1 Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?
2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance.
6 Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.
8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
9 Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
11 To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope in the noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
1 Call H7121 now, if there be H3426 any that will answer H6030 thee; and to which of the saints H6918 wilt thou turn? H6437
2 For wrath H3708 killeth H2026 the foolish man, H191 and envy H7068 slayeth H4191 the silly one. H6601
3 I have seen H7200 the foolish H191 taking root: H8327 but suddenly H6597 I cursed H5344 his habitation. H5116
4 His children H1121 are far H7368 from safety, H3468 and they are crushed H1792 in the gate, H8179 neither is there any to deliver H5337 them.
5 Whose harvest H7105 the hungry H7457 eateth up, H398 and taketh H3947 it even out H413 of the thorns, H6791 and the robber H6782 swalloweth up H7602 their substance. H2428
6 Although affliction H205 cometh not forth H3318 of the dust, H6083 neither doth trouble H5999 spring out H6779 of the ground; H127
7 Yet man H120 is born H3205 unto trouble, H5999 as the sparks H1121 H7565 fly H5774 upward. H1361
8 I would seek H199 H1875 unto God, H410 and unto God H430 would I commit H7760 my cause: H1700
9 Which doeth H6213 great things H1419 and unsearchable; H369 H2714 marvellous things H6381 without number: H4557
10 Who giveth H5414 rain H4306 upon H6440 the earth, H776 and sendeth H7971 waters H4325 upon H6440 the fields: H2351
11 To set up H7760 on high H4791 those that be low; H8217 that those which mourn H6937 may be exalted H7682 to safety. H3468
12 He disappointeth H6565 the devices H4284 of the crafty, H6175 so that their hands H3027 cannot perform H6213 their enterprise. H8454
13 He taketh H3920 the wise H2450 in their own craftiness: H6193 and the counsel H6098 of the froward H6617 is carried headlong. H4116
14 They meet H6298 with darkness H2822 in the daytime, H3119 and grope H4959 in the noonday H6672 as in the night. H3915
15 But he saveth H3467 the poor H34 from the sword, H2719 from their mouth, H6310 and from the hand H3027 of the mighty. H2389
16 So the poor H1800 hath hope, H8615 and iniquity H5766 stoppeth H7092 her mouth. H6310
17 Behold, happy H835 is the man H582 whom God H433 correcteth: H3198 therefore despise H3988 not thou the chastening H4148 of the Almighty: H7706
18 For he maketh sore, H3510 and bindeth up: H2280 he woundeth, H4272 and his hands H3027 make whole. H7495
19 He shall deliver H5337 thee in six H8337 troubles: H6869 yea, in seven H7651 there shall no evil H7451 touch H5060 thee.
20 In famine H7458 he shall redeem H6299 thee from death: H4194 and in war H4421 from the power H3027 of the sword. H2719
21 Thou shalt be hid H2244 from the scourge H7752 of the tongue: H3956 neither shalt thou be afraid H3372 of destruction H7701 when it cometh. H935
22 At destruction H7701 and famine H3720 thou shalt laugh: H7832 neither shalt thou be afraid H3372 of the beasts H2416 of the earth. H776
23 For thou shalt be in league H1285 with the stones H68 of the field: H7704 and the beasts H2416 of the field H7704 shall be at peace H7999 with thee.
24 And thou shalt know H3045 that thy tabernacle H168 shall be in peace; H7965 and thou shalt visit H6485 thy habitation, H5116 and shalt not sin. H2398
25 Thou shalt know H3045 also that thy seed H2233 shall be great, H7227 and thine offspring H6631 as the grass H6212 of the earth. H776
26 Thou shalt come H935 to thy grave H6913 in a full age, H3624 like as a shock of corn H1430 cometh in H5927 in his season. H6256
27 Lo this, we have searched H2713 it, so it is; hear H8085 it, and know H3045 thou it for thy good.
1 Call now; is there any that will answer thee? And to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, And jealousy slayeth the silly one.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root: But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety, And they are crushed in the gate, Neither is there any to deliver them:
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, And taketh it even out of the thorns; And the snare gapeth for their substance.
