20. Shall it be told him that I would speak? 21. 22. 23. 1Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up? But the wind passeth, and cleanseth them. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out; And in judgement and plenteous justice he will not afflict. 1 m. Or, If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up. 2 m. Or, cannot look on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind hath passed and cleansed them. 3 m. Heb. gold. 4 m. Or, to judgement. he doeth no violence. 20. Should a man wish that he were swallowed up? Read with the margin, "If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.' God is so great that Elihu would not think of intimating that he wished to speak to him, declaring that, if one should actually speak, he would be destroyed. The reference is to Job's oft-expressed wish to speak to God. 21. See not the light. Read with the margin, "cannot look upon the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind hath passed and cleansed them." Elihu means that men cannot look even on the brilliance of the cloudless skies, how much less on God! 22. Golden splendor. As the margin tells us, the Hebrew has simply "gold." We should, however, change a single letter of it and read "brightness.' The reference is probably to the aurora borealis. In post-Exilic times the Hebrews believed that the home of God was in the north, and the aurora may well have been regarded as a splendor issuing forth from God. 23. Touching the Almighty. Neither the text nor margin of RV is satisfactory. The Hebrew has three lines and should be rendered thus: "The Almighty we cannot find him; He abounds in strength and justice; And abundant righteousness he will not violate." The last clause refers to Job's complaints that God has dealt harshly with him. 24. Men do therefore fear him: He regardeth not any that are wise of heart. V. JEHOVAH'S ADDRESS AND THE FINAL COLLOQUY BETWEEN JEHOVAH AND JOB, 38:1-42:6 38. 2. 3. 1. The Great Address of Jehovah, 38: 1-40:2 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins 1 like a man; 24. Men do therefore fear him. This Elihu regards as the correct attitude. Regardeth not... wise of heart. He pays no attention to those who are conceited enough to think they know better than he does. (1) Jehovah challenges Job's attention, 38: 1–3 The 1. Then the Lord answered Job. With this verse the work of the original poet is resumed, these words connecting directly with 31:40. The vigorous poetry which follows in chs. 38, 39 is in delightful contrast to that of the Elihu writers. great author of Job reserved his finest flight for Jehovah's address. In chs. 29-31 Job's thought had centred on his relation to God. All other problems had fallen into the background. The address of Jehovah solves for him the problem of this relationship, not by what Jehovah says, grand as that is, but by personal contact with Jehovah himself. Whirlwind. Better, "storm." The poet employs even here the old Hebrew idea that God both reveals and veils himself in the storm-cloud. 2. Who is this. As v. I shows, the reference is to Job. If chs. 32-37 were an original part of the poem, the reference should be to Elihu. Words without knowledge. Job had criticised the order of life and God's dealings with him as though he understood everything. The first lesson he must be taught was one of humility. His knowledge was not unlimited. Job is scornfully invited to the contest he Like a man. Read with the authorities or "like a man of war.' 3. Gird up thy loins. has so often demanded. cited, "like a mighty man 4. 5. 6. 7. For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare1, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, 2 if thou knowest ? Or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the 3 foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 1 m. Heb. if thou knowest understanding. 2 m. Or, seeing. 3 m. Heb. sockets. 'm. Heb. made to sink. (2) Where was Job when the foundations of the world were laid? 4. Where wast thou. Job did not yet exist. 38:4-15 Of course there was but one answer; This is the first of a series of ironical questions intended to make Job realize his insignificance and ignorance. 5. If thou knowest. Margin, "seeing thou knowest." Render "for thou knowest." The statement is a fine bit of irony. It brings into strong relief Job's ignorance of these matters. 6. Foundations. Literally "bases" or "sockets." In these the pillars which supported the world (cf. 9:6 and note) were supposed to rest. These bases apparently rested on nothing, cf. 26:7 and note. 7. Morning stars sang. In the heathen world stars and gods were associated; here stars and angels. They are "morning stars because the earth's foundations were laid in the morning of the world. The allusion to singing is a mythological one, and, like the references to leviathan in 3:8 and to Rahab in 9:13 and 26: 12, shows the influence of the Babylonian Creation myth. In that myth the gods raised a hymn of praise to Marduk when Marduk had completed the creation of the world; see L. W. King's Seven Tablets of Creation. Vol. I, p. 72 ff. Sons of God. Beings of the divine class, or angels. See note on 1: 6. 8. 9. IO. II. 12. 13. Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth 1, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling band for it, 3 And set bars and doors, 4 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? And caused the dayspring to know its place; 1 m. Or, and issued. Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. a decree. pride of thy waves be broken. 2 Gr. Syr. Sah. Eth. Ar. I established. m. Heb. brake. 8. Shut up the sea with doors. Again an allusion to the Babylonian Creation myth. For the way in which Marduk, in whose place Jehovah is here put, closed the door against the destructive waters of the primal sea, cf. the quotation from the Babylonian poem given above in note on 26: 13. Issued out of the womb. Descriptive of the onrush of the destructive waters. It is better to read with the margin, "and issued," for the next verse shows that the figure is changed and the poet suddenly represents the day of creation as the birthday of the sea. 9. Garment . swaddling band. The clothing of the newa beautiful poetic metaphor. born sea -- 10. Bars and doors. Again a mythological allusion; see note on 26: 13. II. Thy proud waves be stayed. Read with the versions cited, "the pride of thy waves be broken." 12. Commanded the morning. That it may know what time each day to appear. Know its place. In the sky, i.e. on the eastern horizon. 13. The wicked be shaken out of it. As one shakes dust out of a garment. For the way the wicked avoid the light, see 24: 13-17. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. It is changed as clay under the seal; 1 And all things stand forth 1 as a garment: Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? 4 Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is the place thereof; 2 m. Or, search. 1 m. Or, as in a garment. porters of the shadow of death seen thee? Gr. Sah. Eth. And have the 4 Gr. Sah. Eth. how great. 14. And all things stand forth. Perhaps by a slight change of the Hebrew letters we should read "And be variegated." As a garment. The text is to be preferred to the marginal reading. 15. The high arm is broken. Because their power lies in darkness. (3) Does Job know the secrets of the earth? 38: 16–30 16. Springs of the sea. The fountains of the great deep, which led from the supposed subterranean ocean; see Gen. 7: II; 8: 2. 17. The gates of death. Sheol lay below the sea (see note on 26:5). It was natural therefore to mention it next after the sea. The gates of the shadow of death. Probably we should read with the versions cited, "Have the porters of the shadow of death seen thee?" Probably an allusion to the "scorpion men," etc., who in the Babylonian Gilgamesh epic guard the way to the underworld. The thought then is that Job has not been even in sight of the porters of Sheol, so he can know nothing of that which lies beyond. 18. Breadth. From depth God passes to breadth. The earth was considered flat. It all. if thou knowest how great." Job's knowledge as much as 19. Light... darkness. with local habitations. Read with the versions, "Declare The breadth of the earth surpassed did the depths of Sheol. Considered here as physical entities |