Reference: Job
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A patriarch distinguished for his integrity and piety, his wealth, honors, and domestic happiness, whom God permitted, for the trial of his faith, to be deprived of friends, property, and health, and at once plunged into deep affliction. He lived in the land of Uz, lying, it is generally thought, in Eastern Edom, probably not far from Bozrah.
THE BOOK OF JOB, has originated much criticism, and on many points a considerable diversity of opinion still exists. Sceptics have denied its inspiration, and called it a mere philosophical romance; but no one who respects revelation can entertain this notion, or doubt that Job was a real person. Inspired writers testify to both. See Eze 14:14; Jas 5:11, and compare 1Co 3:19 with Job 5:13. The book itself specifies persons, places, and circumstances in the manner of true history. Moreover, the name and history of Job are spread throughout the East; Arabian writers mention him, and many Mohammedan families perpetuate his name. Five different places claim the possession of his tomb.
The precise period of his life cannot be ascertained, yet no doubt can exist as to its patriarchal antiquity. The book seems to allude to the flood, Job 22:15-17, but not to the destruction of Sodom, to the exodus from Egypt, or the giving of the Law. No reference is made to any order of priesthood, Job himself being the priest of his household, like Noah and Abraham. There is allusion to the most ancient form of idolatry, star-worship, and to the earliest mode of writing, Job 19:24. The longevity of Job also places him among the patriarchs. He survived his trial one hundred and forty years, and was an old man before his trial began, for his children were established each at the head of his own household, Job 1:4; 42:16. The period of long lives had not wholly passed away, Job 15:10. Hales places the trial of Job before the birth of Abraham, and Usher, about thirty years before the exodus, B. C. 1521.
As to the authorship of the book, many opinions have been held. It has all the freedom of an original composition, bearing no marks of its being a translation; and if so, it would appear that its author must have been a Hebrew, since it is written in the purest Hebrew. It exhibits, moreover, the most intimate acquaintance with both Egyptian and Arabian scenery, and is in the loftiest style of oriental poetry. All these circumstances are consistent with the views of those who regard Moses as its probable author. It has, however, been ascribed to various other persons. IT presents a beautiful exhibition of patriarchal religion. It teaches the being and perfections of God, his creation of all things, and his universal providence; the apostasy and guilt of evil spirits and of mankind; the mercy of God, on the basis of a sacrifice, and on condition of repentance and faith, Job 33:27-30; 42:6,8; the immortality of the soul, and the resurrection of the body, Job 14:7-15; 19:25-27.
The main problem discussed in Job is the justice of God in suffering the righteous to be afflicted, while the wicked prosper. It is settled, by showing that, while the hand of a just God is manifest in his providential government of human affairs, it is his sovereign right to choose his own time and mode of retribution both to the evil and the good, and to subject the graces of his people to whatever trials he deems best.
The conference of Job and his friends may be divided into three parts. In the first, Eliphaz addresses Job, and Job replies; then Bildad and Job, and Zophar and Job speak, in turn. In the second part, the same order is observed and in the third also, except that after Job's reply to Bildad, the three friends have no more to urge, and instead of Zophar, a fourth friend named Elihu takes up the word; and the whole is concluded by the decision of Jehovah himself. The friends of Job argue that his remarkable afflictions must have been sent in punishment of highly aggravated transgressions, and urge him to confession and repentance. The pious patriarch, conscious of his own integrity and love to God cast down and bewildered by his sore chastisements, and pained by the suspicions of his friends, warmly vindicates his innocence, and shows that the best of men are sometimes the most afflicted; but forgets that his inward sins merit far heavier punishment, and though he still maintains faith in God, yet he charges Him foolishly. Afterwards he humbly confesses his wrong, and is cheered by the returning smile of God, while his uncharitable friends are reproved. The whole book is written in the highest style of Hebrew poetry, except the two introductory chapters and part of the last, which are prose. As a poem, it is full of sublime sentiments and bold and striking images.
The DISEASE of Job is generally supposed to have been the elephantiasis, or black leprosy. The word rendered "boils" does not necessarily mean abscesses, but burning and inflammation; and no known disease better answers to the description given, Job 2:7-8; 7:5,13/type/bbe'>13,13/type/bbe'>13; 19:17; 30:17, than the leprosy referred to above. See LEPER.
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His sons regularly went to one another's houses, and every one on his day gave a feast: and at these times they sent for their three sisters to take part in their feasts with them.
And the Satan went out from before the Lord, and sent on Job an evil disease covering his skin from his feet to the top of his head. And he took a broken bit of a pot, and, seated in the dust, was rubbing himself with the sharp edge of it.
He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
My flesh is covered with worms and dust; my skin gets hard and then is cracked again.
When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;
When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;
For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end. Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust; read more. Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant. But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he? The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry; So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep. If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again! If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free. At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.
With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.
My breath is strange to my wife, and I am disgusting to the offspring of my mother's body.
And with an iron pen and lead be cut into the rock for ever! But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust; read more. And ... without my flesh I will see God; Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.
Will you keep the old way by which evil men went? Who were violently taken away before their time, who were overcome by the rush of waters: read more. Who said to God, Go away from us; and, What is the Ruler of all able to do to us?
The flesh is gone from my bones, and they give me no rest; there is no end to my pains.
He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin. He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure. read more. Truly, God does all these things to man, twice and three times, Keeping back his soul from the underworld, so that he may see the light of life.
For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.
And now, take seven oxen and seven sheep, and go to my servant Job, and give a burned offering for yourselves, and my servant Job will make prayer for you, that I may not send punishment on you; because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has.
And after this Job had a hundred and forty years of life, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord.
For the wisdom of this world is foolish before God. As it is said in the holy Writings, He who takes the wise in their secret designs:
We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.
Easton
persecuted, an Arabian patriarch who resided in the land of Uz (q.v.). While living in the midst of great prosperity, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a series of sore trials that fell upon him. Amid all his sufferings he maintained his integrity. Once more God visited him with the rich tokens of his goodness and even greater prosperity than he had enjoyed before. He survived the period of trial for one hundred and forty years, and died in a good old age, an example to succeeding generations of integrity (Eze 14:14,20) and of submissive patience under the sorest calamities (Jas 5:11). His history, so far as it is known, is recorded in his book.
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Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord.
Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep son or daughter safe; only themselves would they keep safe through their righteousness.
We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.
Fausets
Age, and relation to the canon. The book has a unique position in the canon. It is unconnected with Israel, God's covenant people, with whom all the other scriptures are associated. "The law" (towrah),the Magna Charta of the rest, occurs but once, and then not in its technical sense (Job 22:22). The Exodus is never alluded to, though the miraculous events connected with it in Egypt and the desert, with both of which Job shows his acquaintance, would have been appropriate to his and the friends' argument. The destruction of the guilty by the flood (Job 22:15), and that of Sodom and Gomorrah (Job 18:15) possibly, are referred to; but no later facts. The inference seems natural that the book was of an age anterior to Israel. Job's own life was of patriarchal length, 200 years. The only idolatry alluded to is the earliest, Sabeanism, the worship of the sun, moon, and seba or heavenly hosts (Job 31:26-28).
Job sacrifices as priest for his family according to patriarchal usage, and alludes to no exclusive priesthood, temple, or altar. Lastly, the language is Hebrew with an Arabic and Syriac infusion found in no other sacred book, answering to an age when Hebrew still retained many of the elements of the original common Semitic, from which in time branched off Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic, carrying with them severally fragments of the common stock. The obscurity of several phrases, the obsolete words and forgotten traditions (e.g. that of the bushmen, Job 30:4-7), all mark a remote antiquity. The admission of the book into the Hebrew canon, notwithstanding the absence of reference to Israel, is accounted for if Let's theory be adopted that Moses became acquainted with it during his stay in Arabia, near Horeb, and added the prologue and epilogue. To the afflicted Israelites Job's patience and restoration were calculated to be a lesson of special utility.
The restriction of "Jehovah" (the divine name revealed to Moses in its bringing the fulfillment of the promise to God's covenant people just at that time: Ex 6:3) mostly to the prologue and epilogue favors this view. The Holy Spirit directed him to canonize the oriental patriarch's inspired book, just as he embodies in the Pentateuch the utterances of Balaam the prophet from the mountains of the East. The grand theme of the book is to reconcile the saint's afflictions with God's moral government in this present world. The doctrine of a future life in which the seeming anomalies of the present shall be cleared up would have given the main solution to the problem. But as yet this great truth was kept less prominent until "the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Job plainly refers to the resurrection, but not with that persistent prominence with which the New Testament saints rest on it as their continual hope; Job does not make it his main solution.
