Job 40:4

“Behold, I am vile, etc.] Or “light” f1442; which may have respect either to his words and arguments, which he thought had force in them, but now he saw they had none; or to his works and actions, the integrity of his life, and the uprightness of his ways, which he imagined were weighty and of great importance, but now being weighed in the balances of justice were found wanting; or it may refer to his original meanness and distance from God, being dust and ashes, and nothing in comparison of him; and so the Septuagint version is, “I am nothing”; (see <234017>Isaiah 40:17); or rather to the original vileness and sinfulness of his nature he had now a sight of, and saw how he had been breaking…”

“I am (too) vile (to reply). It is a very different thing to vindicate ourselves before God, from what it is before men. Job could do the latter, not the former. lay . . . hand . . . upon . . . mouth--I have no plea to offer (Job 21:5; Jdg 18:19).”

“Behold, I am vile: what shall I answer thee? - “Instead of being able to argue my cause, and to vindicate myself as I had expected, I now see that I am guilty, and I have nothing to say.” He had argued boldly with his friends. He had, before them, maintained his innocence of the charges which they brought against him, and had supposed that he would be able to maintain the same argument before God. But when the opportunity was given, he felt that he was a poor, weak man; a guilty and miserable offender. It is a very different thing to maintain our cause before God, from what it is to maintain it before people; and though we may attempt to vindicate our own righteousness when we argue with our…”

“40:4 I am nothing (cp. 42:6): Job was not repenting from sin; like Abraham, he recognized his unworthiness (Gen 18:27). • Job had asked his comforters to cover their mouth to acknowledge shock (21:5); here he does so himself in reaction to his own rash words.”

“Behold: Job 42:6; Gen 18:27, Gen 32:10; Sa2 24:10; Kg1 19:4; Ezr 9:6, Ezr 9:15; Neh 9:33; Psa 51:4, Psa 51:5; Isa 6:5, Isa 53:6, Isa 64:6; Dan 9:5, Dan 9:7; Luk 5:8, Luk 15:18, Luk 15:19, Luk 18:13; Ti1 1:15 what: Job 9:31-35, Job 16:21, Job 23:4-7, Job 31:37 I will: Job 21:5, Job 29:9; Jdg 18:19; Psa 39:9; Pro 30:32; Mic 7:16; Hab 2:20; Zac 2:13 Job 40:5”

“4 Behold, I am too mean: what shall I answer Thee? I lay my hand upon my mouth. 5 Once have I spoken, and will not begin again; And twice - I will do it no more. He is small, i.e., not equal to the task imposed, therefore he keeps his mouth firmly closed (comp. Job 21:5; Job 29:9), for whatever he might say would still not be to the point. Once he has dared to criticise God's doings; a second time (שׁתּים = שׁנית, Ges. 120, 5) he ventures it no more, for God's wondrous wisdom and all-careful love dazzle him, and he gladly bows. But how? Is not the divine speech altogether different from what one ought to expect? One expects to hear from the mouth of Jehovah something unheard of in the…”