On the left hand, where he doth work; literally, in his workshop. There is an ellipse after "workshop" of some phrase like "I look for him." But I cannot behold him; rather, but I apprehend him not— I cannot as it were, lay my hand upon him ( LXX ; οὐ κάτεσχον ). He hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him ; literally, and I do not see him. read more
Behold, I go forward - The meaning of these verses is, I go in all directions, but I cannot find God. I am excluded from the trial which I seek, and I cannot bring my cause to his throne. Job expresses his earnest desire to see some visible manifestation of the Deity, and to be permitted to argue his cause in his presence. But he says he sought this in vain. He looked to all points of the compass where he might rationally expect to find God, but all in vain. The terms here used refer to the... read more
On the left hand - That is, in the North - at the left hand when the face was turned to the East. So the Chaldee, בצפונא - “on the North.” The other versions, the Vulgate, the Septuagint, the Syriac, Castellio, Luther, etc., render it “on the left hand.” The common term among the Hebrews for the “North” is צפון tsâphôn - (from צפן tsâphan - “to hide,” or “conceal”), meaning the hidden, concealed, or dark region, since the ancients regarded the North as the seat of gloom and darkness, (Homer,... read more
Job 23:8-9. I go forward קדם , kedem, ad orientem, toward the east: אחור , achor, ad occidentem, toward the west; so the Vulgate, which is likewise the interpretation of the Jewish commentators, who by the left hand, and the right, in the next verse, understand the north and the south. They have a tradition that Adam was created with his face placed toward the east, that he might see the rising sun. From whence they say the east was to him kedem, the anterior part of the... read more
Job’s reply to Eliphaz (23:1-24:25)Again Job says that he is not rebelling against God or running away from him as his friends claim. On the contrary he wants to meet God, so that he can present his case to him and listen to God’s answer (23:1-5). He is confident that God will declare him innocent of the charges people have made against him (6-7).No matter where Job has searched for God, he has not found him. He cannot see God, but God can see him. God knows he is upright, and one day, when... read more
8. But I wish in vain. For "behold," c. forward . . . backward—rather, "to the east—to the west." The Hebrew geographers faced the east, that is, sunrise: not the north, as we do. So "before" means east: "behind," west (so the Hindus). Para, "before"—east: Apara, "behind"—west: Daschina, "the right hand"—south: Bama, "left"—north. A similar reference to sunrise appears in the name Asia, "sunrise," Europe, "sunset" pure Babylonian names, as RAWLINSON shows. read more
9. Rather, "To the north." work—God's glorious works are especially seen towards the north region of the sky by one in the northern hemisphere. The antithesis is between God working and yet not being beheld: as in :-, between "He goeth by," and "I see Him not." If the Hebrew bears it, the parallelism to the second clause is better suited by translating, as UMBREIT, "doth hide himself"; but then the antithesis to "behold" would be lost. right hand—"in the south." hideth—appropriately, of the... read more
2. Job’s third reply to Eliphaz chs. 23-24Job temporarily ignored Eliphaz’s groundless charges of sin and proceeded to reflect on the problem of God’s injustice."The first part of this speech is superb. The option placed before Job by Eliphaz has clarified his thinking. He has come to quite different conclusions, and he expresses them in a soliloquy, for he does not appear to be addressing either Eliphaz or God." [Note: Andersen, p. 207.] read more
Job’s innocence 23:8-12Wherever Job looked, he could not find God. Two paraphrases of Job 23:10 are these. Because (the first word in the verse in Hebrew) He knows my ways, God is evading me. "He knows I am innocent and therefore is refusing to appear in court, for once He heard my case He would have to admit to injustice." [Note: Zuck, Job, p. 108.] A better explanation, I think, follows."A more literal translation . . . yields: ’But he (God) knows (his) way with me.’ Because God knows what He... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Job 23:8-12
Job to Eliphaz: 2. A child of light walking in darkness. I. THE CHILD OF LIGHT . That Job was entitled to be so described will appear from a consideration of: 1 . The creed he professed. It is obvious that Job believed in: 2 . The character he maintained. Besides being an intellectual believer in God, Job was: (a) cheerfully, making God's way his way, like the Messianic Sufferer ( Psalms 40:7 , Psalms 40:8 ), and like Christ ( John 6:38 ); (b) perpetually,... read more