The Strength of Words and the Error of the Friends
scourges
Because he brings tribulations toward the things accomplished. Because of this, they spoke their own assumptions contrary to Job (Job 4:4). Therefore also God granted them forgiveness and, on account of ignorance, caused them to bring a sacrifice. For he did not do this with an evil intention, but as justifying providence; this is what they were saying, even if they lacked precision.
From this very confusion, the first friend brings forward the words, beginning by asserting: 'Not many times has it been spoken to you in toil' (Job 4:4), which indicates that: you yourself also many times used words toward those fallen into tribulations, so that we might hear actively what has happened to you. It can also be said passively, so that the saying might be: 'Having now first been in toils, did you have the one speaking to you the things of consolation?' instead of not receiving. For Job was not only then in distress. For it is likely that he was among the afflicted for a greater period of time.
Furthermore, regarding the things said to Job, he brings forward the thought differently, as if having heard his words from one who is brief, saying: 'But who will estimate the strength of words?' (Job 6:30). He himself brought consolation to many, but no one is able to bear your words, which are filled with brevity. And he was saying these things, not knowing the magnitude of the things spoken by him.
And he accepts a comparison from him, saying: 'For if you have encouraged many' (Job 6:30), and the following, indicating that: what you provided to others for exhortation, you are not reminding those placed by sorrow in a way of a warrior—'you were diligent'—instead of being troubled; and doing many things for help and consolation to those being afflicted, as if stretching out a right hand to them, according to that said in Isaiah to the leaders: 'Call upon the hand' (Isaiah 58:9), the words signify sympathy and compassion. 'And to those whose knees are failing, you have provided courage,' providing strength to men persuaded by weakness through the diligence toward them.
Greek
σπουδαίῳ καὶ φαύλῳ, ἀλλ' ὁ τρόπος τῆς αἰτίας διάφορος. ἀμέλει γοῦν τὰ τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς διὰ τὰς γεγενημένας κακίας ἐπαγόμενα "μάστιγες" λέγονται ἐν τῷ· "πολλαὶ αἱ μάστιγες τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἐλπίζοντα ἐπὶ κύριον ἔλεος κυκλώσει." καὶ πάλιν· "ἐὰν ἐνκαταλίπωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τὸν νόμον μου καὶ ἐν τοῖς κρίμασίν μου μὴ πορευθῶσιν, καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά μου μὴ φυλάξωσιν, καὶ τὰς ἐντολάς μου μὴ τηρήσωσιν, ἐπισκέψομαι ἐν ῥάβδωι τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν μάστιξιν τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν." τὰ αὐ95 τὰ ταῦτα συμπτώματα καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ἀνιαρὰ καὶ περιστατικὰ τοῖς δικαίοις ἐπαγόμενα οὐ λέγονται "μάστιγες" ἀλλὰ "θλίψεις"· "πολλαὶ αἱ θλίψεις τῶν δικαίων", καί· "ἐν θλίψει τοῦ κυρίου ἐμνήσθην." ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου τοῦ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον θλιβομένου κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· "ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι, ἀλλ' οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι" λέγεται· "καὶ μάστιξ οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ τῷ σκηνώματί σου." τὰ ἐπαγόμενά τινι θλιβηρά, ὡς προείρηται, κατὰ δύο ἀναντιρρήτους ἀρχὰς συμβαίνει, ἢ ἐπιτιμίας ἕνεκα καὶ διορθώσεως ἢ ἵνα τις μεγαλοψύχως ἐνεγκὼν αὐτὰ ἐπὶ καρτερίᾳ καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ στεφάνων τύχῃ. τοῦτο ἀγνοήσαντες οἱ φίλοι τοῦ Ἰὼβ κατὰ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν δύο τούτων τρόπον ᾠήθησαν ὡς παρατρεπόμενος διὰ ἁμαρτήματα θλίβεται. οὐκ ἐντίθεσαν γοῦν τὸν ἕτερον τρόπον, καίτοι μηδὲν συνειδότες τῷ Ἰὼβ ἁμάρτημα. πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν, μαρτυρουμένου αὐτοῦ, ὡς καθ' ἡμέραν τῇ πρὸς θεὸν παρεδρίᾳ καρτερῶς προσεῖχεν ἀναφέρων ὑπὲρ τῶν υἱῶν θυσίας "μήποτε κακὰ ἐνενόησαν". οὐδὲν γὰρ φαινόμενον αὐτῶν ἐτύγχανεν ἁμάρτημα. διὸ καὶ 96 ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐννοίας αὐτῶν τὴν προσφορὰν ἐποίει. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ μεῖζον, ὅτι καὶ ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἐμαρτυρεῖτο λέγοντος ὡς "ἀνὴρ δίκαιος ἦν, ἄμεμπτος" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. ὅμως δὲ οἱ φίλοι κατὰ μόνον ὡς εἴρηται τὸν ἕτερον τρόπον τὰς ἐπαγωγὰς ἐπιπέμπεσθαι νο μίζοντες δικαίῳ προσθεῖν̣αι ταύτας οὐκ ἐτόλμων, δηλοῦν τὴν πρόνοιαν θέλοντες, ὅτι πρὸς τὰ πεπραγμένα τὰς θλίψεις ἐπάγει. διὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὑπόλημψιν ἀντίθετα πρὸς 27 τὸν Ἰὼβ ἐλάλησαν. διὸ καὶ ὁ θεὸς συγγνώμην αὐτοῖς ἀπένειμεν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀγνοίας ἐποίησεν προσαγαγεῖν θυσίαν. ὅτι δ' οὐ κακῇ προθέσει τοῦτο ἐποίησαν ἀλλ' ὡς δικαιοῦντες τὴν πρόνοιαν, τοῦτο ἔλεγον, εἰ καὶ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἠγνόησαν. ἀπὸ ταύτης γοῦν τῆς διαλήμψεως καὶ τὰς λέξεις ἐπιφέρει ὁ πρῶτος ἀρξάμενος φάσκων· "μὴ πολλάκις σοι λελάληται ἐν κόπῳ", ὅπερ δηλοῖ ὅτι· καὶ αὐτὸς σὺ πολλάκις ἐχρήσω λόγοις πρός τινας περιπεπτωκότας θλιβηροῖς, ἵνα τὸ λελάληται ἐνεργητικῶς ἀκούσωμεν ὡς τὸ πέπρακταί σοι. δύναται καὶ παθητικῶς εἰρῆσθαι, ἵν' ᾖ 97 τὸ λεγόμενον· ἦ νῦν πρῶτον ἐν κόποις γεγενημένος ἔσχες τὸν λαλοῦντά σοι τὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως; τοῦ μὴ ἀντὶ τοῦ οὐχὶ λαμβανομένου. οὐδὲ γὰρ τότε μόνον ἐν περιστάσει ἦν ὁ Ἰώβ. εἰκὸς γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν πλείονι χρόνῳ ἐν τοῖς θλιβηροῖς εἶναι. εἶτα τῶν εἰρημένων πρὸς τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἑτέρως ἐξειληφὼς τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ὡς παρὰ ὀλιγωροῦντος ἀκούσας αὐτοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ἐπάγει· "ἰσχὺν δὲ ῥημάτων τίς ὑποίσει;" αὐτὸς μὲν πολλοῖς παράκλησιν προσήγαγες, τὰ δὲ σὰ ῥήματα ὀλιγωρίας πεπληρωμένα οὐδεὶς οἷός τέ ἐστι φέρειν. ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ἀγνοῶν τὸ μέγεθος τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰρημένων. καὶ δέχεται δῆθεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν σύνκρισιν λέγων· "εἰ γὰρ σὺ ἐνουθέτησας πολλοὺς" καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, δηλῶν ὅτι· ἃ σὺ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰς παραμυθίαν παρήγαγες διανιστῶν τρόπον τινὰ τοὺς παρεθέντας ὑπὸ λύπης οὐχ ὑπομιμνῃσκόμενος "ἐσπούδασας"–ἀντὶ τοῦ τετάραξαι–, καὶ πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν καὶ παράκλησιν πολλὰ ποιῶν τοῖς θλιβομένοις ὡς δεξιὰν ὀρέγειν αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸ ἐν Ἠσαίᾳ λεγόμενον πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχον τας· "παρακαλεῖτε τῆι χειρί", τὴν σύνπνοιαν καὶ συνπάθειαν δηλοῦν98 τος τοῦ λόγου. "γόνασιν δὲ ἀδυνατοῦσιν θάρσος περιέθηκας", ἀσθενείᾳ πεπιασμένοις ἀνθρώποις ἰσχὺν παρέχων διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτοὺς σπουδῆς. κατὰ
About this text
Didymus the Blind on Job.
Original English Translation — new OET from PG Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.