So these three men ceased to answer Job
His three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and
Zophar the Naamathite, who came to visit and comfort him under
his afflictions; but unawares were led into a controversy with
him, occasioned by some rash and impatient expressions of his;
which controversy had been carried on between them a considerable
time, but now dropped; they grew weary of it, and now rested
themselves as men do on a sabbath, as the word signifies; they
set themselves down, and made no reply to Job's vindication of
himself, not caring to give themselves any further trouble, or
labour the point any more and longer, perceiving it was all to no
purpose: or "and these three men ceased" the last words of the
preceding chapter are, "the words of Job are ended", ( Job 31:40 ) ; and the
copulative "and" connects these with them, and shows that these
men also had done speaking; so that the dispute was closed
between Job and them, and the way was clear for another disputant
that might think fit to enter, as Elihu did, after mentioned
because he [was] righteous in his own eyes;
some take this to express the state of the question between them,
rendering the words, "that he was righteous" F6. The
notion his friends had of him was, that he was righteous in his
own account, and as he professed to be, and might so seem to
others; but was a wicked man, and an hypocrite, as his
afflictions showed; this point they had been labouring to prove,
but, upon Job's long and clear vindication of his integrity, they
ceased to defend it: others suppose the words to be an inference
of Job's from their silence: "therefore he was righteous" they
making no reply to him, he concluded himself to be quit and clear
of the charge they had brought against him; but they rather,
according to our version, contain a reason why they ceased to
answer him; because they thought him self-conceited, self-willed,
obstinate, and incorrigible; not open to conviction, stiffly
insisting on his own innocence, not allowing that he was guilty
of any sin or sins, which were the cause of his afflictions;
otherwise, in the article of justification before God, Job was no
self-righteous man, nor was he so charged by his friends; to say
he was is to abuse his character, and is contrary to that which
God himself has given of him; nor would he have so highly
commended him as to suggest there was none like him on earth,
when of all men in the world there are none more abominable to
God than a self-righteous man; see ( Isaiah 65:4 ) (
Luke 16:15 ) (
18:14 ) . It is
contrary to Job's knowledge of and faith in Christ, as his living
Redeemer, ( Job 19:25 ) ; and to many
clear and strong expressions, confessing his sin, disclaiming
perfection, and declaring himself no self-justiciary, ( Job 7:20 ) ( Job 9:2 Job 9:20 Job
9:31-33 ) .