Thou renewest thy witnesses against me
Not the devils, as some, nor Job's friends, as others; but rather
afflictions, which were daily renewed, and frequently repeated,
new troubles coming continually one upon another; which were
brought as fresh witnesses against him, which made the suit
tiresome to him, the trial to last the longer, which he wished
was at end, that the decisive sentence might be pronounced and
executed, and he be dispatched at once; but instead of that the
affair was protracted by bringing in one witness after another,
or one affliction upon the back of another, which were brought as
witnesses "before him" F1, as some render it; either to accuse
him, and convince of sin, or as proofs of God's indignation
against him, as in the next clause; or they were witnesses
against him with the profane world, and even with his friends,
who from hence concluded he must have been, and was, a wicked
man, that had so many and such great afflictions laid upon him,
and these continued and repeated; of which they judged these were
full and sufficient proofs and testimonies. Schultens renders it,
"thy incursions", and interprets it of instruments of hunting, as
nets and the like, to which afflictions may be compared:
and increasest thine indignation upon me;
the tokens of it, by increasing afflictions, and the sense of it
in his mind; for from his afflictions, and the increase of them,
he judged of the indignation of God upon him, or "against him"
F2, and the increase of it; as these
were daily renewed, and were greater and greater, so was the
sense he had of the wrath and displeasure of God against him; see
( Job 6:4 ) ;
changes and war [are] against me;
or "with me", or "upon me" F3; by changes are meant the
various afflictive providences which attended him, which were
repeated, or succeeded one another in their turns; great changes
he had undergone in his estate and substance, from the greatest
man in the east now become the poorest; in his family, his
servants and children being destroyed; in his body, being covered
with boils; and in his mind, being filled with a sense of God's
displeasure, and under the hidings of his face: and "war" was
against him on every side, not only the law in his members was
warring against the law of his mind, his corruptions working
powerfully under his afflictions; and he was conflicting with
Satan, and his principalities and powers; but even his friends
were at war with him, yea, God himself, in his opinion, counted
and treated him as an enemy. Job was in a warfare state, and his
afflictions came upon him like troops, and charged him one after
another; or his afflictions were like an "army" F4 as the
word may be rendered, many and numerous; and these were either
repeated, or new ones succeeded others; different afflictions in
their turns came upon him, and particularly an army of worms were
continually running to and fro upon him; see ( Job 7:5 ) ; the word is
rendered an "appointed time", ( Job 7:1 ) ; and so some
take it here, and may signify that all the changes and
vicissitudes in life he passed through, the various afflictions
that came upon him, were at the set and appointed time, as well
as there was an appointed time for him on earth, until his last
change came.
F1 (ydgn) "coram me", Pagninus, Montanus, Beza, Mercerus, Schmidt, Schultens.
F2 (ydme) "adversus me", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Schultens; so Vatablus.
F3 (yme) "mecum", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Morcerus, Schmidt; "apud me", Beza, Piscator, Cocceius.
F4 (abu) "militia", Montanus, Bolducius; "exercitus", Beza, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Schmidt, Schultens.