions, since, there was
no danger of his escaping from him, or of others assisting him in and
facilitating such an attempt: and this he full well knew; for so the words are
connection with the preceding: "and thou knowest that there is
none", &c.F2So Bolducius, Drusius, Schmidt, Michaelis, and
Bar Tzemach. , as well as with what follows, as some think.
Job 10:8 8 ‘Your hands have made me
and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me.
YLT
8Thy hands have taken pains
about me, And they make me together round about, And Thou swallowest me up!
Thine hands have made me, and fashioned together round about,.... This and
what follow are an illustration of and an enlargement upon, the work of God's
hands, made mention of in Job 10:3; and
suggest reasons why it should not be despised by him, as well as confirm what
was just now said, that none could deliver him out of his hands; since his
hands had made him, and therefore had such power over him as none else had: and
the whole seems designed to move to pity and compassion of him; for not he
himself, nor his parents, but God only had made him; he was his workmanship
only, and a curious piece it was, which his hands of power and wisdom had
nicely formed; for, though the Son and Spirit of God are not to be excluded
from the formation of man, yet it seems a too great strain of the words to
interpret "hands" of them, as some do; and much less are they to be
understood literally of the hands of the Son of God appearing in an human form
at the creation of man, since such an appearance is not certain; nor is Job
speaking of the formation of the first man, but of himself: the first wordF3עצבוני "elaboraverunt me", Tigurine version,
Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Codurcus, Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis. ,
rendered "made", has the signification of labour, trouble, grief, and
care; and is used of God after the manner of men, who, when things are done
well by them, take a great deal of pains, and are very solicitous and careful
in doing them; and from hence is a word which is sometimes used for an idol, as
Gersom observes, because much labour and skill are exercised to form it in the
most curious and pleasing manner; many interpreters, as Aben Ezra observes,
from the use of the word in the Arabic language, explain it of God's creating
the body of man with nerves, by which it is bound, compacted, and strengthenedF4"Nervis
colligarunt", Schultens. ; and the latter word denotes the form and
configuration of it, the beautiful order and proportion in which every part is
set; and the whole is intended to observe the perfection of the human body, and
the exquisite skill of the author of it; and what pity is it that it should be
so marred and spoiled! and this is said to be made and fashioned
"together", or all at once; the several parts of it being in the
seed, in the embryo, all together, though gradually formed or brought into
order; or rather this denotes the unity and compactness of the several members
of the body, which are set in their proper place, and joined and fitted
together, by joints and bands, and by that which every joint supplieth: and
this is done "round about", on all sides, in every part; or, as Mr.
Broughton renders it, "in every point"; the whole of it, and every
member, even the most extreme and minute, are curiously formed and fashioned by
the Lord; or rather, thine hands are together round about me; embracing,
sustaining, and preserving him ever since he was made:
yet thou dost destroy me; this body, so extremely
well wrought, by boils or ulcers; or "swallow me"F5ותבלעני "et degluties me", Montanus, Bolducius;
"et tamen absorbeas me", Schmidt; "absorbes me", Schultens,
Michaelis. , as a lion, to which he compares him, Job 10:16; or any
other ravenous and large creature, see Lamentations 2:2;
some connect the words more agreeably to the accents, "yet thou dost
destroy me together round about"F6So Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Mercerus, Cocceius. ; or on every side, as in Job 19:10; having
smitten him with boils from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, and
stripped him of his substance and his family all at once; and so it denotes
utter destruction: some read the words interrogatively, "and wilt thou
destroy or swallow me?"F7"Absorbes me?" Beza,
Mariana. after thou hast taken so much pains, and been at such labour and
trouble, speaking after the manner of men, to make such a curious piece of
work, and yet with one stroke destroy it and dash it in pieces, or swallow it
up as a morsel at once.
Job 10:9 9 Remember, I pray, that You
have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again?
YLT
9Remember, I pray Thee, That
as clay Thou hast made me, And unto dust Thou dost bring me back.
Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay,.... Not of
the clay, though man was made originally of the dust of the earth, and the
bodies of men are houses of clay, earthen vessels, and earthly tabernacles, but
"as the clay"; either as the clay is wrought in the hand of the
potter, and worked into what form, and made into what vessel he pleases, so are
men in the hand of God, made by him in what form, and for what use and end he
thinks fit; or rather this denotes not the likeness of the operation, but the
likeness of the matter of the human body to clay: not for the impurity of it;
for though man is in a state and condition comparable to the mire and clay,
this he has brought himself into by sin, and not the Lord; he made man upright,
but man has made himself sinful and polluted; but for the brittleness of it; as
a vessel made of clay is brittle and easily broke to pieces, and cannot bear
much weight, or any heavy stroke; so the body of man is weak and frail, and
feeble; its strength is not the strength of stones, and its flesh brass, but
clay: and this Job humbly entreats the Lord would "remember", and
that "now"F8נא "nunc",
Drusius; so the Targum. ; immediately; and deal mildly and mercifully with him,
since he was not able to bear the weight of his hand, which would soon, crush
him and break him to pieces; not that God forgets this, for he remembers man's
frame and composition, that he is but dust; that he is flesh, and a wind or
vapour that passes away: but he may seem to do so, when he sorely afflicts, and
his hand lies heavy, and he does not remove it, but continues it, and rather in
creases the affliction; and therefore, as the Lord allows his people to put him
in remembrance, Job here desires that he would show himself, in his
providential dealings with him, that he was mindful of his natural frailty and
infirmity; see Job 7:12 Psalm 78:3,
and wilt thou bring me into dust again? to the dust
of death; to the original of which he was made; and that so soon, and at once;
or, "and unto dust will return me?" as Mr. Broughton and othersF9תשיבני "reducturus", Schmidt, Schultens;
"reduces me?" V. L. Beza, Michaelis; "redire facies me?"
Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius. , according to the original sentence, "dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return", Genesis 3:19; and
which Job expected, and will be the case of all men, Ecclesiastes 12:7;
and therefore he thought that this might suffice, that it was enough that he
should die in a little while through the course of nature, and therefore
desires he might have some respite and ease while he did live; he could not see
there was any occasion to press him so hard, and follow him so close with
afflictions one after another, or be so rough with him and quick upon him;
since in a short time his brittle clay would break of itself, and he should
drop into the dust and lie decaying there, as it was of old decreed he should.
Job 10:10 10 Did You not pour me out
like milk, And curdle me like cheese,
YLT
10Dost Thou not as milk pour
me out? And as cheese curdle me?
Hast thou not poured me out as milk,.... Expressing, in
modest terms, his conception from the seed of his parents, comparable to milk,
from being a liquid, and for its colour:
and curdled me like cheese? that of the female being
mixed with, and heated by the male, is hardened like the curd of which a cheese
is made, and begins to receive a form as that, and becomes an embryo: and
naturalistsF11"Sic semen maris dicitur" πιτυα, Aristot. de Gen. Animal.
l. 1. c. 20. "coagulum". Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 15. Gell. Noct.
Attic. l. 3. c. 16. make use of the same expressions when speaking of these
things; and in this way most interpreters carry the sense of the words; but
Schultens observes that milk is an emblem of purity and holiness, see Lamentations 4:7;
and so this may respect the original pure formation of man, who came out of his
Maker's hands a pure, holy and upright creature, made after his image and in
his likeness, created in righteousness and holiness, and so, like milk, pure
and white; or rather the regeneration and sanctification of Job personally, and
which might be very early, as in Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and others; or
however, he was filled and adorned with the gifts and graces of the spirit of
God, was washed and cleansed, and sanctified and justified; and had his
conversation in the world in all simplicity and godly sincerity, being
preserved from gross enormities in life; was a man that feared God and eschewed
evil, and had not only the form of godliness, but the power of it; and was
established and confirmed in and by the grace of God, and was strong in the exercise
of it; and from hence he argues with God, should such a vessel of grace, whom
he had made so pure and holy, and had so consolidated and strengthened in a
spiritual and religious way, be crushed and destroyed at once?
Job 10:11 11 Clothe me with skin and
flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews?
YLT
11Skin and flesh Thou dost
put on me, And with bones and sinews dost fence me.
Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh,.... The bones
with flesh, which is the under garment, and the flesh with skin, which is the
upper; which is artificially composed of intricate little arteries, veins,
nerves, and glands, through which the blood continually circulates, and through
innumerable pores, and transpires, of which pores 125,000 may be covered with a
small grain of sandF12Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. vol. 4. p. 681. ,
amazing! Timaeus LocrusF13De Anima Mundi, p. 18. calls them
invisible little mouths; see Ezekiel 37:6; the
order of generation seems to be observed; after the semen is hardened and
consolidated, the inward parts are formed, and then the outward parts, the
flesh and skin, to protect and defend them; and so are compared to clothes
which are outside a man, and put about him; PorphyryF14De Antro
Nymph. calls the body the clothing of the soul; see 2 Corinthians 5:4;
the spiritual clothing of Job was the righteousness of his living Redeemer, who
was to partake of the same flesh and blood with him, and stand on the earth in
the fulness of time, and work out and bring in a righteousness for him,
consisting of his obedience in life in the days of his flesh, and of his
sufferings and death, or blood, by which he and every believer are justified
before God; and with which being clothed, shall not be found naked:
and hast fenced me with bones and sinews; the bones are
said by philosophersF15Timaeus Locrus, ib. p. 15. to be the fences
of the marrow, and the flesh the covering of them; the bones are the strength
and stability of the human body; the sinews or nerves bind and hold the several
parts of it together, and are of great use for its strength and motion: the
bones, some of them are as pillars to support it, as those of the legs and
thighs; and others are of use to act for it, offensively and defensively, as
those of the hands and arms; and others are a cover and fence of the inward
parts, as the ribs: GussetiusF16Ebr. Comment. p. 555, 556. seems
inclined, could he have found an instance of the word being used for making a
tent, which it has the signification of, to have rendered the words,"with
bones and sinews, thou hast given ate the form of a tabernacle; or, thou hast
made me to be a tent;'so the human body is called a tabernacle, 2 Corinthians 5:1;
the skin and flesh being like veils or curtains, which cover; the bones are in
the room of stakes, and the nerves instead of cords, the breast and belly a
cavity: in a spiritual sense, a believer's strength lies in the grace of
Christ, in the Lord, and in the power of his might; his defence is the whole
armour of God provided for him, particularly the helmet of salvation, the
shield of faith, and the breastplate of righteousness, with which he is fenced
and protected from every spiritual enemy; and will God suffer such an one to be
destroyed, whom he hath taken such care of, both in a natural and spiritual
manner?
Job 10:12 12 You have granted me life
and favor, And Your care has preserved my spirit.
YLT
12Life and kindness Thou hast
done with me. And Thy inspection hath preserved my spirit.
Thou hast granted me life and favour,.... Or
"lives"F17חיים
"vitas", Montanus, Bolducius. ; natural life; both in the womb, where
and when he was quickened, and at his birth, when he was brought into the
world, and began to live in it; the rational soul may be intended, by which he
lived; which, when created and infused into man, and united to his body, he
becomes a living man; it is the presence of that which causes life, and the
absence or removal of that which causes death; and this is a "grant"
or gift from God, who gives to all his creatures life and breath, and all
things; see Job 33:4; and is a
"favour" also; a mercy, the chief of mercies; it is more than meat;
yea, all a man has he will give for his life: besides this, Job had a spiritual
life, a principle of it implanted in him; God had quickened him when dead in
trespasses and sins; the spirit of life from Christ had entered into him, and
he was become a living spiritual man: this likewise was a "grant"
from God, a free grace gift of his; it is he that gives the living water, and
gives it freely, or it would not be grace; for it is a "favour" which
flows from the free grace and good will of God; it is owing to the great love
wherewith he loves men that he quickens them; his time is a time of love, and
so of life; and eternal life is the consequent of this, and is inseparably
connected with it; and Job had an interest in it, a right unto it, and a
meetness for it; he bad knowledge of it, faith in it, and hope of enjoying it,
and knew that after death he should live this life; see Job 19:26; and this
is a gift of God through Christ, owing to his good pleasure, the fruit of his favour
and loving kindness: though by "favour" may be meant something
distinct from life; either the care of him in the womb, and the taking of him
out from thence, which are sometimes observed as singular mercies and favours;
see Psalm 22:9; or the
beauty and comeliness of his body, such as was on Moses, David, and others; see
Proverbs 31:30; or
rather it intends in general all the temporal blessings of life, food and
raiment, every thing necessary for the comfort and support of life; and which
are all mercies and favours, and what men are undeserving of; and especially spiritual
blessings, or the blessings of grace; and the word here used is often used for
grace and mercy, and may signify the several graces of the Spirit bestowed in
regeneration, as faith, hope, love, &c. which are all the gifts of God, and
the effects of his favour and good will; as also the blessings of, justifying,
pardoning, and adopting grace; all which Job was favoured with, as well as with
supplies of grace from time to time, and the fresh discoveries of the favour
and loving kindness of God to him, which is better than life:
and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit; kept him
alive, in a natural sense, while in the womb, as Jarchi, where he was in a
wonderful manner nourished; and when he came out from thence, exposed to many
difficulties and dangers, and during his helpless and infant state, and amidst
a variety of troubles throughout the whole of his life hitherto; and which was
owing to God's visitation of him in a way of mercy every morning; and which was
no other than his providence or daily care of him, and concern for him; and so
Mr. Broughton renders it "thy providence"F18פקדתך "providentia tua", Tigurine version,
Munster, Michaelis. , and so some others: likewise he preserved his soul or
spirit in a spiritual sense, in Christ Jesus, in whose bands he put him; he hid
his life in him, and bound it up in the bundle of life with him; he kept him by
his power as in a garrison, and preserved him safe to his kingdom and glory;
and this is to be ascribed to his visitation of him in a way of grace, through
the redemption of Christ, and the effectual calling of the blessed Spirit, and
the constant supplies of grace vouchsafed from time to time: the Targum is,
"thy remembrance": for it is owing to God's remembrance of his people
that he visits them, either in providence or grace; and when he visits them
with his providence, or with his gracious presence and protection, it is plain
he remembers them: now since God had favoured him with such blessings of
nature, providence, and grace, he reasons with him about his present
circumstances; that, after all this, surely he would not destroy him and cut
him off; at least he knew not how well to reconcile past favours with such hard
and severe usage as he thought he met with from him.
