Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 5:14

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

14. A picture of the perplexity and bewilderment of those crafty men whose counsels God has come athwart, Job 5:13.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

They meet with darkness in the day-time – Margin, run into; compare the notes at Isa 59:10. The sense is, that where there is really no obstacle to the accomplishment of an honest plan – any more than there is for a man to walk in the day-time – they become perplexed and embarrassed, as much as a man would be, should sudden darkness come around him at mid-day. The same sentiment occurs in Job 12:25. A life of honesty and uprightness will be attended with prosperity, but a man who attempts to carry his plans by trick and art, will meet with unexpected embarrassments. The sentiment in all these expressions is, that God embarrasses the cunning, the crafty, and the artful, but gives success to those who are upright; and that, therefore, he is worthy of confidence.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. They meet with darkness in the daytime] God confounds them and their measures; and, with all their cunning and dexterity, they are outwitted, and often act on their own projects, planned with care and skill, as if they had been the crudest conceptions of the most disordered minds. They act in noonday as if the sun were extinct, and their eyes put out. Thus does God “abate their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices.”

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

i.e. In plain things they run into gross mistakes and errors, and commonly choose those counsels and courses which are worst for themselves.

Darkness oft notes misery, but here ignorance or error, as it is also used Job 12:25; 37:19, and elsewhere.

Grope, like blind men to find their way, not knowing what to do.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

14. Judicial blindness often issent upon keen men of the world (Deu 28:29;Isa 59:10; Joh 9:39).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

They meet with darkness in the daytime,…. Which may denote their infatuation in things the most plain and clear, and which are obvious to everyone’s view, even to such as are of much meaner capacities the themselves; and so it sometimes is, that the greatest politicians, men of the greatest sagacity and penetration, capable of forming and conducting the wisest counsels, yet blunder in things plain and easy to everyone; which must be imputed to their being given up to a judicial blindness of mind by the Lord, who destroys the wisdom of the wise, and brings to nothing the understanding of the prudent; or this may signify the defeat of their counsels, when they are in the highest pitch of esteem among men, as Ahithophel’s counsel was as the oracle of God; or the destruction of such persons and their schemes when they are in the meridian of their glory, who being in high and slippery places, come to desolation in a moment:

and grope in the noon day as in the night; which intends the same as before; this was threatened to the Jews in case of disobedience, and was fulfilled in them, De 28:29; a learned man renders it, “as the night they grope”, or “feel, at noon day” t; as the Egyptians felt darkness when it was noon, and when light was in all the dwellings of the Israelites, Ex 10:22; this may be applied to the case of many in a land of Gospel light, who are in darkness, walk in darkness, and are darkness itself; though the light of the glorious Gospel shines all around them on others, and know no more of divine and spiritual things than the Gentiles, but grope or feel about like persons blind, and in the dark as much as they, Ac 17:27; nay, they not only have the great things of the Gospel hid from them, and Satan blinds their minds lest this light should shine into them, but “they run into darkness” u, as the words of the first clause may be rendered; those “lucifugae”, such as the Jews were, and the Deists now are run from the light of divine revelation, and love darkness, and which is the aggravation of their condemnation, Joh 3:19.

t “tanquam noctum palpant”, Schultens. u “incurrent”, V. L. “incurrunt”, Vatablus, Mercerus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(14) Darkness in the daytime.This is possibly an allusion to the Egyptian plague of darkness that may be felt (Exo. 10:21), as the words used are similar. This may be a note of probable date. (Compare Isa. 59:10, where the thoughts correspond, but the words differ.) This is one of the many passages of Job in which there seems to be an indication of some acquaintance with the events related in the Pentateuch, though the points of contact are too slight for us to be quite sure of it.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

14. They meet with darkness They stumble against darkness. GESENIUS, Thesaurus. A judicial visitation. They were deemed sharp-sighted among men. God sends upon them thick darkness.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

Ver. 14. They meet with darkness in the daytime ] They are infatuated and besotted; a spirit of giddiness seizeth them; ita ut in re clarissima destituantur prudentia, saith Vatablus, so that they cannot discern things that are evident and clear as the sun at noon day; they have light without, but want light within; they lack discretion and judgment to do for the best: this was threatened, Deu 28:29 , and accordingly fulfilled upon those blind Pharisees, as our Saviour often calleth them, and now upon that whole nation, Rom 11:18 2Co 3:14 . Since they crucified the Lord of glory, they never prospered in anything they uudertook, neither will they be driven out of that fool’s paradise of a sublime dotage whereinto they have long since wrought themselves: They had bribed our William Rufus to hear them and favour them in a disputation against the Christians; but they lost the day, and their money together. Rabbi Judah, surnamed The holy, was intimate with Antoninus Plus, the emperor, and thought to have proselyted him but it would not be. Rabbi David Reubenita and Rabbi Solomon Molchu set upon Charles V, in the year of grace 1530, to convert him to Judaism, but with ill success; for they were presently imprisoned, and shortly after executed, Rabbi Solomon at Mantua, and Rabbi David in Spain. How they are benighted in their expositions of Scripture, troubling those clear fountains with their ridiculous conceits and foolish fables, I need not relate. Neither are many of the Popish interpreters (as they will be accounted) much wiser, being judicially blinded, given over to an injudicious mind, Rom 1:28 , to the efficacy of error, 2Th 2:11 , so that

They grope at noonday, as in the night ] They have neither light nor sight left them, and this by a just hand of God upon them, because they closed up their eyes lest they should see, Act 28:27 , they would not receive the love of the truth, 2Th 2:10 . Therefore now it is hid from their eyes, and the light that is in them is darkness. Women and children see further into the mysteries of religion, than many of these learned doctors, these idol shepherds; God’s sword being upon their arm, and upon their right eye, Zec 11:17 , that is, both upon their power and policy, so that they are like owls, that can see better in the dark than in the light; and like moles, that dig dexterously underground, but are blind above ground, neither do they ever open their eyes till the pangs of death are upon them.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

meet = meet repeatedly.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

meet with: or, run into

darkness: Job 12:25, Deu 28:29, Pro 4:19, Isa 59:10, Amo 8:9

Reciprocal: 1Sa 19:10 – he slipped 2Ki 6:18 – Smite this people Job 38:15 – from Hab 2:13 – is it

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

5:14 They meet with {n} darkness in the daytime, and {o} grope in the noonday as in the night.

(n) In things plain and evident they show themselves fools instead of wise men.

(o) This declares that God punishes the worldly wise as he threatened in De 28:29.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes