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he interpreted, saying: If they give up their children, will you save them? But the phrase, Will you send forth their pangs? if you understand their pangs to mean suffering, the phrase, you will send forth, is taken instead of, you will cease; For you will cease, he says, the pangs; 64.652 if you take it to mean those brought forth in pain and laid down, the phrase, you will send forth, means, you will send them out; which Symmachus also indicated in his version: What they brought forth in pain, they leave behind; for after nursing their young, they let them go wherever they please. The following verse also presents this thought: "But who is it that sent the wild ass away free, and who loosed its bonds?" Who has formed this, he says? Who has established the laws of nature? For that the laws are perpetual, and are not corrupted, the animal is strong and untamable, and even if you contend ten thousand times, you will not bring it under your hand. "Or have you given the horse its strength [But Theodotion and Symmachus, the one rendered it 'neighing,' the other 'shouting'], and have you clothed its neck with terror?" He shifts the discourse to the most useful things, mentioning the tame horse, and says many things about this animal: how proud, how spirited, how suited for war, how capable of saving a man. You see each one proud, both the ass and this one; but the one is submissive, the other is not. "He will not believe until the trumpet sounds." He hears the trumpet, he says, and knows the signal for war, and from afar he raises a war cry. "And by your knowledge does the hawk stand, spreading its wings motionless, gazing towards the South." See how much he says in a few words. For what reason did he not mention the ox, nor sheep, nor any other such animals, but the useless ones, and those that seem to exist in vain? showing that if in those there is such great wisdom and providence, much more so in these. CHAP. 40. "Have you an arm like the Lord's?" What he is about to say, he says, concerning men, is clear from the questions he was asked about the things of the earth, and of the air, and of the Providence in the animals. And for what reason I brought this trial upon you, you have now heard, that the cause of the abandonment is the manifestation of your virtue, that you might give proof of it. Here, however, learn my power, and that it was not by warring that I permitted you to be struck; since what strength have you, that I should even be arrayed against you in war? Or have you an arm like the Lord's arm? or have you equal strength? 64.653 "Or do you thunder with a voice like his?" Therefore, the thunder and all other things are not for show, but for the knowledge of God. See through how many things he proves the lowliness of his nature. And he does not say, You are lowly; but, I am great, and you cannot do what I do. "But behold now the beasts with you, they eat grass like oxen." It is also possible to understand the verse concerning perceptible beasts, which have often, by God's will, been ignorant of their nature; for the wondrous thing is that the beast is not bloodthirsty, but feeds on the food of the ox. Since, therefore, this is paradoxical, he asks Job if such a thing happens with him, that the beasts eat grass and not flesh. Then he speaks of two certain ones, the one of the land, and the one of the water and the sea. And we are not ignorant that many believe these things to have been said about the devil, taking them anagogically; but it is necessary first to attend to the literal account, and not to overlook when it is possible to benefit the hearer from the anagogical sense as well. "Nations feed on it, and the nations of the Phoenicians divide it." [But Aquila: They will divide it in half among the Canaanites.] The bulk of its body is so great as to be able to suffice for a whole nation. For he does not say these things as if this were going to happen. But he mentioned the Phoenicians because of their commerce.

