Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 38:15

And from the wicked their light is withheld, and the high arm shall be broken.

15. shall be broken ] Rather, is broken. The “light” of the wicked is the darkness, ch. Job 24:17. The “high arm” is the arm already uplifted to commit violence. Again the moral meaning of the dayspring is expressed.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And from the wicked their light is withholden – While the light thus spreads over the earth, rendering every object beautiful and blessing the righteous, light and prosperity are withheld from the wicked; see the notes at Job 24:17. Or, the meaning may be, that when the light shines upon the world, the wicked, accustomed to perform their deeds in the night, flee from it, and retreat to their dark hiding-places.

And the high arm – Of the wicked. The arm is a symbol of strength. It is that by which we accomplish our purposes, and the idea here is, that the haughty power of the oppressor shall be crushed. The connection here seems to be this. In Job 38:12-14, there is a beautiful description of the light, and of its effects upon the appearance of natural objects. It was such as to clothe the world with beauty, and to fill the heart of the pious with gladness. In order now to show the greatness of the punishment of the wicked, it is added that all this beauty will be hidden from them. They will be driven away by the light into their dark hiding-places, and will be met there with the withdrawal of all the tokens of prosperity, and their power will be crushed.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

And, or but; for the following words seem to be added by way of opposition to what went before. The earth, and the men, and the things in it have the comfort and benefit of the light, but so have not the wicked. Their light, i.e. their portion of light. That light which is enjoyed by others is withholden from them, either by their own choice, because they love and choose darkness rather than light; or by the judgment of God, or the magistrate, by whom they are cut off from the light of the living, as it is called, Job 33:30, or at least deprived of their peace, and comfort, and prosperity, which frequently goes under the name of

light in Scripture, and may be so called here by an elegant allusion to the natural light of the sun mentioned before.

The high arms; their great strength, which they used tyrannically, to the oppression and crushing of others.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

15. their lightby which theywork; namely, darkness, which is their day (Job24:17), is extinguished by daylight.

highRather, “Thearm uplifted” for murder or other crime is broken; it falls downsuddenly, powerless, through their fear of light.

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

And from the wicked their light is withholden,…. Whose light is darkness, and whose day is the night, of which they are deprived when the morning light breaks forth; see Job 24:17; it may be figuratively understood of the light of prosperity being removed from them, or the light of life, when they shall be sent into utter darkness;

and the high arm shall be broken; their power weakened and made useless; even the power of such wicked men who have had a large share of it, and have used it in a tyrannical manner; and especially this will be their case at death; see Isa 14:10.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

15. Their light Darkness is their light, ( Delitzsch, “their favourite light,”) as in Job 24:17; Joh 3:19. The high arm Compare Job 22:8-9; Job 31:22. Shall be broken Inasmuch as the light of the day prevents the accomplishment of the nefarious work for which the arm was uplifted.

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

Job 38:15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

Ver. 15. And from the wicked their light is withholden ] They have no such joy of those comforts which the light afforded; but as it discovereth their dark practices, Eph 5:13 , so it bringeth them forth to condign punishment, Utpote indignos, qui hac luce fruantur.

And the high arm shall be broken ] i.e. His strength, tyranny, and power, whereby he oppressed others as with an outstretched arm, lifted up to strike with violence, this shall be broken, as Moab’s was, Jer 48:1-47 , and as all the wicked’s shall be; but the Lord upholdeth the righteous, Psa 37:17 . It is well noted that this verse is an exposition of the latter part of Job 38:13 , as the former verse was of the former part. And well might Mercer say of this and the three following chapters, Sunt haec alta et insignia, et nonnulla difficilia, these are things high, and excellent, and something dark and difficult

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

from: Job 5:14, Job 18:5, Job 18:18, Exo 10:21-23, 2Ki 6:18, Pro 4:19, Isa 8:21, Isa 8:22, Jer 13:16, Act 13:10, Act 13:11

the high: Psa 10:15, Psa 37:17, Eze 30:22

Reciprocal: Dan 11:6 – retain

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Job 38:15. And, or, rather, but, from the wicked their light is withholden The earth, and the men and the things in it, have the comfort and benefit of the light, but so have not the wicked; they enjoy not its beautiful approach; either, because they shun it, and choose darkness rather than light, their deeds being evil; or, by the judgment of God, or of the magistrate, by whom they are shut out through imprisonment, or cut off by capital punishment, from the light of the living. And the high arm shall be broken Their great strength, which they used tyrannically to the oppression and crushing of others.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments