1Moreover JobH347 continuedH3254 H5375 his parableH4912, and saidH559, 2As GodH410 livethH2416, who hath taken awayH5493 my judgmentH4941; and the AlmightyH7706, who hath vexedH4843 my soulH5315; 3All the whileH5750 my breathH5397 is in me, and the spiritH7307 of GodH433 is in my nostrilsH639; 4My lipsH8193 shall not speakH1696 wickednessH5766, nor my tongueH3956 utterH1897 deceitH7423. 5God forbidH2486 that I should justifyH6663 you: till I dieH1478 I will not removeH5493 mine integrityH8538 from me. 6My righteousnessH6666 I holdH2388 fast, and will not let it goH7503 : my heartH3824 shall not reproachH2778 me so long as I liveH3117. 7Let mine enemyH341 be as the wickedH7563, and he that riseth upH6965 against me as the unrighteousH5767. 8For what is the hopeH8615 of the hypocriteH2611, though he hath gainedH1214, when GodH433 taketh awayH7953 his soulH5315? 9Will GodH410 hearH8085 his cryH6818 when troubleH6869 comethH935 upon him? 10Will he delightH6026 himself in the AlmightyH7706? will he alwaysH6256 callH7121 upon GodH433? 11I will teachH3384 you by the handH3027 of GodH410: that which is with the AlmightyH7706 will I not concealH3582 . 12Behold, all ye yourselves have seenH2372 it; why then are ye thus altogetherH1892 vainH1891 ? 13This is the portionH2506 of a wickedH7563 manH120 with GodH410, and the heritageH5159 of oppressorsH6184, which they shall receiveH3947 of the AlmightyH7706. 14If his childrenH1121 be multipliedH7235, it is forH3926 the swordH2719: and his offspringH6631 shall not be satisfiedH7646 with breadH3899. 15Those that remainH8300 of him shall be buriedH6912 in deathH4194: and his widowsH490 shall not weepH1058 . 16Though he heap upH6651 silverH3701 as the dustH6083, and prepareH3559 raimentH4403 as the clayH2563; 17He may prepareH3559 it, but the justH6662 shall put it onH3847, and the innocentH5355 shall divideH2505 the silverH3701. 18He buildethH1129 his houseH1004 as a mothH6211, and as a boothH5521 that the keeperH5341 makethH6213 . 19The richH6223 man shall lie downH7901, but he shall not be gatheredH622 : he openethH6491 his eyesH5869, and he is not. 20TerrorsH1091 take holdH5381 on him as watersH4325, a tempestH5492 stealeth him awayH1589 in the nightH3915. 21The eastH6921 wind carrieth him awayH5375, and he departethH3212 : and as a storm hurlethH8175 him out of his placeH4725. 22For God shall castH7993 upon him, and not spareH2550 : he would fainH1272 fleeH1272 out of his handH3027. 23Men shall clapH5606 their handsH3709 at him, and shall hissH8319 him out of his placeH4725.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (Job 27:1-23)
parable--applied in the East to a figurative sententious embodiment of wisdom in poetic form, a gnome (
Ps 49:4).
continued--proceeded to put forth; implying elevation of discourse.
2 (
1Sam 20:3).
taken away . . . judgment--words unconsciously foreshadowing Jesus Christ (
Isa 53:8;
Acts 8:33). God will not give Job his right, by declaring his innocence.
vexed--Hebrew, "made bitter" (
Ruth 1:20).
3 Implying Job's knowledge of the fact that the living soul was breathed into man by God (
Gen 2:7). "All the while." But MAURER, "As yet all my breath is in me" (notwithstanding my trials): the reason why I can speak so boldly.
4 (
Job 6:28,
Job 6:30). The "deceit" would be if he were to admit guilt against the witness of his conscience.
5 justify you--approve of your views.
mine integrity--which you deny, on account of my misfortunes.
6 Rather, my "heart" (conscience) reproaches "not one of my days," that is, I do not repent of any of my days since I came into existence [MAURER].
7 Let . . . be--Let mine enemy be accounted as wicked, that is, He who opposes my asseveration of innocence must be regarded as actuated by criminal hostility. Not a curse on his enemies.
8 "What hope hath the hypocrite, notwithstanding all his gains, when?" &c. "Gained" is antithetic to "taketh away." UMBREIT'S translation is an unmeaning tautology. "When God cuts off, when He taketh away his life."
taketh away--literally, "draws out" the soul from the body, which is, as it were, its scabbard (
Job 4:21;
Ps 104:29;
Dan 7:15). Job says that he admits what Bildad said (
Job 8:13) and Zophar (
Job 20:5). But he says the very fact of his still calling upon God (
Job 27:10) amid all his trials, which a hypocrite would not dare to do, shows he is no "hypocrite."