CHAP. 42

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ἡρμήνευσεν, εἰπών· Ἐὰν δώσουσι τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν, διασώσεις αὐτά; Τὸ δὲ, Ἐξαποστελεῖς ὠδῖνας αὐτῶν; εἰ μὲν ὠδῖνας αὐτῶν τὸ πάθος νοήσεις, τὸ, ἐξαποστελεῖς, ἀντὶ τοῦ, παύσεις, παρείληπται· Παύσεις γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰς ὠδῖνας· τὰ 64.652 ὠδινηθέντα καὶ τεθέντα ἐκλήψῃ, τὸ, ἐξαποστελεῖς, τὸ, ἐκπέμψεις αὐτὰ, δηλοῖ· ὃ καὶ Σύμμαχος ᾐνίξατο ἐκδούς· Ἃ ὠδίνησαν ἀπολείπουσι· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἐκθρέψαι τὰ νεογνὰ, ἐῶσι ταῦτα ὅποι φίλων αὐτοῖς πορεύεσθαι. Ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ὁ ἑξῆς στίχος παρίστησιν· «Τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἀφεὶς ὄνον ἄγριον ἐλεύθερον, δεσμοὺς δὲ αὐτοῦ τίς ἔλυσεν;» Τίς τοῦτο διετύπωσε, φησί; Τίς τοὺς τῆς φύσεως νόμους διέθηκεν; Ὅτι γὰρ νόμοι διηνεκεῖς εἰσι, καὶ οὐ παραφθείρονται, ἰσχυρὸν τὸ ζῶον καὶ ἀδάμαστον, κἂν μυρία φιλονεικῇς, οὐκ ἄξεις ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα τὴν σήν. «Ἢ σὺ περιέθηκας ἵππῳ δύναμιν [Ὁ Θεοδοτίων δὲ καὶ Σύμμαχος, ὁ μὲν χρεμετισμὸν, ὁ δὲ κραυγὴν, ἐξέδωκεν], ἐνέδυσας δὲ τραχήλῳ αὐτοῦ φόβον;» Ἐπὶ τὰ χρησιμώτατα μετάγει τὸν λόγον, ἵππου μνημονεύων τοῦ χειροήθους, καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ ζώου τούτου διαλέγεται· πῶς γαῦρον, πῶς ἀνεστηκὸς, πῶς πρὸς πόλεμον ἐπιτήδειον, πῶς ἱκανὸν ἄνθρωπον διασῶσαι. Ὁρᾷς ἕκαστον γαῦρον, καὶ τὸν ὄνον, καὶ τοῦτον· ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ὑποκείμενον, τὸν δὲ οὔ. «Οὐ μὴ πιστεύσῃ ἕως ἂν σημάνῃ σάλπιγξ.» Ἀκούει, φησὶ, σάλπιγγος, καὶ οἶδε τοῦ πολέμου τὸ σύνθημα, καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ἀλαλάζει πολεμικόν. «Ἐκ δὲ τῆς σῆς ἐπιστήμης ἕστηκεν ἱέραξ, ἀναπετάσας τὰς πτέρυγας ἀκίνητος, καθορῶν τὰ πρὸς Νότον.» Ὅρα ἐξ ὀλίγων πόσα φησί. Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐμνήσθη βοὸς, οὐδὲ προβάτων, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων οὐδενὸς, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀχρήστων, καὶ εἰκῆ δοκούντων εἶναι; δεικνὺς ὅτι εἰ ἐν ἐκείνοις σοφία τοσαύτη καὶ πρόνοια, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐν τούτοις. ΚΕΦ. Μʹ. «Ἦ βραχίων σοί ἐστι κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου;» Ὃ μὲν μέλλει μοι, φησὶ, περὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, δῆλον ἐκεῖθεν ἀφ' ὧν περιορῶν, καὶ μετεώρων, καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ζώοις Προνοίας ἠρώτηται. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τοῦτον ἐπήγαγόν σοι τὸν πειρασμὸν, νῦν ἤκουσας, ὅτι αἰτία τῆς ἐγκαταλείψεως, ἡ τῆς σῆς ἀρετῆς φανέρωσις, ἵνα δοίης ταύτης δοκίμιον. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὴν ἐμὴν μάνθανε δύναμιν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ πολεμῶν, πληγῆναί σε συνεχώρησα· ἐπεὶ ποία σοί ἐστιν ἰσχὺς, ἵνα καὶ εἰς πόλεμον ἀντικατασταθῶ σοι; Ἢ βραχίων σοί ἐστι κατὰ τὸν Κυρίου βραχίονα; ἢ δύναμιν ἔχεις ἰσοσθενῆ; 64.653 «Ἣ φωνῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ βροντᾷς;» Οὐκ ἄρα πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἡ βροντὴ, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς θεογνωσίαν. Ὅρα δι' ὅσων τὸ ταπεινὸν τῆς αὐτοῦ φύσεως ἐλέγχει. Καὶ οὐ λέγει, ὅτι Ταπεινὸς σύ· ἀλλ', ὅτι Μέγας ἐγὼ, καὶ οὐ δύνασαι ἅπερ ἐγώ. «Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἰδοὺ θηρία παρὰ σοὶ, χόρτον ἴσα βουσὶν ἐσθίουσιν.» Ἔστι δὲ καὶ περὶ θηρίων αἰσθητῶν νοῆσαι τὸν στίχον, ἃ καὶ τὴν φύσιν πολλάκις Θεοῦ βουληθέντος ἠγνόησεν· τὸ γὰρ θαυμαστὸν, ὅτι τὸ θηρίον οὐχ αἱμοβόρον ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ βοὸς σιτεῖται τροφήν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν τοῦτο παράδοξον, πυνθάνεται τοῦ Ἰὼβ, εἰ καὶ παρ' αὐτῷ τοιοῦτόν τι γίνεται, ὥστε τὰ θηρία χόρτον ἐσθίειν, ἀλλὰ μὴ σάρκας. Εἶτα λέγει περὶ δύο τινῶν, τοῦ μὲν χερσαίου, τοῦ δὲ ἐνύδρου καὶ θαλαττίου. Καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν ὅτι πολλοὶ περὶ τοῦ διαβόλου ταῦτα εἰρῆσθαι νομίζουσι, κατὰ ἀναγωγὴν ἐκλαμβάνοντες· δεῖ δὲ πρότερον τῆς ἱστορίας ἐπιμεληθῆναι, καὶ πότε ἔστι τὸν ἀκροατὴν ὠφελεῖν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀναγωγῆς, μὴ παριδεῖν. «Ἐνσιτοῦνται δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ ἔθνη, μεριτεύονται δὲ αὐτὸν Φοινίκων ἔθνη.» [Ἀκύλας δὲ, Ἡμισεύσουσιν αὐτὸν μεταξὺ Χαναναίων.] Τοσοῦτος αὐτῷ ὁ τοῦ σώματος ὄγκος ἐστὶν, ὡς δυνηθῆναι ὁλοκλήρῳ ἔθνει ἀρκέσαι. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὡς τούτου μέλλοντος γίνεσθαι, ταῦτά φησι. Φοινίκων δὲ ἐμνήσθη διὰ τὴν ἐμπορίαν.

ΚΕΦ. ΜΒʹ