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to work them, so that he might say that: he steers the water as he wishes for our governance and administration. But in other copies we found it thus: _h_a_v_i_n_g_ _p_l_a_c_e_d_ his works _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _l_o_w_e_s_t_ _p_l_a_c_e_s_. And such a scripture signifies that God works these things for those below, that is: for the men upon the earth. 37, 12 whatever things he may command them, these have been ordained by him upon the earth. And the things from the air come to be upon the earth according to the commands and ordinances of God. Or he also says this, that all things from him are not new and recent, but from the beginning have been done so by him; or that they were manifest to him even before they came to be, according to the principles of foreknowledge. 37, 13 whether for instruction, or for his land, or for mercy, he will find him. And these things happen either to instruct and turn back 324 sinning men or for the fruitfulness of the earth{but through mercy}; and often God, having mercy on men, dispelled burning heat and flame, sending rain not for the need of the earth, but so that he might dissolve the heat of the air, or in any way whatsoever, so that he might have mercy on men. Therefore one will find him doing these things for these reasons: either for instruction and turning back, or for the fruits of the earth and its produce, or for other reasons, unknown to us, but in any case for mercy on men. And it is also possible to understand it thus, that these things happen either for the instruction of those deemed worthy of knowledge, or for the existence and permanence of the very things created by him. And through such things we know and find God; but often some also by the grace of mercy found him, not having knowledge, but obtaining it from grace alone, like the thief. 37, 14 Give ear to these things, Job; stand still, and consider the power of the Lord. Instead of: attend diligently, lay up in your mind the things that have been said, receiving the words through your ears. 37, 15-16 I know that the Lord established his works, making light out of darkness. And he understands the division of clouds. I know, then, he says, that it is God who works these things and who divides the clouds as he may wish according to his own knowledge. But other copies have it thus: _d_o_ _y_o_u_ _k_n_o_w_,_ _w_h_e_n_ _G_o_d_ _e_s_t_a_b_l_i_s_h_e_d_ _h_i_s_ _w_o_r_k_s_ to make light out of darkness, and do you also understand the division of clouds? But Symmachus has rendered it thus: _w_i_l_l_ _y_o_u_ _k_n_o_w_,_ _w_h_e_n_ _G_o_d_ _o_r_d_a_i_n_e_d_ _c_o_n_c_e_r_n_i_n_g_ _t_h_e_m_ _l_i_g_h_t_ making it from darkness? And this is the meaning: were you not present with God as he created the world, when darkness was over the face of the water and the first 325 voice of God came down saying: Let there be light, when he arranged all his works as he wished? Therefore yield to the wisdom of God and to his incomprehensible judgments. And he says these things to bring Job into fear, as he thinks, who never abandoned the sanctifying fear of God, which is equivalent to love, saying with his own mouth: had I not feared the hand of the Lord. 37, 16-17 but the falls of the wicked are extraordinary, and your garment is warm. It is worthy of wonder, then, he says, how God punishes the wicked through the air, and how after the frosts, after the rains, summer comes, so as to require a summer garment suitable to the season, so as not to be troubled. But it is also possible to understand it thus according to a higher meaning: since we have expounded on the power and wisdom of God, learn that the transgressions of the wicked are great, but your garment, you the just one—that is, the clothing of virtues—is not worn out by passions nor old, but warm, that is, new and strong. The first, then, is according to the literal sense, but the second according to the spiritual sense. 37, 17-18 And there is quiet on the earth; from the south are foundations with him as of old, strong as a vision of a casting. And knowledge concerning these things is quiet upon the earth. For we are ignorant of the reasons for these things, and how, when the south wind blows, old things, that is, meltings and solid drops, are brought down, so that their pouring out is seen. For when it drizzles, perhaps because of its fineness we do not see 326 the rain, but when drops are brought down, all see their pouring out. And it is also possible to understand it thus:

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τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτά, ἵνα εἴπῃ ὅτι· οἰακίζει τὸ ὕδωρ ὡς βούλεται εἰς ἡμετέραν κυβέρνησιν καὶ διοίκησιν. ἐν δὲ ἑτέροις ἀντιγράφοις οὕτως ηὕραμεν· _ἐ_ν_ _τ_ο_ῖ_ς_ _κ_α_τ_ω_τ_ά_τ_ω_ θεὶς ἔργα αὐτοῦ. σημαίνει δὲ ἡ τοιαύτη γραφή, ὅτι ταῦτα ἐργάζεται θεὸς διὰ τοὺς κάτω, τουτέστιν· τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπους. 37, 12 πάντα ὅσα ἂν ἐντείληται αὐτοῖς, ταῦτα συντέτακται παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. γίνονται δὲ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ ἐντολὰς καὶ προστάγματα θεοῦ. ἢ καὶ τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι πάντα τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ οὐ καινά εἰσι καὶ πρόσφατα, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὕτω γινόμενα παρ' αὐτοῦ· ἢ ὅτι κατάδηλα ἦσαν αὐτῷ καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι κατὰ τοὺς τῆς προγνώσεως λόγους. 37, 13 ἐάν τε εἰς παιδείαν, ἐάν τε εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ, ἐὰν εἰς ἔλεος εὑρήσει αὐτόν. καὶ γίνονται ταῦτα ἢ εἰς τὸ παιδεῦσαι καὶ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀνθρώπους 324 ἁμαρτάνοντας ἢ εἰς καρπογονίαν τῆς γῆς{διὰ δὲ ἐλέους} πολλάκις δὲ ὁ θεὸς ἐλεῶν ἀνθρώπους καύσωνα καὶ φλογμὸν διέλυσεν ὑετὸν ἐπαφεὶς οὐ διὰ τὴν τῆς γῆς χρείαν, ἀλλ' ἵνα λύσῃ τοῦ ἀέρος τὸ θερμόνἢ καὶ ὁπωσδηποτοῦν, ἵνα ἀνθρώπους ἐλεήσῃ. εὑρήσει οὖν τις αὐτὸν διὰ ταύτας τὰς αἰτίας ταῦτα ποιοῦντα· ἢ διὰ παιδείαν καὶ ἐπιστροφήν, ἢ διὰ καρποὺς γῆς καὶ βλαστήματα, ἢ δι' ἄλλας αἰτίας, ἀγνώστους μὲν ἡμῖν, πάντως δὲ δι' ἀνθρώπων ἔλεος. ἔστι δὲ καὶ οὕτω νοῆσαι, ὅτι γίνεται ταῦτα ἢ εἰς τὸ παιδεύεσθαι τοὺς τῆς γνώσεως ἀξιουμένους, ἢ εἰς τὸ ὑπάρχειν καὶ διαμένειν αὐτὰ τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ κτισθέντα. καὶ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων γνωρίζομεν καὶ εὑρίσκομεν τὸν θεόν· πολλάκις δὲ καί τινες χάριτι ἐλέους εὗρον αὐτὸν μὴ ἔχοντες τὴν γνῶσιν, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ μόνης χάριτος ὡς ὁ λῄστης τυχόντες. 37, 14 ἐνωτίζου ταῦτα, Ἰώβ, στῆθι, νουθετοῦ δύναμιν κυρίου. ἀντὶ τοῦ· πρόσεχε ἐπιπόνως, ἐγκατάθου τῇ διανοίᾳ τὰ εἰρημένα διὰ τῶν ὤτων τοὺς λόγους εἰσδεξάμενος. 37, 1516 οἶδα μέν, ὅτι κύριος ἔθετο ἔργα αὐτοῦ φῶς ποιήσας ἐκ σκότους. ἐπίσταται δὲ διάκρισιν νεφῶν. οἶδα μὲν οὖν, φησίν, ὅτι θεός ἐστιν ὁ ταῦτα ἐργαζόμενος καὶ ὁ τὰ νέφη διακρίνων ὡς ἂν θελήσῃ κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιστήμην. ἕτερα δὲ ἀντίγραφα οὕτως ἔχουσιν· _ο_ἶ_δ_α_ς_,_ _ὅ_τ_ε_ _ἔ_θ_ε_τ_ο_ _θ_ε_ὸ_ς_ _ἔ_ρ_γ_α_ _α_ὐ_τ_ο_ῦ_ _π_ο_ι_ῆσαι φῶς ἐκ σκότους, ἐπίστασαι δὲ καὶ διάκρισιν νεφῶν; ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος οὕτως ἐκδέδωκεν· _ἆ_ρ_α_ _γ_ν_ώ_σ_ῃ_,_ _ὁ_π_ό_τ_ε_ _ἔ_τ_α_ξ_ε_ν_ _ὁ_ _θ_ε_ὸ_ς_ _π_ε_ρ_ὶ_ _α_ὐ_τ_ῶ_ν_ _φ_ῶ_ς_ ποιήσας ἐκ σκότους; ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· μὴ συμπαρῆς δημιουργοῦντι θεῷ τὸν κόσμον, ὅτε σκότος ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ πρώ 325 τη φωνὴ θεοῦ κατηνέχθη λέγουσα· γενηθήτω φῶς, ὅτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ὡς ἠθέλησε διετάξατο; οὐκοῦν παραχώρει τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἀνεφίκτοις αὐτοῦ κρίμασιν. ταῦτα δὲ λέγει πρὸς φόβον, ὡς νομίζει, τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐνάγων τὸν μηδέποτε τὸν ἁγιοποιὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καταλείψαντα φόβον τὸν ἰσοδυναμοῦντα τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῷ οἰκείῳ στόματι λέγοντα· χεῖρα δὲ κυρίου εἰ μὴ ἐδεδοίκειν. 37, 1617 ἐξαίσια δὲ πτώματα πονηρῶν, σοῦ δὲ ἡ στολὴ θερμή. θαυμάσαι οὖν, φησίν, ἄξιον, πῶς δι' ἀέρος τιμωρεῖται θεὸς τοὺς πονηροὺς καὶ πῶς μετὰ τοὺς κρυμούς, μετὰ τοὺς ὄμβρους θέρος γίνεται, ὡς δεῖσθαι στολῆς θερινῆς προσφυοῦς τῷ καιρῷ πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐνοχλεῖσθαι. δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτω νοῆσαι κατὰ ὑψηλοτέραν ἔννοιαν· ἐπειδὴ τὰ περὶ δυνάμεως θεοῦ καὶ σοφίας ἐξηγησάμεθα, μάνθανε, ὡς τῶν μὲν πονηρῶν μεγάλα εἰσὶ τὰ παραπτώματα, σοῦ δὲ τοῦ δικαίου ἡ στολή τουτέστιν· ἡ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἔνδυσιςοὐκ ἀπὸ παθῶν δεδαπανημένη οὐδὲ παλαιά, ἀλλὰ θερμή, τουτέστι καινὴ καὶ ἐρρωμένη. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον κατὰ τὸ ῥητόν, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον κατὰ διάνοιαν. 37, 1718 ἡσυχάζεται δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ νότου στερεώσεις μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς παλαιώματα, ἰσχυραὶ ὡς ὁράσεις ἐπιχύσεως. ἡσυχάζει δὲ ἡ περὶ τούτων γνῶσις ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ γὰρ ἀγνοοῦμεν τούτων τοὺς λόγους καὶ πῶς νότου φυσῶντος παλαιώματα, τουτέστι τήγματα καὶ σταγόνες στερεαί, καταφέρονται, ὡς ὁρᾶσθαι αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπίχυσιν. ψεκάζοντος μὲν γὰρ ἴσως διὰ τὴν λεπτότητα οὐχ ὁρῶ 326 μεν τὸν ὑετόν, σταλαγμῶν δὲ καταφερομένων πάντες ὁρῶσι τὴν αὐτῶν ἐπίχυσιν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ οὕτω νοῆσαι·