Deeper Commentary
Job 6:1 Then Job answered- Every time we read or hear this in
the drama, we almost wish him to remain silent as the Lord did at His trial.
His final silence and laying his hand upon his mouth is what the drama
wishes us for him to do the longer it goes on.
Job 6:2 Oh that my anguish were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the
balances!- LXX "Oh that one would indeed weigh the wrath that is upon me". This
was the feeling of the exiles; that the wrath upon Israel, the "sand of
the sea" (:3), was heavier than it ought to have been. And they like Job
were brought to realize their sinfulness and the lightness of their
judgment, having been punished, as Ezra reflected, in fact less than their
iniquities deserved (Ezra 9:13). Job looked in vain for someone to
understand and evaluate his sufferings. The friends had come to him to do
this, but had failed. We too may tell our life story to another person for
days or weeks- but they will never quite understand. Job's disappointment
with human relationships led him to throw himself finally upon God; for the
only one to weigh accurately his calamity was of course God.
Job 6:3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the seas- I have
noted several times Job's presentation as the seed of Abraham and
allusions to the promises to Abraham. We have another one here. He
considers that the promises of seed like the sand of the seas were somehow
outweighed by his sufferings. He felt perhaps that he was not going to
inherit the promises because of his sufferings; as if they were somehow
indicative that he was not the seed of Abraham. This meant that he had yet
to learn that the promises to Abraham, which were the basis of the new
covenant offered to the exiles, were based upon grace; and they had their
ultimate fulfilment in the restored Kingdom of God on earth and the
blessing of having Yahweh as a personal God- and not in the blessings of
secular life.
Therefore have my words been rash- Presumably Job refers to his words recorded in Job 2 and 3. But he uses a situational ethic here- as if rash language is excusable because of the weight of suffering. When he finally places his hand upon his mouth, Job realizes that such rationalization of poor language use was inappropriate.
Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up
their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me-
Eliphaz blames Job's troubles upon the “sons of Resheph” (Job 5:7); but
Job’s response is that the source of the evil in his life is ultimately
from God and not any such being. Eliphaz there speaks of how man’s
trouble comes “as the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Resheph was known as
“the lord of the arrow” and the Ugaritic tablets associate him with
archery (William J. Fulco, The Canaanite God Resep
(New Haven, CT: American Oriental Society, 1976)). We would therefore be
justified in reading in an ellipsis here: man’s trouble comes “as the
[arrows of] the sons of Resheph fly upwards”. Job’s response is that “The
arrows of the Almighty are in me” (Job 6:4), and he lament that God
is an archer using him as his target for practice (Job 7:20; 16:12,13).
Job refuses to accept Eliphaz’s explanation that Job is a victim of
Resheph’s arrows. For Job, if God is “the Almighty” then there is no space
left for Resheph. Each blow he received, each arrow strike, was from God
and not Resheph.
Job 6:5 Does the wild donkey bray when he has grass? Or does the ox low over
his fodder?- Job fell into the trap of thinking that his terrible situation somehow
allowed him to speak whatever words came into his head. Job felt he hadn’t been ‘fed’ and so he was entitled to
“bray” and “low” over his misfortune (Job 6:5).
Job 6:6 Can that which has no flavour be eaten without salt? Or is there
any taste in the white of an egg?- As noted on :5, Job seems to be
saying that just as you can't expect a person to eat the white of an egg
without salt, so his outbursts are justifiable. But of course one can eat
eggs without salt. Job at this point comes over as a spoilt child refusing
any food which isn't exactly to his taste. Finally he breaks down in
self-realization and repentance, realizing his words have indeed been
intemperate (see on Job 40:4; 42:6).
Job 6:7 My soul refuses to touch them. They are as loathsome food to me-
As explained on :5,6, Job comes over as a spoilt child refusing any food
which isn't exactly to his taste. He may be twisting the Divine command to
only offer sacrifice, His "food" upon His table or altar, with salt. But
Job is twisting scripture.
Job 6:8 Oh that I might have my request, that God would grant the thing
that I long for- This desire for death, effectively suicidal,
continues the pouting and egoistic attitude noted on :6,7.
Job 6:9 even that it would please God to crush me; that He would let loose
His hand, and cut me off!- Job is careful not to speak of ending his
own life, but he asks God to. Job appears to allude to the dialogue
between God and Satan in the prologue, for he references the source of his
sufferings as God's hand. Job was therefore aware of the dialogue; which
makes sense, if the Satan figure was presenting the thoughts of the
friends, who were the other "sons of God" of Job 1:6. Job knew what they
thought of him. The LXX makes the allusion to the prologue (Job 2:6) even
clearer: "Let the Lord begin and wound me, but let him not utterly destroy
me". This would then read as if Job doubted whether God would keep His
side of the agreement made with the Satan.
