Job 8
PATgive thee satisfaction for my offences against thee, O thou Observer of men. But why dost thou not remove me quite out of thy sight, if I be a burden to thee 1 The foregoing apologies of Job, it seems, made little im-. pression on his friends: for he had no sooner done, but another of them, called Bildad, continued the dispute, with as little intermission as there was between the messengers that brought him (chap, i.) the sad tidings of his calamities. And it doth not appear by his discourse, that he differed at all in his principles from Eliphaz. For, though he give him very good counsel, yet he still presses this as the sense of all antiquity, (ver. 8.) that God ever prospers the just, and roots out the wicked, be they never so flourishing for a season. And he being descended from Shuah, one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah, (Gen. xxv. 2.) seems to me to have a particular respect, in this appeal to history, unto the records which then remained of God’s blessing upon that faithful man’s posterity, who hitherto, and long after, continued in his religion; and of the extirpation of those eastern people (neighbours to Job), in whose country they were settled, because of their wickedness. THE BOOK OF TOBIT. of the woman unto her husband by her own father; and that a particular and express form of words was used upon the delivery of her. It appears from hence, that a contract and marriage were anciently all one in effect, and the like may be gathered from the law, Deut. xxii. 24. where an espoused woman is called a wife, and if she be convicted of unchastity, is reputed as an adulteress, vvorthy of death. By which it is manifest, that a contract de prcesenti differeth not in substance from a marriage, though for decency’s sake solemn ceremonies are required by positive laws. The Jews usually drew up the contract of matrimony, and agreed about the dowry before the wedding; after that they read this contract or deed over, and lodged it in the hands of the bride’s relations, and then they put the ring upon her finger: but in Tobias’s marriage things were ordered otherwise, for Raguel immediately consents to give him his daughter, and at the same time joins their hands; then he calls for paper, writes down the contract, and hath it signed by two witnesses, according to the Hebrew, after which’ the feast began. All this is pretty different from the custom of modern Jews, though they look upon Tobias’s wedding, and the ceremonies attending it, as a pattern of the happiest and most regular marriage. ** One cannot but admire (say Messieurs of Port-Royal) the simplicity of those early times. Raguel gives his daughter in marriage to Tobias, and troubles not himself about settlements or * covenants as they are here called, till the ceremony was over. Such openness and confidence is scarce to be found in the present times, and would be thought little less than carelessness. But it ought, however, to remind all those, who enter upon the like holy state, sincerely to renounce all sort of disguise and overreaching in an affair, where integrity, candour, and disinterestedness, are its best and principal security." (Com. in loc.) OH A*. tx/J THE BOOK OF TOBIT. 63 b particulars of the entertainment, Vxori sua dixit ut instnieret convivium… duos quoque pingues vaccas, et quatuor arietes occidi fecit, et parari epulas omnibus vicinis suis, cunctisque amicis. THE BOOK OF JUDITH. Judith, is much controverted. It is certain the custom was yery ancient, but according to the Talmudists was not in force in the time of Judith, but afterward in use among the Jews in their dispersions. Various reasons are assigned for the origin of this practice; Grotius thinks that the eves were thus respected, as a sort of fence to the law, which forbade fasting on any part of a festival, and that this was done by way of caution, that there might be no remains of a preceding sorrow on the day of the festival; for the eve before any festival was esteemed part of that festival: from whence the same custom was derived afterward into the Christian church; and as the Jewish festivals were always kept from even to even, so the sabbath began on the Friday evening. (See Lev. xxiii. 32. Isa. xxx. 29.) And the feast of the Passover, it is well known, was always kept in the evening, and concluded with hymns. (See Matt.xxyi. SO.) Cunaeus carries the matter farther, That fasting. was not only forbid on the sabbath and its eve, but even on the day following the sabbath, that the joy of that solemnity might not be disturbed, nor lessened by any sorrow or humiliation, either preceding or subsequent. (De Rep. Heb. lib. iL cap. 10.) Others imagine that the reason of this was, the almost impossibility* of keeping a fast that day, being the day of the preparation, so called by the sacred writers, because on it they were obliged to make provision of victuals for the sabbath, and could not well avoid tasting of what they were so preparing. (Schickard de Purim.) With respect to the new moon in particular, and the not fasting on its eve, it probably began when the Jews appointed two feasts the beginning of each month, for fear of being wanting in any respect or particular which the law required; as to guard also against any inconvenience, from the uncertainty of the precise time when the new moon appeared. Calmet is inclined to think, that what is mentioned of the eves of the sabbaths, and of the new moons, is an addition, as no notice is taken of them either in the Syriac or Jerome’s version, and that the practice referred to is probably later than the days of Judith: that tho Greek translator inserted the clause in that version, as being the custom of the Jews at that time when it was made, and in the parts where he lived, though it might not be in the original from whence he translated. gate has here presbyteros, but certain officers or magistrates so called. And though Joacim the high-priest is joined, xv. 8. with the ancients of the city, and is said in the Vulgate to come to Bethulia, cum nniversis presbyteris suis ut videret Judith, yet the Greek expresses it by n ytpovola t&v vliov J l<xpa!jX, i. c. the senate, or ruling elders of the people. Estius observes, that there is no one place in all the books of the Old Testament where the word presbyter is taken in the sense of sacerdos, however it may be used in the New. And by the two ancients of the people, (Sus.5.) that are said to attempt Susanna’s chastity, we are neither to understand priests nor persons stricken in years, but stated judges, as is plain from the text itself. It may seem perhaps assuming in Judith to send to these ancients or magistrates to come to her, instead of going to them herself in person: but this ought not to be ascribed to any motive or principle of pride, as if from an affected superiority she thought herself better or more considerable than they; such a carriage by no means agrees with one who, on many occasions, distinguished herself for her humility. It rather proceeded from her modesty and unwillingness to expose to public view her beauty, which she had industriously concealed, that she desired them to come to her, that she might impart to them a matter of great consequence. PHAP. Tift.] THE BOOK OF JUDITH. 6G3 fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall among our enemies. A COMMENTARY UPON [CHAP. IXs son, therefore, that Judith reproaches’ them with want of courage. Upon reviewing and comparing the very different conduct and behaviour of her, and the persons she speaks to, one sees the observation, that God chooses the things that are weak to confound the things tMt are mighty, remarkably verified. Judith, a defenceless widow, whilst the men around her quake for fear, and even the chiefs themselves give up all* for lost, appears quite undaunted, and argues with so much coolness and constancy of mind, as well as strength of reasoning, as really to deserve the character Ozias here gives her. That one single woman should dare to venture on an act of such danger and boldness, and be so successful as to accomplish it, was owing at least to her great zeal for the safety of God’s chosen people; or shall we ascribe it to a Divine impulse? Vcr. 33. I will go forth with my waiting-woman.’] The word in the ancient translation is, abra, which signifies a companion or maid of honour (such as ladies of the first condition had) rather than a servant; for the same word in the LXX. is applied to the women who attended both Pharaoh’s daughter, Exod. xi. 5. and queen Esther, iv. 4. Thus Calmet understands the word. In other writers it is certain it signifies merely a servant, a chambermaid, or housekeeper; and whether it is not to be taken in this latter acceptation, see ver. 10. compared with xvi. 23. Within the days that you have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, the Lord will visit Israel by my hand.] Judith, ver. 11 — 17..blames Ozias and the rest of the governors, for presuming to limit the interposition of the Almighty, within the space of five days, and does she not seem to do the same here herself, engaging for his assistance within that precise time? Was this in compliance with s them, and that she might encourage their hopes; or shall we charge her with rashness and enthusiasm for assuring them that she should be the happy instrument to accomplish their deliverance within the fixed time? or, with the Romanists, suppose that she had an assurance of the successful event of her intended enterprise, by some particular revelation? Without having recourse to this, it seems better to resolve Judith’s engaging in so adventurous an exploit, into her strong confidence of God’s favour and assistance against a usurper of that honour and adoration which belonged to him alone.
Job 8:1
JL HEN answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said. When Job had made an end of this discourse, Bildad (another great friend of his, descended from Shuah, one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah), reprehended him in the same manner as Eliphaz had done, saying; NOW at that time Judith heard thereof, which was the daughter o/Merari the son o/Oz, the son of Joseph, the son of Oziel, &c] The versions differ greatly in the names of the fifteen descents here mentioned; the Syriac and Greek particularly from the Vulgate. One reason of this difference perhaps may be, that the same person is here called by two different names, one of which is mentioned in the Greek, the other in the Latin versions: or the confusion which is observable in the genealogy, may probably come from hence, that the copyists have put all the proper names, which were in different verses, into one; and by that means have intermixed and confounded the relations of Judith, with those of her husband Manasses. What seems to confirm this strongly is, that the genealogy of Manasses, which Fulgentius gives separately, and in a more concise manner, (Epist. 2. ad Gall.) is ranked under, and connected with, that of Merari, the father of Judith, in the Greek and Syriac copies.
