Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 21:28

For ye say, Where [is] the house of the prince? and where [are] the dwelling places of the wicked?

28. house of the prince ] “Prince” here perhaps in a bad sense like the classical “tyrant,” cf. Isa 13:2.

the dwelling places of the wicked ] Or, the tents in which the wicked dwelt, lit. the tent of the dwellings of the wicked. The question, Where is the house of the prince? implies that it has been swept away and has disappeared.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? – That is, you maintain that the house of the wicked man, in a high station, will be certainly over thrown. The parallelism, as well as the whole connection, requires us to understand the word prince here as referring to a wicked ruler. The word used ( nadyb) properly means, one willing, voluntary, prompt; then, one who is liberal, generous, noble; then, one of noble birth, or of elevated rank; and then, as princes often had that character, it is used in a bad sense, and means a tyrant. See Isa 13:2.

And where are the dwelling places of the wicked – Margin, tent of the tabernacles. The Hebrew is, The tent of the dwelling places. The dwelling place was usually a tent. The meaning is, that such dwelling places would be certainly destroyed, as an expression of the divine displeasure.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 28. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince?] In order to prove your point, ye ask, Where is the house of the tyrant and oppressor? Are they not overthrown and destroyed? And is not this a proof that God does not permit the wicked to enjoy prosperity?

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

Ye say, to wit, in your minds. Where is the house of the prince? i.e. it is no where, it is lost and gone. This is spoken either,

1. Of Job, or his eldest son, whose house God had lately overthrown. Or rather,

2. In general of wicked princes or potentates, as the following answer showeth. So the meaning of the question is, that it was apparent from common observation, that eminent judgments, even in this life, were sooner or later the portion of all ungodly men.

Where are the dwelling-places of the wicked? which is added to limit the former expression, and to show that he spoke only of wicked princes.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

28. ye sayreferring to Zophar(Job 20:7).

the housereferring tothe fall of the house of Job’s oldest son (Job1:19) and the destruction of his family.

princeThe parallel”wicked” in the second clause requires this to be taken ina bad sense, tyrant, oppressor (Isa13:2), the same Hebrew, “nobles”oppressors.

dwelling-placesrather,”pavilions,” a tent containing many dwellings, such as agreat emir, like Job, with many dependents, would have.

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

For ye say,…. Or “have said”, or “[I know] that ye say”; or “[that] ye are about to say” a; it is in your hearts and minds, and just ready to come out of your lips, and what you will say next:

where [is] the house of the prince? of the righteous man, as the Syriac and Arabic versions; or “of the good and liberal man”, as others b; of such as are of a princely and ingenuous spirit, who are made willing, free, or princes, in the day of the power of the grace of God upon them; and are endowed and upheld with a free and princely spirit; where is the house, or what is the state and condition, of the families of such? are they the same with that of wicked men in the next clause? is there no difference between the one and the other? according to your way of reasoning, Job, there should not be any: or else this is to be understood rather of a wicked and tyrannical prince, who has built himself a stately palace, which he fancied would continue for ever; but where is it now? it lies in ruins; having respect perhaps to some noted prince of those times: or rather either to Job himself, who had been a prince, and the greatest man in all the east, but in what condition were his house and family now? or else to his eldest son, whose house was blown down with a violent wind:

and where [are] the dwelling places of the wicked? of the mighty men before the flood, which are now overthrown by it; or of the king and princes, and nobles, and great men of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the other cities of the plain destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven; or of Job, his tent or tabernacle, and the several apartments in it; or of the rest of his children and servants, respecting rather, as before observed, the state and condition of his family, than his material house: these questions are answered by putting others.

a “vos dicere”, Junius Tremellius “nempe vos dicturos”, Piscator; so Schmidt, Schultens. b “liberalis”, Montanus; “boni et liberalis hominis”, Tigurine version; “ingenui”, Schultens.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(28) Of the princei.e., of the generous, virtuous, princely man?the antithesis to the wicked man. Behold I know your thoughts, for ye say, How can we tell who is virtuous and who is wicked? and consequently we know not to which catalogue you belong. They had all along been insinuating that, though he seemed to be righteous, he was really wicked.

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

28. The house of the prince Compare Job 15:34; Job 18:15; Job 20:6-7. His friends seem to him, in response to what they regarded as his special pleading for the wicked, to reply, Where is your own house and sumptuous pavilion? Whatever God may do with the rest of the wicked, he certainly has punished thee.

Dwellingplaces Literally, Where the tent of the dwellingplaces? Turning from the “house” of city or town to the home of the Nomad, Job naturally uses the word tent, so often occurring in the controversy, upon which he enlarges to point out the sumptuousness of the establishment he means.

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

Job 21:28 For ye say, Where [is] the house of the prince? and where [are] the dwelling places of the wicked?

Ver. 28. For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? ] Ye say though not in so many words, yet upon the matter, Where is this man’s (Job’s) princely pomp and port, that but even now was so splendid? A prince they called Job in a jeer, and by contraries, Per ironiam et antiphrasin, saith Vatablus, because he had been rich, and should have been liberal and munificent, but had not been so. The apostle calleth the Pharisees and philosophers, in like sort, “princes of this world,” 1Co 2:8 .

And where are the dwelling places ] The palaces, large and lofty, ut sunt praetoria et principum aedes, as the houses of princes use to be (Junius). Lavater rendereth it, The tabernacle of tabernacles, as gentlemen’s houses among us are called, places, halls, courts, &c., Tahernaculum habitaculorum.

Of the wicked? ] viz. Of Job and his children, the eldest son’s especially, which was blown down, Job 1:18 . As if it might not befall a good man also to have his house plundered, burnt, his children brained, &c. They had often in their discourses jerked at Job’s children.

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

Where . . . ? Figure of speech Erotesis. App-6.

prince = noble.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Where: Job 20:7, Psa 37:36, Psa 52:5, Psa 52:6, Hab 2:9-11, Zec 5:4

dwelling places: Heb. tent of the tabernacles, Num 16:26-34

Reciprocal: Job 16:17 – Not for Job 20:19 – Because Job 22:20 – our substance Job 27:12 – ye yourselves Pro 14:11 – house Pro 21:12 – wisely

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

21:28 For ye say, Where [is] the {p} house of the prince? and where [are] the dwelling places of the wicked?

(p) Thus they called Job’s house in derision concluding that it was destroyed because he was wicked.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes