That they were engraved with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever!
All Commentaries on Job 19:24 Go To Job 19
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
In a. Hebrew, "lead, in the rock for ever. "(Protestants) Septuagint have, "for ever "after book, (ver. 23) and subjoins, "with a writing instrument of iron and (or) lead, or be engraven on the rocks for a memorial. "Grabe insinuates that before there was only, "and on lead, or be engraven on the rocks. "(Haydock)
Instrument, (celte) means "a chisel "(Haydock) like coelum from coelo: "I engrave. "(Pineda)
St. Jerome, (ad Pam.) and the late editor of his works, retain this word, as the older editions of St. Gregory did; (Calmet) though certe, "surely "has been inserted instead, from several manuscripts by the Benedictines. (Haydock)
Ancient manuscripts and Latin Bibles have more generally the latter word. But the received editions are supported by many manuscripts (Calmet) and the Septuagint eggluthenai, expresses as much. Celtis est, gluthaion. (Amama). (Casaub. in Athen. vii. 20. p. 556.)
An inscription, in Dalmatia, has the same sense: Neque hic atramentum vel papyrus aut membrana ulla adhuc; sed malleolo et celte literatus silex. "Here as yet was neither ink, nor paper, nor any parchments; but a flint stone was lettered with a mallet and a chisel. "The former modes of writing were not, in effect, invented in the days of Job. (Calmet)
But it was long very usual to make use of lead. (Pineda)
What he desired to have written in such durable characters, (Haydock) was the following sentence, in proof of his unshaken confidence in God, and as a refutation of his friends, who accused him of despair and blasphemy, (Calmet) as also the whole history of his conflict. His desire has been granted. (Tirinus)
