Wesley's Notes on the Bible Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak. 18:2 Ye - Thou, O Job; of whom he speaks here, as also ver.3, in the plural number, as was a common idiotism of the Eastern language, to speak thus of one person, especially where he was one of eminency. Mark - Consider the matter better.
Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight? 18:3 Beasts - Ignorant, and stupid men, chap.17:4,10.
He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place? 18:4 He - Job. Thou art thy own tormentor. Forsaken - Shall God give over the government of the earth for thy sake, to prevent thy complaints and clamours? Shall the counsels of God, which are more immoveable than rocks, and the whole course of his providence be altered to comply with thy humours?
Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.
The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.
The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. 18:7 Steps - His strong steps, by a vulgar Hebraism: his attempts and actions; such of them as seem to be contrived with greatest strength of understanding, and carried on with greatest resolution. Straitened - Shall be hindered and entangled. He shall be cast into difficulties and perplexities, so that he shall not be able to proceed, and to accomplish his enterprizes.
For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. 18:8 Feet - By his own designs and actions.
The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him.
The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.
Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side.
It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength. 18:13 First - born - A terrible kind of death. The first - born was the chief of his brethren, and therefore this title is given to things eminent in their kind.
His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. 18:14 Confidence - All the matter of his confidence, his riches, and children. Terrors - To death, which even Aristotle called, The most terrible of all terribles. And this it will do, either because it will expose him to his enemies, who will kill him; or because the sense of his disappointments, and losses, and dangers, will break his heart.
It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. 18:15 It - Destruction, expressed ver.12, shall fix its abode with him. Because - Because it is none of his own, being got from others by deceit or violence. Brimstone - It shall be utterly destroyed, as it were, by fire and brimstone. He seems to allude both to the destruction of Sodom, which happened not long before these times, and to the judgment which befel Job, chap.1:16.
His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off.
His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. 18:18 Darkness - From a prosperous life to disgrace and misery, and to the grave, the land of darkness.
He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings.
They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted. 18:20 Astonied - At the day of his destruction. They shall be amazed at the suddenness, and dreadfulness of it. Before - Before the persons last mentioned. Those who lived in the time and place where this judgment was inflicted.
Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him that knoweth not God. 18:21 The place - The condition. Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible by John Wesley [1754-65] Bible Hub |
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