Exposition of Job 22-26, Commentary · Chapter 22 · Verse 8
Verſ. 8. But as for the mighty man he had the Earth, and the honourable man dwelt in it.
There is a twofold Interpretation of theſe words: Some underſtand them ſo, as if this mighty man here meant had been Job himſelfe, and then the ſence is thus rendred; All theſe evills were done by thee, and theſe good things not done, when thou waſt a man in power, and ſo hadſt no need to doe any ſuch evill, and hadſt power enough in thy hand to doe good. Infortitudine brachij tui poſſidebas terram et potentiſſimus obtinebas eam. Vulg.The Vulgar tranſlation reads it (according to this Expoſition) perſonally of Job; In thy might thou didſt poſſeſſe the Earth, and beeing moſt powerfull thou didſt dwell in it. That is, thou waſt a man in power, thou hadſt all in thy hand, thou hadſt water and bread enough when the poor wanted it, thou canſt not ſay that thou waſt neceſſitated to keepe the pledge, or ſtrip the naked, but thou in thy greatneſſe and might didſt oppreſſe them; this interpretation (though I aſſent not to it) aggravates his ſin exceedingly, for the more power any one hath in his hand, the greater is his ſin, as in the Evill which he doth, ſo in the good which he doth not, or leaves undone; yea it may be ſayd that wee doe evill more then they who doe it, when wee have power in our hand to hinder them from doing it, and doe not.
But ſecondly, take the words as they import the partiality of Job; The mighty man had the Earth; thou haſt been over-kinde and favourable to him, how hard or churliſh ſoever thou haſt been to others.
The mighty man.
The Hebrew is, The man of arme; and it is uſuall in Scripture to call a ſtrong man, a mighty man,Vir brachij, eſt vir dignilate, opibus authoritate potens. Bold. or a man in Authority, a man of arme. (Ezek. 22.6.) Behold the Princes of Iſrael Every one of them were in thee to their power to ſhed bloud; The Hebrew is, they were to their arme; that is, as farre as they could reach forth their arme, or to the utmoſt of their power to ſhed bloud, that is, to doe miſchiefe and wrong, to afflict and vexe others even unto death, or the ſhedding of their bloud. They who are evill know not how to bound themſelves in doing evill; if they want not power, they ſeldome want will to doe it more and more. Thus the Prophet reproves that perverſe generation; Behold thou haſt ſpoken and done evill as thou couldeſt (Jer. 3.5.) That is, to the utmoſt Extenſion of thy ability and opportunit…. As thoſe Princes ſhed bloud to their arme, or as farre as they could reach out their power; So did this people; And as the power of man, ſo the power of God is Expreſt by his arme (Job 40.9.) Haſt thou an arme like God? Canſt thou thunder like him? That is, haſt thou power like God? (Eſa. 30.30.) The Lord ſhall cauſe his glorious voyce to be heard, and ſhall ſhew the lighting downe of his arme, with the Indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire; The revenging power of God, like a bird of prey, hovers over the heads of wicked men, but at l…ſt it lights downe, and (as the word rather ſignifies) reſts upon them.
Againe, Some underſtand here by the arme of the wicked man, thoſe who are his Inſtruments, thoſe who ſerve him, or whom he uſes to ſupplant or ſuppreſs others, and reach his owne ends by; Such may well be called the armes of mighty men, the armes of the men of the Earth. Evill men have their ſeconds or Inſtruments to doe evill. Upon this Conſideration it was ſaid anciently;An neſcis longas regibus eſſe inanus? Doe not you know that Princes have long armes; the meaning is, they have Agents and Servants in the ſeverall parts of their Dominions, who are their hands or armes, both for protection of thoſe who are peaceable, and to take revenge upon the rebellious. Wee commonly ſay of a Servant that is diſcreet and faithfull, hee is his Maſters right hand. The mighty have many helpers, many armes and hands to carry on their deſignes, and to doe their wills.
As for the mighty man, or the man of armes, he had the Earth.
This ſtands in oppoſition to what was ſpoken before, the poore man could not get a drop of water, nor a cruſt of bread, but the mighty man he had the Earth; As if he had ſaid; O Job, thou being in power didſt paſſe away great poſſeſſions to the mighty, thou gaveſt both thy ſentence and aſſiſtance, that they ſhould have the Earth, but thou wouldeſt not helpe the poore ſo much as to a piece of bread, or a cup of water; The mighty man had the Earth; hee ſpeakes Indefinitely, as if all the Earth were his. Wicked men are called men of the Earth (Pſal. 10.18.) To judge the fatherleſs, and the oppreſſed, that the men of the Earth may no more oppreſſe.
But it may be objected, Is not every man a man of the Earth? As Adam the firſt man was of the Earth, Earthy; ſo all men are of the Earth, Earthy; why then is it then ſayd of a wicked man, that he is a man of the Earth, as if any man were of another Pedigree or extraction?
I anſwer; A man of the Earth is put in oppoſition to a man of Heaven, to a man that hath his Eſtate, or hope, or portion in Heaven; the Saints have their Converſation in Heaven, and though they live upon the Earth, yet they are not men of the Earth; Carnall men are Earthly-minded, they minde the Earth, and thats both their hope and buiſines; they are not onelyonly Earth in their Conſtitution, but Earth in their affections, therefore they are called men of the Earth; theſe men had much of the Earth in their poſſeſſion, as well as they had all of it in their affections & deſires. The mighty man he had the Earth.
Obſerve hence; That Evill Magiſtrates in Power are more ready to favour great men, then to releive poore men.
Eliphaz knew that Job was a Magiſtrate, a man in Power, and he ſuppoſeth that under his government, the poore got no bread, but the mighty men had the Earth, they had favour to have and doe what they lift. It is very Common with the men of the world to be very free to thoſe that are of the world; they are like thoſe Clouds which we may obſerve ſometimes blowne over the dry Land, and emptying themſelves into the Sea. The mighty that had ſtore before, have more, and the poore, who had nothing, have nothing at all; Men love to beſtow kindneſſes upon them onelyonly to whom they are like, or whom they love. A good man helps thoſe that are good, and wicked men care for none but ſuch as themſelves. Wicked men are called Oakes (Zech. 11.2.) Howle yee firr trees for the Cedar is fallen, (that is, the great man is fallen) becauſe all the mighty are ſpoyled; howle O yee Oakes of Baſhan, for the forreſt of the vintage is come downe. The Chaldee Paraphraſe ſaith, Howle yee Governors of Provinces: And hee calls theſe Governers, Oakes; firſt, becauſe of their ſtrength; and, ſecondly, becauſe of their fruit. What fruit doe Oakes beare? onelyonly acornes; and who are fed with acornes? onelyonly ſwine; Acornes are but hogg… meate; hee gives the alluſion thus; wicked men in power, beare fruit, but it is onelyonly for ſwine, that is, for wicked men, they beſtow the tokens of their bounty, the overplus of their plenty, upon hoggs and ſwine, that is, upon carnal and ſenſual men,Parietes veſtites auro, homines veſte nudatis? panem poſtulat homo, & equus tuus aurum ſub dentibus mandit. Ambroſ. they have nothing for the People of God, for thoſe that are the true objects of charity; they make their horſes fatt, their doggs fatt, none are leane but Gods poore. Thus one of the Ancients reprehends thoſe great ones of his time; Ye cloath the walles of your houſes with gold, with Arras hangings, and ye let the poore goe naked; the poore aske bread, and ye give it them not; it may be your horſe chewes a golden Bitt, and the poore man hath not a Bitt of Bread. The ſpirits of carnall men are carried out from that which is their duty, they care not how profuſe and laviſh they are to thoſe who ſuits with their own hearts; the poore have nothing, while the mighty man hath the Earth. Thus Eliphaz reproved Job, though indeed it was otherwiſe with him, as appeares in the defence which he afterwards made for himſelfe againſt theſe groſſe inſinuations. And as to this particular he anſwers (Chap. 29.17.) I brake the Jawes of the wicked, and pluckt the ſpoyle from between his teeth; he indeed puld the earth from the mighty, or the mighty from the earth; though Eliphaz here ſayd, The mighty had the earth, and The honourable man dwelt in it.
Acceptus vel elevatus facie habitabat in ea. Hebr.The Hebrew is, The man whoſe face is lifted up; which phraſe is Interpreted two wayes.
Firſt, Paſſively; Secondly, Actively. Paſſively thus, the man who is lifted up by others, that is, who is reſpected, who is reverenced according to his place or worth;Hebraei principem vocant Naſi quaſi elevatū facie & ab alijs acceptum. All which agree with our rendering, the honourable man; And in the Hebrew, Princes and great ones are expreſt by that word which ſignifies to lift up the face, becauſe ſuch are lifted up above others, and are much reſpected by others. So the word is uſed (Gen. 19.21.) See (ſaith the Angel to Lot) I have accepted thee; The Hebrew is, I have lifted up thy face, that is, I have reſpected and honoured thee by granting thy requeſt.
Secondly, It may be taken actively, The man that lifts up the face dwells in the Earth; What is it to lift up the face?Acceptor perſonarum habitabat in ea. Pagn. it is to Accept Perſons in Judgement, to accept him that hath the worſt cauſe, and to reject him that hath the beſt cauſe for private ends. As if Eliphaz had ſayd; Hee that reſpects perſons, that is, who perverts juſtice, hee hath the Earth; and ſo here ſeemes to be a deſcription of all ſorts of wicked men flouriſhing in Jobs time and under his wing. Some oppreſſe openly; the mighty man;foreign eſt habere reſpectum perſonarum ſc: quod pauper ſit aut dives aut nobilis aut honoratus. foreign Habitare ſedere. the man of armes comes by main force and obtaines the earth, or the riches and fatnes of the earth; Others oppreſſe ſecretly and cunningly, they accept perſons, and are byaſſed in Judgement by their own intereſt and advantages; The man of this ſtraine dwelt in it.
The word notes two things. Firſt, to continue, he dwelt there, thou let'ſt him abide, whereas if he had come into the Land thou ſhould'ſt quickly have rooted him out. Secondly, The word ſignifies not onelyonly to dwell but to ſit, and to ſit, in Scripture Language notes authority or dominion, he dwelt or ſate in it, that is, hee was the man in authority, hee had the power, and the great places of government were entruſted in his hand. From both theſe obſerve; Firſt, That evill Magiſtrates are apt to pervert Juſtice, in favour of thoſe who are great in power.
Favour ſhould be ſhewed according to the Juſtnes of mens cauſes, and not according to the greatneſſe of their perſons. But uſually the mighty men have the Earth, all goes on their ſide, and the honourable man dwels there, be ſits ſafe & quiet, well and warme. This is ſo commonly ſeene, that 'tis become a Proverb,Potentis eſt turpa; pauper ubi que jacet. The mighty man hath the whole earth for his houſe to dwell in; the poore man lyes every where, but ſeldome dwels any where. The wicked are ſaid to have their portion in this life, they would have the Earth to themſelves, and they ſhall have nothing but Earth. So the Prophet deſcribes them (Eſay 5.8.) Woe unto them that joyne houſe to houſe, that lay field to field, that there may be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midſt of the Earth. Man is naturally a ſociable Creature, and it may ſeem ſtrange that he ſhould deſire to be alone in the midſt of the Earth: Therefore by his deſire to be alone, we muſt not underſtand a ſtrict lonenes, or ſolitarines, as if rich men had a minde to live alone, ſo as to have none about them or with them, but the meaning is, they would have none in power but themſelves, none in poſſeſſion but themſelves; they are unwilling that any ſhould have an eſtate but themſelves, they would have all others to be their underlings and tenants, their ſervants and villaines to till their ground and gather in their revenewes, they onelyonly would be Freeholders, all others muſt hold by their Copy, and doe them homage. If the greateſt man in the world were turned alone into the world, he would have but an ill being of it, therefore the meaning of the Prophet is, that they would be placed alone in the midſt of the Earth to command and rule, all others muſt ſerve them. And they whoſe pride, ambition, or covetouſneſſe provokes them to dwell thus alone in the earth, ſhall finde nothing, beyond this earth, but fire to dwell in.
Secondly, Obſerve this; That for a Magiſtrate to favour men becauſe of their greatneſſe and power, is an utter departure from his duty.
The poore man ſhould have the Earth, that belongs to him, as well as the rich. The meane mans right to his little is as good, as the mighty mans to his great deale. Juſtice gives every man his owne, without reſpect to the Owner.
Thirdly, Conſider the words as a charge brought againſt Job, hee being a man in Authority, and in place.
Then, Note; He that lets wicked men oppreſſe or wrong others, when he is inveſted and entruſted with power to hinder them, betrayeth his truſt, and looſeth the ends of his inveſtiture.
The Lord chargeth Eli (1 Sam. 3.13.) becauſe of the great Iniquitie which his Sonnes committed; but it might be ſaid, What was their ſin to him? Yes; it lay in his power to hinder them; for Eli was the chiefe Magiſtrate in Iſrael, and therefore the Lord concluded; I will judge his houſe for ever, for the Iniquity which he knoweth, becauſe his Sonnes made themſelves vile, and he reſtrained them not; But did not Eli reſtraine them? there is a reſtraining:
Firſt, By way of Councell and advice; and in this ſenſe Eli did reſtraine them (Chap. 2.23, 24.) Hee ſaid unto them, why doe yee ſuch things, for I heare of your evill dealings with all the people; nay my Sonnes; for it is no good report that I heare, yee make the Lords people to tranſgreſſe. Thus he put a morall ſtopp in their way, ſhewing the hainouſneſſe of their ſinne, and dehorting them from it; but Eli being a man in Power and Authoritie, might have gone another way to worke with them, hee might have puniſhed them for their ſinne. And becauſe hee did not, here was Elies ſinne; and this is ſuggeſted as Jobs ſinne, Hee was a man in Power, yet he winked at thoſe violent ones, and let them carry all in the Earth, when as hee might have mended the matter, by checking their inſolencies, & doing the poor right. This is charged on Thiatira in reference to the neglect of uſing their Church-power, (Revel. 2.20.) Notwithſtanding I have a few things againſt thee, becauſe thou ſuffereſt that woman Jezabell, that Cals her ſelfe a Propheteſs, to teach, and to ſeduce my Servants to commit fornication, &c. That Angel ſufferd her; how did he ſuffer her? hee did not uſe that Power that Chriſt had Committed to the Church, to admoniſh, to reprove, to caſt out, he did not ſtopp that ſeducing Propheteſſe by a due Exerciſe of Spirituall Power, but ſufferd her to ſeduce uncontrol'd. The more Power wee have to prevent or remove eyther Spirituall or civill Evills, the greater is our ſinne when it is not done: if Eliphaz had not ſuppoſed Job a Magiſtrate, hee could not have layd this burden upon him, or have repreſented him in fault, becauſe the mighty man had the Earth, and the honourable man dwelt in it, oppreſſing the weake, and vexing thoſe of low degree.
Eliphaz goes yet one ſtep further in the proſecution of this charge, and Arraignes him for another Crime, and that a very great one; The mighty man had the Earth, the honourable man dwells in it; But