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advocating for him; for you have been conquered by Job. "They were terrified, they answered no more; they made their words old; I waited; for I did not speak, because they stood still, they did not answer." Some say that these two verses are not by Elihu, but by the author, who inserted the silence of the friends in between; but I say that these are also by Elihu, and here there is a figure of speech, the one called apostrophe; for as if speaking in between to another, he says about them, that "For this reason I speak, since these men were astonished at the words of Job, and they showed their own words to be old, and rotten, and useless through their silence"; whence he also adds: "But I waited, and I did not speak, thinking that they would be able to contradict"; but since they stood still, and were not able to proceed further, having been stopped by the words of Job, I have come forward to refute what was said. "And my belly is like a wineskin of boiling new wine, tied up. [And Symmachus, Like new wine unvented.] Or like a blacksmith's bellows that has burst." Here it is shown that Elihu, long in pain to speak, waited, and endured, and was about to burst, so that there was need of much patience; which 64.644 is especially the work of wisdom, to be able to restrain one's words.

CHAPTER 35

"From the multitude of those being slandered they will cry out, they will cry for help from the arm

of many. And he did not say, 'Where is God, who made me, who appoints the night watches?'" Chrysost. and Orig. Or do you not see, just as in a military camp, all things arranged, and with the greatest precision each one remaining in its proper order, with none of all things transgressing its own limit, nor encroaching on foreign territories? At any rate, while men sleep, no one plots against them; when the wild beasts pass by, then they are sleeping. But see that Job goes through encomia of God and hymns, saying about him, "He who appoints the night watches." Do you want to see how God appoints the night watches? This whole age is night, it is darkness; the light is kept for you; for now you see through a mirror, but one day you are going to see the light; therefore, the whole age is night, and there is need of guards appointed for this night, so that the guards, who are over the nights, may watch over those in the nights from robbers, from wild beasts, from enemies. Who are the guards? The encamping angels. "But be judged before him, if you can praise him, as it is even now." Olymp. and Chrysost. Consider, he says, the worth of God, if your reasoning can contain the hymn. Why then do you want to be judged against one so great and of such stature, when you are not even able to hymn him according to his worth? and this, concerning the things for which he now punishes you. For if he had sat in judgment, he says, and set forth the ordinances, you would not have praised him, you would not have glorified him according to his worth for the things that have now happened to you, when you think you are being wronged and punished; for to be unable to hymn God according to his worth is no great thing; but, when one is about to be judged by him, concerning the things related to us, to be unable to hymn him according to his worth, this is a great thing.

CHAPTER 38

"But after Elihu had ceased from speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through a whirlwind

and clouds." Since a cloud is a symbol of heaven, as if wishing to bring heaven itself to Job, he, as it were, brought his throne near him, so as to rouse

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συνηγοροῦντες αὐτῷ· νενίκησθε γὰρ ὑπὸ Ἰώβ. «Ἐπτοήθησαν, οὐκ ἀπεκρίθησαν ἔτι· ἐπαλαίωσαν ἐξ αὐτῶν λόγους· ὑπέμεινα· οὐ γὰρ ἐλάλησα, ὅτι ἔστησαν, οὐκ ἀπεκρίθησαν.» Φασί τινες, μὴ εἶναι τοὺς δύο στίχους τούτους τοῦ Ἐλιοὺς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ συγγραφέως, διαμέσου παραθέντος τὴν τῶν φίλων ἀποσιώπησιν· ἐγὼ δέ φημι καὶ τούτους εἶναι τοῦ Ἐλιοὺς, σχῆμα δὲ ἐνταῦθά ἐστι λόγου, τὸ καλούμενον, κατὰ ἀποστροφήν· ὡς γὰρ πρὸς ἕτερον μεταξὺ διαλεγόμενος, περὶ αὐτῶν φησιν, ὅτι ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λαλῶ, ἐπειδήπερ οὗτοι κατεπλάγησαν τοῦ Ἰὼβ τὰ ῥήματα, καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῶν λόγους παλαιοὺς, καὶ σαπροὺς, καὶ ἀχρείους ἔδειξαν διὰ τῆς σιωπῆς· ὅθεν καὶ ἐπάγει· Ἐγὼ δὲ ὑπέμεινα, καὶ οὐκ ἐλάλησα, οἰόμενος αὐτοὺς δύνασθαι ἀντειπεῖν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔστησαν, καὶ περαιτέρω προελθεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, τοῖς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἀνακοπέντες λόγοις, παρῆλθον διελέγξαι τὰ εἰρημένα. «Ἡ δὲ γαστήρ μου ὥσπερ ἀσκὸς γλεύκους ζέων δεδεμένος. [Ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος, Ὥσπερ οἶνος νέος ἀδιάπνευστος.] Ἢ ὥσπερ φυσητὴρ χαλκέως ἐῤῥηγώς.» Ἐνταῦθα δείκνυται, ὅτι πάλαι ὁ Ἐλιοὺς ὠδίνων εἰπεῖν, ὑπέμεινε, καὶ ἐκαρτέρει, καὶ διαῤῥαγῆναι εἶχεν, ὥστε πολλῆς τῆς ὑπομονῆς χρεία· ὅπερ 64.644 ἐστὶ μάλιστα σοφίας ἔργον, δύνασθαι ῥήματα κατασχεῖν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΕʹ

«Ἀπὸ πλήθους συκοφαντούμενοι κεκράξονται, βοήσονται ἀπὸ βραχίονος

πολλῶν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ποιήσας με, ὁ κατατάσσων φυλακὰς νυκτερινάς;» Χρυσοστ. καὶ Ὠριγ. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, καθάπερ ἐν στρατοπέδῳ, πάντα διατεταγμένα, καὶ μετὰ πλείονος ἀκριβείας ἕκαστον ἐν τάξει μένον τῇ προσηκούσῃ, οὐδὲν τῶν πάντων τὸν οἰκεῖον ὑπερβαῖνον ὅρον, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιπηδῶν χωρίοις; Καθευδόντων γοῦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οὐδεὶς ἐπιβουλεύει· ὅτε τὰ θηρία διαβαίνει, τότε οὗτοι καθεύδουσιν. Ὅρα δὲ ὅτι ἐγκώμια τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ὕμνους διεξέρχεται ὁ Ἰὼβ, λέγων περὶ αὐτοῦ, Ὁ κατατάσσων φυλακὰς νυκτερινάς. Θέλεις ἰδεῖν πῶς κατατάσσει φυλακὰς νυκτερινὰς ὁ Θεός; Ὅλος ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος νύξ ἐστι, σκότος ἐστί· τὸ φῶς τηρεῖταί σοι· νῦν γὰρ δι' ἐσόπτρου βλέπεις, μέλλεις δέ ποτε βλέπειν τὸ φῶς· οὐκοῦν νύξ ἐστι πᾶς ὁ αἰὼν, καὶ χρεία τῶν φυλακῶν τεταγμένων εἰς νύκτα ταύτην, ἵνα οἱ φύλακες, οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν νυκτῶν, φρουρῶσι τοὺς ἐν νυξὶν ἀπὸ τῶν λῃστῶν, ἀπὸ τῶν θηρίων, ἀπὸ τῶν πολεμίων. Τίνες οἱ φύλακες; Οἱ παρεμβάλλοντες ἄγγελοι. «Κρίθητι δὲ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ, εἰ δύνασαι αὐτὸν αἰνέσαι, ὡς ἔστι καὶ νῦν.» Ὀλυμπ. καὶ Χρυσοστ. Ἀναλόγισαι, φησὶ, τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν, εἰ χωρήσοι τὸν ὕμνον ὁ λογισμός. Τί οὖν πρὸς τοσοῦτον καὶ τηλικοῦτον ἐθέλεις κριθῆναι, ὅπουγε μηδὲ πρὸς ἀξίαν αὐτὸν ὑμνολογῆσαι οἷός τε εἶ; καὶ ταῦτα, ἐφ' οἷς νῦν σε τιμωρεῖται. Εἰ γὰρ δικαστήριον, φησὶν, ἐκάθισε, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματα προέθηκεν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐπῄνεσας, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν ἐδόξασας κατ' ἀξίαν ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰς σὲ γεγενημένοις νῦν, ὅτε νομίζεις ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ κολάζεσθαι· τὸ μὲν γὰρ, μὴ δύνασθαι κατ' ἀξίαν τὸν Θεὸν ὑμνεῖν, οὐδὲν μέγα· τὸ δὲ, μέλλοντα κρίνεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐν τοῖς πρὸς ἡμᾶς, μὴ δύνασθαι κατ' ἀξίαν αὐτὸν ὑμνεῖν, τοῦτο μέγα.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΛΗʹ

«Μετὰ δὲ τὸ παύσασθαι Ἐλιοὺν τῆς λέξεως, εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Ἰὼβ διὰ λαίλαπος

καὶ νεφῶν.» Ἐπεὶ σύμβολον οὐρανοῦ νέφος, ὡσανεὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιστῆσαι βουλόμενος τὸν οὐρανὸν τῷ Ἰὼβ, οἱονεὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ ἤγαγε πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ὥστε διαναστῆναι