Job 29:19 Ulasan

After that excellent discourse concerning wisdom in the foregoing chapter Job sat down and paused awhile, not because he had talked himself out of breath, but because he would not, without the leave of the company, engross the talk to himself, but would give room for his friends, if they pleased, to make their remarks on what he had said; but they had nothing to say, and therefore, after he had recollected himself a little, he went on with his discourse concerning his own affairs, as recorded in this and the two following chapters, in which, I. He describes the height of the prosperity from which he had fallen. And, II. The depth of the adversity into which he had fallen; and this he does to move the pity of his friends, and to justify, or at least excuse, his own complaints. But then, III. To obviate his friends' censures of him, he makes a very ample and particular protestation of his own integrity notwithstanding. In this chapter he looks back to the days of his prosperity, and shows, 1. What comfort and satisfaction he had in his house and family (Job 29:1-6). 2. What a great deal of honour and power he had in his country, and what respect was paid him by all sorts of people (Job 29:7-10). 3. What abundance of good he did in his place, as a magistrate (Job 29:11-17). 4. What a just prospect he had of the continuance of his comfort at home (Job 29:18-20) and of his interest abroad (Job 29:21-25). All this he enlarges upon, to aggravate his present calamities; like Naomi, "I went out full," but am brought "home again empty."

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 29 In this chapter Job gives an account of his former and wishes it was with him now as then; and which he describes with respect to his own person, and the favours he personally enjoyed, whether temporal or spiritual, Job 29:1; with respect to his family and domestic affairs, Job 29:5; with regard to the esteem he had from men of every age and station, Job 29:7; the reasons of which were the mercy and compassion he showed to the poor, the fatherless, and the widow, and the justice he administered in the execution of his office as a magistrate, Job 29:12; in which honour and prosperity he expected to have lived and died, Job 29:18; and which he further describes by the respect he had among men, and the power and authority he exercised over them, Job 29:21.

My root was spread out by the waters,.... According to our version and others, Job here, and in the following verses, gives the reasons of his hope and confidence of his long life, and quiet and comfortable death amidst all his prosperity and happiness; which were founded upon his flourishing circumstances, and the great respect that was shown him among men; and this is the sense, if we read the words in the past tense, as we and many others do; or in the present tense, "my root is spread", &c. as others; but there are some interpreters, both Jewish and Christian (b), that render them in the future tense, here and to the end of the chapter; and so they are a continuation of Job's hope and trust, in the times of his prosperity, that things would always continue as they were with him, and much more abundantly; and indeed all is true of Job, in every sense, and all may be taken into the account; and that these words, and the following, as they describe what had been, and at the then present time, when he concluded the above in his mind, was his case, so they may also declare what he believed would be always his case to the end of his days. Here he compares himself to a tree well rooted and happily situated by plenty of water, and which may be expressive both of his temporal and spiritual prosperity: his outward prosperity seemed to him to have been well settled and established, being like a tree that had taken root, and was like to continue, being watered with the favour and blessing of God, which maketh rich; and as to his spiritual estate, he was like a tree planted by a river of water, to which good men are often compared in Scripture, Psa 1:3; they are in general called trees of righteousness, and are sometimes likened to particular trees, as to olives, cedars, and palm trees; and some think, as Pineda, that it is to the latter Job here has respect; the last clause of Job 29:18 being in the Latin Vulgate version so rendered as to countenance this sense; and it may be observed that this tree having thick long leaves, and fruit full of juice, and its wood spongy, requires much water; and, as Pliny (c) says, delights in watery places; nor is it content with rain, but is better satisfied with waters flowing about it; hence it is often found necessary to dig about it, and lay its roots open, that the waters may more easily come at them, and flow about them (d) and so the words here in the original text are, "my root" was, is, or shall be "open to the waters" (e): good men, as they are rooted in the love of God, and in the person of Christ, so they have, as Job had, the root of the matter in them, the truth of grace, or a principle of grace; which is watered, and kept alive and flourishing, by the love and favour of God shed abroad in the heart; by fresh supplies of grace out of the fulness of Christ, who is the fountain of gardens, and well of living waters; and by the means of grace, the word and ordinances, the still waters to which saints are led, and by which they are made to lie down, and where they are watered, refreshed, and comforted: and the dew lay all night upon my branch; so that the water being at his root below, and the dew on his branch above, he must be in a fruitful and flourishing condition: the dew is a great blessing to the earth, to trees, herbs, and plants, and the cause of great fertility; and this may respect Job's temporal happiness, in the health and prosperity of his children, who were to him what branches are to a tree; and in the affluence of worldly good things, with which through the blessing of God, as dew upon him, he abounded; and may also have regard to his spiritual affairs: believers in Christ are branches in him, as Job was one; and the dew of divine grace and favour lies upon them continually, even in the darkest seasons; which revives and refreshes their souls, and makes them fruitful in the exercise of grace, and performance of good works; see Pro 19:12; the dew falls in the night, and the sooner it fails the longer it lies, and is most useful: some render the words "upon my harvest", or "mowing" (f); the dew is of great use in harvest time; mowers and reapers choose the morning to work in, when the stalks are moistened by the dew; and which is of use to keep the ears of corn from shedding by swelling the fibres, and so retaining the grains in their proper places (g); see Isa 18:4. (b) Jarchi, Ben Gerson, Bar Tzemach, Schmidt, Schultens. (c) Nat. Hist. l. 13. 4. (d) Palladius apud Scheuchzer, ut supra (Physic. Sacr. l. vol. 4.), p. 759. (e) "aperta ad aquas", Montanus, Bolducius, Mercerus, Cocceius, Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens. (f) "in messe mea", Montanus, Tigurine version; "in segete mea", Cocceius; so the Targum. (g) Vid. Scheuchzer, ut supra. (Physic. Sacr. l. vol. 4. p. 759.)

