Job 42 Job’ s humiliation and repentance, Job 42:1–6. God preferring Job’s cause, reproveth his friends, for whom Job must intercede, and God will accept him, Job 42:7–9. God magnifieth and blesseth Job, Job 42:10–15. His age and death, Job 42:16–17.

Thou canst do; not only by power, (for that he always thought,) but also by right; about which he had in some sort doubted and disputed. It is a maxim in law, that a man can only do that which he hath a right to do. Every thing; whatsoever it pleaseth thee to do with thy creatures.

Who is he? i.e. what am I, that I should dare to do so? Ah silly audacious wretch that I am, that I should be guilty of such madness! That hideth counsel without knowledge; which words are repeated out of Job 38:2, where they are explained.

Hear and accept my humble and penitent confession and recantation. I will demand of thee; or, and inquire, to wit, counsel or instruction, as a scholar doth of his master, as the following words note. I will no more saucily dispute the matter with thee, but beg information from thee.

The knowledge which I had of thy Divine nature, and perfections, and counsels, was hitherto dark, and doubtful, and conjectural, being grounded chiefly, if not only, upon the instructions and reports of other men; but now it is clear and certain, as being immediately inspired into my mind by this…

I abhor, i.e. dislike, and detest, and loathe myself, or my former words and carriage. One of these or some like supplement is necessary to complete the sense, and is clearly gathered from the following words.

To Eliphaz the Temanite; as the eldest of the three, and because he spoke first, and by his evil example led the rest into the same mistakes and miscarriages.

Go to my servant Job; whom though you have censured and condemned as a hypocrite, I own for my faithful servant, human infirmity excepted. Offer up by the hand of Job, whom I do hereby constitute your priest, to pray and sacrifice for you.

Did according as the Lord commanded them; showing their repentance by their submission to God, and to Job for God’s sake, and by taking shame to themselves. The Lord also accepted Job, both for his friends and for himself, as the next verse explains it.

Turned the captivity of Job, i.e. brought him out of that state of bondage in which he had been so long held by Satan and by his own Spirit, and out of all his distresses and miseries. Or, returned Job’s captivity, i.e.

Then, when Job had humbled himself, and God was reconciled to Job, he quickly turned the hearts of his friends to favour him, according to Prov. 16:7; as during his impenitency, and for his trial and humiliation, lie had alienated their hearts from him, of which Job so sadly complains.

The Lord blessed Job, not only with spiritual, but also with temporal and earthly blessings.

Giving them such excellent names as signify their excellent beauty, of which see my Latin Synopsis.

Gave his daughters a share, and possibly an equal share, with his sons in his inheritance; which in so plentiful an estate he might easily do, especially to such amiable sisters, without the envy of their brethren; and which peradventure he did to oblige them to settle themselves amongst their…

After God had turned his captivity, as is said Job 42:10. Old and full of days; by which length of his days it seems most probable that he lived before the times of Moses, when the days of human life were much shortened, as he complains. END OF VOL. I.