9 (
Ps 66:18).
10 Alluding to
Job 22:26.
always call--He may do so in times of prosperity in order to be thought religious. But he will not, as I do, call on God in calamities verging on death. Therefore I cannot be a "hypocrite" (
Job 19:25;
Job 20:5;
Ps 62:8).
11 These words are contrary to Job's previous sentiments (see on
Job 21:22-
Job 21:33;
Job 24:22-
Job 24:25).
Job 21:22-
Job 21:33;
Job 24:22-
Job 24:25). They therefore seem to be Job's statement, not so much of his own sentiments, as of what Zophar would have said had he spoken when his turn came (end of the twenty-sixth chapter). So Job stated the friends' opinion (
Job 21:17-
Job 21:21;
Job 24:18-
Job 24:21). The objection is, why, if so, does not Job answer Zophar's opinion, as stated by himself? The fact is, it is probable that Job tacitly, by giving, in the twenty-eighth chapter, only a general answer, implies, that in spite of the wicked often dying, as he said, in prosperity, he does not mean to deny that the wicked are in the main dealt with according to right, and that God herein vindicates His moral government even here. Job therefore states Zophar's argument more strongly than Zophar would have done. But by comparing
Job 27:13 with
Job 20:29 ("portion," "heritage"), it will be seen, it is Zophar's argument, rather than his own, that Job states. Granting it to be true, implies Job, you ought not to use it as an argument to criminate me. For (Job 28:1-28) the ways of divine wisdom in afflicting the godly are inscrutable: all that is sure to man is, the fear of the Lord is wisdom (
Job 28:28).
by the hand--rather, concerning the hand of God, namely, what God does in governing men.
with the Almighty--the counsel or principle which regulates God's dealings.
12 "Ye yourselves see" that the wicked often are afflicted (though often the reverse,
Job 21:33). But do you "vainly" make this an argument to prove from my afflictions that I am wicked?
13 (See on
Job 27:11).
14 His family only increases to perish by sword or famine (
Jer 18:21;
Job 5:20, the converse).
15 Those that escape war and famine (
Job 27:14) shall be buried by the deadly plague--"death" (
Job 18:13;
Jer 15:2;
Rev 6:8). The plague of the Middle Ages was called "the black death." Buried by it implies that they would have none else but the death plague itself (poetically personified) to perform their funeral rites, that is, would have no one.
his--rather, "their widows." Transitions from singular to plural are frequent. Polygamy is not implied.
16 dust . . . clay--images of multitudes (
Zech 9:3). Many changes of raiment are a chief constituent of wealth in the East.
17 Introverted parallelism. (See Introduction). Of the four clauses in the two verses, one answers to four, two to three (so
Matt 7:6).
18 (
Job 8:14;
Job 4:19). The transition is natural from "raiment" (
Job 27:16) to the "house" of the "moth" in it, and of it, when in its larva state. The moth worm's house is broken whenever the "raiment" is shaken out, so frail is it.
booth--a bough-formed hut which the guard of a vineyard raises for temporary shelter (
Isa 1:8).
19 gathered--buried honorably (
Gen 25:8;
2Kgs 22:20). But UMBREIT, agreeably to
Job 27:18, which describes the short continuance of the sinner's prosperity, "He layeth himself rich in his bed, and nothing is robbed from him, he openeth his eyes, and nothing more is there." If English Version be retained, the first clause probably means, rich though he be in dying, he shall not be honored with a funeral; the second, When he opens his eyes in the unseen world, it is only to see his destruction: the Septuagint reads for "not gathered," He does not proceed, that is, goes to his bed no more. So MAURER.
20 (
Job 18:11;
Job 22:11,
Job 22:21). Like a sudden violent flood (
Isa 8:7-
Isa 8:8;
Jer 47:2): conversely (
Ps 32:6).
21 (
Job 21:18;
Job 15:2;
Ps 58:9).
22 cast--namely, thunderbolts (
Job 6:4;
Job 7:20;
Job 16:13;
Ps 7:12-
Ps 7:13).
23 clap . . . hands--for joy at his downfall (
Lam 2:15;
Nah 3:19).
hiss--deride (
Jer 25:9). Job alludes to Bildad's words (
Job 18:18).
In the twenty-seventh chapter Job had tacitly admitted that the statement of the friends was often true, that God vindicated His justice by punishing the wicked here; but still the affliction of the godly remained unexplained. Man has, by skill, brought the precious metals from their concealment. But the Divine Wisdom, which governs human affairs, he cannot similarly discover (
Job 28:12, &c.). However, the image from the same metals (
Job 23:10) implies Job has made some way towards solving the riddle of his life; namely, that affliction is to him as the refining fire is to gold.