Job 8:2
How long wilt thou speak tliese things? and how long shall the words of thy month be like a strong wind?. AVhy dost thou persist to talk on this fashion, and with such vehemence expostulate with God? JjlND took the ashes of the perfumes, and put the heart and the liver of the fish thereupon, and made a smoke therewith.’] This story of driving away the demon by the ashes of the perfumes, possibly took its rise from the ac- Digitized count of the smoke of Aaron’s incense, staying the destroying angel from the surviving Israelites, superstitiously depraved. Some footsteps of this mystery the’Hebrews seem to retain, when they say, that all hurtful and destroying spirits will flee away at the odour of the incense of sweet spices. Tobias here literally follows Raphael’s’ directions, vi. 16. but perhaps the meaning principally may be, that Tobias, by the direction of the angel, offered’ the incense of prayer, or put up fervent prayers to God to drive away this fiend. Munster expressly understands it in this spiritual sense, Per Mam suffnmigationein designator’ oratio, qua instar vaporis ccelos penetrat. And then he concludes, Virtute ergo orationis Tobice et Sarce, fugatus est Asmodceus, et non efficacia aliqua odo?‘is corporalis. (Com. in loc.) Ver. 3/ He fled into the utmost parts of Egypt.] i. et Into’ the deserts of “the upper Egypt, for so Pliny and other writers describe them. That deserts and solitary places were the dwelling and resort of unclean spirits, the canonical Scriptures inform us. Thus the demoniac, Luke viii/ 29. is said to abide in no 4 house,’ but to be driven of the* devil into the wilderness: and thither was our Saviour led, as being the devil’s residence, to be tempted by him.* (Matt.-* iv. 1.) And accordingly the’ unclean spirit is described, Matt. xii. 43. as walking through dry or uninhabited places, seeking rest and finding none. See Bariich iv. 35. and Rev. x viii. 2. where Babylon the great city/ when turned into a wilderness, is said to be, the dungeon of every foul spirit, and a cage of every impure and ill-boding bird, or rather the abode or residence of them; for
Job 8:3
X>oth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?. Dost thou imagine the supreme Judge will not do thee right? or that he who needs nothing will swerve from the rules of equity? As he stood overseeing them that bound sheaves in the field, the heat came on his head, and he died.] Manasses seems not only to have had the care of his own business and concerns abroad, but to have been an overseer by public appointment, and to have had the inspection and ordering the whole number of reapers, in that wide and large field adjoining to Bethulia. Tl\at there was among the Jews such a post or employment for public use, Josephus testifies, who mentions that such a charge of the fields, and of the labourers there employed, was committed to JEbutius. The being exposed to the scorching heat of the sun in an open plain, in the middle of the day, has often proved dangerous, and occasioned faintness, and sometimes mortal diseases: " Meridie ipso faciam ut stipulam colligat; tam excoctum reddam atque atrum ut carbo est,” is mentioned as a punishment by Terence, Adelph. act. v, sc. 3. And Victor Uticensis speaks of it as a thing dangerous as well as irksome, " sub ardentis solis incendio cespites messium desecare." The writer of the Geoponics has the same observation, twv iv t<jj TjXfy ipyaZofjtivwv y\ios j3Aa7TT£t ra ewfiara Kai rag
Job 8:4
Jf thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression. Is it not now reasonable to think that thy children had highly offended him; for which cause he took a sudden and hasty vengeance on them 7? Judith was a widow in her house three years and four months.’] The Syriac reads in like manner; but Archbishop Usher makes the time to bo three years and six months, ad A. M. 3348. in which year he places the death of Holofernes. The Vulgate makes this quite clear, which has, Erat autem Judith relicta ejus vidua jam annis tribus, etmensibus sex; i. e. Judith had now been a widow so long before this great enterprise happened; for it cannot mean that three years and a half was the whole time of her widowhood, because she lived to be very aged, and never married after the death of her husband Manasses.
Job 8:5
If thou wouldest seek unto Godbetimes, andmake thy supplication to the Almighty. And that if thou didst now (instead of complaining) implore his grace and favour with humble supplication; Ver. G. If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would aivake for thee, and make the tiabitation of thy righteousness prosperous.] And wert thyself sincere in heart and upright in thine actions, he would certainly have a regard to thee, and restore thy family to its former splendour. She made her a tent upon the top of her house.] The Vulgate seems to understand this of a chamber in the upper part of the house, in superioribus domus suce fecit sibi secretum cubiculum, in quo cumpxiellis suis clausa morabatur. The Jews that lived at a distance from Jerusalem, generally either went up into an upper chamber to pray, with the windows opened towards the temple, as is expressly mentioned of Daniel, (vi. 10.) and of the apostles when assembled.togethcr, (Acts i. 13.) and of Sara, Raguel’s daughter; (Tob. iii. 17.) or, when they w r ere out of Judea, or Jerusalem, and so could not go up to the temple at tho hours of prayer, went up to the house-top, or roof of the house, as is recorded of St. Peter, (Acts x. 9.) for the sake of privacy, and to be freer from noise and distraction, turning themselves towards that part which looked towards Jerusalem, according to Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1 Kings viii. 29, 30. 35. 38.
