John Gill Commentary Job 26

But Job answered
In a very sharp and biting manner; one would wonder that a man in such circumstances should have so much keenness of spirit, and deal in so much irony, and be master of so much satire, and be able to laugh at his antagonist in the manner he does:

and said ;
as follows.

How have you helped [him that is] without power ?
&c.] This verse and (Job 26:3Job 26:4) either are to be understood of God, as many do, by reading the words, "who have you helped? God" ^F18 ? a fine advocate for him you are, representing him as if he was without power, and could not help himself, but stood in need of another; as if he had no arm, and could not save and protect himself, but needed one to rise and stand up in his behalf, when he is God omnipotent, and has an arm strong and mighty, and there is none like his;

and as if he wanted wisdom, and one to counsel him, when he is the all wise God, and never consults with any of his creatures, or admits them to be of his council; and as if his "essence" ^F19 , or "what he is", as he is, had been very copiously and plentifully declared in a few words by him; in supposing which he must be guilty of the greatest arrogance, stupidity, and folly; and therefore he asks him, who it was he uttered such things unto? and by whose spirit he must be aided in so doing? see (Job 13:7Job 13:8) ;

or else Job refers to the cause undertaken by Bildad; and which he, in a sarcastic way, represents as a very weak and feeble one, that had neither strength nor wisdom in it, and was as weakly and as foolishly supported, or rather was entirely neglected and deserted, Bildad having wholly declined the thing in controversy, and said not one word of it; therefore Job ironically asks him, "in what", or "wherein have you helped?" ^F20 what good have you done to this poor tottering cause of yours? or what light have you thrown upon it? and to what purpose is anything that has been said by you?

Some are of opinion that Job refers to Bildad's friends, whom he represents as weak and stupid, as men of no argument, and had no strength of reasoning, and were as poorly assisted and defended by Bildad: but, why not to Bildad himself? for the sense of the question, agreeably enough to the original text, may be put after this manner; a fine patron and defender of a cause you are; you can help and save a dying cause without power, and with a strengthless arm, or without any force of argument, or strength of reasoning; you can give counsel without any wisdom, without any show or share of it, and in half a dozen lines set the thing in a true light, just as it is and should be; a wonderful man indeed you are!

though I choose to join with such interpreters, who understand the whole of Job himself, who was without might and power, a weak and feeble creature in booty and mind, being pressed and broken with the weight of his affliction, but was poorly helped, succoured, strengthened, and comforted, with what Bildad had said: it is the duty of all good men, and it is what Job himself had done in former times, to strengthen weak hands and feeble knees, by sympathizing with persons under affliction, by bearing their burdens and infirmities, by speaking comfortably unto them, and telling them what comforts they themselves have received under afflictions, see (Job 4:3Job 4:4) ; but miserable comforters of Job were Bildad and his friends:

[how] do you save the arm [that has] no strength ?
the sense is the same as before, that he had done nothing to relieve Job in his bodily or soul distresses, and save him out of them; nor had contributed in the least towards his support under them; and be it that he was as weak in his intellectuals as he and his friends thought him to be, and had undertaken a cause which he had not strength of argument to defend; yet, what had he done to convince him of his mistake, and save him from the error of his way?

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (trze hm) "cui auxiliatis es", Pagninus, Montanus; so Tigurine version.
• F19: (hyvwt) "essentiam", Montanus.
• F20: "Qua nam re adjuvisti?" Vatablus; "quid auxiliatus es?" Drusius.

How have you counselled [him that has] no wisdom ?
&c.] A man deprived of wisdom has need of counsel, and it should be given him; and he does well both to ask and take it; and be it so, as if Job were saying, that I am the foolish and unwise creature you take me to be, what counsel and advice have you given me? what a wise counsellor have you shown yourself to be? or rather, what a miserable part have you acted under this character?

and [how] have you plentifully declared the thing as it is ?
the thing in controversy, set it forth in a clear light, and in a copious manner, when he had not said one word about it, namely, concerning the afflictions of the godly, and the prosperity of the wicked; thus jeering at him, and laughing at the short reply he had made, and which was nothing to the purpose.

To whom have you uttered words ?
&c.] That others know not; do you think you are talking to an ignorant man? Be it known to you, that he knows as much, and can say as much of the Divine Being, of his glories, and of his wondrous ways and works, as yourself, or more:

Or do you consider the circumstances he is in you are speaking to? One under great affliction and distress, to whom it must be unsuitable to talk of the greatness and majesty of God, of his power and strength, of his purity, holiness, and strict justice;

It would have been more proper and pertinent to have discoursed concerning his loving kindness, grace, and mercy, his pity and compassion towards his afflicted people, his readiness to forgive their sins, and overlook their failings; and concerning the promised Redeemer, his righteousness and sacrifice, and of the many instances of divine goodness to the sons of men, and in such like circumstances, by raising them up again, and restoring them to their former happiness.

Some things of this nature would have been more pertinent and suitable, and would have been doing both a wise and friendly part:

and whose spirit came from you ?
Not the spirit of God; do you think yourself inspired by God? Or that what you have said is by the inspiration of his Spirit? Or that you speak like such who are moved by the Holy Ghost? Nor indeed was it his own spirit, or the words and things uttered were not of himself, or flowed not from his own knowledge and understanding of things, but what he had borrowed from Eliphaz; for he had delivered very little more than what Eliphaz had said, (Job 4:17Job 4:18) (Job 15:14Job 15:15) ;

Or else the sense is, whose spirit has been restored, revived, refreshed, and comforted by what you have said? The word of God has such efficacy as to restore the soul, to revive it when drooping, and as it were swooning away and dying, see (Psalms 19:7) (23:3) ; and the words of some good men are spirit and life, the savour of life unto life, and are as life from the dead, very refreshing and comforting; but no such effect followed on what Bildad had said.

Mr. Broughton renders the words, "whose soul admired thee?" You may admire yourself, and your friends may admire you, at least you may think they do, having said in your own opinion admirable things; but who else does? For my own part I do not; and, if saying great and glorious things of God are to any purpose in the controversy between us, I am capable of speaking greater and better things than what have been delivered; and, for instance, let the following be attended to.

Dead [things] are formed from under the waters
It is difficult to say what things are here meant; it may be understood of "lifeless" things, as Mr. Broughton renders it; things that never had any life, things inanimate, that never had at least an animal life, though they may have a vegetable one; and so may be interpreted of grains of corn, and which indeed die before they are quickened; to which both Christ and the apostle allude, (John 12:24) (1 Corinthians 15:36) ; and which, as they cannot grow without water, and their fructification and increase are owing to the earth being plentifully watered with rain, may be said to be formed under the waters; and of these Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom interpret the words; and the latter also makes mention of herbs, plants, and trees in the sea, particularly almug trees, as being probably intended; to which may be added, corals, and other sea plants, formed from under the waters; yea, some make mention of woods and forests there:

but the last mentioned writer, seems inclined to think that metals and minerals may be intended; and it is well known that much of gold is taken out of rivers, as also pearls and precious stones; and that iron is taken out of the earth, and brass molten out of stone; and that the several metals and minerals are dug out of mountains and hills, from which fountains and rivers flow;

but as the word used has the signification of something gigantic, it has inclined others to think of sea monsters, as of the great whales which God made in the seas, and the leviathan he has made to play therein:

and
or "with"

the inhabitants thereof ;
the innumerable company of fishes, both of the larger and lesser sort, which are all formed in and under the waters:

but why may not giants themselves be designed, since the word is sometimes used of them, (Deuteronomy 2:11) (3:11) ; and so the Vulgate Latin and the Septuagint version here render the word, and may refer to the giants that were before the flood, and who were the causes of filling the world with rapine and violence, and so of bringing the flood of waters upon it; in which they perished "with the inhabitants thereof"; or their neighbours; of whom see (Genesis 6:4) (7:23) ; and the spirits of these being in prison, in hell, as the Apostle Peter says, (1 Peter 3:19 1 Peter 3:20) ; which is commonly supposed to be under the earth, and so under the waters, in which they perished; they may be represented as in pain and torment, and groaning and trembling under the same, as the word here used is by some thought to signify, and is so rendered ^F20 ;

though as the word "Rephaim" is often used of dead men, (Psalms 88:10) (Isaiah 14:9) (Isaiah 26:14Isaiah 26:19) ; it may be understood of them here, and have respect to the formation of them anew, or their resurrection from the dead, when the earth shall cast them forth; and especially of those whose graves are in the sea, and who have been buried in the waters of it, when that shall deliver up the dead that are therein, (Revelation 20:13) ; which will be a wonderful instance of the mighty power of God. The Targumist seems to have a notion of this, or at least refers unto it, paraphrasing the words thus,

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: (wllwxy) "gemunt", V. L. "cruciabuntur", Bolducius; "cruciantur, dolore contremiscunt", Michaelis; "intremiscunt", Schultens. Vid. Windet. de Vita Funct. Stat. p. 90.