Job 03

In the conversations Job speaks 9 times, Bildad 3 times, Elipha 3 times, Zophar 2 times, God 1 time, and Elihu 1 time.

Job three friends believed that the suffering was sent to man for punishment for their sins. God tries to teach us that we ought not to expect to understand all the mysteries of God' creation and govenment of the universe.

Job 3-31 Condensed Comments
3:1,3 Cursed day of birth
3:6 Cursed night of conception
3:11 Wished dead at birth or v 16, stillborn
4:7 Eliphaz: Innocent don’t suffer
4:12-15 Claims superior knowledge from fearful vision
5:9, 16 Both statements true, but that doesn’t prove Job was being chastened.
6:2,3,9 Job’s grief and despair
6:14 Job desires pity, not condemnation 7:14 Job rejects dreams that cause fear, as Eliphaz, 4:12-21 Also 33:7.
8:2 Bildad calls Job’s words wind
8:6 It is human reasoning that all good people prosper
8:20-22 God won’t cast us away permanently
9:2 Answer to Job’s humble question, only through Christ
10:15 Both the righteous and sinners suffer, and Job is confused to despair 18,19 11:6 Zophar cruel and judgmental, Job is punished less than he deserved Job’s rebuttal, he has as much wisdom as they do
13:15 Job’s faithful testimony “Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.”
13:26 Don’t dwell on the past if sins have been confessed and forgiven
14:7,10 Job compares man to futility as a tree, but v 14 looks for resurrection
15:20 Eliphaz’ untrue assumption that wicked continually suffer
16:2,4,5 Job wouldn’t treat these miserable comforters that way.
16:19 They can accuse, but God knows his record
17:10 All three friends did not show wisdom by their accusations
18:3,4 Bildad was upset by that and laid more accusations
19:25-27 Great statement of our Redeemer and our future
20:3 Zophar didn’t like the rebuke and argues, then a huge list of accusations
21:7 Job’s question is a common one yet, followed with wicked prospering
22:5-8 Eliphaz makes bold, vicious, false accusations
23:10-12 Job’s confidence and his great testimony of praiseing God’s word
24:24 After a whole chapter of wicked getting by, it is only in this life
25:4 Out of argument, Bildad just repeats that man can’t be pure before God
26:7,8 Job understands creation and continuation of God’s control
27:3-6 Job’s great pledge to be faithful to God as long as he has breath
28: 25-28 He knows of atmospheric pressure etc. but fear of the Lord is wisdom
29:5 Chapter of reminiscing on when God was obviously with him.
30:1 Now held in derision, humiliation throughout this chapter.
31:1 Everyone should make a similar covenant
31:2-40 Eighteen “if” behaviors that should result in judgment. Job stops talking.

KING JAMES BIBLE

1 AFTER this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.
2 And Job spake, and said,
3 Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
4 Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.
5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.
7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.
8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.
9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:
10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.
11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?
12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?
13 For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,
14 With kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;
15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:
16 Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.
18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.
19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.
20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;
21 Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures;
22 Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?
24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters.
25 For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26 I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

KING JAMES 1611

1After this, opened Iob his mouth, and cursed his day.

2And Iob spake, and said,

3Let the day perish, wherein I was borne, and the night in which it was said, There is a man-childe conceiued.

4Let that day bee darkenesse, let not God regard it from aboue, neither let the light shine vpon it.

5Let darkenes and the shadowe of death staine it, let a cloud dwell vpon it, let the blacknes of the day terrifie it.

6As for that night, let darkenesse seaze vpon it, let it not be ioyned vnto the dayes of the yeere, let it not come into the number of the moneths.

7Loe, let that night be solitarie, let no ioyfull voice come therein.

8Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise vp their mourning.

9Let the starres of the twilight thereof be darke, let it looke for light, but haue none, neither let it see the dawning of the day:

10Because it shut not vp the doores of my mothers wombe, nor hid sorrowe from mine eyes.

11Why died I not from the wombe? why did I not giue vp the ghost when I came out of the bellie?

12Why did the knees preuent mee? or why the breasts, that I should sucke?

13For now should I haue lien still and beene quiet, I should haue slept; then had I bene at rest,

14With Kings and counsellers of the earth, which built desolate places for themselues,

15Or with Princes that had golde, who filled their houses with siluer:

16Or as an hidden vntimely birth, I had not bene; as infants which neuer saw light.

17There the wicked cease from troubling: and there the wearie be at rest.

18There the prisoners rest together, they heare not the voice of the oppressour.

19The small and great are there, and the seruant is free from his master.

20Wherefore is light giuen to him that is in misery, and life vnto the bitter in soule?

21Which long for death, but it commeth not, and dig for it more then for hid treasures:

22Which reioice exceedingly, and are glad when they can finde the graue?

23Why is light giuen to a man, whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?

24For my sighing commeth before I eate, and my roarings are powred out like the waters.

25For the thing which I greatly feared is come vpon me, and that which I was afraid of, is come vnto me.

26I was not in safetie, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet: yet trouble came.

Compare Verses to Verses

III == Job 10:18-19 ; Jer 15:10 ; 20:14

V == Job 10:21-22 ; 16:16 ; 28:3 ; Ps 23:4 ; 44:19 ; 107:10 , 14 ; Jer 13:16 ; Amos 5:8 ; 8:10

VIII == Jer 9:17-18

IX == Job 41:18

XI == Job 10:18

XII == Gen 30:3 ; Isa 66:12

XIV == Job 15:28

XVI == Ps 58:8

XVIII == Job 39:7

XX == 1st Sam 1:10 l 2nd Kings 4:27 ; Prov 31:6 ; Jer 20:18

XXI == Prov 2:4 ; Rev 9:6

XXIII == Job 19:8 ; Lam 3:7

THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE

1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.

2 Job spoke out and said:

3 Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, "The child is a boy!"

4 May that day be darkness: let not God above call for it, nor light shine upon it!

5 May darkness and gloom claim it, clouds settle upon it, the blackness of night affright it!

6 May obscurity seize that day; let it not occur among the days of the year, nor enter into the count of the months!

7 May that night be barren; let no joyful outcry greet it!

8 Let them curse it who curse the sea, the appointed disturbers of Leviathan!

9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened; may it look for daylight, but have none, nor gaze on the eyes of the dawn,

10 Because it kept not shut the doors of the womb to shield my eyes from trouble!

11 Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?

16 Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light?

12 Wherefore did the knees receive me? or why did I suck at the breasts?

13 For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; had I slept, I should then have been at rest

14 With kings and counselors of the earth who built where now there are ruins

15 Or with princes who had gold and filled their houses with silver.

17 There the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest.

18 There the captives are at ease together, and hear not the voice of the slave driver.

19 Small and great are there the same, and the servant is free from his master.

20 Why is light given to the toilers, and life to the bitter in spirit?

21 They wait for death and it comes not; they search for it rather than for hidden treasures,

22 Rejoice in it exultingly, and are glad when they reach the grave:

23 Men whose path is hidden from them, and whom God has hemmed in!

24 For sighing comes more readily to me than food, and my groans well forth like water.

25 For what I fear overtakes me, and what I shrink from comes upon me.

26 I have no peace nor ease; I have no rest, for trouble comes!

COMMENTARIE

Chapter 3 is Job’s first dialogue with his counselors.

v 1-3. After another week of sitting in agony, Job curses the fact he was born, but he does not curse God.

v 4-6. Five times in these verses, Job longs for thick darkness, amounting to the reversal of creation, then his agony would not be.

v 7-10. He wishes that the night of his conception had never taken place, and that his mother’s womb been closed so that he would never have existed to have sorrow. Egyptians could draw out a crocodile with a hook in it’s lower jaw, but this type dinasaur they could not.

v 11-15. Since conception did take place, he wishes he had been miscarried or stillborn. That quiet rest would have been better than his present condition. It was a position that could be shared by notable people.

v 17-19. Again he longs to have been born dead and be free from all the troubles of life. He would have the same rest as dead small and great, prisoners and servants.

v 20-26. Since he was conceived and born, now he wishes that he could die as an adult. Others also in trouble long for death as they would hidden treasure, but they live on. He had taken concern, v 25, for his children, his servants and himself, yet the trouble came. He asks why, but does not yet speak of this as an injustice.