Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 4:9
By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
9. by the blast of God ] Better,
By the breath of God they perish,
And by the blast of his anger are they consumed.
The destructive judgment of God upon the wicked is described as a fiery breath coming from His mouth, as the hot wind of the desert withers and burns up the grass, cf. Isa 40:7; Amo 1:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By the blast of God – That is, by the judgment of God. The figure is taken from the hot and fiery wind, which, sweeping over a field of grain, dries it up and destroys it. In like manner Eliphaz says the wicked perish before God.
And by the breath of his nostrils – By his anger. The Scripture often speaks of breathing out indignation and wrath; Act 9:1; Psa 27:12; 2Sa 22:16; Psa 18:15; Psa 33:6; notes at Isa 11:4; notes at Isa 30:28; notes at Isa 33:11. The figure was probably taken from the violent breathing which is evinced when the mind is under any strong emotion, especially anger. It refers here to any judgment by which God cuts off the wicked, but especially to sudden calamity – like a tempest or the pestilence.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. By the blast of God they perish] As the noxious and parching east wind blasts and destroys vegetation, so the wicked perish under the indignation of the Almighty.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
By the blast of God, to wit, of his nostrils, as it here follows, i.e. by his anger, which in men shows itself in the nostrils, by hot and frequent breathings there, and therefore by an anthropopathy is ascribed to God; by a secret, and oft undiscerned, but mighty and powerful, judgment of God, by which they are blasted and blown away as chaff by the wind, as the phrase is, Psa 1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. breath of his nostrilsGod’sanger; a figure from the fiery winds of the East (Job 1:16;Isa 5:25; Psa 18:8;Psa 18:15).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
By the blast of God they perish,…. They and their works, the ploughers, sowers, and reapers of iniquity; the allusion is to the blasting of corn by the east wind, or by mildew, c. having used the figures of ploughing and sowing before and which is as soon and as easily done as corn, or anything else, is blasted in the above manner; and denotes the sudden and easy destruction of wicked men by the power of God, stirred up by his wrath and indignation, because of their sins; who when he blows a blast on their persons, substance, and families, they perish at once:
and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed; meaning his wrath and anger, which is like a stream of brimstone, and kindles a fire on the wicked, which are as fuel to it, and are soon consumed by it; the allusion is to breath in a man’s nostrils, and the heat of his wrath and fury discovered thereby: some think this refers to Job’s children being destroyed by the wind, see Isa 11:4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. The blast of God The breath of God.
The breath of his nostrils An expression used figuratively for wrath. “In the Mediterranean languages,” says Furst, “anger is conceived of as a snorting, glowing, or smoking of the nose.” Thus ( aph) is used both for the nostril and wrath. The lively faith of the sons of the East saw in their fiery winds, destroying life and devastating wide-spread fields of vegetation, the breath or blast of God. Thevenot, an eastern traveller, thus speaks of the effects of the Simoon: “This year, 1665, in the month of July, there died in Bassora, of that wind called Samiel, four thousand people in three weeks’ time.” Part 2. p. 57. The air we must breathe becomes a medium of divine chastisement. The word epidemic and ( upon the people) takes up and transmits the sentiment of Eliphaz. The great pestilences come down upon the nations; the very winds become the dark wings upon which the dispensations of God are spread abroad over the world. The faith of the Hebrews called such visitations the visitation of God. The poisoned blast was no unloosed courser; no plaything of chance. It was the breath of God. With the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Isa 11:4. “As the previous verse describes retribution as a natural necessity founded in the order of the world, so does this verse trace back this same order of the world to the divine causality.” Schlottmann.
Job 4:9-10. By the blast of God they perish, &c. By the breath of God they perish; for, at the blast of his anger, the roarings of the lion, and the growling of the black lion, are hushed, and the teeth of the young lions are broken. Heath.
Job 4:9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
Ver. 9. By the blast of God they perish ] He puts himself to no great pain to punish them; but blows them away as so many dust heaps; he nods them to destruction, saith the psalmist, Psa 80:16 ; he can as easily do it as bid it to be done. So Caesar Metellus. If the Lord do but arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and all that hate him fly before him, Psa 64:1 . If he but put his head out of the windows of heaven, as it were, and say, Who is on my side; who? all the creatures (who for fear of him had hid themselves, as worms wriggle into their holes in time of thunder) shall look out presently, and offer him their service; so that he cannot possibly want a weapon to tame his rebels, or a way to bring the wicked to condign punishment. He is Eloah, as he is here called; that is, The powerful One, the mighty strong God, as Isa 9:6 , before whom all nations are as the drop of a bucket, or as the dust of the balance, Isa 40:15 ; no more able to stand against him than is the glass bottle against a cannon shot, or downny thistle before a whirlwind. Behold, I will send a blast upon him (saith God concerning Sennacherib, 2Ki 19:7 ), and so set him going. So, elsewhere, he threateneth to tread down his stoutest enemies as straw is trodden down to the dunghill. Neither shall he much trouble himself in doing this: for he shall only spread forth his hands in the midst of them, “as he that swimmeth, spreadeth forth his hands to swim,” &c., Isa 25:11-12 , to signify that he shall do it with greatest facility. The motion in swimming is easy, not strong; for strong violent strokes in the water would rather sink than support. It is said, that by a look of his out of the pillar of fire and of the cloud he troubled the host of the Egyptians, Exo 14:24 , and as the rocks repelled the boisterous waves, – Conantia frangere frangunt, so did he the enemies of his people.
By the breath of his nostrils are they consumed blast. Hebrew. neshamah. App-16.
breath = spirit. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.
nostrils. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.
breath
i.e. by His anger, as Isa 30:33; Exo 15:8; Job 1:19; Job 15:30; Isa 11:4; 2Th 2:8.
the blast: Exo 15:8, Exo 15:10, 2Ki 19:7, Psa 18:15
by the breath of his nostrils: that is, by his anger, Job 1:19, Job 15:30, Isa 11:4, Isa 30:33, 2Th 2:8, Rev 2:16
Reciprocal: Num 14:41 – but it shall 2Sa 22:9 – went Job 32:13 – God Isa 37:7 – I will Isa 40:24 – he shall also
Job 4:9-10. By the blast of God they perish, &c. These two verses are thus interpreted by Heath: By the breath of God they perish; for, at the blast of his anger, the roarings of the lion, and the growling of the black lion, are hushed, and the teeth of the young lions are broken; that is, by the mere breath of Gods displeasure, or by a secret, and often undiscerned, but mighty and irresistible calamity, their projects are blasted, and they are suddenly carried away, as chaff by the wind, and come to a fearful end. Nor can they escape, were they even as strong as lions, yea, as the strongest and fiercest of them. For when the divine wrath is once kindled against them, their power is immediately broken, and in a moment they are cut off, and totally consumed. He speaks of powerful tyrants, fitly compared to lions, Eze 32:2; Eze 38:13; 2Ti 4:17, who, though for a time they persecute and oppress other men, yet in due time they are restrained and crushed by the mighty power of God. Possibly, he might intend secretly to accuse Job, or his children, that, being persons of great wealth and power, they had abused it to ruin their neighbours, and therefore were justly cut off.
4:9 By the {f} blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.
(f) He shows that God needs no great preparation to destroy his enemies: for he can do it with the blast of his mouth.
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: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes