Giobbe 23:9 Commento

This chapter begins Job's reply to Eliphaz. In this reply he takes no notice of his friends, either because he saw it was to no purpose or because he liked the good counsel Eliphaz gave him in the close of his discourse so well that he would make no answer to the peevish reflections he began with; but he appeals to God, begs to have his cause heard, and doubts not but to make it good, having the testimony of his own conscience concerning his integrity. Here seems to be a struggle between flesh and spirit, fear and faith, throughout this chapter. I. He complains of his calamitous condition, and especially of God's withdrawings from him, so that he could not get his appeal heard (Job 23:2-5), nor discern the meaning of God's dealings with him (Job 23:8, Job 23:9), nor gain any hope of relief (Job 23:13, Job 23:14). This made deep impressions of trouble and terror upon him (Job 23:15-17). But, II. In the midst of these complaints he comforts himself with the assurance of God's clemency (Job 23:6, Job 23:7), and his own integrity, which God himself was a witness to (Job 23:10-12). Thus was the light of his day like that spoken of, Zac 14:6, Zac 14:7, neither perfectly clear nor perfectly dark, but "at evening time it was light."

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 23 This and the following chapter contain Job's reply to the last oration of Eliphaz; in this he first declares his present sorrowful estate and condition, Job 23:1; wishes he knew where to find God, as a judge sitting on a throne, before whom he might lay his cause, and plead it, and have his judgment and final decision passed upon it; when he doubted not but he would deal favourably with him, and both admit him and strengthen him, to plead his own cause, and would acquit him for ever from the charges laid against him, Job 23:3; in order to which he sought for him everywhere, but could not find him, but contents himself with this, that God knew his way; and that, after trial of him, he should shine like pure gold, and appear to be no apostate from him, but one sincerely obedient to his commands, and a true lover of his word, Job 23:8; and as for his afflictions, they were the result of the unalterable purposes and appointments of God: but what gave him the greatest uneasiness was, that there were more of that sort yet to come, which filled him with fears and faintings, with trouble and darkness, Job 23:13.

But he knoweth the way that I take,.... This he seems to say in a way of solace to himself, comforting and contenting himself, that though he could not find God, nor knew where he was, or what way he took, nor the reasons of his ways and dispensations with the children of men, and with himself, yet God knew where he was, and what way he took; by which he means either the way he took, being directed to it for his acceptance with God, his justification before him, and eternal salvation; which was his living Redeemer, he looked unto by faith for righteousness and eternal life: or rather the way and manner of life he took to, the course of his conversation, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, in the paths of piety and truth, of righteousness and holiness; and this God knew not barely by his omniscience, as he knows all the ways of men, good and bad; his eyes are upon them, lie compasses them, and is thoroughly acquainted with them; but by way of approbation, he approved of it, and was well pleased with it, it being so agreeable to his revealed will, so pure and holy; thus the Lord knows the way of the righteous, Psa 1:6; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold; as pure as gold, as free from dross as that, appear quite innocent of the charges brought against him, and shine in his integrity. He was as valuable and precious as gold, as all God's people are in his esteem, however reckoned of by others; they are precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold; not that they have any intrinsic, worth in themselves, they are in no wise the better than others by nature; but through the grace of God bestowed on them, which is as gold tried in the fire; and through the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, which is gold of Ophir, and clothing of wrought gold; and, on account of both, they are like a mass of gold, and are the chosen of God, and precious: this gold he tries, the Lord trieth the righteous; and which he does by afflictive providences; he puts them into the furnace of affliction, which is the fiery trial to try them; and hereby their graces are tried, their faith, hope, love, patience, &c. their principles and doctrines they embrace, whether they are gold, silver, and precious stones, or whether wood, hay, and stubble; the fire tries every man's work, of what sort it is, and whether they will abide by them and their profession also, whether they will adhere to it; and by this means he purges away their dross and tin, and they come out of the furnace as pure gold in great lustre and brightness, as those in Rev 7:13; now Job was in this furnace and trying; and he was confident that, as he should come out of it, he should appear to great advantage, pure and spotless; though it may be he may have respect to his trial at the bar of justice, where he desired to be tried, and be brought under the strictest examination; and doubted not but he should be acquitted, and shine as bright as gold; nay, these words may be given as a reason why God would not be found by him as his Judge to try his cause, because he knew his uprightness and integrity, and that he must go from him acquitted and discharged; and therefore, for reasons unknown to him, declined the judging of him; to this purpose Jarchi interprets the words, which may be rendered, "for he knoweth the way that I take" (a); and therefore will not be seen by me, nor appear to judge me: "he hath tried me"; again and again, and has seen the integrity of my heart, as Sephorno interprets it, and well knows my innocence; see Psa 17:3; and if he would try me again, "I shall come forth as gold"; quite clear of all charges and imputations; I am able to stand the strictest scrutiny: this he said as conscious of his uprightness, and of his strict regard to the ways and word of God, as follows; but this was a bold saying, and an unbecoming expression of his to God; and of which he afterwards was ashamed and repented, when God appeared and spoke to him out of the whirlwind. (a) "quia", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Piscator, Michaelis; "nam", Tigurine version, Cocceius, Schultens.

