Job 22:21-26 | JFB | STEP | 21. Eliphaz takes it for granted, Job is not yet "acquainted" with God; literally, "become a companion of God." Turn with familiar confidence to God. and be-- So thou shalt be: the second imperatively expresses the consequence of obeying the first ( ). peace-- prosperity and restoration to Job; true spiritually also to us ( ; ). good-- ( ).

‏ Job 22:21-26

21. Eliphaz takes it for granted, Job is not yet "acquainted" with God; literally, "become a companion of God." Turn with familiar confidence to God.

and be--So thou shalt be: the second imperatively expresses the consequence of obeying the first (Psa 37:27).

peace--prosperity and restoration to Job; true spiritually also to us (Ro 5:1; Col 1:20).

good--(1Ti 4:8).

22. lay up--(Psa 119:11).

23. Built up--anew, as a restored house.

thou shalt put away--rather, "If thou put away" [Michaelis].

24. Rather, containing the protasis from the last clause of Job 22:23, "If thou regard the glittering metal as dust"; literally, "lay it on on the dust"; to regard it of as little value as the dust on which it lies. The apodosis is at Job 22:25, Then shall the Almighty be, &c. God will take the place of the wealth, in which thou didst formerly trust.

gold--rather, "precious" or "glittering metal," parallel to "(gold) of Ophir," in the second clause [Umbreit and Maurer].

Ophir--derived from a Hebrew word "dust," namely, gold dust. Heeren thinks it a general name for the rich countries of the South, on the African, Indian, and especially the Arabian coast (where was the port Aphar. El Ophir, too, a city of Oman, was formerly the center of Arabian commerce). It is curious that the natives of Malacca still call their mines Ophirs.

stones of the brooks--If thou dost let the gold of Ophir remain in its native valley among the stones of the brooks; that is, regard it as of little worth as the stones, &c. The gold was washed down by mountain torrents and lodged among the stones and sand of the valley.

25. Apodosis.

Yea--rather, Then shall the Almighty be, &c.

defence--rather, as the same Hebrew means in Job 22:24 (see on Job 22:24)--Thy precious metals; God will be to thee in the place of riches.

plenty of silver--rather, "And shall be to thee in the place of laboriously-obtained treasures of silver" [Gesenius]. Elegantly implying, it is less labor to find God than the hidden metals; at least to the humble seeker (Job 28:12-28). But [Maurer] "the shining silver."

26. lift up ... face, &c.--repeated from Zophar (Job 11:15).