My root is opened beside the waters. And the dew shall stay on my harvest. For 'by the waters the root is opened,' when, for receiving the streams of truth, secretly the thought of the mind is spread out. For as we have already said in a former book, in Holy Writ by the term of 'the root' the hidden thought is used to be denoted. Therefore 'our root we open by the waters,' when to the Interior watering we stretch the thought of the secret heart. Which same words if we carry on to the voice of Holy Church, her 'root' must be taken for the very Incarnation of our Redeemer itself. Which 'root is opened by the waters,' in that God Invisible by the assumption of His Manhood was laid open to the regardings of our sight. Since the Creator, Who was not able to be seen in the Godhead, took to Him from us that whereby He might by us be seen. So 'the root is opened by the waters,' because the Author of the human race by means of His human nature is manifested to human beings. Whence also it is rightly said by the Psalmist, And he shall be like a tree that is planted beside the runnings of waters. For 'the runnings of waters' are the daily passings by of peoples dying off. And Truth saith concerning Itself, If they do these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? And so there 'is a tree beside the runnings of waters,' because, whilst putting forth fruit and the covering of His shade for us, the Creator appeared in the flesh, that by a rising again He might stay the human race, which by a falling off was day by day going on into death. And the dew shall stay on my harvest. Understand, I said. For the harvest of Holy Church is not inappropriately taken to be, when perfect souls withdrawn from their bodies, like ripe crops cut away from the ground, are transported into the heavenly granaries; which same because it takes place not by our own power, but by heavenly grace vouchsafing it, he saith well, And the dew shall stay on my harvest. For the dew falls from above, but the harvest is gathered in from below. And so 'the dew stays on the harvest,' because grace coming from above causes it, that we should be meet persons to be gathered in from the world below. For by that same grace watering us from above, we bear the fruit of good practice. Whence also it is rightly said by Paul, But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace, which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain. For if it be enquired what is the dew coming from above, he tells us, By the grace of God I am what I am. If we look at the crop growing up beneath the dew, he says, And His grace was not in vain in me, but I laboured more abundantly than they all.

The words “I shall be perfected like the reeds,” that is, I will end my days [by becoming full] of riches, by germinating and growing like the palm tree and the reeds and the [vegetables] planted along the edge of water. Henana says, “As the reeds spring up and reach a great height in a short time, so I shall be completed and perfected.”

Second he describes the continuity of his prosperity as to riches, and he describes their increase saying, "My root is open out near the water." For trees which have roots near the waters often produce an abundance of fruit. So by this expression he refers to the increase of temporal fruits. The fruits of a man happen sometimes to increase, but because of some impediments preventing him, he is unable to harvest them, and to exclude this he says, "and dew will remain in my harvest." For in hot countries the harvesters cannot work in a field to harvest, because of the stifling character of the summer, but a cloud of dew gives them coolness so that they are not impeded from the harvest as Isaiah said, "Like a cloud of dew on the days of the harvest." (Isaiah 18:4)

We must not despise correction. The prudent king. The flatterer. The just judge. Contend not with a fool. The prince who opens his ears to reports. The poor and the deceitful. The pious king. The insolent servant. The humiliation of the proud. Of the partner of a thief. The fear of man. The Lord the righteous Judge.

My root was spread out by the waters - A metaphor taken from a healthy tree growing beside a rivulet where there is plenty of water; which in consequence flourishes in all seasons; its leaf does not wither, nor its fruit fall off. See Psa 1:3; Jer 17:8.

(Job 29:1-25) Job pauses for a reply. None being made, he proceeds to illustrate the mysteriousness of God's dealings, as set forth (Job 28:1-28) by his own case.

Literally, "opened to the waters." Opposed to Job 18:16. Vigorous health.