Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 22:25

Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defense, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

Yea, the Almighty shall be – Or, rather, then the Almighty shall be – y^ehayah. The meaning is, that if he would return to God, and cast off his anxiety for gold, then the Almighty would be his real treasure, and would impart to him solid happiness.

Thy defense – Margin, gold. The margin is the more correct translation. The word is the same which occurs in the previous verse betser, and there rendered gold. The word may have the sense of defense, as the verb batsar is often used with such a reference; Num 13:28; Deu 1:28; Deu 3:5; Deu 9:1, et al. The meaning of such places, where the word is applied to walled towns or fortified places, is, that the enemy was, by means of walls, cut off from approach. Here, however, the idea of gold or treasure better suits the connection, and the meaning is, that God would be to him an invaluable treasure or source of happiness.

And thou shalt have plenty of silver – Margin, silver of strength. The correct idea, however, is, and the Almighty shall be treasures of silver unto thee; that is, he shall be better to you than an abundance of the precious metals. The Hebrew is literally, And silver of treasures unto thee.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 25. Thou shalt have plenty of silver.] Here again the versions and critics vary. The critics may disagree; but the doctrine of Eliphaz is sufficiently plain: “To those whom God loves best he gives the most earthly good. The rich and the great are his high favorites: the poor and the distressed he holds for his enemies.”

In the above verses there seems to be a reference to the mode of obtaining the precious metals:

1. Gold in dust;

2. Gold in streams from the hills and mountains;

3. Silver in mines; keseph toaphoth, “silver of giddiness,” of mines so deep as to make one giddy by looking into them. See Mr. Good.

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

God by his special and watchful providence shall protect thee from all dangers and calamities. Heb.

thy defences, or munitions. One God shall keep thee as safely as many munitions.

Plenty of silver, Heb. silver of strength, i.e. which by Gods blessing shall be thy defence, Ecc 7:12. Or, silver of heights, i.e. high and heaped up like a mountain.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

25. Apodosis.

Yearather, Thenshall the Almighty be, c.

defencerather, as thesame Hebrew means in Job22:24 (see on Job 22:24)Thy precious metals God will be to thee in the place ofriches.

plenty of silverrather,”And shall be to thee in the place of laboriously-obtainedtreasures of silver” [GESENIUS].Elegantly implying, it is less labor to find God than the hiddenmetals; at least to the humble seeker (Job28:12-28). But [MAURER]”the shining silver.”

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

Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence,…. In temporal things, secure the plenty of gold and silver possessed of; surround and protect by his providence, that there shall be no danger of the Sabeans and Chaldeans, or others, breaking in and stealing it away; and, in spirituals, preserve from all enemies, sin, Satan, and the world; be a wall of fire about him, his fortress, his tower, and place of defence; or keep him as in a garrison, through faith unto salvation; or, as others render the words, “and let the Almighty be”, or “he shall be thy gold”, or “golds” o; all thy gold, the same word being used as in

Job 22:24; treat earthly riches, gold and silver, with contempt, and reckon God to be thy truest riches: esteem him as gold, and more precious than that, and put thy confidence in him; his grace is compared to gold, for its lustre, value, and duration, and is more precious than gold that perisheth, Re 3:18; the righteousness of Christ is, for its excellency, called the gold of Ophir, and clothing of wrought gold, Ps 45:9; and he himself is much more precious than the gold of Ophir, and the gain that comes by him than fine gold, So 5:11; the doctrines of the grace of God are comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; yea, to be preferred unto them, 1Co 3:12. God is instead of all riches to his people; and they that have an interest in him share in the riches of grace, and are entitled to the riches of glory; all are theirs:

and thou shall have plenty of silver; or God shall be, or “let him be to thee silver of strength” p; or instead of silver, which is the strength of men, in which they confide for business or war; but God is to his people infinitely more than what silver or gold can be to them.

o “lectissimum aurum tuum”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator so Vatablus, Schmidt, Schultens; so R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 23. 2. p “et argentum fortitudinum tibi”, Montanus, Cocceius, Schmidt.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(25) The Almighty shall be thy defence.Rather, And the Almighty shall be thy treasure, and precious silver unto thee. The word thus qualifying silver occurs only three other times in the Bible: Psa. 95:4, The strength of the hills; Num. 22:23-24, the strength of a unicorn. Its original idea is probably brightness or splendour.

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

25. Plenty of silver Literally, bars of silver, (Hitzig:) silver of excellencies or splendours, (Ewald;) and heaps of silver, (Dillmann;) or better, silver of labours, (Gesenius,) that is, obtained by great labour. The word appears in Psa 95:4, “the strength [labours] of the hills;” one of the prime meanings of the verbal root being “to become weary.” Gold and silver have ever been the bright and alluring symbols of worldly good. God thus early uses them in figure to set forth the desirableness of himself and his glory. He who, like the Levite, gives up all for God, finds his treasure in God. God becomes his Ophir, the Almighty his precious ores. A just estimate of this world’s treasures becomes a golden round in the heavenly ladder.

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

Job 22:25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

Ver. 25. Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence ] Or, thy gold, for the same word signifieth both, Job 36:19 , because gold is the worldly man’s defence, Pro 18:11 , though but a sorry one, Zep 1:18 Pro 11:4 Eze 7:19 . It is as if he should say, Either thou shalt have gold gods plenty; or else, thou shalt have that which is better than gold, viz. God the maker and master of all the world, saith Junius, who rendereth the text thus, And the Almighty shall be thy choicest gold, and silver, and strength to thee. He shall be all that heart can wish or need require. A friend of Cyrus, in Xenophon, being asked where his treasure was? answered, K , Where Cyrus is my friend. Let us answer, K , Where God is my friend. When David had said, “The Lord is my portion,” he subjoined in the next verse, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage,” Psa 16:5-6 . When God had said to Abraham, I am thy shield, he easily slighted the king of Sodom’s rich offers.

And thou shalt have plenty of silver ] Heb. Silver of strengths or of heights; that is, as the Vulgate interpreteth it, argentum coacervabitur tibi, thou shalt have high heaps of silver, store of money. Godliness hath the promise of both lives; and if godly men are not always rich men, it is that godliness may be admired for itself. And they must know, that what they lack in temporals shall be made up in spirituals, according to that which followeth.

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

the Almighty: Gen 15:1, Psa 18:2, Psa 84:11, Isa 41:10, Rom 8:31

defence: or, gold, Psa 16:5, Psa 16:6, Isa 33:6, 2Co 6:10, Jam 2:5

plenty of silver: Heb. silver of strength

Reciprocal: 1Ki 10:27 – the king 2Ch 1:15 – the king 2Ch 9:27 – the king Job 3:15 – who filled their houses Job 42:10 – the Lord

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge