Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 42:16
After this lived Job a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, [even] four generations.
After this Job lived an hundred and forty years – As his age at the time his calamities commenced is not mentioned, it is of course impossible to determine how old he was when he died. The Septuagint, however, has undertaken to determine this, but on what authority is unknown. They render this verse, And Job lived after this affliction an hundred and seventy years: so that all the years that he lived were two hundred and forty. According to this, his age would have been seventy when his afflictions came upon him; but this is a mere conjecture. Why the authors of that version have added thirty years to the time which he lived after his calamities, making it an hundred and seventy instead of an hundred and forty as it is in the Hebrew text, is unknown. The supposition that he was about seventy years of age when his calamities came upon him, is not an unreasonable one.
He had a family of ten children, and his sons were grown so as to have families of their own, Job 1:4. It should be remembered, also, that in the patriarchal times, when people lived to a great age, marriages did not occur at so early a period of life as they do now. In this book, also, though the age of Job is not mentioned, yet the uniform representation of him is that of a man of mature years; of large experience and extended observation; of one who had enjoyed high honor and a wide reputation as a sage and a magistrate; and when these circumstances are taken into the account, the supposition of the translators of the Septuagint, that he was seventy years old when his afflictions commenced, is not improbable. If so, his age at his death was two hundred and ten years. The age to which he lived is mentioned as remarkable, and was evidently somewhat extraordinary. It is not proper, therefore, to assume that this was the ordinary length of human life at that time, though it would be equally improper to suppose that there was anything like miracle in the case.
The fair interpretation is, that he reached the period of old age which was then deemed most honorable; that he was permitted to arrive at what was then regarded as the outer limit of human life; and if this be so, it is not difficult to determine about the time when he lived. The length of human life, after the flood, suffered a somewhat regular decline, until, in the time of Moses, it was fixed at about threescore years and ten, Psa 90:10. The following instances will show the regularity of the decline, and enable us, with some degree of probability, to determine the period of the world in which Job lived. Noah lived 950 years; Shem, his son, 600; Arphaxad, his son, 438 years; Salah, 433 years; Eber, 464; Peleg, 239; Reu, 239; Serug, 230; Nahor, 248; Terah, 205; Abraham, 175; Isaac, 180; Jacob, 147; Joseph, 110; Moses, 120; Joshua, 110. Supposing, then, the age of Job to have been somewhat unusual and extraordinary, it would fall in with the period somewhere in the time between Terah and Jacob; and if so, he was probably contemporary with the most distinguished of the patriarchs.
And saw his sons,… – To see ones posterity advancing in years and honor, and extending themselves in the earth, was regarded as a signal honor and a proof of the divine favor in the early ages. Gen 48:11, and Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face; and lo, God hath also showed me thy seed. Pro 17:6, childrens children are the crown of old men. Psa 128:6, yea, thou shalt see thy childrens children; compare Psa 127:5; Gen 12:2; Gen 17:5-6; Job 5:25; and the notes at Isa 53:10.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. After this lived Job a hundred and forty years] How long he had lived before his afflictions, we cannot tell. If we could rely on the Septuagint, all would be plain, who add here, , ; “And all the years that Job lived were two hundred and forty.” This makes him one hundred years of age when his trial commenced. Coverdale has, After this lyved Job forty yeares, omitting the hundred. So also in Becke’s Bible, 1549. From the age, as marked down in the Hebrew text, we can infer nothing relative to the time when Job lived. See the subscription at the end of the Arabic.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
16. The Septuagint makesJob live a hundred seventy years after his calamity, and two hundredforty in all. This would make him seventy at the time of hiscalamity, which added to a hundred forty in Hebrew text makesup two hundred ten; a little more than the age (two hundred five) ofTerah, father of Abraham, perhaps his contemporary. Man’s length oflife gradually shortened, till it reached threescore and ten inMoses’ time (Ps 90:10).
sons’ sonsa proof ofdivine favor (Gen 50:23; Psa 128:6;Pro 17:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
After this lived Job an hundred and forty years,…. Not after he had arrived to the height of his prosperity; not after the birth of his children, and they were grown up, and had their portions given them, which must take in a considerable number of years; but after his afflictions were over, and his prosperity began: and if his years were doubled, as some think, though that is not certain, then he must be seventy years of age when he was so sorely afflicted and must live to the age of two hundred and ten; which is the common notion of the Jewish writers z: however, he must be fifty or sixty years of age at that time, since his former children were grown up and were for themselves; and it is said a, his afflictions continued seven years. So that it is not at all improbable that he lived to be about two hundred years of age; and which was a singular blessing of God to him, if you compare his age with that of Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Joshua, between the two former and the two latter he may be supposed to live;
and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, [even] four generations; Joseph saw but the third, Job the fourth, he was a great-great-grandfather. This was no doubt a pleasant sight to him, to see such a numerous offspring descending from him; and especially if they were walking in the ways of God, as probably they were, since no doubt he would take all the care of their education that in him lay. This is the great blessing promised to the Messiah, the antitype of Job, Isa 53:10; see also Isa 59:21.
z T. Bava Bathra, fol. 15. 1. Seder Olam Rabba, c. 3. a Suidas in voce .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
16 And Job lived after this a hundred and forty years, and saw his children and his children’s children to four generations.
In place of , the Keri gives the unusual Aorist form , which, however, does also occur elsewhere (e.g., 1Sa 17:42). The style of the primeval histories, which we here everywhere recognise, Gen 50:23 (comp. Isa 53:10), is retained to the last words.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(16) An hundred and forty years.The particularity of this detail forbids us to suppose that the character of Job was other than real; his great age also shows that he must be referred to the very early patriarchal times, probably anterior to Moses.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. After this lived Job a hundred and forty years It does not appear from the Scriptures what was the age of Job at the time of his calamities. According to the Septuagint, his entire life was 240 years, ( Codex Alex., 248 years,) from which deducting the Hebrew statement as above, there remain 100 years, (Septuagint 70) a full, mature age, rich in experience and ripe in moral strength, with which to meet the onset of evil an age, also, not far from that of Abraham when he was more directly tried of God. The speculation which is sometimes ventured upon, that the years of Job were also doubled, would make his entire age 210 years, if calculated on the basis of the Septuagint, which distinctly states that he was 70 when subjected to trial. His longevity then was truly patriarchal, as will appear from the following table: Peleg lived 239 years Reu “ 239 “ Serug “ 230 “ Nahor “ 248 “ Terah “ 205 “ Abraham “ 175 “ Job say 210 “ Isaac lived 180 “ Jacob “ 147 “ Joseph “ 110 “ Moses “ 120 “ Joshua “ 110 “
“Supposing, then, the age of Job to have been somewhat unusual and extraordinary, it would fall in with the period somewhere in the line between Terah and Jacob; and, if so, he was probably co-temporary with the most distinguished of the patriarchs.” Barnes.
Job 42:16. After this Job lived an hundred and forty years Mr. Le Clerc has urged, as an argument that this book is parabolical, that Job, according to this account, must have lived above two hundred years, and that this length of life will suit no time assigned for Job’s existence. If, with Grotius, we say he lived while the Israelites wandered in the desert, the lives of men were then much shorter than two hundred years: if with others, that he lived soon after the Flood, the lives of men were then much longer: but now, if the life of man after the Flood shortened by degrees, I hope we may suppose a time between the other two points, which will agree very well with the life of Job: or, should we say that God lengthened out his life beyond the common term as an extraordinary favour, there can be nothing unlikely in this: nay, it is highly correspondent with the other instances of the divine bounty shewn to him. Peters. In the version of the LXX there is a considerable addition to the last verse of this chapter, a translation of which Mr. Wall has given us in his critical notes: It is as follows:“Full of days: and it is written, that he shall rise again among those whom the Lord shall raise. He is signified in the Syriac book to have dwelt in the land of Ausitis, (Uz,) upon the confines of Edom and Arabia; and his name was Jobab: taking an Arabian woman to his wife, he had a son, whose name was Ennon; but his father was Zareh, or Zareth, a son of the sons of Esau. His mother’s name was Bosorrah; so that he was in the fifth generation from Abraham. And these were the kings who reigned in Edom, in which country he also bare rule: The first was Balak the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dennaba: after Balak Jobab, who is also called Job: and after him Asom, who was governor over the country of the Temanites. After him was Adad, the son of Barad, who slew Midian in the field of Moab; and the name of his city was Gethaim. The friends who came to him were Eliphaz, of the sons of Esau, the king of the Temanites; Bildad, the king of the Sauchaeites; and Sophar, the king of the Minaeites.” We will close our observations on this celebrated book, with a Short view from Mr. Peters, of the
(16) After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. (17) So Job died, being old and full of days.
And thus end the lives of all: like Moses, and all the faithful gone before, having served in his day and generation, he fell asleep, and was gathered to his fathers, and saw corruption. Precious JESUS! here, as in every other point of view of real importance, we are led to contemplate thee, whose years fail not, but who abidest a priest forever, and art the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Job 42:16 After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, [even] four generations.
Ver. 16. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, &c. ] And this was not the least part of his happiness. Length of days is a piece of Wisdom’s wages, Pro 3:16 . Pliny tells of one Xenophilus, who lived 105 years without sickness (lib. vii. cap. 5). And what a mercy , or a good old age, is, hath been before noted. See Job 5:26 . For a short braid of adversity Job had a hundred and forty years’ health and prosperity; like as Joseph for his thirteen years of slavery and imprisonment, had fourscore years’ liberty, prosperity, and preferment. Who would not serve thee, O King of nations?
And saw his sons And his sons’ sons] To his great joy’s increase.
Even four generations an hundred and forty years: i.e. from 1656 to 1516.
After: How long he had lived before his afflictions we cannot tell: if we could rely upon the LXX, all would be plain, which adds here, . “And all the years he lived were two hundred and forty.”
an: Gen 11:32, Gen 25:7, Gen 35:28, Gen 47:28, Gen 50:26, Deu 34:7, Jos 24:29, Psa 90:10
and saw: Gen 50:23, Psa 128:6, Pro 17:6
Reciprocal: Gen 47:9 – have not Gen 48:1 – his two sons Job 5:26 – in a full age Job 14:14 – all the days Job 17:1 – my days Job 29:18 – multiply Job 33:25 – return Psa 107:41 – maketh
Job 42:16-17. After this Job lived a hundred and forty years Some conjecture that he was seventy when his troubles came upon him: if so, his age was double, as his other possessions. And saw his sons, and his sons sons Though his children were not doubled to him, yet in his childrens children they were more than doubled. As God appointed to Adam another seed instead of that which was slain, Gen 4:25, so he did to Job with advantage. God has ways to repair the losses, and balance the griefs, of those who are deprived of their property, or are written childless, as Job was when he had buried all his children, and was robbed of all his sheep and cattle by the Chaldeans and Sabeans. So Job died, being old and full of days He lived till he had enough of life, for he died , sebang jamim, satisfied with days; that is, satisfied with living in this world, and willing to leave it; not peevishly so, as in the days of his affliction, but piously so; and, as Eliphaz had encouraged him to hope, he came to his grave like a shock of ripe corn in its season. By the great length of Jobs days, namely, two hundred and ten years, it seems most probable that he lived before the time of Moses, for at and after that time the days of human life were much shortened, as that man of God complained, Psa 90:10.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
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