In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
All Commentaries on Job 12:10 Go To Job 12
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
7. For by the ‘Hand’ Power is denoted. Thus ‘the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind,’ is in the Power of Him, from Whom it has its being, that He Himself should appoint in what condition it should be, Who vouchsafed that to be, which was not. But by ‘the soul of every living thing’ may be denoted the life of beasts. Now Almighty God quickens the soul of beasts to the extent of the corporeal senses, but man’s spirit He draws out to a spiritual understanding; and thus ‘in His Hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of all flesh of men,’ in that both the one, He bestows this power on the soul that it should give life to the flesh, and in the other He quickens the soul to this degree, that it should attain to the understanding of eternity. But we are to bear in mind that in Holy Writ ‘the spirit of man’ is wont to be put in two ways. For sometimes ‘the spirit’ is put for the soul, sometimes for spiritual agency. Thus ‘the spirit’ is put for the soul, as it is written of our own Head Himself, And He bowed His Head, and gave up His Spirit [spiritum, Vulg.]. [John 19, 30] For if the Evangelist had called any thing else ‘the spirit’ saving the soul, then surely upon that spirit departing, the soul would have remained. Moreover, the term ‘spirit’ is used for spiritual agency, as where it is written, Who maketh His Angels spirits, His Ministers a flaming fire. [Ps. 104, 4] For Preachers are occasionally called ‘Angels,’ i.e. ‘bearers of tidings,’ in Holy Writ, as where it is said by the Prophet, The priest’s lips keep knowledge, and they seek the law from his mouth: for he is the Angel [V. Angelus] of the Lord of Hosts. [Mal. 2, 7] Thus Almighty God ‘maketh His Angels spirits,’ in that He changeth His Preachers into spiritual men. But in this passage, if by ‘the soul of every living thing,’ the mere life of the body is denoted, by the ‘spirit of all flesh of man,’ there is set forth the agency of a spiritual understanding.
