^42:7 But after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Themanite: My fury is angry with you and with your two friends, because you have not spoken what is right before me as my servant Job has.
^42:8 Therefore take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job and offer a holocaust for yourselves. But Job, my servant, will pray for you. I will accept his face, so that foolishness may not be imputed to you. For you have not spoken what is right before me as my servant Job has.
^42:9 Therefore Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went away, and they did as the Lord had spoken to them, and the Lord accepted the face of Job.
^42:10 The Lord also turned to the repentance of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the Lord also added double all things whatsoever Job had possessed.
^42:11 But all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house, and they shook their head over him. And they consoled him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him, and each one gave him one sheep and one gold earring.
^42:12 But the Lord blessed the last things of Job more than his beginning. And there were for him fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
^42:13 And he had seven sons and three daughters.
^42:14 And he called the name of one Day, and the name of the second Cassia, and the name of the third Horn of Antimony.
^42:15 But no women as beautiful as the daughters of Job were found in the whole land, and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.
^42:16 But Job lived after these scourges one hundred forty years, and he saw his sons and the sons of his sons, even to the fourth generation, and he died an old man and full of days.

569. But after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, etc. Therefore, because above the Lord had reproved Elihu and also Job, now, third, he reproves his friends, among whom Eliphaz was the chief—which is clear from the fact that he had begun to speak first—whence it is said: But after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Themanite: My fury is angry with you and with your two friends, namely, Baldad and Zophar. Here it should be considered that Elihu had sinned from inexperience, but Job from lightness, and thus neither of them had sinned gravely; hence the Lord is not said to have been angry against them, but he is said to have been gravely angry against the three friends of Job, because they had sinned gravely by asserting perverse doctrines, as was held above. Whence he adds: because you have not spoken what is right before me, that is, faithful doctrines, as my servant Job has, who, namely, did not depart from the truth of faith. But for the expiation of grave sins the ancients were accustomed to offer sacrifices, whence he adds: Therefore take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, because, namely, they themselves were leaders of peoples; and seven is the number of universality, whence sevenfold sacrifices are fitting for the expiation of grave offenses. But because the unbelieving must be reconciled to God through the faithful, he adds: and go to my servant Job, namely, so that through him as mediator you may be reconciled to me, and offer a holocaust for yourselves, namely, so that you who have sinned may make satisfaction. But your satisfaction needs the patronage of a faithful man, whence he adds: But Job, my servant, will pray for you, who, namely, is worthy to be heard because of his faith; whence he adds: his face, namely, as he prays, I will accept, namely, by hearing his prayer, so that foolishness may not be imputed to you, namely, the foolishness of an unfaithful doctrine; and he explains this, adding: For you have not spoken what is right before me as my servant Job has.

570. But having received the hope of pardon, they fulfilled what had been commanded them, whence there follows: Therefore Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went away, and they did as the Lord had spoken to them. And thus by their obedience and humility they were made worthy that Job’s prayer for them should be heard, whence there follows: and the Lord accepted the face of Job, namely, as he prayed for his friends. Nor did the humility of the friends alone furnish efficacy to his prayer, but also his own humility, whence it is added: The Lord also turned, namely, from fury to clemency, to the repentance of Job, when he prayed for his friends: for it was fitting that he who was humbly repenting for his own light sin should obtain pardon also for others who had sinned gravely.

571. But one’s own repentance profits each person more than it profits others; hence if the prayer and repentance of Job merited the removal of divine indignation from his friends, it was much more fitting that he himself also should be freed from adversity. And although Job did not refer his hope to recovering temporal prosperity but to attaining future happiness, nevertheless the Lord from abundance also restored temporal prosperity to him, according to Matthew 6:33: Seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things will be added to you. And this indeed was suited to the time, because of the state of the Old Testament, in which temporal goods were promised, so that, through the prosperity that he had recovered, an example would be given to others that they should turn to God; it was also suited to the person of Job himself, whose reputation had been damaged among some because of the manifold adversities that had come upon him, and therefore, so that he might restore his reputation to him, he brought him back to a state of greater prosperity, whence there follows: And the Lord also added double all things whatsoever Job had possessed.

But among the adversities of Job, the principal one, as it were, was that he had been deserted by his friends; and therefore the remedy for this adversity is set down first when it is said: But all his brothers and all his sisters and all who had known him before came to him, in which the remembrance of their former friendship is designated, and they ate bread with him in his house, in which the return to their ancient familiarity is designated, and they shook their head over him, namely, by sharing compassion for his affliction. And because one must not only have compassion for the afflicted, but also provide a remedy for their affliction, first indeed they provided a remedy for his interior sorrow by consoling words, whence it is added: and they consoled him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him;

second, they applied the remedy of assistance against exterior want; and because he had lost both animals in the fields and household goods in the overthrow of the house, therefore they assist him in both respects, for there follows: and each one gave him one sheep, with respect to the animals, and one gold earring, with respect to the household goods.

572. But these things would have been little for his restoration, but the Lord applied his hand so that from these he might advance to greater things; whence there follows: But the Lord blessed the last things of Job, namely, by multiplying them, more than his beginning, that is, more than his first prosperity: for he is able to do more than we understand or ask, as is said in Ephesians 3:20. Now Job had desired above in 29:2 that he might be as in the months past, but the Lord restored greater things to him, and double, as was said above; whence there follows: and there were for him fourteen thousand sheep: for above it was said that his possession was seven thousand sheep; and six thousand camels: for at first he had had three thousand camels, as was said above. There had also been for him five hundred yoke of oxen, whence here the double is set down when it is said: and a thousand yoke of oxen; above it was also said that he had had five hundred she-asses, but here the double is set down when there follows: and a thousand she-asses.

573. But he had lost not only possessions but also children, who are restored to him, though not in double number, for there follows: And he had seven sons and three daughters. The reason for this can be twofold: one pertaining to the future life, because, namely, the children whom he had had had not totally perished to him, but were being reserved in the future life to live with him; another reason can concern the present life, for if, after the other things had been doubled, the number of his children had also been doubled, the fortune of his house would not seem to have been increased, because each one of the children would have had the same quantity in his goods as before. And therefore it was more fitting that his offspring be increased not in number, but rather in value. This is secretly implied in the daughters, who are read to have been most beautiful, and their names also correspond to their beauty; for there follows: And he called the name of one Day, namely, because of her brightness, and the name of the second Cassia, which is an aromatic spice, because of her sweetness, and the name of the third Horn of Antimony. Now antimony is what women use for the adornment of the eyes, according to 2 Kings 9:30: she painted her eyes with antimony and adorned her head; and this antimony is kept by women in a horn, so that they may have it ready when needed, whence he called her Horn of Antimony to designate the abundant beauty of her eyes. Hence also, concerning their beauty, it is added: But no women as beautiful as the daughters of Job were found in the whole land. By this one is also given to understand that his sons were preeminent in virtue, for there follows: and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers, namely, to designate the fittingness of virtue in both.

574. And because Job had also been scourged in his own body, length of days is added to him for the increase of prosperity, whence there follows: But Job lived after these scourges one hundred forty years. And so that it may be understood that throughout this whole time he lived in prosperity, he adds: and he saw his sons and the sons of his sons, even to the fourth generation. And this prosperity is given to be understood to have endured even until death, whence there follows: and he died an old man, which pertains to the length of life, and full of days, which pertains to the prosperity of life; whence above, to designate his adversity, he said: so also have I had empty months. And so by the fullness of days is designated his abundance both with respect to the goods of fortune and with respect to the goods of grace, by which he was led to the future glory that endures for ever and ever. Amen.