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III. Zophar and Job: Chaps. XI.—XIV.

Second Series of controversial discourses. The Entanglement increasing: Chaps. XV.-XXI.

8. Sharp censure of the admonitory speeches of the friends as unreasonable, and as having
no power to comfort: chap. xvii. 10-16.

1. Sharp Rebuke of Bildad: vers. 2-4.

2. Description of the incomparable sovereignty and exaltation of God, given to eclipse the
far less spirited attempt of Bildad in this direction : vers. 5-14.

3. Solemn asseveration of his innocence in respect to all open and secret sins: Chap. xxxi. a. He has abandoned himself to no wicked lust: vers. 1-8.

b. He has acted uprightly in all the relations of his domestic life: vers. 9-15. c. He has constantly practiced neighborly kindness and justice in civil life: vers. 16-23.

d. He has moreover not violated his more secret obligations to God and his neighbor: vers. 24-32.

e. He has been guilty furthermore of no hypocrisy, nor mere semblance of holiness, of no secret violence, or avaricious oppression of his neighbor: vers. 33-40.

Second stage of the disentanglement: Chap. xxxii.-xxxvii.

Elihu's Discourses,

Devoted to proving that there can be really no undeserved suffering, that on the contrary the sufferings decreed for those who are apparently righteous are dispensations of divine love, designed to purify and sanctify them through chastisement. [The first half of the positive solution of the problem].

Introduction: Elihu's appearance, and the exordium of his discourse, giving the reasons for his speaking: Chap. xxxii. 1-xxxiii. 7.

1. Elihu's appearance (related in prose): Chap. xxxii. 1-6 a.

2. An explanation addressed to the previous speakers, showing why he takes part in this controversy: vers. 6-10.

3. Setting forth that he was justified in taking part, because the friends had shown, and still showed themselves unable to refute Job: vers. 11-22.

4. A special appeal to Job to listen calmly to him, as a mild judge of his guilt and weakness: Chap. xxxiii. 1-7.

First Discourse: Of man's guilt before God: Chap. xxxiii. 8-33.

a. Preparatory: Reproof of Job's confidence in his perfect innocence: vers. 8-11.

b. Didactic discussion of the true relation of sinful men to God, who seeks to warn and to save them by various dispensations, and communications

from above: vers. 12-30.

a. By the voice of conscience in dreams: (vers. 15-18).

B. By sickness and other sufferings (vers. 19-22).

y. By sending a mediating angel to deliver in distress (vers. 23 seq.).

c. Calling upon Job to give an attentive hearing to the discourses by which

he would further instruct him: vers. 31-33.

Second Discourse: Proof that man is not right in doubting God's righteousness: Ch. xxxiv. a. Opening Censure of the doubt of God's righteousness expressed by

Job: vers. 1-9.

b. Proof that the divine righteousness is necessary, and that it really exists: a. From God's disinterested love of His creatures: vers. 10-15.

B. From the idea of God as ruler of the world: vers. 16-30.

c. Exhibition of Job's inconsistency and folly in reproaching God with injustice, and at the same time appealing to his decision: vers. 31-37.

Third Discourse: Refutation of the false position that piety is not productive of happiness to men: Chap. xxxv.

a. The folly of the erroneous notion that it is of small advantage to men

whether they are pious or ungodly: vers. 1-8.

6. The real reason why the deliverance of the sufferer is often delayed, viz. ;

a. The lack of true godly fear: vers. 9-14.

B. Dogmatic and presumptuous speeches against God, which was the case especially with Job: vers. 15-16.

Fourth Discourse: A vivid exhibition of the activity of God, which is seen to be benevolent, as well as mighty and just, both in the destinies of men, and in the natural world outside of man: Chap. xxxvi.-xxxvii.

[Introduction-announcing that further important contributions are about to be made to the vindication of God: Chap. xxxvi. 1-4].

a. Vindication of the divine justice, manifesting itself in the destinies of men as a power benevolently chastening and purifying them: Chap. xxxvi. 5-21:

a. In general: vers. 5-15.

B. In Job's change of fortune in particular: vers. 16-21.

b. Vindication of the Divine Justice, revealing itself in nature as supreme power and wisdom: Chap. xxxvi. 22; xxxvii. 25.

a. Consideration of the wonders of nature as revelations of divine wisdom and power: ch. xxxvi. 22—xxxvii. 13.

(1) Rain, clouds and storms, lightning and thunder: ch. xxxvi. 22-xxxvii. 5.

(2) The agencies of winter-such as snow, rain, the north wind, frost, etc. Ch. xxxvii. 6-13.

8. Finally admonitory inferences from what precedes for Job: ch. xxxvii. 14-24. The third stage of the disentanglement: ch. xxxviii. 1-xlii. 6.

Jehovah's Discourses:

the aim of which is to prove that the Almighty and only wise God, with whom no mortal should dispute, might also ordain suffering simply to prove and test the righteous. [The second half of the positive solution of the problem.]

First Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: With God, the Almighty and only wise, no man may dispute: ch. xxxviii. 1—xl. 5.

1. Introduction: The appearance of God; His demand that Job should answer him: ch. xxxviii. 1-3.

2. God's questions touching His power revealed in the wonders of creation: ch. xxxviii. 4-xxxix. 30.

a. Questions respecting the process of creation: vers. 4-15.

b. Respecting the inaccessible heights and depths above and below the earth, and the forces proceeding from them: vers. 16-27.

c. Respecting the phenomena of the atmosphere, and the wonders of the starry heavens: vers. 28-38.

d. Respecting the preservation and propagation of wild animals, especially of the lion, raven, wild goat, stag, wild ass, oryx, ostrich, war-horse,

hawk and eagle: ch. xxxviii. 39—xxxix. 30.

3. Conclusion of the discourse, together with Job's answer announcing his humble submission: ch. xl. 1-5.

Second Discourse of Jehovah, together with Job's answer: To doubt God's justice, which is most closely allied to His wonderful omnipotence, is a grievous wrong, which must be atoned for by sincere penitence: ch. xl. 6-xlii. 6.

1. Sharp rebuke of God's presumption which has been carried to the point of doubting God's justice: ch. xl. 7-14.

2. Humiliating demonstration of the weakness of Job in contrast with certain creatures of earth, not to say with God: shown by a description

a. Of the behemoth (hippopotamus): ch. xl. 15-24.

b. Of the leviathan (crocodile), as king of all beasts: ch. xl. 25-xli. 26.

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