If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
Ver. 5. If thou wouldst seek unto God betimes] If warned by the evil end that befell thine unhappy children, thou wouldst early and earnestly seek unto God for mercy, for which purpose it may seem that thy life hast been graciously spared, when thy children have been destroyed, that thou might be made wise at their expense. Such counsel as that is Eliphaz hath given Job before, Job 5:8 .
And make thy supplication to the Almighty] Pray for mercy out of free grace alone, so the Hebrew word signifieth; plead for pity, speak supplications, as the poor man doth, Proverbs 18:23. Be poor in spirit, a stark beggar and bankrupt, less than the least of all God's mercies, Genesis 32:10, and in this mind address thyself to the all sufficient, the cornucopia, the God rich in mercy to all that call upon him, for pardon of thy great sin in standing out in contention with his majesty, and resisting his fatherly visitation.