Job — Chapter 27

Addidit quoque Job assumens parabolam

On Job's solemn oath of innocence: "Job took up his discourse again, and said: As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter — as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils — my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me." Corderius analyzes the oath structure: Job swears by the living God — not by his own integrity, not by created things, but by God himself. This demonstrates his theological seriousness: the oath is an act of worship. On v. 3: "as long as the spirit of God is in my nostrils" — the creative breath of Genesis 2:7 is present in every breath; Job acknowledges that his very life is a divine loan. On vv. 5-6: "I will not admit you to be right. I will maintain my innocence till I die; I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days" — Corderius sees this as perhaps the most important statement of interior peace in the entire book: conscience at rest.

Addidit quoque Job Vivit Deus

On Job's oath by the living God: "Job continued his discourse, and said: As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter — as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils..." Corderius examines the oath formula in depth. "As God lives" (Vivit Deus) — the classic biblical oath formula, invoking the living God as the ultimate guarantor of truthfulness. Corderius notes Job's extraordinary courage: he swears by the very God who has seemingly wronged him. This reveals the depth of his faith: even when God appears hostile, Job refuses to abandon his fundamental trust in God's living reality and ultimate justice. On "the spirit of God is in my nostrils": the identification of Job's breath with the creative breath God breathed into Adam (Gen. 2:7) is theologically significant — every breath is a divine gift, and as long as God sustains Job's life, Job will maintain his integrity. Corderius sees here a perfect model of the spiritual life: acknowledging both the sovereign divine will (which has permitted the afflictions) and the inviolable personal integrity which God's own gift has created.

Sit ut impius inimicus meus

On the portion of the wicked: "Let my enemy be as the wicked, and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous." Corderius explains that Job is not cursing his enemies but stating the theological principle: the wicked man's lot is destruction, and whoever acts wickedly receives that lot. On vv. 8-10: "What is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? Does God hear his cry when distress comes upon him? Will he take delight in the Almighty? Will he call upon God at all times?" — Corderius develops the theology of prayer: the wicked man cannot truly pray because prayer requires a relationship of filiation with God which sin has severed. The wicked "call upon God at all times" (v. 10) in crisis — but their prayer is not heard because it is mere desperation, not genuine conversion. On vv. 16-23: the detailed description of the inheritance of the wicked — silver accumulated for the righteous, fine clothing for the innocent, the rich man dies and nothing remains, the east wind carries him away — Corderius reads as a theological poem on eschatological retribution.