Job 20:25

Job 20:25 It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall: terrors [are] upon him.

Ver. 25. It is drawn, and cometh out of the body] That is, the arrow out of the quiver, or the sword out of the sheath, as the Vulgate translateth it. By a like metaphor the body is called the soul’s sheath, Dan 7:15. But I rather take it properly: It cometh out of his body that is, out of the wicked man’s body, who is under such a deep and deadly wound as Jehoram was, whom Jehu shot through the heart; and as William Rufus was by Walter Tyrrel, who in hunting mistook him for a deer.

Yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall] And so the wound must needs be mortal, since none can come at the gall to cure it. The wicked shall be double slain (first with God’s bow, and then with his sword), rather than he shall escape. How much better were it to fall down as Paul did, Rom 7:11, slain with the sword of the Spirit! Bernard told his brother, a soldier, that because he would not listen to the word of exhortation, God would shortly open a way to his hard heart by his glistering sword; which accordingly befell him.

Terrors are upon him] Heb. The terrible upon him; which some interpret of devils or hell hags. The Vulgate rendereth it, Then horrible ones shall come upon him. The word is used for giants, Deu 2:10. The Emims shall fall upon him, that is, men of fierce and cruel spirits. But better take it for terrors, as we render it; and so the sense is, That the wicked, when he sees he must needs die, is surprised with greatest anxieties and perplexities of spirit, as beholding that threefold dreadful spectacle, death, judgment, hell, and all to be passed through by his poor soul.

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.

20:25 terrors of death: Although the words “of death” are not in the Hebrew, they are implied because the arrowhead glistens with blood (literally with gall), indicating a deadly hit on a vital organ (6:4; 16:13; Ps 7:12).

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

Some read, of the quiver.

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

It is drawn--Rather, "He (God) draweth (the sword, Jos 5:13) and (no sooner has He done so, than) it cometh out of (that is, passes right through) the (sinner's) body" (Deu 32:41-42; Eze 21:9-10). The glittering sword is a happy image for lightning.

gall--that is, his life (Job 16:13). "Inflicts a deadly wound."

terrors--Zophar repeats Bildad's words (Job 17:11; Psa 88:16; Psa 55:4).

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 25. It is drawn, and cometh out] This refers to archery: The arrow is drawn out of the sheaf or quiver, and discharged from the bow against its mark, and pierces the vitals, and passes through the body. So Coverdale. - The arowe shal be taken forth, and go out at his backe.

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

(25) Yea, terrors overtake him.—Even when he has escaped a second and a third calamity, terrors shall still be upon him. This was all perfectly true in a sense, yea, even a truism, but it was utterly false in its application to Job himself.

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

25. It is drawn] Rather, he draweth it forth—that is, the arrow (Job_20:24).

the glistering sword] Rather, the glittering shaft (Isa_49:2), or, more generally, the glittering steel; what is meant is the arrow that strikes the sinner through (Job_20:24). He draws it out hoping to save himself, not knowing that he is mortally stricken, but with the drawing of it out there fall on him the terrors of death. The picture, particularly the last isolated sentence “terrors are upon him,” is graphic.

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.

It is drawn, and cometh out of the body,.... That is, the arrow with which a wicked man is stricken through; either it is drawn, and comes out of the quiver, as Broughton; or rather is drawn out of the body of a wicked man, being shot into it, and that in order that he may be cured of his wound if possible, but to no purpose, since it follows:

yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall; being thrust into it, which being pierced and poured out, is certain and immediate death, see Job 16:13. Some render it, yea, "the glittering sword out of his gall, he shall go away", or "is gone" (f); that is, he shall die, or is a dead man, there is no hope of him, when the arrow has transfixed his body, and the sword has penetrated into his gall, and divided that:

terrors are upon him; the terrors of death, the plain symptoms of it being upon him; the terrors of an awful judgment, which follows after it; the terrors of the dreadful sentence of condemnation that will then be pronounced, "go, ye cursed", &c. and the terrors of hell and eternal death, signified by utter darkness, unquenchable fire, and the never ceasing torments of it. Some by them understand devils, those terrible spirits which haunt wicked men in their dying moments, and are ready to carry them to the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, where they are to be companions with them for ever. The word is sometimes used of gigantic persons, who are sometimes terrible to others; and since these are mentioned along with weapons of war, Bar Tzemach interprets them of men of strength and power, men of war or soldiers, whose fear falls on others.

(f) "abibit e vivis"; so some in Michaelis; "abit", Schultens.

