Job 5:22

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh,.... Not deride and despise them, and make a jest of them; for good men have a reverence and awe of the righteous judgments of God upon them, when they are

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

Thou shalt not only be redeemed from famine, , and not fear destruction, , but thou shalt laugh at them; not with a laughter of scorn and contempt, as this word is used, 37:13; (for God’ s judgments are to be entertained with reverence and godly fear;) but with a laughter of joy and triumph, arising from his just security and confidence in God’ s watchful and gracious providence, which will either keep him from it or in it, or do him much good by it. The beasts, i.e. the wild beasts, which were numerous and mischievous in those parts. See .

Job 5:22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.Ver. 22. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh] viz. By the force of thy faith, which (like perfect love) casteth out sinful fear; as grounding upon God’ s infallible promises, and knowing that all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies, Psalms 25:10. All the passages of his providence are to such not only mercy, but truth; they come to them in a way of a promise, as bound to them by covenant; and hence their holy courage lifteth them up so far above dangers and fears, that they even laugh at them, as Leviathan laugheth at the shaking of the spear, Job 41:29. They famish famine, and destroy destruction itself; like as Christ Jesus, the Captain of their salvation, swallowed up death in victory; and as many of the martyrs baffled it, deriding their tormentors. Neither shall thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth] i.e. Wild beasts, that devour men and cattle, as lions, bears, boars, wolves, &c., whereunto we may add those cannibals, man-eating persecutors, who eat up God’ s people as they eat bread, Psalms 14:4. Such lycanthropi, or beasts in the shape of men, Paul fought with at Ephesus, and God had delivered him out of the mouth of that lion Nero, 2 Timothy 4:17, who yet afterwards martyred him. But the viper at Malta did him no harm; no more did the lions Daniel; neither would they meddle with some of the primitive martyrs, cast before them to be devoured.

(22) Neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.—Literally, and of the beasts of the earth be not thou afraid.

Verse 22. At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh] This most forcibly expresses the strongest security, and confidence in that security. "In the desolation of Sihon, and in the famine of the desert, thou shalt laugh; and of the camps of Og, who is compared to a wild beast of the earth, thou shalt not be afraid." - Targum.

8–27. Eliphaz, in Job’s place, would seek unto God, all whose ways are marked by one purpose, to do good, and whose chastisements, therefore, but open the way to a richer blessing The passage attaches itself to the picture of man’s evil nature just given, and suggests where man should find refuge from himself, even in God. Eliphaz in Job’s place would seek unto God for help—God who is so great in power, and wonderful in His ways (Job 5:8-9). His ways are not only surpassingly wonderful, but one purpose of goodness runs through them, for even the thirsty wilderness where no man dwells He satisfies with rain, and sets the humble on high (Job 5:10-11). So on the other hand He disappoints the devices of the crafty and delivers the poor from their hand, and the end is reached towards which all His working tends: the poor hath hope, and evil, ashamed, shuts her mouth (Job 5:12-16). And under this general purpose of universal goodness fall even the chastisements of God, and in this light happy should Job consider himself in being afflicted, for God afflicts only that He may be able the more richly to bless (Job 5:17-18). And, anticipating that his afflictions will “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness,” Eliphaz draws a brilliant picture of Job’s restoration and happy future,—the divine protection (Job 5:18-19), the plenty and security (Job 5:20-23), the peaceful homestead (Job 5:24), the offspring numerous as the grass (Job 5:25), and the ripe and peaceful end of all (Job 5:26). The passage like the preceding section has two divisions, Job 5:8-16 describing the purpose of goodness running through all God’s ways; and Job 5:17-26 applying this to Job’s calamities and painting his restoration; to which is added a concluding verse, in which Eliphaz beseeches Job to ponder his words (Job 5:27).

At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh - That is thou shalt be perfectly safe and happy. They shall not come upon thee; and when they approach with threatening aspect, thou shalt smile with conscious security.

Second strophe — The blessings that shall crown the life of such a favourite of heaven, Job 5:22-26.22.