Job 24
24:1 a bring ... to judgment (literally set times): The times for God’s judgment are set (Eccl 3:17 b; 8:6 c; Dan 2:21 d; Luke 21:22-24 e), but they are not known to us (Acts 1:7 f). They will be revealed at the proper moment (1 Thes 5:1-28 g; 1 Tim 6:15 h).Summary for Job 24:2-17: 24:2-17 i This inventory of criminal behaviors focuses first on crimes against the weak (24:2-12 j) and then on the criminals themselves (24:13-17 k). 24:2 l The law, wisdom literature, and prophecy all condemned the moving of boundary markers (Deut 19:14 m; 27:17 n; Prov 22:28 o; 23:10 p; see study note on Hos 5:10).
24:3 q The law did not allow seizing necessary belongings as security or collateral for a loan (22:6-9 r; Deut 24:6 s, 10-13 t, 17-21 u).
24:6 v glean in the vineyards of the wicked: Job was depicting the desperate condition of the poor. If their fields had been stolen like Naboth’s vineyard (24:2 w; see 1 Kgs 21:1-29 x), the poor would harvest for the thieving owners what should have been their own crops; instead of owning the whole crop, they would get just the leftover pickings for themselves. Perhaps the point is that the poor were forced to glean from the fields of wicked people who left no gleanings (Lev 19:10 y; 23:22 z), instead of being able to glean from the righteous, who leave something for the poor (Lev 19:9-10 aa; 23:22 ab; Ruth 2:1-23 ac).
24:7 ad Unjust lenders sometimes left debtors without clothing or covering, which they had seized as collateral on loans (22:6 ae; Exod 22:26-27 af; Deut 24:11-13 ag; Amos 2:8 ah).
24:9 ai widow’s child ... security for a loan: See 2 Kgs 4:1 aj; Neh 5:1-5 ak; Matt 18:25 al.
24:11 am without being allowed to taste it: These words, which are not in the original text, are implied by the parallel with starving and suffer from thirst.
• To force workers to tread in the winepress as they suffer from thirst violates the principle of letting workers enjoy some of the produce they are harvesting (see Deut 25:4 an; cp. 2 Tim 2:6 ao).
24:12 ap ignores their moaning: It appeared to Job that contrary to God’s own character (Exod 2:23-24 aq; Ps 12:5 ar), God neither relieved the plight of the wronged (Job 24:2-12 as) nor hindered the wicked from harming their victims (24:13-17 at).
Summary for Job 24:18-24: 24:18-24 au These sentiments appear to oppose Job’s observations, so some scholars suggest that they were the words of Bildad or Zophar. However, Job might have been pronouncing curses on the wicked, sarcastically quoting his friends’ views, or saying that the fate of the wicked presented by Eliphaz (5:2-7 av; 15:17-25 aw), Bildad (8:8-19 ax; 18:5-21 ay), and Zophar (20:4-29 az) also overtakes the righteous (21:23-26 ba).
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