In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Ver. 19. In the sweat of thy face.] Or, of thy nose, as one a rendereth it; that sweat that, beginning in thy brow, runs down by thy nose, through thy hard labour. This is a law laid upon all sorts, to sweat out a poor living, to humble themselves, by just labour, to sweat either their brows or their brains, b for this latter also is a "sore" occupation, Ecc 1:13 and the minister's toil is compared to that of those that cleave wood; or work hard in harvest. 1Th 3:5 Matthew 10:10 1 Corinthians 9:14 , &c. c
Shalt thou eat bread.] Not herbs only, as ver. 18. And here take notice of an elegant gradation, together with a merciful mitigation of man's misery. Thou shalt eat "earth" (ver. 17), "herbs" (ver. 18), and now here, "Thou shalt eat bread," that stay and staff of man's life under his hard labour d
Until thou return unto the ground.] "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord," Jer 22:29 i.e., "earth" by creation, "earth" by corruption, "earth" by resolution. This is the end of all men, and the living should lay it to heart. In this third of Genesis we find man's Exodus. This is the first text of mortality, and all comments, yea, all dead corpses e concur to the exposition of it.
For dust thou art.] Think on this, and be proud, if thou canst. We were created εικονι θεου, but now we live ει κονι χοιχη, saith Agapetus. Had we so sweet a generation as that little creature Scaliger f speaks of, that is bred in sugar, we might have some ground of boasting; but now we may sprinkle the dust of humility on our heads, as the ancients used to do, in token that they deserved to be as far under, as now they were above ground.
And to dust thou shalt return.] By this limitation, God restrains man's death here threatened, to that earthy part of him, his body. The sorest death occurs when a man "dies in his sins," as those Jews did. Joh 8:21 Better die in a ditch a far deal. When he is "killed with death," as Jezebel's "children," Rev 2:23 this is the second death. The condemned person comes out of a dark prison, and goes to the place of execution; so do many from the womb to the tomb, nay, to that tormenting Tophet, to the which death is but a trap-door to give them entrance.
a Picherelius in Cosmop .
b See my True Treasure .
c κοπωντες, πατα το κοπτειν .
d Panem, dictum volunt α παν - Isodor ., lib. xx.
e Etiam muta clamant cadavera. - Basil .
f Exercit. ad Cardan.