Job 31:29

If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me,.... Job, though a good man, had his enemies, as all good men have, and that because of their goodness, and who hated him with an implacable

If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him: Lifted up himself - in malicious triumph (Proverbs 17:5, "He that is glad at calamities shall not be

I was so far from malice and revenging myself of mine enemy, which is the common and allowed practice of ungodly men, that I did not so much as desire or delight in his ruin, when it was brought upon him by other hands. Compare ,18. Whence we may judge whether the great duty of loving and forgiving our enemies be a peculiar precept of Christianity, or whether it be a natural and moral duty, and a part and act of that charity which now is, and ever was, the duty of one man to another in all ages. Lifted up myself, Heb. stirred up myself, to rejoice and insult over his misery.

Job 31:29 If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:Ver. 29. If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me] If I rejoiced at his ruin or fed my thoughts with his fall. Flesh and blood would have taught him so to do; there being nothing more natural to us than revenge; as we see in little ones. Heathens commended it for manhood (Arist. Rhet. c. i. lib. 9), and held it out as sweeter than life itself. At vindicta bonum vita iucundius ipsa. Howbeit some heathens professed against it, as Seneca, Immane verbum est ultio, saith he; Revenge is unmanly, both word and thing. And, Qui ulciscitur excusatius peccat He that avengeth himself sinneth, though he hath some colour for his sin. Socrates is famous for forgiving of injuries; and Julius Caesar, when he had Pompey’ s head presented to him, wept, and said, I sought not revenge, but victory, Non mihi placet vindicta, sed victoria. Both law and gospel forbids revenge; and Job, who lived before both, obeyed both; as here appeareth. Enemies he had, but he hated them not. That of Solomon was his practice, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth," &c., Proverbs 24:17-18. Or lifted up myself when evil found him] Sin will find men out, sooner or later; Nemesis semper a tergo; and they called her Aδραστεια, because unavoidable. Men may shuffle from side to side, as Balaam’ s ass did; but there is no escaping this punishing angel. God will pursue wicked men to destroy them, till such time as they throw the traitor’ s head over the wall. Now, good Job had put over his enemies to God, that he might order them (which also he did), and therein did himself no disservice. But how did Job deport himself toward them in this case? Did he lift up himself and insult? Did he bestir himself, as Broughton here elegantly translateth, and was he well paid? Nothing less.

(29) If I rejoiced at the destruction.—He now proceeds to the realm of the wishes and thoughts, and is, therefore, far more thorough and searching with his own case than his friends had been.

Verse 29. If I rejoiced] I did not avenge myself on my enemy; and I neither bore malice nor hatred to him.

29. at the destruction] Or, at the misfortune, ch. Job 12:5. lift up myself] Or, exalted.

If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me - Job here introduces another class of offences, of which he says he was innocent. The subject referred to is the proper treatment of those who injure us.

29. Rejoiced at the destruction, etc. — Rejoicing in the sufferings of others is a most hateful form of evil. (See note on Job 15:27.) In Job’s bitterest invectives there is no trace of hate. Here he speaks of him who hated me.