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

It is drawn - Or rather, “he draws” - that is, he draws out the arrow that has been shot at him; or it may mean, as Prof. Lee supposes, that he draws, that is, “someone” draws the arrow from its quiver, or the sword from its sheath, in order to smite him. The object is to describe his death, and to show that he should be certainly overtaken with calamity. Zophar, therefore, goes through the process by which he would be shot down, or shows that he could not escape.

And cometh out of the body - That is, the arrow, or the glittering blade. It has penetrated the body, and passed through it. He shall be pierced through and through.

The glittering sword - Hebrew ברק bârâq - “the glittering;” scil. thing, or weapon, and is given to the sword, because it is kept bright.

Cometh out of his gall - Supposed to be the seat of life. See the notes, Job 16:13.

Terrors are upon him - The terrors of death.

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

The sword is, occurs not in the Vulgate, (Haydock) though it be in the Complutensian and Sixtine editions. (Calmet) --- Hebrew, "It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; the glittering sword cometh out of his gall; terrors are upon him." Protestants, "May likewise the dart come out through his body," &c. (Haydock) --- Ones. Hebrew, "Enim; giants, who formerly inhabited the land of Moab, near the eastern Idumea. Their name might be placed for any cruel enemies. (Calmet)

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).

It is drawn; either,

1. A sword, which may be understood out of this Hebrew verb, which is for the most part used of that weapon, as Num 22:23,31; Jdg 8:20, &c., and out of the following branch of the verse. Or,

2. The arrow last mentioned, which had entered into his body, and now was drawn out of it either by himself, or by some other person, as is frequent in that case, if peradventure he might be cured.

Out of the body; or, out of his body, i.e. the body of the wounded man; as appears both by the next clause of the verse, which is added to explain the former; where it is

out of his gall; and from the use of this Hebrew word, which signifies a man’s body or carcass, as Jdg 14:8; 1Sa 31:12; Isa 5:25; Nah 3:3.

The glittering sword: the word properly signifies lightning, and thence a glittering weapon, the bright sword or spear, as Deu 32:41; Eze 21:10,15; Na 3:3; Hab 3:11; whereby it is implied that he was doubly wounded; first, by the arrow, and then, to make more sure work, with the sword or spear thrust into him. But the word may as well signify the bright and sharp point of an arrow, of which he spoke hitherto; and having in the general said that it came out of his body, now he determines the part of the body, the gall; which showeth that the wound was both deep and deadly, as they are in that part. It is probable he mentions this in reference to the like expression of Job, Job 16:13.

Cometh out of his gall; into which it had entered, and wherewith it was coloured.

Terrors are upon him, to wit, the terrors of death, because he perceived by the tincture of his gall upon the weapon that his wound was incurable; or horrors of conscience, because he cannot live, and dare not die.

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

25. It is drawn, etc. — Literally, He draweth it, (the arrow.)

The glittering sword cometh… gall — Better, It cometh forth from the body, (some read back;) even the glittering blade from out his gall.

Terrors upon him — Rather, He goeth, terrors upon him. The drawing of the glittering sword (literally, lightning) from the gall must have been fatal. Thus he goeth — dies; the Arab would say, “Departs to his own place.” Act_1:25. Schultens says, “The word ‘goeth,’ standing by itself, adds new weight.”

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

It is drawn, and cometh out of the body; rather, he draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body (see the Revised Version). The stricken man draws the arrow from his flesh, the natural action of every one so wounded. If the arrow was simply tipped with a smooth iron point, it would be easy to withdraw it; but a barbed arrow could only be cut out. Yea, the glittering sword cometh out of his gall; rather, the glittering point. The arrow is supposed to have pierced the gall-bladder, and to be drawn forth from it. There would be little chance of recovery in such a case. Hence terrors are upon him.

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

It - The arrow, which had entered into his body, and now was drawn out of it either by himself or some other person; having in general said, that it came out of his body, he determines also the part of the body, the gall; which shews that the wound was both deep and deadly. Terrors - The terrors of death; because he perceived his wound was incurable.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

drew The one who drew the weapon upon him.

and it emerged [i.e.,] the weapon.

and its glittering blade Splendeur, or splendor (?) in French, like (Ezek. 21: 15), “in order that it glitter (ברק).” Fourbir in Old French, to polish.

from its bitterness [From the bitterness] of the weapon it shall come forth, and from there shall be terrors and fear upon the wicked.

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.