111 And Zophar the Naamathite answereth and saith:— 2 Is a multitude of words not answered? And is a man of lips justified? 3 Thy devices make men keep silent, Thou scornest, and none is causing blushing! 4 And thou sayest, 'Pure 'is' my discourse, And clean I have been in Thine eyes.' 5 And yet, O that God had spoken! And doth open His lips with thee. 6 And declare to thee secrets of wisdom, For counsel hath foldings. And know thou that God forgetteth for thee, 'Some' of thine iniquity.
7 By searching dost thou find out God? Unto perfection find out the Mighty One? 8 Heights of the heavens!—what dost thou? Deeper than Sheol!—what knowest thou? 9 Longer than earth 'is' its measure, And broader than the sea. 10 If He pass on, and shut up, and assemble, Who then dost reverse it? 11 For he hath known men of vanity, And He seeth iniquity, And one doth not consider 'it'! 12 And empty man is bold, And the colt of a wild ass man is born.
13 If thou—thou hast prepared thy heart, And hast spread out unto Him thy hands, 14 If iniquity 'is' in thy hand, put it far off, And let not perverseness dwell in thy tents. 15 For then thou liftest up thy face from blemish, And thou hast been firm, and fearest not. 16 For thou dost forget misery, As waters passed away thou rememberest. 17 And above the noon doth age rise, Thou fliest—as the morning thou art. 18 And thou hast trusted because their is hope, And searched—in confidence thou liest down, 19 And thou hast rested, And none is causing trembling, And many have entreated thy face; 20 And the eyes of the wicked are consumed, And refuge hath perished from them, And their hope 'is' a breathing out of soul!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 11:1-21
Commentary on Job 11:1-6
(Read Job 11:1-6)
Zophar attacked Job with great vehemence. He represented him as a man that loved to hear himself speak, though he could say nothing to the purpose, and as a man that maintained falsehoods. He desired God would show Job that less punishment was exacted than he deserved. We are ready, with much assurance, to call God to act in our quarrels, and to think that if he would but speak, he would take our part. We ought to leave all disputes to the judgment of God, which we are sure is according to truth; but those are not always right who are most forward to appeal to the Divine judgment.
Commentary on Job 11:7-12
(Read Job 11:7-12)
Zophar speaks well concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly. See here what man is; and let him be humbled. God sees this concerning vain man, that he would be wise, would be thought so, though he is born like a wild ass's colt, so unteachable and untameable. Man is a vain creature; empty, so the word is. Yet he is a proud creature, and self-conceited. He would be wise, would be thought so, though he will not submit to the laws of wisdom. He would be wise, he reaches after forbidden wisdom, and, like his first parents, aiming to be wise above what is written, loses the tree of life for the tree of knowledge. Is such a creature as this fit to contend with God?
Commentary on Job 11:13-20
(Read Job 11:13-20)
Zophar exhorts Job to repentance, and gives him encouragement, yet mixed with hard thoughts of him. He thought that worldly prosperity was always the lot of the righteous, and that Job was to be deemed a hypocrite unless his prosperity was restored. Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; that is, thou mayst come boldly to the throne of grace, and not with the terror and amazement expressed in Hebrews 10:22.