[Job] openly declares that he had not learned these things before but had come to know the unconquered power of God. And since God penetrates the decisions of people and understands the thoughts of all, there is nobody who can hide from his eye, which sees everything. Who is he, he says, who being sparing of words, can hide the secrets of his mind in silence, because they have not been expressed in words?

To hear is, with us, to adapt our ear, which is in one place, to a sound that comes from another. But with God, on the other hand, to whom nothing is external, hearing is properly for him to perceive our longings that are rising up beneath him. For us then to speak to God, who is acquainted with the hearts even of those that hold their peace, is not for us to utter what we think with the words of our throat but to long for him with eager desires. A person asks a question in order to be able to learn that of which he is ignorant; for a person to question God is to acknowledge that he is ignorant in his sight. But for God, to reply is for him to instruct with his secret inspirations the one who humbly acknowledges his ignorance.

God clearly said to him, Do you think that I have dealt with you in any other way than that you might appear to be righteous?^[1] That was in order, he says, to make you speak as you are speaking now, and not in order to condemn you. This is a justification for all that happened before. Actually he has not been delivered yet from his trial when he speaks so, but he is still in the midst of his torments when he makes his retraction. I attach no importance to myself, he says; I am only going to present the justification of God with regard to what has happened before. I was not even worthy of that. It is when Job has condemned himself that God justifies him. And what does he say? He has said to his friends that they must expiate their guilt and constantly calls Job his servant.

For in a holy person sojourning in this temporary state, the rule of the divine judgment has still something to judge, though in comparison with the rest of people it has, even now, something to praise. Blessed Job therefore believed that he was scourged for his fault and not as a favor. He considered that his sins were lopped off, not that his merits were increased. He is blamed for imagining that the intention of the scourging was different. Yet this intent is preferred, as seen in the decision of the inward judgment of his friends who opposed him. Hence it is plainly evident how great was his justice in establishing the innocence of his doings against the arguments of his friends, since he is preferred in the divine judgment even to those very persons who defended the divine judgment.

He would have not ordered that if there had been the law, but now he becomes priest, while they bring offerings. Job had made sacrifices for his children; now he makes them for his friends. See how the text shows that Job is devoid of resentment. God takes [Job’s friends] as witnesses of the virtue of the man, and equally he shows the gravity of their fault through the extraordinary importance of the offering. He would have not needed such great victims if the faults to be expiated had not been so serious. He also shows that the sacrifice was not sufficient, for, he says, but for his sake, I would have not healed you from your guilt. In this manner he shows that he has forgiven them as well. I would have destroyed you, he says, for but for his sake, because you have not spoken the truth against my servant Job. Notice that even though they could speak with zeal as much as they wanted, they were accused just the same of saying nothing true, or rather, they did not speak with the zeal that is fitting to God. In that case, they would have been forgiven. This is also the reason why Job attacked them. Through this we learn that the one who accuses the righteous will have to expiate a serious fault.

But when the text immediately adds, And the Lord turned to the penitence of Job, when he had prayed for his friends, it clearly shows that through penitence he deserved to have his prayers fulfilled promptly, because he had interceded for others. He held that his prayers were effective for him, as he had offered them for others. The merciful Judge more favorably receives the sacrifice of prayer when it is accompanied by the love of neighbor, and one enriches it even more truthfully when he offers it for his enemies as well.

When the text says they came, this means that they were incorporated with him through faith, so that they might be gathered into the church in a single spirit, as all those who believe in God are the limbs of the church. Brothers and sisters denote that entire family of Jews, from whom Christ was born. But we can also interpret brothers and sisters as the multitudes of all nations, because [Christ] assumed the flesh from the mass of humankind and through it deigned to make all human beings his brothers and sisters.

We believe that this happened in history, but we hope that this may also happen mystically. The Lord blesses the new condition of Job more than the former, because, with regard to the receiving of the people of Israel into faith—while the present world progressively moves toward its end—the Lord comforts the pain of the holy church with an abundant gathering of souls. The more clearly it appears that the time of the present life approaches its end, the more the church will be enriched with the souls [of Jews].

He also had, the text says, seven sons and three daughters. Later he gives them names that seem to be inspired by the circumstances. He calls them Day, Cinnamon and Amalthea’s horn.

For the souls of the elect surpass, by the comeliness of their beauty, all the human race that lives after the fashion of men on the earth. The more they humble themselves by outward affliction, the more truly do they array themselves within. Hence this is said by the psalmist to the holy church, which is adorned with the beauty of the elect, The King has greatly desired your beauty.^[1] And of him it is added a little after, All the glory of this daughter of kings is from within,^[2] for if [the church] sought glory outside, it would have no beauty within for the king greatly to desire. And although many shine therein with the beauty of virtues and surpass the merits of others by the very perfection of their conduct, yet some, because they are not able to attain to higher things being conscious of their own weakness, are embraced in the bosom of its gentleness. These, as far as they possess strength, avoid sins, although they do not fulfill higher excellencies as far as thy desire. Yet God graciously receives them and admits them to himself in proportion to the recompense they deserve.

Scripture reports God increased by half all of Job’s things, except for the children.^[1] It is evident, therefore, that the length of his life was also increased by a half. If he had lived 170 years when he was delivered from that calamity, it appears that he lived for 85 years more to the end of his life, that is, for the number of years that is the half of 170. Now, if you add 85 years to the 170 years he had lived before, you have a sum of 255. Actually Scripture declares that Job lived 248 years, therefore those 7 years that are not included in the sum were the years of his temptation. And with good reason they were not counted, because they appear to belong to a period of death more than life. ^[2] JOB LIVED BEFORE MOSES. ISHO‘DAD OF MERV: If it is true that Moses knew Job, why did he never mention him in any of his works? It is evident that [Job] lived before the law, because we know that in every time, in every place and in every person, the knowledge of God exists without the need of a human instruction, as is attested by [Job’s] friends, who composed a high doctrine on God. Evagrius^[1] says,. . . There is no time in which virtue did not exist, nor a time in which it will not exist. ^[2]