Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 9:12
Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
12. It is irresistible and irresponsible.
taketh away ] Carries off, as a beast of prey its booty.
who can hinder him ] Or, turn him back.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold, he taketh away – Property, friends, or life.
Who can hinder him? – Margin, turn him away. Or, rather, who shall cause him to restore? that is, who can bring back what he takes away? He is so mighty, that what he removes, it is impossible for us to recover.
Who will say unto him, What doest thou? – A similar expression occurs in Dan 4:35. The meaning is plain. God has a right to remove any thing which we possess. Our friends, property, health, and lives, are his gift, and he has a right to them all. When he takes them away, he is but taking that which is his own, and which has been lent to us for a little time, and which he has a right to remove when it seems good to him. This truth Job fully admits, and in the calm contemplation of all his losses and his sorrows, he acknowledges that God had a right to do as he had done; see note, Job 1:21.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 9:12
Behold, He taketh away.
The conduct to which adverse dispensations should lead
Job was a sufferer. Of his property he was deprived; of his children he was bereaved; in his own person he was sorely afflicted. It would not have been strange had Job given way to murmuring and repining. Unsupported and uncomforted from above, what else can be expected from man when in deep distress, but the expression of uneasiness and fretful discontent? Some, indeed, attempt to bear up under adversity by hard-hearted callousness, and others by a prideful aversion to complain. Job felt what he endured, and he acknowledged what he endured, but his feeling and acknowledgment indicated calm submission.
I. The doctrine taught–the agency of God. His agency in providence. Not to be classed with chance or accident. It would be a mistake to represent God as exercising no providential superintendence, no control, no management, no rule. Some hold that Gods agency is general, not particular, not concerned with details. But great and little are not to God what they are to us. What it was no degradation to God to create, it can be no degradation to God to superintend. A particular agency on His part is the only intelligible notion of Gods agency in providence. The manner in which Gods agency, in the various dispensations of providence, is regarded respectively by the believer and by the unbeliever, constitutes one of the most marked distinctions between the characters of these two classes of person.
II. The lessons which this doctrine teaches.
1. Privation and loss are the doing of Him who neither does nor can do us any wrong. God is never arbitrary, never capricious, never unjust. He is essentially righteous. In no sense can He do that which is unrighteous. He cannot do it from ignorance, or from design.
2. Privation and loss are the doing of Him, all whose doings in reference to us are in accordance with what He Himself is–wise and gracious. Not only is He wise, but all-wise; actually, absolutely, yea, necessarily all-wise. His understanding is infinite. He is gracious. His nature is love. What a proof of this did He afford in devising a plan by which sinners might be rescued from the penal consequences of sin.
3. Privation and loss are the doing of Him who is able, and as willing as He is able, to educe, in our experience, good from evil. Out of the strait in which we are involved there may be no seeming way of escape. But is it irremediable by Him whose arm is full of might, who is equal to our support and deliverance, whatever be our condition? This subject calls for thankfulness; it should produce resignation; it should lead us to prepare for changes. (A. Jack, D. D.)
Who will say unto Him, What doest Thou?–
The Divine dispensations not to be questioned
In the cup of life there are many bitter ingredients. From the day we are born, till the day we die, there is an invariable mixture of joy and sorrow. The world is full of uncertainties. Its best satisfactions are neither substantial nor permanent Religion is not satisfied with directing our attention to second causes. It leads us above them to the First Cause of all things. It conducts us to God; and presents Him to us under the mild aspect of a Father, always mindful of our happiness; and who has given us so many proofs of this in nature, providence, and grace, as to merit our entire confidence and unreserved submission. There is much in the present state of things to perplex the understanding, as well as to wound the heart. I find in the revelation which religion has made to me another and better world, where my perplexities will be resolved, and my troubles cease. In dines of sorrow, philosophy has no effectual help for us. Various and contradictory maxims may be urged upon us, and to all we must reply, with the ancient sufferer, Miserable comforters are ye all. But it is not in vain to direct our thoughts to God; to make an oblation of our wills to Him. There is too much disposition in mankind to disregard the providence of God; to overlook His agency in the occurrences of life. What would become of us if our life were an unmingled portion of good; if our day were never darkened with the clouds of adversity? Afflictions are intended as the instruments of good to us. Afflictions, rightly improved, are real blessings. (C. Lowell.)
