Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 13:13
Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what [will].
13. that I may speak ] Emphasis on I, that I now may speak. The last clause intimates his resolve to speak at all risks.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
13 22. Job now turns from his friends, whom he commands to be silent, to his great plea with God, resuming the intention expressed in Job 13:3. The passage has two parts, one preliminary, Job 13:13-16, exhibiting a singular picture of the conflict between resolution and fear in Job’s mind. He will go before God come upon him what will ( Job 13:13). Yet he cannot hide from himself that it may be at the hazard of his life. Yet he will not be deterred; he will defend his ways to God’s face ( Job 13:14-15). And yet again, this very courage which he has, arising from his sense of innocence, is a token to him that he shall be victorious ( Job 13:16). The second part, Job 13:17-22. Feeling that the victory is already his he commands his friends to mark his pleading of his cause. He knows he shall be found in the right. Nay, no one will even plead against him ( Job 13:17-19). Only he begs two conditions of God, That He would lift His afflicting hand from him, and, That He would not affright him with His terror ( Job 13:20-22).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Hold your peace – Margin, Be silent from me; see Job 13:5. It is possible that Job may have perceived in them some disposition to interrupt him in a rude manner in reply to the severe remarks which he had made, and he asked the privilege, therefore, of being permitted to go on, and to say what he intended, let come what would.
And let come on me what will – Anything, whether reproaches from you, or additional sufferings from the hand of God. Allow me to express my sentiments, whatever may be the consequences to myself. One cannot but be forcibly reminded by this verse of the remark of the Greek philosopher, Strike, but hear me.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 13. Hold your peace] You have perverted righteousness and truth, and your pleadings are totally irrelevant to the case; you have travelled out of the road; you have left law and justice behind you; it is high time that you should have done.
Let come on me what will.] I will now defend myself against you, and leave the cause to its issue.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Do not now interrupt me in my discourse; which peradventure he observed by their gestures some of them were now attempting.
That I may speak; that I may freely utter my whole mind.
Let come on me what will: for the event of my discourse with God, wherewith you threaten me, I am willing to submit myself to him, to do with me as he pleaseth; for I know he will not judge so severely and partially of me, or my words, as you do, but will accept what is good, and pass by any circumstantial defects in my person or speech, as knowing that I speak from an upright heart.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. Job would wish to be sparedtheir speeches, so as to speak out all his mind as to hiswretchedness (Job 13:14),happen what will.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Hold your peace, let me alone,…. Or, cease “from me” i: from speaking to me, or hindering me from speaking. Job might perceive, by some motions of his friends, that they were about to interrupt him; and therefore he desires they would be silent, and let him go on:
that I may speak; or, “and I will speak”,
and let come on me what [will]; either from men, or from God himself; a good man, when he knows his cause is good, and he has truth on his side, is not careful or concerned what reproach may be cast upon him, or what censures from men he may undergo; or what persecutions from them he may endure; none of these things move him from his duty, or can stop his mouth from speaking the truth; let him be threatened with what he will, he cannot but speak the things which he has seen and heard, and knows to be true; as for what may come upon him from God, that he is not solicitous about; he knows he will lay nothing upon him but what is common to men, will support him under it, or deliver him from it in his own time and way, or however make all things work together for his good: some render it, “and let something pass by me”, or “from me” k; that is, somewhat of his grief and sorrow, while he was speaking and pouring out his complaints before God; but the former sense seems best.
i “desistite a me”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. k “ut transeat praeter me aliquid, vel a me”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will. 14 Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16 He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him. 17 Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears. 18 Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified. 19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost. 20 Only do not two things unto me: then will I not hide myself from thee. 21 Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid. 22 Then call thou, and I will answer: or let me speak, and answer thou me.
Job here takes fresh hold, fast hold, of his integrity, as one that was resolved not to let it go, nor suffer it to be wrested from him. His firmness in this matter is commendable and his warmth excusable.
I. He entreats his friends and all the company to let him alone, and not interrupt him in what he was about to say (v. 13), but diligently to hearken to it, v. 17. He would have his own protestation to be decisive, for none but God and himself knew his heart. “Be silent therefore, and let me hear no more of you, but hearken diligently to what I say, and let my own oath for confirmation be an end of the strife.”
