Job 21

BUt Iob answered and said,

Hear diligently my speech, and let this be your consolations Or This shall be your consolations; i. e. I shall accept of your patient and diligent attention to me in stead of all those consolations which you owed to me in this condition, and which I expected from you..

Suffer me that I may speak Without such interruption as you have given me. Chap. 20. 2., and after that I have spoken, mock on If I do not defend my Cause with solid and convincing Arguments, go on in your scoffs if you please..

As for me, is my complaint to man Or, of man; for the prefix Lamed commonly signifieth both to and of: And this question implies a Denial, or that his Complaint is not to, or of man; to wit, only, but to, or of God; as is here sufficiently implied, and oft elsewhere expressed by Iob in this Book. So the sense seems to be either 1. this, I do not make my moan or complaint unto, or expect relief from you, or from any men, but from God only: and therefore you have reason patiently to hear me when I am pouring forth my Complaints to God. Or rather 2. this, do I only complain, or have I reason to complain only of you, and your unmerciful carriage to me; or of men who have dealt barbarously with me? Chap. 1. & 30. 1. 9. &c. Surely no: But my complaint is of God, and of his hard and severe dealing with me. It is he who has alienated my Friends affections from me, and stirred up mine enemies against me: And though it has been my chief care and business to please and serve him, yet he has also set himself against me, and shot all his Arrows into me. And therefore my Expostulations with him (which here follows, v. 7.) is the more reasonable; and if you will hear me calmly and patiently, you will find that I have cause of complaining.? and if it were so i. e. If my complaint were only of man, I have cause to be troubled. Or, if it be so, i. e. If I do not complain of man, but of God, it is no wonder if my Spirit be greatly oppressed, and you ought to allow me the liberty of easing my troubled mind, and modestly pleading my Cause before God,, why should not my spirit be troubled Heb. be shortned or straitned; i. e. either grieved, or vexed, as this word signifies, Exod. 6. 9. Num. 21. 5. Iudg. 10. 16. & 16. 16. The heart is enlarged by joy and contracted by sorrow; as appears by Philosophy and Experience.?

Mark me, and be astonished Consider what I am about to say concerning the wonderful prosperity of the worst of men, and the intolerable pressures of some good men, such as I have manifested, and shall prove that I am, and it is able to fill you that are but Spectators with astonishment and horrour at the strange and mysterious course of Divine Providence herein; and therefore it is no wonder, if I who suffer such things from that God whom I have so faithfully served, am overwhelmed with the sense of it., and lay your hand upon your mouth i. e. Be silent, as this Phrase is oft used, as Chap. 40. 4. Prov. 10. 32. Mich 7. 16. for shame forbear to vex me with your words: Or, you will lay, &c. the Imperative being put for the Future, as is usual. I am persuaded you will be silenced and convinced by what I shall say..

Even when I remember What I have partly observed, and partly felt of these things. The very remembrance of what is past, fills me with dread and horrour., I am afraid, and trembling taken hold on my flesh.

Wherefore He expostulates this matter partly with his Friends; If things be as you say, how comes this to pass, &c. partly with God himself, wherefore does the righteous God distribute things so unequally? do the wicked live To wit, long and happily; as living is oft taken, as Levit. 18. 5. 1 Sam. 10. 24. & 25. 6. Psal. 38. 19. a painful and afflicted life being a kind of death, and oft so called, as Deut. 30. 15, 19. Prov. 15. 10. & 19. 16. 1 Cor. 3. 22. & 15. 31., become old To wit, in their prosperous estate. yea, are mighty in power?

Their seed Either 1. the Fruits of their ground: Or, rather 2. their Children; as it is explained in the next branch of the Verse, the words both here and there used, being commonly so understood. is established i. e. They multiply and prosper greatly. in their sight Which is a great addition to their happiness. with them, and their off-spring before their eyes.

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them They neither fear nor feel any disturbance..

Their bull gendreth and faileth not, their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf.

They send forth their little ones like a flock Of Sheep or Goats, as the word signifies; in great numbers, and with sweet concord: which is a singular delight to them and to their Parents., and their children dance.

