Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 37

Elihu had spoken previously (Job 36:27–30) about the changes in the atmosphere—drought and rain—that result from the covering of the clouds, from which God produces lightning with His light. Now he discusses at length the light itself, which is sometimes hidden by the clouds and sometimes seen, and the thunder that arises from the clouds. He begins with the light, saying, “He hides the light in his hands,” for as an effect of His power, He sometimes hides the light of the sun and the stars with clouds. But since this obscuring is not permanent, but only temporary, he adds, “and he orders the light to return again,” when the clouds go away. Alternatively, these words can refer to the darkening and illumination of the air by the rising and setting of the sun.

We must remember that things perceived by the senses are signs of intelligible realities; thus, we come to the knowledge of intelligible things through physical effects. Among all physical effects, the most spiritual is light. Therefore, light leads most efficiently to the knowledge of intelligible things, since sight—whose experience of knowing is perfected by light—most aids intellectual knowledge. Since this physical light is hidden from and revealed to humanity by God's power, Job leads us to understand that in God there is a more excellent kind of light—that is, a spiritual light—which God reserves as a reward for human virtue.

So he says, “He announces it”—the light metaphorically represented by physical light—“to his friend,” the virtuous person whom God loves, “that it is his possession.” This means that this spiritual light is a treasure which God reserves for His friends as a reward, “and he can ascend to it,” when he merits it by the works of virtue and prepares himself to possess it.

However, one can also explain this in terms of physical light. For the Platonists proposed that the souls of men were derived from the souls of the stars. Therefore, when human souls guard their dignity by living according to reason, they return to the clarity of the stars from which they descended. Thus, one reads in the Dream of Scipio that “rectors and guardians” of cities “set out from here”—that is, from heaven—“and return here.” In this, the author shows us that he does not place the ultimate reward of virtue in temporal goods, but in spiritual goods after this life. Now, this is the most wonderful thing: that an earthly and corruptible person is advanced to the possession of spiritual and heavenly things. And so he says, “About this”—that a person can ascend to possess the light—“my heart trembled” from the fear of wonder and astonishment, “and leapt out of its place,” so that it not only desires and eagerly strives after those things that seem natural to it in the physical life, but is also carried away to spiritual and heavenly things.

After sight, which is the knowledge of physical light, comes hearing, which especially serves the intellect because by it one perceives words that express intellectual concepts. Moreover, just as a person is led by the vision of physical light to the knowledge and expectation of some higher light, so also by hearing physical sounds formed by divine power, a person is led by the hand to hear the spiritual doctrine of God. And so he says, “He (man) will hear” from God “the report” of spiritual doctrine “in the terrible sound of his voice,” in the image of thunder, which is like the terrible voice of God. He explains this report, saying, “and the sound which proceeds from his mouth.” For the sound of physical thunder seems formed by His hand, that is, His power; but the sound proceeding from His mouth is the teaching of His wisdom, according to Sirach 24:5, “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High.”

To prevent the error that God does not have another light higher than the physical light of heaven, he says, “Above all the heavens he examines,” as if to say: His vision is not below heaven but above it. Moreover, one can only see something in some light, because, “everything which is clear is light” (Ephesians 5:13). Therefore, the light of God must necessarily be more excellent than the physical light which is first found in the heavens. And so he says, “and his light”—the intelligible light—“surpasses the limits of the earth,” for it is superior to every physical creature.

Just as the material light of heaven is below Him, so also the sound of material thunder is beneath Him, and so he says, “After him”—that is, under Him—“the sound will roar” of material thunder. Moreover, He has another spiritual voice, the teaching of wisdom, which is incomprehensible to man. He speaks about this when he says, “he will roar in the voice of his greatness”—the voice which teaches His greatness. Not all hear this voice as they hear the sound of physical thunder. Those who in some way do hear His voice cannot comprehend it, and so he says, “and one will not investigate” it perfectly “when he has heard”—that is, known spiritually by some person—“his voice,” the teaching of wisdom.

