Job Chapter 1
1:1. The first two chapters are written in prose and serve as a prologue to the poetic saga that follows. Likewise,
the epilogue (42:7-17) is also written in prose. The exact location of the land of Uz is uncertain, but it is usually
associated with Edom (cf. Lam. 4:21). One of Job's friends, Eliphaz, was from Teman, a well-known Edomite city.
Four great attributes are ascribed to Job: perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed [shunned]
evil. His life could not have been more exemplary.
1:2, 3. Not only was Job's life upright, but he was prosperous. Numerous children, especially sons, and abundant
livestock were the status symbols of wealth and greatness in that day.
1:5. Job was a spiritual man as clearly revealed by his sensitivity to sin and its consequent need for sacrifice.
1:6. Sons of God in this passage refers to angelic beings. Satan is considered one of them, though fallen from his
original sinless state. His name means "Adversary," and in this narrative he lives up to its meaning. The passage
shows that Satan has access to God's presence, though this does not seem to be Satan's abode. His final
casting-out from heaven is described in Revelation 12:10, where Satan is called "the accuser of our brethren."
1:7. From going to and fro in the earth refers to Satan's activity . Though he does not admit it here, Satan's
character clearly shows that his many travels are for evil purposes. In 1 Peter 5:8, Satan is described as "your
adversary the devil ... seeking whom he may devour." The activity of Satan indicates that he has only limited
access to God. This account in Job emphasizes that God is sovereign over Satan. It also teaches that Satan is a
finite being and therefore not omnipresent. Nor can he touch God's servants without God's permission.
1:8. The initiative in the conversation lies with God, but He may well have simply expressed what was on Satan's
mind. God's view of Job is the same as the description given in 1:1.
1:9-11. Satan acknowledges the accuracy of God's evaluation of Job but questions Job's motives. The question of
why people serve God is as important as the question of suffering in this story. The hedge (v. 10) represents all
that God does not protect His children. A godly man is invincible until God is finished with him.
1:12. God permits but does not order Satan to test Job. Satan's power is always exercised under the control of
God. He is limited by the unlimited power of God.
1:13-19. The disasters that befell Job were of human agency (Sabeans and Chaldeans) and of natural sources
(fire and wind), though Satan's power was behind it all. Sabeans were a nomadic bedouin tribe known for their
treachery and cruelty. They often plundered other peoples as a means of survival. Chaldeans were also a band of
nomadic marauders at this time. They later conquered Babylon. All of these tragic events evidently took place on
the same day, and of all the hundreds of Job's servants, only four survived to bear the bad news. Human life was
lost in all four disasters.
1:20-22. Satan failed. Instead of cursing God, Job worshiped. He had lost two of life's most precious possessions:
family and wealth. Yet he remained upright. A thirf blessing, his health, was left alone.
Job Chapter 2
2:1-8. A second test results in the loss of Job's health. The identification of the disease signified by sore boils is not
clear, though its description is very vivid. In any case the boils covered his entire body, were visible to others, and
were very painful. Job is now impoverished that he can only scrape himself with a potsherd or a piece of broken
pottery.
2:9-10. Job's wife suggested that Job do what Satan predicted: curse God. After all she had been through, it is no
wonder she was ready to give up all hope. But Job recognized that both good and evil come from God's hand,
though one by by His active will and the other by His permissive will. God can permit evil things to happen for good
ends (cf. Gen. 50:19, 20). In all this did not Job sin is proof enough that Satan was wrong and was sorely defeated.
Satan does not appear again in the book.
2:11-13. Some time must have elapsed before the three friends arrived since it would have taken time for them to
communicate and then make the trip. Eliphaz seems to have been the eldest and most prominent. He was from
Teman, a well-known Edomite city where wise men lived (cf. Jer. 49:20: Obad. 8, 9). Bildad the Shuhite lived in the
same general are inhabited by the descendants of Shuah, one of Abraham's sons by Keturah (Gen. 25:1, 2).
Zophar also lived nearby in the are of Naamath. Little is known about any of these men. Though these three friends
have been considered the most unsympathetic comforters in history, a few compliments may be paid to them: they
did come to visit Job, they wept with him, they sat with him in silence for seven days and nights,a nd they at least
told him what they thought to his face and not behind his back. Their extended silence clearly teaches that there
are times of grief so great that it is better not to speak than to say the wrong thing, as their subsequent
conversation is revealed.
Job Chapter 3
3:1. After this, that is, after the seven days of silence, Job broke the silence. Whereas the first two chapters were
written in prose, everything in 3:3-42:6 is in poetry.
3:8. Instead of cursing God, Job cursed his own birth. Mourning is better taken as "Leviathan," an ancient sea
monster who came to symbolize opposition to God's creative force. To raise up Leviathan would be to bring the
world back to a state of chaos (cf. Gen. 1:2) and negate the birth of Job.
Job Chapter 4
4:1. The actual dialogue with his friends begins here and takes up most of the book. It consists of three cycles in
which each friend speaks and Job replies, with the exception that in the third cycle Zophar does not speak. Eliphaz
speaks first because he was probably the eldest and wisest. He was also the most compassionate of three. Eliphaz
takes the position of a theologian, emphasizing the greatness of God and His judgement of sin. Bildad takes the
position of a traditionalist, emphasizing the principles of justice and the concept of retribution. Zophar takes the
position of a moralist, emphasizing the principles of wisdom, which he suggests Job has violated. All three of them
take a negative view of job, assuming that he has done something to bring this trouble on himself.
4:8. Even as I have seen, that is, Eliphaz's argument was based on personal experience. They that plow iniquity ...
reap the same, meaning, you reap what you sow. Therefore, Job must be suffering because of sin.
Job Chapter 6
6:1-13. At first Job does not respond to Eliphaz but only continues his lament. His grief was so great that he could
hardly reply.
6:14. Job does not really answer Eliphaz's contention but simply pleads for pity from his friends. He seems to
answer the tone of Eliphaz's speech rather than the specific charges.
6:24. Wherein I have erred is a call for specific sins to be cited by the friends, perhaps with a note of sarcasm.
Job Chapter 7
7:1. Job now turns to God to continue his lament.
7:12. Job is saying, "Is it so needful to watch me as you would watch a threatening sea monster?"
7:20. I have sinned is better, "If I have sinned."
Job Chapter 8
8:1-4. Bildad wastes no time getting to the heart of his argument: Job is full of hot air (like a strong wind, v. 2). If Job
is to be exonerated, then God would be unjust, and that cannot be (v. 3). Job's children must have sinned to incur
divine judgement (v. 4).
8:8. Inquire ... of the former age: Bildad seems to be basing his case on wisdom tradition, unlike Eliphaz who
appealed to experience.
Job Chapter 9
9:3. Job complains that one cannot argue with an infinite God about justice; God could ask a thousand
unanswerable questions.
9:33. Daysman is a mediator. Job cries out for an advocate or impartial judge who could arbitrate the case between
himself and God (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5).
Job Chapter 10
10:10, 11. A reference to the development of the embryo from its origin in the womb.
10:16. As a fierce lion: God is compared to a lion who savagely pursues his prey.
10:21. The land of darkness: A reference to death.
Job Chapter 11
11:1-3. Zophar is full of reproof and condemnation. He clearly assumes that Job is guilty, calling him a talker, a liar,
and a mocker.
11:11. He knoweth vain men: A sovereign, omniscient God can see Job's sin.
11:13-20. Zophar continues to assume that Job is a sinner but reminds him that God will forgive his sin upon his
confession and repentance.
Job Chapter 12
12:2. Job takes the opportunity, now that all three friends have spoken, to give his opinion of their counsel: no
doubt ... wisdom shall die with you. The statement is dripping with sarcasm, but is an appropriate answer to these
three who thought that they had all the answers to his dilemma.
12:7-25. Job believes in God's omnipotence, too, though here he emphasizes its destructive capacity.
Job Chapter 13
13:2. I am not inferior unto you shows the deep resentment that Job has toward his friends' unsympathetic
diagnosis.
13:15. Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him expresses the unquenchable faith of one who lives by faith, not by
sight. Even when it appears that God Himself has turned against Job, he will still trust in God.
13:28. He, as a rotten thing: He refers to man in general, who is here compared to a rotting garment, an apt
illustration of his corruption.
Job Chapter 14
14:1-22. The Book of Job is filled with references to the brevity of man's life. This is especially true of chapter 14.
Man is of few days (v. 1), like a flower (v. 2), as a shadow (v. 2), and so on. His viewpoint is very similar to the
Preacher (Qoheleth) in Ecclesiastes.
14:13, 14. Sheol is the Old Testament term for the place of the departed dead. Job longs for death as a release
from the trials of earth. His question-If a man die, shall he live again?-is answered in 19:25, 26. (See the note on
19:23-27.) There are several questions raised in this book. They all express man's desire to know who he is, why
he was born, and where he is going.
Job Chapter 15
15:1. The second round of discussion becomes more heated. Now that Job has heard and answered all three
friends, he is regarded by all three as quite arrogant.
15:2. Eliphaz begins his second speech with a question. There are over three hundred questions in the Book of
Job (more than in any other book in the Bible). They express the viewpoint of wisdom and the search for
understanding. Their constant use in this book clearly reflects its Near Eastern origin.
15:4. Thou castest off fear, that is, the fear of God. Eliphaz makes a serious accusation, that Job is actually
undermining devotion to God by others.
15:5. Eliphaz now accuses Job of iniquity and being crafty, deceitful, whereas in his first speech he seemed to
assume Job's sincerity.
15:17-35. Eliphaz again appeals to his personal experience for authority: that which I have seen. He then surveys
the judgements that fall on the wicked, thus implying that Job is to be numbered among them.
Job Chapter 16
16:2. The discussion degenerates into a series of insults and name-calling, Job protests his innocence, but begins
to lose hope in his desperate situation.
16:15. Unaware of God's sovereignty and of Satan's devices against him, Job begins to assume that God is against
him for an unexplainable reason. Sackcloth is a sign of mourning. The horn he had laid in the dust is a sign of
strength.
16:19. My witness is in heaven implies an advance in Job's faith over 9:33, where he pleaded for an impartial
arbiter. He seems certain here that there is heavenly witness who will testify on his behalf.
Job Chapter 17
17:1. The graves are ready indicates that Job believed death was near.
Job Chapter 18
18:1. Bildad argues that the law of retribution applies to all men, believing that Job's suffering is the result of
personal sin. Thus, Bildad becomes frustrated with Job's self-defense. He believes that only the wicked suffer. He
implies, therefore, that all suffering is judgmental, assuming that Job is suffering because he is being judged for his
sin.
18:3. Are we counted as beasts? Bildad is saying, "You've insulted our intelligence!"
18:5-21. A blistering speech on the woes of the wicked.
18:9. The gin is a trap.
Job Chapter 19
19:1. This chapter contains the highlight of the discussion cycles, since in it Job expresses the deepest faith
possible for a believer in his day from the midst of the deepest despair.
19:3. Ten times is an expression for "often" (cf. Gen. 31:7).
19:23-27. God has humiliated Job (vv. 8-12), his friends and relatives have abandoned him (vv. 13-20), and he has
been reduced to pleading for pity (vv. 21, 22). But from the depths of degradation he expresses the confidence
that if his case could only be recorded for posterity, future generations would judge him favorably (vv. 23, 24).
Furthermore, he knows confidently that he has a Redeemer (v. 25, Heb. go-el), One who will champion his cause
and vindicate him. The Redeemer is more than an arbiter (9:33) or a witness (16:19) but a Kinsman-Redeemer who
will avenge him. Clearly, Job viewed God Himself as the Redeemer, and the Hebrew word is in fact used often of
God (Ps. 19:14; Is. 41:14. etc.) In my flesh (v. 26) speaks of a resurrected body. Though it may also be translated
"apart from my flesh," as a spirit being, the emphasis of the original means "from the standpoint of my flesh," in my
resurrected body. Here then is clear evidence of the Old Testament belief in the resurrection of the human body.
Job Chapter 20
20:1-29. Zophar's second speech focuses on two key ideas: the prosperity of the wicked is short, and his doom is
sure.
Job Chapter 21
21:1-34. Job strikes at the heart of his friends' assumption that the wicked are judged and the righteous are
blessed. Job claims that this simply is not true, if one looks at life objectively: the wicked's children are established
(v. 8), his house is safe (v. 9), his cattle reproduced (v. 10), and so on. He even receives an honorable burial (vv.
32, 33)!
Job Chapter 22
22:1-30. In his final speech Eliphaz blasts Job with his most vicious attack. Beginning with the assumption that
wickedness brings only God's judgement (vv. 1-5), Eliphaz complies a catalog of sins of which Job must be guilty
(vv. 6-20). Finally, in a beautiful passage on the forgiveness of God, he appeals to Job to repent (vv. 21-30),
though he directs it toward the wrong person.
Job Chapter 23
23:10. I shall come forth as gold: His friends maintained that Job was full of dross, but Hob confident that no dross,
or sin, would be revealed in the fires of refinement.
Job Chapter 24
24:1. This verse is obscure but seems to be a plea for the Almighty to set times of judgement. Those who know
God do not see such days. The entire chapter is spent listing various crimes and criminals, the implication being
that they carry on their wicked activity with no divine intervention.
24:25. Who will make me a liar? Who can disprove what I am saying?
Job Chapter 25
25:1-6. Bildad's short reply may indicate that the arguments of Job's friends have been exhausted. The essence of
Bildad's speech is this: Since the mighty moon and stars (v. 5) are not pure in God's sight, how much less can Job,
a worm like all men (v. 6), hope to escape unscathed. While this is true, Job never claimed that he was without sin;
he claimed only that his current suffering was not incurred because of sin.
Job Chapter 26
26:2-4. In six sarcastic questions (the first four may be taken alternatively as exclamations) Job tells Bildad that God
would be in a great deal of trouble if Bildad had not been there to help God! Then Job outdoes Bildad in describing
the majesty, power, and greatness of God.
Job Chapter 27
27:1. Job may have paused here for Zophar to speak. Since the latter declines, Job continued with two replies,
apparently directed against all three friends. Both verse 1 and 29:1 begin: Moreover Job continued his parable
(better, "discourse").
27:6. In spite of the loss of family, wealth, and health and the accusations of his friends, Jon maintained his integrity
to the end.
27:7-23. There is a severe interpretive problem in the chapter: Job seems to agree now with his friends that the
wicked are punished and that they are not permitted to prosper as he had earlier alleged. The answer to this
seeming contradiction lies in the fact that much of what the friends have said is true, and Job is agreeing with them;
however, he does not contradict his earlier statements that they have been arbitrary and unjust in their application
of their tenets.
Job Chapter 28
28:1-28. This chapter is one of the most beautiful poems on wisdom found in the Scriptures. After describing how
laboriously man works to extract the ores and precious metals from the earth (vv. 1-11), Job raises the ultimate
question of the sufferer: where shall wisdom be found? (v. 12). It cannot be purchased with earthlly wealth (vv.
13-19), but is conveyed only through the controlling factor of the fear of the LORD (v. 28). This concept of the fear
of the Lord unites all the wisdom books. (cf. Prov. 1:7; Eccl. 12:13).
Job Chapter 29
29:1-25. Job's memory is stirred as he recalls his glorious past. He lived under the protection of God: God
preserved me (v. 2). His family was blessed: my children were about me (v. 5). He was materially blessed: the rock
poured me out rivers of oil, a hyperbole for excessive prosperity (v. 6). He had the respect of his community: the
aged arose, and stood up (v. 8). He assumed that he would live a long and prosperous life: I shall multiply my days
as the sand (v. 18). Finally, in summary, he lived as a king (v. 25).
Job Chapter 30
30:1. But now introduces the contrast of his present suffering with the glory just described in chapter 29. Now he is
insulted and ridiculed by the same derelicts he earlier helped: They abhor me (v. 10). He suffers internally, both
physically and psychologically: the days of affliction have taken hold (v. 16). God Himself has persecuted him: He
hath cast me into the mire (v. 19).
Job Chapter 31
31:1-40. In Job's final speech he delivers what might be called an oath of innocence. He claims moral purity (v. 1),
honesty (v. 5), fidelity to his wife (vv. 9, 10), fair treatment of his servants (vv. 13-15), help given to the poor and
fatherless (vv. 16-23), rejection of materialism (vv. 24, 25), rejection of idolatrous worship of the heavenly bodies
(vv. 26-28), kind dealing with enemies (vv. 29-32), and confession of sins (vv. 33, 34). Finally, he appeals to God
to be the judge: if what he has claimed for himself is not true, let God pronounce the consequences (vv. 35-40).
Job Chapter 32
32:1. Elihu was probably one of a number of onlookers who witnessed the debate between Job and his friends. In
the six characters devoted to his speeches, the emphasis seems to be fourfold: supreme reverence for God, grave
sensitivity to sin, recognition of the instructive power of suffering under God's hand, and awareness of the danger
of spiritual pride. In this introductory chapter Elihu lives up to the caricature of the "angry young man": the word
"wrath" occurs four times in verses 2-5. He explains that he has kept silent because of his youth, but now feels
compelled to speak.
Job Chapter 33
33:1-33. Elihu charges that Job has had a complaining attitude toward his suffering and a hostile attitude toward
God. God does not have to answer to man (v. 13), but He does reveal Himself through dreams and visions (vv. 15,
16), pain and suffering (v. 19-22), and angelic beings (v. 23). When a man responds favorably to his suffering,
God restores him (vv. 25-28).
33:1-33. Elihu charges that Job has had a complaining attitude toward his suffering and a hostile attitude toward
God. God does not have to answer to man (v. 13), but He does reveal Himself through dreams and visions (vv. 15,
16), pain and suffering (v. 19-22), and angelic beings (v. 23). When a man responds favorably to his suffering,
God restores him (vv. 25-28).
Job Chapters 34 and 35
34:1-35:16. In these chapters Elihu answers two arguments crucial to Job's position. First, against Job's charge that
God has wrongly afflicted an innocent man, Elihu answers that God's absolute sovereignty (34:13-15) and
omniscience (34:21-28) ensure His justice. Second, against Job's position that righteousness does not garner
divine favor, Elihu answers that neither sin nor righteousness cause any change in God (35:5-7). Further, Job has
denied the teaching value of suffering (35:11), and has failed to have his prayers answered because they are vain
(35:13).
Job Chapters 36 and 37
36:1-25. Elihu continues by expounding the grace of God to men: He opposes wicked men (vv. 5, 6); exalts
righteous men (v. 7); tries to bring sinners to repentance (vv. 8-12), and delivers those who suffer unjustly (v. 15).
Before such a God, Job must repent of his sins and praise the omnipotent God (vv. 17-25).
36:26-37:24. In a beautiful passage on the power and greatness of God, Elihu lists the marvels of nature as tokens
of God's might: raindrops (36:27, 28), thunderstorms (36:29-37:5), snow (37:6-9), ice (37:10), and clouds
(37:11-13). In light of these examples of God's greatness, Job is admonished to listen (v. 14). Man is too limited in
knowledge (vv. 15-20) to speak to, approach, or understand such a God (vv. 21-23). Therefore, man must fear
God.
Job Chapter 38
38:1-40:2. Job had called on many occasions for God to appear. Finally, He does appear in a whirlwind, but not
with the answers Job desired. Rather, God comes with questions. There are a total of 39 questions in chapter 38,
which easily ranks it as the chapter with the most questions in all the Bible, When added to the 20 questions in
39:1-40:2, the total comes to 59 questions that God asked Job in the first cycle of interrogation. The second cycle
(40:6-41:34) contains another 24 questions. The significant thing about these questions is that Job cannot answer
a single one! God was driving home the point that Job must let God be God, the sovereign and omnipotent Creator
who answers to no one.
38:4-38. The questions cover a wide range of the marvels of God's creation, with the emphasis placed on the
inanimate world: earth (vv. 4-7), sea (vv. 8-11), the dawn (dayspring) (vv. 12-15), unseen wonders (vv. 16-21),
weather phenomena (vv. 22-30), and heavenly bodies (vv. 31-38).
38:39-39:30. The next series of questions emphasizes the marvels of the animal world: the lion (38:39, 40), the
raven (38:41-39:4), the wild donkey (39:5-8), the unicorn, or better, the wild ox (39:9-12), the peacock (the stork),
and the ostrich (39:13-18), the horse (39:19-25), the hawk (39:26), and the eagle (39:27-30).
Job Chapters 40-41
40:3-5. Job's reply is one of humble submission in the face of an omnipotent and omniscient God: Behold, I am vile
(v. 4).
40:6-14. God's second series of questions begins with an affirmation of His administration of the moral order. Job
had questioned God's justice in order to protect his own innocence: Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be
righteous? (v. 8). God says in essence: "If you are as powerful as I [v. 9], then you bring judgement on the proud
[v. 11]; then I will admit your power" (v. 14).
40:15-41:34. The rest of the speech is taken up with a description of behemoth (40:15-24) and leviathan (41:1-34).
These are certainly literal, not mythical, creatures since they are observable and because the rest of the Lord's
questions deal with real animals. There have been numerous suggestions as to the identity of these creatures, with
the most likely being the hippopotamus and crocodile, respectively. The descriptions of both are filled with
hyperbole: he drinketh up a river (40:23); a flame goeth out of his mouth (41:21) (cf. the earlier hyperbolic
description of the horse in 39:19-25). The point of referring to these animals is this: if Job cannot master just two
marvels of physical strength within God's creation, how can he expect to stand as a combatant before their
powerful Creator? God has proven that He is wise, just, and powerful: Job must rest humbly and trustfully in a God
who knows more than he.
Job Chapter 42
42:1-6. The point of all of God's questions was not lost on Job: he has a new awareness of the wisdom of God's
hidden plans, a new sense of the limits of his own wisdom, and a new sensitivity to his own sin. He admits that his
has been a limited perspective, and he totally submits to God's will and authority.
42:7-9. Job's friends are rebuked for their errors, with Eliphaz being singled out as the leader of the three. The
Lord refers to Job as my servant four times to sow His approval.
42:10-1. Turned the captivity is a figure meaning "released." In other words, God brought an end to Job's suffering
and set him free to enjoy life again. God's restoration of Job is immediate and bountiful: he is given friends (v. 11),
material prosperity (v. 12), family (vv. 13-15), and long life (vv. 16, 17). The point to be garnered from the book is
now that God intends to deal with every servant as abundantly as He did with Job; rather, that God holds sovereign
and loving sway over every human life. Therefore, He can be trusted implicitly in all things (cf. Rom. 8:28; 1 Thess.
5:18).