They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoyce at the sound of the organ.

They spend their days in wealth In good; i. e. in the enjoyment of all the good things of this life, without any mixture of evil., and in a moment They do not die of a lingring and tormenting Disease, as I now, and many other good men die, but suddenly and sweetly like Lambs; as is usually said in such cases. go down to the grave.

Therefore Because of their constant prosperity. Heb. And: or Yet. Though God be so gracious to them, yet they say and do thus to him. they say Sometimes in words, but commonly in their thoughts and affections, and the language of their lives: See Psalm 14. 1. & 36. 1, 2. Mal. 3. 14, 15. Tit. 1. 16. unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy Laws Much less the practise..

What is the Almighty What excellency is there in him? and what advantage have we, or can we expect from him?, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Lo, their good is not in their hand This seems to be an answer to the foregoing Question, and a Confutation of that ungodly Opinion and practise, v. 14, 15. Wicked men (says he) have no reason to neglect and reject God, because of their prosperity, for their good; i. e. all their wealth and felicity, is not in their hand; i. e. it neither was obtained, nor can be kept, by their own might, but only by God's power and favour upon whom they wholly depend for it. Or, the sense is, Though they have riches, and power, and glory in their hands, yet their true and proper good is not in their hand; i. e. They are destitute of that in which their true happiness lies; to wit, in God's love and favour; and all the comforts which they enjoy are attended with God's wrath and curse, and therefore not to be envied by any man in his wits. They say to God, depart from us, when indeed their true and only felicity consists in the enjoyment of him. Compare Psalm 4. 6, 7.: the counsel of the wicked is far from me Therefore I am far from approving their Opinion, or following their course, or enjoying their prosperity, or desiring to partake of their Delicates upon such terms.

How oft This Phrase notes, either 1. the rarity and seldomness of it. This, I confess, sometimes happens, but not oft. Or rather 2. the frequency of it; I grant that this happens oft, though not constantly, as you affirm. And this seems best to agree both with the use of this phrase in Scripture, where it notes frequency; as Psalm 78. 40. Matth. 18. 21. Luke 13. 34. and never seldomness; and with the foregoing words, as a reason why the counsel of the wicked was far from him; because they oft times pay dear for it in this life, and always in the next life; and with the following Verses, wherein he discourseth largely not of the prosperity of the Wicked (as he should have done, if the sense of these words were this, that such were but seldom afflicted) but of their Calamities. is the candle Or, lamp; i. e. their glory and outward happiness; as Chap. 18. 6. 2 Sam. 21. 17. Psalm 132. 17. of the wicked put out? and how oft cometh their destruction upon them? God Who is manifestly understood out of the following words, this being God's work and proceeding from God's anger. distributeth sorrows in his anger.

They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm f carrieth away i. e. Their destruction shall be speedy, certain, and irrecoverable.?

God layeth up To wit, in his Treasures, Rom. 2. 5. his iniquity Or rather, the punishment of his iniquity; i. e. He will punish him both in his person and in his posterity. for his children: he rewardeth him, and he shall know it i. e. He shall live to see the destruction of his children..

His Eyes shall see his destruction i. e. He shall be destroyed, as to see death, is to die, Psal. 89. 48. Heb. 11. 5. and to see affliction, or any kind of evil, is to feel it, Psal. 90. 15. Lament. 3. 1. and to see good, is to enjoy it, Ch. 7. 7. & 9. 25. Psal. 34. 12. Or this Phrase may be emphatical, he shall foresee his Ruine hastening towards him, and not be able to prevent or avoid it; he shall sensibly feel himself sinking and perishing: which aggravates his misery:, and he shall drink Not sip or taste, but drink; which word commonly notes the abundance of the thing spoken of. of the Wrath of the Almighty.

For what pleasure has he in his House after him Or, For what desire, or care, or study has he for, or concerning (as Beth is oft used) his House, i. e. his Children. When he is dead and gone he cares not what becomes of his Children, as Irreligion commonly makes men unnatural, he is not concerned nor affected with their Felicity or misery. See Ch. 14. 21. And therefore God does punish both him and his Children whilest he lives, v. 19, 20. Or thus: What delights can he take in the thoughts of the Glory and Happiness of his Posterity, when he finds that he is dying a violent and untimely Death? So this is a farther proof that this man is neither happy in himself, nor with reference to his Posterity., when the number of his Months is cut off in the midst When that number of Months which by his Constitution, and the course of Nature, he might have lived, is diminished and cut off by the hand of Violence.?

Shall any teach God Knowledge i. e. Discretion, or how to govern the World? For so you do, whilest you tell him that he must not sorely afflict the Godly, nor give the wicked much and long prosperity here.? seeing he judgeth those Either 1. The highest persons, whether in Earth, as the greatest Kings, or in Heaven, as the Angels, he judgeth them, i. e. he exactly knows them, and accordingly gives sentence concerning them, as he sees fit; and therefore it is great folly and presumption in us to direct or correct his Judgments. Or 2. Those things that are high, and deep, and far out of our reach, as Gods secret Counsels and Judgments are. that are high.

One To wit, either 1. One of these wicked men, of whose condition he is here speaking. Or, 2. Any one man, whether good or bad. dieth in his full strength In a state of perfect Health, and Strength, and Prosperity; all which this Phrase implies., being wholly at ease and quiet.

His Breasts The Hebrew word is not elsewhere used, and therefore it is diversly translated; either 1. Breasts. But that seems very improper here, because mens Breasts do not use to be filled with Milk. Or 2. Milk-Pails. But their fulness is common, and no sign of eminent plenty, which is here designed. Besides, the following Branch, which in Iob and elsewhere frequently explains the former, implies that it signifies some part of mans Body, as all the ancient Interpreters render it, either the sides, as some of them have it, or the bowels, as others. But for the following Milk, they read Fat; the Hebrew Letters being exactly the same in both words: and the Hebrews by the name of Milk do oft understand Fat. are full of Milk, and his Bones are moistened with Marrow Which is opposed to the dryness of the bones, Job 30. 30. Psal. 102. 3. which is caused by Old-age, or grievous Distempers or Calamities..

And another Either 1. Another wicked man. Or 2. Any other man promiscuously considered, either good or bad. So hereby he shows how indifferently and alike, God deals the concerns of this Life to one and another, to good and bad. So he shows that there is a great variety in Gods Dispensations, that he distributes great Prosperity to one, and great afflictions to another no worse than he, according to his wise but secret Counsel. dieth in the bitterness of his Soul i. e. With Heart-breaking Pains and Sorrows., and never eateth with Pleasure i. e. Has no pleasure in his Life, no not so much as at Meal-time, when Men usually are most free and pleasant..

They shall lie down alike in the dust All these worldly differences are ended by Death, and they lie in the Grave without any distinction, till the time of General Resurrection and Judgment comes. So that no man can tell who is good, and who is bad by any Events which befall them in this Life., and the Worms shall cover them.

Behold, I know your thoughts I perceive what you think, and will object, and say for your own defence., and the Devices Or, evil Thoughts, for so this word is oft used, as Prov. 12. 2. & 14. 17. & 24. 8. Isa. 32. 7. which ye wrongfully imagine Or, wrest, or, violently force. For they strained both Iobs words, and their own thoughts, which were byassed by their prejudice and Passion against Iob. against me For I know very well that your discourses, though they be of wicked men in the general, yet are particularly levelled at me..

For ye say To wit, in your minds., where is the House of the Prince i. e. It is no where, it is lost and gone. This is spoken either 1. Of Iob, or his eldest Son, whose house God had lately overthrown, Or rather, 2. In general of wicked Princes or Potentates, as the following answer shows. So the meaning of the question is, That it was apparent from common observation, that eminent Judgments, even in this Life were sooner or later the portion of all ungodly Men.? and where are the Dwelling-places of the wicked which is added to limit the former Expression, and to show that he spake only of wicked Princes.?

