The Friends' Sympathy and Arrival

Because of this, He says: 'Just as one of the foolish women you spoke.' Then, having placed a reasoning before her that is appropriate, He brings it: 'If we received the good things from the hand of the Lord, shall we not endure the bad?' For the same understanding is toward the pleasant things of the indifferent, not to be overcome, and toward the burdensome, not to be cast down.

For he who is expert regarding things knows that the things called good are not such by their own nature, but follow the opinion of the user; just as also the bad—the harmful, I say—are not bad in themselves, but the use occurring in them is what they are. For many, after wealth, both the foolish and the excellent appeared, like Abraham and those like him, and Pharaoh and those near him. When much affliction came again, some yielded, but some remained steadfast in their reasoning, of whom are the blessed Job and Lazarus, as having received these things from a physician, through incisions and cauterizations, for the sake of salvation.

"In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips against the Lord" (Job 1:22). This is said a second time; first, when the first affliction came, and second, now. And then it was said: "In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin against the Lord" (Job 2:10), but now: "In all these things that happened to him, Job did not sin with his lips against the Lord" (Job 2:10).

Some indeed think there is no difference between saying "not to have sinned with the lips" and "not to have sinned before the Lord," but others perceive them thus: that regarding the removal of what was present and the death of the children, it was said once, "Job did not sin against the Lord," neither in word nor in thought; but here, the "with the lips" lies as an addition, saying, as perhaps some slight variation occurred—for this is lesser—but rather the movement of human weakness, being compelled by the great pain of the whole body.

The written spirit therefore says, in order to show the endurance of the pain and his courage, that even though his courage was being compelled even to an inaudible thought, he was not shaken so as to do anything from faint-heartedness or smallness of mind, or to speak. Something like this also the author...

Job says, 'I was greatly disturbed and did not speak,' indicating that something had happened to him that caused such a disturbance that, even having stilled the movement of his mind, he did not speak. This is in accord with what Paul writes to the Corinthians: 'I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning the affliction that has happened to us in Asia, that we were burdened beyond measure, beyond strength, so that we despaired even of life. But we have received in ourselves the sentence of death, so that we might not be trusting in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead' (2 Cor 1:8).

When his three friends heard of all the evils that had come upon him, each one came to him from his own country: Eliphaz the Temanite king, Bildad the Shuhite tyrant, and Zophar the Naamathite king (Job 2:11-13). It is most surprising if these things happen to men of great reputation. Therefore, since Job was among the most glorious because of wealth and virtue, the friends, having heard of the severity of the things that had happened, came not from one place, but each from his own country, moved by sympathy, and since these were kings, they did not overstep the man undergoing such a change.

As for 'tyrant,' he says either as a parallel to king—since the name was not well known in that time—or to denote a difference in rank from a king. This is also in Proverbs: 'Through me kings reign, and tyrants decree justice' (Prov 8:15). And these who came to him were led by no other cause. The statement is useful for sympathy, so that we might not, because of the changes that fall upon us, abandon the things of love and brotherly affection.

'And they came to him unanimously to comfort and visit him' (Job 42:11). They had come to do both, since it happened that they suffered both; for he was deprived of property and children, and his whole body was held by the wound. They came to him 'unanimously,' either with much readiness or because, having their houses plundered, they had agreed together to come to him for the purpose of comforting; for the evils had not ceased but were already active. 'And seeing him from afar, they did not recognize him, and having cried out with a loud voice, they wept, each one casting down his...'