Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Job 29:1 - 29:11

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Job 29:1 - 29:11


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Job Describes his Former Prosperity

v. 1. Moreover, Job continued his parable, his proverbial sayings, and said,

v. 2. Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me,
sighing for the happy condition of that period of his life which now seems to belong to the remote past;

v. 3. when His candle shined upon my head,
when the lamp of God's favor illuminated Job's pathway, and when by His light I walked through darkness, secure in the midst of the greatest dangers,

v. 4. as I was in the days of my youth,
literally, "of my autumn or harvest," the days of his prime, of his ripe manhood, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle, when His friendship, His companionship hovered over Job's tent, when he was in confidential, blessed intercourse with the Lord;

v. 5. when the Almighty was yet with me,
giving Job His protection and blessing, when my children were about me, as a most highly valued blessing, Psalms 127, 128;

v. 6. when I washed my steps with butter,
with the richest cream, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil, both pictures pointing to the riches of God's kindness which were granted to Job, when he was prosperous in all his work;

v. 7. when I went out to the gate through the city,
up to the city from the place of his residence in the country, when I prepared my seat in the street, when he took his place in the market, in the open space near the city gate, where the men of influence and honor, the most respected men of the community, were wont to assemble!

v. 8. The young men saw me and hid themselves,
out of great reverence for Job's wisdom and influence, and the aged arose and stood up, the very gray-headed men showing him deference in the most marked manner.

v. 9. The princes refrained talking,
stopped in the middle of their speech, and laid their hand on their mouth, in reverential silence, yielding him the floor whenever he indicated that he had something to say.

v. 10. The nobles held their peace,
literally, "the voice of nobles hid itself," or, "themselves," it was no longer heard, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth, awed by the presence of the wise and holy man in their midst.

v. 11. When the ear heard me,
as he gave his counsel in the assembly of the people, then it blessed me, calling him happy in the possession of so much wisdom; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me, praising him for the good fortune which attended him at all times. Altogether, Job had enjoyed the greatest prosperity, honor, and dignity in the land.