“After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.”
The seven days ended, Job 2:13 . Here Job beginneth to feel his great imperfection in this battle between the spirit and the flesh, Rom. 7:18 , and after a manner yieldeth, yet in the end he getteth victory, though he was in the mean time greatly wounded.
“Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.”
Men ought not to be weary of their life, and curse it, because of the infirmities that it is subject unto, but because they are given to sin and rebellion against God.
“Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.”
Let it be put out of the number of days, and let it not have the light of the Sun to separate it from the night.
“Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. stain: or, challenge let the: or, let them terrify it, as those who have a bitter day”
That is, most obscure darkness, which maketh them afraid of death that are in it.
“Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. their: or, leviathan”
Which curse the day of their birth, let them lay that curse upon this night.
“Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day: the dawning: Heb. the eyelids of the morning”
Hebrew, The eyelids of the morning . Let it be always night, and never see day.
“Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?”
This, and that which followeth, declareth, that when man giveth place to his passions, he is not able to stay nor keep measure, but runneth headlong into all evil, except God call him back.
“For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest,”
The vehemency of his afflictions made him to utter these words, as though death were the end of all miseries, and as if there were no life after this, which he speaketh not as though it were so, but the infirmities of his flesh caused him to burst out in this error of the wicked.
“With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;”
He noteth the ambition of them, which for their pleasure as it were change the order of nature, and build in most barren places, because they would hereby make their names immortal.
“There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. weary: Heb. wearied in strength”
That is, by death the cruelty of the tyrants hath ceased.
“There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.”
All they that sustain any kind of calamity and misery in this world: which he speaketh after the judgment of the flesh.
“Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;”
He showeth that the benefits of God are not comfortable, expect the heart be joyful, and the conscience quieted.
“Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?”
That seeth not how to come out of his miseries, because he dependeth not on God’s providence.
“For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. the thing: Heb. I feared a fear, and it came upon me”
In my prosperity I looked ever for a fall, as is come now to pass.
“I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.”
The fear of troubles that should ensue, caused my prosperity to seem to me as nothing, and yet I am not exempted from trouble.