4 His children are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
4 His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.
4 His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them.
4 Their children out in the cold, abused and exploited, with no one to stick up for them.
4 His sons are far from safety, They are crushed in the gate, And there is no deliverer.
4 Their children are abandoned far from help; they are crushed in court with no one to defend them.
12 Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
12 Now drunks and gluttons Make up drinking songs about me.
12 Those who sit in the gate speak against me, And I am the song of the drunkards.
12 I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.
(Read Psalm 69:1-12)
We should frequently consider the person of the Sufferer here spoken of, and ask why, as well as what he suffered, that, meditating thereon, we may be more humbled for sin, and more convinced of our danger, so that we may feel more gratitude and love, constraining us to live to His glory who died for our salvation. Hence we learn, when in affliction, to commit the keeping of our souls to God, that we may not be soured with discontent, or sink into despair. David was hated wrongfully, but the words far more fully apply to Christ. In a world where unrighteousness reigns so much, we must not wonder if we meet with those that are our enemies wrongfully. Let us take care that we never do wrong; then if we receive wrong, we may the better bear it. By the satisfaction Christ made to God for our sin by his blood, he restored that which he took not away, he paid our debt, suffered for our offences. Even when we can plead Not guilty, as to men's unjust accusations, yet before God we must acknowledge ourselves to deserve all that is brought upon us. All our sins take rise from our foolishness. They are all done in God's sight. David complains of the unkindness of friends and relations. This was fulfilled in Christ, whose brethren did not believe on him, and who was forsaken by his disciples. Christ made satisfaction for us, not only by putting off the honours due to God, but by submitting to the greatest dishonours that could be done to any man. We need not be discouraged if our zeal for the truths, precepts, and worship of God, should provoke some, and cause others to mock our godly sorrow and deadness to the world.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 5:4
Commentary on Job 5:1-5
(Read Job 5:1-5)
Eliphaz here calls upon Job to answer his arguments. Were any of the saints or servants of God visited with such Divine judgments as Job, or did they ever behave like him under their sufferings? The term, "saints," holy, or more strictly, consecrated ones, seems in all ages to have been applied to the people of God, through the Sacrifice slain in the covenant of their reconciliation. Eliphaz doubts not that the sin of sinners directly tends to their ruin. They kill themselves by some lust or other; therefore, no doubt, Job has done some foolish thing, by which he has brought himself into this condition. The allusion was plain to Job's former prosperity; but there was no evidence of Job's wickedness, and the application to him was unfair and severe.