1.
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
1. a day—appointed for the
angels giving an account of their ministry to God. The words "to
present himself before the Lord" occur here, though not in , as Satan has now a special report to make as to Job.
2.
And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
3.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
3. integrity—literally,
"completeness"; so "perfect," another form of the
same Hebrew word, Job 11:7.
movedst . . . against—So
1 Samuel 26:19; compare 1 Chronicles 21:1;
2 Samuel 24:1.
4.
And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
4. Skin for skin—a proverb.
Supply, "He will give." The "skin" is figurative
for any outward good. Nothing outward is so dear that a man will not
exchange it for some other outward good; "but" (not "yea")
"life," the inward good, cannot be replaced; a man will
sacrifice everything else for its sake. Satan sneers bitterly at
man's egotism and says that Job bears the loss of property and
children because these are mere outward and exchangeable goods,
but he will give up all things, even his religion, in order to save
his life, if you touch his bones and flesh. "Skin" and
"life" are in antithesis [UMBREIT].
The martyrs prove Satan's sneer false. ROSENMULLER
explains it not so well. A man willingly gives up another's
skin (life) for his own skin (life). So Job might bear the
loss of his children, c., with equanimity, so long as he remained
unhurt himself but when touched in his own person, he would renounce
God. Thus the first "skin" means the other's skin,
that is, body; the second "skin," one's own, as in
Exodus 21:28.
5.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
6.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.
6. but save—rather, "only
spare his life." Satan shows his ingenuity in inflicting pain,
and also his knowledge of what man's body can bear without vital
injury.
7.
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
7. sore boils—malignant boils;
rather, as it is singular in the Hebrew, a "burning
sore." Job was covered with one universal inflammation. The use
of the potsherd [Job 2:8] agrees
with this view. It was that form of leprosy called black (to
distinguish it from the white), or elephantiasis,
because the feet swell like those of the elephant. The Arabic
judham (Deuteronomy 28:35), where
"sore botch" is rather the black burning boil (Deuteronomy 28:35).
8.
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
8. a potsherd—not a piece of a
broken earthen vessel, but an instrument made for scratching (the
root of the Hebrew word is "scratch"); the sore was
too disgusting to touch. "To sit in the ashes" marks the
deepest mourning (Jonah 3:6); also
humility, as if the mourner were nothing but dust and ashes; so
Abraham (Genesis 18:27).
Genesis 18:27. JOB REPROVES
HIS WIFE.
9.
Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
9. curse God—rather,
"renounce" God. (See on ) [UMBREIT].
However, it was usual among the heathens, when disappointed in their
prayers accompanied with offerings to their gods, to reproach and
curse them.
and die—that is, take
thy farewell of God and so die. For no good is to be got out of
religion, either here or hereafter; or, at least, not in this life
[GILL]; Nothing makes the
ungodly so angry as to see the godly under trial not angry.
10.
But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
10. the foolish women—Sin and
folly are allied in Scripture (1 Samuel 25:25;
2 Samuel 13:13; Psalms 14:1).
receive evil—bear
willingly (Lamentations 3:39).
11.
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
11. Eliphaz—The view of
RAWLINSON that "the
names of Job's three friends represent the Chaldean times, about 700
B.C.," cannot be
accepted. Eliphaz is an Idumean name, Esau's oldest son (); and Teman, son of Eliphaz (), called "duke." EUSEBIUS
places Teman in Arabia-Petræa (but see on ). Teman means "at the right hand"; and then the
south, namely, part of Idumea; capital of Edom (). Hebrew geographers faced the east, not the north as we do;
hence with them "the right hand" was the south. Temanites
were famed for wisdom (Jeremiah 49:7).
BARUCH mentions them as
"authors of fables" (namely, proverbs embodying the results
of observation), and "searchers out of understanding."
Bildad the Shuhite—Shuah
("a pit"), son of Abraham and Keturah (Jeremiah 49:7). PTOLEMY
mentions the region Syccea, in Arabia-Deserta, east of Batanea.
Zophar the Naamathite—not
of the Naamans in Judah (Jeremiah 49:7), which was too distant; but some region in Arabia-Deserta.
FRETELIUS says there was a
Naamath in Uz.
12.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
12. toward heaven—They threw
ashes violently upwards, that they might fall on their heads and
cover them—the deepest mourning (Joshua 7:6;
Acts 22:23).
13.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
13. seven days . . . nights—They
did not remain in the same posture and without food, c., all this
time, but for most of this period daily and nightly. Sitting on the
earth marked mourning (Lamentations 2:10).
Seven days was the usual length of it (Genesis 50:10
1 Samuel 31:13). This silence may have
been due to a rising suspicion of evil in Job; but chiefly because it
is only ordinary griefs that find vent in language; extraordinary
griefs are too great for utterance.