A verse by verse commentary on Job 1 dealing with God,satan and Job and the first test of Job and his character.

1. JOB 1 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
I TRODUCTIO :
If someone asked you what book of the Bible is among the most famous and the
most funny, what would you say? The reason the answer is funny is because it is so
unexpected, for that book would be the book considered to be so serious as to be
without humor, and that book would be Job. You man never have heard of it, but it
is considered by many to be the longest comedy in all the Bible. It is filled with
irony, sarcasm and insults much like many a sitcom on television. It is not full of
jokes, and it is not that you are going to laugh your way through it, for it is dealing
with tragedy as bad as they come, and ongoing suffering that is being endured by a
completely innocent man, who has to put up with friends who are constantly trying
to blame him for it all. It is full of pain, but it is also a case where tragedy and
comedy exist side by side.
William Whedbee of Pomona College wrote a study on Job and this is part of what
his thesis said, "The Book of Job continues to evoke radically diverse
interpretations. In particular, the problem of the dominant genre of the book has
perennially challenged and frustrated interpreters. My own thesis is that when the
poem of Job is set in its full and final literary context, replete with Prologue and
Epilogue as well as the Elihu speeches, the most apt generic designation of the book
is comedy . In proposing a comic interpretation, I wish to avoid an oversimplified
equation between comedy and laughter and want rather to focus on that vision of
comedy which has at least two central ingredients: (1) its perception of incongruity
and irony; and (2) its basic plot line that leads ultimately to the happiness of the
hero and his restoration to a harmonious society. When viewed from this
perspective, Job emerges as "the great reservoir of comedy" (Christopher Fry).
Thus we find such comic elements as caricature and parody in the depictions of
Job's friends, young Elihu, God, and even Job himself. Moreover, the "happy
ending" of Job, long a problem for interpreters, alters the tragic movement of the
book and helps to confirm its comic side. In my judgment, the category of comedy is
sufficiently broad and comprehensive to embrace the wealth of disparate genres and
traditions which have long been noted in the book of Job."
PRAISES OF THE BOOK
David J.A. Clines University of Sheffield
The Book of Job is regarded as one of the most significant works of world
literature, easily standing comparison with Dante’s Divine Comedy and Goethe’s
Faust.

2. August Dillmann, ‘In the freshness and power of the poetic insight and feeling, in
the wealth and splendour of the images, in the inexhaustible abundance of the ideas,
in the delicacy of the psychological perception and observation of nature, in the
depiction of the immensely manifold processes of nature and of the world of
humans, in the capacity to represent such matters in ever new garb, in the art of
changing tone and colour for the different speaking voices, so that melancholy and
lament, wrath and passion, scorn and bitterness, longing and hope, repose and
satisfaction, are represented aright, and especially to depict so aptly the majesty,
dignity, power and clarity of the God who speaks, and finally in the mastery of
language, in the beauty, force and sturdiness of expression, the poet shows himself
the equal of the finest models of antiquity’
Luther said of it: "Magnificent and sublime as no other
book of Scripture." Renan, the author and critic of the
past century, delivered himself as follows: "The Book of
Job is the Hebrew book par excellence-it is in the Book
of Job that the force, beauty, the depth of the Hebrew
genius are seen at their best." Tennyson called it "the greatest
poem of ancient or modern times." Carlyle said it was
"apart from all theories about it, one of the greatest things
ever written with pen. There is nothing written, I think,
in the Bible or out of it, of equal merit."
BY REV. JAMES AITKEN, M.A. " I call that [the Book of Job],
apart from all theories about it,
one of the grandest things ever written with pen. One feels,
indeed, as if it were not Hebrew; such a noble universality,
different from noble patriotism or sectarianism, reigns in it. A
noble Book ; all men s Book ! It is our first, oldest statement
of the never-ending Problem, man s destiny, and God s ways
with him here in this earth. And all in such free-flowing
outlines ; grand in its sincerity, in its simplicity ; in its epic
melody, and repose of reconcilement. There is the seeing eye,
the mildly understanding heart. So true every way ; true eye
sight and vision for all things ; material things no less than spiri
tual : the Horse, hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
he laughs at the shaking of the spear ! Such living likenesses
were never since drawn. Sublime sorrow ; sublime reconcilia
tion ; oldest choral melody as of the heart of mankind ; so soft,
and great ; as the summer midnight, as the world with its seas
and stars ! There is nothing written, I think, in the Bible or
out of it, of equal literary merit." CARLYLE.
" Of unknown date and unknown authorship, the language im
pregnated with strange idioms and strange allusions, un-Jewish
in form and in fiercest hostility to Judaism, [the Book of Job]
hovers like a meteor over the old Hebrew literature : in it but

3. not of it, compelling the acknowledgment of itself by its own
internal majesty, yet exerting no influence upon the mind of the
people, never alluded to and scarcely ever quoted, till at last
the light which it heralded rose up full over the world in
Christianity." J. A. FROUDE.
The praises of Job are almost as numberous and extreme as his sufferings. Famous
authors, scholars and poets are forever saying good things about this book. It is
regarded universally as the literary masterpiece of the O. T. It is treated like a
masterpiece also, for very few people bother to read the classics. They are nice to
own and have on the shelf, but whoever reads them. So it is with Job. It is
universally admired, but generally neglected.
Emile Joseph Dillon "Many scholars of literature declare Job to be the greatest
poetic drama ever written. Luther, "Magnificent and sublime as no other book of
Scripture." Bishop Lowth, "It stands single and unparalled in the scared volume."
Renan the skeptic said, "The Hebrew book par excellence...It is in the book of Job
that the force, beauty, the depth of the Hebrew genius are seen at their best."
Professor Davidson called it,"The most splendid creation of Hebrew poetry."
Professor Bruce, "There is nothing like it either in the Bible or outside of it; nothing
so thorough, so searching, or so bold." Tennyson counted it, "The greatest poem of
ancient or modern times."
Emile Joseph Dillon "But viewed even as a mere work of art, it would be hopeless to
endeavour to press it into the frame of any one of the received categories of
literary composition, as is evident from the fact that authorised and
unauthorised opinion on the subject has touched every extreme, and still
continues oscillating to-day. Many commentators still treat it as a
curious chapter of old-world history narrated with scrupulous fidelity by
the hero or an eye-witness, others as a philosophical dialogue; several
scholars regard it as a genuine drama, while not a few enthusiastically
aver that it is the only epic poem ever written by a Hebrew. In truth, it
partakes of the nature of each and every one of these categories, and is
yet circumscribed by the laws and limits of none of them. In form, it is
most nearly akin to the drama, with which we should be disposed to
identify it if the characters of the prologue and epilogue were

4. introduced as _dramatis personae_ in action. But their doing and
enduring are presupposed as accomplished facts, and employed merely as a
foil to the dialogues, which alone are the work of the author. Perhaps
the least erroneous way succinctly to describe what in fact is a
_unicum_ would be to call it a psychological drama.
THREE ESS OF THE BOOK
"One of the poet’s key structuring principles is what I call the ‘rule of three’. We can find
threeness in the overall division of the book into Prologue, Dialogue and Epilogue.
There are the three cycles of speeches. There are the three friends who come to ‘comfort’
Job and become his interlocutors for more than half the book. There is, again, for
example, the threefold structure of a poem like chapter 3: first, Job wishes that he had
never been born (vv. 3-10), then, if he had to be born, that he had not died at birth (vv.
11-19), and then, since he has had to survive, that he might die right now (vv. 20-26).
There is the threefold structure of Job’s last speech: (1) chapter 29, the former days, (2)
chapter 30, the present distress, (3) chapter 31, oath of innocence.
The poetic achievement of the book, however, lies not in the poet’s adoption of some
simple structuring device of such a kind, but in the unexpected uses he turns it to, the
deformations of the convention he has adopted. Sometimes we are surprised by an
unexpected surplus to the three; sometimes by an unprepared twist in the third
element."
Expositor's Bible Commentary
THE AUTHOR A D HIS WORK
THE Book of Job is the first great poem of the soul in its mundane conflict, facing
the inexorable of sorrow, change, pain, and death, and feeling within itself at one
and the same time weakness and energy, the hero and the serf, brilliant hopes,
terrible fears. With entire veracity and amazing force this book represents the
never-ending drama renewed in every generation and every genuine life. It breaks
upon us out of the old world and dim muffled centuries with all the vigour of the
modern soul and that religious impetuosity which none but Hebrews seem fully to
have known. Looking for precursors of Job we find a seeming spiritual burden and
intensity in the Accadian psalms, their confessions and prayers; but if they prepared
the way for Hebrew psalmists and for the author of Job, it was not by awaking the
cardinal thoughts that make this book what it is, nor by supplying an example of the
dramatic order, the fine sincerity and abounding art we find here welling up out of
the desert. The Accadian psalms are fragments of a polytheistic and ceremonial

5. world; they spring from the soil which Abraham abandoned that he might found a
race of strong men and strike out a new clear way of life. Exhibiting the fear,
superstition, and ignorance of our race, they fall away from comparison with the
marvellous later work and leave it unique among the legacies of man’s genius to
man’s need. Before it a few notes of the awakening heart, a thirst for God, were
struck in those Chaldaean entreaties, and more finely in Hebrew psalm and oracle:
but after it have come in rich multiplying succession the Lamentations of Jeremiah,
Ecclesiastes, the Apocalypse, the Confessions of Augustine, the Divina Commedia,
Hamlet, Paradise Regained, the Grace Abounding of Bunyan, the Faust of Goethe
and its progeny, Shelley’s poems of revolt and freedom, Sartor Resartus,
Browning’s Easter Day and Rabbi Ben Ezra, Amiel’s Journal, with many other
writings, down to "Mark Rutherford" and the "Story of an African Farm." The old
tree has sent forth a hundred shoots, and is still full of sap to our most modern
sense. It is a chief source of the world’s penetrating and poignant literature.
But there is another view of the book. It may well be the despair of those who desire
above all things to separate letters from theology. The surpassing genius of the
writer is seen not in his fine calm of assurance and self-possession, nor in the deft
gathering and arranging of beautiful images, but in his sense of elemental realities
and the daring with which he launches on a painful conflict. He is convinced of
Divine sovereignty, and yet has to seek room for faith in a world shadowed and
confused. He is a prophet in quest of an oracle, a poet, a maker, striving to find
where and how the man for whom he is concerned shall sustain himself. And yet,
with this paradox wrought into its very substance, his work is richly fashioned, a
type of the highest literature, drawing upon every region natural and supernatural,
descending into the depths of human woe, rising to the heights of the glory of God,
never for one moment insensible to the beauty and sublimity of the universe. It is
literature with which theology is so blended that none can say, Here is one, there the
other. The passion of that race which gave the world the idea of the soul, which
clung with growing zeal to the faith of the One Eternal God as the fountain of life
and equally of justice, this passion in one of its rarest modes pours through the Book
of Job like a torrent, forcing its way towards the freedom of faith, the harmony of
intuition with the truth of things. The book is all theology, one may say, and all
humanity no less. Singularly liberal in spirit and awake to the various elements of
our life, it is moulded, notwithstanding its passion, by the artist’s pleasure in
perfecting form, adding wealth of allusion and ornament to strength of thought. The
mind of the writer has not hastened. He has taken long time to brood over his
torment and seek deliverance. The fire burns through the sculpture and carved
framework and painted windows of his art with no loss of heat. Yet, as becomes a
sacred book, all is sobered and restrained to the rhythmic flow of dramatic
evolution, and it is as if the eager soul had been chastened, even in its fieriest
endeavour, by the regular procession of nature, sunrise and sunset, spring and
harvest, and by the sense of the Eternal One, Lord of light and darkness, life and
death. Built where, before it, building had never been reared in such firmness of
structure and glow of orderly art, with such design to shelter the soul, the work is a
fresh beginning in theology as well as literature, and those who would separate the
two must show us how to separate them here, must explain why their union in this

