King James Version
Job 10
22 verses with commentary
Job Continues: Why Have You Made Me Your Target?
My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. weary: or, cut off while I live
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job declares 'My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.' The decision to 'leave complaint upon myself' means giving free reign to honest lament. Bitterness here is not sinful but the authentic expression of soul-deep anguish.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **I will leave.**—Or, according to some, *I will give free vent to the complaint that is upon me. *(Comp. Job 9:27 of the last chapter)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The covenant, Those who signed it.(1-31)
Their engagement to sacred rites.(32-39)
**Verses 1-31**
Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our...
Read full commentary →I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job boldly asks God: 'I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.' This direct address demands explanation, treating God as a covenant partner bound by justice. The plea 'shew me' reveals faith that God has reasons even if hidden.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **I will say unto God . . .**—This is a model of prayer for all, combining the prayer of the publican (Luke 18:13), and a prayer for that light for which we long so earnestly in times of affliction and darkness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The covenant, Those who signed it.(1-31)
Their engagement to sacred rites.(32-39)
**Verses 1-31**
Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our...
Read full commentary →Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked? work: Heb. labour
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job questions God's motives: 'Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wicked?' The verb 'oppress' (ashaq, עָשַׁק) means to wrong, exploit, or treat violently. 'Despise' (ma'as, מָאַס) denotes rejection or spurning. Job asks whether God derives satisfaction from mistreating His own creation while favori...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The covenant, Those who signed it.(1-31)
Their engagement to sacred rites.(32-39)
**Verses 1-31**
Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our...
Read full commentary →Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job asks if God sees like humans: 'Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?' The question challenges whether God shares human limitations in perception. 'Eyes of flesh' implies temporal, limited, mistaken vision. If God sees perfectly, why does He treat Job as though he were wicked? Job seems to suggest that God must be mistaken about him—an impossibility, yet the only explanation Job ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. The sons of Levi ... were written in the book of the chronicles--**that is, the public registers in which the genealogies were kept with great regularity and exactness.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The covenant, Those who signed it.(1-31)
Their engagement to sacred rites.(32-39)
**Verses 1-31**
Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our...
Read full commentary →Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days,
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job continues questioning divine temporality: 'Are thy days as the days of man? are thy years as man's days?' If God's lifespan were human, His urgency to afflict Job might make sense—limited time demands hasty action. But God is eternal, not rushed. Why then the apparent hurry to punish? The questions emphasize divine eternality, making God's treatment of Job seem even more inexplicable.<br><br>T...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 10
Chapter Outline
The covenant, Those who signed it.(1-31)
Their engagement to sacred rites.(32-39)
**Verses 1-31**
Conversion is separating from the course and custom of this world, devoting ourselves to the conduct directed by the word of God. When we bind ourselves to do the commandments of God, it is to do all his commandments, and to look to him as the Lord, and our...
Read full commentary →That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin?
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job asks about divine motivation: 'That thou enquirest after mine iniquity, and searchest after my sin?' The verb 'enquirest' (baghash, בָּגַשׁ) means to seek or search out. 'Searchest' (darash, דָּרַשׁ) similarly means to investigate or inquire. Job pictures God as detective searching for evidence to condemn him. The phrase assumes persistent, thorough investigation—not casual glance but determin...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of God, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love God. How far his influence may extend, we cannot say; but probably much unsteadiness and unhappiness in Chr...
Read full commentary →Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand. Thou: Heb. It is upon thy knowledge
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job asserts his innocence: 'Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is none that can deliver out of thine hand.' The verb 'knowest' (yada, יָדַע) emphasizes intimate, personal knowledge—God doesn't merely perceive but fully knows Job's righteousness. The phrase 'I am not wicked' (lo rasha, לֹא רָשָׁע) directly contradicts his friends' accusations. Yet Job adds the despairing recognition: 'the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **That I am not wicked.**—The meaning is rather, *that I shall not be found guilty. *It is not like the appeal of Peter (John 21:17). See the language borrowed by the Psalmist (Psalm 119:73).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-12**
Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of God, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love God. How far his influence may extend, we cannot say; but probably much unsteadiness and unhappiness in Chr...
Read full commentary →Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. have: Heb. took pains about me
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job reminds God 'Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about' - an appeal to divine craftsmanship. The imagery of God as potter/sculptor who wouldn't destroy His own work appears throughout Scripture (Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 64:8). If God invested creative effort, why destroy the creation?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job appeals to his creaturely status: 'Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?' The verb 'remember' (zakar, זָכַר) pleads for God to recall and act based on remembering. 'Made me as the clay' echoes Genesis 2:7—humans formed from dust. Job appeals to God's craftsmanship: would an artist destroy his work? The phrase 'bring me into dust a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Into dust.**—Comp. Psalm 22:15.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job describes divine providence in creation: 'Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?' These vivid metaphors describe conception and fetal development. 'Poured out' (nataak, נָתַךְ) suggests liquid becoming solid. The cheese-making process—milk curdling into solid mass—provides analogy for embryonic formation. Job marvels at God's detailed involvement in his conception and...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Poured me out as milk**.—An allusion to the embryo. (See Psalm 139:13-16.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. fenced: Heb. hedged
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews.</strong> In this verse, Job acknowledges God as his Creator, describing the intricate formation of his physical body. The Hebrew verb "clothed" (<em>labash</em>, לָבַשׁ) typically refers to putting on garments, but here metaphorically describes God covering Job's body with skin and flesh. "Fenced" (<em>soke...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job acknowledges 'Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.' Even in complaint, Job recognizes past grace - life, favor, preservation. This combination of lament and thanksgiving models balanced prayer that doesn't let suffering erase memory of blessing.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job discerns hidden divine purpose: 'And these things hast thou hid in thine heart: I know that this is with thee.' The phrase 'hid in thine heart' (tsaphan be-lebabeka, צָפַן בְּלְבָבְךָ) means concealed in inner counsel. 'I know' (yada, יָדַע) expresses conviction despite lack of full understanding. Job perceives God has purposes beyond his comprehension, hidden intentions that explain but don't...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **These things hast thou hid in thine heart.**—Job implies that his sense of God’s goodness is embittered by the thought that while showing him such kindness, He had in reserve for him the trials and sorrows under which he was then labouring: while showering good upon him, He intended eventually to overwhelm him with affliction. This was the purpose He had hidden in His heart.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 8-13**
Job seems to argue with God, as if he only formed and preserved him for misery. God made us, not we ourselves. How sad that those bodies should be instruments of unrighteousness, which are capable of being temples of the Holy Ghost! But the soul is the life, the soul is the man, and this is the gift of God. If we plead with ourselves as an inducement to duty, God made me and ma...
Read full commentary →If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job describes divine watchfulness: 'If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.' The verb 'markest' (shamar, שָׁמַר) means to watch, guard, or observe closely. 'Acquit' (naqah, נָקָה) means to declare innocent or cleanse. Job protests God's prosecutorial vigilance—watching for sin to condemn rather than extending grace to forgive. Every sin is noticed and punish...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **If I** **sin . . .**—“If I had sinned Thou wouldst have marked me for punishment, and from mine iniquity Thou wouldst not acquit me. If I had been guilty, woe unto me 1 and if righteous, I must not lift up my head like an innocent person. I am full of shame, therefore behold Thou mine affliction, for only by Thy taking note of it can I find relief.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction.</strong> Job expresses profound existential despair in this verse, articulating a theological crisis where both wickedness and righteousness seem to lead to suffering. The Hebrew word translated "wicked" is <em>rasha'ti</em> (רָשַׁעְתִּי), and "rig...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job describes God as hunter: 'For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself marvellous upon me.' The phrase 'it increaseth' (yigeh, יִגְאֶה) refers to Job's affliction growing. God 'huntest' (tsud, צוּד) like predator stalking prey. 'Fierce lion' (shachal, שָׁחַל) denotes powerful, dangerous beast. 'Shewest thyself marvellous' (shaphal, שָׁפַל) means to displa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **For it increaseth.**—This verse is very obscure. Some understand it thus: “But is it so glorious a thing that Thou shouldst hunt me like a fierce lion, and then again show Thyself mysterious and wonderful towards me? hunting me like a lion, and yet hiding alike Thy person and Thy motive from me?” Or the subject is the *head *of the former verse, “And if it exalt itself, Thou huntest me,” &c...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me. witnesses: that is, thy plagues
