Commentary on Job 1 part 16/19

Since we have explained the matters concerning the power and wisdom of God, learn that the transgressions of the wicked are great, but as for you, the righteous one, your robe — that is:

the garment of the virtues — is not worn threadbare by the passions, nor old, but warm, that is, new and vigorous.

So the first interpretation is according to the letter, and the second according to the deeper sense.

'And it grows still upon the earth; from the south come firm masses along with it, into hardened forms, strong as visions of a pouring forth.'

The knowledge concerning these things comes to rest upon the earth,

for indeed we do not know the explanations of these things, nor how, when the south wind blows, hardened masses — that is, melted formations and solid drops — are brought down, so that their outpouring is seen.

For when it drizzles finely, perhaps because of its fineness we do not see the rain; but when drops fall down, everyone sees their outpouring.

He says that the things from the air come to rest upon the earth, in such a way that both the south wind and heat come to be;

and perhaps someone will offer whatever explanations there may be for these things.

But what shall we say concerning the heaven, which was firmly constructed from the beginning and of old, being strong in its nature, and which, like a film cast over the eyes, is poured out above us and does not allow us to see the things above it?

But others interpreted it thus:

He says that it is he who, of old, fashioned the firmament — strong and solid — out of the fluid, poured-out nature of the waters.

But such an interpretation is not readily acceptable;

for we do not declare that God made the heaven out of waters, but rather as he himself knows and as he willed.

For since this too is unknown, Elihu reasons:

'Teach me why; tell us what we shall say to him, and let us cease saying many things.'

So what shall we say about these things? What can we understand? Do we dare to say to God:

Why did you make these things thus, or why, being in need of nothing, did you construct this world for yourself? Do we not in silence marvel at his goodness and wisdom? Let us, then, refrain from saying much, yielding to him the wisdom that is beyond us.

Is there a book or a scribe standing beside me, that, standing before a man, I should keep silent? Do I speak these things out of a book, or is there some contentiousness in me, that I might defeat you? By no means; rather I say these things out of the knowledge of God, and I proclaim the power of God — that is, instead of saying:

I had no need to learn these things from another.

For they are manifest to all who indeed possess understanding.

'Yet the light is not seen by all; it shines far off amid the ancient heavens.'

For just as the light is manifest to all, so too these things, being works of God, are plainly manifest, and it is evident from of old and from ancient times that God administers all things thus.

'As that which comes from him goes forth upon the clouds — from the north come gold-gleaming clouds.'

Just as, indeed, this work too is accomplished by him: the air is cleansed of thick cloud and gloom by the wind.

And the north wind cleanses it, bringing up gold-gleaming and reddish clouds at God's command.

'In these things is great glory and honor from the Almighty, and we find no other equal to him in strength.'

From so many considerations one may reason that we ought to send up great doxology to God, both for the things by which he has honored our race, and because it is for the sake of governing us that he who possesses incomparable wisdom and power accomplishes these things thus.

But other copies contain 'and the honor of the Almighty,' instead of:

'Great is the glory and honor of the Almighty, which we owe to him.'

He who judges righteous things — do you not think he hears? Since Job had said:

'I will cry out, and nowhere is there judgment' — according to the sense given us in this passage, Elihu, taking up this expression, says that:

Do not think that the righteous judge and guardian of our affairs neglects us.

For indeed he oversees all things and hears all things, and he apportions to each what is fitting according to his own just judgment.

Therefore men will fear him; even the wise in heart will fear him.

For the sake of this conclusion he went through all the aforesaid matters in detail, wishing to lead Job to fear.

For on account of all these things, he says, even the common man of the herd ought to fear God, and the wise and understanding ought to do so all the more.

For not even those foremost in wisdom have attained to perfection; rather, even if they are deemed worthy by God of some knowledge, they know only in part, as the sacred apostle has taught us.

But I say that those deemed worthy of greater knowledge ought to fear the dispassionate fear even more than they do.

'For he is great and fearsome toward all who are around him.'

And those around him are the ones deemed worthy of a greater understanding of him.

And after Elihu had ceased speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through a whirlwind and clouds:

Simply put, the whole life of men is a place of testing, as the great Job himself has taught us, having been trained through all his contests — through the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, through glory and dishonor — as the sacred apostle somewhere said.

And being rich, he was a common treasury for those in need; and being glorious and clothed with power, he was a helper of the powerless.

Wealth did not move him toward dissolute decline, nor did renown beget arrogance in him.

Thus, having valiantly leapt across the first arena, he stripped down for the second and harsher contests by God's permission, setting himself in general opposition to the whole of the devil's malice all at once.

And he who had once commanded light-armed troops, the man of many children, glorious, and abounding on every side with wealth, was cast down upon the dunghill — poor, inglorious, worthless, mocked, ulcerated, running with discharge — surpassing in wretchedness all who had lived before him and all whom life afterward saw tested by misfortunes.

And an addition was made to his evils: the discourse of his friends, which, instead of words of consolation, produced for him an intensification of despondency and pain.

But when the great athlete had lawfully passed through all his wrestling-bouts, and had duly bound upon himself the prize of the crown,

then, indeed then, he hears the divine voice proclaiming his noble contests — 'For this reason,' God says, 'I allowed you to box with the beast, that you might be shown to be righteous' — raising him up as a statue of endurance and consolation for the whole race of men.

For whether one has become poor after being rich, he has Job as a consolation; or if he has fallen into obscurity from renown, by looking to Job his griefs are lightened; and if he has become childless after being blessed with fair and many children alike, he is taught to say:

'The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away.'

And if he should also be covered with sores and be provoked by a wife's folly to improper words, he will rebuke her who counsels such things, but will say, both steadfastly and patiently:

'I wait yet a little while longer, looking for the hope of my salvation.'

The story concerning Job is, then, a remedy of consolation against every kind of despondency.

And one is not taken aback at falling into irremediable misfortune, not even if those most closely bound to him in friendship trample upon him as he lies prostrate and reproach him.

Considering, then, that those who contend well are sometimes even deemed worthy of a divine address, let us not, when we are rich, commit insolence out of satiety, nor let us collapse in misfortunes; but let us receive everything that befalls us, whatever it may be, as material for virtue.

But let us now at last give heed to the divine discourse, examining briefly, according to the power measured out to us from the divine gift, for what reason God has used such words toward Job.

The friends, then, while glorifying most excellently the things concerning God and his wisdom, power, and majesty, yet declared that men suffer altogether on account of sin, being ignorant of the manner in which trials are disciplinarily imposed, and using their words neither at the right time nor concerning a person of this sort. Blessed Job himself also proclaimed most excellently and most perfectly the majesty of God's wisdom and power; but being truthful and guileless, and conscious in himself of nothing deserving so many blows, he did not agree with his friends who said that he was indeed being punished on account of sin.

Nevertheless, he himself too was ignorant of the underlying cause of his own struggle.

Hence Elihu, coming forward into the midst, does not condemn the righteous man, nor does he declare that the afflictions were brought upon him because of sin — in this respect having proved better than the friends — but, not having understood the intent of Job out of which he uttered words that seemed to be accusations against God, he finds fault with Job as speaking senseless words:

And Elihu too spoke well and admirably concerning the wisdom and power of God.

The blow was a training-ground for virtue, and not a repayment for sins. The Lord, rendering judgment upon all that had been said, accepts as well spoken all that everyone had said concerning divine providence, power, and wisdom; wherefore he himself also proceeds at greater length concerning these matters, conversing gently and mildly with his own friend, the righteous Job, and confirming what all had said concerning God — through which he himself also teaches similar things about himself — and teaching us that the judgments of divine providence are incomprehensible and the ways of God's wisdom untraceable; but he rebukes the friends for having pronounced upon matters of which they had no knowledge. 'For judge nothing before the time,' says the divine apostle, 'until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and manifest the counsels of hearts,' and so forth. And Elihu he neither praises — for he did not know Job's intent, out of which he uttered his words, nor even the underlying cause of the struggle — nor does he blame him, since he did not condemn the holy man.

But the righteous Job he crowns, and proclaims, and acclaims with his words, as one who nowhere fell out of the contest, but fought all his wrestling-bouts lawfully; and he unfolds the hidden secret and publishes the cause of the trial.

For the righteous man did not suffer as an unjust man, he says, but that he might be shown to be righteous, and that Job's excellence in virtue might be proclaimed by divine verdict.

And anointing him with words, and strengthening him, and prolonging his conversation with him — for it was fitting that he, more than the others, should enjoy fuller converse with God, in proportion to the longer time he had endured amid his sufferings — he teaches also the mysteries concerning the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, and, through mystical and veiled words, publishes concerning the common enemy of mankind, the dragon and apostate — whom indeed he calls a sea-monster — his strength, audacity, and malice, laying bare for us the truth about him, while all the more proclaiming the righteous man and preparing him to become more courageous, all but saying with a loud voice to those able to understand that he had contended against so great an adversary and had remained wholly unbroken.

And after the many struggles and the consolation from the divine voice, health at once returned, and suddenly he who had been gushing forth discharge and raining down worms was restored to his accustomed state.

And his acquaintances came running from every side, and welcomed him with gifts of hospitality.