Job 8:6
Thou hast said, It is not good that man should be alone, let us make unto him an aid like unto himself. IIou’/- awfiev aim$ j3otj$oi> ofiotov avrij>’ ) one that should be as bis second self, like him in nature; one in whom he might see himself reflected, as it were, and revived. The Greek writer of this history follows here the LXX. which has in the place referred to, Gen. ii. 18. Bo^ov icar airov, adjutorem secundum mm, a help-meet for him, or one suited to his wants and inclinations, one agreeable to and fit for him, by a similitude of temper and manners: or it may be rendered, An aid from himself, one taken from his own rib, for so Eve was formed. And this way of formation was designed probably to intimate that close love and reciprocal affection, which ought to be between man and wife. I shall* only observe the agreement between the account here and that in the LXX. that the manner of expression in, both is plural, 7rocii<7w/x£v, as if there was a consultation about the formation of his second self also, as at the first creation of man; which the Vulgate likewise retains. She fasted all the days of her ividowhood.] A great instance this of her pious disposition, and of the tender regard which she had for the memory of her deceased husband. This great strictness and severity of life and manners, customary among the Jewish women, passed afterward into the church. We read of Anna the prophetess, a widow of fourscore and four years old, that she never departed from the temple, but served God with prayer and fasting, night and day. (Luke ii. 37, 38.) St* Paul gives the like description of a truly devout widow, She that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trust eth in God, a?id continueth in supplication and prayers night and day; but she that liveth inpleasure is dead while she liveth. (1 Tim. v. 5, G.) Save the eves of the sabbaths, and the sabbaths, and the eves of the new moons, and the new moons, and the feasts, and solemn days of the house of Israel.] It is agreed on all hands, that it was the custom of all the Israelites who feared God, to observe the sabbaths and the new moons, among the feasts of the house of Israel; and they seem carefully to have observed their solemn feasts in their worst as well as in their best state, from the earliest to their latest times: (see 1 Sam. xx. 5.1 Chron.xxiii.31.2Chron. ii.4. viii.l3.xxxi.3. Isa. i. 13. lxvi. 23. Ezek. xlvi. 1. Hos. ii. 11. Amos viii. 5.) and these Ezra took care to revive at the return from the captivity. But when the regard here mentioned to be paid to the eves of the sabbaths and new moons first began, and on what occasion, and whether in use so early as the days of
Job 8:7
Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. I am confident, thou art not now so low, but in time he would make thee as high, nay, far more eminent, than thou wast before. And now, O Lord, I take not this my sister for lust, but upriglUly; therefore mercifully ordain, that we may become aged together.’]‘E^n-a^ov IXviaaifxt, kol raury <?vvicaTaynpaaai: the construction is somewhat singular, like that iii. 15. (see note.) Grotius thinks the true reading to be,‘E^n-a^ov zXv’jGac fie rainy avvKaray^pdcm, omitting teal, which I think, being emphatical here, might be better continued;?. e.‘In mercy grant that even ivith her, who hath buried so many husbands, and whom an evil spirit pursues to the destruction of all her lovers, I may grow old, and escape the common fate of the others. According to the Vulgate, Sara puts up this prayer, and that version puts into her mouth the very same, iii.14. Virum cum timore tuo, non cam libidine mea, conseitsi suscipere. Calmct admires the delicacy of this sentiment in a young man and a Jew, one educated amongst a gross and carnal people; and proposes it to the consideration and imitation of all that enter upon the conjugal state, as does St. Austin, de Doctr. Christ, cap. 10. She was also of a goodly countenance, and very beautiful to behold.) This may be concluded from the power which she appears to have had over Holofernes, and his being captivated at first sight; a conquest not to be wondered at, especially if she was not older at that time than twenty-five years, as Prideaux conjectures: but supposing her forty-five, or more, the expression is as justifiable as that Gen. xii. 11. where Sarah, who was then sixty years old, is said by Abraham to be yvvfj thnpoatoTrog: this particular, as well as her being rich, is here added, lest any should think that she embraced the strict manner of life here described, rather out of necessity than choice. But in one so accomplished, severity and retirement are not a little to be admired, and in proportion as her beauty was amiable, her humility to decline appearing in public view, was the more exemplary and meritorious; particularly her wearing sackcloth, and using such austerities in dress and appearance, as naturally contributed to disfigure and lessen the agreeableness of her person, which the generality oHJie gex take such pains to improve by studied ornaments, shews her to have been devoid of affectation and vanity. For continual fasting in the midst of affluence and abundance, save on the eves of certain festivals, and particularly Jicr choosing to continue in a state of widowhood, though she had many offers and temptations to change her condition, (see xvi. 22.) are not less worthy of admiration and notice. In fine, a virtue so perfect received a new and additional lustre, as appearing among a people sensual and carnal, who regarded pleasures, riches, and marriage, as substantial parts of happiness. Fulgentius proposes her as the most perfect pattern of widowhood, and gives the following fine character and eulogium of her, which comprises all the excellences aboyementioned, " Ecce vidua praeclara natalibus,facultatibus dives, zetatejuvenis, specie mirabilis,divitias contempsit, delicias respuit, carnis incentive calcavit, etinduta virtuteex alto, non quaesivitsecundo famulari connubio." (De statu viduali, Epist. 2. see also Hieron. Epist.lO.-tom.i.p. 96.)
