Job 16:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Douay-RheimsHebrew (Masoretic text)

He hath compassed me round about with his lances, he hath wounded my loins, he hath not spared, and hath poured out my bowels on the earth,
Douay-Rheims

יִפְרְצֵ֣נִי פֶ֭רֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי־פָ֑רֶץ יָרֻ֖ץ עָלַ֣י כְּגִבּֽוֹר׃
Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

3 Church Fathers comment on this verse

Philippus
Gregory the Great
Ireneus (Orda)

Philippus

5th centuryChurch Father

The Lord allowed me to be handed over to the lawless one and placed in the grasp of the wicked, referring to the devil and his angels. This also applies to Christ when He was surrendered into the hands of the Jewish leaders. While I remained composed, He confronted me, seized me by the neck, and subjected me to relentless torment, making me His focal point. Thus, He, who was rich, embraced poverty; and Christ, divine by nature, took on human form. His adversaries surrounded me; He laid bare my innermost being and withheld no mercy, allowing my anguish to pour forth upon the ground. The arrows mentioned here symbolize both the afflictions endured by Job and the scorn faced by Christ from the Jews. The phrase describing the piercing of my innards also pertains to Christ.

Gregory the Great

6th centuryChurch Father

He battered me severely, as noted in Job 16:14. AN ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION OF 20. Within the frail members of the Holy Church, he constantly breaks down, as sin compounds upon sin, when one wrongdoing leads to an even greater offense. For instance, a person driven by greed to steal may then resort to deception, thus justifying the preceding sinful act with a falsehood. What befalls such a person other than a continuous breaking down? The prophet well remarks: cursing and deceit, murder and theft, and adultery engulf, leading to bloodshed after bloodshed, as recorded in Hosea 4:2. Here, the term 'blood' signifies sin; thus, the one yearning for liberation from sin implores in repentance, "Deliver me from blood," as expressed in Psalms 50:16.

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Thus, 'bloodshed follows bloodshed' occurs when sin is layered upon sin. As each sin accumulates, the power of our ancient adversary grows more formidable, hence it is rightly stated, "He charges at me like a giant," as per Job 16:14. It is relatively simple to resist the foe if one does not yield to him, ideally amidst numerous apostasies, or at the very least in one. Yet, if the soul repeatedly yields to his temptations, the more it aligns itself with him, the harder it becomes to endure later, as it lacks strength to combat him. Thus, our malevolent foe, like a giant, assaults us when we succumb to a harmful inclination. However, the Holy Church often brings back the faithful’s hearts through repentance, cleansing them from sin through acts of voluntary penance. Hence, it is rightly said:

Ireneus (Orda)

19th centuryCommentator

Similar to how Eliphaz expressed frustration that Job would not acknowledge any wrongdoing leading to his trials, Job passionately rebuffs the unfounded doubts of his friends. He demonstrates that they fail to comprehend his justifications because they have neither grasped nor experienced his afflictions (16:1-5). As Job articulates his suffering, he attributes its source to the Lord (b-1b); however, he finds no fault within himself and calls upon the earth, which he is destined to return to, and God, who knows all, as witnesses to his innocence (17-21).

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.