Let the companions of him that is not, dwell in his tabernacle, let brimstone be sprinkled in his tent.
תִּשְׁכּ֣וֹן בְּ֭אָהֳלוֹ מִבְּלִי־ל֑וֹ יְזֹרֶ֖ה עַל־נָוֵ֣הוּ גָפְרִֽית׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
These words indicate that the judgment of the unrighteous will mirror the ruin experienced by the inhabitants of Sodom. Their roots shall dry up from below, while their branches shall wither away from above, leaving nothing of value for the wicked, neither on the earth nor in the heavens.
In the book of Job, it is noted that Baldad speaks of the unrighteous, stating, ‘Let safety be shut out from his tent; let his destruction trample upon him like a king; let the allies of him who is not, dwell in his tents’ (Job 18:14-15). This refers to the devil, who, despite having companions—whom he would not possess if he were truly nonexistent—is nonetheless referred to as non-existent because he has been separated from God.
Let his companions reside within his shelter, for he has departed. Job 18:15. The apostate spirits inhabit his thoughts, becoming his companions, the one who is no longer ‘no more’ since he has strayed from the Divine Essence, moving further away each day ‘that he may not be,’ having fallen from Him who is the true existence; it is rightly stated of him that he is ‘no more’ as he has forfeited the goodness of being. Yet, as he elaborates on the mindset of the wicked, he continues, declaring: Let sulfur be spread over his dwelling. Job 18:15. What is ‘brimstone’ other than fuel for a fire, sustaining the flames yet producing an unpleasant odor?
What do we denote by ‘brimstone’ but the sinful nature of the flesh, which, while corrupting the mind with wicked thoughts, ignites an eternal flame for itself; and as it engulfs the lost soul with its stench, it effectively fuels the coming fire. The Scripture itself provides evidence that sulfur signifies earthly sinfulness, as seen when the Lord ‘sent fire and sulfur upon Sodom.’ In enacting judgment upon its sins of the flesh, He highlighted the very stain of their culpability through the nature of the punishment; for ‘sulfur’ emits a foul odor and fire consumes. Thus, seeing they were inflamed with corrupt desires and the loathsome scent of the flesh, He decreed their destruction through fire and sulfur; in their rightful retribution, they recognized the injustice of their desires. Therefore, whenever the indulgence of the flesh prevails within the wicked man, ‘sulfur shall be scattered over his dwelling,’ and as wicked thoughts continuously fill his mind, hindering him from yielding the fruits of righteousness, it is rightly stated:
Job's rebuke of his companions for their ill-considered remarks provokes a fierce reaction from one of them, Baldad. He retaliates against Job with harsh words, seizing on Job's own expression of the impending arrival of death as the ultimate evidence of his wrongdoing. This reflects the established order of the cosmos, where the unrighteous, when faced with calamity, do not escape suffering but ultimately meet their end through death.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS