Job 22

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Job 22

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,

2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?

3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?

4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?

5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?

6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

8 But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.

9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.

10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;

11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.

12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are!

13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?

14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.

15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?

16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?

18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.

20 Whereas our substance is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.

21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 2

<html>Eliphaz’s reply Does a man benefit God Will a man avail and benefit for the need and the benefit of the Creator when he teaches the people knowledge and wisdom? The first יִסְכָּן is an expression of benefit [or pleasure], like (I Kings 1:2), “and she shall be to him a warmer (סֹכֶנֶת).” The second is an expression of teaching [or accustoming], like (Num. 22:30), “Have I ever been in the habit (ההסכן הסכנתי)?” The former may also be interpreted as an expression of teaching, thus: Does a man learn for the good of the Creator and for His need when he learns wisdom?</html>

Verse 3

<html>Does the Almighty care Like (above 21:21), “For what does He care (חפצו) about his house after him?” What pleasure or concern does He have if you are righteous in your deeds, that you reason with Him that He come with you to contest your words? or…any gain i.e., monetary gain for Him if you perfect your ways?</html>

Verse 4

<html>Will He reason with you because He fears you? Or, out of fear, that He fears you, will He come and reason with you?</html>

Verse 5

<html>Is not [Is it not so] that He knows that your evil is great?</html>

Verse 8

<html>Does a strong man own the earth This is a question. Because you were strong, should you inherit the earth? remain therein Is he fit to remain in existence?</html>

Verse 11

<html>or darkness so that you do not see That is to say, You shall not put your eyes and your trust in strength, and say…</html>

Verse 12

<html>Is not God in the height of heaven and will not lower Himself to see. and behold the topmost of the stars, which are lofty Heb. וראה, like (above 10:15), “and seeing (וראה) my affliction” at the end of the fifth reply. That is to say, ‘And You gaze upon the topmost stars because they are lofty.’ Therefore, you said…</html>

Verse 13

<html>‘What does God know?’ of what occurs in the dark? Does He judge through the dark cloud? Does He see and judge facing this darkness? Behold…</html>

Verse 14

<html>Thick clouds are a concealment before Him, and He cannot see. and He walks on the circle of the heavens and does not know what is on the earth. circle Heb. חוג, the circle of the compass of the heavens, like (Isa. 44:13), “and with a compass (ובמחוגה) he rounds it,” compas in French</html>

Verse 15

<html>the old way The way of the ancients who were in days of yore. Will you keep Have you kept in your heart to remember what happened to them?</html>

Verse 16

<html>Who were cut off when it was not their time They were cut off before their time. a river And the river of the Flood or the brimstone and fire of Sodom was poured into their foundation.</html>

Verse 20

<html>Whether their substance was cut off Will you watch and see whether their substance was cut off. their substance Heb קימנו, like קומתו, his substance; i.e., of that generation, like (Hosea 12:5), “in Bethel he shall fed Him, and there He shall speak with him (עמנו),” like עִמוֹ.consumed by the fire They were judged with boiling water. Rabbi Tanchuma expounded that they were tall and did not die in the depths. Then boiling water fell upon them from above and this is the meaning of יִתְרָם, their unusually tall height. So I heard.</html>

Verse 21

<html>Accustom yourself Accustom yourself to be (wholehearted) with him. and you will be complete And you will be complete, lacking nothing. with them With these things.</html>

Verse 24

<html>Then you shall make a fortification on the earth By returning to Him, you will establish on the earth strength and fortifications. and on the rocks of the valleys On the lofty rocks in the deep valleys, you shall have a collection of an accumulation of Ophir. This is the treasure of the kings, for they would gather and store gold that came from Ophir.</html>

Verse 25

<html>And the Almighty shall be of your adversaries Heb. והיה שד-י בצריך. If this word is holy [i.e., is a reference to the Almighty], I am bewildered at its interpretation, because its meaning is a curse, that He will be counted with his enemies, as in (Jud. 11:35), “and you have become one of those who trouble me (בעכרי),” with those who trouble me. By necessity, we will adjudge it as one of the elliptical verses, [meaning: And the Almighty shall be the Judge over your adversaries. But if we can interpret it as profane, as an expression of a judge and of strength, the following is its interpretation:] And your fortifications (בצריך) shall be strong (שד-י), like “Then you shall make a fortification (בצר) on the earth.” That is, powerful wealth will be fortified, and according to the context, that is indeed its interpretation, as evidenced by the end of the verse, “and you shall have abundant (תועפות) silver,” an expression of strength, like (Num. 23:22), “his is like the power of (כתועפות) a wild ox.”</html>

Verse 26

<html>and lift your countenance to God You will not come to lift your face except to ask Him for your needs.</html>

Verse 27

<html>and you will pay your wows You will be confident that your sacrifices, the payments of your vows, will be accepted.</html>

Verse 28

<html>and it will be accomplished for you Heb. ויקם, lit. and it will rise, like וְיָקוּם לָךְ.</html>

Verse 29

<html>If they are humble If you see your generation humble, pledge that it be uplifted, and it will be uplifted. a humble person [One who is humbled] by the trouble that befalls [him] because of his iniquity, God will save through your hands and through your prayer.</html>

Verse 30

<html>He shall deliver one who is not innocent Heb. אי נקי, synonymous with אין נקִי, not innocent, like (I Sam. 4:21), “Ichabod (איכבוד),” meaning, there is no glory (אין כבוד). And so (Prov. 31:4), “neither is drunkenness for rulers (אי שכר),” there is no drunkenness (אין שכר). It does not befit them to become intoxicated. Menachem joined the three into one group (Machbereth Menachem p. 22). Although they are two words (?), they explain them thus. And that one who is not innocent will be delivered because of the purity of your hands. So I heard. I heard another version that was being said in the name of Rabbi Jacob: This is an expression of a man who lives in pain and sighing, and the “yud” is superfluous in the word, like (Ps. 123:1), “Who dwells (הישבי) in heaven.” But I did not hear this from the rabbi’s mouth.</html>

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Table of Contents

Job 22

Job 22

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 8

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27

Verse 28

Verse 29

Verse 30