Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 2:7-13

"So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. Now when Job`s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great." — Job 2:7-13 (ASV)

When Satan had received the power, he proceeded to execute it. The text continues, “So Satan went forth from the face of the Lord and afflicted Job,” with what was truly an abominable and shameful blow. The text says it was “with sores,” which were incurable and painful—that is, “loathsome”—extending entirely “from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.”

The afflictions of the sick are customarily alleviated by pleasant, external cures. But Job was not relieved in this way, for the text continues, “Job scraped the bloody matter with a shard.” In this, the text shows that pleasant and soothing remedies were not applied to him. “And he sat in a dungheap.” This shows that he did not recover in a pleasant place, on soft straw, or with a pleasing aroma; instead, he endured the opposite.

This could have happened in two ways. First, after being struck by the Lord, he might have voluntarily afflicted and humiliated himself even more to obtain mercy more easily. Second, because he had lost everything he owned, he could not afford suitable cures for himself. This second possibility is quite probable based on what the Lord said earlier, as it does not seem that Satan acted beyond the power given to him to cause harm.

In their afflictions, people customarily find solace in the words of those offering consolation. But Job’s affliction was accompanied by irritating words, which were all the more provocative because the person who spoke them was so closely connected to him. The text continues, “Then his wife said to him.” She was the only person the devil left untouched, so that through her—just as he had deceived the first man through a woman—he might assault the mind of this righteous man.

This woman first broke out in words of mockery: “Do you still hold fast your simplicity?” It is as if she said, “After so many punishments, you should at least know that it was useless for you to guard your simplicity.” Someone like her says the same in the prophet Malachi: “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit in keeping his commandments?” (Malachi 3:14). Second, she proceeded to words of perverse suggestion, saying, “Bless God” (that is, curse God). It is as if she said, “Since adversity came upon you when you were blessing God, curse God, and you will enjoy prosperity.” Finally, she concluded with words of despair, saying, “and die.” It is as if she said, “Consider yourself as good as dead, because nothing is left for you in maintaining your simplicity except to die.” Alternatively, “Bless God and die” can be understood to mean that since you have been so afflicted with adversity after showing such reverence for God, if you still bless God, nothing remains for you but to wait for death.

The holy man, who had borne his own troubles patiently, could not bear the offense against God, for the text continues: “But he said to her: You have spoken like one of the foolish women speaks.” He rightly accuses her of foolishness for speaking against divine wisdom. He shows that she spoke foolishly when he adds, “If we received good at the hand of the Lord, shall we not also tolerate evil?”

In this, he teaches the perfect wisdom for humanity. Since temporal and physical goods should be loved only for the sake of spiritual and eternal ones, a person should not be dejected when deprived of the former, nor puffed up when possessing them in abundance, as long as the latter—which are more important—are preserved. Job, therefore, teaches us that we should have such steadfastness of spirit that if temporal goods are given to us by God, we use them without being puffed up with pride; and if we face the contrary evil, we endure it so that our soul is not dejected by its lack. This accords with what St. Paul says in the last chapter of Philippians: “I know how to be humbled and how to enjoy prosperity” (Philippians 4:12), and further on, “I can do all things in him who gives me comfort” (Philippians 4:13). Finally, the conclusion that Job persevered in innocence is given when it is said, “In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.”

The devil strove to exasperate the mind of blessed Job not only through his wife but also through his friends, who, although they came to console him, eventually resorted to words of rebuke. Regarding this, the text says, “Now when Job’s three friends heard of all the evil which had come upon him, they came, each from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuite, and Zophar the Naamathite.”

Because nearly the entire debate of this book occurs between these men, we must consider that these three were of the same opinion as Job in some respects, and so they were called his friends. In other respects, they differed from him and were in agreement among themselves; for this reason, they are grouped together and distinguished from Job. They agreed with Job that not only natural things but also human affairs are subject to divine providence. However, they differed from him in their belief that God rewards a person for good deeds with temporal prosperity and punishes a person for evil deeds with temporal adversity. They viewed temporal goods as the rewards for virtue and temporal evils as the proper punishments for sin. Each of these men strives to defend this opinion in his own way, as his own character suggested to him, which is why they are said to have come “each from his own place.” Job, however, was not of this opinion. He believed that the good works of people are directed toward a future spiritual reward after this life, and likewise, that sins would be punished with future punishments.

The next verse expresses that these friends came to console Job, saying, “They agreed to come to visit him together and console him.” In this, they showed themselves to be true friends by not deserting him in a time of tribulation, for Sirach says, “A man’s friend is recognized in sorrow and evil” . At first, the visit itself was certainly consoling, for it is most delightful to see and associate with a friend. They also consoled him by their actions, showing him signs of compassion. The text now introduces what provoked these signs. “When they saw him from afar, they did not recognize him,” for his face was changed by sores, and his fine clothing and appearance were gone due to the loss of his possessions. The phrase “from afar” should be understood to mean the typical distance from which a person can be recognized. This change in their friend stirred them to a sadness and compassion that they showed by external signs. The text continues: “and raising their voices,” out of the great depth of their sorrow, “they wept, and they rent their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads,” as a sign of humility and dejection, as though they felt themselves cast down by their friend’s downfall. The text adds “heavenward,” as though they hoped to provoke the mercy of heaven by this humiliation.

Consider that the compassion of friends is a consolation, either because adversity, like a burden, is more lightly borne when carried by many, or because all sorrow is alleviated when mixed with pleasure. Experiencing someone’s friendship is very pleasurable, and this pleasure, which especially comes from their compassion in adversity, offers consolation.

They consoled him not only by showing him compassion but also by showing their fellowship with him, for the text continues, “they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights.” Nevertheless, one must not understand this to mean a continuous period but rather at suitable times, for great sorrow required consolation over a long time. But they did not offer him the third form of consolation, which is especially found in words, for the text continues, “and no one said a word to him.” The cause of their silence is shown when the text continues, “for they saw that his suffering was very great.” This cause reflects the consolers’ perception more than the actual state of the one afflicted. For when a person’s mind is absorbed with pain, he does not listen to words of consolation. As Ovid remarks, “Who but someone with no good sense would forbid a mother to weep at the funeral of her child?” Job, however, was not so disposed that he could not accept consolation because of his great sorrow. Rather, he consoled himself greatly according to reason, as is apparent from the words quoted earlier.