But the voice is not only directed toward the teaching of the people who hear it, but also to the perfection of natural works which happen according to the command of divine wisdom. Therefore, he repeats a second time, “God will thunder in his voice”—in the command of His wisdom—“wonderfully,” by producing wonderful effects. To express this, he then says, “and he does great,” according to their nature, “and unsearchable things” by human reason. He begins to list them and says, “he who commands the snow,” by the voice of His wisdom, “to fall on the earth.” For the snows are formed by His command, as are the rains and showers, and so he says, “and to winter rains,” which are abundant in winter, “and the showers of his strength,” which are formed by some more violent cause and with the impulse of the wind.

Since everything that happens in lower things is somehow ordered for humanity, he says, “he has put signs on the hand of every man that they might each know his works.” For different conditions of the air correspond to the different works of humanity. One is the work of the night, another the work of the day; and a person does one work in a time of good weather and another in rainy weather. A person discerns what work corresponds to each time, according to the divine gift of reason. This is the sign that God has placed in his hand—in the operative power of all people to do works—so that they may know how to distribute their tasks fittingly according to the diversity of times. That providence extends even to animals, who do different things according to different times by natural instinct, and so he says, “The beast will enter its lair” in rainy weather, “and will remain in its cave” for a fitting time.

Then he shows the effects of the different winds. On this subject, one must consider that the south winds produce rains and storms, while north winds cause cold air. Southern winds come to us from the direction of the South Pole, which is unknown to us because it is sunk down beneath our horizon by the same distance as the North Pole is elevated above our horizon. And so he says, “From the lower part, storms will arise,” as if to say: A storm comes to us by a wind which proceeds from the part of heaven that is always extended down under our horizon, and this wind is called the South Wind. As to the North Wind he says, “and the cold wind comes from the Arctic.” For “Arktos” in Greek means the Northern Hemisphere, from which the name “Arcturus” comes for the constellation of Ursa, which is always elevated above the horizon. The northern wind comes from this direction and causes cold because the sun is farther from that part of heaven. He attributes this to divine wisdom, saying, “By the breath of God, ice increases,” as if to say: When He causes the wind by blowing, the north wind, which causes the icy chill, arises. “And again,” from the breath of God which causes the south wind, “very broad,” that is, very abundant, “waters flow.” These are the rains that are caused by the south wind.

He relates these effects to their usefulness for humanity, saying, “The clouds desire grain,” as if to say: The clouds are ordered for grain as an end for which they are useful. Each thing desires its own proper end, and accordingly he says the clouds desire grain, because clouds are certainly useful for grain. The reason the rains descend from a cloud and water the earth is to make it fertile for the production of grain. It is also useful for clouds to cover grain and shade it sometimes so that the grain does not dry out from the relentless heat of the sun. He adds another useful feature of the clouds when he says, “and the clouds pour out their light.” This can refer either to the light of lightning, according to what he already said in the preceding chapter: “If he wills to extend the clouds or to make flash with his light” (Job 36:29). Or this can refer more to the light which shines in the air from the sun’s rays reflected off the clouds and mixed with them in some way. Thus, the brightness of the sun appears in the air before sunrise and also after sunset because of the reflection of the sun’s rays from the clouds which are in a higher place, which the solar rays reach more quickly and leave more slowly.

After he has discussed the usefulness of the clouds, he describes their movement, saying, “The clouds circle over everything.” For the clouds do not stop above only one part of the earth from which the vapor has risen, but by the force of the winds they are carried to different parts of the earth. The winds generally follow the motion of the sun in a great circle, and so east winds blow in the morning, then the southern winds come, and finally toward the evening, western winds. So the clouds move in a circle as a consequence of this. To show that this proceeds from divine providence, he says, “Wherever the will of the governor (God) leads them,” since the clouds do not always reach every part of the heavens, but sometimes this one and sometimes that one, as God disposes them.

The clouds cause a variety of effects, for example, rain, snow, hail, thunder, and the like. Just as the movement of the clouds over the earth depends on divine disposition, so also the effects caused by the clouds depend on this disposition. And so he says they act “to any place where he commands them on the face of the land,” as if he said: The effect the clouds produce on the earth depends on divine precept. Since he had said above, “wherever the will of the governor leads them” (Job 37:12), he explains this by saying, “on one tribe,” because clouds sometimes appear in one region and not in another, as Amos says, “I have rained on one city and do not on another” (Amos 4:7). This happens in two ways. Sometimes clouds appear in the same region where the vapors are generated; this happens when the vapors are not moved to remote places by the power of the wind. Regarding this he says, “or in their own land,” that is, the land of the clouds where they were formed. Sometimes they are moved to another region, and regarding this he says, “or in whatever place of his mercy he orders them to be found.” For God provides clouds and rain to a region at the right time—and especially to hot climates where rain is rare—from His great mercy.

After Elihu told of the many marvels of God's works, he now attacks Job, who seemed to accuse God of injustice because he could not yet understand His works. And so he says, "Listen, Job," to what I am saying about the grandeur of God's works. "Stand" in uprightness of mind, "and consider," by yourself, "the wonderful things of God," which are shown in His works.

Among those wonderful things, he begins with the rains. People perceive them with their senses, but science still cannot understand their ultimate origin, by which God brought them into being. And so he says, "Do you know when God commanded the rains," which fall upon the earth by divine decree? After the rain has fallen, the air, which was first dark from the dense clouds, becomes bright as they thin out. So he says, "and they"—that is, the falling rains—"show the light of His clouds?" This means the light of the sun shines through the vanishing clouds that the dense clouds had hidden.

He speaks about their motion, saying, "Do you know the paths of the clouds?"—namely, how and from what cause they are propelled to various regions by the breath of the winds. The knowledge of clouds is the source of understanding all atmospheric changes—for example, winds, rain, snow, hail, thunder, and other similar things. And so he says, "great and perfect science?" They are great because these phenomena are formed in the upper atmosphere, and perfect because the knowledge of clouds includes all knowledge of the phenomena previously mentioned and their effects on these lower bodies. Since the clouds are driven by the winds, he then adds the effect produced by the wind, saying, "Are not your garments hot when the South wind blows on the earth?" For the South wind makes the air warm because it comes from warm regions. From this heat, a person's garments can make them feel hotter. Thus, he clearly mentions the action of the South wind because when it comes from below the equator and gathers water vapors, it condenses them into clouds and moves them. The North wind, however, which comes from the north, tends to disperse the clouds.

Since the power of the heavenly bodies operates in all these effects, he therefore proceeds to the heavenly bodies, saying, "Have you perhaps made the heavens with Him?" In this metaphor, he expresses God's causality over the heavenly bodies. For just as an artisan is the cause of his work, so God is the cause of the heavenly bodies, yet in two different ways. An artisan produces an artifact from pre-existing matter, but the celestial bodies could not be produced from pre-existing matter. Instead, in their production, the matter came into being at the same time as their form. To distinguish the higher heavens from the heavens we call the atmosphere, he adds, "which are most solid like bronze after fusion." Remember that there are certain bodies among us that yield under pressure and can be penetrated, like air, water, and similar things. Some, however, do not yield to pressure nor can they be pierced, like stones and metals. So, to show that the higher heavens are not divisible or permeable like air and water, he compares them especially to bronze, among other metals, because people used it most frequently in technology.

Lest Job should presumptuously claim to know God's works perfectly, Elihu continues mockingly, "Show us what we should say to Him." It is as if to say: If you are so wise that you know all the works of God and can argue with Him on this subject, then teach us so that we can answer Him. He shows they need this when he says, "We who to be sure are enveloped in darkness." This is as if to say: We desperately need you to show us what you said before, because we are completely ignorant of these things.

Since he had spoken many times about God's works, lest this be attributed to his own presumption—as though he thought he knew these things perfectly—he disclaims this, saying, "Who will tell Him what I am saying?" It is as if he says: No one can sufficiently explain the things I have told you about His works. This befits God alone because of the excellence of His power. If anyone presumes to think he can speak sufficiently about God, danger would threaten him for that very reason. And so he says, "Even if a man speak," as though wanting to understand God's works, "he will be devoured"—as if swallowed up by the greatness of the subject. As Proverbs says, He who investigates majesty will be crushed by glory (Proverbs 25:27). This can also be interpreted in another way. Not only is a person unable to properly list God's works, but "even if He (God Himself) speaks" to them by revealing these things, "man would be devoured," unable to understand such a great thing. And so we read in John, I have many things to say to you which you are not able to bear now (John 16:12), and in Deuteronomy, What is flesh that it should hear the voice of the living God? (Deuteronomy 5:26).

