1:1–2:13 Prologue: Job’s Character and the Circumstances of His Test. The book opens by introducing Job as blameless and upright. He is blessed with family and possessions. His life embodies faith in God both for himself and on behalf of his family (1:1–5). The author then describes conversations between God and Satan as Satan requests permission to test Job’s character by afflicting him (1:6–2:10). The author then describes how Job’s three friends hear of his suffering and come to offer sympathy and comfort (2:11–13). This creates the context for the rest of the book.
Comfort is a key word in the book of Job. When faced with personal tragedies, Job receives no comfort from his friends (16:2). But when God answers him (see chs. 38–41), he finds the comfort he needs.
JOB—NOTE ON 1:1 The precise location of the land of Uz is unknown. It may be related to Aram (Gen. 10:22–23), where Abraham’s nephew and family lived (Gen. 22:21), or to a descendant of Seir who lived alongside the sons of Esau in the land also referred to as Edom (Gen. 36:28; see also Lam. 4:21). Job’s faithfulness is stated at the beginning and affirmed again in Job 1:8 and 2:3. He is blameless and upright (a phrase also used to describe Noah [Gen. 6:9] and Abraham [Gen. 17:1]). Job is one who feared God and turned away from evil, which is how the book of Proverbs describes one who is wise (see Prov. 3:7; 14:16; 16:6).
JOB—NOTE ON 1:2–4 The large numbers of children, livestock, and servants, along with the feasting, suggest Job has enormous wealth. on his day. Birthday. Compare 18:20.
JOB—NOTE ON 1:5 cursed God in their hearts. The Hebrew is literally “blessed God in their hearts” (see esv footnote). The context indicates, however, that the opposite idea, “to curse,” is intended. The same verb is used in this way, as a euphemism, in v. 11; 2:5, 9; 1 Kings 21:10, 13.
JOB—NOTE ON 1:6–12 The Lord draws Satan’s attention to Job, initiating the chain of events related in the rest of the book.
JOB—NOTE ON 1:6 Sons of God refers to heavenly beings gathered before God like a council before a king (compare 15:8; Isa. 6:1–8). Satan. The Hebrew noun satan is commonly used to describe an adversary (e.g., 1 Sam. 29:4; 1 Kings 11:14). Here it refers to a specific individual (“the Adversary,” esv footnote) who does not appear to be one of the sons of God but who also came among them. The dialogue that follows reveals the character of this figure to be consistent with that of the serpent in Genesis 3, a character who is also referred to by using this noun as a proper name, “Satan” (e.g., 1 Chron. 21:1; see also Rev. 12:9).
JOB—NOTE ON 1:12 Satan has to ask permission to test Job (see also 2:6). This indicates his authority is under God’s control.
JOB—NOTE ON 1:13–19 Job’s troubles come from multiple directions in rapid succession. The Sabeans come from the south (v. 15), the fire from heaven (v. 16), the Chaldeans from the north (v. 17), and the wind from the east (v. 19).
JOB—NOTE ON 1:20 In the wake of his loss, Job expresses both grief (Job . . . tore his robe and shaved his head) and trust in the Lord (and fell on the ground and worshiped).
JOB—NOTE ON 1:21 In contrast to what Satan suggests will happen (vv. 9–11), Job cries out, “blessed be the name of the LORD.”
JOB—NOTE ON 2:1–10 Job’s second test is like the first (1:6–22), but includes an attack on his health.
JOB—NOTE ON 2:1–6 The second glimpse of the heavenly court (Again, v. 1) deliberately echoes the first (compare 1:6–12).
JOB—NOTE ON 2:3 The Lord points out to Satan that even after all that has happened to him, Job still holds fast his integrity. His grief, worship, and profession of faith in 1:20–21 are a faithful response to the tragedies.
JOB—NOTE ON 2:4–5 Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. Satan is suggesting that Job has remained faithful so far because it cost him only the “skin” of his livestock and family, which he was happy to trade for his own life.
JOB—NOTE ON 2:6 only spare his life. For Job’s faith to be truly tested, his life must be spared; he must be denied the mercy of death (compare 3:20–23).
JOB—NOTE ON 2:9 Curse God and die. Job’s wife advises him to respond to his suffering in the very way that Satan was hoping he would respond (see 1:11; 2:5).
JOB—NOTE ON 2:10 Job does not presume fully to know his wife’s heart, but he warns her against speaking like one of the foolish women.
JOB—NOTE ON 2:11 Eliphaz is from Teman, an important city in Edom (Gen. 36:11, 15; Ezek. 25:13; Amos 1:11–12). It was apparently known for its wisdom (Jer. 49:7). Bildad is from Shuah, which was probably in Edom or Arabia. Zophar is from Naamah, which was probably in the Sinai Peninsula or Arabian Desert.
JOB—NOTE ON 2:12 It is likely that Job’s friends did not recognize him because, in addition to his sores, Job bore other external effects of his grief (see 1:20; 2:7–8).
JOB—NOTE ON 2:13 The silence over seven days and seven nights signifies a time of mourning in response to Job’s suffering. Ezekiel exhibited a similar response upon meeting the exiles in Babylon (see Ezek. 3:15).
Seven days and seven nights was a traditional period for mourning in the ancient Near East (2:13).
JOB—NOTE ON 3:1–42:6 Dialogue: Job, His Suffering, and His Standing before God. Between the brief narrative sections of the prologue (1:1–2:13) and epilogue (42:7–17), the large central section of the book is dialogue in poetic form. It focuses on the question of what Job’s suffering reveals both about him and about God’s governing of the world.
3:1–26 Job: Despair for the Day of His Birth. Job is mystified by his current circumstances. He wonders whether he would have been better off in the darkness of never being born rather than having the light of life result in such suffering and grief. Throughout the dialogue with Job’s friends, darkness and light will refer to death and life. It will also symbolize what is hidden vs. what is revealed.
JOB—NOTE ON 3:1–2 Job cursed the day of his birth because it began the path of his life, which had led to his present distress.
JOB—NOTE ON 3:3–10 In skillfully crafted poetry, Job says he wishes that he had never been born.
JOB—NOTE ON 3:8 Elements of ancient myth are sometimes used metaphorically in Scripture, often in images of God’s power or authority (see 26:12). Leviathan. An ancient symbol of chaos (see note on Ps. 74:14).
JOB—NOTE ON 3:13–19 Job describes death as rest from the toil of life. He pictures its effect on people both high and low in society. He wishes he had joined those who were already in this state of rest rather than being born. Job refers to the kings and princes who labored to obtain wealth and build cities but now lay without them in death.
Was Job a real person? It is not known exactly when Job lived, but he was a real person. Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and James 5:11 refer to him as a historical figure.
JOB—NOTE ON 3:20–26 The final sequence of “why” questions reflects Job’s current miserable state.
JOB—NOTE ON 3:23 Satan had argued that Job was upright only because God had put a “hedge” of blessing around him (1:10). Here, Job says that his suffering makes him one whom God has hedged in.
4:1–25:6 The Friends and Job: Can Job Be Right before God? The main section of the book contains the dialogue between Job and the three friends. It opens with Job’s initial lament (3:1–16) and then alternates between speeches by each friend (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar) and responses by Job.
JOB—NOTE ON 4:1–14:22 First Cycle. Eliphaz begins this round of dialogues with a fairly gentle tone (4:3–4). Sympathy for Job rapidly fades, however, as the friends assume that Job’s moral failures are the reason for his present trouble. Job, for his part, is bewildered by his suffering. He argues (chs. 6–7), disputes (chs. 9–10), and rejects (chs. 12–14) the counsel of his friends.
JOB—NOTE ON 4:1–5:27 Eliphaz opens his first response by acknowledging Job’s good character (4:2–4). He then states what he knows to be true about how God works (4:7–5:16). He summarizes what will be the argument of the three friends: in light of Job’s current suffering, he cannot possibly be right before God (see 4:17). Eliphaz suggests that Job accept his circumstance as God’s rebuke so that he might be delivered (5:17–27).
