Commentary on Wisdom

Hesychius of Jerusalem

"Can you find the tracks of a passing boat or of an eagle seeking its prey?" As indeed the sea does not preserve the tracks of a boat, or the air, those of an eagle seeking its prey, in the same way that their tracks are not found, so the abundance of this world, when it passes, leaves no trace of happiness. It is forgotten along with what caused it. Thus Job despised all the fragility of this life, and taught us to not linger over it. - "Homilies on Job 12"

"Over time, in fact, the sea diminishes." Perhaps this alludes to him who, threatening the sea, dries it up. "And a desolate river is dried up." It does not say "rivers" but "a river," since all rivers are a single river, as the accounts in the book of Genesis tell us: "A spring rose from the ground." The one who created that river now dries it up, and, according to his will, he will render it invisible, when by his will he exhausts the sea and puts an end to the other elements of visible creatures. There is nothing surprising in the fact that Job spoke of what happened in the past and of what must take place in the future. Indeed, he speaks from the point of view of God, for whom future events, decided once and for all, are…

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