Table of Contents
Job 29
Job 29
1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;
6 When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
7 When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
Notes
Cross Reference
Concordance
Commentary
Rashi
Verse 2
<html><b>Would that I were as [in] my early months</b> Like the early days, when I was in my greatness.</html>
Verse 3
<html><b>when He lit His candle</b> [This is] an expression of light and joy. <b>by His light</b> I would go. In every occasion of darkness and trouble that came to the world, I had light.</html>
Verse 4
<html><b>in my early days</b> Heb. חרפי, in my early days. This is an Aramaism, early crops and late crops (חרפי ואפלי). <b>when God’s counsel was upon my tent</b> When the righteous of the generation would come to my tent, to take counsel in the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the Torah and in enacting temporary safeguards.</html>
Verse 5
<html><b>my young men</b> My servants.</html>
Verse 6
<html><b>my feet</b> Heb. הליכי, my feet. <b>with cream</b> Heb. בְּחֵמָה, like בחמאה. <b>and the rock that was with me would pour forth rivulets of oil</b> i.e., all the desires of my heart, which are as pleasing as rivulets of oil. <b>would pour</b> as in (Lev. 2:6), “and you shall pour.”</html>
Verse 7
<html><b>the ceiling</b> a high ceiling, prepared for a chair for the elders of the city to sit on. <b>and when I was in the square</b>, I would prepare my seat.</html>
Verse 8
<html><b>Youths saw me</b> They would see me and hide, and old men stood in my presence.</html>
Verse 9
<html><b>Princes refrained from talking</b> and would wait until I started the conversation.</html>
Verse 11
<html><b>For the ear</b> that heard my word praised me. <b>and the eye [that] saw</b> my greatness and the propriety of my traits in all places.</html>
Verse 13
<html><b>The blessing of the lost</b> who died because of his iniquity and was banished. <b>would come upon me</b> because I would sustain his children and his wife. Our Sages said, however, that he [Job] would rob the orphans of their field, improve it and [then] return it to them (Baba Bathra 16a). But the simple meaning of the verse does not appear to be so, for no one is called אובד, but a thing that is itself lost, like (Ps. 31:13), “like a lost vessel”; and so (ibid. 119:176), “I have gone astray like a lost sheep”, (Jer. 50:6), “lost sheep.” <b>and I would make the widow’s heart sing for joy</b> for he would attach his name to widows, saying, “She is my kinswoman,” or “I will marry her,” in order that men should be anxious to marry her.</html>
Verse 14
<html><b>I put on righteousness and it clothed me</b> I pursued righteousness and it is present with me as a coat and a turban, which are beautiful ornaments; so was my judgment beautiful and pure.</html>
Verse 18
<html><b>And I said, I will perish with my nest</b> Because of the propriety of my traits, I would think to myself that when I die, I would have my nest and my house established with me. <b>and I will multiply days as the phoenix</b> Heb. וכחול. This is a bird named חול, phoenix, upon which the punishment of death was not decreed because it did not taste of the Tree of Knowledge, and at the end of one thousand years, it renews itself and returns to its youth.</html>
Verse 19
<html><b>My root will be open etc.</b> All this I was saying to myself, that my root would not dry up, and my branches would not die, like (above 14:9), “and it will produce a branch (קציר).” They are יונקות, tender branches of a tree. And I thought that my honor would be renewed.</html>
Verse 20
<html><b>which is with me</b> constantly. <b>and my bow</b> And my strength will constantly change for the better.</html>
Verse 21
<html><b>They listened to me and waited</b> Those who listened to my words would wait until they would be realized, and they would be realized because the tradition of wisdom was in my hand.</html>
Verse 22
<html><b>my speech would drip</b> Heb. תטף. This is an expression of prophecy. Similarly (Amos 7:16), “and do not prophesy (תטיף) concerning the house of Isaac.” That is to say that my word was like prophecy.</html>
Verse 23
<html><b>after a long time</b> After a long time they would speak, because most of their time was spent in silence, for they were anxiously waiting to hear my words.</html>
Verse 24
<html><b>they would not believe it</b> that I was jesting with them, because of my esteem[ed position]. <b>and they would not cast down the light of my countenance</b> They were afraid to get near me and to become familiar with me.</html>
Verse 25
<html><b>I would choose their way</b> All their ways and their counsel I would choose for them, for they would ask me, “Which way shall we go and what shall we do?” <b>and sit at the head</b> if they were reclining at a banquet, I would recline at the head of the diners.</html>