not show you mine opinion. Marg. feared. He had that diffidence to which modesty prompts in the presence of the aged. He had formed his opinion as the argument proceeded, but he did not deem it proper that one so young should interfere, even when he thought he perceived that others were wrong. 7. I said, Days should speak. The aged ought to speak. They have had the advantage of long observation of the course of events; they are acquainted with the sentiments of past times; they may have had an opportunity of conversing with distinguished sages, and it is to them that we look up for counsel. This was eminently in accordance with the ancient Oriental views of what is right; and it is a sentiment which accords with what is obviously proper, however little it is regarded in modern times. It is one of the marks of urbanity and true politeness; of the prevalence of good breeding, morals, and piety, and of an advanced state of society, when respect is shown to the sentiments of the aged. They have had the opportunity of long observation. They have conversed much with men. They have seen the results of certain courses of conduct, and they have arrived at a period of life when they can look at the reality of things, and are uninfluenced now by passion. Returning respect for the sentiments of the aged, attention to their counsels, veneration for their persons, and deference for them when they speak, would be an indication of advancement in society ia modern times; and there is scarcely any thing in which we have deteriorated from the simplicity of the early ages, or in which we fall behind the Oriental world, so much as in the want of this. disappointed. , the Spirit itself; meaning the very Spirit that gives wisdom, or the Spirit of inspiration. He had said, in the previous verse, that it was reasonable to expect to find wisdom among the aged and the experienced. But in this he had been He now finds that wisdom is not the attribute of rank or station, but that it is the gift of God, and therefore it may be found in a youth. All true wisdom, is the sentiment, is from above; and where the inspiration of the Almighty is, no matter whether with the aged or the young, there is understanding. Elihu undoubtedly means to say, that though he was much younger than they were, and though, according to the common estimate in which the aged and the young were held, he might be supposed to have much less acquaintance with the subjects under consideration, yet, as all true wisdom came from above, he might be qualified to speak. The word 'spirit here, therefore, refers to the spirit which God gives; and the passage is a proof that it was an early opinion that certain men were under the teachings of divine inspiration. The רוּחַ נְבוּאֲתָא Chaldee renders it spirit of prophecy. And the inspiration of the Almighty. The 'breath ing' of the Almighty-t The idea was, that God breathed this into man, and that this wisdom wag the breath of God. Comp. Gen. ii 7. John xx. 22. Sept., лron, breath. 8. But there is a spirit in man. | breathing. 9 Great" men are not always | sons, whilst ye searched out wise; neither do the aged un2 what to say. derstand judgment. 10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion. 11 Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your rea a Mat. 11. 25, 1 Co. 1. 27. 9. Great men are not always wise. Though wisdom may in general be looked for in them, yet it is not universally true. Great men here denote those who are distinguished for rank, age, authority. Neither do the aged understand judgment. That is, they do not always understand it. The word judgment here means right, truth. They do not always understand what is the exact truth in regard to the divine administration. | This is an apology for what he was about to say, and for the fact that one so young should speak. Of the truth of what he here said there could be no doubt, and hence there was a propriety that one who young should also be allowed to express his opinion on important subjects. 12 Yea, I attended unto you; and, behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, or that answered his words: 13 Lest ye should say, We' have found out wisdom; God thrusteth him down, not man. b Jer. 9. 23. which he had advanced, and to his reflections on the divine government. 13. Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom. That is, this has been permitted and ordered in such a manner that it might be manifest that the truths which are to convince him come from God and not from man. You were not permitted to refute or convince him, for if you had been you would have been lifted up with pride, and would have attributed to yourselves what belongs to God. This is in accordance with the entire drift of the book, which is to introduce the Almighty himself to settle the controversy when human wisdom failed. They could not arrogate to themselves the claim that they had found out wisdom. They had been completely silenced by Job; they had no power to drive him from his positions; they could not explain the divine dealings so as to settle the great inquiry in which they had been engaged. Elihu proposes to do it, and to do it in such a way as to show that it could be accomplished only by that wisdom which is from above. ¶ God thrusteth him down, not man. These are the words of Elihu. The meaning is, 'God only can drive Job from his position, and show him the truth, and humble him. The wisdom of man fails. The aged, the experienced, and the wise have been unable to meet his arguments and bring him down from the produce conviction on his mind, or positions which he has taken. That rather, there was no one to reprove work can be done only by God himhim by answering him—.self, or by the wisdom which he only They were completely silenced, and can give.' Accordingly Elihu, who had nothing to reply to the arguments proposes to meet the arguments of 11. I gave ear to your reasons. Marg. understandings. The meaning is, that he had given the most respectful attention to the views which they had expressed, implying that he had been all along present, and had listened to the debate. T Whilst ye searched out what to say. Marg. as in Heb., words. It is implied here that they had bestowed much attention on what they had said. They had carefully sought out all the arguments at their command to confute Job, and still had been unsuccessful. 12. There was none of you that convinced Job. There was no one to Job, makes no appeal to experience or observation; he does not ground what he says on the maxims of sages, or the results of reflection, but proposes to adduce the precepts of wisdom which God had imparted to him. Ch. xxxiii. 4, 6. Other interpretations have, however, been given of this verse, but the above seems to me the most simple, and most in accordance with the scope of the passage. 14. Now, he hath not directed his words against me. Marg. ordered. The meaning of this expression is, 'I can approach this subject in a wholly dispassionate and unprejudiced manner. I have had none of the provocations which you have felt; his harsh and severe remarks have not fallen on me as they have on you, and I can come to the subject with the utmost coolness.' The object is to show that he was not irritated, and that he would be under no temptation to use words from the influence of passion, or any other than those which conveyed the simple truth. He seems disposed to admit that Job had given some occasion for severe remarks, by the manner in which he had treated his friends. ¶ Neither will I answer him with your speeches. They also had been wrong. They had given way to passion, and had indulged in severity of language, rather than pursued a simple and calm course of argument. From all this, Elihu says he was free, and could approach the subject in the most calm and dispassionate manner. He had had no temptation to indulge in severity of language like theirs, and he would not do it. 15. They were amazed. These also are the words of Elihu, and are designed to express his astonishment 16 When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, and answered no more,) 17 I said, I will answer also my part; I also will shew mine opinion. 1 or, ordered. 2 removed speeches from themselves. that the three friends of Job did not answer him. He says that they were completely silenced, and he repeats this to call attention to the remarkable fact that men who began so confidently, and who still held on to their opinion, had not one word more to say. There is some reason to suppose, from the change of person here from the second to the third, that Elihu turned from them to those who were present, and called their attention to the fact that the friends of Job were completely silenced. This supposition, however, is not absolutely necessary, for it is not uncommon in Hebrew poetry to change from the second person to the third, especially where there is any censure or rebuke implied. Comp. ch. xviii. 4. T They left off speaking. Marg. removed specches from themselves. The marginal reading accords with the Hebrew. The sense is the same as in the common version, though the Hebrew is more poetic. It is not merely that they ceased to speak, but that they put words at a great distance from them. They could say absolutely nothing. This fact, that they were wholly silent, furnished an ample apology for Elihu to take up the subject. 17. I also will show mine opinion. In this language, as in ver. 6, there is a delicate expression of modesty in the Hebrew which does not appear in In all this we may discern a degree of courtesy, and a delicate sense of propriety, which may be commended to the imitation of all, and especially to the young. In the manners of the pious men whose biography is recorded in the Bible, there is a degree of refinement, delicacy, and courtesy, in their treatment of others, such as will seldom be found even in the most elevated walks of life, and such as religion only can produce. The outward form may be obtained by the world; the living principle is found only in the heart which is imbued with love to God and man. 19 Behold, my belly is as wine which hath 3 no vent; it is the heart as the seat of all mental 19. Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent. Marg, as in Heb., is not opened. The reference is to a bottle, in which there is no opening, or no vent for off. It is usual to leave a small hole the fermenting wine to work itself in barrels and casks when wine, cider, or beer is fermenting. This is necessary in order to prevent the cask self to a bottle in which new wine from bursting. Elihu compares himhad been put, and where there was 18. For I am full of matter. Marg no vent for it, and when in conseas in Heb. words. The three friends quence it was ready to burst. That new wine is here intended is apparent of Job had been silenced. They had from the connection, and has been so not one word more to say. Elihu understood by the ancient versions. says that the reverse was true of him. So Jerome renders it, Mustum, must, He was full of words, and felt constrained to speak. It was not be-yhɛuzovs Séwv dedéueros-"a bottle or new wine. The LXX, ἀσκος cause he forced himself to do it, nor ζέων δεδέμενος because he did it as a mere matter of duty, but he was so impressed with the subject that it would be a relief for him to give utterance to his views. ¶ The spirit within me. Referring, probably, to the conviction that it was the divine Spirit which urged him to speak. See Notes on ver. 8. See Notes on ver. 8. Comp. ch. xxxiii. 4. A similar constraint in regard to the necessity of speaking, when under the influence of the Holy Spirit, is expressed in Jer. xx. 9, "His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." Comp. Intro. to Isaiah § 7. (3.) The phrase "within me is in the margin, as in Heb. my belly--where the belly is spoken of as the seat of the mind. See ch. xv. 2. We speak of the head as the seat of the intellect, and the heart as the seat of the affections. The Hebrews were much in the habit of representing the region of The com filled with ing, bound;" that is, which has no sweet wine, fermentvent. new bottles. The LXX render this, ¶ It is ready to burst like smith." Why this version was adopt"As the rent (gonyós) bellows of a ed, it is not easy to say. parison would be pertinent, but the version could not be made from the that the copy of the Hebrew text present Hebrew text. It is possible which the Septuagint had may have read-artificers, instead of new, and then the meaning would be, as the bottles, or skins of artificers;' that is, as their bellows, which were doubtless at first merely the skins of animals. The reference of Elihu, however, is undoubtedly to skins that were used as bottles, and new skins are here mentioned as ready to burst, not because they were more likely to burst than old onesfor that was by no means the case-but because new and unfermented wine The process of manufacturing them at present is this: The skins of the goats are stripped off whole except at the neck. The holes at the feet and tail are sewed up. They are first stuffed out full, and strained by driving in small billets and chips of oak wood; and then are filled with a strong infusion of oak bark for a certain time, until the hair becomes fixed, and the skin sufficiently tanned. They are sold at different prices, from fifteen up to fifty piastres. Robinson's Bibli. Research. ii. 440. Elihu, perhaps, could not have found a more striking illustration of his meaning He could no longer restrain himself, and he gave utterance, therefore, to the views which he deemed so important. The word belly in this verse (13) is rendered by Umbreit and Noyes, bosom. It not improbably has this meaning, and the reference is to the fact that in the East the words are uttered forth much more ab imo pectore, or are much more guttural than with us. The voice seems to come from the lower part of the throat, or from the bosom, in a manner which the people of Western nations find it difficult to imitate. 20. I will speak, that I may be re freshed. Marg. breathe. The meaning is, that he would then have room to breathe again; he would feel relieved. This 21. Let me not, I pray you. is not to be regarded as an address to them, or a prayer to God, but as an expression of his determination. It is similar to the phrase which we use when we say. may I never do this;" implying the strongest possible purpose not to do it. Elihu means to say that on no account would he use |