Chapter 24

1 Wickedness goeth often unpunished. 17 There is a secret judgment for the wicked.

1. Times are not hidden. The first line of this verse may be translated, “Why are times not treasured up on the part of the Almighty?” These “times” seem to refer to special occasions when God exhibits Himself in action, vindicating the righteous and judging sinners. Job, in his perplexity, fails to see evidence of such seasons of retribution on the part of God.

Do they that know him. That is, “Why do they that know him not see his days?” meaning, of course, days of retribution.

2. Landmarks. Job begins a recital of what appears to him to be evidence that God neither rewards the righteous nor punishes the wicked. Regarding landmarks see Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 22:28; 23:10; Hosea 5:10. Where neighboring properties were not divided by fences of any kind, as in the East generally, the only way of distinguishing between one man’s land and another’s was by landmarks, which were generally low stones placed at intervals on the boundary line. An easy form of robbery was to displace these marks, locating them farther back on the neighbor’s land.

Take away flocks. They steal the flocks of others and pasture them with their own.

3. Fatherless. See 1 Sam. 12:3. On the natural tendency of selfish men to be unkind to orphans and widows, and the regulations designed to curb this tendency see Ex. 22:22; Deut. 24:17; 27:19; Ps. 94:6; Isa. 1:23; 10:2; Jer. 5:28; Zech. 7:10. The ass of the orphan and the yoke ox of the widow are among the most valuable possessions of these unfortunates.

4. Out of the way. The wicked force poor men to turn out of the road when they are using it and to wait until they have passed. Or, the statement may mean that the wicked make the highways so dangerous with their violence that they compel the poor and needy to seek byways for safety. For protection, these poor huddle together in whatever place of refuge they can find (see ch. 30:6).

5. As wild asses in the desert. This may refer to bands of marauders scouring the desert like hordes of wild asses, or to the oppressed and needy people driven from society and compelled to seek a precarious subsistence, like the wild ass in the desert.

For a prey. That is, as food for their children. Job’s concern for the plight of the common people reflects his righteous character.

6. Vintage. The text is capable of two interpretations: (1) The “they” refers to the marauders who forage the crops for a livelihood. (2) The “they” refers to the downtrodden poor who “glean the vineyard of the wicked man” (RSV).

8. Wet with the showers. A graphic description of homeless wanderers, seeking shelter from the storm.

9. Pluck the fatherless. This is a reference to the vicious custom of taking children into slavery in satisfaction of their father’s debt (see Neh. 5:5; cf. 2 Kings 4:7).

Take a pledge. See on ch. 22:6.

10. Take away the sheaf. A picture of a hungry man carrying sheaves of grain, but not permitted to satisfy his hunger from them, is a graphic portrayal of oppression in every age. Yet God does not seem to interpose to punish those who are responsible for such cruelty, but rather to let them pursue their evil course without let or hindrance.

11. Make oil. The same unfortunates are employed on the estates of their oppressors to extract oil from the olives and wine from the grapes. They are tormented with unceasing thirst but are not allowed to satisfy their carving with the products near at hand.

12. Out of the city. Not only from deserts and farms, but also from the cities, comes the cry of the oppressed. Job’s object was to show, in opposition to the mistaken doctrine of his friends, that God does not hastily punish every evil work or reward every good one. Vice often remains long unpunished and virtue unrewarded; therefore a man’s character must not be judged by his prosperity or adversity. Herein lay the basic fault in the philosophy of Job’s would-be friends, and, in fact, in that of the Jews as a nation.

13. Against the light. This verse begins a new section, which covers vs. 13–17, dealing with murderers, adulterers, and thieves. This type of iniquity thrives under cover of darkness. Its devotees “rebel against the light”—not only the light of day but also the light of reason, conscience, and law. They observe no moral restraints.

15. The adulterer. He also waits for darkness to come to seek his prey. Stealthily he disguises himself that he may not be apprehended. (see Prov. 7:8, 9).

16. Dig through houses. In ancient times burglary often took this form. Windows were few and high on the walls. Doors were strongly fastened with bolts and bars, but the walls, being of clay or rubble or sundried brick, were weak and easily broken down. Compare Eze. 12:5, 12.

Marked for themselves. The sentence reads literally, “by day they seal up for themselves,” that is, they shut themselves up. These criminals hate the light and love darkness.

17. Shadow of death. Or, “deep darkness.” When the deepest darkness of the night begins, these people enter upon their day’s work. The drawing on of night is to them what daybreak is to others. This verse completes the section beginning with v. 13, which stresses the way in which the violators of the sixth, seventh, and eighth commandments love darkness and hate light.

18. Swift as the waters. This vivid phrase may suggest the figure of a light boat, or a piece of flotsam, or any other light object that moves noiselessly along the surface of the water. The quiet, rapid movements of a thief are compared with these. Or the idea may be that the wicked will be swept away like debris on a swifting-flowing river.

Their portion. That is, their manner of life, their way of obtaining a livelihood is deserving of execration.

The vineyards. Their vineyards will not produce. They have lived by plunder, and they deserve no subsistence from their wine presses.

19. Drought and heat. The meaning seems to be, as the heat of summer causes the snow water to disappear, so the grave consumes the wicked.

20. Shall forget him. To be forgotten even by one’s own mother, to be food for worms, to be cut down like a tree, was the conventionally accepted idea of the fate of the wicked. In the verses preceding this section (vs. 18–20), and in the verses following, Job observes that the reality of life does not conform to this pattern.

21. Barren. In this new section, Job returns to his description of the oppression of the weak. Barrenness was considered one of the greatest possible misfortunes (see 1 Sam. 1:5–8). The oppression of one that was barren indicated extreme cruelty. The barren woman was an especially helpless victim of oppression, because she had no son to defend her rights. Her barrenness was commonly thought to be the result of sin and divine displeasure.

22. Mighty. Many take the pronoun “he” to refer to the oppressor. The text is thought to reveal that the wicked not only oppress the weak but also make life unpleasant for the mighty. Others consider “he” as referring to God: “God prolongeth the life of the mighty.” If this is the correct interpretation, it is another complaint on the part of Job regarding God’s failure to punish the wicked.

23. To be in safety. God gives the wicked man security. This is Job’s conviction based on his own observation.

24. They are exalted. This is Job’s conclusion regarding God’s dealing with the wicked. His friends affirm that they are punished for their sins in this life, and that great crimes would soon meet with great calamities. This Job denies, and says that the fact is they are exalted. Yet he knows the time will come when they will be rewarded for their evil deeds. He maintains, however, that their death may be tranquil and easy and that no extraordinary proof of divine displeasure may accompany their departure.

25. Make me a liar. Job challenges his friends to disprove his proposition. He feels that he has the backing of human experience that his friends cannot refute.