And thus all the things of his estate came back doubled, while his children were equal in number.

For those who had departed from the body did not pass into non-existence, so that they too turned out to be double in number: those who had gone before were still living, while those who came into being afterward were added to them.

For just as before, under the divine forsaking that had occurred for the sake of training, all things were gloomy — poverty and childlessness, sores and discharge and dishonor — so afterward, under the divine illumination, all things became bright and cheerful and full of gladness, doubled in the present life, yet to be reckoned as lesser in comparison with what has been promised to the righteous, things neither visible to the eyes nor comprehensible to human thought.

Since, then, blessed Job employed a pious and God-loving mind, but a somewhat obscure manner of expressing his words — and while it is evident that he glorified God most excellently, he was unclear in the places where, to those who did not know his intent, he seemed to utter words of negligence — and since he agreed with Elihu, who had well glorified the things concerning God, yet himself remained silent and did not answer, the Lord for this reason begins his words to him as to one who was silent and concealing his own counsel.

And the divine voice comes through the air to our hearing, according to divine creative working.

For God certainly does not speak in a human manner; rather, at once he wills, and the word passes into effect, and we hear divine words.

And he speaks through a whirlwind and clouds — and a whirlwind is the twisting-together of winds. Through this, I suppose, he strikes with awe those standing around and leads them to fear, while through the cloud he converses with the righteous man, just as also with Moses and Aaron:

And now, finally, let us with reverence give heed to the very utterance of the Lord.

The words: 'Who is this that hides counsel from me, and keeps words shut up in his heart, thinking to hide them from me?' Job did not hide anything from him who knows the counsels of hearts.

For we have heard him saying before God:

'He who knows the mind of men.'

But since he spoke somewhat unclearly, employing a pious mind yet a rather harsh manner of expression, and since he agreed with the words of Elihu, who spoke rightly concerning God, yet himself remained silent and did not answer, God says:

'Who is this that hides counsel from me?' — that is, instead of saying:

No one is able to hide anything from me; rather, I know even the movements of hearts, even if they are not declared through words.

'Do you suppose, then,' he says, 'Job, that you have escaped my notice? I know the noble struggles you have waged in our sight; nothing concerning you has escaped my notice.'

Not that Job supposed any such thing — that anything concerning him escaped God's notice — but God, strengthening him as one would a friend, says:

'Do you think you are hiding from me? Or do you suppose that I was ignorant of your wrestling-bouts? I am not ignorant of your sincere disposition, even if you are silent, even if you have used somewhat unclear words.'

But it should be known that some say the one speaking through the Holy Spirit is God and Father over all, while others say it is the Only-begotten Word of God himself, concerning whom it is said:

'And the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing you, cowered in terror.'

But whether the words are uttered from the person of the Father — as when Moses says:

'Let us make man according to our own image and according to our likeness' — or whether from the person of the Only-begotten, as when he himself speaks concerning himself:

'Before Abraham came to be, I am' — or whether from the person of the Holy Spirit, for it says, the Holy Spirit spoke:

'Set apart for me Paul and Barnabas for the work to which I have called them' — as is said in the Acts of the Apostles: the counsel of the Godhead is one in the unity of the Trinity, the will is one, one essence known in three hypostases.

'Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.'

Be a man, then; cast off despondency, and since you desired to enter into conversation with me, behold, I am speaking with you; behold, I fulfill your request — answer what is said.

'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare to me, if you have understanding.'

Since you were despondent, he says, because you did not know the outcome of what was brought upon you, nor the purpose of your struggles, behold, I ask you countless other things as well, whose accounts you do not know.

God, in conversing with his own friend, teaches us both that he is the maker of all things, and that the depths of his own wisdom are unattainable.

It should be known that now, for the first time, from a divine voice, the account concerning the creation of the world is introduced.

For we said that Job lived before the Law.

For even if the Maker of the creatures is proportionately perceived from their greatness and beauty, and those who loved God knew this too, nevertheless we now hear this for the first time from a divine voice.

'If, then,' he says, 'you have understanding of the making of the creatures, answer me:'

'Who set its measures, if you know? Or who is it that stretched a line upon it? On what are its rings fixed? And who is it that cast a cornerstone upon it?' In the likeness of the buildings among us, he spoke of measures and a line stretched out for the levelling of buildings, and a cornerstone binding together each of the two walls.

By 'rings' he means the supports.

Say, then, if you know the measures of the earth; say what its foundation is, on what this heavy and great element rests.

These things are altogether incomprehensible to men.

'Who, then, is it that made these things?' — in place of saying:

For they are the works of God's unspeakable wisdom.

'When the stars came into being, all my angels praised me with a loud voice and sang hymns.'

Here we are taught that, before the sensible world, the holy angels existed, marveling at each of the works of creation and singing hymns to their Maker.

That God is the maker of them themselves.

But even if they also knew this by other reasonings and by some loftier contemplation, nevertheless the work of creation according to the created order was sufficient to fully persuade the intelligible world as well that it too has a maker — that is, the one who brings beings from non-being into existence.

'And I enclosed the sea with gates.'

By certain limits I shut it in by my command, saying to it:

'Thus far you shall come, and you shall not go beyond.'

'When it burst forth, going out from its mother's womb.'

It had an impulsive rush and hastened toward the hollow places suited to it, hearing the divine command:

'Let the water be gathered into one gathering.'

By 'its mother' he means the abyss, or also his own power, as the cause of its existence.

'And I set a cloud as its garment, and swaddled it in mist.'

Since he had mentioned the mother's womb, he continued with the figure.

'For just as,' he says, 'an infant, I swaddled it in mist and clouds' — that is:

'And I set boundaries for it, encircling it with bars and gates.'

'Thus far you shall come, and you shall not go beyond, but within yourself your waves shall be broken.'

By 'bars and gates' he means the boundary and security established through his own command.

'For I have bounded,' he says, 'the waves of the sea, so that, going beyond their limits, they might not ravage the neighboring dry land.'

'Or have I ordained for you the morning light? And the morning star saw its own place, so as to take hold of the wings of the earth.'

'Were you present,' he says, 'when I said:'

'Let there be light,' and the deed followed the word — or when the morning star, having come to be, illumined the ends of the earth? This morning star is also said to reach the end of the earth in a single night.

Allegorically, the morning star is the Word of the Lord, who, proclaimed at his own appointed time in the last of days, was extended to the ends of the earth.

'For his voice went out into all the earth.'

'To shake the impious out of it' — since he had mentioned the light of dawn, he fittingly said:

'I made the light, from which afterward the impious, being shaken out, are dispatched to lightless and dark places.'

According to the contemplation, the word of the gospel teaching shook the impious demons out at the incarnate coming of the Lord.

'Or did you take clay of the earth and fashion a living, speaking creature, and set it upon the earth?' 'But you, O Job,' he says, 'taking dust from the earth, fashioned man and adorned him with reason, as I did?' Note here that he did not say 'dust' but 'clay,' since dust is mingled with water.

'And have you taken away light from the impious, and crushed the arm of the proud?' This may be understood both of impious men and of demons.

For the knowledge of the truth was taken away from them, and their power was crushed.

Here he showed what will later befall the impious, and resolved the difficulty that troubles men because they often see the impious suffering nothing harsh in this present life.

'Have you come to the spring of the sea, and have you walked in the tracks of the abyss? Do you know from where the sea had its beginning? Or have you grasped the tracks — that is, the outermost parts — of the abyss? Or have you done what the Lord did when he was incarnate' — as what follows also attests — 'and do the gates of death open to you in fear, and do the gatekeepers of Hades cower at seeing you?' These things happened when the Lord descended into Hades to preach to the spirits there.

'And have you been instructed as to the breadth of that which is under heaven? Tell me, how or what it is.'

'Have you precisely known the breadth of the earth? Declare its diameter.'

'In what land does light lodge? And what is the place of darkness — if you could bring me to their boundaries?' He also speaks concerning light and darkness:

'Where are they shut in, and from where do they go forth? And if you also know their paths, do you then know that you were born at that time?' If you should say that you know the ways of these, then say also that you were born at the time when these were fixed by boundary.

'And is the number of your years great?' If you know these things, know also that you are one advanced in years, as having existed from the very beginning.

'Have you come upon the storehouses of snow, or have you seen the storehouses of hail?' By 'storehouses' he means the hidden things.

'Do you know, then,' he says, 'how I bring forth into visibility the snow and hail that are not seen? And is it reserved for you against the hour of enemies, for the day of war and battle?' Are you able to use snow and hail against your enemies — which is what God often does, punishing men and destroying the crops? 'And from where does frost go forth, or is the south wind scattered over what is under heaven? And who has prepared a channel for the violent rain, and a way for the thunderous tumults, to rain upon the earth where there is no man?' And from where comes the frost, or how does the south wind blow over all that is under heaven? How does the rain pour down violently? From where come the thunders? For he calls the thunder a 'tumult.'

'Are these not the works of human skill, are they not the creations of the wisdom of God — to satisfy a desert where there is no man, impassable and uninhabited, and to cause the growth of grass to spring forth?' The rain, he says, is poured out even upon the uninhabited land — evidently because God cares for the wild beasts — and the desert grows grass and bears greenery apart from any human tending.