If I go to the East, He appeareth not; if I go to the West, I shall not understand Him; if I go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him; if I turn myself to the right hand I shall not see Him. For the Creator of all things is not in a part, inasmuch as He is every where. And then He is found the less, when He, That is whole every where, is sought in a part. For the Incomprehensible Spirit containeth all things within Itself, Which at the same time both while filling encompasseth, and while encompassing filleth, both in supporting overtops, and in overtopping supports; and it is well that after it had been said, if I go to the East, He appeareth not; if I go to the West, I shall not understand Him; if I go to the left hand, what shall I do? I shall not comprehend Him; if I turn myself to the right hand I shall not see Him; he thereupon added, But He knoweth the way that I take. As if he said in plain words, 'I am unable to see Him, Who seeth me, and Him that beholdeth me most minutely, I have no power to behold:' that is to say, that he might shew that He is so much the more heedfully to be feared, in proportion as He is not discernible. For He Who so beholds us that He may not be by us beheld, is so much the more to be dreaded in proportion as in seeing all things He is not seen in the least degree. For when we believe that there is anyone hidden in ambush to assault us, we dread him the more that we do not at all see him; and when we do not at all discover his ambush where it is placed, we apprehend it even there where it does not exist. And our Creator, Who is whole every where, and while discerning all things is not discerned, is the more to be dreaded in proportion as continuing invisible, what He may determine concerning our actions and at what time is not known. Which words, too, may be understood in another sense also. For we 'go to the East,' when we lift up our mind in thinking of His Majesty. But 'He appeareth not,' seeing that such as He is in His own Nature, by mortal thought He cannot be seen to be. If I go to the West, I shalt not understand Him; we 'go to the west,' when the eye of the heart that is lifted up in God, but made to recoil by the mere immensity of the light, we bring back to our own selves, and being spent with labour, we learn that the thing is very much above us which we were seeking; and viewing our own mortal condition find out that as yet we are creatures unfit to have the power to behold One that is Immortal. If I go to the left hand what shall I do? I shalt not comprehend Him. To 'go to the left hand' is to yield one's self to the enjoyments of our sins. And it is surely plain, that he cannot 'apprehend God,' who still in the gratification of sin lies prostrate along the left side. If I turn myself to the right side I shall not see Him. He truly is 'turned to the right hand,' who is lifted up on the ground of virtuous attainments. But he cannot see God, who is glad with selfish joy for his good deeds; because in that man the swelling of pride weighs down the eye of the heart. Whence it is well said elsewhere, Thou shalt not decline to the right hand nor to the left. In all which particulars the soul very often searches out itself, nor yet is able perfectly to find out itself.

The real meaning is this, “Suppose I willingly submit the judgment of my actions to the eyes of the Lord.” What happens to me? God is invisible in his nature. Will I look for him in those material things that are before me? He cannot be seen. He is before me, but I do not perceive him. When he moves to the left, I cannot grasp him, and when he is on the right, I cannot see him at all. These words do not mean that God passes from one place to another bodily or by moving, but they intend to show that he is present everywhere and, nonetheless, escapes our perception and cannot be comprehended by us. “If I am no longer,” that is, “If I further extend my research, I will be out of myself and dizzy in reflection while I try to comprehend what is incomprehensible.”

