JOB - PAGE 9

Wikipedia Commons
The vision of Eliphaz
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 9

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold he putt no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly (Job 4:17-18)

Then a Spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up (Job 4:15)"

Job 4
[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
...
[12] Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.
[13] In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,
[14] Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake.
[15] Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:
[16] It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,
[17] Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?
[18] Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:] 
[19] How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
[20] They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
[21] Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

Job 5
[17] Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
[18] For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

Blake was familiar with visions. He relied on them to keep him in touch with the unseen world. Frightening visions were not alien to him. Gilchrist reported that Blake once ran out of his house upon seeing "a horrible grim figure, 'scaly, speckled, very awful,' stalking down stairs before him." The account in the Biblical Book of Job of Eliphaz's vision brought forth from Blake a picture of man being frightened by the appearance of God standing before him in a vivid dream. 

Eliphaz, one of Job's three comforters, sought to intimidate Job by presenting his dream in which God appeared before him with a dreadful countenance. Eliphaz intimates that this angry, hostile God will turn his wrath on Job and destroy him because he had set himself to be more just and pure than God Himself. Job however knew of a God who corrected his servant and intended to make him whole when he had been chastened.

Book of Urizen, Plate 2, (E 70)
"PRELUDIUM TO THE BOOK OF URIZEN 

Of the primeval Priests assum'd power,
When Eternals spurn'd back his religion;
And gave him a place in the north,
Obscure, shadowy, void, solitary.

Eternals I hear your call gladly,                                
Dictate swift winged words, & fear not
To unfold your dark visions of torment."

Milton, PLATE 26 [28], (E 122) 
"These are the Sons of Los, & these the Labourers of the Vintage
Thou seest the gorgeous clothed Flies that dance & sport in summer
Upon the sunny brooks & meadows: every one the dance
Knows in its intricate mazes of delight artful to weave:
Each one to sound his instruments of music in the dance,      
To touch each other & recede; to cross & change & return
These are the Children of Los; thou seest the Trees on mountains
The wind blows heavy, loud they thunder thro' the darksom sky
Uttering prophecies & speaking instructive words to the sons
Of men: These are the Sons of Los! These the Visions of Eternity 

But we see only as it were the hem of their garments
When with our vegetable eyes we view these wond'rous Visions"  

Jerusalem,Plate 25, (E 170)
"Injury the Lord heals but Vengeance cannot be healed:            
As the Sons of Albion have done to Luvah: so they have in him
Done to the Divine Lord & Saviour, who suffers with those that suffer:
For not one sparrow can suffer, & the whole Universe not suffer also,
In all its Regions, & its Father & Saviour not pity and weep.
But Vengeance is the destroyer of Grace & Repentance in the bosom
Of the Injurer: in which the Divine Lamb is cruelly slain:
Descend O Lamb of God & take away the imputation of Sin
By the Creation of States & the deliverance of Individuals Evermore Amen

Thus wept they in Beulah over the Four Regions of Albion
But many doubted & despaird & imputed Sin & Righteousness       
To Individuals & not to States, and these Slept in Ulro.

PLATE 26 

   SUCH VISIONS HAVE APPEARD TO ME 
     AS I MY ORDERD RACE HAVE RUN 
      JERUSALEM IS NAMED LIBERTY 
       AMONG THE SONS OF ALBION"

JOB - PAGE 10

Wikipedia Commons Job rebuked by his friends
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 10

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold (Job 23:10)

 

Have pity upon me! Have pity upon me! O ye my friends for the hand of God hath touched me (Job 19:21)

 

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15)

 

. . . the just upright man is laughed to scorn (Job 12:4)

 

Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? (Job 14:1-3)"

Job 23
[6] Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me.
[7] There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.
[8] Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
[9] On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
[10] But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
[11] My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
[12] Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
 

Job 19
[19] All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
[20] My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh, and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.
[21] Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
[22] Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
[23] Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
[24] That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
[25] For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
[26] And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
 

Job 13
[13] Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak, and let come on me what will.
[14] Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand?
[15] Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.
[16] He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
[17] Hear diligently my speech, and my declaration with your ears.
[18] Behold now, I have ordered my cause; I know that I shall be justified.
 

