Job 15:8

secret--rather, "Wast thou a listener in the secret council of God?" The Hebrew means properly the cushions of a divan on which counsellors in the East usually sit. God's servants are admitted to God's secrets (Psa 25:14; Gen 18:17; Joh 15:15).

restrain--Rather, didst thou take away, or borrow, thence (namely, from the divine secret council) thy wisdom? Eliphaz in this (Job 15:8-9) retorts Job's words upon himself (Job 12:2-3; Job 13:2).

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

Job 15:8 Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

Ver. 8. Hast thou heard the secret of God?] Thus he goes on to jeer Job, and to accuse him of insolent arrogance, as if he had taken himself to be of God’s cabinet council, and so to have known more of his mind than any other. Now this never came into Job’s heart; but these hot spirited people, Biliosi et bellicosi, when their choler is once up, will not stick to say anything against another whom they desire to gall, and to make the worst of his words, when as themselves cannot take a reproof, though never so just.

And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?] Hast thou engrossed all the wisdom in the world? and must it needs live and die with thee? Is every man a fool presently, who is not of thy mind and make? An solus sapis, ita ut te pereunte sit ipsa sapientia peritura? (Vatabl.) Epicurus indeed had such a conceit; and Pulaemen, in Suetonius, and Laurentius Valla, with some others of late: but Job was far from it, as appeareth by his many self-abasing expressions; and it had been well for him if his three friends had taken out that lesson in Wisdom’s school; viz. to judge those certain good things found in another better than they are; and certain evils, less; doubtful good things, certain; and doubtful evil things, none.

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.

15:8 The book’s readers know about God’s secret council (1:6-12; 2:1-6; see 1 Kgs 22:19-20; Ps 89:5-7), but Job and his company did not.

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

Art thou only wise?

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

Verse 8. Hast thou heard the secret of God?] "Hast thou hearkened in God's council?" Wert thou one of the celestial cabinet, when God said, Let US make man in OUR image, and in OUR likeness?

Dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?] Dost thou wish us to understand that God's counsels were revealed to none but thyself? And dost thou desire that we should give implicit credence to whatsoever thou art pleased to speak? These are all strong sarcastic questions, and apparently uttered with great contempt.

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

8. Hast thou heard the secret] Rather, didst thou listen in the council of God? Cf. Jer_23:22, Psa_89:7 (assembly = council).

dost thou restrain the wisdom] Rather, didst thou draw wisdom to thyself? i. e. appropriate or absorb wisdom. The “wisdom” here is the highest, divine wisdom. The question put is, whether Job was a a member of the Divine council, so as to have full knowledge of the mysteries of God? The Mohammedan conception of evil spirits (satans) listening and overhearing the Divine secrets is quite different from the idea here. Such spirits have no access to heaven, and seek only to filch fragments of God’s counsels. The shooting stars are bolts which God hurls at these intruding eavesdroppers; Kor. 37:6-10.

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.

Hast thou heard the secret of God?.... Or, "in the secret of God" (a), in his cabinet council, what was said and done there? hast thou stood in the council of God? hast thou been one of his privy council, or counsellors, and been let into all the secrets of God, of his purposes and providence, and into the reasons of all his administrations, that thou talkest so freely, and boldly, and confidently as thou dost? Indeed Christ, the son of God, was the Angel of the great council; the counsel of peace was between him and his Father; yea, he was in his bosom, and privy to all his thoughts, designs, and decrees, and knew everything, what would be, and the reasons thereof; as well as the nature of his Father, his perfections, mind, and will, which he has declared: but could Job pretend to this, or anything like it? no, surely. Indeed there are some secrets of God which he makes known to his people, and no doubt, in some measure, Job was acquainted with them; such as the secrets of God's love, and of the covenant of his grace, which are with them that fear him; and such an one Job was, and with whom, in times past at least, the secret of God was, even his everlasting love in the open manifestation of it to him; which is a secret in the heart of God, till revealed and shed abroad in the hearts of his people; and so the "mysteries" of God, as some render the word, the doctrines of the Gospel, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, the knowledge of them, is given to the sons of men; Job was acquainted with them, with the incarnation of Christ, redemption by him, and the resurrection of the dead; the secrets of Providence, though they may not always be known now, they will be hereafter; yea, God does nothing but he reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets Amo 3:7, as he did to Abraham his friend; and as for the purposes of God, which are the secret things that belong to him, and can never be known unless revealed, and when fulfilled, even those, such as relate to the election of men, their redemption by Christ, and the effectual calling, are made known by God's saving and calling them according to them:

and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? not keep it to himself without communicating it to others, which to do is to imprison the truth, and detain it in unrighteousness; as men have freely received, they should freely give; but he arrogated and ascribed wisdom to himself, monopolized it, and would allow no man to have any share of it but himself; he reckoned so highly of himself, as if he was the only wise man in the world; thus what he charged his friends with Eliphaz retorts upon himself, Job 12:2; as he does his own words in Job 15:9.

(a) "in secreto Dei", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius. Schultens.

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

Hast thou heard the secret of God? - literally, “in the secret of God hast thou heard” - הסוד hasôd. The word rendered “secret” (סוד sôd) means properly a “couch” or “cushion,” on which one reclines - whether for sleep or at a table, or as a divan. Hence, it means a divan, or circle of persons sitting together for familiar conversation, Jer 6:11; Jer 15:17; or of judges, counsellors, or advisers for consultation, as the word “divan” is now used in Oriental countries; Psa 89:7; Jer 33:18. Then it means any consultation, counsel, familiar conversation, or intimacy; Psa 55:14; Pro 15:22. Here God is represented in Oriental language as seated in a “divan,” or council of state: there is deliberation about the concerns of his government; important questions are agitated and decided; and Eliphaz asks of Job whether he had been admitted to that council, and had heard those deliberations; and whether, if he had not, he was qualified to pronounce as he had done, on the plans and purposes of the Almighty.

And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? - Having obtained the secret of that council, art thou now keeping it wholly to thyself - as a prime minister might be supposed to keep the purposes resolved on in the divan? “Hast thou listened in the council of yahweh, and dost thou now reserve all wisdom to thyself?”

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

His. Hebrew, "dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? Septuagint, "or has wisdom come to thee?" (Haydock)

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).

Hath God acquainted thee with all his secret counsels, whereby he governs the world, that thou dost pass so bold a censure upon all his designs and actions? Art thou the only wise man in the world, and we and all others but fools?

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

8. Hast thou heard — Literally, Hast thou heartened in the council of God. “Wast thou present at the secret council of God at the creation.” (Targum.) After the manner of an Oriental monarch, God is represented as engaged in consultation with his counsellors upon important questions relative to his moral government. The intensest irony introduces Job as a listener, a kind of eavesdropper.

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

Hast thou heard the secret of God? or, Hast thou been a hearer in the secret counsel of God?. (comp. Jer_23:18, "Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and hoard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? No mortal man was ever admitted to the secret counsel of the Most Highest. (comp. Rom_11:34) And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? or, Dost thou confine ( appropriate) wisdom to thyself? i.e. Dost thou suppose that thou art the only wise man in all the world? (comp. Job_12:2, where Job had brought the same charge against his three friends)

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

and increase And bring down much [wisdom] from above to descend upon you?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.