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Job Accused of Falsehood and Blasphemy
v. 1. Furthermore Elihu answered and said, in further refuting Job's charge that God was acting in a cruel and unjust manner,
v. 2. Hear my words, O ye wise men, the presence of an audience listening to the debate being assumed; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge, impartial men, with a calm and judicious mind.
v. 3. For the ear trieth words, proving, testing, sifting the true from the false, the good from the bad, as the mouth, the palate, tasteth meat, making a careful distinction between various foods taken into the mouth.
v. 4. Let us choose to us judgment, proving, testing, what was right in the controversy between God and Job; let us know among ourselves what is good, reaching a common conclusion concerning their Verdict in the case.
v. 5. For Job hath said, I am righteous, I am right, innocent; and God hath taken away my judgment, depriving him of his right; for so Job had insisted, 27:2.
v. 6. Should I lie against my right, or, in spite of the fact that right is on my side I shall still be counted a liar, this being the sense of Job's remarks in 9:20. My wound is incurable without transgression, literally, "mine arrow," for the arrow of God's punishment piercing him was inflicting an incurable wound without Job's having deserved it, as he thought. These statements excited Elihu to the deepest resentment.
v. 7. What man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water? For in his suspecting the divine justice Job was filling himself with scornful speeches and then uttering them in a blasphemous manner.
v. 8. Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men, making it a habit to consort with men of wickedness; for by uttering his blasphemous speeches, Job had lowered himself to the level of evil-doers, of the blaspheming rabble.
v. 9. For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God, by living in friendship and fellowship with God, this sentiment having frequently been uttered by Job as his impatience carried him away in his complaint. It is such an easy matter to go too far in making complaints, to use expressions which, if not actually accusing God of injustice, at least sound very much like an attempt at it.