Job 5:17-27

5:17 Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves- Ps. 94:12; Prov. 3:11-12; 23:12, 23; Heb. 12:5-11; Rev. 3:19. How happy in 5:17 is the word translated blessed in Ps. 1:1. 

 5:18 For He inflicts pain, and gives relief- Deut. 32:39; I Sam. 2:6; Isa.19:22; 30:26; Hos. 6:1.  Job 1:21; 2:10 Each of the speakers understood the sovereignty of God in the affairs of the world. 

 He wounds, and His hands also heal- The friends never resort to Satan as the answer for human suffering. 

 5:19 From six troubles He will deliver you- The closest way to parallel a number is to give the next highest number. 

 Even in seven evil will not touch you- Ps. 91:10. This is a passage like Job 2:10 where the evil refers not to sin but to calamity.

 5:20 In famine He will redeem you from death- Ps. 34:23; 49:8,16; 55:19; 69:19; 71:23; 119:134. The word redeem in Psalm 49:7, 7, 15. Ps. 49:15 and Ps. 103:4 speak of God redeeming the life, or soul, of the Psalmist from Sheol, the pit, or the grave.

 5:21 You will hidden from the scourge of the tongue- For the tongue as a weapon- Ps. 52:2,4; 64:3. Vicious words can destroy the one they are spoken against, and undo the one who speaks them as well (Prov. 10:8, 14; 13:3; 18:7).

Neither will you be afraid of violence when it comes- Ps. 91:5-6. God can protect His servants even in the midst of a severe judgment (II Peter 2:4-9). 

 5:22 You will laugh at famine and violence- The verb laugh is used in Ps. 2:4; 37:13; 59:8 to speak of God’s reaction to the wrongdoer.

Neither will you be afraid of the wild beasts- Lev. 26:4-5; Ps. 91:13; Ezek. 34:25; Hos. 2:18-20

 5:23 For you will be in league with the stones of the field- Isa. 5:2; II Sam. 3:19-25 stones present difficulties for an otherwise fruitful field or vineyard.  

 5:24 You will know that your tent is secure- contrast this with 4:21. Compare this with 21:7. The word secure is actually the word peace which is used as a verb in 5:23.

For you will visit your abode and fear no loss- Job lost his wealth in 1:13-17. Job will say that it is the children of the wicked that are safe and secure in Job 21:8-10.

The word generally translated sin is used at the end of vs. 24. Sin is the idea of missing the mark (Judges 20:16) and the proper idea behind it is experiencing loss. 

5:25 You will know also that your descendants will be many- These two lines are in stark contrast to 5:4-5. They are also contrary to Job’s experiences as Job lost his children in 1:18-19. 

And your offspring as the grass of the earth- Isa. 53:10; Job 42:16; Ps. 37:16. This will ultimately be true of Job (42:13-15).

 5:26 You will come to the grave in full vigor- Premature death is considered a great disaster (Job 22:16).

 Are the statements of Job 5:17-27 promising too much? Notice how many things said in Job 5:17-27 sound like Psalm 91 and other Psalms

Job 5:19 God will deliver him from all troubles; Ps. 34:19 Many are afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all

Job 5:19 evil will not touch you; Ps. 91:10 No evil will befall you

Job 5:22, 23 not be afraid of wild beasts, beasts of field at peace; Ps. 91:13 tread upon lion, cobra, young lion, serpent

Job 5:24 your tent is secure/ Ps. 91:10 no plague near your tent

Job 5:26 long life Ps. 91:16