Job 4:19 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 4:12-21

Eliphaz, having undertaken to convince Job of the sin and folly of his discontent and impatience, here vouches a vision he had been favoured with, which he relates to Job for his conviction. What comes immediately from God all men will pay a particular deference to, and Job, no doubt, as much as any. Some think Eliphaz had this vision now lately, since he came to Job, putting words into his mouth wherewith to reason with him; and it would have been well if he had kept to the purport of this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 4:19

How much less on them that dwell in houses of clay ,.... Meaning men, but not as dwelling in houses, in a proper sense, made of clay dried by the sun, as were common in the eastern countries; nor in mean cottages, as distinguished from cedar, and ceiled houses, in which great personages dwelt, for this respects men in common; nor as being in the houses of the grave, as the Targum, Jarchi, and others, which are no other than dust, dirt, and clay; for this regards not the dead, but the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 4:19

How much less - Rather, with the Vulgate, How much more? If angels may be unstable, how can man arrogate stability to himself who dwells in an earthly tabernacle, and who must shortly return to dust? Crushed before the moth? The slightest accident oftentimes destroys. "A fly, a grape-stone, or a hair can kill." Great men have fallen by all these. This is the general idea in the text, and it is useless to sift for meanings. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:1-21

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

Eliphaz proceeds to narrate a spiritual experience of a very strange and striking character. It was night, and he had fallen asleep, when suddenly he was, or seemed to himself to be, awake. A horrible fear came over him, and all his limbs trembled and quaked. Then a spirit seemed to pass before his face, while every hair on his body rose up and stiffened with horror. It did not simply pass across him, but stood still, in a formless form, which he could see but not clearly distinguish. There... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

Eliphaz to Job: 2. A message from the spirit-world. I. THE DEVOUT SEER . 1 . Reposing on his couch. A modern poet (Robert Buchanan, 'Book of Orm.,' 1.), depicting how "in the beginning, ere time grew," the beautiful Maker of all things drew around his face, which has ever since been invisible to mortal eye, the wondrous veil of the firmament, represents that face as closest pressed in the daytime, when the sky is clearest, adding that at nightfall, when the darkness deepens and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

The condemnation of man in presence of the Divine holiness. With a figure of great boldness and grandeur Eliphaz urges his words upon Job. He is trying to illustrate the great principle of the righteous retributions of the Divine government. In the visions of the night there appeared a spirit to pass before his face, and in the dead silence he heard a voice saying, "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?" It cannot be. And the vision of Eliphaz finds... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:17-21

A message from the unseen. The apparition spoke and this is what "It" said. No one can gainsay the truth of the words uttered. The only question is how they applied to Job. Eliphaz assumed that Job's position was thereby condemned Leaving this out of account, however, we may see how lofty, true, and important the words that came in the Temanite's vision were. I. THE OBVIOUS FACTS . One would have thought that no ghost was wanted to make such self-evident facts as are here narrated... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:19

How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay! rather, hew muck more cloth he not put trust in them that inhabit houses of clay ! i.e. "earthly bodies," bodies made out of the dust of the ground ( Genesis 2:7 ; setup, Job 33:6 ). Whose foundation is in the dust ; i.e. " whose origin was the dust of the ground," which were formed from it and must return to it, according to the words of Genesis 3:19 , "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou must return." Which are crushed before... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 4:19

How much less - (אף 'aph). This particle has the general sense of addition, accession, especially of something more important;” yea more, besides, even.” Gesenius. The meaning here is, “how much more true is this of man!” He puts no confidence in his angels; he charges them with frailty; how much more strikingly true must this be of man! It is not merely, as our common translation would seem to imply, that he put much less confidence in man than in angels; it is, that all he had said must be... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 4:12-21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 4:19

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 4:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:1-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:12-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:17-21

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 4:19

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 4:19

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