Job 33:1-7 | Clarke | STEP | Elihu offers himself in God's stead to reason with Job in meekness and sincerity, . Charges Job with irreverent expressions, . Vindicates the providence of God, and shows the various methods which he uses to bring sinners to himself: - By dreams and visions, ; by secret inspirations, ; by afflictions, ; by messengers of righteousness, ; and by the great atonement, . How and from what God redeems men, and the blessings which he communicates, . Job is exhorted to listen attentively to Elihu's teaching, .

‏ Job 33:1-7

Introduction

Elihu offers himself in God's stead to reason with Job in meekness and sincerity, Job 33:1-7. Charges Job with irreverent expressions, Job 33:8-12. Vindicates the providence of God, and shows the various methods which he uses to bring sinners to himself: - By dreams and visions, Job 33:13-15; by secret inspirations, Job 33:16-18; by afflictions, Job 33:19-22; by messengers of righteousness, Job 33:23; and by the great atonement, Job 33:24. How and from what God redeems men, and the blessings which he communicates, Job 33:25-30. Job is exhorted to listen attentively to Elihu's teaching, Job 33:31-33. Verse 3

My words shall be of the uprightness - As God has given me his Spirit, from that Spirit alone will I speak; therefore all my words shall be of uprightness, knowledge, and truth.

Knowledge clearly - דעת ברור daath barur, pure science. I shall lay down no false positions, and I shall have no false consequences. Verse 4

The Spirit of God hath made me - Another plain allusion to the account of the creation of man, Gen 2:7, as the words נשמת nishmath, the breath or breathing of God, and תחיני techaiyeni, hath given me life, prove: "He breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, and he became a living soul." Verse 6

I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay - Mr. Good, and before him none other that I have seen, has most probably hit the true meaning: - "Behold, I am thy fellow.

I too was formed by God out of the clay."

The word כפיך kephicha, which we translate according to thy wish, and which, if Hebrew, would mean like to thy mouth; he considers as pure Arabic, with a Hebrew postfix, (Arabic) kefoo, signifying fellow, equal, like. Taken in this way, the passage is very plain, only לאל lael, by or through God, must be added to the last clause of the verse instead of the first, as Mr. Good has properly done. Verse 7

My terror shall not make thee afraid - This is an allusion to what Job had said, Job 9:34 : "Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me." Being thy equal, no fear can impose upon thee so far as to overawe thee; so that thou shouldst not be able to conduct thy own defense. We are on equal terms; now prepare to defend thyself.