Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 42:1-6

"Then Job answered Jehovah, and said, I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained. Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor [myself], And repent in dust and ashes." — Job 42:1-6 (ASV)

After the Lord reproved Job for his unrestrained speech, which hinted at pride because he asserted his own righteousness to such a degree that it seemed to diminish God’s justice, Job humbly answers, now convinced of his error.

First, he confesses God’s excellence in power, as the text says: Job answered the Lord and said: I know that you can do everything. He also confesses God’s excellence in knowledge, saying, and no thought is hidden from you. By the first statement, Job confesses that God could have removed the suffering caused by the devil, whom the Lord had described using the imagery of Behemoth and Leviathan. By the second, he acknowledges that a proud thought had stirred within him, and he recognizes that this did not escape God’s notice. Therefore, he challenges those who deny divine providence, saying, Who is the man who foolishly hides his plan without your knowledge? Who is so presumptuous and foolish as to say that a human plan can be hidden from God?

From this reflection on divine excellence, Job turns to consider his own fault. He says, So I have spoken foolishly, meaning he did not show proper reverence for God’s excellence in his words. He continues, about things which far exceed my knowledge, referring to his discussion of divine judgments. Because he has spoken foolishly, he resolves to now speak wisely, saying, Listen and I will speak, and confess his fault.

Because he has spoken of things that exceed his knowledge, from now on he does not dare to speak of them, but only to inquire of God. And so he says, I will ask you, by asking, seeking, and knocking (Matthew 7:7), and answer me, by instructing me inwardly. He explains why he has changed, saying that before, when he was speaking foolishly, My ear heard you. Now, however, my eye sees you. This means he knows God more fully than before, just as what is seen with the eyes is more certain than what is heard with the ear.

He has truly grown from both his suffering and from divine revelation. The more one reflects on the justice of God, the more one sees one’s own fault. And so Job says, Therefore I reproach myself, as he considers his own failing. Since it is not enough to confess one’s fault unless one also makes satisfaction, he continues, I do penance in dust and ashes, as a sign of the frailty of his physical nature. For humble satisfaction is fitting for the expiation of prideful thoughts.