Man is born to labour and the bird to fly.

“Man is born to labour, and the bird to flying. For 'man is born to labour,' in that he, who is furnished with the gift of reason, bethinks himself that it is wholly impossible for him to pass through this season of his pilgrimage without sorrowing. Hence when Paul was recounting his woes to his disciples, he justly added, For yourselves know that we are appointed thereto. But even in that the flesh is afflicted with scourges, the mind is lifted up to seek higher things, as Paul again bears witness, saying, But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. So then, 'man is born to labour, and a bird to flying,' for the mind flies free on high for the very same reason that the flesh toils the sorer below. By the designation of 'man' too, may be represented the life of the carnal sort. And hence Paul says, For whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal? Soon after which he subjoins and says, Are ye not men? In this life, then, 'man is born to labour,' for every carnal person, in seeking to obtain transitory things, is overcharging himself with the burthen of his desires. For it is sore labour to be seeking this same glory of the present life, at times to win it so sought, and to guard it with diligence when won. It is sore labour, with infinite pains to lay hold of that, which he, that shall lay hold, knows can never remain for long. But holy men, forasmuch as they have no fondness for transitory objects, are not only laid under no burthen of temporal desires, but even, if crosses on any occasion arise, in these very straits and faintings are free from trouble. For what is there more severe than scourges? and yet it is written concerning the Apostles when scourged, And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name. What then can be labour to the minds of those, to whom even the chastisement of stripes is not labour? Man then is 'born to labour,' for he really feels the ills of the present state, who is agape after the good things thereof. For that mind which hangs on the attraction of things above, has beneath it whatsoever is set in motion against it from without. Therefore it is well added, and a bird to flying. For the soul withdraws itself from the painfulness of labour, in proportion as it raises itself through hope toward things on high. Was not Paul like a 'bird born to flying,' who in undergoing such countless crosses, said, Our conversation is in heaven? And again, We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Like a bird, then, he had mounted above the scenes below, whom, while yet lingering on earth in the body, the wing of hope was already bearing up in the heights. But forasmuch as none by his own strength can transport himself on high, so as to be raised to the invisible world, while he is borne down by visible things...”

“The author signifies all the silent and inanimate beings, and all those who are mute and without speech, through the two figures of the earth and the bird. His point is that neither the earth nor a bird can commit any act of iniquity. Because they cannot sin they are beyond afflictions and punishment. But the human being, since he is endowed with reason and sins by using his freedom, is born and grows up among pains and tribulation to match his nature.”

“Because man is born for trouble For it is impossible that he should not sin and receive trouble as punishment for sin. He is not like the flying creatures—the angels and spirits—who fly upward, and are not of the earthly creatures (other editions read: fly upward so as not to be among the earthly creatures), over whom the Adversary and temptation rule. flying Heb. רשף, as in (Ps. 76:4), “arrows of (רשפי) a bow.” When the arrow flies, it is called רשפי, an expression of flying. This is what I heard.”