Job 8:8
For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers. I do not desire thee to take ray word for it; but let those who are gone before us instruct thee, and search diligently into the histories of the most ancient times. And there was none that gave her an ill word, for she feared God greatly, >] The character which the historian gives Judith here is a very high commendation, says St, Jerome, considering how tender and delicate a thing the reputation of a young and beautiful widow is; who elegantly expresses his remark upon it in the following words; " Tenera res in foeminis fama pudicitiae, et, quasi flos pulcherrimus, cito ad levem marcescit auram, levique fiatu corrumpitur; raaxime ubi aetas consentit ad vitium, et maritalis deest autoritas, cujus umbra tutamen uxoris est/’ (Ad Salv.) And from the character here given by the author of this history of his heroine’s piety, there is the less reason to credit the objections raised by some against her religion, and modesty, from particular passages in it misunderstood, which we shall consider in their order, and reconcile with a just sense of both. The Abbot de la Chambrc, in a funeral oration on one of the queens of France, took these words for his text, and observes upon them, " That they are perhaps the finest commendation that ever was given to woman; for though there may be some wpmen, who, notwithstanding the prodigious detraction that has prevailed so long in the world, have yet escaped the attacks of it, yet this good fortune rarely hiaprjens to those who have otherwise a shining reputation, and who are, as the text says, famosissini(e." So that we may challenge all the Greeks and Romans to shew us a passage in their books that in so few words gives us so great an idea as these do of the heroine Judith, who reached the highest pitch of glory and renown, and which is aptcst to alarm and raise’ the envy of the world; yet her virtue and merits were so engaging and powerful, so guarded with discretion, and so incomparably amiable, as to silence and strike mute that restless and implacable passion, And what is farther to be admired in our author here is, that he has so happily and justly pointed out the true cause of her matchless virtue, and the universal admiration it met with; " She had (says he) a great reputation in all things, and was secure from every ovil tongue, bepausc she was sensibly touched with the fear of the Lord." (Sec Bayle’s Diet, in voce Judith, note d.)
Job 8:9
(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow). (For, alas! we are not old enough to understand much: being able to make but few observations, by reason of the exceeding shortness of our lives.) Jlagucl arose, and went and made a grave, Ven 10. saying, I fear lest he also be dead.]’ When Raguel gives his daughter to Tobias, almost immediately after his arrival, and consents so suddenly to the marriage, the Vulgate observes, that it seemed as if God had influenced his heart to listen to the proposal of Raphael, a stranger to him, whom he considered only as a man. It was such a strong persuasion that made him say, that he doubted not but his prayers and tears were accepted before God for the removal of the disgrace which lay upon his family, and that the arrival of Tobias was by the appointment of Providence to espouse Sara his nearest kinswoman, and therefore of right belonging to him: Non dubito quin Deus preces et lacrymas meas in conspectu suo admiserit, ct credo quoniam ideo fecit vos venire ad me f ut ista conjungeretur cognationi sua secundum legem Mosis; but it appears from the account here, that Raguel’s faith and confidence in this match, and in what Raphael assured him for his encouragement, was but faint, or was shaken afterward; for had not the apprehension been strong in him, that the same fate which befel the others would happen to Tobias in the same manner, he would never have given such hasty orders to his servants to rise at cock-crowing, according to the Vulgate, to dig a grave for his interment. Though had he considered that thq present marriage was made in the fear of the Lord, and founded upon legal right and equity, and that the former husbands were probably killed by the evil spirit, either because they unjustly claimed the right of marriage with this heiress, or that lust was their principal motive, he needed not to have had auch foreboding apprehensions about the* event of it, or provided fora funeral before it happened.
Job 8:10
Shallnot they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?. They will not fail to inform thee aright; and out of their long experience, and the prudent observations of many ages, justify the truth of my words. She sent her waiting-woman that had the govern* ment of all things that she had, to call Ozias, and Chabris, and Charmis, the ancients of the city; and they came unto her.] By the ancients of the city ) we are not to understand the oldest people in it, nor yet the priests, though the Vul* 4Q
Job 8:11
Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?. The rushes and flags we see can shoot up no higher, when they want their mud and moisture..
Job 8:12
Wldle it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. There is no need to stop their growth by cutting them down; for they will wither of themselves, even when they are fresh and green: while smaller herbs, which want not water, continue their beauty. And now who are you that have tempted God this day, and stand instead of God amongst the children of God?] By limiting God to such a certain time as five days; or promising in his name help within that space; as if he could not help you, if he did not precisely do it at the time fixed by you, and his power then was shortened; contrary to that fine and just sentiment, ver. 15. Judith’s reproof ofi this occasion was very just; for the fixing thus a time to the Almighty, besides the assuming a prerogative that did not belong to them, shewed a great diffidence in them; it was declaring they w T ould no longer depend upon him, if he did not answer their expectation in the time limited. As true religion consists in just and worthy notions of God, in a modest and humble trust in him, submitting entirely in all events and exigencies to his pleasure, leaving the time and manner of deliverance to Gods own method and determination; so to act otherwise is tempting God. To tempt God, in Scripture" language, signifies to distrust his power, truth, or providence, after sufficient demonstrations and reasons given for encouragement to depend upon them. (See Isa. vii. 12. 1 Cor. x. 9.13.) These people, therefore, who had received so many proofs of the Divine protection upon different occasions, betrayed a great want of faith, in fixing a limited time for his interposition and assistance; as if his wisdom and providence ought not to choose when and in what manner he would favour and relieve them. But such is the impatience and conceitedness of men, as to presume to fix the times and seasons which God has particularly reserved the disposal of to himself, and keeps in his own power.
