JOB I. ! איש היה בארץ עוץ איוב שמו והיה האיש ההוא תם 2 וישר וירא אלהים וסר מרע: ויולדו לו שבעה בנים ? 3 ושלש בנות: ויהי מקנהו שבעת אלפי צאן ושלשת אלפי גמלים וחמש מאות צמד בקר וחמש מאות אתונות ועבדה רבה מאד ויהי האיש ההוא גדול מכל 4 בני קדם: והלכו בניו ועשו משתה בית איש יומו 4 ושלחו וקראו לשלשת אחיתיהם לאכל ולשתות fire, but אש man, according to some, a root, with others from איש. most probably from reality, subsistence, to be. n hollow. earth, from p¶ to run, to break, pw to exist. in, from Uz. Vide Gen. x. Job, the persecuted constitute, hence a 23, perhaps from ny to make firm, to devise. one, from ' to persecute, an enemy. D to put, name. 1 his, for in or a he. DN to finish, hence perfect. Here perfect in parts, not in degree. Vide c. ix. 20. 30, 31.* * to direct, hence up Arab אלה God, perhaps from אלהים .to fear, to reverence ירא .ight to reverence. D to decline, to depart. yn to be evil, evil. 2. to beget, to bear. nyaw seven, from yaw to satisfy, also seven. בנות .a daughter, plur בנת for בת to build, hence בנה a son, from בן .three שלש * For Job to have written this, would have been greater self-commendation, than that for which he was reproved; it is improbable that he was the author, and impossible that he should record his own death. The style is not that of the pentateuch; every argument, therefore, which proves Moses to have written those five books, will equally prove that he did not write this. Chap. xxxii. 15, 16. point us to Elihu as the writer, this is confirmed by his age, knowledge, presence as a spectator, and the coincidence of his sentiments with the divine decision. JOB I. 1 THERE was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. 4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters, to eat and to drink with them. 3. pp possession, acquisition, cattle, from p to possess. plur. small cattle, sheep.* a camel; as a verb, to return, or to requite. on to array, five. 8 plur. 8 an hundred. Dy to couple, a pair, or yoke. p a beeve, collectively, a herd of bulls or cows; as a verb, to look. ¡n plur. Mas a she-ass, from is strong, may the servants of the household, a female servant, from y to serve, a servant. 17 and fem. 27 many, from 7 to multiply. strength, very great, very. to increase, to become great. all, from 3 to finish. Dp to be before, also antiquity, the east. בית .to drink שתה a feast, from משתה .to make עשה .to go הלך .4 house, perhaps from ♫ a hollow vessel, and both from hollow, or rather the same. Dr day, supposed to be from D'or, or from to agitate. n to send. to call. ns and is a sister, plur. n's sisters, from as to connect. to eat. nn to drink. Dy with. and on them, they, as a verb, to agitate. * In this account of Job's wealth we find no mention of money. In Abraham's day, metals, when given as a price, were taken by weight. Ch. xlii. 11, has therefore been alleged as an argument against the antiquity of this book; but nowp is rendered" a piece of money," without authority. That word occurs beside only in Gen. xxxiii, 19, T 5 עמרם: ויהי כי הקיפו ימי המשתה וישלח איוב ויקדשם והשכים בבקר והעלה עלות מספר כלס כי אמר איוב אולי חטאו בני וברכו אלהים בלבבם ככה יעשה כל הימים: ויהי היום ויבאו בני האלהים 6 איוב כל ? להתיצב על יהוה ויבא גם השטן בתוכם: ויאמר יהוה אל השטן מאין תבא ויען השטן את יהוה ויאמר * משוט בארץ ומהתהלך בה: ויאמר יהוה אל השטן השמת לבך על עבדי איוב כי אין כמהו בארץ איש קדש.to send שלח .4 .see ver בשתה .day יום .to revolve נקף or יקף .5 to sanctify. □ to be diligent, to rise early. pa to search, the morning. ספר a number, from מספר .עלות .to ascend, a burnt-offering, plur עלה because, for, surely, from כי .to finish כלה all, from כל .to enumerate to restrain. to speak, to say. " perhaps, from ↳ ignorance, grossness. Un to miss, to deviate, to sin. see ver. 2. 1 to bless. This word is used as a valediction, 2 Sam. xix. 39. So it may be here," and have taken leave of God in their heart." This sense of a renunciation, rather than a curse, should perhaps be given in ver. 11, in ch. ii. 5. 9, and in I Kin. xxi. 10-13, which are the only places in and Joshua xxiv. 32, in which places the Chaldee Targ. Septuag. and Vulgate render it a young sheep, or lamb. That this book was written near the days of the patriarchs, we infer from the length of the life of Job; his being the priest of his family; from the style and manner of writing; the mention of the deluge, and the destruction of Sodom; and from its silence with respect to Israel, the destruction of the Egyptians, and the law given at Sinai; and that therefore it is a precious relic of the true religion as anciently possessed by the nations. If these ideas be correct, this is the oldest book in the world. Confucius was probably contemporary with Cy. rus; Homer and Hesiod with Elijah; Sanchoniathon with Gideon; but this was before Moses, who must have delivered it to the Israelites; since the Jews have always acknowledged its authority, know no later reception of it, and would probably have received a Gentile book from no other hand. 5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Saan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth. 8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? to move auf לבב .1 .ver אלהים .which it has been taken in an evil sense and down, the heart. is the same. n in this manner, from in, and thus, from an to restrain. Twy to do, to observe, pr day. 6. N to come, or go. 3 to stand, or place. Jehovah. Vide ante Gen. ii. 5. num. 154. Da also. joy to oppose, an adversary, Satan. pn the midst, from ♫ to be within. 7. &D from whence. » from, and I's the same as 18 and 8 whither, from ns to occur. & vide ver. 6. ny to answer. now or UV to move to and fro. ver. 1. n to walk, to change place.* 8. D to put, or place. ver. 5. Tay to serve, a servant. not, from jis vanity, labour. M and Ɔ like him. I as, and in him, perhaps from who. For the other words, see ver. 1. * It can be no valid objection to this history of Job, that the important truth, that God by a wise providence governs the affairs of men and devils, suffering them all to act according to their natures, and yet producing good out of the whole, should be represented in the form of a parable. The facts, which are recorded in this book relative to Job, might according to the ideas of men be referred to such a conversation between the Lord and Satan, as their precursor, though it did not actually obtain. Vide 1 Kings xxii. 19. 11 9 תם וישר ירא אלהים וסר מרע: ויען השטן את יהוה 19 ויאמר החנם ירא איוב אלהים: הלא את שכת בעדו ובעד ביתו ובעד כל אשר לו מסביב מעשה ידיו ברכת ומקנהו פרץ בארץ: ואולם שלח נא ידך וגע בכל אשר ו לו, אם לא על פניך יברכך: ויאמר יהוה אל השטן הנה 12 כל אשר לו בידך רק אליו אל תשלח ידך ויצא השטן ויהי היום ובניו ובנתיו אכלים 15 מעם פני יהוה: ויהי היום ובניו ושתים יין בבית אחיהם הבכור: ומלאך בא אל 14 איוב ויאמר הבקר היו חרשות והאתנות רעות על 15 ידיהם: ותפל שבא ותקחם ואת הנערים הכו לפי 15 חרב ואמלטה רק אני לבדי להגיד לך: עוד זה מדבר וזה בא ויאמר אש אלהים נפלה מן השמים 16 9. My to answer. Din causelessly, out of kindness, from in to have affection for. Y to fear. 10. n or s thou, to approach. to fence, or hedge. w behind, 19 סבב the environs, circumference, from סביב .without, for defence .to do עשה a work, or deed, from מעשה .to turn סב,form a circuit a ftossession מקנה .to bless ברך .to extend ידה from ידים .the hand, plur קנה .to burst forth, or increase פרץ .to acquire from 11. D yet, notwithstanding, from Dhs to compress. nhw to reach forth. now, to fail. ya to touch. if, a mother, a city. No no, not, from 8 to fail. by upon, from hy to ascend. ' plur. the face, from 5 to turn. to bless, to renounce, see ver. 5. 12. jo to oppose. all, from n to finish. the hand, from 77 to cast forth. only, yet, except, vain, and in Hiph. to empty. " and to, unto, from 8 to interpose. is a particle of prohibition, or from beforte מעם .to go forth יצא .to cast forth שלח .negation, not, no from with. from, and by with, before. 13. to eat. n to drink. I wine, from nr to press. n'y a house from л a large measure called a bath, or from 1 to build, see |