Thomas Aquinas

But Bildad the Shuhite answering, and so on. Because Bildad the Shuhite was unable to grasp with his understanding the words of blessed Job set forth above, he supposed that what he himself did not understand was also being uttered in vain by the one speaking; hence at the beginning of his response he says, "How long will you cast forth words?" In this he seems to accuse him of three things: first, of the ineffectiveness of his speech, as though the aforesaid words of Job had no efficacy to establish anything, which is signified by his saying, "to what end"; second, he accuses him of a vain multiplication of words, as though Job's aforesaid words lacked the weight of sound meaning, which is signified by his saying, "words"; third, he notes in him a disordered connection of words, which is signified by his saying, "will you cast forth": for a man is said to cast forth words who scatters them in a disordered way, although this third point could also be referred to the boastfulness of arrogance. Now these three things arise in a person's speech from a defect of understanding; and since it is useless to converse with one who is deficient in understanding, he adds, "understand first, and so let us speak," as if to say: from the fact that you speak ineffectively, lightly, and in a disordered way, it is clear that you are deficient in understanding; therefore apply yourself first to understanding, and afterward we shall be able to confer with one another.

Then he accuses him of presumption, because he had not accounted them wise, when he said, "I shall not find among you any wise man"; and so, answering to this, he adds, "Why are we reputed as beasts, and have become vile in your sight?" For a man who lacks wisdom appears like the beasts and vile, because it is in wisdom that man's honor and adornment consist. Consequently he rebukes him for anger, because he had said, "my eye grows dim with indignation," which he had wrongly understood, believing it to be such an indignation as had taken away from him the light of wisdom, not attending to what he had said afterward, "and the just man will hold to his way"; and so he adds, "Why do you destroy your soul in your fury?" For that man destroys his soul in fury who, on account of fury, falls away from wisdom and justice, which are especially the goods of the soul.

These things, then, having been premised, by which he noted in the person of Job a defect of understanding, presumption, and fury, he consequently proceeds to the principal point on which the controversy turned, namely that the adversities of the present life were the punishments of sins — against which Job had said, "I have not sinned, and my eye abides in bitterness." But because Bildad was unable to use reasons in asserting his position, he wished to establish his position as though most firmly grounded on common opinion, and therefore he compared it to things that cannot be removed, namely the earth and the rocks; hence he says, "Shall the earth be forsaken for your sake, and shall the rocks be moved out of their place?" As if to say: this position, that adversities happen for sins, is as firm as the earth and the rocks; shall it, then, be able to be removed on account of your disputations, so that you may be proved innocent?

Then he pursues his position more diffusely, recounting one by one the evils that befall sinners; among which he first sets down the cessation of prosperous successes, which he compares to light, because "he who walks in the light does not stumble," as is said in John 11:9; hence those to whom all things succeed prosperously according to their wish seem to walk in the light. Concerning the loss, then, of this light, that is, of prosperity, he says, "Shall not the light of the wicked be extinguished," that is, shall not his prosperity cease? But just as bodily light proceeds from the flame of a fire, so also the brightness of prosperity proceeds from a man's affection, when what he desires comes about for him; and therefore he adds, "nor shall the flame of his fire shine"? For by fire the ardor of love is customarily signified, according to that saying in Song of Songs 8:6, "its lamps are lamps of fire and flames."

Now it must be considered that the prosperity of human success proceeds from a twofold cause: sometimes from human providence, as when a man prudently and cautiously arranges each and every thing, and with respect to this, concerning the cessation of prosperity, he says, "the light shall grow dark in his tabernacle," because, namely, both he himself and his household will lack prudence in their counsels; and sometimes the prosperity of human success proceeds from a higher cause, namely from divine providence, and with respect to this, describing the cessation of prosperity, he says, "and the lamp that is above him shall be extinguished" — not indeed that it does not shine in itself, but that it does not enlighten the wicked man. And he well called man's providence "light," as though borrowed from another, and God's providence a "lamp," as shining of itself. He set the light of human providence first, because by the fact that a man abandons the light of reason he seems to merit that he not be protected by the light of divine providence.

Consequently, after the cessation of prosperity, he adds concerning adversity; with respect to which he first sets down impediments to action and endeavor. Now a man strives to attain the effect of his action from two sources: in one way through his own strength, and against this he says, "the steps of his strength shall be straitened," because, namely, the endeavor of his strength could not have ample progress; in another way a man endeavors to obtain something through wisdom, and with respect to this he says, "and his own counsel shall cast him down headlong," namely when what he had devised as useful becomes harmful to him.

He says that the cause of these impediments proceeds from the man's own sin, when he adds, "for he has cast his feet into a net"; for just as one who of his own accord puts his foot into a net prepares himself for capture, so one who of his own accord thrusts himself into sinning disposes himself thereby to have his progress impeded, according to that saying in Proverbs 5:22, "his own iniquities catch the wicked man"; and just as in a net there are various meshes, so too in sin there are many diversities by which men are ensnared in different ways; and therefore he adds, "and he walks in its meshes," namely when he proceeds from one kind of sin to another, or from one manner of sinning to another. And because he of his own accord thrusts himself into dangers and does not desist but always proceeds further, therefore he will at some point feel an impediment; hence he adds, "his sole shall be held by a snare," that is, the progress of his will and action will be impeded by some contrary thing.

Now harms of this kind arise, for those who proceed in sin, from a threefold cause: first, on the part of the sinner himself, who, the more he sins, the more he increases in himself the desire of sinning; and with respect to this he adds, "and thirst shall burn against him," because, namely, a sinful man sometimes considers by reason that something is harmful to him, but the burning desire of sinning compels him to act against his own judgment. Second, the cause of harm is sometimes from the very things in which he sins, as Ecclesiastes 5:12 says, "riches are kept to the hurt of their owner"; and harms of this kind arise sometimes from things already acquired, and with respect to this he says, "his snare is hidden in the earth," because, namely, in earthly things themselves there lies hidden some danger by which the feet of the sinner may be caught; and sometimes harms of this kind arise while a man is on the way of acquiring, and with respect to this he says, "and his trap is upon the path," because, namely, before the sinner obtains what he seeks, dangers lie hidden in the very way. Third, harms of this kind are caused on the part of other men, whose ambushes and assaults are feared; hence he adds, "terrors shall frighten him on every side," because, as is said in Wisdom 17:10, "since wickedness is timid, it has been given over to the condemnation of all"; and since a man is on guard against all, it is necessary that his acts be impeded in many ways; hence he adds, "and they shall entangle his feet," so that, namely, he cannot proceed freely anywhere.

"Let his strength be weakened by hunger," and so on. Bildad had set forth beforehand the punishments of sinners pertaining to outward adversities; here, however, he begins to pursue the punishments pertaining to their persons. Now it must be considered that sins themselves are bound up with outward adversities, and therefore he pursued the outward adversities by foretelling them, as it were with a certain certainty; but bodily punishments do not seem to be directly caused by sins themselves, except perhaps by some, such as especially by gluttony and lust, by which a man sins against his own body; and therefore he does not pursue bodily punishments by way of pronouncement but rather by way of imprecation.

He sets forth first the bodily punishments preceding death; and since life is preserved by nourishment, he first imprecates upon him the withdrawal of nourishment, from which a man first begins to be weakened, and with respect to this he says, "let his strength be weakened by hunger." Then, with nourishment failing, life too is taken away, and with respect to this he adds, "and let starvation invade his ribs," by which is signified the weakening of the vital operations, whose principle is the heart, which is contained beneath the ribs. Now the goods of the body which begin to be weakened by hunger are totally consumed by death; and the chief goods of the body seem to be beauty and strength, and therefore he adds, "let the firstborn death devour the beauty of his skin" — since, namely, beauty is considered in outward appearance — "and consume his arms," in which strength is especially observed — that is, an untimely death, forestalling the natural end of his age.

Now a dead man is carried out from his house, and with respect to this he adds, "let his confidence be torn away from his tabernacle," because, namely, he placed his hope not in God but in the wealth and glory of his house, from which he is cast out after death. But cast out from his house, he is shut up in the tomb, where he is totally destroyed by death, and with respect to this he adds, "and let destruction tread upon him as a king," because, namely, death, with the full power as it were of a king, grinds him down into dust. But when he has gone out from his house, the household members remain, who are as dead to him, with whom he had society in life; and with respect to this he adds, "let the companions of him who is not dwell in his tabernacle," that is, of the dead man who has now ceased to be among human affairs. Now the household, when their patron has died, perform mourning and display certain signs of sadness, whether as to black and squalid garments or also as to certain foul odors; and with respect to this he says, "let brimstone be sprinkled in his tabernacle," by which is understood everything that can be a sign of sadness, just as also good odors are taken up as a sign of joy.

Now when a man has died, frequently all the things that were his perish; showing this in turn, he begins first from things that spring from the earth, of which some, when he has died, still remain sown, and with respect to these he says, "let his roots be dried up beneath," so that, namely, whatever he sowed or planted may be destroyed so as not to bear fruit; and some indeed have already been brought to fruit, and with respect to these he adds, "but above let his harvest be crushed"; and this can be referred to any undertakings begun or already nearly completed.

Then he proceeds to the fame that remains concerning a man after death, on account of which some desire to live on in the memories of men and to have glory even after death; hence, with respect to the blotting-out of the sinner from the memories of men, he adds, "let his memory perish from the earth"; and with respect to the cessation of his celebrated fame he adds, "and let his name not be celebrated in the streets," which he says pointedly, because there is no celebrity of a name except among a multitude, which is customarily found in the streets. And so, with memory and the celebrity of his name ceasing, the brightness of his glory will be changed into the darkness of perpetual oblivion; and this is what he adds, "he shall drive him out of light into darkness," that is, from worldly glory into oblivion. Now with his fame ceasing and his body consumed by death, nothing further of him will remain in the world — for Bildad and his companions were of the opinion that the soul did not remain after death — "and he shall remove him from the world," so that, namely, nothing of his remains in the world.

But because parents also live on in their children, therefore, to exclude this too, he adds, "there shall be no seed of his," because his children will die, "nor offspring among his people," because neither grandsons nor great-grandsons will remain; nor even any who belong to him, hence he adds, "nor any remnants in his regions," that is, neither kinsmen nor household members through whom memory might be had of him. But he shows what effect follows from this in the hearts of others when he adds, "in his day" — namely, the day of his ruin — "the last shall be astonished," that is, the lesser ones of the people, out of excessive wonder, unable to consider how so great a glory of the sinner has suddenly been reduced to nothing; and as regards the greater ones he adds, "and horror shall invade the first," who fear, namely, lest something similar befall them.

And this seems to have led him to reply to what Job had said above in 14:21: "whether his sons be noble or ignoble, he shall not understand it; yet his flesh, while he lives, shall grieve" — from which it seemed that Job had refuted the threats of his friends, or their promises concerning future contingent events after death; but here Bildad replies that misfortunes of this kind which happen after death, even though the dead man does not know of them, are nevertheless inflicted by God — such punishments — for the correction of others.

And because he had set forth beforehand certain punishments of the sinner pertaining to the way of the present life, and certain others pertaining to the end of the way, namely to death or to what happens after death, therefore, as if by way of epilogue, he adds, "such then are the tabernacles of the wicked man," that is, his course along the way of the present life — for travelers make use of tabernacles; and as regards the ultimate end, which is as it were the terminus of the movement, he adds, "and this is the place of him who does not know God," whether through unbelief or through disobedience.