Fathers

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What the Fathers say

Job 18:10

Western Saints

Gregory the Dialogist

His snare is buried in the earth, and his trap upon the way. His 'snare is buried in the earth,' when sin is hidden under earthly interests. For our enemy in executing his plots shews to the human mind something to long after in earthly gain, and hides the snare of sin, that it may bind his soul tight, so that he should see indeed what he might set his heart on, and yet never see in what a snare of sin he is putting his foot. Now a trap has its name from entrapping. …

Morals on the Book of Job, Book XIV ↗

Thomas Aquinas

Second, the cause of the harm is sometimes from the things themselves in which he sins, as Scripture says, "Riches are amassed to the evil of the one possessing them." (Qoheleth 5:12) Harmful things of this sort come sometimes from things already obtained, and regarding this Baldath says, "A snare is hidden for him in the earth," because in fact some danger lies hidden in earthly things themselves by which the feet of the sinner are caught. …

Commentary on Job ↗