“"Anger kills the foolish man." Because in the revelation which he had recounted as having been made to him, Eliphaz included among other things this, that men who have an earthly foundation are consumed as though by a moth; he wishes to show this through the diverse conditions of men: for there is no condition of men to which a proneness to some sin is not present. Now there are two conditions of men: for some are of great and elevated spirit, who are easily provoked to anger, and this is so because anger is an appetite for vengeance arising from a preceding offense; and the more elevated in spirit someone is, the more he thinks himself offended from a lighter cause, and therefore the more easily he is provoked to anger, and this is what is meant by "anger kills the foolish man." Now he calls the man who is of proud and elevated spirit "foolish," because it is especially through pride that man exceeds the bounds of reason, and humility prepares the way of wisdom, according to that saying of Proverbs 11:2, "where there is humility, there is wisdom"; and with this also the folly of anger fits, for the angry man, as the Philosopher teaches, does indeed use reason while he seeks vengeance for an offense, but perversely, since in taking vengeance he does not observe the measure of reason; and perversity of reason is folly. But some are pusillanimous, and these are prone to envy; hence he adds "and envy slays the little one," and this is said reasonably: for envy is nothing other than sadness at another's prosperity, insofar as that prosperity is reckoned as an impediment to one's own prosperity; and this pertains to smallness of soul, that someone does not judge himself able to prosper among others who are prospering. Thus, therefore, it seems evident that man, of whatever condition he may be, is prone to some sin; for it would be easy to bring forward similar things concerning other sins. Thus, then, through all that has been said above, Eliphaz intends to prove that adversities in this world befall no one except for sin. Against this there seem to be two objections, one of which is that many just men seem to be subjected to adversities; but he seems to have dissolved this objection by showing that men are prone to sin. The second objection is that some wicked men prosper in this world, and to satisfy this he intends consequently to show that their prosperity redounds to their own harm. Hence he says, "I have seen a fool," that is, a man puffed up with pride in his riches, "with a firm root," that is, established, as it seemed, in the prosperity of this world; but I did not approve his prosperity — nay rather, "I cursed his beauty immediately." Here it should be noted that he speaks of man under the metaphor of a tree, whose root, when it is firm, gives beauty in branches and fruits; he therefore compares the prosperity of a man established in riches to the beauty of a tree, which he curses, that is, pronounces to be evil and harmful, according to that saying of Ecclesiastes 5:12, "there is also another very grievous infirmity which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of their owner." He added "immediately" in order to show that he has no doubt at all about this judgment. He shows, first as regards the sons, what evils proceed from the prosperity of the fool. For it frequently happens that when someone rich and powerful raises his sons without discipline, which is proper to a fool, his sons fall into many dangers; and sometimes, indeed, they are destroyed without judgment because of the hatreds which they stir up against themselves, or else, while not taking heed for themselves and indulging inordinately in pleasures, they lose their lives; and as to this he says, "his sons shall be far from safety." At other times, while they inflict calumnies and injuries on others, they are brought before judges and there condemned; and as to this he says, "and they shall be crushed in the gate," that is, by the sentence of the judges, for judges of old were accustomed to sit in the gates. And because foolish men in their prosperity do not hesitate to offend anyone, in adversity they find no helper, and so he adds, "and there shall be none to deliver them." But because someone might say, "I do not care whatever happens to my sons, so long as I enjoy prosperity in this world," he therefore, in the second place, sets forth the evils that come upon the fool himself both in his goods and in his person, saying, "whose harvest the hungry man shall eat"; for frequently men who are foolish and abound in riches oppress the poor, who, for the most part unable to bear the burdens, are forced by a kind of necessity to seize the goods of the rich; and because such men, living delicately, are wont through the delights of life to lose vigor of spirit and to become unwarlike, they are easily destroyed by warlike poor men; hence there follows, "and the armed man shall snatch it away," as it were without any resistance. And so that what he had said of harvests may be understood generally, he adds, "and the thirsty shall drink his riches," that is, covetous men. The aforesaid objections having been removed, he finally brings forward the argument to prove his principal intention, namely that adversities in this world do not happen to anyone except for sin, and the argument is this: whatever things happen on earth proceed from their own determinate causes; if, therefore, adversities happen to someone in this world, this has a determinate cause, which appears to be none other than sin; this, then, is what he says, "nothing on earth happens without a cause": for we see all effects proceed from determinate causes. From which, as though concluding, he adds, "and sorrow shall not spring out of the ground," and this is a metaphorical expression: for certain herbs are produced without seed, of which it