^14:5 The days of man are brief; the number of his months is with you. You have established his limits, which cannot be passed.
^14:6 Withdraw a little from him, so that he may rest, until his desired day comes, like that of a hired hand.

238. The days of man are brief, etc. Job had wondered at the divine condescension concerning men, since, when the state of the present life is considered, man is so fragile and of such a miserable condition; but this wonder ceases if it is considered that after this life another life is reserved for man, in which he remains for eternity. And therefore, from this point he endeavors to show this. Therefore he first sets down beforehand, as though supposing what he intends to show, both the brevity of the present life, when he says: The days of man are brief; and that the very measure of human life is determined by God, when he says: the number of his months is with you, just as among us we say that the number of those things is with us whose number is established by us; and again, the immutability of the divine determination, when he says: You have established his limits, which cannot be passed. For the divine disposition is not deceived; whence it is impossible for man to live either longer or less than the divine disposition has, although for this man to die now or earlier is contingent if considered in itself. Now there are also limits of human life appointed from certain bodily causes, for example, from temperament or from something of this kind, beyond which a man’s life cannot be extended, although it can fail earlier from some accidental cause; but the limits appointed according to divine providence, under which all things fall, the life of man cannot pass either more or less.

239. He also sets down beforehand the expectation of another life when he says: Withdraw a little from him, so that he may rest, until his desired day comes, like that of a hired hand. Here it must be considered that, just as the sun is the cause of the day, so God is the author of life; but when the sun withdraws, the day is ended and night comes. Therefore, by the withdrawal of God he understands the ending of the present life, which man has from God. But the present life is filled with many disturbances, for according to this it was said of man that he is filled with many miseries; and because rest seems to be the end of labor, he therefore calls death rest. Therefore he says: Withdraw a little from him, so that he may rest, that is, withdraw your power by which you give life to man, so that he may die.

But the death of man is not forever; rather, he will again be restored to immortal life. Therefore the state of human death, however long the resurrection may be delayed, is brief in comparison with the state of future immortality, whence he pointedly says: a little. For from other things, which perish and will not return, God withdraws not a little but forever; but from men, who perish in such a way that they will rise again, he withdraws for a short time. Now it was said above that the life of man upon earth is like the day of a hired hand desiring the time of wages; but the time of man’s retribution is not in this life, as Job’s friends thought, but in that life to which man is restored by rising again. Therefore he says: so that he may rest, that is, so that he may die, yet not forever but until his desired day comes, as the day of a hired hand is desired, on which he receives wages. Here Job first opened his intention: for he does not deny that present adversities are punishments as though God does not reward or punish the acts of men, but because the time of retribution is properly in another life.