Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 34:24

He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.

24. he shall break without number ] Rather, he breaketh without inquisition. The verse amplifies the conception of the preceding verse.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

He shall break in pieces – He crushes or destroys the great. He is not intimidated by their wealth, their rank, or their number.

Without number – Margin, more correctly, searching out. That is, he does it without the protracted process of a judicial investigation. The Hebrew word used here ( cheqer) means properly a searching out, an examination; and the meaning here is, that there is no need of his going into a protracted investigation into the lives of wicked people before he brings them to punishment. He sees them at once; knows all their conduct, and may proceed against them without delay. Hence, it is that he comes often in such a sudden manner, and cuts them off. A human tribunal is under a necessity of examining witnesses and of attending to all the palliating circumstances, before it can pronounce a sentence on an offender. But it is not so with God. He judges at once and directly, and comes forth therefore in a sudden manner to cut down the guilty.

And set others in their stead – Place others in the situation which they now occupy. That is, he can with the utmost case make entire revolutions among people.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 24. He shall break in pieces] In multitudes of cases God depresses the proud, and raises up the humble and meek. Neither their strength nor number can afford them security.

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

Mighty men without number; neither their greatness nor their numbers can secure them from the stroke of Gods justice.

Set others in their stead, i.e. give away their power and dignity to others who shall come in their place.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

24. break in pieces (Psa 2:9;Job 12:18; Dan 2:21).

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

He shall break in pieces mighty men without number,…. Such as are mighty in bodily strength, as the giants of the old world, and such as were inhabitants of some parts of the land of Canaan; or mighty in power and authority, being kings, princes, rulers, and governors, over nations and cities; or mighty in wealth and riches, which give men power and strength; these God can and sometimes does break in pieces like potters’ vessels, and even mighty kingdoms and nations themselves he will make like the chaff of the summer threshing floor: and even without number; or there have been and will be numberless instances of this kind; who can tell how many of these mighty men, men of gigantic stature, were drowned in the flood, or cut off by the sword of the Israelites in the land of Canaan? or “without search” d as it may be rendered; either on the part of God, who needs not any, with whom are unnecessary any formal inquiries into a cause, or examination of witnesses, in order to a judicial process against delinquents, all being naked and open before him at once; or on the part of man, with whom the ways and judgments of God are unsearchable and who ought not closely and curiously to inquire into any of his proceedings, and the causes and reasons of them, who does all things after the counsel of his own will. Mr. Broughton renders it “without end”, for ever; with an everlasting destruction, an utter and irretrievable one; he so breaks them as that they never can be made whole again, like an earthen vessel that is broke to pieces and cannot be put together again;

and set others in their stead; God always provides for a succession in the world, that as when one generation goes off another comes on; when he destroyed the world with a flood, he preserved a family to replenish the earth; when the fathers of the Jewish nation, their carcasses fell in the wilderness, their children were raised up in their room to enter the good land and possess it; and particularly he provides for the civil government of the world and when he pulls down or removes one king he sets up another, and will not suffer kingdoms and states to fall into anarchy and confusion: and sometimes, when he casts down the mighty from their seats, he exalts men of low degree, as when he rejected Saul he took David from the sheepfold, 1Sa 16:11; and makes such kings and kingdoms to “stand” e stable and firm, as the kingdom of David, and as the word here used signifies.

d “absque inquisitione”, Beza, Mercerus; “sine investigatione”, Michaelis; so Cocceius, Schultens. e “et stare faciet”, Pagninus, Montanus, V. L. so Mercerus, Drusius, Cocceius, Schultens.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

24 He breaketh the mighty in pieces without investigation

And setteth others in their place.

25 Thus He seeth through their works,

And causeth their overthrow by night, thus they are crushed.

26 He smiteth them after the manner of evil-doers

In the sight of the public.

27 For for such purpose are they fallen away from Him

And have not considered any of His ways,

28 To cause the cry of the poor to come up to Him,

And that He should hear the cry of the needy.

He makes short work ( for , as Job 12:24; Job 38:26: without research, viz., into their conduct, which is at once manifest to Him; not: in an incomprehensible manner, which is unsuitable, and still less: innumerabiles , as Jer., Syr.) with the mighty ( , Arab. kibar , kubara ), and in consequence of this ( fut. consec.) sets up ( constituit ) others, i.e., better and worthier rulers (comp. , Job 8:19; Isa 55:1-13:15), in their stead. The following is not equivalent to , for which no satisfactory instance exists; on the contrary, here, as more frequently, introduces not the real consequence (Job 20:2), but a logical inference, something that directly follows in and with what precedes (corresponding to the Greek , just so, consequently), comp. Job 42:3; Isa 26:14; Isa 61:7; Jer 2:33; Jer 5:2; Zec 11:7 (vid., Khler in loc.). Thus, then, as He hereby proves, He is thoroughly acquainted with their actions ( , nowhere besides in the book of Job, an Aramaizing expression for ). This abiding fact of divine omniscience, inferred from the previously-mentioned facts, then serves again in its turn, in Job 34:25, as the source of facts by which it is verified. is by no means an obj. The expositions: et inducit noctem (Jer.), He walks in the night in which He has veiled Himself (Umbr.), convertit eos in noctem (Syr., Arab.), and such like, all read in the two words what they do not imply. It is either to be translated: He throws them by night ( as Job 27:20) upon the heaps ( as Pro 12:7), or, since the verb has no objective suff.: He maketh a reformation or overthrow during the night, i.e., creates during the night a new order of things, and they who stood at the head of the former affairs are crushed by the catastrophe.

Job 34:26

The following cannot signify: on the place of the evil-doers, i.e., in the place where evil-doers are punished (Hirz., Hahn, and others), for ( ) only has this signification with the suff. (vid., on Hab 3:16); but not otherwise than: in the evil-doers’ stead, taking them and treating them as such, as Jer. has correctly translated: quasi impios (comp. Isa 10:4, Jerome, cum interfectis ). The place first mentioned afterwards is not exactly the usual place of judgment, but any place whatever where all can see it. There He smites those who hitherto held positions of eminence, as of unimpeachable honour, like the common criminal; , Arab. sfq , complodere , and then ictu resonante percutere , as the likewise cognate Arab. sf’ signifies first to box the ear (as Arab. sfq = sfq ), then so to strike that it smacks. As little as , Job 34:25, was = , just so little is , Job 34:27, = (vid., on the other hand what is said on Gen 18:5 concerning ). Elihu wishes to say that they endure such a destiny of punishment, because they therefore, i.e., in order to suffer such, have turned aside from following after God, and have not thought on all His ways, i.e., guidings, by which He manifested Himself to them: they have thus sought to cause the cry of the poor to come (Jer. well renders: ut pervenire facerent ad eum ) before Him ( , perhaps with the idea of urging forward = or ), and that He may hear the cry of the lowly (construction exactly like Job 33:17), i.e., have sought to bring forth His avenging justice by injustice that cries aloud to heaven.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

(24) Without number.Rather, in an unsearchable manner, as before, Job. 34:20, without hand, i.e., without human means.

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

24. Without number . Without searching. God needs no process of investigation that he may discern, sever, and “break in pieces” the guilty.

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

Job 34:24 He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.

Ver. 24. He shall break in pieces mighty men, &c. ] Infinite conterit validos, so Tremellius rendereth it. He infinitely mauleth the mighty; and breaketh them in pieces like a potter’s vessel, Psa 2:9 .

Without number ] Or, Without inquisition; as knowing all things beforehand, and not needing any evidences or examination of witnesses; or, without end, because their ruin is endless, Ruina maiorum sit cautela minorum.

And set others in their stead ] As is to be seen in the rise, reign, and ruin of the four mighty monarchies, and others not a few, that had their times and their turns; as the kingdom of the ten tribes, which in a few years fell into nine different families; and few of those kings died a natural death. No more did the emperors of Rome, till Constantine. See Dan 2:21 Psa 113:7-8 .

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

break: Job 19:2, Psa 2:9, Psa 72:4, Psa 94:5, Jer 51:20-23, Dan 2:21, Dan 2:34, Dan 2:35, Dan 2:44, Dan 2:45

number: Heb. searching out

set: 1Sa 2:30-36, 1Sa 15:28, 1Ki 14:7, 1Ki 14:8, 1Ki 14:14, Psa 113:7, Psa 113:8, Dan 5:28-31

Reciprocal: 1Ki 2:35 – in his room Luk 1:52 – put 1Co 1:28 – to bring

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Job 34:24-26. He shall break in pieces mighty men, &c. Neither their greatness nor their numbers can secure them from the stroke of Gods justice; and set others in their stead Give away their power and dignity to others, who shall come in their place. Therefore he knoweth their works That is, it appears from this that he knows all their evil works, because he judges and punishes them for them; and he overturneth them in the night When they are at rest and secure; or, he turneth or bringeth upon them the night, namely, of calamity and tribulation, as the next words explain it, and as the words light and darkness are often used. He striketh them as wicked men That is, as he useth to smite wicked men; or, as , tachath, rather means here, according to Ab. Ezra, inter improbos, among the wicked, or, for wicked men; that is, because they are wicked men, therefore he destroys them without any regard to their quality; in the open sight of others In public view, for their greater shame, for the greater glory of Gods justice, and for the greater terror of other wicked persons.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

34:24 He shall break in pieces mighty men without {r} number, and set others in their stead.

(r) For all his creatures are at hand to serve him, so that he needs not to seek for any other army.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes