1 Job's honour is turned into extreme contempt
15 and his prosperity into calamity

they that are 19:13-19 29:8-10 2Ki 2:23 Isa 3:5

younger than I. Heb. of fewer days than I. whose Ps 35:15,16 69:12 Mr 14:65 15:17-20 Lu 23:14,18,35,39 Ac 17:5 Tit 1:12

2 Yea, whereto might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom old age was perished?

3 For want and famine they were solitary; fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste.

solitary. or, dark as the night 24:13-16

fleeing into 24:5 Heb 11:38

in former time. Heb. yesternight

4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.

mallows (The Hebrew malluach, in Arabic, malluch and in Syriac mallucho, is probably the halimus of the Romans, which Dioscorides describes as a kind of bramble, without thorns, the leaves of which are boiled and eaten.)

juniper roots (The Hebrew rothem, in Arabic, ratim, and in Spanish, retama, most probably signifies the genista or broom, which is very abundant in the deserts of Arabia.)

for their meat 2Ki 4:38,39 Am 7:14 Lu 15:16

5 They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)

driven Ge 4:12-14 Ps 109:10 Da 4:25,32,33

6 To dwell in the cliffs of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks.

dwell Jud 6:2 1Sa 22:1,2 Isa 2:19 Re 6:15

caves. Heb. holes

7 Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.

brayed 6:5 11:12 Ge 16:12

the nettles (Charul probably denotes some kind of briar or bramble: so Vulgate renders it by spina or sentis, (Pr. 24:31. Zep. 2:9.) Celsius and Scheuchzer are inclined to think it the paliurus, a shrub growing sometimes to a considerable height in desert places. 'One of the inconveniences of the vegetable thickets of Egypt is,' says Denon, 'that it is difficult to remain in them, as nine tenths of the trees and plants are armed with inexorable thorns, which suffer only an unquiet enjoyment of the shadow which is so constantly desirable.')

8 They were children of fools, yea, children of base men: they were viler than the earth.

children 2Ki 8:18,27 2Ch 22:3 Ps 49:10-13 Jer 7:18 Mr 6:24

fools Pr 1:7,22 16:22

base men. Heb. men of no name. viler 40:4 Ps 15:4 Isa 32:6

9 And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

am I 17:6 Ps 35:15,16 44:14 69:12 La 3:14,63

10 They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to spit in my face.

abhor me 19:19 42:6 Ps 88:8 Zec 11:8

flee far 19:13,14 Ps 88:8 Pr 19:7 Mt 26:56

spare not to spit in my face. Heb. withhold not spittle from my face Nu 12:14 De 25:9 Isa 50:6 Mt 26:67 27:30

11 Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

loosed 12:18,21 2Sa 16:5-8

let loose Ps 35:21 Mt 26:67,68 27:39-44 Jas 1:26

12 Upon my right hand rise the youth; they push away my feet, and they raise up against me the ways of their destruction.

rise 19:18 Isa 3:5

they raise up 19:12

13 They mar my path, they set forward my calamity, they have no helper.

they set forward Ps 69:26 Zec 1:15

14 They came upon me as a wide breaking in of waters: in the desolation they rolled themselves upon me.

as a wide 22:16 Ps 18:4 69:14,15 Isa 8:7,8

15 Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.

Terrors 6:4 7:14 9:27,28 10:16 Ps 88:15

soul. Heb. principal one. as a cloud Isa 44:22 Ho 6:4 13:3

16 And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

my soul Ps 22:14 42:4 Isa 53:12

have taken hold Ps 40:12

17 My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.

My bones 33:19-21 Ps 6:2-6 38:2-8

in the night season 7:4 Ps 22:2 Isa 38:13

18 By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.

By the great 2:7 7:5 19:20 Ps 38:5 Isa 1:5,6

19 He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

cast me 9:31 Ps 69:1,2 Jer 38:6

dust 2:8 42:6 Ge 18:27

20 I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.

I cry 19:7 27:9 Ps 22:2 80:4,5 La 3:8,44 Mt 15:23

21 Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.

become cruel. Heb. turned to be cruel 7:20,21 10:14-17 13:25-28 16:9-14 19:6-9 Ps 77:7-9 Jer 30:14

thy strong hand. Heb. the strength of thy hand 6:9 23:6 Ps 89:13 1Pe 5:6

22 Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.

liftest me 21:18 Ps 1:4 Isa 17:13 Jer 4:11,12 Eze 5:2 Ho 4:19 13:3

to ride Ps 18:10 104:3

substance. or, wisdom

23 For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

the house 14:5 21:33 Ge 3:19 2Sa 14:14 Ec 8:8 9:5 12:5-7 Heb 9:27

24 Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.

grave. Heb. heap. they cry Jud 5:31 Ps 35:25 Mt 27:39-44

25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?

Did not I Ps 35:13,14 Jer 13:17 18:20 Lu 19:41 Joh 11:35 Ro 12:15

in trouble. Heb. hard of day. was 31:16-21 Ps 12:1 Pr 14:21,31 17:5 19:17 28:8 Isa 58:7,8 Da 4:27 2Co 9:9

26 When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.

When I looked 3:25,26 29:18 Jer 8:15 14:19 15:18 Mic 1:12

light 18:6,18 23:17 Ps 97:11 Isa 50:10

27 My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.

Ps 22:4 Jer 4:19 31:20 La 1:20 2:11

28 I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.

Ps 38:6 42:9 43:2 Isa 53:3,4 La 3:1-3

29 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

a brother 17:14 Ps 102:6 Isa 13:21,22 38:14 Mic 1:8 Mal 1:3

owls. or, ostriches (Benoth y??nah, in Arabic, bintu n??matin, not owls, but ostriches, so called from their doleful and hideous noises. 'I have often,' says Dr. Shaw, 'heard them groan as if they were in the greatest agonies.')

30 My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.

my skin Ps 119:83 La 3:4 4:8 5:10

my bones Ps 102:3

31 My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.

Ps 137:1-4 Ec 3:4 Isa 21:4 22:12 24:7-9 La 5:15 Da 6:18