Literal Commentary on Job (Expositio super Iob ad litteram)

Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: Therefore my thoughts, and so on. Zophar, having heard Job's opinion concerning the hope of the future life, seems to have acquiesced in it — whence too, after this his second response, he says nothing further in contradiction a third time. But nevertheless there was still something in his heart which did not permit him to withdraw entirely from his earlier opinion: for he thought that even if in the future life there were to be retributions and punishments according to merits, as he had learned from Job, nonetheless it still seemed to him that the prosperities and adversities of this present life were dispensed to men by God according to the merit of their virtues or of their sins; and therefore, as one partly convinced and yet still in part holding to his first opinion, he says therefore — that is, on account of the words which you say concerning the hope of the future life — my varied thoughts succeed one another. And so that these varied thoughts should not be understood as pertaining to the same conclusion, as when someone devises various arguments toward the same conclusion, he adds and my mind is carried into diverse directions — that is, by the force of the arguments which can be brought forward on either side, I am led now to one, now to the other, as though not sufficient to resolve the contrary arguments. For it seemed to him that he ought not to reject Job's opinion concerning the hope of the future life, and therefore he adds I will hear the instruction with which you rebuke me — that is, believing what you have said concerning the future resurrection — but nevertheless he does not yet altogether let go of his first opinion, and this is what he adds: and the spirit of my understanding will answer for me — as if to say: my intellect still has something to answer in defense of its own position. Now this seemed to him most certain and proven by experience: that even if the wicked rejoice in some prosperity, yet it is brief and is soon ended even in this life, either by a hastened death or by some subsequent adversity; and this is what he adds: this I know — considering, that is, from the beginning, from the time when man was placed upon the earth, as if he were to say, from the beginning of the human race — that the praise of the impious is short: for they are sometimes praised for a little while on account of certain signs and beginnings of goodness which appear in them, but these are at once clouded over by the iniquitous deeds which appear in them; and therefore the joy which they have from the favor which they gain by their pretense passes away quickly, and this is what he adds: and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment — as if it would pass in an instant, because afterward he is known by his fruits, as is said in Matthew 7:16. For it sometimes happens that from that favor which he obtained for a short time by his pretense, he is lifted up to some lofty estate; whence he next shows that not even this will be stable for him, saying: if his pride should mount up even to the heavens — that is, if, because of the lofty estate he has attained, he should rise to such pride that he no longer considers himself perishable, as it were earthly, but immovable, as it were heavenly — and his head should touch the clouds — namely, so that he is advanced beyond the common estate of men — like his own dung he shall perish in the end, either by a hastened death, by which the human corpse is rendered vile and abominable like dung, according to that word of Jeremiah 9:22: the corpse of man shall fall like dung upon the face of the region — or by the fact that his malice will be uncovered and he will be reckoned vile by all, according to that word of Ecclesiasticus 9:10: every woman who is a harlot shall be trodden underfoot like dung in the road. Now once his pride has been cast down, astonishment will arise in the hearts of men at so sudden a downfall, and the reverence which was held toward him will cease; whence it is added: and they who had seen him will say, "Where is he?" — either marveling or despising him. And to show that his downfall is irreparable, he adds like a dream flying away he will not be found: for just as a bird is easily taken from the eyes of men by flying away, so too dreams are easily taken away from human knowledge; and because no trace of them remains, however faint, nor is there any witness by whom, if it were lost, it might be sought again, therefore the knowledge of it passes away irreparably — and by this he gives to understand likewise that the fall of the impious is irreparable. And he shows the cause of this irreparability to be manifold: first, on the part of the sinner himself who perishes, whence it is said he will pass away like a vision of the night, which indeed is a vision of a phantasm that does not endure, and therefore, once it has ceased, a return to it cannot be had; whereas a vision by day is of some enduring thing, which, if someone ceases to see it, he can return again to see it; and likewise, so long as the sinner remains, if adversity comes upon him, restoration can be hoped for, but once he has passed out of this life, no further restoration is hoped for. Second, he shows his fall to be irreparable on the part of other men, when he adds the eye that had seen him will not see him: for the things that withdraw from the eyes also easily pass from memory; whence the dead, who are withdrawn from human sight, are easily given over to oblivion, so that they neither have glory in the memories of men, nor do their friends care any longer to render them help. Third, he shows the cause of its irreparability, namely, that he cannot return to his former state, whence he adds nor will his place any longer behold him: for man cannot, after death, return to the same manner of living. And not only will he himself be cast down and, passing away in his own person and withdrawn from the eyes of men, never be restored to his own place, but even his children will be punished for his sin; whence it follows his children will be crushed by poverty — by the just judgment of God, that is, so that because he sinned for the sake of his children's riches, in this too he may be frustrated in his hope, his children being made poor. Then, as if now acquiescing in Job's opinion, he adds also concerning the punishments of the future life, saying and his hands will render to him his sorrow — that is, for the works of sin which he did, he will suffer sorrow in punishments. And that this repayment of sorrow is to be understood as after death appears from what is added: his bones will be filled with the vices of his youth, and they will sleep with him in the dust — as if he were to say: even after death, when his flesh shall be dissolved into dust, with only the bones remaining in the sepulcher, he will suffer punishment for his sins, not only those which he committed in old age but also those which he committed in youth, which is more headlong toward sinning. And he shows the reason why he is punished even after death for his sins, adding for when evil was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue — and he speaks after the likeness of a man eating sweet food, who does not swallow it quickly but holds it long in his mouth so as to delight in it the longer. Whence, expounding this likeness, he adds he will spare it — namely, the evil or the sin which is sweet to him — unwilling to destroy it; which indeed he would destroy by abandoning it, whence it follows and he will not let it go; and why he does not let it go, he shows by adding and he will hide it in his throat — that is, he will disclose it to no one, and for this reason no one will dissuade him from his hidden sin, nor apply any remedy such as is applied to those who confess their sins: this, then, is the reason why someone's sins are punished after death, because he was unwilling to abandon them in life.

