85

it means that in addition to feeding, he provided provisions, pursuing the practice of mercy and love for the poor richly and cheerfully. 31, 35 but had I not feared the hand of the Lord. But also the things concerning God, he says, I disposed piously. 267 31, 35-37 But a written agreement, which I had against someone, I would put around my shoulders like a crown and read, and if I did not tear it up and return it, having received nothing from the debtor. Or he says this: Not as one boasting in his loans, unrolling with both hands the agreements I publicly read them aloud—for "on my shoulders" signifies this, as the hands are moved by the shoulders—or that tearing up the debtors' agreements and forgiving the debts, first reading them to them, then tearing the paper, I made the forgiveness a crown and my own comeliness. 31, 38 If the land ever groaned on my account, or if its furrows wept together. Clearly, on account of the seizure of others' property or also by working the land without wages. 31, 39 Or if I ate its strength alone without payment. This signifies two things here: that the prices of the fruits were paid, and that he did not eat alone, but shared the food with those in need. 31, 39 Or if I cast out and grieved the soul of the owner of the land. As if seizing something from the owner of the land through power. 31, 40 Then instead of wheat, may nettles come forth for me, and instead of barley, a bramble. Symmachus rendered it thus: instead of grain, let a thorn grow. We have read in the Books of Kings about the plant, the thorn. And the bramble 268 and the thorn are thorny plants; and the nettle also seems to be something of this kind. So he says: If I did any of the aforementioned things, either taking away another's land or cutting up and working the land without wages, may it give me thorns in return instead of cultivated fruits. 31, 40-32, 1 And Job ceased from speaking, and his three friends were quiet, from still speaking against Job; for he was righteous in their sight. Here they stopped their speech, having concluded the dialogue, both Job and his friends. They were quiet not by choice, but because Job had shut down every justification for them and it was not possible for them to speak against what had been said. For they understood the righteous man's achievements and how from disposition he hated evil, and with sincere love for God he pursued the good. For Job showed that he both preserved justice towards men and reverence towards God perfectly, with admirable humility, which the confessing of sins demonstrates. 269 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Beginning of the passage; {concerning Elihu} And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, of the land of Ausitis, was angry. Prologue to the chapter. Job's friends, having arrived for consolation, but having fallen short of the purpose of their arrival and by the weight of their words rubbing the righteous man's wounds—for they were saying that he had suffered because of his sins and that God would not otherwise inflict punishments on him, except as retribution; for afflictions always follow sins—Job, defending himself against their words, was at a loss, saying: "If these things are so, as you say, how is it that we see many unjust people who have not paid a penalty until the end, and many righteous people who are suffering?" Then, shunning the friends' judgments as mistaken, he asks God to be delivered from his torments and to state his case before Him and to set forth his own righteous deeds, in order to show that he had done nothing unjust worthy of so great a scourge. But he said these things not condemning God as one who does unjust things, but rather trusting greatly in His righteous judgment, and wishing to refute his friends, as they are not making just judgments against him. The aim of Job, therefore, is directed entirely toward his friends, wishing to show 270 that when God judges he will appear righteous before the true and impartial one, while those who accuse him in vain do not have true judgments of the righteous man. Elihu, hearing these things and not understanding the righteous man's thought, supposed him to be saying that being righteous he suffers unjust things from God. For this reason, he burned with zeal for the Lord and was angry with Job; but nothing

85

σημαίνει, ὅτι πρὸς τῷ τρέφειν τὰ ἐφόδια παρεῖχε, πλουσίως καὶ ἱλαρῶς μετιὼν τὸ ἐλεημονιτικὸν καὶ φιλόπτωχον. 31, 35 χεῖρα δὲ κυρίου εἰ μὴ ἐδεδοίκειν. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρὸς θεόν, φησίν, εὐλαβῶς διεκείμην. 267 31, 3537 συγγραφὴν δέ, ἢν εἶχον κατά τινος, ἐπ' ὤμοις ἂν περιθέμενος στέφανον ἀνεγίνωσκον, καὶ εἰ μὴ ῥήξας αὐτὴν ἀπέδωκα οὐδὲν λαβὼν παρὰ χρεωφειλέτου. ἢ τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι· οὐχ οἷά τις ἐγκαυχώμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς δανείοις ἀνελίττων ἀμφοτέραις χερσὶ τὰς συγγραφὰς δημοσίᾳ ὑπανεγίνωσκον τὸ γὰρ ἐπ' ὤμοις τοῦτο σημαίνει, ὡς διὰ τῶν ὤμων τῶν χειρῶν κινουμένων, ἢ ὅτι διαρρηγνὺς τῶν χρεωφειλετῶν τὰς συγγραφὰς καὶ συγχωρῶν τὰ ὀφλήματα πρότερον ἀναγινώσκων αὐτοῖς, εἶτα διαρρήσσων τὸν χάρτην στέφανον καὶ ἰδίαν εὐπρέπειαν ἐποιούμην τὴν συγχώρησιν. 31, 38 εἰ ἐπ' ἐμοί ποτε ἡ γῆ ἐστέναζεν, εἰ δὲ καὶ οἱ αὔλακες αὐτῆς ἔκλαυσαν ὁμοθυμαδόν. ἐπὶ τῇ ἁρπαγῇ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων δηλονότι ἢ καὶ τῷ ἀμισθὶ τὴν γῆν ἐργάζεσθαι. 31, 39 εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς ἔφαγον μόνος ἄνευ τιμῆς. δύο ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει, ὅτι καὶ τὰ τιμήματα τῶν καρπῶν κατεβάλλετο καὶ οὐδὲ μόνος ἤσθιεν, ἀλλ' ἐκοινοποίει τοῖς δεομένοις τὰς τροφάς. 31, 39 εἰ δὲ καὶ ψυχὴν κυρίου τῆς γῆς ἐκβαλὼν ἐλύπησα. ὡς κατὰ δυναστείαν ἁρπάσας τι τοῦ κτήτορος τῆς γῆς. 31, 40 ἀντὶ πυροῦ ἄρα ἐξέλθοι μοι κνίδη, ἀντὶ δὲ κριθῆς βάτος. ὁ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _ἀ_ν_τ_ὶ_ _σ_ί_τ_ο_υ_ _β_λ_α_σ_τ_ῆ_σ_α_ι_ _ἄ_κ_α_ν_ο_ς_. ἀνέγνωμεν δὲ ἐν ταῖς Βασιλείαις τὸ φυτὸν τὸν ἄκανον. καὶ ἡ βάτος δὲ 268 καὶ ὁ ἄκανος ἀκανθώδη φυτά· ἔοικε δὲ καὶ ἡ κνίδη τοιοῦτόν τι εἶναι. λέγει οὖν ὅτι· εἴ τι τῶν προειρημένων ἔπραξα, ἢ ἀλλοτρίαν γῆν παραιρούμενος ἢ ἀμισθὶ τὴν γῆν ἀνατέμνων καὶ ἐργαζόμενος, ἀκάνθας ἀντὶ τῶν ἡμέρων ἀντιδώῃ μοι καρπῶν. 31, 4032, 1 καὶ ἐπαύσατο Ἰὼβ ῥήμασιν, ἡσύχασαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τρεῖς φίλοι αὐτοῦ, ἔτι δὲ ἀντειπεῖν Ἰώβ· ἦν γὰρ δίκαιος ἐναντίον αὐτῶν. ἐνταῦθα τὸν λόγον ἔστησαν συμπεράναντες τὸν διάλογον ὅ τε Ἰὼβ καὶ οἱ φίλοι. ἡσύχασαν δὲ οὐ προαιρετικῶς, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς δικαιολογίαν ἀπέκλεισεν Ἰὼβ καὶ οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἀντειπεῖν πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα. συνηπίσταντο γὰρ τῷ δικαίῳ τὰ κατορθώματα καὶ ὡς ἐκ διαθέσεως ἐμίσει μὲν τὸ κακόν, εἰλικρινεῖ δὲ τῇ πρὸς θεὸν ἀγάπῃ μετῄει τὸ καλόν. ἔδειξε γὰρ ὁ Ἰώβ, ὅτι καὶ τὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους δίκαια καὶ τὸ πρὸς θεὸν σέβας ἄκρως ἐφύλαξε μετὰ τῆς θαυμαστῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης, ἣν παρίστησι τὸ ἐξαγορεύειν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. 269 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΕΙΚΟΣΤΟΝ ΠΡΩΤΟΝ Ἀρχὴ τοῦ ῥητοῦ· {περὶ τοῦ Ἐλιούς} ὠργίσθη δὲ Ἐλιοὺς ὁτοῦ Βαραχιὴλ ὁ Βουζίτης ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας Ῥὰμ τῆς Αὐσίτιδος χώρας. Προθεωρία τοῦ κεφαλαίου τῶν φίλων τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἐπὶ παράκλησιν ἀφικομένων, ἔξω δὲ τοῦ σκοποῦ γεγενημένων τῆς ἀφίξεως καὶ τῇ βαρύτητι τῶν λόγων ἐπιτριβόντων τῷ δικαίῳ τὰ τραύματαἔφασκον γὰρ δι' ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸν πεπονθέναι καὶ μὴ ἄλλως τὸν θεὸν αὐτῷ ἐπάγειν τὰς κολάσεις, εἰ μὴ κατὰ ἀνταπόδοσιν· ἕπεσθαι γὰρ ἀεὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις τὰς κακώσειςτοὺς αὐτῶν λόγους ὁ Ἰὼβ ἀμυνόμενος ἐπηπόρησε λέγων· εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς φατε, πῶς πολλοὺς ὁρῶμεν ἀδίκους τιμωρίαν οὐ δεδωκότας μέχρι τέλους, πολλοὺς δὲ δικαίους πάσχοντας; εἶτα ὡς ἐσφαλμένας τῶν φίλων ἀποφεύγων τὰς κρίσεις αἰτεῖ θεὸν ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῶν βασάνων καὶ ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν δίκην εἰπεῖν καὶ παραθέσθαι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ δίκαια, ἵνα ἐπιδείξῃ, ὡς ἄδικον εἰργάσατο οὐδὲν τῆς τηλικαύτης μάστιγος ἄξιον. ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν οὐ θεοῦ καταψηφιζόμενος ὡς ἄδικα πράττοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα θαρρῶν τῇ αὐτοῦ δικαιοκρισίᾳ, τοὺς δὲ φίλους διελέγξαι θέλων, ὡς οὐ δικαίας κατ' αὐτοῦ ποιοῦνται τὰς κρίσεις. ὁ μὲν οὖν σκοπὸς τοῦ Ἰὼβ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους ὅλως ἀποτείνεται βουλομένου δεῖ 270 ξαι, ὅτι ἐπὶ θεοῦ δικάζοντος δίκαιος ἀναφανεῖται τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ ἀπροσωπολήπτου, οἱ δὲ μάτην αὐτοῦ κατηγοροῦντες οὐκ ἀληθεῖς ἔχουσι τοῦ δικαίου τὰς κρίσεις. τούτων ἐπακροώμενος ὁ Ἐλιοὺς καὶ οὐ νενοηκὼς τοῦ δικαίου τὴν διάνοιαν ᾠήθη λέγειν αὐτόν, ὡς ἄδικα πάσχει παρὰ θεοῦ δίκαιος ὤν. διὰ τοῦτο ζηλῶν ἐζήλωσε τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ὠργίσθη κατὰ τοῦ Ἰώβ· οὐδὲν δὲ