Nothing upon earth is done without a voice cause, and sorrow doth not spring out of the ground.

“There is nothing in the earth without cause. Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. For on this account it often happens that even a slothful man receives ability, that he may be the more deservedly punished for his carelessness, because he scorns to acquaint himself with that which he might attain to without labour. And on this account the earnest person is straitened with slowness of understanding, that he may obtain so much the larger rewards of compensation, the more he toils in anxiety to find out. Therefore 'there is nothing in the earth without cause,' since slowness stands the earnest mind in stead for a reward, and to the slothful quickness only thrives for punishment. But for the understanding of those things that be right, we are at one time instructed therein by earnestness of labour, at another time by pains of affliction. Hence after it has been said, There is nothing in the earth without cause, it is fitly added thereupon, Neither doth trouble spring out of the ground. For 'trouble springeth out of the ground,' as it were, when man, being created after the image of God, is scourged by things without sense. But because it is by reason of the hidden deserts of men's souls that the open scourges of chastisements are sent forth, it happens at the same time that 'trouble springeth not out of the ground,' since it is the perversity of our sense, which requires that it should be stricken by things that have no sense. For thus we see that for our correction the looked for rain is withheld from the parched earth, and the vaporous air is scorched by the fiery heat of the sun; the sea rages with bursting tempests, and some embarked to cross its bosom it cuts off, and others are debarred the longed-for passage by the rampant water; the earth not only yields sparingly the produce of her fertility, but also destroys the seeds she has received. In all which circumstances we clearly discern that which a wise man testifies concerning God, And the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. For 'the world fights with the Lord against the unwise,' when even the very contrariety of the elements does service in the chastisement of offenders. Yet neither doth 'trouble spring out of the ground,' for each insensate thing is put in motion to our annoyance, only by the impulse of our own doings. 'Trouble does not spring out of the ground,' for chastisement never a whit springs from that creature that strikes the blow, but from that one, without doubt, which, by committing sin, drew forth the severity of the stroke. But we must take great and diligent heed, that, when in outward circumstances we are afflicted with a weight of grief, we reach forward in hope to things above; that the mind may attain the heights above, in proportion as we are chastened by the external punishment.”

“The author signifies all the silent and inanimate beings, and all those who are mute and without speech, through the two figures of the earth and the bird. His point is that neither the earth nor a bird can commit any act of iniquity. Because they cannot sin they are beyond afflictions and punishment. But the human being, since he is endowed with reason and sins by using his freedom, is born and grows up among pains and tribulation to match his nature.”

“"Anger kills the foolish man." Because in the revelation which he had recounted as having been made to him, Eliphaz included among other things this, that men who have an earthly foundation are consumed as though by a moth; he wishes to show this through the diverse conditions of men: for there is no condition of men to which a proneness to some sin is not present. Now there are two conditions of men: for some are of great and elevated spirit, who are easily provoked to anger, and this is so because anger is an appetite for vengeance arising from a preceding offense; and the more elevated in spirit someone is, the more he thinks himself offended from a lighter cause, and therefore the more easily he is provoked to anger, and this is what is meant by "anger kills the foolish man." Now he calls the man who is of proud and elevated spirit "foolish," because it is especially through pride that man exceeds the bounds of reason, and humility prepares the way of wisdom, according to that saying of Proverbs 11:2, "where there is humility, there is wisdom"; and with this also the folly of anger fits, for the angry man, as the Philosopher teaches, does indeed use reason while he seeks vengeance for an offense, but perversely, since in taking vengeance he does not observe the measure of reason; and perversity of reason is folly. But some are pusillanimous, and these are prone to envy; hence he adds "and envy slays the little one," and this is said reasonably: for envy is nothing other than sadness at another's prosperity, insofar as that prosperity is reckoned as an impediment to one's own prosperity; and this pertains to smallness of soul, that someone does not judge himself able to prosper among others who are prospering. Thus, therefore, it seems evident that man, of whatever condition he may be, is prone to some sin; for it would be easy to bring forward similar things concerning other sins. Thus, then, through all that has been said above, Eliphaz intends to prove that adversities in this world befall no one except for sin. Against this there seem to be two objections, one of which is that many just men seem to be subjected to adversities; but he seems to have dissolved this objection by showing that men are prone to sin. The second objection is that some wicked men prosper in this world, and to satisfy this he intends consequently to show that their prosperity redounds to their own harm. Hence he says, "I have seen a fool," that is, a man puffed up with pride in his riches, "with a firm root," that is, established, as it seemed, in the prosperity of this world; but I did not approve his prosperity — nay rather, "I cursed his beauty immediately." Here it should be noted that he speaks of man under the metaphor of a tree, whose root, when it is firm, gives beauty in branches and fruits; he therefore compares the prosperity of a man established in riches to the beauty of a tree, which he curses, that is, pronounces to be evil and harmful, according to that saying of Ecclesiastes 5:12, "there is also another very grievous infirmity which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of their owner." He added "immediately" in order to show that he has no doubt at all about this judgment. He shows, first as regards the sons, what evils proceed from the prosperity of the fool. For it frequently happens that when someone rich and powerful raises his sons without discipline, which is proper to a fool, his sons fall into many dangers; and sometimes, indeed, they are destroyed without judgment because of the hatreds which they stir up against themselves, or else, while not taking heed for themselves and indulging inordinately in pleasures, they lose their lives; and as to this he says, "his sons shall be far from safety." At other times, while they inflict calumnies and injuries on others, they are brought before judges and there condemned; and as to this he says, "and they shall be crushed in the gate," that is, by the sentence of the judges, for judges of old were accustomed to sit in the gates. And because foolish men in their prosperity do not hesitate to offend anyone, in adversity they find no helper, and so he adds, "and there shall be none to deliver them." But because someone might say, "I do not care whatever happens to my sons, so long as I enjoy prosperity in this world," he therefore, in the second place, sets forth the evils that come upon the fool himself both in his goods and in his person, saying, "whose harvest the hungry man shall eat"; for frequently men who are foolish and abound in riches oppress the poor, who, for the most part unable to bear the burdens, are forced by a kind of necessity to seize the goods of the rich; and because such men, living delicately, are wont through the delights of life to lose vigor of spirit and to become unwarlike, they are easily destroyed by warlike poor men; hence there follows, "and the armed man shall snatch it away," as it were without any resistance. And so that what he had said of harvests may be understood generally, he adds, "and the thirsty shall drink his riches," that is, covetous men. The aforesaid objections having been removed, he finally brings forward the argument to prove his principal intention, namely that adversities in this world do not happen to anyone except for sin, and the argument is this: whatever things happen on earth proceed from their own determinate causes; if, therefore, adversities happen to someone in this world, this has a determinate cause, which appears to be none other than sin; this, then, is what he says, "nothing on earth happens without a cause": for we see all effects proceed from determinate causes. From which, as though concluding, he adds, "and sorrow shall not spring out of the ground," and this is a metaphorical expression: for certain herbs are produced without seed, of which it is said that the ground brings them forth of its own accord; whatever, therefore, happened without its own proper cause, as it were without seed, could by a certain likeness be metaphorically said to spring out of the ground; but sorrow, that is, adversity, shall not spring out of the ground, that is, it is not without a cause. That which he had said, "nothing on earth happens without a cause," is made especially clear from this, that all things have a natural disposition fitting to their proper operation, from which it appears that the natural dispositions of things are not without a cause but for a determinate end; and therefore he says, "man is born to labor, and the bird to fly." For it is evident that, because the proper motion which the nature of the bird required was flight, it was fitting that the bird should have from its nature instruments suited to flying, namely wings and feathers; man, however, because he had reason, by which through his own labor he could procure for himself all the necessary aids, was naturally produced without all the aids which nature gave to other animals, namely without covering, without weapons, and other such things which he could prepare for himself by his own labor through the industry of reason. "Wherefore I will beseech the Lord," and so forth. Because Eliphaz had proposed that all things which happen on earth have a determinate cause, and had proved this from the fact that natural things appeared to be disposed for an end, and because this — namely that natural things exist for an end — is the strongest argument to show that the world is governed by divine providence and that not all things happen by chance, Eliphaz therefore at once concludes from what has gone before concerning the governance of divine providence. Now it must be known that if divine providence is taken away, the fruit of prayer is taken away, and likewise the knowledge of God concerning human affairs, which nevertheless must necessarily be posited by one who grants the governance of providence; and therefore Eliphaz, concluding, says: since all things which happen on earth are for an end, one must grant the governance of providence, wherefore "I will beseech the Lord," as though prayer were fruitful inasmuch as God disposes human affairs, "and to God I will set forth my speech," inasmuch as God knows human deeds and words and thoughts. In confirmation of this he adds those things which most show forth divine providence. Now it must be known that those who deny providence say that all things which appear in the things