JOB—NOTE ON 4:8 those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same. At the opening of his speech, Eliphaz introduces the claim that the friends will relentlessly defend throughout the dialogue: a person’s character can be judged by his or her circumstances.
JOB—NOTE ON 4:12–21 Eliphaz reports that he had a vision (vv. 12–16) and then describes its content (vv. 17–21). The vision raises the question, Can mortal man be in the right before God? Eliphaz argues that if God puts no trust even in his angels, then Job, a mortal man, should seek God’s help rather than presuming the right to protest against him.
JOB—NOTE ON 5:1 Eliphaz asks if there are any creatures left on earth (anyone) or in heaven (the holy ones) to whom Job can appeal. It is a rhetorical question; he assumes he is right and doesn’t really expect an answer.
JOB—NOTE ON 5:6–7 Returning to his agricultural comparison in 4:8, Eliphaz argues that affliction and trouble do not grow out of the dust or ground. Rather, they are the result of everything a person does from the day he is born.
JOB—NOTE ON 5:16–17 The wicked sit in stunned silence at the reversal of their fortune. Likewise, Eliphaz implies, Job should consider his misfortune as evidence of God’s just purposes.
JOB—NOTE ON 5:19–26 from six troubles; in seven (v. 19). The numbers are used symbolically to draw particular attention to the final element: if Job will accept his situation as God’s discipline, he will be spared from his trouble and will be brought to a “ripe old age” (v. 26).
JOB—NOTE ON 6:1–7:21 Job responds to Eliphaz’s words of “comfort.”
JOB—NOTE ON 6:8–9 Job expresses a hope for death at God’s hand, to end his suffering.
JOB—NOTE ON 6:14 Eliphaz has suggested that Job’s suffering may mean that he has been a fool (see 5:3–7). Job argues that a person such as Eliphaz who withholds kindness from a friend is himself acting unwisely (forsakes the fear of the Almighty).
JOB—NOTE ON 6:15 Job’s friends are treacherous as a torrent-bed, which can suddenly appear, providing water to a thirsty traveler, but may then just as quickly dry up.
JOB—NOTE ON 6:25–26 If upright words are used properly, they can reprove a person and save him from foolishness. However, Job is a despairing man, pouring out his complaint before God. His friends are wrong to assume that he needs to be corrected.
JOB—NOTE ON 6:28–30 For the first time, Job declares that he is innocent and deserving of vindication.
JOB—NOTE ON 7:11 The three parallel statements of this verse (I will . . . ) mark the transition from Job’s response to Eliphaz to his response to God. That transition is also marked by the change in reference to God from the third person (“he”) in 6:9 to the second person (“you”) in 7:12.
What is Sheol? In the OT, Sheol (7:9–10) is where the dead reside. It is a place of rest for believers (1 Sam. 28:14), but a place of punishment for the wicked (Isa. 14:3–23).
JOB—NOTE ON 7:12 Job wonders why God treats him as if he were as powerful and dangerous as the sea or a sea monster.
In the literature of the ancient Near East, the sea (9:8) is often seen as a threat to the order of nature. People looked upon the sea as something that could not be contained or conquered.
JOB—NOTE ON 7:16 I loathe my life. Compare 9:21; 42:6.
JOB—NOTE ON 7:17–18 What is man, that you make so much of him echoes Ps. 8:4 (“what is man that you are mindful of him”). However, where Psalm 8 marvels at how humanity has been crowned with glory by God, Job laments the weight of God’s watchful presence crushing him (Job 7:20).
JOB—NOTE ON 8:1–22 Bildad is the second friend to “comfort” Job.
JOB—NOTE ON 8:4–6 After the rhetorical questions in v. 3, Bildad presents two conditional statements (“if . . . then”) to Job that are meant to represent the consequences of God’s justice. The first statement (v. 4) assumes that Job’s children have suffered because of their sin. The second calls Job to remember that, if he will repent (v. 5) and if he is blameless (v. 6), then God will spare him from the end that his children have suffered.
JOB—NOTE ON 8:8–10 Bildad bases his advice on the wisdom of his fathers, that is, his ancestors.
JOB—NOTE ON 8:11–19 Papyrus and reeds grow quickly in the wetlands, but they are also very vulnerable. They need a constant supply of water. Other plants are deeply rooted in rocky soil, but they can be uprooted, leaving no trace of their presence. Likewise, the way of the wicked is fragile and futile.
JOB—NOTE ON 8:20–22 In his conclusion, Bildad asserts two things: if Job were a blameless man, God would not have rejected him; the tent of the wicked will not stand for long.
JOB—NOTE ON 9:1–10:22 Job responds, in a speech that is relentlessly legal: ch. 9 is framed by the term contend (9:3; 10:2), and legal terms occur throughout the chapter (e.g., 9:2, 3, 14, 19, 20, 32, 33).
JOB—NOTE ON 9:1–2 When Job says, “I know that it is so,” he is most likely affirming that Bildad is right: God is just, and he will not reject the upright (8:3, 20). However, in light of these truths, and in light of how the friends have interpreted Job’s circumstances, Job slightly modifies the original question of Eliphaz (4:17) and asks, But how can a man be in the right before God? If God is just and Job is in fact innocent of the foolishness or wickedness his friends accuse him of, how can he go about arguing his case?
JOB—NOTE ON 9:3–10 Job does not respond further to the specifics of Bildad’s argument. Instead he describes the difficulty of anyone arguing a case before God (vv. 3–4), given his power and strength (vv. 5–10).
JOB—NOTE ON 9:13 Rahab, like Leviathan (see 3:8; compare 7:12), is the name of a beast from the myths of the non-Israelite peoples. Here the name seems to represent the forces of chaos (but see note on Isa. 30:6–7).
JOB—NOTE ON 9:15 Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him. Job states here (and again in v. 20) that his friends have applied their theology to him and his circumstances in a way that traps him. Job agrees that God is just, but he feels there is no room for him to make the case for his innocence.
JOB—NOTE ON 9:20 Job thinks that no matter what he says, God will find his words unpersuasive and perverse. When Job says, “I am blameless” (also in v. 21), he echoes God’s description of him in 1:8; 2:3.
JOB—NOTE ON 9:21 I regard not myself. Job seems to be saying that he does not care whether he lives or dies. He is prepared to risk his life to find justice (13:14).
JOB—NOTE ON 9:22–24 Job argues that, from what one can observe in the world, both the blameless and the wicked are destroyed, both fall prey to disaster, and both suffer injustice. All of these things are governed by God (if it is not he, who then is it?).
JOB—NOTE ON 9:32–35 There is no arbiter. Job criticizes his friends for not comforting him. He longs for an impartial party to hear his case (see v. 33, esv footnote). He also wants the threat of further suffering removed, so that he could speak freely.
JOB—NOTE ON 10:1–2 As in 7:11, Job explicitly announces his turn to address his Creator directly.
JOB—NOTE ON 10:3 Job’s awareness that he is the work of God’s hands provides the theme for the verses that follow.
JOB—NOTE ON 10:8–13 Job shares the wonder of the psalmist (Ps. 139:14) and the insight given to the prophet (Jer. 1:5a), but uses it here to proclaim his innocence.
JOB—NOTE ON 10:15–17 Even if he is in the right (v. 15; see also 9:15, 20), Job feels he has no strength to walk upright because of the weight of his suffering (10:15) and the threat of further affliction (vv. 16–17).
Clay was one of the most readily available materials in ancient times. It was used to construct buildings and to make everyday household items. Job describes himself as having been made “like clay” (10:9) and says that he will someday return to dust. This should remind readers of Genesis 2:7, where the Lord created man from dust.
JOB—NOTE ON 10:21–22 Job repeatedly describes death as darkness and shadow. The adjectives (thick, deep) underscore his plea to be released from suffering while he still has the light of life.
JOB—NOTE ON 11:1–20 Like Bildad (8:1–22), Zophar accuses Job of being presumptuous and speaking empty words.
JOB—NOTE ON 11:7 There is irony in this verse that Zophar will realize only during the events of the epilogue (42:7–9). Zophar accuses Job of wrongly thinking he can know the deep things of God, but it is Zophar who is presuming to know God’s purposes in Job’s suffering.
JOB—NOTE ON 11:12 Zophar says the path of the stupid man will never lead to understanding. He calls Job to turn away from insisting he is in the right and instead seek God in prayer and repentance (vv. 13–20).
JOB—NOTE ON 12:1–14:22 In the longest response of the dialogues with his three friends, Job shows his growing frustration with their claims of wisdom (even though he agrees with them about God’s supreme power; 12:1–13:2) and with the conclusions they have drawn (13:3–19). Then, once again, he addresses his lamentation directly to God (13:20–14:22).
JOB—NOTE ON 12:2–3 Job reveals his frustration through sarcasm. Responding perhaps to Zophar’s wish that God would tell Job “the secrets of wisdom” (11:5–6), Job says, “wisdom will die with you.” In other words, Job’s friends seem to think that they alone are wise.
JOB—NOTE ON 12:4–6 Job argues that his friends’ understanding of wisdom seems to ignore both the suffering of the righteous and the security of the wicked. Furthermore, while true wisdom would make a person want to comfort those who are suffering, his friends have shown contempt instead (see note on 6:14).
JOB—NOTE ON 12:6 Job’s reference to the tents of robbers may have been in response to one or more of his friends’ earlier assertions (see 5:24; 8:22; 11:14).
JOB—NOTE ON 12:7–9 Job suggests that his friends inquire of the animals and plants of creation, because they know that it is the LORD who governs all of life.
JOB—NOTE ON 12:13–25 In these verses, Job asserts that God’s providential governing of the world is much more extensive than his friends realize.
JOB—NOTE ON 12:18 He looses the bonds of kings, that is, kings lose their thrones. The bond is the royal sash or belt.
JOB—NOTE ON 12:21–24 He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in a trackless waste. God governs the powerful as well as the weak. Loosens the belt is a way of describing the disarming of a soldier.
JOB—NOTE ON 13:3–19 Before he turns to address his lament directly to God (13:20–14:22), Job argues that his friends have misdiagnosed him (worthless physicians; 13:4) and misrepresented God (vv. 7–10).
JOB—NOTE ON 13:4 you whitewash with lies. Job’s friends have tried to patch over his situation with statements they ought to know are not true about either Job or God.
JOB—NOTE ON 13:6–10 Using legal terminology, Job says his friends are showing favoritism to his divine opponent in making his case for him (v. 8).
JOB—NOTE ON 13:11 Will not his majesty terrify you? Job questions whether his friends have considered seriously the glory and power of God, as they speak so casually on his behalf.
JOB—NOTE ON 13:16 The salvation Job hopes for is that he will be able to make his case before God, and that God will be his redeemer (see 19:25).
JOB—NOTE ON 13:20 Only grant me two things. Job abruptly shifts from warning his friends to pleading his case with God.
JOB—NOTE ON 13:27 you set a limit for the soles of my feet. The symbolic language refers either to confinement (“set a limit for”) or to the tracking of movement (“marked”; see esv footnote). Both ideas express God’s vigilant pursuit of Job: the Lord restrains Job’s feet, and watches (marks) everywhere he goes.
JOB—NOTE ON 13:28–14:22 As his lament before God continues, Job moves from referring primarily to his own situation (13:20–27) to focusing on the nature of life for all people.
JOB—NOTE ON 14:4–5 No mortal can work outside the limits that God has set.
The book of Job includes three cycles of conversations in which the friends of Job offer their comfort and advice, and then listen as Job responds. The first cycle covers chs. 4–14.
JOB—NOTE ON 14:7–14 Job laments the limits of mortality by contrasting the consequences of cutting down a tree (vv. 7–9) and the death of a man (vv. 10–14). There is hope (v. 7) for a tree: even if root and stump decay (v. 8), it may still grow again (v. 9). However, when a man dies, his life on earth is finished (see vv. 10, 12, 14).
JOB—NOTE ON 14:15–22 Job longs for a renewal in which God would secure his path and forgive his sin (vv. 15–17). But he concludes that just as the elements wash away rock and soil, so God will wear down a man over the course of his life (vv. 18–22). God can remove the hope of man through the persistent eroding effect of suffering.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:1–21:34 Second Cycle. The arguments of each participant harden in the second round of speeches. Once again the three friends say that Job is suffering because of his sin. Job refuses to accept that explanation. He sees the wicked not as sufferers but as those who prosper despite their godlessness.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:1–35 As in the first round of dialogues, Eliphaz speaks first.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:2 Eliphaz says Job is full of wind rather than wisdom.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:4 you are doing away with the fear of God. The Hebrew lacks the words “of God” (see esv footnote). However, the reference to God in the second half of the verse and the overall emphasis of vv. 2–6 show that this is precisely what Eliphaz is saying. He thinks Job has become careless in his complaint to God and is thus “doing away with” the very thing that will bring him relief, namely, repentance and humility before God.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:8 Have you listened in the council of God? The question ought to appear ironic to the reader, who has overheard the conversations between the Lord and Satan in the prologue (1:7–12; 2:2–6). Eliphaz is guilty of the very sort of presumption for which he criticizes Job. He has concluded wrongly that Job’s suffering is an obvious indicator of God’s judgment.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:14–16 Eliphaz revisits the central questions of his first response (see 4:17–21): if God does not trust fully even his heavenly servants, how can Job, a mere man, continue to claim innocence?
JOB—NOTE ON 15:20–35 Eliphaz describes the wicked man. He hopes that Job will see himself in the descriptions and will repent.
JOB—NOTE ON 15:27 The double occurrence of fat in this verse should call to mind other uses of the word to describe a proud disregard of God (see Ps. 73:7; 119:70; contrast Job 16:8 and note).
JOB—NOTE ON 15:31–35 Assuming that his perspective is correct, Eliphaz mercilessly chooses words that focus on the loss of Job’s children as an indication of God’s judgment. Given what the reader knows about Job, this section ought to instill humility in any person who seeks to rebuke another. Job has endured not only his children’s deaths but also the condemning “comfort” of his friends.
JOB—NOTE ON 16:1–17:16 Job responds again. He begins by pointing out that his friends have failed as comforters (16:2–5), even though comfort was their original purpose for coming to him (see 2:11). He then describes the seeming paradox of his situation: God is the one who has brought this suffering upon him, and although others take this as a sign of divine judgment, Job trusts that God will vindicate him (16:6–17:9). The friends’ condemnation of Job leaves death as his only hope, but to long for death is to give up any possibility of vindication and thus is no hope at all (17:10–16).
JOB—NOTE ON 16:8 To counter Eliphaz’s description of the “fat” wicked person (15:27), Job points to his own shriveled and shrunken state. It testifies that God’s hand is against him, but not that he is guilty (16:17).
JOB—NOTE ON 16:12–14 Like a city invaded during war, Job feels that he has endured breach upon breach from God.
JOB—NOTE ON 16:15 sewed sackcloth upon my skin. Job’s constant grief is like a coarse cloth stitched to his skin, a reality of unending pain. laid my strength in the dust. Literally, “buried my horn in the ground.” The horn of an animal represents strength, power, and nobility. Every indication of dignity and worth has been taken from Job.
Sackcloth (16:15) was an outward sign of grieving. It was a coarse fabric used for grain sacks. It was very uncomfortable to wear and thus showed that the person was truly grieving. It was also worn to show repentance.
JOB—NOTE ON 16:16 deep darkness. Literally, “shadow of death.” Job’s gaunt eyes are those of a dying man.
JOB—NOTE ON 16:19 witness . . . in heaven. Job either believes he already has an advocate in heaven or that God will eventually see he is blameless and declare him innocent. See 9:33; 19:25.
JOB—NOTE ON 17:5 Since vv. 1–4 are likely addressed to God, in v. 5 Job may be asking God to remember what his friends have done, or he may be warning the friends of the consequences of such actions, or both. Verse 5 may be quoting a proverb of the day, similar to other warnings in the OT against being a false witness (see Deut. 19:18–19; Prov. 19:5).
Proverbs in Job. In 17:5, Job may have been quoting a proverb to warn his friends not to make false accusations against him. Proverbs are an effective and memorable way of stating a truth. The book of Proverbs is a rich resource of such wisdom.
JOB—NOTE ON 17:7 all my members. Job’s entire body is exhausted from grief and pain. Compare 16:7–16.
JOB—NOTE ON 17:10–16 In both lines of v. 12, Job appears to refer to the viewpoint of his friends. They have said that if Job would simply repent, God will restore him and turn his night into day (see 5:17–27; 8:5–7; 11:13–20). However, Job argues that accepting that way of thinking would be to make his bed in darkness (17:13). It would mean denying that God is both sovereign and just (and thus knows the truth). Job continues to hope (v. 15) that God will vindicate him.
JOB—NOTE ON 18:1–21 Like Eliphaz, Bildad expressed his frustration (vv. 2–4): Who is Job to maintain his position and criticize the words of his friends? The remainder of Bildad’s response is a description of the destiny of the wicked (vv. 5–21).
JOB—NOTE ON 18:5–6 Bildad is likely responding to Job with the repeated images of the light of the wicked (flame, lamp) going dark (put out, does not shine). Job ought to take the “darkness” as a warning.
JOB—NOTE ON 18:7–10 Bildad uses the vocabulary of a trap (net, snare, rope) to argue that what Job describes as God breaking him apart (see 16:7–14) is better described as Job suffering the consequences of his own sin.
JOB—NOTE ON 18:11–14 Firstborn of death and king of terrors personifies the process and finality of death.
JOB—NOTE ON 18:14–21 Bildad refers throughout these verses to the destruction of both the house and the household of the wicked (both of which Job has endured; 1:13–19) to assert that Job’s circumstances show he is one who knows not God (18:21).
JOB—NOTE ON 19:1–29 Job responds, asking his friends how long they will persist in accusing him and why they feel no shame for doing so. Even if he has done wrong, it is God who has brought about his circumstances (vv. 2–6). Job laments that his suffering has brought only isolation and indifference from his family and friends (vv. 7–22). Job hopes that his trust in the Lord will be a permanent witness (vv. 23–27). He warns his friends against judging him, lest they fall under the very judgment they assume has fallen on Job (vv. 28–29).
JOB—NOTE ON 19:2 How long? Job echoes the question from the first line of each of Bildad’s speeches (8:2; 18:2) to draw attention to how his friends have been condemning him.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:3 Ten times indicates completion, not 10 literal times (compare Gen. 31:7, 41; Num. 14:22).
JOB—NOTE ON 19:6 Job affirms that God is just, but also that his suffering is not because of his sin. It is God who has allowed or brought about his circumstances.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:7 I cry out, “Violence!” Habakkuk opens his prophecy with a similar complaint (Hab. 1:2–4).
JOB—NOTE ON 19:8 He has walled up my way. God’s fence had once kept trouble away from Job (1:10), but it has now become a wall that gives Job no way of escape (compare 3:23).
JOB—NOTE ON 19:20 by the skin of my teeth. Job has narrowly escaped death.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:22 Why are you not satisfied with my flesh? Job’s friends seem so convinced that he has sinned and that his suffering represents God’s judgment. Job asks why they continue to pursue him.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:23–24 Job wishes his words could be recorded as a witness that would remain when he is dead. He refers to two methods of recording: inscribed in a book could refer to a scroll, a book, or a clay tablet; engraved in the rock would provide a more public and permanent record.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:25–27 For. Job states why he wants his words recorded (see vv. 23–24): I know that my Redeemer lives. The Hebrew word for “Redeemer” often refers to a “kinsman-redeemer” (see Ruth 4:1–6 and Introduction to Ruth). This person had the right and responsibility to protect members of his family. Job believes that God will ultimately declare him innocent.
Job was a wealthy man whom the Bible describes as “blameless and upright” (1:1). When God pointed out Job’s faithfulness, Satan responded that Job feared God only because the Lord had protected and blessed him. To test Job’s integrity, God allowed Satan to take away all of Job’s possessions and his children. In a single day Job lost everything, yet he responded faithfully (1:21). Next God gave Satan permission to attack Job’s health. He struck Job with painful sores (2:7). Job’s wife then urged him to “curse God and die” (2:9). Job’s friends wrongly concluded that his sins caused his suffering, but Job refused to accept this. Instead, Job asked God to explain why he was suffering. God eventually answered Job’s cries, and Job humbly submitted to God’s sovereignty. The Lord then restored Job’s fortune, giving him “twice as much as he had before” (42:10), and blessed him with more children. (Job 19:25)
JOB—NOTE ON 19:28–29 Job uses the image of the sword to refer to passing judgment. He warns the friends against assuming that they can wield the sword of judgment that belongs to God alone.
JOB—NOTE ON 19:29 The wrath of the friends is a sin that deserves punishment (see 31:11, 28). False testimony demands the same penalty that would have been given the accused (Deut. 19:16–19). know there is a judgment. The appearance of the Redeemer, says Job, would be bad news for his friends.
JOB—NOTE ON 20:1–29 In his second response, Zophar expresses frustration at Job’s continued belief that God has brought about his suffering but will ultimately vindicate him (vv. 2–3). Zophar then describes the life of the wicked, implying that Job is himself such a person (vv. 4–29).
JOB—NOTE ON 20:3 censure that insults me. Zophar may be referring to Job’s response to his previous speech. Job had sarcastically criticized his friends and claimed that he was not their inferior (see 12:2–3).
JOB—NOTE ON 20:6–7 Zophar warns Job that whatever height a wicked man may have achieved will not change the fact that, when his end comes, it will be quick and complete.
JOB—NOTE ON 20:10–21 Zophar argues that neither the wicked man (vv. 12–19) nor his offspring (v. 10) will enjoy what he has acquired, because he has gained it through taking advantage of the weak (vv. 19–21). Instead, his children will be forced to beg from the poor (v. 10), who were some of the very people their father mistreated to gain his wealth (v. 19).
JOB—NOTE ON 20:27 Zophar wrongly assumes that Job’s circumstances on earth are a transparent indicator of his guilt before God in the heavens.
Honey is mentioned often in the Bible (see 20:17). People probably gathered the honey from wild bees. The gathering of wild honey led to an interesting episode in the life of Samson (Judg. 14:8–20).
JOB—NOTE ON 21:1–34 Job’s response closes the second cycle of the dialogue with his friends.
JOB—NOTE ON 21:7–16 Job argues that, contrary to what his friends have been saying (e.g., 18:5–21), the wicked often prosper and their offspring flourish (compare Psalm 73).
JOB—NOTE ON 21:22 Since God is the judge of those who are on high, who are therefore unseen, the friends should be all the more careful about claiming to understand what God’s purposes are, based merely on what they see on earth.
JOB—NOTE ON 21:33 all mankind follows after him. Many people are fooled by the external successes of the evil man. They follow his example in life and honor him when he dies.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:1–25:6 Third Cycle. The consistent pattern of the first two cycles unravels in this last dialogue. Eliphaz describes Job’s life as a constant stream of wicked activity (ch. 22). Job’s reply (chs. 23–24) strongly implies that the divine power that has afflicted him is impulsive and destructive. Bildad offers the beginning of a reply (ch. 25) before Job interrupts with a further assertion of the mystery of divine power (ch. 26; see next section). Zophar does not speak in this cycle. Job and his friends disagree more strongly now than when they started this discussion.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:1–30 In his final speech, Eliphaz once more calls Job to repent.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:2–4 Eliphaz argues that there could be no purpose for suffering other than to indicate judgment and a need to repent (v. 4).
JOB—NOTE ON 22:5–11 Eliphaz assumes that Job’s circumstances reveal significant evil in his life. He describes the likely ways that Job has sinned.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:9 Eliphaz assumes that Job has mistreated widows and the fatherless. He speaks in terms similar to the warnings in the law (see Ex. 22:22; Deut. 24:17) and the prophets (see Isa. 1:17; Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 22:7) about such behavior.
A pledge (22:6) was an object of worth given as a down payment on a debt. Israelites were not to take in pledge essential items such as clothing (Ex. 22:26) or tools a person needed for their work (Deut. 24:6).
JOB—NOTE ON 22:13 you say, . . . Can he judge through the deep darkness? Eliphaz accuses Job of saying that God is so far above humans that he is unable to know about their lives.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:16–18 Within these verses, Eliphaz essentially quotes Job’s words from 21:14–16. However, while Job was arguing that the wicked prosper in spite of their rebellion against God, Eliphaz says that the prosperity of the wicked is only temporary, and they are snatched away before their time. Likewise, while Job said, “the counsel of the wicked is far from me” (21:16) to distance himself from their wicked practices, Eliphaz uses the same words, the counsel of the wicked (22:18), to describe Job’s position.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:21 When he urges Job to “Agree with God,” Eliphaz assumes that his own interpretation of Job’s circumstances matches God’s viewpoint.
JOB—NOTE ON 22:30 Eliphaz suggests that, if Job would repent of his supposed sin, he would be able to intercede even for one who is not innocent. Eliphaz does not realize that he himself stands in need of the very intercession he describes. In fact, forgiveness will later be granted to Eliphaz through Job’s intercession on his behalf (see 42:7–9).
JOB—NOTE ON 23:1–24:25 Job is tired of arguing his case before his friends. In this reply, he ignores most of Eliphaz’s most recent response. Instead, he expresses his desire to stand personally before the Lord.
JOB—NOTE ON 23:2 The opening phrase of Job’s response is probably directed at his friends more than at God. Today also. Job is implying that his friends have neither comforted him well nor persuaded him of his guilt. My hand is heavy describes discouragement (compare “our hands fall helpless,” Jer. 6:24).
JOB—NOTE ON 23:3–7 The last time Job used this kind of legal language, he was convinced that God would both ignore and condemn him (see 9:3, 16, 19). Here, his convictions are just the opposite: if Job were granted an audience, God would pay attention (23:6), and Job would be acquitted (v. 7).
JOB—NOTE ON 23:13–17 Although he has carefully considered his way (vv. 10–12), Job knows his future depends on what the Lord appoints to happen (vv. 13–14; compare Prov. 16:1, 9; 20:24; Jer. 10:23). Therefore, he is terrified at the thought of God’s presence (Job 23:15–16). Still, even in the darkness of not being able to understand God’s purposes fully, he continues his lament: yet I am not silenced.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:1–25 Job wishes that God’s plans for the world and for Job would be more apparent.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:1 Job asks, why is it that (1) the wicked do not seem to experience times of judgment and (2) the righteous never see his days? Both parts of the question probably refer to the OT idea of the “day of the Lord,” which often denotes the coming judgment (see Joel 2:1–11; and note on Amos 5:18–20) but which also represents the full revealing of God’s glory.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:2–12 Job describes the injustices of the wicked (vv. 2–4) and the effects of the injustices on their victims (vv. 5–12). He concludes that God ignores these evils (v. 12). For a very different conclusion, see Lam. 3:31–36.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:13–17 Job describes people who oppose wisdom and righteousness as those who rebel against the light. Their reversal of the typical times of sleep and activity (deep darkness has become morning) shows that they do not know the light and instead have chosen to become friends with the terrors of deep darkness.
Those who rebel against the light is how Job describes people who oppose wisdom and righteousness (24:13). They sleep during the day and do their evil deeds at night.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:18–20 Job restates his friends’ assertions to show that they seem to ignore the actual state of affairs on earth.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:18 “Swift are they on the face of the waters” may be a popular saying from the time of Job, but its meaning is unclear.
JOB—NOTE ON 24:21 Job notes the prevalence of injustice to the barren, childless woman and the widow. The care of such helpless people was an important part of the law (see Ex. 22:21–27; Deut. 24:17–22), and yet it seems as though God is not judging those guilty of such injustice.
JOB—NOTE ON 25:1–6 Bildad’s words represent the final speech of the three friends. The friends have argued that their theological understanding and application represent God’s perspective. They have never really considered the possibility that they could be wrong.
JOB—NOTE ON 25:4 How then can man be in the right before God? This question is repeated several times by Job and his friends in slightly different forms (4:17; 9:2; 15:14).
26:1–31:40 Job: The Power of God, Place of Wisdom, and Path of Integrity. Up until now, the dialogue between Job and his three friends has followed a pattern in which each speech by Job is followed by responses from the friends in a particular order: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. After two full cycles of the dialogue, it appears that Job is tired of the repetitive nature of his friends’ responses. He signals the end of the dialogue by cutting Bildad’s third response short and refusing to allow any third speech from Zophar. Job concludes with a lengthy monologue in which he takes up several themes. The friends’ presumed knowledge does not necessarily promote justice nor take into consideration the mystery of God’s ways (26:1–14). Job cannot agree that his suffering reveals wickedness, and he wishes that those who oppose him would be cut off along with the wicked (27:1–23). Job describes the value, mystery, and place of wisdom (28:1–28). He longs for the past (29:1–25), laments the present (30:1–31), and finishes with a plea that the true character of his life would be revealed and would be properly judged (31:1–40).
Hanging on nothing? Although he didn’t have all the tools of modern science, Job understood that God “hangs the earth on nothing” (26:7). His infinite power keeps every planet, moon, and star in its appointed place (Col. 1:15–17).
JOB—NOTE ON 26:2–3 How you have helped . . . saved . . . counseled . . . ! The presumed theological correctness of Bildad and the other two friends rings hollow. In their defense of God, they have not helped the poor and needy. In fact, they have wrongly accused Job, who has been the protector of the poor and needy. Nor have they understood the potentially disastrous consequences of their sound knowledge, that is, their firm belief that people are poor as a result of their own sin.
JOB—NOTE ON 26:4 Job asks his friends to examine whose help and whose breath has been behind their words, so they won’t wrongly assume that they have spoken on God’s behalf.
JOB—NOTE ON 26:5–10 The state or realm of the dead is not visible to humanity (it is under the waters), but it is naked and has no covering before God (vv. 5–6). Likewise, other things may be hidden: the heavens appear perched over the void, and the earth appears to hang on nothing (v. 7). It is God who has set the limits for all of these things (v. 10).
JOB—NOTE ON 26:11–14 The world reveals God’s power and understanding as the one who created and governs everything. How, then, can anyone who merely hears the thunder of his power claim to understand it?
JOB—NOTE ON 27:6 By saying that he will hold fast to his integrity, Job echoes the Lord’s description of him in the prologue (2:3).
JOB—NOTE ON 27:7–8 If Job is right to maintain his integrity (see vv. 2–6), then his adversaries should be considered as the wicked and unrighteous. There is no hope for the wicked when God cuts him off.
JOB—NOTE ON 27:11 Eliphaz claimed to speak for God in correcting Job (see 22:26–27). Job in turn declared that he received revelation from God that he could not deny (6:10). Now, he says that he will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty.
JOB—NOTE ON 27:13 If Job’s integrity is actually what is true with God, then Job’s friends ought to consider whether they are the ones who stand in danger of the judgment that they have described.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:1–4 Job describes the difficulties of mining precious metals.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:7–8 Neither the birds of the sky (falcon’s eye) nor the animals of the earth (lion) have any knowledge of activities like mining. They are uniquely human endeavors.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:10 Channels may refer to either rivers in general or the Nile specifically.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:11 Job’s description of human industry (vv. 1–11) is summed up well in the second line of this verse: the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:12–22 But where shall wisdom be found? (Compare v. 20.) With all the negative statements in these verses, the answer is that true wisdom is unknown to mankind.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:15–19 These verses contain many references to gold and precious stones. All are expensive and difficult to obtain, yet none compare with the value of wisdom.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:21 The place of wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living creatures on the earth, including humans and the birds of the air.
JOB—NOTE ON 28:22 The reference to Abaddon and Death here is likely related to Job’s earlier description of them as a realm that is hidden from human observation (26:5–6).
JOB—NOTE ON 28:23–28 Only God understands and knows wisdom and how it is acquired (v. 23). God gives wisdom, and it is defined in relation to him: the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom (v. 28; see Prov. 1:7; 9:10), and to turn away from evil is understanding (see Prov. 3:7; 16:6).
JOB—NOTE ON 29:1–31:40 Chapters 29–31 conclude the dialogues with Job’s reflections on his current and future state.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:2–6 Job recalls a time when he felt as if he were in his prime, as the friendship of God was evident on his household (v. 5) as well as his flocks and fields (v. 6).
JOB—NOTE ON 29:6 washed with butter. Job was renowned for his cattle and his olive groves.
Rocks pouring out streams of oil (29:6) is a reference to olive trees. They are one of the few trees that thrive in rocky soil. It can be 10 years or more before an olive tree yields fruit, but then it can produce olives for hundreds of years. Some olive trees are more than a thousand years old.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:7–25 Job looks back on what he had thought the course of his life would be. He had seen it as a well-rooted tree that would continue to bear fruit, benefiting himself and others (vv. 18–20). For similar images of the benefits of a faithful life, see Ps. 1:3; Prov. 3:13–18; Jer. 17:7–8.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:11–13 The blessing that Job received from others reflected the blessing he had been to those who had no one to help them and who needed to be delivered.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:14–16 Job used his possessions and influence to provide what others could not provide for themselves.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:16 searched out the cause. Job took up legal cases even when there could be no possible benefit for him in doing so.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:17 Job describes his actions on behalf of the needy as breaking the fangs of the unrighteous. He uncovered the traps of the wicked for their prey, the poor.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:20 The life of wisdom brings internal strength (my glory) and external vigor (my bow).
JOB—NOTE ON 29:21–22 Unlike the present, when his three friends challenge his every word, there was a time when people recognized Job’s wisdom and after he spoke they did not speak again.
JOB—NOTE ON 29:24 As one who worked for righteousness and justice (vv. 12–17), the smile and light of Job’s face encouraged those without hope and reflected God’s character and presence (see “lamp” and “light” in v. 3).
JOB—NOTE ON 29:25 While Job had once been like one who comforts mourners, his three friends had set out to comfort him (2:11) but ended up accusing him instead.
JOB—NOTE ON 30:1–8 Although Job had delivered the truly needy from their unrighteous oppressors (29:11–17), those who now mock him are themselves needy, because of their own actions and foolishness.
JOB—NOTE ON 30:4 The plants mentioned here represent desperation.
JOB—NOTE ON 30:8 The Hebrew word translated senseless implies that these men are morally responsible for their circumstances (compare “foolish,” 2:10; see the description of the foolish in Prov. 1:7, 29–32).
JOB—NOTE ON 30:9–15 Job describes his three friends as casting off any restraint, as if they were taking advantage of an easy military conquest (through a wide breach).
JOB—NOTE ON 30:11 loosed my cord. God has taken away Job’s security (compare 29:4).
JOB—NOTE ON 30:16 my soul is poured out. A description of grief.
JOB—NOTE ON 30:24–31 Job pictures himself as one of those whose cries for help he used to answer (vv. 24–25). In his own distress he has only found evil where he hoped for good (v. 26), and isolation and mourning (vv. 27, 29–31) when he has called for help (v. 28).
JOB—NOTE ON 31:1–4 Job believes that his life is lived before and governed by the Almighty, who does number all my steps. a covenant with my eyes. Job professes purity in avoiding sexual lust: how then could I gaze at a virgin?
JOB—NOTE ON 31:9–12 enticed toward a woman. Job had avoided adultery, knowing that it can have far-reaching destructive effects like fire (see also Prov. 6:27–29). burn to the root all my increase. A judge could order heavy fines on an adulterer.
JOB—NOTE ON 31:13–15 Job met the needs of his servants, so that they would not have a complaint against him for which he would have no answer for God.
JOB—NOTE ON 31:16–23 The law commanded Israelites to care for the poor, widow, fatherless, and needy (Ex. 22:21–27). Job lived this way because he believed God weighed his actions and that calamity was the consequence for the unrighteous (Job 31:23; compare vv. 2–4).
JOB—NOTE ON 31:24–28 Job has guarded against the idolatry of trusting in the wealth that God has provided rather than trusting in God himself. He has also avoided the idolatry of worshiping what God has created.
JOB—NOTE ON 31:31–32 Who is there that has not been filled with his meat? Job’s household was always well fed. the sojourner has not lodged in the street. Lodging was of critical importance to protect strangers from the dangers of the streets at night.
JOB—NOTE ON 31:33 as others do. See esv footnote.
JOB—NOTE ON 31:35–37 Job wishes once again for an answer regarding his offenses (see vv. 13–15). Then he could give an account of all my steps to the One who numbers them (see v. 4).
32:1–37:24 Elihu: Suffering as a Discipline. A new speaker, Elihu, is introduced (32:1–5), followed by an uninterrupted record of his speeches (32:6–37:24). These include an announcement of his intention to speak (32:6–22), an initial challenge to Job (ch. 33), a general dispute against what Job has asserted (ch. 34), a description of Job’s place before God (ch. 35), and a lengthy section that describes and defends God’s majesty (chs. 36–37). Some scholars believe that Elihu’s viewpoint in the dialogue is closest to that of God himself, but there is no hint of this in the chapters recording the Lord’s own words (chs. 38–41).
Elihu is the only character in the book of Job with a Hebrew name.
JOB—NOTE ON 32:6–22 Elihu’s opening speech repeats what the introductory section has described (vv. 1–5). Elihu directs his remarks primarily at the three friends.
Elihu rebuked both Job and his three friends. He was angry at Job for defending himself rather than God, and he was angry at Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar for failing to provide an answer for Job. During his lengthy speech, Elihu shifted the focus away from Job to God as the only source of certainty and hope. At the same time, he seemed to overestimate his own understanding, even claiming to speak “on God’s behalf” (36:2). Actually, Elihu didn’t understand the reasons for Job’s suffering any more than the three friends did, and his statements were often similar to theirs. Although there was some truth in Elihu’s argument, his application of those truths and the conclusions he drew about Job were often incorrect. (Job 32:1–5)
JOB—NOTE ON 32:8 Elihu plays on the words spirit and breath in his early speeches (see also 33:4; 34:14). He probably intends this as a reminder of Job’s earlier plea (see 27:2–3), as he asserts his own right to speak.
JOB—NOTE ON 32:18–20 As in v. 8, Elihu claims he is not speaking by choice but by necessity. Elihu may be thinking he is like a prophet, but the reader must judge whether he is right.
JOB—NOTE ON 33:1–33 Elihu opens and closes this section with a call for Job to listen to his words and answer if he is able (vv. 1–7, 31–33). He then presents a summary of Job’s contentions regarding himself, his circumstances, and God’s seeming silence (vv. 8–13) and then suggests ways in which God speaks in order to turn a person from the way that leads to death (vv. 14–30).
JOB—NOTE ON 33:2–4 Elihu appears to be remembering Job’s earlier statement where he declared that, as long as he had breath, he could not agree that his friends were right (see 27:2–6).
JOB—NOTE ON 33:9 Elihu summarizes Job’s statements as if Job had argued that he was pure and without transgression. However, it is clear from Job’s regular practice of making burnt offerings that this was not his claim (see 1:5). By mischaracterizing Job’s plea, Elihu ends up offering a similar argument to that of the three friends: God is greater than man (33:12) and thus he must have intended to warn or rebuke Job (vv. 14–30).
JOB—NOTE ON 33:11 puts my feet in the stocks. Elihu quotes Job (compare 13:27).
JOB—NOTE ON 33:14 For God speaks . . . though man does not perceive it. Elihu is suggesting that Job has not recognized, and maybe even has ignored, the ways in which God has spoken to him.
JOB—NOTE ON 33:18 Elihu repeatedly states that the purpose of God’s speaking to a person is to keep his soul from the pit (also vv. 22, 24, 28, 30). Thus he implies that Job’s suffering may serve to correct his overall path rather than simply to punish some hidden sin.
Pits were used for everything from water collection and food storage to animal traps and prisons. Pits were often seen as signs of danger, representing the final destination of the wicked (33:18). Often the wicked are described as falling into the very pits that they themselves dug (Ps. 7:15; Prov. 26:27).
JOB—NOTE ON 33:19–22 pain on his bed . . . strife in his bones. Elihu uses vivid images, to make Job see his physical state as God’s warning to him.
JOB—NOTE ON 33:23–28 Elihu poses a hypothetical situation in which an angel or mediator might deliver a person (vv. 23–25). He suggests that the appropriate response would be repentance and rejoicing (vv. 26–28). He implies that the loss of all of Job’s possessions and family might be a ransom for his deliverance (v. 24).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:1–37 Elihu calls on “wise men” to hear Job’s contention that he is in the right (vv. 2–9) and “men of understanding” to hear Elihu’s argument against this claim (vv. 10–34). He presents both groups as those who will agree with Elihu against Job (vv. 35–37).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:3 palate tastes food. Truth is discerned through hearing, just as the quality of food is discerned through tasting. Job used this same proverb earlier to challenge his friends (12:11).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:8 Elihu describes Job as one who walks with evildoers and wicked men, a path that the wise are called to avoid (see Ps. 1:1).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:9 Although Job had stated that the wicked and the righteous seem to suffer the same fate, he did not say precisely what Elihu quotes him here as saying. Job had governed his own life by delight in God (see 23:10–12); he had argued that it was the wicked who live as if service to the Almighty profits a man nothing (see 21:15).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:10–12 Elihu’s argument against Job results in the same dilemma that the three friends had: either Job is in the right or God is in the right, but it cannot be both (see 8:2–7).
JOB—NOTE ON 34:23 God has no need to consider a man further. Job has been asking for an opportunity to present his case before either God or some human judge, but Elihu says that God has already acted and does not need to give further consideration to Job’s or any other person’s case.
JOB—NOTE ON 34:26–28 Elihu suggests that Job has been struck for all to see because he has turned aside from following the Lord’s ways by mistreating the poor and afflicted.
JOB—NOTE ON 34:34–37 Elihu says that any who are truly men of understanding or wise would agree with him, and that Job speaks like a fool who is without knowledge or insight. Furthermore, Elihu wishes that God’s supposed judgment against Job would be taken to its logical end, because Job’s words express rebellion and arrogance against God.
JOB—NOTE ON 35:1–16 Elihu thinks Job believes that his righteousness entitles him to God’s blessing, but Elihu believes that neither faithfulness nor wickedness influences God (vv. 1–8). Job had observed how the oppressed cry out and the wicked are not punished, but Elihu argues that the oppressed often cry out in pride, and thus God does not respond (vv. 9–16).
JOB—NOTE ON 35:2 my right before God. Job had claimed that God had wronged him (19:6). In Elihu’s view, this meant Job was claiming that he was right, rather than God (see 32:2).
JOB—NOTE ON 35:6–8 Elihu repeats an aspect of Eliphaz’s final argument against Job—that God does not profit from Job’s righteousness (see 22:2–3). Neither Eliphaz nor Elihu understand that the motivation for Job’s complaint is his desire to see God glorified on earth in and through the lives of those who are faithful to him.
JOB—NOTE ON 35:12–13 Elihu says that God does not hear the empty cry of the oppressed, because of the pride of evil men. The context indicates that he is most likely referring to the oppressed themselves as “evil men.”
Songs in the night. Without the conveniences of modern streetlights or flashlights, nights in the ancient world were very dark and often frightening. People could easily hurt themselves at night or fall prey to animals or criminals. Songs of worship were a great comfort in those circumstances (35:10).
JOB—NOTE ON 35:14–16 Elihu argues that, if God does not regard the cries of the proud oppressed (vv. 9–13), how can Job expect an answer (v. 14)? Elihu assumes that Job is an even more obstinate person, who takes his lack of punishment as reason to speak foolishly (vv. 15–16). This is extraordinarily insensitive, considering Job’s actual situation.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:1–37:24 Elihu concludes his lengthy speech.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:2–4 Elihu presents his final speech as something offered on God’s behalf. He emphasizes that, unlike Job (see 34:35), he has understanding that comes from outside himself (36:3), and that he is perfect in knowledge, something he will later ascribe also to God (see 37:16). Elihu is more arrogant than he realizes.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:5–21 Elihu implies that Job’s situation is an example of God using affliction to deliver the righteous from their sin—if they are willing to accept his correction.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:6–7 The heart of Elihu’s argument is that the afflicted are treated justly by God; they reveal the state of their heart by how they respond to affliction.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:8–15 Elihu describes affliction as a kind of captivity. He argues that God uses affliction to speak to people about their sin (v. 9).
JOB—NOTE ON 36:10 When Elihu says that God opens the ears (also v. 15), he is continuing his point from an earlier speech (see 33:14, 16). He suggests ways in which God has been speaking and Job may be failing to listen.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:13–14 Elihu describes those who hold onto their anger rather than crying out when God binds them through affliction (see v. 8). He warns that Job’s continued complaining could result in his being like the godless in heart.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:16–17 Elihu suggests that Job should see his own suffering as God seizing him in judgment and justice.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:18 Elihu suggests that Job should consider the loss of his family, his reputation, and all his household as the ransom (compare 33:24) by which the Lord is trying to turn him from sin. He should not let the awful greatness of the ransom turn him aside from the path of repentance and restoration.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:22–37:13 Elihu describes God’s power and majesty as manifested in storms, through which he accomplishes whatever purpose he has in mind.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:30 Lightning represents God’s glory (compare Ps. 104:2–3). His glory covers (lights up) even the depths of the sea.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:31 he judges peoples. Judging and nourishing are often parallel aspects of God’s provision. The clouds bear God’s throne, from which he governs and feeds his people.
JOB—NOTE ON 36:32 Hands may be a way of describing the great arches of heaven, filled with God’s light.
JOB—NOTE ON 37:7 He seals up the hand of every man. This probably refers to the way severe weather causes people to take shelter and thus prevents them from working.
The snow from Mount Hermon is an important water source for the Jordan River, but the climate in much of Israel is too mild for regular snowfall. In Job, snow is a symbol of purity (37:6).
JOB—NOTE ON 37:13 God’s providential purposes may relate to people (correction or love) or may be for his land (see also 38:25–27).
JOB—NOTE ON 37:14–20 Elihu focuses on God’s majesty. He calls on Job to listen (Hear this, O Job) and consider this description in his complaint before God.
JOB—NOTE ON 37:21–23 Elihu likens the light that comes after a storm has cleared to the God who is clothed with awesome majesty, who cannot simply be found, who is extremely powerful, and who does not violate what is right.
38:1–42:6 Challenge: The Lord Answers Job. The Lord responds in two speeches, each followed by a brief response from Job. Aware of God as never before, Job responds by humbly submitting to God’s sovereignty and regretting his earlier words (42:1–6).
JOB—NOTE ON 38:1–40:2 After telling Job to prepare himself (38:1–3), the Lord asks Job whether he knows how creation was established (38:4–11) and if he has the knowledge or ability to govern it (38:12–38) or to shape the lives of its wonderful variety of creatures (38:39–40:2).
JOB—NOTE ON 38:1 the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind. God reveals himself to Job in a display of both majestic power and personal presence. What the Lord will now say to Job will be in the context of steadfast love, not as judgment for what the friends assumed was Job’s sin.
JOB—NOTE ON 38:2 Elihu had said that Job’s words were generally “without knowledge” (34:35; 35:16). The Lord does not reprove Job so extensively when he indicates that Job darkens counsel by words without knowledge. Job had drawn conclusions about the nature of God from what was revealed on earth. God will remind Job that, even in what is revealed about God and his creation, much is still hidden.
JOB—NOTE ON 38:4–11 Job had begun by lamenting his birth and the timing of his life (ch. 3). Using the same language of birth, the Lord now asks Job about the birth of the universe. Can Job explain how the origin of the cosmos could or should have been different?
JOB—NOTE ON 38:7 The sons of God (compare 1:6 and note) are the heavenly beings surrounding God’s throne.
JOB—NOTE ON 38:12–38 The Lord reminds Job that he cannot see fully what the Lord is doing about justice and judgment (see vv. 13, 15, 17, 22–23).
JOB—NOTE ON 38:14 features stand out like a garment. The changing colors of sunrise (see v. 12) are compared to the dyeing of a garment.
JOB—NOTE ON 38:22–23 The reference to storehouses that are reserved for the time of trouble is another reminder to Job that the Lord’s rule over the earth takes into account things that are not known on earth (see vv. 13–15).
JOB—NOTE ON 38:31–32 Mazzaroth is a transliteration of an otherwise unknown Hebrew word. In the context, it must refer to one of the constellations. The Bear is also a constellation, as indicated by its connection with Orion and Pleiades in 9:9.
JOB—NOTE ON 38:39–39:30 The Lord now turns from describing his rule over all creation to his rule over specific creatures.
God’s great majesty shines forth in poetic language in chs. 38–39. These are some of the Bible’s most awe-inspiring passages about God.
JOB—NOTE ON 39:9 Hunting the wild ox was a sport of royalty.
JOB—NOTE ON 39:15 foot may crush them. The ostrich lays her eggs in a shallow nest on the ground. She sometimes scatters some of them, or deliberately destroys them if the nest is discovered.
JOB—NOTE ON 39:18 rouses herself to flee. The ostrich easily outruns the fearless warhorse. As it flees, the ostrich takes strides of over 15 feet (4.6 m) in length and reaches speeds of more than 40 miles (64 km) an hour.
JOB—NOTE ON 40:1–2 The Lord asks Job to answer, but the questions of chs. 38–39 have helped Job see that some things are beyond the reach of human power or understanding.
JOB—NOTE ON 40:3–5 In response to the Lord’s questions, Job puts his hand over his mouth, just as princes had previously done in Job’s presence (see 29:9). He pledges silence.
JOB—NOTE ON 40:6–41:34 Job knew what it was like to be misunderstood and misjudged by his friends. The Lord now shows Job how he had misjudged the Lord’s rule over the world (40:6–9). Job had displayed godly character (see 29:11–17), but in speaking about divine justice Job was going beyond what he could comprehend (40:10–14). The Lord illustrates this point further by describing Behemoth (40:15–24) and Leviathan (ch. 41). If Job is unable to subdue these powerful beasts, who are themselves a part of God’s creation, how much less should he presume to challenge God’s ways in his life (41:9–11).
JOB—NOTE ON 40:6–14 Will you even put me in the wrong? . . . that you may be in the right? Job has tried to defend his own integrity in a way that seems to imply that God is acting against his own character (v. 8).
JOB—NOTE ON 40:13 Hide them . . . in the dust is a euphemism for “bury.”
JOB—NOTE ON 40:15 Behemoth is probably a hippopotamus. Verses 16–18 can be read as poetic exaggeration.
Behemoth can refer to cattle. In 40:15 it is probably a hippopotamus.
JOB—NOTE ON 41:1–34 The Lord describes the power of Leviathan in terms of man’s inability to subdue him. He compares such power to his own (vv. 9–11).
JOB—NOTE ON 41:1 Leviathan may be a crocodile, though some see it as a mythical creature representing forces overcome by God in creation (compare 3:8). Whatever powerful creature is in view, it is a part of God’s creation and is governed by his power (see note on Ps. 74:14).
JOB—NOTE ON 41:9–11 If people are unable to subdue Leviathan, who is a part of God’s creation, then how much more cautious should Job be about his desire to bring his case and stand before God.
JOB—NOTE ON 41:24 Heart in this verse represents the chest (see Ex. 28:29).
JOB—NOTE ON 42:1–6 In response to the Lord’s rebuke, Job confesses that the Lord’s power and purposes will not fail, and that he has spoken of things beyond his knowledge.
JOB—NOTE ON 42:3–4 In each of these verses, Job quotes the Lord’s questions (see 38:2–3; also 40:7) before responding to them.
JOB—NOTE ON 42:6 The Lord has already been merciful to Job. His rebukes and questions have been for Job’s own good. I despise myself. That is, “I recognize the ignorance behind my own words.” God’s mercy is pictured further in Job’s humble posture. In dust and ashes Job finally enjoys the comfort that his friends had withheld from him. Repent translates a form of the same word used of the friends’ intention to “comfort” Job in 2:11 (see esv footnote).
JOB—NOTE ON 42:7–17 Epilogue: The Vindication, Intercession, and Restoration of Job. The final section of the book reveals on earth what the prologue had stated: Job’s suffering was not a consequence of sin (see 1:1–2:13).
JOB—NOTE ON 42:7–9 In God’s presence, Job finds the righteous judge for whom he had longed.
JOB—NOTE ON 42:7 not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Job’s words certainly expressed deep anguish and frustration, but God does not count these words as sinful. This is probably because Job never lost his earnest desire to appear before God.
JOB—NOTE ON 42:8 for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. The friends had been so sure they were defending wisdom against Job’s “folly,” only to find out they were totally mistaken. By interceding for his friends, Job exhibits the character of the Lord (slow to anger, abounding in love and mercy). He embodies the very mercy he himself had received. By doing so, he also continues the intercessory role he had faithfully performed for his family (see 1:5).
JOB—NOTE ON 42:10–17 Now that he has surrendered to God and has been reconciled with his friends, Job experiences restoration. He is still broken and bereaved, but as the restoration proceeds, his previous possessions of livestock are doubled (v. 12; compare 1:3), and 10 more children are born to him (42:13; compare 1:2).
After the Lord allowed Satan to afflict Job, three of his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, came to comfort him. However, all three wrongly assumed that Job’s suffering was the result of some hidden sin. Each man urged Job to repent so that God would have mercy on him. But Job insisted that he was innocent. Although it is true that some suffering is a result of sin, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar oversimplified this truth. They believed that all troubles are punishments for wrongdoing, which was not the case for Job. The wrong actions of Job’s three friends should remind believers today to be wise and sensitive when dealing with people in distress. The Lord rebuked Job’s three friends and instructed Job to pray for them. (Job 42:7–9)
JOB—NOTE ON 42:11 After he was restored, Job’s siblings and other friends came to him and showed him sympathy and comforted him, which corrected a loss that Job had earlier lamented (see 19:13–19). This was the original intention of the three friends (see 2:11), but Job ends up receiving comfort primarily through his matured relationship with the Lord (see 42:6).
JOB—NOTE ON 42:14 Jemimah . . . Keziah . . . Keren-happuch. The name of the first daughter means “dove”; the second, “a kind of perfume”; and the third, “a type of eye shadow.”
JOB—NOTE ON 42:16 Job lived 140 years. His long life (compare Ps. 90:10) was another sign of restoration (Job 42:10).