Their little ones go out like a flock, and their children dance and play.
יְשַׁלְּח֣וּ כַ֭צֹּאן עֲוִילֵיהֶ֑ם וְ֝יַלְדֵיהֶ֗ם יְרַקֵּדֽוּן׃
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Certainly, God continues to extend His grace to the unrighteous, demonstrating that His love is not absent from them. He wishes to prevent any from claiming, “God despises us, thus He will never grant us access to repentance.” Although He may discipline the faithful with severity, His compassion is directed toward those who have strayed. The tribulations faced by the righteous in this life serve as future affirmations of their virtuous actions.
Their young ones emerge like herds, and their offspring find joy in celebration, as noted in Job 21:11. The more spaces are allocated to their holdings, the larger the number of children can be nurtured and safeguarded. However, in his remark about them enjoying themselves in merriment, he emphasizes that we should not presume the children of the unrighteous lack happiness or that their joy is insufficient. He continues by stating:
I will speak passionately and succinctly about what is soon to happen to me, as the agony that afflicts my body is beyond expression. Why do the unrighteous live long and prosper in wealth? Their fields yield abundant harvests, they take joy in their offspring, they thrive without anxiety, and they do not suffer any divine punishments. Their livestock do not produce stillborn or defective calves; their wives do not experience loss in pregnancy. They exist much like livestock, carefree and content.
Job has ceased to seek solace from his companions; he desires only their silence as he voices his grievances regarding his suffering until he has spoken his mind (21: 1-6). Despite their efforts to illustrate that the wicked face punishment after a fleeting joy, Job points out that there are numerous instances of the wicked living well and dying in tranquility (7-13). They dismiss Divine Providence (14-15); the prospect of sudden death does not instill fear in them (16-18), nor are they troubled by the tragic fate of their descendants (19-21). After all this, who can claim to direct God regarding the allocation of joy and sorrow among humanity (22)? Both the unrighteous and the righteous meet the same end in death with God (23-26).
Only Job's companions maintain that the wicked are destined to face ruin (27-28). Yet, experience demonstrates that the wicked not only live joyfully but also die peacefully (29-33). Hence, Job concludes that their logic is unfounded (34).
In this part of the dialogue, Job's friends shift from vague insinuations and accusations regarding Job's hidden sins to explicit condemnations of his perceived hypocrisy and arrogance. They cling to their earlier belief in inevitable punishment for sinfulness and threaten Job with dire consequences. In response, Job increasingly asserts his trust in his own integrity and contemplates the falsehood of his friends' assertions, attributing the fortunes and misfortunes of individuals not to their moral conduct but to the mysterious workings of Divine Providence.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS