Matthew Poole and continuators on Job 12:4

4▪ I am as one mocked of his neighbour , who [illegible: 1 word] up in God, and he answereth him : the just upright man is laughed to scorn .

Heb. I am a derision (the Infinitive being put for a Noun, as is usual both in the Hebrew and other Languages) to my neighbour; i. e to th[illegible: 1+ letters]se three who have pretended and would be though[illegible: 1+ letters] to be my Friends and Neighbours; whom therefore such carriage doth very ill become: Instead of supporting & comforting me, they make a sport and scorn of me.

This who belongs either 1. to Iob, who here declares his own practice in this case; when you mock me. I go to God with my Complaints and Prayers, and he hears me, though you will not. But this seems not to agree either with the Context, or with other passages of Iob; in which he constantly complains, that God did not hear nor regard his prayers, nor pity and help him. Or 2. to Iob's Friends; and so this is either 1. an aggravation of their Crime, that they should mock him who made a great profession of Religion, who used [illegible: 1+ letters]uly to call upon God, and to receive answers from him, and therefore should have carried themselves more piously and charitably, and compassionately towards their miserable Brother. Or 2. as the reason of their mockage of Iob, because God who neglected Iob's prayers, heard theirs, and gave them those mercies for which they pra[illegible: 1+ letters]ed; and therefore being themselves well and at ease, they were hard-hearted towards their poor afflicted Brother, as the manner of men is. This seems to suit well with the following Verse. Or 3. as an Argument against their scorning or slighting of him; God hears you when you pray, therefore you should turn your mocks of me into prayers for me; and you should pity me, whom God doth not hear when I pray: and as God hears you, so you should hear and comfort me, when I pour out my Complaints to you. But these words may be brought in mimetically, as being some of their scoffing words: They say of me, Let him call upon God, and God will hear him: For so they had suggested to Iob, Ch. 5. 8. & 8. 5. &c. & 11. 13. But this, saith Iob, I take for a piece of mockery, and insulting over my Miseries: For I know by sad experience, and they see the contrary, that though I call and cry again and again, yet God hath no regard to me.

i. e. I, who, notwithstanding all their hard censures and reproaches, must and dare still own it, that through God's grace I am a just and upright man, am derided by them. This he repeats again because it was very grievous and burdensom to him.

Marginal references: [illegible: 1 span].; [illegible: 1 word] [illegible: 1+ letters]4. 2.