Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 11:17
And [thine] age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
17. and thine age ] Or, as we should say, and life, Psa 17:14; Psa 39:5.
thou shalt shine forth ] Rather, if there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. Even should temporary darkness occur it will not be utter, but light like the morning. This seems said in opposition to Job’s mournful words, ch. Job 10:22, “where the light is as darkness.” The present words might also mean that the darkness shall be not a continual obscurity but one which a morning comes to dispel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And thine age – Thy life. This does not mean old age, but the idea is, that his life would be cheerful and happy.
Clearer than the noon-day – Margin, Arise above the noon-day. The margin is a literal rendering; but the sense is clear in the text. The idea is, that the remainder of his life would be bright as the sun if he would return to God.
Thou shalt shine forth – Or rather, thou art now in darkness, but thou shalt be as the morning. The word used here – taupah is from uph, to cover – as with wings, to fly, to cover with darkness. In no instance does it mean to shine, or to be clear and bright; and why our translators attached that idea to it, it is now difficult to conjecture. The Chaldee and Syriac read the word as a noun, and render the passage, and thy darkness shall be as the aurora. The Vulgate renders it, and meridian splendor, as it were, shall arise upon thee at the evening. The Septuagint, and thy prayer shall be like the morning star, and life shall rise upon thee from noon-day. The sense in the Hebrew is plain. He was then in darkness. Clouds and calamities were round about him, but if he would return to God, he would be permitted to enjoy a bright day of prosperity. Such a day would return to him like the morning after a long and gloomy night.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 11:17
Thou shalt shine forth.
Shining for Jesus
A beautiful parable showing how we can live for Christ, by shining for Him, speaks from every lawn covered with hoar frost in winter, when the sun shines out the frost melts into great dewdrops, and each of these hanging from its blade of grass, is a miniature sun reflecting his bright rays to all around. Thus should every Christian shine for Jesus, and reflect Him to a godless world. When a breeze passes over the dewdrops, and they wave to and fro, then bright-coloured rays are seen–red, blue, and yellow tints shine forth, making them look like sparkling jewels. In the same way the winds of adversity passing over the Christian, enable him to show faith, meekness, patience, and other graces. In joy and sorrow let us shine for Jesus, and reflect Him like the dewdrops in the sunshine.
Secret of a radiant personality
Here is one of the secrets of an illuminated life. Associations will have their influence upon us. There is one kind of a diamond which, after it has been exposed for some minutes to the light of the sun, will when taken into a dark room, emit light for a long time. The human heart is like that in many respects. The man who associates with God, whose heart and soul rises in communion with all pure spirits, will gather the heavenly light, and it will shine forth from him in all walks of life. In one of the old palaces the spaces between the windows of one of the rooms are hung with radiant mirrors, and by this skilful device the walls are made just as luminous as the windows through which the sunshine streams. Every square inch of surface reflects the fight. Our natures may be like that. If we are completely surrendered and consecrated to God, in perfect fellowship with Jesus, with all selfishness cast out, the whole realm of the soul will be ablaze with moral illumination, which will make the personality radiant and glorious. The bright-coloured soil of volcanic Sicily produces flowers of more beautiful tint than any other part of the world. So a spiritual soil that is bright with the radiance of love, hope, and faith will produce deeds of brighter tint and sweeter fragrance than any other heart soil. (R. Venting.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 17. Thine age shall be clearer than the noonday] The rest of thy life shall be unclouded prosperity.
Thou shalt shine forth] Thou shalt be in this unclouded state, as the sun in the firmament of heaven, giving light and heat to all around thee.
Thou shalt be as the morning.] Thus the sun of thy prosperity shall arise, and shine more and more unto the perfect day. This is the image which the sacred writer employs, and it is correct and elegant.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thine age, i.e. the remainder of thy life and time in this world.
Shall be clearer, Heb. shall arise. Men are said to fall into troubles, and to arise out of them.
Than the noon-day; or, above the noon-day, or above the sun at noon-day, when it is at its highest pitch, as well as in its greatest glory.
Thou shalt shine forth: light in Scripture commonly signifies prosperity and glory, as Est 8:16; Job 18:5,6; 38:15; Pro 4:18. Or, if thou art in darkness, as this word properly signifies, Job 10:22; Amo 4:13, i.e. if thou comest into any distress and trouble. Shalt be as the morning, i.e. that night of trouble shall certainly and speedily be followed with the morning of deliverance and comfort, which, like the morning light, shall shine brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. agedays of life.
the noon-daynamely, ofthy former prosperity; which, in the poet’s image, had gone onincreasing, until it reached its height, as the sun rises higher andhigher until it reaches the meridian (Pr4:18).
shine forthrather,”though now in darkness, thou shall be as the morning”; or,”thy darkness (if any dark shade should arise on thee, it) shallbe as the morning” (only the dullness of morning twilight, notnocturnal darkness) [UMBREIT].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And [thine] age shall be clearer than the noonday,…. That is, the remainder of his days; the latter part of his life, which was yet to come, should be no more attended with the darkness of adversity; but the light of prosperity should shine upon him, and exceed the light of the sun at noonday: the phrase is expressive of the wonderful change there should be in his state and circumstances; see Isa 58:10;
thou shall shine forth; like the rising sun, or as when it breaks forth out of a cloud; in a temporal sense, it may be understood of his enjoying health, wealth, and friends, the candle of the Lord shining upon him, as in days past; and in a spiritual sense, of his being favoured with the light of God’s countenance, the Sun of righteousness rising upon him, with healing in his wings; the graces of the Spirit being brightened, and in lively exercise, and a large share of spiritual light and knowledge being given: the word used has a contrary sense, and signifies darkness and obscurity, and may be rendered “although thou art”, or hast been, or mayest “be dark” x; under dark and afflictive providences, as he had been, and still was and in darkness of soul, under the hidings of God’s face: yet
thou shall be as the morning; whose light breaks forth suddenly, and makes everything gay and cheerful; especially a morning without clouds, when it is bright and clear, and is increasing more and more: by this metaphor is signified, that Job would at once emerge out of his darkness, afflictions, and trouble, and have abundance of joy and comfort, which would be increasing in every sense; see Pr 4:18.
x “tenebresces”, Montanus, Drusius, Mercerus; to the same sense, Tigurine version, Cocceius, Schmidt, Schultens; so Ben Melech.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) Thine age shall be clearer than the noonday.Rather, there shall arise for thee a lifetime brighter than the noonday; thou shalt soar on high; thou shalt be like the morning, which is conceived of as having wings (Psa. 139:9). (Comp. Mal. 4:2, of the Sun of Righteousness.) This is how we understand the word rendered thou shalt shine forth. Many take it as a substantive, meaning darkness, in which case we must render, though there be darkness, thou shalt be as the morning.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Thine age, etc. Brighter than the noonday shall thy life arise. , life, human life, because it glides so swiftly away. (Thus Gesenius, 474.) Thou shalt shine forth, etc. Rather, ( Thy) darkness shall be as the morning. “If there be any dark shade it shall be only that of the morning twilight.” Though Job’s darkness shall have been like the inconsolable gloom of sheol, with which his speech had closed: even this shall be like the morning serene and hopeful. “Job’s climax in Job 10:22, was that his daylight should be as darkness; Zophar’s promise is, that his darkness shall be daylight.” DAVIDSON.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 11:17. Thine age shall be clearer than the noon-day Thy continuance in this life shall be as the noon-day; thy darkness or thy present obscurity itself as the morning light. Houbigant and Schultens.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Job 11:17 And [thine] age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
Ver. 17. And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday ] The rest of thy life which thou givest for lost, shall be the very prime part of thy time for glory. Solid glory springeth out of innocence of life, beneficence toward all men, acts done valiantly and successfully with justice and moderation of mind; whereunto is added the constant applause of good men, proceeding from an admiration of so great virtue. This Zophar promiseth Job upon his true repentance, with a daily increase thereof, as the sun shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Fame followeth virtue, as the shadow doth the body at the very heels. “If there be any virtue, if any praise,” saith the apostle, Phi 4:8 . Where the one is the other will be. Abel for his faith and righteousness is yet spoken of (as some render Heb 11:4 ), though dead long ago. “The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance,” Psa 112:6 .
Thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
age. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6, for the things done in it. See below. Hebrew. heled, like Greek. aion.
shine forth = soar or shoot upward like the rays of the rising sun.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
age: Job 42:11-17, Psa 37:6, Psa 92:14, Psa 112:4, Pro 4:18, Isa 58:8-10, Mic 7:8, Mic 7:9, Zec 14:6, Zec 14:7, Mal 4:2, Luk 2:26-32
be clearer than: Heb. arise above, etc
thou shalt: 1Ch 29:10, Hos 6:3
Reciprocal: Son 6:10 – looketh Isa 58:10 – then
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF GROWING OLDER
And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
Job 11:17
Nobody ever does, naturally, like the idea of getting older after they have left school. There is a sense of oppression and depression about it. The irresistible, inevitable onward march of moments and years without the possibility of one instants pausea march that, even while on the uphill side of life, is leading to the downhill sidecasts an autumn-like shadow over many a birthday. But how surely the Bible gives us the bright side of everything! In this case it gives three bright sides of a fact, which, without it, could not help being gloomy.
I. It opens the sure prospect of increasing brightness to those who have begun to walk in the light.Even if the sun of our life has reached the apparent zenith, and we have known a very noonday of mental and spiritual being, it is no poetic western shadows that are to lengthen upon our way, but our age is to be clearer than the noonday. How suggestive that word is! The light, though intenser, shall dazzle less; in Thy light shall we see light, be able to bear much more of it, see all else by it more clearly, reflect it more clearly. We should have said, At evening time there shall be shadow; God says, At evening time there shall be light.
Also, we are not to look for a very dismal afternoon of life with only some final sunset glow; for He says it shineth more and more unto the perfect day; and more and more leaves no dark intervals; we are to expect a continually brightening path. Just think, when you are seven, or ten, or twenty years older, that will only mean seven, or ten, or twenty years more experience of His love and faithfulness, more light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; and still the more and more unto the perfect day will be opening out before us? We are confident of this very thing!
II. The second bright side is increasing fruitfulness.Do not let us confuse between works and fruit. Many a saint in the land of Beulah is not able to do anything at all, and yet is bringing forth fruit unto God beyond the busiest workers. So that even when we come to the days when the strong men shall bow themselves, there may be more pleasant fruits for our Master, riper and fuller and sweeter, than ever before. For they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; and the man that simply trusteth in the Lord shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
Some of the fruits of the Spirit seem to be especially and peculiarly characteristic of sanctified older years. Look at the splendid ripeness of Abrahams faith in his old age; the grandeur of Moses meekness when he went up the mountain alone to die; the mellowness of St. Pauls joy in his later epistles; and the wonderful gentleness of St. John, which makes us almost forget his early character of a son of thunder, wanting to call down Gods lightnings of wrath. The same Spirit is given to us, that we too may bring forth fruit that may abound, and always more fruit.
III. The third bright side is brightest of all.Even to your old age, I am He; always the same Jehovah-Jesus; with us all the days, bearing and carrying us all the days; reiterating His promiseeven to hoar hairs will I carry you ; even I will carry and will deliver you, just as He carried the lambs in His bosom. For we shall always be His little children, and doubtless He will always be our Father. The rush of years cannot touch this!
Illustrations
(1)Fear not the westering shadows,
O Children of the Day!
For brighter still and brighter
Shall be your homeward way.
Resplendent as the morning,
With fuller glow and power,
And clearer than the noonday
Shall be your evening hour.
(2) Let us set our hearts aright, and stretch our hands toward Him, and put away iniquity, then will our faces be without a cloud, and our feet without slipping, and the misery of the past shall be forgotten, as rivers that flow down towards the sea. Life will reach its meridian; night shall be without alarm, and men shall find in our help and consolation the supply of their lack. Be right with God, and you will be right with man, and helpful to him. The love of God welling up in the heart pours forth in refreshing streams to the world.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Job 11:17. And thine age shall be clearer than the noon-day The remainder of thy life in this world shall be more glorious than the sun at noon. Hebrew, , jakum, shall arise above the noon-day, or above the sun at noon-day, when it is at its greatest height, as well as in its greatest glory. Thou shalt shine forth Thy light shall arise out of obscurity, and thou shalt be prosperous and happy; thou shalt be as the morning Thy night of trouble shall certainly and speedily be followed with the morning of deliverance and comfort, which, like the morning light, shall shine brighter and brighter till the perfect day. Light, in the Scripture, commonly signifies prosperity and glory.