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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 23:13-17

Some make Job to complain here that God dealt unjustly and unfairly with him in proceeding to punish him without the least relenting or relaxation, though he had such incontestable evidences to produce of his innocency. I am loth to think holy Job would charge the holy God with iniquity; but his complaint is indeed bitter and peevish, and he reasons himself into a sort of patience per force, which he cannot do without reflecting upon God as dealing hardly with him, but he must bear it because... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 23:15

Therefore am I troubled at his presence ,.... Not at his gracious presence, which he wanted, and every good man desires; but at his appearance as an enemy, as he apprehended him, laying and continuing his afflictive hand upon him, and indeed at his appearance as a Judge to try his cause; for though he had most earnestly desired it, yet when he thought of the sovereignty of God, and the immutability of his counsels, and of his perfect knowledge of all things; and he not knowing what he had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 23:16

For God maketh my heart soft ,.... Not tender as Josiah's was, 2 Kings 22:19 , or as the heart of every penitent is, when God makes it humble and contrite by his spirit and grace, or takes away the stony heart, and gives an heart of flesh; though Job had such an heart, and God made it so; but he means a weak, feeble, fearful heart, pressed and broken with afflictions, that could not endure and bear up under the mighty hand of God; but became as water, and melted like wax in the midst of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 23:17

Because I was not cut off before the darkness ,.... That is, it was amazing to him, and troubled him when he thought of it, that he was not cut off by death, before the darkness of afflictions, or this dark dispensation came upon him; as sometimes righteous ones are taken from the evil to come, as Methuselah was before the flood, Genesis 5:27 ; and Job wonders this was not his case, or at least he wishes it had been; for so Aben Ezra seems to understand and read the words, "why was I not... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 23:15

Therefore am I troubled - I do not as yet see an end to my afflictions: he has not exhausted his means of trial; therefore, when I consider this, I am afraid of him. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 23:16

For God maketh my heart soft - Prostrates my strength, deprives me of courage, so that I sink beneath my burden, and I am troubled at the thought of the Almighty, the self-sufficient and eternal Being. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 23:17

Because I was not cut off - " O, why can I not draw darkness over my face? Why may not thick darkness cover my face?" Mr. Good. This verse should be read in connection with the preceding; and then we shall have the following sense. Job 23:16 ; : "The Lord hath beaten down my strength, and my soul has been terrified by his fear." Job 23:17 ; : "For it is not this deep night in which I am enveloped, nor the evils which I suffer, that have overwhelmed me; I sink only through the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 23:1-17

Longing for the appearance of the delivering and justifying God. I. EXCLAMATION . ( Job 23:2-5 .) So bitter is his complaint, "his hand is heavy upon his groaning," i.e. he must force groan after groan out of himself. Oh that he knew where to find the judgment-seat of God, and that he might have the opportunity of pleading his cause! ( Job 23:3-5 ). He possesses still "faith and a good conscience," those best jewels of a Christian ( 1 Timothy 1:5 ), and can think of appearing... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 23:13-17

Job to Eliphaz: 3. A meditation on the Divine Being. I. LOFTY THOUGHTS CONCERNING GOD . 1 . The unity of the Divine nature. "For he is in one mind;" literally, "for he is in one" (verse 13). The interpretation which regards this as an allusion to the absolute majesty and undivided essence of the Deity, as in the sublime monotheistic confession of Israel ( Deuteronomy 6:4 ), though not accepted by all expositors, is yet pronounced by most to be perfectly admissible. How far... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 23:14-17

The humbled and overwhelmed sufferer. The position of Job is one of confusion and unexplained mystery. He is in the hands of the Almighty. His punishment, as some affirm it to be, is very heavy. It at times seems to be greater than he can bear. Yet he is uncondemned within. He holds fast to his integrity. Like his friends, he interprets sufferings into punishments for sin. Yet he is not conscious of sin, certainly not of sin to such a degree as to merit such heavy judgment. He is confounded.... read more

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