Job 27
 Job continues his "parable."
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Text
Explanation
The chapter may be divided into three parts:
              1-6 Determination of Job to remain faithful
              7-12 Sees his enemies as hypocrites.
              13-23 Continues to discuss God's treatment of the wicked.
 1 ¶ Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, 
.2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; 
  Parable The word mashal has many meanings. See it is used in (1)1sa1012, ez1802, (2)de2837, (3)nu2307, is1404, (4)ez1702, (5)nu2127, (6)1ki0432.
  As God liveth Job calls God to witness as he makes a final appeal to his "friends." Compare jg0819, ru0313, 2sa0409, 1ki0224, je3816.
.3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; 
 4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
  Breath From neshamah with root word "to pant."
  Spirit Ruach, a synonym of neshamah but with more meanings: "wind" jb2613 and "the essence of life" ec0319.
 5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
  God forbid An interpretation often used by the KJV but not in the original text. Here is the RSV for the first clause "Far be it from me to say that you are right;"
  Heart not reproach me Freedom from guilt. This is a nice verse to remember.
 7 ¶ Let mine enemy be as the wicked, and he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous.
.8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?
 9 Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him?
 10 Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?
  8 - The hypocrite Or "the irreligous one." See mr0836,7. This agrees with Bildad's statement in jb0813 and with that of Zophar in jb2005.
  9 - Trouble It is not that God retaliates for those who neglect to seek Him. Rather, those who reject Bible truth cut themselves off from Him is5901.
 11 ¶ I will teach you by the hand of God: that which is with the Almighty will I not conceal. 
 12 Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?
  11 - Teach you See on v13.
 13 This is the portion of a wicked man with God, and the heritage of oppressors, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
 14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
 15 Those that remain of him shall be buried in death: and his widows shall not weep.
  13 - This is the portion of the wicked man This is the third section of the chapter as noted at the top of the page. Job seems to be agreeing with his friends where he previously disagreed. A number of explanations have been proposed. The best may be that he needed to go on the offensive to help them understand their own condition as Stephen did as the Pharisees were starting to stone him at ac0751.
.16 Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
 17 He may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver.
 18 He buildeth his house as a moth, and as a booth that the keeper maketh.
  18 - Buildeth his house The wicked v13 build but their best is fragile like a moth or a shelter of branches which agricultural workers construct for temporary shelter. See the concepts at mt0726, ne0814.
Comments begin below and continue at the right.
.19 The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes, and he is not.
.20 Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
 21 The east wind carrieth him away, and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place.
 22 For God shall cast upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand. 
.23 Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place.

  19 - The rich man That is, the wicked rich man. Because the gathering is at death, we may take "lie down" to be a metaphor for death.
  19 - Gathered One use of the word 'acaph is as in the death of Abraham. He died and was gathered to his people ge2508. This would have been to join those already in their graves. (He is not now in heaven. See on he1139 and, if time, see the story of the rich man and Lazarus lu16b)
  The text describes the final end of the wicked. At the coming of Christ, the righteous who have died are raised and the righteous then living are caught up with them to meet Christ in the air 1th0416. All the wicked at that time either die at the appearance of Christ re1921 or remain dead. They are the "rest of the dead" re2005 – that is, the rest who were not resurrected because they were not "in Christ." The verse in Revelation says "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished...." Then they live or open their eyes (as in v19 here) in the resurrection at the end of the thousand years. They surround the holy city and fire comes down to devour them re2009. After their punishment they "shall not be" They cease to exist just as Job described the wicked one in our verse. Obadiah agrees ob16.
  20, 21 - As waters ... tempest He is destroyed as in water or storm. He is blown away as by a storm. See da0235.
  22 - Cast upon him When the wicked surround the New Jerusalem which has come down as mentioned above, God sends fire from heaven to punish and destroy them. There is no escape.
  23 - Clap ... hiss This verse specifically describes those who observe Satan who is also devoured by the fire from heaven with the wicked who surround the city. is1416. ez2811-19.

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