6 For affliction cometh not forth from the dust, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 But man is born unto trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
8 But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause;
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number:
10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields;
11 So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety.
12 He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; He woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 He will deliver thee in six troubles; Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death; And in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue; Neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and dearth thou shalt laugh; Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field; And the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; And thou shalt visit thy fold, and shalt miss nothing.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, And thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, Like as a shock of grain cometh in in its season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
1 Pray, call, is there any to answer thee? And unto which of the holy ones dost thou turn?
2 For provocation slayeth the perverse, And envy putteth to death the simple,
3 I -- I have seen the perverse taking root, And I mark his habitation straightway,
4 Far are his sons from safety, And they are bruised in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
5 Whose harvest the hungry doth eat, And even from the thorns taketh it, And the designing swallowed their wealth.
6 For sorrow cometh not forth from the dust, Nor from the ground springeth up misery.
7 For man to misery is born, And the sparks go high to fly.
8 Yet I -- I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,
9 Doing great things, and there is no searching. Wonderful, till there is no numbering.
10 Who is giving rain on the face of the land, And is sending waters on the out-places.
11 To set the low on a high place, And the mourners have been high `in' safety.
12 Making void thoughts of the subtile, And their hands do not execute wisdom.
13 Capturing the wise in their subtilty, And the counsel of wrestling ones was hastened,
14 By day they meet darkness, And as night -- they grope at noon.
15 And He saveth the wasted from their mouth, And from a strong hand the needy,
16 And there is hope to the poor, And perverseness hath shut her mouth.
17 Lo, the happiness of mortal man, God doth reprove him: And the chastisement of the Mighty despise not,
18 For He doth pain, and He bindeth up, He smiteth, and His hands heal.
19 In six distresses He delivereth thee, And in seven evil striketh not on thee.
20 In famine He hath redeemed thee from death, And in battle from the hands of the sword.
21 When the tongue scourgeth thou art hid, And thou art not afraid of destruction, When it cometh.
22 At destruction and at hunger thou mockest, And of the beast of the earth, Thou art not afraid.
23 (For with sons of the field `is' thy covenant, And the beast of the field Hath been at peace with thee.)
24 And thou hast known that thy tent `is' peace, And inspected thy habitation, and errest not,
25 And hast known that numerous `is' Thy seed, And thine offspring as the herb of the earth;
26 Thou comest in full age unto the grave, As the going up of a stalk in its season.
27 Lo, this -- we searched it out -- it `is' right, hearken; And thou, know for thyself!
1 Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2 For vexation killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the simple.
3 I myself saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer:
5 Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh even out of the thorns; and the snare gapeth for his substance.
6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;
7 For man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards.
8 But as for me I will seek unto ùGod, and unto God commit my cause;
9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number;
10 Who giveth rain on the face of the earth, and sendeth waters on the face of the fields;
11 Setting up on high those that are low; and mourners are exalted to prosperity.
12 He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, and their hands carry not out the enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the wily is carried headlong:
14 They meet with darkness in a the daytime, and grope at midday as in the night.
15 And he saveth the needy from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor hath what he hopeth for, and unrighteousness stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom +God correcteth; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, and of the beasts of the earth thou shalt not be afraid.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tent is in peace; and thou wilt survey thy fold, and miss nothing.
25 And thou shalt know that thy seed is numerous, and thine offspring as the herb of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to the grave in a ripe age, as a shock of corn is brought in in its season.
27 Behold this, we have searched it out, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thyself.
1 "Call now; is there any who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?
2 For resentment kills the foolish man, And jealousy kills the simple.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root, But suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,
5 Whose harvest the hungry eats up, And take it even out of the thorns; The snare gapes for their substance.
6 For affliction doesn't come forth from the dust, Neither does trouble spring out of the ground;
7 But man is born to trouble, As the sparks fly upward.
8 "But as for me, I would seek God, To God would I commit my cause;
9 Who does great things that can't be fathomed, Marvelous things without number;
10 Who gives rain on the earth, And sends waters on the fields;
11 So that he sets up on high those who are low, Those who mourn are exalted to safety.
12 He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands can't perform their enterprise.
13 He takes the wise in their own craftiness; The counsel of the cunning is carried headlong.
14 They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night.
15 But he saves from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty.
16 So the poor has hope, And injustice shuts her mouth.
17 "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
18 For he wounds, and binds up; He injures, and his hands make whole.
19 He will deliver you in six troubles; Yes, in seven there shall no evil touch you.
20 In famine he will redeem you from death; In war, from the power of the sword.
21 You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, Neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.
22 At destruction and famine you shall laugh, Neither shall you be afraid of the animals of the earth.
23 For you shall be in league with the stones of the field. The animals of the field shall be at peace with you.
24 You shall know that your tent is in peace. You shall visit your fold, and shall miss nothing.
25 You shall know also that your seed shall be great, Your offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 You shall come to your grave in a full age, Like a shock of grain comes in its season.
27 Look this, we have searched it, so it is; Hear it, and know it for your good."
1 Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?
2 For wrath is the cause of death to the foolish, and he who has no wisdom comes to his end through passion.
3 I have seen the foolish taking root, but suddenly the curse came on his house.
4 Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.
5 Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.
6 For evil does not come out of the dust, or trouble out of the earth;
7 But trouble is man's fate from birth, as the flames go up from the fire.
8 But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:
9 Who does great things outside our knowledge, wonders without number:
10 Who gives rain on the earth, and sends water on the fields:
11 Lifting up those who are low, and putting the sad in a safe place;
12 Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.
13 He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
14 In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.
15 But he keeps safe from their sword those who have no father, and the poor from the power of the strong.
16 So the poor man has hope, and the mouth of the evil-doer is stopped.
17 Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.
18 For after his punishment he gives comfort, and after wounding, his hands make you well.
19 He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.
20 When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.
21 He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.
22 You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.
23 For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.
24 And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.
25 You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.
26 You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time.
27 See, we have made search with care, and it is so; it has come to our ears; see that you take note of it for yourself.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Job 5
Commentary on Job 5 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
1 Call now, - is there any one who will answer thee?
And to whom of the holy ones wilt thou turn?
2 For he is a fool who is destroyed by complaining,
And envy slays the simple one.
3 I, even I, have seen a fool taking root:
Then I had to curse his habitation suddenly.
4 His children were far from help,
And were crushed in the gate, without a rescuer;
5 While the hungry ate his harvest,
And even from among thorns they took it away,
And the intriguer snatched after his wealth.
The chief thought of the oracle was that God is the absolutely just One, and infinitely exalted above men and angels. Resuming his speech from this point, Eliphaz tells Job that no cry for help can avail him unless he submits to the all-just One as being himself unrighteous; nor can any cry addressed to the angels avail. This thought, although it is rejected, certainly shows that the writer of the book, as of the prologue, is impressed with the fundamental intuition, that good, like evil, spirits are implicated in the affairs of men; for the “holy ones,” as in Ps 89, are the angels. כּי supports the negation implied in Job 5:1 : If God does not help thee, no creature can help thee; for he who complains and chafes at his lot brings down upon himself the extremest destruction, since he excites the anger of God still more. Such a surly murmurer against God is here called אויל . ל is the Aramaic sign of the object, having the force of quod attinet ad, quoad (Ew. §310, a ).
Eliphaz justifies what he has said (Job 5:2) by an example. He had seen such a complainer in increasing prosperity; then he cursed his habitation suddenly, i.e., not: he uttered forthwith a prophetic curse over it, which, though פּתאם might have this meaning (not subito , but illico ; cf. Numbers 12:4), the following futt., equivalent to imperff., do not allow, but: I had then, since his discontent had brought on his destruction, suddenly to mark and abhor his habitation as one overtaken by a curse: the cursing is a recognition of the divine curse, as the echo of which it is intended. This curse of God manifests itself also on his children and his property (Job 5:4.). שׁער is the gate of the city as a court of justice: the phrase, to oppress in the gate, is like Proverbs 22:22; and the form Hithpa . is according to the rule given in Ges. §54, 2, b . The relative אשׁר , Job 5:5, is here conj. relativa , according to Ges. §155, 1, c. In the connection אל־מצּנּים , אל is equivalent to עד , adeo e spinis , the hungry fall so eagerly upon what the father of those now orphans has reaped, that even the thorny fence does not hold them back. צנּים , as Proverbs 22:5 : the double praepos . אל־מן is also found elsewhere, but with another meaning. עמּים has only the appearance of being plur.: it is sing. after the form צדּיק , from the verb צמם , nectere , and signifies, Job 18:9, a snare; here, however, not judicii laqueus (Böttch.), but what, besides the form, comes still nearer - the snaremaker, intriguer. The Targ. translates לסטיסין , i.e., λησταί . Most modern critics (Rosenm. to Ebr.) translate: the thirsty (needy), as do all the old translations, except the Targ.; this, however, is not possible without changing the form. The meaning is, that intriguing persons catch up ( שׁאף , as Amos 2:7) their wealth.
Eliphaz now tells why it thus befell this fool in his own person and his children.
6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust,
And sorrow sprouteth not from the earth;
7 For man is born to sorrow,
As the sparks fly upward.
8 On the contrary, I would earnestly approach unto God,
And commit my cause to the Godhead;
9 To Him who doeth great things and unsearchable;
Marvellous things till there is no number:
10 Who giveth rain over the earth,
And causeth water to flow over the fields:
11 To set the low in high places;
And those that mourn are exalted to prosperity.
As the oracle above, so Eliphaz says here, that a sorrowful life is allotted to man,
(Note: Fries explains יוּלּד as part., and refers to Geiger's Lehrb. zur Sprache der Mischna , S. 41f., according to which מקטּל signifies killed, and קטּל (= Rabb. מתקטּל ) being killed (which, however, rests purely on imagination): not the matter from which mankind originates brings evil with it, but it is man who inclines towards the evil. Böttch. would read יולד : man is the parent of misery, though he may rise high in anger.)
so that his wisdom consequently consists in accommodating himself to his lot: if he does not do that, he is an אויל , and thereby perishes. Misfortune does not grow out of the ground like weeds; it is rather established in the divine order of the world, as it is established in the order of nature that sparks of fire should ascend. The old critics understood by רשׁף בני birds of prey, as being swift as lightning (with which the appellation of beasts of prey may be compared, Job 28:8; Job 41:26); but רשׁף signifies also a flame or blaze (Song of Solomon 8:6). Children of the flame is an appropriate name for sparks, and flying upwards is naturally peculiar to sparks as to birds of prey; wherefore among modern expositors, Hirz., Ew., Hahn, von Gerl., Ebr., rightly decide in favour of sparks. Schlottmann understands “angels” by children of flame; but the wings, which are given to angels in Scripture, are only a symbol of their freedom of motion. This remarkable interpretation is altogether opposed to the sententious character of Job 5:7, which symbolizes a moral truth by an ordinary thing. The waw in וּבני , which we have translated ”as,” is the so-called waw adaequationis proper to the Proverbs, and also to emblems, e.g., Proverbs 25:25.
Eliphaz now says what he would do in Job's place. Ew. and Ebr. translate incorrectly, or at least unnecessarily: Nevertheless I will. We translate, according to Ges. §127, 5: Nevertheless I would; and indeed with an emphatic I: Nevertheless I for my part. דּרשׁ with אל is constr. praegnans, like Deuteronomy 12:5, sedulo adire . דּברה is not speech, like אמרה but cause, causa , in a judicial sense. אל is God as the Mighty One; אלהים is God in the totality of His variously manifested nature. The fecundity of the earth by rain, and of the fields ( חוּצות = rura ) by water-springs (cf. Psalms 104:10), as the works of God, are intentionally made prominent. He who makes the barren places fruitful, can also change suffering into joy. To His power in nature corresponds His power among men (Job 5:11). לשׂוּם is here only as a variation for השּׂם , as Heiligst. rightly observes: it is equivalent to collacaturus , or qui in eo est ut collocet , according to the mode of expression discussed in Ges. §132, rem. 1, and more fully on Habakkuk 1:17. The construction of Habakkuk 1:11 is still bolder. שׂגב signifies to be high and steep, inaccessible. It is here construed with the acc . of motion: those who go in dirty, black clothes because they mourn, shall be high in prosperity, i.e., come to stand on an unapproachable height of prosperity.
12 Who bringeth to nought the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot accomplish anything;
13 Who catcheth the wise in their craftiness;
And the counsel of the cunning is thrown down.
14 By day they run into darkness,
And grope in the noon-day as in the night.
15 He rescueth from the sword, that from their mouth,
And from the hand of the strong, the needy.
16 Hope ariseth for the weak,
And folly shall close its mouth.
All these attributes are chosen designedly: God brings down all haughtiness, and takes compassion on those who need it. The noun תּוּשׁיּה , coined by the Chokma, and out of Job and Proverbs found only in Micah 6:9; Isaiah 28:29, and even there in gnomical connection, is formed from ישׁ , essentia , and signifies as it were essentialitas, realitas : it denotes, in relation to all visible things, the truly existing, the real, the objective; true wisdom (i.e., knowledge resting on an objective actual basis), true prosperity, real profiting and accomplishing. It is meant that they accomplish nothing that has actual duration and advantage. Job 5:13 cannot be better translated than by Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:19, who here deviates from the lxx. With נמהרה , God's seizure, which prevents the contemplated achievement, is to be thought of. He pours forth over the worldly wise what the prophets call the spirit of deep sleep ( תּרדּמה ) and of dizziness ( עועים ). On the other hand, He helps the poor. In מפיהם מחרב the second מן is local: from the sword which proceeds from their mouth (comp. Psalms 64:4; Psalms 57:5, and other passages). Böttch. translates: without sword, i.e., instrument of power (comp. Job 9:15; Job 21:9); but מן with חרב leads one to expect that that from which one is rescued is to be described (comp. Job 5:20). Ewald corrects מחרב , which Olsh. thinks acute: it is, however, unhebraic, according to our present knowledge of the usage of the language; for the passives of חרב are used of cities, countries, and peoples, but not of individual men. Olsh., in his hesitancy, arrives at no opinion. But the text is sound and beautiful. עלתה with pathetic unaccented ah (Ges. §80, rem. 2, f ), from עולה = עולה , as Ps. 92:16 Chethib .
17 Behold, happy is the man whom Eloah correcteth;
So despise not the chastening of the Almighty!
18 For He woundeth, and He also bindeth up;
He bruiseth, and His hands make whole.
19 In six troubles He will rescue thee,
And in seven no evil shall touch thee.
20 In famine He will redeem thee from death,
And in war from the stroke of the sword.
21 When the tongue scourgeth, thou shalt be hidden;
And thou shalt not fear destruction when it cometh.
The speech of Eliphaz now becomes persuasive as it turns towards the conclusion. Since God humbles him who exalts himself, and since He humbles in order to exalt, it is a happy thing when He corrects ( הוכיח ) us by afflictive dispensations; and His chastisement ( מוּסר ) is to be received not with a turbulent spirit, but resignedly, yea joyously: the same thought as Proverbs 3:11-13; Psalms 94:12, in both passages borrowed from this; whereas Job 5:18 here, like Hosea 6:1; Lamentations 3:31., refers to Deuteronomy 32:39. רפא , to heal, is here conjugated like a ה ל verb (Ges. §75, rem. 21). Job 5:19 is formed after the manner of the so-called number-proverbs (Proverbs 6:16; Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 30:18), as also the roll of the judgment of the nations in Amos 1-2: in six troubles, yea in still more than six. רע is the extremity that is perhaps to be feared. In Job 5:20, the praet . is a kind of prophetic praet . The scourge of the tongue recalls the similar promise, Psalms 31:21, where, instead of scourge, it is: the disputes of the tongue. שׁוד , from שׁדד violence, disaster, is allied in sound with שׁוט . Isaiah has this passage of the book of Job in his memory when he writes Job 28:15. The promises of Eliphaz now continue to rise higher, and sound more delightful and more glorious.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh,
And from the beasts of the earth thou hast nothing to fear.
