Verses 9, 10. — Have you not fenced him in, and his house, and all his substance round about? You have blessed the works of his hands, and his possession has increased on the earth. 44. The proud devil, seeing Him lowly, doubted Him to be God. — For he says that He and His house are fenced in by God; because by tempting he could not penetrate His conscience. He asserts that His substance is fenced in, because he does not presume to invade His elect. He complains that God has blessed the works of His hands, and that His possession has increased on the earth: because, namely, wasting away, he sees that faith in Him is multiplied unto the knowledge of men, the apostles preaching.
For His possession is said to grow, while, the preachers laboring, the number of the faithful is daily increased. This, therefore, is for Satan to have said to God — namely, to have felt such things through envy. This is for Satan to have said to God — to have grieved over these things, wasting away. There follows: