Job 29:3

Job 29:3 When his candle shined upon my head, [and when] by his light I walked [through] darkness;

Ver. 3. When his candle shined upon my head] When I was apparently blessed by him, and all went hail well with me. The sun smote me not by day nor the moon by night, Psa 121:6, but both seemed to be made and to make for me. Nay, more; the sweet sunshine of God’s loving countenance was displayed upon me, which is not like the winter sun, that casts a goodly countenance when it shines, but gives little comfort and heat. Job had both counsel and comfort from God; and that when other men were to seek of both: for,

By his light I walked through darkness] Without the least fear of those evils and miseries that put others into very great distemper. So Noah was - Mediis tranquillus in undis. Abraham stands upon the hill, and seeth the cities of the plain burning. David can walk (not step) through (not cross) the valley (not a dark entry) of the shadow of death (the darkest side of death), and not fear (though he should go back again in the same way). And why? "for thou art with me," saith he, "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me," Psa 23:4.

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.

When I felt his favor.

I was free from affliction.

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

candle--when His favor shone on me (see on Job 18:6 and Psa 18:28).

darkness--By His safeguard I passed secure through dangers. Perhaps alluding to the lights carried before caravans in nightly travels through deserts [NOYES].

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 3. When his candle shined upon my head] Alluding most probably to the custom of illuminating festival or assembly rooms by lamps pendant from the ceiling. These shone literally on the heads of the guests.

By his light I walked through darkness] His light - prosperity and peace - continued to illuminate my way. If adversity came, I had always the light of God to direct me. Almost all the nations of the world have represented their great men as having a nimbus or Divine glory about their heads, which not only signified the honour they had, but was also an emblem of the inspiration of the Almighty.

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

(3) When his candle shined.—See Isa_1:10.

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

3. This verse expands “preserved” or “watched over” in Job_29:2.

his candle shined upon] Or, his lamp shined over. God’s lamp shone above him, and lighted his path, so that the darkness before him was made to be light, Isa_42:16. God’s “lamp” is a figure for His favour and enlightenment and prospering of him.

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.

When his candle shined upon my head,.... Which may be understood either of outward prosperity, sometimes signified by a candle, Job 18:5; and may be called the candle of the Lord, because it is from him, it is of his lighting and setting up; and its shining on his head may denote the large measure and degree of it possessed by him, in allusion to torches carried on high to light with; or lamps, or candles, set up in the higher part of the house to give the more light; or to the sun in the firmament, and especially when in its meridian, and shines clearest right over our heads, and casts no shadow: or else it may be understood of light in a figurative sense, not of the light of nature in men, which, though called the candle of the Lord, Pro 20:27; yet, in man's fallen state, shines not clearly; and with respect to this there was no difference in Job than heretofore; but rather it is the light of grace, the true light, which had shone upon him and in him, but now not so clearly as formerly, and as he could wish for; or else the word of God, which is a light unto the feet, and a lamp to the path; or it may be, best of all, the favour of God, the light of his countenance he had before enjoyed, having had a comfortable display of his love, a clear view of interest in it, and had the blessings of it bestowed upon him, and enjoyed by him; and nothing was more desirable by him, as is by every good man, than the return of the light of God's countenance; and that he might be remembered with his special favour, as his people are, and as he had been in times past:

and when by his light I walked through darkness; that is, either by the light of outward prosperity he had escaped those calamities, distresses, and dangers, and got over those difficulties which attended others, though now surrounded with them; or by the light of divine grace, or of the word of God, and especially by and in the light of God's countenance, he walked cheerfully and comfortably, without any fear of the darkness of affliction and calamities, or of the dark valley of the shadow of death, or of the prince of darkness, or of the darkness of hell and damnation; but now clouds of darkness being about him, and he without the light of God's countenance, could not see the way in which he walked and therefore wished that that again might be lifted up upon him.

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

When his candle shined upon my head - Margin, or, “lamp;” compare notes Job 18:6. It was remarked in the note on that place, that it was common to have lamps or lights always burning in a house or tent. When Job speaks of the lamps shining “on his head,” the allusion is probably to the custom of suspending a lamp from the ceiling - a custom which prevails among the wealthy Arabs. “Scott.” Virgil speaks of a similar thing in the palace of Dido:

- Dependent lychni laquearibus aureis Incensi.

Aeneid i. 726.

“From gilded roofs depending lamps display

Nocturnal beams that imitate the day.”

Dryden

See, also Lucretius, ii. 24. Indeed the custom is common everywhere and the image is a beautiful illustration of the divine favor - of light and happiness imparted by God, the great source of blessedness from above. The Hebrew word rendered “shined” בהלו behilô) has been the occasion of some perplexity in regard to its form. According to Ewald, Hebrew Gram. p. 471, and Gesenius, Lex, it is the Hiphil form of הלל hâlal - to shine, the He preformative being dropped. The sense is, “In his causing the light to shine.” Others suppose that it is the infinitive of the Qal, with a pleonastic suffix; meaning “when it shined;” that is, the light. The sense is essentially the same; compare Schultens and Rosenmuller in loc.

And when by his light - Under his guidance and direction.

I walked through darkness - “Here is reference probably to the fires or other lights which were carried before the caravans in their nightly travels through the deserts.” “Noyes.” The meaning is, that God afforded him protection, instruction, and guidance. In places, and on subjects that would have been otherwise dark, he counselled and led him. He enjoyed the manifestations’ of the divine favor; his understanding was enlightened, and he was enabled to comprehend subjects that would have been otherwise perplexing and difficult. He refers, probably, to the inquiries about the divine government and administration, and to the questions that came before him as a magistrate or an umpire - questions that he was enabled to determine with wisdom.

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

His candle, i.e. his favour and blessing, oft signified by the name light; as his displeasure and a state of affliction is frequently called darkness. Upon my head, or, over my head, to comfort and direct me. The ground of the expression is this, that lights used to be carried and set on high, that men may make the better use of them, as the sun for that end was placed above us.

I walked through darkness; I passed safely through many difficulties, and dangers, and common calamities, which befell others who lived round about me, and overcame those troubles which fell upon myself.

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

3. When his candle shined — Literally, When he, his lamp, shone above my head. The glory of a providential God, under a figure of marked beauty, is represented as taking the place of the lamp which Orientals are accustomed to suspend, often from the ceiling, in every occupied apartment. Thus the light shone the live-long night upon the heads of those who slept below on the floors or divans. (Note, Job_18:6.) Ecc_12:6 figures existence under the image of a golden lamp, (bowl,) suspended from the ceiling by a silver cord, upon the breaking of which life ceases. (DELITZSCH, Bib. Psych., 269.) The second clause of the verse may contain, as Kitto supposes, an allusion to the torches or cressets carried aloft in the night marches of large caravans.

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

When his candle shined upon my head. (comp. Psa_18:28, "For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness A "candle," or "lamp," is a general symbol in Scripture for life and prosperity. God is said to light men"s candles when he blesses them and maizes his countenance to shine upon them; conversely, when he withdraws his favour he is said to put their candles out. (Job_18:6 Job_21:17) And when by his light I walked through darkness. The light of God"s countenance shining about a man"s path enables him to walk securely even through thick darkness, i.e. through trouble and perplexity.

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

Darkness - I passed safely through many difficulties, and dangers, and common calamities.

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

when He lit His candle [This is] an expression of light and joy.

by His light I would go. In every occasion of darkness and trouble that came to the world, I had light.

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.