23 For thou art in league with the stones of the field,
And the beasts of the field are at peace with thee.
24 And thou knowest that peace is thy pavilion;
And thou searchest thy household, and findest nothing wanting.
25 Thou knowest also that thy seed shall be numerous,
And thy offspring as the herb of the ground.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a ripe age,
As shocks of corn are brought in in their season.
27 Lo! this we have searched out, so it is:
Hear it, and give thou heed to it.
The verb שׂחק is construed (Job 5:22) with ל of that which is despised, as Job 39:7, Job 39:18; Job 41:21 [Hebr.]. על־תּירא is the form of subjective negation [ vid. Ges. §152, 1: Tr.]: only fear thou not = thou hast no occasion. In Job 5:23, בּריתך is the shortest substantive form for לך בּרית . The whole of nature will be at peace with thee: the stones of the field, that they do not injure the fertility of thy fields; the wild beasts of the field, that they do not hurt thee and thy herds. The same promise that Hosea (Hosea 2:20) utters in reference to the last days is here used individually. From this we see how deeply the Chokma had searched into the history of Paradise and the Fall. Since man, the appointed lord of the earth, has been tempted by a reptile, and has fallen by a tree, his relation to nature, and its relation to him, has been reversed: it is an incongruity, which is again as a whole put right ( שׁלום ), as the false relation of man to God is put right. In Job 5:24, שׁלום (which might also be adj .) is predicate: thou wilt learn ( וידעתּ , praet . consec . with accented ultima , as e.g., Deuteronomy 4:39, here with Tiphcha initiale s. anterius , which does not indicate the grammatical tone-syllable) that thy tent is peace, i.e., in a condition of contentment and peace on all sides. Job 5:24 is to be arranged: And when thou examinest thy household, then thou lackest nothing, goest not astray, i.e., thou findest everything, without missing anything, in the place where thou seekest it.
Job 5:25 reminds one of the Salomonic Psalms 72:16. צאצאים in the Old Testament is found only in Isaiah and the book of Job. The meaning of the noun כּלח , which occurs only here and Job 30:2, is clear. Referring to the verb כּלח , Arabic qahila ( qalhama ), to be shrivelled up, very aged, it signifies the maturity of old age, - an idea which may be gained more easily if we connect כּלח with כּלה (to be completed), like קשׁח with קשׁה (to be hard).
(Note: We may also compare the Arabic khl (from which comes cuhulije , mature manhood, opp. tufulije , tender childhood).)
In the parallel there is the time of the sheaves, when they are brought up to the high threshing-floor, the latest period of harvest. עלה , of the raising of the sheaves to the threshing-floor, as elsewhere of the raising, i.e., the bringing up of the animals to the altar. גּדישׁ is here a heap of sheaves, Arab. kuds , as Job 21:32 a sepulchral heap, Arab. jadat , distinct from אלמּה , a bundle, a single sheaf.
The speech of Eliphaz, which we have broken up into nine strophes, is now ended. Eliphaz concludes it by an epimythionic distich, Job 5:27, with an emphatic nota bene . He speaks at the same time in the name of his companions. These are principles well proved by experience with which he confronts Job. Job needs to lay them to heart: tu scito tibi .
All that Eliphaz says, considered in itself, is blameless. He censures Job's vehemence, which was certainly not to be approved. He says that the destroying judgment of God never touches the innocent, but certainly the wicked; and at the same time expresses the same truth as that placed as a motto to the Psalter in Psalms 1:1-6, and which is even brilliantly confirmed in the issue of the history of Job. When we find Isaiah 57:1, comp. Psalms 12:2, in apparent opposition to this, אבד הצּדּיק , it is not meant that the judgment of destruction comes upon the righteous, but that his generation experiences the judgment of his loss ( aetati suae perit ). And these are eternal truths, that between the Creator and creature, even an angel, there remains an infinite distance, and that no creature possesses a righteousness which it can maintain before God. Not less true is it, that with God murmuring is death, and that it is appointed to sinful man to pass through sorrow. Moreover, the counsel of Eliphaz is the right counsel: I would turn to God, etc. His beautiful concluding exhortation, so rich in promises, crowns his speech.
It has been observed (e.g., by Löwenthal), that if it is allowed that Eliphaz (Job 5:17.) expresses a salutary spiritual design of affliction, all coherence in the book is from the first destroyed. But in reality it is an effect producing not only outward happiness, but also an inward holiness, which Eliphaz ascribes to sorrow. It is therefore to be asked, how it consists with the plan of the book. There is no doctrinal error to be discovered in the speech of Eliphaz, and yet he cannot be considered as a representative of the complete truth of Scripture. Job ought to humble himself under this; but since he does not, we must side with Eliphaz.
He does not represent the complete truth of Scripture: for there are, according to Scripture, three kinds of sufferings, which must be carefully distinguished.
(Note: Our old dogmatists (vid., e.g., Baier, Compendium Theologiae positivae , ii. 1, §15) and pastoral theologians (e.g., Danhauer) consider them as separate. Among the oldest expositors of the book of Job with which I am acquainted, Olympiodorus is comparatively the best.)
The godless one, who has fallen away from God, is visited with suffering from God; for sin and the punishment of sin (comprehended even in the language in עון and חטּאת ) are necessarily connected as cause and effect. This suffering of the godless is the effect of the divine justice in punishment; it is chastisement ( מוּסר ) under the disposition of wrath (Psalms 6:2; Psalms 38:2; Jeremiah 10:24.), though not yet final wrath; it is punitive suffering ( נקם , נגע , τιμωρία , poena ). On the other hand, the sufferings of the righteous flow from the divine love, to which even all that has the appearance of wrath in this suffering must be subservient, as the means only by which it operates: for although the righteous man is not excepted from the weakness and sinfulness of the human race, he can never become an object of the divine wrath, so long as his inner life is directed towards God, and his outward life is governed by the most earnest striving after sanctification. According to the Old and New Testaments, he stands towards God in the relation of a child to his father (only the New Testament idea includes the mystery of the new birth not revealed in the Old Testament); and consequently all sufferings are fatherly chastisements, Deuteronomy 8:5; Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6, Revelation 3:19, comp. Tob. 12:13 (Vulg.). But this general distinction between the sufferings of the righteous and of the ungodly is not sufficient for the book of Job. The sufferings of the righteous even are themselves manifold. God sends affliction to them more and more to purge away the sin which still has power over them, and rouse them up from the danger of carnal security; to maintain in them the consciousness of sin as well as of grace, and with it the lowliness of penitence; to render the world and its pleasures bitter as gall to them; to draw them from the creature, and bind them to himself by prayer and devotion. This suffering, which has the sin of the godly as its cause, has, however, not God's wrath, but God's love directed towards the preservation and advancement of the godly, as its motive: it is the proper disciplinary suffering ( מוּסר or תּוכחת , Proverbs 3:11 ; παιδεία , Heb 12). It is this of which Paul speaks, 1 Corinthians 11:32. This disciplinary suffering may attain such a high degree as entirely to overwhelm the consciousness of the relation to God by grace; and the sufferer, as frequently in the Psalms, considers himself as one rejected of God, over whom the wrath of God is passing. The deeper the sufferer's consciousness of sin, the more dejected is his mood of sorrow; and still God's thoughts concerning him are thoughts of peace, and not of evil (Jeremiah 29:11). He chastens, not however in wrath, but בּמשׁפּט , with moderation (Jeremiah 10:24).
