1.
Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
1. the Lord—Hebrew,
"JEHOVAH."
2.
Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
2. he that contendeth—as Job
had so often expressed a wish to do. Or, rebuketh. Does Job
now still (after seeing and hearing of God's majesty and wisdom) wish
to set God right?
answer it—namely, the
questions I have asked.
3.
Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
3. Lord—JEHOVAH.
4.
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
4. I am (too) vile (to reply).
It is a very different thing to vindicate ourselves before God, from
what it is before men. Job could do the latter, not the former.
lay . . . hand . . . upon . .
. mouth—I have no plea to offer (Job 21:5;
Judges 18:19).
5.
Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
5. Once . . . twice—oftentimes,
more than once (Job 33:14,
compare with Job 33:29; Psalms 62:11):
I have spoken—namely,
against God.
not answer—not plead
against Thee.
6.
Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
6. the Lord—JEHOVAH.
7.
Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
7. (See on ). Since Job has not only spoken against God, but accused Him
of injustice, God challenges him to try, could he govern the
world, as God by His power doth, and punish the proud and
wicked (Job 40:7-14).
8.
Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
8. Wilt thou not only contend
with, but set aside My judgment or justice in the government
of the world?
condemn—declare Me
unrighteous, in order that thou mayest be accounted righteous
(innocent; undeservingly afflicted).
9.
Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
9. arm—God's omnipotence ().
thunder—God's voice
(Job 37:4).
10.
Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
10. See, hast thou power and
majesty like God's, to enable thee to judge and govern the world?
11.
Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
11. rage—rather, pour out the
redundant floods of, &c.
behold—Try, canst thou,
as God, by a mere glance abase the proud (, &c.)?
12.
Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
12. proud—high ().
in their place—on the
spot; suddenly, before they can move from their place. (See on ; Job 40:3).
13.
Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
13. (). Abase and remove them out of the sight of men.
bind . . . faces—that
is, shut up their persons [MAURER].
But it refers rather to the custom of binding a cloth over the faces
of persons about to be executed (Job 9:24;
Esther 7:8).
in secret—consign them
to darkness.
14.
Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
14. confess—rather, "extol";
"I also," who now censure thee. But since thou canst
not do these works, thou must, instead of censuring, extol My
government.
thine own . . . hand . . .
save— (Psalms 44:3). So as to
eternal salvation by Jesus Christ (Isaiah 59:16;
Isaiah 63:5).
15.
Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
15-24. God shows that if Job
cannot bring under control the lower animals (of which he selects the
two most striking, behemoth on land, leviathan in the water), much
less is he capable of governing the world.
behemoth—The
description in part agrees with the hippopotamus, in part with the
elephant, but exactly in all details with neither. It is rather a
poetical personification of the great Pachydermata, or
Herbivora (so "he eateth grass"), the idea of the
hippopotamus being predominant. In , "the tail like a cedar," hardly applies to the
latter (so also Job 40:20;
Job 40:23, "Jordan," a
river which elephants alone could reach, but see on Job 40:23). On the other hand, Job 40:21;
Job 40:22 are characteristic of
the amphibious river horse. So leviathan (the twisting
animal), Job 41:1, is a
generalized term for cetacea, pythons, saurians of the neighboring
seas and rivers, including the crocodile, which is the most
prominent, and is often associated with the river horse by old
writers. "Behemoth" seems to be the Egyptian Pehemout,
"water-ox," Hebraized, so-called as being like an ox,
whence the Italian bombarino.
with thee—as I made
thyself. Yet how great the difference! The manifold wisdom and
power of God!
he eateth grass—marvellous
in an animal living so much in the water; also strange, that such a
monster should not be carnivorous.
16.
Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
16. navel—rather, "muscles"
of his belly; the weakest point of the elephant, therefore it
is not meant.
17.
He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
17. like a cedar—As the
tempest bends the cedar, so it can move its smooth thick tail
[UMBREIT]. But the cedar
implies straightness and length, such as do not apply to the river
horse's short tail, but perhaps to an extinct species of animal (see
on Job 40:4).
stones—rather,
"thighs."
wrapped—firmly twisted
together, like a thick rope.
18.
His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
18. strong—rather, "tubes"
of copper [UMBREIT].
19.
He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
19. Chief of the works of
God; so "ways" (Job 26:14;
Proverbs 8:22).
can make his sword to
approach—rather, "has furnished him with his sword"
(harpe), namely, the sickle-like teeth with which he
cuts down grain. English Version, however, is literally right.
20.
Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
20. The mountain is not his
usual haunt. BOCHART
says it is sometimes found there (?).
beasts . . . play—a
graphic trait: though armed with such teeth, he lets the beasts play
near him unhurt, for his food is grass.
21.
He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
21. lieth—He leads an inactive
life.
shady trees—rather,
"lotus bushes"; as requires.
22.
The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
22. shady trees—Translate:
"lotus bushes."
23.
Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
23. Rather, "(Though) a
river be violent (overflow), he trembleth not"; (for though
living on land, he can live in the water, too); he is secure, though
a Jordan swell up to his mouth. "Jordan" is used for any
great river (consonant with the "behemoth"), being a
poetical generalization (see on ). The author cannot have been a Hebrew as UMBREIT
asserts, or he would not adduce the Jordan, where there were no river
horses. He alludes to it as a name for any river, but not as
one known to him, except by hearsay.
24.
He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.