Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 15:26
He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
26. The whole verse means,
He ran upon him with stiff neck,
With the thick bosses of his bucklers.
The words describe the wicked man’s demeanour towards God. The figure is that of a warrior making an assault. The Heb. is “he ran upon him with neck,” Vulg., erecto collo, cf. Psa 75:5. The “bosses” are the convex sides of the bucklers, the sides turned to the foe, who here is God.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He runneth upon him – That is, upon God. The image here is taken from the mode in which people rushed into battle. It was with a violent concussion, and usually with a shout, that they might intimidate their foes, and overcome them at first, with the violence of the shock. The mode of warfare is now changed, and it is the vaunted excellency of modern warfare that armies now go deliberately and calmly to put each other to death.
Even on his neck – literally, with the neck – betsava’r. Vulgate, With erect neck – erecto collo. Septuagint, contemptuously, or with pride – hubrei. The idea seems to be, not that he ran upon the neck of his adversary – as would seem to be implied in our translation – but that he ran in a firm, haughty, confident manner; with a head erect and firm, as the indication of self confidence, and a determined purpose to overcome his foe. See Schultens in loc.
Upon the thick bosses – The word boss with us means a knob – a protuberant ornament of silver, brass, or ivory on a harness or a bridle; then a protuberant part, a prominence, or a round or swelling body of any kind. The Hebrew word used here ( gab) means properly anything gibbous, convex, arched; and hence, the back – as of animals. Applied to a shield, it means the convex part or the back of it – the part which was presented to an enemy, and which was made swelling and strong, called by the Greeks omfalos, or mesomfalion. Gesenius supposes that the metaphor here is taken from soldiers, who joined their shields together, and thus rushed upon an enemy. This was one mode of ancient warfare, when an army or a phalanx united their shields in front, so that nothing could penetrate them, or so united them over their heads when approaching a fortress, that they could safely march under them as a covering.
This, among the Romans and Greeks, was commonly practiced when approaching a besieged town. One form of the testudo – the chelone stratioton of the Greeks, was formed by the soldiers, pressed close together and holding their shields over their heads in such a manner as to form a compact covering. John H. Eschenburg, Manual of Classical Literature. by N. W. Fiske, pt. III, section 147. The Vulgate renders this, and he is armed with a fat neck – pingui cervice armatus est. Schultens expresses the idea that is adopted by Gesenius, and refers to Arabic customs to show that shields were thus united in defending an army from a foe, or in making an attack on them. He says, also, that it is a common expression – a proverb – among the Arabs, he turns the back of his shield to denote that one is an adversary; and quotes a passage from Hamasa, When a friend meets me with base suspicions, I turn to him the back of my shield – a proverb, whose origin is derived from the fact, that a warrior turns the back of his shield to his foes.
Paxton supposes that the expression here is taken from single combat, which early prevailed. But the idea here is not that which our translation would seem to convey. It is not that he rushes upon or against the hard or thick shield of the Almighty – and that, therefore, he must meet resistance and be overcome: it is that he rushes upon God with his own shield. He puts himself in the attitude of a warrior. He turns the boss of his own shield against God, and becomes his antagonist. He is his enemy. The omission of the word with in the passage – or the preposition which is in the Hebrew ( b) has led to this erroneous translation. The passage is often quoted in a popular manner to denote that the sinner rushes upon God, and must meet resistance from his shield, or be overcome. It should be quoted only to denote that the sinner places himself in an attitude of opposition to God, and is his enemy.
Of his bucklers – Of his shields ( megnay), that is, of the shields which the sinner has; not the shields of God. The shield was a well-known instrument of war, usually made with a rim of wood or metal, and covered with skins, and carried on the left arm; see the notes at Isa 21:5. The outer surface was made rounding from the center to the edge, and was smoothly polished, so that darts or arrows would glide off and not penetrate.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 26. He runneth upon him.] Calmet has properly observed that this refers to GOD, who, like a mighty conquering hero, marches against the ungodly, rushes upon him, seizes him by the throat, which the mail by which it is encompassed cannot protect; neither his shield nor spear can save him when the Lord of hosts comes against him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Runneth upon him, i.e. assaults him, or rusheth upon him with great swiftness and fury, as this phrase signifies, Dan 8:6. This he is either,
1. God, who was expressed twice in the last verse, and who is here produced as entering the lists and fighting with his daring adversary. Or rather,
2. The wicked man, of whom and whose sin and misery he speaks in the whole context, both before and after this; who in the last verse was introduced as preparing for the battle, and here as actually and impudently fighting with him.
Even on his neck; as a stout warrior, who cometh close to his adversary and grapples with him, and taketh him by the neck to throw him down. Compare 2Sa 2:16; Job 16:2. Or, with his neck. So it is a metaphor from a mad and raging bull, which runs upon his enemy with a hard and stiff neck.
Upon the thick bosses of his bucklers, i.e. even where his enemy is strongest; he is not discouraged with the enemies thick, and strong, and eminent shields, but boldly ventures in upon them, and amongst them. Or, with the thick bosses (Heb. the thickness and eminency) of his shields, wherewith he invaded the enemy, that so he might both defend himself and offend his enemy; for the ancient shields were useful both ways, because they had a sharp iron or steel in the midst of them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
26. on his neckrather, “withoutstretched neck,” namely, that of the rebel [UMBREIT](Ps 75:5).
upon . . . bucklersrather,”withhis (the rebel’s, not God’s) bucklers.” Therebel and his fellows are depicted as joining shields together, toform a compact covering over their heads against the weapons hurledon them from a fortress [UMBREITand GESENIUS].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck,…. As a fierce and furious enemy runs upon another with great wrath and fury; as the he goat in Daniel’s vision ran upon the ram, in the fury of his power, that is, Alexander upon Darius; which instance Bar Tzemach refers to; and as an adversary, who throws down his weapons, and goes in to closer quarters, and takes his antagonist by the throat, or round the neck, in order to throw him down to the ground; in such a bold and insolent manner does the wicked man encounter with God; he makes up to him, and flies in his face, and most audaciously attacks him: or he runs upon him “with [his] neck” y; with a stretched out neck, in the most haughty manner, with a neck like an iron sinew, and with a brow like brass:
upon the thick bosses of his bucklers; alluding to shields, embossed in the middle, where they are thicker than in the other parts, and used to have a spike of iron set in the middle; so that it was daring and dangerous to run upon them: these may design the perfections of God, denied by the wicked man; or his providential dispensations, despised by him; or his purposes and decrees ridiculed, replied unto, and disputed; or the flaming sword of justice, and the curses of a righteous law, in defiance of which wicked men go on in sin: or “with the bosses of his bucklers” z; with all his family, as Schmidt; or employing all his wealth and riches, his power and authority, against God, and the interest of religion in the world. Some understand this of God, meeting the wicked man, stretching out his hand, and strengthening himself against him, as if he, God, ran upon the wicked man, and upon his neck, and took him by it, and shook him; as in Job 16:12; and upon the thick bosses of his buckler, his bones and nerves, as Mr. Broughton; or on his power and wealth, which are not able to secure him from the vengeance of the Almighty; but the former sense seems best.
y “erecto collo”, V. L. Piscator; “duro collo”, Drusius, Michaelis; “cum cervice”, Cocceius, Schmidt, Schultens. z “cum erassitie umbonum clypeorum suorum”, Cocceius; so Schmidt, Michaelis, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
26. On his neck With his neck, (with neck erect Vulgate, Furst,) as a combatant rushes upon his adversary. Upon the thick bosses, etc. The central and projecting part of the shield, which was made thick and strong. The use of the word shield or buckler, in the plural, may denote the joining of shield to shield, thus forming what the Romans called a testudo, from the likeness of the linked shields to the scales of a tortoise. Schultens cites an Arabic proverb, “He turns the back of his shield:” denoting that such a one has become an enemy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 15:26. He runneth upon him Who will run upon him, &c. Job 15:27 after he had covered his face. Houbigant: who says that Eliphaz here points out the wicked man, flying before his destroyer, and before God himself pursuing him; who, although in his flight he throws his shield over his shoulders, yet will soon be cast down by the stroke of the Divine hand from behind. Schultens renders the verse, For he hath run against him with his neck, with the thickness of the bosses of his bucklers; supposing that Eliphaz here points out the fierce and insolent pride of the wicked man, opposing himself against God; the cause and foundation whereof, he imagines, to be assigned in the 27th verse; namely, the wantonness of his pride, through success and indulgence. Heath, however, closing the period at the 26th verse, reads the 27th thus: Though he covereth his face; Job 15:28, though he dwelleth in desolate cities, &c. Job 15:29. Yet he shall not be rich, &c. The founding and restoring of deserted cities was reckoned one of the chief glories of a prince’s reign. Houbigant renders the last clause of the 29th verse, Neither shall his offspring be propagated upon the earth.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Job 15:26 He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the thick bosses of his bucklers:
Ver. 26. He runneth upon him, even on his neck ] Vulgate, He runneth upon him (God) with an erected neck; such is his audaciousness and impudence, daring to do any heinous wickedness, and not fearing to run against the strongest part of God’s armour, though able to grind him to powder. Sin hath etched such an impudency in his face, that he dare with a full forehead encounter God, even upon the points of his justice and righteous judgments, wherein he is the ablest to give us the shock, &c. Thus some sense the text. Others (of good note also) refer the word runneth to God, and render it thus, God runneth upon him, even upon the neck, &c. He breaking his shields, how many and how thick soever they be, drags him by the neck, as a miserable vanquished wretch, and lays upon him exquisite and high punishments, according to that, Job 31:3 , “Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?”
Upon the thick bosses of his bucklers
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
runneth: 2Ch 28:22, 2Ch 32:13-17
even on: Job 16:12, Gen 49:8, Psa 18:40
Reciprocal: Exo 9:17 – General Jdg 20:14 – General 2Ki 1:13 – he sent again 2Ki 18:35 – that the Lord 2Ch 13:12 – fight ye 2Ch 32:16 – yet 2Ch 32:19 – spake Job 33:13 – strive Isa 36:20 – that the Lord Isa 37:29 – rage Joh 12:10 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 15:26. He runneth upon him That is, the wicked man (of whom, and of whose sin and misery, he speaks in the whole context, both preceding and following) assaults God, and, as it were, rushes swiftly and furiously upon him, as the same phrase, , jarats eelaiv, signifies, Dan 8:6. In the former verse he was represented as preparing for the battle, and here as actually and impudently fighting with him. Even on his neck As a stout warrior who cometh close to his adversary and grapples with him. He acts in flat opposition to God, both to his precepts and providences. Upon the thick bosses of his bucklers Even where his enemy is strongest. He is not discouraged with his enemys thick, and strong, and eminent shields, but boldly ventures to rush upon them, though to his own certain destruction. Every sinner departs, or runs, rather, from God: but the presumptuous sinner, who sins with a high hand, runs upon him, fights against him, and bids defiance to him; and it is easy to foretel what will be the issue.