Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 8:5
If thou wouldest seek unto God quickly, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
5. Bildad saw in the fate of Job’s children not only proof that they had sinned but that their sin was deadly. He saw in Job’s afflictions proof equally decisive that he had sinned, but the fact that he was still spared, however severe his afflictions, gave a different complexion to his sin, and also suggested a different meaning for his afflictions. They were chastisements meant for his good, and Bildad is enabled to hope the best for Job, if he will rightly lay his trials to heart.
wouldest seek unto God betimes ] Rather, if thou wilt seek earnestly unto God. Thou is emphatic in antithesis to “thy children,” Job 8:4.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes – If thou wouldest do it now. If even on the supposition that your sons have thus perished, and that God has come out in judgment against your family, you would look to God, you might be restored to favor. The word rendered seek betimes ( shachar) means literally to seek in the morning, to seek early; and then, to make it the first business. It is derived from the word meaning aurora ( shachar) and has reference to the early light of the morning, and hence, to an early seeking. It may be applied to seeking him in early life, or as the first thing – looking to him immediately when help is needed, or before we apply to anyone else; compare Pro 7:15; Pro 8:17; Pro 13:24; Job 24:5; Psa 63:1; Psa 78:34; Isa 26:9; Hos 5:15; compare the advice of Eliphaz, Job 5:8.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 8:5-7
If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes.
The sinful mans search
I. What is it that God requireth? A diligent and speedy search. It is a work both in desire and labour to be joined with God. How must we search? Faithfully, humbly, continually. Whom we must seek. God, for four causes.
1. Because we have nothing of ourselves, nor of any other creature.
2. Because none is so present as He.
3. Because none is so able to help as He.
4. Because there is none so willing to help as He. When we must seek. Early. Even in a time when He may be found.
II. How is the search to be made? In prayer. Prayer is a shield against the force of our adversary. Prayer hath ever been the cognisance, and the victory, and the triumph of the faithful; for as the soul giveth life to the body, so prayer giveth life to the soul.
III. What effect this seeking and praying should have on us. If thou wert pure and upright. Gods promises for the performance hereof yield unto us most plentiful matter of doctrine and consolation. In Gods promises note His mercy, which exceedeth all His works. Note His bountiful kindness, His patience and long-suffering, and His love. God increase the love of these things in our hearts, and make us worthy of Christs blessings, which He hath plentifully in store for us; that after He hath heaped temporal blessings upon us, He will give us the blessing of all blessings, even the life of the world to come. (H. Smith.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. If thou wouldest seek unto God] Though God has so severely afflicted thee, and removed thy children by a terrible judgment; yet if thou wilt now humble thyself before him, and implore his mercy, thou shalt be saved. He cut them off in their sins, but he spares thee; and this is a proof that he waits to be gracious to thee.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
But, God hath spared thee, whom he might justly have destroyed with thy children, and thou art yet capable of his favour, if thou seek for it; and therefore cease from these causeless and unthankful complaints.
Seek unto God betimes, Heb. rise early to seek him, i.e. if thou wouldst seek him speedily, early, and diligently. See Job 5:8; 7:18,21. But this may be understood of the time past; and this verse being connected with the next, may be thus rendered and understood, If thou hadst sought (for the future tense in the Hebrew is oft put for the past) unto God betimes, (as thou didst seem to do, Job 1:5) and made supplication to the Almighty; if withal thou hadst been pure and upright, i.e. if thy prayers had been accompanied with purity and uprightness of heart and life, they should have been heard and answered. But because thou didst regard iniquity in thy heart, therefore God would not hear and did not answer thy prayers, but answered thee with a curse instead of a blessing, as he useth to deal with hypocrites.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. seek unto God betimesearly.Make it the first and chief anxiety (Psa 78:34;Hos 5:15; Isa 26:9;Pro 8:17; Pro 13:24).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes,…. Here Bildad seems to think more mildly, and speak more kindly to Job, that though he had sinned, yet not in so gross a manner as his children, since he was spared, and they were not; and therefore if he would apply himself to God, and supplicate his grace and mercy, and live a godly life, it might yet be well with him, and he be restored to his former or to better circumstances; his sense is, that he would advise him, as Eliphaz had done before, Job 5:8; to seek unto God “by prayer”, as the Targum adds, and of which it is explained in the next clause, and that he would do this “betimes”, or “in the morning” n; which is a proper time for prayer, and was one of the seasons good men in former times made use of for that purpose; see Ps 5:3; or that he would seek him in the first place, and above all things, take the first opportunity to do it, without any procrastination of it, and that with eagerness and earnestness, with his whole heart and soul; for God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and those that seek him early shall find him:
and make thy supplication to the Almighty: not pleading any merit of his own, as deserving of any blessing on account of what he had done; but ask what he should as a favour, as a free gift, in a way of grace and mercy, as the word o signifies; call for the pity of the Almighty, as Broughton renders it.
n “mane quaesieris”, Pagninus, Piscator, Mercerus. o So Schmidt in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5 If thou seekest unto God,
And makest supplication to the Almighty,
6 If thou art pure and upright; Surely!
He will care for thee,
And restore the habitation of thy righteousness;
7 And if thy beginning was small,
Thy end shall be exceeding great.
There is still hope for Job ( , in opposition to his children), if, turning humbly to God, he shows that, although not suffering undeservedly, he is nevertheless pure and upright in his inmost mind. Job 8:6 is so intended; not as Mercier and others explain: si in posterum puritati et justitiae studueris . , to turn one’s self to God earnestly seeking, constr. praegnans, like , Job 5:8. Then begins the conclusion with , like Job 13:18. “The habitation of thy righteousness” is Job’s household cleansed and justified from sin. God will restore that; might also signify, give peace to, but restore is far more appropriate. Completely falling back on , the Piel signifies to recompense, off like being returned for like, and to restore, of a complete covering of the loss sustained. God will not only restore, but increase beyond measure, what Job was and had. The verb. masc. after here is remarkable. But we need not, with Olsh., read : we may suppose, with Ewald, according to 174, e, that is purposely treated as masc. It would be a mistake to refer to Pro 23:32; Pro 29:21, in support of it.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
b. Divine Providence, that punishes the wicked, will as certainly reward the man who conciliates his God, Job 8:5-7.
5. Thou Emphatic. While the dead children cannot, thou mayest repent.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 8:5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
Ver. 5. If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes ] If warned by the evil end that befell thine unhappy children, thou wouldst early and earnestly seek unto God for mercy, for which purpose it may seem that thy life hast been graciously spared, when thy children have been destroyed, that thou might be made wise at their expense. Such counsel as that is Eliphaz hath given Job before, Job 5:8 .
And make thy supplication to the Almighty
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
thou wouldest: Job 5:8, Job 11:13, Job 22:21-23, Job 22:24-30, 2Ch 33:12, 2Ch 33:13, Isa 55:6, Isa 55:7, Mat 7:7, Mat 7:8, Heb 3:7, Heb 3:8, Jam 4:7-10
Reciprocal: Job 9:15 – I would Job 10:2 – show me Job 16:17 – my prayer Job 22:23 – return Psa 63:1 – early Mar 4:38 – and they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Job 8:5. If thou wouldest seek unto God, &c. God hath spared thee, whom he might justly have destroyed with thy children, and thou art yet capable of obtaining his favour if thou wilt seek it. And, therefore, cease from thy causeless and unthankful complaints. Seek unto God betimes Hebrew, , im teshacher, if thou wouldst rise early to seek him; if thou wouldst seek him speedily, early, and diligently, Job 5:8; and Job 7:18-21. And make thy supplication to the Almighty Instead of complaining, implore his grace and favour with humble supplication.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:5 If thou {c} wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
(c) That is, if you turn while God calls you to repentance.