Carefully Examining the Text

Tommy Peeler
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To know God and to make Him known through the teaching of the Scriptures

  1. APR 27

    Job 14:13-22

    14:13 Is Sheol far enough away from God to be used as a hiding place (Ps. 139:8; Amos 9:2)? The question must be asked, Is there any time or space to hide from the wrath of the eternal, omnipresent God? Jesus is the safe hiding spot from the wrath of God (Ro. 3:21-26; I Thess. 1:10).  14:13 The thief on the cross begged Jesus to remember him in Luke 23:42-43.  14:14 If he had hope of resurrection, in spite of his hardships, an assurance of life after death would fill him with hope. Hope of a resurrection can sustain us through the trials of life.  14:14 We shall all be changed- I Cor. 15:51. Belief in the resurrection of Jesus assuring a resurrection to life for all those who trust Him is a game/life changer.   14:15 Life would be no less oppressive, but it would be tolerable if he would be raised, vindicated, and given life.[1] Is the call that Job hopes for like the one that Lazarus received (John 11:43)? John 5:28-29. This may be the idea behind the song, “I’ll be somewhere listening for my name.”  14:15 What is God’s purpose for providing the resurrection? God’s longs for fellowship with man. He desires the work of His hands.   14:16-17 Job longs for God to forgive his sins. He wants God to dismiss the incriminating evidence against him.[2] It is because of Jesus that we are blessed to have forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 10:43). Remember Phil. 1:19 and context considering its seeming allusion to Job 13:16.   14:20 God does not send man away but brings him to Himself (Phil. 1:20-23; II Cor. 5:1-8).  14:21 In the resurrection believers are joined to each other (I Thess. 4:13-18).  [1] Much of this wording was influenced by Habel, 243. [2] The language for this was influenced by Douglas Sean O’Donnell, “Job” in the Expository Commentary, vol. 4, 385. General Editors: Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., Jay Sklar. Wheaton, Crossway, 2020.

    22 min

  2. APR 16

    Job 14:1-12

    Job 14:1-12 Job has been confident that he would win in a court case before God but now his mood changes and he is overwhelmed by the brevity of life. Job moves from a description of his personal situation to the people in general.   14:1 Man, who is born of woman- The word man, adam, begins the verse and therefore is stressed. The phrase born of woman is only in Job in the OT. The expression includes everyone emphasizes the cycle of birth and the fragility of life and is used in Job 15:14; 25:4. It is used in the NT of John the Baptist in Matt. 11:11; Luke 7:28. Sirach 10:18 is short lived and full of turmoil- The brevity of life is highlighted as in 7:6, 16; 9:25-26; 10:20. This phrase few of days is an intentional reversal of the language about being full of days in Gen. 25:8; I Chron. 29:28; Job 42:17. 14:7 For there is hope for a tree,- The book of Job often appeals to agricultural illustrations. While there is hope for a tree, in 14:19 God destroys a man’s hope. The word for hope is used elsewhere in Job in 4:6; 5:16; 6:8; 7:6; 8:13; 11:18, 20; 17:15, 15; 19:10; 27:8. Several these passages uttered by Job stress his hopelessness (6:8; 7:6; 17:15; 19:10). 14:8 Though its roots grow old in the ground- In the ground is actually in the dust. The word for dust is used again at vs.19. Dust is often in Job associated with death (7:5; 17:16; 21:26). And its stump dies in dry soil- Tree, roots, and stump are all mentioned as this tree is thoroughly dead.   14:9 At the scent of water it will flourish- This is a strong hyperbole picturing a tree’s ability to survive.[1] The word translated flourish (parach) is also used of Aaron’s rod that budded in Num. 17:5, 8 or the righteous flourishing in Ps. 92:12-13. 14:11 And a river becomes parched and dried up- Isa. 19:5. The verb translated parched is used of Noah’s flood waters (Gen. 8:13) and the waters of the Red Sea (Ps. 106:9). The verb dried up is used in Gen.8:7, 14; Josh. 4:23, 23; 5:1. Job’s friends were a dry wadi promising water but failing to deliver in 6:14-23, but this is also a general picture of human life.   14:12 So man lies down and does not rise- Job 7:9; Ps. 41:8; Ecc. 3:19-20. There are three different Hebrew words translated man in 14:10, 12. The word lies down (shakab) in Job is connected to death in 3:13; 7:21; 20:11; 21:26. While the tree cut down may spring to life once again, the man who dies will not rise from the dead.  Until the heavens are no more- Ps. 72:5, 7, 17; 89:29, 35-37. Is this a statement of the permeance of man’s death, once he dies he will never rise, or does this place a time limitation on the statement that man will not rise? While the Old Testament does indicate an end to the physical universe (Ps. 102:25-27; Isa. 51:6; in the Pseudepigrapha in I Enoch 45:4-5; 51:1-2), it seems to fit the context more if we take this as a statement about the permeance of death. In Deut. 11:21; Ps. 89:29, 35-37; Jer. 31:35-37 the reliability of God’s promises to Israel and David are as reliable as the sun, moon, and stars.  He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep- 7:8-10; 10:21-22. Sleep is not viewed as a temporary situation from which God will arouse man (like in I Cor. 15:6, 18. 51) but it is a permanent one (Jer. 51:39, 57).

    24 min

  3. APR 6

    Job 13

    The different textual views on Job 13:15 The textual difficulties and translation of this verse is the most disputed in the book.  13:15 Though he slay me, yet I will trust in Him- KJV Though He slay me, I will hope in Him- NASB God might kill me, but I have no other hope- NLT  What does the Hebrew text say? In the main Hebrew text, the Codex Leningradensis, there is a negative lo, no before the verb hope. Some Hebrew manuscripts have lu, to Him, instead of no. Does the hen at the beginning of the verse mean behold or does it mean if in this context? Does the final verb mean trust (AV), wait (RV), hesitate (NEB), tremble The value of the NLT at this point is that it shows Job’s desperation. He does not think it will work, it is his only chance.    Jewish rabbis throughout the centuries wrestled with the meeting. In the second century A.D. these words were written.                    Mishnah Sota 5. 5 On that same day Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hyrcanus taught: Job served the Holy One, Blessed be He, only out of love, as it is stated: “Though He will slay me, still I will trust in Him” (Job 13:15). And still, the matter is even, i.e., the verse is ambiguous, as there are two possible interpretations of the verse. Was Job saying: I will await Him, expressing his yearning for God; or should the verse be interpreted as saying I will not await Him. As the word “lo” can mean either “to him” or “not,” it is unclear which meaning is intended here.  Which fits the context best? “How one resolves these ambiguities is as much a matter of context as text.”[1] While sometimes in textual questions the text is decisive, the contradictory evidence from the text itself may point to context as the most important way to answer this question.  Contextually, which of these readings make more sense? There are writers who each appeal to the context and yet go in opposite directions. 13:15 Job will defend his ways to God’s face 13:16 If Job were a hypocrite would he put his life in jeopardy this way? This, along with vs. 18, sounds like he expects vindication. Even if this passage is positive, what is Job’s hope, is his hope to survive the trial or is his hope to be vindicated even if he does not survive this trial. The overall context of Job 12-14 is less positive.  I am afraid some writers begin from the basis that Job has no hope of the afterlife. Then when we encounter a difficult passage they argue therefore that this could not be proof of the afterlife because Job has no belief in it.    [1] Newsome, 435.

    20 min

  4. MAR 26

    Job 12:13-25

    12:13-25 God reverses people’s fortunes (I Sam.2:1-10; Ps. 113:5-8) and does so in the life and death of Jesus (Luke 1:46-56).  Job has stressed the sovereignty of God in bringing disaster upon the greatest of men. But the sovereign one stepped into history in the person of Jesus and man have insulted, rejected, and murdered the King and the LORD.    12:13 All these terms for wisdom, strength, counsel, and power are used of the ideal Messianic ruler from the stem of Jesse in Isa. 11:2. Isaiah 11:1-5 paints a beautiful picture of the ruler from David’s line who was to come.   12:14 The word for rebuilt in the LXX is also used in John 2:20. The context is that Jesus prophesied of His resurrection (John 2:19-22). There what Jesus rebuilds cannot be destroyed.   12:14 Jesus opens a door that cannot be shut and shuts a door that cannot be open (Rev. 3:7). The same terms in the LXX of Job 12:14 are used in Rev. 3:7.  12:17-21 Mary’s prayer in Luke 1 shows that in the very act of God sending Jesus into the world He “brought down rulers from their thrones, and He has exalted those who were humble” (Luke 1:52).  12:19 The word used for captives in the LXX, priests are led away captive, is used of those that Jesus set free in Luke 4:18. By enduring the pain and anguish of the cross Jesus set free the captives.   12:20 Jesus was silent before Pilate (Matt. 27:12-14; Mk. 15:4-5; Jn. 19:9-10) and Herod (Lk. 23:9). The most eloquent of men was speechless.   12:22 As God brings darkness out of light so at the cross, darkness engulfed the land in the brightest moments of the day (Matt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk.23:44-45).  12:22 These two terms used for the darkness and deep darkness here were used in 10:21-22 to describe the darkness of Sheol. It is Jesus through His resurrection who gives the ultimate victory over Sheol (Acts 2:27-31).  12:25 While He is made to grope in the darkness, through these events of His death and resurrection, the light of the world (John 1:4; 8:12) transfers us from the kingdom of darkness to light (Col. 1:12-14).  Think of how Christ, the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords (Rev. 19:16), experienced Job 12, especially vs. 17-21, in the events surrounding the cross. Job complained that God humbles the great, wise, and noble and robs them of all their dignity. In Jesus God became a man and humbles Himself (Phil. 2:7-8) to become a subject of mockery and reproach upon the cross (Matt. 27:38-44; Mk. 15:27-32; Lk. 23:35-39). They truly poured contempt on Him He was stripped and goes barefooted (I assume) to the cross. By experiencing the cross, Jesus gives a whole new meaning to suffering and shame (II Cor. 8:9; Heb. 12:1-2). He makes it possible for the captives to be set free from their prisons (Luke 4:18). In the cross God utterly confounds human wisdom- (I Cor. 1:18-2:5).

    21 min

  5. MAR 18

    Job 12:1-12

    12:4 I am a joke to my friends- The LXX omits lines a and b of verse 4. His friends should have provided support, but he is a laughingstock to them. This same word sechoq can mean laughter (8:21) or laughingstock in Jer. 20:7; Lam. 1:7; 3:14; Ps. 31:11-12; 35:15; 41:9; 69:10-12. While generally it is the wicked who mock the righteous, Ps. 52:5-7 is an occasion for the righteous mocking the wicked.  The word friends had been used in the book in the description of these three men coming to Job in 2:11 and in a description of how they disappointed Job (6:14 27). Usually, in the Psalms the mistreatment comes at the hands of enemies. It particularly hurts to be mistreated by friends as Job 16:20; Ps 38:11; 88:18 show.  The one who called on God and He answered him- Ps. 99:6 mentions Moses, Aaron, and Samuel among those who called upon the LORD and He answered. Job had often called on God and God had answered though that is not the case in the present (9:16; 27:9; 30:20-21). The just and blameless man who is a joke- The just or righteous (9:14-15, 20; 10:15) and the blameless (1:1, 8; 2:3; 8:20; 9:20, 21,22) are important words throughout the book. Now Job, though innocent has become the subject of their ridicule (Ps.69:10-12). The contrast between who Job really is and how he is viewed by his friends and society is stark.  12:5 He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, The NKJV differs strongly several other versions here.[1] Those at ease are referred to in Ps. 123:4; Isa. 32:9, 11; Jer. 3:26; Lam. 1:15; Amos 6:1; and Zeph. 3:13. These passages seem to refer to those who are blessed presently but who look down upon or are indifferent to the suffering of those who are beneath them.  As prepared for those whose feet slip- The idea of unsteady or faltering feet or steps is found in Job 4:4; Ps. 18:36; 37:31; 73:2; Prov. 25:19. The innocent are sometimes pictured with firm footing (Ps. 26:1; 37:31) and the feet of the wicked are on shaky ground (Prov. 25:19). The step that slips may be a deliberate rejection of God’s path in Prov. 4:10-12, 26-27.   12:6 The tents of the destroyers prosper,- Job talked about God ignoring or even promoting the wickedness of the foolish in 9:23-24 and looking favorably on the schemes of the wicked in 10:3. And those who provoke God are secure- This same root word translated secure was used by Zophar. Zophar said that if Job turned to God, he would be secure (11:18). While Eliphaz (5:24); Bildad (8:6), and Zophar (11:15-19) have promised peace and safety to those who follow God, Job knows plenty who live in defiance of God and are secure.  Whom God brings into their power- Is God the subject (as in the KJV, NASB, NKJV, CSB) or the object (NET, ESV, NIV) here? The ESV has “he carries his god in his hand.” On the other hand, the CSB has “God holds them in His hands.” Is this a picture of how the wicked provoke God or is it a picture or how the wicked are in God’s hand and yet He still blesses them? We can compare Gen. 31:29; Micah 2:1; Neh. 5:5; Hab. 1:11 and suggest the overall meaning is that their power is their god.  In Job 21:7-16 Job will expand on the theme of the prosperity of the wicked that he hits upon here in 12:4-6. [1] The NET Bible argues the first word could be translated lamp or torch that yields no satisfactory meaning and argue for the word misfortune or calamity.

