Job 9:24

“The earth is given into the hands of the wicked, etc.] Either the wicked one, Satan, as Jarchi and Bar Tzemach, who is the god of this world; or some wicked tyrant, as Nimrod, or some other known by Job in his time, to whom he may have respect; or wicked men in general, who for the most part have the greatest share of the earth, and earthly things, and of power, dominion, and authority in it; and this they have of God, the powers that be are ordained by him, and therefore to be obeyed; and what any have of the earth, and the fulness of it, they have it from him, whose it is, and who has a right to dispose of it, and therefore being given by him, they have a proper right unto it; but then it…”

“Referring to righteous "judges," in antithesis to "the wicked" in the parallel first clause, whereas the wicked oppressor often has the earth given into his hand, the righteous judges are led to execution--culprits had their faces covered preparatory to execution (Est 7:8). Thus the contrast of the wicked and righteous here answers to that in Job 9:23. if not, where and who?--If God be not the cause of these anomalies, where is the cause to be found, and who is he?”

“The earth is given into the hand of the wicked - This is evidently designed as an illustration of the sentiment that Job was maintaining - that there was not a distribution of rewards and punishments in this life according to character. In illustration of this, he says that the wicked are raised to places of trust and power. They exercise a wide dominion over the earth, and the world is under their control. Of the truth of this there can be no doubt. Rulers have been, in general, eminent for wickedness, and the affairs of nations have thus far been almost always under the control of those who are strangers to God. At the present time there is scarcely a pious man on any throne in the world,…”

“The earth - The dominion over it. Into - Into their power. As good men are frequently scourged, so the wicked are advanced. Faces - Meantime he covers the faces of wise and good men, fit to be judges, and buries them alive in obscurity, perhaps suffers them to be condemned, and their faces covered as criminals, by those to whom the earth is given. This is daily done: if it be not God that doth it, where and who is he that doth? Job 9:25”

“earth: Job 12:6-10, Job 21:7-15; Psa 17:14, Psa 73:3-7; Jer 12:1, Jer 12:2; Dan 4:17, Dan 5:18-21; Dan. 7:7-28; Hab 1:14-17 he covereth: Sa2 15:30, Sa2 19:4; Est 6:12, Est 7:8; Jer 14:4 if not: Job 24:25, Job 32:2 Job 9:25”