He hath gathered together his fury against me, and threatening me he hath gnashed with his teeth upon me: my enemy hath beheld me with terrible eyes.

“Ver. 10. My wrinkles speak a testimony against me. What is denoted by 'wrinkles,' but doubledealing? and so all they are wrinkles of Holy Church, who therein live in doubledealing, who avouch the faith with their voices, disown it by their works. These persons doubtless in time of peace, because they see that with the powers of this world that faith is an honour, falsely feign themselves of the number of believers; but when a sudden storm of adversity disquiets Holy Church, they thereupon shew what they are going after in their heart of unbelief. Now these 'wrinkles' Holy Church has not in her Elect, in that they have not the art to shew one thing in themselves on the outside, and to hold another withinside. Whence the great Preacher says truly, That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle. For she 'has not spot or wrinkle,' in that she is without both foulness of practice, and doubleness of tongue; but because now she holds within the bosom of the faith numbers even of the children of perdition, when the time of persecution blazes out, she bears those very persons for her enemies, whom she seemed before to be nourishing with words of preaching. Therefore let her say, My wrinkles speak a testimony against me; i.e. those very persons, while they persecute, inveigh against me, who now, being fixed in my body, do not mind in themselves the wickedness of their doubledealing. Whence it is rightly added yet further; And the liar is lifted up against my face, gainsaying me. Even in her time of peace Holy Church is subject to the 'liar,' in that there are numbers in her, who disbelieve in the promise of eternal life, and yet falsely feign themselves to be of the faithful. And as they do not dare openly to gainsay her preaching, she is exposed to the liar, not, as it were, 'before her face,' but behind her back; but when the time of wickedness breaks out, he who now disparages being full of apprehension, comes 'before the face to gainsay,' in that he withstands by open sentences of the voice the words of true faith. But it is to be known that when we meet with such things at the hands of carnal men, it is not so much they individually that rage cruelly in our death, as the evil spirit who rules their minds, as it is said by Paul, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood; but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world. Whence, whereas here also he is speaking of lying, with propriety he turns his words directly to tell of the prince of that lying. Ver. 10. They have gaped upon me with their mouth, reproaching me. Lost sinners open their mouths 'in reproaching,' when they at once do not fear to proclaim the mischiefs of their errors, and laugh to scorn the announcements of the right faith: with regard to whom be it known that they chiefly prosecute those in Holy Church, whom they see likely to be of service to many, who bruise the life of the carnal by the word of correction, and change them spiritually into the body of the Church. Hence it is added; They have smitten me upon the cheek; they have taken their fill of my punishments. For 'the cheek' of the Church, are the holy preachers, as where it is said under the figure of Judaea, by Jeremiah, She weepeth sore in the night, and the tears are on her cheeks. For in the adversities of the Church those mourn the most, who are used to crush the life of the carnal by preaching; for by these very persons Holy Church breaks and bruises the wicked to bad habits, and as it were swallowing them converts them into members of herself. Hence it is said to the first preacher himself too, as to a 'cheek' of the Church, Kill and eat. It is hence too that Samson laid hold of the jawbone of an ass, and destroyed his enemies; in that our Redeemer, with the Hand of His power laying hold of the simplicity and submissiveness of these that preach, killed the carnal to their bad habits. And the jawbone thrown down upon the earth, afterwards poured out water, in that the bodies of the preachers given over to death, shewed great miracles to the people. So the wicked 'smite the cheek' of Holy Church, when they persecute good preachers; and whereas lost sinners thus reckon themselves to have done something great, when they do put an end to the life of the preachers; after the striking of 'the cheek,' it is properly added, They have taken their fill of my punishments, for that punishment does fill them to satisfaction, which chastises the mind of the Church in an especial manner.”

“They open their mouth at me Heb. פערו, they open, like (Isa. 5:14), “and opened (ופערה) its mouth.” they assemble Heb. יתמלאון, they gather, and there are many similar words in Scripture, e.g. (Jer. 12:6), “have called a gang (מלא) after you”; (Isa. 31:4), “although a band (מלא) of shepherds gather against him,” but it does not deviate from its original meaning because every filling (מלוי) is a gathering together.”

“But Job, answering, said, etc. Eliphaz had spoken rather harshly against Job in his reply; hence Job, at the beginning of his speech, charges him with an unfitting consolation — first, indeed, because he frequently repeated the same things, both he himself and his friends, whence he says, "I have heard such things many times," as if to say: your speech always turns upon the same point. For in different words they were aiming at the same thing, namely, at charging Job with having fallen into adversities on account of his sins; and therefore he adds, "burdensome comforters are you all"; for it is the office of a comforter to say those things by which sorrow is mitigated, and therefore a burdensome comforter is one who speaks things that rather exasperate the mind. Yet these things could have an excuse when exasperating words were uttered for some usefulness and contained truth, or even were said briefly and in passing; but if someone should pursue exasperating words against one already grieved, falsely, uselessly, and at length, he appears a burdensome comforter; hence he adds, "Shall windy words have no end?" For in saying "shall they have no end," he shows that they lingered at length over exasperating words; but in saying "windy words," he shows that they were useless and false, having no solidity. He then goes on to show that there was no equality on both sides in this dispute, because Job's friends spoke without trouble to themselves, whence he says, "Or is it troublesome to you if you speak?" As if to say: you speak so lengthily against me in calumny because from this you feel no trouble; but Job was troubled. And lest anyone should believe that this disputation was easy for Job's friends on account of eminent knowledge, but troublesome to Job on account of a lack of knowledge, he excludes this, showing that if he were not weighed down by adversity and were in the state of his friends, he could speak similar things; hence he says, "I too could speak like things to you," namely, if I were not burdened by adversity. And he desires the opportunity of experiencing this thing for himself, saying, "And would that your soul were for my soul," that is, that you might suffer the adversity which I suffer. He says this indeed not out of a feeling of hatred or the malice of revenge, but so that they might be called back from the cruelty which they were using in exasperating Job with their words, when they should feel that such harsh words would be similarly grievous to themselves if said to them; whence he adds, "I too would comfort you with words," namely, with words similar to those with which you comfort me, "and I would move my head over you," as a sign of compassion or as a sign of reproach, just as you accuse me; "and I would also strengthen you with my mouth," lest you should fail through impatience, "and I would move my lips," namely to speak, "as though sparing you," that is, pretending that I would speak to you out of the mercy which I would have toward you, just as you do concerning me. Thus, then, it would be easy for me to speak just as it is for you, if I were in your state; but now I am hindered by a sorrow that is removed neither by speech nor by silence; whence he adds, "But what shall I do? If I speak, my sorrow will not rest; and if I am silent, it will not depart from me." Now there are two kinds of sorrow: one interior, which is called sadness, arising from the apprehension of some inherent evil; the other is exterior sorrow, which is pain according to sense, as arising from the dissolution of continuity or from something of this sort. The first of these sorrows, then, can be removed by conversation, but not the second; and therefore he goes on to show that he means this second sorrow, which is not removed by words, saying, "But now my sorrow has oppressed me," that is, it has hindered me from being able easily and freely to use reasoning as I was accustomed before: for when there is a vehement pain in the sense, it is necessary that the mind's attention be called away or hindered from the consideration of intellectual things. And that he means bodily pain, he shows by adding, "and all my limbs have been reduced to nothing"; for all his members were ulcerated, as was said above, that Satan struck Job with a most grievous ulcer from the sole of the foot even to the crown of the head. And not only do the wastings of my members bring sensible pain upon me, but they also serve as an argument against me: for Job's friends, seeing him thus ulcerated, argued from this that he had grievously sinned, thinking that this had happened to him as a punishment for sin; and this is what follows, "my wrinkles bear witness against me"; for the body becomes wrinkled from infirmities on account of the consumption of moisture, just as also from old age. But how the wrinkles bear witness against him, he shows by adding, "and a false speaker rises up against my face, contradicting me"; for Eliphaz had falsely said that he had fallen into this infirmity on account of sin. Or it can be said that Job understood, through the Holy Spirit, that his adversity had been procured by the Devil, with God permitting it; whence whatever he suffered, whether in the losses of his goods and children, or in the ulcer of his own body, or even in the vexation of his wife and friends, all of this he attributes to the Devil as its instigator; he therefore calls him the false speaker raised up against his face, because he understood that his friends were contradicting him at the Devil's instigation. And according to this sense, what follows is plainer: "he has gathered his fury against me"; for the Devil seems to have gathered his whole fury against Job, since he assailed him by every manner of harming; and not only has he afflicted me in the past but he also threatens me for the future, and this is what follows, "and threatening me he has gnashed his teeth against me." And he speaks by the likeness of a beast which, in threatening a man, bares its teeth against him; but he says this because Eliphaz had foretold that evils, under the guise of the impious man, threatened him even unto death: Job understood that such threats, uttered through the mouth of Eliphaz, had been procured by the Devil, and therefore he said that he had gnashed his teeth against him. Not only, however, had Eliphaz used words of threat against him by foretelling evils, but he had also judged ill of his deeds, calling him impious and a hypocrite; and therefore he adds, "my enemy has looked upon me with terrible eyes"; for one looks upon another with placid eyes when one interprets his deeds kindly, but when one interprets good deeds as evil, then one looks with terrible eyes; and therefore he adds, "they have opened their mouths against me," namely, my friends, instigated by my enemy; and he explains this by adding, "reproaching me they have struck my cheek"; for one is said to strike another on the face who utters reproach to his face; but Job's friends had spoken many reproaches against him, upbraiding him with many sins. And because just men, seeing sins punished, rejoice on account of justice, according to that word of the Psalm, "The just man shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge," Job's friends, reckoning themselves just and Job a sinner, rejoiced in a certain way over his punishments, as though congratulating themselves on divine justice; and therefore it follows, "they have been sated with my punishments." And lest anyone should believe that Job thought that such punishments had not been inflicted on him by God, because he had said that he was afflicted by an enemy, to exclude this he adds, "God has shut me up with the wicked one," that is, the Devil, by handing me over, namely, to his power, "and has delivered me into the hands of the impious," as regards those who, at the instigation of the Devil, had afflicted him either by deeds or by words: for Job understood that his afflictions had been inflicted upon him indeed through the Devil, but with God permitting it. And he shows a fourfold evident sign of this: first, indeed, because he did not fall gradually from the greatest prosperity, as is customary in human affairs, but suddenly collapsed entirely, which does not seem able to have happened by sudden chance but only from divine ordination; and this is what he says, "I who was once wealthy have suddenly been crushed"; and in saying "wealthy" the abundance of riches is designated, but in saying "that one" the renown of his fame, by which he was pointed out by all, is designated. The second sign is that he collapsed entirely; to signify which he adds, "he has taken hold of my neck, he has broken me"; and he speaks by the likeness of some very strong man who, having seized the neck of some weak person, would break it and thus utterly take away his life: for thus Job seemed to have utterly lost his state of prosperity. The third sign is that he was oppressed not by one adversity but by many concurring together at once, as was narrated above; and as to this he adds, "he has set me up for himself as a target," namely, one that is set to be struck by various arrows; and therefore he adds, "he has surrounded me with his lances," where he describes the multitude of his adversities in three ways: for first he shows that he was wounded outwardly in his possessions, and to this pertains what he says, "he has surrounded me with his lances"; for external things around us are, as it were, extrinsic to us: a man is therefore surrounded by the lances of adversity when he is harmed in external things. Secondly, he says he was struck inwardly as regards the affliction of persons, and this is what he adds, "he has wounded my loins"; as if to say: not only have I been lanced round about, but the wounds have reached even to the interior parts in which he delighted, which are signified by the loins, in which there is delight or even the origin of generation, whence also by the loins his oppressed children can be designated; and moreover he shows the multiplicity of the striking by the bitterness of the wound, when he adds, "he has not spared," as though withdrawing his hand from striking lest he wound more gravely — but he wounded most gravely, and this is what he adds, "and he has poured out my bowels on the ground," namely, because he crushed all his sons and daughters in death in a single ruin. Thirdly he shows the multitude of the striking from what he suffered in his own person, whence he adds, "he has cut me down," namely in his own person, with the wound of a most grievous ulcer, added on top of the wound of the death of his children. The fourth sign is that his tribulation proceeded from divine providence, in that it could not be resisted nor could a remedy be applied, according to what was said above at Job 9:13, "God, whose wrath no one can resist"; and this is what he adds, "he has rushed upon me like a giant," whom, on account of the greatness of his power, a weak man cannot resist. And all these things can be understood either of God, who shut him up, or better of the wicked one, namely the Devil, with whom he shut him up. All these things, then, Job recounted concerning the greatness of his adversity, to show that he could not contend with them on equal terms, because they were immune from adversities of this kind. But Eliphaz had charged him with pride, saying, "Why does your heart lift you up," etc. — a pride which would have been all the more detestable in that it could have been corrected by grave adversities, according to what is said against certain men in the Psalm, "they were broken and were not pierced with compunction"; and therefore, having described his adversity, he next shows himself to have been humbled — first indeed as to his outward garb, when he says, "I have sewn sackcloth upon my skin"; for such a garb is a sign of humility, as is read concerning the Ninevites at Jonah 3:5; likewise also ashes are applied for the recognition of one's own frailty — whence Abraham said at Genesis 18:27, "I will speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes" — whence he adds, "and I have covered my flesh with ashes"; for it is read above that he sat in the dunghill as a sign of humility. Secondly, he shows his humility through the abundance of weeping, of which he sets down two signs: first, the swelling of the face, when he says, "my face has swollen from weeping"; for when much matter of tears ascends to the head, the face of those weeping swells; second, the impediment of sight, and this is what he adds, "and my eyelids have grown dim," namely from weeping: for literally, on account of the flowing of the humors, the sight of the eyes is impeded. Now from these things which he set forth concerning the gravity of his adversity and the greatness of his humiliation, someone might suspect that he, as it were recognizing the gravity of his sins, had humbled himself in repentance, reckoning himself afflicted for his sins — which Eliphaz wished to insinuate, saying, "Behold, among the saints none is unchangeable," etc. — and therefore, to remove this, he says, "I have suffered these things without iniquity of my hand," by which he excludes from himself the sins of deeds; he then adds, "while I had pure prayers to God," so as to exclude from himself the sin of undevotion and omission, by which he seems to answer what Zophar had said above at Job 11:14, "If you take away the iniquity that is in your hand, you will be able to lift up your hand without stain." But to exclude Job's innocence, Eliphaz had already twice used an argument drawn from the frailty of earthly nature: for above at Job 4:18 he had said, "Behold, those who serve him are not stable, how much more those who dwell in houses of clay"; and afterward above at Job 15:15 he had repeated the same, saying, "The heavens are not clean in his sight, how much more the abominable and useless man"; and therefore, to exclude this, he adds, "O earth, do not cover my blood," and by "blood" he means the affliction of his body: now this blood would be covered if it had been poured out on account of guilt, for then it would have no glory; and it would be covered by the earth if, on the occasion of earthly frailty, a presumption of preceding guilt were presumed. But if his blood was poured out without guilt, he had a just complaint against the one pouring it out, just as it is said at Genesis 4:10, "Behold, the voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the earth"; but this cry would lie hidden if his complaint should seem unjust, as of one who had been punished for guilt; and therefore he adds, "nor let my cry find in you a place to hide," namely, lest, on account of the frailty of earthly life, I should seem to complain unjustly, as though I were punished for guilt. It is true, however, that it is difficult for a man to conduct an earthly life without the iniquity of mortal sin; yet it is not impossible, with God helping through grace, who is also the witness of interior purity; and therefore he adds, "For behold, my witness is in heaven," as if to say: therefore the earth cannot cover my blood, because the testimony of heaven is greater than a presumption drawn from the frailty of earth. Now this witness of heaven is fitting because he even searches out the secrets of conscience, whence he adds, "and he who knows me is on high," as if to say: therefore in the lowest part of the earth my cry cannot find a place to hide, because my conscience is known on high. "My wordy friends," etc. After Job has described the greatness of his adversity and his humility and innocence, he proceeds further to disprove the vain consolation which his friends frequently repeated to him, namely, concerning the hope of recovering temporal prosperity; whence Eliphaz too had said above, "Is it a great matter that God should comfort you," etc. Hence, intending to show the vanity of this consolation, he first sets down, "my wordy friends," as if to say: they promise me empty words; for my consolation lies not in the recovery of temporal things but in attaining the enjoyment of God, and this is what he adds, "my eye drips toward God," that is, weeps for the desire of God, according to that word of the Psalm, "My tears have been my bread day and night, while it is said to me daily, Where is your God?" And in explanation of what he had said, he adds, "And would that a man might be judged with God just as the son of man is judged with his fellow." For a man is judged with his fellow when one is present to the other and they mutually set forth their arguments to one another: he desired, therefore, to be present to God and to know the reasons of the divine works and judgments, in which human happiness consists, in the hope of which was his consolation — not in the vain words of his friends by which they promised the recovery of temporal prosperity; and therefore, to show the vanity of this promise, he adds, "For behold, brief years pass away," because, namely, man lives for a short time, as was said above at Job 13:1; but a great part of the time of Job's life had already passed, whence brief years remained to him, in which, even if there were prosperity, it would not bring great consolation on account of the shortness of the time. Now there were some who believed that man returns again after death to the course of the present life, and thus it might seem that Job could have consolation in the hope of recovering earthly prosperity at least in that future life; and therefore, to exclude this, he adds, "and I walk on a path by which I shall not return": for man in this mortal life tends toward death through the progress of age, nor in this progress can there be repetition, namely, that man should again become a boy and pass anew through the ages of this life.”

“God hath delivered me up to the ungodly,.... The evil or wicked one, for it is in the singular number; and designs either Satan, into whose hands God had not only delivered his substance, but his person, excepting his life; though it may be, and which is an objection to this sense, Job as yet knew it not; or else Eliphaz, or, the singular number being put for the plural, as the next clause explains it, all his friends, whom he in turn calls evil and wicked men, because of their treatment of him; or else the Sabeans and Chaldeans are intended, who were suffered to plunder him of his substance; the words are very applicable to Christ, who was delivered to the Gentiles, and into the hands of sinners and wicked men, and that by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, who with wicked hands took him, and crucified him, Mat 20:19; or God "shut him up", or "delivered him bound" (d), as the word signifies; which was literally true of Christ, who was bound by the Jews, and delivered first to the high priest, and then to the Roman governor, in such circumstances, Joh 18:12; and turned me over into the hands of the wicked; signifying the same as before, unless it should be rendered, "and caused me to decline", or "come down by the hands of the wicked" (e) that is, from his former state of prosperity and happiness, into the low circumstances in which he was, and which he was brought into by the means of wicked men, God suffering it so to be. (d) "vinctum me tradidit", Grotius, Michaelis, Schultens. (e) "divertere fecit a vita", Pagninus; "declinare me facit", Beza, Drusius, Mercerus.”

“10 They have gaped against me with their mouth, In contempt they smite my cheeks; They conspire together against me. 11 God left me to the mercy of the ungodly, And cast me into the hands of the evil-doer. He does not mean the friends by those who mock and vex him with their contemptuous words, but the men around him who envied his prosperity and now rejoice at his misfortune; those to whom his uprightness was a burden, and who now consider themselves disencumbered of their liege lord, the over-righteous, censorious, godly man. The perfects here also have not a present signification; he depicts his suffering according to the change it has wrought since it came upon him. The verb פּער is used with the instrumental Beth instead of with the acc., as Job 29:23 (comp. on במלים, Job 16:4): they make an opening with their mouth (similar to Psa 22:8, they make an opening with the lips, for diducunt labia). Smiting on the cheeks is in itself an insult (Lam 3:30); the additional בּחרפּה will therefore refer to insulting words which accompany the act. The Hithpa. התמלּא, which occurs only here, signifies not only to gather together a מלא in general, Isa 31:4, but (after the Arab. tamâla'a ‛ala, to conspire against any one) (Note: Wetzstein thinks the signification conspirare for יתמלאון poor in this connection, and prefers to translate: All together they eat themselves full upon me, התמלּא as reflexive of מלּא, Job 38:39, synon. of נשׂבע, as in "the Lovers of Amsi," Ferhht, after the death of his beloved, cries out: We are not separated! To-morrow (i.e., soon) the All-kind One will unite us in paradise, and we shall satisfy ourselves one with another (Arab. w-ntmll' mn b-'dn 'l-b'd). One would, however, expect ממּנּי instead of עלי; but perhaps we may refer to the interchange of התענג על, Job 22:26; Job 27:10, with התענג מן, Isa 66:11.) to complete one's self, to strengthen one's self (for a like hostile purpose): Reiske correctly: sibi invicem mutuam et auxiliatricem operam contra me simul omnes ferunt. (Note: The signification to help, which belongs to the I. form Arab. mala'a, proceeds from malâ'un, to have abundance, to be well off; prop. to be able to furnish any one with the means (opes, copias) for anything, and thereby to place him in a position to accomplish it. Comp. the Lat. ops, opem ferre, opitulari, opes, opulentus (Arab. mal'un). - Fl.) The meaning of עויל is manifest from Job 21:11; from עוּל, to suckle, alere (Arab. ‛âl med. Wau, whence the inf. ‛aul, ‛uwûl, and ‛ijâle), it signifies boys, knaves; and it is as unnecessary to suppose two forms, עויל and עויל, as two meanings, puer and pravus, since the language and particularly the book of Job has coined עוּל for the latter signification: it signifies in all three passages (here and Job 19:18; Job 21:11) boys, or the boyish, childish, knavish. The Arabic warratta leaves no doubt as to the derivation and meaning of ירטני; it signifies to cast down to destruction (warttah, a precipice, ruin, danger), and so here the fut. Kal ירטני for יירטני (Ges. 69, rem. 3), praecipitem me dabat (lxx ἔῤῥιψε, Symm. ἐνέβαλε), as the praet. Kal, Num 22:32 : praeceps = exitiosa est via. The preformative Jod has Metheg in correct texts, so that we need not suppose, with Ralbag, a רטה, similar in meaning to ירט.”