Job 15:34

Job 15:34 For the congregation of hypocrites [shall be] desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.

Ver. 34. For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate] Heb. Of the hypocrite; where he seemeth to point at Job, as by the unripe grapes, and blasted flowers of the olive, he had understood Job’s children and possessions, Job 15:33. Now the whole congregation or train and retinue of the hypocrite God will unnest and ruin, saith Eliphaz; they shall all be as one desolated, so the original hath it.

And fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery] Heb. The tabernacles of a bribe. Under these two heads, saith one, we may reduce all sorts of sinners; sinners against God under the notion of hypocrites; and sinners against men under the notion of bribe takers; δωροδεκτον, say the Septuagint, that is, receivers of gifts; and the Hebrew word signifieth, a gift in general; it is taken also for a bribe, because very many gifts are bribes, Munera sunt honoraria vel corruptoria (Lavat. in loc.). Now houses built by bribes or very many gifts shall be consumed and come to nothing, Jer 22:13-17 Hab 2:9-12; see the note there. This Eliphaz casteth in Job’s teeth, but herein he dealt with him as injuriously as Bouner did with Philpot, the martyr, when he said to him, Also I lay to thy charge, that thou killedst thy father, and wast accursed of thy mother on her death bed (Acts & Mon. fol. 1650).

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Job 15:34-35. For the congregation of hypocrites — Their children, servants, friends, and dependants; shall be desolate — That is, utterly destroyed; and fire — Some eminent and terrible judgment of God, often expressed by fire: see Isa 9:19; Isa 26:11; shall consume the tabernacles of bribery — Which were either built or maintained by extortion and bribery, or such unrighteous practises, of which they thought Job guilty, Job 22:8. They conceive mischief — They devise and contrive pernicious enterprises against others; and bring forth vanity — They execute what they had contrived. They produce iniquity, injury, or trouble, either to others, or rather to themselves: for the mischief they designed for others falls upon their own heads, and they reap what they sowed. And their belly — That is, their inward parts, their hearts and minds; prepareth deceit — For others, whom they design to cheat; and especially for themselves, who, while they seek to deceive others, shall find that they themselves are most deceived, as being deprived of all their desires and hopes wherewith they fed themselves, and cast into all those calamities which they thought to prevent by these artifices. This whole description is evidently pointed at the situation of Job. His prosperity was become vanity; his children were all cut off before their time; his family become solitary; and his hopes, to all appearance, an illusion. All the fine prospect with which the wicked man entertained himself, and for which he endured all the anguish here described, produced only a deceit. He hath imposed on himself.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15:34 The flame of judgment (15:30) will burn the unjust gain of the godless.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Which were built or maintained by powling and bribery.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Rather, The binding together of the hypocrites (wicked) shall be fruitless [UMBREIT].

tabernacles of bribery--namely, dwellings of unjust judges, often reprobated in the Old Testament (Isa 1:23). The "fire of God" that consumed Job's possessions (Job 1:16) Eliphaz insinuates may have been on account of Job's bribery as an Arab sheik or emir.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 34. The congregation of hypocrites]

11. Job is here classed with hypocrites, or rather the impious of all kinds. The congregation, or adath, society, of such, shall be desolate, or a barren rock, גלמוד galmud. See this Arabic word explained in Clarke's note on "Job 3:7".

Fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery.]

12. Another insinuation against Job, that he had perverted justice and judgment, and had taken bribes.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(34) Desolate.—This was Job’s own word (Job_3:7), and as it is an uncommon word, there may be some intentional reference to his use of it.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

34. The same truth as that expressed in Job_15:31-32 now taught without figure, and reduced to a general principle.

congregation of hypocrites] Or, company of the ungodly, ch. Job_8:13; Job_13:16. “Desolate” is barren (ch. Job_3:7), unfruitful. The households of the godless are unfruitful, under God’s curse they come to nought; but it is puerile to make the grapes and flowers of Job_15:33 figures for children.

tabernacles of bribery] Bribery, a common method of perverting justice in the East, is here a general name for wrong and injustice.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They conceive mischief,.... That is, such wicked persons as before described; they meditate sin in their minds, and contrive how to commit it, and form schemes within themselves to do mischief to others:

forth vanity; or sin; for lust when it is conceived bringeth forth sin, and that is vanity, an empty thing, and neither yields profit nor pleasure in the issue, but that which is useless and unserviceable, yea, harmful and ruinous; for sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death, even death eternal, Jam 1:14;

and their belly prepareth deceit; their inward part frames and devises that which is designed to deceive others, and in the end proves deceitful to themselves: the allusion is to a pregnant woman, or rather to one who seems to be so, and whose conception proves abortive, and so deceives and disappoints herself and others; see Psa 7:14.

Next: Job Chapter 16

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For the congregation of hypocrites - The word rendered “congregation” here (עדה ‛êdâh) means properly an appointed meeting; a meeting convened by appointment or at stated times (from ידה yâdâh), and hence, an assembly of any kind. It is commonly applied to an assembly for public worship; but it may refer to a more private company - a family, or circle of friends, dependents, etc. It refers here, I suppose, to such a community that a man can get around him in his own dwelling - his family, servants, dependents, etc. The word rendered “hypocrites” (חנף chânêph) is in the singular number, and should be so rendered here. It does not mean that a worshipping assembly composed of hypocrites would be desolate - which may be true - but that the community which a man who is a hypocrite can gather around him shall be swept away. His children, his dependents, and his retinue of servants, shall be taken away from him, and he shall be left to solitude. Probably there was an allusion here to Job, who had been stripped in this manner; or at any rate the remark was one, if it were a quotation from the ancient sayings of the Arabians, which Job could not but regard as applied to himself.

And fire shall consume - This has all the appearance of being a proverb. The meaning is, that they who received a bribe would be certainly punished.

The tabernacles of bribery - The tents or dwellings of those who receive bribes, and who therefore are easily corrupted, and have no solid principles. There is probably an allusion here to Job; and no doubt Eliphaz meant to apply this severe remark to him. Job was a Sheik, an Emir, a head of a tribe, and, therefore, a magistrate; see Job 29:7, seq. Yet a part of his possessions and servants had been cut off by fire from heaven Job 1:16; and Eliphaz means probably to imply that it had been because he had been guilty of receiving a bribe. This ancient proverb declared that the dwellings of the man who could be bribed would be consumed by fire; and now he presumes that the fact that Job had been visited by the fire of heaven was full proof that he had been guilty in this manner. It was about on principles such as these that the reasoning of the friends of Job was conducted.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Congregation, or family. --- Bribes. Literally, "presents," which (Haydock) frequently were not given freely, but extorted as a real tribute. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "for the death of the wicked is a martyrdom," or proof of his impiety. "But fire shall consume the houses of the present (or bribe) receivers."

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The congregation, i.e. their children, and servants, and friends, and dependents.

Desolate, i.e. utterly destroyed. Fire, i.e. some eminent and terrible judgment of God, which is oft expressed by fire; as Isa 9:19; 26:11.

The tabernacles of bribery, i.e. which were either built or maintained by extortion and bribery, and suchlike unrighteous courses, whereof they thought Job guilty, Job 22:8.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

34. The congregation of hypocrites — The household of the impure.

Desolate — The figure is of a rock, hard and barren. Fire is often employed in the Bible for the wrath of God.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For the congregation of hypocrites shall be desolate; or, shall be sterile"or barren"like the vine and olive of the preceding verse. The entire company of the wicked shall suffer this punishment. And fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery. God"s lightning shall fall from heaven, and burn up the tents (i.e. the habitations) of those who take bribes to pervert justice. It is suggested that Eliphaz intends to accuse Job of the two secret sins of hypocrisy and corruption.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the company of godless people

"the group of godless people"

fire will consume their tents of bribery

The phrase "tents of bribery" means that the wicked people bought these tents with the money they made by bribery. AT: "the tents they bought with their bribes will be burned by fire" (See: Possession)

They conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity; their womb conceives deceit

The same thought is repeated three times to emphasize how much evil these people produce. This speaks of a person planning to do evil things and doing them as if the person were conceiving and giving birth to these things as a woman conceives and gives birth to a child. AT: "They plan to cause mischief and do evil things; they are always planning to deceive others" (See: Parallelism and Metaphor)

their womb conceives

Here the "womb" is used to refer to the person to emphasize conception, as it is in the womb that conception takes place. AT: "they conceive" (See: Synecdoche)

translationWords

godly

barren

fire

tent

bribe

conceive

iniquity

womb

deceive

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.