Job 35:3 Kommentar

Job being still silent, Elihu follows his blow, and here, a third time, undertakes to show him that he had spoken amiss, and ought to recant. Three improper sayings he here charges him with, and returns answer to them distinctly: - I. He had represented religion as an indifferent unprofitable thing, which God enjoins for his own sake, not for ours; Elihu evinces the contrary (Job 35:1-8). II. He had complained of God as deaf to the cries of the oppressed, against which imputation Elihu here justifies God (Job 35:9-13). III. He had despaired of the return of God's favour to him, because it was so long deferred, but Elihu shows him the true cause of the delay (Job 35:14-16).

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 35 Is this chapter Elihu goes on to charge Job with other unbecoming speeches, which he undertakes to refute; as that he had represented his cause more just than God's, and religion and righteousness as things unprofitable to men, only to God; to which Elihu takes upon him to make answer, Job 35:1; and that the cries of the oppressed were not heard by the Lord, so as to give occasion to songs of praise and thankfulness, to which he replies, Job 35:9; and that Job had expressed diffidence and despair of ever seeing and enjoying the favour of God, which he endeavours to remove, Job 35:14.

I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee. Meaning not his three friends, as the Septuagint version expresses it; for they were not on the side of Job, and of the same sentiment with him, but rather on the side of Elihu; especially Eliphaz, who expresses much the same sentiment he does, Job 22:2; but all that were of the same mind with Job, whether present or absent, or in whatsoever part of the world; the answer he should return to him would serve for them all, and sufficiently confute such a bad notion of God, let it be embraced by whomsoever. ; but all that were of the same mind with Job, whether present or absent, or in whatsoever part of the world; the answer he should return to him would serve for them all, and sufficiently confute such a bad notion of God, let it be embraced by whomsoever. Job 35:5 job 35:5 job 35:5 job 35:5Look unto the heavens, and see,.... The firmament of heaven, in which are the sun and moon and stars: and behold the clouds which are higher than thou; the clouds of the air or sky, which are lower than the starry heavens, yet these were higher than Job, and much more the starry heavens: but because the word has the signification of "thinness", which does not so well agree with the clouds, which are thick substances, condensed air; some take it to be meant of the supreme region of the heavens, which is pure and thin; so Sephorno: and Job is directed to look to these, not as stargazers do, such as are given to judicial astrology, to judge of the fates of men and kingdoms; but rather thereby to be led to the contemplation of God the author of them, and the glorious perfections of his being they display; and chiefly to observe the height of them, that they were out of his reach, and he could neither help them nor hurt them; that he could neither increase nor diminish the light of the celestial bodies, which he could only behold; nor either advance or hinder their course, nor in the least add to or abate their influence and efficacy; and if he could neither be beneficial nor harmful to them, how was it possible that he could be of any advantage or detriment to God, by any actions of his, good or bad, who is higher and out of sight? This is the answer Elihu in general returned, he more particularly replies as follows.

“He said, you do not like what is virtuous.” Elihu says that holy Job had a wrong opinion about God, and these words are gathered from his reflections, because God is offended by this fact, as Job ascribes to him the errors of others. “What advantage will you get if I sin?” This concept is even more evident in another passage, “What advantage did I get from not committing sin?” That is, What else would I have suffered because of the iniquity of my actions, if I received such misfortunes after my dedication to virtue? “I will answer you and your friends with you.” Since your friends taught you to agree with a wrong opinion about the judgments of God, so that you think to be righteous. Whereas God is unjust, now I will take care to answer in order to confute you and them.

For thou saidst, that which is right doth not please thee, or what will it profit thee, if I shall have sinned. If the whole course of the book is attended to, blessed Job is proved to have said none of these things. But haughty men, as we have also said before, are wont to have this peculiarity, that while they go on in violent invective, they also speak falsely in their inveighing, and that, when they cannot justly blame the things which exist, they reprehend, in their falsehood, those which do not exist.

Eliud distinctly says that Job had this intention, "For you said: Good does not please you, (or in another text, 'what is right') or what does it profit you if I sin?" These two sayings are never found in what Job has said, but the first of them, that good does not please God, he seems to find in what Job had said in Chapter Ten, "If I am wicked, woe is me! And if I am just, I will not raise my head." (v. 15) When Job has said this he meant that the just and the unjust are equally afflicted with temporal punishments, but Eliud interpreted him to have almost said that the justice of man does not please God. The second thing he says is, "what does it profit you if I sin?" One can find no text in which Job had said this, but he wanted to take this from what Job had said in the same place, "If I have sinned and you spared me for a little, why do you not allow me to be cleansed from my evil?" (10:14) Job had said this to show that temporal prosperity does not always accompany innocence, for he had been innocent in other respects in the time of prosperity, after he renounced his sins. So there was no reason why after the remission of his sins he should again be cleansed from sins by God. But Eliud twisted these words around as though Job held this opinion: that God had brought in his sin and the punishment of sin because of his own utility. From these two things: that God was not pleased with what is good and that he considered sin useful to him, it seems to follow that Job was more just than God since he had said about himself that evil displeased him and good pleased him.

Elihu accuses Job of impious speeches, Job 35:1-4. No man can affect God by his iniquity, nor profit him by his righteousness, Job 35:5-8. Many are afflicted and oppressed, but few cry to God for help; and, for want of faith, they continue in affliction, Job 35:9-16.

What advantage will it be unto thee? - As if he had said to God, "My righteousness cannot profit thee, nor do I find that it is of any benefit to myself." Or perhaps Elihu makes here a general assertion, which he afterwards endeavors to exemplify: Thou hast been reasoning how it may profit thee, and thou hast said, "What profit shall I have in righteousness more than in sin?"

(Job 35:1-16) more than--rather as in Job 9:2; Job 25:4 : "I am righteous (literally, my righteousness is) before God." The English Version, however, agrees with Job 9:17; Job 16:12-17; Job 27:2-6. Job 4:17 is susceptible of either rendering. Elihu means Job said so, not in so many words, but virtually.

Rather, explanatory of "this" in Job 35:2, "That thou sayest (to thyself, as if a distinct person) What advantage is it (thy integrity) to thee? What profit have I (by integrity) more than (I should have) by my sin?" that is, more than if I had sinned (Job 34:9). Job had said that the wicked, who use these very words, do not suffer for it (Job 21:13-15); whereby he virtually sanctioned their sentiments. The same change of persons from oblique to direct address occurs (Job 19:28; Job 22:17).