Job 21:30Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Only one who has dismissed the affection for the present world from his heart recognizes that there is no real benefit for the wicked in their fleeting triumphs. Consequently, in addressing the ultimate judgment awaiting the wicked, he appropriately refers to others: Ask any of those who traverse the path, and you will see that they grasp this truth as well. A ‘traveller’ is termed as such not merely because he perceives this life as a temporary journey rather than a permanent dwelling, but because he strives to reform his heart, turning it away from a transient existence and yearning not for temporal things, but for eternal tranquility. Conversely, one who neglects to act as a wayfarer in this life fails to regard the goods of this world as trivial and, when witnessing what he desires in abundance in others, stands in amazement. Thus, when the prophet David, having distanced his heart from the allure of the temporal world, described the grandeur of the wicked, he declared, I saw the wicked man in great power and flourishing like a green bay tree, as found in Psalms 36:35-36. Yet, because his heart was not anchored to this world, he accurately perceived the reality, saying, I looked, and behold, there was no longer any. The wicked man might have been deserving of something if he had not overlooked the truth by yielding to the allure of worldly matters. If one had been deserving, it would not have been said that anyone had ‘passed by;’ and this act of ‘passing by’ illustrates the insignificance of such a person; for in the eyes of one who contemplates eternal rewards, the worth of temporal fame diminishes greatly. Moses, yearning for the glory of heavenly visions, proclaimed, I will turn aside to see this great sight, as noted in Ex. 3:3; had he not redirected the focus of his heart from worldly attachments, he could never have come to grasp the higher realities. Hence, Jeremiah lamented over the anguish in his heart, stating, All you who pass by, take note and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow! Lamentations 1:12. Those who navigate the temporal realm as mere passersby rather than viewing it as their true homeland are unable to comprehend the depth of the anguish of the elect. Thus, the prophet addresses only those who have not anchored their thoughts in this world, so that they may perceive its grief. Solomon proclaimed, Open your mouth for the mute, and plead the cause of all who pass by. The ‘mute’ are those who have never resisted the preacher’s words with obstinance; they are also termed ‘the passersby’ as they refrained from allowing their affections to be swayed towards the temporal life. Therefore, the notion that the wicked are reserved for the day of ruin, destined for the day of wrath, is grasped solely by the ‘travellers.’ He further added:

Real-life observations indicate that the wicked can both live in joy and die in peace (29-33). Consequently, Job concludes that their reasoning lacks validity (34). During this part of the discourse, Job's friends move from vague insinuations and accusations regarding Job's hidden sins to clear denunciations of his hypocrisy and arrogance, while sticking to their previous notion of inevitable punishment for wrongdoing, threatening Job with severe consequences. Meanwhile, Job increasingly asserts his confidence in his righteousness and firmly believes in the false views of his friends, attributing the joy and suffering of humankind not to their moral standing but to the mysterious workings of Divine Providence.