of the world proceed from the necessity of natural causes, namely from the necessity of heat and cold, of heaviness and lightness, and other such things. From those things, therefore, is divine providence most shown, of which no reason can be given from such natural principles; among which one is the determinate magnitude of the bodies of this world: for no reason can be assigned from any natural principle why the sun or the moon or the earth should be of such a size and not greater or smaller; hence it must be said that this apportioning of magnitudes is from the ordination of some intellect, and this he designates when he says, "who does great things," that is, who disposes things in a determinate magnitude. Again, if all things proceeded from the necessity of natural principles, since natural principles are known to us, we would have a way of inquiring into all things that are in this world; but there are some things in this world to the knowledge of which we can attain by no inquiry, such as spiritual substances, the distances of the stars, and other such things; hence it is evident that not all things proceed from the necessity of natural principles, but that things have been instituted by some higher intellect, and for this reason he adds, "and things unsearchable." Likewise, there are certain things which we see of which we can in no way assign the reason, for instance that the stars are disposed according to such a figure in this part of the heaven and according to another in another part; hence it is evident that this does not come from natural principles but from some higher intellect, and for this reason he adds, "and wondrous things": for the unsearchable and the wondrous differ in this, that the unsearchable is that which itself lies hidden and cannot be sought out, while the wondrous is that which indeed itself appears, but its cause cannot be sought out. It must also be known that some have held that the disposition of things proceeds from God according to a certain order of number, namely that from the first, simple one there proceeds only one first effect, in which there is already something of composition and plurality, and thus from it there proceed two or three things which are still less simple, and so, step by step according to them, the whole multitude of things proceeds; according to which position, indeed, the whole disposition of the universe is not from the ordination of the divine intellect but from a certain necessity of nature; hence, to remove this position, he adds, "without number": either because things have been produced into being without the necessity of a numerical order, or because innumerable things have been produced for us immediately by God, which especially appears in the first heaven, in which there are very many stars. Thus, then, Eliphaz shows that the production of things is from God and not from the necessity of nature. Consequently he shows that the course of things once made is governed by divine providence. And first in natural things, from the fact that natural things appear to be tempered to the use of men and of other animals, although the natural order of the elements would seem to require otherwise: for if one considers weight and lightness in the elements, it is evident that by nature earth lies beneath water, and water beneath air, and air beneath fire. Yet some part of the earth is found uncovered by the waters, lying immediately beneath the air; for otherwise animals that breathe could not live on the earth; and again, lest the earth uncovered from the waters should become unfruitful and uninhabitable through its dryness, it is moistened by God in two ways: first, indeed, by rain, by which the surface of the earth is watered, and as to this he says, "who gives rain upon the face of the earth"; in another way, as regards springs, streams, and rivers, by which the earth is irrigated, whose source is under the earth just as the rain's is on high, and as to this he says, "and waters all things." Then he shows the working of providence also in human affairs. And indeed, if human affairs ran according to what their disposition seems to require, little or no trace of divine providence would appear in them; but since human affairs run in another way, fools, who do not consider the higher causes, attribute this to chance and fortune, in whose persons Solomon speaks, Ecclesiastes 9:11, saying, "I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the learned, nor favor to the skillful, but time and chance in all things." Eliphaz, however, refers this to a higher cause, namely to the providence of God. And first as regards the oppressed, who are also raised from the lowest to the height, and as to this he says, "who sets the humble," that is, the cast down, "on high," and are transferred from sorrow to joy, and as to this he says, "and raises up the mourning to health." Second, as regards the oppressors, of whom there are two kinds. For some openly oppress others by power, and as to these it is said, "who scatters the thoughts of the malignant, that their hands may not accomplish what they had begun," because, namely, they are hindered by God in the very carrying out of the deed, lest they be able to bring an iniquitous thought to effect; but some deceive by cunning, and as to these it is said, "who catches the wise in their own craftiness," inasmuch, namely, as the things which they craftily devise turn out contrary to their purpose, "and dissipates the counsel of the wicked," while, namely, the things which seem to have been wisely counseled by them, through certain impediments brought in upon them, they are not able to bring to effect; and sometimes not only are craftily-counseled things hindered in the deed, but their mind itself is darkened so that they cannot discern the better course in counseling, hence he adds, "in the daytime they shall run into darkness," because, namely, in a matter altogether manifest they do not know at all what to do, "and grope at noonday as in the night," that is, in things which are in no way doubtful they shall be as doubtful as in obscure matters. And so that these things may be seen to come from divine providence, he adds the benefit that comes from what has been said. For while the cunning of the malignant is hindered, the poor are freed from their deceptions, and this is what he adds, "moreover he shall save the needy from the sword of their mouth," for those who are cunning in evil are wont to seduce others by flattering and feigned words, which words, in doing harm, are compared to a sword, according to that saying of the Psalm, "their tongue is a sharp sword." When, moreover, the works of the powerful wicked are hindered by God, it is likewise evident that the poor are saved, hence there follows, "and the poor from the hand of the violent." And from this two things follow, one of which is that men, who are of themselves powerless, trust in the divine power, as though God cared for human affairs, hence he adds, "and there shall be hope to the needy"; the other is that powerful and wicked men hold themselves back from being entirely wicked, hence there follows, "but iniquity shall shut her mouth," lest, namely, it pour itself out entirely into the destruction of others. "Blessed is the man who is corrected by the Lord," and so forth. As has been said above, Eliphaz had in what preceded charged blessed Job both with impatience and with presumption in that he had asserted himself innocent; now, however, he endeavors to take away from him the despair from which he believed those words had proceeded by which Job had detested his own life. It must be known, then, that from the things said above, by which he had asserted divine providence both concerning natural things and concerning human affairs, he takes this as known, that all adversities are brought upon men by divine judgment, but upon some indeed unto final condemnation — those who are incorrigible — while upon others unto correction — those who are amended by adversities — whom he asserts to be blessed, saying, "blessed is the man who is corrected by the Lord": for if correction by man is wholesome, though man cannot perfectly know the measure and manner according to which correction can be wholesome, nor is he omnipotent to remove evils and bestow goods, much more ought the correction of God, who is omnipotent and knows all things, to be reckoned wholesome and happy. From this conclusion he draws to his purpose, saying, "therefore do not reject the rebuke of the Lord," as if to say: although you suffer this adversity from God on account of your sins, nevertheless you ought to reckon that this is, as it were, a certain rebuke of the Lord for correcting you, hence you ought not to reject this adversity to such an extent that on account of it you hold your life hateful. And he adds the reason for what has been said, saying, "for he wounds," with a graver adversity, "and heals," by taking away evils and restoring goods; "he strikes," with a lighter adversity, "and his hands," that is, his operations, "shall heal," that is, shall set free. Eliphaz, then, did not assert that the one who is corrected by the Lord is blessed on account of a future life, which he did not believe in, but on account of the present life, in which, after correction, a man obtained from God immunity from evils and abundance of goods. Hence, consequently, concerning immunity from evils he adds, saying, "in six troubles he shall deliver you, and in the seventh evil shall not touch you"; for since all time is measured by the sevenfold number of days, the universality of things is customarily designated by the number seven, so that the sense is that no adversity will harm the one who is corrected by the Lord after his amendment. And because, according to his opinion, the more anyone has been purified from fault, the less adversity he suffers in this world, therefore he says, "in the seventh evil shall not touch you," as though before amendment a man is not freed from adversity, but when he begins to be freed from it he is touched but not overwhelmed, God freeing him, while after perfect liberation he is not touched at all. This is indeed true as regards the mind, which, while it fixes its end in worldly things, is oppressed by worldly adversities; when, withdrawing its love from them, it begins to love God, it is saddened indeed in adversities but is not overwhelmed, because it does not have its hope in the world; but when it has utterly despised the world, then worldly adversities scarcely touch it. This opinion, however, is not true as regards the body, as Eliphaz understood it, since the most perfect men sometimes suffer the gravest adversities, according to that saying of the Psalm, "for your sake we are put to death all the day long," which is adduced concerning the apostles. And because he had touched on seven tribulations, he subsequently enumerates them. Now it must be known that adversity sometimes arises from some particular danger to some person, which is sometimes against his bodily life, which is sometimes taken away through the withdrawal of necessities, and as to this he says, "in famine he shall deliver you from death," as if to say: you will indeed suffer hunger, being rebuked by the Lord, but from this you will not come to death, God delivering you; and this is the first tribulation. Sometimes, moreover, it is taken away through the violence of someone inflicting harm, and as to this he says, "and in war, from the hand," that is, the power, "of the sword," as if to say: war will come upon you, but you will not be brought into the power of the sword; and this is the second tribulation. Bodily life is also taken away by natural death, but this is not counted among tribulations, since the nature of man