Job 1:6
Now on a certain day when the sons of God came to stand before the Lord, Satan also was present among them.
The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quadam autem die, cum venissent filii Dei ut assisterent coram Domino, affuit inter eos etiam Satan.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Καὶ ὡς ἐγένετο ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἦλθον οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ παραστῆναι ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ ὁ διάβολος ἦλθεν μετ᾽ αὐτῶν.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל יְהוָ֑ה וַיָּב֥וֹא גַֽם הַשָּׂטָ֖ן בְּתוֹכָֽם
Haydock's commentary
The sons of God. The angels, (Challoner) as the Septuagint express it. (Calmet)
Satan also, &c. This passage represents to us in a figure, accommodated to the ways and understandings of men, 1. The restless endeavours of satan against the servants of God. 2. That he can do nothing without God's permission. 3. That God doth not permit him to tempt them above their strength: but assists them by his divine grace in such manner, that the vain efforts of the enemy only serve to illustrate their virtue and increase their merit. (Challoner)
A similar prosopopeia occurs, 3 Kings xxii. 19., and Zacharias i. 10. (Calmet)
Devils appear not in God's sight, but sometimes in presence of angels, who represent God. (St. Athanasius, q. 8. ad Antioc, (Worthington) or some ancient author.)
The good angels can make known their orders to them, Zacharias iii. 1., and Jude 9. Both good and bad spirits may be considered as the ministers of God. (Calmet)
They appear in judgment; though the latter could not see the Lord.
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter LXXIX. He proves against
And I, wishing to get him to listen to me, answered in milder tones, thus: “I admire, sir, this piety of yours; and I pray that you may entertain the same disposition towards Him to whom angels are recorded to minister, as Daniel says; for [one] like the Son of man is led to the Ancient of days, and every kingdom is given to Him for ever and ever. But that you may know, sir,” continued I, “that it is not our audacity which has induced us to adopt this exposition, which you reprehend, I shall give you evidence from Isaiah himself; for he affirms that evil angels have dwelt and do dwell in Tanis, in Egypt. …