Job 42:5
With the hearing of the ear, I have heard thee, but now my eye seeth thee.
Open Job 42:5 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Auditu auris audivi te : nunc autem oculus meus videt te.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- ἀκοὴν μὲν ὠτὸς ἤκουόν σου τὸ πρότερον, νυνὶ δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἑόρακέν σε.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- לְשֵֽׁמַע אֹ֥זֶן שְׁמַעְתִּ֑יךָ וְ֝עַתָּ֗ה עֵינִ֥י רָאָֽתְךָ
Haydock's commentary
Seeth thee. Some have thought that God now manifested himself from the cloud. (Eusebius, Dem. i. 4.; Titalman, &c.) But all now agree that he only enlightened his understanding, and made known his designs more clearly. (Calmet)
Job now perceived that he had spoken too boldly, in saying, Hear, and I will speak, &c., ver. 4. The rest of this book is in prose. (Tirinus)
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 Augustine City of God, Of the Beatific Vision
But the question arises, whether, when their eyes are open, they shall see Him with the bodily eye? If the eyes of the spiritual body have no more power than the eyes which we now possess, manifestly God cannot be seen with them. They must be of a very different power if they can look upon that incorporeal nature which is not contained in any place, but is all in every place. For though we say that God is in heaven and on earth, as He, Himself says by the prophet, “I fill heaven and earth,” we do not mean that there is one part of God in heaven and another part on earth; but He is all in heaven and all on earth, not at alternate intervals of time, but both at once, as no bodily nature can be. …
St Augustine A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants, Job Foresaw that Christ Would Come to Suffer; The Way of Humility in Those that are Perfect
Now it is remarkable that the Lord Himself, after bestowing on Job the testimony which is expressed in Scripture, that is, by the Spirit of God, “In all the things which happened to him he sinned not with his lips before the Lord,” did yet afterwards speak to him with a rebuke, as Job himself tells us: “Why do I yet plead, being admonished, and hearing the rebukes of the Lord?” Now no man is justly rebuked unless there be in him something which deserves rebuke. …
St John Chrysostom Three Homilies Concerning the Power of Demons, Homily III. On the Power of Man to Resist the Devil
5. On both sides, beloved, reap the utmost gain, and avoid the imitation of Adam knowing how many ills are begotten of indolence: and imitate the piety of Job, learning how many glorious things spring from earnestness. Consider him, the conqueror throughout, and thou shalt have much consolation in all pain and peril. For as it were in the common theatre of the world that blessed and noble man stands forth, and by means of the sufferings which happened to him discourses to all to bear all things which befal them nobly, and never give in to the troubles which come upon them. For verily, there is no human suffering which cannot receive consolation from thence. For the sufferings which are scattered over the whole world, these came together, and bore down upon one body, even his. …
St John Chrysostom The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Matthew X. 16
I admire again the three children, for that they dared the furnace, that they stood up against a tyrant. But hear what they say, “We serve not thy Gods, nor worship the image which thou hast set up.” A thing which was the greatest encouragement to them, to know of a certainty that for God they are suffering all whatsoever they suffer. But this man knew not that it was all conflicts, and a wrestling; for had he known it, he would not have felt what was happening. …