His bread in his belly, and so on. Because he had said that the bones of the impious man are to be filled with the vices of his youth, so that he may be punished for them after death, he now proceeds more fully concerning his punishments, and first he shows that the goods which he had in this world will be turned into evils for him. And he uses the likeness of one eating, for whom the food sometimes turns to evil, and this in two ways: in one way, when the food remains undigested within and is turned into poisonous humors, and as to this he says his bread in his belly will be turned into the gall of asps within — as if he were to say: just as food once eaten is sometimes turned into poisonous humors, so too the goods which he had in this world, persevered in even up to death, will be turned for him into the bitterness of death. Second, food once eaten, if it cannot be digested, is sometimes cast out by vomiting with abomination and pain; so too it sometimes happens that sinful men lose, as it were undigested, by divine judgment and with sorrow, the temporal goods which they acquire in this world, because they do not use them well; whence he adds the riches which he devoured — that is, acquired by rapacity — he will vomit up, that is, he will lose them with abomination, and God will draw them out of his belly, that is, out of his dominion, because by divine judgment they will be taken from him by a kind of violence. Nor will only the goods he possessed be turned into evil for him, but he will also suffer evils from enemies both in deed and in word, and therefore he sets down two examples: the first concerning the asp, which kills by biting, whence he says the head of asps will rise up — namely against him, to bite him, by which is signified some prince of evildoers, or even the Devil, assailing him; the second example he sets down concerning the viper, which spreads its venom with its tongue, whence it follows and the tongue of the viper will kill him, by which is understood whatever harm comes from the tongue of man, as it were venom from the tongue of a viper. Then he adds the punishment consisting in the privation of goods, when he adds let him not see the streams of the river, of the torrent of honey and butter. Now honey and butter agree in this, that each is sweet to eat, but honey is gathered by the labor of bees from flowers, while butter is obtained by the service of men from the milk of domestic animals; whence by honey can be signified whatever delightful good comes without the industry of men, while by butter is designated some delightful good coming from human effort. A torrent, moreover, comes suddenly and unexpectedly; in a river, abundance is designated on account of the multitude of the waters; in streams, however, the distribution of goods is designated, for not all have all things, neither temporal nor spiritual goods, but some have these, others those. It is given to understand, then, that for the good — according to Zophar's opinion — the sweetness of goods comes abundantly and unexpectedly, both from human service and from divine providence without human industry, yet according to a certain ordered distribution; and it is of this distribution that he asserts the sinner will be deprived. And because sometimes, from the multitude of punishments, a man fails so that he cannot sustain further punishments, he adds that the sinner, although he is punished in many ways in this life, is nevertheless further reserved for the punishments of the future life; whence it follows he will pay for all that he has done — that is, he will suffer punishment for each of his sins — and yet he will not be consumed, namely as to his soul, which is reserved for future punishments. He then shows the correspondence of the punishments to the faults, when he adds according to the multitude of his devisings, so also will he endure — because, that is, the punishment will correspond to the fault by a certain fittingness. And first he shows this as to the fault of rapacity, in which he sets down two things in order, of which the first is violent plundering, which he signifies by adding for, breaking in, he stripped bare the house of the poor man — in the breaking, signifying violence; in the stripping bare, plunder; second he sets down the negligence of restitution, and as to this he adds he seized the house and did not build it up — as if he were to say: he neglected to make recompense for what he seized from the house or destroyed by breaking into it. To this fault he then adds the fitting punishment, saying nor was his belly satisfied — as if he were to say: because he stripped bare the house of the poor man, not allowing him to be satisfied with his own goods, therefore his own appetite is not satisfied, neither with the goods which he justly possesses nor with those which he unjustly acquired, because, as is said in Ecclesiastes 5:9, the covetous man will not be filled with money, and he who loves riches will not take fruit from them; and as to the second fault he adds and when he shall have what he coveted, he will not be able to possess it, because either he himself will be taken from them or they will be taken from him — and this is fitting, that because he was unwilling to restore of his own will what he had seized, he should lose it against his will. He then shows the same in the fault of gluttony, which he sets down, adding nothing was left of his food — because, that is, whatever he had he turned to his own uses, reserving nothing for the need of others. And he adds the fitting punishment, saying therefore nothing of his goods will remain — to him, that is, because he will lose everything, and this is a fitting punishment as regards the fact that he was unwilling to reserve any of his goods for others: whence it is just that nothing be reserved for him. But as regards the fact that he consumed superfluous things for his own uses, he adds another fitting punishment, saying when he has been satisfied, he will be straitened — and he speaks after the likeness of a man who eats too much, whose bowels are constricted, being compressed by too much food; by which is signified that the man who spends superfluous things on his own uses, or who acquires superfluous things for himself, will suffer a certain constriction, not being able to dispose rightly of all he has acquired, as is clear in Luke 12:18 concerning the rich man whose field had brought forth abundant fruits, who wished to tear down his barns in order to build greater ones. Now from the constriction of the bowels there follows disordered heat and anxiety, whence he adds and he will burn — and likewise those who gather many things for themselves without order are afflicted with excessive anxiety; finally, from superfluous food pain is wont to reach all the members, whence he adds and every sorrow will rush upon him — likewise also for those who have heaped up superfluous things, manifold sorrow arises while they suffer losses in many respects. Zophar, therefore, considering that the fullness of the impious man is harmful to him, as if out of zeal for justice wishes upon him the fullness of temporal goods so that he may suffer punishment; whence it follows would that his belly might be filled — namely with the abundance of temporal goods — so that he — namely God — may send forth upon him the wrath of his fury, that is, vengeance without mercy. And he shows the manner of this wrath, adding and may he rain down his war upon him; and in saying may he rain down he designates the abundance of evils; in saying upon him — that is, above the powers of the sinner — he designates his inability to resist; and in saying his war he shows that the evils are not brought upon him for correction, in the manner of the discipline by which a father chastises his son, but in the manner of the extermination by which enemies are destroyed; whence he adds he will flee the weapons of iron — that is, the present punishments, enduring them impatiently, which strike as it were with an iron sword from close at hand; and he will rush upon the bow of bronze — that is, upon the punishments of the future life, which strike as it were from afar, in the manner of a bronze bow, which is unbreakable, so that the unendingness of the future punishments may be designated. He then expounds the course of this bow, saying drawn out and going forth from its sheath — supply: that bow will be: for as long as a bow is in its sheath it does not strike, and likewise the vengeance of future damnation, as long as it is in God's foreknowledge as it were in a certain sheath, does not condemn, but it is drawn out from this sheath by the malice that provokes God, and then it goes forth by divine disposition. And he shows its effect, adding and flashing forth into his bitterness: for just as lightning comes from on high, suddenly and with violence and brightness, so that vengeance will be brought upon the sinner by God unexpectedly, with such violence that it cannot be resisted, and with such brightness of justice that there will be no place for excuse; and from this the sinner will be filled with bitterness. Then he sets forth the punishments of vengeance part by part, and first as to this, that he will be handed over under the power of demons, and as to this he adds terrible things will go and come upon him — that is, the demons will receive free power over him. Then he sets down the punishment of loss, when he adds all darkness is hidden in his secret places, because, that is, he will suffer utterly perfect darkness, both interior and exterior, removed far from the brightness of God; and he says this is in secret because, just as the brightness of the saints is hidden from us in this life, so too is the darkness of the impious. Then he sets down the punishment of sense when he says a fire that is not kindled will devour him — not indeed by consuming him but by swallowing him up in his affliction — namely the fire of Gehenna, which is kindled not by human effort but by divine power, according to that word of Isaiah 30:33: the breath of the Lord, like a torrent of sulphur, kindling it. In these punishments, moreover, no help will be at hand for him; whence he adds he will be afflicted, left alone in his tabernacle — that is, from the fact that he will be left without help in the place of punishments appointed for him. Having thus set down the punishments which he will suffer in himself, he adds the punishments which pertain to him according as, after death, he remains present in this life; and first, indeed, as to this, that he remains in the memories of men, saying the heavens will reveal his iniquity — that is, by heavenly power it will come about that his iniquity, which lay hidden in his lifetime, is revealed after death — and the earth will rise up against him, because, his iniquity having been made manifest, earthly men also will be disturbed even against the dead man whom perhaps they had revered while he was alive. Then he sets down his punishment as to this, that he remains present in his children, when he says the growth of his house will be laid open — that is, his children will be exposed to tribulations; and this growth will be dragged away — namely from this life — on the day of the wrath of the Lord, that is, on the day of divine vengeance — although this too could be referred to the final judgment, in which the saints will reveal the iniquity of the sinner and the whole world will fight against the senseless, and the growths, that is, the works of sin, will be made manifest, and at last the impious man will be dragged down into Hell. Then, by way of epilogue, he adds this is the portion of the wicked man from God — that is, which he acquired for himself by his impious works — and the inheritance of his words from the Lord — which, namely, he acquired for himself by his wicked words. And it is to be considered that among the foregoing he mingled together present punishments with future ones.