Nearly allied to this suffering, but yet, as to its cause and purpose, distinct, is another kind of the suffering of the godly. God ordains suffering for them, in order to prove their fidelity to himself, and their earnestness after sanctification, especially their trust in God, and their patience. He also permits Satan, who impeaches them, to tempt them, to sift them as wheat, in order that he may be confounded, and the divine choice justified, - in order that it may be manifest that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, are able to separate them from the love of God, and to tear away their faith ( אמונה ) from God, which has remained stedfast on Him, notwithstanding every apparent manifestation of wrath. The godly will recognise his affliction as such suffering when it comes upon him in the very midst of his fellowship with God, his prayer and watching, and his struggling after sanctification. For this kind of suffering - trial - Scripture employs the expressions נסּה (Deuteronomy 8:2, Deuteronomy 8:16) and בּחן (Proverbs 17:3), πειρασμός (James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6., Job 4:19; comp. Sir. 2:1ff.). Such suffering, according to a common figure, is for the godly what the smelting-furnace or the fining-pot is to precious metals. A rich reward awaits him who is found proof against the trial, temptation, and conflict, and comes forth from it as pure, refined gold. Suffering for trial is nearly allied to that for chastisement, in so far as the chastisement is at the same time trial; but distinct from it, in so far as every trial is not also chastisement (i.e., having as its purpose the purging away of still existing sin).
A third kind of the suffering of the righteous is testimony borne by suffering, - reproach, persecution, and perhaps even martyrdom, which are endured for the sake of fidelity to God and His word. While he is blessed who is found proof against trial, he is blessed in himself who endures this suffering (Matthew 5:11., and other passages); for every other suffering comes upon man for his own sake, this for God's. In this case there is not even the remotest connection between the suffering and the sinfulness of the sufferer. Ps 44 is a prayer of Israel in the midst of this form of suffering. Σταυρός is the name expressly used for it in the New Testament - suffering for the kingdom of heaven's sake.
Without a knowledge of these different kinds of human suffering, the book of Job cannot be understood. “Whoever sees with spiritual eyes,” says Brentius, “does not judge the moral character of a man by his suffering, but his suffering by his moral character.” Just the want of this spiritual discernment and inability to distinguish the different kinds of suffering is the mistake of the friends, and likewise, from the very first, the mistake of Eliphaz. Convinced of the sincere piety of his friend, he came to Job believing that his suffering was a salutary chastisement of God, which would at last turn out for his good. Proceeding upon this assumption, he blames Job for his murmuring, and bids him receive his affliction with a recognition of human sinfulness and the divine purpose for good. Thus the controversy begins. The causal connection with sin, in which Eliphaz places Job's suffering, is after all the mildest. He does not go further than to remind Job that he is a sinner, because he is a man.
But even this causal connection, in which Eliphaz connects Job's sufferings, though in the most moderate way, with previous sin deserving of punishment, is his πρώτον ψεῦδος . In the next place, Job's suffering is indeed not chastisement, but trial. Jehovah has decreed it for His servant, not to chasten him, but to prove him. This it is that Eliphaz mistakes; and we also should not know it but for the prologue and the corresponding epilogue. Accordingly, the prologue and epilogue are organic parts of the form of the book. If these are removed, its spirit is destroyed.
But the speech of Eliphaz, moreover, beautiful and true as it is, when considered in itself, is nevertheless heartless, haughty, stiff, and cold. For (1.) it does not contain a word of sympathy, and yet the suffering which he beholds is so terribly great: his first word to his friend after the seven days of painful silence is not one of comfort, but of moralizing. (2.) He must know that Job's disease is not the first and only suffering which has come upon him, and that he has endured his previous afflictions with heroic submission; but he ignores this, and acts as though sorrow were now first come upon Job. (3.) Instead of recognising therein the reason of Job's despondency, that he thinks that he has fallen from the love of God, and become an object of wrath, he treats him as self-righteous;
(Note: Oetinger: “Eliphaz mentioned the oracle to affect seriously the hidden hypocrisy of Job's heart.”)
and to excite his feelings, presents an oracle to him, which contains nothing but what Job might sincerely admit as true. (4.) Instead of considering that Job's despair and murmuring against God is really of a different kind from that of the godless, he classes them together, and instead of gently correcting him, present to Job the accursed end of the fool, who also murmurs against God, as he has himself seen it. Thus, in consequence of the false application which Eliphaz makes of it, the truth contained in his speech is totally reversed. Thus delicately and profoundly commences the dramatical entanglement. The skill of the poet is proved by the difficulty which the expositor has in detecting that which is false in the speech of Eliphaz. The idea of the book does not float on the surface. It is clothed with flesh and blood. It is submerged in the very action and history.