29:6 Butter and olive oil were symbols of material prosperity in an agricultural society. Job’s flocks and olive trees were so plentiful that everything seemed to overflow.
29:7ff Job was walking a fine line between bragging about past accomplishments and recalling good deeds in order to answer the charges against him. Job’s one weakness throughout his conversations is that he came dangerously close to pride. Pride is especially deceptive when we are doing right. But it separates us from God by making us think we’re better than we really are. Then comes the tendency to trust our own opinions, which leads to other kinds of sin. While it is not wrong to recount past deeds, it is far better to recount God’s blessings to us. This will help keep us from inadvertently falling into pride.
29:7-17 Because of this description of Job’s work, many commentators believe that Job was a judge. In Job’s day, a judge served as both a city councilman and a magistrate, helping to manage the community and settle disputes. In most cases, this was not a full-time position but a part-time post held on the basis of one’s respect and standing in the area.