The folds of his flesh are joined together: they are firm on him; they cannot be moved.
All Commentaries on Job 41:23 Go To Job 41
Gregory The Dialogist
AD 604
8. The ‘flesh’ of this Leviathan are all the reprobate, who rise not in their longing to a knowledge of their spiritual country. But the ‘members of his flesh’ are those, who are united to these very persons, when acting wickedly, and preceding them in the way to iniquity. As is said on the other hand by Paul to the Lord’s body; Ye are the body of Christ, and members of a member. [1 Cor. 12, 27] For a member of a body is one thing, a member of a member is another. For a member of the body is a part referred to a whole, but a member of a member is a particle to a part. For a member of a member is a finger to the hand, the hand to the arm, but a member of the body, is the whole of this together to the body at large. As therefore in the spiritual body of the Lord we term ‘members of a member’ those who in His Church are governed by others; so, in that reprobate congregation of this Leviathan, those are the ‘members of his flesh,’ who by their wicked deeds are joined to some more wicked than themselves. But because the malignant enemy agrees with himself in his perverse doings from first to last, the Divine discourse speaks of the members of his flesh clinging to each other in him. For they so agree in their wicked opinions, as not to be divided by any mutual disputations with each other. No quarrel of disagreement then divides them, and they therefore prevail mightily against the good, because they keep themselves together with close agreement in evil. For as we have already said above, that it is fatal if unity is wanting to the good, so it is more fatal if it is not wanting to the evil. For the unity of the reprobate obstructs more firmly the path of the good, the more firmly it opposes itself to it by being collected together.
9. Paul had beheld this unity of the reprobate destructive to himself, when being seized in the midst of the Sadducees and Pharisees he was saying; Of the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am judged. [Acts 23, 6] And struck by this voice, the crowd of his hearers immediately mutually started asunder against itself. And when the tumultuous multitude is divided into two parts, a way of rescue is opened to Paul, because the crowd of persecutors when divided released him whom it had held fast when united together. The righteous are therefore rescued, when the unrighteous are divided, and the wishes of the Elect arrive at completion, when the hosts of the reprobate are confounded by discord. And this is also well designated by the dividing of the Red Sea. [Ex. 14, 21] For when the wave is divided into two parts, the Elect people journeys on to the land of promise, because, when the unity of the wicked is rent asunder, holy minds attain to, that which they desire. If the unity of the wicked had not been hurtful, Divine Providence would never have divided the tongues of the proud with such great diversity. [Gen. 11, 9] If the unity of the wicked had not been hurtful, the Prophet would not say of the enemies of Holy Church; Cast down, O Lord, and divide their tongues. [Ps. 55, 9] Because then this Leviathan is then let loose in his might against the Elect of God, to increase his power of hurting, he is permitted also to have unity among the reprobate, in order that he may put forth his might more powerfully against us, the more he assaults us not merely with the blow of strength, but also with the weight of unity. But who can be sufficient against these things? What mind must not tremble at the weight of such pride and compactness, from the very bottom of his thought? Whence, because the Divine Clemency sees that we are trembling through weakness, It immediately adds what It does for us, by Itself. For it follows; He shall send lightnings against him, and they shall not be carried to another place.
10. What is designated by the appellation of ‘lightnings,’ except those tremendous sentences of the last judgment? And they are, therefore, called ‘lightnings,’ doubtless, because they consume for ever those whom they strike. For Paul had beheld lightnings coming down on him, when he was saying, Whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. [2 Thess. 2, 8] But these lightnings which are sent against him, are not carried to another place, because they then smite the reprobate only, while the righteous rejoice. For after the threshing of the present life, in which the wheat now groans beneath the chaff, such a separation is made by that fan of the last judgment between the wheat and the chaff, that neither does the chaff pass into the garner of the wheat, nor do the grains of the garner fall into the fire of the chaff. Those lightnings then touch not another place, because, namely, they burn with their fire not the grains, but the chaff. But He teaches us, that punishment does not correct this Leviathan.
