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“Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
Verse 1. Man. He exposes to God the common miseries of mankind. Calmet.—They cannot avoid many miseries in their short life, yet may be brought to heaven. Worthington.
He grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue.
Verse 2. Shadow. Pulvis et umbra sumus. Hor. iv. Ode 7. “Come then, ye men, whom nature condemns to spend your days in darkness, ye who resemble the leaves, are of little strength, formed of mud, shadow-like, … of a day’s duration, miserable mortals, men like dreams, attend to the immortals.” Aristoph. Avib.—Most of these expressions occur in Job, Psalms 101:12. Wisd. 2:5. Eccle. 2:23. and so forth
Do you open your eyes on such a one, and bring me into judgment with you?
Verse 3. With thee. He seems beneath God’s attention: (Arist. Met. viii. 9. Cicero, Nat. ii.) but as the knowledge and other attributes of the Deity are infinite, he must necessarily attend to the whole creation. The moral actions of men being also infinite in their object, tending to God, or contradicting his ordinances, they are not beneath the consideration of an infinite Being. Calmet.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Verse 4. Seed, is not expressed in Hebrew “unclean.” It may refer to Adam. There is no contagion in the seed to infect the soul, as Tertullian supposed; it in only unclean in the cause, as every person who is born according to the common course of nature, becomes a child of Adam, and partakes in his original sin. The Scholastics. Tirinus.—Only art. Essence itself. Carthus.—“The justification of the sinner is a greater miracle than the creation of the world.” Saint Augustine ibid.—The birth of Jesus Christ was free from stain; (Luk. 1:35) as was also the conception of his virgin Mother, by the power of God; ( Menochius.) and his grace, as it is piously believed. Bible.—He alone can purify man. Calmet.—Hebrew “who can produce what is clean out of the unclean? Not one.” Or Chal. “Is there not one?” Septuagint “For who shall be pure from corruption? Not so much as one: (5) though his life be only of one day upon earth.” The more ancient Fathers have generally quoted the text in this manner, to prove original sin; ( Bible. S. Cyp. Tert. S. Deo. Mag. in Nat. i. and so forth Tirinus.) and Bellarmine almost does the same, (Grat. iv. 4.) observing that the Septuagint have taken in three words from the following verse: “though his days are few.” Yet there are some words which are not in Hebrew though the doctrine here maintained is indubitable. Amama.—Job was fully convinced of it, and adduced it as plea for mercy. It also tends to keep us in the most profound humility and watchfulness, to resist the motions of concupiscence. Calmet.—Man,
“Now too late,
Saw the rash error, which he could not mend;
An error fatal not to him alone,
But to his future sons, his fortune’s heirs.” Blair’s Grave. Milton, x. 151. Bible.
Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he can’t pass.
Look away from him, that he may rest, until he accomplishes, as a hireling, his day.
Verse 6. Hireling, who rejoices at being permitted to rest a little. So, before death, suffer me to have some relaxation. Calmet. 7:1.
“For there is hope for a tree if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, that the tender branch of it will not cease.
Though its root grows old in the earth, and its stock dies in the ground,
Verse 8. Dust. After being even exposed to the air, for a long time, some branches will take root, like the rose of Jericho, the willow, and so forth
yet through the scent of water it will bud, and sprout boughs like a plant.
Verse 9. Scent, or light touch. Daniel 3:94. Menochius.
But man dies, and is laid low. Yes, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
Verse 10. Is he? Will he naturally come to life again?
As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up,
Verse 11. Sea. There would be no supply of rain for the fountains. Eccle. 1:7. All would continue dry: so when the blood is once gone, life is at an end. See 2 Kennicott. 14:14. Calmet.—The water cannot go back. Menochius.
so man lies down and doesn’t rise. Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
Verse 12. Till. At that time, the general resurrection will take place. Vat. Scultet.—But people will never revive, according to the course of nature. In S. Matthew 5:18. Psalms 71:7. till is used in this sense. Calmet.
“Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would keep me secret until your wrath is past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me!
Verse 13. That thou mayst protect me in hell. That is, in the state of the dead; an din the place where souls are kept waiting for their Redeemer; ( Challoner.) and in the grave, where the body awaits the resurrection. Bible.—These words are repeated in the office of the dead, in the name of the souls in purgatory. Carthus. a. 34.—They are adduced in proof of limbo. But sheol denotes also “the grave.” Amama.—What then? The soul is not confined there. It must consequently be explained of the lower receptacle for souls, as well as of the grave. Bible.
Sheol is the place of the dead.
If a man dies, will he live again? I would wait all the days of my warfare, until my release should come.
Verse 14. Dead. Shall one in a condition nearly as bad, like myself, be restored to health? Yes, I entertain this hope. Calmet.—Thinkest thou, is not in Hebrew or Septuagint The latter speaks ( Bible.) clearly of the resurrection. Calmet.—“For if a man die, shall he revive, having completed the days of his life? I wait (for thee) till I be again.” Grabe. Bible.—Warfare. Calmet. 7:1.
You would call, and I would answer you. You would have a desire for the work of your hands.
But now you count my steps. Don’t you watch over my sin?
Verse 16. But. Hebrew “Mark out, ( Calmet.) or dost thou not observe my sin?” This fills me with terror, ( Bible.) unless thou shew mercy.
My disobedience is sealed up in a bag. You fasten up my iniquity.
Verse 17. Cured. Hebrew “sewed up.” This method and sealing was in use to keep things of value, before locks were invented. Calmet.—Septuagint “thou hast noted if I had transgressed unwillingly, ακων.” Yet God will not make us accountable for what we cannot help.
“But the mountain falling comes to nothing. The rock is removed out of its place.
The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.
Verse 19. Man. Hebrew and Septuagint “the hope of man.” Bible.—He must not expect to be more privileged than all other things, which time consumes. Calmet.—Job again deplores human misery. Menochius.
You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away.
Verse 20. Strengthened. Septuagint “driven away.” Pagnin, and so forth—“Thou wilt treat him harshly.” Calmet.
His sons come to honor, and he doesn’t know it. They are brought low, but he doesn’t perceive it of them.
Verse 21. Or dishonour. He cannot naturally be informed. Menochius.—God may, however, reveal to souls departed, what may increase their accidental happiness or misery. Bible.—Hence the Church prays to the saints. Job is speaking chiefly of the body in the grave, and of what appear exteriorly. During life man cannot foresee the state of his children; not in the other world, would their condition render him happy or otherwise. Calmet. Mercer.—Septuagint “If his sons be many, … or … few, he knows not.” Bible.—He is not affected in the same manner as he would be, if living. Worthington.
But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.”
Verse 22. Over. Hebrew “within him.” Bible.—During life man is full of cares, and presently he is consigned to the dreary tomb, verse 19. Calmet.