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you are among the evil, you stand outside of battle and war and confusion, and in this way he punishes you.” 37,19a Why? Teach me, he says, what we shall say to him, 19b and we will cease speaking much. That is: “Why have these things happened? Are we not able to ask him? I say nothing,” he says, “if only we might be able to learn these things.” 37,20a Is a book, he says, or a scribe present with me, 20b that standing I should silence a man? “For is it from a book,” he says, “that we say these things to him? For is he a man? Do you not see, instead of letters, the whole creation crying out everywhere?” 181 “Shall I silence,” he says, “a man? But creation answers back everywhere the earth is and is seen. I bring letters of accusation, but he himself brings the whole inhabited world, so that it was not possible,” he says, “to converse with God from words nor to answer back all these things.” Thus then see how opportunely God entered, after the servant had prepared the way and spoken about his wisdom and calmed things down; 38,1 But after Elihu had ceased, he says, from his discourse, the Lord spoke to Job through a whirlwind and a cloud. It seems to me that a cloud came upon that righteous man then so as to rouse his mind and persuade him that this voice is brought from above, just as upon the mercy seat which is upon the ark. For since a cloud is a symbol of heaven, as if wishing to bring heaven itself to Job, he brought, as it were, the very throne near to him. This seems to me also to have happened on the mountain, when a cloud appeared, so that we might learn that the voice is from above. Let us listen then with exactness, since the common Master of all is speaking. Let us see how he exhorts him. Is it with such vehemence as men do? By no means. For those former things, beloved, for which we were in travail to find a solution, the things spoken offensively by Job, we now find the clearest solution. Let us see what he charges him with: 38,2a Who is this that hides, he says, counsel from me, 2b and keeps words in his heart, and thinks to hide them from me? 182 See what he does. It seems to me, considering these words, that something else enters his mind. For since there were many things that Job had in mind and did not dare to bring forth into the open, from this first he rouses him and shows that he provides for human affairs and knows all things clearly, so that he begins first from those things that are more inexcusable. For if the things he dared to say were so offensive and burdensome, much more so were those others. For this reason he first applies the remedy to them. Who is this? he says. At once from the outset he shows how great the distance is between God and him: “Who is it that attempts to hide from me, tell me, the one who knows secrets with exactness? For is it because you did not say them, that they are not words? A thought was born and became a word, even if you hide it.” Do you see how gently, how correctively and refutatively? 38,3a Gird your loins like a man; 3b I will question you, and you answer me. Since he was cast down by despondency, he rouses him through words so that he might pay attention to what is being said, and he advances the discourse by way of questioning, which is most refutative. Especially he shows that he does all things with wisdom and understanding, and it was not possible for one who works such great things with wisdom and understanding to overlook a man, for whom he fashioned all things, suffering badly, simply and as it chanced. 38,4a Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? 4b Tell me, if you have understanding. 38,5a Who set its measurements, if you know, 5b or who stretched a line upon it? 38,6a On what were its rings fastened? 6b Or who is it that laid its cornerstone? 183 “What are you saying?” he says. “The earth I established with such exactness 183 for your sake; shall I then overlook you, for whom I made it?” For this reason he does not speak of the wisdom of the formation and the creation according to its construction, but from abundance, from the earth, from the heaven, he shows that, “If the world,” he says, “enjoys such great providence for your sake, much more so do you.” Where were you, he says, when I laid the foundation of the earth? To those wishing to demand of him accounts and reasons for what happens and not considering his

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κακοῖς εἶ, μάχης καὶ πολέμου καὶ ταραχῆς ἐκτὸς ἕστηκας, καὶ τούτῳ σε τιμωρεῖται τῷ τρόπῳ». 37,19a διὰ τί; δίδαξόν με, φησίν, τί ἐροῦμεν αὐτῷ, 19b καὶ παυσόμεθα πολλὰ λέγοντες. τουτέστιν· «διὰ τί ταῦτα γέγονεν; μὴ δυνάμεθα αὐτὸν ἐρωτῆσαι; οὐδὲν λέγω», φησίν, «ἂν ταῦτα μόνον δυνηθῶμεν μαθεῖν.» 37,20a μὴ βίβλος, φησίν, ἢ γραμματεύς μοι παρέστηκεν, 20b ἵνα ἄνθρωπον ἑστὼς κατασιωπήσω; «μὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ βιβλίου», φησίν, «ταῦτα λέγομεν πρὸς αὐτόν; μὴ γὰρ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν; οὐχ ὁρᾷς ἀντὶ γραμμάτων τὴν δημιουργίαν πᾶσαν πανταχοῦ βοῶσαν;» 181 «κατασιωπήσω», φησίν, «ἄνθρωπον; ἀλλ' ἀντιφθέγγεται ἡ κτίσις πανταχοῦ γῆς οὔσης καὶ φαινομένης. φέρω γράμματα κατηγορίας, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς φέρει τὴν οἰκουμένην ἅπασαν, ὥστε οὐκ ἦν», φησίν, «ἀπὸ ῥημάτων διαλεχθῆναι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν οὐδ' ἀντιφθέγξασθαι ταῦτα πάντα.» οὕτω λοιπὸν ὁ θεὸς ὅρα πῶς εὐκαίρως ἐπεισῆλθεν προοδοποιήσαντος τοῦ δούλου καὶ περὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ διαλεχθέντος καὶ καταστείλαντος· 38,1 μετὰ δὲ τὸ παύσασθαι, φησίν, ˉ̓Ελιοῦν τῆς διαλέξεως εἶπεν ὁ κύριος τῷ Ἰὼβ διὰ λαίλαπος καὶ νέφους. ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ νέφος ἐπιστῆσαι τῷ δικαίῳ τότε ἐκείνῳ ὥστε αὐτοῦ διαναστῆσαι τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ πεῖσαι, ὅτι ἄνωθεν αὕτη φέρεται ἡ φωνὴ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου τοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς κιβωτοῦ. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σύμβολον οὐρανοῦ νέφος, ὡσανεὶ αὐτὸν ἐπιστῆσαι βουλόμενος τὸν οὐρανὸν τῷ Ἰὼβ οἱονεὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτὸν ἤγαγε πλησίον αὐτοῦ. τοῦτό μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους γενέσθαι, ὅτε νεφέλη ἐπέστη, ἵνα μάθωμεν, ὅτι ἄνωθεν ἡ φωνή. ἀκούωμεν δὴ μετὰ ἀκριβείας, ἐπειδὴ ὁ κοινὸς τῶν ὅλων δεσπότης φθέγγεται. ἴδωμεν, πῶς αὐτὸν παρακαλεῖ. ἆρα μετὰ τοσαύτης σφοδρότητος, μεθ' ὅσης ἄνθρωποι; οὐδαμῶς. ἐκείνων, ἀγαπητέ, τῶν προτέρων, ὧν ὠδίναμεν λύσιν εὑρεῖν, τῶν φορτικῶς λεγομένων παρὰ τοῦ Ἰὼβ νῦν εὑρίσκομεν σαφεστάτην τὴν λύσιν. ἴδωμεν, τί ἐγκαλεῖ αὐτῷ· 38,2a τίς οὗτος ὁ κρύπτων με, φησίν, βουλήν, 2b συνέχων δὲ ῥήματα ἐν καρδίᾳ, ἐμὲ δὲ οἴεται κρύπτειν; 182 ὅρα, τί ποιεῖ. ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν ῥημάτων τούτων στοχαζομένῳ ἕτερόν τι αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰσιέναι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλὰ ἦν, ἃ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔσχεν ὁ Ἰὼβ καὶ εἰς μέσον ἐξενεγκεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμα, ἀπὸ τούτου πρώτου διανίστησιν αὐτὸν καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι προνοεῖ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων καὶ πάντα οἶδε σαφῶς, ὥστε ἀπὸ ἐκείνων προτέρων ἄρχεται τῶν μᾶλλον ἀσυγγνώστων. εἰ γάρ, ἅπερ ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν, οὕτω φορτικὰ καὶ ἐπαχθῆ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκεῖνα. διὰ τοῦτο πρότερον αὐτοῖς ἐπιτίθησι τὸ φάρμακον. τίς οὗτος; φησίν. ὁμοῦ ἐκ προοιμίων δείκνυσι τὸ μέσον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ ὅσον ἐστίν· «τίς ὁ κρύπτειν με ἐπιχειρῶν, εἰπέ μοι, τὸν τὰ ἀπόρρητα μετὰ ἀκριβείας εἰδότα; μὴ γάρ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ εἶπες αὐτά, οὐχὶ ῥήματά ἐστιν; ἐτέχθη καὶ γέγονε λόγος, εἰ καὶ κρύπτεις.» ὁρᾷς, πῶς ἡμέρως, πῶς διορθωτικῶς καὶ ἐλεγκτικῶς; 38,3a ζῶσαι ὥσπερ ἀνὴρ τὴν ὀσφύν σου, 3b ἐρωτήσω δέ σε, σὺ δέ μοι ἀποκρίθητι. ἐπειδὴ καταβεβλημένος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἦν, διανίστησιν αὐτὸν διὰ τῶν ῥημάτων ὥστε προσέχειν τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ κατὰ ἐρώτησιν προάγει τὸν λόγον, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐλεγκτικώτατον. μάλιστα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι πάντα σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει ποιεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἦν τοῦ τὰ τοσαῦτα μετὰ σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως ἐργαζομένου ἄνθρωπον, δι' ὃν ἅπαντα ἐτεκτήνατο, παριδεῖν ἁπλῶς καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε πάσχοντα κακῶς. 38,4a ποῦ ἦσθα, ὅτε ἐθεμελίωσα τὴν γῆν; 4b ἀπάγγειλόν μοι, εἰ ἐπίστασαι σύνεσιν, 38,5a τίς ἔθετο μέτρα αὐτῆς εἰ οἶδας 5b ἢ τίς ὁ ἐπαγαγὼν σπαρτίον ἐπ' αὐτῆς. 38,6a ἐπὶ τίνος οἱ κρίκοι αὐτῆς πεπήγασιν; 6b τίς δέ ἐστιν ὁ βαλὼν λίθον γωνιαῖον ἐπ' αὐτῆς; 183 «τί λέγεις;» φησίν. «γῆν μὲν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τοσαύτης ἐστήριξα 183 διὰ σέ, σὲ δὲ παρόψομαι, δι' ὃν ἐκείνην ἐποίησα;» διὰ τοῦτο οὐ λέγει τῆς πλάσεως τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν τὴν κατὰ τὴν κατασκευήν, ἀλλ' ἐκ περιουσίας ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι «εἰ ὁ κόσμος», φησίν, «τοσαύτης ἀπολαύει προνοίας διὰ σέ, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σύ.» ποῦ ἦς, φησίν, ὅτε ἐθεμελίωσα τὴν γῆν; πρὸς τοὺς βουλομένους αὐτὸν ἀπαιτεῖν εὐθύνας καὶ λόγους τῶν γινομένων καὶ οὐ στοχαζομένους αὐτοῦ τῆς