Job 10:13 13 ‘And these things
You have hidden in Your heart; I know that this was with You:
YLT
13And these Thou hast laid up
in Thy heart, I have known that this [is] with Thee.
And these things thou hast hid in thine heart,.... Meaning,
either the mercies and favours he had indulged him with; these he seemed to
conceal and suppress the memory of, as if they had never been, by a different
conduct and behaviour; or rather, these he had laid up in his mind and memory,
and had full knowledge and remembrance of; though he dealt with him in the
manner he did, he could not forget his former favours to him, which, when
compared with his present dealings, were very unlike: or, it may be best to
understand these things of his afflictions and troubles, which, notwithstanding
his being the work of his hand so curiously formed, and notwithstanding all his
temporal and spiritual mercies, he had in his heart purposed, and decreed in
his mind, and laid up in his treasures, in order to be brought forth in due
time, and to exercise him with; these were the things he had appointed for him,
and many such things were with him, as it follows:
I know that this is with thee; either that
he was not ignorant and forgetful of what he had done in a kind way; or rather,
that he had this in his mind, and it was an eternal purpose of his to afflict
him in the manner he had done: some connect these words with Job 10:14, as if
the sense was, these are what thou hast hid in thine heart, and this is what I
know is with thee, "if I sin", &c.F19So Coceeius, Schmidt.
.
Job 10:14 14 If I sin, then You mark
me, And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
YLT
14If I sinned, then Thou hast
observed me, And from mine iniquity dost not acquit me,
If I sin, then thou markest me,.... Or "observest
me"F20שמרתני "observasti
me", Beza, Mercerus; "tum observas me", Schmidt. ; that is, he
took notice of his sins, strictly inquired into them and all the circumstances
of them, watched the motions and progress of them, and carefully laid them up,
in order to bring them out against him another day, and afflict or punish him
for them; or he set a watch about him, "kept him in"F21"Custodisti
me", Drusius. , and enclosed him on every side with affliction, as if he
was in a watch or prison, as Gersom; or, "wilt thou keep me"F23"Custodies
me", Vatablus. ? that is, in such close confinement: GussetiusF24Ebr.
Comment. p. 923. renders it, "if I have offered a sacrifice for sin",
as the word is sometimes used; signifying, that though he should, as no doubt
he did, offer sacrifice for himself, as it is certain he did for his children,
yet even that was not regarded by the Lord; he still marked and observed him
and his sins, and would not forgive him, or absolve him from his sins, as
follows; see Job 7:12,
and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity; clear him of
it, and discharge him from it; pronounce him innocent, or pardon him; but, on
the contrary, hold him guilty, and deal with him as such in a rigorous way; or
wilt not "cleanse" or purify me, as the Targum and othersF25תנקני "mundabis", Mercerus; "mundes",
Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius; "purges me", Junius & Tremellius.
, but let me continue, or treat me as an impure person, not fit for communion
or converse.
Job 10:15 15 If I am wicked, woe to me;
Even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of
disgrace; See my misery!
YLT
15If I have done wickedly --
wo to me, And righteously -- I lift not up my head, Full of shame -- then see
my affliction,
If I be wicked, woe is me,.... In this world, and
to all eternity; afflictions will abide me here, and everlasting wrath
hereafter: these are the woes that belong to a wicked man; that is, a profane
and abandoned sinner, that lives in sin, and gives up himself to all manner of
wickedness; the Targum is,"destruction to me from the great
judgment;'utter ruin is my portion, as it is of all wicked and unrighteous
persons, Isaiah 3:11,
and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my
head; live a holy life and conversation, be righteous in the sight of
men, and behave so as not to know anything by himself, nor to be conscious of
living in any known sin; yet he could not take any comfort from it, or have any
pleasure in it, or speak peace to himself on account of it, or glory in it and
make his boast of it; or lift up his head before God with boldness and
confidence, who is so pure and holy, and his eyes so quick in discerning the
sins of men: a good man derives his peace and comfort, not from his own
righteousness, but from the righteousness of Christ, and puts his confidence in
that only; he blushes, and is ashamed of his own; and cannot, nay, "dare
not lift up his head", as Mr. Broughton, the Tigurine version, and others
render it, through shame, being sensible that nothing of his own can stand
before an holy God, or give him joy, peace, and pleasure there; the Targum
adds, "before the ungodly"; but this a man may do before men, when he
cannot before God:
I am full of
confusion; being in such a dilemma; let him be what he would, he was sure
to have affliction, sorrow, and distress, so that he knew not what to say or
do; or "reproach"F26קלוז
"contumeliis", Tigurine version; "ignominia", Pagninus,
Montanus, Beza, Vatablus, Mercerus, Piscator, Michaelis. , which he was loaded
with by his friends, and was occasioned by his afflictions, they judging from
thence that he was a wicked man, and justly punished for his sins; the word
used signifies a burning heat, such as a than feels in his breast, and which
flushes in his face, when he is filled with anger or with shame:
therefore see thou mine affliction; not with his eye of
omniscience, that he knew he did, but with an eye of pity and compassion, and
deliver him from it; or, "I am full with seeing mine affliction", as
Jarchi; or, "I am one that sees affliction"F1וראה עניי "et videns
afflictionem", Beza, Vatablus, Mercerus, Piscator. ; that has an
experience of it; sees it all around me, and nothing else, Lamentations 3:1;
am a "spectator"F2"Et spectator adflictionis
meae", Schultens. of it, as some render it; but not a mere spectator, but
one that has a sensible feeling of it: some take this and the former clause
both to be an address to God, and render them, "be satisfied with
confusion, and behold my affliction", as Broughton and othersF3"Satiare
ignominia", Junius & Tremellius. ; let the present calamity and
confusion I am in be sufficient; let no more be laid upon me; be content with
what has been done, and pity me, and do not lay thine hand heavier upon me, and
add to my afflictions, as he thought he did, by what follows.
Job 10:16 16 If my head is
exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, And again You show Yourself awesome
against me.
YLT
16And it riseth -- as a lion
Thou huntest me. And Thou turnest back -- Thou shewest Thyself wonderful in me.
For it increaseth,.... That is, the affliction increaseth;
which is a reason why pity should be shown him, seeing his troubles instead of
abating were growing upon him; he had as much, or more, than he could well
bear, and yet more was added to it; so that he was an object of compassion: or,
"it lifteth itself up"F3ויגאה
"attollit sese", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Mercerus. ;
these proud waves of affliction rise, swell, and lift themselves on high, and
threaten to overwhelm and utterly destroy; some render it as a "wish, oh,
that it increased"F4So Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Bolducius.
; that it would come to its height, and quickly and at once put an end to this
miserable life of mine: Job's affliction was a lingering one, it proceeded
slowly; he wished it would make more haste, and become stronger, and soon
dispatch him; see Job 6:9;
thou huntest me as a fierce lion; as the ramping shakal,
as Mr. Broughton; the lion rampant, that is hungry, fierce, and ravenous, that
pursues its prey with great eagerness, and never leaves till it comes up to it,
when it seizes and devours it at once; or it, the affliction, hunteth me,
pursues me closely, and will not leave, but threatens destruction to me; or
rather, thou, that is God, who is often in Scripture compared to a lion,
particularly when afflicting, or about to afflict the sons of men; see Isaiah 38:13; someF5So
Jarchi and Nachmanides; to which sense the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin
versions incline. interpret the words, as if Job was compared to a lion hunted
by men, at which darts were cast, for which nets were prepared, and pits were
dug: according to this sense Job was dealt with as if, in the time of his
prosperity, he had been like a fierce and cruel lion, preying upon and oppressing
others; now the Lord was taking methods with him, both to restrain him from
hurting others, and to chastise him for what he had done to them: but it would
be much better to consider this in a light more agreeable to Job's character as
a good man, a righteous one, who is as bold as a lion, and fears nothing, Proverbs 28:1; and
such an one was Job; and in his prosperity lifted up his head and walked
boldly, and consequently not fearing the frowns of men, nor the malice of
Satan; but now this lion was hunted by the Lord himself, and compassed with his
net, Job 19:6; and to this
sense is the version of Schultens, connecting the words with the preceding
clause, "him therefore, who walked high as a lion, thou humblest"; he
who before carried his head high, being afraid of none, is now hunted down, and
lies low enough, prostrate and distressed:
and again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me; or,
"thou returnestF6ותשב "et
reverteris", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Vatablus, Mercerus; so Beza.
and showest", &c. after he had afflicted him in one way, he returned
and afflicted him in another; and he not only repeated his afflictions, but
devised new ways of afflicting him, uncommon ones, such as raised admiration in
all beholders, as things rare and uncommon do: Job's afflictions were
surprising ones; to be stripped at once of his substance, servants, children,
and health; and it might be more wonderful to some, that God, so gracious and
merciful as he is, should afflict in such a severe and rigorous manner; and
especially that he should afflict so good a man, one so just and upright as Job
was, in such a way: and it was even marvellous to Job himself, who was at a
loss to account for it, not being conscious to himself of any gross enormity he
had committed, or of a sinful course of life, or of anyone sin he had indulged
to, wherefore God should come forth "against"F7בי "adversum me", Beza; "contra me",
Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius. him as an enemy, in so terrible a manner: so
some render the particle.
Job 10:17 17 You renew Your witnesses
against me, And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever
with me.
YLT
17Thou renewest Thy witnesses
against me, And dost multiply Thine anger with me, Changes and warfare [are]
with me.
Thou renewest thy witnesses against me,.... Not the
devils, as some, nor Job's friends, as others; but rather afflictions, which
were daily renewed, and frequently repeated, new troubles coming continually
one upon another; which were brought as fresh witnesses against him, which made
the suit tiresome to him, the trial to last the longer, which he wished was at
end, that the decisive sentence might be pronounced and executed, and he be
dispatched at once; but instead of that the affair was protracted by bringing
in one witness after another, or one affliction upon the back of another, which
were brought as witnesses "before him"F1נגדי "coram me", Pagninus, Montanus, Beza,
Mercerus, Schmidt, Schultens. , as some render it; either to accuse him, and
convince of sin, or as proofs of God's indignation against him, as in the next
clause; or they were witnesses against him with the profane world, and even
with his friends, who from hence concluded he must have been, and was, a wicked
man, that had so many and such great afflictions laid upon him, and these
continued and repeated; of which they judged these were full and sufficient
proofs and testimonies. Schultens renders it, "thy incursions", and
interprets it of instruments of hunting, as nets and the like, to which
afflictions may be compared:
and increasest thine indignation upon me; the tokens of
it, by increasing afflictions, and the sense of it in his mind; for from his
afflictions, and the increase of them, he judged of the indignation of God upon
him, or "against him"F2עמדי
"adversus me", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schultens; so
Vatablus. , and the increase of it; as these were daily renewed, and were
greater and greater, so was the sense he had of the wrath and displeasure of
God against him; see Job 6:4,
changes and war are against me; or "with
me", or "upon me"F3עמי
"mecum", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Morcerus, Schmidt; "apud
me", Beza, Piscator, Cocceius. ; by changes are meant the various
afflictive providences which attended him, which were repeated, or succeeded
one another in their turns; great changes he had undergone in his estate and
substance, from the greatest man in the east now become the poorest; in his
family, his servants and children being destroyed; in his body, being covered
with boils; and in his mind, being filled with a sense of God's displeasure,
and under the hidings of his face: and "war" was against him on every
side, not only the law in his members was warring against the law of his mind,
his corruptions working powerfully under his afflictions; and he was
conflicting with Satan, and his principalities and powers; but even his friends
were at war with him, yea, God himself, in his opinion, counted and treated him
as an enemy. Job was in a warfare state, and his afflictions came upon him like
troops, and charged him one after another; or his afflictions were like an
"army"F4צבא "militia",
Montanus, Bolducius; "exercitus", Beza, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Mercerus, Schmidt, Schultens. as the word may be rendered, many and
numerous; and these were either repeated, or new ones succeeded others; different
afflictions in their turns came upon him, and particularly an army of worms
were continually running to and fro upon him; see Job 7:5; the word
is rendered an "appointed time", Job 7:1; and so
some take it here, and may signify that all the changes and vicissitudes in
life he passed through, the various afflictions that came upon him, were at the
set and appointed time, as well as there was an appointed time for him on
earth, until his last change came.
