Job 24:13

13 Why then has he not visited these? forasmuch as they were upon the earth, and took no notice, and they knew not the way of righteousness, neither have they walked in their paths?

Job 24:13 Meaning and Commentary

Job 24:13

They are of those that rebel against the light
The light of nature, acting contrary to the dictates of their own consciences, in being guilty of the inhumanity, barbarity, and cruelty they were chargeable with in the above instances; or the light of the law, as the Targum; though as yet the law of the ten commandments was not in being; or however was not known to these persons; or against God himself, who is light, and in him no darkness at all, is clothed with it, and is the Father of lights unto his creatures, the Light of lights, and the Light of the world, from whom all light, natural, spiritual, and eternal, springs, ( 1 John 1:5 ) ( James 1:17 ) ( John 8:12 ) ( 9:5 ) ; which is the sense of most of the Jewish commentators ^F19; and every sin is a rebellion against God, and betrays the enmity of the carnal mind to him, is an act of hostility against him, and shows men to be enemies in their minds to him:

they know not the ways thereof;
the ways of light, but prefer the ways of darkness to them; or the ways of God, the ways of his commandments, which he has prescribed for men, and directed them to walk in; these they know not, are wilfully ignorant of, desire not the knowledge of them, and will be at no pains to get any acquaintance with them; or they approve not of them, they are not pleasing to them, and they choose not to walk in them:

nor abide in the paths thereof;
if at any time they are got into the paths of light, truth, and righteousness, or in the ways of God's commandments, and do a few good actions, they do not continue therein, but quickly go out of the way again, leave the paths of righteousness to walk in the ways of darkness, ( Proverbs 2:13 ) . Some interpreters understand these words entirely of natural light, and of men who are like owls and bats that flee from the light, who are authors of the works of darkness, and do what they do in the dark secretly, and hate the light, and do not choose to come unto it, that their deeds may not be reproved; and so now Job enters upon the account of another set of men different from the former, who did what they did openly, in the face of the sun, and before all men; but these he is now about to describe are such who commit iniquity secretly and privately, and instances in the murderer adulterer, and thief, in ( Job 24:14-16 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Aben Ezra, Ben Gersom, Sephorno, Bar Tzemach.

Job 24:13 In-Context

11 They have unrighteously laid wait in narrow places, and have not known the righteous way.

12 Who have cast forth poor from the city and their own houses, and the soul of the children has groaned aloud.

13 Why then has he not visited these? forasmuch as they were upon the earth, and took no notice, and they knew not the way of righteousness, neither have they walked in their paths?

14 But having known their works, he delivered them into darkness: and in the night one will be as a thief:

15 and the eye of the adulterer has watched the darkness, saying, Eye shall not perceive me, and he puts a covering on his face.