care and protection of Providence. At the same time,: as they were growing impatient, it was necessary this: temper should be rebuked. But as the ordonance of the Poem is disposed, the putting the reproof into the mouth of the Almighty would have greatly weakened the end and purpose of the Work. This part therefore is given to his servant Elihu: and God's sentence is all grace and favour on the side of Job, and indig-. nation and resentiment against his false Friends. For: this event, the Writer had finely prepared us, in making Job, in the heat of the disputation, say to these friends, Wilt thou speak wickedly for God? and talk deccit-. fully for him? Will ye accept his person? Will ye con-; tend for God? Is it good that he should search you out? or as one man mocketh another do ye so mockhim? HE WILL SURELY REPROVE YOU, if ye do secretly accept Persons. The judicious reader will observe another artful circumstance in the cast of Elihu's oration. The three friends, in the grand question concerning an equal Providence, went directly over to one side, and Job to another: Elihu inclines to neither, but resolves all into submission to the Almighty power of GOD. For it was yet inconvenient: to acquaint the Jews, (who were just going to fall under a common Providence) with the truth of their case. Hence, to observe it by the way, another circumstance arises to determine the date of the poem. We have shewn that the Subject suited only this time: We now see that the manner of treating the Subject. could agree to no other. On the whole, this interme, diate speech of Elihu's was the finest preparative forthe decisive one which was to follow. Farther, The true character of Elihu is seen from hence, that Job replies nothing to these words, as con @ Chap. xiii. ver. 7, 8, & seq. scious scious of the truth of his reproofs; and that they were the reproofs of a Friend. And, indeed, his submission, on this occasion, was to represent the repentance of the Jews on the preaching of their Prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. ;. But lastly, Elibu's not being involved in the condemnation of the three friends is the most convincing argument of his very different Character. This, as. we have said, exceedingly perplexed the Commentators. But where was the wonder, he should be acquitted,. when he had said nothing but what GOD himself repeated and confirmed? What is rather to be admired is the severe sentence passed upon the three friends; and that, for the crime of impiety. A thing utterly inexplicable on the common interpretation. For let them be as guilty as you please, to Job, they are all the way advocates for God; and hold nothing concerning his Government that did not become his Nature and Character. But let us once suppose, these, three friends to represent the Adversaries of the Jews, and, the difficulty ceases. All their pretences are then hypocritical and they impiously assume the Patronage of GOD only to carry on their malice to more advantage against Job. Why the Writer of this book did not openly expose the wickedness of their hearts, as is done in the book of Ezra and Nehemiah, was because. the nature of the work would not suffer it; the question in debate, and the managers of the question, necessarily requiring that the part they took should have a specious outside of piety and veneration' toward GOD. In a word, Job is made to say something wrong, because he represents the impatient Jews of that time: His three false friends, to say something right, because the nature of the drama so required: And. Elihu Elihu to moderate with a perfect rectitude, because he represented the person of a Prophet. But to see the truth of this interpretation in its best light, one should have before one's eyes all those difficulties with which the Commentators of the book of Job are entangled at almost every step. A view of this would draw us into an unreasonable length. I shall only take notice of one of the most judicious of them, (who has collected from all the rest) in the very case of this Elihu., CALMET characterises the fourth friend in this mammer: There was now none but Elihu, the youngest and least judicious, that held out against Job's arguments-Elihu here by a vain parade and overflow of words gives a reason*, &c. Again: Elihu was given to represent one who knew not how to be silent, a great talkert. And again: It cunnot be denied but that there is a mixture of ignorance and presumption in what Elihu says: and, above all, a strange prejudice and visible injustice in most of the accusations he brings against Job. This he says indeed. But when he comes to find Elihu escape GOD'S condemnation, in which the other three are involved, he alters his note, and unsays all the hard things he had thrown out against him. Although Elihu (says he) had mistaken the sense of his friend's words, yet, for all that, God seems, at least, to have approved his * Il n'y eut qu'Eliu, qui étoit le plus jeune & le moins judicieux, qui ne se rendit pas-par un vain etalage des paroles Eliu rend içi raison, &e. Sur C. xxxii. ver. 1. † Pour designer un homme qui ne se peut taire, un grand causeur. Sur C. xxxii. ver. 18. On ne peut nier, qu'il n'y ait & de l'ignorance & de la pre oumption dans ce que dit Eliu, &, sur tout, une etrange prevention & une injustice visible dans la plupart des accusations, qu'il forma contre Job. Sur C. xxviii. ver.2. intention intention, because when he declares to Job's friends that they had spoken amiss, and commands them to offer up burnt-offerings for themselves, he only speaks of Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar, without mentioning Elihu. Besides, Job answers not a word to this last, and by his silence seems to approve of his discourse*. GROTIUS, who strove to be more consistent in his character of Elihu, which yet his acquittal in God's sentence will not suffer any Commentator to be, upon the received idea of this Book, has run into a very strange imagination. He supposes Elihu might be a domestic, or retainer to one of the three friends, and so be involved in the condemnation of his principal †. -But, now mark the force of prejudice to inveterate notions! It is visible to every one who regards the two speeches of Elihu and GOD with the least attention, that the doctrine and the reasoning are the same. Yet Calmet's general character of Elihu is, that there is a vain parade and overflow of words; that there is a mixture of ignorance and presumption, and a visible injustice, in most of the accusations he brings against Job. And yet of God's speech he says, Here we have A CLEAR SOLUTION of the difficulties which had perplexed and embarrassed these five friends .—Pity that this clear solution should turn out to be no solution at all. * Quoiqu' Eliu eût mal pris le sens des paroles de son ami, toutefois Dieu semble approuver au moins son intention: puisque lorsqu'il declare aux amis de Job qu'ils ont mal parlé, & qu'il ordonne qu'on offre pour eux des holocaustres, il ne fait mention que de Bildad, d'Eliphaz, & de Sophar, sans parler d'Eliu. De plus, Job ne repond point à ce dernier, & par son silence il semble approuver son discours. Elihu hîc non nominatur, ut nec supra ii. 11. fortè quod assecla esset alicujus trium. In C. xlii. ver. 7. C'est ici le denouement de la piece, & la solution des difficultez, qui avoient été agitées entre ces cinque amis. III. Having III. Having thus fixed the date of the book, our next enquiry will be concerning its AUTHOR. That it was composed by an inspired writer is beyond all question. Not only its uncontroverted reception and constant place in the Canon, and its internal marks of divinity, which this Exposition has much illustrated and enlarged, but its being quoted as inspired scripture by St. Paul*, will suffer no reasonable man to doubt of it. By this time therefore, I suppose, the Reader will be beforehand with me in judging it could scarce be any other than EZRA himself; who was a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, and had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments t. For he had the welfare of his People exceedingly at heart, as appears from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And this of Job, we have shewn, was written purposely for their instruction and consolation. He made a correct edition of the Scriptures, settled the Canon, and added in several places throughout the books of his edition, what appeared necessary for the illustrating, connecting, or completing of them. He is reasonably supposed to be the author of the two books of Chronicles and the book of Esther. It was a common tradition too amongst the Jews, that he was the same with Malachi. And his great reputation as a ready scribe in the Law of Moses, apparently gave birth to that wretched fable of the destruction of the Scriptures in the Babylonian captivity, and Ezra's re-production of them by divine inspiration. Thus is our interpretation of the BOOK OF JOB SO far from taking away any dignity, or authenticity it was before possessed of, that it establishes and enlarges 1 Cor. iii. 10. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. Job v. 13. |