a day (as the warm hours) · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix
swifter
קַ֭לּוּKa.lu
H7043
to be (causatively · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
post
רָ֑ץRatz
H7323
to run (for whatever reason · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
away
בָּֽ֝רְח֗וּba.re.Chu
H1272
to bolt · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
see
רָא֥וּra.'U
H7200
to see · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
good
טוֹבָֽהto.Vah
H2896
good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · noun, common feminine singular absolute
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 7:6-7 My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vani…
Psalms 90:9-10 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
Esther 8:14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at…
Psalms 39:5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether v…
Psalms 39:11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
Psalms 89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 9:25–end
Job here grows more and more querulous, and does not conclude this chapter with such reverent expressions of God's wisdom and justice as he began with. Those that indulge a complaining humour know not to what indecencies, nay, to what impieties, it will hurry them. The beginning of that strife with God is as the letting forth of water; therefore leave it off before it be meddled with. When we are in trouble we are allowed to complain to God, as the Psalmist often, but must by no means complain of God, as Job here.
I. His complaint here of the passing away of the days of his prosperity is proper enough (Job 9:25, Job 9:26): "My days (that is, all my good days) are gone, never to return, gone…
a post--a courier. In the wide Persian empire such couriers, on dromedaries or on foot, were employed to carry the royal commands to the distant provinces (Est 3:13, Est 3:15; Est 8:14). "My days" are not like the slow caravan, but the fleet post. The "days" are themselves poetically said to "see no good," instead of Job in them (Pe1 3:10).
John Gill on Job 9:25
Now my days are swifter than a post,.... Or "than a runner" (a) in a race, in order to obtain the prize; or than one that rides post, or runs on foot to carry a message, such as were Cushi and Ahimaaz; and such are generally swift of foot, or ride on swift horses, who are so employed; and yet Job says his days are swifter, or passed away more swiftly thorn such; meaning either his days in general; or rather particularly his prosperous days, as Mr. Broughton interprets it; these no sooner came but they were gone:
they flee away; like a shadow, or a dream, or a tale that is told:
they see no good; or he saw, perceived, or enjoyed no good in them; not but that he did see and enjoy much good,…
25 My days were swifter than a runner,
They fled away without seeing prosperity,
26 They shot by as ships of reeds,
As an eagle which dasheth upon its prey.
27 If my thought is: I will forget my complaint,
I will give up my dark looks and look cheerful;
28 I shudder at all my pains,
I feel that Thou dost not pronounce me innocent.
Such, as described in the preceding strophe, is the lot of the innocent in general, and such (this is the connection) is also Job's lot: his swiftly passing life comes to an end amidst suffering, as that of an evil-doer whom God cuts off in judgment. In the midst of his present sufferings he has entirely forgotten his former prosperity; it is no happiness to him, b…
The Church Fathers
"My life is faster than a messenger. He looks like fugitives, those who move away from holiness, like the prodigal young man who left for a distant country.
He means, "My memories themselves are dead, and I don't even know what I am talking about, as my pain is so great! In the moment itself, in which I speak, I forget, as the storm around me is so strong!"
The swift runner does not appear to touch the ground; he appears as though he has wings. [Job says], " 'My life is swifter than a runner.' I look at what is above. 'I do not run aimlessly.' I do not touch the ground." Because they want to reach the finish line, the righteous keep on running, even when they run into obstacles. For example, when they encounter a distressful situation they continue to run. Even David ran, for he said, "I have run without unrighteousness, always running straight ahead." And, "I ran the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding." Job also hints at this twofold interpretation: First, "judges," whose faces are completely covered, is a reference to the people's leaders who run away in fear of the righteous because they saw no successful outcome of the [righteous person's] race. [Their faces are covered] because they are unworthy [to be judges or leaders.] Secondly, however, consider whether Job may not also be speaking about the righteous as well. They fled from the [corrupt] judges according to the passage "but run away, do not stay in one place." And they [the judges] did not perceive the poignancy of virtue [anymore]. And so they stopped running. Maybe it is also appropriate to compare this with the passage, "I have not known an evil person, seeing that he turns away from me."
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Post — (1.) A runner, or courier, for the rapid transmission of letters, etc. (2 Chr. 30:6; Esther 3:13, 15; 8:10, 14; Job 9:25; Jer. 51:31). Such messengers were used from very early times. Those employed…
Life · BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF — BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF
Life, Natural · Is compared to: A swift post — Is compared to: A swift post
Post · A bearer of a message — A bearer of a message
Travellers · On errands requiring despatch: Went with great speed — On errands requiring despatch: Went with great speed
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).
