Carefully Examining the Text

 What is the truth and error of Bildad’s words? Bildad says several things about the fate of the wicked that are elsewhere said in the Old Testament about the end of the wicked. 18:5 The light of the wicked goes out. This is stated in Proverbs 13:9; 20:20; 24:20.   18:7 The schemes of the wicked bring him down. This is stated frequently in Scripture in Psalm 7:15-16 and Prov. 26:27. 18:11, 14 Terr...

Job 18:1-4 Bildad asks why Job regards him and his friends as ignorant 18:5-21 Bildad's description of the wicked man  Ways Bildad's description of the wicked agrees with Eliphaz’ description of the wicked 18:5-6, 18 Darkness is the ultimate dwelling of the wicked 15:22-23, 30 18:16 A plant that is destroyed 15:30b, 32-33 18:15 Fire plays a part in his destruction 15:30, 34 18:7 His succ...

 What does Job 17 say? About the friends- 17:2, 4, 5, 10, 12 God Himself- 17:3, 6 About Job and his hopeless situation- 17:1, 7, 11, 13-16 Jesus and Job 17 17:2 Jesus was surrounded by mockers- Servants of God often found themselves as surrounded by hostile mockers (Ps. 119:51; Jer.20:7) and Jesus is the ultimate illustration of this (Ps. 22:7, 12; Matt. 27:29, 41).   He was surrounded by them eve...

16:18 O earth, do not cover my blood- The earth is sometimes called to witness men’s sins (Deut. 30:15-20; Isa. 1:2; Micah 6:1-2) but here Job calls upon it to testify of His innocence.   Job’s longs for the earth not to cover his blood . The phrase cover his blood also appears in Gen. 37:26; Isa. 26:21. In Gen. 4:10 the voice of Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Blood represented life itsel...

16:7-14 God is ferociously and relentlessly attacking Job. God is the subject of almost all the verbs in this unit . The name El, God , is used in vs. 11. Most of the verbs are 3rd masculine singular with the subject being He (vs.7a, 8b, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14).  Verse 10 is the exception to this because it used 3rd person plural verbs translated they. Eliphaz stated that Job is attacking God in 15:25-...

We seek to establish in the podcast on vs. 20-35 that many of the things said about the wicked by Eliphaz are pictured as judgments upon the wicked throughout the Bible. If that is so, what is wrong with Eliphaz speech? He is not wrong about the punishment of the wicked, but he wrong in classing Job among the guilty. Second, Eliphaz is not wrong about the judgment of the wicked, but do all these j...

15:2 Should a wise man answer with windy knowledge- The words that Job uses are not typical of a wise man. Eliphaz will hit Job with a barrage of questions.  And fill himself with the east wind? The east wind comes off the desert and produces great discomfort (Jonah 4:8), destruction of crops (Gen. 41:6, 23, 27; Ezek. 17:10; 19:12), the tearing apart of ships (Ps. 48:7; Ezek. 27:26), brings locust...

14:13 Is Sheol far enough away from God to be used as a hiding place ( Ps. 139:8; Amos 9:2)? The question must be asked, Is there any time or space to hide from the wrath of the eternal, omnipresent God? Jesus is the safe hiding spot from the wrath of God (Ro. 3:21-26; I Thess. 1:10).  14:13 The thief on the cross begged Jesus to remember him in Luke 23:42-43.  14:14 If he had hope of resurrection...

Job 14:1-12 Job has been confident that he would win in a court case before God but now his mood changes and he is overwhelmed by the brevity of life. Job moves from a description of his personal situation to the people in general.   14:1 Man, who is born of woman- The word man, adam , begins the verse and therefore is stressed. The phrase born of woman is only in Job in the OT. The expression inc...

The different textual views on Job 13:15 The textual difficulties and translation of this verse is the most disputed in the book.   13:15 Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him- KJV Though He slay me, I will hope in Him- NASB God might kill me, but I have no other hope- NLT  What does the Hebrew text say? In the main Hebrew text, the Codex Leningradensis, there is a negative lo, no before the...

 12:13-25 God reverses people’s fortunes (I Sam.2:1-10; Ps. 113:5-8) and does so in the life and death of Jesus ( Luke 1:46-56).  Job has stressed the sovereignty of God in bringing disaster upon the greatest of men. But the sovereign one stepped into history in the person of Jesus and man have insulted, rejected, and murdered the King and the LORD.    12:13 All these terms for wisdom, strength, c...

12:4 I am a joke to my friends- The LXX omits lines a and b of verse 4. His friends should have provided support, but he is a laughingstock to them. This same word sechoq can mean laughter (8:21) or laughingstock in Jer. 20:7; Lam. 1:7; 3:14; Ps. 31:11-12; 35:15; 41:9; 69:10-12. While generally it is the wicked who mock the righteous, Ps. 52:5-7 is an occasion for the righteous mocking the wicked....

11:7 Can you discover the depths of God? These questions of Zophar expect a negative reply. The same Hebrew word is behind the word discover in both parts of the sentence.  The NASB preserves that idea by translating this with the same English word. It is often translated find and is used in Job 28:12 when the question where is wisdom found used. The word depths is from a Hebrew word (cheqer) used...

10:8 Your hands fashioned me and made me altogether,-  Job 31:15; Ps. 119:73 The word hands is the same word used in vs. 7. The God whose hands formed Job is the same God from whose hands there is no deliverance. The verb fashioned is used of the making of an idol in Hos. 8:4. Jer. 44:19. God’s hands fashioned us and in rebellion man’s hands fashion gods (idols).  And would You destroy me?- The wo...

Job 10 10:1 I loathe my own life- This uses a different Hebrew word for loathes than is used in 9:21. 10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;- He is addressing God. With all he has said about the impossibility of receiving a fair trial before God, He is still the One to whom Job turns.  Let me know why You contend with me- Contend is a form of the Hebrew rib, a word often used in a legal conte...

Jesus’ Fulfillment of Job 9:14-35  Job is not stating a prediction of the Messiah but is expressing a longing, a desire. Job was longing for an umpire who could somehow go between himself and God and lead to Job receiving a fair trial and being pronounced innocent before God.  The word for umpire in the NASB was translated mediator in the LXX. In the NT this word is used of the work of Jesus in I...

What does Bildad say that is right? 1.He says God does not pervert justice. If this were not true, there would be no moral order to the universe. There would be no hope that righteousness would ultimately prevail. Thankfully, God’s throne is built on righteousness and justice (Ps. 33:5; 89:14; 97:2; 99:4). These qualities are what God expects of His rulers (II Sam. 8:18; I Kings 10:9; Jer. 22:15-1...

Jesus and Job 7 7:1-2 Jesus confronted with unbelief from the disciples and crowd asked, “How long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?” Matt. 17:17; Mark 9:19. In a sense Jesus was like a hired man counting his days (Isa. 16:14; 21:16).  7:5 While Job suffered horribly in his flesh, Jesus’ flesh was beaten in scourging and suffered the horrors of crucifixion.    7:9 Jesus did go...

6:1-13 Job gives a defense of Himself Several writers on Job say that the various speakers say little about the previous speech or speakers. A strong point of Habel’s commentary is that he points out connections between the various speakers . First, there are several vocabulary connections between Eliphaz in Job 4-5 and Job’s speech in Job 6. The word ‘anguish’ in 6:2 is the same word translated ‘...

5:17 Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves- Ps. 94:12; Prov. 3:11-12; 23:12, 23; Heb. 12:5-11; Rev. 3:19. How happy in 5:17 is the word translated blessed in Ps. 1:1.   5:18 For He inflicts pain, and gives relief- Deut. 32:39; I Sam. 2:6; Isa.19:22; 30:26; Hos. 6:1.  Job 1:21; 2:10 Each of the speakers understood the sovereignty of God in the affairs of the world.   He wounds, and His han...

5:8-16 The doxology of Eliphaz There are similar doxologies in Job 9:4-12 and 12:13-25. 5:8 But as for me, I would seek God- (Amos 5:4, 6) The Hebrew text actually says but I seek God .   Is seeking God in this passage to inquire of the LORD as the word sometimes means in Gen. 25:22; Ex. 18:15; I Kings 14:5; 22:8; II Kings 1:3, 6,16; II Kings 22:18; II Chron. 32:31; Ezek. 14:7; 20:1.    5:9 Who do...

4:1-6 Introduction to Eliphaz’ first speech to Job 4:7-11 Eliphaz: We reap what we sow 4:12-16 Eliphaz’ dream vision  4:17-21 The content of the vision What is wrong with what Eliphaz says? The statements of Job 4:7-8 seem to be the basis of the argument of Eliphaz against Job. The idea that we reap what we sow is a fundamental Biblical truth uttered often in Scripture ( Hos. 8:7; 10:12; Prov. 11:...

The Bible is God’s message, God’s word (II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21). However, in the Bible there are speakers that say things that are incorrect or particularly designed to deceive. For example, the words of the serpent, the devil in Gen. 3:4-5; Matt. 4:1-11. The words of false prophets are recorded in I Kings 22:9-12 or Jer. 28:1-4 and false accusations against John and Jesus are record...

3:13 For now I would have lain still and been quiet- When Job lays down he gets no rest (7:4). Job’s point “not that death is so wonderful, but that life has become intolerable. Wilson. Again, the term Sheol is not used in the passage but that is clearly the idea.  I would have been asleep then I would have been at rest- Rest is a great blessing of God tied with receiving the land of promise Ex. 3...