6. poem is to the present moment so richly fruitful. An origin it stands by reason of its
subject no less than its power, sincerity, and freedom.
A phenomenon in Hebrew thought and faith-to what age does it belong? o record
or reminiscence of the author is left from which the least hint of time may be
gathered. He, who by his marvellous poem struck a chord of thought deep and
powerful enough to vibrate still and stir the modern heart, is uncelebrated,
nameless. A traveller, a master of his country’s language, and versed no less in
foreign learning, foremost of the men of his day whensoever it was, he passed away
as a shadow, though he left an imperishable monument. "Like a star of the first
magnitude," says Dr. Samuel Davidson, "the brilliant genius of the writer of Job
attracts the admiration of men as it points to the Almighty Ruler chastening yet
loving His people. Of one whose sublime conceptions (mounting the height where
Jehovah is enthroned in light, inaccessible to mortal eye) lift him far above his time
and people-who climbs the ladder of the Eternal, as if to open heaven-of this giant
philosopher and poet we long to know something, his habitation, name, appearance.
The very spot where his ashes rest we desire to gaze upon. But in vain." Strange, do
we say? And yet how much of her great poet, Shakespeare, does England know? It
is not seldom the fate of those whose genius lifts them highest to be unrecognised by
their own time. As English history tells us more of Leicester than of Shakespeare, so
Hebrew history records by preference the deeds of its great King Solomon. A
greater than Solomon was in Israel, and history knows him not. o prophet who
followed him and wrought sentences of his poem into lamentation or oracle, no
chronicler of the exile or the return, preserving the names and lineage of the nobles
of Israel, has mentioned him. Literary distinction, the praise of service to his
country’s faith could not have been in his mind. They did not exist. He was content
to do his work, and leave it to the world and to God.
And yet the man lives in his poem. We begin to hope that some indication of the
period and circumstances in which he wrote may be found when we realise that here
and there beneath the heat and eloquence of his words may be heard those
undertones of personal desire and trust which once were the solemn music of a life.
His own, not his hero’s, are the philosophy of the book, the earnest search for God,
the sublime despondency, the bitter anguish, and the prophetic cry that breaks
through the darkness. We can see that it is vain to go back to Mosaic or pre-Mosaic
times for life and thought and words like his; at whatever time Job lived, the poet-
biographer deals with the perplexities of a more anxious world. In the imaginative
light with which he invests the past no distinct landmarks of time are to be seen. The
treatment is large, general, as if the burden of his subject carried the writer not only
into the great spaces of humanity, but into a region where the temporal faded into
insignificance as compared with the spiritual. And yet, as through openings in a
forest, we have glimpses here and there, vaguely and momentarily showing what age
it was the author knew. The picture is mainly of timeless patriarchal life; but, in the
foreground or the background, objects and events are sketched that help our
inquiry. "His troops come together and cast up their way against me." "From out of
the populous city men groan, and the soul of the wounded crieth out." "He looseth
the bond of kings, and bindeth their loins with a girdle; He leadeth priests away

7. spoiled, and over-throweth the mighty He increaseth the nations and destroyeth
them; He spreadeth the nations abroad and bringeth them in." o quiet patriarchal
life in a region sparsely peopled, where the years went slow and placid, could have
supplied these elements of the picture. The writer has seen the woes of the great city
in which the tide of prosperity flows over the crushed and dying. He has seen, and,
indeed, we are almost sure has suffered in, some national disaster like those to
which he refers. A Hebrew, not of the age after the return from exile, -for the style
of his writing, partly through the use of Arabic and Aramaic forms, has more of
rude vigour and spontaneity on the whole than fits so late a date, -he appears to
have felt all the sorrows of his people when the conquering armies of Assyria or of
Babylon overran their land.
The scheme of the book helps to fix the time of the composition. A drama so
elaborate could not have been produced until literature had become an art. Such
complexity of structure as we find in Psalms 119:1-176 shows that by the time of its
composition much attention was paid to form. It is no longer the pure lyric cry of
the unlearned singer, but the ode, extremely artificial notwithstanding its sincerity.
The comparatively late date of the Book of Job appears in the orderly balanced
plan, not indeed so laboured as the psalm referred to, but certainly belonging to a
literary age.
Again, a note of time has been found by comparing the contents of Job with
Proverbs, Isaiah, Ecclesiastes, and other books. Proverbs, chapters 3 and 8, for
example, may be contrasted with chapter 28 of the Book of Job. Placing them
together we can hardly escape the conclusion that the one writer had been
acquainted with the work of the other. ow, in Proverbs it is taken for granted that
wisdom may easily be found: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man
that getteth understanding. Keep sound wisdom and discretion; so shall they be life
unto thy soul and grace to thy neck." The author of the panegyric has no difficulty
about the Divine rules of life. Again, Proverbs 8:15-16 : "By me kings reign, and
princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the
earth." In Job 28:1-28, however, we find a different strain. There it is: "Where shall
wisdom be found? It is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls
of the air"; and the conclusion is that wisdom is with God, not with man. Of the two
it seems clear that the Book of Job is later.
It is occupied with questions which make wisdom, the interpretation of providence
and the ordering of life, exceedingly hard. The writer of Job, with the passages in
Proverbs before him, appears to have said to himself: Ah! it is easy to praise wisdom
and advise men to choose wisdom and walk in her ways. But to me the secrets of
existence are deep, the purposes of God unfathomable. He is fain, therefore, to put
into the mouth of Job the sorrowful cry, "Where shall wisdom be found, and where
is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof . . . It cannot be
gotten for gold." Both in Proverbs and Job, indeed, the source of Hokhma or
wisdom is ascribed to the fear of Jehovah; but the whole contention in Job is that
man fails in the intellectual apprehension of the ways of God. Referring the earlier
portions of Proverbs to the post-Solomonic age we should place the Book of Job at a

8. later date.
It is not within our scope to consider here all the questions raised by parallel
passages and discuss the priority and originality in each case. Some resemblances in
Isaiah may, however, be briefly noticed, because we seem on the whole to be led to
the conclusion that the Book of Job was written between the periods of the first and
second series of Isaiah oracles. They are such as these. In Isaiah 19:5, "The waters
shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry,"-referring to
the ile: parallel in Job 14:11, "As the waters fail from the sea, and the river
decayeth and drieth up,"-referring to the passing of human life. In Isaiah 19:13,
"The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of oph are deceived; they have
caused Egypt to go astray,"-an oracle of specific application: parallel in Job 12:24,
"He taketh away the heart of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causeth them
to wander in a wilderness where there is no way,"-a description at large. In Isaiah
28:29, "This also cometh forth from Jehovah of Hosts, which is wonderful in
counsel, and excellent in wisdom": parallel in Job 11:5-6, "Oh that God would
speak, and open His lips against thee; and that He would show thee the secrets of
wisdom, that it is manifold in effectual working!" The resemblance between various
parts of Job and "the writing of Hezekiah when he had been sick and was recovered
of his sickness," are sufficiently obvious, but cannot be used in any argument of
time. And on the whole, so far, the generality and, in the last case, somewhat stiff
elaboration of the ideas in Job as compared with Isaiah are almost positive proof
that Isaiah went first. Passing now to the fortieth and subsequent chapters of Isaiah
we find many parallels and much general similarity to the contents of our poem. In
Job 26:12, "He stirreth up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He
smiteth through Rahab": parallel in Isaiah 51:9-10, "Art thou not it that cut Rahab
in pieces, that pierced the dragon? Art thou not it which dried up the sea, the waters
of the great deep?" In Job 9:8, "Which alone stretcheth out the heavens, and
treadeth upon the waves of the sea": parallel in Isaiah 40:22, "That stretcheth out
the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." In these and
other cases the resemblance is clear, and on the whole the simplicity and apparent
originality lie with the Book of Job. Professor Davidson claims that Job, called by
God "My servant," resembles in many points the servant of Jehovah in Isaiah 53:1-
12, and the claim must be admitted. But on what ground Kuenen can affirm that the
writer of Job had the second portion of Isaiah before him and painted his hero from
it one fails to see. There are many obvious differences.
It has now become almost clear that the book belongs either to the period (favoured
by Ewald, Renan, and others) immediately following the captivity of the northern
tribes, or to the time of the captivity of Judah (fixed upon by Dr. A.B. Davidson,
Professor Cheyne, and others). We must still, however, seek further light by
glancing at the main problem of the book, which is to reconcile the justice of Divine
providence with the sufferings of the good, so that man may believe in God even in
sorest affliction. We must also consider the hint of time to be found in the
importance attached to personality, the feelings and destiny of the individual and
his claim on God.

9. Taking first the problem, -while it is stated in some of the psalms and, indeed, is
sure to have occurred to many a sufferer, for most think themselves undeserving of
great pain and affliction, -the attempt to grapple with it is first made in Job. The
Proverbs, Deuteronomy, and the historical books take for granted that prosperity
follows religion and obedience to God, and that suffering is the punishment of
disobedience. The prophets also, though they have their own view of national
success, do not dispense with it as an evidence of Divine favour. Cases no doubt
were before the mind of inspired writers which made any form of the theory
difficult to hold but these were regarded as temporary and exceptional, if indeed
they could not be explained by the rule that God sends earthly prosperity to the
good, and suffering to the bad in the long run. To deny this and to seek another rule
was the distinction of the author of Job, his bold and original adventure in theology.
And the attempt was natural, one may say necessary, at time when the Hebrew
states were suffering from those shocks of foreign invasion which threw their
society, commerce, and politics into the direst confusion. The old ideas of religion no
longer sufficed. Overcome in war, driven out of their own land, they needed a faith
which could sustain and cheer them in poverty and dispersion. A generation having
no outlook beyond captivity was under a curse from which penitence and renewed
fidelity could not secure deliverance. The assurance of God’s friendship in affliction
had to be sought.
The importance attached to personality and the destiny of the individual is on two
sides guide to the date of the book. In some of the psalms, undoubtedly belonging to
an earlier period, the personal cry is heard. o longer content to be part and parcel
of the class or nation, the soul in these psalms asserts its direct claim on God for
light and comfort and help. And some of them, the thirteenth for example (Psalms
13:1-6) insist passionately on the right of a believing man to a portion in Jehovah.
ow in the dispersion of the northern tribes or the capture of Jerusalem this
personal question would be keenly accentuated. Amidst the disasters of such a time
those who are faithful and pious suffer along with the rebellious and idolatrous.
Because they are faithful to God, virtuous and patriotic beyond the rest, they may
indeed have more affliction and loss to endure. The psalmist among his own people,
oppressed and cruelly wronged has the need of a personal hope forced upon him
and feels that he must be able to say, "The Lord is my shepherd." Yet he cannot
entirely separate himself from his people. When those of his own house and kindred
rise against him still they too may claim Jehovah as their God. But the homeless
exile, deprived of all, a solitary wanderer on the face of the earth, has need to seek
more earnestly for the reason of his state. The nation is broken up; and if he is to
find refuge in God, he must look for other hopes than hinge on national recovery. It
is the God of the whole earth he must now seek as his portion. A unit not of Israel
but of humanity, he must find a bridge over the deep chasm that seems to separate
his feeble life from the Almighty, a chasm all the deeper that he has been plunged
into sore trouble. He must find assurance that the unit is not lost to God among the
multitudes, that the life broken and prostrate neither forgotten nor rejected by the
Eternal King. And this precisely corresponds with the temper of our book and the
conception of God we find in it. A man who has known Jehovah as the God of Israel
seeks his justification, cries for his individual right to Eloah, the Most High, the God

10. of universal nature and humanity and providence.
ow, it has been alleged that through the Book of Job there runs a constant but
covert reference to the troubles of the Jewish Church in the Captivity, and
especially that Job himself represents the suffering flock of God. It is not proposed
to give up entirely the individual problem, but along with that, superseding that, the
main question of the poem is held to be why Judah should suffer so keenly and lie
on the mezbele or ash heap of exile. With all respect to those who hold this theory
one must say that it has no substantial support; and, on the other hand, it seems
incredible that a member of the Southern Kingdom (if the writer belonged to it),
expending so much care and genius on the problem of his people’s defeat and
misery, should have passed beyond his own kin for a hero, should have set aside
almost entirely the distinctive name Jehovah, should have forgotten the ruined
temple and the desolate city to which every Jew looked back across the desert with
brimming eyes, should have let himself appear, even while he sought to reassure his
compatriots in their faith, as one who set no store by their cherished traditions, their
great names, their religious institutions, but as one whose faith was purely natural
like that of Edom. Among the good and true men who, at the taking of Jerusalem by
ebuchadnezzar, were left in penury, childless and desolate, a poet of Judah would
have found a Jewish hero. To his drama what embellishment and pathos could have
been added by genius like our author’s, if he had gone back on the terrible siege and
painted the Babylonian victors in their cruelty and pride, the misery of the exiles in
the land of idolatry. One cannot help believing that to this writer Jerusalem was
nothing, that he had no interest in its temple, no love for its ornate religious services
and growing exclusiveness. The suggestion of Ewald may be accepted, that he was a
member of the orthern Kingdom driven from his home by the overthrow of
Samaria. Undeniable is the fact that his religion has more sympathy with Teman
than with Jerusalem as it was. If he belonged to the north this seems to be explained.
To seek help from the priesthood and worship of the temple did not occur to him.
Israel broken up, he has to begin afresh. For it is with his own religious trouble he is
occupied; and the problem is universal.
Against the identification of Job with the servant of Jehovah in Isaiah 53:1-12 there
is one objection, and it is fatal. The author of Job has no thought of the central idea
in that passage-vicarious suffering. ew light would have been thrown on the whole
subject if one of the friends had been made to suggest the possibility that Job was
suffering for others, that the "chastisement of their peace" was laid on him. Had the
author lived after the return from captivity and heard of this oracle, he would
surely have wrought into his poem the latest revelation of the Divine method in
helping and redeeming men.
The distinction of the Book of Job we have seen to be that it offers a new beginning
in theology. And it does so not only because it shifts faith in the Divine justice to a
fresh basis, but also because it ventures on a universalism for which indeed the
Proverbs had made way, which however stood in sharp contrast to the narrowness
of the old state religion. Already it was admitted that others than Hebrews might
love the truth, follow righteousness, and share the blessings of the heavenly King. To

11. that broader faith, enjoyed by the thinkers and prophets of Israel, if not by the
priests and people, the author of the Book of Job added the boldness of a more
liberal inspiration. He went beyond the Hebrew family for his hero to make it clear
that man, as man, is in direct relation to God. The Psalms and the Book of Proverbs
might be read by Israelites and the belief still retained that God would prosper
Israel alone, at any rate in the end. ow, the man of Uz, the Arabian sheikh, outside
the sacred fraternity of the tribes, is presented as a fearer of the true God-His
trusted witness and servant. With the freedom of a prophet bringing a new message
of the brotherhood of men our author points us beyond Israel to the desert oasis.
Yes: the creed of Hebraism had ceased to guide thought and lead the soul to
strength. The Hokhma literature of Proverbs, which had become fashionable in
Solomon’s time, possessed no dogmatic vigour, fell often to the level of moral
platitude, as the same kind of literature does with us, and had little help for the soul.
The state religion, on the other hand, both in the orthern and Southern Kingdoms,
was ritualistic, again like ours, clung to the old tribal notion, and busied itself about
the outward more than the inward, the sacrifices rather than the heart, as Amos and
Isaiah clearly indicate. Hokhma of various kinds, plus energetic ritualism, was
falling into practical uselessness. Those who held the religion as a venerable
inheritance and national talisman did not base their action and hope on it out in the
world. They were beginning to say, "Who knoweth what is good for man in this life-
all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? For who can tell a man
what shall be after him under the sun?" A new theology was certainly needed for
the crisis of the time.
The author of the Book of Job found no school possessed of the secret of strength.
But he sought to God, and inspiration came to him. He found himself in the desert
like Elijah, like others long afterwards, John the Baptist, and especially Saul of
Tarsus, whose words we remember, either went I up to Jerusalem, but I went into
Arabia. There he met with a religion not confined by rigid ceremony as that of the
southern tribes, not idolatrous like that of the north, a religion elementary indeed,
but capable of development. And he became its prophet. He would take the wide
world into council. He would hear Teman and Shuach and aamah; he would also
hear the voice from the whirlwind, and the swelling sea, and the troubled nations,
and the eager soul. It was a daring dash beyond the ramparts. Orthodoxy might
stand aghast within its fortress. He might appear a renegade in seeking tidings of
God from the heathen, as one might now who went from a Christian land to learn
from the Brahman and the Buddhist. But he would go nevertheless; and it was his
wisdom. He opened his mind to the sight of fact, and reported what he found, so
that theology might be corrected and made again a handmaid of faith. He is one of
those Scripture writers who vindicate the universality of the Bible, who show it to be
a unique foundation, and forbid the theory of a closed record or dried-up spring,
which is the error of Bibliolatry. He is a man of his age and of the world, yet in
fellowship with the Eternal Mind.
An exile, let us suppose, of the orthern Kingdom, escaping with his life from the
sword of the Assyrian, the author of our book has taken his way into the Arabian

12. wilderness and there found the friendship of some chief and a safe retreat among his
people. The desert has become familiar to him, the sandy wastes and vivid oases, the
fierce storms and affluent sunshine, the animal and vegetable life, the patriarchal
customs and legends of old times. He has travelled through Idumaea, and seen the
desert tombs, on to Midian and its lonely peaks. He has heard the roll of the Great
Sea on the sands of the Shefelah, and seen the vast tide of the ile flowing through
the verdure of the Delta and past the pyramids of Memphis. He has wandered
through the cities of Egypt and viewed their teeming life, turning to the use of
imagination and religion all he beheld. With a relish for his own language, yet
enriching it by the words and ideas of other lands, he has practised himself in the
writer’s art, and at length, in some hour of burning memory and revived experience,
he has caught at the history of one who, yonder in a valley of the eastern wilderness,
knew the shocks of time and pain though his heart was right with God; and in the
heat of his spirit the poet-exile makes the story of that life into a drama of the trial
of human faith, -his own endurance and vindication, his own sorrow and hope.
Prologue
1 In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name
was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he
feared God and shunned evil.
If you're looking for the latest buzz
Check out Job from the land of Uz.
You'll have to search the whole wide globe
To find a man greater than Job.
He was a man blameless and upright
And he chose against all evil to fight.
As through this world of woe he trod,
He lived his life in the fear of God.
AGE I WHICH HE LIVED, CATHOLIC E CYCLOPEDIA, "According to the
usual and well-founded assumption, Job lived long before Moses. This is shown by
the great age he attained. He was no longer young when overtaken by his great
misfortune (xii, 12; xxx, 1); after his restoration he lived one hundred and forty
years longer (xlii, 16). His wealth like that of the Patriarchs, consisted largely in

13. flocks and herds (i, 3; xlii, 12). The kesitah or piece of money mentioned in xlii, 11,
belongs to patriarchal times; the only other places in which the expression occurs
are Gen., xxxiii, 19, and Jos., xxiv, 32. The musical instruments referred to (xxi, 12;
xxx, 31) are only those mentioned in Genesis (Gen. iv, 21; xxxi, 27): organ, harp, and
timbrel. Job himself offers sacrifice as the father of the family (i, 5), as was also the
custom of the Patriarchs. An actual offering for sin in the Mosaic sense he was not
acquainted with; the holocaust took its place (i, 5; xlii, 8). "
This is Israel's first book of poetry and wisdom. We have here not, the wizard of Oz,
but the wisdom of Uz. Uz was in Arabia near the mouth of the Euphrates river, or in
what we today call Iraq. It is amazing how much of the Bible revolves around this
country we now call Iraq, which is so much in the news.
1. The garden of Eden was in Iraq.
2. Mesopotamia which is now Iraq was the cradle of civilization.
3. Noah built the ark in Iraq.
4. The Tower of Babel was in Iraq.
5. Abraham was from Ur, which is in Southern Iraq.
6. Isaac's wife Rebekah is from Nahor which is in Iraq.
7. Jacob met Rachel in Iraq.
8. Jonah preached in Nineveh - which is in Iraq.
9. Assyria which is in Iraq conquered the ten tribes of Israel.
10. Amos cried out in Iraq.
11. Babylon which is in Iraq destroyed Jerusalem.
12. Daniel was in the lion's den in Iraq.
13. The 3 Hebrew children were in the fire in Iraq.
14. Belshazzar, the King of Babylon saw the "writing on the wall" in
Iraq.
15. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, carried the Jews captive into
Iraq.

14. 16. Ezekiel preached in Iraq.
17. The wise men were from Iraq.
18. Peter preached in Iraq.
19. The "Empire of Man" described in Revelation is called Babylon,
which was a city in Iraq.
And you have probably seen this one. Israel is the nation most often
mentioned in the Bible. But do you know which nation is second? It is
Iraq! However, that is not the name that is used in the Bible. The
names used in the Bible are Babylon, Land of Shinar, and Mesopotamia.
The word Mesopotamia means between the two rivers, more exactly between
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The name Iraq, means country with deep
roots. Indeed, Iraq is a country with deep roots and is a very
significant country in the Bible.
No other nation, except Israel, has more history and prophecy
associated in it than Iraq
Job was one of the famous Gentiles of the Bible. Some Jews want to claim him as
one of their own, but the vast majority of commentators, even Jewish ones, agree
that he was likely an Arabian gentile.
JOB
The name signifies sorrowful, or he that weeps. W.F. Albright says the name means
"Where is my father." It fits the frequent cry of Job in 9:11, 22:12, 23:1-8.
Job--The name comes from an Arabic word meaning "to return," namely, to God, "to
repent," referring to his end [EICHORN]; or rather from a Hebrew word signifying one to
whom enmity was shown, "greatly tried" [GESENIUS]. Significant names were often given
among the Hebrews, from some event of later life ).
BAR ES, "There was a man - This has all the appearance of being a true history.
Many have regarded the whole book as a fiction, and have supposed that no such person
as Job ever lived. But the book opens with the appearance of reality; and the express
declaration that there was such a man, the mention of his name and of the place where
he lived, show that the writer meant to affirm that there was in fact such a man. On this
question see the Introduction, Section 1.
In the land of Uz - On the question where Job lived, see also the Introduction,

15. Section 2.
Whose name was Job - The name Job (Hebrew ‫איוב‬ 'ıyôb, Gr. ᅾώβ Iōb means
properly, according to Gesenius, “one persecuted,” from a root (‫איב‬ 'âyab) meaning to be
an enemy to anyone, to persecute, to hate. The primary idea, according to Gesenius, is to
be sought in breathing, blowing, or puffing at, or upon anyone, as expressive of anger or
hatred, Germ. “Anschnauben.” Eichhorn (Einleit. section 638. 1,) supposes that the
name denotes a man who turns himself penitently to God, from a sense of the verb still
found in Arabic “to repent.” On this supposition, the name was given to him, because, at
the close of the book, he is represented as exercising repentance for the improper
expressions in which he had indulged during his sufferings. The verb occurs only once in
the Hebrew Scriptures, Exo_23:22 : But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all
that I speak, then “I will be an enemy” ‫אויב‬ 'ôyêb “unto thine enemies” ‫אויב‬ ‫את‬ 'êth
'ôyêb.
The participle ‫איב‬ 'oyēb is the common word to denote an enemy in the Old
Testament, Exo_15:6, Exo_15:9; Lev_26:25; Num_35:23; Deu_32:27, Deu_32:42; Psa_
7:5; Psa_8:2; Psa_31:8; Lam_2:4-5; Job_13:24; Job_27:7; Job_33:10, “et soepe al.” If
this be the proper meaning of the word “Job,” then the name would seem to have been
given him by anticipation, or by common consent, as a much persecuted man.
Significant names were very common among the Hebrews - given either by anticipation
(see the notes at Isa_8:18), or subsequently, to denote some leading or important event
in the life; compare Gen_4:1-2, Gen_4:25; Gen_5:29; 1Sa_1:20. Such, too, was the case
among the Romans, where the “agnomen” thus bestowed became the appellation by
which the individual was best known. Cicero thus received his name from a wart which
he had on his face, resembling a “vetch,” and which was called by the Latins, “cicer.”
Thus also Marcus had the name “Ancus,” from the Greek word ανκᆹν ankōn, because he
had a crooked arm; and thus the names Africanus, Germanicus, etc., were given to
generals who had distinguished themselves in particular countries; see Univer. Hist.
Anc. Part ix. 619, ed. 8vo, Lond. 1779. In like manner it is possible that the name “Job”
was given to the Emir of Uz by common consent, as the man much persecuted or tried,
and that this became afterward the appellation by which he was best known. The name
occurs once as applied to a son of Issachar, Gen_46:13, and in only two other places in
the Bible except in this book; Eze_14:14; Jam_5:11.
And that man was perfect - (‫תמם‬ tâmam). The Septuagint have greatly expanded
this statement, by giving a paraphrase instead of a translation. “He was a man who was
true (ᅊληθινός alēthinos), blameless (ᅎµεµπτος amemptos), just (δίκαιος dikaios), pious
(θεοσεβής theosebēs), abstaining from every evil deed.” Jerome renders it, “simplex -
simple,” or “sincere.” The Chaldee, ‫שׁלם‬ shālam, “complete, finished, perfect.” The idea
seems to be that his piety, or moral character, was “proportionate” and was “complete in
all its parts.” He was a man of integrity in all the relations of life - as an Emir, a father, a
husband, a worshipper of God. Such is properly the meaning of the word ‫תם‬ tâm as
derived from ‫תמם‬ tâmam, “to complete, to make full, perfect” or “entire,” or “to finish.” It
denotes that in which there is no part lacking to complete the whole - as in a watch in
which no wheel is missing. Thus, he was not merely upright as an Emir, but he was pious
toward God; he was not merely kind to his family, but he was just to his neighbors and

16. benevolent to the poor. The word is used to denote integrity as applied to the heart,
Gen_20:5 : ‫לבבי‬ ‫בתם‬ be
tām le
bābıy, “In the honesty, simplicity, or sincerity of my heart
(see the margin) have I done this.” So 1Ki_22:34, “One drew a bow ‫לתמוּ‬ le
tumô in the
simplicity (or perfection) of his heart;” that is, without any evil intention; compare 2Sa_
15:11; Pro_10:9. The proper notion, therefore, is that of simplicity. sincerity, absence
from guile or evil intention, and completeness of parts in his religion. That he was a man
absolutely sinless, or without any propensity to evil, is disproved alike by the spirit of
complaining which he often evinces, and by his own confession, Job_9:20 :
If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me;
If I say I am perfect, it shall prove me perverse.
So also Job_42:5-6 :
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear,
But now mine eye seeth thee;
Wherefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.
Compare Ecc_7:20.
And upright - The word ‫ישׁר‬ yâshâr, from ‫ישׁר‬ yâshar, to be straight, is applied often
to a road which is straight, or to a path which is level or even. As used here it means
upright or righteous; compare Psa_11:7; Psa_37:14,; Deu_32:4; Psa_33:4.
And one that feared God - Religion in the Scriptures is often represented as the
fear of God; Pro_1:7, Pro_1:29; Pro_2:5; Pro_8:13; Pro_14:26-27; Isa_11:2; Act_9:31,
“et soepe al.”
And eschewed evil - “And departed from (‫סוּר‬ sûr) evil.” Septuagint, “Abstaining
from every evil thing.” These then are the four characteristics of Job’s piety - he was
sincere; upright; a worshipper of God; and one who abstained from all wrong. These are
the essential elements of true religion everywhere; and the whole statement in the book
of Job shows Job was, though not absolutely free from the sins which cleave to our
nature, eminent in each of these things.
CLARKE, "In the land of Uz - This country was situated in Idumea, or the land of
Edom, in Arabia Petraea, of which it comprised a very large district. See the preface.
Whose name was Job - The original is ‫איוב‬ Aiyob; and this orthography is followed
by the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. From the Vulgate we borrow Job, not very dissimilar
from the Ιωβ Iob of the Septuagint. The name signifies sorrowful, or he that weeps. He is
supposed to have been called Jobab. See more in the preface.
Perfect and upright - ‫וישר‬ ‫תם‬ tam veyashar; Complete as to his mind and heart, and
Straight or Correct as to his moral deportment.
Feared God - Had him in continual reverence as the fountain of justice, truth, and
goodness.
Eschewed evil - ‫מרע‬ ‫סר‬ sar mera, departing from, or avoiding evil. We have the word
eschew from the old French eschever, which signifies to avoid. All within was holy, all

17. without was righteous; and his whole life was employed in departing from evil, and
drawing nigh to God. Coverdale translates an innocent and vertuous man, soch one as
feared God, an eschued evell. From this translation we retain the word eschew.
GILL, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job,.... Of the
signification of his name, see the introduction to the book. The place where he dwelt had
its name not from Uz, a descendant of Shem, Gen_10:23 but from Uz, a son of Nahor,
brother to Abraham, Gen_22:21 unless it can be thought to be so called from Uz, of the
children of Seir, in the land of Edom; since we read of the land of Uz along with Edom,
or rather of Edom as in the land of Uz, or on the borders of it, Lam_4:21, the Targum
calls it the land of Armenia, but rather it is Arabia; and very probably it was one of the
Arabias Job lived in, either Petraea or Deserta, probably the latter; of which Uz or
Ausitis, as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin version read it, was a part; the same with
the Aesitae of Ptolemy (u); and it is said to be near the land of Canaan (w), for in Arabia
Felix the Sabeans lived; and certain it is that this country was near to the Sabeans and
Chaldeans, and to the land of Edom, from whence Eliphaz the Temanite came: and as
this very probably was a wicked and an idolatrous place, it was an instance of the
distinguishing grace of God, to call Job by his grace in the land of Uz, as it was to call
Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans; and though it might be distressing and afflicting to the
good man to live in such a country, as it was to Lot to live in Sodom, yet it was an honour
to him, or rather it was to the glory of the grace of God that he was religious here, and
continued to be so, see Rev_2:13 and gives an early proof of what the Apostle Peter
observed, "that God is no respecter of persons, but, in every nation, he that feareth God,
and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him"; that is, through Christ, Act_10:34.
Job, as he is described by his name and country, so by his sex, "a man"; and this is not so
much to distinguish his sex, nor to express the reality of his existence as a man, but to
denote his greatness; he was a very considerable, and indeed an extraordinary man; he
was a man not only of wealth and riches, but of great power and authority, so the mean
and great man are distinguished in Isa_2:9 see the account he gives of himself in Job_
29:7, by which it appears he was in great honour and esteem with men of all ranks and
degrees, as well as he was a man of great grace, as follows:
and the man was perfect; in the same sense as Noah, Abraham, and Jacob were; not
with respect to sanctification, unless as considered in Christ, who is made sanctification
to his people; or with regard to the truth, sincerity, and genuineness of it; or in a
comparative sense, in comparison of what he once was, and others are; but not so as to
be free from sin, neither from the being of it, which no man is clear of in this life, nor
from the actings of it in thought, word, and deed, see Job_9:20 or so as to be perfect in
grace; for though all grace is seminally implanted at once in regeneration, it opens and
increases gradually; there is a perfection of parts, but not of degrees; there is the whole
new man, but that is not arrived to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ;
there are all and every grace, but not one perfect, not knowledge, nor faith, nor hope, nor
love, nor patience, nor any other: but then, as to justification, every good man is perfect;
Christ has completely redeemed his people from all their sins; he has perfectly fulfilled
the law in their room and stead; he has fully expiated all their transgressions, he has
procured the full remission of them, and brought in a righteousness which justifies them
from them all; so that they are free from the guilt of sin, and condemnation by it, and are
in the sight of God unblamable, unreproveable, without fault, all fair and perfectly
comely; and this was Job's case:

18. and upright; to whom was shown the uprightness of Christ, or to whom the
righteousness of Christ was revealed from faith to faith, and which was put upon him,
and he walked in by faith, see Job_33:23, moreover, Job was upright in heart, a right
spirit was renewed in him; and though he was not of the nation of Israel, yet he was, in a
spiritual sense, an Israelite indeed, in whom there was no guile, the truth of grace and
the root of the matter being in him, Job_19:28, and he was upright in his walk and
conversation before God, and also before men; upright in all his dealings and concerns
with them, in every relation he stood, in every office and character he bore:
and one that feared God; not as the devils, who believe and tremble; nor as carnal
men, when the judgments of God are in the earth, hide themselves in fear of him; nor as
hypocrites, whose fear or devotion is only outward, and is taught by the precept of men;
but as children affectionately reverence their parents: Job feared God with a filial and
godly fear, which sprung from the grace of God, and was encouraged and increased by
his goodness to him, and through a sense of it; it was attended with faith and confidence
of interest in him, with an holy boldness and spiritual joy, and true humility; and
comprehended the whole of religious worship, both public and private, internal and
external:
and eschewed evil, or "departed from it" (x); and that with hatred and loathing of it,
and indignation at it, which the fear of God engages unto, Pro_8:13, he hated it as every
good man does, as being contrary to the nature and will of God, abominable in itself, and
bad in its effects and consequences; and he departed from it, not only from the grosser
acts of it, but abstained from all appearance of it, and studiously shunned and avoided
everything that led unto it; so far was he from indulging to a sinful course of life and
conversation, which is inconsistent with the grace and fear of God,
HE RY 1-3, "Concerning Job we are here told,
I. That he was a man; therefore subject to like passions as we are. He was Ish, a worthy
man, a man of note and eminency, a magistrate, a man in authority. The country he lived
in was the land of Uz, in the eastern part of Arabia, which lay towards Chaldea, near
Euphrates, probably not far from Ur of the Chaldees, whence Abraham was called. When
God called one good man out of that country, yet he left not himself without witness, but
raised up another in it to be a preacher of righteousness. God has his remnant in all
places, sealed ones out of every nation, as well as out of every tribe of Israel, Rev_7:9. It
was the privilege of the land of Uz to have so good a man as Job in it; now it was Arabia
the Happy indeed: and it was the praise of Job that he was eminently good in so bad a
place; the worse others were round about him the better he was. His name Job, or Jjob,
some say, signifies one hated and counted as an enemy. Others make it to signify one
that grieves or groans; thus the sorrow he carried in his name might be a check to his joy
in his prosperity. Dr. Cave derives it from Jaab - to love, or desire, intimating how
welcome his birth was to his parents, and how much he was the desire of their eyes; and
yet there was a time when he cursed the day of his birth. Who can tell what the day may
prove which yet begins with a bright morning?
II. That he was a very good man, eminently pious, and better than his neighbours: He
was perfect and upright. This is intended to show us, not only what reputation he had
among men (that he was generally taken for an honest man), but what was really his
character; for it is the judgment of God concerning him, and we are sure that is

19. according to truth. 1. Job was a religious man, one that feared God, that is, worshipped
him according to his will, and governed himself by the rules of the divine law in every
thing. 2. He was sincere in his religion: He was perfect; not sinless, as he himself owns
(Job_9:20): If I say I am perfect, I shall be proved perverse. But, having a respect to all
God's commandments, aiming at perfection, he was really as good as he seemed to be,
and did not dissemble in his profession of piety; his heart was sound and his eye single.
Sincerity is gospel perfection. I know no religion without it. 3. He was upright in his
dealings both with God and man, was faithful to his promises, steady in his counsels,
true to every trust reposed in him, and made conscience of all he said and did. See Isa_
33:15. Though he was not of Israel, he was indeed an Israelite without guile. 4. The fear
of God reigning in his heart was the principle that governed his whole conversation. This
made him perfect and upright, inward and entire for God, universal and uniform in
religion; this kept him close and constant to his duty. He feared God, had a reverence for
his majesty, a regard to his authority, and a dread of his wrath. 5. He dreaded the
thought of doing what was wrong; with the utmost abhorrence and detestation, and with
a constant care and watchfulness, he eschewed evil, avoided all appearances of sin and
approaches to it, and this because of the fear of God, Neh_5:15. The fear of the Lord is to
hate evil (Pro_8:13) and then by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil, Pro_16:6.
III. That he was a man who prospered greatly in this world, and made a considerable
figure in his country. He was prosperous and yet pious. Though it is hard and rare, it is
not impossible, for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. With God even this
is possible, and by his grace the temptations of worldly wealth are not insuperable. He
was pious, and his piety was a friend to his prosperity; for godliness has the promise of
the life that now is. He was prosperous, and his prosperity put a lustre upon his piety,
and gave him who was so good so much greater opportunity of doing good. The acts of
his piety were grateful returns to God for the instances of his prosperity; and, in the
abundance of the good things God gave him, he served God the more cheerfully. 1. He
had a numerous family. He was eminent for religion, and yet not a hermit, not a recluse,
but the father and master of a family. It was an instance of his prosperity that his house
was filled with children, which are a heritage of the Lord, and his reward, Psa_127:3. he
had seven sons and three daughters, Job_1:2. Some of each sex, and more of the more
noble sex, in which the family is built up. Children must be looked upon as blessings, for
so they are, especially to good people, that will give them good instructions, and set them
good examples, and put up good prayers for them. Job had many children, and yet he
was neither oppressive nor uncharitable, but very liberal to the poor, Job_31:17, etc.
Those that have great families to provide for ought to consider that what is prudently
given in alms is set out to the best interest and put into the best fund for their children's
benefit. 2. He had a good estate for the support of his family; his substance was
considerable, Job_1:3. Riches are called substance, in conformity to the common form
of speaking; otherwise, to the soul and another world, they are but shadows, things that
are not, Pro_23:5. It is only in heavenly wisdom that we inherit substance, Pro_8:21. In
those days, when the earth was not fully peopled, it was as now in some of the
plantations, men might have land enough upon easy terms if they had but wherewithal
to stock it; and therefore Job's substance is described, not by the acres of land he was
lord of, but, (1.) By his cattle - sheep and camels, oxen and asses. The numbers of each
are here set down, probably not the exact number, but thereabout, a very few under or
over. The sheep are put first, because of most use in the family, as Solomon observes
(Pro_27:23, Pro_27:26, Pro_27:27): Lambs for thy clothing, and milk for the food of
thy household. Job, it is likely, had silver and gold as well as Abraham (Gen_13:2); but
then men valued their own and their neighbours' estates by that which was for service
and present use more than by that which was for show and state, and fit only to be

20. hoarded. As soon as God had made man, and provided for his maintenance by the herbs
and fruits, he made him rich and great by giving him dominion over the creatures, Gen_
1:28. That therefore being still continued to man, notwithstanding his defection (Gen_
9:2), is still to be reckoned one of the most considerable instances of men's wealth,
honour, and power, Psa_8:6. (2.) By his servants. He had a very good household or
husbandry, many that were employed for him and maintained by him; and thus he both
had honour and did good; yet thus he was involved in a great deal of care and put to a
great deal of charge. See the vanity of this world; as goods are increased those must be
increased that tend them and occupy them, and those will be increased that eat them;
and what good has the owner thereof save the beholding of them with his eyes? Ecc_
5:11. In a word, Job was the greatest of all the men of the east; and they were the richest
in the world: those were rich indeed who were replenished more than the east, Isa_2:6.
Margin. Job's wealth, with his wisdom, entitled him to the honour and power he had in
his country, which he describes (ch. 29), and made him sit chief. Job was upright and
honest, and yet grew rich, nay, therefore grew rich; for honesty is the best policy, and
piety and charity are ordinarily the surest ways of thriving. He had a great household
and much business, and yet kept up the fear and worship of God; and he and his house
served the Lord. The account of Job's piety and prosperity comes before the history of
his great afflictions, to show that neither will secure us from the common, no, nor from
the uncommon calamities of human life. Piety will not secure us, as Job's mistaken
friends thought, for all things come alike to all; prosperity will not, as a careless world
thinks, Isa_47:8. I sit as a queen and therefore shall see no sorrow.
JAMISO , "Job_1:1-5. The holiness of Job, his wealth, etc.
Uz — north of Arabia-Deserta, lying towards the Euphrates. It was in this
neighborhood, and not in that of Idumea, that the Chaldeans and Sabeans who
plundered him dwell. The Arabs divide their country into the north, called Sham, or “the
left”; and the south, called Yemen, or “the right”; for they faced east; and so the west was
on their left, and the south on their right. Arabia-Deserta was on the east, Arabia-
Petraea on the west, and Arabia-Felix on the south.
Job — The name comes from an Arabic word meaning “to return,” namely, to God,
“to repent,” referring to his end [Eichorn]; or rather from a Hebrew word signifying one
to whom enmity was shown, “greatly tried” [Gesenius]. Significant names were often
given among the Hebrews, from some event of later life (compare Gen_4:2, Abel - a
“feeder” of sheep). So the emir of Uz was by general consent called Job, on account of his
“trials.” The only other person so called was a son of Issachar (Gen_46:13).
perfect — not absolute or faultless perfection (compare Job_9:20; Ecc_7:20), but
integrity, sincerity, and consistency on the whole, in all relations of life (Gen_6:9; Gen_
17:1; Pro_10:9; Mat_5:48). It was the fear of God that kept Job from evil (Pro_8:13).
K&D, "1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man
was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
The lxx translates, ᅚν χώρᇮ τሀ Αᆒσίτιδι; and adds at the close of the book, ᅚπᆳ τοሏς ᆇρίοις
τᇿν ᅾδουµαίας καᆳ ᅒραβίας, therefore north-east from Idumea, towards the Arabian
desert. There, in the Arabian desert west from Babylon, under the Caucabenes,

