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CHAPTER XXXIII

Elihu offers himself in God's stead to reason with Job in meekness and sincerity, 1-7. Charges Job with irreverent expressions, 8-12. Vindicates the providence of God, and shows the various methods which he uses to bring sinners to himself: - By dreams and visions, 13-15; by secret inspirations, 16-18; by afflictions, 19-22; by messengers of righteousness, 23; and by the great atonement, 24. How and from what God redeems men, and the blessings which he communicates, 25-30. Job is exhorted to listen attentively to Elihu's teaching, 31-33.

NOTES ON CHAP. XXXIII

Verse 3. "My words shall be of the uprightness " - As God has given me his Spirit, from that Spirit alone will I speak; therefore all my words shall be of uprightness, knowledge, and truth.

Knowledge clearly. ] rwrb t[d daath barur, pure science. I shall lay down no false positions, and I shall have no false consequences.

Verse 4. "The Spirit of God hath made me " - Another plain allusion to the account of the creation of man, Gen. ii. 7, as the words tm�n nishmath, the breath or breathing of God, and ynyjt techaiyeni, hath given me life, prove: "He breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, and he became a living soul."

Verse 6. "I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay. " - Mr. Good, and before him none other that I have seen, has most probably hit the true meaning: - "Behold, I am thy fellow.

I too was formed by God out of the clay." The word �ypk kephicha, which we translate according to thy wish, and which, if Hebrew, would mean like to thy mouth; he considers as pure Arabic, with a Hebrew postfix, (Arabic) kefoo, signifying fellow, equal, like. Taken in this way, the passage is very plain, only lal lael, by or through God, must be added to the last clause of the verse instead of the first, as Mr. Good has properly done.

Verse 7. "My terror shall not make thee afraid " - This is an allusion to what Job had said, chap. ix. x24: "Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me." Being thy equal, no fear can impose upon thee so far as to overawe thee; so that thou shouldst not be able to conduct thy own defense. We are on equal terms; now prepare to defend thyself.

Verse 8. "Surely thou hast spoken " - What Elihu speaks here, and in the three following verses, contains, in general, simple quotations from Job's own words, or the obvious sense of them, as the reader may see by referring to the margin, and also to the notes on those passages.

Verse 11. "He putteth my feet in the stocks " - See the note on chap. xiii. 27.

Verse 12. "In this thou art not just " - Thou hast laid charges against God's dealings, but thou hast not been able to justify those charges; and were there nothing else against thee, these irreverent speeches are so many proofs that thou art not clear in the sight of God.

Verse 13. "Why dost thou strive against him? " - Is it not useless to contend with God? Can he do any thing that is not right? As to his giving thee any account of the reasons why he deals thus and thus with thee, or any one else, thou needest not expect it; he is sovereign, and is not to be called to the bar of his creatures. It is sufficient for thee to know that "he is too wise to err, and too good to be unkind."

Verse 14. "For God speaketh once " - Though he will not be summoned to the bar of his creatures, nor condescend to detail the reasons of his conduct, which they could not comprehend, yet he so acts, in the main, that the operation of his hand and the designs of his counsel may sufficiently appear, provided men had their eyes open upon his ways, and their hearts open to receive his influence. Elihu, having made the general statement that God would not come to the bar of his creatures to give account of his conduct, shows the general means which he uses to bring men to an acquaintance with themselves and with him: he states these in the six following particulars, which may be collected from ver. 15- 24.

Verse 15. "I. In a DREAM-when deep sleep falleth upon men " - Many, by such means, have had the most salutary warnings; and to decry all such, because there are many vain dreams, would be nearly as much wisdom as to deny the Bible, because there are many foolish books, the authors of which supposed they were under a Divine influence while composing them. II.

"In a VISION of the night-in slumberings upon the bed " - Visions or images presented in the imagination during slumber, when men are betwixt sleeping and waking, or when, awake and in bed, they are wrapt up in deep contemplation, the darkness of the night having shut out all objects from their sight, so that the mind is not diverted by images of earthly things impressed on the senses. Many warnings in this way have come from God; and the impression they made, and the good effect they produced, were the proofs of their Divine origin. To deny this would be to call into doubt the testimony of the best, wisest, and holiest men in all ages of the Church. Of one of these visions we have a remarkable account in this book, chap. iv. 12-21. And this vision seems to have taken place in the night season, when Eliphaz awoke from a deep sleep. There is this difference between the accidents of the dream and the vision: the former takes place when deep sleep falleth upon men; the latter, in the night, in or after slumberings upon the bed.

Verse 16. "Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth, &c. " - III. By secret INSPIRATIONS. A dream or a vision simply considered is likely to do no good; it is the opening of the understanding, and the pouring in of the light, that make men wise to salvation. Serious alarms, holy purposes, penitential pangs for past sins, apprehension of death and judgment, discoveries of God's justice, of Christ's love, of the world's vanity, of heaven's excellence, &c., &c., &c., are often used by the Divine Spirit to withdraw men from their evil purpose, and to hide pride from man, ver. 17; and of all these openings of the ear of the heart, and sealing instructions upon the conscience, we have numerous examples in the history of the Church, in the experience of good men, and even in the civil and providential history of all nations.

Verse 18. "He keepeth back his soul from the pit " - By the above means, how many have been snatched from an untimely death! By taking the warning thus given, some have been prevented from perishing by the pit-some sudden accident; and others from the sword of the assassin or nocturnal murderer. It would be easy to give examples, in all these kinds; but the knowledge of the reader may save this trouble to the commentator.

Verse 19. "He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, &c. " - IV. ] AFFLICTIONS are a fourth means which God makes use of to awaken and convert sinners. In the hand of God these were the cause of the salvation of David, as himself testifies: Before I was afflicted, I went astray, Psa. cxix. 67, 71, 75.

"The multitude of his bones " - By such diseases, especially those of a rheumatic kind, when to the patient's apprehension every bone is diseased, broken, or out of joint. Some render the passage, When the multitude of his bones is yet strong; meaning those sudden afflictions which fall upon men when in a state of great firmness and vigour. The original, wymx[ bwrw ta verob atsamaiv ethan, may be translated, And the strong multitude of his bones. Even the strong multitude of his bones is chastened with pain upon his bed; the place of rest and ease affording him no peace, quiet, or comfort. The bones may be well termed multitudinous, as there are no less than 10 in the cranium, or skull; upper jaw, 13; lower jaw, 1; teeth, 32; tongue, 1; vertebrae, or back-bone, 24; ribs, 24; sternum, or breast-bone, 3; os innominatum, 1; scapula, or shoulder-blades, 2; arms, 6; hands, 54; thigh-bones, 2; knee-bones, 2; legs, 4; feet, li5: in all, not less than 233 bones, without reckoning the ossa sethamoides; because, though often numerous, they are found only in hard labourers, or elderly persons.

Verse 20. "His life abhorreth bread " - These expressions strongly and naturally point out that general nausea, or loathing which sick persons feel in almost every species of disorder.

Verse 21. "His flesh is consumed away " - As in atrophy, marasmus, and consumptive complaints in general.

Verse 22. "His soul draweth near unto the grave " - �pn nephesh, soul, is here taken for the immortal spirit, as it is distinguished from hyj chaiyah, the animal life. The former draws near to the pit, tj� shachath, corruption; perhaps he meant dissipation, considering it merely as the breath. The latter draws near �ytmml lamemithim, to the dead; i.e., to those who are already buried. Mr. Good translates it the Destinies; and supposes the same is meant among the HEBREWS by the Memithim, as among the GREEKS by their moirai; the LATINS, by their Parcae; the GOTHS, by their Fatal Sisters; the SCANDINAVIANS, by their goddess Hela; and the ARABIANS, by Azrael, or the angel of death. I think, however, the signification given above is more natural.

Verse 23. "If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, &c. " - V. ] The MESSENGERS of righteousness; this is a FIFTH method, �y �a �ylm �alm wyl[ im yesh alaiv malach melits, "If there be over him an interpreting or mediatorial angel or messenger." One among a thousand, Pla ynm dja echad minni aleph. "One from the CHIEF, HEAD, or TEACHER." To show unto man his uprightness - wr�y �dal dyghl lehaggid leadam yoshro, "to manifest or cause to be declared to man his righteousness:" to show unto Adam-men in general, the descendants of the first man-his purity and holiness; to convince him of sin, righteousness, and judgment, that he may be prepared for the discovery of what is next to be exhibited.

Verse 24. "Then he is gracious unto him " - He exercises mercy towards fallen man, and gives command for his respite and pardon. Deliver him from going down to the pit ] Let him who is thus instructed, penitent, and afflicted, and comes to me, find a pardon; for: - VI.

"I have found a ransom. " - rpk copher, an atonement. Pay a ransom for him, wh[dp pedaehu, that he may not go down to the pit-to corruption or destruction, for I have found out an atonement. It is this that gives efficacy to all the preceding means; without which they would be useless, and the salvation of man impossible. I must think that the redemption of a lost world, by Jesus Christ, is not obscurely signified in ver. 23, 24. While the whole world lay in the wicked one, and were all hastening to the bottomless pit, God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ, the great sacrifice, and head of the Church, commissions his messengers-apostles and their successors-to show men the righteousness of God, and his displeasure at sin, and at the same time his infinite love, which commands them to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and that they who believe on him shall not perish, shall not go down to the pit of destruction, for he has found out an atonement; and that whoever comes to him, through Christ, shall have everlasting life, in virtue of that atonement or ransom price. Should it be objected against my interpretation of Pla aleph, that it cannot be translated chief or head, because it is without the vau shurek, Pwla alluph, which gives it this signification; I would answer, that this form of the word is not essential to the signification given above, as it occurs in several places without the vau shurek, where it most certainly signifies a chief, a leader, captain, &c., e.g., Zechariah ix. 7; Jer. xiii. 21, and Gen. xxxvi. 30; in the first of which we translate it governor; in the second, captain; and in the third, duke. And although we translate Pwla alluph an ox or beeve, (and it most certainly has this meaning in several places,) yet in this signification it is written without the vau shurek in Prov. xiv. 4; Psa. viii. 7; Isa. xxx. 24; and in Deut. vii. 13; xxviii. 4, 18, 51; which all show that this letter is not absolutely necessary to the above signification.

Verse 25. "His flesh shall be fresher than a child's " - He shall be born a new creature.

"He shall return to the days of his youth " - He shall be born again, and become a child of God, through faith in Christ Jesus.

Verse 26. "He shall pray unto God " - Being now adopted into the heavenly family, and become a new creature, he shall have the spirit of prayer, which is indeed the very breath and language of the new or spiritual life.

"He will be favourable unto him " - He shall manifest his good will to him; he shall live under the influences of Divine grace. He shall see his face with joy - He shall know that God is reconciled to him; and this shall fill him with joy, h[wrtb bithruah, with exultation: for, "being justified by faith, he has peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom he has received the atonement; and REJOICES in the hope of the glory of God." He will render unto man his righteousness. - So good and gracious is the Lord, that by his grace he will enable this convert to live to his glory, to bring forth all the fruits of the Spirit, and then reward him for the work, as if it were done by his own might.

Verse 27. "He looketh upon men " - �y�na anashim, wretched, fallen men.

He shines into them, to convince them of sin; and if any, under this convincing light of God, say, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and perverted the right- abused the powers, faculties, mercies, and advantages, which thou didst give me, by seeking rest and happiness in the creature, and it profited me not-it was all vanity and vexation of spirit; yl hw� alw velo shavah li, "and it was not equal to me," did not come up to my expectation, nor supply my wants: -

Verse 28. "He will deliver his soul " - He will do that to every individual penitent sinner which he has promised in his word to do for a lost world-he will deliver his soul from going down to the pit of hell.

"And his life shall see the light. " - He shall walk in the light, as Christ is in the light; always enjoying a clear sense of his acceptance through the blood of the Lamb. See another mode of paraphrasing these verses at the end of the chapter.

Verse 29. "Lo, all these things worketh God " - God frequently uses one, or another, or all of these means, to bring men, rbg gaber, stout-hearted men, who are far from righteousness, to holiness and heaven.

"Oftentimes " - �l� �ym[p paamayim shalosh, "three times over;" or as �ym[p paamayim is by the points in the dual number, then it signifies twice three times, that is, again and again; very frequently. Blessed be God!

Verse 30. "To bring back his soul from the pit " - Nearly a repetition of the promise in ver. 28.

"To be enlightened with the light of the living. " - An echo of Psalm lvi. 13: "Thou hast delivered my soul from death, that I may walk before God in the light of the living;" and probably quoted from it.

Verse 31. "Mark well, O Job " - Pay the deepest attention to what I have said, and to what I shall say.

Verse 32. "If thou hast any thing to say " - If thou hast any objection to make against what I have already stated, now answer, now speak freely; for it is my desire that thou shouldst stand clear of all charges.