Benjamin is ravenous as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.
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Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
The devil has very many wolves that he sends against the sheep of Christ. And therefore he whom Joseph prefigured, in order to protect his own sheep, seized the very enemy that was coming to plunder the sheep, the wolf Paul, and from a persecutor turned him into a teacher. Of him Jacob says, just as it is written, “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall still be eating, and for the evening he shall distribute food among chiefs.” He was a wolf when he scattered and devoured the sheep of the church; but he who had been a wolf became a shepherd. He was a wolf when he was Saul, when he would go into houses and drag men and women off to prison. He was a wolf when he breathed threats of murder against the disciples of the Lord and asked for letters from the chief priests to seize the humble servants of Christ. Jesus blinded him with an outpouring of light, as if he were a wolf roaming abroad in the darkness of night. And so, when Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she called his na...
[This refers to] Paul, who was a wolf to the wolves and snatched all souls away from the evil one. And “in the evening he will divide what he seizes,” that is, at the end of the world he will also rest with a reward greater than his labors.
Wolf; alluding to the wars in defence of the inhabitants of Gabaa, and those waged by Saul, Mardocheus (Menochius) (Judges xix. and xx.) St. Paul was of this tribe; and, from a fiery zealot, became an eminent apostle. (St. Augustine) (Tirinus)
This thoroughly suits Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. For when he was young, he was a ravening wolf; but when he believed, he apportioned food. This also is shown us by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the tribe of Benjamin is among the first persecutors, which is the sense of in the morning. For Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, persecuted David, who was appointed to be a type of the Lord.
This thoroughly suits Paul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. For when he was young, he was a ravening wolf; but when he believed, he “apportioned” food. This also is shown us by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that the tribe of Benjamin is among the first persecutors, which is the sense of “in the morning.” For Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin, persecuted David, who was appointed to be a type of the Lord.
“At evening he will divide the food.” The evening is that final time when Paul is converted. Thus we also call evening the time of our conversion in which we are now. Then he will divide the food, then he understands that in the law it is necessary to divide the letter from the spirit and will know that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Since after being enlightened by the grace of the Lord, Paul begins to divide and separate in the law the spiritual realities from the corporeal ones, he is said to divide the food at evening. In fact, although meditating all day long on the law, he had not done that before.
