5:5: To hand over to Satan the
man so conditioned, for the destruction of the flesh.
παραδοῦναι = מָסַר, Aram. מְסַר,
“to hand over, deliver.” — Satan comes into view as the one who executes the
penal judgments of God; see § Matt 4:1 B, #3, C and the excursus “Ancient
Jewish Demonology,” #6.
a. Exodus Rabbah 21 (84A): R. Hama b. Hanina (ca. 260) said, “When
the Israelites went out of Egypt, the angel Sammael (= Satan) stood there to
accuse them.” R. Hama b. Hanina (ca. 260) explained this in the name of his
father (R. Hanina b. Hama [ca. 225]): “A parable. Like a shepherd who took his
small livestock across a river. A wolf came to attack the small livestock. The
shepherd, who had experience, what did he do? He took a large ram and handed it
over מסרו to the wolf. He said, ‘He may wrestle with
this one until we have crossed over the river, and then I will get it.’ So,
when the Israelites went out of Egypt, the angel Sammael stood there to accuse
them. He said before God, ‘Lord of the world, up until now they have committed
idolatry, and you will split the sea for them?’ What did God do? He handed Job
over מסר to him, Job who was among pharaoh’s
counselors; for it says of him, ‘He has an upright and righteous man’ (Job
1:1). God said to Sammael, ‘May he be in your hand!’ God said (to himself),
‘While he occupies himself with Job, the Israelites will have gone down into
the sea and come up again (reversed in the text: go up to the sea and down),
and then I will save Job.’ This is what Job said, ‘I was carefree שליו when he smashed me’ (Job 16:12). Job said, ‘ “I was his שֶׁלּוֹ in the world when he smashed me and grabbed my neck and
shattered me” (Job 16:12), in order to make me a target for the sake of his
people; as it says, “And made me a target for his benefit” (Job 16:12). It
further says, “God handed me over יַסְגִּירֵנִי (Tg.: ימסרנני)
to the evildoer” (Job 16:11), gave me up מסרני
into the hand of Satan, and lest the Israelites come out from the court as
godless, he cast הרטה me into his hand; see, “He cast me ירטני into the hand of evildoers” (Job 16:11).’ In that hour God said
to Moses, ‘Moses, look, I have handed Job over מסרתי
to Satan; what do you have to do now? “Tell the children of Israel to go forth”
(Exod 14:15).’ ” (Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A
Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Midrash, ed. Jacob N.
Cerone, 4 vols. [trans. Andrew Bowden and Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.:
Lexham Press, 2022], 3:415-16)
