Job 34:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If you are not encouraged, listen to this, O Job, and heed the call of the imperatives. Do you truly believe that He who despises wickedness and eradicates the unrighteous, being eternal, is unjust? Have you perceived this? He would not risk drawing such a conclusion. With profound respect, he refrained from uttering that thought. His righteousness must be understood not merely from creation, His authority, and His acts, but also from His very nature and His deeds. He abhors evil and cherishes humanity. He differs from us who refrain from wrongdoing, not out of aversion to sins, but from the dread of impending judgment. What gives rise to this fear? It stems from the reality that He detests iniquity and declares that He will ultimately remove the wicked, eternally.

Elius, confident that Job cannot refute the validity of his statements, undertakes a thorough analysis of Job's claims regarding God's punitive actions without fair judgment (34: 1-9=vv. 5-13: 18; 19: 7; 27: 2; 6: 4). He contends that viewing God in such a manner contradicts our understanding of Him as the sovereign and benevolent Creator of the universe (10-12). If the Lord were to act with favoritism or inequity, there would undoubtedly be chaos in the world's operations, and He would not hold back punishment from those who disregard the truth (13-20). Ultimately, it is God's all-knowing nature, His might, and His compassion toward those wronged that affirm His justice (21-30). Consequently, humanity must yield to God's divine will (31-33). Elius advises that Job reconsider his approach to foster a proper understanding (34-37).