Job — Chapter 40

Respondens autem Dominus Job de turbine

On God's second speech from the whirlwind: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?" Corderius explains the structure of this second divine speech: God presses Job more urgently, demanding that Job himself take over the governance of the world — if you can truly judge, do so! On v. 4: "Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?" — the thundering voice is the instrument of divine governance; Job's voice is limited, mortal, and dependent. On v. 9: "And I will confess to you that your own right hand can save you" — this ironic challenge is God's way of bringing Job to final self-knowledge: he cannot save himself; salvation belongs to God alone. On vv. 10-19: the Behemoth is introduced — Corderius extensively discusses its identity (hippopotamus, elephant, or a mythological creature representing chaos or the devil). Most Latin Fathers, following Gregory, identify Behemoth with the devil himself.

Respondens autem Dominus Job de turbine

On God's first direct response to Job from the whirlwind: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it." Corderius expounds the nature of the theophany. God appears in the whirlwind (turbo) — a storm-wind that is both terrifying and purifying, simultaneously a symbol of divine wrath and divine presence. He cites the parallel theophanies: God speaking to Moses and Elijah (Ex. 19:9; 1 Kings 19:11-13). The turbo represents the totality of Job's afflictions: God appeared to Job in the very storm of his suffering, teaching that the divine presence is most intimately available precisely at the height of tribulation. The challenge "Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?" is not harsh punishment but an invitation to deeper self-knowledge: can Job maintain his complaints when he sees the infinite reality of the God he is addressing?

Circumda tibi decorem et in sublime erigere

On the ironic divine challenge — "Play God!": "Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him. Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand." Corderius reads this divine challenge as one of the most profoundly ironic passages in Scripture: God says in effect, "Take over the governance of the world for a day; exercise universal justice against pride and wickedness — and then I will acknowledge that your right hand can save you." The challenge is unanswerable because Job cannot do what God describes: only infinite wisdom, justice, and power can govern the universe rightly. On v. 14: "Then will I also praise you to your own right hand that it can save you" — this is the terminus of the argument: if Job could exercise this universal governance, he would not need salvation; but because he cannot, he must acknowledge that salvation belongs to God alone. Corderius connects this to the theology of grace: no creature can save itself; salvation is purely divine gift.

Ecce Behemoth quem feci tecum

On Behemoth: "Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together." Corderius presents the exegetical debate: Behemoth as hippopotamus (majority modern opinion), elephant (some Fathers), or the devil (Gregory, Ambrose). He carefully weighs the evidence: the literal reading fits the hippopotamus (eats grass, bones like bronze, "principal of God's ways"). The allegorical reading: Behemoth = the devil, who was created by God (quem feci tecum), feeds on human weakness (eating the earth's fruit), and can be controlled only by God's power. The phrase "qui fecit eum applicabit gladium ejus" (he who made him will approach him with his sword) — Corderius reads this as God's promise to ultimately destroy the devil through the sword of Christ at the Last Day. The description of Behemoth's invincibility (no river can move him, confident that Jordan will rush into his mouth) suggests the overwhelming power of the demonic adversary in this age — but always subject to divine control.