Lest someone think that he said, "Who will give me the ability to know him, find him, and approach his throne?" (23:3) because he believed that God was closed in a corporeal place or could be known sufficiently through creatures, he then says, "If I go to the East, he does not appear." Consider that according to Aristotle there are six different positions in the heavens: up and down, right and left, and anterior and posterior. The principle of motion of the whole firmament appears clearly in the East. The beginning of motion in each animal is from the right. If, therefore, we imagine the motion of the firmament as the motion of an animal, it is necessary to place the right side of heaven in the East, the left in the West, up to the South and down to the North, anterior in the Northern Hemisphere, and posterior in the Southern Hemisphere as if to say: If we were to imagine a man who with his right hand moves the heaven from the East toward the Northern Hemisphere. The consequence would be that he would hold his head toward the South and his feet to the North, his anterior part would be towards the Northern Hemisphere, the posterior part of the man, his back, towards the Southern Hemisphere. Yet others did not consider the disposition of the human body so much as the order of the motion of the heaven, and placed the higher part of heaven in the Eastern part, because the motion begins there; however, they have put the right part of heaven in the South towards which the motions of the planets move from our perspective. Thus by opposition the lower part of heaven is found in the West, the left part of heaven in the North. The words of Job seem to proceed in this way, for he divides the left and the right opposite the East and the West. So one can simply understand that God is not contained in any part of the heavens as in a place, and so the sense would be, "I go to the East and he is not," that is, a being neared there as if he existed there as in a place. "If I go to the West, I will not understand him," as though he were closer, and were contained there, "or if I turn to the left," that is, towards the North, "what will I do? I will not grasp him intellectually," since he is not situated there materially. "If I turn to the right," that is, towards the South, "I will not see him," as though he existed there. Or these words can be understood not to exclude local presence from God, but to show that he cannot be investigated sufficiently by means of lower effects. Among all the effects apparent in corporeal things, the most universal and the greatest one is the motion of the vault of heaven. Although the principle of this motion clearly appears to be in the East, still the principle of this motion does not sufficiently demonstrate the infinity of divine power, and so he says, "If I go to the East," namely, by the progress of my consideration, as if reflecting on the principle of the motion of the vault of heaven, "he does not appear," sufficiently in this consideration. The second effect of the divine power in corporeal things is the motion of the planets which is contrary to the motion of the vault of heaven. So its beginning is found in the West. One cannot sufficiently consider divine power on the basis of this motion either, and so he continues, "If (understood, 'I will turn') to the West," if I go to the West considering the motion of the planets, "I will not understand him." He says this very clearly: this motion is understood more from the difference in place of the planets than in what appears to the eyes. From the northern part there seems to us to be no principle but darkness, because the sun never appears from this part. Darkness impedes action according to John, "Night comes when no one can work," (9:4) and so he says, "If to the left," if I go ahead with my reflection "what will I do?", for I do not find anything there but the absence of action, and so no trace will be given to know him. So he adds, "I will not understand him," in any way at all. In the southern part we find the principle of light because of the luminous bodies which appear to us from that direction, and so he continues, "If I turn," by consideration, "to the right," to the southern part of the sky, "I will not see him," as if to say: I will find corporeal light there, yet he cannot be seen through this.

Sobriety in eating and drinking, especially at the tables of the great. Have no fellowship with the covetous. Remove not the ancient landmark. Children should receive due correction. Avoid the company of wine-bibbers. Obedience to parents. Avoid lewd connections. The effect of an unfeeling conscience.

On the left hand, where he doth work - In these two verses Job mentions the four cardinal points of the heavens: the East, by the word קדם kedem, which signifies before; the West, by אחור achor, which signifies after, or the back part; the North, by שמאל semol, which signifies the left; and the South, by ימין yamin, which signifies the right. Such is the situation of the world to a man who faces the east; see Gen 13:9, Gen 13:11; Gen 28:14. And from this it appears that the Hebrews, Idumeans, and Arabs had the same ideas of these points of the heavens. It is worthy of remark that Job says, He hideth himself on the right hand, (the south), that I cannot see him: for in fact, the southern point of heaven is not visible in Idumea, where Job was. Hence it comes that when he spake before, Job 9:9, of the constellations of the antarctic pole, he terms them the hidden chambers of the south; i.e., those compartments of the celestial concave that never appeared above the horizon in that place - See Calmet. Mr. Good translates these verses as follows: - Behold! I go forward, and he is not there; And backward, but I cannot perceive him. On the left hand I feel for him, but trace him not: He enshroudeth the right hand, and I cannot see him. The simple rendering of Coverdale is nervous and correct: - For though I go before, I fynde hym not: Yf I come behynde, I can get no knowledge of him: Yf I go on the left syde to pondre his workes, I cannot atteyne unto them: Agayne, yf I go on the right syde, he hydeth himself, That I cannot se him.

JOB'S ANSWER. (Job 23:1-17) to-day--implying, perhaps, that the debate was carried on through more days than one (see Introduction). bitter-- (Job 7:11; Job 10:1). my stroke--the hand of God on me (Margin, Job 19:21; Psa 32:4). heavier than--is so heavy that I cannot relieve myself adequately by groaning.

Rather, "To the north." work--God's glorious works are especially seen towards the north region of the sky by one in the northern hemisphere. The antithesis is between God working and yet not being beheld: as in Job 9:11, between "He goeth by," and "I see Him not." If the Hebrew bears it, the parallelism to the second clause is better suited by translating, as UMBREIT, "doth hide himself"; but then the antithesis to "behold" would be lost. right hand--"in the south." hideth--appropriately, of the unexplored south, then regarded as uninhabitable because of its heat (see Job 34:29).