Job 20:23

When he is about to fill his belly - Here seems a plain allusion to the lustings of the children of Israel in the desert. God showered down quails upon them, and showered down his wrath while the flesh was in their mouth. The allusion is too plain to be mistaken; and this gives some countenance to the bishop of Killala's version of Job 20:20 -

"Because he acknowledged not the quail in his stomach,

In the midst of his delight he shall not escape."

That שלו, which we translate quietness, means a quail, also the history of the Hebrews' lustings, Exodus 16:2-11, and Numbers 11:31-35, sufficiently proves. Let the reader mark all the expressions here, Job 20:20-23, and compare them with Numbers 11:31-35, and he will probably be of opinion that Zophar has that history immediately in view, which speaks of the Hebrews' murmurings for bread and flesh, and the miraculous showers of manna and quails, and the judgments that fell on them for their murmurings. Let us compare a few passages: -

Job 20:20. He shall not feel quietness - שלו selav, the quail. "He shall not save of that which he desired." Job 20:21 : "There shall none of his meat be left." Exodus 16:19 : "Let no man leave of it till the morning."

Job 20:22. In the fullness of his sufficiency, he shall be in straits - Exodus 16:20 : "But some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms and stank."

Job 20:23. When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and shall rain it upon him while he is eating - Numbers 11:33 : "And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague." Psalm 78:26-30 : "He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: so they did eat and were filled-but, while the meat was in their mouth, the wrath of God came upon them," etc. These show to what Zophar refers.

When he is about to fill his belly - Or rather, "there shall be enough to fill his belly." But what "kind" of food it should be, is indicated in the following part of the verse. "God" would fill him with the food of his displeasure. It is spoken sarcastically, as of a gormandizer, or a man who lived to enjoy eating, and the meaning is, that he should for once have enough. So Rosenmuller interprets it.

God shall cast the fury - This is the kind of food that he shall have. God shall fill him with the tokens of his wrath - and he shall have enough.

And shall rain it upon him while he is eating - Noyes renders this, "And rain it down upon him for his food." The meaning is, that God would pour down his wrath like a plentiful shower while he was in the act of eating. In the very midst of his enjoyments God would fill him with the tokens of his displeasure. There can be no doubt that Zophar designed that this should be understood to be applicable to Job. Indeed no one can fail to see that his remarks are made with consummate skill, and that they are such as would be fitted "to cut deep," as they were doubtless intended to do. The speaker does not, indeed, make a direct application of them, but he so makes his selection of proverbs that there could be no difficulty in perceiving that they were designed to apply to him, who, from such a height of prosperity, had been so suddenly plunged into so deep calamity.

20:23 Rain - This phrase denotes both the author of his plagues, God, and the nature and quality of them, that they shall come upon him like rain; with great vehemency, so that he cannot prevent or avoid it.Eating - As it fell upon thy sons.