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Texts -- Job 29:1-22 (NET)

Context

IV. Job’s Concluding Soliloquy (29:1-31:40)

Job Recalls His Former Condition
29:1 Then Job continued his speech : 29:2 “O that I could be as I was in the months now gone , in the days when God watched over me, 29:3 when he caused his lamp to shine upon my head , and by his light I walked through darkness ; 29:4 just as I was in my most productive time , when God’s intimate friendship was experienced in my tent , 29:5 when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me; 29:6 when my steps were bathed with butter and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil ! 29:7 When I went out to the city gate and secured my seat in the public square , 29:8 the young men would see me and step aside , and the old men would get up and remain standing ; 29:9 the chief men refrained from talking and covered their mouths with their hands ; 29:10 the voices of the nobles fell silent , and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths .
Job’s Benevolence
29:11 “As soon as the ear heard these things, it blessed me, and when the eye saw them, it bore witness to me, 29:12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help , and the orphan who had no one to assist him; 29:13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me , and I made the widow’s heart rejoice ; 29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, my just dealing was like a robe and a turban ; 29:15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame ; 29:16 I was a father to the needy , and I investigated the case of the person I did not know ; 29:17 I broke the fangs of the wicked , and made him drop his prey from his teeth .
Job’s Confidence
29:18 “Then I thought , ‘I will die in my own home , my days as numerous as the grains of sand . 29:19 My roots reach the water , and the dew lies on my branches all night long. 29:20 My glory will always be fresh in me , and my bow ever new in my hand .’
Job’s Reputation
29:21 “People listened to me and waited silently; they kept silent for my advice . 29:22 After I had spoken , they did not respond; my words fell on them drop by drop .

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • After receiving the reminder of his death and as one of his final official acts as Israel's leader, Moses pronounced a prophetic blessing on the tribes of Israel (cf. Gen. 49)."In the ancient Near East, a dying father's final...
  • It is also difficult to determine how much time the events narrated in the book cover.The first chapter tells about Job's life before his trial, and the last chapter reveals what happened after it until Job's death. The chapt...
  • What this book is all about has been the subject of considerable debate. Many people think God gave it to us to provide His answer to the age-old problem of suffering. In particular, many believe it is in the Bible to help us...
  • I. Prologue chs. 1-2A. Job's character 1:1-5B. Job's calamities 1:6-2:101. The first test 1:6-222. The second test 2:1-10C. Job's comforters 2:11-13II. The dialogue concerning the basis of the divine-human relationship 3:1-42...
  • The writer composed the prologue and epilogue of this book in prose narrative and the main body (3:1-42:6) in poetry. The prologue and epilogue form a frame around the main emphasis of the revelation, the poetic section, and ...
  • Satan again claimed that Job served God only because God had made it advantageous for Job to do so. Job still had his own life. Satan insinuated that Job had been willing to part with his own children and his animals (wealth)...
  • The poetic body to the book begins with a soliloquy in which Job cursed the day of his birth. This introductory soliloquy corresponds to another one Job gave at the end of his dialogue with his three friends (chs. 29-31), esp...
  • The two soliloquies of Job (chs. 3 and 29-31) enclose three cycles of dialogue between Job and his three friends. Each cycle consists of speeches by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar in that order interspersed with Job's reply to e...
  • In short, Job believed it was useless for him to try to prove himself upright since God seemed determined to punish him.The Book of Job uses legal terms and metaphors extensively in the sections that deal with Job's disputes ...
  • Because the speech in this chapter is more soliloquy than dialogue some scholars have concluded that someone other than Job spoke it: Zophar, Bildad, or God. One writer argued for its being a speech by none of the characters,...
  • Job gave a soliloquy before his dialogue with his three friends began (ch. 3). Now he concluded that dialogue with another soliloquy (chs. 29-31). In this one, Job longed for his past state of blessedness (ch. 29), lamented h...
  • "Chapter 29 is another classic example of Semitic rhetoric with all the elements of good symmetrical style. . . . The pattern is as follows:"Blessing, vv. 2-6Honor, vv. 7-11Job's benevolence, vv. 12-17Blessing, vv. 18-20Honor...
  • "Chapter 29 speaks of what the Lord gave to Job and chapter 30 speaks of what the Lord took away (cf. 1:21)."123He was presently without respect (vv. 1-15), disregarded (vv. 16-23), and despondent (vv. 24-31). He had formerly...
  • Elihu began by voicing his respect for Job's three friends (vv. 6-10). They were older than he, and for this reason he said he had refrained from speaking until now. However he had become convinced that advancing age does not...
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