Job 19:23

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 19:23-29

In all the conferences between Job and his friends we do not find any more weighty and considerable lines than these; would one have expected it? Here is much both of Christ and heaven in these verses: and he that said such things as these declared plainly that he sought the better country, that is, the heavenly; as the patriarchs of that age did, Heb. 11:14. We have here Job's creed, or confession of faith. His belief in God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 19:23

O that my words were now written !.... Not his things F17 מלי "res meae", Polychronius apud Pinedam in loc. , as some render it, his affairs, the transactions of his life; that so it might appear with what uprightness and integrity he had lived, and was not the bad man he was thought to be; nor the words he had delivered already, the apologies and defences he had made for himself, the arguments he had used in his own vindication, and the doctrines respecting God and his providence... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 19:23

O that my words were now written! - Job introduces the important subject which follows in a manner unusually solemn; and he certainly considers the words which he was about to utter of great moment, and therefore wishes them to be recorded in every possible way. All the modes of writing then in use he appears to refer to. As to printing, that should be out of the question, as no such art was then discovered, nor for nearly two thousand years after. Our translators have made a strange mistake... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:1-29

Job begins his answer to Bildad's second speech by an expostulation against the unkindness of his friends, who break him in pieces, and torture him, with their reproaches (verses 1-5). He then once more, and more plainly than on any other occasion, recounts his woes. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:1-29

Unconquerable convictions. Job feels bitterly hurt by the speeches of Eliphaz and Bildad, and pleads, in face of their harsh constructions, for compassion in his unutterable sufferings. At the same time, he raises himself to bolder confidence in God's help than ever before. He expresses the definite hope that, if not on this side the grave, then on the other side, a justification awaits him by the personal appearance of God. I. INTRODUCTION : INDIGNANT CENSURE OF HIS FRIENDS ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:23

Oh that my words were written! It is questioned what words of his Job is so anxious to have committed to writing—those that precede the expression of the wish, or those that follow, or both. As there is nothing that is very remarkable in the preceding words, whereas the latter are among the most striking in the book, the general opinion has been that he refers to these last. It is now universally allowed, even by those whose date for Job is the most remote, that books were common long before... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:23

Written words. Job is supposed to sigh for the very thing that the poet has done for him. His words are written, and they have acquired a permanence and a publicity of which the patriarch could have had no conception. I. THE DESIRE FOR WRITTEN WORDS . Job is about to set forth a great conviction. He thinks it so important that he would have it recorded in the state chronicle, even chiselled and leaded in the face of the rock, like some great historic inscription. 1 . ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:23-29

Job to Bildad: 2. The inscription on the rock; of Job's faith in a redeemer. I. THE PREFACE TO THE INSCRIPTION ; OR , THE FERVENT WISH OF A DYING MAN . 1 . The culture of Job ' s times. The origin of writing is lost in the mists of antiquity. The earliest known mode of writing was by means of a sharp-pointed instrument—stylus, or engraving tool, made of iron or steel. The first materials used for writing on were leaves of trees, skins, linen cloths, metal or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 19:23-29

The Divine Vindicator. Job awaits a final "judgment," of which he reminds his friends (verse 29). At present he is the accused one; and all appearances go to condemn him. True, his "record is on high." He knows that he has held fast his integrity. But he looks forward to a final vindication. He would, therefore, have his words "written," "printed in a book," "graven with an iron pen and lead in the rook for ever." This is the final cry of the consciously upright one. It is the triumph of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 19:23

Oh that my words were now written! - Margin, as in Hebrew, “Who will give;” a common mode of expressing desire among the Hebrews. This expression of desire introduces one of the most important passages in the book of Job. It is the language of a man who felt that injustice was done by his friends, and that he was not likely to have justice done him by that generation. He was charged with hypocrisy; his motives were called in question; his solemn appeals, and his arguments to assert his... read more

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