16 If my head is held high, you hunt me like a lion. Again you show yourself powerful to me.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
For it increaseth - Our translators understand this as meaning that the calamities of Job, so far from becoming less, were constantly increasing, and thus augmenting his perplexity and embarrassment. But a somewhat different explanation is given to it by many interpreters. The word rendered "increaseth" (גאה gâ'âh) means properly, to lift up, to lift up oneself, to rise; and Gesenius supposes that it refers here to "the head," and that the meaning is, "if it lift up itself (sc. my head), thou huntest me as a lion." It cannot be denied that the notion of pride, elation, haughtiness, is usually connected with the use of the word, but it is not necessary here to depart from the common interpretation, meaning that the increase of his affliction greatly augmented his perplexity. Jerome, however, readers it, "and on account of pride, thou dost seize me as a lioness." The idea is, "my affliction, as it were, exalts itself, or, becomes more and more prominent." This is a better interpretation than to refer it to the raising up of his head.
Thou huntest me as a fierce lion - On the meaning of the word here rendered "fierce lion" שׁחל shachal, see the notes at Job 4:10. The sense here is, that God hunted or followed him as a fierce lion pursued his prey.
And again thou showest thyself marvelous - Or rather, "thou turnest, and art wonderful toward me." The meaning is, that he did not at once spring upon his prey and then leave it, but he came back as if it had not been put to death when first seized, as if a lion should come back and torture his victim again. The meaning of the phrase "shewest thyself marvelous" is, that the dealings of God toward him were wonderful. They were wholly incomprehensible. He had no means of finding out the reasons of his doings. On the word used here, compare the notes at Isaiah 9:6.
For it increaseth - Probably this refers to the affliction mentioned above, which is increased in proportion to its duration. Every day made his escape from such a load of evils less and less probable.
Thou huntest me as a fierce lion - As the hunters attack the king of beasts in the forest, so my friends attack me. They assail me on every side.
Thou showest thyself marvelous - Thy designs, thy ways, thy works, are all incomprehensible to me; thou dost both confound and overpower me. Mr. Good translates thus: -
"For uprousing as a ravenous lion dost thou spring upon me.
And again thou showest over me thy vast power."
For it increaseth. Thou huntest me as a fierce lion: and again thou shewest thyself (q) marvellous upon me.
(q) Job being sore assaulted in this battle between the flesh and the spirit, breaks out into these affections, wishing rather for short days than long pain.
For it increaseth,.... That is, the affliction increaseth; which is a reason why pity should be shown him, seeing his troubles instead of abating were growing upon him; he had as much, or more, than he could well bear, and yet more was added to it; so that he was an object of compassion: or, "it lifteth itself up" (c); these proud waves of affliction rise, swell, and lift themselves on high, and threaten to overwhelm and utterly destroy; some render it as a "wish, oh, that it increased" (d); that it would come to its height, and quickly and at once put an end to this miserable life of mine: Job's affliction was a lingering one, it proceeded slowly; he wished it would make more haste, and become stronger, and soon dispatch him; see Job 6:9;
thou huntest me as a fierce lion; as the ramping shakal, as Mr. Broughton; the lion rampant, that is hungry, fierce, and ravenous, that pursues its prey with great eagerness, and never leaves till it comes up to it, when it seizes and devours it at once; or it, the affliction, hunteth me, pursues me closely, and will not leave, but threatens destruction to me; or rather, thou, that is God, who is often in Scripture compared to a lion, particularly when afflicting, or about to afflict the sons of men; see Isaiah 38:13; some (e) interpret the words, as if Job was compared to a lion hunted by men, at which darts were cast, for which nets were prepared, and pits were dug: according to this sense Job was dealt with as if, in the time of his prosperity, he had been like a fierce and cruel lion, preying upon and oppressing others; now the Lord was taking methods with him, both to restrain him from hurting others, and to chastise him for what he had done to them: but it would be much better to consider this in a light more agreeable to Job's character as a good man, a righteous one, who is as bold as a lion, and fears nothing, Proverbs 28:1; and such an one was Job; and in his prosperity lifted up his head and walked boldly, and consequently not fearing the frowns of men, nor the malice of Satan; but now this lion was hunted by the Lord himself, and compassed with his net, Job 19:6; and to this sense is the version of Schultens, connecting the words with the preceding clause, "him therefore, who walked high as a lion, thou humblest"; he who before carried his head high, being afraid of none, is now hunted down, and lies low enough, prostrate and distressed:
and again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me; or, "thou returnest (f) and showest", &c. after he had afflicted him in one way, he returned and afflicted him in another; and he not only repeated his afflictions, but devised new ways of afflicting him, uncommon ones, such as raised admiration in all beholders, as things rare and uncommon do: Job's afflictions were surprising ones; to be stripped at once of his substance, servants, children, and health; and it might be more wonderful to some, that God, so gracious and merciful as he is, should afflict in such a severe and rigorous manner; and especially that he should afflict so good a man, one so just and upright as Job was, in such a way: and it was even marvellous to Job himself, who was at a loss to account for it, not being conscious to himself of any gross enormity he had committed, or of a sinful course of life, or of anyone sin he had indulged to, wherefore God should come forth "against" (g) him as an enemy, in so terrible a manner: so some render the particle.
(c) "attollit sese", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Mercerus. (d) So Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Bolducius. (e) So Jarchi and Nachmanides; to which sense the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions incline. (f) "et reverteris", Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Vatablus, Mercerus; so Beza. (g) "adversum me", Beza; "contra me", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius.
increaseth--rather, "(if) I lift up (my head) Thou wouldest hunt me," &c. [UMBREIT].
and again--as if a lion should not kill his prey at once, but come back and torture it again.
יגאה is hypothetical, like וצדקתי, but put in the future form, because referring to a voluntary act (Ewald, 357, b): and if it (the head) would (nevertheless) exalt itself (גאה, to raise proudly or in joyous self-consciousness), then (without waw apod., which is found in other passages, e.g., Job 22:28) Thou wouldst hunt me like a shachal (vid., Job 4:10), - Job likens God to the lion (as Hosea 5:14; Hosea 13:7), and himself to the prey which the lion pursues-Thou wouldst ever anew show Thyself wonderful at my expense (תּשׁב, voluntative form, followed by a future with which it is connected adverbially, Ges. 142, 3, b; תּתפּלּא, with in the last syllable, although not in pause, as Numbers 19:12; Ewald, 141, c.), i.e., wonderful in power, and inventive by ever new forms off suffering, by which I should be compelled to repent this haughtiness. The witnesses (עדים) that God continually brings forth afresh against him are his sufferings (vid., Job 16:8), which, while he is conscious of his innocence, declare him to be a sinner; for Job, like the friends, cannot think of suffering and sin otherwise than as connected one with the other: suffering is partly the result of sin, and partly it sets the mark of sin on the man who is no sinner. תּרב (fut. apoc. Hiph. Ges. 75, rem. 15) is also the voluntative form: Thou wouldst multiply, increase Thy malignity against me. עם, contra, as also in other passages with words denoting strife and war, Job 13:19; Job 23:6; Job 31:13; or where the context implies hostility, Psalm 55:19; Psalm 94:16. The last line is a clause by itself consisting of nouns. וצבא חליפות is considered by all modern expositors as hendiadys, as Mercier translates: impetor variis et sibi succedentibus malorum agminibus; and צבא is mostly taken collectively. Changes and hosts = hosts continuously dispersing themselves, and always coming on afresh to the attack. But is not this form of expression unnatural? By חליפות Job means the advancing troops, and by צבא the main body of the army, from which they are reinforced; the former stands first, because the thought figuratively expressed in תחדשׁ and תרב is continued (comp. Job 19:12): the enmity of God is manifested against him by ever fresh sufferings, which are added to the one chief affliction. Bttcher calls attention to the fact that all the lines from v. 14 end in , a rhythm formed by the inflection, which is also continued in v. 18. This repetition of the pronominal suffix gives intensity to the impression that these manifestations of the divine wrath have special reference to himself individually.
Lion - Which hunteth after his prey with great eagerness, and when he overtakes it, falls upon it with great fury. Returnest - The lion tears its prey speedily, and so ends its torments; but thou renewest my calamities again and again, and makest my plagues wonderful both for kind and extremity, and continuance.
*More commentary available at chapter level.