^3:20 Why has light been given to the miserable, and life to those who are in bitterness of soul?
^3:21 They await death, and it does not come, like those digging for treasure,
^3:22 and they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave.
^3:23 To a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has surrounded with darkness.
^3:24 Before I eat, I sigh, and like overflowing waters, so is my roaring,
^3:25 because the fear that I feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has befallen me.
^3:26 Have I not kept myself hidden? Have I not kept silence? Have I not been at rest? And indignation has come upon me.

66. Why has light been given to the miserable, etc. After Job had detested his own life in many ways, he now detests in common the life of the whole human race, both with respect to those who are in prosperity and with respect to those who are in adversity, concerning whom he first proceeds, as though beginning from what is more manifest. Now it must be known that in living beings two things seem to be chief, namely, to live and to know. And indeed knowing itself, although it is most delightful and most noble, nevertheless to know those things that afflict a man is painful, and therefore he says: Why has light been given to the miserable? As if to say: what use is it to a man subject to miseries that he has the light of knowledge, when through it he considers the evils by which he is afflicted? But to live is noble because of the soul; but if the soul is in bitterness, living itself is rendered bitter, and therefore he says: and life to those who are in bitterness of soul; take up again: why has it been given?

And he shows that it is given uselessly by this reason: because its contrary is desired by the miserable. Hence he says: They, namely, those existing in bitterness, await death, and it does not come, namely, as quickly as they desire. And to show that they await death not as fearing it but as desiring it, he adds: like those digging for treasure, who are enkindled with a great desire to arrive at the treasure by digging. And because desire, when fulfilled, gives birth to joy, he adds: and they rejoice exceedingly when they have found the grave, that is, when they see that they are arriving at death, through which they find the grave. Some, however, refer this to those who dig up treasure, who rejoice when a grave is found, because treasures were accustomed to be found in ancient graves; but the first explanation is better.

67. And because someone could say that life, even if it is given uselessly to the miserable, is nevertheless given usefully to those who are in prosperity, to remove this he adds: To a man whose way is hidden—supply: why have light and life been given? For the way of a man is hidden, because it is not known where the state of present prosperity may lead; for it is said in Proverbs 14:13: Laughter will be mingled with sorrow, and mourning occupies the end of joy; and in Jeremiah 10:23 it is said: The way of a man is not his own; Ecclesiastes 7:1: What need is there for a man to seek things greater than himself, when he does not know what is advantageous for him in his life? Or who can indicate what will be after him under the sun? But how the way of man is hidden he explains by adding: and God has surrounded him with darkness,

and this indeed is manifest in many ways:

with respect to the things that are before and after, according to that saying of Ecclesiastes 8:6: the affliction of man is great, because he is ignorant of past things and cannot know future things by any messenger;

and with respect to the things that are beside him, namely, other men, according to that saying of 1 Corinthians 2:11: Who knows the things that are of a man, except the spirit of the man that is in him? And with respect to the things that are above, according to that saying at the end of Timothy: he dwells in inaccessible light, namely God, whom no man has seen, nor is able to see; and in the Psalm it is said that he made darkness his hiding place;

and with respect to the things that are below, for it is said in Ecclesiastes 1:8: All things are difficult; man is not able to explain them with speech. But God is said to have surrounded man with darkness because God has bestowed on him such an intellect that he cannot know the aforesaid things.

68. Therefore, having shown that the life of men is difficult because of the misery and bitterness of men, he applies to himself the things he had said generally, expressing his own bitterness when he says: Before I eat, I sigh. For just as laughter is a sign of joy, so a sigh is a sign of bitterness of soul. Therefore he shows the measure of his bitterness from the manner of his sigh. Thus his sigh began early, for he says: Before I eat, I sigh; and it was continual and great, whence he adds: and like overflowing waters, so is my roaring. For just as a sigh is a sign of moderate sadness, so roaring is a sign of vehement sadness, and of one that can scarcely be endured. Now this roaring is compared to the roaring of water: for water is easily moved and makes the sound of murmuring; so also a man placed in great affliction is provoked to roaring by a slight remembrance of his misery. But he adds overflowing waters to show the continuity of his bitterness: for overflowing water is moved continually and makes a sound.

69. But because bitterness of soul is born from misery, after the bitterness of soul he adds concerning his misery, saying: because the fear that I feared has come upon me. And it should be noted that the misery of man provoking him to bitterness seems to consist in two things:

in losses of possessions or of one’s person, and in dishonors. Therefore, with respect to the first he says: the fear that I feared has come upon me, that is, the things I feared have happened to me, where the greatness of his losses and punishments is expressed: for the more prudent someone is, the more in a state of prosperity he thinks over the things that can happen to him in a time of adversity, according to that saying of Sirach 11:27: In a day of good things, do not be forgetful of evils. Therefore Job, most prudent as he was, suffered great misery, since the things he had feared had happened to him.

But with respect to the second, namely, dishonors, he says: and what I dreaded has befallen me; for shame, according to the Philosopher, is fear of dishonor. Through this, therefore, he shows that from great glory he had fallen into many reproaches and dishonors.

70. Now someone is accustomed to suffer misery and bitterness from his own fault, but Job removes this, saying: Have I not overlooked? And it must be known that someone offends, whereby he merits punishment from God, in two ways: in one way, when because of injuries inflicted upon him he is provoked beyond measure to vengeance, according as it is said in the Psalm: If I have repaid evils to those who rendered them to me, may I deservedly fall empty before my enemies. But he removes this from himself, saying: Have I not overlooked? namely, the injuries done to me. In another way, when he himself first offends another, either by words, and he removes this, saying: Have I not kept silence? As if to say: I have uttered no insulting or injurious words against anyone; or by deeds, and he removes this from himself, saying: Have I not been at rest? For the impious are like a raging sea, which cannot be quiet, Isaiah 57:20. And although I am innocent, nevertheless indignation has come upon me, that is, punishment from God—for wrath in God is not taken as a movement of mind, but as punishment—wherein he recognizes that the adversities of this world do not come about apart from the divine will.

71. Therefore, if someone wishes to gather together the things said in this lamentation of Job, it must be known that three things are contained in it:

first, he shows that his life is wearisome to him,

second, the greatness of the misery that he was suffering, at Before I eat, etc.,

third, he shows his innocence when he says: Have I not overlooked?, etc.