Have ye not asked them that go by the way These are the words, either 1. Of Iob's Friends, who thus continue their former Discourse by a second Enquiry: Or rather 2. Of Iob himself,, who answers one question with another. You may learn this, which is the matter of our debate, to wit, that good men are oft afflicted, and that wicked men do commonly live and die in great prosperity, and are not punished in this World, even from them that go by the way, i. e. either from Travellers, who having seen, and observed many Persons, and places, and events, are more capable Judges of this matter; or from any person that passeth along the high-way, from every one that you meet with. It is so vulgar and trivial a thing, that no man of common sense is ignorant of it.? and do ye not know their Tokens i. e. The Examples, or Evidences, or Signs of this truth, which they that go by the way can produce. They will show here and there in divers places the goodly Houses and Castles, and other Monuments of Power and dignity, which wicked Potentates have erected, and to this day do possess, and in which divers of them live and die. He alludes here to those Tokens which are set up in high ways for the direction of those who travel in them.?

That the wicked This is the thing which they might learn of Passengers. is reserved Or with-held or kept back, to wit, from falling into common Calamities, though in truth he be not so much kept from Evil, as kept for evil, he is reserved from a less that he may be swallowed up in a greater misery, as Pharaoh was kept from the other Plagues that he might be drowned in the Sea. to the day of Destruction? they He speaketh of the same person; only the singular number is changed into the plural, possibly to intimate, that although for the present only some wicked men were punished, yet then all of them should suffer. shall be brought forth To wit, by the conduct of Gods Providence and Justice, as malefactors are brought forth from Prison to Judgment and Execution, though they be brought to it slowly, and by degrees, and with some kind of Pomp and State, as this word signifies. to the day of Wrath Heb. To the day of Wrath, i. e. of special and extraordinary Wrath, either to some terrible and desolating Judgments, which God sometimes sends upon wicked Princes or People: Or, to the day of the last and general Judgment, which is called in Scripture the day of Wrath: For the day of the general Resurrection and Judgment was not unknown to Iob and his Friends, as appears from Ch. 19. 25, &c. and other passages of this Book..

Who shall declare his way to his face i. e. Plainly, and whilest he lives, as the same Phrase is used, Deut. 7. 10.? and who shall repay him what he has done No man can bring him to an account or punishment.? p i. e. His wicked course and actions, and whither they lead him. His power and splendour is so great, that scarce any man dare reprove him for his sin, or show him his danger.

Yet Heb. And. The pomp of his death shall be suitable to the glory of his Life. shall he be brought With Pomp and State, as the word signifies. to the Grave Heb. to the Graves, i. e. to an honourable and eminent Grave: The plural number being oft used Emphatically to note Eminency, as Iob 40. 10. Prov. 1. 20. Lam. 3. 22. He shall not die a violent but a natural Death, and shall lie in the Bed of Honour., and shall remain in the Tomb Heb. Shall watch, (i. e. have a constant and fixed abode, as Watchmen have in the watching-place) in the heap, i. e. in his Grave, which is called an heap, either because the Earth is there heaped up, or because it was adorned with some Pyramid, or other Monument raised up to his Honour. His Body shall quietly rest in his Grave or Monument, where he shall be embalmed and preserved so entire and uncorrupted, that he might rather seem to be a living Watch-man, set there to guard the Body, than to be a dead Corps..

The clods of the Valley i. e. Of the Grave, which is low and deep like a Valley. shall be sweet unto him He shall sweetly rest in his Grave, free from all cares, and fears, and troubles, Ch. 3. 17, 18., and every man shall draw after him Heb. He shall draw every man after him, to wit, into the Grave, i. e. All that live after him, whether good or bad, shall follow him into the Grave, i. e. shall dye as he did. So he fares no worse herein than all Mankind. He is figuratively said to draw them, because they come after him, as if they were drawn by his Example., as there are innumerable dead before him.

How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth Falshood Why then do you seek to comfort me with vain hopes of recovering my prosperity if I repent, seeing your grounds are manifestly false, and common Experience shows, that good men are very oft in great tribulation, while the vilest of men thrive and prosper in the World.?