21. according to Ptolemy (v. 19, 2), the Αᅶσሏται (Αᅶσεሏται), i.e., the Uzzites, dwelt. This
determination of the position of Uz is the most to be relied on. It tends indirectly to
confirm this, that Οᆗσος, in Jos. Ant. i. 6, 4, is described as founder of Trachonitis and
Damascus; that the Jakut Hamawi and Moslem tradition generally (as recently Fries,
Stud. u. Krit. 1854, ii.) mention the East Haran fertile tract of country north-west of
Têmâ and Bûzân, el-Bethenije, the district of Damascus in which Job dwelt;
(Note: Vid., Abulfeda, Historia anteislam. p. 26 (cf. 207f.), where it says, “The
whole of Bethenije, a part of the province of Damascus, belonged to Job as his
possession.”)
that the Syrian tradition also transfers the dwelling-place of Job to Hauran, where, in the
district of Damascus, a monastery to his honour is called Dair Ejjub (vid., Volck,
Calendarium Syriacum, p. 29). All these accounts agree that Uz is not to be sought in
Idumaea proper (Gebâl). And the early historical genealogies (Gen_10:23; Gen_22:21;
Gen_36:28) are not unfavourable to this, since they place Uz in relation to Seir-Edom on
the one hand, and on the other to Aram: the perplexing double occurrence of such
names as Têmâ and Dûma, both in Idumaea and East Hauran, perhaps just results from
the mixing of the different tribes through migration. But at all events, though Uz did not
lie in Gebâl, yet both from Lam_4:21, and on account of the reference in the book of Job
itself to the Horites, a geographical connection between Idumaea and Ausitis is to be
held; and from Jer_25:20 one is warranted in supposing, that ‫,עוץ‬ with which the Arabic
name of Esau, ‛yᑑ ('l-‛yᑑ), perhaps not accidentally accords, was the collective name of the
northern part of the Arabian desert, extending north-east from Idumaea towards Syria.
Here, where the aborigines of Seir were driven back by the Aramaic immigrants, and to
where in later times the territory of Edom extended, dwelt Job. His name is not symbolic
with reference to the following history. It has been said, ‫ּוב‬ ִ‫א‬ signifies one hostilely
treated, by Satan namely.
(Note: Geiger (DMZ, 1858, S. 542f.) conjectures that, Sir. xlix. 9 (καᆳ γᆭρ ᅚµνήσθη
τራν ᅚχθρራν ᅚν ᆊµβρሩ), τራν ᅚχθρራν is a false translation of ‫.איוב‬ Renan assents; but τራν
εχθρራν suits there excellently, and Job would be unnaturally dragged in.)
But the following reasons are against it: (1) that none of the other names which occur in
the book are symbolically connected with the history; (2) that the form ‫ּול‬ ִ‫ק‬ has never a
properly passive signification, but either active, as ‫ּור‬ ִ‫,י‬ reprover (as parallel form with
‫ל‬ ָ ַ‫,)ק‬ or neuter, as ‫ּוד‬ ִ‫,י‬ born, ‫ּור‬ⅴ ִ‫,שׁ‬ drunken, also occasionally infinitive (vid., Fürst,
Concord. p. 1349 s.), so that it may be more correct, with Ewald, after the Arabic (‫,אוּב‬
cognate with ‫,שׁוּב‬ perhaps also ‫ּוא‬ ), to explain the “one going of himself.” Similar in
sound are, ‫ּוב‬‫י‬, the name of one of the sons of Issachar (Gen_46:13); the name of the
Idumaean king, ‫ב‬ ָ‫ּוב‬‫י‬, Gen_36:33 (which the lxx, Aristeas, Jul. Africanus,
(Note: Vid., Routh, Relinquiae ii. 154f.: ᅠκ τοሞ ᅮσαሞ ᅎλλοι τε πολλοᆳ καᆳ Ραγουᆱλ
γεννᇰται ᅊφ ʆ οᆘ Ζάρεδ, ᅚξ οᆘ ᅾᆹβ ᆋς κατᆭ συγχώρησιν θεοሞ ᆓπᆵ διαβόλου ᅚπειράσθη καᆳ
ᅚνίκησε τᆵν πειράζοντα.)
combine with Job); and the name of the king of Mauritania, Juba, which in Greek is

22. written ᅾόβας (Didymus Chalcenter. ed. Schmidt, p. 305): perhaps all these names
belong to the root ‫,יב‬ to shout with joy. The lxx writes ᅾώβ with lenis; elsewhere the ‫א‬ at
the beginning is rendered by asper, e.g., Αβραάµ, ᅯλίας. Luther writes Hiob; he has
preferred the latter mode, that it may not be read Job with the consonantal Jod, when it
should be Iob, as e.g., it is read by the English. It had been more correctly Ijob, but
Luther wished to keep to the customary form of the name so far as he could; so we, by
writing Iob with vowel I, do not wish to deviate too much from the mode of writing and
pronunciation customary since Luther.
(Note: On the authorizing of the writing Iob, more exactly Îob, also Îjob (not,
however, Ijjob, which does not correspond to the real pronunciation, which softens ij
into î, and uw into û), vid., Fleischer's Beitrâge zur arab. Sprachkunde (Abh. der
sâchs. Gesellschaft d. Wissenschaften, 1863), S. 137f. [The usual English form Job is
adopted here, though Dr. Delitzsch writes Iob in the original work. - Tr.])
The writer intentionally uses four synonyms together, in order to describe as strongly as
possible Job's piety, the reality and purity of which is the fundamental assumption of the
history. ‫ם‬ ָ , with the whole heart disposed towards God and what is good, and also well-
disposed toward mankind; ‫ר‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ָ‫,י‬ in thought and action without deviation conformed to
that which is right; ‫ים‬ ִ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ ֱ‫א‬ ‫א‬ ֵ‫ר‬ְ‫,י‬ fearing God, and consequently being actuated by the fear
of God, which is the beginning (i.e., principle) of wisdom; ‫ע‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֵ‫מ‬ ‫ר‬ ָ‫,ס‬ keeping aloof from evil,
which is opposed to God. The first predicate recalls Gen_25:27, the fourth the proverbial
Psalms (Psa_34:15; Psa_37:27) and Pro_14:16. This mingling of expressions from
Genesis and Proverbs is characteristic. First now, after the history has been begun in
praett., aorr. follow.
BE SO , ". There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job — We have
observed in the argument, that the firstborn son of ahor, Abraham’s brother, was
called Uz. It appears also from Genesis 10:23, that a grandson of Shem bore the
same name, but it does not appear whether any country was named from either of
these. But we find in Lamentations 4:21, that Edom was called Uz, probably from a
grandson of Seir, the Horite, of that name. See Genesis 36:20; Genesis 36:28; 1
Chronicles 1:38; 1 Chronicles 1:42. This person, as the reader will recollect,
inhabited the mountainous country, called Seir from him, before the time of
Abraham; but his posterity being driven out, the Edomites seized that country,
Genesis 14:6; Deuteronomy 2:12, whence it afterward bore the name of Edom. It is
part of Arabia Petræa, bordering upon the tribe of Judah to the south. Hence the
land of Uz is properly placed between Egypt and the Philistines in Jeremiah 25:20.
See Bishop Lowth and Dodd. This, therefore, was probably the country of Job,
“whose name,” Dr. Dodd says, “in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, may, with the
greatest probability, be derived from a root which signifies to love or desire; and
might be rendered, the beloved or desirable one.” We have observed, that it is likely
he was of the posterity of Uz, the son of ahor, the brother of Abraham; but how
far removed from him can only be conjectured from the age of his friends; the eldest
of whom, Eliphaz the Temanite, could not be nearer than great-grand-son to Esau;
for Esau begat Eliphaz, and the son of Eliphaz was Teman: so that supposing this

23. Eliphaz to be the son of Teman, (and higher it will be impossible to place him,) he
will then be five generations from Abraham; but as Eliphaz was very much older
than Job, nay, older than his father, as appears from chap. Job 15:10; and,
considering that Abraham was very old before he had a son by Sarah, and that
Rebecca, grand-daughter to ahor, by Bethuel, perhaps his youngest son, was of an
age proper to be wife to Isaac; we shall, probably, not be wide of the mark, if we
allow Job to be at least six, if not seven generations removed from ahor. The age
therefore in which he lived must have coincided with the latter years of the life of
Jacob, with those of Joseph, and the descent into, and sojourning in Egypt: his
afflictions must have happened during the sojourning, about ten years before the
death of Joseph, and his life must have been prolonged to within fourteen years
before the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, that is, the year of the world 2499.
The number of the years of the life of Job, according to this calculation, will be
about two hundred; which, for that age of the world, and especially considering that
Job was blessed with a remarkably long life, as a reward for his sufferings and
integrity, will not appear very extraordinary; for Jacob lived one hundred and
forty-seven years; Levi, his son, one hundred and thirty-seven; Koath, his grand-
son, one hundred and thirty-three; and Amram, his great-grand-son, and father of
Moses, one hundred and thirty-seven; Moses also lived one hundred and twenty
years. All these, it seems, were his cotemporaries, some older, some younger than
Job: so that this appears to agree extremely well with that circumstance of his
history. See Heath and Dodd.
That man was perfect — ot exactly, or according to the law of innocence, but as to
his sincere intentions, hearty affections, and diligent endeavours to perform his
whole duty to God and men. And upright — Hebrew, ‫,וישׁו‬ vejashar, right, exact,
and regular in all his dealings with men; one of an unblameable conversation. And
one that feared God — One truly pious and devoted to God. And eschewed evil —
Carefully avoiding all sin against God or men.
COFFMA , "WHAT HAPPE S WHE THE SAI TS COME TOGETHER TO
WORSHIP?
SPECIAL I TRODUCTIO FOR THIS CHAPTER
We have read twenty commentaries on this chapter and find no help in any of them;
nor have we seen any other chapter in the whole Bible where we are any more
certain that the interpretation of a chapter of God's Word by current scholars is any
more erroneous and absolutely unacceptable than is the case here. Apparently, none
of the scholars whose writings we have consulted thus far on Job have been reading
the same Bible that we read.
They all say that the scene here is "laid in heaven." Ridiculous! Satan does not have
access to heaven. Revelation 12:7-9 declares, regarding Satan and his angels, that,
"Their place was found no more in heaven," and that, "Satan was cast down to
earth," and this epoch event is revealed as taking place before the creation of Adam.

24. That is why Satan had access to the Garden of Eden. Throughout the period of
human history, Satan's theater of operations has been the earth, where Satan now
is, along with his fallen angels, "Reserved in chains (pits) of darkness to the day of
judgment" (2 Peter 2:7). See more on this under verse 12, below.
Regarding Revelation 12:7-9, I have written half a dozen pages regarding that key
passage in Vol. 12 of my ew Testament Series, pp. 265-271.
In this light, therefore, how can a score of Biblical scholars write that, "We have
here a scene in heaven where Satan questions Job's motives"?[1] To explain such
opinions, we must suppose (1) that they are made by men who never read the ew
Testament, (or if they had read it, did not understand it), or (2) that they accept this
whole chapter of Job as merely a fanciful folk tale, invented by some unknown
person as an allegory, or for the purpose of teaching some kind of a lesson. Some
commentators, of course, freely admit holding such a position. We reject that notion
out of hand.
HOW DO FALSE I TERPRETERS PLACE THIS SCE E I HEAVE ?
(1) The word "heaven" is not in this chapter. However, it does state that the sons of
God were there; and, of course, by falsely interpreting that expression as a reference
to angels, advocates of the current error may exclaim, "And, certainly angels are in
heaven." That's how they do it; and it sounds convincing until it is considered that
the ordinary meaning of sons of God is simply, men who worship God. "As many as
are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14). Likewise
Hebrews 12:7,8 speaks of all Christians on earth as "sons" of God. Oh yes, but Job
used the same expression in Job 38:7 in what is admittedly a reference to angels, not
because the expression means angels (for it doesn't), but because the context
requires a different meaning; and that is a condition that does not exist in chapter 1.
Are there then two meanings of the expression sons of God? Certainly! There are
dozens of words in the Bible that have more than one meaning. ote:
And the captain fell on his knees BEFORE Elijah (1 Kings 1:13).
And Haran died BEFORE ... Terah in Ur (Genesis 10:28).SIZE>
In the passage in Kings, the word "before" means "in the presence of"; and in the
passage from Genesis it means "prior to." We could cite dozens of other examples of
the same word standing in the Bible with diverse meanings.
Therefore, the use of the expression "sons of God" in Job 38:7 where the context
forces a meaning different from its ordinary denotation, is no excuse whatever for
forcing that meaning upon the expression in this chapter.
We are happy indeed to find one scholar who admits the dual meaning of the
expression sons of God, and who gave it the proper interpretation in Genesis 6:2.
pointing out that there, "The meaning of this phrase is men who worship God, for
angels and men alike are, `sons of God,' as created in his image, to obey and serve

25. him."[2] We have thoroughly researched the meaning of that passage in Genesis,
which has no reference whatever to angels. (See my commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1,
of the Pentateuchal Series, pp. 102,103.)
When the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, Satan also came
among them (Job 1:6). Before Jehovah! Ah, there it is, doesn't that refer to heaven?
o! The words before Jehovah generally refer to what men do on earth. " imrod
was a mighty hunter before the Lord" (Genesis 10:9). In heaven? Of course not.
Where do men usually hunt? This morning at church, the deacon who led the
prayer at the Lord's table began, "Father in heaven, we are assembled in thy
presence ... etc."; nobody jumped to the conclusion that all of us had suddenly been
transported into glory. That is, unless some of those Bible scholars who think God's
presence is limited to heaven happened to be in the audience.
ote that this assembly of God's worshippers (that's what sons of God means)
probably included Job; and the presence of Satan should also cause no surprise.
There has hardly ever been an assembly of the saints when Satan was absent!
Let it be observed also that Satan's theater of operations in this passage was
restricted absolutely to the earth. That is where Satan went up and down and to and
fro, "seeking whom he may devour," (1 Peter 5:8); and, of course, that is his present
occupation also.
What is revealed in this chapter is a typical gathering of God's people, with Satan
usually, if not indeed always, present, ever looking for sins and shortcomings of
God's people. Oh no, today we can not see the kind of repartee that took place
between God and Satan in this chapter; but, without any doubt, the same thing is
going on upon every occasion when the sons of God come before the Lord in
worship; and it is the glory of this chapter that the inspired author, whom we
believe to have been Moses, pulls aside the curtain of those hidden things that
belong to God, enabling us to behold the merciless hatred of our cruel enemy
(Satan) as he continually accuses the brethren "before God"; but absolutely not in
heaven. Satan is not in heaven, but on earth; and God sees, hears and understands
everything Satan does, for everything on earth is done BEFORE THE LORD.
Paul admonished Christians to, "Draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace,
that we may receive mercy" (Hebrews 4:16). Of course, "the throne" here is God's
throne, which is in heaven; but Paul did not mean that we must go to heaven in
order to pray. We come before God and his throne (in heaven) every time we pray
right here on earth!
What an incredibly beneficial revelation is this inspired account! When we suffer
unjustly, when life is cruel and merciless in what falls upon God's saints, when evil
men are honored and promoted and the righteous reduced to poverty, disease, and
dishonor, our Father in heaven is not to blame; our enemy, Satan, is the hidden
cause of it.

26. Job 1:1
"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect
and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil."
"There was a man." Yes, Job is historical. See our introduction. We are not dealing
with some folk tale.
How blind was that scholar who wrote, "The Book of Job should begin with, "Once
upon a time," (like any other fairy tale)! One of the ancestors of Job was a son of
Aram and the grandson of Shem (Genesis 10:23); and, from this connection, some
believe that. "The land of Uz is that settled by the sons of Aram."[3]
"In the land of Uz." This place is unknown; but, "It lay somewhere east of Canaan
near the borders of the desert that separates the eastern and western arms of the
Fertile Crescent. It was an area of farms, towns and migrating herds."[4]
"That man was perfect and upright." This cannot mean that he was sinless, but that
he was perfect in his generation, as was oah. Sinless perfection is an attainment
that does not lie within the perimeter of mortal man's ability. Only the blessed
Saviour lived and died as a mortal man without sin.
COKE, "THERE is, perhaps, no book of Scripture, that has so much divided
interpreters, and afforded such a field of controversy, as the book of JOB: some
supposing it of the remotest antiquity, written by Moses or Job himself; others
bringing it down to a very low date; supposing it written by Ezra, at the time of the
return from the Babylonish captivity. I shall not trouble my reader with a
discussion of these various opinions: but, having given the matter the most impartial
and mature consideration that I am able, shall lay before him the result of my
inquiry, respecting the author, the time of writing, and the subject matter of this
book. First, with respect to the author, I cannot help subscribing to their opinion,
who believe him and his performance to be of the remotest antiquity, before Moses,
and of the patriarchal age. That Job was a real person, and that his sufferings were
real, I think, is universally agreed: but whether he himself, Elihu, or some other of
his friends, were the relators of his sufferings, appears to me impossible to
determine. Many learned men believe that Job himself was the writer: I am rather
induced to think that it was some other person of his own age or time. That the
book, secondly; is of the remotest antiquity; there appear, as I apprehend, many
indisputable testimonies, which will occur in the course of our observations. Thirdly
concerning the subject of this book in general, we agree with the learned Bishop
Lowth, who determines it to contain the third and last trial of Job, which was made
upon him by his three friends; the principal design whereof is, to teach men, that,
considering the corruption, ignorance, and weakness of human nature, on the one
hand; and the infinite wisdom and immense greatness of God on the other; they
should renounce their own will, put their full trust in God, and submit themselves to
him in all things with the deepest humility and reverence. This is the general end or

27. argument of the poem: but the whole history, taken together, properly contains a
high example of consummate and rewarded patience. We have called the book a
poem; and such it is, of the dramatic kind, though by no means a complete drama.
The interlocutory parts of the work are in metre. Respecting the place or scene of
action, see the note on the first verse. Possibly we shall be thought not just to the
argument, if we omit to mention, that Bishop Warburton has strongly endeavoured
to prove this book a dramatic allegory, composed by Ezra for the consolation of the
Jews returning from Babylon; wherein, under the characters of Job and his friends,
are figured those Jews and their three great enemies, Sanballat, Tobiah, and
Geshem. Attracted by the lure of this allegory, another writer has carried it so far as
to allegorize those parts which the bishop wisely omitted to touch upon, and by his
friendly efforts has done more, perhaps, to confute the bishop's system than any of
his direct opposers. But on this head we refer our readers to the ingenious Mr.
Peters's Critical Dissertation on the book of Job, and to Bishop Lowth's excellent
32nd and following Lectures.
CHARACTER OF JOB.
The character of Job affords us such a spectacle, as Seneca, alluding to the shews of
gladiators so common among the Romans, says, was worthy of the Deity himself to
look upon; viz. that of a pious and good man, combating adversity; and, among
other miseries of an extraordinary kind, vexed with the unjust suspicions and
peevish accusations of his mistaken friends.
And here we find him using every argument that could be thought of in his own
defence; to cure them, if possible, of their mistake, and to persuade them of his
innocence; appealing to the general course of Providence, which, for the most part,
deals out things promiscuously, and often involves the good and bad in the same
common calamity; directing them to instances, within their own knowledge, of those
who had been as wicked as they were great, and yet had lived a long course of years
in prosperity, and died at last in peace, and been buried with great pomp; so that no
visible judgment had overtaken them, in their lives, or in their deaths.
When this view of Providence, so true and evident to experience, still wanted force
to remove an obstinate error, he puts them in mind of the future judgment, which
was the proper season for reward and punishment; and declares, in the most solemn
manner, his hopes of being acquitted there.
When all this would not do, but they still disbelieve and persecute him, he is driven
to the last argument which a modest man would make use of, and appeals to his own
public and private behaviour in the whole course of his life: and upon this occasion
he displays such a set of admirable virtues, and shews the piety, the prudence, the
humanity of his conduct, in so amiable a light, with such a noble freedom, and, at
the same time, such an air of truth, that I question whether there be any thing of the
kind more beautiful or instructive in all antiquity; perhaps a finer picture of a wise
and good man was never drawn. How prudent and upright in his decisions, as a
magistrate or judge! How just and benevolent in his domestic character, as a father

28. of a family! How untractable to all the allurements of pleasure, in the height of his
prosperity, and how sensible to the complaints and miseries of others! And, above
all, how remarkably pious in his principles! How careful to build his virtue upon its
own solid basis, religion, or the fear of God! If I were to produce the proofs of this, I
must transcribe the whole 29th and 31st chapters. But with all these great and
excellent qualities, we cannot but take notice of some little mixture of allay and
imperfection. For, a perfect character, however it may have existed in idea, it is
certain, never yet appeared above once upon the real stage of the world.
We must forgive this good man, therefore, the little excursions and passionate
complaints which the extremity of his sufferings now and then forced from him. His
despair and weariness of life; his often wishing for death; his eagerness to come
upon his trial; his earnest requests, and even expostulations with his judge, to bring
him to it, or, at least, to acquaint him with the reasons of these severe inflictions.
These and the like, it must be owned, appear as shades and blemishes in the
character of this great man, and may argue somewhat of impatience, even in this
heroic pattern of patience.
A great deal, however, might be said in his excuse: as that his afflictions had
something in them very astonishing, and beyond the common measure; that the
distempers of the body have oftentimes a natural tendency to produce black
thoughts, and a despondency of mind: to which may be added, the rash censures
and suspicions of his friends, as they affected his reputation, which, to a generous
mind, is the most valuable thing in the world, next to his integrity: it is no wonder
that a treatment so inhuman, so undeserved, so unexpected, should provoke to an
extremity a person borne down already with the weight of his misfortunes.
These things might certainly be offered in excuse for the little blemishes which
appear in the speeches and conduct of this great man. But, after all, the best thing
that can be pleaded in his behalf, and that which covers all his imperfections, is his
own behaviour upon this occasion, and his making no excuse at all for them; but as
soon as he was brought to recollect his errors, immediately confessing them with
great simplicity, and the most profound humility and contrition. Chap. Job 40:3-4.
Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee?
I will lay my hand upon my mouth:—And again, chap. Job 42:3, &c. I have uttered
that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. But now mine
eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
The complacency and favour with which this humble acknowledgment was accepted
by the Supreme Judge, and the bountiful reward bestowed upon this good man, as a
present earnest of a still greater to be expected by him hereafter, will teach us this
very acceptable and important truth: how ready God is to pass by the little
weaknesses of human nature in one in whom there is a tried and resolute integrity
still bent upon the doing of his duty, and determined, whatever may befal him, to
adhere to God in all his trials and temptations.
REFLECTIO S.—1st, Job had begun his humbling acknowledgments, chap. Job

29. 40:4-5.; but now his convictions, much deeper and stronger, produce lowlier
abasement before God.
1. He submits himself entirely to God. I know that thou canst do every thing; these
wondrous instances of thy power convince me, that it is madness to contend with the
Almighty, and folly to despair of what his power can do: none are so high that he
cannot abase, none so low that he cannot restore and exalt them; and that no
thought can be withholden from thee; the secrets of the soul are known to him; not a
corrupt, fretful, or unbelieving thought rises without his notice.
2. He confesses his ignorance, sin, and folly. Who is he that hideth consel without
knowledge? pretends to be wise above God. Let him take warning, and be
admonished by me; it has been my case, with shame I acknowledge it: therefore
have I uttered that I understood not. I have not had a right knowledge either of
God's purity, or my own pollution; of his power, or my own weakness; of his
wisdom, or my own ignorance: things too wonderful for me, which I knew not, have
I spoken concerning the dispensations of his providence, and the mysteries of his
government, mistaking his designs, and finding fault with God foolishly; in which
my presumption, wilfulness, and pride, have appeared to my guilt and confusion.
3. He resolves now to change his tone, and turn the voice of contention into the
language of prayer, as his only proper method of approaching God. Hear, I beseech
thee, though I own myself undeserving of thy notice and regard, and I will speak;
not in self-defence, but in humbling confession; I will demand of thee or make my
request to thee; and declare thou unto me, answer my petition in pardoning my sin,
and instruct me in the right way, that I may not err again.
4. He feels and owns the deep sense he had of his sinfulness. I have heard of thee by
the hearing of the ear; his parents and teachers had given him good instructions
concerning the perfections of God; and he had probably received revelations from
him; but now mine eye seeth thee; never before was such a discovery made to his
mind, of the sovereignty, power, wisdom, and justice of God, in all his providential
dispensations. Probably now also in the human form God appeared visible, while he
opened Job's understanding to a clear view of his nature, glory, and infinite
perfections, and manifested them to him in the appearance or figure of an incarnate
Redeemer. Wherefore, I abhor myself, and all the hard speeches that I have spoken,
and repent in dust and ashes, desiring to testify my grief and shame, and renounce
henceforward every thought and deed contrary to thy holy will. Thus must every
real penitent return to God, (1.) under a divine conviction, which no human
arguments can produce without the spirit of God. (2.) This sense of sin will be deep
and lasting, yea, increasing with clearer views of God's purity. (3.) We must come
with heart-felt anguish for the dishonour we have brought on God, and heart-felt
shame and self-loathing, which are the genuine expressions of true repentance. (4.)
With an humble hope, that, vile and loathsome as we are, God will not reject us, but
pity and pardon us, through the Redeemer of lost souls.
2nd, We must not think, because Job is first rebuked, that the cause is given against

30. him, and his accusers justified. o. Though he deserved reproof, they deserved it
more. God, while he brings Job to acknowledge what he had spoken amiss, will
justify him from their unjust aspersions, and cover them with confusion.
1. Job is exalted. After the Lord had spoken these words unto Job, convinced and
humbled him, pardoned and accepted him, then he appears to justify and honour
him. [1.] He acknowledges him his servant, repeatedly calling him by this
respectable title, as a testimony of his fidelity in the main, though through
temptation and infirmity he had erred, and spoken unadvisedly. [2.] He declares,
that in the controversy Job had come nearest to the truth, and spoken more wisely
and honourably of him and his providences, than his friends; in denying that
prosperity was the criterion of godliness, or affliction in this world of hypocrisy and
wickedness; and extending his views to a future state, where the retribution of every
man's work was to be expected. [3.] He appoints him to be their advocate; putting
this honour upon him, well knowing the spirit of charity in his heart, and how ready
he would be to pray for his persecutors. ote; (1.) Whom God pardons, he delights
to honour. (2.) A faithful servant of Christ may err, or be overtaken with a fault;
but God, who sees the heart, and the root of the matter in him, will not disclaim his
relation to him. (3.) Where there is much wrong mixed with what is right, we must
not condemn the whole for a part, any more than we should cast away the ore,
because it comes from the earth mixed with dross. (4.) They who have tasted God's
pardoning love to their own souls, will think no injury too great to be forgiven or
forgotten; or refuse to open the arms of love to their bitterest enemy. (5.) Job was
herein a lively figure of the Saviour of sinners, who alone could offer the sacrifice
that God would accept, in his deepest distress prayed for his murderers, and ever
lives to intercede for the transgressors.
2. Job's friends are cast down, and brought to his feet in abasement. Perhaps while
they heard God's address to Job alone, they thought the verdict was for them; but
now God would make them know, that, though Job had offended, they had exceeded
in offence. He had spoken some things wrong, but they many more; laying down
false hypotheses of his general dealings with men; condemning the righteous
unjustly, and misinterpreting the rod of love into the stroke of judgment; making
him sad, whom they should have comforted. For this, God's wrath was kindled
against them; and, though they were good men, in this they had deserved to be
punished; and therefore they must bring a sacrifice of atonement, as the expiation of
their guilt. They must humble themselves, not only before God, but before Job,
acknowledging their evil, desiring his prayers, and bringing their sacrifices to him,
whose prayers for them should be accepted. ote; (1.) It is a dangerous thing to
judge rashly of men's spiritual state, except in cases of open vice; and a high
provocation against God, as well as an injury to our brethren. (2.) The best of God's
saints are exposed to the severest censures, and even good men will be sometimes
criminally severe. (3.) We must not expect forgiveness from God, unless we have, to
the uttermost, made our brother satisfaction for the injuries that we have done him.
(4.) It is a mercy that we have one Advocate to go to, who, highly as we have
offended him, never rejects the suit of the humbled soul.

31. 3. We see all happily reconciled. Job's friends, without delay, submit to the divine
injunction: he heartily forgives them, and prays for them. They who were lately so
sharp in contention, now lift up together the voice of humble supplication, and,
united in love, surround a throne of grace. God, well pleased, accepts the offering,
and perfect reconciliation ensues on every side. ote; (1.) It is a blessed thing to see
differences thus ended, and friends, separated by mistakes or folly, forgetting,
forgiving, and embracing. (2.) How much more agreeable were it, instead of warmth
of theological dispute about opinions allowedly not essential to salvation, to unite in
love, where all true Christians are agreed, in prayer and praise, and to labour to
walk more holily and humbly before God! (3.) There is but one way of reconciliation
for the sinner, the Blood of Atonement: unless we plead that, we must be undone.
(4.) While we are waiting on God in his instituted ways, we may take the comfort of
our services, and rejoice in are acceptance, through the sacrifice and intercession of
our adored Jesus.
3rdly, Better, says Solomon, is the end of a thing than the beginning; and we see it in
Job's case abundantly verified. The restoration and increase of his prosperity were
as astonishing as the suddenness and depth of his afflictions.
1. God eminently appeared for him. When he prayed for his friends, blessings came
upon his own head; the Lord turned his captivity, restored his body from Satan's
bands, and his mind from the terrors and distress with which it had been agitated;
and, withal, doubled the possessions of which he had been deprived. Thus his
fidelity was rewarded in this life, his credit restored in the eyes of men, and his
comforts secured on a more solid basis than before. ote; Though this life, to a
faithful believer, may in temporal matters sometimes be compared with Job's
situation in his afflictions, at least in some degree, yet he may expect a deliverance
from his captivity, where his prosperity will be beyond even Job's here, unspeakable
and eternal.
2. His friends and acquaintance, who had been estranged from him, returned to visit
and to comfort him, sympathizing in his affliction; and, not content with empty pity,
each, according to their ability, made him handsome presents. God now inclined
their hearts to assist him: probably, the approbation that God had given of his
character removed their suspicions of his integrity, which had led them to neglect
him; and the fear of God's displeasure, testified against his three friends who had
been so severe upon him, made them desirous of an interest in Job's prayers for
themselves also. ote; (1.) God has all men's hearts in his hands, and can strangely
incline them to execute his designs. (2.) True charity and friendship will not merely
bring the kind wish, but the ready generous assistance.
3. A remarkable increase attended him. His cattle, from the stock with which his
friends furnished him, soon doubled the number that he had lost; and, above all his
riches, the blessing of God upon them made them especially valuable. And thus his
latter end was greater than his beginning; more wealthy, more respected, and more
happy. ote; (1.) God's blessing upon honest endeavours will make a little to afford
great increase. (2.) Respecting outward prosperity, a good man often finds a