Job 36:13

But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath,.... Or "and the hypocrites" (s); for these are the same with the disobedient in Job 36:12; who seem to be righteous, but are not; pretend to what they have

But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them. Same sentiment as Job 36:11-12 expanded. Verse 13.

The hypocrites in heart; such as are truly void of that piety which they profess; whereby he either secretly insinuates that Job was such a one; or gives him this occasion to search himself whether he were not so; or rather, admonisheth him not to carry himself like such a one, as he had hitherto done, and for which he reproved him, . Heap up wrath, i.e. by their impious and obstinate carriage in all conditions, they treasure up God’ s wrath against themselves. They cry not unto God for help. They live in the gross neglect of God and of prayer. When he bindeth them, to wit, with the cords of affliction, expressed , which is mentioned as an aggravation of their wickedness; because even wicked men, if not profligately bad, will seek God in time of affliction, . Withal he secretly reflects upon Job as one that behaved himself like a wicked man, because though he cried out of God in way of complaint, yet he did not cry unto him by humble supplication.

Job 36:13 But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.Ver. 13. But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath] Or, Yet; or, Howbeit: q.d. These foul sinners, that have turned repentance into a form, and converted conversion itself into sin, though they see bad men made good and good men made better by their afflictions, and incorrigible persons destroyed before their eyes, yet they amend not by God’ s hand upon them, but are the worse for it; as iron grows more cold after a heat, and as naughty boys are more stupid and more stubborn after a whipping. Hypocritis nihit stupidius. These hollow hearted ones heap up wrath against the day of wrath, as St Paul makes up this saying, Romans 2:5, which shall fall upon the Jew first, because of his pretence to religion, and then upon the Gentile. Nemo enim magis iram meretur, quam amicum simulans inimicus, saith Bernard, No man more deserveth wrath upon wrath than a feigned friend but true enemy. Such are all hypocrites, whether gross or close. And hence our Saviour’ s severity against such in the Gospel, but especially Matthew 23:1-39 Neither let any such goat in sheep skin think to steal on Christ’ s right hand at the last day; he shall uncase such and cashier them, yea, cast them into the hottest fire of hell, whereof hypocrites are as the freeholders, and other sinners but as tenants to them, for they shall have their portion with the devil and hypocrites. Some render it, Ponunt iram, and expound it incandescunt in Deum: When they are afflicted they wax hot against God, they gather wrath, as a toad swelleth when handled, as a serpent gathereth poison to spue out at those who meddle with him. They cry not when God binds them] Cry they do after a sort, as hogs do when to be stuck; or dogs, when tied up from their meat. Murmur they do, and expostulate a wrong with God, as those Isaiah 58:2-3. Non ita Deos coluimus, as that heathen hypocrite said, We have not served God so well that he should serve us no better; but pray they do not, unless it be as those hypocrites in Zechariah 7:1-14, who fasted to themselves, and prayed for their own ends, more to get off their chains than their sins. They bear fruit to themselves, as Ephraim, and see what comes of it.

(13) The hypocrites in heart.—The words rather mean the godless or profane in heart.They cry not.—That is, cry not for help. When he bindeth them.—That is, as in Job 36:8, he has been speaking especially of one kind of affliction, like that, namely, of Joseph.

Verse 13. But the hypocrites in heart] חנפי chanphey, the profligates, the impious, those who have neither the form nor the power of godliness. The hypocrite is he who has the form but not the power, though he wishes to be thought as inwardly righteous as he is outwardly correct; and he takes up the profession of religion only to serve secular ends. This is not the meaning of the word in the book of Job, where it frequently occurs. They cry not] "Though he binds them, yet they cry not." They are too obstinate to humble themselves even under the mighty hand of God.

5–25. Elihu’s doctrine is in a word: God is great and despiseth not, He is great in strength of heart. His greatness is that of understanding, which enables Him to estimate all rightly, to see through all right and wrong, and to adapt His providence to the strong and to the weak, the evil and the good. This thought with the illustrations of it, Job 36:6-15, and the application of it to Job , vv16-25, exhaust the first half of this concluding speech.

But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath - By their continued impiety they lay the foundation for increasing and multiplied expressions of the divine displeasure.

Strophe c — Hypocrisy of heart provokes the wrath of God — a wrath which is cumulative, since the soul defiantly resists the divine chastisement, Job 36:13-15.13.