Thomas Aquinas, on Job 3:5

“Let darkness, and the shadow of death cover it, let a mist overspread it, and let it be wrapped up in bitterness.”

“Second, from the interposition of clouds or things like this which hide the rays of the sun. The text means this when it says, "Let gloom claim it." Third, when the subject himself lacks the power of sight, since when someone is dead or deprived of sight, the clarity of the sun is taken away from him. The next verse expresses this, "and the shadow of death." Job explains two ways which can produce the aforementioned darkness. First, as to the order when he says, "Let clouds dwell on it." For clouds dwell on a day when a day which dawned clear and beautiful is suddenly and unexpectedly overcast by clouds. Job's own life seems to be like this. Second, as to the kind of darkness. So he says, "Let it be enveloped in bitterness." In this verse he shows that everything which has been said about darkening should refer to the darkness of sorrow. In fact, his style seems to explain an allegory using another allegory. In all these expressions, he only means to say that the day of his birth should not be judged as one of joy but as one of mourning since he entered by his birth into a life of such great adversity.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.