Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Job 2:13
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Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
So they sat down with him upon the ground; - see Job 1:20, note; Job 2:8, note; compare Ezra 9:3, “I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head, and my beard, and sat down astonished.” Seven days and seven nights - Seven days was the usual time of mourning among the Orientals. Thus, they made public lamentation for Jacob seven days, Genesis 50:10. Thus, on the death of Saul, they fasted seven days, 1 Samuel 31:13. So the author of the book of Ecclesiasticus says,” Seven days do men mourn for him that is dead;” Eccles. 22:12. It cannot be supposed that they remained in the same place and posture for seven days and nights, but that they mourned with him during that time in the usual way. An instance of grief remarkably similar to this, continuing through a period of six days, is ascribed by Euripides to Orestes: Ἐντεῦθεν ἀγρίᾳ ξυντακεὶς νόσῳ νοσεῖ Τλήμων Ὀρέστης; ο δὲ πεσὼν ἐν δεμνίοις Κεῖται. Ἓκτου δὲ δὴ τόδ ἦμαρ, κ. τ. λ. Enteuthen agriacuntakeis nosō nosei Tlēmōn Orestēs; ho de pesōn en demniois Keitai. Hekton de dē tod́ ēmar, etc. “‘Tis hence Orestes, agonized with griefs And sore disease, lies on his restless bed Delirious. Now six morns have winged their flight, Since by his hands his parent massacred Burnt on the pile in expiatory flames. Stubborn the while he keeps a rigid fast, Nor bathes, nor dresses; but beneath his robes He skulks, and if he steals a pause from rage, ‘Tis but to feel his weight of wo and weep.” And none spake a word to him - - That is, on the subject of his grief. They came to condole with him, but they had now nothing to say. They saw that his affliction was much greater than they had anticipated. For they saw that his grief was very great - This is given as a reason why they were silent. But “how” this produced silence, or why his great grief was a cause of their silence, is not intimated. Perhaps one or all of the following considerations may have led to it. (1) They were amazed at the extent of his sufferings. Amazement is often expressed by silence. We look upon that which is out of the usual course of events without being able to express anything. We are “struck dumb” with wonder. (2) The effect of great calamity is often to prevent utterance. Nothing is more natural or common than profound silence when we go to the house of mourning. “It is the lesser cares only that speak; the greater ones find not language.” Curae leves loquuntur, ingentes stupent. (3) They might not have known what to say. They had come to sympathize with him, and to offer consolation. But their anticipated topics of consolation may have been seen to be inappropriate. The calamity was greater than they had before witnessed. The loss of property and children; the deep humiliation of a man who had been one of the most distinguished of the land; the severity of his bodily sufferings, and his changed and haggard appearance, constituted so great a calamity, that the usual topics of conversation did not meet the case. What “they” had to say, was the result of careful observation on the usual course or events, and it is by no means improbable that they had never before witnessed sorrows so keen, and that they now saw that their maxims would by no means furnish consolation for “such” a case. (4) They seem to have been very early thrown into doubt in regard to the real character of Job. They had regarded him as a pious man, and had come to him under that impression. But his great affli…
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