Job 8:13
So are thepatlis of all that forget God, and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish. Just such is the condition of all those who neglect God (without whose blessing none can flourish): who knows him also that counterfeits piety, and will defeat him of the happiness he expects. And now try the Lord Almighty, but you shall never know any thing.’] i. e. Try if you can find out in this, or in any other matter of consequence, what the mind of the Lord is; the result of the inquiry will be, that you cannot do it to any certainty or perfection. The Geneva version has, So now you seek the Lord Almighty, but you shall never know any thing; i. e. You would penetrate into the secret designs and counsels of God, of which nobody could ever fathom the depth. Sec Wisd. ix. 13—17. where the like sentiment is expressed more at large. Holy Job, dcscribingthe unscarchableness of God’s wisdom, says, Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: heiuiltnot afflict. Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart, (xxxvii. 23, 24.) It may not be improper incidentally to observe, that the last clause here is inaccurate in our version; it seems a reflection on the Almighty, as if he neglected or had no regard to such aS are " well-disposed towards him; for that this is themeaniug of the phrase, sec Exod. xxviii.3, &c. Jobxi. 4. Prov.x. 8. xi. 29. The rendering of the LXX. is much clearer, ^oj3rj- BfoovTaL SlavTovKcu ol <ro<p6l fcapSfy; but the Geneva version is mo6t agreeable to the context, Let men therefore fear him, for he will not regard any that are ivise in their own conceit; and Coverdale’s is much to the same effect, It is not we that can find out the Almighty; for in power, equity, and righteousness, he is higher than can be expressed; let men therefore fear him, for there shall no man see him, that is wise in his own conceit.
Job 8:14
Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web. He may flatter himself with vain hopes, and be so much the more miserable; for the things wherein he trusts are as weak as a spider’s web.
Job 8:15
He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shallnot endure. He may fancy his family to be so great and potent that it will support him; but it shall fall as well as himself: he may endeavour to keep it up by strong alliances, but to no purpose. Ver. 1G. He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.] Nay, he may seem to all the world, as well as to himself, to be like a flourishing tree, which spreads its branches in a fair garden.
Job 8:16
Raguel called his wife Edna; and. said unto her, Sister, &c. See v. 20. This term is only a word of tenderness and endearment, used by husbands to their wives. Tobias, in the next chapter, ver. 4. 7. calls Sara by the same name afterhe had married her. (See also x. 12.) An instance of this we have in Solomon’s Song, chap. iv. where the words, my sister, my spouse, come three times together in four verses. And hence, if solutions were wanting, we may justify Abraham calling his wife Sarah, sister, (Gen. xii. 13.) which some free-thinkers have endeavoured to expose as an equivocation. For as sister is a name of tenderness, love, and affection, it was very properly applied to his wife; but indeed Sarah was so near a relation, as to have a natural right to be so called, being, as Abraham acknowledges, his half-sister, the daughter of his father, but not the daughter of his mother. (Gen. xx. 12.) Prepare another chamber, and bring her in thither.] i.e: Into another bedchamber, different from that where Sara lay before, in which her seven former husbands were killed. This thought was just, and the exchange proper, as the very room inspired horror. Do hotjbind the counsels of the Lord our God; for God is not as man, that hemay be threatened.] i. e. Think not to tie down God to terms and conditions, to assist you when or in the manner ye please, as one obliges a debtor to pay in a certain fixed time, or to give security to satisfaction; for God is not a weak creature like man, to suffer himself to be insulted or intimidated by menaces. This verse is nearly the same with that Numb, xxiii. 19. especially if it be rightly translated, God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent; where our version is by no means accurate; the verb fanikrfivvai, the same that is here used, does not signify to repent, but to threaten. And in this sense the LXX. translate the Hebrew word, Gen.!xxvii. 42. and so airsikioficu is rendered by the lexicographers, and not as signifying to repent. The verb dXiofiat, vertor, indeed, has such a sense, but not the compound ami- (o)iai. St. Cyprian, who quotes this place of Judith, accordingly fenders, Neque quasi filiusliominis minaspatitur. (Testimon. cent. Judaeos, lib.ii. cap. 20.) Neither is he as the son of man, that he should be xvavering.] OiS’ tog vlbg av$-pw7rov diain)Oi)vai. The reading of all the copies seems corrupt; the true one probably is, Siaprri- S-Tjvcu, which is followed by all the ancient fathers who quote this place; St. Cyprian particularly has, Non quasi homo Deus suspenditur. We arc justified in this alteration by the parallel passage, Numb, xxiii. 19. where the verb used is SiaprtiSiivai, which the Greek scholiast renders cra\zvOi)vai, i.e. to be shaken in his resolutions, or to be in doubt or suspense what to do. It no where signifies to lie, as our version in that place of Numbers has it. (See Origen and Thcodoretinloc.) If we retain &<nrrj0/jvai, I think it should be derived from ahlo), and the meaning be, entreated; i. e. God is not as a man that he may be threatened, neither as the son of man that he should be persuaded, entreated, won by solicitations, or teasing. The versions understand it as coming from Slaira. Vulgate, Ad iracundiam inflammabiiur. (Vers. Lat. vet. ut judicetur.) Syriac, Utin ordinem redigatur; but I cannot reconcile it with that derivation.