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job describes escalating divine prosecution: 'Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me; changes and war are against me.' The verb 'renewest' (chaddesh, חָדַשׁ) means to make new or refresh—God produces fresh evidence against Job. 'Witnesses' (edim, עֵדִים) refers to legal testimony. God 'increasest' (rabah, רָבָה) His 'indignation' (kaas, כַּעַס, vexation or...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Thou renewest thy witnesses against me.**—Some understand this of the sores on Job’s person, which his friends regarded as witnesses—proofs of his guilt; but it seems more probable that the figure is forensic: “Thou still bringest fresh witnesses against me, and multipliest thine anger against me, so that relays of them, even a host, are against me; for they come upon me host after host—the...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job wishes he had never been born: 'Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? Oh that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me!' The question 'Wherefore' (lammah, לָּמָה) demands reason for God bringing Job to birth. The phrase 'given up the ghost' (gava, גָּוַע) means to expire or perish—Job wishes he had died at birth. 'No eye had seen me' expresses desire for non-existe...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth?**—Here Job reverts to the strain of his original curse (Job 3:11**, **&c.).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job wishes for stillborn death: 'I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.' The phrase 'as though I had not been' (kelo hayiti, כְּלֹא הָיִיתִי) expresses desire for complete non-existence. Direct passage 'from womb to grave' (mibeten laqeber, מִבֶּטֶן לַקֶּבֶר) describes stillbirth—never breathing, never knowing conscious existence. Job en...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone , that I may take comfort a little,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job contemplates mortality's brevity: 'Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little.' The question 'Are not my days few?' (lo meat yamay, הֲלֹא מְעַט יָמַי) acknowledges life's brevity. Job pleads 'cease' (chadal, חֲדַל, stop or desist) and 'let me alone' (shith mimmenni, שִׁית מִמֶּנִּי, leave from me) so he can 'take comfort' (abligha, אַבְלִיגָה, brighten ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Cease then, and let me alone.**—According to another reading, “Let him cease, and let me alone.” In reading this reply of Job’s, one cannot but feel that it moves upon the very verge of blasphemy, and is only redeemed therefrom by its pervading reverence and deep undertone of faith. Job never gives up his faith in God, though, like Jacob, he wrestles with Him in the dark, and the issue show...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death;
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Job contemplates approaching death: 'Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death.' The phrase 'whence I shall not return' (lo ashuv, לֹא אָשׁוּב) emphasizes death's irreversibility. 'Land of darkness' (erets choshek, אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ) and 'shadow of death' (tsalmaveth, צַלְמָוֶת) describe Sheol, the grave's dark realm. Job envisions imminent departure t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job concludes with darkness imagery: 'A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.' The repetition intensifies: 'darkness... as darkness itself' (choshek kemo opel, חֹשֶׁךְ כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל). 'Without any order' (lo sedarim, לֹא סְדָרִים) suggests chaos, formlessness. Even light there 'is as darkness' (yopia kemo-opel, יֹפִי...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27-43. at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem--**This ceremony of consecrating the wall and gates of the city was an act of piety on the part of Nehemiah, not merely to thank God in a general way for having been enabled to bring the building to a happy completion, but especially because that city was the place which He had chosen. It also contained the temple which was hallowed by the manife...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 14-22**
Job did not deny that as a sinner he deserved his sufferings; but he thought that justice was executed upon him with peculiar rigour. His gloom, unbelief, and hard thoughts of God, were as much to be ascribed to Satan's inward temptations, and his anguish of soul, under the sense of God's displeasure, as to his outward trials, and remaining depravity. Our Creator, become in Ch...
Read full commentary →