Notes on Job · §8

Naked cloak and empty widows; light turned dark; eternal path

there took a garment — but of a naked one, not only of a rich one. If someone has one tunic and, demanding what is mine, I strip it without pity, I have taken the naked man’s clothing. Such things happen when we lend and chase debtors. Often a debtor is extremely poor and cannot repay; we shut our bowels, become merciless, and do not see that he feeds wife and children from a few obols — while we demand bitterly and sometimes hold surplus. So Eliphaz accuses Job of taking clothing from the naked.

"You did not give water to the thirsty; you deprived the hungry of a morsel." Not only injustice but failure to do kindness is liable. These charges are truly blameworthy — but not true of Job, nor well said of him. In bitter demand sometimes a person has one morsel; even without a whole loaf we take it saying, "But you owe." "You sent widows away empty." If a widow enters our house, let us not send her empty; each fill her fold according to power. "You maltreated orphans." Maltreat no one; especially spare orphans. God commands fighting for helpless souls; poor, widows, and orphans need help more than others.

"Therefore snares have surrounded you" — the events into which his soul is trapped. "The light has turned out darkness for you:" once belongings, children, and health were light; now circumstances are darkness — desolation, open air, wanderer, fugitive, hearthless. "Water covered you sleeping:" the opposing energy covered you because you were not awake. Scripture knows a sleep of sin: "."

"Does not the one dwelling the heights oversee?" You think the high God does not see; he oversees all and brings down minds lifted by insolence. "Those carried by insolence he humbled." Likely because you insulted widows and orphans and pledged brothers for nothing, you suffer and are humbled. "You said, What has the Strong One known? Or will he judge according to the gloom?" God can judge even in a storm. "He traverses the circle of heaven" — providence goes around. "Will you not keep an eternal path which righteous men have trodden?" Can you watch the path providence travels? The righteous walk it toward the coming age; even if steps look equal, the soul treads eternal paths. "Who were seized untimely:" often the righteous die early, yet "perfected in a little they fill long times," for virtue in the Lord is the soul. Their foundations are a flowing river — always advancing in goods. "Who filled their houses with good things:" not these outer houses, but the houses of the ruling faculty — temperance, justice, courage, prudence, those from the

Greek

ἐκεῖ ἔλα βον ἀμφίασιν· ἀλλὰ γυμνοῦ, ἀλλὰ πλουσίου. Ἐὰν μέντοι γε χιτῶνά τις ἔχῃ ἕνα, καὶ τοῦτον τὸν χιτῶνα, προφάσει τοῦ ἀπαιτεῖν τὸ ἐμὸν, ἐκδύσω, μὴ ἐλεήσας ἐκεῖνον τὸν γυμνὸν, ἀμφίασιν τοῦ γυμνοῦ ἀφειλόμην. Πολλὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα, ἐν ἡμῖν γίνεται, ὅτ' ἂν δανείζω μεν, ὅτ' ἂν πρὸς ὀφειλέτας ἐρχώμεθα. Πολλάκις ὀφει λέτης ἡμῶν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν πένεται, μὴ δυνάμενος ἀποδοῦναι· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τὰ σπλάγχνα ἡμῶν ἀποκλεί σαντες, ἀνηλεεῖς καὶ ὠμοὶ γινόμεθα, μὴ βλέποντες ὅτι γυναῖκα τρέφει καὶ τέκνα, καὶ μόλις τρέφεται ἀπὸ τῶν ποριζομένων αὐτῷ ὀλίγων ὀβολῶν. Ἀπαι τοῦμεν πικρῶς ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ περισσὰ ἔχοντες παρ' ἑαυτοῖς. Ταῦτα οὖν λέγει ἐγκαλῶν τῷ Ἰὼβ, ὅτι ἀμ φίασιν γυμνῶν ἀφεῖλεν. Στίχ. ζʹ. Οὐδὲ ὕδωρ διψῶντας ἐπότισας· ἀλλὰ πεινώντων ἐστέρησας ψωμόν. Εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Οὐκοῦν οὐ μόνον τὸ ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μὴ εὐεργετεῖν ὑπεύθυνον. Ταῦτα πάντα κατηγορήματά εἰσι, καὶ ἀληθῶς ψεκτά. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθῆ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ, οὐδὲ καλῶς ἐλέγετο περὶ αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τοιαῦτα γίνεται ἐν ταῖς πικραῖς 17.84 ἀπαιτήσεσιν. Ἐνίοτε αὐτὸν τὸν ψωμὸν ἔχει τις ἕνα· κἂν μὴ ἔχῃ ἄρτον ὁλόκληρον, ἀφαιροῦμεν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λέγοντες· Ἀλλ' ὀφείλεις Στίχ. θʹ. Χήρας δὲ ἐξαπέστειλας κενάς. Προσέχωμεν ἐὰν χήρα ἡμῶν εἰσέλθῃ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, μήποτε κενὴν αὐτὴν ἐξαποστείλωμεν. Κατὰ δύνα μιν ἕκαστος πρὸς ὃ ἔχει πληρωσάτω τὸν κόλπον τῆς χήρας. Στίχ. θʹ. Ὀρφανοὺς δὲ ἐκάκωσας. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὐδένα μὲν δεῖ κακοῦν, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ χρὴ φείδεσθαι τῶν ὀρφανῶν. Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀβοηθή των ψυχῶν πολεμεῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνετείλατο. Μᾶλλον δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους, πτωχοὶ, χῆραι, ὀρφα νοὶ δέονται βοηθείας. Στίχ. ιʹ. Τοιγαροῦν ἐκύκλωσάν σε παγίδες. Παγίδας λέγει τὰ συμβεβηκότα αὐτῷ, ἐν αἷς ἐμ πέπτωκεν, εἰς ἃς καὶ παγιδεύεται αὐτοῦ ἡ ψυχὴ ἀπὸ τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτῷ. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Τὸ φῶς σοι σκότος ἀπέβη. Ἐν φωτὶ ἦς, ὅτε τὰ ὑπάρχοντά σοι ἦν, ὅτε τὰ τέκνα σου περιῆν, ὅτε ὑγίαινέ σου τὸ σῶμα. Νῦν δὲ οἷον εἰς σκότος καταβέβηκας, εἰς τὰς περιστάσεις ταύτας. Εἰς τὸ αὐτό. Τουτέστιν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, καὶ αἴ θριος, ἀλήτης, καὶ φυγὰς, καὶ ἀνέστιος. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Κοιμηθέντα δὲ ὕδωρ σε ἐκάλυψεν. Τὸ, κοιμηθέντα σε ὕδωρ ἐκάλυψεν, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ἐκάλυψέ σε ἡ ἀντικειμένη ἐνέργεια. Ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἐγρηγόρεις, ἐπεὶ οὐχ ὕπνωσας. Οἶδε δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ ὕπνον τινὰ ἁμαρτίας. ∆ιὸ ἐντέταλται ἡμῖν λέγουσα· Μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασι, μηδὲ νυσταγμὸν τοῖς βλεφάροις, ἵνα ζήσῃ ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρό χων, καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος. Στίχ. ιβʹ. Μὴ οὐχὶ ὁ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ναίων ἐφορᾷ; Ἀλλὰ νομίζεις, ὅτι οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὰ πραττόμενα ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν Θεός. Οἷα τοίνυν πάντα ἐφορῶν, τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς ὑβριστικῆς ἕξεως ἐπηρμένους τὸ φρό νημα καταφέρει. Στίχ. ιβʹ. Τοὺς δὲ ὕβρει φερομένους ἐταπεί νωσεν. Εἴ τις φέρεται ὕβρει, καὶ οἱονεὶ κατασύρεται ὑπὸ ὑβριστικῆς ἕξεως καὶ πράξεως, οὗτος ταπεινοῦται ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Εἰκὸς οὖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ ὕβρισας χήρας καὶ ὀρφανοὺς, καὶ ἠνεχύρασας διακενῆς τοὺς ἀδελ φούς σου· διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα πέπονθας, καὶ τεταπεί νωσαι. Στίχ. ιγʹ. Καὶ εἶπας, Τί ἔγνω ὁ Ἰσχυρός; Εἰκὸς, ὅτι σὺ ἔλεγες κατὰ σαυτὸν, Τί ἔγνω ὁ Ἰσχυ ρός; Οἷον, ∆ύναται πάντα ἐγνωκέναι ὁ Θεός; Στίχ. ιγʹ. Ἢ κατὰ τοῦ γνόφου κρινεῖ; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. ∆ύναται δὲ κρίνειν ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἐν χει μῶνι γενόμενος. Στίχ. ιδʹ. Καὶ γῦρον οὐρανοῦ διαπορεύεται. Ἐκπεριέρχεται ἡ πρόνοια τοῦ Θεοῦ. 17.85 Στίχ. ιεʹ. Μὴ τρίβον αἰώνιον φυλάξῃς; Μὴ δύνασαι σὺ τὴν τρίβον τὴν αἰώνιον, καθ' ἧς πορεύεται ἡ πρόνοια τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπιτηρῆσαι; Στίχ. ιεʹ. Ἣν ἐπάτησαν ἄνδρες δίκαιοι. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τὴν τρίβον τὴν αἰώνιον ἐπάτησαν ἄν δρες δίκαιοι. Κατὰ γὰρ τρίβου αἰωνίας βαίνουσιν. Ἐπεὶ πάντα αὐτοῖς πρόκειται πράττειν, ὥστε τυχεῖν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Κἂν δοκῶσιν οὖν ἐπίσης βα δίζειν, ἀλλ' ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτὴ ἐπιβαίνει τρίβων αἰωνίων. Στίχ. ι ʹ. Οἳ συνελήφθησαν ἄωροι. Πολλάκις δίκαιοι πρὸ καιροῦ ἐτελεύτησαν. Τε λειωθεὶς γὰρ ἐπ' ὀλίγῳ ὁ δίκαιος, ἐπλήρωσε χρό νους μακρούς· ἀρετὴ γὰρ ἐν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ. Στίχ. ι ʹ. Ποταμὸς ἐπιῤῥέων οἱ θεμέλιοι αὐτῶν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τῶν δικαίων οἱ θεμέλιοι οἷόν εἰσιν. Ἀεὶ προκόπτουσιν, ἀεὶ αὔξουσιν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς. Στίχ. ιηʹ. Ὃς δὲ ἐνέπλησε τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἀγαθῶν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Τῶν δικαίων ἐνέπλησε τοὺς οἴκους ἀγαθῶν. Ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀκούω τοὺς οἴκους τούτους· ἀλλὰ τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν, τοὺς κατὰ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἐνέπλησεν ἀγαθῶν. Ποίων ἀγαθῶν; Σωφροσύνης, δι καιοσύνης, ἀνδρείας, φρονήσεως, τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν

About this text

Origen of Alexandria, Enarrationes in Job (Greek).

Original English Translation of Origen’s Enarrationes in Job — new OET from PG 17 Greek.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 17 (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.