Job 8:17
His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones. Whose roots have wreathed themselves thick about the earth, and whose head lifts up itself above the highest edifices.
Job 8:18
If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee. But when God blasts him, and plucks him up by the roots, there shall remain no remembrance that such a man ever lived in that place. For there is neither tribe, nor family, nor people, nor city among us, which worship gods made with hands, as hath been aforetime.
Job 8:19
Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. Believe it, the pleasure such men take in their prosperous estate is no better than this; and out of the dust shall others spring up, and flourish in their stead. And he kept the ivedding -feast fourteen days.] Rejoicings at the Jewish weddings were esteemed so absolutely necessary, that the husband could not any ways be excused from them, but was obliged to have them for at least seven days; and even the sabbath-day itself, according to Calmet, was accounted no hinderancc to the feastings and entertainments usual on such occasions. From many passages in Scripture it appears, that the time of the marriage-feast was usually seven days. Fulfil her week, was Laban’s injunction to Jacob, Gen. xxix. 27. (See Judg., xiv. 10. 12. Tobit xi. 19.) " Septem dies ad convivium et septem ad luctum," was a proverb among the Jews; Lamy says the feast was for eight days together, and of the third day of such a feast he understands those words of St. John, ii. 1. on the third day there was a marriage, &c. which he says should be translated, on the third day of the marriage: which was in Cana; and that this probably was the reason why, upon the coming of our Lord and his apostles, they wanted wine. (Introd. to Scrip, vol. i. p. 317.) It is to be observed, that though the time was usually limited to a week, yet parents of the espoused were at liberty to make the continuance of the wedding-feast last as long as they thought fit. They could not shorten the days, as the Jewish doctors say, but they might considerably lengthen them.. (See Buxtorf. Syn. Jud. cap. 35. Selden’s Uxor Heb. lib. ii.) But Raguel, from the satisfaction of his son-iu-law’s escape from the power and evil intentions of Asmodcus, doubles the usual number, or keeps the nuptial-feast fourteen days; though, as she was a w T idow, it ought to have continued no longer than three days, according to the rabbins. The Vulgate mentions an invitation given on the occasion to all friends and neighbours, and sets down some For the tchich cause our
Job 8:20
Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil-doers. It is a certain truth, that For before the days of the marriage ivere finished, Raguel had said unto hint by an oath, that he should not depart till the fourteen days of the marriage were expired.] According to the sense that at first hearing offers itself, it seems a? if Raguel had said to Tobias, before the time was expired, that he should not depart before the time was expired. This is too insipid to be the meaning; for if Raguel said this at all, he must of course be supposed to say it before the time was expired. Calmet seems aware of this objection, and makes the sense to be, That before the end of the seven days, the usual time allowed for such rejoicings, (Gen. xxix. 27. Judg. xiv. 12.) Raguel had solemnly insisted upon his stay with them a longer time, full fourteen days. It is uncertain from the Greek, whether Raguel swore that Tobias should not go, using this expression, Ivopxuyg pi) £&A£av aitrbv, or whether he obliged Tobias, Ivoqkwq, by an oath, to assure him, that he would not go. In the Hebrew, Raguel swears; according to the Vulgate he makes Tobias swear; but that it was Raguel, appears very plainly from ix. 3. x. 7, But we know none other God, therefore we trust that he will not despise us, nor any of our nation.] What Judith here urges, was an argument of real consolation to thera in their present circumstances; viz. that if the many calamities their nation at different times had laboured under, as desolation, captivity, and the sword, &c. were owing to the then corrupt and idolatrous state of the people, they had great reason now to hope, that being free from that crime and abomination which was the occasion of their forefathers’ miseries (for it* was a common and confessed observation among them, that the sin of the golden calves had a share in all their punishments), they might rely upon his favour and protection, and should not therefore, through despair of assistance, deliver themselves up rashly to their enemies.
Job 8:21
And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. Or else forgive ray sin, and so far release me from its punishment, as to let me die; which I shall do presently, and not be found to-morrow to endure these afflictions, if thou dost not still hold me under them. For. if we Jm taken so, all Judea shall lie ivaste, and our jsanctuary shall be spoiled, and he will require the profanation thereof at our month.’] Judith cunningly aggravates the fault which they had committed, in being so dispirited, and ready to deliver up their city, from a consideration of a more public nature; viz., that on the safety and preservation of the city.of Bethulia depended even that of the holy city Jerusalem, and consequently of their temple and altar,.and the right and regular performance of their whole religious.service; as it was not allowable to offer sacrifice any where else but at the temple, it would, therefore, she insinuates, be an instance both of great weakness and rashness, to form a resolution to give up the city, if not-relieved in five days; as it would be exposing at the same time their whole nation to the common danger, to defend which, and their most holy rites from being discontinued or profaned, they ought rather courageously to shed the very last drop of their blood, than to pursue such an unadvised measure, to the hazard of the common safety. There is a great variety in the Greek copies here; some have, on ev ry XqtpSrivat i7//ac, ovrtoc ko^/jo^tcu 7racra 7)’lovSala. Others, ovrc iv Tt$ \r)<p$rivat r?//ac, ovtiog kAtj^Z/o^tcu, k. r. A. To which agrees the Geneva version, which has, Neither when we shall be taken, will Judea be so famous; and in one wc have KavSZ/o-cra*. Our translators seem to have followed a copy different from the rest, which placed the comma after ovTwg; as does Junius likewise, Nequevero si deprehendamur ita, nominabitur Judea amplius.
For our servitude shall not be directed to favour, but the Lord our God shall turn it to dishonour. The Geneva version has, Our servitude shall not be directed by favour; i e. The slavery we shall bring upon ourselves will not procure us the more favour; that we shall not have the better treatment for our tamencss in yielding, we may be assured from the example of other nations who have submitted. Junius seems to take it in this sense, when he renders, Non enim reddetur servitus nostra gratiosa. — Nous ne pourrons leur plaire par toutes nos soumisions, Nous ne trouverons point graces h leursyeux, says Calmet, in loc.
Now, therefore, O brethren, let us shew an example to our brethren, because their hearts depend upon its. ‘E£ fjfuov KpifiaTcu 77 ypvxh cvrwv. Though Judith knew the great consternation and fright in which the besieged were, and their disposition to surrender; yet she would not address herself personally to the body of the people, notwithstanding she might with good reason have expected to have raised their drooping spirits, and made them resolute by what she had to offer. But she chooses to “apply herself only to the chief men of the city, to let them know and understand, that being the ancients and rulers of the people, and by consequence their life and soul, on whom they depended and placed all their hope; it was their duty, on so importanta conjuncture, to animate them by their example, and to betray no signs of fear or despondency themselves, but rather to act like their great forefathers, who were troubled on every side, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. For it has not only a bad aspect, but is generally attended with evil consequences, when those who are at the head of affairs appear themselves dispirited; and they are so mucji the more blamable herein, as by their pusillanimity they cast a damp and panic upon others, and probably will be thought to have contributed, through their discouragement, to any future miscarriage that may ensue. Jn like manner, as, when generals, who have the command of an army, and ought to animate and encourage the soldiers by their martial spirit and example, betray themselves signs of fear, and backwardness to engage; if afterward it happens that they are vanquished by the enemy, they aTe deservedly in disgrace with their prince, as being the real, the reputed occasion, at least, of the great loss sustained. A learned writer thinks the rendering here would be more proper, Their hearts agree, or conspirewith lis, according to the use of the verb in some parts of Scripture, as Luke xix. 48. (See Hammond, in loc.) But the former sense I think more agreeable to the context, especially if we read l£ vfxiov KplfxdTdt, as “some copies have it, and is confirmed by the Vulgate rendering.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God, which trieth us, even as he did onr fathers. In this and the two following verses, there is an excellent advice given to all •such as at any time labour under afflictions, and it consists of the.following particulars: 1. That they are of such a nature, that instead of being uneasy under them, men should rather give God thanks for them. 2. That they are graciously designed, and rather kind admonitions, than any real tokens of God’s displeasure. 3. That God’s most faithful servants, the patriarchs and prophets, have been visited in the same manner, for the examination of their hearts, and the trial of their patience. To which the Vulgate adds a fourth reason, That murmuring provokes God to inflict heavier judgments, as he did on the Israelites of old in the, wilderness on that account. The words of that version are very observable; Illi autem qui tentationes non suscepernnt cum timore Domini, et impatientiam saam, et improprium murmurationis sua contra Dominum protulerunt, exterminati sunt ab exterminator e, et a serpentibus perierunt; exactly agreeing with the very words of St. Paul, 1 Cor. x.
Then said Ozias to her, All that thou hast spoken, hast thou spoken with a good heart, and there is none that may gainsay thy ivords. The inhabitants of Bethulia do not seem hitherto to have made the least effort to defend themselves, no blood spilt, jio remedy attempted. Thirst pressed them sore, and yet they had not the courago to attempt the Assyrian guard, that had seized upon the fountains and reservoirs of water. It was not without rea- 4Q2