1 And it came to pass, when on a certain day the sons of God came, and stood before the Lord, and Satan came amongst them, and stood in his sight,
v.1–2
VERS. 1, 2.-- « And it came to pass, etc. » « Whence comest thou? » This not as before, etc., *as far as* thou who didst wish to diminish hast served his advancement.
2 That the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answered, and said: I have gone round about the earth, and walked through it.
3 And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered my servant, Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil, and still keeping his innocence? But thou hast moved me against him, that I should afflict him without cause.
v.3
VERS. 3.-- « Innocence. » He retains innocence who, even after a fall, roused by a spark of reason, faithfully repents. How was the Father moved against Christ, with whom he is the same, through Satan? Because Christ as man would not have suffered unless Adam had sinned, when Satan moved Adam he stirred [him] up against Christ God. In vain, because he bore the penalty without fault of his own; but not in vain, because he paid what another had seized.
4 And Satan answered, and said: Skin for skin; and all that a man hath, he will give for his life:
v.4
VERS. 4.-- « Skin for skin. » The devil, on account of the miracles, thought him the Son of God, but on account of the lowly things, mere man. Judging him therefore from others, who in the place of shepherds contemn the losses of others, as one not moved when many things had been withdrawn, as being things which are outside himself, he tempts him with the pain of his own flesh, as one who would grieve for himself who does not grieve for others. When he asks that this be done, he speaks with desires; and these things he brought in through his members by words and desires, through which he said: « Let us put wood into his bread, », that is, let us apply the stock of the cross by fixing it to his body. Skin is given for skin, because often, when a blow comes against the eye, we put the hand in the way, that we may be wounded rather in it than in the more tender part. Knowing that this is customarily done, he says: « Skin for skin, and all that a man hath » As if to say: Job therefore bears with an even mind so many scourges outside himself, because he is afraid lest he himself be struck; and out of care for himself he feels less about his own. Whence he demands to strike the man himself: « Put forth thy hand, » which God rightly permits, that being often conquered he may be struck dumb.
5 But put forth thy hand, and touch his bone and his flesh, and then thou shalt see that he will bless thee to thy face.
v.5
VERS. 5.-- « Otherwise put forth thy hand. » Often the devil, after he has assaulted the mind, ceases for a time, that he may suddenly break in upon it while it is secure. Therefore he demands Job again, which God grants him by keeping silence. « And touch his bone. » By the bone and the flesh he understands bodily life; by the soul he understands reason, as above.
6 And the Lord said to Satan: Behold, he is in thy hand, but yet save his life.
v.6
VERS. 6.-- « Behold, he is in thy hand. » Satan had power through his own over the flesh of Christ, but he preserves the soul, not because he does not tempt it, but because he does not overcome it; or the soul, that is, he loses from his own right those dear to him and chosen by him, when he slays him from the sole of the foot even to the crown: because from the beginning of the world he brought hard things upon his members, and by his raging reached even to their head, that is, Christ. « Behold, in thy hand. » He suffers us to be tempted, that we may seem weak to ourselves; and yet he guards us.
7 So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and struck Job with a very grievous ulcer, from the sole of the foot even to the top of his head:
v.7
VERS. 7.-- « Satan therefore having gone forth. » Leave having been received, etc., *as far as* by repenting he looks back, lest any elation arise.
8 And he took a potsherd and scraped the corrupt matter, sitting on a dunghill.
v.8
VERS. 8.-- « Who scraped the corrupt matter with a potsherd. » A potsherd is made of clay, etc., *as far as* but worse are they who by elation, as Job's wife, who being proud gives counsel to her husband.
9 And his wife said to him: Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity? bless God and die.
v.9
VERS. 9.-- « But his wife said to him. » It shows the first temptation of the devil, etc., *as far as* but they slide away into harshness. « Dost thou still continue in thy simplicity. » She reproves his simplicity, that he despises earthly things and desires eternal ones; as if to say: Why dost thou in simplicity seek eternal things and groan grievously over these, falling away (despise eternal things) and escape present evils, or by dying. But those men suffered these things, a form of uprightness. Whence he says: « As one of the foolish women, etc., » they endure those who strike without, they teach the perverse within: there strong, here merciful; there they drive back adversaries, here they protect their own; and it is a great thing to do both of these in the battle line. « Dost thou still continue. » Eve repeats her own words, as if saying: Forsake simplicity, that is, obedience; contemn the forbidden thing by eating it. « Bless the Lord and die. » That is, by overstepping the precept, live beyond what thou wast created. See the order: after the wounds the enemy brought in words, because when the force of pain grows heavy a small persuasion more easily takes a man; for which reason he who took away the rest kept the wife in reserve.
10 And he said to her: Thou hast spoken like one of the foolish women: If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
v.10
VERS. 10.-- « As one of the foolish women, etc. » Because the understanding, not the sex, is in fault: he does not say, one of the women, but « of the foolish women: » what savours of depravity belongs to accidental folly, not by the condition of nature. « If we have received good things, etc. » It is a great consolation in evils to remember good things, lest there be despair on every side, just as in glad times the foresight of evil tempers one from elation. Whence it is said: In the day of good things be not unmindful of evils, and in the day of evils be not unmindful of good things. « If good things, » that is, if we strive toward eternal good things, why do we not endure present evils? « In all these things, » etc. In two ways we sin with our lips: when we say things that are not just, or when we keep silent about just things. But Job neither said proud things against him who struck, nor kept back right things against her who counselled. He had patience, giving thanks to God, teaching by reproof the folly of his wife. And so the enemy, being conquered, is the more hotly goaded; and because the wife fell silent, he stirred up others to insults. « In all. » Wherein the saints, in all things which they suffer without and within, neither go beyond bounds at injuries done to God, nor amid the insults of the wicked.
11 Now when Job's three friends heard all the evil that had befallen him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz, the Themanite, and Baldad, the Suhite, and Sophar, the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment to come together and visit him, and comfort him.
v.11
VERS. 11.-- « Therefore. » The friends signify heretics, etc., *as far as* hypocrites, not wishing to be, but to seem, learned. « Hearing. » He does not say hearing because these vices hear, but the devil, who tempts by these things, understands them. « Three friends. » This number, moral or mystical, signifies the three troops of the Chaldeans, that is, the assault which is made in deed, in tongue, and in thought; for he assaults all these. « They had agreed together, etc. » Because they agree in falsehood, and while they teach their own doctrines they seem to console. But they truly console in present affliction who instruct concerning eternal things. Heretics are called friends, because they are to be named not from their own wickedness but from our kindness: as, « Friend, whereto art thou come? » « They had agreed together. » Because certain vices join together among themselves against us, as pride and anger, slackness and fear; which, although they are diverse, yet tend to the same end, that is, to the overthrow of the spiritual Job.
12 And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off, they knew him not, and crying out, they wept, and rending their garments, they sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.
v.12
VERS. 12.-- « And when they had lifted up their eyes afar off. » They who are below lift up their eyes, etc., *as far as* we change enemies as it were into friends by the sacrifice of our intention. « Crying out they wept. » Because the blow had changed the appearance of the stricken man, a voluntary grief changes the appearance of the consolers; because he cannot console a grieving man who does not agree with the grief, but cleaving to him drags him along. Therefore, seeing his body torn, they rend their garments; seeing him changed, they defile their heads with dust, that Job may the more easily hear them, while he sees something of his own affliction in them. Yet the consoler must take care lest, grieving too much, he weigh down the afflicted and make the mourner despair. Perhaps Job's friends grieved too much, not knowing the mind of the stricken man, as though he had fallen from his heart. « They scattered dust. » Dust is earthly understanding; the head, the mind; heaven, the precept of the speech from above. To cast dust upon the head toward heaven is to corrupt the mind with worldly understanding, and to think earthly things concerning heavenly words. Day is understanding, night ignorance, seven the totality. They sit, therefore, that is, they feign that they condescend to the weakness of the Church; both in those things in which they understand the true light, and in those in which they have ignorance; and thus they prepare the guiles of deception.
13 And they sat with him on the ground seven day and seven nights and no man spoke to him a word: for they saw that his grief was very great.
v.13
VERS. 13.-- « On the ground. » Because they show an appearance of humility, that they may urge proud things. Or the earth is the incarnation of Christ, which certain heretics do not deny, but they disagree with us either about the deity or about the manner of the incarnation; because therefore they do not deny it, they sit as it were with Job on the ground. « Seven days. » It is not known whether they persisted continuously, or over so many days with frequent visitation. « Days and nights. » Because either in that which they rightly, or in that which they foolishly, understand, they do not contradict the incarnation. « No one spoke a word to him. » Because then the enemies are silent, if we neglect to beget sons of God by preaching; but if we speak right things, then they heap up grievous insults, and break out against us into the voice of grief. They do indeed speak the seeds of errors, when they see the hearts of the faithful grow sluggish; but when they see them relish high things, grieve over the misery of the world, and seek a return to heaven, they warily bridle their tongue. « No one spoke. » For there are many, etc., *as far as* and unless they be cleansed by sacrifice, they must be punished. « For they saw the grief. » Because then they fear to speak perverse things, when the grief of the love of God shapes hearts; because then they would not profit, but would lose even those whom they held, the good being exercised.