said to you: Meditate and reflect on this parable, grasp its meaning, and see what the true opinion is. Then it mentions that the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and that Satan came in the midst of their crowd and multitude. For it does not say, The sons of God and Satan came to present themselves before the Lord, which would have meant that all of them were there because of an identical relation, but says: The sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them..1 This form of speech is only used with regard to one who has come without having been for his own sake the object of an intention or having been sought for his own sake, but came in the midst of those who came when those whose presence was the object of an intention presented themselves. Then it mentions that this Satan roamed and went all over the earth. Thus there is no relationship whatever between him and the upper world, in which there is no road for him. This is the meaning of its saying: From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.8 Thus his going to and fro and his roaming take place on the earth, j Then it mentions that this righteous and perfect man was delivered into the hands of this Satan and that all the calamities that befell him with respect to his fortune, his children, and his body, were caused by Satan. After having made this supposition it begins to set down speeches of people engaged in speculation with regard to this occurrence. Thus it mentions a certain opinion and ascribes it to Job, and ascribes other opinions to his friends. I shall make them clearly known to you 5 I am referring to those opinions about which there has been a conflict of thoughts and that are con¬ cerned with a story the cause of the wfliole of which was Satan; though all of them, Job and his friends, thought that God had done it Himself and not through the intermediary of Satan. The most marvellous and extra¬ ordinary thing about this story is the fact that knowledge is not attributed in it to Job. He is not said to be a wise or a comprehending or an intelligent man. Only moral virtue and righteousness in action are ascribed to him. For if he had been wise, his situation would not have been obscure for him, as will become clear.
Then it graduates his misfortunes according to the various circum¬ stances of people. For some people are not frightened by the loss of their for¬ tune and hold it a small thing, but are horrified by the death of then- children and die because of their grief. Others support with patience and without terror even the loss of their children, but no one endowed with sen¬ sation can support pain patiently. Now all men, I mean the vulgar, glorify 7. Job 1: 6; 2: x. 8. Job 1:7; 2:2.
j88 The Guide of the Perplexed III • 22 [ 46a God with their tongues and attribute to Him justice and beneficence when they are happy and prosperous or even when they are in a state of endurable suffering. However, when the misfortunes mentioned in Job befall them, some of them become unbelievers and believe that there is little order in all that exists at the time when they lose their fortune; others hold to the belief in justice and order in spite even of their having been stricken by the loss of their fortune, but | do not keep patient if tried by the loss of their children. Others again are patient and keep an untroubled belief even when they lose their children, but none of them supports patiently the pain of the body without complaining and repining either with the tongue or in the heart.
The dictum [of Scripture] referring to the sons of God says in the two passages: To present themselves before the Lord.9 Satan, however, though he came among their crowd and multitude a first and a second time, is not said in the first passage to present himself. In the second passage, however, it says: And Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.10 Understand this notion and consider how extraordinary it is, and see how these notions came to me through something similar to prophetic revelation. For the meaning of the words, to present themselves before the Lord, is that they exist as subject to His order in what He wills. Thus Zechariah, with reference to the four chariots that go forth,11 says: And the angel answered and said unto me: These are the four airs of the heavens, which go forth after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.1Z It is consequently manifest that the status of the sons of God and that of Satan in what exists are not identical. For the sons of God are more permanent and lasting, while [Satan] also has a certain portion, below them in what exists.
Furthermore one of the marvels of this parable consists in the fact that when it mentions that Satan roams especially13 over the earth and accom¬ plishes certain actions, it also makes clear that he is forbidden to gain dominion over the soul, that he has been given dominion over all terrestrial things, but that he is kept away by a barrier from the soul. This is the mean¬ ing of its saying: Only spare his soulJ * I have already explained to you15 that in our language the term soul is equivocal and that it is applied to the thing that remains of man after death; this is the thing over which Satan has no dominion.
After what I have mentioned, | hear the useful dictum of the Sages to whom the term Sages may truthfully be applied; it clarifies all that is obscure, reveals all that is concealed, and renders manifest most of the 47« ] The Guide of the Perplexed III -22 489 mysteries of the Torah. It is their dictum in the Talmud: Rabbi Simon ben Laqish said: Satan, the evil inclination, and the angel of death are one and the same,16 Thus he makes clear all that v\re have mentioned in a way that is not obscure for one who is endowed with understanding. It has thus become clear to you that these three terms designate one and the same notion and that all the actions attributed to each of these three are only the action of one and the same thing. This is also expressed literally by the ancient Sages of the Mishnah, who said: This is taught: he descends and leads astray, [ then ] he ascends and accuses, [ then ] he takes permission and takes the soul.17 It is thus clear to you that what David saw in a vision of prophecy at the time of the plague, having his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem,18 was only shown to him in order to indicate a certain notion. That same notion is also expressed in the vision of prophecy referring to the disobe¬ dience of the sons of Joshua the high priest: And Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.19 Thereupon it is made clear in the following dictum how far [Satan] is from Him, may He be exalted: The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan, yea, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.20 It was he who was seen also by Balaam on the way in a vision of prophecy, when he says to him:21 Behold, I am. come forth for an adversary [satan]. Know that the word satan derives from [the verb “satah,” to turn away, figuring for in¬ stance in the verse]: Steh [ turn away] from it and pass on,-22 I mean to say that it derives from the notion of turning-away and going-away. For it is he 25 who indubitably turns people away from the ways of truth and makes them perish in the ways of error. The same notion is expressed in the dic¬ tum: For the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth.'21' You know how well known this notion is in | our Law, I mean the notion of good inclin¬ ation and evil inclination; and you know their dictum: With both your inclinations.25 They also say that the evil inclination is produced in the human individual at his birth: Sin coucheth at the door;26 as the Torah states literally: From his youth.27 On the other hand, good inclination is only found 19. Zech. 3:1. According to B.T., Sanhedrin, 91a, the verse refers to the sin committed by the sons of Joshua in taking non-Jewish women for wives.
25. Mishnah, Berakhoth, IX 5. The Mishnah passage interprets thy heart in Deut. 6: 5 (And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart), as referring both to the good and the evil inclination. 26. Gen. 4:7.
27. Gen. 8:21. The whole biblical phrase may be translated (if one renders ycser by “in¬ clination”): For the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.
^ c)o The Guide of the Perplexed III • 25 [47^ in man when his intellect is perfected.28 That is why [the Sages] say29 that in the parable that deals with the body of the human individual and the difference of its faculties and that figures in [Scripture’s] dictum, There was a little city, and few men within it, and so on,50 the evil inclination is called a great king and good inclination is called a poor wise child.51 All these things are dealt with in well-known texts set down by [the Sages], may their memory be blessed. Now as they have explained to us that the evil inclination is Satan, who indubitably is an angel— I mean that he too is called an angel inasmuch as he is found in the crowd of the sons of God— good inclination must consequently also be truly an angel. Consequently that well-known opinion figuring in the sayings of the Sages,52 may their memory be blessed, according to which every man is accompanied by two angels, one to his right and the other to his left, identifies these two with good inclination and evil inclination. In the Gemara Shabbath, they, may their memory be blessed, say clearly with regard to these two angels that one is good and the other evil 55 See how many marvels are revealed to us by this dictum and how many incorrect imaginings it abolishes.