Submission to Divine sovereignty
Job was afflicted not more for his own benefit than for the benefit of others. His discourses with his friends gave him a good opportunity of justifying the sovereignty of God, in the dispensations of His providence. The friends insisted that God treated every man according to his real character, in His providential conduct towards him; but Job maintained that God acted as a sovereign, without any design of distinguishing His friends from His enemies, by outward mercies and afflictions. In the preceding verses, he gives a striking description of Divine sovereignty.
I. It is the natural tendency of afflictions to make the friends of God realise and submit to His sovereignty. Afflictions always display the sovereignty of God. Whenever God afflicts His children, He gives a practical and sensible evidence that He has a right to dispose of them contrary to their views, their desires, and most tender feelings. Of all afflictions, those which are called bereavements, give the clearest display of Divine sovereignty.
II. Such a realising sense of the sovereignty of God in afflictions, has a natural tendency to excite true submission in every pious heart.
1. While they realise the nature of His sovereignty, they cannot help seeing the true ground or reason of submission.
2. God designs thus to bring His children to submission.
3. It has so often produced this desirable effect in their hearts. Apply the subject.
(1) If all afflictions are designed and adapted to bring men to a cordial submission to Divine sovereignty, then all true submission must be in its own nature absolute and unreserved.
(2) We may assume that we shall have to submit to the Divine sovereignty in the world to come.
(3) The doctrine of unconditional submission to God ought to be plainly taught and inculcated.
(4) If afflictions are designed and suited to make men realise Divine sovereignty, then they always try their hearts, whether they are friendly or unfriendly to God.
(5) The afflictions that bring men to submission must do them good. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
Divine providence
These words speak of three solemn and weighty truths.
I. The Lords sovereign agency. We see this in families, we see it in provinces, we see it in whole nations. We perceive prosperity or adversity–peace or discord–joy or misery–coming both to individuals and to communities without their knowledge, and often without their concurrence. The human race are subject to other influences besides their own. From the Bible we learn that the smallest, as well as the weightiest affairs, are under Christs supervision and control. Nothing arises in this our world by chance or by accident. The same sovereign agency is seen in the issues of life. The keys of the invisible world are committed to Christs sole custody. All second causes work out the sovereign will of the Great First Cause. It is He who fixes the precise moment for the removal of men by death from their busy occupations.
II. His irresistible might. This is the groundwork of the patriarchs argument in the passage before us. Who can hinder Him? Shall the man of wisdom? Shall a parents love avert the threatening blow? Shall the tears of a wife? Shall the regrets of an admiring nation?
III. His unsearchable wisdom. The Almighty doeth all things well. From all eternity the Lord has had certain purposes to be accomplished. In some matters the wisdom of the Lords dealing is so palpable that we are compelled to acquiesce. At other seasons we are all in the dark. Then it is our privilege to exercise faith in the fatherly care and unfailing love of our Almighty Redeemer. (C. Clayton, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 12. He taketh away] He never gives, but he is ever lending: and while the gift is useful or is improved, he permits it to remain; but when it becomes useless or is misused, he recalls it.
Who can hinder him?] Literally, Who can cause him to restore it?
