Bible Commentaries

GOD. Heb El. App-4.

THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4.

my soul = me. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.

breath. Hebrew. n-shamah, App-16.

spirit = breath. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.

GOD Heb- Eloah App-4.

wickedness. Hebrew. "aval. App-44.

God forbid = Far be it from me. Figure of speech Deists. App-6.

die = expire.

what . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.

taketh away his soul. By a different division of the letters it means "when he lifteth up his soul to God", or "when God demandeth his soul".

his soul = himself; or, his life. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.

Will . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis.

always = continually.

I will teach you. This is Zophar"s third and last address. (1) It is required by the Structure on p. 669 to complete the symmetry of the book. (2) The sentiments of Job 27:11 -- Job 28:28 demand it, for they are the very opposite of Job's and the same as Zophar's in Job 27:13; Job 20:29. (3) If these are Job's words, then his friends had convinced him, which Elihu declares they had not done (Job 32:12). (4) The Hebrew of Job 29:1 does not mean "continued", but "added to take up his discourse", which may mean conclusion as well as continuance. (5) It marks off and separates Job 29:1 -- Job 31:40 from Job's ordinary replies. Instead of replying to Zophar, Job utters his "selfjustification" (in Job 29:1 -- Job 31:40), which corresponds with his lamentation in Job 3:1-26, and forms the conclusion as that had been the introduction, and prepares us for "the words of Job are ended" in Job 31:40. (6) Kennicott, Bernard, and Wolfsson assign a third address to Zophar.

This is the portion, &c. Zophar thus takes up the words with which he had concluded his second address (Job 20:29).

children = sons.

buried in death = buried through pestilence.

his widows. The widow of each one of them.

booth. Generally made of branches of trees. Compare Isaiah 1:8.

keeper = watcher: i.e. vineyard watcher.

he = it: i.e. his wealth which is out at interest.

gathered = gathered in, or collected.

he = it: i.e. his wealth is gone. Not he, the rich man, for if he opens his eyes, he "is", not "is not".

God is wrongly supplied. It means "he who was wont in times past to flee from the rich man will now come down on him". would fain flee. Hebrew a seeing would flee. Figure of speech Polyptoton = would hastily flee.