| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 And yet, I pray thee, O Job, Hear my speech and [to] all my words give ear. |
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| 2 Lo, I pray thee, I have opened my mouth, My tongue hath spoken in the palate. |
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| 3 Of the uprightness of my heart [are] my sayings, And knowledge have my lips clearly spoken. |
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| 4 The Spirit of God hath made me, And the breath of the Mighty doth quicken me. |
Spirit of God – Invisible influence. R4519:6*
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| 5 If thou art able answer me, Set in array before me station thyself. |
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| 6 Lo, I [am], according to thy word, for God, From the clay I I also, have been formed. |
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| 7 Lo, my terror doth not frighten thee, And my burden on thee is not heavy. |
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| 8 Surely thou hast said in mine ears, And the sounds of words I hear: |
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| 9 'Pure [am] I, without transgression, Innocent [am] I, and I have no iniquity. |
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| 10 Lo, occasions against me He doth find, He doth reckon me for an enemy to Him, |
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| 11 He doth put in the stocks my feet, He doth watch all my paths.' |
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| 12 Lo, [in] this thou hast not been righteous, I answer thee, that greater is God than man. |
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| 13 Wherefore against Him hast thou striven, When [for] all His matters He answereth not |
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| 14 For once doth God speak, and twice, (He doth not behold it.) |
Once, yea twice – Thinking men observe the persistency with which questions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, are forced upon their consideration, demanding an expression of their individual principles. B152
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| 15 In a dream a vision of night, In the falling of deep sleep on men, In slumberings on a bed. |
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| 16 Then He uncovereth the ear of men, And for their instruction sealeth: |
Then he openeth – With the thunder tones of the day of trouble. B153
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| 17 To turn aside man [from] doing, And pride from man He concealeth. |
From his purpose – From his own purpose. B153
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| 18 He keepeth back his soul from corruption, And his life from passing away by a dart. |
Soul from the pit – The being from death. R205:4, R277:1
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| 19 And he hath been reproved With pain on his bed, And the strife of his bones [is] enduring. |
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| 20 And his life hath nauseated bread, And his soul desirable food. |
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| 21 His flesh is consumed from being seen, And high are his bones, they were not seen! |
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| 22 And draw near to the pit doth his soul, And his life to those causing death. |
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| 23 If there is by him a messenger, An interpreter one of a thousand, To declare for man his uprightness: |
Messenger – As defender. R5402:6
Among a thousand – A rare one. R5402:6
To shew – To declare. R5402:6
His uprightness – His own righteousness for man. R5402:6
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| 24 Then He doth favour him and saith, 'Ransom him from going down to the pit, I have found an atonement.' |
Then he – God. R5402:6
Him – Man. R5402:6
Deliver – Release him. R5402:6
Down to the pit – Of death, or the grave. R5402:6; E462
Found a ransom – Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom price for all by paying the death penalty that was upon Adam, a corresponding price. R5402:6, R4154:3; E462
God will not let the sinner go unconditionally, but because he has found a ransom. R324:4, R1058:5
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| 25 Fresher [is] his flesh than a child's, He returneth to the days of his youth. |
He shall return – Restitution. R5402:6
Youth – To perennial youth, in which death and decay will find no place. R5402:6
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| 26 He maketh supplication unto God, And He accepteth him. And he seeth His face with shouting, And He returneth to man His righteousness. |
Pray unto God – Communion with God. R5402:6
Favourable – They shall find acceptance with God. R5402:6
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| 27 He looketh on men, and saith, 'I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me. |
I have sinned – An acknowledgment that God is just and that the restitution was unmerited will be required. R5402:6
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| 28 He hath ransomed my soul From going over into the pit, And my life on the light looketh.' |
Deliver – Redeem. R5402:6
See the light – May be brought to the light. R5402:6
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| 29 Lo, all these doth God work, Twice thrice with man, |
Oftentimes – Margin: twice and thrice. Based on this and on Amos 2:4, the Jewish rabbis limited the granting of forgiveness to a repentant wrong-doer to three times; but our Lord taught forgiveness times without number. R2665:3
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| 30 To bring back his soul from the pit, To be enlightened with the light of the living. |
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| 31 Attend, O Job, hearken to me, Keep silent, and I I do speak. |
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| 32 If there are words answer me, Speak, for I have a desire to justify thee. |
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| 33 If there are not hearken thou to me, Keep silent, and I teach thee wisdom. |
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