is said that the ground brings them forth of its own accord; whatever, therefore, happened without its own proper cause, as it were without seed, could by a certain likeness be metaphorically said to spring out of the ground; but sorrow, that is, adversity, shall not spring out of the ground, that is, it is not without a cause. That which he had said, "nothing on earth happens without a cause," is made especially clear from this, that all things have a natural disposition fitting to their proper operation, from which it appears that the natural dispositions of things are not without a cause but for a determinate end; and therefore he says, "man is born to labor, and the bird to fly." For it is evident that, because the proper motion which the nature of the bird required was flight, it was fitting that the bird should have from its nature instruments suited to flying, namely wings and feathers; man, however, because he had reason, by which through his own labor he could procure for himself all the necessary aids, was naturally produced without all the aids which nature gave to other animals, namely without covering, without weapons, and other such things which he could prepare for himself by his own labor through the industry of reason. "Wherefore I will beseech the Lord," and so forth. Because Eliphaz had proposed that all things which happen on earth have a determinate cause, and had proved this from the fact that natural things appeared to be disposed for an end, and because this — namely that natural things exist for an end — is the strongest argument to show that the world is governed by divine providence and that not all things happen by chance, Eliphaz therefore at once concludes from what has gone before concerning the governance of divine providence. Now it must be known that if divine providence is taken away, the fruit of prayer is taken away, and likewise the knowledge of God concerning human affairs, which nevertheless must necessarily be posited by one who grants the governance of providence; and therefore Eliphaz, concluding, says: since all things which happen on earth are for an end, one must grant the governance of providence, wherefore "I will beseech the Lord," as though prayer were fruitful inasmuch as God disposes human affairs, "and to God I will set forth my speech," inasmuch as God knows human deeds and words and thoughts. In confirmation of this he adds those things which most show forth divine providence. Now it must be known that those who deny providence say that all things which appear in the things of the world proceed from the necessity of natural causes, namely from the necessity of heat and cold, of heaviness and lightness, and other such things. From those things, therefore, is divine providence most shown, of which no reason can be given from such natural principles; among which one is the determinate magnitude of the bodies of this world: for no reason can be assigned from any natural principle why the sun or the moon or the earth should be of such a size and not greater or smaller; hence it must be said that this apportioning of magnitudes is from the ordination of some intellect, and this he designates when he says, "who does great things," that is, who disposes things in a determinate magnitude. Again, if all things proceeded from the necessity of natural principles, since natural principles are known to us, we would have a way of inquiring into all things that are in this world; but there are some things in this world to the knowledge of which we can attain by no inquiry, such as spiritual substances, the distances of the stars, and other such things; hence it is evident that not all things proceed from the necessity of natural principles, but that things have been instituted by some higher intellect, and for this reason he adds, "and things unsearchable." Likewise, there are certain things which we see of which we can in no way assign the reason, for instance that the stars are disposed according to such a figure in this part of the heaven and according to another in another part; hence it is evident that this does not come from natural principles but from some higher intellect, and for this reason he adds, "and wondrous things": for the unsearchable and the wondrous differ in this, that the unsearchable is that which itself lies hidden and cannot be sought out, while the wondrous is that which indeed itself appears, but its cause cannot be sought out. It must also be known that some have held that the disposition of things proceeds from God according to a certain order of number, namely that from the first, simple one there proceeds only one first effect, in which there is already something of composition and plurality, and thus from it there proceed two or three things which are still less simple, and so, step by step according to them, the whole multitude of things proceeds; according to which position, indeed, the whole disposition of the universe is not from the ordination of the divine intellect but from a certain necessity of nature; hence, to remove this position, he adds, "without number": either because things have been produced into being without the necessity of a numerical order, or because innumerable things have been produced for us immediately by God, which especially appears in the first heaven, in which there are very many stars. Thus, then, Eliphaz shows that the production of things is from God and not from the necessity of nature. Consequently he shows that the course of things once made is governed by divine providence. And first in natural things, from the fact that natural things appear to be tempered to the use of men and of other animals, although the natural order of the elements would seem to require otherwise: for if one considers weight and lightness in the elements, it is evident that by nature earth lies beneath water, and water beneath air, and air beneath fire. Yet some part of the earth is found uncovered by the waters, lying immediately beneath the air; for otherwise animals that breathe could not live on the earth; and again, lest the earth uncovered from the waters should become unfruitful and uninhabitable through its dryness, it is moistened by God in two ways: first, indeed, by rain, by which the surface of the earth is watered, and as to this he says, "who gives rain upon the face of the earth"; in another way, as regards springs, streams, and rivers, by which the earth is irrigated, whose source is under the earth just as the rain's is on high, and as to this he says, "and waters all things." Then he shows the working of providence also in human affairs. And indeed, if human affairs ran according to what their disposition seems to require, little or no trace of divine providence would appear in them; but since human affairs run in another way, fools, who do not consider the higher causes, attribute this to chance and fortune, in whose persons Solomon speaks, Ecclesiastes 9:11, saying, "I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the learned, nor favor to the skillful, but time and chance in all things." Eliphaz, however, refers this to a higher cause, namely to the providence of God. And first as regards the oppressed, who are also raised from the lowest to the height, and as to this he says, "who sets the humble," that is, the cast down, "on high," and are transferred from sorrow to joy, and as to this he says, "and raises up the mourning to health." Second, as regards the oppressors, of whom there are two kinds. For some openly oppress others by power, and as to these it is said, "who scatters the thoughts of the malignant, that their hands may not accomplish what they had begun," because, namely, they are hindered by God in the very carrying out of the deed, lest they be able to bring an iniquitous thought to effect; but some deceive by cunning, and as to these it is said, "who catches the wise in their own craftiness," inasmuch, namely, as the things which they craftily devise turn out contrary to their purpose, "and dissipates the counsel of the wicked," while, namely, the things which seem to have been wisely counseled by them, through certain impediments brought in upon them, they are not able to bring to effect; and sometimes not only are craftily-counseled things hindered in the deed, but their mind itself is darkened so that they cannot discern the better course in counseling, hence he adds, "in the daytime they shall run into darkness," because, namely, in a matter altogether manifest they do not know at all what to do, "and grope at noonday as in the night," that is, in things which are in no way doubtful they shall be as doubtful as in obscure matters. And so that these things may be seen to come from divine providence, he adds the benefit that comes from what has been said. For while the cunning of the malignant is hindered, the poor are freed from their deceptions, and this is what he adds, "moreover he shall save the needy from the sword of their mouth," for those who are cunning in evil are wont to seduce others by flattering and feigned words, which words, in doing harm, are compared to a sword, according to that saying of the Psalm, "their tongue is a sharp sword." When, moreover, the works of the powerful wicked are hindered by God, it is likewise evident that the poor are saved, hence there follows, "and the poor from the hand of the violent." And from this two things follow, one of which is that men, who are of themselves powerless, trust in the divine power, as though God cared for human affairs, hence he adds, "and there shall be hope to the needy"; the other is that powerful and wicked men hold themselves back from being entirely wicked, hence there follows, "but iniquity shall shut her mouth," lest, namely, it pour itself out entirely into the destruction of others. "Blessed is the man who is corrected by the Lord," and so forth. As has been said above, Eliphaz had in what preceded charged blessed Job both with impatience and with presumption in that he had asserted himself innocent; now, however, he endeavors to take away from him the despair from which he believed those words had proceeded by which Job had detested his own life. It must be known, then, that from the things said above, by which he had asserted divine providence both concerning natural things and concerning human affairs, he takes this as known, that all adversities are brought upon men by divine judgment, but upon some indeed unto final condemnation — those who are incorrigible — while upon others unto correction — those who are amended by adversities — whom he asserts to be blessed, saying, "blessed is the man who is corrected by the Lord": for if correction by man is wholesome, though man cannot perfectly know the measure and manner according to which correction can be wholesome, nor is he omnipotent to remove evils and bestow goods, much more ought the correction of God, who is omnipotent and knows all things, to be reckoned wholesome and happy. From this conclusion he draws to his purpose, saying, "therefore do not reject the rebuke of the Lord," as if to say: although you suffer this adversity from God on account of your sins, nevertheless you ought to reckon that this is, as it were, a certain rebuke of the Lord for correcting you, hence you ought not to reject this adversity to such an extent that on account of it you hold your life hateful. And he adds the reason for what has been said, saying, "for he wounds," with a graver adversity, "and heals," by taking away evils and restoring goods; "he strikes," with a lighter adversity, "and his hands," that is, his operations, "shall heal," that is, shall set free. Eliphaz, then, did not assert that the one who is corrected by the Lord is blessed on account of a future life, which he did not believe in, but on account of the present life, in which, after correction, a man obtained from God immunity from evils and abundance of goods. Hence, consequently, concerning immunity from evils he adds, saying, "in six troubles he shall deliver you, and in the seventh evil shall not touch you"; for since all time is measured by the sevenfold number of days, the universality of things is customarily designated by the number seven, so that the sense is that no adversity will harm the one who is corrected by the Lord after his amendment. And because, according to his opinion, the more anyone has been purified from fault, the less adversity he suffers in this world, therefore he says, "in the seventh evil shall not touch you," as though before amendment a man is not freed from adversity, but when he begins to be freed from it he is touched but not overwhelmed, God freeing him, while after perfect liberation he is not touched at all. This is indeed true as regards the mind, which, while it fixes its end in worldly things, is oppressed by worldly adversities; when, withdrawing its love from them, it begins to love God, it is saddened indeed in adversities but is not overwhelmed, because it does not have its hope in the world; but when it has utterly despised the world, then worldly adversities scarcely touch it. This opinion, however, is not true as regards the body, as Eliphaz understood it, since the most perfect men sometimes suffer the gravest adversities, according to that saying of the Psalm, "for your sake we are put to death all the day long," which is adduced concerning the apostles. And because he had touched on seven tribulations, he subsequently enumerates them. Now it must be known that adversity sometimes arises from some particular danger to some person, which is sometimes against his bodily life, which is sometimes taken away through the withdrawal of necessities, and as to this he says, "in famine he shall deliver you from death," as if to say: you will indeed suffer hunger, being rebuked by the Lord, but from this you will not come to death, God delivering you; and this is the first tribulation. Sometimes, moreover, it is taken away through the violence of someone inflicting harm, and as to this he says, "and in war, from the hand," that is, the power, "of the sword," as if to say: war will come upon you, but you will not be brought into the power of the sword; and this is the second tribulation. Bodily life is also taken away by natural death, but this is not counted among tribulations, since the nature of man requires it. Sometimes, moreover, the personal danger is against a man's reputation, which pertains to civil life, and as to this he says, "you shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue": now the scourge of the tongue is called grievous defamation, from which a man is then hidden when the deeds of his, by which he might be defamed, lie hidden from the detractor; and this is the third tribulation. Sometimes, moreover, adversity comes from some general danger, which threatens either persons or goods: persons indeed, as when an enemy army comes upon some country, through which either death or captivity is commonly feared, and as to this he says, "and you shall not fear calamity when it comes," as if to say: with calamity from the enemies of your country impending, you will not be afraid; and this is the fourth tribulation. Common danger threatens goods, moreover, either through the barrenness of the land, which occurs in a time of famine, or through some devastation of the crops by enemies, and as to these two he says, "in famine and devastation you shall laugh," that is, you will have abundance which will be to you a matter of joy; and thus the fifth and sixth tribulations are touched upon. Sometimes, moreover, adversity comes from the assault of brute animals, whether in general or in particular, and as to this he says, "and you shall not fear the beast of the earth"; and this appears to be the seventh tribulation, in which evil does not touch him. After immunity from evils he sets forth abundance in goods, and first as regards the fertility of the lands, saying, "but you shall have a covenant with the stones of the regions," that is, even stony and barren lands will bring forth fruit for you, according to that saying of Deuteronomy 32:13, "that you might suck honey out of the rock," etc.; second, as regards the brute animals, and as to this he says, "and the beasts of the earth shall be at peace with you," that is, they will not harm you — though these two might be otherwise, that could be explained, so that by stones are understood hard and rude men, and by beasts, cruel men; third, as regards the members of his household, when he says, "and you shall know that your tent has peace," that is, your household will have peace among themselves; fourth, specifically as regards his wife, and as to this he says, "and visiting your beauty you shall not sin," as if to say: you will have a wife who is honorable and peaceable, with whom you will be able to live without sin; fifth, as regards sons, hence he says, "your offspring shall be like the grass of the earth," that is, you will have many sons and grandsons; sixth, as regards a peaceful and quiet death, and as to this he says, "you shall go into the grave in abundance," as though not despoiled of your goods, in good prosperity, "as a heap of wheat is brought in its own time," as though not overtaken by an untimely and sudden death. Finally, he confirms the things he had said above, saying, "behold, this, as we have searched it out, so it is." And because he judges Job to be so absorbed in sorrow that he would not much consider such things, he makes him attentive, saying, "hear it, and turn it over in your mind."”

“Yet man is born unto trouble,.... Or but (b), after the negative follows the positive part of the assertion; before we have what is denied as the cause of affliction, here what it is affirmed to be, or what it is to be ascribed unto, even to the appointment of God for sin: to be born to it is to be appointed to it, as all men are appointed to death, and to everything previous and that leads on to it; and it signifies that affliction or trouble springs from the birth sin of man, from original sin, the sin of the first parent, and of his nature; as all sins arise from hence, and are streams from this fountain of pollution, so all disorders and diseases of body, all distresses and anguish of mind, and death in every sense, corporeal, spiritual, and eternal; and these are the lot and portion, the estate and inheritance, of the sons of men by nature, what they are born unto, and are full of, see Job 14:1; the same word is here used as in Job 5:6, and signifies labour, mischief, the mischief of sin, improbity, wickedness, moral evil; and man may be said to be born to sin, inasmuch as he is conceived, shapen, and born in it; and as he is born at once into a sinful state, and sins as soon as born, goes astray from the womb, is a transgressor from thence, and the imagination of his heart evil from his infancy and youth upwards, he becomes a slave to sin, and is a homeborn one; not that he is laid under a necessity of force to sin, or his will compelled to it; for he sins most freely, is a voluntary slave to it; he serves various lusts as pleasures, and gives himself up to work all iniquity with greediness; but there is such a connection between his birth, the circumstances of it, and sin, that sin is the certain consequence of it, and immediately, naturally, and necessarily follows upon it; that is, by a necessity of consequence, though not of coaction or force; it is as natural for man to sin as it is for a thirsty man to covet and drink water; or as for an Ethiopian to be born black, and a leopard with spots; or, as it follows: as the sparks fly upward; which they do naturally and necessarily when coals are blown, and which are here called "the sons of coals" (c); and to these, troubles and afflictions, the fruits and effects of sin, may be aptly compared; not only for the necessity of them, it is if needs be they are, but for the nature of them, being fiery and troublesome, hence called fiery trials, and signified by fires and flames of fire, Pe1 4:12; and also for the number of them, being many, and very grievous: some interpret this of flying fowls, of young vultures, as the Septuagint; of young eagles, as others; Aben Ezra makes mention of this sense, as if it was, as a fowl is born to fly, so man is born to labour; to labour in the law, according to the Targum; or to labour for his bread; or rather, to labour and sorrow; that is, to affliction and trouble: a learned man (d) thinks the phrase, according to the use of it in the Arabic language, designs the more rapid cast of a dart, of the vibration of it, which is very quick. (b) "sed", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius Schmidt, so Broughton. (c) , "tilii prunae", Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Cocceius, Bolducius, Schmidt. (d) Hinckelman. Praefat. ad Alcoran. p. 29. So Schultens renders it, "tela corusea".”

“Yet--rather, "Truly," or, But affliction does not come from chance, but is the appointment of God for sin; that is, the original birth-sin of man. Eliphaz passes from the particular sin and consequent suffering of Job to the universal sin and suffering of mankind. Troubles spring from man's common sin by as necessary a law of natural consequences as sparks (Hebrew, "sons of coal") fly upward. Troubles are many and fiery, as sparks (Pe1 4:12; Isa 43:2). UMBREIT for "sparks" has "birds of prey;" literally, "sons of lightning," not so well.”