Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
Can . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
man = a strong man. Hebrew. geber. App-14 .
GOD. Hebrew El.
as = nay. The Hebrew accent (Tebir) on ki, "as", is disjunctive, and means "nay". See note on Isaiah 28:28 .
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Is it. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4 .
infinite = without end.
Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.
stripped the naked. Figure of speech Oxymoron. App-6 .
the naked = the poorly clad, or threadbare.
Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 . See translation below.
Thou has sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!
Is not. ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
GOD. Hebrew Eloah App-4 .
And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
And, &c. = "and [yet may be] thou sayest".
How . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6 .
dark cloud. Hebrew. 'araphel. See note on Job 3:6 .
Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
walketh = walketh habitually.
circuit = vault. Hebrew. hug,
Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 .
The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
Whereas. Supply Ellipsis ( App-6 ), "[and say] Surely", &c. See translation below.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Acquaint. This is the false theology of Eliphaz. Compare Job 42:8 .
good = blessing. Most codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and
unto = upon. Vulgate, read "thy gain shall be blessing".
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
return. Septuagint adds "and submit thyself".
tabernacles = tents. Some codices, with four early printed editions, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "tent"; others, with six early printed editions (and one in margin), read "tents" (plural)
Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
the humble. Hebrew the man of downcast eyes. Compare Luke 18:13 .
He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
the island of. Island put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6 , for coasts, or borders; but the words are omitted by the Septuagint
it. The Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read "thou".