Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 4:3
Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
3. the weak hands ] lit. the hands hanging down, a sign of helplessness and despondency, 2Sa 4:1; Isa 13:7. Comp. Job’s words of himself, ch. Job 29:15-16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Behold, thou hast instructed many – That is, thou hast instructed many how they ought to bear trials, and hast delivered important maxims to them on the great subject of the divine government. This is not designed to be irony, or to wound the feelings of Job. It is intended to recall to his mind the lessons which he had inculcated on others in times of calamity, and to show him how important it was now that he should reduce his own lessons to practice, and show their power in sustaining himself.
Thou hast strengthened the weak hands – That is, thou hast aided the feeble. The hands are the instruments by which we accomplish anything, and when they are weak, it is an indication of helplessness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 4:3-5
Thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
Preaching easier than practising
Behold, thou hast instructed many, etc. To do each days duty with Christian diligence, and to bear each days crosses with Christian patience; thou hast done it well. But how comes it now to pass that thy present doings shame thy former sayings? and that, as it was noted of Demosthenes the orator, thou art better at praising of virtue than at practising of it? What a shame was it that Hilary should complain that the peoples ears were holier than the preachers hearts, and that Erasmus, by a true lest, should be told that there was more goodness in his book of the Christian soldier than in his bosom! Eliphaz from this ground would here argue that Job was little better than a hypocrite; a censure over-rigid, it being the easiest thing in the world, as a philosopher observed, to give good counsel, and the hardest thing to take it. Dr. Preston, upon his death bed, confessed, that now it came to his own turn, he found it somewhat to do to practise that which he had oft pressed upon others. (J. Trapp.)
Jobs usefulness in the past
1. That to teach, instruct, and comfort others, is not only a mans duty, but his praise. For here Eliphaz speaks it in a way of commendation, though with an intent to ground a reproof upon it.
2. That such as know God in truth and holiness, are very ready to communicate the knowledge of God unto others.
3. That honourable and great men lose nothing of their honour and greatness by descending to the instruction of others, though their inferiors.
4. That charity, especially spiritual charity, very liberal and open-hearted. Job instructed not only his own, but he instructed others, he instructed many; he did not confine his doctrine and his advice to his own walls, but the sound thereof went wheresoever he went: he instructed many.
5. That the words of the wise have a mighty power, strength, and prevalency in them. You see how efficacious the words of Job were. Jobs instructions were strengthenings: thou hast strengthened the weak hands and feeble knees; his words were as stays to hold them up that were ready to fall. When a word goes forth clothed with the authority and power of God, it works wonders. (J. Caryl.)
But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest.–Thou hast instructed many, thou hast strengthened the weak hands, etc. But now it is come upon thee, etc. That is, trouble and affliction are come upon thee. And thou faintest. The word signifies an extraordinary fainting; when a man is so wearied and spent, that he knows not what he doth, when his reason seems tired, as much as his strength. So that the words, Now it is come upon thee, thou faintest, may import thus much; thou art in such a case, that thou seemest to be beside thyself, thou knowest not what thou dost, thou speakest thou knowest not what. The word is translated in the first verse, by grieved; in other Scriptures, by mad and furious (Pro 26:18). As a mad man who casteth firebrands, etc. And whereas we say (Gen 47:13), The land of Egypt fainted by reason of the famine, many render it, The land of Egypt was enraged or mad, because of the famine. Want of bread turns to want of reason; famine distracts. The Egyptians were so extremely pinched with hunger, that it did even take away their wits from them; and scarcity of food for their bodies, made a dearth in their understandings. So there is this force in the word: Thou who hast given such grave and wise instruction unto others, from those higher principles of grace, now it is come upon thee, thou art even as a mad man, as a man distracted, not able to act by the common principles of reason. It toucheth thee. It is the same word which we opened before; the devil desired that he might but touch Job; now his friend telleth him he is touched. And thou art troubled. That word also hath a great emphasis in it. It signifies a vehement, amazed trouble; as in that place (1Sa 28:21), where, when the woman, the witch of Endor, had raised up Samuel (in appearance) as Saul desired, the text saith, that when all was ended, she came unto Saul, and she saw he was sore troubled: think what trouble might fall upon a man in such a condition as Saul was in, after this acquaintance with the visions of hell; think what a deep astonishment of spirit seized upon him, such disorder of mind this word lays upon Job. Now it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled. Hence observe–
1. To commend a man with a but, is a wound instead of a commendation. Thou hast instructed many, But, etc. How many are there who salute their friends very fair to their faces, or speak them very fair behind their backs, yet suddenly (as Joab to Amasa) draw out this secret dagger, and stab their honour and honesty to the heart!
