Antiguo Testamento

Job — Capítulo 6

REPLY OF JOB TO ELIPHAZ. (Job 6:1-30) throughly weighed--Oh, that instead of censuring my complaints when thou oughtest rather to have sympathized with me, thou wouldst accurately compare my sorrow, and my misfortunes…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Respondió entonces Job, y dijo:

2¡Oh, que pesasen justamente mi queja y mi tormento, Y se alzasen igualmente en balanza!

3Porque pesarían ahora más que la arena del mar; Por eso mis palabras han sido precipitadas.

4Porque las saetas del Todopoderoso están en mí, Cuyo veneno bebe mi espíritu; Y terrores de Dios me combaten.

5¿Acaso gime el asno montés junto a la hierba? ¿Muge el buey junto a su pasto?

6¿Se comerá lo desabrido sin sal? ¿Habrá gusto en la clara del huevo?

7Las cosas que mi alma no quería tocar, Son ahora mi alimento.

8¡Quién me diera que viniese mi petición, Y que me otorgase Dios lo que anhelo,

9Y que agradara a Dios quebrantarme; Que soltara su mano, y acabara conmigo!

10Sería aún mi consuelo, Si me asaltase con dolor sin dar más tregua, Que yo no he escondido las palabras del Santo.

11¿Cuál es mi fuerza para esperar aún? ¿Y cuál mi fin para que tenga aún paciencia?

12¿Es mi fuerza la de las piedras, O es mi carne de bronce?

13¿No es así que ni aun a mí mismo me puedo valer, Y que todo auxilio me ha faltado?

14El atribulado es consolado por su compañero; Aun aquel que abandona el temor del Omnipotente.

15Pero mis hermanos me traicionaron como un torrente; Pasan como corrientes impetuosas

16Que están escondidas por la helada, Y encubiertas por la nieve;

17Que al tiempo del calor son deshechas, Y al calentarse, desaparecen de su lugar;

18Se apartan de la senda de su rumbo, Van menguando, y se pierden.

19Miraron los caminantes de Temán, Los caminantes de Sabá esperaron en ellas;

20Pero fueron avergonzados por su esperanza; Porque vinieron hasta ellas, y se hallaron confusos.

21Ahora ciertamente como ellas sois vosotros; Pues habéis visto el tormento, y teméis.

22¿Os he dicho yo: Traedme, Y pagad por mí de vuestra hacienda;

23Libradme de la mano del opresor, Y redimidme del poder de los violentos?

24Enseñadme, y yo callaré; Hacedme entender en qué he errado.

25¡Cuán eficaces son las palabras rectas! Pero ¿qué reprende la censura vuestra?

26¿Pensáis censurar palabras, Y los discursos de un desesperado, que son como el viento?

27También os arrojáis sobre el huérfano, Y caváis un hoyo para vuestro amigo.

28Ahora, pues, si queréis, miradme, Y ved si digo mentira delante de vosotros.

29Volved ahora, y no haya iniquidad; Volved aún a considerar mi justicia en esto.

30¿Hay iniquidad en mi lengua? ¿Acaso no puede mi paladar discernir las cosas inicuas?

JAMIESON-FAUSSET-BROWN BIBLE COMMENTARY

Versículo 3

I. the sand-- (Pro 27:3).

the sand-- (Pro 27:3). are swallowed up--See Margin [that is, "I want words to express my grief"]. But Job plainly is apologizing, not for not having had words enough, but for having spoken too much and too boldly; and the Hebrew is, "to speak rashly" [UMBREIT, GESENIUS, ROSENMULLER]. "Therefore were my words so rash."

Versículo 4

II. arrows . . . within me--have pierced me. A poetic image representing the avenging Almighty armed …

arrows . . . within me--have pierced me. A poetic image representing the avenging Almighty armed with bow and arrows (Psa 38:2-3). Here the arrows are poisoned. Peculiarly appropriate, in reference to the burning pains which penetrated, like poison, into the inmost parts--("spirit"; as contrasted with mere surface flesh wounds) of Job's body. set themselves in array--a military image (Jdg 20:33). All the terrors which the divine wrath can muster are set in array against me (Isa 42:13).

Versículo 5

III. Neither wild animals, as the wild ass, nor tame, as the ox, are dissatisfied when well-supplied w…

Neither wild animals, as the wild ass, nor tame, as the ox, are dissatisfied when well-supplied with food. The braying of the one and the lowing of the other prove distress and want of palatable food. So, Job argues, if he complains, it is not without cause; namely, his pains, which are, as it were, disgusting food, which God feeds him with (end of Job 6:7). But he should have remembered a rational being should evince a better spirit than the brute.

Versículo 6

IV. unsavoury--tasteless, insipid. Salt is a chief necessary of life to an Easterner, whose food is m…

unsavoury--tasteless, insipid. Salt is a chief necessary of life to an Easterner, whose food is mostly vegetable. the white--literally, "spittle" (Sa1 21:13), which the white of an egg resembles.

Versículo 7

V. To "touch" is contrasted with "meat." "My taste refused even to touch it, and yet am I fed with s…

To "touch" is contrasted with "meat." "My taste refused even to touch it, and yet am I fed with such meat of sickness." The second clause literally, is, "Such is like the sickness of my food." The natural taste abhors even to touch insipid food, and such forms my nourishment. For my sickness is like such nauseous food [UMBREIT]. (Psa 42:3; Psa 80:5; Psa 102:9). No wonder, then, I complain.

Versículo 8

VI. To desire death is no necessary proof of fitness for death. The ungodly sometimes desire it, so a…

To desire death is no necessary proof of fitness for death. The ungodly sometimes desire it, so as to escape troubles, without thought of the hereafter. The godly desire it, in order to be with the Lord; but they patiently wait God's will.

Versículo 9

VII. destroy--literally, "grind" or "crush" (Isa 3:15).

destroy--literally, "grind" or "crush" (Isa 3:15). let loose his hand--God had put forth His hand only so far as to wound the surface of Job's flesh (Job 1:12; Job 2:6); he wishes that hand to be let loose, so as to wound deeply and vitally. cut me off--metaphor from a weaver cutting off the web, when finished, from the thrum fastening it to the loom (Isa 38:12).

Versículo 10

VIII. I would harden myself in sorrow--rather, "I would exult in the pain," if I knew that that pain wo…

I would harden myself in sorrow--rather, "I would exult in the pain," if I knew that that pain would hasten my death [GESENIUS]. UMBREIT translates the Hebrew of "Let Him not spare," as "unsparing"; and joins it with "pain." concealed--I have not disowned, in word or deed, the commands of the Holy One (Psa 119:46; Act 20:20). He says this in answer to Eliphaz' insinuation that he is a hypocrite. God is here called "the Holy One," to imply man's reciprocal obligation to be holy, as He is holy (Lev 19:2).

Versículo 11

IX. What strength have I, so as to warrant the hope of restoration to health? a hope which Eliphaz ha…

What strength have I, so as to warrant the hope of restoration to health? a hope which Eliphaz had suggested. "And what" but a miserable "end" of life is before me, "that I should" desire to "prolong life"? [UMBREIT]. UMBREIT and ROSENMULLER not so well translate the last words "to be patient."

Versículo 12

X. Disease had so attacked him that his strength would need to be hard as a stone, and his flesh lik…

Disease had so attacked him that his strength would need to be hard as a stone, and his flesh like brass, not to sink under it. But he has only flesh, like other men. It must, therefore, give way; so that the hope of restoration suggested by Eliphaz is vain (see on Job 5:11).

Versículo 13

XI. Is not my help in me?--The interrogation is better omitted. "There is no help in me!" For "wisdom…

Is not my help in me?--The interrogation is better omitted. "There is no help in me!" For "wisdom," "deliverance" is a better rendering. "And deliverance is driven quite from me."

Versículo 14

XII. pity--a proverb. Charity is the love which judges indulgently of our fellow men: it is put on a p…

pity--a proverb. Charity is the love which judges indulgently of our fellow men: it is put on a par with truth in Pro 3:3, for they together form the essence of moral perfection [UMBREIT]. It is the spirit of Christianity (Pe1 4:8; Co1 13:7; Pro 10:12; Pro 17:17). If it ought to be used towards all men, much more towards friends. But he who does not use it forsaketh (renounceth) the fear of the Almighty (Jam 2:13).

Versículo 15

XIII. Those whom I regarded as "my brethren," from whom I looked for faithfulness in my adversity, have…

Those whom I regarded as "my brethren," from whom I looked for faithfulness in my adversity, have disappointed me, as the streams failing from drought--wadies of Arabia, filled in the winter, but dry in the summer, which disappoint the caravans expecting to find water there. The fulness and noise of these temporary streams answer to the past large and loud professions of my friends; their dryness in summer, to the failure of the friendship when needed. The Arab proverb says of a treacherous friend, "I trust not in thy torrent" (Isa 58:11, Margin). stream of brooks--rather, "the brook in the ravines which passes away." It has no perpetual spring of water to renew it (unlike "the fountain of living waters," Jer 2:13; Isa 33:16, at the end); and thus it passes away as rapidly as it arose.

Versículo 16

XIV. blackish--literally, "Go as a mourner in black clothing" (Psa 34:14). A vivid and poetic image to…

blackish--literally, "Go as a mourner in black clothing" (Psa 34:14). A vivid and poetic image to picture the stream turbid and black with melted ice and snow, descending from the mountains into the valley. In the [second] clause, the snow dissolved is, in the poet's view, "hid" in the flood [UMBREIT].

Versículo 17

XV. wax warm--rather, "At the time when." ("But they soon wax") [UMBREIT]. "they become narrower (flo…

wax warm--rather, "At the time when." ("But they soon wax") [UMBREIT]. "they become narrower (flow in a narrower bed), they are silent (cease to flow noisily); in the heat (of the sun) they are consumed or vanish out of their place. First the stream flows more narrowly--then it becomes silent and still; at length every trace of water disappears by evaporation under the hot sun" [UMBREIT].

Versículo 18

16. turned aside--rather, "caravans" (Hebrew, "travellers") turn aside from their way, by circuitous …

turned aside--rather, "caravans" (Hebrew, "travellers") turn aside from their way, by circuitous routes, to obtain water. They had seen the brook in spring full of water: and now in the summer heat, on their weary journey, they turn off their road by a devious route to reach the living waters, which they remembered with such pleasure. But, when "they go," it is "into a desert" [NOYES and UMBREIT]. Not as English Version, "They go to nothing," which would be a tame repetition of the drying up of the waters in Job 6:17; instead of waters, they find an "empty wilderness"; and, not having strength to regain their road, bitterly disappointed, they "perish." The terse brevity is most expressive.

Versículo 19

17. the troops--that is, "caravans."

the troops--that is, "caravans." Tema--north of Arabia-Deserta, near the Syrian desert; called from Tema son of Ishmael (Gen 25:15; Isa 21:14; Jer 25:23), still so called by the Arabs. Job 6:19-20 give another picture of the mortification of disappointed hopes, namely, those of the caravans on the direct road, anxiously awaiting the return of their companions from the distant valley. The mention of the locality whence the caravans came gives living reality to the picture. Sheba--refers here not to the marauders in North Arabia-Deserta (Job 1:15), but to the merchants (Eze 27:22) in the south, in Arabia-Felix or Yemen, "afar off" (Jer 6:20; Mat 12:42; Gen 10:28). Caravans are first mentioned in Gen 37:25; men needed to travel thus in companies across the desert, for defense against the roving robbers and for mutual accommodation. The companies . . . waited for them--cannot refer to the caravans who had gone in quest of the waters; for Job 6:18 describes their utter destruction.

Versículo 20

18. literally, "each had hoped"; namely, that their companions would find water. The greater had been…

literally, "each had hoped"; namely, that their companions would find water. The greater had been their hopes the more bitter now their disappointment; they came thither--to the place. and were ashamed--literally, "their countenances burn," an Oriental phrase for the shame and consternation of deceived expectation; so "ashamed" as to disappointment (Rom 5:5).

Versículo 21

19. As the dried-up brook is to the caravan, so are ye to me, namely, a nothing; ye might as well not…

As the dried-up brook is to the caravan, so are ye to me, namely, a nothing; ye might as well not be in existence [UMBREIT]. The Margin "like to them," or "to it" (namely, the waters of the brook), is not so good a reading. ye see, and are afraid--Ye are struck aghast at the sight of my misery, and ye lose presence of mind. Job puts this mild construction on their failing to relieve him with affectionate consolation.

Versículo 22

20. And yet I did not ask you to "bring me" a gift; or to "pay for me out of your substance a reward"…

And yet I did not ask you to "bring me" a gift; or to "pay for me out of your substance a reward" (to the Judge, to redeem me from my punishment); all I asked from you was affectionate treatment.

Versículo 23

21. the mighty--the oppressor, or creditor, in whose power the debtor was [UMBREIT].

the mighty--the oppressor, or creditor, in whose power the debtor was [UMBREIT].

Versículo 24

22. Irony. If you can "teach me" the right view, I am willing to be set right, and "hold my tongue"; …

Irony. If you can "teach me" the right view, I am willing to be set right, and "hold my tongue"; and to be made to see my error. But then if your words be really the right words, how is it that they are so feeble? "Yet how feeble are the words of what you call the right view." So the Hebrew is used (in Mic 2:10; Mic 1:9). The English Version, "How powerful," &c., does not agree so well with the last clause of the verse.

Versículo 25

23. And what will your arguings reprove?--literally, "the reproofs which proceed from you"; the empha…

And what will your arguings reprove?--literally, "the reproofs which proceed from you"; the emphasis is on you; you may find fault, who are not in my situation [UMBREIT].

Versículo 26

24. Do you imagine--or, "mean."

Do you imagine--or, "mean." to reprove words and (to reprove) the speeches of one desperate, (which are) as wind?--mere nothings, not to be so narrowly taken to task? UMBREIT not so well takes the Hebrew for "as wind," as "sentiments"; making formal "sentiments" antithetical to mere "speeches," and supplying, not the word "reprove," but "would you regard," from the first clause.

Versículo 27

25. literally, "ye cause" (supply, "your anger") [UMBREIT], a net, namely, of sophistry [NOYES and SC…

literally, "ye cause" (supply, "your anger") [UMBREIT], a net, namely, of sophistry [NOYES and SCHUTTENS], to fall upon the desolate (one bereft of help, like the fatherless orphan); and ye dig (a pit) for your friend--that is, try to ensnare him, to catch him in the use of unguarded language [NOYES]. (Psa 57:6); metaphor from hunters catching wild beasts in a pit covered with brushwood to conceal it. UMBREIT from the Syriac, and answering to his interpretation of the first clause, has, "Would you be indignant against your friend?" The Hebrew in Job 41:6, means to "feast upon." As the first clause asks, "Would you catch him in a net?" so this follows up the image, "And would you next feast upon him, and his miseries?" So the Septuagint.

Versículo 28

26. be content--rather, "be pleased to"--look. Since you have so falsely judged my words, look upon m…

be content--rather, "be pleased to"--look. Since you have so falsely judged my words, look upon me, that is, upon my countenance: for (it is evident before your faces) if I lie; my countenance will betray me, if I be the hypocrite that you suppose.

Versículo 29

27. Return--rather, "retract" your charges:

Return--rather, "retract" your charges: let it not be iniquity--that is, (retract) that injustice may not be done me. Yea retract, "my righteousness is in it"; that is, my right is involved in this matter.

Versículo 30

28. Will you say that my guilt lies in the organ of speech, and will you call it to account? or, Is i…

Will you say that my guilt lies in the organ of speech, and will you call it to account? or, Is it that my taste (palate) or discernment is not capable to form a judgment of perverse things? Is it thus you will explain the fact of my having no consciousness of guilt? [UMBREIT]. Next: Job Chapter 7

Cargando JOB 6...