And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?
Read Chapter 24
Ephrem The Syrian
AD 373
“If it is not so, may his wrath make me lie,” that is, if sinners do not go into that scorn that I have mentioned before, may the wrath of God prove false what I have said. - "Commentary on Job 24.25"
And set. Septuagint and Protestants, "and make my speech nothing worth. "(Haydock)
This conclusion come frequently, chap. ix. 15., and xvii. 15. Job defies his friends to show the fallacy of his arguments, or that the wicked do not enjoy prosperity, though they may be inwardly miserable. (Calmet)
14. If it be not so as he tells, then surely all people are able to convict him of falsehood. Why then is it said, And if it be not so now, who will convict me of having lied? i.e. whilst we know that, one who is false, it is allowed anyone to find fault with? But if we sift out the sense of the speaker with exact questioning, how light the things are that he put forth, we speedily discover. For the righteous man, though he does ever speak any thing wrong, yet it is far from meet that he should be judged by the unrighteous and ill living. Whence the holy man lowering the pride of his friends, not even if it be so, but even ‘if it be not so’ as he set forth, is confident that he can never be found fault with, because assuredly those are able rightly to reprove things that are false, who are not taught to do things that are false. For the daring of reproof against deceit those persons lose, who still live on principles of deceit. Therefore he says, And if it be riot so now, who w...
