Wesley Corpus

Knoweth - From his own guilty conscience. For - Now he gives the reason of all the fore - mentioned calamities, which was his great wickedness. Against God - He sinned against God with an high hand. The Almighty - Which aggravates the madness of this poor worm that durst fight against the omnipotent God. He - The wicked man. Neck - As a stout warrior who cometh close to his adversary and grapples with him. He acts in flat opposition to God, both to his precepts and providences. Bosses - Even where his enemy is strongest. Because - This is mentioned as the reason of his insolent carriage towards God, because he was fat, rich, potent, and successful, as that expression signifies, Deut 32:15 Psal 78:31 Jer 46:21. His great prosperity made him proud and secure, and regardless of God and men. Fat - His only care is to pamper himself. But - This is fitly opposed to the prosperity last mentioned, and is the beginning of the description of his misery. Substance - What he had gotten shall be taken from him. Depart - His misery shall have no end. Flame - God's anger and judgment upon him. Branches - His wealth, and power, and glory, wherewith he was encompassed, as trees are with their branches. His mouth - And this expression intimates, with how much ease God subdueth his enemies: his word, his blast; one act of his will is sufficient. Go - Heb. go back: that is, run away from God faster than he ran upon him, ver.26. So it is a continuation of the former metaphor of a conflict between two persons. Vanity - In the vain and deceitful things of this world, he subjoins a general caution to all men to take heed of running into the same error and mischief. Vanity - Disappointment and dissatisfaction, and the loss of all his imaginary felicity. Recompence - Heb. his exchange; he shall exchange one vanity for another, a pleasing vanity for a vexatious vanity. Accomplished - That vanity should be his recompence. Before - When by the course of nature, and common providence he might have continued much longer.