What doest thou?] He is supreme, and will give account of none of his matters. He is infinitely wise, and cannot mistake. He is infinitely kind, and can do nothing cruel. He is infinitely good, and can do nothing wrong. No one, therefore, should question either his motives or his operations.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
If he determine to take away from any man his children, or servants, or estate, as he hath done from me, who is able to restrain him from doing it? or who dare presume to reprove him for it? And therefore far be it from me to quarrel with God, whereof you untruly accuse me.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. If “He taketh away,”as in my case all that was dear to me, still a mortal cannot call Himto account. He only takes His own. He is an absolute King (Ecc 8:4;Dan 4:35).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, he taketh away,…. There are some things God never takes away from his people; he never takes away his love from them, he always rests in that towards them, let them be in what condition they will; he never takes away his grace from them, when once bestowed on them, or wrought in them; he never takes away his special gifts of grace, particularly the unspeakable gift of his son Christ Jesus, which is that good part, when chosen, which shall not be taken away; nor any of the spiritual blessings wherewith they are blessed in Christ; these are irreversible and irrevocable: but temporal blessings he takes away at pleasure; so he had taken away the children, the servants of Job, his substance, wealth, and riches, and also his bodily health, to which he may have a particular respect; yea, when it pleases him, he takes a man out of the world, as the Targum and Gersom interpret it:
who can hinder him? he does what he pleases in heaven and earth; his will is irresistible, his power is uncontrollable; there is no turning his mind, nor staying his hand, nor turning it back; when he works, none can let or hinder. Mr. Broughton translates it, “who shall make him restore?” l if a man takes away what he has no right to, he may be obliged by law to restore it; but whatever God takes away he has a right unto, be it relations and friends, health or wealth; if he pleases he can restore, and does; and as he did to Job, to whom he after gave twice as much as he had before; but then he is not obliged to do it, none can force him to it:
who will say unto him, what doest thou? not one that knows what God is, or that knows himself a creature of his; no person will choose or dare to ask what God does, or why he does this and not another thing, or why this in the manner he does it; for he gives no account of his matters to the sons of men, nor is he obliged to it, and it would be insolent in them to require it, see Job 33:13; this expresses his sovereignty.
l So Beza, Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) What doest thou?Putting the case even that God were, so to say, in the wrong, and the assailant, yet even then He would maintain His cause from sheer might, and crush His adversary.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. He taketh away There is nothing that declares man’s impotency more than his powerlessness to save his loved ones from death. Job regards the work of death as the work of God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 9:12. Behold he taketh away, &c. But if he should take any thing away, who shall prevent him, or cause him to make restitution. Houbigant and Heath.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Job 9:12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
Ver. 12. Behold, he taketh away ] Raptim aufert; He snatcheth away, or taketh by force, as a lion doth his prey, or a thief doth another man’s goods. Confer Pro 23:28 . Which if he do, who can repel or turn him back? Here Job plainly alludeth to the taking away of his children, servants, and cattle, the likelihood also of losing his life (according to the Chaldee paraphrast) by his present miseries; which, if it should befall him from God, it would not be safe for him to cavil, or once question God’s proceeding, to urge him to restitution, or charge him with oppression; since he is chief Lord of all, and may do with his own what he pleaseth. He is uncontrollable, as Nebuchadnezzar at length acknowledged, Dan 4:35 , and his will is the true and only rule of justice itself, nec solum recta, sed et regula. Wherefore let all the earth keep silence before him, Hab 2:20 , and let none presume once to ask him what he hath done, either to question his right to do it, or to question his righteousness in the doing of it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Behold. Figure of speech. Asterismos. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
he taketh: Job 23:13, Job 34:29, Dan 4:35, Eph 1:11
hinder him: Heb. turn him away, Job 11:10
What: Job 33:13, Isa 45:9, Jer 18:6, Mat 11:26, Mat 20:15, Rom 9:18-20, Rom 11:34
Reciprocal: Jdg 20:25 – destroyed 2Sa 16:10 – Who shall Job 10:15 – righteous Job 12:14 – he breaketh Job 34:33 – Should Ecc 7:13 – who Isa 14:27 – his Isa 43:13 – I will work Jer 48:30 – his lies shall not so effect it Act 11:17 – what Rom 9:19 – Why doth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 9:12. Behold, he taketh away If he determine to take away from any man his children, or servants, or estate, who is able to restrain him from doing it? Or, who dare presume to reprove him for it? And, therefore, far be it from me to quarrel with God, whereof you untruly accuse me.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? {f} who will say unto him, What doest thou?
(f) He shows that when God executes his power, he does it justly, as no one can control him.