Job 29
OGCTODAY’S ENGLISH VERSION
Job’s Final Statement of His Case
Job began speaking again.
2 If only my life could be again
as it was when God watched over me.
3 God was always with me then,
and gave me light as I walked through the darkness.
4 Those were the days when I was prosperous,
when God’s friendship protected my home.
5 Almighty God was with me then,
and I was surrounded by all my children.
6 My cows and goats gave plenty of milk,
and my olive trees grew in the rockiest soil.
7 Whenever the city elders met,
and I took my place among them,
8 young men stepped aside as soon as they saw me,
and old men stood up to show me respect.
9 The leaders of the people would stop talking; 10 even the most important men kept silent. 11 Everyone who saw me or heard about me
had good things to say about what I had done.
12 When the poor cried out, I helped them;
I helped orphans who had nowhere to turn.
13 Men who were in deepest misery praised me,
and I helped widows find security.
14 I have always acted justly and fairly. 15 I helped the blind and the lame. 16 I was like a father to the poor,
and took the side of strangers in trouble.
17 I destroyed the power of cruel men
and rescued their victims.
18 I always expected to live a long life,
and to die at home in comfort.
19 I was like a tree whose roots always have water,
and whose branches are wet with dew.
20 Everyone was always praising me,
and my strength never failed me.
21 When I gave advice, people were silent
and listened carefully to what I said;
22 they had nothing to add when I was through.
My words sank in like drops of rain;
23 everyone listened eagerly,
the way farmers welcome the spring rains.
24 When I smiled on them they could hardly believe it;
their gloom never discouraged me.
25 I took charge and made the decisions;
I led them the way a king leads his troops, and gave them comfort when they were discouraged.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 29:1-25
What is the general content of the next three Chapter s? It seems a natural conclusion. Explain.
God will take care of you seems to be the theme of Job’s lifebut just how will this be done? Cf. Job 10:14; Job 13:27; Job 14:16.
What is the lamp of verse three?
Ripeness does not mean decline. What does it mean?
Children are the gift of Godto lose these gifts should teach us something. What did Job learn? Cf. Job 29:5.
What is meant by reference to butter and oil in verse six?
Job’s former happiness was based on three relationships. What were they?
How did both the young and the old show respect to Job? Cf. Job 29:8.
How did princes react to Job?
In the presence of Job, men became hushed and nervous. Explain.
Isn-’t Job a bit self-righteous as described in Job 29:11? Discuss.
No wonder Job was so incensed with the words of Eliphaz. Cf. Job 22:6 ff. Explain.
Someone shouted for joy because of Job. Who was it? Does this happen today?
Americans (as individuals) could hardly be described in the words of Job 29:14. Why?
Were there more blind and lame in Job’s day than ours? Was it easier to meet their needs? Discuss.
Show how Job acted as a father to the poor. Do they need such care today? Are we obligated?
Job not only helped the poor; he did something to the aggressor. What was it? It would seem that much of this describes what our Lord did for us. Discuss.
Job contemplated dying in the nest and multiplying his days. What is meant?
Job is like a tree. Cf. Psalms 1:3; Psalms 80:12.
Both Job’s respect and social rank would never change. How is this expressed? What a reversal he had!
Unless Job is exaggerating he must have been a very wise man. Cf. Job 29:22.
There seems to be a complete analogical parallel in this chapter to Job and a picture of the blessings we receive from our Lord. Trace them out.
Job 29:1-10
D. THE SOLILOQUY OF A SUFFERER (Job 29:1, Job 31:40)
- Reminiscencehis former happy life (Job 29:1-25)
a. The outward aspect (Job 29:1-10)
TEXT 29:1-10
**1 And Job again took up his parable, and said,
2 Oh that I were as in the months of old,
As in the days when God watched over me;
3 When his lamp shined upon my head,
And by his light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the ripeness of my days,
When the friendship of God was upon my tent;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were about me;
6 When my steps were washed with butter,
And the rock poured me out streams of oil!
7 When I went forth to the gate unto the city,
When I prepared my seat in the street,
8 The young men saw me and hid themselves,
And the aged rose up and stood;
9 The princes refrained from talking,
And laid their hand on their mouth;
10 The voice of the nobles was hushed,
And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
COMMENT 29:1-10**
Job 29:1Job’s debate with his friends[293] is at an end. Now we will listen to his final soliloquy. The speech is divided into three sections, one chapter each: A: (1) His former happinessJob 29:2-10; (2) His past graciousness to the needyJob 29:11-17; (3) His confidenceJob 29:18-20; (4) The esteem in which he was heldJob 29:21-25; B: (1) His present sufferingthrough the nobodys that despise himJob 30:1-8; (2) The indignities he is presently enduringJob 30:9-15; (3) His present dreadJob 30:16-23; (4) Contrast between his past and presentJob 30:24-25; C: His vindication: (1) His integrity sustainedJob 31:1-12; (2) Denial of abuse of powerJob 31:13-23; (3) Reaffirmation of his pietyJob 31:24-25; (4) Appeal that specific charges be made against himJob 31:25-25; and (5) Invocation of a curse upon himself if he has not been telling the truthJob 31:28-30 (compare with Job 27:1).
[293] For Traditionsgeschichte analysis of Job’s friends, see H. P. Muller, Hiob und seine Freunde. Theo. Studien 103, 1970; and P. W. Skehan, Job’s Final Plea (Job 29-31) and The Lord’s Reply (Job 38-41), Biblica, 1964, pp. 51-62.
**Job 29:2**His thoughts move back into a happier time in his life. For the moment, the harsh realities of his existential situation[294] are suppressed. Nostalgia enthralls him. He is confronted by thinking of the time when God watched over himPsa 91:11; Psalms 121:7 ff; and Mi. Job 6:24. The same verb is used of God’s hostile surveillance of his lifeJob 10:14; Job 13:27; and Job 14:16.
[294] See J. Faur, Reflections on Job and Situation Morality, Judaism, 1970, pp. 219-225.
**Job 29:3**The lamp and light are metaphors of God’s blessings and presencePsa 18:28; Psalms 36:9; 2 Samuel 22:29. There is no word in Hebrew for the through of the A. V.; perhaps the reference is to God’s glory, the kobad (Greek, doxa) which later developed into the Shekinah. The sense being if God is not present, there is nothing but spiritual darkness.
**Job 29:4**The word rendered ripeness in the A. V. symbolizes prosperity and maturity rather than decline. The root meaning of -hrp is be early, young.[295] Earlier in Job’s life God’s protective hedge was about (not upon as A. V.) his householdJob 1:10 and Job 31:31.[296]
[295] For analysis of this root, see A. C. M. Blommerde, Northwest Semitic Grammar and Job, 1969, p. 109.
[296] D. W. Thomas, JBL, 1946, pp. 63ff, for meaning of protection rather than friendship; also see Dhorme on the preposition, p. 416.
**Job 29:5**Job places his relationship with God about his most intimate human companionshipGen 28:20; Genesis 31:5; Psalms 23:4; Psalms 44:7. Job poignantly refers to the loss of his own children (Heb. na-‘ar means young menGen 22:3 and 2 Samuel 18:29). Numerous children was a sign of God’s favorPsa 127:3-5; Psalms 128:3-4.
**Job 29:6**When Job was prosperous, his herds were fertile; butter flowed like mighty waters. Butter in the A. V. would better be rendered curdsJob 21:17. The olive-tree grows profusely in rocky soil,[297] and the olive presses are cut in the rockDeu 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:24; Psalms 81:16 b; and Son 5:12. The rocks poured out for me (rather than lit. with me or poured me out of the A. V.). The line says in essence, when God watched over my household, blessings came from the most unexpected sources.
[297] See M. Dahood, Biblica et Orientalia, suggestion that rock should rather be bakam, 1965, p. 60.
**Job 29:7**The city gate was the central meeting place for the distribution of administrative justiceDeu 21:19; Rth 4:1; Rth 4:11; and 2 Kings 7:1; Job 7:18. Job’s social prestige is clearly emphasized in that he has a prominent seat. The broad open place (Heb. rehobis street in A. V.) stood at the entrance of the city gate1 Kings 22:10. Job’s former happiness was based on three relationships: (1) Fellowship with God; (2) Companionship of his own children; and (3) The respect of his community.
**Job 29:8**Job’s public influence is projected by two images in this verse: (1) The young men withdrew (as hid in A. V.); and (2) While the older men remained standing in respect, until Job was settled in a prominent place. In this manner both showed respect for a righteous man.
**Job 29:9**Another image reveals the overt expression of respect for Job. The princes stopped in the midst of their conversations and waited respectfully to hear this evaluation. The Qumran Targum confirms this reading [And] nobles became silent of speech, and put hand [to their mouth].
**Job 29:10**Their voice became veiled (nehbauhushed and is same as in verse eight for hid), quiet is deferential respect. The image in line two expresses nervousness (tongue cleaved to the roof of the mouth) in the presence of JobLam 4:4; and Jesus on the cross.
Job 29:11-17
b. The cause of his honored position was benevolence and righteousness (Job 29:11-17)
TEXT 29:11-17
**11 For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried,
The fatherless also, that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;
And I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me:
My justice was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind,
And feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy:
And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous,
And plucked the prey out of his teeth.**
COMMENT 29:11-17
**Job 29:11**Job’s righteousness has been vindicated by both his eyes and ears. When his hearers heard of his deeds, they praised him. Their eyes saw his impeccable conduct and also gave witness to his righteousnessGen 30:13; Proverbs 31:28; Psalms 72:17. The verb called me blessed (literally pronounced me happy) suggests that Job was not only blessed but that he deserved the blessings from God. All of the evidence bore witness to me, Job declares. Men declared their approval of him.
**Job 29:12**Job’s words stand in radical tension with what Eliphaz had said in Job 22:6 ff. Job had graciously helped the poor[298] and the fatherless as in Job 24:9.
[298] See my analysis of the poor in light of world-wide Christian witness today in my The Word of God for a Broken World, LCC, 1977.
**Job 29:13**Ministering to those in despair evokes their blessings upon Job. Here Job speaks of high tribute and rich satisfaction for his benevolence. The verb rendered to sing for joy means to raise a ringing cry of either grief or joy. Here the context demands joy.
**Job 29:14**Job wore his righteousness as a robe, which was publicly visible to allPsa 132:9; Isaiah 59:17. He was so immersed in just acts that it put on me, i.e., clothed him as a garment. Likewise shame can be worn as a garmentJob 8:22 and Psalms 132:18.
**Job 29:15**The social significance of Job’s piety is here described in a beautiful fashion. He was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame.
**Job 29:16**As a father who provided for his family, Job expresses his godly natureIsa 22:21; 1 Corinthians 4:15. The poor were utterly helpless before the law. Job undertook the task of securing legal justice for the poor. He fed them, protected, and provided in general for their personal and social welfare. Few would even do such a thing for those with whom they were acquainted. Job sought out those who needed help, even when he did not know them personally. He acted selflessly, not as a tyrant, as he was chargedRom 3:1 ff. So God in Christ sought us out of our darkness. Christ alone is the answer to Job’s cries and our needs.
**Job 29:17**The word rendered jaws as in A. V. literally means fangs or gnawing teeth, not jaws. The oppressive wicked are compared to a wild animal; when his fangs are broken off, its aggressive power is destroyed. Job rescued the poor from their ruthless oppressors, but he also destroyed the power of the aggressor. He rescued them out of the mouth of ruthless animals.
Job 29:18-25
c. The honor that was his (Job 29:18-25)
TEXT 29:18-25
**18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand:
19 My root is spread oat to the waters,
And the dew lieth all night upon my branch:
20 My glory is fresh in me,
And my bow is renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited,
And kept silence for my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again;
And my speech distilled upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the ram;
And they opened their mouth wide **as **for the latter ram.
24 I smiled on them, when they had no confidence;
And the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I chose out their way, and sat **as **chief,
And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners.**
COMMENT 29:18-25
**Job 29:18**Praised and honored by both God and man, Job felt secure in the blessings of prosperity. He thought that he would live to a ripe old age and die surrounded by his children (in my nest)Deuteronomy 32:11; Isaiah 16:2. By a hyperbolic phrase, Job declares that his clan would be as the sand, i.e., emphasizing longevity and numerous members of the family.[299]
[299] G. R. Driver, Palestinian Exploration Quarterly, 1955, pp. 138ff; P. P. Saydon, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1961, p. 252; and M. Dahood, Biblica, 1967, pp. 542ff.
**Job 29:19**Prosperity is expressed by images of a treeJob 8:16 ff. The tree is green and full of life; water (long root systems, and dew on the branches) is everywhere abundantPsa 1:3; Psalms 80:12; Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 31:7.
**Job 29:20**His respect and social rank (Heb. kobadglory) will continue undiminished.[300] His bow, a symbol of strength, is ever in his hands. A broken bow is a symbol of impotenceGen 49:24; Psalms 46:9; Jeremiah 49:35; and Hosea 1:5. Job never anticipated anything like his present situation.
[300] Though it does yield a parallel with line two, Mansoor’s suggestion that glory should be emended to kidon or victory is dubious, Revue de Qumran, 1961-2, p. 388.
**Job 29:21**Beginning with this verse and continuing to Job 29:25, Job speaks of the response which others afforded him when he spoke (cf. Job 29:7-10respect he received when he arrived at the gate). Before his present condition destroyed his prestige, his words brought comfort and hope to those who heard.[301]
[301] In order to maintain parallelism with the preceding verse, G. R. Driver transposes the verbs waited and kept silence, which is not impossiblesee Vetus Testamentum, III, 1955, 86.
**Job 29:22**His words were accepted as an oracle. After passing his judgment, nothing remained to be said. The image used here with regard to how his words were received is a term describing a refreshing rain (A. V. droppedDeu 32:12). His words were life-giving drops from heavenPro 16:15; Hosea 6:3; and Deuteronomy 11:14.
**Job 29:23**His hearers drank up his words as the parched ground absorbed the rainPsa 119:131; the word here signifies the spring rain so vital to the cropsJer 2:3; Joe 2:23; and Zechariah 10:1, cf. you are my disciples if you abide in my word, Jesus.
**Job 29:24**Even a smile from Job was considered an undeserved reward. The A. V. rendering of they had no confidence should read they did not believe, which is the common meaning of the verb. The second line means that the despondency of others never destroyed Job’s cheerfulness.
**Job 29:25**Whenever Job gave directions, they were immediately carried out, as a prince (A. V. chief-king) directs his army. If the text is accepted as it stands, then Job’s consolation of mourners is emphasized. Dhorme makes a good case for a different sense in the difficult third line as he renders it where I led them, they were willing to go[302] (A. V. like one who comforts mourners). Though the text makes sense as it stands, it makes the parallelism more difficult. But now all the nobodys to whom he had been so gracious despise him.
[302] For required emendation and justification, see Dhorme, Job; and Pope, Job.