1 Then Job answered, and said:
2 I have often heard such things as these: you are all troublesome comforters.
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VERS. 2.-- « I have often heard such things. » The elect often hear the evils of others as though their own, and a charge is thrust upon them by those very men by whom the charges thus thrust are themselves committed. « Burdensome comforters all of you. » When the depraved see the good labour, etc., *as far as* lest he who ought to soothe the sorrow increase it.
3 Shall windy words have no end? or is it any trouble to thee to speak?
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VERS. 3.-- « Shall windy words have an end? » The evil bring forth windy words. For their sayings, even if at times they are sound in their judgment, are yet puffed up through elation. « Or is anything troublesome to thee if thou speak? » As if he were saying: for this reason thou speakest the more, that thou hearest from me nothing troublesome concerning thy deed.
4 I also could speak like you: and would God your soul were for my soul.
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VERS. 4.-- « I also could speak like to you. » He tells what he was able to do, but lest he forsake justice, he declines what he was able to do.
5 I would comfort you also with words, and would wag my head over you.
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VERS. 5.-- « And would that your soul were for my soul. » In these words he is shown to intend this, etc., *as far as* because he would rebuke their evils with a moderate invective.
6 I would strengthen you with my mouth, and would move my lips, as sparing you.
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VERS. 6.-- « As it were sparing. » Note the *quasi,* because, etc., *as far as* he seems to approve, and they grow into an example.
7 But what shall I do? If I speak, my pain will not rest: and if I hold my peace, it will not depart from me.
8 But now my sorrow hath oppressed me, and all my limbs are brought to nothing.
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VERS. 8.-- « But now sorrow hath oppressed me, » etc. The Church is pressed with sorrow, etc., *as far as* those whom she has within; whence by the voice of the blessed man there is presently and fitly added.
9 My wrinkles bear witness against me, and a false speaker riseth up against my face, contradicting me.
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VERS. 9.-- « My wrinkles, » etc. The wrinkles of the Church are all those who live within her doubly, who cry the faith with their voices and deny it by their works. These in the time of peace, because they see that same faith to be in honour with the powers of this world, feign themselves to be faithful: but when adversity has suddenly troubled the Church, they straightway show what they were contriving in a perfidious mind. And the sense is: they rebuke me by persecuting me, who, being set within my body, amend not the malice of their own duplicity. « And a false-speaker is raised up against the face, » etc. While they do not presume to contradict her preaching openly, the Church suffers false speech as it were behind her back; but when the time of malice has broken out, he who now, being afraid, disparages, comes to contradict before her face: because he withstands the words of the true faith with open voices. And because this is done through the malignant spirit, he turns his words to the describing of him.
10 He hath gathered together his fury against me, and threatening me he hath gnashed with his teeth upon me: my enemy hath beheld me with terrible eyes.
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VERS. 10.-- « He hath gathered together his fury. » The devil, the prince of false speech, has now his fury against the Church, but it is scattered, because he stirs up hidden temptations through individual men. But when, licence being received, he has openly raged against her, he gathers his fury together upon her, because with his whole intention he binds himself to her affliction. He who gnashes with his teeth against her, and beholds her with terrible eyes, because through some he works cruel things against her, and through others provides the things he may work.
11 They have opened their mouths upon me, and reproaching me they have struck me on the cheek, they are filled with my pains.
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VERS. 11.-- « They have opened their mouths upon me, » etc. Because the reprobate open their mouths in reproaching, when they both fear not to preach error and mock the teachings of the right faith. « They have struck my jaw. » The jaw of the Church is the holy preachers, who convert the life of carnal men by the word of correction: these the reprobate chiefly persecute, and when they even slay them, that penalty satisfies them which chiefly tortures, or chastises, the mind of the Church. « My jaw. » Peter is the jaw, who slays and eats. Samson holds the jaw of an ass, and kills the enemies, that is, Christ holds the simple heralds in the hand of his power, and kills carnal men from their vices. The jaw cast upon the ground pours forth waters: because the bodies of the heralds given over to death show forth great miracles.
12 God hath shut me up with the unjust man, and hath delivered me into the hands of the wicked.
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VERS. 12.-- « God hath shut me up, » etc. The people of the elect is shut up with the wicked one: when its flesh is given over for a time to the persecutions of the ancient enemy. Which is delivered not to the spirit but to the hands of the enemies, because in that they cannot take him in mind, therein they burn the more cruelly against his flesh.
13 I that was formerly so wealthy, am all on a sudden broken to pieces: he hath taken me by my neck, he hath broken me, and hath set me up to be his mark.
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VERS. 13.-- « I, that once wealthy man. » He designates the mind of the weak, because while they know not how to foresee adversities, things are the heavier to them the more they are borne unlooked-for. Or, in certain men, when these same slip back, the Church suffers these things, who after the wealth of doctrine are sometimes turned to sudden vices. « He hath held my neck. » The neck here signifies the uprightness of liberty, which the enemy *holds* in the time of persecution; « he binds it fast, » while the weak presume not freely to preach the true things which they perceive. Or, he calls his neck those who in the Church, under pretext of defending rectitude, are enslaved to the vice of elation: which the enemy bends down by the straitness of his persecution. « And he hath set me as it were for a mark. » A mark is set for this, that it may be struck by the shooting of arrows. And so the faithful people is set as a mark for its enemy, because he ever assails it with his blows, when he afflicts it with his persecutions; whence the Apostle: « For yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. » As if he should openly say: Why do you marvel at our wounds in this time? we who, if we seek eternal joys, have come to this that we should be struck.
14 He hath compassed me round about with his lances, he hath wounded my loins, he hath not spared, and hath poured out my bowels on the earth,
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VERS. 14.-- « He hath compassed me about. » The Church is compassed about with lances by her enemy, when in her members she is assailed on every side by the crafty assailant with the darts of temptations. « He hath wounded through my loins. » When the enemy draws the faithful people to luxury, he strikes it in the loins. And « to wound through » is said, because what he suggests to us amiss, we, following, fulfil of our own will, and as it were together with him we wound ourselves alike. « He hath not spared, and hath poured out my bowels upon the ground. » He calls the bowels of the Church the minds of those who contain her mysteries within themselves: whom, while the ancient enemy draws them to secular business, he pours out her bowels upon the ground. « He hath not spared, » that is, he has not ceased.
15 He hath torn me with wound upon wound, he hath rushed in upon me like a giant.
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VERS. 15.-- « He hath cut me down. » In her weak ones the Church, etc., *as far as* when it has heaped fault upon fault. « He hath rushed upon me as a giant. » Because assuredly the malignant spirit fights after the manner of a giant against her, that is against the soul, overcome by depraved habit, since the more often the soul subjects itself to him, the more intolerable it makes him to itself. But because for the most part it returns to penance, there follows.
16 I have sowed sackcloth upon my skin, and have covered my flesh with ashes.
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VERS. 16.-- « I have sewed sackcloth over my skin. » By sackcloth and ashes penance is understood, by the skin and the flesh the sin of the flesh. Therefore as it were sackcloth is sewed over the skin, and the flesh is covered with ashes, because the fault of the flesh is covered by penance, lest in the strict judge's examination it be seen unto vengeance.
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VERS. 16.-- « My face is swollen. » The faces of the Church are those who, set in governance, appear first, so that from their comeliness there may be honour for the faithful people. These bewail the faults of the weak; but while they see some return to pardon, and some persist in iniquity, they are amazed at the hidden judgments of God, which they do not understand.
17 My face is swollen with weeping, and my eyelids are dim.
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VERS. 17.-- « And my eyelids. » They are called eyelids, because they keep watch for the foreseeing of the ways of the peoples; but when not even the vigilant overseers understand the hidden judgments of God, the eyelids of holy Church grow dim.
18 These things have I suffered without the iniquity of my hand, when I offered pure prayers to God.
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VERS. 18.-- « These things I have suffered. » From the words of the body, etc., *as far as* by whom is the sorrow borne?
19 O earth, cover not thou my blood, neither let my cry find a hiding place in thee.
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VERS. 19.-- « Earth, cover not thou my blood. » To sinning man it was said: « Thou art earth and into earth shalt thou go; » which earth hid not the blood of our Redeemer, because every sinner, taking the price of his own redemption, confesses and praises it, and makes it known to what neighbours he can. The earth also did not cover his blood: because holy Church has now preached the mystery of her redemption in all parts of the world. « Nor let my cry find in thee a place of hiding. » The cry of our Redeemer is « the blood of redemption, » which is taken by the faithful, which, as the Apostle says, speaks better than the blood of Abel: because the blood of Abel sought the death of the fratricide, the blood of the Lord obtained life for its persecutors. Which cry finds a place of hiding in us, if what the mind has believed, the tongue keeps silent.
20 For behold my witness is in heaven, and he that knoweth my conscience is on high.
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VERS. 20.-- « For behold, in, » etc. The Father is the witness of the Son, as in the Gospel: « And the Father who sent me, he hath given testimony of me. » « And my conscious one. » Because by one will, etc., *as far as* but such a man ought not to fear the reprehensions of men, whence it is subjoined.
21 My friends are full of words: my eye poureth out tears to God.
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VERS. 21.-- « My friends are full of words. » When friends are full of words, that is, when even those disparage who are joined in the faith, it is needful that the eye should drop unto God, so that our whole intention may flow down into the compunction of inward love, and may raise itself to the inward things the more, the more it is compelled by outward reproaches to return within.
22 And O that a man might so be judged with God, as the son of man is judged with his companion!
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VERS. 22.-- « And would that, » etc. Sinners indeed we are, etc., *as far as* but nevertheless he consoles himself concerning its shortness.
23 For behold short years pass away, and I am walking in a path by which I shall not return.
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VERS. 23.-- « For behold, short years pass away. » Everything that passes is short, and we walk in the path of death by which we do not return, not that we are not brought back to life by rising again; but because we come not again to the labours of this mortal life, nor to the winning of rewards by labours.