1 And Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 1. Therefore do my thoughts changefully succeed one another, and my mind is transported diverse ways. [LITERAL INTERPRETATION] 1.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 After Sophar heard the opinion of Job about the hope of the future life, he seems to have acquiesced, and so after this second answer he contradicted nothing in the third one. But there was still something in his heart which did not permit him to give ground completely from his former opinion.
2 Therefore do my thoughts give me an answer, and for this is my haste within me.
3 I hear a reproof putting me to shame; and [my] spirit answereth me by mine understanding.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 3. The lesson whereby thou dost reproach me I will hear; and the spirit of my understanding will answer me. 2. As though he said in plain words; 'Thy words indeed I hear, but whether they were delivered aright, I discern by the spirit of my understanding.' For they that disregard the words of the teacher, employ his teaching not for an assistance but for an occasion of con…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 For he thought that he should not reject the opinion of Job about the hope of the future life, and so he says, "I will hear the teachings by which you argue with me," in believing what you have said about the future resurrection, but I still do not dismiss my first opinion totally.
4 Knowest thou [not] this, that of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Hesychius of Jerusalem · AD 450 In this passage Zophar speaks impudently and seriously insults Job. By scorning him, as the other two friends had already done, Zophar also defamed him for the following reason.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 4, 5. I know this of old, since man was placed upon earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. 3. Now it is clear to be seen that being puffed up with the spirit of his understanding, he warps the sentences, which he pronounces against the ungodly, to the reproving of blessed Job.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 It seemed most certain to him and proved by experience that although the evil enjoy some prosperity, still it is brief and is also quickly destroyed in this life either by a premature death or by some subsequent adversity.
5 The exultation of the wicked is short, and the joy of the ungodly man but for a moment?
6 Though his height mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds,
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 6, 7. Though his pride mount up unto the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds: Yet he shall perish at last like the dunghill. 5. The pride of the hypocrite is said to 'mount up unto the heavens,' when his high-mindedness has the appearance of leading a heavenly life; and his 'head as it were reaches unto the clouds,' when the leading part, i.e.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 It sometimes happens that from that favor which he enjoyed for a short time from his pretense he was lifted up to some high rank, and so as a consequence he shows that this also will not endure for him, saying, "If his pride should ascends up to heaven," that is, if because of this high state which he has attained he ascends to such great pride that he does not think himself li…
7 Like his own dung doth he perish for ever; they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
8 He flieth away as a dream, and is not found; and is chased away as a vision of the night.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 8. He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. 7. What else is the life of the hypocrite but the vision of a phantom, which exhibits that in semblance which it does not possess in truth?
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 To show his dejection is irreparable he then says "Like a dream flying away he will not be found," for as a bird flying away easily disappears from the eyes of men, so also dreams easily disappear from human knowledge.
9 The eye which saw him shall [see him] not again; and his place beholdeth him no more.
John Chrysostom · AD 407 This means that their ruin comes suddenly, so that you may not believe that their calamity comes from a natural condition but that it is in accordance with a divine and extraordinary power. Moreover, this concerns not only their crimes but also their sacrifices. If they offer any, they turn out to be useless.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 9. The eye also which saw him shall see him no more: neither shall his place any more behold him. 8. What is the 'place' of the hypocrite, saving the heart of his flatterers? For there he rests, where he finds partialities towards him.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, he shows his fall to be irreparable on the part of other men when he then says, "The eye which saw him will not see:" for things which pass out of sight also pass easily out of mind, and so the dead who are withdrawn from human sight are easily forgotten. As a result, they neither have honor in the memories of men nor do their friends care to give them further aid.
10 His children shall seek the favour of the poor, and his hands restore his wealth.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 10. His children shall be wasted with poverty. 9. It is written, For into a malicious soul wisdom shall not enter [Wisd. 1, 4]; and it is declared by the Psalmist, The rich have lacked and been a hungred [Ps. 34, 10]. For if their want and hunger were spoken of outward starving, then surely they would be any thing but rich, who were in want of the bread of the body.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Not only will he himself be cast aside, passing away in his own person and be taken away from the eyes of men never to be restored to his own place, but his sons will also be punished for his sin.
11 His bones were full of his youthful strength; but it shall lie down with him in the dust.
Ishodad of Merv · AD 850 "Their bones are full of marrow and will lie down in the dust with them." By the "marrow" that is inside the bones, the author signifies prosperity. That is, from his former prosperity he will pass to a profound abasement, so that he will not be inferior to the dead.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 It is apparent that this retribution of pain must be understood to be after death, when the text adds, "His bones will be full of the vices of his youth and they will sleep with him in the dust," as if to say: Even after death, when his flesh will be dissipated into dust when only his bones remain in the grave, he will suffer punishment for his sins, not only the ones he commit…
12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth [and] he hide it under his tongue,
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 12. For when wickedness shall be sweet in his mouth, he will hide it under his tongue. 13. 'Wickedness is sweet in the mouth' of the hypocrite, in that evil tastes sweet to him in the thought. For 'the mouth' of the heart is the thought, whereof it is written; Deceitful lips spake evil in a double heart. [Ps.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 He shows the reason why he is also punished for sins after death saying, "Since wickedness was sweet in his mouth, he hid it under his tongue." Here he uses the metaphor of a man eating sweet food who does not quickly swallow it, but keeps it in his mouth for a long time so that he may enjoy it longer.
13 [Though] he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it within his mouth,
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 13. He will spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it still within his throat. [LITERAL INTERPRETATION] 14. For the evil that he delights in he 'spares,' because he does not, by practising penance, hunt it down in himself. Whence too it is added; and forsake it not. For if he had the mind to 'forsake,' he would not 'spare' it, but would pursue it closely.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 To develop this comparison he then says, "he will spare it," the evil or sin which is sweet to him, and does not want to destroy it.
14 His food is turned in his bowels; it is the gall of asps within him.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 They have theories that are not sweet but as the gall of asps, that is, evil; and those theories come from the wine of their doctrine. "For their wine comes from the vine of Sodom." The gall of asps is in the belly of the heretics and those who declare impious dogmas contrary to truth.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 14. His bread in his belly shall be turned into the gall of asps within him. 15. What bread is in the belly, the same is fulness of earthly gratification in the mind.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Since he had said (v.11) that the bones of the evil man must be filled with the vices of youth, so that he is punished after death he now treats more broadly of his punishments. First, he shows that the goods which he had in this world will change into evils for him. He uses the metaphor of one eating whose food sometimes becomes a cause of evil.
15 He hath swallowed down riches, but he shall vomit them up again:God shall cast them out of his belly.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 What other riches are unjustly gathered but those which are in their speeches? Indeed, they are unjustly gathered. But God, in his benevolence, does not allow those mad people to keep forever their unjustly gathered riches.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 15. The riches he hath swallowed down, he shall vomit up, and God shall cast them out of his belly. 17. The hypocrite desires to know the revelations of God, yet not to practise them. He would speak sagely, but not live so.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Second, the food which has been eaten and if it cannot be digested is sometimes rejected by vomitting it out in disgust and pain. So also it sometimes happens that sinful men lose the temporal goods which they acquire in this world because they do not use them well, by divine judgment painfully like undigested food.
16 He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall kill him.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 16. He shall suck the head of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him. 19. The 'asp' is a small serpent, but the 'viper' hath more length of body. And asps produce eggs, and their young are hatched from the eggs. But when vipers have conceived, their 'young ravin in their womb, which bursting the parents' sides issue out of their bellies.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Not only the goods which he possessed will change into evil for him, but also he will suffer evils at the hands of his enemies both in word and in deed. He gives two examples of this. First, he gives the example of the asp which kills by its bite. So he says, "The asps raise their head," against him to bite him.
17 He shall not see streams, rivers, brooks of honey and butter.
Ephrem the Syrian · AD 373 "They will not rejoice on the division of the rivers, the streams flowing with honey and curds." These words mean that those rivers were divided on Mount Calvary, and the streams derived from the rivers signify the gifts of the Spirit communicated by the revelation of the Gospel.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 17. He shall not see the streamlets of the torrent river of honey and butter. 20. The Lord saith in the Gospel; He that believeth in Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. [John 7, 38. 39.] Where the Evangelist subjoins, saying, But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Then he continues with the punishment which is the privation of goods when he then says, "Let him not see the stream of the river flowing with butter and honey." Butter and honey are similar in that both fittingly describe what is sweet to the taste, but honey is produced by bees who collect it from flowers.
18 That which he laboured for shall he restore, and not swallow down; its restitution shall be according to the value, and he shall not rejoice [therein].
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 18. He shall pay for all the things that he hath done, nor yet shall he be consumed. [LITERAL INTERPRETATION] 21. For he 'pays' in torment for those desires, which he retained here contrary to right, and being consigned to avenging flames, he is always dying, in that he is always kept alive in death.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Because sometimes man becomes so weak from excessive punishment that he cannot sustain further punishments, he then adds that although the sinner is punished in many ways in this life, yet he is destined for further punishment in the future life.
19 For he hath oppressed, hath forsaken the poor; he hath violently taken away a house that he did not build.
Olympiodorus of Alexandria · AD 600 "For he has broken down the houses of many poor men, and he has plundered a dwelling, though he did not build it. His possessions provide no security." He has broken down, that is, has shattered mercilessly [their houses], has carried off all their properties and has not given them back. In fact, he has not mended this situation, that is, has not returned what he has stolen.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 19, 20. Because he hath broken down and laid bare the house of the poor, because he hath violently taken it away and not builded it, neither is he satisfied in his belly. 23. He 'breaks in pieces and lays bare the house of the poor,' who is not ashamed as well to rob out of avarice him whom he crushes by power.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 First, he clearly demonstrates this in the case of the sin of theft, where he posits two crimes in proper order. The first of these is the violent pillage which he means when he says, "He broke in pieces and stripped the house of the poor," showing violence in breaking it in pieces and theft in stripping it.
20 Because he knew no rest in his craving, he shall save nought of what he most desired.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 He adds the proportionate punishment for this sin when he says, "His belly is not been satisfied," as if to say: Since he stripped the house of the poor (v.19) and did not allow himself to be satisfied with their goods. Therefore his appetite is satisfied neither with the goods which he possesses lawfully nor with those he has acquired unjustly.
21 Nothing escaped his greediness; therefore his prosperity shall not endure.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 21. There shall none of his meat be left. 25. 'His meat' is all that he coveted with wrong desire; but when the hypocrite is struck, 'there is none of his meat left,' in that when he is himself carried to eternal punishments, he is parted from all the good things that he had gotten here. And hence it is yet further added; Therefore shall nought remain from his goods.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Then he clearly shows the same is true in the sin of ravenous gluttony when he says, "Nothing has remained of his food," because whatever he had he turned to his own uses, leaving nothing for the need of others. He then adds the fitting punishment saying, "and so nothing will remain of his goods," for him, because he will lose everything.
22 In the fulness of his sufficiency he shall be in straits; every hand of the wretched shall come upon him.
Olympiodorus of Alexandria · AD 600 Perhaps not even his goods will flourish, but they will become corrupted while still in bloom. In fact, if he appears to be full and abundant in all goods, then every need and affliction will assault him, so that he fills his belly, that is, fills his soul with every pain.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 As to the fact that he consumed superfluous things for his own uses he then adds another fitting punishment saying, "When he is satisfied he will be bloated." Here he uses the comparison of a man who eats too much and whose bowels become bloated because of an excess of food.
23 It shall be that, to fill his belly, he will cast his fierce anger upon him, and will rain it upon him into his flesh.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 23. Would that his belly might be filled, that God might cast the fury of His wrath upon him, and rain His war upon him. 29. The Lord 'rains His war' upon this hypocrite, when he smites his deeds with the swords of His judgments. Thus for God to 'rain war,' is His pressing hard to destruction the life of the wicked man by His strict sentences from on high.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Sophar considered then that the abundance of the evil man is harmful to him. As if from zeal for justice, he desires the greatest abundance of temporal goods for Job so that he suffers punishment. So the text continues, "Would that his belly be filled," with the abundance of temporal goods, "that he, "God", might send on him the anger of his fury," revenge without mercy.
24 If he have fled from the iron weapon, the bow of brass shall strike him through.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 24. He shall flee from the iron weapons; and rush upon the bow of brass. 30. We ought to know, that avarice sometimes steals upon men from pride, and sometimes from apprehension.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 So he then says, "He will flee before the weapons of iron," the present punishments by sustaining impatiently the punishments which wound him at close quarters, like an iron sword. "And he will fall on a bronze bow," in the punishments of the future life which wound from afar like a bronze bow, which cannot be broken, to show the infinite duration of future punishments.
25 He draweth it forth; it cometh out of his body, and the glittering point out of his gall: terrors are upon him.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 25. He is drawn and cometh out of his sheath, yea, lightening in his bitterness. 31. This wicked man lays plots in arts of robbery on his neighbours.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 He consequently develops the image of this bronze bow saying, "drawn and coming out of its sheath." (Understand: "Will be that bow") For as long as the bow is in its sheath, it does not strike down.
26 All darkness is laid up for his treasures: a fire not blown shall devour him; it shall feed upon what is left in his tent.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 26. All darkness is hid in his secret places. 34. For though the hypocrite exhibits good actions on the surface, yet a certain 'darkness' of evil deeds appears in him; yet it less comes forth in act, than lies buried in his secret thought. For he who does not fulfil all things at once in execution, does in his heart in silence hold all things that may do mischief.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Next he places the pain of loss when he says, "Utter darkness has invaded his hidden places," because he will suffer perfect interior and exterior darkness, far from the brightness of God. He says this darkness is in secret for as the brightness of the saints is hidden from us in this life, so is the darkness of the evil.
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, and the earth shall rise up against him.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 27. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him. 37. What do we understand by 'the heavens,' but the righteous, and what by 'the earth,' but sinners?
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 After he describes the punishments which the sinner will suffer in himself, he then adds the punishments which pertain to him according to what remains of him after death in this life.
28 The increase of his house shall depart, flowing away in the day of his anger.
Origen of Alexandria · AD 253 [The wrath of God strikes] both the circumcised, who act impiously against Christ, and the heretic and indeed any who are ungodly. The retribution of each is according to what has been shown above. Do you understand who is the overseer mentioned here? God is called "overseer," and his bishops must endeavor in every way to put into practice his model, if they are good.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 28. The shoot of his house shall be disclosed, and he shall be taken away in the day of God's wrath. 38. 'The shoot of his house is disclosed,' when every thing bad that sprung up in his consciousness is shewn to view.
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 He places next his punishment as to what remains in his sons when he says, "The seed of his house will be open," because his sons will be exposed to trials, and this seed, "will be carried off," from this life "on the day of divine vengeance," that is, on the day of divine vengeance although this can also refer to the final judgment, when the saints will reveal the evil of the…
29 This is the portion of the wicked man fromGod, and the heritage appointed to him byGod.
Gregory the Dialogist · AD 604 Ver. 29. This is the portion of a wicked man from God, and the heritage of his words from the Lord. 39. For if, while placed in this life, he had been minded to act rightly, he would have had for his 'portion' with the Lord fellowship in the kingdom of heaven; but because he chose to be subjected to bad desires, his 'portion from the Lord' he found in torment, because he did no…
Thomas Aquinas · AD 1274 Then in epilogue he says, "This is the lot of the evil man given by God," which he acquired for himself by evil works, "and the heritage of his words from God," which he acquired for himself by his evil words. Note that in the foregoing he mixes the present and future punishments together.