Hold your peace - Margin, Be silent from me; see Job 13:5. It is possible that Job may have perceived in them some disposition to interrupt him in a rude manner in reply to the severe remarks which he had made, and he asked the privilege, therefore, of being permitted to go on, and to say what he intended, let come what would.

And let come on me what will - Anything, whether reproaches from you, or additional sufferings from the hand of God. Allow me to express my sentiments, whatever may be the consequences to myself. One cannot but be forcibly reminded by this verse of the remark of the Greek philosopher, "Strike, but hear me."

Hold your peace - You have perverted righteousness and truth, and your pleadings are totally irrelevant to the case; you have traveled out of the road; you have left law and justice behind you; it is high time that you should have done.

Let come on me what will - I will now defend myself against you, and leave the cause to its issue.

Hold your peace, let me alone,.... Or, cease "from me" (i): from speaking to me, or hindering me from speaking. Job might perceive, by some motions of his friends, that they were about to interrupt him; and therefore he desires they would be silent, and let him go on:

that I may speak; or, "and I will speak",

and let come on me what will; either from men, or from God himself; a good man, when he knows his cause is good, and he has truth on his side, is not careful or concerned what reproach may be cast upon him, or what censures from men he may undergo; or what persecutions from them he may endure; none of these things move him from his duty, or can stop his mouth from speaking the truth; let him be threatened with what he will, he cannot but speak the things which he has seen and heard, and knows to be true; as for what may come upon him from God, that he is not solicitous about; he knows he will lay nothing upon him but what is common to men, will support him under it, or deliver him from it in his own time and way, or however make all things work together for his good: some render it, "and let something pass by me", or "from me" (k); that is, somewhat of his grief and sorrow, while he was speaking and pouring out his complaints before God; but the former sense seems best.

(i) "desistite a me", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. (k) "ut transeat praeter me aliquid, vel a me", Schmidt.

Be silent therefore from me, he says to them, i.e., stand away from me and leave me in peace (opp. החרישׁ אל, Isaiah 41:1): then will I speak, or: in order that I may speak (the cohortative usual in apod. imper.) - he, and he alone, will defend (i.e., against God) his cause, which they have so uncharitably abandoned in spite of their better knowledge and conscience, let thereby happen (עבר, similar to Deuteronomy 24:5) to him מה, whatever may happen (מה שׁיעבר); or more simply: whatever it may be, quidquid est, as 2 Samuel 18:22 ויהי מה, let happen whatever may happen; or more simply: whatever it may be, like מה דּבר quodcunque, Numbers 23:3; מי occurs also in a similar sense, thus placed last (Ewald, 104, d).

Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.

Hold...: Heb. Be silent from me

13. Job would wish to be spared their speeches, so as to speak out all his mind as to his wretchedness (Job 13:14), happen what will.

13:13-22 Job resolved to cleave to the testimony his own conscience gave of his uprightness. He depended upon God for justification and salvation, the two great things we hope for through Christ. Temporal salvation he little expected, but of his eternal salvation he was very confident; that God would not only be his Saviour to make him happy, but his salvation, in the sight and enjoyment of whom he should be happy. He knew himself not to be a hypocrite, and concluded that he should not be rejected. We should be well pleased with God as a Friend, even when he seems against us as an enemy. We must believe that all shall work for good to us, even when all seems to make against us. We must cleave to God, yea, though we cannot for the present find comfort in him. In a dying hour, we must derive from him living comforts; and this is to trust in him, though he slay us.