Job 17:3

AGAIN JOB APPEALS TO GOD FOR VINDICATION

"Give now a pledge, be surety for me with thyself;

Who is there that will strike hands with me?

For thou hast hid their heart from understanding:

Therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

He that denounceth his friends for a prey,

Even the eyes of his children shall fail."

"Be surety for me with thyself" (Job 17:3). The next clause demands a negative answer; and since Job's friends who normally should be his surety are not willing to do so, Job prays that God Himself will be his surety in the day of Judgment. Here again we have that magnificent leap of faith which envisioned God Himself as surety for Job against God Himself in the Judgment. What a marvelous premonition (rather inspiration) of God the Son being Surety for his saints against God the Father's Judgment! As Kline expressed it, "This was Job's prayer for God to establish Job's integrity at the Judgment."[6] " Job 17:3 is clearly Job's appeal for God his Judge to be also God his Witness or Advocate as well."[7]

"For thou hast hid their heart from understanding" (Job 17:4). Job here stated that his friends' blindness was due to God's having blinded them, and therefore they thought Job was guilty. But, since they were most certainly wrong, their error would prevent God's exalting them. Driver complained that the text here is "hopelessly corrupt."[8] Nevertheless, the rendition we have here (American Standard Version) makes excellent sense. Not only will God be unable to exalt Job's mocking friends (serving in this great drama as prime agents of the devil); but they will also incur the penalty pointed out in Job 17:5.

"He that denounceth his friends for a prey" (Job 17:5). It is not clear exactly what particular sin against Job is meant by this; but whatever it was, a severe penalty would overtake them, exactly the same penalty mentioned above in Job 17:2 (Deuteronomy 19:15ff). "This verse (Job 17:5), as translated here, is a threat to Job's friends that their denunciations of him will be punished by the sufferings of their children."[9]