Lecture 1 — Why do the wicked live?

^21:1^ Then Job answered, and said:

^21:2^ Hear, I beseech you, my words, and do penance.

^21:3^ Suffer me, and I will speak, and after, if you please, laugh at my words.

^21:4^ Is my debate against man, that I should not have just reason to be troubled?

^21:5^ Hearken to me and be astonished, and lay your finger on your mouth.

^21:6^ As for me, when I remember, I am afraid, and trembling taketh hold of my flesh.

^21:7^ Why then do the wicked live, are they advanced, and strengthened with riches?

^21:8^ Their seed continueth before them, a multitude of kinsmen, and of children’s children in their sight.

^21:9^ Their houses are secure and peaceable, and the rod of God is not upon them.

^21:10^ Their ox has conceived, and has not aborted: their heifer has calved, and is not deprived of her fruit.

^21:11^ They go out, their little ones like a flock, and their children dance and play.

^21:12^ They take the timbrel, and the harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ.

^21:13^ They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they go down to hell.

^21:14^ Who have said to God: Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

^21:15^ Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what doth it profit us if we pray to him?

^21:16^ Yet because their good things are not in their hand, may the counsel of the wicked be far from me.

^21:17^ As often as the lamp of the wicked is put out, and there comes over them a deluge, and he divides the pains of his wrath,

^21:18^ they shall be as chaff before the face of the wind, and as ashes which the whirlwind scattereth.

^21:19^ God shall lay up the sorrow of the father for his children: and when he shall repay, then shall he know.

^21:20^ His eyes shall see their destruction, and he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty.

^21:21^ For what is it to him what befalleth his house after him, or** **if the number of his months be diminished by one half?

311. Then Job answered and said: Hear, I beseech you. Since Sophar, in his previous words, had already somewhat agreed to Job’s judgment that sins are punished after death, although he still retained his own opinion on this matter that sins are also punished temporarily in this life, Job is elated in the hope of converting them completely to the true judgment. Therefore, he first humbly calls them to attention, when he says, hear, I beseech you, my words. And because up to this point they had listened to his words with a kind of derision, he adds, and do penance, namely, for you have derided my words or you have contradicted the truth. And because you all have already spoken twice, suffer me, and I will speak, namely, by responding to that which was proposed last. And lest they give a judgment of condemnation before they hear him, he adds, and after, if you please, laugh at my words, as if to say, “If you judge my opinion to be laughable, nevertheless first hear my response; if it proves unsatisfactory to you, then afterwards you can deride it more justly.” And lest it seem that his words will necessarily be despised, he shows that he is about to speak of a great matter, namely, of divine and not human judgments; and so he adds, is my debate against man, that I should not have just reason to be troubled? This is as if to say, “If the intention of my debate aimed at an inquiry into whether some man has afflicted me justly or unjustly, in whatever manner this had happened, I would deservedly not be troubled.”

But my dispute pertains to the inquiry of how this happens according to the just judgment of God. Because this dispute is about such a great thing, they ought to hear attentively, and so he says, hearken to me. It also should not be heeded lightly and with derision, but with great seriousness and awe, and so he adds, and be astonished. Also, it should be heard in silence without muttering, hence he adds, and lay your finger on your mouth. Lest it seem that he is speaking boastfully, as if to bring honor to his authority, he shows that he also is in awe at the depth of this question; hence he adds, even I, when I remember, am stricken with awe, lest, namely, in such a question I may fall short in any way from the truth, or speak irreverently of divine judgments. This fear, however, does not stop in the mind, but pierces even unto the flesh; hence he adds, and trembling taketh hold on my flesh: for the flesh is also affected by a vehement passion of the spirit.

312. With these premises, sufficient to awake their attention, he proceeds to the question. Because Sophar had said that the prosperity of evil men, if it exists at all, will end in a short while and will be turned into evil for them, Job immediately rejects these propositions, saying, why then do the wicked live, namely, for a long time? As if to say, “If the impious man is thus quickly passing, as a bird flying away and as a vision in the night, then why is it that many impious have longevity of life?” Likewise, if the joy of the hypocrite is a speck (Job 20:5), and his rising is quickly thrown down, why are they advanced; that is, why are they promoted to offices? Likewise, if the riches which he devoured, he vomits forth (Job 20:15), why are they strengthened with riches, that is, why are their riches confirmed for them? Against what was also said, that his children are wasted by extreme poverty (Job 20:10), he says, their seed continueth before them; that is, their sons persevere in their sight. He adds the same point about other related persons, saying, a multitude of kinsmen, and of children’s children in their sight. By this he designates a double prosperity, because neither are their relatives taken away by death, which is signified where he says continueth, nor are they far separated by exile or anything of this manner, which he signifies where he says before them and in their sight.

313. Then he pursues in its parts the premised prosperity of the impious, first with respect to the impious men themselves, premising their immunity from evil where he says, their houses, that is, their family with their necessary things, are secure, namely, from the assault of enemies, and peaceable, that is, lacking internal dissension; and they are also free from the divine scourge, and with respect to this he adds, and the rod of God is not upon them, because they are not corrected for their sins in this life. And he adds a point about the multiplication of goods, since their goods are not sterile nor are they deprived of their fruit. And he manifests this in the species of oxen, which were most pleasing to the ancients because of agriculture. Hence, he says, their ox, that is, heifer, has conceived, by which he rules out sterility. For conception is first in the fertilization of animals; second is the formation of the fetus conceived in the womb and the formation to perfection, which is impeded by abortion. With respect to this he says, and has not aborted. But third is birth, and with respect to this he says, their heifer has calved, signifying the same thing with the names ox and heifer, and using both terms either for the purpose of adorning his speech or because of the necessity of the meter; but fourth is the education of the young, and with respect to this he adds and is not deprived of her fruit, namely, by death taking it beforehand.

314. But following this he adds a treatment about prosperity with respect to sons, about which he first posits a multitude of offspring when he says they go out, namely, walking in the streets, not prevented by death, their little ones like a flock, namely, in a multitude and mutual concord.

Second, he posits their security when he adds, and their children dance and play, as if not groaning with infirmities.

Third, he posits their learning, in which, among the ancients, free men were instructed in music; hence, he says, they take the timbrel, and the harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ, as if instructed both to practice music fittingly themselves and, hearing others, to judge them prudently.

315. But lest anyone should say that this prosperity of theirs lasts but a short time, just a speck (Job 20:5), against this he adds, they spend their days in wealth, as if to say, “All the days of their life are spent in prosperity.” However, because of their common condition, it is necessary that they finally feel death, but nevertheless they suffer without preceding distress; hence, he adds, and in a moment they go down to hell, that is, into death. For all the ancients before the coming of the Redeemer, about which he had spoken above, descended into hell, as Jacob said: grieving will I descend to my son in hell (Gen 37:35); but those who thrive in prosperity until death descend into hell as if in an instant.

316. But one could respond that the impious, among the many evil deeds which they commit, also merit from God an earthly prosperity either by loving him, or knowing him, or serving him in whatever works; or at least by seeking temporal goods from him. But this Job excludes, saying, who have said to God, namely, sinning from a determined heart as if from a confirmed malice, depart from us, which pertains to a defect of love; we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, which pertains to a defect of knowledge through affected ignorance: for the precepts and judgments of God by which we are disposed by him are called his ways; who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? pertains to a defect of good works which comes out of a contempt for God; and what doth it profit us if we pray to him? pertains to a contempt for prayer because of a defect in hope.

317. Thus, therefore, Job has most evidently refuted their judgment, showing that temporal prosperity is not always the reward of virtue, and neither is temporal adversity the punishment for sin, because the impious frequently prosper in this life, meriting nothing good from God, and along with this they suffer no serious adversities. But someone could object: if the wicked enjoy prosperity and lack adversities, then there is no reason to turn away from wickedness; hence, Ecclesiastes says, the same fortunes befall all; hence the hearts of the sons of men are filled with malice (Eccl 9:3). But to this objection Job responds, saying, yet because their good things are not in their hand, may the counsel of the wicked be far from me. And about this point, one should know that in the hand of man, that is, in his power, there are certain goods, namely, voluntary works of virtue, of which he is master through free will aided by the grace of God. And therefore virtuous men are always able to retain such goods for however long they wish, and because of this the plan to pursue such goods must be accepted. But the temporal goods of prosperity are not in the power of those who have them, so that they can acquire or retain them when they wish, and therefore their plan which despises God and justice so that they may live prosperously must be rejected, because by this they are not able to gain what they intend, but are sometimes pressed with adversities.

318. But it should be considered further that the adversity of an impious man is graver than that of the just, because when the just suffers temporal adversity, there remains for him the support of virtue and consolation in God; hence, he is not completely dissipated. But for wicked men, with the loss of temporal goods which they alone sought for themselves, there remains no support: hence he adds, as often as the lamp, that is, the prosperity, of the wicked is put out, that is, comes to an end, and there comes over them, namely, by divine judgment, a deluge, that is, a grave storm of adversity, and, as often as God divides, that is, distributes according to a certain measure, the pains, that is, any afflictions, of his wrath, that is, coming forth from his fury, they shall be, namely, the impious shall be, as chaff before the face of the wind, which, because of its lightness, is not able to resist the wind, and as ashes, namely, which remain when wood is burnt, which the whirlwind scattereth, because, namely, it does not have moisture to hold itself together. Thus, the impious, with the coming of adversity, are not able to resist, because they lack the support of divine hope, and they are scattered by diverse thoughts, lacking the moisture of virtue.

319. And after this he makes an observation about adversity with respect to sons when he says, God shall lay up the sorrow of the father for his children, since, the punishment of the father extends to the sons as imitators of their father’s malice. Nor will the punishment be deferred until after the death of the father; rather, the punishment will occur with the father living and knowing; hence he adds, and when he shall repay, namely, when God will punish the sons, then shall he know, namely, the father shall know. And hence he adds, his eyes shall see their killing, namely, the killing of his sons, or whatever adversity, and in this very fact he shall drink of the wrath of the Almighty; because the very fact that his sons are punished while he is alive pertains to the punishment of the father. But this would not be if they were punished after his death; hence he adds, for what is it to him what befalleth his house after him? For he is not afflicted by the future misfortunes of his posterity, especially because the sinner after death is ignorant of this, as was said above: whether his sons are noble or base, he does not understand (Job 14:21). Or, also, how does it pertain to him if the number of his months be diminished by one half? He is not able to be pained about this in life because he was ignorant of the future.