John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. Be ye also patient , etc.] As well as the husbandman, and like him; and wait for the rains and dews of divine grace to fall, and make fruitful, and for the ripe fruit of eternal life; and in the mean while cheerfully and patiently bear all injuries, and oppressions: stablish your hearts ; though the state of the saints is stable, they being fixed in the everlasting love of God, in the covenant of grace, in the hands of Christ, and on the rock of ages; yet their hearts are very unstable, and so are their frames, and the exercise of grace in them, and need establishing, which God's work; which is often done by the means of the word and ordinances; and these the saints should make use of, for the establishing of their hearts: the sense may be, take heart, be of good cheer, do not be dismayed, or faint, or sink under your pressures, but be of good courage, pluck up your spirits, lift up your heads: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh; when he will render tribulation to them that trouble them, free them from all their sorrows and afflictions, and enter them into the joy of their Lord; which will be either at death, which was not very far off, or at the last day, which was drawing nearer and nearer, and which with God was near; with whom a thousand years are as one day.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-11 - Consider him that waits for a crop of corn; and will not you wait for crown of glory? If you should be called to wait longer than the husbandman, is not there something more worth waiting for? In ever sense the coming of the Lord drew nigh, and all his people's losses hardships, and sufferings, would be repaid. Men count time long because they measure it by their own lives; but all time is as nothin to God; it is as a moment. To short-lived creatures a few years seem a age; but Scripture, measuring all things by the existence of God reckons thousands of years but so many days. God brought about thing in Job's case, so as plainly to prove that he is very pitiful and of tender mercy. This did not appear during his troubles, but was seen in the event, and believers now will find a happy end to their trials. Le us serve our God, and bear our trials, as those who believe that the end will crown all. Our eternal happiness is safe if we trust to him all else is mere vanity, which soon will be done with for ever.
Greek Textus Receptus
μακροθυμησατε 3114 5657 V-AAM-2P και 2532 CONJ υμεις 5210 P-2NP στηριξατε 4741 5657 V-AAM-2P τας 3588 T-APF καρδιας 2588 N-APF υμων 5216 P-2GP οτι 3754 CONJ η 3588 T-NSF παρουσια 3952 N-NSF του 3588 T-GSM κυριου 2962 N-GSM ηγγικεν 1448 5758 V-RAI-3S
