John Wesley

He prays to God and finds favor; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy, and God restores His righteousness to that man.

“Render - He will deal with him as with one reconciled to him through the mediator, and turning from sin to righteousness.”

Should God repay you on your own terms when you have disavowed His? You must choose, not I; so tell me what you know.

“Should it be - Doth God need thy advice how to govern the world, and whom, and when to reward or punish? Refuse - To submit as is expressed, ver. 32.”

For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”

“Addeth - He sinned before, by impatience under his afflictions, now he is grown obstinate, and instead of humbling himself for his sins, justifies himself, and accuses the blessed God.”

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, and further, that in His…

“But it was not fair to charge this upon Job, which he had neither directly nor indirectly affirmed. Clouds, &c. - They are far above us, and God is far above them.”

and further, that in His anger He has not punished or taken much notice of folly!

“Because - Because Job doth not acknowledge God's justice and his own sins. Anger - Hath laid grievous afflictions upon him. He - Job is not sensible of it, so as to be humbled under God's hand.”

I get my knowledge from afar, and I will ascribe justice to my Maker.

“I will not confine my discourse to thy particular case, but wilt justify God by declaring his great and glorious works of creation and providence both in the heaven and in the earth, and the manner of his dealing with men in other parts and…”

Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.

“Despiseth - His greatness doth not make him (as it doth men) despise, or oppress the meanest. Wisdom - His strength is guided by wisdom, and therefore cannot do any thing unbecoming God, or unjust to his creatures.”

then He tells them their deeds and how arrogantly they have transgressed.

“Work - Their evil works, by these afflictions he brings them to a sight of their sins. Exceeded - That they have greatly sinned by abusing their power and prosperity; which even good men are too prone to do.”

They die in their youth, among the male shrine prostitutes.

“Unclean - Or, Sodomites; to whose destruction, he may allude. They shall die by some exemplary stroke of Divine vengeance.”

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

“The judgment - Or, the sentence, thou hast justified the hard speeches which wicked men utter against God. Therefore - Therefore the just judgment of God takes hold on thee.”

Behold, God is exalted in His power. Who is a teacher like Him?

“Behold - God is omnipotent; and therefore can, either punish thee far worse, or deliver thee, if thou dost repent. He is also infinitely wise; and as none can work like him, so none can teach like him.”

For He draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist,

“For - Having affirmed that God's works are incomprehensibly great and glorious, he now proves it from the most common works of nature and providence.”

Furthermore, who can understand how the clouds spread out, how the thunder roars from His pavilion?

“Understand - Whence it comes to pass, that a small cloud, no bigger than a man's hand, suddenly spreads over the whole heavens: how the clouds come to be suddenly gathered, and so condensed as to bring forth thunder and lightning.”

For by these He judges the nations and provides food in abundance.

“Judgeth - By thunder and lightning, and rain from the clouds, he executes his judgments against ungodly people. By the same clouds, he provides plentiful showers dropping fatness on the earth.”

The thunder declares His presence; even the cattle regard the rising storm.

“The noise - The thunder gives notice of the approaching rain. Also - And as the thunder, so also the cattle sheweth, concerning the vapor, concerning the coming of the rain, by a strange instinct, seeking for shelter, when a change of weather is near.”

They swirl about, whirling at His direction, accomplishing all that He commands over the face of all the earth.

“Turned - The clouds are carried about to this or that place. Not by chance (though nothing seems to be more casual than the motions of the clouds) but by his order and governance.”

can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?

“Looking glass - Made of brass and steel, as the manner then was. Smooth and polished, without the least flaw. In this, as in a glass, we may behold the glory of God and the wisdom of his handy- work.”

Out of the north He comes in golden splendor; awesome majesty surrounds Him.

“North - From the northern winds which scatter the clouds, and clear the sky. Elihu concludes with some short, but great sayings, concerning the glory of God.”

From there he spies out food; his eyes see it from afar.

“Her eyes - Her sight is exceeding sharp and strong, so that she is able to look upon the sun with open eyes, and to behold the smallest prey upon the earth or sea, when she is mounted out of our sight.”

And the LORD said to Job:

“Answered - Having made a little pause to try what Job could answer. This is not said to be spoken out of the whirlwind, and therefore some think God said it in a still, small voice, which wrought more upon Job, (as upon Elijah) than…”

Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?

“Wilt thou - Every word is emphatical, wilt (art thou resolved upon it) thou (thou Job, whom I took to be one of a better mind) also (not only vindicate thyself, but also accuse me) disannul (not only question, but even repeal and make void…”

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

“And both creatures of great bulk and strength. Grass - The river-horse comes out of the river upon the land to feed upon corn, and hay, or grass, as an ox doth, to whom also he is not unlike in the form of his head…”

The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby.

“Mountains - Though he lives most in the water, yet he often fetches his food from the land, and from the mountains or hills, which are nigh the river Nile.”

“Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie down his tongue with a rope?

“Leviathan - Several particulars in the following description, agree far better with the crocodile, than the whale. It is highly probable, that this is the creature here spoken of.”

His rows of scales are his pride, tightly sealed together.

“Shut - Closely compacted together, as things that are fastened together by a seal. This likewise is true of the crocodile, but the skin of the whale is smooth and entire without any scales at all.”