Job 27:2

THE word, "who," was put into this verse by the translators, but it is not needed. It is better as I have read it to you, "The Almighty has vexed my soul." The marginal reading is, perhaps, a more exact translation of the original—"The Almighty has embittered my soul." From this we learn that a good man may have his soul vexed. He may not be able to preserve the serenity of his mind. We think and think rightly, that a Christian man should "glory in tribulations, also," and rise superior to all outward afflictions.

(1Sa 20:3). taken away . . . judgment--words unconsciously foreshadowing Jesus Christ (Isa 53:8; God will not give Job his right, by declaring his innocence. vexed--Hebrew, "made bitter" (Ru 1:20).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

THE word, "who," was put into this verse by the translators, but it is not needed. It is better as I have read it to you, "The Almighty has vexed my soul." The marginal reading is, perhaps, a more exact translation of the original—"The Almighty has embittered my soul." From this we learn that a good man may have his soul vexed. He may not be able to preserve the serenity of his mind. We think and think rightly, that a Christian man should "glory in tribulations, also," and rise superior to all outward afflictions. But it is not always so with us. It is necessary, sometimes, that we should be "in heaviness through manifold temptations." Not only are the temptations needed for the trial of our faith, but it is even necessary that we should be in heaviness through them. I hardly imagine that the most quiet and restful Believers have always been unruffled. I can scarcely think that even those whose peace is like a river have always been made to flow on with calm and equable current. Even to rivers there are rapids and cataracts, and so, I think, in the most smoothly-flowing life, there surely must be breaks of distraction and of distress. At any rate, it was so with Job. His afflictions, aggravated by the accusations of his so-called friends, at last made the iron enter into his very soul and his spirit was so troubled that he cried, "The Almighty has embittered my soul!" It is also clear, from our text, that a good man may trace the vexation of his soul distinctly to God. It was not merely that Job's former troubles had come from God, for he had borne up under them—when all he had was gone, he had still blessed the name of the Lord with holy serenity. But God had permitted these three eminent and distinguished men, mighty in speech, to come about him, to rub salt into his wounds, and so to increase his agony.

As God liveth - A form of solemn adjuration, or an oath by the living God. “As certainly as God lives.” It is the form by which God himself often swears; see Eze 14:16; Eze 33:11, and is often employed by others; 1Sa 20:3; 1Sa 25:26. Who hath taken away my judgment - Who hath rejected my cause, or who has refused me justice; that is, who has treated me as though I was guilty, and withholds from me relief. The language is forensic, and the idea is, that he would make his solemn appeal to him, even though he had rejected his cause. Perhaps there is implied here more than the solemnity of an ordinary oath. A man might be supposed to be willing to make his appeal to one who had shown himself friendly or favorable to him, but he would manifest more reluctance to making his appeal in an important case to a judge who had decided against him, especially if that decision was regarded as severe, and if that judge had refused to hear what he had to say in self-defense. But Job here says, that such was his confidence in his own sincerity and truth, that he could make his appeal to God, even though he knew that he had hitherto gone against him, and treated him as if he were guilty. Who hath vexed my soul - Margin, as in Hebrew “made my soul bitter.” That is, who has greatly afflicted me; compare 2Ki 4:27, margin, and Rth 1:20.