Chap. 2. An Expofition upon the Bookof J Ò B. Ver[. r r. 301 counfel and coafolation. Thus for the parts and refolution of the words contained in thefe three verts. I (ball come to the opening of the particulars. Anti when Jobs threefriénds. The word which we translate ( friends)fprings from a root which fìgnifieth to feed a mans fell, or others,or to eat together, as Sheep Rea eat together ; and fo from the fame word, a P or a feeder of `¡LO Sheep is derived, Pfal. 23. r. The Lord id. my Shepheard andfeeder.' And by a Metaphor, it is tranliated for a friend : becaufè friends Pavït tam do ufually feed together, eat and converfe together; SoDavidde_ Guam alias; fcribes afriend, Pfál. 41. 9. MYfamiliar friend,that did eat. ofmy bread. fobs vifitants are thus expreft, hisfriends orfamiliars : The word fometirne notes onlyafriendat large, or anyneighbour ; So in the Law, Exod. 20. 16. Thou fhalt not bearfal e witnefs againjt thy neighbour,or(it is the fame word) against thyfriend:there it is taken in á large fcnfe, for a neighbour, that is, for any betides thy fell, towhom offrces,of lovearedue, as Chriff expounds it, Luke 10.3o. But ufually,it is put firiOly,for a fpecialfriend, as in Deut. 13. 6: when he.fpeaks of inticers to Idolatry, 1f thy friend (faith he) w-ho.is as thine own förel ; there is the fa!ne.wòrd, and he thews by a circumlocution, whom he means by fuch a friend,' namely fuch a one who is as twine own foul ; one that lyeth in thy bofom, and is as tear and dear to thee as thy pelf. I fippofe here in this place, fobs-three friends were not friends at large, but intimate and fpecial friends,or (as we ufe to fay) bofbm friends. And there- fore when it is laid, Jobs threefriends, we are not to underhand it, as iffob had but three, as if thefe were all the friends fob had; but amongft àll his friends, thefe carried away the name, thefe were the chiefand choice f obs tiercefriends : As it is laid concern- ing, Davids worthies, 2 Sam. 23. David had many worthies, but . there was a frJt three, a chief three among them all. So here, Job doubtlefs had many friends, a large Catalogue of friends ; but in thefe you have the top ofhis friends,the chiefthree,the firft three: Tilde three fpecial friends came to vilit fob, to mourn with him, audio comfort him. The occafion of this vifit preterits it felf -next , When thefe three friends heardofall this evil that. was come upon Job. When they heard ofit..The troubles of fob were noifed all the Country over .
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=