Job 26:13 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens, &c.— It may be well asked, how come these disagreeable ideas to be joined together? How comes the forming of a crooked serpent to be mentioned as an instance of Almighty power, and to be set as it were upon an equal foot with the creation of the heavens, and all the host of them? When you read the whole chapter, all the images in which are great and magnificent, can you possibly imagine that the forming of the crooked serpent, in this place, means no more than that God created snakes and adders? This surely cannot be the case. If we consider the state of religion in the world when this book was penned, it will help to clear this matter up. The oldest notion, in opposition to the supremacy of the creator, is, that of two independent principles; and the only kind of idolatry mentioned in the book of Job (and it was of all others the most ancient) is the worship of the sun and moon and heavenly host: from this Job vindicates himself, chap. Job 31:26, &c. Suppose Job now to be acquainted with the fall of man, and the part ascribed to the serpent, of the introduction of evil; and see how aptly the parts cohere: In opposition to the idolatrous practice of his time, he asserts God to be the maker of all the host of heaven, By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens. In opposition to the false notion of two independent principles, he asserts God to be the maker of him who was the first author of evil: His hand hath formed the crooked serpent. You see how properly the garnishing of the heavens and the forming of the serpent are joined together. That this is the ancient traditionary explication of this place, we have undeniable evidence from the translation of the LXX, who render the latter part of this verse, which relates to the serpent, in this manner: By a decree he destroyed the apostate dragon. The Syriac and Arabic versions are to the same effect. These translators apply the place to the punishment inflicted on the serpent, and it comes to the same thing; for the punishing of the serpent is as clear an evidence of God's power over the author of evil, as the creating him. We need not wonder to see so much concern in this book of Job to maintain the supremacy of God, and to guard it against every false notion; for this was the theme, the business of the author. He gives as it were an epitome of his design in these remarkable words, delivered by Job, chap. Job 9:4. God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? The mention of the serpent in this manner, in the book of Job, is the more to be regarded, because this book being, as I conceive, older than the Mosaic history; it is an evident proof that the account of Moses is the ancient account of the fall, and not a story dressed up by himself to serve any particular ends or purposes. Bp. Sherlock on Prophecy, Dissert. 2: As this learned and able writer has in these last words expressed his opinion of the antiquity of this book, we will just set down, for the satisfaction of the reader, what he offers against the opinion of its being written for the consolation of the Jews at Babylon. "The patience of Job," says he, "is much talked of, and we seldom look further for any use of this book; but in truth the book was written in opposition to the very ancient opinion which introduced two independent principles; one of good, the other of evil. For this reason Satan, the author of Job's misfortunes, has permission from God to afflict Job; and the moral of the history lies in Job's reflection, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: and again, Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all which, as the history expressly observes, Job did not sin with his lips; intimating how prone men were to sin with their lips, when they talked of the evils of life, and the author of them."