Job 8:6 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Bible Comments

If thou wert in truth what thou pretendest, and hast been thought by others, to be, pure and upright, i.e. of a sincere heart and blameless life towards God and men. But God's severe dealing with thee is an evident token, that notwithstanding all thy fair shows, thou art but a hypocrite and secret sinner. And this sense may seem to agree both with the same charge brought in against Job by Eliphaz, Job 4:6,7, and with the following discourse, particularly with Job 8:13,20. Or thus, If thou wouldst be pure and upright, i.e. if thou wouldst join reformation to thy supplication. And this sense may seem best to suit with the foregoing verse, according to the common translation. Awake for thee, i.e. bestir himself to help thee, as being his faithful friend and servant, whom he could not in honour or justice forsake; whereas now he shows a deep sleep, and wholly neglects thee, and turneth a deaf car to all thy prayers; which showeth what opinion he hath of thee. The habitation, i.e. the concerns of thy house and family; a usual metonymy. Of thy righteousness; either,

1. Which thou hast got and managed with righteousness; so he calls it by way of supposition; if it were so, God would prosper thee accordingly. But because thou dost not prosper, it gives us cause to suspect that thou hast got thy estate by fraud and oppression. Or,

2. Which thou shalt now manage with justice, and not wrongfully, as thou hast done.

Job 8:6

6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.