Job 10:4

4 Or dost thou see as a mortal sees? or wilt thou look as a man sees?

Job 10:4 Meaning and Commentary

Job 10:4

Hast thou eyes of flesh?
&c.] God has eyes, but not fleshly ones; he has eyes of love, grace, and mercy, which are always upon his people for good, and are never withdrawn from them; and he has eyes of displeasure and wrath on sinful men, to destroy them; these are not made of flesh, or like the eyes of flesh and blood, or of men; fleshy eyes cannot see at any great distance, and only in one place at a time, and only one object after another; they cannot see in the dark, and what they are, and only outward objects; and in these they are sometimes deceived, and at length fail: but the eyes of God see all things, at the greatest distance; he looks down from heaven, and beholds all the children of men on earth, and all their actions; his eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good; he can see in the dark as well as in the light, the darkness and the light are both alike to him; he beholds not only outward actions and visible objects, but the hearts of men, and all that is in them; nor is he ever deceived, nor will his sight ever fail: though Job, perhaps, may mean carnal eyes; that is, evil ones, as especially envious ones are: "is thine eye evil?" ( Matthew 20:15 ) ; that is, envious; and it is as if Job should say, dost thou envy me my former prosperity and peace, that thou searchest so narrowly into my conduct to find iniquity in me, and take advantage against me?

or seest thou as man seeth?
look with hatred and envy, as one man does upon another: so seemed the dispensations of God towards Job, as if he did, as he suggests.

Job 10:4 In-Context

2 And I will say to the Lord, Do not teach me to be impious; and wherefore hast thou thus judged me?
3 Is it good before thee if I be unrighteous? for thou hast disowned the work of thy hands, and attended to the counsel of the ungodly.
4 Or dost thou see as a mortal sees? or wilt thou look as a man sees?
5 Or is thy life human, or thy years of a man,
6 that thou hast enquired into mine iniquity, and searched out my sins?

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.