Job 1:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Job 1:7
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Satan
הַשָּׂטָ֖ןha.sa.Tan
H7854
an opponent · definite article + noun, masculine singular absolute
Whence
מֵאַ֣יִןme.'A.yin
H370
where? (only in connection with prepositional prefix · preposition + interrogative particle
comest
תָּבֹ֑אta.Vo'
H935
to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
Satan
הַשָּׂטָ֤ןha.sa.Tan
H7854
an opponent · definite article + noun, masculine singular absolute
answered
וַיַּ֨עַןvai.Ya.'an
H6030
properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
said
וַיֹּאמַ֔רvai.yo.Mar
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
fro
מִשּׁ֣וּטmi.Shut
H7751
properly · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
earth
בָּאָ֔רֶץba.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
down
וּמֵֽהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְu.me.hit.ha.Lekh
H1980
to walk (in a great variety of applications · conjunction + preposition + verb, hithpael infinitive construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Job 2:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from w…
Matthew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Revelation 12:12-17 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto…
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the…
Revelation 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the n…
2 Kings 5:25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
Zechariah 1:10-11 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 1:6-12
Job was not only so rich and great, but withal so wise and good, and had such an interest both in heaven and earth, that one would think the mountain of his prosperity stood so strong that it could not be moved; but here we have a thick cloud gathering over his head, pregnant with a horrible tempest. We must never think ourselves secure from storms while we are in this lower region. Before we are told how his troubles surprised and seized him here in this visible world, we are here told how they were concerted in the world of spirits, that the devil, having a great enmity to Job for his eminent piety, begged and obtained leave to torment him. It does not at all derogate from the credibility…
going to and fro--rather, "hurrying rapidly to and fro." The original idea in Arabic is the heat of haste (Mat 12:43; Pe1 5:8). Satan seems to have had some peculiar connection with this earth. Perhaps he was formerly its ruler under God. Man succeeded to the vice royalty (Gen 1:26; Psa 8:6). Man then lost it and Satan became prince of this world. The Son of man (Psa 8:4) --the representative man, regains the forfeited inheritance (Rev 11:15). Satan's replies are characteristically curt and short. When the angels appear before God, Satan is among them, even as there was a Judas among the apostles.
John Gill on Job 1:7
And the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou?.... This question is put, not as ignorant of the place from whence he came; for the omniscient God knows all persons and things, men and angels, and these good and bad, where they are, from whence they come, and what they do, see Genesis 3:9 but it is put either as being angry with him, and resenting his coming among the sons of God, and chiding him for it, as having no proper business there, like the question in Matthew 22:12, or rather in order to lead on to another, and to bring out from him what he intended to have expressed by him, of what he had seen and taken notice of in the place from whence he came, and particularly concerning Job:…
And the Lord said to the devil, Where are you from? The answer to this question is the reconciliation of and what he has done and the permission given to him to act afterwards. The question itself is the divine power, which does not allow us to do what we want, because "the impious will be questioned on his thoughts (Wis. 1:9),” to make known to us.
MORAL INTERPRETATION Satan's going to and fro in the earth is his exploring the hearts of the carnal, and seeking diligently whence he may find grounds of accusation against them. He 'goeth round about the earth,' for he comes about the hearts of men, that he may carry off all that is good in them, that he may lodge evil in their minds, that he may heap up on that he has lodged, that he may perfect that he has heaped, that he may gain as his fellows in punishment those whom he has perfected in sin. And observe that he does not say that he has been flying through the earth, but that he has been walking up and down in it; for, in truth, he is never quick to leave whomsoever he tempts; but there where he finds a soft heart, he plants the foot of his wretched persuasion, so that by resting thereon, he may stamp the prints of evil practice, and by a like wickedness to his own may render reprobate all whom he is able.
ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION In the day Satan is demanded of his ways, for that in the light of revealed Wisdom the snares of the hidden foe are discovered. Because, then, the devil is rebuked by the Incarnate Lord, and restrained from his baneful license, it is well subjoined, And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? For He then by arraigning attainted the ways of Satan, when by the Advent of the Mediator restraining the wickedness of his persuasions, He rebuked the same. And it is not without reason that the sons of God are related to have stood in the presence of the Lord on this day, forasmuch as it is by the light of Wisdom illuminating them that all the elect are gathered to the calling of their eternal country. Who, though Incarnate Wisdom came to assemble them in actual deed, were yet by virtue of His foreknowledge already inwardly present to His Divinity. But since the old enemy, at the coming of the Redeemer, is questioned of his ways, let us hear what he says. For from the time of Adam till the coming of the Lord, he drew after him all the nations of the Gentiles; he went to and fro in the earth, and walked up and down in it, in that he stamped the foot-prints of his wickedness throughout the hearts of the Gentiles. For when he fell from on high he gained lawful possession of the minds of men, because he fastened them as willing captives in the chains of his iniquity; and he wandered the more at large in the world, in proportion as there was no one found who was in all things free from that his guilt. And his having gone to and fro in the world as with power, is his having found no man who could thoroughly resist him. But now let Satan return back, i.e. let the Divine power withhold him from the execution of his wickedness, since He has now appeared in the flesh, Who had no part in the infection of sin from the infirmity of the flesh. He came in humility for the proud enemy himself to wonder at, that he who had set at nought all the mightiness of His Divinity, might stand in awe even of the very infirmities of His Humanity.
Dictionary and topics
Satan — Adversary; accuser. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article “the adversary” (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or…
Hospitality · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Light · 2:15; — 2:15;
Obedience · 10:7; — 10:7;
Self-Denial · 13:13; — 13:13;
Sin · . — .
Walking · .In the light, as God is — .In the light, as God is
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Keil & Delitzsch on Job 1:7
7 Then Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
The fut. follows מאין in the signification of the praes., Whence comest thou? the perf. would signify, Whence hast thou come? (Ges. 127, 2). Cocceius subtly observes: Notatur Satanas velut Deo nescio h.e. non adprobante res suas agere. It is implied in the question that his business is selfish, arbitrary, and has no connection with God. In his answer, בּ שׁוּט, as Sa2 24:2, signifies rapid passing from one end to the other; התלּך, an observant roaming forth. Peter also says of Satan, περιπατεῖ (Pe1 5:8.).
(Note: Among the Arabs the devil…
God and Satan agree to a test that would bring about Job’s troubles and confirm his integrity (1:20-21; 2:10). None of the book’s characters ever learn of this heavenly council.
1:6-7 The members of the heavenly court are heavenly beings; they may be either holy angels or rebellious demons (Gen 6:2, 4). They join God in his deliberations, including at creation (Gen 1:26) and in his rule over creation (Job 1:6; Gen 3:22; 2:1; 1 Kgs 22:19-22; Pss 82:1; 89:5, 7-8; Dan 3:13, 17, 23, 25; 7:9-14). • The account remains unclear as to whether Satan usually came with other members of the heavenly court to make a report or whether he was intruding as Job’s adversary. • Where have you come from? The q…
“Where are you coming from?” Scripture speaks of etiquette, that the greater one speaks first and permits the smaller one to reply.
“From going to and fro on the earth” As is explained above, and it is in the homiletic section of the chapter [that begins], “The partners.”
“From going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it.” So is my wont to go to and fro, to see the evil ones and the good ones. Now I went to and fro throughout the entire earth and I did not find anyone like Abraham, about whom it is said (Gen. 13:17): “Rise, go to and fro in the land.” The Sages of blessed memory (Baba Bathra 16a) said that the Adversary meant this for the sake of Heaven, in order that Abraham’s me…