2. Observe, great afflictions may disturb the very seat of reason, and leave a saint, in some acts, below a man.
3. That when we see any doing ill, it is good to mind him of the good which he hath done.
4. That the good we have done, is a kind of reproach to us, when we do the contrary evil.
5. It is an easier matter to instruct others in trouble, than to be instructed, or take instruction ourselves in our own troubles.
6. It is a shame for us to teach others the right way, and to go in the wrong ourselves. (J. Caryl.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. Thou hast instructed many] Thou hast seen many in affliction and distress, and thou hast given them such advice as was suitable to their state, and effectual to their relief; and by this means thou hast strengthened the weak hands, and the feeble knees-the desponding have been encouraged, and the irresolute confirmed and excited to prompt and proper actions, by thy counsel and example.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou hast instructed many; teaching them those lessons which thou hast not learned, and wilt not practise, to wit, patiently to bear afflictions, and to submit to Gods will and providence in all things, which thou most shamefully refusest to do.
Thou hast strengthened the weak hands, by administering supports and comforts and counsels to such as were unable to bear their burdens, or to do their duty.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. weak hands Isa 35:3;2Sa 4:1.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Behold, thou hast instructed many,…. This is introduced with a “behold”, either as a note of admiration, that such a man, who had instructed others, should act the part he now does; or as a note of attention to Job himself, and all others that should hear and read this, to observe it, and well consider it, and make the proper use of it; or as a note of asseveration, affirming it to be true and certain, notorious and unquestionable, as no doubt it was: Job was the instructor, a great man, and yet condescended to teach and instruct men in the best things, as did also Abraham, David, Solomon, and others; and a good man, and so fit to teach good things, as every good man is, and who, according to his ability, the gift and measure of grace received should instruct others; and a man of great gift he was, both in things natural, civil, and religious; one that could speak well, and to the purpose, and so was apt and able to teach; and such should not disuse and hide their talents: the persons he instructed were not only his own family, his children and servants, as Abraham before him did; but others who attended him, and waited for his counsel and advice, his words and doctrine, as for the rain, and latter rain, and which dropped and distilled as such, see Job 29:15; and these were “many”; his many ignorant neighbours about him, or many professors of religion, as there might be, and it seems there were in this idolatrous country; and many afflicted ones among these, which is usually the case: Job had many scholars in his school, of different sorts, that attended on him; and these he instructed in the knowledge of the true God, his nature, perfections, and works; and of the living Redeemer, his person, office, grace, and righteousness; and of themselves, the impurity of their nature through original sin, he was acquainted with; their impotency and inability to purge themselves, to atone for sin, and to justify and make themselves acceptable to God; as well as he instructed them in the worship of God, and the manner of it, their duty to him and to one another, and to all their fellow creatures: some render it, “thou hast corrected”, or “reproved many” l; he had taught the afflicted to be patient under their afflictions, and had reproved them for their impatience; and the design of Eliphaz is to upbraid him with it, as in Ro 2:21; thou that didst correct others for their unbecoming behaviour under afflictions, art thyself guilty of the same: “turpe est doctori, cure culpa redarguit ipsum”:
and thou hast strengthened the weak hands; either such as hung down through want of food, by giving it to them, both corporeal and spiritual, which strengthens men’s hearts, and so their hands; or through sluggishness, by exhorting and stirring them up to be active and diligent; or through fear of enemies, especially spiritual ones, as sin, Satan, and the world; by reason of whose numbers and strength good men are apt to be dispirited, and ready to castaway their spiritual armour, particularly the shield of faith and confidence in God, as faint hearted soldiers in war, to which the allusion is: and these were strengthened by telling them that all their enemies were conquered, and they were more than conquerors over them; that the victory was certain, and their warfare accomplished, or would quickly be: or else, whose hands were weak through a sense of sin and danger, and being in expectation of the wrath, and vengeance of God; and who were strengthened by observing to them that there was a Saviour appointed and expected, a living Redeemer, who would stand upon the earth in the latter day, and save them from their sins, and from wrath to come; see
Isa 35:3; or rather, such whose hearts and hands were, weak through sore and heavy afflictions, whom Job strengthened by showing them that their afflictions were of God; not by chance, but by appointment, and according to the sovereign will of God; that they were for their good, either temporal, spiritual, or eternal; and that they would not continue always, but have an end; and therefore should be patiently bore, see 1Co 12:11.
l , “corripuisti”, Mercerus, Michaelis; “castigasti”, Codurcus, Drusius, Schmidt, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Behold, thou hast instructed many.There is a conspicuous want of feeling in Eliphaz. Without any true sympathy, however, he may have given the outward signs of it (Job. 2:12-13). He charges Job with inability to derive from his own principles that support which he had expected them to afford to others, and seems almost to rejoice malevolently that one who had been so great a help to others was now in need of help himself. Calamity touches thee, and thou art overwhelmed by it.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Instructed Admonished many.
Strengthened the weak hands He very properly reminds Job of his past offices of consolation by way of compliment; not, as some suppose, in irony.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 4:3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
Ver. 3. Behold, thou hast instructed many ] sc. To do each day’s duty with Christian diligence, and to bear each day’s crosses with Christian patience thou hast done it well. But how comes it now to pass, quod dicta factis erubescant, that thy present doings shame thy former sayings? (Tertul.); and that (as it was noted of Demosthenes the orator) thou art better at praising of virtue than at practising of it? Turpe est Doctori, &c. Should not the physician first heal himself? and ought not the preacher’s word be Spectemur agendo; let our profiting appear to all men, let our lives be a true transcript of our sermons? What a shame was it that Hilary should complain that the people’s ears were holier than the preachers’ hearts, Sanctiores sunt aures plebis quam corda sacerdotum (Hilar.), and that Erasmus, by a true jest, should be told that there was more goodness in his book of the Christian soldier than in his bosom! Eliphaz from this ground would here argue that Job was little better than a hypocrite; a censure overly rigid, it being the easiest thing in the world, as a philosopher observed, to give good counsel, and the hardest thing to take it. Dr Preston, upon his death bed, confessed, that now it came to his own turn, he found it somewhat to do to practise that which he had oft pressed upon others.
And thou hast strengthened the weak hands
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Behold: Gen 18:19, Pro 10:21, Pro 15:7, Pro 16:21, Isa 50:4, Eph 4:29, Col 4:6
and thou hast: Job 16:5, Deu 3:28, Ezr 6:22, Isa 35:3, Eze 13:22, Luk 22:32, Luk 22:43
Reciprocal: 1Sa 23:16 – strengthened Neh 6:11 – Should such Job 6:14 – To him Job 6:26 – reprove Job 26:2 – helped Job 27:11 – teach Job 29:25 – one that Pro 27:17 – so Ecc 4:10 – if Ecc 10:12 – words Eze 21:7 – all hands Rom 14:1 – weak Gal 6:1 – restore Heb 12:12 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 4:3. Behold, thou hast instructed many It is well known thou hast given good counsel unto others, teaching them those lessons which, it appears, thou hast not thyself learned, and wilt not practise, namely, patiently to bear afflictions, and to submit to Gods will and providence in all things. And thou hast strengthened the weak hands Hast encouraged those that were dispirited; hast administered counsels, supports, and comforts to such as were unable to bear their burdens, or to do their duty.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
4:3 Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou {b} hast strengthened the weak hands.
(b) You have comforted others in their afflictions but you cannot now comfort yourself.