Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 16:15
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
15. Putting on sackcloth was the sign of mourning; it was worn next the skin, 2Ki 6:30. By sewing it on Job indicates that it is his habitual garment, which he never puts off; though the word may also suggest the closeness with which it adheres to his shrunk and emaciated frame.
defiled my horn ] The word “defiled” or fouled may also mean, thrust my horn into the dust; the sense remains the same. To lift up the horn is to increase in power or eminence, or to shew a proud sense of greatness (Psa 89:17; Psa 89:24; Psa 92:10; Psa 75:4-5); to thrust it into the dust, or to foul it in the dust, is to feel the sense of deepest humiliation. Job’s once honoured head which he held erect was brought down low in shame.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
15 17. Condition to which the sufferer was brought by these destructive attacks of God in His hostility.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I have sewed sackcloth – I have put on the badges of humiliation and grief; see the notes at Isa 3:24. This was the usual emblem of mourning. In order more deeply to express it, or to make it a permanent memorial of sorrow, it would seem that it was sewed around the body – as we sew crape on the hat.
And defiled my horn in the dust – The word rendered defiled (from alal) has, according to Gesenius, the notion of repetition, derived from the use of the Arabic word. The Arabic means, to drink again, that is, after a former draught; and then, to drink deep. Hence, the word is applied to any action which is repeated – as to the second blow by which one already struck down is killed; to an after-harvest, or to gleaning in the fields. Here Gesenius supposes it means to maltreat, to abuse; and the idea according to him is, that he had covered his whole head in the dust. The word horn is used in the Scriptures to denote strength and power. The figure is taken from horned animals, whose strength resides in their horns; and hence, as the horn is the means of defense, the word comes to denote that on which one relies; his strength, honor, dignity. A horn, made of silver, was also worn as an ornament, or as an emblem, on the forehead of females or warriors.
It was probably used at first by warriors as a symbol of power, authority, or strength; and the idea was undoubtedly derived from the fact that the strength of animals was seen to lie in the horn. Then it came to be a mere ornament, and as such is used still in the vicinity of Mount Lebanon. Oriental customs do not undergo those changes which are so common in the Western world, and it is possible that this custom prevailed in the time of Job. The horn was usually worn by females; it is also a part of the ornament on the head of a male, and as such would be regarded doubtless as an emblem of honor. The custom is prevalent at the present day among the Druses of Lebanon, the Egyptian cavalry, and in some parts of Russia bordering on Persia. Dr. Macmichael, in his Journey, says: One of the most extraordinary parts of the attire of their females (Drusus of Lebanon), is a silver horn, sometimes studded with jewels, worn on the head in various positions, distinguishing their different conditions.
A married woman has it affixed to the right side of the head, a widow on the left, and a virgin is pointed out by its being placed on the very crown. Over this silver projection the long veil is thrown, with which they so completely conceal their faces to rarely have more than an eye visible. The horn worn by females is a conical tube, about twelve inches long. Col. Light mentions the horn of the wife of an emir, made of gold, and studded with precious stones. Horns are worn by Abyssinian chiefs in military reviews, or on parade after a victory. They are much shorter than those of the females, and are about the size and shape of a candle extinguisher, fastened by a strong fillet to the head, which is often made of metal; they are not easily broken off. This special kind of horn is undoubtedly the kind made by the false prophet Zedekiah for Ahab, to whom he said, when Ahab was about to attack the enemy, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou hast conquered them; 1Ki 22:11; 2Ch 18:10; compare Deu 33:17. The idea here is, that whatever once constituted the reliance or the glory of Job, was now completely prostrate. It was as if it were buried in the earth.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. I have sewed sackcloth] sak, a word that has passed into almost all languages, as I have already had occasion to notice in other parts of this work.
Defiled my horn in the dust.] The horn was an emblem of power; and the metaphor was originally taken from beasts, such as the urus, wild ox, buffalo, or perhaps the rhinoceros, who were perceived to have so much power in their horns. Hence a horn was frequently worn on crowns and helmets, as is evident on ancient coins; and to this day it is an appendage to the diadem of the kings and chiefs of Abyssinia. In the second edition of Mr. Bruce’s Travels in Abyssinia, vol. viii., plates 2 and 3, we have engravings of two chiefs, Kefla Yasous, and Woodage Ashahel, who are represented with this emblem of power on their forehead. Mr. Bruce thus describes it: “One thing remarkable in this cavalcade, which I observed, was the head dress of the governors of provinces. A large broad fillet was bound upon their forehead, and tied behind their head. In the middle of this was a horn, or a conical piece of silver, gilt, about four inches in length, much in the shape of our common candle extinguishers. This is called kirn, or horn; and is only worn in reviews, or parades after victory. This, I apprehend, like all others of their usages is taken from the Hebrews; and the several allusions made in Scripture to it arise from this practice. ‘I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly; and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn.’ ‘Lift not up your horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck; for promotion cometh not,’ &c. ‘But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of a unicorn.’ ‘And the horn of the righteous shall be exalted with honour.’ And so in many other places throughout the Psalms.” In a note on the same page we have the following observation: “The crooked manner in which they hold their neck when this ornament is on their forehead, for fear it should fall forward, perfectly shows the meaning of ‘Speak not with a stiff neck when you hold the horn on high (or erect) like the horn of the unicorn.”‘ – Bruce’s Travels, vol. iv., p. 407.
Defiling or rolling the horn in the dust, signifies the disgrace or destruction of power, authority, and eminence.
Mr. Good translates, I have rolled my turban in the dust, which he endeavours to justify in a long note. But in this, I think, this very learned man is mistaken. The Hebrew keren is the same as the AEthiopic kirn, and both mean exactly, in such connection, what Mr. Bruce has noticed above. The horn on the diadem is the emblem of power, authority, and eminence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. I put on sackcloth sewed together, not upon my other garments, but next to my skin, as was done in great calamities; as 2Ki 6:30. So far am I from stretching out my hands against God, whereof I am accused, Job 15:25, that I have humbled myself deeply under his hand. I have willingly parted with all my wealth, and power, and glory, (as the horn oft signifies in Scripture, as Psa 75:5; 132:17; Luk 1:69) and been contented to lie in the dust, and to endure the contempt which God hath brought upon me.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15. seweddenoting the tightfit of the mourning garment; it was a sack with armholes closelysewed to the body.
hornimage from hornedcattle, which when excited tear the earth with their horns. The hornwas the emblem of power (1Ki22:11). Here, it is
in the dustwhich asapplied to Job denotes his humiliation from former greatness.To throw one’s self in the dust was a sign of mourning; this idea ishere joined with that of excited despair, depicted by the fury of ahorned beast. The Druses of Lebanon still wear horns as an ornament.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin,…. Which he very probably put on when he rent his mantle, or sat in ashes, Job 1:20; which actions were usually performed together in times of distress and sorrow, see Ge 37:34; and this was no doubt a voluntary action of his, like that of the king of Nineveh and his subjects Jon 3:5; though some have thought that Job was so reduced that he had no clothes to wear, and was obliged to put on such coarse raiment, which is not probable; and it seems that he put this next to his skin, which must be very uneasy to one that had been used to such soft apparel, as it seems did also the kings of Israel in time of mourning,
1Ki 21:27; it is not only observed by several Jewish writers, that the word here used in the Arabic language signifies “skin”, as we render it, as Aben Ezra, Ben Melech, and others; but the skin of the wound, the thin skin which is drawn over a wound when it is healing, as Ben Gersom and Bar Tzemach; which, being tender, must be very unfit to bear such rough raiment upon it; nay, Schultens observes, that the Arabic word more properly signifies “torn skin” h, as Job’s skin must be full of ruptures through the boils and ulcers upon him; he himself says, that his “skin [was] broken, and become loathsome”, Job 7:5; now to have sackcloth put on such a skin must be intolerable; the phrase of sewing it to it is very unusual; though it may signify no more than an application of it, a putting it on him, and clothing himself with it; yet it seems to denote its sticking close to him, as if it was sewed to his skin, through the purulent matter of his boils clotting and cleaving to it; for he says in Job 7:5 that his “flesh [was] clothed with worms and clods of dust”; and those running into one another were like one scab, and, as it were, a garment to him; his “disease bound [him] about as the collar of his coat”, and his “skin [was as] black” as sackcloth itself, Job 30:18; the design of the expression is both to show the wretched and miserable condition he was in, and his great humiliation on account of his present circumstances; and that he was not that proud and haughty man, or behaved under his affliction in the insolent manner Eliphaz had suggested, Job 15:12; but was one that humbled himself under the mighty hand of God, which is further confirmed by the next clause:
and defiled my horn, in the dust: as he did when he sat in ashes, as he afterwards repented in dust and ashes; and it was usual in the times of mourning to put dust or ashes upon the head; which may be meant by his horn, the horn of a beast, to which the allusion is, being in the head; and this may be put for the whole body, which sometimes, on such occasions, was rolled in dust and ashes, see Jos 7:6; and the horn being an emblem of grandeur, power, and authority, may denote that Job now laid aside all the ensigns of it, and was content to have his honour laid in the dust, and lie low before God, and not lift up his horn unto him, and much less stretch out his hand against him; the Targum is,
“I sprinkled my glory in or with dust.”
h “super laceram cutem”, Schultens; “cutis eaque laesa et ulceribus percussa”, Stockius, p. 188. “cutim percusiit”, Hottinger. Smegma Orient. p. 135. Stockius, ib.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15 I sewed sackcloth upon my skin,
And defiled my horn with dust.
16 My face is exceeding red with weeping,
And on mine eyelids is the shadow of death,
17 Although there is no wrong in my hand,
And my prayer is pure.
Coarse-haired cloth is the recognised clothing which the deeply sorrowful puts on, , as the Greek expositors remark. Job does not say of it that he put it on or slung it round him, but that he sewed it upon his naked body; and this is to be attributed to the hideous distortion of the body by elephantiasis, which will not admit of the use of the ordinary form of clothes. For the same reason he also uses, not , but , which signifies either the scurfy scaly surface (as and in Talmudic of the scab of a healing wound, but also occurring e.g., of the bedaggled edge of clothes when it has become dry), or scornfully describes the skin as already almost dead; for the healthy skin is called , , on the other hand, (lxx), hide (esp. when removed from the body), Talm. e.g., sole-leather. We prefer the former interpretation (adopted by Raschi and others): The crust in which the terrible lepra has clothed his skin (vid., on Job 7:5; Job 30:18-19, Job 30:30) is intended. in Job 16:15 is referred by Rosenm., Hirz., Ges., and others (as indeed by Saad. and Gecat., who transl. “I digged into”), to (Arab. gll ), to enter, penetrate: “I stuck my horn in the dust;” but this signification of the Hebrew is unknown, it signifies rather to inflict pain, or scorn (e.g., Lam 3:51, mine eye causeth pain to my soul), generally with , here with the accusative: I have misused, i.e., injured or defiled (as the Jewish expositors explain), my horn with dust. This is not equivalent to my head (as in the Syr. version), but he calls everything that was hitherto his power and pride (lxx, Targ.); all this he has together at the same time injured, i.e., represented as come to destruction, by covering his head with dust and ashes.
Job 16:16 The construction of the Chethib is like 1Sa 4:15, of the Keri on the other hand like Lam 1:20; Lam 2:11 (where the same is said of , viscera mea ); is a passive intensive form (Ges. 55, 3), not in the signification: they are completely kindled (lxx , Jer. intumuit , from the , Arab. chmr , which signifies to ferment), but: they are red all over (from , Arab. hmr , whence the Alhambra, as a red building, takes its name), reddened, i.e., from weeping; and this has so weakened them, that the shadow of death (vid., on Job 10:21.) seems to rest upon his eyelids; they are therefore sad even to the deepest gloom. Thus exceedingly miserable is his state and appearance, although he is no disguised hypocrite, who might need to do penance in sackcloth and ashes, and shed tears of penitence without any solace. Hirz. explains as a preposition: by the absence of evil in my hands; but Job 16:17 and Job 16:17 are substantival clauses, and is therefore just, like Isa 53:9, a conjunction (= ). His hands are clean from wrong-doing, free from violence and oppression; his prayer is pure, pura ; as Merc. observes, ex puritate cordis et fidei. From the feeling of the strong contrast between his piety and his being stigmatized as an evil-doer by such terrible suffering, – from this extreme contrast which has risen now to its highest in his consciousness of patient endurance of suffering, the lofty thoughts of the next strophe take their rise.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(15) I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin.Referring, probably, to the state of his skin, which had become hard and rugged as sackcloth. As the second half of the verse must be figurative, there seems to be no reason to understand the first half otherwise.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. Sackcloth This cloth was of a coarse texture, generally of goat’s hair of a dark colour, with armholes, and shaped like a sack. It was commonly worn over the coat, in place of an outer garment, and thus served as a symbol of distress; but in extreme cases it was worn next to the skin, (2Ki 6:30,) having been sewed tightly upon it, “like crepe upon a hat.” Barnes. Dr. Good cites from Menander, the Greek poet:
Following the Syrian plan
They then wear sackcloth, and by the public road
Sit upon a dunghill, Appeasing thus the Deity’s dread ire.
See note, Job 2:8. My horn in the dust The horn, the defence and adornment of many animals, has ever been regarded in the East as a symbol of strength and dignity. Job’s degradation might well be compared to that of some noble animal lying dead, with its horn thrust ( ‘holalti) into the dust. Some think Job here speaks of the head, which it was customary to cover with dust in times of affliction; with which agrees the Syriac rendering of my head.
Job 16:15. I have sewed sackcloth The meaning of this verse is, I have sewn sackcloth (in token of grief) over my torn skin, and have defiled my head, my horn, or honour, with ashes. See Schultens and Heath.
Job 16:15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my horn in the dust.
Ver. 15. I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin ] Not silks, but sackcloth, is now mine immediate clothing, next to my very skin, which must needs be troublesome to a man so full of sores and other sorrows. So far was poor ulcerous Job from that height and haughtiness of spirit, wherewith Eliphaz had charged him, Job 15:12-13 ; Job 15:25 , as if Job had been low indeed, but not lowly; humbled, but not humble, Here was a real apology, I have sowed sackcloth, &c.; here was an ocular demonstration, and should have moved his friends to more moderation; for why should any deal harshly with him, who dealt so coarsely with himself?
And defiled my horn in the dust sewed sackcloth, &c. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6, for the sorrow which accompanied it.
sewed: 1Ki 21:27, Isa 22:12
defiled my horn: Job 30:19, 1Sa 2:10, Psa 7:5, Psa 75:5, Psa 75:10
Reciprocal: Isa 3:24 – a girding Lam 2:3 – the horn Rev 11:3 – clothed
Job 16:15-16. I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin I have put on sackcloth, not upon my other garments, but next to my skin; as was done in great calamities. So far am I from stretching out my hands against God, whereof I am accused, (Job 15:25,) that I have humbled myself deeply under his hand, and I have even sewed sackcloth on me, as being resolved to continue my humiliation as long as my affliction continues. And defiled my horn in the dust I have willingly parted with all my wealth, and power, and glory, (as the horn often signifies in Scripture,) and have been content to lie in the dust, and to endure the contempt which God hath brought upon me. This phrase of defiling ones horn in the dust, says Chappelow, is expressive of the greatest ignominy and contempt that a person can suffer, especially after he had been exalted to a high station. My face is foul The author of the Vulgate renders it, intumuit, hath swelled with weeping. And on my eyelids is the shadow of death That is, a gross and terrible darkness. My sight is very dim, as is usual in case of sore diseases, or excessive grief and weeping, and especially in the approach of death.
16:15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, and defiled my {p} horn in the dust.
(p) Meaning, his glory was brought low.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes