Moralia in Job 146

The historical sense. — 1. Blessed Job, sought after unto death in his temptation, grew unto life through the scourge; and the ancient enemy, whereby he thought to extinguish Job's goods, thereby grieved to have multiplied them. But because he perceives that in the first contest he was overcome, he renews himself for the other wars of temptations, and still impudently hopes for evil from the holy man; for the evil one cannot believe good, even when he has experienced it. Now those things which were set forth in his first smiting are again taken up, when it is said: Verses 1, 2, 3. — It came to pass on a certain day, when the sons of God came and stood before the Lord, and Satan also came among them and stood in His sight, that the Lord said to Satan: Whence comest thou? And he answering, said:

I have gone about the earth, and walked through it. And the Lord said to Satan: Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a simple and upright man, one that feareth God and departeth from evil? The weakness of the devil's pride is rebuked. — Since we have discussed these matters more at length above, we do better to pass them over in silence, lest, while we repeat things more often discussed, we come too slowly to the things not yet discussed. Yet as for that which is said by the Lord's voice to Satan: Whence comest thou? — I by no means think it is said to him as before. For when he returns vanquished from that contest in which he had been let loose, and it is asked whence he comes, though it is known whence he comes, what else is this but that the weakness of his pride is rebuked? As if the divine voice were plainly saying to him:

Behold, thou art overcome by one man, and one set in weak flesh, thou who dost strive to raise thyself up against Me, the Author of all. Whereupon the Lord straightway, as though He would speak Job's goods as before, adds these words, recounting them together with the triumphs of victory: