35. I have no opportunity of getting a fair hearing from him; but if he would withdraw his hand, which is now heavy upon me, and allow me to plead for myfelf, I would do it without fear, and with fome hope of fuccefs; but I am not in that fituation.

Ch. X. 1. Job continues his expoftulation with God, for having brought him into being merely to make him miferable. Being without hope, he still wishes for death.

4. Doft thou take fuch methods as men are obliged to do in order to judge of characters, and therefore tryeft me in this cruel manner.

6 Art thou like a fhort lived man, envious of my profperity, and taking advantage of every flight offence, for the fake of punishing me.

7.

But tho' thou knoweft my integrity, I am wholly in thy power.

8. Have I been formed with this curious ftructure, and am I, after all, to be thrown away as of no use?

9. As I must foon die in the common courfe of na

ture, why put me to this unnecessary pain?

10. Have I not been brought by thee from the most imperfect to the most perfect ftate, giving confiftence and ftrength to my bodily frame. This is fuppofed to be an allufion to the formation of man in the womb. 13. With this thou art perfectly acquainted.

15. By these things he means his sufferings, infinu ating that God had given him being, with a fecret purpole to make him miferable.

If I be guilty I fuffer, and if I be innocent it does not avail me,

17 Notwith

17. Notwithstanding my innocence thy anger is unabated. I am as it were attacked by a host of troubles.

This may be rendered thou repeatest thy weapons, or attacks, preserving an allufion to a chace.

22. All that can be inferred from this language is that in the state of death man has no fenfe or knowledge of any thing. In this we fee the idea that was at this time generally entertained of the state of the dead, It was certainly inconfiftent with any enjoyment or with fenfe.

Ch. XI. 1. In this chapter Zophar takes up the fame argument with his companions, blaming Job for prefuming to vindicate himself, and affuring him of pardon on his repentance. There was a city called Naama on the bordes of Idumea, Jofh. xv, 41, of which this Zophar might be an inhabitant.

4. This may be rendered my conscience. The LXX has my works. He had faid nothing about his doctrine,

6. He perhaps meant that the wifdom of God is twice as great, that is, much greater, than he conceived it to be. Houbigant renders it thus, "He could tell "thee to thy face the fecrets of thy craftinefs, for they "are double to thy real worth."

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12. That the proud may become wise, and the colt of wild ass become a man. It is an Arabian proverb, the wild afs fignifying a man who is intracticable like that animal.

In all this he reproves Job for complaining of the ways of God, as if he did him injuftice. For tho' his dealings are incomprehenfible, they are, no doubt, just.

He

He then proceeds to urge Job to an ingenuous confeffion and repentance.

Ch. XII. 1. Job, in answer to what his friends had urged, tells them that he knew as well as they all that they had advanced concerning the great power of God, and the unfearchableness of his councils; but that notwithstanding his fufferings, he could defend his integrity in the presence of God himself.

4. You only mock me when you exhort me to call upon God, and say that he will answer, meaning that if I will make confeffion of my fin he will restore me.

5. The meaning of this verse is very uncertain. According to Le Clerc it is, "Ye defpife the lights that "are given to me by God, and are fecure, ready to fall ' upon any one that stumbles." The literal verfion is, For calamity contempt is ready in the thoughts of him who is at ease, for them who slip with their feet; calamity being put for the calamitous, those who slip with their feet, or who fall.

7. From this place Job :mitates his friends, extolling the great power, and wifdom of God; fhewing them that he knew as much of this fubject as they did, fa that they had no occafion to enlarge upon it as they had done.

16. God overrules all the vices of men, and all the mischief they do to answer his wife purposes.

18 He deftroys their binding power, putting an end to their authority, and makes them captive to others, who bind them in chains, and carry them away.

Ch. XIII. 1. 7-8. Will you take the part of God against me, and do me injustice?

9. Do you flatter him; for fo the word may be rendered, at the expence of truth.

14. Why am I reduced to this miferable state?

A thing held in the hand may easily flip out of it; The phrase, therefore, implies that he would risk his life, tho' with little profpect of preferving it, in the defence of his innocence.

15. Let him treat me ever fo cruelly I am confident that I can maintain my innocence before him.

19. For now I will be still, and will die, i. e. if an accufer appear, and prove his charge against me, I will be filent, and die content.

21. Do not overawe me by mere power, but attend to my reafons.

26. If my fufferings be the punishment of my fins, they must be thofe of my youth, which ought to be overlooked and forgotten.

27. Thou observest all my actions with too fevere an eye, not making reasonable allowance for mere frailties. Some ignominious punishment is, no doubt, referred to; probably that of slaves, but what it was is uncertain.

28. This verse feems to be mifplaced, and will come better after his defcription of the lamentable condition of man in the next chapter.

Ch. XIV. 1. Job laments the condition of man in general, as fubject to much trouble; pleading that it is hard to add to this, and to make him more miferable by heavy judgments.

3. In Zech xvii, 6, the word denotes looking angrily. In that day, saith the Lord, I will open mine eyes

upon

upon the house of Judah, and will smite every house of the people with blindness.

4. Abfolute perfection is not to expected of man.

12. From the confideration of the shortnefs of life, and the miferable condition of man in it, he pleads for compassion from God.

paffage is, that in the

15. If it were poffible I would wish to be hid even in the grave, till the ftorm of divine indignation be paffed; and then, when all fhould be calm, I might plead my caufe with more fuccefs. The mofl obvious inferrence from the whole of this ftate of death man has no fenfe or knowledge of any thing; but that when the heavens are no more, i. e. în fome future and very diftant period, the dead will be raifed. God will then call, and he will answer.

16. But at prefent I have no favour fhewn me. Every trifling offence, if I do not suffer for them, is kept in remembrance, and magnified.

18. Things that bid the fairest for permanency fail in a course of time; and weak man is much more easily reduced, and at length brought to death.

21. When he is dead he knows nothing of the condition of his pofterity.

22. But while he lives he is continually fubject to pain of body and anguish of mind. Such is the wretched condition of man.

Ch XV. 1. Eliphaz, returning to the charge, ex. preffes great indignation against Job for his contempt of him and his friends, and enlarges on the infecurity of the wicked, tho' to appearance they be ever fo profperous,