Ver. 1. Elihu also proceeded and said] Heb. And Elihu added, viz. this his fourth oration, not unlike the former, made in behalf and for defence of God’s justice, which he here further asserteth against Job (who had seemed to cast some slur upon it) by arguments drawn from his wondrous works, the meteors especially; and all to prevail with Job to submit to God’s justice and to implore his mercy, Ex abundanti quae sequuntur adiecit.
Ver. 2. Suffer me a little, and I will show thee] He promiseth brevity and thereby wooeth attention: brevity and perspicuity are two great graces of speech, and do very much win upon intelligent hearers, who love to hear much in few, and cannot away with tedious prolixities. When a great trifler had made an empty discourse in the presence of Aristotle, and then cried him mercy for troubling him so long: You have not troubled me at all, said he, for I scarce hearkened to any one word you said all this while. That I have yet to speak on God’s behalf] Heb. That there are yet words for God. His zeal for God’s glory drew from him this following speech, wherein insignis est Elihu et magnificus. Elihu excelleth himself, and appeareth to be no worse an orator than was M. Crassus among the Romans, who had this commendation given him, Quod cum aliquid accuratius dixisset, semper fere contigit ut nunquam dixisse melius putaretur, That whenever he spoke it was judged to be the very best that ever he spake. (Cir. de Orat. 1. 1).
Ver. 3. I will fetch my knowledge from afar] Even from heaven, as one taught of God; I will discourse of ancient things (for τα καινα κενα), and fetch my reasons from the wonderful and sublime works of God, De arduis atque admirandis Dei operibus, those real demonstrations of his Deity. Est autem plane hic Elihu mirus et egregius, saith Mercer. And he is not a little wronged by that French Paraphrast, who saith of him, That he knew well how to begin a discourse, but knew not how to end it; and that seeing well that his tediousness might make him troublesome, he awakened his languishing auditors by this artificial preface. And will ascribe righteousness to my Maker] This is both the main proposition of the ensuing oration and the main end of man’s creation, viz. to glorify his Maker, Romans 11:36 Re 4:11.
Ver. 4. For truly my words shall not be false] I shall deal truly and plainly with thee; my discourse shall be simple and solid, having no better ornament but that of truth; which is like our first parents, most beautiful when naked: it was sin covered them, it is treachery hides this. Aperta veritas clausos etiam oculos ferit, saith one. He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee] Integer sententiis (Vatab.); meaning himself, who fully understood the business between them, and would faithfully deliver it. There are that hold God to be hereby meant. A pious sense, but not so proper.
Ver. 5. Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any] Much less oppresseth he any one in a good cause, or tyrannically abuseth his power to the crushing of an innocent. He is equally good as great; neither was Job well advised in seeming to sunder these two excellencies in God, the one from the other; since whatsoever is in God is God; neither ought we to think of him otherwise than of one not to be thought of; as of one whose wisdom is his justice, whose justice is his power, whose power is his mercy, and all himself. He is mighty in strength and wisdom] Or, He is mighty, the strength of the heart, Validus est, virtus animi (Tram.). He was so to David: Psalms 138:3, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenest me with strength in my soul.” At the sack of Ziklag, in the fail of all outward comforts, David encouraged himself in the Lord his God, 1 Samuel 30:6. A Christian is never without his cordial. Una est in trepida mihi re medicina, Iehovae Cor patrium, os verax, omnipotensque manus.
Ver. 6. He preserveth not the life of the wicked] He is no such friend to them; though he be good to the godly, be greatly careth not what becomes of them. Their life they hold of him, and many good things besides; for he is the Saviour, or preserver, of all men, but especially of them that believe. But he suffereth not the wicked to live, as the Hebrew here hath it, he withdraweth them not from the hand of justice, he bindeth not them up in the bundle of life, he reckoneth them not among the living in Jerusalem, among the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven; he many times slayeth them with his own hand, and cutteth them short in righteousness. Or if not so, yet their preservation is but reservation, &c. But giveth right to the poor] Or, to the afflicted. For poverty is an affliction, and subjecteth a man to many injuries: Zephaniah 3:12, they are an afflicted and poor people, but trusting in the name of the Lord, they shall be relieved and righted, not so soon perhaps as themselves would, nor yet so long hence as their oppressors would. In the mount will the Lord be seen, who, as he seldom comes at our times, so he never fails his own time. Meanwhile this comfort they have: