Let his strength be wasted with famine, and let hunger invade his ribs.
יְהִי־רָעֵ֥ב אֹנ֑וֹ וְ֝אֵ֗יד נָכ֥וֹן לְצַלְעֽוֹ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
These statements apply to the wicked, yet they do not reflect Job's experience, as his suffering did not defeat him; instead, it revealed his resilience as a warrior. Many have arrived, leaving behind faded marks; those who come should take responsibility for their own failings, rather than casting blame on the innocent. Job, through his steadfastness, merits crowns and eternal joy.
Verse 12. Let his strength be diminished by hunger, and let famine invade his very being Job. 18:12. 17. Adhering to the style of Scripture, he strives to present himself as one with foresight, certainly not as a curser, but rather as a prophet. Thus every individual, being a blend of spirit and flesh, essentially embodies both strength and frailty. The aspect in which he is endowed with rationality merits the title of 'strong,' yet his material nature concurrently renders him weak. Therefore, the true 'strength' of humanity resides in the rational soul, which can resist due to the allure of evil that attacks it. Consequently, blessed Job articulated, Thou hast strengthened him for a little while, that he may pass through the ages Job.
14:20, for it is from the reasoning of a man's soul that eternal life is derived. Hence, the wicked person experiences a loss of 'strength by hunger' because their soul is deprived of the sustenance that nourishes the inner being. Of this same famine God conveys through the prophet, I will send a famine upon the earth, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but a thirst to hear the word of the Lord Am. 8:11. 18. This adds depth: the famine shall invade his ribs. For the ribs serve as a protective barrier for internal organs, which remain concealed but require safeguarding from external forces. In this way, 'ribs' represent the reflections of the mind that safeguard the hidden thoughts. Consequently, 'hunger invades the ribs' when all spiritual nourishment is absent, leaving the mind's reflections unable to manage or protect its thoughts. 'Hunger invades the ribs' of the wicked when internal hunger weakens the mind's reflections to the point where controlling thoughts becomes impossible. When mental reflections are dulled, unchecked desires advance and act impulsively, akin to how weakened ribs might allow the healthy organs within to fall out. Thus, it follows that when thoughts wander without constraint, the deceived mind pursues superficial glory, unrestrained by anything but its outward allure; this pursuit is rightly addressed by the subsequent words that follow:
Job's rebuke of his friends for their irrational statements, expressed with great boldness, incenses one of them, Bildad. He responds to Job with a harsh attack, using Job's own claim of imminent death as prime evidence of his wrongdoing. The inherent order of creation indicates that the unrighteous, when faced with trials, do not escape their consequences but ultimately conclude their afflictions with death.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS