Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 29:1-25

"And Job again took up his parable, and said, Oh that I were as in the months of old, As in the days when God watched over me; When his lamp shined upon my head, And by his light I walked through darkness; As I was in the ripeness of my days, When the friendship of God was upon my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me; When my steps were washed with butter, And the rock poured me out streams of oil! When I went forth to the gate unto the city, When I prepared my seat in the street, The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood; The princes refrained from talking, And laid their hand on their mouth; The voice of the nobles was hushed, And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. For when the ear heard [me], then it blessed me; And when the eye saw [me], it gave witness unto me: Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow`s heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: My justice was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the needy: And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out. And I brake the jaws of the unrighteous, And plucked the prey out of his teeth. Then I said, I shall die in my nest, And I shall multiply my days as the sand: My root is spread out to the waters, And the dew lieth all night upon my branch; My glory is fresh in me, And my bow is renewed in my hand. Unto me men gave ear, and waited, And kept silence for my counsel. After my words they spake not again; And my speech distilled upon them. And they waited for me as for the rain; And they opened their mouth wide [as] for the latter rain. I smiled on them, when they had no confidence; And the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat [as] chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth the mourners." — Job 29:1-25 (ASV)

Previously, Job had shown in general terms why it is not contrary to divine justice for the wicked to prosper while the good—who are given greater spiritual gifts—sometimes lack temporal prosperity in this world. Now, he demonstrates this more clearly by using himself as an example. He also intends to refute his friends’ opinion that he was suffering these hardships because of sin. First, he recalls his past prosperity, which he used virtuously; then, the greatness of the adversity into which he had fallen (Job 30); and finally, he demonstrates his innocence in many ways (Job 31).

Having satisfactorily answered the argument of Bildad (Job 26), Job proceeded to demonstrate his proposition. After declaring his intention (Job 27), and with Zophar remaining silent, he waited for one of the others to speak. Since everyone was silent, he resumed his speech again. Thus the text says, “Job again took up his comparison,” because he was about to speak using metaphor, “And said: Who will grant me that I might be as in the months of old?” This question is posed more to express a wish than to make a petition—a desire to live in prosperity as he once did.

Since he did not attribute this prosperity to either fortune or his own strength, but to divine aid, he continues, “As in the days when the Lord watched over me,” protecting me from adversity and also directing me toward good things. In some things, God had led him to good outcomes even beyond his own intention. To express this, he says, “when his lamp shone over my head,” meaning His providence, for He directed my mind toward many good things which my own mind did not attain. In other respects, however, he was directed by God as if instructed by Him about what he ought to do, so he then says, “in his light I was walking in darkness,” that is, I was proceeding through my doubts by His instruction. To counter the objection that this prosperity was due to him from the merit of past righteousness, he adds, “as I was in the days of my youth,” when I could not have yet merited such great prosperity.

Then he explains the blessings of his past state one by one, beginning with the most excellent one: the divine intimacy he knew in his prayer and contemplation. So he says, “When God lived in my tent in private,” that is, I felt the presence of God as long as I was praying and meditating in private in my tent, which is characteristic of contemplation. As for action, he continues, “when the Almighty was with me,” as though cooperating with me in doing good.

Next, he describes his prosperity regarding his children when he says, “and my boys were round about me.” For the sons of a young father would indeed be young boys. He continues on to the abundance of things that concern the enjoyment of life when he says, “when I washed my feet in butter.” Among the ancients, riches consisted primarily in cattle (pecus), from which the word for money (pecunia) takes its name, according to Augustine. Among cattle products, the most precious seems to be butter, which is the fat of the milk. He uses the washing of his feet to metaphorically show his affluence, like someone who has such a surplus of a precious liquid that he can wash his feet with it. Just as butter is most valuable among animal products, so oil is prized among the products of the earth. Olive trees, which produce the best oil, generally grow in stony and sandy places, and so he says, “and the rock poured out rivers of oil for me,” where he shows the abundance and the quality of the fruit.

Then he explains the greatness of his past glory when he says, “When I went to the gate of the city.” This indicates he had judicial authority, because in ancient times, judgments were delivered at the city gates. To show that he was not one of the minor judges, he then says, “and in the street they placed a judgment seat for me.” This shows that he held a position of unique dignity.

He then shows the authority of his judgment. First, by the reaction of the young men, saying, “the young men saw me and hid themselves,” as though they feared my judgment, for they are often prone to sin. Second, regarding the old, he says, “The aged rose and stood,” for they were subject to my judgment; he had authority to judge not only youths but also old men. Third, the city leaders showed respect for his judgment. They would stop their conversations when he wished to speak, so he says, “The city elders refrained from talking.” Furthermore, they did not dare to interrupt him while he was speaking, so he says, “and they put their fingers to their mouths.” Fourth, the military commanders, who are usually bolder and quicker to speak, still did not dare to speak presumptuously or loudly in his presence. So he says, “Generals governed their tongues,” speaking plainly and humbly. Sometimes they were so awestruck that they did not dare to speak at all, so he says, “and their tongues cleaved to the roof of their mouths,” rendering them unable to speak.

Because men of such stern authority are usually feared rather than loved, Job next shows that the people loved him. Since the mark of a magnanimous man is the ability to maintain his authority with the great and yet humble himself before lesser men, he says, “The ear which heard blessed me.” That is, those who heard about my glory and judgment from others did not hate or envy me, but thought me happy and desired happiness for me. This describes the attitude of those who were not present. As for those who were present, he says, “and the eye which saw rendered testimony for me,” speaking to others about my virtue.

This was because of the works of mercy he was performing. He shows this first regarding the poor, saying, “because I freed the poor man who cried out,” that is, from the hand of the oppressor. Second, regarding orphans, he says, “and the orphan who had none to help him,” because he had lost his father. Third, regarding those who live in danger, he says, “The blessing of the man perishing came upon me,” meaning the man who had been helped by me in his perils blessed me. Fourth, regarding widows, he says, “and I have consoled the heart of the widow,” because she had lost the consolation of a husband.

But he did not show mercy in judgment in such a way that he abandoned justice, so he adds, “I have been clothed in justice,” meaning justice was apparent everywhere in my trials, for a garment surrounds a person on all sides. To show that he was not coerced to do justice but did so freely, he then says, “and I have clothed myself,” by my own will, putting on justice “like a garment” that protected and adorned me all over. Just as a crown is given to the victors in combat, so also a judge merits a crown when he secures a victory for justice in his judgment. Therefore, he continues, “and my judgment was like a diadem for me,” as if to say: I am invested with my judgment like a diadem.

To show how he could preserve mercy together with justice, he says, “I was an eye for the blind,” for I instructed simple men on how to proceed in their business and not suffer loss due to ignorance. Because he not only gave counsel to the ignorant but also help to the powerless, he says, “and a foot to the lame,” for I gave aid to the man who could not prosper in his business so that he might prosper. He also cared for those who were defenseless, so he says, “I was a father to the poor,” for I protected and supported them. Sometimes there are those who wound the poor, the powerless, and the simple with slander and fraud. He shows his diligent effort against the deceptive schemes of evil men, saying, “And the case of which I was ignorant, I diligently investigated,” so that no fraud would lie hidden there. Some oppress the poor with violence, devouring them, so to speak, by robbing them. Job destroyed the violence of such men with his power, and so he continues, “I broke the jaws of the wicked,” because I destroyed their violent greed so they could not rob again, “and I tore his prey from his teeth,” because he compelled them to restore what they had already stolen.

Because of all these good works, he was confident that his prosperity would endure. He describes the continuity of his prosperity first in his own person, saying, “And I said, ‘I will die in my little nest,’” meaning he hoped that because of his past merits, he would die peacefully in his own house—not exiled from it or in a troubled home. Nor did he believe he should worry about an early death, so he says, “like a palm tree I will multiply my days,” in the great length of my life.

Second, he describes the continuity of his prosperity regarding his riches, and he describes their increase, saying, “My root is open out near the water.” For trees with roots near water often produce abundant fruit, so by this expression he refers to the increase of temporal fruits. Sometimes a man's crops might increase, but he is unable to harvest them because of certain obstacles. To exclude this possibility, Job says, “and dew will remain in my harvest.” In hot countries, the stifling summer heat can prevent harvesters from working in the fields, but a cloud of dew provides coolness so that they are not hindered from the harvest, as Isaiah said, “Like a cloud of dew on the days of the harvest” (Isaiah 18:4). Third, he describes the enduring character of his reputation, saying, “my glory always will be renewed,” by the good works he proposed to multiply. Fourth, he describes the endurance of his power, saying, “and my bow will be restored in my hand.” Here, “bow” means power, for Eastern people use such weapons in wars.

Just as he previously described both the severity (Job 29:8–10) and the mercy (Job 29:11–16) he showed in judgment, he now shows, thirdly, how he also used wisdom. First, he used wisdom in judgments, and expressing this he says, “Those who heard me awaited the judgment,” namely mine, because they were subject to my judgment and believed they would hear something very wise. As to counsel, he says, “and kept silence, attentive to my counsels,” waiting for him and listening eagerly. After I had given them my counsel, they were happy with it, and so he says, “They dared to add nothing to my words,” because of the great wisdom they valued in it. Not only did they firmly keep my counsel, but they were also consoled by it, perceiving it to be effective for attaining their proposed end. So he says, “and my eloquence fell on them drop by drop,” meaning it cooled them like drops of water.

After describing what kind of person he was in his judgments and counsels, he consequently shows what he was like in his daily interactions with people. First, he shows that he was gracious, because when he was absent, they missed his presence, so he says, “They waited for me like the rain,” which refreshes people. When he was present, they were consoled by the sight of him and his words, so he says, “and their mouths were opened as to the evening shower,” meaning their hearts were opened toward me to receive encouragement, which gives refreshment after the heat of the day.

Second, he shows that he was moderate in his conversation and not carried away by joy, so he says, “If I ever laughed at them, they did not believe it,” meaning they did not believe that I had surrendered myself to laughter. Likewise, he was not depressed by sorrow, so he says, “and the light of my countenance was not cast down to the ground.” For people depressed by grief usually cast their eyes to the ground. Third, he shows that he was not arrogant regarding honors, because he did not even desire them, and so he says, “If I wished to go to them, I used to sit in the first place,” which I did not do easily, for I was honored among them. Nevertheless, he did not become arrogant because of these honors, and so he says, “and when I used to sit like a king surrounded by his army,” with all admiring me from every side, “I was still a consoler for those who mourned,” and did not hold them in contempt.