(30) To bring back his soul.-Here, again, is the very key-note of Elihu's doctrine. God's dealings are for the purpose of education and discipline, and this is what he wishes to impress upon Job.

(32) I desire to justify thee.-He wishes to justify Job before his friends, that is, to maintain that his afflictions are not on account of past sin, but as a preservative against possible future defection. This being so, he considers that Job's case may justly be defended, and Job himself vindicated against his friends.

XXXIV.

(1)Furthermore Elihu.-Elihu here hardly makes good the profession with which he starts, for he begins immediately to accuse Job in no measured language. Elihu makes, indeed, a great profession of wisdom, and expressly addresses himself to the wise (verse 2), and insists upon the necessity of discrimination (verses 3, 4). It is to be observed that Job himself had given utterance to much the same sentiment in chap. xii. 11.

(5) For Job hath said.-See chaps. xiii. 18, 19, and xxvii. 2, especially.

(6) Should I lie against my right ?-Comp. chap. xxvii. 2—6.

My wound is incurable.-Literally, my arrow, i.e., the arrow which hath wounded me. (See chaps. xvi. 11, xvii. 1, &c.)

Without transgression.--That is to say, on my part. (See chap. xvi. 17.) Some understand the former clause, "Notwithstanding my right, I am accounted a liar," but the Authorised Version is more probably right.

(7) Who drinketh up scorning ?-The same word had been applied to Job by Zophar (chap. xi. 3), "And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?" and the same reproach by Eliphaz (chap. xv. 16).

(8) And walketh with wicked men.-This was the charge that was brought against Job by Eliphaz (chaps. xv. 4, 5, xxii. 15).

(9) It profiteth a man nothing.-Comp. what Job had said (chaps. ix. 20-22, 30, 31, x. 6, 7, 14, 15). Eliphaz had virtually said the same thing, though the form in which he cast it was the converse of this (see chap. xxii. 3), for he had represented it as a matter of indifference to God whether man was righteous or not, which was, of course, to sap the foundations of all morality; for if God cares not whether man is righteous or not, it certainly cannot profit man to be righteous. On the other hand, Eliphaz had in form uttered the opposite doctrine (chap. xxii. 21).

(10) Ye men of understanding.-Elihu now appeals to the men of understanding, by whom he can hardly mean the three friends of whom he has already spoken disparagingly, but seems rather to appeal to an audience, real or imagined, who are to decide on the merits of what he says. This is an incidental indication that we are scarcely intended to understand the longcontinued argument as the record of an actual discussion. Elihu begins to take broader ground than the friends of Job, inasmuch as he concerns himself, not with the problems of God's government, but with the impossibility of His acting unjustly (Gen. xviii. 25), and the reason he gives is somewhat strange-it is the fact that God is irresponsible, He has not been put in charge over the earth; but His authority is ultimate and original, and being so, He can have no personal interests to secure at all risks; He can only have in view the ultimate good of all His creatures, for, on the other hand, if He really desired to slay them, their breath is in His hands, and He would only have to recall it. The earth and all that is in it belongs to God: it is His own, and not another's entrusted to Him; His self-interest, therefore, cannot come into collision with the welfare of His creatures, because their welfare

God who is Almighty

Cannot be Unjust.

Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor?

For they all are the work of his hands.

(14) "If he set his heart upon man,

If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;

(15) ¿All flesh shall perish together,

And man shall furn again unto dust. (16) If now thou hast understanding, hear this:

Hearken to the voice of my words.

And the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away:

And the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

(21) For his eyes are upon the ways of

man,

5 Heb., go.

is the welfare of that which is His-of that, therefore, in which He Himself has the largest interest. The argument is a somewhat strange one to us, but it is sound at bottom, for it recognises God as the prime origin and final hope of all His creatures, and assumes that His will can only be good, and that it must be the best because it is His. (Comp. St. John x. 12, 13.)

(13) Who hath disposed the whole world ?— Or, Who hath set the whole world upon Him? i.e., entrusted it to His care; in the other sense it means, "Who but He hath made the whole world, and who, therefore, can have the interest in it which He must have ?"

-or

(14) If he set his heart upon man.-Or, upon himself. It is ambiguous: and so, likewise, the next clause is. We must either regard it as the consequence of the former one-" If He set His heart upon Himself, had regard to His own interest, then He would gather unto Himself His own spirit and His own breath' we must do as some do: supply the "if" at the beginning of it, and read it as in the Authorised Version. In this sense, the setting His heart upon man would mean in a bad sense-1 to do him injury. In doing him injury He would, in fact, injure His own. The effect of His setting His heart on man would be that all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again to his dust; but then God would have injured His own, and not another's, in so doing. It is hardly possible that the writer of this last clause should have been ignorant of Gen. iii. 19. The speech of Elihu is marked with entire self-confidence.

(17) Shall even he. -The argument is that one who holds such a position of absolute rule cannot be other than most just. He who is fit to rule must be just, and He who is the ultimate ruler must be fit to rule, and must, therefore, be just; but if He is absolutely just, how shall we condemn His government or Him on account of it, even though we cannot explain it all or reconcile it with our view of what is right?

death,

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

(23) For he will not lay upon man more than right;

That he should enter into judgment with God.

(24) He shall break in pieces mighty men 6without number,

And set others in their stead.

Him that is most just, is rather him that is just and mighty, i.e., not only just, but able also to execute justice because mighty.

(18) Is it fit to say to a king ?-The argument is from the less to the greater. "Who could challenge a king or princes? and if not a king, how much less the King of kings?" There is a strong ellipse in the Hebrew, but yet one that is naturally supplied. (Comp. Ps. cxxxvii. 5.)

(20) In a moment shall they die-i.e.," they all alike die, rich and poor together; the hour of death is not hastened for the poor nor delayed for the rich. They all alike die."

Even at midnight the people are troubled. -It is hard to think that the writer did not know of Exodus xii. 29. It is better to read these statements as habitual presents and not as futures: "In a moment they die, even at midnight-the people are shaken and pass away," &c.

(21) His eyes are upon the ways of man.— He is not only just and mighty, but He is also all-wise; He cannot therefore err.

(22) There is no darkness.-As Job had perhaps seemed to imply in chap. xxiv. 13—16.

(23) For he will not lay upon man more than right-i.e., so much that he should enter into judgment with God. This is probably the meaning, as the Authorised Version; but some render, “He needeth not yet again to consider a man that he should go before God in judgment." He hath no need to consider any man's case twice or to rectify His first decision. He is infallible, and cannot do otherwise than right, whatever He does.

(24) Without number.-Rather, in an unsearchable manner, as before, verse 20, "without hand,” i.e., without human means.

(25) Therefore. We should expect because rather; but the writer, believing in God's justice, infers that since God acts thus He knoweth the works of man, and has grounds for acting as He acts.

in chap. xxv.). It is indeed true that God is too high to be affected by man's righteousness or unrighteousness, but it does not follow therefore that He is indifferent, for then He would not be a righteous judge. (See Note on chap. xxxiv. 9.)

"Men

(9) By reason of the multitude of oppressions. -The argument seems to be that among men there may be oppression, but not with an almighty and just Judge. The right course, therefore, is to wait. may, indeed, complain because of the oppression of an earthly tyrant; but how canst thou say thou beholdest Him not ?" (See chap. ix. 9.)

(10) But none saith.-Some render this, "But he who giveth songs in the night saith not, Where is God my Maker," i.e., the selfish and luxurious oppressor, who spendeth the night in feasting and revelry. This is an intelligible meaning. On the other hand, though the phrase," who giveth songs in the night," has become proverbial, and, with the meaning assigned to it, is very beautiful, it may be doubted whether it is so obvious or natural in this place. This is a matter for individual taste and judgment to decide. If it is understood of God, it ascribes to Him the turning of sorrow into gladness, and the night of affliction into joy-an office which is, indeed, frequently assigned to God, but of which the appropriateness is not so manifest here. The decision of this question will perhaps partly depend upon the view we take of the words which follow-" Where is God my Maker?"-whether they are part of the cry of the oppressed or whether they are the words of Elihu. If the latter, then they become more intelligible; if otherwise, it is difficult to see their special appropriateness in this particular place. Perhaps it is better to regard them as the words of Elihu.

(11) Who teacheth us.-Or it may be, Who teacheth us by, and maketh us wise by, &c. Then the sense will be that the oppression is so severe that the victims of it forget that God can give songs in the night, and that He has favoured men more than the beasts of the field, and

to be Made with God.

And maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

(12) There they cry, but none giveth

answer,

Because of the pride of evil men. (13) Surely God will not hear vanity, Neither will the Almighty regard it. (14) Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him,

Yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.

(15) But now, because it is not so, 1he hath visited in his anger;

Yet he knoweth it not in great extremity :

(16) Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain ;

He multiplieth words without knowledge.

CHAPTER XXXVI.—(1) Elihu also proceeded, and said,

(2) Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee

that, as not one sparrow can fall to the ground without Him, so He has even numbered the hairs of those who are of more value to Him than many sparrows.

(13) God will not hear vanity.-Some understand this as part of the cry in verse 12: "Seeing it is all in vain, God doth not hear, neither doth the Almighty regard it."

(14) Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him.-Rather, Dost not behold Him.

(15) But now, because it is not so, is very obscure. The Authorised Version refers the first clause to God and the second to Job. Perhaps we may render, But now, what His anger has visited upon thee is as nothing (compared with thy deserts); yea, He hath not regarded the great abundance (of thy sin), i.e., hath not visited it with anger. Therefore doth Job, &c. Others render it, "But now, because it is not so (i.e., there is no judgment), He hath visited in His anger, saith Job, and He regardeth it not, saith He, in His exceeding arrogance; or, "But now, because He hath not visited in His anger, neither doth He much regard arrogance, therefore Job," &c. The word thus rendered arrogance is not found elsewhere; it appears to mean abundance or superfluity. Of these renderings, the first seems to give the better sense. The general bearing of the verse is perhaps apparent however rendered, namely, that Job is encouraged in his murmurings, because God hath dealt too leniently with him. Elihu's reproaches must have been some of the heaviest that Job had to bear. Happily the judgment was not to be long deferred. (See chap. xxxviii. 1.)

XXXVI.

(1) Elihu also proceeded.-It is not easy to acquit Elihu of some of the arrogance" he was so ready to ascribe to Job. He professes very great zeal for God, but it is hard to see that some of his great professions are warranted. For instance, he says

(3) I will fetch my knowledge from afar.But is not this what Bildad had said before him? (chap. viii. 8, &c.); and yet the teaching of verse 6 is not very different from his.

(4) He that is perfect in knowledge.-We may presume that he meant God; but in the Authorised Version it looks very much as though he meant himself. (Comp. chap. xxxvii. 16.) So apparently Vulg., "perfecta scientia probabitur tibi."

(7) From the righteous-i.e., the righteous man. (Comp. Ps. cxiii. 5-8.)

(9) Then he sheweth them their work.-The true nature of their conduct and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly. This is Elihu's special doctrine, that God's chastisements are by way of discipline, to reform the future rather than to chastise the past.

(11) They shall spend their days in prosperity. It is, perhaps, not more easy to reconcile this teaching of Elihu's with the realities of actual fact than it is the notions of Job's friends as to direct retribution in life.

(13) The hypocrites in heart.-The words rather mean the godless or profane in heart.

They cry not.-That is, cry not for help. When he bindeth them.-That is, as in verse 8, he has been speaking especially of one kind of affliction, like that, namely, of Joseph.

(15) He delivereth the poor in his affliction. -The point of Elihu's discourse is rather that He delivereth the afflicted by his affliction; He makes use of

is Just in all His Ways.

And their years in pleasures. (12) But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword,

And they shall die without knowledge. (19) But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath :

They cry not when he bindeth them. (14) 5They die in youth,-and their life is among the unclean.

(15) He delivereth the poor in his affliction,

And openeth their ears in oppression. (16) Even so would he have removed thee out of the strait

Into a broad place, where there is no straitness;

And that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness.

(17) But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked:

Judgment and justice take hold on thee.

(18) Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: Then a great ransom cannot 10 deliver thee.

(19) Will he esteem thy riches ?

No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength.

(20) Desire not the night,-when people are cut off in their place.

the very affliction to deliver him by it as a means," and openeth their ears by oppression.'

(16) Even so would he have removed thee. It is possible to understand this verse somewhat otherwise, and the sense may perhaps be improved. Elihu may be speaking, not of what God would have done, but of what He has actually done: "Yea, also He hath removed thee from the mouth of an adversary, even ease and abundance in the place of which there was no straitness, and that which came down upon thy table full of fatness; but thou art full of the judgment of the wicked, therefore justice and judgment take hold on thee." 66 God, in His mercy, saw that thou wast in danger, and He removed the cause of temptation, and thy chastisement would have been of short duration hadst thou been submissive and resigned; but thou hast been bold and daring, like the wicked, and hast reaped the judgment of the wicked."

(18) Because there is wrath.-"For there is wrath: now, therefore, beware lest He take thee away with one stroke, so that great ransom cannot deliver thee." Literally it is, let not a great ransom deliver thee, but the sense is probably like the Authorised Version.

(19) No, not gold, nor all the forces of strength. The words here are doubtful. Some render, "Will He esteem thy riches, that thou be not in distress ?" or, "all the forces of thy strength;" others, "Will thy cry avail, that thou be not in distress?" &c.; but there is authority for the Authorised Version.

(20) Desire not the night-i.e., of death, as Job had done (chaps. xvi. 22, xvii. 13, &c., xix. 27), or as, at