As I see it now, I have analyzed and explained the story of Job up to its ultimate end and conclusion. I want, however, to explain to you the opinion ascribed to Job and the opinion ascribed to each of his friends, using proofs that I gleaned from the discourse of each of them. You should not, however, pay attention to the other dicta rendered necessary by the order of the dis¬ course, as I explained to you in the beginning of this Treatise.34 j CHAPTER 25 If it is supposed that the story of Job happened, the first thing that occurred was a matter on which there was general agreement between the five, I mean Job and his friends, namely, that everything that had befallen Job was known to Him, may He be exalted, and that God had caused these misfor¬ tunes to befall him. All of them were also agreed that injustice was not per¬ mitted to Him and wrongdoing not to be ascribed to Him. You will find these 28. Cf. Midrash Ooheleth, 9:14; B.T., Sanhedrin, 91b; Genesis Rabbah, XXXIV.
31. A great king is mentioned in Eccles. 9: 14. Eccles. 9: 15 speaks of a poor wise man. A poor wise child is mentioned in Eccles. 4:13.
32. Cf. B.T., Hagigah, 16a. Cf. B.T., Berakhoth, 60b, and Rashi’s commentary.
48a ] The Guide of the Perplexed III -25 notions frequently also in the discourse of Job. If now you consider the dis¬ course of the five in the course of their conversation, you may almost'think1 that whatever one of them says is said also by all the others, so that the same notions are repeated and overlap. They are interrupted by Job's descrip¬ tion of the sufferings and misfortunes that had befallen him in spite of his outstanding righteousness and by the description of his justice, the nobleness of his character, and the goodness of his actions. Similarly they are inter¬ rupted in the discourse of his friends by exhortations to patience, words of consolation, appeals to him to be amicable, and advice that he ought to be silent and not give rein to his speech like an individual quarreling with another individual; he should rather submit to God’s judgments and be silent. He, on the other hand, says that the violence of the sufferings makes it impossible to be patient and firm and to say what one ought to. All his friends are also agreed that everyone who does good obtains a reward and that everyone who does evil is punished; and that if you see a disobedient man who is fortunate, in the end this state of affairs will be transformed into its contrary, for he will perish and misfortunes will befall him, his sons, and his offspring. If, however, you see an obedient man in misery, his fracture will certainly be remedied. You will find this notion repeated in the dis¬ courses of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, all three being agreed on this opinion. This, however, is not the purpose of | this story as a whole; for this purpose is rather to show the peculiarity of each of them and to make known each one’s opinion concerning this story: namely, that the greatest and heaviest misfortunes befall the most perfect individual, who was the most unblemished of them in righteousness. Job's opinion on this is that this hap¬ pening proves that the righteous man and the wicked are regarded as equal by Him, may He be exalted, because of His contempt for the human species and abandonment of it. This is what he says in all his speeches: It is all one — therefore I say: He destroy eth the innocent and the wicked. If the flood 2 slay suddenly, He will mock at the calamity of the guiltless.3 He says thus that if a torrent comes suddenly killing all those it meets and sweeping them away, He laughs at the calamity of the innocent. Thereupon he confirms this opinion in his dictum: One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at ease and quiet. His pails are full of milk, and so on. And another dieth in bitterness of soul, and hath never tasted of good. They lie down alike in the dust, and the worm covereth them.1' He also begins to cite as proof the good fortune and 1. Literally: find.
