the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular absolute
given
נִתְּנָ֬הni.te.Nah
H5414
to give · verb, niphal perfect, 3rd person feminine singular
hand
בְֽיַדve.yad-
H3027
a hand (the open one (indicating power · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
wicked
רָשָׁ֗עra.Sha'
H7563
morally wrong · noun, common masculine singular absolute
covereth
יְכַסֶּ֑הye.kha.Seh
H3680
properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
faces
פְּנֵֽיpe.nei-
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct
judges
שֹׁפְטֶ֥יהָsho.fe.Tei.ha
H8199
to judge · verb, qal active participle, masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
where
אֵפ֣וֹא'e.Fo'
H645
strictly a demonstrative particle · interjection
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
Job 10:3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, that thou shouldest despise the work of thine hands, and shine upon the counsel of the wic…
Psalms 73:3-7 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Jeremiah 12:1-2 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper…
2 Samuel 15:30 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people…
Job 21:7-15 Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?
2 Samuel 19:4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Esther 6:12 And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
Esther 7:8 Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was.…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 9:22-24
Here Job touches briefly upon the main point now in dispute between him and his friends. They maintained that those who are righteous and good always prosper in this world, and none but the wicked are in misery and distress; he asserted, on the contrary, that it is a common thing for the wicked to prosper and the righteous to be greatly afflicted. This is the one thing, the chief thing, wherein he and his friends differed; and they had not proved their assertion, therefore he abides by his: "I said it, and day it again, that all things come alike to all." Now, 1. It must be owned that there is very much truth in what Job here means, that temporal judgments, when they are sent abroad, fall bo…
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?
John Gill on Job 9:24
The earth is given into the hands of the wicked,.... 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 is…
"The earth is given into the hand of the wicked." With regard to the context of the passage, Job seems to state that his earthly part, that is, his body, is given to torments and vexations. The permission to afflict it is granted to the impious. Therefore, it certainly happens that those who see cannot express a fair judgment on the merits of the one who is afflicted. Passing to the prophetic aspect, that which vindicates the merits of the person, Job appears to wander from the context of the debate and to speak of future mysteries. The passion of the Lord is predicted. Job's friends could not recognize this because the earthly vileness of Job's external appearance is his internal dignity.
"The earth has been delivered to the hands of the ungodly. The saints in their bodies and not in their souls are delivered to him, when he persecutes them, or when he can impose their will on them. One can still see here the sinner falling into the hands of the demon in his mortal nature. "He pronounces his judgment and does not make him known. The judgment of the just as that of the ungodly is not known in this life. Or, he gives him his judgment, he punishes him by holding for him the decrees of his. Providence, according to this saying: "In the excess of his anger, he will abandon it." Or again: He avenges the righteous by hiding from his persecutor the decrees of his righteousness, that is, those of his Providence, so that impunity may lead him further into the snares of his sin. "And if it is not him, what other is it? All this can be understood as our Lord, who was mocked, and whose earth, that is, the body, was delivered into the hands of the Jews. and it was when his judgment was rendered that his majesty remained unknown. "And if it's not him, what else then," would it show more power? Or again Site is not God who judges the just and the impious, what else could do it?
The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covereth the faces of the judges thereof. For what is denoted by the designation of 'the earth,' saving the flesh? who by the title of 'the wicked,' save the devil? The 'hands' of this wicked one were they, who were the aggressors in the death of our Redeemer. Thus 'the earth is given into the hands of the wicked,' in that our Redeemer's Soul our old enemy could never corrupt, by himself tempting Him. But His Flesh he being permitted did by means of his ministers deprive of life for three days; and unknown to himself, by that very permission, he ministered to the dispensation of God's pitifulness. For assailing our Redeemer with three temptations, he had no power to defile the heart of God. But when he set on the mind of Judas to bring about the death of His fleshly part, and when he gave him a band of soldiers and officers from the Chief Priests and Pharisees, then that wicked one stretched forth his hands upon 'the earth.' The judges of this earth were the Priests and Rulers, Pilate and the scoffing soldiers; and so this wicked one 'covered the faces of the judges thereof,' in that he veiled the mind of the persecutors, that they should not know their Maker, with a cloud of wickedness. Whence it is said by Paul, But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart; and he says again, For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And so the face of the judges proved to be covered, in that the mind of the persecutors not even by His miracles ever knew Him to be God, Whom it had power to hold fast in the flesh. But forasmuch as our old enemy is one person with all the wicked, Holy Scripture very often so speaks of the head of the wicked, i.e. the devil, that it suddenly goes off to his body, i.e. to his followers. Therefore it may be that by the name of 'the wicked one,' the faithless and persecuting People is denoted, with which this also which is added accords; If it is not he, who then is it? Who then shall any where be accounted wicked, if that People, which persecuted Pity Itself, be not wicked? But the holy man, after regarding the faithlessness of the Jewish People, calls back the eye of his mind to himself, grieves that he cannot behold Him Whom he loves, is sad and sorrowful that he is withdrawn from the present world, before the Saving Health of the…
on Job 9:21-24
21 Whether I am innocent, I know not myself,
My life is offensive to me.
22 There is one thing-therefore I maintain - :
The innocent and wicked He destroyeth.
23 If the scourge slay suddenly,
He laugheth at the melting away of the innocent.
24 Countries are given into the hand of the wicked;
The countenance of its rulers He veileth -
Is it not so, who else doeth it?
Job 9:21 is usually considered to be an affirmation of innocence on the part of Job, though without effect, and even at the peril of his own destruction: "I am innocent, I boldly say it even with scorn of my life" (Schnurr., Hirz., Ewald, Schlottm.). But although נפשׁי אדע לא may mean: I care nothing for my soul, i.e., my life (…
Job was indeed innocent (1:1, 7; 2:3), and he maintained this claim throughout the debate (23:11-12; 27:5; 31:1-40).
Rashi on Job 9:24
into the hands of a wicked one Referring to the Adversary.
he covers the faces of its judges from discerning and comprehending the truth of the matter.
If not, then If this [interpretation] is not the truth of the matter, who is it that destroys the innocent?
