John Gill

if I have devoured its produce without payment or broken the spirit of its tenants,

“If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money,.... Or, "the strength thereof without silver" (b); see Gen 4:12, silver being the money chiefly in use in those times.”

Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me; I too will declare what I know.’

“Therefore I said, hearken to me,.... Thou O Job, and every one of you his friends, for the word is singular; though I am but a young man, yet if I have the Spirit of God, and am under the inspiration of the Almighty, I…”

Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand and no longer reply?

“When one had waited,.... To observe whether they would make any reply to what he had said, or any objection to his engaging in the controversy: for they spake not; were as mute as fishes: but stood still; like statues, had no power to move…”

I will be partial to no one, nor will I flatter any man.

“Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person,.... Neither the person of Job, because of his poverty and affliction, indulging too much to pity and commiseration, and affecting to get a good name from others for it; nor the persons of his three…”

to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride,

“That he may withdraw a man from his purpose,.... Or "work" (m), his wicked work, as the Targum; either which he has begun upon, or which he designed to do.”

to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’

“Then he is gracious to him,.... To the sick man; either the messenger or the minister that is with him, who pities his case and prays for him; and by some the following words are supposed to be a prayer of his, "deliver me", &c.”

He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will live to see the light.’

“He will deliver his soul from going into the pit,.... Into the pit of the grave; and then the soul is put for the man or for the body; or into the pit of hell or perdition: and his life shall see the light; or…”

to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

“To bring back his soul from the pit,.... From the pit of the grave; at the mouth or on the brink of which he seemed to be in the apprehension of his friends, and having the sentence of death in himself; see Psa 90:3.”

But if not, then listen to me; be quiet, and I will teach you wisdom.”

“If not, hearken to me,.... If he had no objection to make, nor answer to return, then he desires he would attend and listen to what he had further to lay before him: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.”

For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food.

“For the ear trieth words,.... Not only the musical sound of them, the goodness of the language and diction, and the grammatical construction of them, but the sense of them, and whether the matter of them is good or not; that they are sound speech…”

Let us choose for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.

“Let us choose to us judgments,.... Take the part of the question or controversy in which truth and justice lie, and he doubtless has respect to the present controversy with Job; let us know among ourselves what is good; agree upon that which is best…”

For Job has declared, ‘I am righteous, yet God has deprived me of justice.

“For Job hath said, I am righteous,.... Not in express words, but what amounted to it: no doubt he was a righteous man in an evangelic sense, being justified by the righteousness of Christ, as all the Old Testament saints were, who looked to him…”

Would I lie about my case? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

“Should I lie against my right?.... No; I ought not: this though Job had not said in so many words, yet this seems to be his sense in Job 27:4; that should he own and say that he was a wicked man, a hypocrite, and…”

For according to a man’s deeds He repays him; according to a man’s ways He brings consequences.

“For the work of a man will he render unto him,.... The reward of his work, as Ben Gersom interprets it, whether the work of a wicked man or of a good man: and cause every man to find according to his ways.”

all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.

“All flesh shall perish together,.... Not one by one, or one after another, as they generally do, but all together; as when the flood swept away the world of the ungodly.”

They die in an instant, in the middle of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.

“In a moment shall they die,.... Princes as well as the common people, rich men as well as poor; all must and do die, great and small, high and low, kings and peasants, rich and poor men, and sometimes suddenly; are struck dead at once…”

that godless men should not rule or lay snares for the people.

“That the hypocrite reign not,.... These words seem to be connected with Job 34:24, "he breaketh in pieces mighty men", &c.”

And Elihu went on to say:

“Elihu spake moreover, and said. Elihu very probably paused awhile, and waited to observe whether any of the company would rise up, and either contradict and refute what he had said, or declare their assent unto it and approbation of it; or rather to see…”

If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?

“If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him?.... Sin is expressly said to be against God, Psa 51:4; it is contrary to his nature, as any opposites can be to each other: it is against his law, a breach and violation of it; and so…”

If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?

“If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?.... All righteousness is of God that any creatures have.”

But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,

“But none saith, where is God my Maker?.... Or "Makers" (y), as in Psa 149:2; for there are more concerned in the formation of man, Gen 1:26; even the Father, Son, and Spirit, who are the one God that has made all men, Mal 2:”

who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’

“Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth?.... Who are taught and know much, especially some of them; but not so much as man, see Isa 1:3; and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?”

How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,

“Although thou sayest thou shall not see him,.... Which is another expression of Job's taken notice of by Elihu, and to which he makes answer; he seems to refer to Job 23:3.”

But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have seized you.

“But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked,.... Some (w) take this to be a continuation of the happiness Job would have enjoyed, had he behaved in his affliction as he ought to have done; then he would have been filled to satisfaction, by…”

Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.

“Because there is wrath,.... Either wrath in Job, so some; indignation and impatience under the afflicting hand of God, expressed by cursing the day of his birth, and by his angry pleadings with God: and therefore Elihu advises him to beware of it, and check…”