Job 10:3

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 10:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked?
Job 10:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 10

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
3Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked?

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“[Is it] good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress? etc.] This God does not approve of in others; he dehorts men from it; he threatens to punish those that do so, and to be a swift witness against them; he promises to arise to the help of the oppressed, and to be a refuge for them, and therefore will never do the same himself; it can never be pleasant to him, nor right and just in his sight, nor is it of any advantage to him. Job here suggests that his afflictions were an oppression to him; and, indeed, no affliction is joyous, but grievous, and sometimes the hand of God presses hard and sore, but then there is no injury nor any injustice done, as the word f425 here used signifies; and he…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Job is unwilling to think God can have pleasure in using His power to "oppress" the weak, and to treat man, the work of His own hands, as of no value (Job 10:8; Psa 138:8). shine upon--favor with prosperity (Psa 50:2).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress - The sense of this is, that it could not be with God a matter of personal gratification to inflict pain wantonly. There must be a reason why he did it. This was clear to Job, and he was anxious, therefore, to know the reason why he was treated in this manner. Yet there is evidently here not a little of the spirit of complaining. There is an insinuation that God was afflicting him beyond what he deserved; see Job 10:7. The state of his mind appears to have been this: he is conscious to himself that he is a sincere friend of God, and he is unwilling to believe that God can wantonly inflict pain - and yet he has no other way of accounting for…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Good - Dost thou take any pleasure in it? Far be it from Job, to think that God did him wrong. But he is at a loss to reconcile his providences with his justice. And so other good men have often been, and will be, until the day shall declare it. Job 10:4”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Is it good: Job 34:5-7, Job 34:18, Job 34:19, Job 36:7-9, Job 36:17, Job 36:18, Job 40:2, Job 40:8; Lam. 3:2-18 despise: Psa 69:33 the work: Heb. the labour, Job 14:15, Job 34:19; Psa 138:8; Isa 64:8; Pe1 4:19 shine upon: Job 8:20; Jer 12:1-3 Job 10:4”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“3 Doth it please Thee when Thou oppressest, That Thou rejectest the work of Thy hands, While Thou shinest upon the counsel of the wicked? 4 Hast Thou eyes of flesh, Or seest Thou as a mortal seeth? 5 Are Thy days as the days of a mortal, Or Thy years as man's days, 6 That Thou seekest after my iniquity, And searchest after my sin? 7 Although Thou knowest that I am not a wicked man, And there is none that can deliver out of Thy hand. There are three questions by which Job seeks to exhaust every possible way of accounting for his sufferings as coming from God. These attempts at explanation, however, are at once destroyed, because they proceed upon conceptions which are unworthy of God, and…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification