Behemoth beside the victor; the dragon’s hide and costume
And you will tread on the basilisk. "But look — wild beasts are beside you." Beside you, Job; beside every one who keeps the memory; beside everyone who has won.
"He eats grass like oxen." Origen hears the worms that devour Job from his own flesh: a finishing stroke, he says, and "look, it eats as grass." "His power is upon the navel of the belly" — the first force set against the man, and the starting point of fornication. The same note marks the female so the campaign is not only against those who carry seed. Fittingly Scripture names the loin for the male and the navel of the belly for the woman: strength in the loin; power at the navel.
"Phoenician nations divide it." Because Canaanites — also called Phoenicians — are charged with great wickedness, each of that race takes a share from the dragon. "All the ships together cannot carry one hide of his tail": the dragon’s last extremities no fleet can kill. Humans sail in bodies as in boats and cannot lift even one hide of that tail by themselves; under divine oversight we can carry not only the hide but the whole beast and put it to death. Each kills the devil as far as lies in him, as the Apostle says: "May God crush Satan under your feet soon."
Chapter 41: "Who will uncover the face of his clothing?" Why not simply "his face"? What is the clothing doing here? Take actors who put on masks and hide what they are so they may seem something else. They take up masks, for example—
Greek
καὶ βα σιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ. Στίχ. ιʹ. Ἀλλὰ δὴ ἰδοὺ θηρία παρὰ σοί. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Παρὰ σοὶ τῷ Ἰὼβ, παρὰ παντὶ ὑπο μνηστικῷ, παρὰ παντὶ τῷ νενικηκότι. Στίχ. ιʹ. Χόρτον ἶσα βουσὶν ἐσθίει. Τοὺς σκώληκας λέγει, τοὺς ἐξ αὐτοῦ αὐτὸν κατε σθίοντας. Συντέλεια γὰρ, φησὶ, τὴν χεῖρά μου ὑπὸ σοῦ· καὶ ἰδοὺ ὡς χόρτος κατεσθίει. Στίχ. ιαʹ. Ἡ δὲ δύναμις αὐτοῦ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. Αὕτη πρώτη δύναμις κατὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός. Πόρ νον ποιεῖν ἐντεῦθεν ἄρχεται. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἵνα τὸ θῆλυ σημάνῃ, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὅτι στρατεύεται οὐ μόνον κατὰ τῶν ἐχόντων τὰ σπέρμα τα. Πάνυ δὲ εὐπρεπέστατα ὠνόμασεν ὀσφὺν ἐπὶ ἄῤῥε νος, καὶ ὀμφαλὸν γαστρὸς ἐπὶ γυναικός· Ἰδοὺ δὲ ἡ ἰσχὺς ὀσφὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν ἰσχύϊ· ἡ δὲ δύναμις αὐ τοῦ ἐπ' ὀμφαλοῦ γαστρός. 17.101 Στίχ. κεʹ. Μεριτεύονται δὲ αὐτὸ Φοινίκων ἔθνη. Ἐπεὶ πονηρίᾳ μεγάλῃ διαβάλλονται οἱ Χανα ναῖοι, οἱ καὶ Φοίνικες· διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Μεριοῦνται δὲ αὐτὸν Φοινίκων ἔθνη. Ἕκαστος μέρος τι λαμβάνει ἀπὸ τοῦ δράκοντος, ἐὰν ᾖ τὸ γένος Χαναναῖος καὶ Φοῖνιξ. Στίχ. κ ʹ. Πᾶν δὲ πλωτὸν συνελθὸν οὐ μὴ ἐνέγ κωσι βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ. Τὰ τελευταῖα τοῦ δράκοντος καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα οὐ δύνανται νεκρῶσαι πάντα ἅμα πλωτά. Οἱ ἄνθρωποι, πλοίοις χρώμενοι τοῖς σώμασιν, οὐ δύνανται ἐνεγκεῖν βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ. Αὐτοὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς οὐ δύ νανται· θείας δὲ δυνάμεως ἐπισκοπούσης, δυνάμεθα οὐ μόνον βύρσαν μίαν οὐρᾶς αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν κομίσαι, καὶ ὅλον αὐτὸν νεκρῶσαι. Νεκροῦ μεν δὲ ἕκαστος, τὸ ὅσον ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ, τὸν διάβολον, κα τὰ τὸ εἰρημένον παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ· Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς συντρίψαι τὸν Σατανᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας ὑμῶν ἐν τάχει. ΚΕΦ. ΜΑʹ. Στίχ. δʹ. Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ; ∆ιὰ τί οὐκ εἶπε· Τίς ἀποκαλύψει πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ; Τί ποιεῖ ἐνθάδε καὶ ἡ ἔνδυσις; Τίς γὰρ ἀποκαλύψει, φησὶ, πρόσωπον ἐνδύσεως αὐτοῦ; Ἵνα νοηθῇ τὸ λεγόμενον, παραδείγματι χρησώμεθα τῶν περιτιθε μένων προσωπείων, καὶ μὴ φαινομένων τοῦτο ὅ εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ θέλουσι δοκεῖν. Ἀναλαμβάνουσι γὰρ προσωπεῖα, φέρε εἰπεῖν,
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.