^2:7 Therefore Satan, going forth from the face of the Lord, struck Job with a very grievous ulcer from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head.
^2:8 And he scraped the discharge with a potsherd, sitting on a dunghill.
^2:9 And his wife said to him: Do you still remain in your simplicity? Bless God and die.
^2:10 He said to her: You have spoken like one of the foolish women. If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, why should we not endure evil things? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.
^2:11 Therefore, the three friends of Job, hearing of all the evil that had befallen him, came each from his own place: Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had agreed that, coming together, they would visit him and console him.
^2:12 And when from afar they had lifted up their eyes, they did not recognize him, and crying out they wept; and, tearing their garments, they scattered dust over their heads toward heaven.
^2:13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him; for they saw that his sorrow was very great.

43. Therefore Satan, going forth, etc. Having received power, Satan proceeds to execute it; hence it is said: Therefore Satan, going forth from the face of the Lord, struck Job, with a stroke indeed foul and abominable, whence it is called an ulcer; incurable and painful, whence it is called very grievous; and universal, whence it is said: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head.

44. Now the afflictions of the sick are customarily alleviated by remedies applied outwardly and by comforts, but Job was not alleviated in this way, for there follows: And he scraped the discharge with a potsherd, by which it is shown that soothing medicines and delicate things were not applied to him; sitting on a dunghill, by which it is shown that he was not refreshed either by the pleasantness of a place, or by the softness of bedding, or by the odor of any sweetness, but rather made use of contrary things. Now this could have happened in two ways: either because, having been struck by the Lord, he himself also afflicted and humbled himself more of his own accord, so that he might more easily obtain mercy; or because he had lost all that he had, and so could not provide himself suitable remedies. And this is sufficiently probable from what the Lord had said above; nor does it seem that Satan did anything to harm him beyond the power given to him.

45. The afflictions of men are also customarily relieved by words of consolation, but words that exasperate are spoken to the afflicted Job, provoking him all the more insofar as they are uttered by a person more closely joined to him; for there follows: And his wife said to him, whom alone the Devil had left, so that through her he might assail the mind of the just man, he who through a woman had cast down the first man. Now she first broke forth into words of mockery, saying: Do you still remain in your simplicity? As though saying: At least after so many blows you ought to recognize that it was useless for you to preserve simplicity, just as it is also said in the person of certain ones in Malachi 3:14: Vain is he who serves God; and what profit is there that we have kept his precepts?

Second, she proceeds to words of perverse suggestion, saying: Bless God, that is, curse him, as though saying: Since adversity has come upon you while you bless God, curse God so that you may obtain prosperity. Finally she concludes with words of despair, saying: and die, as though saying: Regard yourself as dead, because nothing remains for you, if you remain in simplicity, except to die. Or otherwise: Bless God and die, that is, since after so great reverence for God you have been so afflicted by adversity, if you still bless God, nothing remains except for you to await death.

46. But the holy man, who had patiently borne his own misfortunes, could not bear an injury against God; for there follows: He said to her: You have spoken like one of the foolish women. He rightly charges her with foolishness, since she was speaking against divine wisdom. And he shows that she had spoken foolishly: If we have received good things from the hand of the Lord, why should we not endure evil things? In this he teaches the perfect wisdom of man. For since temporal and bodily goods are not to be loved except for the sake of spiritual and eternal things, if these latter are preserved as the more principal goods, a man ought not to be cast down if he is deprived of the former, nor lifted up if he abounds in them. Therefore Job teaches us to have such constancy of mind that, if temporal goods are given to us by God, we should use them in such a way that we are not lifted up into pride by them, and that we should endure contrary evils in such a way that our spirit is not cast down by them, according to that saying of the Apostle at the end of Philippians: I know how to be humbled, and I know how to abound, and afterwards: I can do all things in him who strengthens me. Then the persevering innocence of Job is concluded when it is said: In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.

47. The Devil strove to exasperate the mind of blessed Job not only through his wife but also through his friends, who, although they came to console him, nevertheless proceeded to words of rebuke. Concerning them it is said: Therefore, the three friends of Job, hearing of all the evil that had befallen him, came each from his own place: Eliphaz the Themanite, and Baldad the Suhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. And because almost the whole disputation of this book turns among these men, it must be considered that these three were of the same opinion as Job in one respect, whence they are called his friends, and in another respect they differed from him, agreeing among themselves, whence they are numbered together with one another and distinguished from Job. For they agreed with Job that not only natural things but also human affairs were subject to divine providence; but they differed from him in that they thought man was rewarded by God with earthly prosperity for the good things he does, and punished by God with temporal adversity for the evil things he does, as though temporal goods were the rewards of virtues and temporal evils were the proper punishments of sins. Now each of them strives to defend this opinion in his own ways, according as his own disposition suggested to him; for this reason they are said to have come each from his own place. But Job was not of this opinion, but believed that the good works of men are ordered to a spiritual reward to come after this life, and likewise that sins are to be punished by future punishments.

48. But that the aforesaid friends of Job came to console him is shown by what follows: For they had agreed that, coming together, they would visit him and console him. In this they showed themselves true friends, not failing him in tribulations; for it is said in Sirach 12:9: In the sadness and misfortune of a man, a friend is known.

And first, the visitation itself was consoling: for to see a friend and spend time with him is most delightful. They also console him by deeds, showing him signs of their compassion. Before these signs of compassion, there is set down what provoked them to compassion, when it is said: And when from afar they had lifted up their eyes, they did not recognize him; for his face had been changed by the ulcer, and his clothing and all his remaining appearance by the loss of his possessions. And what he says, from afar, is to be understood according to that measure by which a man can be recognized from a distance. Now this change in their friend provoked them to sorrow and compassion, which they showed by signs; for there follows: and crying out, namely, because of the greatness of their sorrow, they wept; and, tearing their garments, they scattered dust over their heads, as a sign of humility and dejection, as though they reckoned themselves cast down by the dejection of their friend. He adds, however, toward heaven, so that by this humiliation they might, as it were, call forth heavenly mercy. Now it must be considered that the compassion of friends is consoling, either because adversity, like a certain burden, is borne more lightly when it is carried by many, or rather because every sadness is alleviated by the admixture of delight. But it is most delightful to take experience of someone’s friendship, which is taken especially from compassion in adversities; and therefore it brings consolation.

49. But they consoled him not only by the compassion they showed, but also by providing him companionship; for there follows: And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights. Yet this must be understood not continuously, but at suitable hours, for great sadness required long-lasting consolation. But the third thing, which is especially consoling, namely, a word, they did not provide; for there follows: and no one spoke a word to him. The cause of their silence is shown when it is added: for they saw that his sorrow was very great. This cause is given more according to the opinion of those consoling than according to the state of the afflicted man; for when someone’s mind has been swallowed up by sorrow, it does not receive words of consolation. Hence also the poet says: Who, unless bereft of mind, forbids a mother to weep at the funeral of her son? But Job was not disposed in such a way that, because of sorrow, he could not receive consolation; rather, he himself consoled himself according to reason, as appears from his words introduced above.