    23 min

  6. MAR 9

    Job 11

    11:7 Can you discover the depths of God? These questions of Zophar expect a negative reply. The same Hebrew word is behind the word discover in both parts of the sentence.  The NASB preserves that idea by translating this with the same English word. It is often translated find and is used in Job 28:12 when the question where is wisdom found used. The word depths is from a Hebrew word (cheqer) used 12 times in the OT, 7 of those cases from the book of Job (5:9; 8:8; 9:10; 34:24; 36:26; 38:16). The word is particularly significant in Job 5:9 and 9:10 for both Eliphaz and Job acknowledged that God does things beyond searching out. Psalm 145:3 also uses the term. (I Cor. 2:10) Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? The word limits (taklith) describes the boundaries, the farthest reaches of something (Neh.3:21; Job 26:10; 28:3; Ps.139:22).  We cannot search the heart of the highest men (Prov. 25:3), how much less can we search the heart of God? Human beings cannot reach the outer limits of the physical universe, who can reach the outer limits of God? God’s presence dwarfs the physical world that He created (Isa. 40:12).   11:8 They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Isa. 7:11; 55:8-9; Ps.103:11. Job used this word for do (paal) in 7:20 asking what he had done to God to deserve his suffering. Bildad uses the same word to ask Job what he has done that leads him to think he understands God.  Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? Lam. 2:13 The height of the heavens is contrasted with the depth of Sheol (Ps. 135:6; 139:8; Amos 9:2). In 10:13 Job used the same word know to affirm that he knew what was in God’s heart.   11:9 Its measure is longer than the earth- Eph. 3:18. The earth and sea are mentioned together in Hag. 2:6. And broader than the sea This section remind us of Psalms 103, 139; Isaiah 40:12-17, and even the LORD’s speeches in Job 38-41. The friends say many things that are good and right, but they draw the wrong conclusions from those truths. “A human being has a difficult time comprehending God’s ways, for he observes them only in part. He lacks the full picture that is necessary to understand how a particular occurrence fits within God’s plan.”[1] How is Zophar using this statement on God limitless nature? He especially applies it to God’s knowledge to separate the righteous from the wicked, the guilty from the innocent in vs. 10-11. Prov. 25:3; 30:4 Is Zophar implying that he has searched deeper and higher than Job has? Does he think that he had figured God out? How does he know that God has overlooked some of Job’s sins?   [1] Hartley, 197.

    24 min

  7. FEB 26

    Job 10:8-22

    10:8 Your hands fashioned me and made me altogether,-  Job 31:15; Ps. 119:73 The word hands is the same word used in vs. 7. The God whose hands formed Job is the same God from whose hands there is no deliverance. The verb fashioned is used of the making of an idol in Hos. 8:4. Jer. 44:19. God’s hands fashioned us and in rebellion man’s hands fashion gods (idols).  And would You destroy me?- The word destroy is used of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish in Jonah 1:17. More importantly to this study is that this is the word the LORD used in 2:3. Little does Job know that God Himself has used this same word of Job’s destruction and the LORD has stated that his suffering is without cause. The LORD is pained by the pain that Job has endured.  Job has trouble recognizing that the One who made him with such intimate care was now going to swallow Him alive. “Would the potter take his most delicate and intricate creation and smash it into fragments like a defective pot?"  Job assumes that the Creator of mankind should be good and that His purposes for man are to bless him, but that is not what he is experiencing presently.   10:9 Remember now,- 7:7. When God remembers He acts on behalf of the one remembered (Gen. 8:1: Ex.2:23-25). Remember is in Ps. 20:3; 25:6; 79:8; Lam. 5:1 a call to God to show mercy.  that You have made me as clay,- Isaiah 64:8-9 the fact that LORD is the potter and His people are the clay is a call for God to have mercy upon them. The fact that man is made of clay shows his weakness and his dependence on God. Man’s weakness is often a basis for God showing mercy unto us (Ps. 103:14), but the LORD seems to have no mercy on Job.  Isa. 45:9-10; Jer. 18:5-10; Rom. 9:20-21 use this same image of God as Potter and man as the clay.  These three texts just mentioned stress God’s sovereign rights and man’s inability to call God to account.

    20 min

  8. FEB 19

    Job 10:1-7

    Job 10 10:1 I loathe my own life- This uses a different Hebrew word for loathes than is used in 9:21. 10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;- He is addressing God. With all he has said about the impossibility of receiving a fair trial before God, He is still the One to whom Job turns. Let me know why You contend with me- Contend is a form of the Hebrew rib, a word often used in a legal context (Job 9:3; 13:8, 19; 33:13; 40:2). It seems that a plaintiff was obligated to make known the charges against the defendant and Job has not been given that right. Job is genuinely confused and disoriented by this whole process and longs to know the why.  10:3 Is it right for You indeed to oppress, - The word translated right in the NASB is a word used repeatedly in the creation account in Gen. 1 . Is it good for God to act as He has toward Job? The verb oppress is used 35 times in the OT. It describes the horrors God’s people suffered at the hand of the Assyrians (Isa. 52:4) and the Babylonians (Jer. 50:33).  God brings justice for those who are oppressed (Ps. 103:6; 146:7). Proverbs 14:31 says, “He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker.” The one who oppresses men ultimately insults God.  What is striking about this use of the verb in Job 10 is that it is God doing the oppressing. It is God who delivers the oppressed. This is the only time in the OT that God is the subject of the verb oppressed.  To reject the labor of Your hands,- The phrase work/ works of Your (His) hand/ hands is used in Ps. 138:8; Job 14:15; 34:19 speaking of man as the object of God’s care. But here instead of God showing compassion, God is rejecting, repudiating what His hands have made.  And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked? The verb look favorably  is a rare word in the OT used in Ps. 94:1 where the author begs the God of vengeance to shine forth. In Ps. 50:2-3 God has shone forth to bring fire on his adversaries. In Job 10:3 Job laments that instead of God showing His vengeance to the wicked, He is showing His favor. The two words translated schemes of the wicked here are translated counsel of the wicked in Ps. 1:1. In that Psalm the man who avoids the counsel of the wicked is blessed.    10:4 Have You eyes of flesh? God is Spirit and not flesh in II Chron. 32:7-8; Isa. 31:3 /Or do You see as a man sees?- Here he emphasizes that God does not see the same way man sees (I Sam. 16:7; Job 26:6; 28:24; 31:4; 34:21; Prov. 16:2; 21:2).   10:5 And Your days as the days of a mortal, Or Your years as a man’s years- In 36:26 Job says of God that “the number of His years is unsearchable.” Ps. 90:1-12; 102:27.  10:6 That You should seek for my guilt- The word seek is often used to describe God being the object of man’s seeking (Job 5:8; I Chron. 16:10, 11; II Chron. 7:14; 11:16; 15:4, 15; 20:4).  And search are my sin? The word search is also used with God being the object of our search in I Chron. 10:14; 15:13; 16:11; 22:19; II Chron.12:14; 14:4, 7; 15: 2,1 2; 16:12. Here it is God searching out our sin.    10:7 And there is no deliverance from Your hand- Often this word for deliverance is used in a context speaking of God as the One who gives deliverance (Gen. 32:11; Ex. 3:8; 6:6; I Sam. 10:18; 17:37). While God is usually the One who brings deliverance, here He is the One from whom deliverance is sought.

    19 min
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To know God and to make Him known through the teaching of the Scriptures

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  • Creator
    Tommy Peeler
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    196
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    © 2026 Carefully Examining the Text
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