requires it. Sometimes, moreover, the personal danger is against a man's reputation, which pertains to civil life, and as to this he says, "you shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue": now the scourge of the tongue is called grievous defamation, from which a man is then hidden when the deeds of his, by which he might be defamed, lie hidden from the detractor; and this is the third tribulation. Sometimes, moreover, adversity comes from some general danger, which threatens either persons or goods: persons indeed, as when an enemy army comes upon some country, through which either death or captivity is commonly feared, and as to this he says, "and you shall not fear calamity when it comes," as if to say: with calamity from the enemies of your country impending, you will not be afraid; and this is the fourth tribulation. Common danger threatens goods, moreover, either through the barrenness of the land, which occurs in a time of famine, or through some devastation of the crops by enemies, and as to these two he says, "in famine and devastation you shall laugh," that is, you will have abundance which will be to you a matter of joy; and thus the fifth and sixth tribulations are touched upon. Sometimes, moreover, adversity comes from the assault of brute animals, whether in general or in particular, and as to this he says, "and you shall not fear the beast of the earth"; and this appears to be the seventh tribulation, in which evil does not touch him. After immunity from evils he sets forth abundance in goods, and first as regards the fertility of the lands, saying, "but you shall have a covenant with the stones of the regions," that is, even stony and barren lands will bring forth fruit for you, according to that saying of Deuteronomy 32:13, "that you might suck honey out of the rock," etc.; second, as regards the brute animals, and as to this he says, "and the beasts of the earth shall be at peace with you," that is, they will not harm you — though these two might be otherwise, that could be explained, so that by stones are understood hard and rude men, and by beasts, cruel men; third, as regards the members of his household, when he says, "and you shall know that your tent has peace," that is, your household will have peace among themselves; fourth, specifically as regards his wife, and as to this he says, "and visiting your beauty you shall not sin," as if to say: you will have a wife who is honorable and peaceable, with whom you will be able to live without sin; fifth, as regards sons, hence he says, "your offspring shall be like the grass of the earth," that is, you will have many sons and grandsons; sixth, as regards a peaceful and quiet death, and as to this he says, "you shall go into the grave in abundance," as though not despoiled of your goods, in good prosperity, "as a heap of wheat is brought in its own time," as though not overtaken by an untimely and sudden death. Finally, he confirms the things he had said above, saying, "behold, this, as we have searched it out, so it is." And because he judges Job to be so absorbed in sorrow that he would not much consider such things, he makes him attentive, saying, "hear it, and turn it over in your mind."”

“Eliphaz, having touched Job in a very tender part, in mentioning both the loss of his estate and the death of his children as the just punishment of his sin, that he might not drive him to despair, here begins to encourage him, and puts him in a way to make himself easy. Now he very much changes his voice (Gal 4:20), and speaks in the accents of kindness, as if he would atone for the hard words he had given him. I. He reminds him that no affliction comes by chance, nor is to be attributed to second causes: It doth not come forth of the dust, nor spring out of the ground, as the grass doth, Job 5:6. It doth not come of course, at certain seasons of the year, as natural productions do, by a chain of second causes. The proportion between prosperity and adversity is not so exactly observed by Providence as that between day and night, summer and winter, but according to the will and counsel of God, when and as he thinks fit. Some read it, Sin comes not forth out of the dust, nor iniquity of the ground. If men be bad, they must not lay the blame upon the soil, the climate, or the stars, but on themselves. If thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. We must not attribute our afflictions to fortune, for they are from God, nor our sins to fate, for they are from ourselves; so that, whatever trouble we are in, we must own that God sends it upon us and we procure it to ourselves: the former is a reason why we should be very patient, the latter why we should be very penitent, when we are afflicted. II. He reminds him that trouble and affliction are what we have all reason to expect in this world: Man is brought to trouble (Job 5:7), not as man (had he kept his innocency he would have been born to pleasure), but as sinful man, as born of a woman (Job 14:1), who was in the transgression. Man is born in sin, and therefore born to trouble. Even those that are born to honour and estate are yet born to trouble in the flesh. In our fallen state it has become natural to us to sin, and the natural consequence of that is affliction, Rom 5:12. There is nothing in this world we are born to, and can truly call our own, but sin and trouble; both are as the sparks that fly upwards. Actual transgressions are the sparks that fly out of the furnace of original corruption; and, being called transgressors from the womb, no wonder that we deal very treacherously, Isa 48:8. Such too is the frailty of our bodies, and the vanity of all our enjoyments, that our troubles also thence arise as naturally as the sparks fly upwards - so many are they, so thick and so fast does one follow another. Why then should we be surprised at our afflictions as strange, or quarrel with them as hard, when they are but what we are born to? Man is born to labour (so it is in the margin), is sentenced to eat his bread in the sweat of his face, which should inure him to hardness, and make him bear his afflictions the better. III. He directs him how to behave himself under his affliction (Job 5:8): I would seek unto God; surely I would: so it is in the original. Here is, 1. A tacit reproof to Job for not seeking to God, but quarrelling with him: "Job, if I had been in thy case, I would not have been so peevish and passionate as thou art. I would have acquiesced in the will of God." It is easy to say what we would do if we were in such a one's case; but when it comes to the trial, perhaps it will be found not so easy to do as we say. 2. Very good and seasonable advice to him, which Eliphaz transfers to himself in a figure: "For my part, the best way I should think I could take, if I were in thy condition, would be to apply to God." Note, We should give our friends no other counsel than what we would take ourselves if we were in their case, that we may be easy under our afflictions, may get good by them, and may see a good issue of them. (1.) We must by prayer fetch in mercy and grace from God, seek to him as a Father and friend, though he contend with us, as one who is alone able to support and succour us. His favour we must seek when we have lost all we have in the world; to him we must address ourselves as the fountain and Father of all good, all consolation. Is any afflicted? let him pray. It is heart's-ease, a salve for every sore. (2.) We must by patience refer ourselves and our cause to him: To God would I commit my cause; having spread it before him, I would leave it with him; having laid it at his feet, I would lodge it in his hand. "Here I am, let the Lord do with me as seemeth him good." If our cause be indeed a good cause, we need not fear committing it to God, for he is both just and kind. Those that would seek so as to speed must refer themselves to God. IV. He encourages him thus to seek to God, and commit his cause to him. It will not be in vain to do so, for he is one in whom we shall find effectual help. 1. He recommends to his consideration God's almighty power and sovereign dominion. In general, he doeth great things (Job 5:9), great indeed, for he can do any thing, he doth do every thing, and all according to the counsel of his own will - great indeed, for the operations of his power are, (1.) Unsearchable, and such as can never be fathomed, can never be found out from the beginning to the end, Ecc 3:11. The works of nature are mysterious; the most curious searches come far short of full discoveries and the wisest philosophers have owned themselves at a loss. The designs of Providence ar much more deep and unaccountable, Rom 11:33. (2.) Numerous, and such as can never be reckoned up. He doeth great things without number; his power is never exhausted, nor will all his purposes ever be fulfilled till the end of time. (3.) They are marvellous, and such as never can be sufficiently admired; eternity itself will be short enough to be spent in the admiration of them. Now, by the consideration of this, Eliphaz intends, [1.] To convince Job of his fault and folly in quarrelling with God. We must not pretend to pass a judgment upon his works, for they are unsearchable and above our enquiries; nor must we strive with our Maker, for he will certainly be too hard for us, and is able to crush us in a moment. [2.] To encourage Job to seek unto God, and to refer his cause to him. What more encouraging than to see that he is one to whom power belongs? He can do great things and marvellous for our relief, when we are brought ever so low. 2. He gives some instances of God's dominion and power. (1.) God doeth great things in the kingdom of nature: He gives rain upon the earth (Job 5:10), put here for all the gifts of common providence, all the fruitful seasons by which he filleth our hearts with food and gladness, Act 14:17. Observe, When he would show what great things God does he speaks of his giving rain, which, because it is a common thing, we are apt to look upon as a little thing, but, if we duly consider both how it is produced and what is produced by it, we shall see it to be a great work both of power and goodness. (2.) He doeth great things in the affairs of the children of men, not only enriches the poor and comforts the needy, by the rain he sends (Job 5:10), but, in order to the advancing of those that are low, he disappoints the devices of the crafty; for Job 5:11 is to be joined to Job 5:12. Compare with Luk 1:51-53. He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, and so hath exalted those of low degree, and filled the heart with good things. See, [1.] How he frustrates the counsels of the proud and politic, Job 5:12-14. There is a supreme power that manages and overrules men who think themselves free and absolute, and fulfils its own purposes in spite of their projects. Observe, First, The froward, that walk contrary to God and the interests of his kingdom, are often very crafty; for they are the seed of the old serpent that was noted for his subtlety. They think themselves wise, but, at the end, will be fools. Secondly, The Froward enemies of God's kingdom have their devices, their enterprises, and their counsels, against it, and against the loyal faithful subjects of it. They are restless and unwearied in their designs, close in their consultations, high in their hopes, deep in their politics, and fast-linked in their confederacies, Psa 2:1, Psa 2:2. Thirdly, God easily can, and (as far as is for his glory) certainly will, blast and defeat all the designs of his and his people's enemies. How were the plots of Ahithophel, Sanballat, and Haman baffled! How were the confederacies of Syria and Ephraim against Judah, of Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, against God's Israel, the kings of the earth and the princes against the Lord and against his anointed, broken! The hands that have been stretched out against God and his church have not performed their enterprise, nor have the weapons formed against Sion prospered. Fourthly, That which enemies have designed for the ruin of the church has often turned to their own ruin (Job 5:13): He takes the wise in their own craftiness, and snares them in the work of their own hands, Psa 7:15, Psa 7:16; Psa 9:15, Psa 9:16. This is quoted by the apostle (Co1 3:19) to show how the learned men of the heathen were befooled by their own vain philosophy. Fifthly, When God infatuates men they are perplexed, and at a loss, even in those things that seem most plain and easy (Job 5:14): They meet with darkness even in the day-time: nay (as in the margin), They run themselves into darkness by the violence and precipitation of their own counsels. See Job 12:20, Job 12:24, Job 12:25. [2.] How he favours the cause of the poor and humble, and espouses that. First, He exalts the humble, Job 5:11. Those whom proud men contrive to crush he raises from under their feet, and sets them in safety, Psa 12:5. The lowly in heart, and those that mourn, he advances, comforts, and makes to dwell on high, in the munitions of rocks, Isa 33:16. Sion's mourners are the sealed ones, marked for safety, Eze 9:4. Secondly, He delivers the oppressed, Job 5:15. The designs of the crafty are to ruin the poor. Tongue, and hand, and sword, and all, are at work in order to this; but God takes under his special protection those who, being poor and unable to help themselves, being his poor and devoted to his praise, have committed themselves to him. He saves them from the mouth that speaks hard things against them and the hand that does hard things against them; for he can, when he pleases, tie the tongue and wither the hand. The effect of this is (Job 5:16), 1. That weak and timorous saints are comforted: So the poor, who began to despair, has hope. The experiences of some are encouragement to others to hope the best in the worst of times; for it is the glory of God to send help to the helpless and hope to the hopeless. 2. That daring threatening sinners are confounded: Iniquity stops her mouth, being surprised at the strangeness of the deliverance, ashamed of its enmity against those who appear to be the favourites of Heaven, mortified at the disappointment, and compelled to acknowledge the justice of God's proceedings, having nothing to object against them. Those that domineered over God's poor, that frightened them, menaced them, and falsely accused them, will not have a word to say against them when God appears for them. See Psa 76:8, Psa 76:9; Isa 26:11; Mic 7:16.”

“Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust,.... Or rather, "for" or "indeed" (y), this being a reason showing that wicked men are justly afflicted and punished; seeing their afflictions come not from the creatures, though they may be instruments, but from God for the sins of men: the word for affliction also signifies iniquity or sin, the cause of affliction, as well as affliction the fruit of sin; and so does the word in the following clause; and Aben Ezra understands both, not of natural but moral evil, and so do others (z); both senses may be taken in: sin does not come from God, the Maker of the dust of the earth, he is not the author of sin, nor does this spring out of the dust which he has made; good things, as Schmidt observes, come out of the earth for the use of man as well as beasts, bread, and wine, and oil, and all the necessaries of life; the precious things produced by the influence of the sun and moon, the precious things of the everlasting hills, and of the earth, and the fulness of it; indeed, the earth was cursed for the sin of men, but this is taken off; and, however, it is not owing to the soil, or to the air and climate in which a man lives, that he is sinful; for though there may be national vices or some sins peculiar to or more predominant in one nation than in another, yet this is not to be attributed to such causes; for all sin is from a man's self, and proceeds out of his own evil heart, which is desperately wicked and evil continually, and from whence all the impure streams of sin flow, see Mat 15:19; and so afflictions are not to be ascribed to second causes, such as the things before mentioned, or Job's losses by the Sabeans and Chaldeans; nor did he place them to that account, but to the hand of God; nor to chance and fortune, or to be reckoned fortuitous events, as if they were chance productions, spontaneous things that spring up of themselves, and not under the direction of an all wise Providence; but they are to be considered as of God, and as of his appointment, and directed by his sovereign will and pleasure, and overruled for his glory; who has fixed what they shall be, of what kind and sort, what the measure of them, to what pitch they shall rise, and how long they shall last: neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; the same thing as before in different words, neither sin, the cause of trouble, the effect of sin; sin may very fitly be expressed by a word (a) which signifies trouble, because it is both troublesome, wearisome, and offensive to God, and brings trouble to the bodies and souls of men here and hereafter. Here Eliphaz begins to lower the tone of his voice, and to speak to Job in a seemingly more kind and friendly manner, observing to him the spring of afflictions, and giving him advice how to behave under them. (y) "quia", Pagninus, Montanus; "etenim", Beza, Mercerus; "nam", Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens; so Broughton; "sane", Bolducius. (z) "iniquitas", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Bolducius, Schmidt, Michaelis; "improbitas", Codurcus. (a) "perversitas", Pagninus; "improbitas", Schultens.”

“6 For evil cometh not forth from the dust, And sorrow sprouteth not from the earth; 7 For man is born to sorrow, As the sparks fly upward. 8 On the contrary, I would earnestly approach unto God, And commit my cause to the Godhead; 9 To Him who doeth great things and unsearchable; Marvellous things till there is no number: 10 Who giveth rain over the earth, And causeth water to flow over the fields: 11 To set the low in high places; And those that mourn are exalted to prosperity. As the oracle above, so Eliphaz says here, that a sorrowful life is allotted to man, (Note: Fries explains יוּלּד as part., and refers to Geiger's Lehrb. zur Sprache der Mischna, S. 41f., according to which מקטּל signifies killed, and קטּל (= Rabb. מתקטּל) being killed (which, however, rests purely on imagination): not the matter from which mankind originates brings evil with it, but it is man who inclines towards the evil. Bttch. would read יולד: man is the parent of misery, though he may rise high in anger.) so that his wisdom consequently consists in accommodating himself to his lot: if he does not do that, he is an אויל, and thereby perishes. Misfortune does not grow out of the ground like weeds; it is rather established in the divine order of the world, as it is established in the order of nature that sparks of fire should ascend. The old critics understood by רשׁף בני birds of prey, as being swift as lightning (with which the appellation of beasts of prey may be compared, Job 28:8; Job 41:26); but רשׁף signifies also a flame or blaze (Sol 8:6). Children of the flame is an appropriate name for sparks, and flying upwards is naturally peculiar to sparks as to birds of prey; wherefore among modern expositors, Hirz., Ew., Hahn, von Gerl., Ebr., rightly decide in favour of sparks. Schlottmann understands "angels" by children of flame; but the wings, which are given to angels in Scripture, are only a symbol of their freedom of motion. This remarkable interpretation is altogether opposed to the sententious character of Job 5:7, which symbolizes a moral truth by an ordinary thing. The waw in וּבני, which we have translated "as," is the so-called waw adaequationis proper to the Proverbs, and also to emblems, e.g., Pro 25:25. Eliphaz now says what he would do in Job's place. Ew. and Ebr. translate incorrectly, or at least unnecessarily: Nevertheless I will. We translate, according to Ges. 127, 5: Nevertheless I would; and indeed with an emphatic I: Nevertheless I for my part. דּרשׁ with אל is constr. praegnans, like Deu 12:5, sedulo adire. דּברה is not speech, like אמרה but cause, causa, in a judicial sense. אל is God as the Mighty One; אלהים is God in the totality of His variously manifested nature. The fecundity of the earth by rain, and of the fields (חוּצות = rura) by water-springs (cf. Psa 104:10), as the works of God, are intentionally made prominent. He who makes the barren places fruitful, can also change suffering into joy. To His power in nature corresponds His power among men (Job 5:11). לשׂוּם is here only as a variation for השּׂם, as Heiligst. rightly observes: it is equivalent to collacaturus, or qui in eo est ut collocet, according to the mode of expression discussed in Ges. 132, rem. 1, and more fully on Hab 1:17. The construction of Hab 1:11 is still bolder. שׂגב signifies to be high and steep, inaccessible. It is here construed with the acc. of motion: those who go in dirty, black clothes because they mourn, shall be high in prosperity, i.e., come to stand on an unapproachable height of prosperity.”