Job 12
[1] And Job answered and said,
[2] No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.
[3] But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
[4] I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright man is laughed to scorn.

Job 14
[1] Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
[2] He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
[3] And dost thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?

 

Job was continuing to be tested so that his dross might be consumed and his gold refined. Perhaps he did expect wisdom and support from his corporeal friends but it was not forthcoming. Instead he received doubts, rebukes and accusations.

Job came to the realization that the friends who visited him were corporeal friends not spiritual friends: their interest was in his welfare in the corporeal world; his own interest was his spiritual life and health and growth.
 

Blake associated the rebuke which Job received from his corporeal friends with the rejection he felt himself from critics and from false friends who were not able to acknowledge his gifts. Blake suffered from obscurity, poverty and humiliation because he would not pursue popularity, wealth, and renown in accordance with the world's standards. Like Job, Blake believed in the integrity of his own commitment to the truth he had received. Both Job and Blake reconciled themselves to enduring hardship rather abandoning their own inner light and attending to the condemnation from others.

Blake against an accuser.

Jerusalem, Plate 44 [30], (E 193)
"Being not irritated by insult bearing insulting benevolences
They percieved that corporeal friends are spiritual enemies      
They saw the Sexual Religion in its embryon Uncircumcision
And the Divine hand was upon them bearing them thro darkness
Back safe to their Humanity as doves to their windows:
Therefore the Sons of Eden praise Urthonas Spectre in Songs
Because he kept the Divine Vision in time of trouble."          

Letters, To Butts, (E 716)
"Time
flies faster, (as seems to me), here than in London I labour
incessantly & accomplish not one half of what I intend because my
Abstract folly hurries me often away while I am at work, carrying
me over Mountains & Valleys which are not Real in a Land of
Abstraction where Spectres of the Dead wander.  This I endeavour
to prevent & with my whole might chain my feet to the world of
Duty & Reality. but in vain! the faster I bind the better is the
Ballast for I so far from being bound down take the world with me
in my flights & often it seems lighter than a ball of wool rolled
by the wind Bacon & Newton would prescribe ways of making the
world heavier to me & Pitt would prescribe distress for a
medicinal potion. but as none on Earth can give me Mental
Distress, & I know that all Distress inflicted by Heaven is a
Mercy. a Fig for all Corporeal Such Distress is My mock & scorn.
Alas wretched happy ineffectual labourer of times moments that I
am! who shall deliver me from this Spirit of Abstraction &
Improvidence." 

Letters, To Butts, (E 728)
"Christ is very decided on
this Point.  "He who is Not With Me is Against Me" There is no
Medium or Middle state & if a Man is the Enemy of my Spiritual
Life while he pretends to be the Friend of my Corporeal. he is a
Real Enemy--but the Man may be the friend of my Spiritual Life
while he seems the Enemy of my Corporeal but Not Vice Versa"

Letters, To Butts, (E 730)
 "As to Mr H I feel myself at liberty to say as follows upon
this ticklish subject.  I regard Fashion in Poetry as little as I
do in Painting. so if both Poets & Painters should alternately
dislike (but I know the majority of them will not) I am not to
regard it at all but Mr H approves of My Designs as little as he
does of my Poems and I have been forced to insist on his leaving
me in both to my Own Self Will. for I am determind to be no
longer Pesterd with his Genteel Ignorance & Polite
Disapprobation.  I know myself both Poet &
Painter & it is not his affected Contempt that can move me to any
thing but a more assiduous pursuit of both Arts." 

. 

Job - Picture 11

Wikipedia Commons
Job's Evil Dreams
Page 11
Linell set of Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job

Republished from 6/28/10

A nightmare: 
Job 7
 13 When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint,
 14 even then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,

An excellent resource for studying Blake's Illustrations to the Book of Job is this website:

Jung, William Blake and our answer to Job by David Hiles. (Ellie's May 30, 2009 post entitled "Job's Image of God")

Speaking of Blake's overall structure and emphasis in his presentation of Job, David Hiles says:
"... it is clear that Blake makes a significant departure from the biblical text in terms of both the structure and emphasis of the series of plates. He eschews the cycle of speeches which occupy approximately 34 of the 42 Chapters of The Book of Job. Instead, Blake seems to concentrate on Job’s experience, and process of transformation. Blake also significantly expands the final stage of Job’s transformation, the stage of Return. Blake here seems to be acknowledging both his creative work and his own experience of suffering, i.e. through his work as a poet, artist and engraver, he is able to offer up a creative synthesis as an authentic expression to his readers."

Text and images are provided by Boston College.
Plate 11 When you click on this illustration you will see the watercolor painting which corresponds to it.

The 11th of the 21 pictures is the midpoint and illustrates the lowest psychological point that Job reaches. Job is shown prostrate and vulnerable in the center of the picture; above him is Satan masquerading as God as he points to the stone tablets of the law. The cloven hoof and the encircling serpent reveal his identity as Satan. The background is the chaos of the abyss. Below Job, who lies on a slab as if to be sacrificed, are fearful images taking hold of Job's body. Notice the flames the scaly arm the chains and the distorted faces. The mind and body of Job are assaulted by forces beyond his control, but Blake does not acknowledge that those forces represent the work of God.

Blake provides Biblical quotes to describe experience of Job which he is illustrating:
 
My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest (Job xxx: 17).
 
My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat (Job xxx: 30).
 
...the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment (Job xx: 5).
 
...for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light....his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness (Second Corinthians xi: 14-15).
 
Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions (Job vii: 14).
 
Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead into the rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me ["though consumed be my wrought Image" in above text] (Job xix: 22-27)
 
Who opposeth and exaulted himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped (Second Thessalonians ii: 4).

The Biblical quotes (with locations identified in the Boston College website) make it possible for us to understand some of what Blake wishes to convey in this plate. As portrayed by Blake, Job in his extreme condition, is able to recognize that a vengeful punishing God who would be the source of such pain and suffering, is not the God who is the object of his worship. He recognizes that this image of God which has been distorted by his suffering, does not describe his relationship to God: Satan can't be given the power to define God. The terrifying vision does not negate the redeeming God whom Job knows will preserve the eternal man who sees God with his own eyes. Satan is not to be exalted above God himself.

Blake sees this point in Job's experience as a revelation that Job must revise the whole pattern through which he himself views God: that he must reestablish a relationship with God which is not controlled by the legalistic Satanic paradigm of reward for obedience and punishment for failure. In the next ten plates Blake reveals the process of rebuilding Job's psyche and his experience of the nature of God. 
.

JOB - PAGE 11

Wikipedia Commons Job's Evil Dreams
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 11

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest (Job 30:17)

My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat (Job 30:30)

. . . the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment (Job 20:5) 

. . . for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light . . . his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness (II Corinthians 11:14-15) 

Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions (Job 7:14)

Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh? Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me (Job 19:22-27) 

Who opposeth & exalteth himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped (II Thessalonians 2:4)"

---

Job 30
[16] And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.
[17] My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.
[18] By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.
[19] He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.
[20] I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
[21] Thou art become cruel to me: with thy strong hand thou opposest thyself against me.
[22] Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.
[23] For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
[24] Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.
[25] Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?
[26] When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.
[27] My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.
[28] I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation.
[29] I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
[30] My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.
[31] My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.
 

Job 20
[4] Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, [5] That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
[6] Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
[7] Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

[8] He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
 

II Corinthians 11
[12] But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
[13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
[14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
[15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
 

Job 7
[13] When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint; [14] Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:
[15] So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.
[16] I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.
[17] What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
[18] And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?
[19] How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?
[20] I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?
[21] And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.
 

Job 19
[21] Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
[22] Why do ye persecute me as God, and are not satisfied with my flesh?
[23] Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
[24] That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
[25] For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
[26] And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
[27] Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
[28] But ye should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?
[29] Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.
 

2Thes.2
[1] Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

---

On Page 10 Job had defended himself from the external accusations made by his corporeal friends but his situation was now more dire. Now he had exposed himself to the consequences of encountering his own visions. If his suffering were generated by the image of God his own mind had created, how could he escape? He was sandwiched in between an image of a vindictive God and of a cruel nature.

Once again we see three levels in the picture but Job is now in the middle level between the image of a false God and the punishment which is already being inflicted on him. The implication is that he must reject the false image of God which he had accepted in order to free himself from the demons of his visions which are torturing him.

But the answer that Blake gave was not that man need annihilate the the false God, but he must annihilate the selfhood which creates the false image of God. Job had allowed Satan to be transformed into an image of light. In Job's vision God had taken on the characteristics of the devil: the cloven hoof, the entwining serpent, the angry lightening, and the unyielding laws engraved in stone.

This is the struggle which man fights with himself. Will he accept the Satanic image which his selfhood provides him or will he annihilate that ability within himself to ignore the persistent call from his spirit which can make him whole? If Job could hold fast to the knowledge that his redeemer lived and that in his flesh he would see God, his selfhood would lose power over him. His false reasoning power would be annihilated by his perception of truth. 

Four Zoas, Night VIII, PAGE 104 (SECOND PORTION), (E 377) 
"We now behold the Ends of Beulah & we now behold

Where Death Eternal is put off Eternally
Assume the dark Satanic body in the Virgins womb
O Lamb divine it cannot thee annoy O pitying one
Thy pity is from the foundation of the World & thy Redemption
Begun Already in Eternity   Come then O Lamb of God  
Come Lord Jesus come quickly

So sang they in Eternity looking down into Beulah.

The war roard round Jerusalems Gates it took a hideous form
Seen in the aggregate a Vast Hermaphroditic form 
Heavd like an Earthquake labring with convulsive groans
Intolerable at length an awful wonder burst
From the Hermaphroditic bosom Satan he was namd
Son of Perdition terrible his form dishumanizd monstrous   
A male without a female counterpart a howling fiend 
Forlorn of Eden & repugnant to the forms of life
Yet hiding the shadowy female Vala as in an ark & Curtains
Abhorrd accursed ever dying an Eternal death
Being multitudes of tyrant Men in union blasphemous

Against the divine image. Congregated Assemblies of wicked men 

Los said to Enitharmon Pitying I saw
Pitying the Lamb of God Descended thro Jerusalems gates
To put off Mystery time after time & as a Man
Is born on Earth so was he born of Fair Jerusalem
In mysterys woven mantle & in the Robes of Luvah 

He stood in fair Jerusalem to awake up into Eden
The fallen Man but first to Give his vegetated body   
To be cut off & separated that the Spiritual body may be Reveald"
 
Milton, PLATE 38 [43], (E 139)
"In the Eastern porch of Satans Universe Milton stood & said

Satan! my Spectre! I know my power thee to annihilate
And be a greater in thy place, & be thy Tabernacle               
A covering for thee to do thy will, till one greater comes
And smites me as I smote thee & becomes my covering.
Such are the Laws of thy false Heavns! but Laws of Eternity
Are not such: know thou: I come to Self Annihilation
Such are the Laws of Eternity that each shall mutually     
Annihilate himself for others good, as I for thee.
Thy purpose & the purpose of thy Priests & of thy Churches
Is to impress on men the fear of death; to teach
Trembling & fear, terror, constriction; abject selfishness
Mine is to teach Men to despise death & to go on            
In fearless majesty annihilating Self, laughing to scorn
Thy Laws & terrors, shaking down thy Synagogues as webs
I come to discover before Heavn & Hell the Self righteousness
In all its Hypocritic turpitude, opening to every eye
These wonders of Satans holiness shewing to the Earth     
The Idol Virtues of the Natural Heart, & Satans Seat
Explore in all its Selfish Natural Virtue & put off
In Self annihilation all that is not of God alone:
To put off Self & all I have ever & ever Amen

Satan heard! Coming in a cloud, with trumpets & flaming fire     

Saying I am God the judge of all, the living & the dead
Fall therefore down & worship me. submit thy supreme
Dictate, to my eternal Will & to my dictate bow
I hold the Balances of Right & Just & mine the Sword
Seven Angels bear my Name & in those Seven I appear             
But I alone am God & I alone in Heavn & Earth
Of all that live dare utter this, others tremble & bow"

. 

JOB - PAGE 12

Wikipedia Commons The wrath of Elihu
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 12

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not (Job 33:14)

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed (Job 33:15)

Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction (Job 33:16)

That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. (Job 33:17)

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings (Job 34:21)

I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid (Job 32:6)

Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living (Job 33: 29-30)

Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou (Job 35: 5)

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? . . . If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? (Job 35:6-7)

---

Job.32
[1] So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
[2] Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
[3] Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
[4] Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
 

Job 33
[8] Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
[9] I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
[10] Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
[11] He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
[12] Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
[13] Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
[14] For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
[15] In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
[16] Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
[17] That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
[18] He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
 

Job 35
[5] Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.
[6] If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
[7] If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
[8] Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

---

On Page 12 Blake presented Elihu speaking, Job listening, Job's wife praying, and the three friends thinking and wondering. Elihu, the young man of the New Age, had rejected the answers which satisfied his father and found his own method of accessing truth. The question implied was had Job been humbled enough to go back to the beginning by learning from a young man who has not been through what he has suffered?

Here are two posts which show Blake being transformed: Becoming an Individual, New Birth.

On Page 11 of Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job he pictured a man undergoing a shattering experience of encountering content from his unconscious. The images came to him in dreams and visions and penetrated his psychological organization. He found that his image of the Divine was so distorted that it required an alteration of his ability to perceive.

On Page 12 Elihu was presented as a fresh young voice who could give specific instruction to Job on the flaws in the way Job perceived God and man's relationship to God. The annihilation of the selfhood required that there be a replacement for Job's old method of processing his experience. Elihu could not teach Job how to relate to God but he could impress on Job the error of a vision of God which was too small.

Since Elihu was young he was not bound by the limits of a mind which has been crushed by failure and restrictions. He looked to the heavens for an expansive vision of possibilities not the generally accepted, worn-out answers which were handed down for generations. He advocated for a God whose concern was not man's righteousness but his ability to listen and to respond to revelation.

Songs of Experience, Song 54, (E31) 
"The Voice of the Ancient Bard.    

Youth of delight come hither:
And see the opening morn,
Image of truth new born.
Doubt is fled & clouds of reason.
Dark disputes & artful teazing.
Folly is an endless maze,
Tangled roots perplex her ways,

How many have fallen there!
They stumble all night over bones of the dead,
And feel they know not what but care
And wish to lead others, when they should be led."

Milton, Plate 25 [27], (E 122)
"The Awakener is come. outstretchd over Europe! the Vision of God is fulfilled
The Ancient Man upon the Rock of Albion Awakes,
He listens to the sounds of War astonishd & ashamed;
He sees his Children mock at Faith and deny Providence          
Therefore you must bind the Sheaves not by Nations or Families
You shall bind them in Three Classes; according to their Classes
So shall you bind them. Separating What has been Mixed
Since Men began to be Wove into Nations by Rahab & Tirzah
Since Albions Death & Satans Cutting-off from our awful Fields;  
When under pretence to benevolence the Elect Subdud All
From the Foundation of the World. The Elect is one Class: You
Shall bind them separate: they cannot Believe in Eternal Life
Except by Miracle & a New Birth. The other two Classes;
The Reprobate who never cease to Believe, and the Redeemd,       
Who live in doubts & fears perpetually tormented by the Elect
These you shall bind in a twin-bundle for the Consummation--
But the Elect must be saved from fires of Eternal Death,
To be formed into the Churches of Beulah that they destroy not the Earth"

Jerusalem, Plate 84, (E 243)
"O Los come forth O Los 
Divide us from these terrors & give us power them to subdue
Arise upon thy Watches let us see thy Globe of fire
On Albions Rocks & let thy voice be heard upon Euphrates.

Thus sang the Daughters in lamentation, uniting into One
With Rahab as she turnd the iron Spindle of destruction.    
Terrified at the Sons of Albion they took the Falshood which
Gwendolen hid in her left hand. it grew &, grew till it
Plate 85
Became a Space & an Allegory around the Winding Worm
They namd it Canaan & built for it a tender Moon
Los smild with joy thinking on Enitharmon & he brought
Reuben from his twelvefold wandrings & led him into it
Planting the Seeds of the Twelve Tribes & Moses & David
And gave a Time & Revolution to the Space Six Thousand Years
He calld it Divine Analogy, for in Beulah the Feminine
Emanations Create Space. the Masculine Create Time, & plant
The Seeds of beauty in the Space: listning to their lamentation

Los walks upon his ancient Mountains in the deadly darkness    
Among his Furnaces directing his laborious Myriads watchful 
Looking to the East: & his voice is heard over the whole Earth
As he watches the Furnaces by night, & directs the labourers

And thus Los replies upon his Watch: the Valleys listen silent:
The Stars stand still to hear: Jerusalem & Vala cease to mourn:" 

. 

JOB - PAGE 13

Wikipedia Commons
The Lord Answering Job Out of the Whirlwind
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 13

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2)

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1)

. . . who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh on the wings of the wind (Psalm 104:3)

Hath the rain a Father? or who hath begotten the drops of the dew? (Job 38:28)

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Job.38
[1] Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
[2] Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
[3] Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
[4] Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
[5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
[6] Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
[7] When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Psalms 104
[1] Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
[2] Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
[3] Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
[4] Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
[5] Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.

Job 38
[25] Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;
[26] To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
[27] To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
[28] Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

Logic is the child of reason. The reasoning mind seeks to sit in the drivers seat of the human psyche. But reason must be dislodged from his place of dominance to allow the intuitive function to take its place. The reply which Job received from God could not be fitted into logical categories because it must be experienced by intuition. It introduced an aspect of experiencing the whole not the individual parts. Notice that the answer to Job was in the form of queries not proclamations. Seeking answers which are not clearly delineated by any authority was the response Job made to an encounter with the living God.

Job understood that he was in the presence of a power which was as far beyond his level as the energy of the sun is beyond the energy of a candle. The driving force of the whirlwind drew Job into a realization that the works of God were infinite and eternal. Job and his wife faced the reality of the might of God with gratitude for the revelation which had been given to them.

Job had tried to justify himself before God. His encounter with God enabled him to relinquish his defensive attitude. He became humble and receptive to a continuing relationship with God through whom more truth may be made known to him.

Four Zoas, Night IX, Page 132, (E 400)  
"The feast was spread in the bright South & the Regenerate Man 
Sat at the feast rejoicing & the wine of Eternity
Was servd round by the flames of Luvah all Day & all the Night
And when Morning began to dawn upon the distant hills
a whirlwind rose up in the Center & in the Whirlwind a shriek
And in the Shriek a rattling of bones & in the rattling of bones 
A dolorous groan & from the dolorous groan in tears
Rose Enion like a gentle light & Enion spoke saying

O Dreams of Death the human form dissolving companied
By beasts & worms & creeping things & darkness & despair 
The clouds fall off from my wet brow the dust from my cold limbs
Into the Sea of Tharmas Soon renewd a Golden Moth
I shall cast off my death clothes & Embrace Tharmas again
For Lo the winter melted away upon the distant hills
And all the black mould sings. She speaks to her infant race her milk
Descends down on the sand. the thirsty sand drinks & rejoices"   

Four Zoas, Night IX, PAGE 138, (E 406) 
"Then Dark Urthona took the Corn out of the Stores of Urizen
He ground it in his rumbling Mills Terrible the distress
Of all the Nations of Earth ground in the Mills of Urthona
In his hand Tharmas takes the Storms. he turns the whirlwind Loose
Upon the wheels the stormy seas howl at his dread command        
And Eddying fierce rejoice in the fierce agitation of the wheels
Of Dark Urthona Thunders Earthquakes Fires Water floods
Rejoice to one another loud their voices shake the Abyss" 

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JOB - PAGE 14

Wikipedia Commons
When the Morning Stars Sang Together
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 14

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? (Job 38:31)

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7)

Let there be light (Genesis 1:3)

Let there be a firmament (Genesis 1:6)

Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear (Genesis 1:9)
And God made two great lights (Genesis 1:16)

Let the waters bring forth abundantly (Genesis 1:20)

Let the earth bring forth the living creatures . . . cattle, and creeping thing, the beasts of the earth (Genesis 1:24)

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Genesis 1
[1] In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
[7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
[8] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
[10] And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
[12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.
[14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
[15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
[17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
[18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
[19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
[20] And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
[21] And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
[23] And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

Job 38
[4] Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
[5] Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
[6] Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
[7] When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job 38
[31] Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
[32] Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
[33] Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

Luke 19
[9] And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
[10] For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
...
[37] And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
[38] Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
[39] And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
[40] And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
[41] And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,

Phillips Translation
Luke
19:40 - To which he replied, "I tell you that if they kept quiet, the very stones in the road would burst out cheering!"

Revelation 22
[16] I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
[17] And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.


We are invited to witness with Job the bringing forth of all things. Job was reborn by passing through his nadir of despair by encountering his false God, followed by his zenith of recognition by experiencing the might of God in the whirlwind. Job's world was transformed when he acquired the ability to perceive afresh. Blake uses the occasion of Job's new ability to see the creative nature of God to picture the rejoicing of man when God's beneficence becomes visible to him.
 
Perhaps it is important to notice that five of the six creative events recounted in Genesis and quoted in the borders of Page 14, occur because the voice of God pronounces the event. Only the two great lights actively are made by God and they for the purpose of ruling the divisions of night and day. Creation is both the nature and work of God; it has no beginning or ending. The morning stars, the light, the sun and moon, the waters, the dry land, the creatures of water and land; all are called into existence to make manifest the creative power of the Divine.

In Blake's image on Page 13 of Illustrations of the Book of Job, God holds the central position. Below his right arm is Apollo in his chariot pulled by four horses. Associated with Apollo are the physical sun, the reasoning mind called Urizen by Blake, and the dynamics of division into four functions called Zoas by Blake. Below God's left arm is Artemis the twin sister of Apollo, representing the moon, nature and the physical side of humanity called by Blake both Vala and Enion. Her chariot is pulled not by horses but by serpents or dragons.

Jerusalem, Plate 62, (E 213)
"I know that in my flesh I shall see God: but Emanations
Are weak. they know not whence they are, nor whither tend.

Jesus replied. I am the Resurrection & the Life.
I Die & pass the limits of possibility, as it appears
To individual perception. Luvah must be Created                  
And Vala; for I cannot leave them in the gnawing Grave.
But will prepare a way for my banished-ones to return
Come now with me into the villages. walk thro all the cities.
Tho thou art taken to prison & judgment, starved in the streets
I will command the cloud to give thee food & the hard rock       
To flow with milk & wine, tho thou seest me not a season
Even a long season & a hard journey & a howling wilderness!
Tho Valas cloud hide thee & Luvahs fires follow thee!
Only believe & trust in me, Lo. I am always with thee!
 So spoke the Lamb of God while Luvahs Cloud reddening" 

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Inscriptions in Blake's Illustrations of The Book of Job, 1825, (E 891)

"Blake's symbolic signature on the drawing for design XIV ("When the morning Stars sang together") is in the Fitzwilliam Museum.
John Beer begins to recognize the duality of the symbolism by noting that the central symbol both is and is not a "B"; it is also a thumb. Preceding it is a hand which is also a "W". Following these initials, B.W., is an eye, the "I" of Imagination. The first and last hieroglyphs are, respectively, a line which is the graver or pencil with which Blake draws his line of text and design, and a sun (flanked by two marks that imply a sphere in motion, notes Beer) which supplies the Illumination of his pages."
.
.

JOB - PAGE 15

Wikipedia Commons
Behemoth and Leviathan
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 15

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:
 

Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle? (Job 36:29)
 

Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud: And it is turned round about by his counsels (Job 37:11-12)
 

Behold now behemoth . . . He is the chief of the ways of God (Job 40:15, 19)

 

. . . he is a king over all the children of pride (Job 41: 34)
 

Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee (Job 40:15)

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Job 36
[10] He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.
[11] If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.
[12] But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge.
...
[26] Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
[27] For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:
[28] Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
[29] Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
[30] Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
[31] For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.
[32] With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.
[33] The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour.

Job 37
[11] Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:
[12] And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.
[13] He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy.
[14] Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

Job 40
[15] Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
[16] Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
[17] He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
[18] His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
[19] He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
[20] Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
[21] He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
[22] The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
[23] Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
[24] He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.

Job 41
1] Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?
[2] Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
[3] Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
[4] Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
...
[33] Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.
[34] He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

Looking at Page 15 of Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job, we see God and Job outside of the world in which Behemoth and Leviathan are enclosed. God is pointing out to Job and his party the two monsters which are encircled in a separate space. Job had experienced the two beasts as outside of himself but the lesson God is teaching is that Job internally creates the fear that the two creatures represent to him. To deal with the fears which Job perceived externally he must change his perception internally. If his fears come from his memories of the past, of from his failure to resolve issues springing from his unconscious, he must find solutions by acknowledging his dilemma as his own and not something created by his external circumstances.

 

The irrational fear that we have of the mere potential for harm inhibits our growth. If we fear loss, or change, or abandonment, or pain we allow ourselves to be imprisoned by Behemoth or Leviathan instead of refusing to allow them to control us. It is true that there are external threats to our happiness but they can be managed more creatively if they are seen objectively not as monsters which could overpower us.

It is not by accident that Blake's picture of Behemoth and Leviathan follows his picture of the Sons of God singing praise. The heavenly dimension in which the chorus of angels forever sing to the music of the spheres was real to Blake; Leviathan and Behemoth were illusions created by a mind which was trapped in the dominion of Satan. Following his vision of God's true nature which had been revealed to Job, the beasts which he feared could be seen to be as ludicrous as the two caricatures which Blake drew from his imagination.

Milton Percival wrote on Page 271 of William Blake's Circle of Destiny concerning Los's work in releasing imagination from Satan's grip:
"The Spectre, watching his work fall under the blows of Los's mighty hammer saw that

...all his pyramids were grains
Of sand & his pillars: dust on the flys wing: & his starry
Heavens; a moth of gold & silver mocking his anxious grasp

His universe is that illusory empire of nothing over which Satan is king. It cannot stand before truth because it is based upon the mistaken conception of good and evil. But tremendous energy has gone into its making, and that vast outpouring of energy, Blake respects. The lines just quoted are his salute to the enemy he hopes he has vanquished."

Jerusalem, Plate 91, (E 251)
"So Los cried at his Anvil in the horrible darkness weeping!

The Spectre builded stupendous Works, taking the Starry Heavens
Like to a curtain & folding them according to his will
Repeating the Smaragdine Table of Hermes to draw Los down
Into the Indefinite, refusing to believe without demonstration[.]
Los reads the Stars of Albion! the Spectre reads the Voids
Between the Stars; among the arches of Albions Tomb sublime
Rolling the Sea in rocky paths: forming Leviathan
And Behemoth: the War by Sea enormous & the War
By Land astounding: erecting pillars in the deepest Hell,     
To reach the heavenly arches; Los beheld undaunted furious

His heavd Hammer; he swung it round & at one blow,
In unpitying ruin driving down the pyramids of pride
Smiting the Spectre on his Anvil & the integuments of his Eye
And Ear unbinding in dire pain, with many blows,            
Of strict severity self-subduing, & with many tears labouring.

Then he sent forth the Spectre all his pyramids were grains
Of sand & his pillars: dust on the flys wing: & his starry
Heavens; a moth of gold & silver mocking his anxious grasp
Thus Los alterd his Spectre & every Ratio of his Reason       
He alterd time after time, with dire pain & many tears
Till he had completely divided him into a separate space." 

Further light is cast on the work performed by Los and Enitharmon in Blake's Four Zoas: The Design of a Dream by Brian Wilkie and Mary Lynn Johnson: 

 "Out of the unreal, deathly, antihuman, formlessness, Los and Enitharmon work continually to bring into full being whatever is potentially real, alive, and human: Los's transformation of war into love is one of the many points in Night VIII where opposites collide. Before evil, error, and death can be seen as non-entities to be cast off, all that is real under their dominion must be remade. What is left after that, since it is only delusion, will disappear in the mental fires of Night IX." (Page 175)

More posts on Behemoth and Leviathan:

 

May 2010

Feb 2012

Oct 2016