Scripture Spot Logo
LoginGo Premium
Scripture Spot Logo
Premium

John Gill Commentary Job 2

John Gill Commentary

Job 2

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Job 2

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
Verse 1

"Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." — Job 2:1 (ASV)

Again, there was a day, when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord
When good men, professors of religion, met together by agreement to worship the Lord; the Targum calls themcompanies of angels, interpreting the words of them, and of their standing before the Lord, as mostinterpreters do; how long this time of their meeting was from the former cannot be said, probably but a fewdays, a week or fortnight at most; the Targum says, it was on the day of the great judgment, and which, as in(Job 1:6); was at the beginning of the year; so that according to this, and other Jewish writers, therewas a whole year between this and the former meeting, and so between the first and second trial of Job; butthis is not likely, since Satan would never give him so much breathing time; nor can it be thought that Job'sfriends should stay so long before they paid him a visit, which was not till after this day:

and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord ;
being either obliged to it upon a summons to appear before God, and give an account of what he had been doingon the earth, and especially to Job; or rather he came willingly, seeking an opportunity to continue hischarge against Job, and to accuse him afresh, and get his commission enlarged to do him more mischief, whichhe could not do without a fresh grant.

Verse 2

"And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." — Job 2:2 (ASV)

And the Lord said to Satan, from where did you come ?
&c.] The same question is put to him, and the same answer is returned by him; (See Gill on Job 1:7).

Verse 3

"And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause." — Job 2:3 (ASV)

And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant
Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an
upright man, one that fears God, and eschews evil ?
&c.] The same with this is also before put to Satan, and the same character given of Job, which is here continued and confirmed, with an addition to it; for Job was no loser, but a gainer in his character by his afflictions and trials:

and still he holds fast his integrity .
The first man Adam was made upright, but by sinning he lost his integrity, and since the fall there is none in man naturally; it is only to be found in regenerate and renewed persons, who have right spirits renewed in them; by which principle of grace wrought in them they become upright in heart, and walk uprightly. The word used signifies "perfection" F15 , which Job has not in himself, but in Christ; though it may denote the truth and sincerity of his grace, and the uprightness of his walk, and the simplicity of his conversation, the bias of his mind, and the tenor of his conduct and behaviour towards God and men; this principle he retained, this frame and disposition of soul continued with him, and he acted up to it in all things; he held fast his faith and confidence in the Lord his God, and he professed his cordial love and sincere affection for God, and his filial fear and reverence of him; and this he did still, notwithstanding all the assaults and temptations of Satan, and all the sore afflictions and trials he met with; an instance this of persevering grace, and of the truth of what Job after expresses, (Job 17:9) ; and this he did, even says the Lord to Satan,

although you movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause ;
not that Satan could work upon God as he does upon men, both good and bad, especially the latter; nor could he so work upon him as to cause him to change his mind and will, who is unchangeable in his nature and purposes; but the sense is, he made a motion to him, he proposed it, requested and entreated, and did not barely propose it, but urged it with importunity, was very solicitous to have it done; and he prevailed and succeeded according to God's own determinate counsel and will, though only in part; for he moved him to "destroy him", himself, his body, if not his soul; for this roaring lion seeks to devour men, even the sheep and lambs of Christ's flock: or "to swallow him up" F16 , as the word signifies; that he might be delivered to him, who would make but one morsel of him, swallow him up alive, as a lion any creature, or any other beast of prey. Mr. Broughton renders it, "to undo him"; and we say of a man, when he has lost his substance, that he is undone; and in this sense Job was destroyed or undone, for he had lost his all: and this motion was made "without cause", there was no just reason for it; what Satan suggested, and the calumny he cast upon Job, was not supported by him, he could give no proof nor evidence of it; and it was in the issue and event "in vain", as the word F17 may be rendered; for he did not appear, notwithstanding all that was done to him, to be the man Satan said he was, nor to do the things, or say the words, Satan said he would.

FOOTNOTES:

  • F15: (wtmt) (tou teleiothtov) , Polychronius in Drusius; "perfectionem suam", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus.
  • F16: (welbl) "ad deglutiendum eum", Montanus; "ad illum absorbendum", Schultens; "ut absorberem eum", Michaelis.
  • F17: (Mnx) (diakenhv) , Sept. "frustra", V. L. Junius & Tremellius,
Verse 4

"And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life." — Job 2:4 (ASV)

And Satan answered the Lord, and said
Satan would not as yet own that Job was the man the Lord had described; but still would suggest, that he was a selfish and mercenary man, and that what had been done to him was not a sufficient trial of his integrity; the thing had not been pushed far and close enough to discover him; he had lost indeed his substance, and most of his servants, and all his children, but still he had not only his own life, but his health and ease; and so long as he enjoyed these he would serve God, though only for the sake of them: and therefore, says he, as it is usually and proverbially said,

skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life ;
the Targum is,

``member for member;'' which the Jewish commentators, many of them, explain thus, that if a man's head or his eyes are in danger, he will lift up his hand or his arm, and expose that in order to save the other; but the word is generally used of the skin, and so it may in this sense; and mean the skin of his hand, as a shield for the skin of his head or eye, as Gussetius observes F18 : some understand it of the skins of others for his own skin, which he will part with, that he may keep that; nay, he will give all that he is possessed of for the preservation of his life, so dear is that unto him; meaning either the skins of beasts, in whom the principal substance of men consisted in those times and countries, and whose skins slain for food, and in sacrifice, might be of worth and value, and used in traffic; or, as others think, money cut out of leather made of skins is meant, which a man would part with, even all such money he had in the world, and even his "suppellex", or all the goods of his house, for to save his life: or the sense is, that Job would not only give the skins of his beasts, even of all that he had, for his own skin, but the skins of his servants, nay, of his own children, provided he could but keep his own skin; and hereby Satan suggests, that Job did not regard the loss his cattle, nor of his servants, nor even of his children, so long as he had his own life and health; and thus represents him as a lover of himself, and as cruel and hardhearted, and without natural affections to his children; the contrary to which is very manifest from (Job 1:5) ; or rather this designs his own skin, and may be rendered, "skin upon skin", or "skin even unto skin", or "skin within skin" F19 ; for man has two skins, an inward and an outward one, called the "cutis" and "cuticula", "derma" and "epidermis"; the latter is of a whitish colour, and is properly the covering of the skin, is very thin, and void of sensation F20 , which may be raised up by a blister, and taken off without pain; but the other is reddish, and very sensible of pain, and cannot be taken off without putting a man to the most exquisite misery; and yet a man will part with both skins, and if he had ever so many, or he willing to be put to the greatest torment, rather than part with his life: and to this one point all the above senses, and others given by interpreters, tend, namely, to observe how precious the life of man is to him; and if this was all that Satan meant, it is very trite; but he seems to insinuate something more, and that is, that any man, and so Job though reckoned a good man, would not only part with all the skins he had, and the substance he was possessed of, to save his life, but he would part with his God, and his religion, and the profession of it, for the sake of it, which is false; for there is something more valuable than life to good men; they reckon the loving kindness of God better than life, and would sooner lose their lives than risk the danger of losing their interest in it; and are willing to part with their lives for the sake of God and true religion, for the sake of Christ and his Gospel, and for his cause and interest, as many have done.

FOOTNOTES:


  1. F18 Ebr. Comment. p. 582.
    F19 (rwe deb rwe) "cutim super cute", Schultens.
    F20 Vid Bartholin. Anatomia Reform. l. 1. c. 1. & 9.
Verse 5

"But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face." — Job 2:5 (ASV)

But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh , &c.] That is, his body, which consisted of flesh and bones; these are the constituent parts of the body, and which distinguish it from spirit, (Luke 24:39).

This is the motion made by Satan for a second trial of Job's integrity; he moves that God would take off his hand of providence over him, which secured his health to him, and stretch his hand of power upon him, and fill his flesh with diseases, and his bones with rottenness; or break them, and touch him to the quick, to the marrow, which gives exquisite pain; or by his bone may be meant himself F21.

and he will curse you to your face ; he will fly in your face, arraign your providence, and call in question your wisdom, justice, truth, and faithfulness: or he will "bless you" F23 , and take his farewell of you F24 , and have nothing more to do with you or religion; if he does not do this, for something is to be understood, the words being an imprecation, let me be in a worse condition than I am at present.

Let me not have the liberty of ranging about in the earth, to do the mischief I delight in; let me bound, and cast into the bottomless pit before my time, or be thrown into the lake burning with fire and brimstone, where I know I must be forever.

FOOTNOTES:

  • F21: So Gussetius and Genevenses, in ib. p. 630.
  • F23: (Kkrby) "benedicet tibi", Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt.
  • F24: "Te valere jubebit", Schultens.

Jump to:

Loading the rest of this chapter's commentary…