II. He resolves to adhere to the testimony his own conscience gave of his integrity; and though his friends called it obstinacy that should not shake his constancy: “I will speak in my own defence, and let come on me what will, v. 13. Let my friends put what construction they please upon it, and think the worse of me for it; I hope God will not make my necessary defence to be my offence, as you do. He will justify me (v. 18) and then nothing can come amiss to me.” Note, Those that are upright, and have the assurance of their uprightness, may cheerfully welcome every event. Come what will, bene prparatum pectus–they are ready for it. He resolves (v. 15) that he will maintain his own ways. He would never part with the satisfaction he had in having walked uprightly with God; for, though he could not justify every word he had spoken, yet, in the general, his ways were good, and he would maintain his uprightness; and why should he not, since that was his great support under his present exercises, as it was Hezekiah’s, Now, Lord, remember how I have walked before thee? Nay, he would not only not betray his own cause, or give it up, but he would openly avow his sincerity; for (v. 19) “If hold my tongue, and do not speak for myself, my silence now will for ever silence me, for I shall certainly give up the ghost,” v. 19. “If I cannot be cleared, yet let me be eased, by what I say,” as Elihu, Job 32:17; Job 32:20.
III. He complains of the extremity of pain and misery he was in (v. 14): Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth? That is, 1. “Why do I suffer such agonies? I cannot but wonder that God should lay so much upon me when he knows I am not a wicked man.” He was ready, not only to rend his clothes, but even to tear his flesh, through the greatness of his affliction, and saw himself at the brink of death, and his life in his hand, yet his friends could not charge him with any enormous crime, nor could he himself discover any; no marvel then that he was in such confusion. 2. “Why do I stifle and smother the protestations of my innocency?” When a man with great difficulty keeps in what he would say, he bites his lips. “Now,” says he, “why may not I take liberty to speak, since I do but vex myself, add to my torment, and endanger my life, by refraining?” Note, It would vex the most patient man, when he has lost every thing else, to be denied the comfort (if he deserves it) of a good conscience and a good name.
IV. He comforts himself in God, and still keeps hold of his confidence in him. Observe here,
1. What he depends upon God for–justification and salvation, the two great things we hope for through Christ. (1.) Justification (v. 18): I have ordered my cause, and, upon the whole matter, I know that I shall be justified. This he knew because he knew that his Redeemer lived, ch. xix. 25. Those whose hearts are upright with God, in walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit, may be sure that through Christ there shall be no condemnation to them, but that, whoever lays any thing to their charge, they shall be justified: they may know that they shall. (2.) Salvation (v. 16): He also shall be my salvation. He means it not of temporal salvation (he had little expectation of that); but concerning his eternal salvation he was very confident that God would not only be his Saviour to make him happy, but his salvation, in the vision and fruition of whom he should be happy. And the reason why he depended on God for salvation was because a hypocrite shall not come before him. He knew himself not to be a hypocrite, and that none but hypocrites are rejected of God, and therefore concluded he should not be rejected. Sincerity is our evangelical perfection; nothing will ruin us but the want of that.
2. With what constancy he depends upon him: Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, v. 15. This is a high expression of faith, and what we should all labour to come up to–to trust in God, though he slay us, that is, we must be well pleased with God as a friend even when he seems to come forth against us as an enemy, ch. xxiii. 8-10. We must believe that all shall work for good to us even when all seems to make against us, Jer. xxiv. 5. We must proceed and persevere in the way of our duty, though it cost us all that is dear to us in this world, even life itself, Heb. xi. 35. We must depend upon the performance of the promise when all the ways leading to it are shut up, Rom. iv. 18. We must rejoice in God when we have nothing else to rejoice in, and cleave to him, yea, though we cannot for the present find comfort in him. In a dying hour we must derive from him living comforts; and this is to trust in him though he slay us.
