Matthew Poole and continuators on Job 22:6

6. For thou hast taken a pledge from thy Brother for nought , and stripped the naked of their Cloathing .

Or, Surely thou hast taken. He speaks thus by way of conjecture, or strong presumption, when I consider thy grievous and unusual calamities, I justly conclude thou art guilty of all or some of these following crimes, and do thou search thine own Conscience, whether it be not so with thee.

i. e. Either of thy Neighbour, or of thy Kinsman; which are both called by the name of Brother. This is added to aggravate the offence.

i. e. Without sufficient and justifiable cause. Which he might do many ways, either by taking what he ought not to take, Deut. 24. 6. or from whom he ought not, to wit, the poor to whom he should give, Prov. 3. 27. or when, and in such manner as he ought not, of which see on Deut. 24. 10, 11. or by keeping it longer than he should, as when the poor mans necessity requires it, or when the debt is satisfied, Ezek. 18. 16.

Either by taking their Garment for a pledge, against the Law, Exod. 22. 26. or otherwise by robbing them of their Rights, all other injuries being Synecdochically comprehended under this. Qu. How could he strip the naked? Answ. He calls them naked, either 1. Because they had but very few and mean Cloaths, such being oft called naked, as Deut. 28. 48. 1 Cor. 4. 11. Iam. 2. 15. Or 2. From the effect, because though he did not find them naked, yet he made them so. The like Phrases we have Isa. 47. 2. grind Meal, i. e. by grinding Corn make it Meal; Amos 8. 5. falsifying the deceitful Ballances, i. e. by falsifying making true ballances deceitful: And so here, to strip the naked, is by stripping them to make them naked.

Marginal references: Heb. stripped the cloaths of the naked.