1 Then Job answered, and said:
v.1
VERS. 1.-- « And Job answering. » The words of his friends being finished, Job, now at the last, rises up more sharply against them, as it is the custom of the skilled to keep the stronger things for the conclusion. « Whose helper? Is he weak. » To help the weak is of charity; to wish to help the powerful is of elation. And the sense is: while thou purposest to help him beneath whose greatness thou sinkest, the solace which thou bestowest is of ostentation, not of piety.
2 Whose helper art thou? is it of him that is weak? and dost thou hold up the arm of him that has no strength?
3 To whom hast thou given counsel? perhaps to him that hath no wisdom, and thou hast shewn thy very great prudence.
v.3
VERS. 3.-- « To whom hast thou given. » To give counsel to a fool is of charity; to give counsel to the wise man himself is of perversity, whence there follows: « And prudence, » etc. Everyone who is right in prudence is not exceeding great in it: because he does not desire to be wise more than it behoves to be wise. « Exceeding great. » Beyond measure, as those who desire to seem more learned than others, whence it comes about that, being immoderate, they even speak foolish things, whence the excess of prudence is added:
4 Whom hast thou desired to teach? was it not him that made life?
v.4
VERS. 4.-- « Whom to teach. » By the breath we live, without which we are not wise, but through which we are. He therefore who gives life gives wisdom also. « The breath. » As we cannot not out of our own nature, etc., *as far as* because not created, the created. « Is it not him who. » Baldath, because Job scourged, etc., *as far as* he unfolds through sentences, saying: « Behold the giants groan under the waters. » After he had repressed the swelling of wisdom, etc., *as far as* whereby it raises itself on high.
5 Behold the giants groan under the waters, and they that dwell with them.
v.5
VERS. 5.-- « And they that dwell with. » Together do those groan who are joined to such men, because they too are pressed down by the sharing of their labour; and because the heights that are desired cannot be administered without sins, and the evil which is done is not hidden from the divine wrath.
6 Hell is naked before him, and there is no covering for destruction.
v.6
VERS. 6.-- « Hell is naked. » By the name of hell and of perdition he designates the devil and the companions of all his damnation.
7 He stretched out the north over the empty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
v.7
VERS. 7.-- « Who stretcheth out. » By the name of the north the devil is called, who, that he might constrain the hearts of the nations with the cold of the body, said: I will sit in the mount of the testament, on the side of the north. Who is stretched out over the void, because he possesses those hearts which are not possessed by the grace of divine love. « And he hangeth the earth. » By the name of earth the Church is designated, etc., *as far as* « All nations are reputed as nothing and empty. »
8 He bindeth up the waters in his clouds, so that they break not out and fall down together.
v.8
VERS. 8.-- « Who bindeth. » He narrates the beginnings of the Church at its birth, saying, etc., *as far as* they should overwhelm the hearers by its immensity.
9 He withholdeth the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud over it.
v.9
VERS. 9.-- « Who holdeth back the face. » In the face knowledge is shown. The face therefore of his throne is held back, because in this life the glory of his kingdom is not known by us. Over which a cloud is said to be spread, because that heavenly glory is not seen as it is. « The face of the throne. » The throne is his majesty, or the angels, who now cannot fully be known; or we ourselves, whose face, that is, knowledge, is forbidden to go forward to higher things: over whom is the cloud, in whom he puts forth hidden judgments, whence he adds:
10 He hath set bounds about the waters, till light and darkness come to an end.
v.10
VERS. 10.-- « He hath set a bound about the waters. » Because he moderates the knowledge of the human race, so that, so long as the vicissitudes of the alternating times pass by, they may not perfectly attain to the knowledge of the inmost brightness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble, and dread at his beck.
v.11
VERS. 11.-- « The pillars. » He calls the pillars of heaven the holy angels, or the highest preachers of the Church.
12 By his power the seas are suddenly gathered together, and his wisdom has struck the proud one.
v.12
VERS. 12.-- « In strength. » Because, the Lord being made incarnate, hearts discordant in the Church believe concordantly. « And by his prudence. » By prudence, not by power, was the ancient enemy struck, because while of old he boldly attacked Christ, in whom nothing belonged to him, he lost by right the man whom he was also justly holding. But, the Lord being slain, what glory of the preacher was to follow, there follows:
13 His spirit hath adorned the heavens, and his obstetric hand brought forth the winding serpent.
v.13
VERS. 13.-- « His spirit hath adorned the heavens. » Because unless the preachers had received the promised gifts of the Paraclete, they would have shone with no comeliness of strength. « And by his hand acting as midwife. » The ancient enemy, who spoke to man by the mouth of the serpent, who is called tortuous, because he stood not in the rectitude of truth; he, by the Lord's hand acting as midwife, was cast out of the Church. And in a few sentences he has related the order of the Lord's first coming, but he adds that the second is greatly to be feared.
14 Lo, these things are said in part of his ways: and seeing we have heard scarce a little drop of his word, who shall be able to behold the thunder of his greatness?
v.14
VERS. 14.-- « And behold, these things have been said in part, of the ways. » By the name of ways, etc., *as far as* as a slender drop of the heavenly liquor flows down to us. « And when scarce a little. » As though he should say: If we scarcely bear the things to be wondered at in his humility, with what strength shall we endure the terrible coming of his majesty?