Job 6:10 Be it still my consolation, yes, let me exult throughout my
unending pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One- The
idea seems to be that Job longed for his death because he was comforted by
the fact he had not hidden God's words; likewise he exalts in Job 27:11
(s.w.) that he has not hidden God's words. Job was a prophet and is quoted
as one in James 5. He had perhaps heard God's words from a "holy one", an
Angel, and had taught them to others. By implication, he assumed that
after death he would receive some credit for his righteousness. He had
moved on to this from a simple desire for death. But aware of his
righteousness, he reasons towards a belief in some future point of reward,
as this was clearly not happening in this life. This becomes developed
into a belief in a day of judgment and the final manifestation of God. And
this happens ahead of time, as it were, in Yahweh's final manifestation at
the end of the book; but this lead Job to resign all his own
righteousness. See on :13; Job 7:2.
Job 6:11 What is my strength, that I should wait further? What is my end,
that I should be patient?- Job is definitely impatient and justified
it as he justified his rash speaking (see on :5,12). And yet the patience
of Job is quoted as proverbial (James 5:11). This may reflect how he was
accounted righteous by God, and this final status was accepted by others.
Or perhaps his patience refers to his endurance in faith, despite the fact
that he was impatient during that endurance. He hardly comes over as
patient in his speeches, but this was maybe seen as cosmetic failure
compared to his final overall endurance in faith.
Job 6:12 Is my strength the strength of stones? Or is my flesh of brass?-
His argument is that he can't be perfectly patient because that would
require superhuman strength. He blames the construction of his nature for
his impatience (see on :11). And finally is led to repentance for this.
It's rather like an alcoholic blaming his sin on his human nature.
Job 6:13 Isn’t it that I have no help in me, that wisdom is driven quite
from me?- LXX "Or have I not trusted in him? but help is far from
me". If the LXX is correct then we see an extension of the argument
developed on :10; he is confident that he has trusted in God, and yet no
"help" from Him is forthcoming; and so he is driven to belief in a future
day of Divine help, at some point after his death. That point becomes more
developed in Job's understanding, as the day when God's appointed mediator
shall stand upon the earth- the return of the Lord Jesus.
Job 6:14 To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his
friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty-
We
can limit God's plans to save others in the ecclesia by our attitude to
them- even if they become atheists we are not to withdraw human friendship
from them. We can make others stumble from the path to His salvation. If a
brother doesn’t show pity to his fellow brother, this can make the
afflicted brother “forsake the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14 RVmg.). Or
we can read with GNB "In
trouble like this I need loyal friends— whether I've forsaken God or not".
Job 6:15 My brothers have dealt deceitfully as a brook, as the channel of
brooks that pass away- "Deceitfully" is the word used about the exiles in Babylon (Is. 48:8)
and how they treated their God and His servant (cp. Job). Job is as the
righteous remnant, and the friends, the other "sons of God", as the
apostate Jews, who could be saved by the intercession of the righteous.
Job 6:16 which are black by reason of the ice, in which the snow hides
itself- "Black" is 'turbid'. As in winter the rivers flowed freely,
so the friends had promise of help, but when the heat came, they
disappeared and were nowhere to be found (:17).
Job 6:17 In the dry season, they vanish. When it is hot, they are consumed
out of their place- See on :16. In Job 24:19, Job later sees the
melting of the snow waters as representing the destruction of the wicked;
he comes towards the conclusions that his friends, his fellow "sons of
God" of Job 1:6, were in fact sinners. Job, the righteous remnant amongst
the captives, were to pray for and save the unspiritual majority; but they
had to be convinced of how far astray their brethren really were.
Job 6:18 The caravans that travel beside them turn aside. They go up into
the waste, and perish- "Caravans" and "paths" are the same word
(:19). The idea is that these friends were like caravans of travellers
diverting to follow tracks towards water sources but not finding the
water, because they had dried up; and they perished. This is how Job came
to see the friends.
Job 6:19 The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for
them- He associates his deceitful brethren (:15) with the troops of Tema and the
companies of Sheba which had fallen upon his cattle at Satan's behest
(Job 1:15). Job knew that the friends had power over his persecutors (:24).
They, Job said, had caused calamity to fall upon him, and thereby
overwhelmed their one-time friend (:27 AV mg.). They thought, as Satan
did, that Job's spirituality was only a sham (:28). For more evidence that
the friends were the satan, see on Job 1:6. There is reason to think that
Eliphaz, the leader of the friends, may have been the specific individual
referred to as 'satan' in the prologue. God singles him out for especial
condemnation at the end (Job 42:7). After one of Eliphaz's speeches, Job
responds with what appears to be a comment upon him, rather than God: "He
hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast
filled me with wrinkles... he teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me
(surely Job speaks here about Eliphaz, not God): he gnasheth upon
me... mine enemy (satan) sharpeneth his eyes upon me. They (the astonished
friends?) have gaped upon me with their mouth, they have smitten me...they
have gathered themselves together (as the friends did to Job) against me"
(Job 16:9-11). Eliphaz was a Temanite, from where Job's afflicters came.
See on :22.
Job 6:20 They were distressed because they were confident. They came
there, and were confounded- LXX "They too that trust in cities and
riches shall come to shame". But see on :18.
Job 6:21 For now you are nothing. You see a terror, and are afraid-
LXX "But ye also have come to me without pity; so that beholding my wound
ye are afraid"; GNB "You are like those streams to me, you see my fate and
draw back in fear".
Job 6:22 Did I say, ‘Give to me?’ or, ‘Offer a present for me from your
substance?’- Perhaps there was the idea that Job had obtained his
wealth from the friends and they were justified in seeking to take it
back; see on :19.
Job 6:23 or, ‘Deliver me from the adversary’s hand?’ or, ‘Redeem me from
the hand of the oppressors?’- I suggested on :19 that the friends
themselves were involved in the work of the hand of the satan / adversary.
But Job never asked them to 'stop'.
Job 6:24 Teach me, and I will hold my peace. Cause me to understand
wherein I have erred- Job's sacrifice of a truly broken spirit was worth more than thousands
of apposite words. Job had dimly imagined that this would be so: "Teach
me, and I will hold my tongue; and cause me to understand wherein I have
erred" (6:24). When Elihu did teach him and show him that he was erring by nature rather than specific sin, Job truly held his tongue: "I will lay mine hand upon my mouth... I will not answer... I will proceed no further" (Job 40:4,5; notice the threefold repetition). This is one of several examples of Job knowing the truth in abstract theory, but not appreciating it until the mixture of reflection on his trials and Elihu / Jesus, brought it home.
Job 6:25 How forcible are words of uprightness! But your reproof, what
does it reprove?- This experience led Job to long for "words of
uprightness", and thereby he came to be ready for the final revelation of
God's words at the end of the book. Likewise our disillusion with human
words and relationships leads us to be the more eager and ready for God's
revelation. The very phrase "words of uprightness" are only found when
Elihu appears and claims to speak "words of uprightness" (Job 33:3).
Job 6:26 Do you intend to reprove words, since the speeches of one who is
desperate are as wind?- Job seems to here place himself beyond
reproof; as if he considers his desperation to mean that therefore
whatever he says can't be reproved, because the weight of his sufferings
meant that he was justified in saying anything. This is discussed and
exemplified more on :5, and it is this continual self-justification which
has to be humbled in God's final appearance at the end of the book.
Job 6:27 Yes, you would even cast lots for the fatherless, and make
merchandise of your friend- See on :19. Job had worked his way up in the world (perhaps from being an orphan,
"fatherless", parallel with "your friend")
without consciously seeking prosperity (Job 1:10 AVmg.; Job 8:7; 31:25), and had
shared his blessings with others; he realized at least in theory the
weakness of his nature; and yet when he examined himself, he really didn't
think he was too monstrous a sinner. The Lord Jesus likewise, the ultimate
"suffering servant", was humanly fatherless.
Job 6:28 Now therefore be pleased to look at me, for surely I shall not
lie to your face- It seems the friends could not look Job in the
face. That may not just have been because of the awful nature of his
disease, but because of a bad conscience, seeing perhaps they were behind
the things which came upon Job; see on :19. This is the very picture of
the suffering servant in Is. 52:14, upon whose faces men could not look.
Job 6:29 Please rethink. Let there be no injustice. Yes, think again. My
cause is righteous- Job implies they were being unjust. The issue of
who was "just" or not is a major theme in Job (continued in :30). In this
lies the significance of the Lord's final appearance, to convict all of
their sin, and teach that only His justification of men is worth anything.
All self-justification is meaningless at best, and effectively putting man
above God.
Job 6:30 Is there injustice on my tongue?- See on :29. Job does later
repent of his words and place his hand upon his mouth. But these words on
another level make him a type of the Lord Jesus, the ultimate "suffering
servant", who could ask "Which of you convinces me of sin?", whose words
were perfect.
Can’t my taste discern mischievous things?- This could be implying that his sufferings had not robbed him of his ability to sense right and wrong. If indeed the friends were connected with the Satan figure, and were responsible for the sufferings which came upon Job (see on :19), then he may be implying that despite his illness, he is quite aware of what is going on.
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