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Selected Verse: Job 11:13 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Job 11:13 |
King James |
If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| The apodosis to the "If" is at Job 11:15. The preparation of the heart is to be obtained (Pro 16:1) by stretching out the hands in prayer for it (Psa 10:17; Ch1 29:18). |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
If thou prepare thine heart - Zophar now proceeds to state that if Job even yet would return to God, he might hope for acceptance. Though he had sinned, and though he was now, as he supposed, a hollow-hearted and an insincere man, yet, if he would repent, he might expect the divine favor. In this he accords with the sentiment of Eliphaz, and he concludes his speech in a manner not a little resembling his; see Job 5:17-27.
And stretch out thine hands toward him - In the attitude of supplication. To stretch out or spread forth the hands, is a phrase often used to denote the act of supplication; see Ti1 2:8, and the notes of Wetstein on that place. Horace, 3 Carm. xxiii. 1, Coelo supinas si tuleris manus. Ovid, M. ix. 701, Ad sidera supplex Cressa manus tollens. Trist. i. 10, 21, Ipsc gubernator, tollens ad sidera palmas; compare Livy v. 21. Seneca, Ep. 41; Psa 63:4; Psa 134:2; Psa 141:2; Ezr 9:5. |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
13 But if thou wilt direct thy heart,
And spread out thy hands to Him -
14 If there is evil in thy hand, put it far away,
And let not wickedness dwell in thy tents -
15 Then indeed canst thou lift up thy face without spot,
And shalt be firm without fearing.
The phrase הכין לב signifies neither to raise the heart (Ewald), nor to establish it (Hirz.), but to direct it, i.e., give it the right direction (Psa 78:8) towards God, Sa1 7:3; Ch2 20:33; it has an independent meaning, so that there is no need to supply אל־אל, nor take וּפרשׂתּ to be for לפרושׂ (after the construction in Ch2 30:19). To spread out the hands in prayer is כּפּים (פּרשׂ) פּרשׂ; ידים is seldom used instead of the more artistic כפים, palmas, h.e. manus supinas. The conditional antecedent clause is immediately followed, Job 11:14, by a similarly conditional parenthetical clause, which inserts the indispensable condition of acceptable prayer; the conclusion might begin with הרהיקהוּ: when thou sendest forth thy heart and spreadest out thy hands to Him, if there is wickedness in thy hand, put it far away; but the antecedent requires a promise for its conclusion, and the more so since the praet. and fut. which follow אם, Job 11:13, have the force of futt. exact.: si disposueris et extenderis, to which the conclusion: put it far away, is not suited, which rather expresses a preliminary condition of acceptable prayer. The conclusion then begins with כּי־אז, then indeed, like Job 8:6; Job 13:19, comp. Job 6:3, with עתּה כּי, now indeed; the causal signification of כי has in both instances passed into the confirmatory (comp. Sa1 14:44; Psa 118:10-12; Psa 128:2, and on Gen 26:22): then verily wilt thou be able to raise thy countenance (without being forced to make any more bitter complaints, as Job 10:15.), without spot, i.e., not: without bodily infirmity, but: without spot of punishable guilt, sceleris et paenae (Rosenmller). מן here signifies without (Targ. דּלא), properly: far from, as Job 21:9; Sa2 1:22; Pro 20:3. Faultless will he then be able to look up and be firm (מצּק from יצק, according to Ges. 71), quasi ex aere fusus (Kg1 7:16), one whom God can no longer get the better of. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Heart - To seek God; turning thy bold contentions with God into humble supplications. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
If thou prepare thine heart - Make use of the powers which God has given thee, and be determined to seek him with all thy soul.
And stretch out thine hands toward him - Making fervent prayer and supplication, putting away iniquity out of thy hand, and not permitting wickedness to dwell in thy tabernacle; then thou shalt lift up thy face without a blush, thou wilt become established, and have nothing to fear, Job 11:14, Job 11:15.
There is a sentiment in Pro 16:1, very similar to that in the Job 11:13, which we translate very improperly: -
לאדם מערכי לב leadam maarchey leb.
To man are the preparations of the heart:
ומהוה מענה לשון umeyehovah maaneh lashon.
But from Jehovah is the answer to the tongue.
It is man's duty to pray; it is God's prerogative to answer. Zophar, like all the rest, is true to his principle. Job must be a wicked man, else he had not been afflicted. There must be some iniquity in his hand, and some wickedness tolerated in his family. So they all supposed. |
18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
19 He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.
20 In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.
21 Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee.
24 And thou shalt know that thy tabernacle shall be in peace; and thou shalt visit thy habitation, and shalt not sin.
25 Thou shalt know also that thy seed shall be great, and thine offspring as the grass of the earth.
26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
27 Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know thou it for thy good.
16 And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits:
3 It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
9 Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.
15 If I be wicked, woe unto me; and if I be righteous, yet will I not lift up my head. I am full of confusion; therefore see thou mine affliction;
22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
10 All nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
12 They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
44 And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
3 For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up.
19 Who is he that will plead with me? for now, if I hold my tongue, I shall give up the ghost.
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
19 That prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
33 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers.
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
13 If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
1 The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.
15 For then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
14 If iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.