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Selected Verse: Job 36:22 - King James
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
Job 36:22 |
King James |
Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like 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] |
God is not to be impiously arraigned, but to be praised for His might, shown in His works.
exalteth--rather, doeth lofty things, shows His exalted power [UMBREIT] (Psa 21:13).
teacheth-- (Psa 94:12, &c.). The connection is, returning to Job 36:5, God's "might" is shown in His "wisdom"; He alone can teach; yet, because He, as a sovereign, explains not all His dealings, forsooth Job must presume to teach Him (Isa 40:13-14; Rom 11:34; Co1 2:16). So the transition to Job 36:23 is natural. UMBREIT with the Septuagint translates, "Who is Lord," wrongly, as this meaning belongs to later Hebrew. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Behold, God exalteth by his power - The object of Elihu is now to direct the attention of Job to God, and to show him that he has evinced such power and wisdom in his works, that we ought not to presume to arraign him, but should bow with submission to his will. He remarks, therefore, that God "exalts," or rather that God is "exalted," or "exalts himself" (ישׂגיב yaśagiyb) by his power. In the exhibition of his power, he thus shows that he is great, and that people ought to be submissive to him. In support of this, he appeals, in the remainder of his discourse, to the "works" of God as furnishing extraordinary proofs of power, and full demonstration that God is exalted far above man.
Who teacheth like him? - The Septuagint renders this, δυνάστης dunastēs - "Who is so powerful as he?" Rosenmuller and Umbreit render it Lord: "Who is Lord like him?" But the Hebrew word (מורה môreh) properly means "one who instructs," and the idea is, that there is no one who is qualified to give so exalted conceptions of the government of God as he is himself. The object is to direct the mind to him as he is revealed in his works, in order to obtain elevated conceptions of his government. |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
22 Behold, God acteth loftily in His strength;
Who is a teacher like unto Him?
23 Who hath appointed Him His way,
And who dare say: Thou doest iniquity!?
24 Remember that thou magnify His doing,
Which men have sung.
25 All men delight in it,
Mortal man looketh upon it from afar.
Most modern expositors, after the lxx δυνάστης, give אמת the signification lord, by comparing the Arab. mar-un (imru-un), Syr. mor (with the art. moro) or more (with the art. morjo), Chald. מרא, Talmud. מר (comp. Philo, ii. 522, ed. Mangey: οὃτως, viz., μάριν φασὶ τὸν κύριον ὀνομάζεστηαι παρὰ Σύροις), with it; but Rosenm., Arnh., Lwenthal, Wolfson, and Schlottm., after the Targ., Syr., and Jer., rightly abide by the signification: teacher. For (1) אמת (from הורה, Psa 25:8, Psa 25:12; Psa 32:8) has no etymological connection with mr (of מרא, Arab. maru'a, opimum, robustum esse); (2) it is, moreover, peculiar to Elihu to represent God as a teacher both by dreams and dispensations of affliction, Job 33:14, Job 34:32, and by His creatures, Job 35:11; and (3) the designation of God as an incomparable teacher is also not inappropriate here, after His rule is described in Job 36:22 as transcendently exalted, which on that very account commands to human research a reverence which esteems itself lightly. Job 36:23 is not to be translated: who overlooketh Him in His way? (פּקד with על of the personal and acc. of the neutral obj.), which is without support in the language; but: who has prescribed to Him (פקד על as Job 34:13) His way? i.e., as Rosenm. correctly interprets: quis ei praescripsit quae agere deberet, He is no mandatory, is responsible to no one, and under obligation to no one, and who should dare to say (quis dixerit; on the perf. comp. on Job 35:15): Thou doest evil? - man shall be a docile learner, not a self-satisfied, conceited censurer of the absolute One, whose rule is not to be judged according to the laws of another, but according to His own laws. Thus, then, shall Job remember (memento = cura ut) to extol (תשׂגּיא, Job 12:23) God's doings, which have been sung (comp. e.g., Psa 104:22) by אנשׁים, men of the right order (Job 37:24); Jer. de quo cecinerunt viri. שׁרר nowhere has the signification intueri (Rosenm., Umbr.); on the other hand, Elihu is fond of direct (Job 33:27; Job 35:10) and indirect allusions to the Psalms. All men - he continues, with reference to God's פּעל, working - behold it, viz., as בו implies, with pleasure and astonishment; mortals gaze upon it (reverentially) from afar, - the same thought as that which has already (Job 26:14) found the grandest expression in Job's mouth. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Behold - God is omnipotent; and therefore can, either punish thee far worse, or deliver thee, if thou dost repent. He is also infinitely wise; and as none can work like him, so none can teach like him. Therefore do not presume to teach him how to govern the world. None teacheth with such authority and convincing evidence, with such condescension and compassion, with such power and efficacy as God doth, he teaches by the bible, and that is the best book; by his son, and he is the best master. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
God exalteth by his power - He has brought thee low, but he can raise thee up. Thou art not yet out of the reach of his mercy. Thy affliction is a proof that he acts towards thee as a merciful Parent. He knows what is best to be done; he teaches thee how thou shouldst suffer and improve. Why sin against his kindness? Who can teach like him? |
23 Who hath enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity?
16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
13 Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him?
14 With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?
5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;
13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;
27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
24 Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens.
23 He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again.
15 But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:
13 Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world?
23 Who hath enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity?
22 Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?
11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
32 That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.