2:1 Again there was a day when the a sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and b Satan came also
among them to present himself before the LORD.
2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my
servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a
perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and
escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, c
although thou movedst me against d him, to destroy him
without cause.
(c) He proves Job's integrity by this that he ceased not to
fear God when his plagues were grievously upon him.
(d) That is, when you had nothing against him, or when you
were not able to bring your purpose to pass.
2:4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, e Skin for skin,
yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
(e) By this he means that a man's own skin is dearer to him
than another man's.
2:5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his f bone and his
flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.
(f) Meaning, his own person.
2:6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he [is] in thine hand;
but save g his life.
(g) Thus Satan can go no further in punishing than God has
limited him.
2:7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote
Job with sore h boils from the sole of his foot unto his
crown.
(h) This sore was most vehement, with which God also plagued
the Egyptians, (Ex 9:9) and threatened to punish
rebellious people, (De 28:27) so that this
temptation was most grievous: for if Job had measured
God's favour by the vehemency of his disease, he might
have thought that God had cast him off.
2:8 And he took him a i potsherd to scrape himself withal; and
he sat down among the ashes.
(i) As destitute of all other help and means and wonderfully
afflicted with the sorrow of his disease.
2:9 Then said his k wife unto him, Dost thou l still retain
thine integrity? m curse God, and die.
(k) Satan uses the same instrument against Job, as he did
against Adam.
(l) Meaning, what do you gain from serving God, seeing he
thus plagues you, as though he were your enemy? This is
the most grievous temptation for the faithful, when
their faith is assailed, and when Satan goes about to
persuade them that they trust in God in vain.
(m) For death was appointed to the blasphemer and so she
meant that he would quickly be rid of his pain.
2:10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish
women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of
God, and shall we not n receive evil? In all this did not
Job sin with his o lips.
(n) That is, to be patient in adversity as we rejoice when
he sends prosperity, and so to acknowledge him to be
both merciful and just.
(o) He so bridled his desires that his tongue through
impatience did not murmur against God.
2:11 Now when Job's three p friends heard of all this evil
that was come upon him, they came every one from his own
place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and
Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment
together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
(p) Who were men of authority, wise and learned, and as the
Septuagint writes, kings, and came to comfort him, but
when they saw how he was visited, they conceived an
evil opinion of him, as though he was a hypocrite and
so justly plagued by God for his sins.
2:12 And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him
not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent
every one his mantle, and sprinkled q dust upon their
heads toward heaven.
(q) This was also a ceremony which they used in those
countries as the renting of their clothes in sign of
sorrow etc.
2:13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and
seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw
that [his] grief was very r great.
(r) And therefore thought that he would not have listened
to their counsel.