But to prevent anyone from believing that the knowledge of divine truth must be withdrawn from humanity forever, he says, "But now," in the present time, "they (men) do not see the light," which is the clarity of divine knowledge. Yet he proclaims to the friend of God that "he can ascend to this light" at some time, as he already said (Job 36:33). He introduces a comparison for this: "The air will be suddenly compressed into clouds" because of the gathering of water vapors from the south, and because of this, the air is darkened. But this kind of darkness passes away after a little while when the clouds have been broken up. And so he says, "and the wind, when it passes"—that is, the north wind—"will chase the clouds away." By this he means: In the same way, although a person is now enveloped in darkness, when death comes, it will put this darkness to flight like the changing of the wind.

Sometimes shiny objects are discovered in dark places. The northern region is called dark because of its distance from the sun, and yet much gold—one of the most glittering metals—is discovered there. This is caused by heat withdrawing deep into the inner bowels of the earth; because of the chill of the surrounding air, it works more effectively there to produce gold. And so he says, "Gold will be produced by the wind," as if to say: Gold is more plentiful in the part of the earth blown on by the north wind.

Just as one finds the brilliance of gold in the darkness of the northern region, so also in the darkness of this life's ignorance one finds some of the brightness of divine knowledge, though dimly. And so he says, "and fearful praise from God." For if nothing of divine clarity shone in us, we could in no way praise Him. Furthermore, if the divine truth shone to us as clearly as the noonday sun, we would praise Him carelessly. But since something of the divine light shines in our knowledge mixed with some darkness, we praise Him with dread, as a person does something with dread which he knows he cannot do perfectly.

So he says, "We cannot find Him worthily," so as to come to know Him as He is through our own investigation. This is because of His excellence, and so he says, "He is great in might." For His power infinitely exceeds all His works, and so He cannot be properly found through them. He answers the objection that God uses only violence in governing humanity because of His great power, saying, "and with right judgment." For He is great, because His judgments are incomprehensible (Romans 11:33). This is not due to a lack of justice, but to the excellence of His justice, and so he says He is great in "justice." Because of His greatness, we can neither sufficiently conceive of Him with our minds nor sufficiently praise Him with our mouths. And so he says, "and He cannot be explained" properly by humanity.

This is the reason His praise is dreadful. He then says, "Therefore men," no matter how powerful they are, "will fear Him" because of the greatness of His power, "and they will not dare to contemplate Him"—that is, presume to know Him fully—"all those who seem to themselves to be wise." He says this clearly because a person's wisdom, however great it may seem to oneself or to others, is as nothing compared to divine wisdom.

We should consider from the arguments put forth by Elihu that he agreed partly with Job and partly with his friends. He agreed with Job (see Job 7 and 14:11) that the reward for good people and the punishment for evil people will be in the future afterlife . But he agreed with Job's friends that all the adversities of the present life happen in return for sins, and that if one repents of his sins, he will return to prosperity. He also agreed with Job's friends regarding Job himself , because he thought that Job had been punished for his sin and that the justice which first appeared in him was a pretense. He interpreted Job's words wrongly , as did the others. As for the prosperity of evildoers in this world, he alone touches on this cause: that they prosper because of the sins of others . In the same way, he alone also seems to clearly touch on angels as mediators between God and humanity .

Job did not answer his arguments. First, because he agreed with Elihu on the principal doctrines where the friends—whom he had called "cultivators of false dogmas" ()—were in error. What Elihu said about him personally was not of such great concern to Job that he wanted to argue about it, especially since he could not prove the purity of his conscience with any better arguments than he had already used—namely, by divine witness. Second, Job did not answer because Elihu, out of youthful presumption and in the manner of quarrelsome people, twisted words that Job had not said or had meant in a different way. Therefore, to avoid quarreling, Job decided it was better to be silent and commit the matter to divine judgment.