'Who is the father of the rain? And who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb does the ice come forth? And who has begotten the frost in heaven, which comes down like flowing water?' Can you name a father for the rain or for the dew — by 'drops of dew' he means the formations of dew — or for the ice, or for the frost, which, forming around the firmament (for here by 'heaven' he means the air on high), flows down like water? Are not these the works of God, and of God's wisdom? 'And who has melted the face of the impious?' According to the literal sense, this is to be understood of every impious person.

The comeliness of the enemy, which indeed the 'face' signifies — who is it that made this vanish? Was it not the Only-begotten Son of God, the maker also of creation? 'Have you understood the binding of the Pleiades?' Is it a work of your understanding that the stars composing the Pleiades are, as it were, bound and arranged together in such a manner? Or do you know the reason why they were fitted together with one another in this way? 'And have you opened the enclosure of Orion?' Since Orion appears at its proper season, you, he says, arrange for it to be hidden as though by some partition, and to appear again. 'Or will you open the Mazuroth in its season?' By 'Mazuroth' he means the groupings of the stars which are commonly called the signs of the zodiac.

'Where, then,' he says, 'are these shut up, and do they appear at their season?' But others say that 'Mazuroth' is a Hebrew word, and that, translated into the Greek tongue, the word signifies the heavenly dog-star.

'And Hesperus — will you lead it forth by its hair?' By 'hair' he means the excess of its brightness and its comeliness.

'Is it not you,' he says, 'who bring this forth shining so radiantly?' 'Do you know the turnings of heaven, or the things that happen under heaven in unison?' Do you know the turnings of the air, or, simply, all the things that happen under heaven — how they come to pass? 'Will you call to a cloud with your voice, and will it obey you with a trembling of violent water?' Are you able to command clouds to come into being, and will the rain, as though it were some living thing, obey your command with trembling? 'Will you send forth lightning-bolts, and will they go? Will they say to you, "What is it?"' As though certain servants, the lightning-bolts are commanded by you to go, and against whomever they are sent, being ready for the command, all but uttering a voice, they will say:

'What is it you command us to do?' 'And who has given to women the wisdom of weaving, or the skill of embroidery?' Who has made women skillful in the making of fabrics, and in adorning them variously with the dyes and colors of wool? Through these things he shows that skillful wisdom, too, has been given to men by God.

'And who is it that numbers the clouds in wisdom, and has bent heaven down to the earth?' Who is it that causes the clouds to form according to number, not without measure, but according to need? And who is it that made heaven circular in form, so that to those gazing from afar it seems to touch the ends of the earth? 'And it is poured out like the dust of the earth.'

'And I have glued it together like a cube with stone.'

The most subtle nature of heaven I made so solid, as if one were to fit a cube together with stone.

A 'cube' is that which is square at its base, or, tapering from a circular form to a point — so as to say:

'I made it firm and stable.'

'Will you hunt prey for lions, and will you fill full the souls of serpents? For they crouch in their lairs, and sit in the woods lying in wait.'

But who granted the lion its predatory nature? Who fills the serpents with food? Who taught the wild beasts to lie in ambush and to attack in order to procure food in abundance? As for the words, 'for they crouch fearfully in their lairs,' this means either that the wild beasts, fearing men — the creation made according to the image of God — withdraw to thickets, woodlands, and impassable places; or that the herds, on hearing a lion roar, shudder in terror.

For they say that the lion first terrifies its prey with its roar, and only then rushes upon it in this manner.

Who has prepared food for the raven? For its young cry out to the Lord, wandering about in search of grain.

But God cares even for the birds.

For by the part he signified the whole.

It is said that the raven is unloving and leaves its chicks uncared for, but that these, pressed by want, employ by a certain natural instinct a cry toward God; and that he who loves the good preserves and nourishes them by his own ineffable wisdom — which David also sang in praise, saying:

'And to the young ravens that call upon him.'

'Have you known the time when the wild goats of the rock give birth? Have you observed the birth-pangs of the hinds? Have you numbered the months of their full time, and released their birth-pangs? Have you reared their young without fear, and will you send away their birth-pangs?' — But, he says, you do not even know the most trivial matters: how, in due season, the hind and the wild goat give birth beneath the overhanging rock in caves; and how the wild goats in particular leap up onto the rocks; and what number of months has been appointed them for gestation; and how they bring forth when their birth-pangs are loosed; how they give milk to their newborn, while these are reared without fear.

And 'you will send away' means instead:

'You will bring to an end,' so that they are not forever in birth-pangs.