V. He wishes to argue the case even with God himself, if he might but have leave to settle the preliminaries of the treaty, v. 20-22. He had desired (v. 3) to reason with God, and is still of the same mind. He will not hide himself, that is, he will not decline the trial, nor dread the issue of it, but under two provisos:– 1. That his body might not be tortured with this exquisite pain: “Withdraw thy hand far from me; for, while I am in this extremity, I am fit for nothing. I can make a shift to talk with my friends, but I know not how to address myself to thee.” When we are to converse with God we have need to be composed, and as free as possible from every thing that may make us uneasy. 2. That his mind might not be terrified with the tremendous majesty of God: “Let not thy dread make me afraid; either let the manifestations of thy presence be familiar or let me be enabled to bear them without disorder and disturbance.” Moses himself trembled before God, so did Isaiah and Habakkuk. O God! thou art terrible even in thy holy places. “Lord,” says Job, “let me not be put into such a consternation of spirit, together with this bodily affliction; for then I must certainly drop the cause, and shall make nothing of it.” See what a folly it is for men to put off their repentance and conversion to a sick-bed and a death-bed. How can even a good man, much less a bad man, reason with God, so as to be justified before him, when he is upon the rack of pain and under the terror of the arrests of death? At such a time it is very bad to have the great work to do, but very comfortable to have it done, as it was to Job, who, if he might but have a little breathing-time, was ready either, (1.) To hear God speaking to him by his word, and return an answer: Call thou, and I will answer; or, (2.) To speak to him by prayer, and expect an answer: Let me speak, and answer thou me, v. 22. Compare this with Job 9:34; Job 9:35, where he speaks to the same purport. In short, the badness of his case was at present such a damp upon him as he could not get over; otherwise he was well assured of the goodness of his cause, and doubted not but to have the comfort of it at last, when the present cloud was over. With such holy boldness may the upright come to the throne of grace, not doubting but to find mercy there.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
5. Job would dare to present his case before God. (Job. 13:13-19)
TEXT 13:1319
13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;
And let come on me what will.
14 Wherefore should I take my flesh In my teeth,
And put my life in my hand?
15 Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:
Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
16 This also shall be my salvation,
That a godless man shall not come before him.
17 Hear diligently my speech,
And let my declaration be in your ears.
18 Behold now, I have set my cause in order;
I know that I am righteous.
19 Who is he that will contend with me?
For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost.
COMMENT 13:1319
Job. 13:13The pronoun I is emphatic. Once more he is asking that his friends keep silent that he may speak to God.
Job. 13:14There is a problem in this verse in that it begins with why.[158] But the sense is clear enough; since his life may pass away any moment, he will not hesitate to risk his life (Hebrew nepes) by confronting God (Jdg. 12:3; 1Sa. 19:5; and 1Sa. 28:21).
[158] See M. Dahood, Biblica et Orientalia, XVII,1965, p. 16.
Job. 13:15With abandoned desperation, Job is prepared to challenge God. Yet (A. V. nevertheless is strong Hebrew adversative) absolutely nothing will cause Job to refrain from defending his innocence. His suffering is not self-entailed, his conscience is clear. He is not a rebel without a cause. Job is not revolting against God; rather he is going to face Him. Evil men inevitably run from the face or presence of God, as Adam did (Gen. 3:8) and Jonah.
Job. 13:16Perhaps he can be saved by boldness, as Dostoevsky mistakenly thought, that man could be saved by suffering, to whom all suffering was vicarious. To Job, his readiness to face God is his guarantee of innocence. He believes that if God should speak to him, He would do so favorably. But love alone knows the healing art.
Job. 13:17Job calls for his opponents to listen carefully. Hear is a plural imperativeJob. 13:6.
Job. 13:18Job says I will set my things in order (Gen. 22:9; Psa. 23:5; Job. 23:4-5; Job. 27:19) and gain for myself acquittal (Job. 11:2).
Job. 13:19My things are in ordernow who can contend with me (Isa. 1:8)? Who can sustain the charge of guilty? If one could reveal to him his guilt, he would gladly become silent and acknowledge his wickednessthrough silence.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(13) Hold your peace.He now prepares to make a declaration like the memorable one in Job 19. He resolves at all hazards to face God in judgment.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Job’s Comfort and Prayer
v. 13. Hold your peace, let me alone, v. 14. Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, v. 15. Though He slay me, v. 16. He also shall be my salvation; for an hypocrite shall not come before Him; v. 17. Hear diligently my speech, v. 18. Behold now, I have ordered my cause, v. 19. Who is he that will plead with me, v. 20. Only do not two things unto me, v. 21. Withdraw Thine hand far from me, v. 22. Then call Thou, and I will answer; v. 23. How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin! v. 24. Wherefore hidest Thou Thy face, v. 25. Wilt Thou break a leaf driven to and fro, v. 26. For Thou writest bitter things against me, v. 27. Thou put test my feet also in the stocks, v. 28. And he,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Job 13:13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what [will].
Ver. 13. Hold your peace, let me alone, &c. ] This he had requested of them before, Job 13:5 , and now having nipped them on the crown by these rebating arguments, he calls upon them again for silence and audience; which he now requesteth not, but requireth; and the rather, haply, because they began to take him off, as fearing lest by his unadvised expressions he should provoke the Lord to lay yet more load upon him. Wherefore he addeth,
And let come on me what will
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Job 13:13-19
Job 13:13-19
“Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak;
And let come on me what will.
Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth,
And put my life in my hand?
Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope:
Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him.
This also shall be my salvation,
That a godless man shall not come before him.
Hear diligently my speech,
And let my declaration be in your ears.
Behold, now I have set my cause in order;
I know that I am righteous.
Who is he that will contend with me?
For then would I hold my peace, and give up the ghost.”
“Hold thy peace, and let me speak” (Job 13:13). From this it appears that Job’s friends had attempted to renew their accusations, but that Job interrupted them, told them to shut up, and let him speak.
“Why should I take my flesh in my teeth” (Job 13:14). “The meaning of these words can only be guessed at.” Job may have meant to ask, “Why should I place my life in jeopardy by affirming a falsehood in my claim to be righteous.”
“Behold, he will slay me … nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him”” (Job 13:15). The rendition before us is clumsy, awkward and ineffective. The KJV rendered the passage thus: “THOUGH HE SLAY ME; YET WILL I TRUST HIM; BUT I WILL MAINTAIN MINE OWN WAYS BEFORE HIM.” Yes, we admit that a slight emendation by the Masoretes entered into this rendition, (and the radical critics don’t like that); and yet they (the critics) have made hundreds of emendations of their own, far more radical than the one here. The KJV is by far the preferable translation of this verse; and it is backed up by the Douay Version and the new Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible by the World Bible Translation Center. This is the quintessence of Biblical faith, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” We reject as totally unjustified the critical presumption that they may emend any passage they please to make it conform to their theory, but refuse to allow such an emendation as the one here that gives us one of the great passages in the whole Bible.
“This also shall be my salvation” (Job 13:16). “The fact that Job can conscientiously maintain his integrity before God is his ground of hope that he will eventually enjoy salvation; the reason behind this hope lies in Job’s conviction that God knows and will publish his innocence, and that he knows that a godless man would not thus of his own accord approach God to argue for his integrity.
“I know that I am righteous” (Job 13:18). Once more, Job thundered this claim in the ears of his friends; and, against their objections to his claim, Job had already called them liars with nothing but proverbs of ashes to offer in rebuttal (Job 13:4; Job 13:12).
“Who is he that will contend with me” (Job 13:19)? This was an open invitation for his critical `comforters’ to name his sins, point out his wickedness; upon which, if they did so, Job promised to hold his peace and give up the ghost.
E.M. Zerr:
Job 13:13. Job insisted on “having his say” in the controversy and after that he would be willing to take the consequences.
Job 13:14. Wherefore means “why,” and Job asked why he was willing to take his life in his own hands in the manner just intimated.
Job 13:15. This verse answers the question raised in the preceding one. It means that no amount of affliction, even though it would be severe enough to threaten his life, would shake his confidence in God. But even though such a severe state of affairs as that should come, Job would deny that it was for the purpose assigned to him by the theory of his three friends.
Job 13:16. Job would disclaim being a hypocrite for such a character would not have any chance of being saved; yet he felt sure of his own chance for salvation.
Job 13:17-18. This paragraph describes the confidence Job had in the justice of his position. Since his argument did not rest on the ground of any claim to great righteousness, he was ready to face the test if called upon to do so.
Job 13:19. Job was so confident that he was innocent of the things they were charging against him, that if anyone should prove the contrary it would kill him.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Hold your peace: Heb. Be silent from me
let me: Job 13:5, Job 7:11, Job 10:1, Job 21:3
and let come: Job 6:9, Job 6:10, Job 7:15, Job 7:16
Reciprocal: Job 1:2 – seven sons Job 13:19 – if I hold Job 32:20 – I will speak
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 13:13. Hold your peace Do not now interrupt me in my discourse; which, peradventure, he observed by their gestures, some of them were now attempting; let me alone, that I may speak That I may freely utter my whole mind; let come on me what will Whatever the event may be, I am determined to speak in my own defence. My friends may put an unfavourable construction upon it, and think the worse of me for it; but I hope God will not make my necessary defence to be my offence, as they do: he will justify me, (Job 13:18,) and then nothing can come amiss to me. Those that are upright, and have the assurance of their uprightness, may cheerfully welcome every event. Come what will, they are ready for it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 13:13-28. Job turns to plead his cause with God. He will speak whatever it costs (Job 13:13-15). This also, he says, shall be my deliverance, that a godless man will not come before Him. Job means that his deliverance must come, not as the friends say, from submission and confession, but from courageous self-defence. Job seems to gain confidence from his resolve to speak without fear. He feels that God, the natural protector of innocence, must in the end be on his side: Jobs very boldness will appeal to His better nature. This is the first time that Job really shows confidence in God. Behind His wrath, he feels, there is something that is on his side. It seems as if Jobs firm resolve to maintain his consciousness of innocence gave him a basis whence to feel after the true nature of God. Such is Jobs confidence, as he prepares to plead his cause (Job 13:18), that he cries, Who is there that can contend with me? For (if any such be found) then I would hold my peace and give up the ghost (Job 13:19). This forms a splendid climax to Jobs declaration of innocence (cf. Isa 50:8, Rom 8:33 f.). As in Job 9:34, however, Job asks of God to remove his affliction and not to overwhelm him with His terrors, that they may contend upon equal terms (Job 13:20-22). What have I done? he says. Why is God become mine enemy? (Job 13:23 f.). Why does God persecute one so weak? (Job 13:25). God, like a judge, ordains him bitter punishment. To do so, He brings up the sins of his unwitting childhood, which he had supposed long ago forgiven and forgotten. God hampers his movements (Job 13:27).
Job 13:14 is difficult. To take ones life in ones hand means to prepare for death (Jdg 12:3). In accordance with this the first clause must be explained. By several it is understood of a wild beast defending its prey by carrying it off. Then the verse means, Why should I seek to save my life? Nay, I will expose it to the utmost peril. By attaching the opening words of Job 13:14 (al mh) to Job 13:13 (Duhm), or more simply by removing them as due to dittography of the last words of Job 13:13 (lay mh) (Peake), we leave the meaning of Job 13:13 unaltered and obtain for Job 13:14, I will take my flesh in my teeth and will put my life in my hand. The interrogation is now gone from the first clauses, and the two lines of the verse mean the same thing, as the parallelism requires that they should.
Job 13:15 is also difficult. The AV translation, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, which is that of the Vulgate, is impossible, since it is utterly out of harmony with the context. It is very beautiful in itself, and no doubt what Job ought to have said, and what he would have said after the vision of God. But it is singularly unfortunate since it is one of the few fragments in the poem which are widely known, and has thus created an entirely false impression as to Jobs real attitude (Peake). The first clause is to be translated Behold he slaveth me: the second either (reading l) I wait for him to do it) or for it, or else (reading l) I have no hope or I cannot hold out (Duhm). The general sense is the same, whichever of these readings or translations be adopted. The second clause is an expression of Jobs despair.
Job 13:27. Instead of the stocks translate the block, i.e. a block of wood fastened to the foot of a prisoner impeding his movements.