The design of these words is plain, which is to detract from Job, and to diminish that honour and praise which God gave to Job, by pretending that he had done no more than the meanest men commonly do by the law of self-reservation. And it is as clear that this was a proverbial speech then in use, wherein if there be some difficulty to understand it at this distance of time, it is no more than the common lot of many other proverbs, the sense, and especially the grounds, whereof are frequently unknown to persons of other nations and after-times. Moreover, it is known that in those ancient times, though they had some money, yet the main of their estate lay in cattle, of which the skins were a considerable part, and their chief traffic lay in the exchange of one commodity for another; and, among other things, it cannot be questioned but that they did commonly exchange skins of one kind for skins of another sort, according to their several inclinations or occasions. So the meaning may be this, As men willingly and commonly give one skin in exchange for another skin, and one commodity for another. So (the Hebrew particle vau being oft so used as a note of comparison, as it is Proverbs 17:3, Proverbs 25:3,23,25,27) all that a man hath, his house, cattle, children, will he give, and that most willingly, for his life, i.e. to redeem or save his own life. Or rather thus, skin for skin, might then be a proverb, like that of ours, Body for body, when one man is so far obliged for another. And we have some such expressions among us; as when we say of a man who doth some dangerous action, His skin, i.e. his body, will pay for it, i.e. it may cost him his life. And this proverb might be taken,
1. From sacrifices, in which there was skin for skin, i.e. the skin of a beast for, or instead of, the skin or body of the man, which deserved to be used as the beast was, and which was saved or preserved by the suffering of the beast, which was accepted by God instead of the man, and by which the man's sins were expiated. Or,
2. From hostages or ransoms, wherein one man was given for or instead of another. So now the sense may be this, Any man will give skin for skin, i.e. the skin, or body, or life of another, whether man or beast, to save his own; yea, all that a man hath, whether goods or persons, such as Job hath lost, will he give for his life. Job is not much hurt nor concerned so long as his own skin is whole and safe. Others thus, Skin upon (for so the Hebrew particle behad is sometimes used, as 2 Kings 4:5 Amos 9:10; as also the Greek particle anti, which answers to it, is understood 1 Thessalonians 1:16, grace for grace, i.e. grace upon grace, or all kinds or degrees of grace) skin, and all that a man hath, (so all these words belong to the price which a man pays; now follows what he hath or expecteth to have for it,) will he give for his life, i.e. in exchange for his life, or to save his life. This also is a plausible interpretation, only it is not very probable that the same Hebrew particle behad should be used in two so differing senses in the same verse, in the former part to signify upon, (which if this sacred writer had meant, he would likely have expressed it rather by that other Hebrew particle al, which is commonly so used, than by this, which is so ambiguous, and seldom so taken, and otherwise used in this very verse,) and in the latter to signify for, or instead of. However the sense is plainly this, This is so far from being an evidence of Job's sincere and generous piety, that it is only an act of deeper hypocrisy and mere self-love; he is well enough contented with the loss of his estate, and children too, so long as he sleeps in a whole skin; and he is well pleased that thou wilt accept of all these as a sacrifice or ransom in his stead; and it is not true patience and humility which makes him seem to bear his crosses so submissively, as depth of policy, that by his feigned carriage he may appease thy wrath against him, and prevent those further plagues which, for his hypocrisy and other sins, of which he is conscious, he fears thou wilt otherwise bring upon his own carcass; as will plainly appear upon further trial.