Job 30 Job’s honour is turned into contempt, Job 30:1–14; his prosperity into calamity, fears, pains, despicableness, Job 30:15–19; notwithstanding his prayer now, and his former charity, and hope, Job 30:20–26. His great sorrow, Job 30:27–31.

But now my condition is sadly changed for the worse. They that are younger than I; whom both universal custom and the light of nature taught to reverence their elders and betters. Have me in derision; make me the object of their contempt and scoffs: thus my glory is turned into shame.

Nor was it strange that I did, or would. or might refuse to take them into any of my meanest services, because they were utterly impotent, and therefore unserviceable. In whom old age was perished; or, lost; either, 1.

Want and famine, brought upon them either by their own sloth or wickedness, or by God’s just judgment. Heb. In want and famine, which aggravates their following solitude.

Mallows; or, purslain, or salt or bitter herbs, as the word seems to import, which shows their extreme necessity. By the bushes; or, by the shrubs, nigh unto which they grew; or, with the barks of trees, as the Vulgar Latin renders it.

Giving one another warning of their danger from them.

As unworthy of human society, and for their beggary and dishonesty suspected and avoided of all men.

They brayed, like the wild asses, Job 6:5, for hunger or thirst. Under the nettles, which seem not proper for that use. This Hebrew word is used but twice in Scripture, and it is acknowledged both by Jewish and Christian writers, that the signification of the Hebrew words which express plants, or…

Children of fools; either, 1. The genuine children of foolish parents; their children not only by birth, but by imitation; as they only are esteemed the children of Abraham who do the works of Abraham, John 8:39. Or, 2.

The matter of their song and derision. They now rejoice in my calamities, because formerly I used my authority to punish such vagrants and miscreants.

They flee far from me, in contempt of my person, and loathing of my sores. Spare not to spit in my face; not literally, for they kept far from him, as he now said; but figuratively, i.e.

Because he, to wit, God, for it follows, he afflicted me, which was God’s work. Hath loosed my cord; either, 1. He hath slackened the string (as this word sometimes signifies) of my bow, and so rendered my bow and arrows useless, either to offend others, or to defend myself, i.e.

Upon my right hand. This circumstance is noted, either because this was the place of adversaries or accusers in courts of justice, Ps. 109:6, Zech. 3:1; or to show their boldness and contempt of him, that they durst oppose him even on that side where his chief strength lay.

As I am in great misery, so they endeavour to stop all my ways out of it, and to frustrate all my counsels and courses of obtaining relief or comfort. And although Job had no hopes of a temporal deliverance or restitution, yet he could not but observe and resent the malice of those who did their…

As a wide breaking in of waters; as fiercely and violently as a river doth when a great breach is made in the bank which kept it in. Heb. as at a wide breach; as a besieging army, having made a breach in the walls of the city, do suddenly and forcibly rush into it.

Terrors, to wit, from God, who sets himself against me, and in some sort joins his forces with these miscreants. Are turned upon me; are directed against me, to whom they seem not to belong, as being the portion of wicked men. My soul, Heb. my principal or excellent one, i.e.

My soul is poured out; all the strength and powers of my soul are melted, and fainting, and dying away, through my continued and insupportable sorrows and calamities. Upon me; or, within me, as this Hebrew particle is elsewhere used, as Ps. 42:5–6, Isa. 26:9, Hos. 11:8.

My bones are pierced: Heb. It, to wit, the terror or affliction last mentioned; or, He, i.e. God, hath pierced my bones. This is no slight and superficial, but a most deep wound, that reacheth to my very heart, and bones, and marrow.

My disease is so strong and prevalent, that it breaks forth every where in my body, in such plenty of purulent and filthy matter, that it infects and discolours my very garments. Others, By the great power of God my garment is changed.

He hath made me contemptible and filthy, and loathsome for my sores, my whole body being a kind of quagmire, in regard of the filth breaking forth in all its parts; and I am become like dust and ashes, like one dead and turned to dust; more like a rotten carcass than a living man.

Thou dost not hear me, to wit, so as to answer or help me. I stand up, or, I stand, to wit, before thee, i.e. I pray, as this phrase signifies, Jer. 15:1, Jer. 18:20, this being a gesture of prayer, Matt. 6:5. And so the same thing is here repeated in other words, after the manner.

Become cruel, Heb. turned to be cruel; as if thou hadst changed thy very nature, which is kind, and merciful, and gracious; and such thou hast been formerly in thy carriage to me; but now thou art grown severe, and rigorous, and inexorable.

Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou dost not suffer me to rest or lie still for a moment, but disquietest me, and exposest me to all sorts of storms and calamities; so that I am like chaff or stubble lifted up to the wind, and violently tossed hither and thither in the air, without the least stop…

I see nothing will satisfy thee but my death, which thou art bringing upon me in a lingering and dismal manner. To the house appointed for all living; to the grave, to which all living men are coming and hastening.

There is great variety and difficulty in the sense and connexion of these words. They may be joined either, 1. With the following verse, as describing Job’s compassion to others in affliction, which by the principles of reason and religion should have procured him some pity from God and men in his…

Whence is it that neither God nor man show any compassion to me, but both conspire to afflict me, and increase my torments? Doth God now mete out to me the same measure which I meted out to others? Have I now judgment without mercy, because I afforded no mercy nor pity to others in misery? No, my…

Instead of the return of the like pity to me, which I might justly challenge and expect whensoever I should stand in need of it, I meet with a sad disappointment, and my pity is recompensed with others’ cruelty to me.

My inward parts boiled without ceasing. The bowels are the seat of passion and of compassion; and therefore this may be understood, either, 1. Of his compassionate and deep sense of others’ miseries; which is oft expressed by bowels, as Isa. 16:11, Col.

I went, or, I walked hither and thither as I could. Or, I converse or appear among others. Mourning without the sun; spending my days in mourning, without any sun-light or comfort; or so oppressed with sadness, that I did not care nor desire to see the light of the sun. Heb. black not by the sun.

A brother, to wit, by imitation of their cries: persons of like qualities are oft called brethren, as Gen. 49:5, Prov. 18:9. To dragons; which howl and wail mournfully in the deserts, Mic. 1:8, either through hunger or thirst, or when he fights with and is beaten by the elephant.

My skin is black upon me; either by his dark-coloured scabs, wherewith his body was in a manner wholly overspread; or by grief, as before. My bones are burned with heat; the effect of his fever and sorrow, which dried up all his moisture, and caused great inflammations and burning heats within him.

Either, 1. I have now nothing but bitter lamentations instead of my former expressions of joy. Or, 2. Those very things which formerly were occasions and instruments of my delight, do now renew and aggravate my sorrows.