Olympiodorus of Alexandria
Late Patristic · AD 500–800 · 48 passages across 2 books
Commentary
Job 27:14-15
If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword: and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
He describes what is likely to happen to the ungodly. Admittedly, things do not always go in this manner for them. Some of them, indeed, preserve their prosperity until the end of their life, as he himself, in his quandary, has taught his friends in the previous chapters. Therefore, he calls “slaughter” the kind of death that is inflicted by enemies, and “death” the one that comes suddenly and prematurely.
Job 34:1-3
Furthermore Elihu answered and said,
Because of the former accusations that he had brought against his hearers, Elihu soothes them now with softer words by calling them wise men who know righteousness and honesty.
Job 41:3-4
Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
He said this because the demons asked the Lord not to cast them into the abyss, or because Satan said to Christ, “I will give you all these things.” Will he now, he says, implore you with a soft speech? Will he make a covenant with you, and will he stop fighting his war against you?
Job 41:14-15
Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
This is not the fear of God but the fear that is all around [the Leviathan’s] teeth. But if you have Christ in you, you must not be worried by this fear. Indeed, you will fear the Lord God and will fear no one else.
Job 41:18-21
By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.
Others believe that here he alludes to the fact that sneezing has the power to purify the brain; therefore, [the devil] transfigures himself into light, and even pretends to be able to purify. So [faithless] Gentiles and wizards use the devil’s power in certain rites of purification, pretending that they have the power of the light, whereas they are entirely full of filth.
Job 41:22-24
In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
“In its neck” means in arrogant self-estimation; “its strength abides,” because it does not stand still but always overestimates itself. The souls that advance with a high neck (as is confirmed by Isaiah) are [like the devil’s] neck, because they have the power to deceive. But such a power is vain; indeed, the weakness that my Savior and Lord assumed for me, which is called the weakness of God, completely defeated that power.
Job 41:27-30
He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.
The spiritual weapons [of humans], he says, are unable to kill him, and [the devil] considers as straw and rotten wood those weapons that cannot inflict a lethal wound on him.
Job 42:1-3
Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
[Job] openly declares that he had not learned these things before but had come to know the unconquered power of God. And since God penetrates the decisions of people and understands the thoughts of all, there is nobody who can hide from his eye, which sees everything. Who is he, he says, who being sparing of words, can hide the secrets of his mind in silence, because they have not been expressed in words?