John Trapp on Job 1:20

Verſe 20. Then Job aroſe and rent his mani[illegible: 1 letter]e] He ſtirred not at the three firſt dolefull tidings, but this fourth ſtartleth him; for he was neither a Stoick, nor a ſtock. His ſtrength was not the [illegible: 1 letter]ir ugth of ſtones, nor his [illegible: 1 letter]l[illegible: 1 letter]ſh of braſſe, chap 6.12. That he ſhould bear blowes, and never feel paine, or make moan; that he ſhould be ſilent in darkneſſe, 1 Sam. 2.9. and not cry when God bound him, Job 36.11. This Stoical apathy or indolency (condemning all affections in that their wiſe man, who, as Cicero very well ſaith, as yet was never found) Jeremiah juſtly complaineth of, Jer. 5.3. and the Peripatetickes utterly diſliked; teaching, that wiſedome doth not remove affections, but only reduce them to a mediocrity. Job kept the mean between deſpiſing the chaſtening of the Lord, and fainting when rebuked by him, Heb. 12.5When Germani[illegible: 2 letters] died, divers forraign Princes ſhaved their beards, to ſhew their grief. Su[illegible: 1 letter]ton, Legatur Hadr. Jun. com. de com[illegible: 1 letter], cap. 2. & 4. Plut. is Al[illegible: 3 letters] See my Livertokens, pag. 37.38. &c.

And ſhaved his head] In token of his very great ſorrow, ſee Jer. 7.29. Micah 1.16. Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children, enlarge thy baldneſſe as the Eagle. See the note there. Plutarch telleth us, that Alexander the great, at the Funeral of Epheſti[illegible: 1 letter]n his favourite, not only ſhaved himſelf, but clipped his horſes and mu[illegible: 1 letter]es haire; yea, he plucked down alſo the battlements of the walls of the City, that they might ſeem to mourn too: but this ſavour'd of too much [illegible: 1 letter]u[illegible: 2 letters]enneſſe. How much better his Macedonians, who being once ſenſible of his diſpleaſure, laid by their armes, put on their mourning attire, came [illegible: 3 letters]oping to his tent, where for almoſt three dayes they remained with loud cries, and abundance of tears, teſtifying their remorſe for offending him, beſeeching his pardon, which at laſt they gained. God calleth to baldneſſe for ſin, Iſa. 22.12. which in other caſes was forbidden, Lev. 19.27. and 21.5. Deut. 14.1. This Job performed here: for he knew that although God afflicteth ſometimes for his own glory, John 9.3. ſometimes for triall or exerciſe of his peoples graces; yet ſin is ever at the bottome as the meritorious cauſe of what they ſuffer; and if he did not duely conſider it before, Zophar gave him to underſtand that God exacted of him leſſe then his iniquity had deſerved, chap. 11.6.

And fell down upon the ground] This ſhewes that Job aroſe not before to this end, that with a ſtout and ſtubborn geſture of the body, he might withſtand God: but rather, that he might with greater lowlineſſe and humility ſubmit to his juſtice, and implore his mercy: He fell down upon the ground and worſhipped, ſaith the Text; that is, he fell upon the ground to worſhip. He fell not all along on the earth, as Saul did, out of deſpondency and deſpaire, after that he had heard the divell preaching his funerall, he lay like an oxe on the earth, in the fulneſſe of his ſtature, as the Original hath it, 1 Sam. 28.20. but, as humbling himſelf under the mighty hand of God, who would raiſe him up in due ſeaſon, 1 Pet. 5.6. and as reverently and religiouſly ſubmitting to his will. Mr. Caryl. ex Bolduc in loc. And it is probably obſerved (ſaith a late Expoſitor out of another) that the ancient Prophets and holy men were called Nephalim procidentes, or Proſtrantes, that is pr[illegible: 1 letter]ſtrates or Fallers downe, becauſe in their worſhip they uſually fell down upon the earth, to humble themſelves before the Lord.