Job 27:2

27:1-6 Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due reverence when he spake of God as taking away his judgment, and vexing his soul. To resolve that our hearts shall not reproach us, while we hold fast our integrity, baffles the designs of the evil spirit.

As God liveth,.... Which is an oath, as Jarchi observes, and is a form of one frequently used, see 2 Samuel 2:27 ; and is used by God himself, who, because he can swear by no greater, swears by himself, and by his life, which ever continues, as in Ezekiel 18:3 ; and many other places; and so the Angel of the Lord, even the uncreated Angel, Daniel 12:7 ; and so should men, when they swear at all, it should be in this manner, see Jeremiah 4:2 ; though this ought not to be but in cases of moment and importance, for the confirmation of the truth, and to put an end to strife, when it cannot be done any other way than by an appeal to God; as was the present case with Job, it being about hypocrisy, and want of integrity his friends charged him with; and such a case can only be determined truly and fully by God, who is here described as the living God, by whom men swear, in opposition to the idols of the Gentiles, which are of gold, silver, wood, and stone, and without life and breath, or to their deified heroes, who were dead men; but the true God is the living God, has life in and of himself, and is the fountain of life to others, the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal, and who himself lives for ever and ever; and as such is the object of faith and confidence, of fear and reverence, of love and affection; all which swearing by him supposes and implies; it is a saying of R.

Joshuah, as Jarchi on the place relates it, "that Job from love served God, for no man swears by the life of a king but who loves the king;'' the object swore by is further described, who hath taken away my judgment; not the judgment of his mind, or his sense of judging things, which remained with him quick and strong, notwithstanding his afflictions; nor correction with judgment, which continued with him; but, as the Targum paraphrases it, "he hath taken away the rule of my judgment;'' that is, among men, his substance, wealth, and riches, his former affluence and prosperity, which while he enjoyed, he was reckoned a good man; but now all this being taken away by the hand of God as it was, he was censured as a wicked man, and even by his friends; or rather it is a complaint, that God had neglected the judgment of him, like that of the church in Isaiah 40:27; that he did not stir up himself to his judgment, even to his cause; did not vindicate him, though he appealed to him; did not admit him to his judgment seat, nor give his cause a hearing, and decide it, though he had most earnestly desired it; nor did he let him know the reason of his thus dealing and contending with him; yea, he afflicted him severely, though righteous and innocent, in which Job obliquely reflects upon the dealings of God with him; though he does not charge him with injustice, or break out into blasphemy of him; yet this seems to be one of those speeches which God disapproved of, and is taken notice of

2 . my judgment ] As above, my right . God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly. The state of Job’s mind here is altogether the same as before. He still cleaves to God and swears by His name, and still charges Him with iniquity in His treatment of himself. vexed my soul ] lit. embittered , i. e. by his mysterious afflictions; comp. Ruth 1:20 (“dealt bitterly”). 2–6 . Job with the solemnity of an oath by God declares that he speaks in sincerity when affirming his innocence. Till he die he will not admit his guilt; his conscience reproaches him for no part of his life. Job 27:2-4 read, 2. As God liveth who hath taken away my right, And the Almighty who hath made bitter my soul, 3. (For my life is yet whole in me, And the breath of God is in my nostrils), 4. My lips do not speak unjustly, Neither doth my tongue utter deceit.

Verse 2. - As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment , Job has not previously introduced any form of adjuration. His "yea has been yea, and his nay nay." Now, however, under the solemn circumstances of the occasion, when he is making his last appeal to his friends for a favourable judgment, he thinks it not inappropriate to preface what he is about to say by an appeal to God as his Witness. "As God liveth," or "As the Lord liveth," was the customary oath of pious Israelites and of God-fearing men generally in the ancient world (see Judges 8:19 ; Ruth 3:13 ; 1 Samuel 14:39 ; 1 Samuel 20:3 ; 2 Samuel 4:9 ; 2 Samuel 12:5 ; 1 Kings 2:24 ; 1 Kings 17:21 ; 2 Kings 5:20 ; 2 Chronicles 18:13 ; Jeremiah 38:16 ). Job adds that the God to whom he appeals is he who has "taken away," or "withheld," his judgment, i.e. who has declined to enter with him into a controversy as to the justice of his doings ( Job 9:32-35 ; 13:31; 23:3-7). And the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul ; or, made my soul bitter. Though he slays him, yet does Job trust in God ( Job 13:15 ). He is his Witness, his Helper, his Redeemer ( Job 19:25 ). Job 27:2

He confirms the truth and sincerity of his expressions by an oath, because he found them very hard to believe all his professions. My judgment, or my right , or my cause , i.e. who, though he knows my integrity and piety towards him, yet doth not plead my cause against my friends, nor will admit me to plead my cause with him before them, as I have so oft and earnestly desired, nor doth deal with me according to those terms of grace and mercy wherewith he treateth other men and saints; but useth me with great rigour, and by his sovereign power punisheth me sorely, without discovering to me what singular cause I have given him to do so.

As God liveth - A form of solemn adjuration, or an oath by the living God. "As certainly as God lives." It is the form by which God himself often swears; see Ezekiel 14:16 ; Ezekiel 33:11 , and is often employed by others; 1 Samuel 20:3 ; 1 Samuel 25:26 . Who hath taken away my judgment - Who hath rejected my cause, or who has refused me justice; that is, who has treated me as though I was guilty, and withholds from me relief. The language is forensic, and the idea is, that he would make his solemn appeal to him, even though he had rejected his cause. Perhaps there is implied here more than the solemnity of an ordinary oath. A man might be supposed to be willing to make his appeal to one who had shown himself friendly or favorable to him, but he would manifest more reluctance to making his appeal in an important case to a judge who had decided against him, especially if that decision was regarded as severe, and if that judge had refused to hear what he had to say in self-defense. But Job here says, that such was his confidence in his own sincerity and truth, that he could make his appeal to God, even though he knew that he had hitherto gone against him, and treated him as if he were guilty. Who hath vexed my soul - Margin, as in Hebrew "made my soul bitter." That is, who has greatly afflicted me; compare 2 Kings 4:27, margin, and Ruth 1:20.