1 Call now, if there be any that wil answere thee, and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne?
2 For wrath killeth the foolish man, and enuy slayeth the silly one.
3 I haue seene the foolish taking roote: but suddenly I cursed his habitation.
4 His children are farre from safetie, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliuer them.
5 Whose haruest the hungry eateth vp, and taketh it euen out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth vp their substance.
6 Although affliction commeth not forth of the dust, neither doeth trouble spring out of the ground:
7 Yet man is borne vnto trouble, as the sparkes flie vpward.
8 I would seeke vnto God, and vnto God would I commit my cause:
9 Which doth great things & vnsearchable: marueilous things without number.
10 Who giueth raine vpon the earth, and sendeth waters vpon the fields:
11 To set vp on high those that be low; that those which mourne, may be exalted to safetie.
12 Hee disappointeth the deuices of the craftie, so that their hands cannot performe their enterprise.
13 He taketh the wise in their owne craftinesse: and the counsell of the froward is caried headlong.
14 They meete with darkenesse in the day time, and grope in the noone day as in the night.
15 But he saueth the poore from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mightie.
16 So the poore hath hope, and iniquitie stoppeth her mouth.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almightie.
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth vp: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 Hee shall deliuer thee in sixe troubles, yea in seuen there shall no euill touch thee.
20 In famine he shall redeeme thee from death: and in warre from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hidde from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction, when it commeth.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall bee in peace; and thou shalt visite thy habitation, and shalt not sinne.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy seede shalbe great, and thine offspring as the grasse of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy graue in a full age, like as a shocke of corne commeth in, in his season.
27 Loe this, wee haue searched it, so it is; heare it, and know thou it for thy good.
Eliphaz urges that the sin of sinners in their ruin. (1-5) God is to be regarded in affliction. (6-16) The happy end of God's correction. (17-27)1-5 Eliphaz here calls upon Job to answer his arguments. Were any of the saints or servants of God visited with such Divine judgments as Job, or did they ever behave like him under their sufferings? The term, "saints," holy, or more strictly, consecrated ones, seems in all ages to have been applied to the people of God, through the Sacrifice slain in the covenant of their reconciliation. Eliphaz doubts not that the sin of sinners directly tends to their ruin. They kill themselves by some lust or other; therefore, no doubt, Job has done some foolish thing, by which he has brought himself into this condition. The allusion was plain to Job's former prosperity; but there was no evidence of Job's wickedness, and the application to him was unfair and severe.
6-16 Eliphaz reminds Job, that no affliction comes by chance, nor is to be placed to second causes. The difference between prosperity and adversity is not so exactly observed, as that between day and night, summer and winter; but it is according to the will and counsel of God. We must not attribute our afflictions to fortune, for they are from God; nor our sins to fate, for they are from ourselves. Man is born in sin, and therefore born to trouble. There is nothing in this world we are born to, and can truly call our own, but sin and trouble. Actual transgressions are sparks that fly out of the furnace of original corruption. Such is the frailty of our bodies, and the vanity of all our enjoyments, that our troubles arise thence as the sparks fly upward; so many are they, and so fast does one follow another. Eliphaz reproves Job for not seeking God, instead of quarrelling with him. Is any afflicted? let him pray. It is heart's ease, a salve for every sore. Eliphaz speaks of rain, which we are apt to look upon as a little thing; but if we consider how it is produced, and what is produced by it, we shall see it to be a great work of power and goodness. Too often the great Author of all our comforts, and the manner in which they are conveyed to us, are not noticed, because they are received as things of course. In the ways of Providence, the experiences of some are encouragements to others, to hope the best in the worst of times; for it is the glory of God to send help to the helpless, and hope to the hopeless. And daring sinners are confounded, and forced to acknowledge the justice of God's proceedings.
17-27 Eliphaz gives to Job a word of caution and exhortation: Despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. Call it a chastening, which comes from the Father's love, and is for the child's good; and notice it as a messenger from Heaven. Eliphaz also encourages Job to submit to his condition. A good man is happy though he be afflicted, for he has not lost his enjoyment of God, nor his title to heaven; nay, he is happy because he is afflicted. Correction mortifies his corruptions, weans his heart from the world, draws him nearer to God, brings him to his Bible, brings him to his knees. Though God wounds, yet he supports his people under afflictions, and in due time delivers them. Making a wound is sometimes part of a cure. Eliphaz gives Job precious promises of what God would do for him, if he humbled himself. Whatever troubles good men may be in, they shall do them no real harm. Being kept from sin, they are kept from the evil of trouble. And if the servants of Christ are not delivered from outward troubles, they are delivered by them, and while overcome by one trouble, they conquer all. Whatever is maliciously said against them shall not hurt them. They shall have wisdom and grace to manage their concerns. The greatest blessing, both in our employments and in our enjoyments, is to be kept from sin. They shall finish their course with joy and honour. That man lives long enough who has done his work, and is fit for another world. It is a mercy to die seasonably, as the corn is cut and housed when fully ripe; not till then, but then not suffered to stand any longer. Our times are in God's hands; it is well they are so. Believers are not to expect great wealth, long life, or to be free from trials. But all will be ordered for the best. And remark from Job's history, that steadiness of mind and heart under trial, is one of the highest attainments of faith. There is little exercise for faith when all things go well. But if God raises a storm, permits the enemy to send wave after wave, and seemingly stands aloof from our prayers, then, still to hang on and trust God, when we cannot trace him, this is the patience of the saints. Blessed Saviour! how sweet it is to look unto thee, the Author and Finisher of faith, in such moments!
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.