John Gill Commentary Job 2:9

"Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die." — Job 2:9 (ASV)

Then said his wife to him
The Jews ^F7 , who affect to know everything, say, that Job's wife was Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, as the Targum, but this is not very likely; however, we may observe that polygamy has not obtained in these early times; Job had but one wife, and very probably she is the same that after all this bore him ten children more. Since we never read of her death, nor of his having any other wife, she might be a good woman for anything that appears to the contrary. Job himself seems to intimate the same, though she was in the dark about this providence, and under a sore temptation on that account. Therefore, she says to her husband,

do you still retain your integrity ?
not as blaming him for insisting and leaning on his integrity, and justifying, and not humbling himself before God, when he should rather confess his sins and prepare for death; for this is contrary to the sense of the phrase used, (Job 2:3) ; where Job is applauded by the Lord himself for holding fast his integrity; nor will Job's answer comport with this sense of her words; nor did she speak as wondering that he should still retain it among so many sore temptations and afflictions; though indeed persevering grace is a marvellous thing; but then he would never have blamed her for such an expression: nor said she this as upbraiding and reproaching him for his religion and continuance in it, and mocking at him, and despising him on that account, as Michal did David. Instead, she was suggesting to him there was nothing in religion, and advising him to throw up the profession of it. For he might easily see, by his own case and circumstances, that God had no more regard to good men than to bad men, and therefore it was in vain to serve him. The temptation she laboured under was the same with that good man's, Asaph, (Psalms 73:11–14).

curse God, and die :
which is usually interpreted, curse God and then destroy yourself; or utter some such blasphemous words, as will either provoke him to destroy you, or will make you liable to be taken notice of by the civil magistrate and put to death for it; or do this in revenge for his hand upon you, and then die; or, though you die; but these are all too harsh and wicked to be said by one that had been trained up in a religious manner, and had been so many years the consort of so holy and good a man: the words may be rendered, "bless God and die" ^F8 ; and may be understood either sarcastically, go on blessing God till you die; if you have not had enough of it, take your fill of it, and see what will be the issue of it; nothing but death; will you still continue "blessing God and dying?" so some ^F9 render the words, referring to what he had said in (Job 1:21) ; or else really and sincerely, as advising him to humble himself before God, confess his sins, and "pray" ^F11 unto him that he would take him out of this world, and free him from all his pains and sorrow; or rather the sense is, "bless God": take your farewell of him ^F12 ; bid adieu to him and all religion, and so die; for there is no good to be hoped for on the score of that, here or hereafter; or at least not in this life: and so it amounts to much the same as before; and this sense is confirmed by Job's answer, which follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F7: T. Hieros. Sotah, fol. 20. 3.
• F8: (Myhla Krb) "benedic Deo", Montanus, Piscator, Schmidt, Michaelis.
• F9: "Benedicendo et moriendo", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius, Broughton.
• F11: "Supplica Deo", Tigurine version; so some in Munster.
• F12: "Valere jubeas numen et morere", Schultens; "valedic Deo", so some in Mercer.