Job 34:24

Job 34:24 He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.

Ver. 24. He shall break in pieces mighty men, &c.] Infinite conterit validos, so Tremellius rendereth it. He infinitely mauleth the mighty; and breaketh them in pieces like a potter’s vessel, Psa 2:9.

Without number] Or, Without inquisition; as knowing all things beforehand, and not needing any evidences or examination of witnesses; or, without end, because their ruin is endless, Ruina maiorum sit cautela minorum.

And set others in their stead] As is to be seen in the rise, reign, and ruin of the four mighty monarchies, and others not a few, that had their times and their turns; as the kingdom of the ten tribes, which in a few years fell into nine different families; and few of those kings died a natural death. No more did the emperors of Rome, till Constantine. See Dan 2:21 Psa 113:7-8.

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 34:24-26. He shall break in pieces mighty men, &c. — Neither their greatness nor their numbers can secure them from the stroke of God’s justice; and set others in their stead — Give away their power and dignity to others, who shall come in their place. Therefore he knoweth their works — That is, it appears from this that he knows all their evil works, because he judges and punishes them for them; and he overturneth them in the night — When they are at rest and secure; or, he turneth or bringeth upon them the night, namely, of calamity and tribulation, as the next words explain it, and as the words light and darkness are often used. He striketh them as wicked men — That is, as he useth to smite wicked men; or, as תחת, tachath, rather means here, according to Ab. Ezra, inter improbos, among the wicked, or, for wicked men; that is, because they are wicked men, therefore he destroys them without any regard to their quality; in the open sight of others — In public view, for their greater shame, for the greater glory of God’s justice, and for the greater terror of other wicked persons.

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

34:24 God knows everything without asking anyone (34:25). • sets up others in their place: Dan 2:21; 5:28-30.

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

For all his creatures are at hand to serve him, so that he needeth not to seek for any other army.

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

break in pieces-- (Psa 2:9; Job 12:18; Dan 2:21).

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 24. He shall break in pieces] In multitudes of cases God depresses the proud, and raises up the humble and meek. Neither their strength nor number can afford them security.

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

(24) Without number.—Rather, in an unsearchable manner, as before, Job_34:20, “without hand,” i.e., without human means.

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

24. he shall break … without number] Rather, he breaketh … without inquisition. The verse amplifies the conception of the preceding verse.

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.

He striketh them as wicked men,.... Such is the strict justice of God, that he never strikes men, or inflicts punishment on them, or brings down his judgments upon them, but as wicked men, and because of their wickedness; the casting of man out of Eden was for his sin, as well as the casting down the angels from heaven that sinned; the drowning of the old world, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the ruin of Pharaoh and his host, the driving the Canaanites out of their land, the various captivities of the Israelites, with other instances of God's displeasure with men in this world, and the everlasting punishment of them in another, are only of them as wicked men, and for sin; and therefore he is not chargeable with any unrighteousness. Sephorno interprets it, "instead of wicked men", and illustrates it by the shaking out of Pharaoh and his host into the sea in the room and stead of the wicked Israelites, that came up from thence,

in the open sight of others: which the same interpreter refers to the Israelites seeing the Egyptians dead on the seashore; or "in the place of them that see" (f), that is, in a public manner, as generally malefactors are executed, to which the allusion may be; it denotes the publicness of God's righteous judgments on wicked men, for the greater declaration of his power and justice, and for the greater shame and disgrace of such wicked men, and for the joy and comfort of the righteous delivered from them.

(f) "in loco videntium", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Michaelis; "in loco spectantium", Beza, Cocceius, Schultens.

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

He shall break in pieces - He crushes or destroys the great. He is not intimidated by their wealth, their rank, or their number.

Without number - Margin, more correctly, “searching out.” That is, he does it without the protracted process of a judicial investigation. The Hebrew word used here (חקר chêqer) means properly “a searching out,” “an examination”; and the meaning here is, that there is no need of his going into a protracted investigation into the lives of wicked people before he brings them to punishment. He sees them at once; knows all their conduct, and may proceed against them without delay. Hence, it is that he comes often in such a sudden manner, and cuts them off. A human tribunal is under a necessity of examining witnesses and of attending to all the palliating circumstances, before it can pronounce a sentence on an offender. But it is not so with God. He judges at once and directly, and comes forth therefore in a sudden manner to cut down the guilty.

And set others in their stead - Place others in the situation which they now occupy. That is, he can with the utmost case make entire revolutions among people.

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

Stead. Where are not the ancient Assyrians, Carthaginians, &c., who once made such a figure in the world? (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "glorious and sudden, and unnumbered." The next eight verses are taken from Theodotion. (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).

Mighty men without number; neither their greatness nor their numbers can secure them from the stroke of God’s justice.

Set others in their stead, i.e. give away their power and dignity to others who shall come in their place.

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

24. Without number — לא חקר. Without searching. God needs no process of investigation that he may discern, sever, and “break in pieces” the guilty.

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

He shall break in pieces mighty men without number; rather, in ways that are unsearchable, or in ways past finding out (see the Revised Version). And set others in their stead. (comp. 1Sa_2:7 Psa_75:7 Dan_2:21)

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

24 He breaketh the mighty in pieces without investigation

And setteth others in their place.

25 Thus He seeth through their works,

And causeth their overthrow by night, thus they are crushed.

26 He smiteth them after the manner of evil-doers

In the sight of the public.

27 For for such purpose are they fallen away from Him

And have not considered any of His ways,

28 To cause the cry of the poor to come up to Him,

And that He should hear the cry of the needy.

He makes short work (לא־חקר for בּלא, as Job 12:24; Job 38:26 : without research, viz., into their conduct, which is at once manifest to Him; not: in an incomprehensible manner, which is unsuitable, and still less: innumerabiles, as Jer., Syr.) with the mighty (כּבּירים, Arab. kibâr, kubarâ), and in consequence of this (fut. consec.) sets up (constituit) others, i.e., better and worthier rulers (comp. אהר, Job 8:19; Isa 55:1-13 :15), in their stead. The following לכן is not equivalent to לכן אשׁר, for which no satisfactory instance exists; on the contrary, לכן here, as more frequently, introduces not the real consequence (Job 20:2), but a logical inference, something that directly follows in and with what precedes (corresponding to the Greek ἄρα, just so, consequently), comp. Job 42:3; Isa 26:14; Isa 61:7; Jer 2:33; Jer 5:2; Zac 11:7 (vid., Khler in loc.). Thus, then, as He hereby proves, He is thoroughly acquainted with their actions (מעבּד, nowhere besides in the book of Job, an Aramaizing expression for מעשׂה). This abiding fact of divine omniscience, inferred from the previously-mentioned facts, then serves again in its turn, in Job 34:25, as the source of facts by which it is verified. לילה is by no means an obj. The expositions: et inducit noctem (Jer.), He walks in the night in which He has veiled Himself (Umbr.), convertit eos in noctem (Syr., Arab.), and such like, all read in the two words what they do not imply. It is either to be translated: He throws them by night (לילה as Job 27:20) upon the heaps (הפך as Pro 12:7), or, since the verb has no objective suff.: He maketh a reformation or overthrow during the night, i.e., creates during the night a new order of things, and they who stood at the head of the former affairs are crushed by the catastrophe.

Job 34:26

The following תּחת רשׁעים cannot signify: on the place of the evil-doers, i.e., in the place where evil-doers are punished (Hirz., Hahn, and others), for תּחת (תּחתּי) only has this signification with the suff. (vid., on Hab 3:16); but not otherwise than: in the evil-doers' stead, taking them and treating them as such, as Jer. has correctly translated: quasi impios (comp. Isa 10:4, Jerome, cum interfectis). The place first mentioned afterwards is not exactly the usual place of judgment, but any place whatever where all can see it. There He smites those who hitherto held positions of eminence, as of unimpeachable honour, like the common criminal; ספק, Arab. ṣfq, complodere, and then ictu resonante percutere, as the likewise cognate Arab. sf' signifies first to box the ear (as Arab. sfq = ṣfq), then so to strike that it smacks. As little as לכן, Job 34:25, was = לכן אשׁר, just so little is אשׁר על־כּן, Job 34:27, = על־כן אשׁר (vid., on the other hand what is said on Gen 18:5 concerning כּי־על־כּן). Elihu wishes to say that they endure such a destiny of punishment, because they therefore, i.e., in order to suffer such, have turned aside from following after God, and have not thought on all His ways, i.e., guidings, by which He manifested Himself to them: they have thus sought to cause the cry of the poor to come (Jer. well renders: ut pervenire facerent ad eum) before Him (עליו, perhaps with the idea of urging forward = לפניו or בּאזניו), and that He may hear the cry of the lowly (construction exactly like Job 33:17), i.e., have sought to bring forth His avenging justice by injustice that cries aloud to heaven.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

General Information:

Elihu continues speaking.

He breaks mighty men into pieces

This speaks of God destroying these men as if he actually broke their bodies into pieces. AT: "He destroys mighty men" or "He destroys important people" (See: Idiom)

for their ways that need no further investigation

He does not need to investigate what they have done because he already knows everything about them. AT: "without needing to do further investigation, because he already knows their ways" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

their ways

This is an idiom. AT: "the things they have done"

he puts others in their places

This means that he appoints other people to rule in their positions. AT: "and he chooses other people to rule in their places" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

in the night

This is an idiom. AT: "when they are not expecting it" (See: Idiom)

they are destroyed

This can be stated in active form. AT: "and destroys them" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

might

know

works

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

He shatters Heb. ירע, [like] ירוֹצֵץ. He shatters, and like (Isa. 24:19), “has broken (התרעעה).”

and He stands others in their stead.

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.