King James Version
Job 2
13 verses with commentary
Satan's Second Attack
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
The second divine council scene parallels chapter 1, demonstrating that God's purposes unfold in stages. The repetition 'sons of God came to present themselves' shows the regularity of divine governance over the spirit realm. Satan's continued presence despite his failure with Job reveals that God permits evil agents to continue operating even after their accusations prove false—not because God is...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
**II.**
(1) **And Satan came also.**—See Job 1:7. St. Peter applies to Satan the verb from which we have *peripatetic.*
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's question 'Hast thou considered my servant Job?' is identical to 1:8, emphasizing that Job remains the exemplar of righteous faith despite his losses. God's initiative in directing Satan's attention to Job demonstrates His sovereign confidence in His own preserving grace. The phrase 'he holdeth fast his integrity' uses the Hebrew 'chazaq' (to seize, hold firmly), indicating Job's active, voli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. to destroy: Heb. to swallow him up
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KJV Study Commentary
God's second testimony adds 'he holdeth fast his integrity' (machaziq be-tummato, מַחֲזִיק בְּתֻמָּתוֹ). The verb chazaq means to be strong, to hold firmly—Job clings to integrity despite loss. God then accuses Satan: 'although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause' (chinnam, חִנָּם). This divine statement is crucial: God acknowledges Job's suffering has no basis in personal si...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
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KJV Study Commentary
Satan's proverb 'skin for skin' likely reflects an ancient trading principle—a person will sacrifice external possessions to preserve their own life. The phrase 'all that a man hath will he give for his life' reveals Satan's materialistic anthropology: he cannot comprehend worship that transcends self-preservation. This challenges the health-and-wealth gospel and exposes the prosperity heresy—Sata...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Skin for skin.**—This is a more extreme form of the insinuation of Job 1:9. He means Job takes care to have his *quid pro quo; *and if the worst come to the worst, a man will give up everything to save his life. If, therefore, Job can save his life at the price of subservience to God, he will willingly pay that price rather than die; but his service is worth no more than that selfish object ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
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KJV Study Commentary
Satan requests permission to touch Job's 'bone and flesh'—his physical person—predicting this will cause Job to curse God directly ('to thy face'). The Hebrew 'nega'' (touch) is the same word used for plague or affliction, suggesting painful physical disease. Satan assumes that bodily suffering penetrates deeper than economic loss, revealing his belief that humans are fundamentally materialistic. ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. but: or, only
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KJV Study Commentary
God grants Satan permission to afflict Job's body but draws a clear boundary: 'save his life.' This demonstrates God's absolute sovereignty even over Satan's attacks—the adversary can only go as far as divinely permitted. The preservation of Job's life ensures the trial doesn't end prematurely and that Job's vindication will be complete. This parallels Jesus's words to Peter: Satan demanded to sif...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **But save his life.**—God’s faithfulness cannot fail even if, as Satan hints, Job’s should do so (2Timothy 2:13). There was one who cared for Job’s life more than he cared for it himself.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Ne 7:39-73. Of the Priests.
**39. The priests--**It appears that only four of the courses of the priests returned from the captivity; and that the course of Abia (Lu 1:5) is not in the list. But it must be noticed that these four courses were afterwards divided into twenty-four, which retained the names of the original courses which David appointed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Esther chosen queen.(1-20)
Mordecai discovers a plot against the king.(21-23)
**Verses 1-20**
We see to what absurd practices those came, who were destitute of Divine revelation, and what need there was of the gospel of Christ, to purify men from the lusts of the flesh, and to bring them back to the original institution of marriage. Esther was preferred ...
Read full commentary →So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.
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KJV Study Commentary
Satan's immediate action ('went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job') shows his eagerness to execute his accusation. The 'sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown' indicates comprehensive, excruciating bodily affliction covering Job's entire body. The Hebrew 'shechin ra'' (evil boils/inflammation) suggests a painful, disfiguring condition. This physical suffering isolates ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Sore boils.**—Supposed to be Elephantiasis, an extreme form of leprosy, in which the skin becomes clotted and hard like an elephant’s, with painful cracks and sores underneath.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10**
The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt ...
Read full commentary →And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job scraping himself with a potsherd (broken pottery) while sitting among ashes depicts complete abasement. The ash heap was both the city dump and a place of mourning/repentance. The imagery suggests Job is treating himself as refuse, yet this self-abasement paradoxically positions him for God's eventual vindication (compare James 4:10). His action demonstrates that faith perseveres even when suf...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10**
The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt ...
Read full commentary →Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job's wife urges him to 'curse God and die.' The verb barek normally means 'to bless' but here is a euphemism for cursing—ancient scribes avoided writing 'curse God.' Her counsel is Satan's desired outcome. Job's response calls her words foolish (nevalah, נְבָלָה), denoting moral senselessness. His rhetorical question 'Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' estab...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Then said his wife.**—Thus it is that a man’s foes are they of his own household (Micah 7:6; Matthew 10:36, &c.). The worst trial of all is when those nearest to us, instead of strengthening our hand in God and confirming our faith, conspire to destroy it.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10**
The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt ...
Read full commentary →But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job's rebuke of his wife is theologically profound: 'shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' The Hebrew 'ra'' (evil/calamity) acknowledges that both blessing and affliction come from God's sovereign hand. This is not dualism—God doesn't commit moral evil—but it affirms that God ordains all circumstances, including suffering (Isaiah 45:7). The narrator's verdict 'i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Shall we receive good . . .?**—The words were fuller than even Job thought; for merely to receive evil as from *God’s *hands is to transmute its character altogether, for then even calamities become blessings in disguise. What Job meant was that we are *bound *to expect evil as well as good from God’s hands by a sort of compensation and even-handed justice, but what his words *may *mean is ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-10**
The devil tempts his own children, and draws them to sin, and afterwards torments, when he has brought them to ruin; but this child of God he tormented with affliction, and then tempted to make a bad use of his affliction. He provoked Job to curse God. The disease was very grievous. If at any time we are tried with sore and grievous distempers, let us not think ourselves dealt ...
Read full commentary →Job's Three Friends Arrive
Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Job's three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—hear of his calamities and come 'to mourn with him and to comfort him.' Their names and origins suggest they represent the wisdom traditions of the wider Ancient Near East. Their initial motivation appears righteous: covenant friendship demands presence in suffering. This sets up the tragedy that follows—good intentions without divine wisdom produce ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Eliphaz the Temanite.**—Teman was the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau, to whose family this Eliphaz is probably to be referred (Genesis 36:4; Genesis 36:10-11). If so, this may roughly indicate the date of the book. The inhabitants of Teman, which lay north-east of Edom, were famed for their wisdom (Jeremiah 47:7).
**Bildad the Shuhite **probably derived his origin from Shuah, the son of Ab...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-13**
The friends of Job seem noted for their rank, as well as for wisdom and piety. Much of the comfort of this life lies in friendship with the prudent and virtuous. Coming to mourn with him, they vented grief which they really felt. Coming to comfort him, they sat down with him. It would appear that they suspected his unexampled troubles were judgments for some crimes, which he h...
Read full commentary →And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
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KJV Study Commentary
The friends' inability to recognize Job demonstrates the severity of his disfigurement. Their actions—lifting their voices weeping, tearing their robes, sprinkling dust on their heads—represent genuine covenant mourning. The seven days and nights of silence reveal proper pastoral care: presence precedes pronouncement. Unfortunately, this wise silence will soon give way to false accusations, showin...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And knew him not.**—Compare the converse statement descriptive of the love of mm who could recognise his lost son under a disguise as great as that of Job, or even greater (Luke 15:20).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-13**
The friends of Job seem noted for their rank, as well as for wisdom and piety. Much of the comfort of this life lies in friendship with the prudent and virtuous. Coming to mourn with him, they vented grief which they really felt. Coming to comfort him, they sat down with him. It would appear that they suspected his unexampled troubles were judgments for some crimes, which he h...
Read full commentary →So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.</strong> This verse captures one of the most powerful acts of compassion in Scripture—the ministry of presence. Job's three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—demonstrate profound empathy by sitting in silent solidarity with their suffering fri...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days.**—Compare the conduct of David (2Samuel 12:16), and see also Genesis 1:10; 1Samuel 31:13; Ezekiel 3:15. There is a colossal grandeur about this description which is in keeping with the majesty and hoary antiquity of the poem.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-13**
The friends of Job seem noted for their rank, as well as for wisdom and piety. Much of the comfort of this life lies in friendship with the prudent and virtuous. Coming to mourn with him, they vented grief which they really felt. Coming to comfort him, they sat down with him. It would appear that they suspected his unexampled troubles were judgments for some crimes, which he h...
Read full commentary →