Even still we need something in addition, to clear off the clouds which hang over God's present government of this fallen earth. The first consideration suggested in this sublime history and poem is, "an enemy hath done this." The veil which hides the world of spirits is drawn aside, and Satan, the accuser of the brethren, appears as the mediate cause of Job's afflictions. Satan must be let do his worst to show that his sneer is false that religion is but selfishness," doth Job fear God for naught?" (Job 1:9). The patience and the final perseverance of the saints (Job 1:21; 2:10; 13:15), notwithstanding temporary distrust under Satan's persecutions which entailed loss of family, friends, possessions, and bodily health, are illustrated in Job's history.
God's people serve Him for His own sake, not merely for the temporary reward His service generally brings; they serve Him even in overwhelming trial (Ge 15:1). Herein Job is a type though imperfectly of Him who alone, without once harbouring a distrustful thought, endured all this as well as death in its most agonizing, humiliating form, and, worse than all, the hiding of even God's countenance from Him. Job's chief agony was not so much his accumulated losses and sufferings, not even his being misunderstood by friends, but that God hid His face from him, as these calamities too truly seemed to prove (Job 23:9). Yet conscience told him he was no hypocrite, nay though God was slaying him he still trusted in God (Job 23:10-15; 13:15; compare Abraham, Genesis 22). Job's three trials are progressive:
1. His sudden loss of all blessings external to himself, possessions, servants, and sons; he conquers this temptation: "naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
2. His loss of bodily health by the most loathsome sickness; still he conquers: "shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"
3. His mental conflict brought on by the three friends' suspicion of his insincerity, which he felt untrue, but which seemed justified by his trials from God; this was the poignant sting to his soul, for he accepted their premises, that great suffering proved great sin.
Here he failed; yet amidst his impatient groans he still clung desperately to his faith and followed hard after God, and felt sure God would yet vindicate him (Job 23:10; 19:25-27). His chief error was his undue self justification before God, which he at last utterly renounces (Job 30:25 to Job 31; Job 32:1; 33:9; 9:17; 10:7; 16:17; 27:5; 29:10-17; 40:4-5; 42:5-6). After fretfully demanding God's interposition (23) to vindicate his innocence he had settled down into the sad conviction that God heeds not, and that His ways of providence are as a theory inexplicable to man while practical wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Job 28:28). Elihu gives a leading solution of the problem. God not only hereafter shall judge the world, but even now providentially and morally controls all its affairs.
Even the righteous have sin which needs correction. God speaks to them by chastisement; He is not really silent (Job 16:21; 23:3; 31:35), as Job had complained (Job 33:14, etc.); He teaches them humility, and prepares them for pardon and life through the mediating Angel of the covenant (of whom Elihu is the type: Job 33:6-7,23-30). To Job's charge against God of injustice Elihu answers that God's omnipotence (Job 34:35-36), upholding man in life when He could destroy him, and His universal government, exclude the idea of injustice in Him. To Job's charge that God's providence is unsearchable, Elihu answers that suffering is to teach humility and adorntion of His greatness. Affliction to the saint is justice and mercy in disguise; he is thereby led to feel the heinousness of sin (via crucis via salutis), and not being permitted by God's love to fall away for ever he repents of the impatience which suffering betrayed him into for a time.
Then, justifying God and condemning himself, he is finally delivered from temporal afflictions. Now already the godly are happier amidst afflictions than the ungodly (Mr 10:29-30). Even these considerations do not exhaust the subject; still difficulties remain. To answer these, God Himself (Job 38) appears on the scene, and resolves all that remains uncleared into the one resting thought of faith, the sovereignty of God. We must wait for His solution hereafter of what we know not now (Joh 13:7). Elihu is the preacher appealing to Job's reason and conscience. God alone, in His appearing, brings home the truth experimentally to Job's heart: "Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace; Behind a frowning Providence He hides a smiling face. Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan God's work in vain; God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain."
CONSTRUCTION. The artificial construction of the poem appears in the oft recurring sacred numbers three and seven. Job had seven thousand sheep, seven sons, and three daughters, both before and after his trials. His three friends sit with him seven days and nights. "Job" in Arabic means repentance, the name given him in after life from his experiences. His personal reality appears f
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And their country was from Mesha, in the direction of Sephar, the mountain of the east.
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.
Uz the oldest, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel, the father of Aram,
These were the chiefs among the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz, Esau's first son: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
I let myself be seen by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God, the Ruler of all; but they had no knowledge of my name Yahweh.
I see him, but not now: looking on him, but not near: a star will come out of Jacob, and a rod of authority out of Israel, sending destruction to the farthest limits of Moab and on the head of all the sons of Sheth.
And of cattle he had seven thousand sheep and goats, and three thousand camels, and a thousand oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great number of servants. And the man was greater than any of the sons of the east.
And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Is it for nothing that Job is a god-fearing man?
With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.
And he said to her, You are talking like one of the foolish women. If we take the good God sends us, are we not to take the evil when it comes? In all this Job kept his lips from sin.
Let destruction take the day of my birth, and the night on which it was said, A man child has come into the world.
He takes the wise in their secret designs, and the purposes of the twisted are cut off suddenly.
For I would be crushed by his storm, my wounds would be increased without cause.
Though you see that I am not an evil-doer; and there is no one who is able to take a man out of your hands?
Truly, he will put an end to me; I have no hope; but I will not give way in argument before him;
Truly, he will put an end to me; I have no hope; but I will not give way in argument before him;
If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.
Were you present at the secret meeting of God? and have you taken all wisdom for yourself?
Though my hands have done no violent acts, and my prayer is clean.
So that he may give decision for a man in his cause with God, and between a son of man and his neighbour.
In his tent will be seen that which is not his, burning stone is dropped on his house.
But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust;
But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust; And ... without my flesh I will see God; read more. Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.
God gives him his desire, and sends the heat of his wrath on him, making it come down on him like rain. He may go in flight from the iron spear, but the arrow from the bow of brass will go through him;
Be pleased to take teaching from his mouth, and let his words be stored up in your heart.
For God makes low those whose hearts are lifted up, but he is a saviour to the poor in spirit.
If only I had knowledge of where he might be seen, so that I might come even to his seat!
I am looking for him on the left hand, but there is no sign of him; and turning to the right, I am not able to see him. For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold.
For he has knowledge of the way I take; after I have been tested I will come out like gold. My feet have gone in his steps; I have kept in his way, without turning to one side or to the other. read more. I have never gone against the orders of his lips; the words of his mouth have been stored up in my heart. But his purpose is fixed and there is no changing it; and he gives effect to the desire of his soul. For what has been ordered for me by him will be gone through to the end: and his mind is full of such designs For this cause I am in fear before him, my thoughts of him overcome me.
Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.
And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.
The chiefs kept back their words, and their tongues were joined to the roofs of their mouths. For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me; read more. For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter. The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart. I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress. I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking. I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me. By me the great teeth of the evil-doer were broken, and I made him give up what he had violently taken away.
I took my place as a chief, guiding them on their way, and I was as a king among his army. ...
They are pulling off the salt leaves from the brushwood, and making a meal of roots. They are sent out from among their townsmen, men are crying after them as thieves read more. They have to get a resting-place in the hollows of the valleys, in holes of the earth and rocks. They make noises like asses among the brushwood; they get together under the thorns.
Have I not been weeping for the crushed? and was not my soul sad for him who was in need?
If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way, A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth; read more. That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.
If only God would give ear to me, and the Ruler of all would give me an answer! or if what he has against me had been put in writing!
So these three men gave no more answers to Job, because he seemed to himself to be right.
See, I am the same as you are in the eyes of God; I was cut off from the same bit of wet earth. Fear of me will not overcome you, and my hand will not be hard on you.
I am clean, without sin; I am washed, and there is no evil in me:
For God gives his word in one way, even in two, and man is not conscious of it:
If now there may be an angel sent to him, one of the thousands which there are to be between him and God, and to make clear to man what is right for him; And if he has mercy on him, and says, Let him not go down to the underworld, I have given the price for his life: read more. Then his flesh becomes young again, and he comes back to the days of his early strength; He makes his prayer to God, and he has mercy on him; he sees God's face with cries of joy; he gives news of his righteousness to men; He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin. He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure. Truly, God does all these things to man, twice and three times, Keeping back his soul from the underworld, so that he may see the light of life.
Job's words do not come from knowledge; they are not the fruit of wisdom. May Job be tested to the end, because his answers have been like those of evil men.
And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
Truly, I am of no value; what answer may I give to you? I will put my hand on my mouth. I have said once, and even twice, what was in my mind, but I will not do so again.
Word of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you.
Word of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you. For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.
For you will not let my soul be prisoned in the underworld; you will not let your loved one see the place of death.
And the waters of the sea will be cut off, and the river will become dry and waste:
A curse on the day of my birth: let there be no blessing on the day when my mother had me. A curse on the man who gave the news to my father, saying, You have a male child; making him very glad.
Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord.
Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves, and the land would be made waste. Or if I send a sword against that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, cutting off from it man and beast: read more. Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves. Or if I send disease into that land, letting loose my wrath on it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast: Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep son or daughter safe; only themselves would they keep safe through their righteousness.
Wherever the dead body is, there will the eagles come together.
Jesus said, Truly I say to you, There is no man who has given up house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or land, because of me and the good news, Who will not get a hundred times as much now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land--though with great troubles; and, in the world to come, eternal life.
And he said to them, These are the words which I said to you when I was still with you, how it was necessary for all the things which are in the writings of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms about me, to be put into effect.
And Jesus, answering, said to him, What I do is not clear to you now, but it will be clear to you in time to come.
Who has knowledge of the mind of the Lord? or who has taken part in his purposes? Or who has first given to him, and it will be given back to him again?
Make yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him.
We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.
Attempting to see what sort of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was pointing to, when it gave witness to the pains which Christ would undergo and the glories which would come after them. And it was made clear to those prophets that they were God's servants not for themselves but for you, to give you word of the things which have now come to your ears from the preachers of the good news through the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; things which even angels have a desire to see.
Hastings
JOB
1. The man Job.
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At his death, Jobab, son of Zerah of Bozrah, became king in his place.
At his death, Jobab, son of Zerah of Bozrah, became king in his place.
And Moses said to the Lord, Then it will come to the ears of the Egyptians; for by your power you took this people out from among them; And they will give the news to the people of this land: they have had word that you, Lord, are present with this people, letting yourself be seen face to face, and that your cloud is resting over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. read more. Now if you put to death all this people as one man, then the nations who have had word of your glory will say, Because the Lord was not able to take this people into the land which he made an oath to give them, he sent destruction on them in the waste land.
Now Jabin, king of Hazor, hearing of these things, sent to Jobab, king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Achshaph,
And by Hodesh his wife he became the father of Jobab and Zibia and Mesha and Malcam.
And the men of Sheba came against them and took them away, putting the young men to the sword, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news. And this one was still talking when another came, and said, The fire of God came down from heaven, burning up the sheep and the goats and the young men completely, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news. read more. And this one was still talking when another came, and said, The Chaldaeans made themselves into three bands, and came down on the camels and took them away, putting the young men to the sword, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.
When a great wind came rushing from the waste land against the four sides of the house, and it came down on the young men, and they are dead; and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.
With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.
And he took a broken bit of a pot, and, seated in the dust, was rubbing himself with the sharp edge of it.
And Job's three friends had word of all this evil which had come on him. And they came every one from his place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. So they came together to a meeting-place, in order that they might go and make clear to Job their grief for him, and give him comfort.
Then, opening his mouth, and cursing the day of his birth,
Let destruction take the day of my birth, and the night on which it was said, A man child has come into the world. That day--let it be dark; let not God take note of it from on high, and let not the light be shining on it;
Let it be cursed by those who put a curse on the day; who are ready to make Leviathan awake. Let its morning stars be dark; let it be looking for light, but may it not have any; let it not see the eyes of the dawn. read more. Because it did not keep the doors of my mother's body shut, so that trouble might be veiled from my eyes.
A word was given to me secretly, and the low sound of it came to my ears. In troubled thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep comes on men, read more. Fear came on me and shaking, and my bones were full of trouble; And a breath was moving over my face; the hair of my flesh became stiff: Something was present before me, but I was not able to see it clearly; there was a form before my eyes: a quiet voice came to my ears, saying: May a man be upright before God? or a man be clean before his Maker? Truly, he puts no faith in his servants, and he sees error in his angels; How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect; Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note. If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?
My friends have been false like a stream, like streams in the valleys which come to an end: Which are dark because of the ice, and the snow falling into them; read more. Under the burning sun they are cut off, and come to nothing because of the heat. The camel-trains go out of their way; they go up into the waste and come to destruction. The camel-trains of Tema were searching with care, the bands of Sheba were waiting for them: They were put to shame because of their hope; they came and their hope was gone.
What is man, that you have made him great, and that your attention is fixed on him,
So is the end of all who do not keep God in mind; and the hope of the evil-doer comes to nothing:
Who made the Bear and Orion, and the Pleiades, and the store-houses of the south:
God's wrath may not be turned back; the helpers of Rahab were bent down under him.
Your hands made me, and I was formed by you, but then, changing your purpose, you gave me up to destruction. O keep in mind that you made me out of earth; and will you send me back again to dust? read more. Was I not drained out like milk, becoming hard like cheese? By you I was clothed with skin and flesh, and joined together with bones and muscles. You have been kind to me, and your grace has been with me, and your care has kept my spirit safe. But you kept these things in the secret of your heart; I am certain this was in your thoughts: That, if I did wrong, you would take note of it, and would not make me clear from sin: That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble. And that if there was cause for pride, you would go after me like a lion; and again put out your wonders against me: That you would send new witnesses against me, increasing your wrath against me, and letting loose new armies on me.
Who does not see by all these that the hand of the Lord has done this?
He takes away the wisdom of the wise guides, and makes judges foolish; He undoes the chains of kings, and puts his band on them; read more. He makes priests prisoners, overturning those in safe positions; He makes the words of responsible persons without effect, and takes away the good sense of the old; He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong; Uncovering deep things out of the dark, and making the deep shade bright; Increasing nations, and sending destruction on them; making wide the lands of peoples, and then giving them up. He takes away the wisdom of the rulers of the earth, and sends them wandering in a waste where there is no way. They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.
As for man, the son of woman, his days are short and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower, and is cut down: he goes in flight like a shade, and is never seen again. read more. Is it on such a one as this that your eyes are fixed, with the purpose of judging him? If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible.
If only a clean thing might come out of an unclean! But it is not possible. If his days are ordered, and you have knowledge of the number of his months, having given him a fixed limit past which he may not go; read more. Let your eyes be turned away from him, and take your hand from him, so that he may have pleasure at the end of his day, like a servant working for payment. For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end. Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust; Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant. But man comes to his death and is gone: he gives up his spirit, and where is he? The waters go from a pool, and a river becomes waste and dry; So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.
But now he has overcome me with weariness and fear, and I am in the grip of all my trouble. It has come up as a witness against me, and the wasting of my flesh makes answer to my face. read more. I am broken by his wrath, and his hate has gone after me; he has made his teeth sharp against me: my haters are looking on me with cruel eyes; Their mouths are open wide against me; the blows of his bitter words are falling on my face; all of them come together in a mass against me. God gives me over to the power of sinners, sending me violently into the hands of evil-doers. I was in comfort, but I have been broken up by his hands; he has taken me by the neck, shaking me to bits; he has put me up as a mark for his arrows. His bowmen come round about me; their arrows go through my body without mercy; my life is drained out on the earth. I am broken with wound after wound; he comes rushing on me like a man of war. I have made haircloth the clothing of my skin, and my horn is rolled in the dust. My face is red with weeping, and my eyes are becoming dark; Though my hands have done no violent acts, and my prayer is clean.
Even now my witness is in heaven, and the supporter of my cause is on high.
But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust;
But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust; And ... without my flesh I will see God;
And ... without my flesh I will see God; Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.
Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.
Is not your evil-doing great? and there is no end to your sins. For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it. read more. You do not give water to the tired traveller, and from him who has no food you keep back bread. For it was the man with power who had the land, and the man with an honoured name who was living in it. You have sent widows away without hearing their cause, and you have taken away the support of the child who has no father.
Be pleased to take teaching from his mouth, and let his words be stored up in your heart.
They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden. Snow waters become dry with the heat: so do sinners go down into the underworld. read more. The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree. He is not kind to the widow, and he has no pity for her child.
Rule and power are his; he makes peace in his high places.
Then Job made answer and said, How have you given help to him who has no power! how have you been the salvation of the arm which has no strength! read more. How have you given teaching to him who has no wisdom, and fully made clear true knowledge! To whom have your words been said? and whose spirit came out from you? The shades in the underworld are shaking; the waters and those living in them. The underworld is uncovered before him, and Destruction has no veil. By his hand the north is stretched out in space, and the earth is hanging on nothing. By him the waters are shut up in his thick clouds, and the cloud does not give way under them. By him the face of his high seat is veiled, and his cloud stretched out over it. By him a circle is marked out on the face of the waters, to the limits of the light and the dark. The pillars of heaven are shaking, and are overcome by his sharp words. By his power the sea was made quiet; and by his wisdom Rahab was wounded.
By his power the sea was made quiet; and by his wisdom Rahab was wounded. By his wind the heavens become bright: by his hand the quickly moving snake was cut through.
By his wind the heavens become bright: by his hand the quickly moving snake was cut through. See, these are only the outskirts of his ways; and how small is that which comes to our ears about him! But the thunder of his acts of power is outside all knowledge.
By the life of God, who has taken away my right; and of the Ruler of all, who has made my soul bitter; (For all my breath is still in me, and the spirit of God is my life;) read more. Truly, there is no deceit in my lips, and my tongue does not say what is false. Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness.
Let it be far from me! I will certainly not say that you are right! I will come to death before I give up my righteousness. I will keep it safe, and will not let it go: my heart has nothing to say against any part of my life.
I will keep it safe, and will not let it go: my heart has nothing to say against any part of my life. Let my hater be like the evil man, and let him who comes against me be as the sinner.
Let my hater be like the evil man, and let him who comes against me be as the sinner. For what is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul?
For what is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul? Will his cry come to the ears of God when he is in trouble?
Will his cry come to the ears of God when he is in trouble? Will he take delight in the Ruler of all, and make his prayer to God at all times?
Will he take delight in the Ruler of all, and make his prayer to God at all times? I will give you teaching about the hand of God; I will not keep secret from you what is in the mind of the Ruler of all.
I will give you teaching about the hand of God; I will not keep secret from you what is in the mind of the Ruler of all. Truly, you have all seen it yourselves; why then have you become completely foolish? read more. This is the punishment of the evil-doer from God, and the heritage given to the cruel by the Ruler of all.
This is the punishment of the evil-doer from God, and the heritage given to the cruel by the Ruler of all. If his children are increased, it is for the sword; and his offspring have not enough bread.
If his children are increased, it is for the sword; and his offspring have not enough bread. When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them. read more. Though he may get silver together like dust, and make ready great stores of clothing; He may get them ready, but the upright will put them on, and he who is free from sin will take the silver for a heritage. His house has no more strength than a spider's thread, or a watchman's tent. He goes to rest full of wealth, but does so for the last time: on opening his eyes, he sees it there no longer. Fears overtake him like rushing waters; in the night the storm-wind takes him away. The east wind takes him up and he is gone; he is forced violently out of his place. God sends his arrows against him without mercy; he goes in flight before his hand. Men make signs of joy because of him, driving him from his place with sounds of hissing.
Men make signs of joy because of him, driving him from his place with sounds of hissing.
And he said to man, Truly the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to keep from evil is the way to knowledge.
Then I said, I will come to my end with my children round me, my days will be as the sand in number;
Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.
Then in place of grain let thorns come up, and in place of barley evil-smelling plants.
So these three men gave no more answers to Job, because he seemed to himself to be right. And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was angry, burning with wrath against Job, because he seemed to himself more right than God; read more. And he was angry with his three friends, because they had been unable to give him an answer, and had not made Job's sin clear. Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he; And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he was very angry. And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, made answer and said, I am young, and you are very old, so I was in fear, and kept myself from putting my knowledge before you.
Pain is sent on him as a punishment, while he is on his bed; there is no end to the trouble in his bones; He has no desire for food, and his soul is turned away from delicate meat; read more. His flesh is so wasted away, that it may not be seen, and his bones. ... And his soul comes near to the underworld, and his life to the angels of death. If now there may be an angel sent to him, one of the thousands which there are to be between him and God, and to make clear to man what is right for him; And if he has mercy on him, and says, Let him not go down to the underworld, I have given the price for his life: Then his flesh becomes young again, and he comes back to the days of his early strength; He makes his prayer to God, and he has mercy on him; he sees God's face with cries of joy; he gives news of his righteousness to men; He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin. He kept my soul from the underworld, and my life sees the light in full measure.
Their ear is open to his teaching, and he gives them orders so that their hearts may be turned from evil.
He makes the wrong done to the poor the way of their salvation, opening their ears by their trouble.
He makes the wrong done to the poor the way of their salvation, opening their ears by their trouble.
And the Lord made answer to Job out of the storm-wind, and said,
Are the bands of the Pleiades fixed by you, or are the cords of Orion made loose?
Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers, That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust, read more. Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field? She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear. For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge. When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
Word of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you.
And it came about, after he had said these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am very angry with you and your two friends, because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has.
And it came about, after he had said these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am very angry with you and your two friends, because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has. And now, take seven oxen and seven sheep, and go to my servant Job, and give a burned offering for yourselves, and my servant Job will make prayer for you, that I may not send punishment on you; because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has.
