Commentary Purg VI 118-123

'Jove' is used variously in the poem, a total of nine times, as follows: [Inf XIV 52], when Capaneus addresses the 'actual' Jupiter, the god who took his life; [Inf XXXI 45], when the poet conflates the Christian God and Jove as still menacing the rebellious giants who once attempted to storm Olympus; [Inf XXXI 92], when Virgil refers to Ephialtes' part in that attempt against Jove; in this passage, where the Christian God alone is meant; [Purg XXIX 120], when the poet refers to Jove's just punishment of Phaeton; [Purg XXXII 112], the poet refers to the eagle of empire as the 'bird of Jove'; [Par IV 62], where Beatrice names three of the planets; [Par XVIII 95], where the poet refers to the planet to which he has come; [Par XXII 145], where the poet again refers to the planet Jupiter.  Here alone does it refer only to the Christian God (it refers to God as Jupiter in [Inf XXXI 45] in a similar usage).  Although the poet realizes that his questioning of divine justice is out of bounds, he persists in it.  For that justice to be evident, an imperial ruler who would set things in order would have been sent to govern the earth.  The distracted quality of Dante's question might, again, indicate that he has heard of Henry's election, but not of his decision to come to Italy (see C.Purg.VI.97-102).

      God's plan for Italy, in any case, arises from his divine counsel, which is beyond our knowing: see Psalms 35:7: 'Iudicia tua abyssus multa' (Your judgments like the great deep), a citation first offered by Benvenuto da Imola (DDP Benvenuto.Purg.VI.121-123).