2. Maimonides apparently thus interprets the Hebrew word shot, which in this context probably means “scourge.”
The Guide of the Perplexed III • 23 492 [48 b prosperity of the wicked, treating at great length of this subject. He says: Even when I remember I am affrighted, and horror taketh hold on my flesh. Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, wax mighty in power? Their seed is established in their sight, and so on.5 Having described this perfect prosperity, he begins to say to his interlocutors: Even supposing matters are as you think and the children of the prosperous unbeliever perish after he is no more and their traces vanish, in what way is that prosperous man harmed by what happens to his family after he is no more? He says: For what pleasure hath he in his house after him, when the number of his months is determined?6 Thereupon he begins to make clear that there is no hope after death, and that nothing remains but neglect.7 Accordingly he begins to wonder how it is that He has not neglected in the origin the work of the generation and the creation of the human individual and neglects to govern him. He says accordingly:8 Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, | and curdled me like cheese? and so on.9 This is one of the opinions believed in concerning providence. You know the dictum of the Sages that this opinion of Job’s is most unsound. They say:10 May there be dust upon Job’s mouth. And they say: Job wanted to upset the plate. And they say: Job denied the resurrection of the dead. They also say of him: He began to blaspheme. With regard to His11 saying, may He be exalted, to Eliphaz: For ye have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job hath52 — the Sages, in order to find an excuse for it, say, A man is not to be blamed for [ what he does when] suffering,13 meaning that he was excused because of his great suffer¬ ings. However, this kind of speech does not accord with the parable.14 The cause of this15 is as we shall now explain to you. [Job] had given up his opinion, which was most mistaken, and had demonstrated that he had been mistaken therein. This view was such as arises at the first reflection and in the beginning thereof, especially in the case of one whom misfortunes have befallen, while he knows of himself that he had not sinned — which is not denied by anyone. For this reason this opinion is ascribed to Job. However, the latter said all that he did say as long as he had no true knowledge and knew the deity only because of his acceptance of authority, just as the multi¬ tude adhering to a Law know it. But when he knew God with a certain knowledge, he admitted that true happiness, which is the knowledge of the deity, is guaranteed to all who know Him and that a human being cannot be 5. Job 21:6-8. 6. Job 21:21. 7. On the part of God.
8. This refers to the formation of the fetus. 9. Job 10: 10.
13. B.T., Baba Bathra, 16b. 14. Literally: is not of the sort of the parable.
15. Of God’s words to Eliphaz.
49^] The Guide of the Perplexed III • 23 troubled in it by any of all the misfortunes in question. While he had known God only through the traditional stories and not by the way of speculation, Job had imagined that the things thought to be happiness,16 such as health, wealth, and children, are the ultimate goal. For this reason he fell into such perplexity and said such things as he did. | This is the meaning of his dic¬ tum: I had heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee; wherefore I abhor myself and repent of dust and ashes,17 This dictum may be supposed to mean, Wherefore I abhor all that I used to desire and repent of my being in dust and ashes — this being the position that he was supposed to be in: And he sat among the ashes. 18 It is because of this final discourse indicative of correct apprehension that it is said of him after this: F or ye have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job hath.19 The opinion of Eliphaz concerning this event is also one of the opinions professed concerning providence. For he says that everything that befell Job was deserved by him, for he had committed sins because of which he served these misfortunes. This is what he says to Job: Is not thy wickedness great? and are not thine iniquities without end?20 Then he began to tell Job -. The righteousness of your actions and your excellent way of life upon which you relied do not entail your being perfect before God so that you should not be punished: Behold, He putteth no trust in His servants, and His angels He chargeth with folly; how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust. 2 1 Eliphaz does not cease turning around this notion; I mean to say that he believes that everything that befalls a man is deserved, but that the deficiencies for which we deserve punishment and the way in which we deserve to be punished because of them are hidden from our perception.
The opinion of Bildad the Shuhite on this question consists in the belief in compensation. For he says to Job: If you are innocent and have not sinned, the reason for these great events is to make great your reward. You will receive the finest of compensations. All this is good for you, so that the good that you will obtain in the end be increased. This is | what he says to Job: If thou art pure and upright, surely now He will awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. And though thy beginning was small, yet thy end should greatly increase.22 You know already how well known this opinion on the subject of providence is, and we have already made it clear.