Job 10:18 18 ‘Why then have You brought
me out of the womb? Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!
YLT
18And why from the womb Hast
Thou brought me forth? I expire, and the eye doth not see me.
Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb?.... Into this
world; this act is rightly ascribed by Job to the Lord, as it is by David, Psalm 22:9; which
kind act of God Job complains of, and wishes it had never been, seeing his life
was now so miserable and uncomfortable; here he returns to his former
complaints, wishes, and expostulations, expressed with so much vehemence and
passion in Job 10:3; and for
which his friends blamed him, and endeavoured to convince him of his error in
so doing; but it does not appear that their arguments carried any force in them
with him, or had any effect upon him; he still continues in the same mind, and
by repeating justifies what he had said; and thought he had sufficient reason
to wish he had never been born, that he had died in the womb, since his
afflictions were so very great and increasing, and since God pursued him as a
fierce lion; and, according to his sense of things, his indignation against him
appeared more and more, and his life was a continued succession of trouble and
distress:
and that I had given up the ghost; that is, in the womb,
and had never been brought out of it, at least alive; or it may be rendered not
as a wish, but as an affirmation, "I should have given up the ghost";
or, "so or then I should have expired"F5אגוע "expirabo", Montanus;
"expirassem", Mercerus, Cocceius, Schmidt, Schultens. ; if such care
had not been taken of me, if God had not been so officious to me as to take me
out of my mother's womb at the proper time, I should have died in it, and that
would have been my grave; and which would have been more eligible than to come
into the world, and live such a miserable life as I now live:
and no eye had seen me! no eye would have seen
him, had he not been taken out of the womb; or however if he had died directly,
would not have seen him alive; and an abortive or stillborn child few see, or
care to see; and had he been such an one, he had never been seen in the
circumstances he now was; and by this he suggests, that he was now such a
shocking sight as was not fit to be seen by men, and which would have been
prevented had he died in the womb.
Job 10:19 19 I would have been as
though I had not been. I would have been carried from the womb to the grave.
YLT
19As I had not been, I am,
From the belly to the grave I am brought,
I should have been as though I had not been,.... For
though it cannot be said absolutely of such an one, an abortive or untimely
birth, that it is a nonentity, or never existed; yet comparatively it is as if
it never had a being; it being seen by none or very few, it having had no name,
nor any conversation among men; but at once buried, and buried in
forgetfulness, as if no such one had ever been; see Ecclesiastes 6:3.
This Job wished for, for so some render it, "oh, that I had been as though
I had never been"F6So Vatablus, Piscator, and some in Mercerus.
; and then he would have never been involved in such troubles he was, he would
have been free from all his afflictions and distresses, and never have had any
experience of the sorrows that now surrounded him:
I should have been carried from the womb to the grave; if he had not
been brought out of it, the womb had been his grave, as in Jeremiah 20:17; or
if he had died in it, and had been stillborn, he would quickly have been
carried to his grave; he would have seen and known nothing of life and of the
world, and the things in it; and particularly of the troubles that attend
mortals here: his passage in it and through it would have been very short, or
none at all, no longer than from the womb to the grave; and so should never
have known what sorrow was, or such afflictions he now endured; such an one
being in his esteem happier than he; see Ecclesiastes 4:3.
Job 10:20 20 Are not my days few? Cease!
Leave me alone, that I may take a little comfort,
YLT
20Are not my days few? Cease
then, and put from me, And I brighten up a little,
Are not my days few?.... They are
so, the days of every man are but few; see Job 14:1; the
remainder of Job's days were but few; considering the course of nature, and
especially the sore afflictions he had on him, it could not be thought his days
on earth were many; in all likelihood, according to human probability, he had
but a few days to live: or "are not my days a small little thing"F7הלא מעט ימי
"nonne parum dies mei?" Montanus, Bolducius, Schmidt; "paucum
quid", Vatablus, Beza, Mercerus. ? it is as an hand's breadth, as nothing
before God, Psalm 39:5,
cease then; that is, from afflicting him; since he had
so short a time to live, he requests there might be some intermission of his
trouble; that he might have some intervals of comfort and refreshment, that not
all his days, which were so few, should be spent in grief and sorrow: some
connect this with the preceding clause, and which is most agreeable to the
accents, "shall not the fewness of my days cease"F8"An
non param, vel paucitas dierum meorum cessabit?" Cocceius; "annon
pauxillulum dierum meorum deficiet?" Schultens. ? I have but a few days,
and these few days will soon cease; therefore give me some respite from my
afflictions; and so the Targum,"are not my days swift and ceasing?"
and let me alone; do not follow
me with afflictions, or disturb and distress me with them; but take off thine
hand, that I may have some rest and ease; see Job 7:10; or
"put from me"; thine anger, as Kimchi, or thine army, as Junius and
Tremellius; or thy camp, as Cocceius; that is, decamp from me, remove thy
troops, the changes and war that are against me, by which I am besieged,
surrounded, and straitened; let me be delivered from them:
that I may take comfort a little; that he might have some
breathing time, some respite from his troubles, some refreshment to his spirit,
some reviving to his fainting soul, some renewing of strength, before he
departed this life; see Psalm 39:13; so
Aben Ezra and Gersom render it: "that I may be strengthened"; or that
his heart might gather strength.
Job 10:21 21 Before I go to the
place from which I shall not return, To the land of darkness and the shadow
of death,
YLT
21Before I go, and return
not, Unto a land of darkness and death-shade,
Before I go whence I shall not return,.... Before he
went out of the world, the way of all flesh, to the grave, his long home, from
whence there is no return to this world, and to the business and affairs of it;
to a man's house, his family and his friends, to converse with them as before,
there will be no return until the resurrection, which Job does not here deny,
as some have thought; it was a doctrine he well understood, and strongly
asserts in Job 19:26; but this
must be understood in the same sense as in Job 7:9,
even to the land of
darkness, and the shadow of death; which describes not the
state of the damned, as some Popish interpreters, carry it; for Job had no
thought nor fear of such a state; but the grave, which is called "a
land", or country, it being large and spacious, and full of inhabitants; a
land of "darkness", a very dark one, where the body separated from
the soul is deprived of all light; where the sun, moon, and stars, are never
seen; nor is there the least crevice that light can enter in at, or be seen by
those that dwell in those shades, which are "the shadow of death"
itself; deadly shades, thick and gross ones, the darkest shades, where death
itself is, or dead men are, destitute of light and life; where no pleasure,
comfort, and conversation, can be had; and therefore a land in itself most
undesirable.
Job 10:22 22 A land as dark as darkness
itself, As the shadow of death, without any order, Where even the
light is like darkness.’”
YLT
22A land of obscurity as
thick darkness, Death-shade -- and no order, And the shining [is] as thick
darkness.'
A land of darkness, as darkness itself,.... Not merely
like it, but truly so; as gross thick darkness, like that of Egypt, that might
be felt; even blackness of darkness, which is as dark as it possibly can be;
not only dark, but darkness, extremely dark:
and of the shadow of death; which is
repeated for the illustration and confirmation of it, as having in it all kind
of darkness, and that to the greatest degree:
without any order, or "orders"F9ולא סדרים "et non
ordines", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Mercerus; "sine
ordinibus", Cocceius, Schmidt. ; or vicissitudes and successions of day
and night, summer and winter, heat and cold, wet and dry; or revolutions of
sun, moon, and stars, or of the constellations, as Aben Ezra; and whither
persons go without any order, either of age, sex, or station; sometimes a young
man, sometimes an old man, and the one before the other; sometimes a man,
sometimes a woman; sometimes a king, prince, and nobleman, and sometimes a
peasant; sometimes a rich man, and sometimes a poor man; no order is observed,
but as death seizes them they are brought and laid in the grave, and there is
no order there; the bones and dust of one and the other in a short time are
mixed together, and, there is no knowing to whom they belong, only by the
omniscient God:
and where the light is as darkness; were there
anything in the grave that could with any propriety be called light, even that
is nothing but darkness; darkness and light are the same thing there: or when
"it shineth it is darkness"F11ותפע
"splendet", Beza, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; that is, when
the sun shines brightest here, as at noon day, it is entire darkness in the
grave; no light is discerned there, the rays of the sun cannot penetrate there;
and could they, there is no visive faculty in the dead to receive them; all darkness
is in those secret places.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》