Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 6:28
Now therefore be content, look upon me; for [it is] evident unto you if I lie.
28. The verse means as a whole,
Now, therefore, be pleased to look upon me,
I will not surely lie to your face!
“Be pleased,” or, as we say, be good enough. “To your face,” as in ch. Job 1:11. Job desires that instead of speaking at him with averted faces they would look him in the face, and judge from his countenance whether he would lie directly in asserting his innocence a test that only conscious honesty would propose.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Now, therefore, be content – Rosenmuller has better rendered this, if it please you. The sense is, if you are willing, look upon me. That is, if you are disposed, you may take a careful view of me. Look me in the countenance. You can see for yourselves whether I am sincere or false. I am willing that my whole demeanor should be subjected to the utmost scrutiny.
For it is evident unto you if I lie – Margin, as in Hebrew before your face. That is, you yourselves can see by my whole demeanor, by my sufferings, my patience, my manifest sincerity, that I am not playing the hypocrite. Conscious of sincerity, he believed that if they would look upon him, they would be convinced that he was a sincere and an upright man.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. Look upon me] View me; consider my circumstances; compare my words; and you must be convinced that I have spoken nothing but truth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Look upon me; be pleased either,
1. To look upon my countenance, if it betrays any fear or guilt, as if I spoke contrary to my own conscience. Or rather,
2. To consider me and my cause further and better than you have done, that you may give a more true and righteous judgment concerning it.
Is evident unto you; you will plainly discover it. A little further consideration and discourse will make it manifest, and I shall readily acknowledge it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28. be contentrather, “bepleased to”look. Since you have so falsely judged my words,look upon me, that is, upon my countenance: for (it is evident beforeyour faces) if I lie; my countenance will betray me, if I be thehypocrite that you suppose.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Now therefore be content,…. Or, “may it now please you” f; Job addresses them in a respectful manner, and entreats them they would be so kind as to look favourably on him, and entertain better thoughts of him; and give a fresh and friendly hearing of his case, when he doubted not he should be acquitted by them of the charge of iniquity, and that his cause would appear to be a righteous one:
look upon me: upon my countenance; and see if you can find any traces of fear and falsehood, of dishonesty and hypocrisy, of shame and blushing; and observe if there is not all the appearance of an honest mind, of a good conscience within, that has nothing to fear from the strictest examination; or look upon my body, covered all over with boils and ulcers, and see if there is not occasion for those expressions of grief, and those heavy complaints that I have made; or rather, look upon me with an eye of pity and compassion, with affection, favour, and benevolence, and not bear so hard upon me:
for [it is] evident unto you if I lie; or, it is “before your faces” g; should I attempt to deceive you by telling you a parcel of lies, you would soon discern the falsehood in my countenance; you would easily find it out in my words, which would issue in my shame and confusion; I could not expect to go undetected by men of such sagacity and penetration; but I am not afraid of the most diligent scrutiny that can be made into my words and actions.
f “sed nunc placeat vebis”, Schmidt. g “coram facie vestra”, Bolducius, Schultens; Ben Melech interprets it, “by your life if I lie”, as being an oath.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
28 And now be pleased to observe me keenly,
I will not indeed deceive you to your face.
29 Try it again, then: let there be no injustice;
Try it again, my righteousness still stands.
30 Is there wrong on my tongue?
Or shall not my palate discern iniquity?
He begs them to observe him more closely; , as Ecc 2:11, to observe scrutinizingly. is the sign of negative asseveration (Ges. 155, 2, f). He will not indeed shamelessly give them the lie, viz., in respect to the greatness and inexplicableness of his suffering. The challenging we do not translate: retrace your steps, but: begin afresh, to which both the following clauses are better suited. So Schlottm. and von Gerlach. Hahn retains the Chethib , in the signification: my answer; but that is impossible: to answer is , not . The drawn to by Rebia mugrasch is more suitably joined with , in which refers neutrally to the matter of which it treats. They are to try from the beginning to find that comfort which will meet the case. Their accusations are ; his complaints, on the contrary, are fully justified. He does not grant that the outburst of his feeling of pain (Job 3) is : he has not so completely lost his power against temptation, that he would not restrain himself, if he should fall into . Thus wickedness, which completely contaminates feeling and utterance, is called (Psa 52:4).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(28) Now therefore be content to look upon me; for it will be evident unto you if I lie; or, for surely I shall not lie to your face.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Third strophe He makes an appeal for justice, and justice only, Job 6:28-30.
28. Now therefore And now be pleased to look upon me. He deems that they will see, notwithstanding his disfigurement, integrity in his look and bearing. Evident unto you, etc. I will not speak falsely to your face, is the reading of most modern critics. Hengstenberg prefers to read, “let it be before your face,” that is, be determined by you, “whether I lie.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 6:28 Now therefore be content, look upon me; for [it is] evident unto you if I lie.
Ver. 28. Now therefore be content, look upon me ] Let it suffice you to have thus hardly handled me; cast now a more benign aspect upon me, and be not henceforth so hot and so harsh. Now therefore be content, regard me, so Mr Broughton translateth it, or look upon me, sc. with a critical eye: what guiltiness can you find in my face? do I look like a hypocrite, and can you read my conscience in my countenance?
It is evident to you if I lie
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
evident unto you: Heb. before your face
if I lie: Job 11:3, Job 13:4
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:3 – Be content
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 6:28. Now therefore be content, look upon me Hebrew, Be willing; look upon me, or, to look upon me, the second imperative being put for the infinitive. Be pleased to consider me and my cause further and better than you have done, that you may give a more true and righteous judgment concerning it; for it is Or rather, will be; evident You will plainly discover it; if I lie A little farther consideration and discourse will make it manifest if I have uttered any thing untrue or without foundation, and I shall readily acknowledge it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 6:28-30. Job appeals to his friends to give him a fair hearing. Let them look him in the face (Job 6:28). We must imagine, says Duhm, that during Jobs speech, and especially during the last sharp sayings, they have exhibited their disapproval by turning away from him. Surely (Job 6:28) is the formula of oathliterally, if I shall lie to your face (then may evil befall me) (cf. Job 1:11).
Job 6:29 means Turn to me and hear me: it is not injustice to complain as I do.
Job 6:30 means Cannot I correctly discern the nature of my calamity (and perceive its injustice)? The first clause means the same as the secondhas my tongue become perverted so that it cannot tell good from bad?
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
6:28 Now therefore be content, {r} look upon me; for [it is] evident unto you if I lie.
(r) Consider whether I speak as one who is driven to this impatience through sorrow, or as a hypocrite as you condemn me.