The opinion of Zophar the Naamathite is the one that considers that ^24 The Guide of the Perplexed III • 23 [ 50^ everything follows from the will25 alone 5 no reason whatever should be sought for His actions, and the question should not be posed:24 Why did He do this and why did He not do that? For this reason the point of view of justice or a requirement of wisdom should not be sought in whatever the deity does, for His greatness and true reality entail His doing what He wills. But we are incapable of penetrating the secrets of His wisdom, which neces¬ sitates His doing what He wills without there being another reason. This is what he says to Job:25 That God would speak, and open His lips against thee-, and that He would tell thee the secrets of wisdom, that they may teach thee doubly.25 Canst thou by searching find out God? Const thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Know then and consider how the story, which has perplexed people, is composed and called upon them to adopt the various opinions that we have analyzed above concerning God’s providence regarding the created things. All that is required by the classification27 is mentioned and ascribed to one of the men famous at that time because of virtue and knowledge. That would have to be said if this is a parable. Or they might have expressed these opinions in true reality if this is a story that has happened. The opinion attributed to Job is in keeping with the opinion of Aristotle; the opinion of Eliphaz is in keeping with the opinion of our Law; the opinion of Bildad is in keeping with the doctrine of the Muctazila; the opinion of Zophar is in keeping with the doctrine of the Ashcariyya. These were the ancient opinions concerning providence.
Thereupon another opinion supervenes, namely, the one attributed to Elihu. Hence he is considered by them28 as superior.29 For it is mentioned that he was the youngest among them in point of age and the most perfect among them in knowledge. He started to reprove Job and to tax him with ignorance | because of his having manifested his self-esteem and because of his not being able to understand how misfortunes could have befallen him though he performed good deeds. For he had expatiated at length on the goodness of his actions. He also described the opinions of [Job’s] three friends on providence as senile drivel; and made extraordinary speeches that are full of enigmas, in such a way that if someone considers his discourse, he wonders 23. Of God. 24. Literally: it should not be said. 25. Job 11:5-7.
26. The following words are omitted: Know therefore that God. exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
27. Of the opinions. 28. By Job and his three friends.
29. Or, according to manuscript variants: He is considered superior to them; or: He is distinguished from them.
506] The Guide of the Perplexed III -23 and thinks that he 30 does not in any respect make an addition to what was said by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, but merely repeats in different terms and with amplifications the notions contained in their speeches. For he does not go beyond blaming Job, ascribing the attribute of justice to God, de¬ scribing His wonders in the universe, and stating that He, may He be exalted, does not care either for the obedience of those who obey or for the dis¬ obedience of those who disobey. Now all these notions had been expressed by his companions. However, when you consider the matter, the additional notion that he introduced will become clear to you; this notion is the one that is intended;31 it had not occurred before to one of the others. Together with that notion, however, he says all they have said, just as each of all the others — namely, Job and his three friends — repeats, as I have mentioned to you, the notion expressed by another among them. This is done in order to hide the notion that is peculiar to the opinion of each individual, so that at first it occurs to the multitude that all the interlocuters are agreed upon the selfsame opinion; however, this is not so. The notion added by Elihu and not mentioned by one of them is that which he expresses parabolically when he speaks of the intercession of an angel. For he says that it is an attested and well-known thing that when a man is ill to the point of death and when he is despaired of, if an angel intercedes for him — regardless of what angel — his intercession is accepted and he is raised from his fall. This invalid is accord¬ ingly saved and restored to the best of states. However, this does not con¬ tinue always, there being no continuous intercession | going on forever, for it only takes place two or three times. He says: If there be for him an angel, an intercessor, and so on.52 And, having described the various states of the convalescent and his joy at returning to the perfection of health, he says: Lo, all these things doth God work, twice, yea thrice, with a man.5 5 This notion is made clear by Elihu alone. He also makes an addition — prior to speaking of this notion — by beginning to describe the how of prophecy in his dictum: F or God speaketh once, yea twice, yet [man] perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men.5* Thereupon he begins to confirm this opinion and to make clear its method by describing many natural circumstances, such as his describing thunder, lightning, rain, and the blowing of the winds. He combines this with many subjects belong¬ ing to the circumstances of animals - 1 mean an outbreak of pestilence re¬ ferred to in his dictum, In a moment they die, even at midnight, and so on;55 the occurrence of great wars referred to in his dictum, He breaketh in pieces