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Job_1:1
There was a man. This opening presents to us the Book of Job as a detached work, separate from and independent of all others. The historical books are generally united each to each by the you connective. In the land of Us. Uz, or Huz (Hebrew, òåÌõ ), seems to have been originally, like Judah, Moab, Ammon, Edom, etc; the name of a man. It was borne by a son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham (Gen_22:21), and again by a son of Dishan, the son of Seir the Horite (Gen_36:28). Some regard it as also a personal name in Gen_10:23. But from this use it passed to the descendants of one or more of these patriarchs, and from them to the country or countries which they inhabited. The "land of Uz" is spoken of, not only in this passage, but also in Jer_25:20 and Lam_4:21. These last-cited places seem to show that Jeremiah's "land of Uz" was in or near Edom, and therefore south of Palestine; but as Uzzites, like so many nations of these ports, were migratory, we need not be surprised if the name Uz was, at different times, attached to various localities. Arabian tradition regards the region of the Hauran, north-east of Palestine, as Job's country. The other geographical names in the Book of Job point to a more eastern location, one not far remote from the southern Euphrates, and the adjacent parts of Arabia Sheba, Dedan, Teman, Buz, Shuah, and Chesed (Casdim) all point to this locality. On the other hand, there is a passage in the inscriptions of Asshur-banipal which, associating together the names of Huz and Buz (Khazu and Bazu), appears to place them both in Central Arabia, not far from the Jebel Shnmmar. My own conclusion would be that, while the name "land of Uz" designated at various periods various localities, Job's "land of Uz" lay a little west of the Lower Euphrates, on the borders of Chaldea and Arabia. Whose name was Job. In the Hebrew the name is "Iyyob," whence the "Eyoub" of the Arabs and the "Hiob" of the Germans. It is quite a distinct name from that of the third son of Issachar (Gen_46:18), which is properly expressed by "Job," being éåÉá . Iyyob is supposed to be derived from aib ( àÈéÄá ), "to be hostile," and to mean "cruelly or hostilely treated," in which ease we must suppose it to have been first given to the patriarch in his later life, and to have superseded some other, as "Peter" superseded "Simon," and "Paul" superseded "Saul." According to a Jewish tradition, adopted by some of the Christian Fathers, Job's original name was "Jobab," and under this name he reigned as King of Edom (Gen_36:33). But this kingship is scarcely compatible with the view given of him in the Book of Job. The supposed connection of the name of Juba with that of Job is very doubtful. And that man was perfect. Tam ( úÈÌí ), the word translated "perfect," seems to mean "complete, entire, not wanting in any respect," It corresponds to the Greek τέλειος , and the Latin integer (comp. Horace, 'Od.,' 1.22. 1, "Integer vitro, scelerisque purus'). It does not mean" absolutely sinless," which Job was not (comp. Job_9:20; Job_40:4). And upright. This is the exact meaning of yashar ( éÈùÈÑø ). "The Book of Jasher" was "the Book of the Upright" ( βιβλίον τοῦ εὐθοῦς , 2Sa_1:18). One that feared God, and eschewed evil; literally, fearing God and departing from evil. The same testimony is given of Job by God himself in verse 8, and again in Job_2:3 (comp. also Eze_14:14, Eze_14:20). We must suppose Job to have reached as near perfection as was possible tot man at the time.
Job_1:2
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. The numbers three and seven, and their product, ten, are certainly sacred numbers, regarded as expressive of ideal perfection. But this does not prevent their being also historical. As Canon Cook observes, "Striking coincidences between outward facts and ideal numbers are not uncommon in the purely historical portions of Scripture". There are twelve apostles, seventy (7 × 10) disciples sent out by our Lord, seven deacons, three synoptic Gospels, twelve minor prophets, seven princes of Persia and Media, ten sons of Haman, three of Noah, Gomer, Terah, Levi, and Zeruiah, seven of Japhet, Mizraim, Seir the Horite, Gad, and Jesse (1Ch_2:13-15), twelve of Ishmael, twelve of Jacob, etc. Our Lord is thirty (3 x 10) years old when he begins to teach, and his ministry lasts three years; he heals seven lepers, casts out of Mary Magdalene seven devils, speaks upon the cross seven "words," bids Peter forgive his brother "seventy times seven," etc. It is thus not only in vision or in prophecy, or in symbolical language, that these "ideal numbers" come to the front far more frequently than ethers, but also in the most matter-of-fact histories.
Job_1:3
His substance also; literally, his acquisition (from ÷ÈðÈä , acquirere), but used of wealth generally. Seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses. Note, first of all, the absence of horses or mules from this list—an indication of high antiquity. Horses were not known in Egypt till the time of the shepherd-kings, who introduced them from Asia. None are given to Abraham by the Pharaoh contemporary with him (Gen_12:16). We hear of none as possessed by the patriarchs in Palestine; and, on the whole, it is not probable that they had been known in Western Asia very long before their introduction into Egypt. They are natives of Central Asia, where they are still found wild, and passed gradually by exportation to the more southern regions, Armenia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Arabia. Note, secondly, that the items of Job's wealth accord with those of Abraham's (Gen_12:16). Thirdly, note that Job's wealth in cattle is not beyond credibility. An Egyptian lord of the time of the fourth dynasty relates that he possessed above 1000 oxen and cows, 974 sheep, 2,235 goals, and 760 asses. Further, the proportion of the camels is noticeable, and implies a residence on the borders of the desert (see the comment on verse 1). and a very great household; literally, and a very great service, or retinue of servants. Oriental emirs and sheikhs consider it necessary for their dignity to maintain a number of attendants and retainers (except, perhaps, in feudal times) quite unknown to the West. Abraham had three hundred and eighteen trained servants, born in his house (Gen_14:14). Egyptian households were "full of domestics," comprising attendants of all kinds—grooms, artisans, clerks, musicians, messengers, and the like. A sheikh, situated as Job was, would also require a certain number of guards, while for his cattle he would need a large body of shepherds, ox-herds, and the like. So that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. The Beney Kedem, or "men of the east," literally, sons of the east, seems to include the entire population between Palestine and the Euphrates (Gen_29:1; Jdg_6:3; Jdg_7:12; Jdg_8:10; Isa_11:14; Jer_49:28, etc.). Many tribes of Arabs are similarly designated at the present day, e.g. the Beni Harb, the Beni Suhr, the Bani Naim, the Bani Lain, etc. It would seem that the Phoenicians must have called themselves Beni Kedem when they settled in Greece, since the Greeks knew them as "Cadmeisns," and made them descendants of a mythic "Cadreus' (Herod; 5.57-59). The name "Saracens" is to some extent analogous, since it means "Men of the morning."
Job_1:4
And his sons went and feasted. "Went and feasted" seems to mean "were in the habit of feastlng" (Rosenmuller, Lee). In their houses. Each had his own residence, and the residence was not a tent, but a" house." Job and his sons were not mere nomads, but belonged to the settled population. The same is implied by the "ploughing of the oxen" (verse 14), and indeed by Job's "yoke of oxen" in verse 3. Every one his day. Most commentators regard these feasts as birthday festivities. Each son in his turn, when his birthday arrived, entertained his six brothers. Others think that each of the seven brothers had his own special day of the week on which, he received his brothers at his table, so that the feasting was continuous. But this scarcely suits the context. And it is admitted that "his day" (in Job_3:1) means "his birthday." The celebration of birthdays by means of a feast was a very widespread custom in the East. And sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. This by itself is sufficient to show that the feasts were occasional, not continuous. Constant absence of daughters, day after day, from the parental board is inconceivable.
Job_1:5
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about; rather, when the days of the feasting had come round; i.e. whenever one of the birthdays had arrived in due course, and the feasting had taken place. That Job sent and sanctified them. In the old world, outside the Mosaic Law, the father of the family was the priest, to whom alone it belonged to bless, purify, and offer sacrifice. Job, after each birthday-feast, sent, it would seem, for his sons, and purified them by the accustomed ablutions, or possibly by some other ceremonial process, regarding it as probable that, in the course of their feasting, they had contracted some defilement. It would seem by the next clause that the purification took place at the close of the day of festivity. And rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings. Burnt offerings were instituted soon after the Fall, as we learn from Gen_4:4, and were in common use long before the Mosaic Law was given. The practice was common, so far as appears, to all the nations of antiquity, except the Persians (Herod; 1:132). According to the number of them all One, apparently, for each child, since each might have sinned in the way suggested. The offerings were clearly it. tended as expiatory. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Two wholly different meanings are assigned by good Hebraists to the expression áøê àçéí . According to some, áøê has its usual sense, "to bless," and àìäéí signifies "false gods," or "idols;" according to the others, who form the great majority, àìäéí has its usual sense of "God," and áøê has the unusual sense of "curse". How the same word comes to have the two wholly opposite senses of "to bless" and "to curse" has been differently explained. Some think that, as men blessed their friends both on receiving them and on bidding them adieu, the word áøê got the sense of "bidding adieu to," "dismissing," "renouncing." Others regard the use of áøê for "to curse" as a mere euphemism, and compare the use of sacer and sacrari in Latin, and such expressions as "Bless the stupid man!" "What a blessed nuisance!" in English. The maledictory sense seems to be established by Job_2:9 and 1Ki_21:10. By "cursing God in their hearts" Job probably means "forgetting him," "putting him out of sight," "not giving him the honour which is his due." Thus did Job continually; literally, as in the margin, all the days; i.e. whenever one of the festival-days occurred.
Job_1:6
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. By "the sons of God" it is generally admitted that, in this place, the angels are meant (so again in Job_38:7). The meaning of the phrase is probably different in Gen_6:2. Angels and men are alike "sons of God," as created by him, in his image, to obey and serve him. Christ, the "Only Begotten," is his Son in quite a different sense. We may gather, perhaps, from this place and Job_2:1 that there are fixed times at which the angelic host, often sent out by the Almighty on distant errands, has to gather together, one and all, before the great white throne, to pay homage to their Lord, and probably to give an account of their doings. And Satan came also among them. The word "Satan" has the article prefixed to it äùÒúï here and elsewhere in Job, as in Zec_3:1, Zec_3:2 and in Luk_22:31; Rev_12:9. Thus accompanied, it is less a proper name than an appellative—"the adversary". In 1Ch_21:1, without the article, it is undoubtedly a proper name, as in the New Testament, passim. Accusation of men before God is one of the special offices of the evil spirit (see Zec_3:1, Zec_3:2), who is "the accuser of the brethren, he that accuses them before God day and night" (Rev_12:10). The accusations that he makes may be either true or false, but they are so often false that his ordinary New Testament name is ὁ διάβολος , "the Slanderer." The existence of an evil spirit must have been known to all who read or heard the story of the fall of man (Gen_3:1-24.), and the descriptive epithet, "the Adversary," is likely to have been in use from a very early date. The notion that the Satan of the Old Testament is a reflex of the Persian Ahriman, and that the Jews derived their belief upon the subject from the Persians, is quite untenable. The character and position of Satan in the Hebrew system are quite unlike those of Ahriman (Angro-mainyus) in the religion of the Zoroastrians.
Job_1:7
And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? God condescends to address the evil spirit, and asks him questions—not that anything could be added to his own knowledge, but that the angels, who were present (Job_1:6), might hear and have their attention called to the doings of Satan, which would need to be watched by them, and sometimes to be restrained or prevented. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Satan, therefore, is not himself, like the bulk of his evil angels, "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the last day" (Jud_1:6). He searches the whole earth continually, never passing, never resting, but "going about," as St. Peter says (1Pe_5:8), "like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour," waiting till the coming of the "thousand years," when an angel will "bind him with a great chain, and cast him into the bottom-less pit" (Rev_20:1, Rev_20:2). It will be a happy day for the earth when that time comes.
Job_1:8
And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered? literally. Hast thou set thine heart on? equivalent to "Hast thou given thine attention to?" (comp. Isa_41:22; Hag_1:5, Hag_1:7). My servant Job; i.e. "my true servant, faithful in all that he does" (comp. Heb_3:5). It is a high honour to any man for God to acknowledge him as his servant (see Jos_1:2; 1Ki_11:13, etc.). That there is none like him in the earth; rather, for there is none like him (see the Revised Version). This is given as a reason why Satan should have paid special attention to his case, and is a sort of challenge: "Thou that art always spying out some defect or other in a righteous man, hast thou noted my servant Job, and discovered any fault in him?" A perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil (see the comment on verse 1).
Job_1:9
Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Satan insinuates that Job's motive is purely selfish. He serves God, not for love of God, or for love of goodness, but for what he gets by it. Satan is too shrewd to endeavour, as Job's friends do later, to pick holes in Job's conduct. No; that is exemplary. But the true character of acts is determined by the motive. What is Job's motive? Does he not serve God to gain his protection and blessing? Similarly, in modem times, ungodly men argue that religious and devout persons are religious and devout with a view to their own interest, because they expect to gain by it, either in this world, or in the next, or in both. This is a form of calumny which it is impossible to escape. And bad men, who are conscious to themselves of never acting except from a selfish motive, may well imagine the same of others. It is rarely that such an insinuation can be disproved. In the present instance God vindicates his servant, and covers the adversary with shame, as the other adversaries and calumniators of righteousness will be covered at the last day.
Job_1:10
Hast not thou made an hedge about him? i.e. "hedged him around, protected him, made a sort of invisible fence about him, through which no evil could creep." This was undoubtedly true. God had so protected him. But the question was not as to this fact, but as to Job's motive. Was it mere prudence?—tile desire to secure a continuance of this protection? And about his house; i.e. "his family"—his sons and daughters—the members of his household. And about all that he hath on every side. His possessions—land, houses, cattle, live stock of all kinds, furniture, goods and chattels. Thou hast blessed the work of his hands (comp. Psa_1:3, where it is said of the righteous man. that "whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper"). So it was with Job. God's blessing was upon him, and success crowned all his enterprises. "The work of his hands" will include everything that he attempted. And his substance is increased in the land. In the former clause we have the cause, God's blessing; in the latter the effect, a great increase in Job's "substance," or "cattle" (marginal reading). (On the final number of his cattle, see verse 3.)
Job_1:11
But put forth thine hand now; literally, send forth thy hand, as a man does who strikes a blow (comp. Gen_22:12; Exo_3:20; Exo_9:15, etc.). And touch all that he hath; or, smite all that he hath; i.e. ruin him, strip him of his possessions. And he will curse thee to thy face. Professor Lee translates, "If not, he will bless thee to thy face;" the LXX; "Surely he will bless thee to thy face;" Canon Cook, "See if he will not renounce thee openly." But the majority of Hebraists agree with the Authorized Version. Satan suggests that, if Job be stripped of his possessions, he will openly curse God, and renounce his worship. Here he did not so much calumniate, or lie, as show the evil thoughts that were in his own heart. No doubt he believed that Job would act as he said.
Job_1:12
And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; literally, in thy hand, as in the margin. God withdraws his protection from Job's possessions; he does not himself take them away, as Satan had suggested (verse 11); but he allows Satan, who can do nothing without his allowance, to deal with them as he pleases. As God dispenses blessings through the angelic host (Psa_91:11, Psa_91:12; Heb_1:14), so he, sometimes at any rate, allows spirits of evil to be the ministers of his chastisements. Only upon himself put not forth thine hand. The person of Job was not to be touched as yet. He was to be injured only in his belongings. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. Having obtained a permission which he thought would serve his purpose, Satan did not delay, but promptly departed, to take advantage of the permission given him. To be in the presence of God must be an intense pain to the evil one.
Job_1:13
And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house. One of the birthdays, the eldest brother's probably, had come round, and the ordinary gathering (see Job_1:4) had taken place—the feasting and drinking had begun, while the father, remaining in his own house, was perhaps interceding with God for his children, or anxiously considering the possibility that, in their light-hearted merriment, they might have put God away altogether from their thoughts, and So have practically renounced him, when the series of calamities began. How often calamity comes to us when we are least expecting it, when all seems quiet about us, when everything is prospering—nay, even when a high festival-time has come, and the joy-bells are sounding in our ears, and our 'hearts are elated within us! Job was, at any rate, spared the sudden plunge from exuberant joy into the depths of woe. It was his habit to preserve an even temper, and neither to be greatly exalted, nor, unless under an extremity of suffering, to be greatly depressed. He was now, however, about to be subjected to a fiery trial.
Job_1:14
And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the asses (literally, the she-asses) feeding beside them (literally, at their hand). Note that, notwithstanding the festival, labour was still going on; there was no general holiday; the oxen were at work in the field, not perhaps all of them, but the greater number, for the ploughing-time is short in the Oriental countries, and the "earing" is all done at the same time. The bulk of Job's labourers were probably engaged in the business, and they had brought the asses with them, probably to keep them under their eye, lest thieves should carry them off, when the catastrophe related in the next verse occurred.
Job_1:15
And the Sabeans (literally, Sheba) fell upon them, and took them away. The Sabeans were the principal people of Arabia in ancient times, and the name seems to be used sometimes in the general sense of "Arabs" (see Psa_72:10, Psa_72:15; Jer_6:20). We may suppose that hem, either the general sense is intended, or, if the specific one, then that, at the date whereto the story of Job belongs, there were Sabeans in Eastern as well as in Southern Arabia, in the neighbourhood of the Upper Persian Gulf as well as in the neighbourhood of the Indian Ocean. The plundering habits of all the Arab tribes are well known. Strabo says that the Sabeans, even at the height of their prosperity, made excursions for the sake of plunder into Arabia Petraea and even Syria (Strab; 16.4) Yea, they have slain; rather, they slew, or they smote. The servants; literally, the young men; i.e. the labourers who were engaged in ploughing, and would be in duty bound to resist the carrying off of the cattle. With the edge of the sword. The lance is the chief weapon of the modern Bedouin, but it may have been different anciently. Or the expression used may merely mean "with weapons of war." And I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Professor Lee translates, "And I have hardly escaped alone to tell thee."
Job_1:16
While he was yet speaking; literally, he yet speaking; ἔτι τούτον λαλοῦντος , LXX. The writer hurries his words to express the rapidity with which one announcement followed another (see Job_1:17, Job_1:18). There came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven. "The fire of God" is undoubtedly lightning (comp. Num_11:1-3; 2Ki_1:10, 2Ki_1:14; Psa_78:21). This Satan, under permission, might wield, as being "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph_2:2): but there is, no doubt, something very extraordinary in a storm extending over the pastures occupied by nine thousand sheep, and destroying the whole of them (Cook) Still, it cannot be said that such a storm is impossible; and perhaps the damage done was not greater than that which followed on the seventh Egyptian plague (see Exo_9:18-26). And hath burned up the sheep, and the servants; literally, the young men; i.e. the shepherds who were in attendance upon the sheep. And consumed them; literally, devoured them. Fire is often said to "devour" what it destroys. "The Egyptians," says Herodotus, "believe fire to be a live animal, which eats whatever it can seize, and then, glutted with the food, dies with the matter which it feeds upon" (Herod; 3.16). And I only am escaped alone to tell thee (see the comment on Job_1:15).
Job_1:17
While he was yet speaking, there came also another (see the comment on Job_1:16). The exact repetition of a clause, without the alteration of a word or a letter, is very archaic (comp. Gen_1:4, Gen_1:8, Gen_1:13, Gen_1:19, Gen_1:23, Gen_1:31; and for another repetition, Gen_1:10, Gen_1:12, Gen_1:18, Gen_1:21, Gen_1:25). And said, The Chaldeans; literally, the Casdim ( ëÇùÀÒãÄéí ), which is the word uniformly used in the Hebrew where the Authorized Version has "Chaldeans" or "Chaldees." The native name seems to have been Kaldi or Kaldai, whence the Greek Χαλδαῖοι , and the Latin Chaldaei. It is very difficult to account for the Hebrews having substituted a sibilant for the liquid; but it was certainly done from the earliest period of their literature (Gen_11:31) to the latest (see Targums, passim). Some derive the Hebrew Casdim from "Chesed," one of the sons of Nahor (Gen_22:22); but Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees before Chesed was born (Gen_22:20). And there is no evidence of any connection between Chesed, who was born at Haran, and the Babylonian Chaldeans. The Chaldeans were probably early settlers in Babylonia; by degrees they were pressed to the south, and gave the name of Chaldea to Lower Babylonia, or the tract nearest to the Persian Gulf (Strab; 16.1, § 66; Ptolemy, 'Geographia,' 5.20). From a remote date they were a settled and civilized people; but no doubt originally they had the same predatory instincts as their neighbours. Made out three bands. Professor Lee translates, "appointed three captains," which is a possible meaning of the words; but the weight of authority supports the rendering of the Authorized Version. And fell upon the camels. Perhaps the most valuable part of Job's possessions. Three thousand camels would be regarded as a splendid capture by any body of Oriental marauders. And have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants (literally, the young men, as in verse 16) with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee (compare the comment on verse 15).
Job_1:18
While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said (see the comment on Job_1:16), Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house (comp. Job_1:13). It is a common proverb that "misfortunes never come singly." Shakespeare says they "come not single foes, but in battalions." Still, so overwhelming a series of calamities falling upon a single individual all in one day could not but strike those who heard of them as abnormal, and almost certainly supernatural. So Job's friends concluded (Job_5:17).
Job_1:19
And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness; rather, from across the wilderness—a wind which began in the region lying on the other side of the wilderness, and sweeping across it, came with full force upon the inhabited tract where Job and his sons were dwelling. The desert winds are often very violent. Generally they are Laden with heavy clouds of fine sand, which cause intolerable discomfort and thirst; but when they sweep over a rocky and gravelly region, they are simply of extreme violence, without other distressing feature. They then resemble the hurricanes or tornadoes of the West Indies. We may reasonably connect this hurricane with the thunderstorm of verse 16. And smote the four corners of the house, and it fell. The "houses" of the East are not the solid structures of heavy timber, brick, and stone to which we of the West are accustomed, but light fabrics of planks and palisades, thatched mostly with reeds. Houses of this kind, when the rain descends, and the winds blow and beat against them (Mat_7:6), readily fall. Upon the young men; rather, the young persons. Na'ar ( ðòø ) is of both genders in early Hebrew (see Gen_24:14, etc.). And they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Again, the calamity has a completeness which marks it as supernatural. The fall of a house does not usually destroy all the inmates.
Job_1:20
Then Job arose. Not till the last calamity was announced did Job stir. The loss of his wealth little moved him. But when he heard that his children were destroyed, all of them "at one fell swoop," then he could endure no longer, but rose from the seat on which he was sitting, and showed forth his grief. First he rent his mantle, "the outer robe worn by men of rank" (Cook)—a customary sign of grief in the ancient world (Gen_37:29, Gen_37:34; Gen_44:13; 1Ki_21:27; 2Ki_19:1; Est_4:1; Joe_2:13; Herod; 8.99; Livy, 1.13, etc.); then he shaved his head—another less usual but still not uncommon sign of grief, forbidden under the Law of the Jews (Le Job_21:5; Deu_14:1), but widely practised by the Gentiles (Isa_15:2; Jer_47:5; Jer_48:37; Herod; 2.36; 9.24; Plut.,'Vit. Pelop.,' § 34; Q. Gurt.,'Vit. Alex.,' 10.5, § 17). And fell down upon the ground, and worshipped. After giving vent to his natural grief, Job made an act of adoration. Recognizing the fact that adversity, as well as prosperity comes from God, and submitting himself to the Divine will, he "worshipped." How often has his act flashed across the minds of Christians. and enabled them, in their dark hour, to imitate him, and repeat his words, "The Lord gave," etc.!
Job_1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. There is some difficulty in the word "thither," since no man returns to his mother's womb (Joh_3:4), at death or otherwise. The expression must not be pressed. It arises out of the analogy, constantly felt and acknowledged, between "mother" earth and a man's actual mother (setup. Psa_129:1-8 :15). The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Job is here represented as knowing God by his name "Jehovah," though elsewhere the "great Name" appears once only in the words of Job (Job_12:9), and never in the words of his friends. The natural conclusion is that the name was known in the land of Uz at the time, but was very rarely used—scarcely, except in moments of excitement. Blessed be the Name of the Lord; literally, may the Name of Jehovah be blessed! The ermphatic word is kept for the last. According to Satan, Job was to have" cursed God to his face" (verse 11). The event is that he openly and resolutely blesses God. That the same word is used in its two opposite senses rather accentuates the antithesis.
Job_1:22
In all this Job sinned not. It was only the commencement of the probation; but so far, at any rate, Job had not sinned—he had preserved his integrity, had spoken and done rightly. Nor charged God foolishly; literally, gave not folly to God, which is explained to mean either "did not attribute to God anything inconsistent with wisdom and goodness" (Delitzsch, Merx), or "did not utter any foolishness against God" (Ewald, Dillmann, Cook). The latter is probably the true meaning (comp. Job_6:6; Job_24:12).
1. Historical. Not fictitious, but real (Eze_14:14; Jas_5:11). Even if the Book of Job proceeded from the brilliant Solomnnic period, the person of Job must be looked for in remote patriarchal times.
2. Significant. Meaning "Persecuted," or "Repenting,' if not better connected with a root denoting "joyous exultation." Scripture names are frequently suggestive of traits in character (e.g. Jacob, Peter, Barnabas) or points in history (e.g. Abraham, Israel, Benjamin, Samuel).
3. Illustrious. Allied to that of princes (Gen_46:13; Gen_36:33), like whom probably he was descended from the father of the faithful (Gen_25:6). The piety, no less than the intellectual endowments, of ancestors sometimes reappears in their posterity.
4. Honoured. Commended by God (Eze_14:14), extolled by St. James (Jas_5:11), immortalized by the Hebrew bard.
II. THE PATRIARCH'S COUNTRY. Uz.
1. Heathen. Though considerably civilized, as surviving monuments attest, the sons of the East were not embraced within the Abrahamic covenant, in which respect they fell behind the sons of Israel (Rom_9:4). For countries, as for individuals, the institutions of religion are a higher honour and a greater privilege than the blessings of civilization. Yet:
2. Not God-forsaken. If Job's countrymen, like Abraham's, were addicted to idolatry (Job_31:26-28). it is apparent that a remnant still adhered to the primeval faith of mankind. Probably no age or people has ever been wholly bereft of light from heaven or of the gracious influences of God's Spirit. In the darkest times and most idolatrous lands God has been able to find a seed to serve him (1Ki_19:18; Rom_11:4, Rom_11:5).
III. THE PATRIARCH'S PIETY.
1. Perfect. Used of Noah (Gen_6:9) and of Abraham (Gen_17:1); describes the patriarch's religious character with reference to itself as
(1) complete, full-orbed, well-proportioned, thoroughly symmetrical, possessing all the attributes and qualities indispensable to spiritual manhood—an ideal after which Old Testament saints strove (Psa_119:6) and New Testament believers aspired (Act_24:16), and which by Christ (Mat_5:48), Paul (1Th_5:23), and by St. James (Jas_1:4) is propounded as the goal of Christian attainment; and as
(2) sincere, clear and transparent in motive, single and undivided in aim, pure and unmixed in affection, without guile, without hypocrisy, without duplicity—a quality again exemplified by David (Psa_26:1), Zacharias and Elisabeth (Luk_1:6), Nathanael (Joh_1:47), St. Paul (2Co_4:2), and enjoined by Christ as a perpetual obligation (Col_3:22; 1Ti_1:5).
2. Upright. Defining Job's piety in its relation to the law of right, as that which was "straight," or without deviation (i.e. conscious; Ecc_7:20), in either thought or act flora the prescribed path of duty, and also distinguishing it from the "crooked ways" of the ungodly (Psa_125:4, Psa_125:5; Pro_2:15), against which saints are warned (Jos_1:7; Pro_4:25, Pro_4:27), and which they strive to shun (Psa_101:3; Heb_13:18).
3. God-fearing. Setting forth the aspect which Job's piety maintained towards God—an outlook not of dark, slavish terror, but of bright filial reverence and holy awe. such solemn and profound veneration as a contemplation of the Divine character is fitted to inspire (Psa_89:7; Psa_99:3), as Abraham cherished (Gen_22:12), as is inculcated upon Christians (Heb_12:28), and as lies at the foundation of all true greatness (Psa_111:10; Job_28:28; Pro_1:7).
4. Sin-hating. Completing the portrait of the patriarch's religious character by depicting the attitude in which it stood to moral evil, whether in himself or in the world around, which was not a position of indifference or neutrality, but of active and determined hostility—a necessary feature in the character of the good man as portrayed in Scripture (Psa_34:14; Psa_37:27; Pro_14:6; Eph_5:11; 1Jn_3:3, 1Jn_3:6).
IV. THE PATRIARCH'S ESTATE.
1. Extensive. It comprised seven thousand sheep, bespeaking him an opulent flockmaster; three thousand camels, implying that he acted as a princely merchant; five hundred yoke of oxen, pointing to a large farm; and five hundred she-asses, which were highly prized for their milk; while along with these it embraced "a very great household," or a multitude of servants, such as ploughmen, shepherds, camel-drivers, besides guards, overseers, traffickers, and scribes; from which it is certain that the patriarch could not have been an idler—thus showing that piety is not incompatible with great business activity, or the ordinary occupations of life necessarily detrimental to the culture of the soul (Rom_12:11).
2. Valuable. The different items of the above catalogue clearly show that Job was rich, material wealth being in his case allied with spiritual treasure, thus proving that, though good men are not always rich, as unfortunately rich men are not always good, it is yet by no means impossible to be both; witness Abraham (Gen_13:2), IsaActs (Gen_26:13, Gen_26:14), Jacob (Gen_32:10), Joseph of Arimathaea (Mat_27:57).
3. Removable. As the event showed, and as is the case with the estate of every man, great or small, upon the earth (Jas_1:10, Jas_1:11; 1Jn_2:17).
V. THE PATRIARCH'S FAMILY.
1. Numerous. Under the Old Testament economy a large family was promised as a special recompense to the pious (Psa_113:9; Psa_127:4, Psa_127:5; Psa_128:1-4), and though an abundant offspring is not now a sign of grace or an evidence of religion, yet children are among the most precious of Heaven's gifts, and happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them.
2. Happy. Whether the entertainments they gave were birthday commemorations, or periodically returning religious festivals, or weekly banquets, they obviously formed a cheery and genial household. Innocent festivity is neither unbecoming nor irreligious, since it is not true that "man was made to mourn" (Burns), while it is true that God's people are commanded to rejoice evermore (Ecc_9:7; Psa_100:1; Php_4:4).
3. Loving. If Job's family were mirthful, they were likewise harmonious and united. Few spectacles on earth are more beautiful than families whose members are endeared to one another by reciprocal affection (Psa_133:1); and yet good men have often seen their households torn by unseemly strife; e.g. Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David.
VI. THE PATRIARCH'S SOLICITUDE.
1. Reasonable. Gaiety and merry-making, while innocent in themselves and sanctioned by religion, have a tendency to cause the heart to forget God. Those who frequent social banquets and indulge in the world's delicacies are apt to become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (2Ti_3:4); e.g. Solomon, Dives, Demas.
2. Becoming. As a pious man, Job could scarcely fail to be concerned about the behaviour of so many young people, especially while attending a feast. As a father, he was doubly constrained to have respect to their spiritual and eternal welfare. Even more is it the duty of a parent to train up his sons and daughters in the nurture and admonition of the Lord than to provide for their education and settlement in life (Eph_6:4).
3. Earnest. The father who could be at such pains and expense about the religious education of his children as Job appears to have heel was clearly in earnest, and might profitably be taken as a pattern by Christian parents. Contrast the parental negligence of Eli (1Sa_2:29).
4. Habitual. As Job's zeal was prompt, so likewise was it constant. The godly practice of Divine worship was maintained with unwearied regularity, week after week, or at least upon the close of every festive occasion. As a parent's responsibility for his children does not terminate with their childhood, so neither should his endeavours to promote their welfare cease with their arriving at the stage of manhood and womanhood.
Learn:
1. God may have children outside the pale of the Church visible.
2. Prosperity and piety, though not commonly conjoined, are by no means incompatible.
3. God's people should aim at the possession of a piety which is "perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
4. Good men's families should themselves be good.
5. Pious parents should train their children in the fear of God and in the observance of his precepts.
Job_1:1-5
II. A WEALTHY MAN.
III. AN EMINENT SAINT.
IV. A GODLY PARENT.
V. A SACRIFICING PRIEST.
Job_1:3
1. God's gifts; and therefore to be received with thankfulness.
2. Man's ornaments; and therefore to be borne humbly.
3. A Christian's talents; and therefore to be used with fidelity.
II. THEIR RECIPROCAL RELATIONS.
1. Wealth and piety are not necessarily incompatible.
2. Wealth and piety are often mutually destructive.
3. Wealth and piety may prove reciprocally helpful
III. THEIR COMPARATIVE EXCELLENCES.
1. Piety may be obtained by all; wealth can be secured only by a few.
2. Piety is useful to all; wealth is injurious to some.
3. Piety will abide with all; wealth can remain with none.
LESSONS.
1. They that have piety can do without wealth.
2. They that have wealth cannot do without piety.
Job_1:4
II. A PERMISSIBLE ENJOYMENT.
III. A NATURAL ACTION.
IV. A DANGEROUS OCCUPATION.
Job_1:5
II. SHOULD BE PERFORMED IN THE ASSEMBLED HOUSEHOLD. Job gathered all his sons to his devotions.
III. SHOULD BE CELEBRATED AFTER DUE PREPARATION. Job sanctified his sons by the customary ablutions.
IV. SHOULD BE INSPIRED BY FAITH IN THE ATONING SACRIFICE. Job offered up burnt offerings.
V. SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LIBERAL OBLATIONS. Job presented victims to the number of them all.
VI. SHOULD BE MARKED BY CONFESSION AND INTERCESSION. Job interceded for his children.
VII. SHOULD BE MAINTAINED WITH UNBROKEN REGULARITY. Job did so continually.
Learn:
(1) The duty,
(2) the propriety,
(3) the need, and
(4) the value, of family worship.
Job_1:6-12
1. The celestial assembly.
(1) The beings composing it. Sons of God, i.e. angels (vide Job_38:7 and cf. Psa_29:1), here styled "sons of Elohim," to indicate their nature, as deriving their existence from God (cf. Luk_3:38); their dignity, as enjoying an exalted rank in the scale of being (cf. Dan_3:25); and their office, as serving in the capacity of ministers to the Supreme (cf. Psa_82:6).
(2) The purpose of their gathering. "To present themselves before the Lord;" not to assist in the deliberations of the Infinite Mind Isa_40:13, Isa_40:14; Rom_11:34), but as ambassadors returning from their respective circuits to render account of their ministrations and to receive commissions for future execution. Even so must all God's intelligent creatures upon earth appear before the dread tribunal of the skies (2Co_5:10), and every one give an account of himself to God (Rom_14:12).
2. The unexpected visitor.
(1) The import of his name. "Satan;' the adversary, the calumniator, the accuser; not the evil genius of the later theology of the Jews, but the dark, sullen spirit of Divine revelation, who headed the revolt in heaven against the authority of God (Rev_12:7-9), seduced our first parents into sin (Gen_3:1-6; Gen_2:1-25 Gen_11:3), tempted Jesus Christ (Mat_4:1), warred against him throughout his entire career on earth (Mat_13:39; Luk_10:18; Joh_12:31), now ruleth in the children of disobedience (Eph_2:2), and fights against the children of light (Eph_6:11-16).
(2) The nature of his occupation. "Going to and fro through the earth, and walking up and down in it;" which points out his dominion—this lower world, i.e. conceived as alienated from God, and involved in moral and spiritual darkness (Eph_2:2; 1Jn_5:19; Rev_16:10); his activity,—though at present, in some cases, reserved in chains (Jud Rom_1:6), he is still permitted a large amount of liberty (1Pe_5:8); his diligence,—he never intermits his business, but ever prosecutes his infernal errands, going to and fro, and walking up and down; his unrest, having, as afterwards Gain, fallen under a ban of wandering, which has doomed him to be always seeking rest, but finding none (Mat_12:45), as ever since his children have been like the troubled sea which cannot rest (Isa_57:20, Isa_57:21).
(3) The object of his coming. If to present himself before the Lord with the other sons of God (Job_2:1), i.e. to report concerning his wicked machinations, his appearance, we may rest assured, was wholly involuntary and compulsory, which may remind us that Satan, no less than other creatures, is subject to Divine authority; that Satan's proceedings in the world are under the perpetual surveillance of the Almighty; and that Satan can neither travel further nor work longer than he receives express commission front Jehovah to do. But it is probable that the underlying motive of Satan's intruding upon Heaven's assembly was not to render an account of any mission with which he had been entrusted, but to prosecute his diabolic work of calumniating God's children who were yet on earth (cf. Rev_12:10; Zec_3:1).
II. THE PARTIES TO THE CONTROVERSY. Jehovah and Satan.
1. Jehovah.
(1) The self-existent and all-sufficient Deity (Exo_3:14).
(2) The Lord of angels (Job_4:18).
(3) The Fear of saints (Gen_31:42; Job_1:1).
(4) The Governor of the universe (Job_9:12; Job_34:13; Job_36:23; Job_41:11).
2. Satan.
(1) The creature of God.
(2) The impersonation of evil.
(3) The adversary of Christ.
(4) The accuser of the brethren.
III. THE SUBJECT OF THE CONTROVERSY. The disinterested character of piety or religion.
1. The Divine challenge. "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth?" The language of:
(1) Divine condescension, is not only noticing a creature, but stooping to converse with an adversary, yea, with a devil (Psa_113:6).
(2) Divine observation, in particularizing Job by name, and dilating on his character, which demonstrates that God's knowledge of his people extends to such minute details as the names they bear, the professions they make, the characters they possess (Exo_33:12; Isa_49:1; Joh_10:3).
(3) Divine admiration, in so commending Job's piety as to show that he took a holy pride in his servant's worth, as he ever does (Zep_3:17).
(4) Divine affection, in so speaking of the patriarch as to evince that he was a special object of Divine regard, calling him "my servant," as Christ afterwards styled his followers "my friends" (Joh_15:14).
(5) And Divine protection, the question instinctively suggesting Jehovah's jealous care of his servant (Zec_2:8).
2. The Satanic answer. "Doth Job fear God for nought?" etc. Containing:
(1) A reluctant admission—that Job did fear God, and that, in respect of outward appearance at least of religion, he had attained to incomparable eminence. Saints should aim to possess a piety so conspicuous that, however aspersed, it cannot be contradicted, even by the devil.
(2) A base insinuation—that the piety of the patriarch proceeded from purely mercenary motives. See the malignity of Satan in attempting to depreciate what he finds it impossible to deny—an art in which Satan's servants are generally adepts.
(3) A momentous implication—the higher question of the efficacy of the plan of redemption and the sufficiency of Divine grace being practically involved in the standing or falling of Job, whose sincerity was impeached. In the devil's sermons there is always more than meets the ear (cf. Gen_3:5).
(4) An audacious proposition—that God should bring the question in debate to an issue by experiments on the patriarch, as if God had doubts concerning the integrity of his servant, or as if, although he had, he was likely to subject that servant to the ordeal of suffering in order to please the devil! Verily there are no limits to the impudence of Satan!
(5) A rash prediction—that Job would forthwith, on the application of the touchstone of adversity, rebound to the opposite extreme and "curse God to his face," which he did not, showing that Satan's prophecies, like his promises, generally turn out lies.
IV. THE DETERMINATION OF THE CONTROVERSY. By the trial of the patriarch.
1. The Divine permission. "Behold, all that he hath is in thy power." A permission
(1) truly amazing when we consider by whom, to whom, and concerning whom it was given, how far it reached, and for what purpose it was designed; yet
(2) perfectly justifiable, since Job's possessions were more Jehovah's than the patriarch's (Psa_24:1; Psa_50:10-12; Exo_19:5; Hag_2:18; Eze_18:4), as the patriarch afterwards recognized (Job_1:21), and might be disposed of as God pleased without the charge being incurred of doing wrong to his creature; and
(3) absolutely necessary, if the trial was to be so conducted that no loophole should remain for the least suspicion of its thoroughness and impartiality; though at the same time
(4) mercifully limited, only the patriarch's possessions being put into the adversary's power, and not his person as in the second trial (Job_2:7), God never suffering his people to be tried above that which they are able to bear (1Co_10:13), or more than is necessary.
2. The Divine limitation. "Only upon himself put not forth thine hand;" which reminds us
(1) that Satan has no power against a saint further than God permits (Joh_19:11);
(2) that God can set a bar to the malignity of Satan, as well as to the waves of the sea (Job_38:11) and the rage of man (Psa_76:10);
(3) that God can east a shield around the persons of his people in the day of their calamity (Job_22:25; Psa_91:1-7); and
(4) that God frequently protects his people against Satan's assaults when they are not aware.
Learn:
1. That if Satan can find his way into the assemblies of God's sons in heaven, it need hardly surprise one to detect him amongst the congregations of God's children on earth.
2. That if so eminent a saint as Job did not escape impeachment by the devil, it will not be wonderful if lesser saints should be accused.
3. That if God permitted a Job to be put into the devil's power, as Christ allowed a Peter to be cast into Satan's sieve, it may almost be expected that ordinary Christians will also be subjected to trial.
4. That if God set a limit to Satan's power in dealing with his servant Job, he will not accord unlimited authority to the adversary when he comes to try those who are less able to withstand his assaults.
5. And that if Job was sustained when passing through the fiery ordeal, so will all who like Job are sincere in heart be upheld in the day of their calamity.
Job_1:7
1. The existence and personality of the spirit of evil.
2. His angelic nature.
3. His incessant activity.
4. His unwearied vigilance.
5. The restlessness of his wicked heart.
II. THE SPHERE OF SATAN'S ACTION.
1. Generally, the earth as opposed to heaven.
2. Particularly,
(1) the human heart;
(2) the human family;
(3) the Christian Church;
(4) the heathen world.
III. THE MODE OF SATAN'S WORKING.
1. By temptation.
2. By accusation.
Learn:
1. The necessity of watchfulness.
2. The value of prayer.
3. The importance of putting on the Christian armour.
4. The advantage of Christian work.
Job_1:9
1. Those who serve God from mercenary motives do not truly serve him at all (Isa_1:13).
2. Those who serve God sincerely adhere to him when all creature-comforts are withdrawn (Hab_3:17).
II. No I God's servants do not go unrewarded. Like Job, they are honoured with:
1. Divine attention (Psa_33:18).
2. Divine approbation (Psa_147:11).
3. Divine provision (Psa_34:9; Psa_111:5).
4. Divine protection (Psa_85:9); cf. the Old Testament saints in the times of Mal_3:16.
Job_1:13-22
1. Festive rejoicing; when the patriarch's family were convened at a banquet of unusual magnificence, "eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house;" such a sumptuous entertainment doubtless as became the firstborn to provide.
2. Busy industry; when the whole household of the patriarch was astir with unwonted activity: the ploughmen driving furrows through the soil with the assistance of the patient oxen, while the she-asses cropped the pastures in their vicinity; the shepherds tending the vast droves of sheep which spread themselves across the plain; and the camel-drivers going and returning with their caravans of costly merchandise.
3. Unmingled happiness; in which the patriarch, it may well be imagined, surveying his earthly lot, observing the loving unity and innocent gladness of his children, and beholding the fidelity and diligence of his servants, realized that his cup of terrestrial felicity was full and even overflowing.
4. Fancied security; in which not a cloud appeared in all the wide and clear horizon; not a shadow dimmed the brightness of the sky, not a speck of trouble anywhere could be detected to excite the patriarch's alarm. It was such a day as seldom falls to the lot of God's people on earth to enjoy; and the selection of that day above all others for casting down the patriarch from the pinnacle of his greatness and the summit of his felicity was doubtless craftily designed that the very loftiness of the patriarch's elevation might intensify the depth and severity of his fall.
II. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE TRIAL. The patriarch's prosperity overthrown.
1. The swiftly completed ruin.
(1) Sudden in its coming; the citadel of Job's integrity being more likely to be carried by a coup de main than by a leisurely and deliberate attack, inasmuch as to be forewarned is also to be forearmed, and dangers that men see they can usually adopt measures to avert.
(2) Universal in its sweep; the devil falling not a step behind, if he could not advance a step beyond, the Divine permission, with one terrible avalanche of disaster descending on the fair scene of the patriarch's prosperity, and leaving not a spot unvisited by his devouring rage.
(3) Pitiless in its devastation; exempting only four domestics (not sons! which might have been a mitigation; but the devil's mercies are generally cruel), consigning all the rest to one overwhelming, remorseless destruction.
(4) Cunning in its contrivance; being effected not directly and immediately by the devil himself, but by natural agencies—Sabeans and Chaldeans, lightnings and hurricanes—so that it might appear to be the work of God's ordinary providence, and be ascribed by the stricken man to the Deity whom he served and adored.
2. The skilfully arranged report.
(1) Messenger following upon messenger, like Ahimaaz speeding after Cushi (2Sa_18:22), so that the full tale of misfortun