Job 36 God is first in all his ways; towards the wicked, Job 36:1–6, the godly, Job 36:7–11, the hypocrite, Job 36:12–14, the poor, Job 36:15. Job’s sins hindered God’s salvation to him: he admonisheth him, Job 36:16–21.

Suffer me a little; give me thy patient attention but a little longer; and I will show thee that I have not said all that can be said to justify God’s proceedings against thee.

From afar, i.e. from remote times, and places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to thy particular case, but will justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence, both in the heaven and earth, and the manner of his dealing with men in other parts and ages…

I will not speak any thing against my own conscience, nor against truth, either to flatter God, or to vex thee, as thou supposest thy other friends have done, Job 13:7, and elsewhere. He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. This is meant either, 1. Of God.

His greatness doth not make him (as it doth men) to scorn, or despise, or oppress the meanest. Though he may do what he pleaseth, and none can hinder him, yet he will not use it to do any man wrong, as Job seemed to insinuate, Job 10:3, Job 19:7, Job 23:13.

He preserveth not the life of the wicked, to wit, for ever; but will in his due time forsake them, and give them up to the destroyer. Or, he doth not or will not preserve, is put for he will certainly and dreadfully destroy, by the figure called meiosis, used Prov. 17:21, and oft elsewhere.

He never ceaseth to care for and watch over the righteous, no, not when they are afflicted or persecuted, when he may seem to neglect them. Though they may be oppressed for a time, yet ofttimes he not only delivers them, but also raiseth them to the highest honour and happiness in this life;…

If through the vicissitude of worldly affairs, and the righteous judgment of God upon them for their sins, they be brought from their throne into a prison, as sometimes hath been done.

Their work, i.e. their evil works, as the next clause explains and limits it. By these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins and to repentance, which is the way and means of their recovery.

i.e. He enableth and inclineth them to hearken to what God speaks by the rod, who would not hear in the time of their prosperity; like them Jer. 22:21. To discipline; or, to instruction, i.e. to receive instruction; or, to chastening, i.e.

If they obey God’s admonition and command. They shall spend their days in prosperity; they shall be restored to their farmer prosperity, and shall live and die in it.

If they; the righteous, spoken of Job 35:7, opposed to the hypocrites here following, Job 35:13; for even good men may sometimes be disobedient to Divine admonitions, and may suffer deeply, yea, even death itself, for their folly: see 1 Cor. 11:30.

The hypocrites in heart; such as are truly void of that piety which they profess; whereby he either secretly insinuates that Job was such a one; or gives him this occasion to search himself whether he were not so; or rather, admonisheth him not to carry himself like such a one, as he had hitherto…

They die in youth; they provoke God to cut them off before their time. Heb. Their soul (i.e. they themselves) shall die in youth. Their life is; or, their life shall die or be extinct; which verb is understood out of the former clause, after the manner of the Hebrews.

i.e. Causeth them to hear, and understand, and do the will of God; hearing being oft put for obeying. And this latter clause seems to be added, to intimate that he will not deliver all afflicted persons, but only those whose ears he openeth to receive his counsels. In oppression, i.e.

Even so, if thou hadst opened thine ear to God’s counsels, and humbled thyself under his correcting hand, and sued to God for mercy, would he have removed thee; as this verb is used, 2 Chron. 18:31.

The judgment; or, the cause, or sentence, as the word most properly signifieth. Thou hast fully pleaded their cause, and justified the hard and reproachful speeches which wicked men in their rage utter against God, condemning God and justifying themselves.

Because there is wrath, to wit, conceived by God against thee. Because by thy pleading the cause of the wicked, thou hast deserved that God should give sentence against thee, as was now said, and hast provoked God’s wrath against thee; therefore look to thyself, and reconcile thyself to God by true…

If thou couldst recover thy lost wealth or strength, or thy friends would employ theirs on thy behalf, neither could the one ransom thee, nor the other rescue thee.

Desire not the night; either, 1. Properly, that in it thou mayst find some ease or rest, as men usually do. But this Job did not much desire, for he complains that his nights were as restless as his days. Or rather, 2.

Regard not iniquity, or, look not to it, to wit, with an approving or coveting eye, as this word is used, Prov. 23:31. Thou hast chosen rather to quarrel with God, and censure his judgments, than humbly and quietly to submit to them, and to wait upon God by faith and prayer for deliverance in his…

God exalteth; or, is high, or exalted; the active verb being taken intransitively; which is not unusual in the Hebrew tongue. This is a proper argument to force the foregoing counsels.

His way, wherein he would walk, i.e. what courses and methods he should use in the administration of human affairs. If he had a superior Lord who gave him laws for his actions, he might be accountable to him, and questionable for what he did; but he is supreme, absolute, and uncontrollable, who…

Remember; call to mind this thy duty, and take this matter into thy more serious thoughts, and it will prevent thy horrible mistakes and miscarriages. That; so this Hebrew particle is used here, Job 36:10, Job 3:12.

May see it, to wit, his work, last mentioned. The power, and wisdom, and greatness of God is so manifest in all his works, that all who are not blind or stupid must needs see and acknowledge it.

God is great; infinite in majesty, and power, and wisdom, and all perfections, and therefore just in all his ways. We know him not, to wit, perfectly. Though we see something of him in his works, as was now said, yet we see and know but little of him in comparison of that which is in him.

Having affirmed that God’s works are incomprehensibly great and glorious, he now enters upon the proof of it; and he proveth it from the most common and visible works of nature and providence, which if thoroughly considered, are full of wonder, and past the reach of the greatest philosophers, who…

In such plenty as the necessities of the earth require; which also is a wonderful work of God.

Of the clouds; or rather, of a cloud, as it is in the Hebrew; whence it comes to pass that a small cloud, no bigger than a man’s hand, doth suddenly spread over the whole heavens: how the clouds come to be suddenly gathered together, and so condensed as to bring forth thunder and lightning, which…

His light, i.e. the lightning; of which the whole context speaks, which is fitly called God’s light, as it is called God’s lightning, Ps. 144:6, because God only can light it. Upon it, i.e. upon the cloud, which is in a manner the candlestick in which God sets up this light.

By thunder and lightning he manifests his displeasure and executes his judgments against ungodly people or countries. He giveth meat in abundance; or, and (which conjunction is oft understood) he giveth meat, &c., i.e.

With clouds; with thick and black clouds spread over the whole heavens, as it is in times of great thunders and lightnings. Heb. With hands; either the clouds are so called for their resemblance to hands, 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:1, as being hollow and spread abroad; or the meaning is, that God…

The noise thereof, to wit. of or within the black or thick cloud, spoken of Job 36:32. Or, his, i.e. God’s, noise, to wit, the thunder, which is called God’s voice, Ps. 29:4–5.