And now, take seven oxen and seven sheep, and go to my servant Job, and give a burned offering for yourselves, and my servant Job will make prayer for you, that I may not send punishment on you; because you have not said what is right about me, as my servant Job has. And Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, went and did as the Lord had said. And the Lord gave ear to Job. read more. And the Lord made up to Job for all his losses, after he had made prayer for his friends: and all Job had before was increased by the Lord twice as much. And all his brothers and sisters, and his friends of earlier days, came and took food with him in his house; and made clear their grief for him, and gave him comfort for all the evil which the Lord had sent on him; and they all gave him a bit of money and a gold ring. And the Lord's blessing was greater on the end of Job's life than on its start: and so he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and goats, and six thousand camels, and two thousand oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
And the Lord's blessing was greater on the end of Job's life than on its start: and so he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and goats, and six thousand camels, and two thousand oxen, and a thousand she-asses. And he had seven sons and three daughters.
And he had seven sons and three daughters.
And he had seven sons and three daughters. And he gave the first the name of Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch; read more. And there were no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job in all the earth: and their father gave them a heritage among their brothers. And after this Job had a hundred and forty years of life, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. And Job came to his end, old and full of days.
What is man, that you keep him in mind? the son of man, that you take him into account?
A curse on the day of my birth: let there be no blessing on the day when my mother had me. A curse on the man who gave the news to my father, saying, You have a male child; making him very glad. read more. May that man be like the towns overturned by the Lord without mercy: let a cry for help come to his ears in the morning, and the sound of war in the middle of the day; Because he did not put me to death before my birth took place: so my mother's body would have been my last resting-place, and she would have been with child for ever. Why did I come from my mother's body to see pain and sorrow, so that my days might be wasted with shame?
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, when a land, sinning against me, does wrong, and my hand is stretched out against it, and the support of its bread is broken, and I make it short of food, cutting off man and beast from it: read more. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord. Or if I send evil beasts through the land causing destruction and making it waste, so that no man may go through because of the beasts: Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves, and the land would be made waste. Or if I send a sword against that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, cutting off from it man and beast: Even if these three men were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep safe their sons or daughters, but only themselves. Or if I send disease into that land, letting loose my wrath on it in blood, cutting off from it man and beast: Even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, by my life, says the Lord, they would not keep son or daughter safe; only themselves would they keep safe through their righteousness.
But in Mount Zion some will be kept safe, and it will be holy; and the children of Jacob will take their heritage.
We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.
Morish
1. The 'perfect and upright man' whose history is given in the book of Job.
2. Son of Issachar. Ge 46:13. See JASHUB.
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Smith
(persecuted), the third son of Issachar,
called in another genealogy JASHUB.
See Jashub
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Watsons
JOB, a patriarch celebrated for his patience, and the constancy of his piety and virtue. That Job was a real, and not a fictitious, character, may be inferred from the manner in which he is mentioned in the Scriptures. Thus, the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of him: "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God," Eze 14:14. Now since Noah and Daniel were unquestionably real characters, we must conclude the same of Job. "Behold," says the Apostle James, "we count them happy which endure: ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy," Jas 5:11. It is scarcely to be believed that a divinely inspired Apostle would refer to an imaginary character as an example of patience, or in proof of the mercy of God. But, beside the authority of the inspired writers, we have the strongest internal evidence, from the book itself, that Job was a real person; for it expressly specifies the names of persons, places, facts, and other circumstances usually related in true histories. Thus, we have the name, country, piety, wealth, &c, of Job described, Job i; the names, number, and acts of his children are mentioned; the conduct of his wife is recorded as a fact, Job ii; his friends, their names, countries, and discourses with him in his afflictions are minutely delineated, Job 2:11, &c. Farther: no reasonable doubt can be entertained respecting the real existence of Job, when we consider that it is proved by the concurrent testimony of all eastern tradition: he is mentioned by the author of the book of Tobit, who lived during the Assyrian captivity; he is also repeatedly mentioned by Arabian writers as a real character. The whole of his history, with many fabulous additions, was known among the Syrians and Chaldeans; and many of the noblest families among the Arabs are distinguished by his name, and boast of being descended from him.
Since, then, says Horne, the book of Job contains the history of a real character, the next point is the age in which he lived, a question concerning which there is as great a diversity of opinion, as upon any other subject connected with this venerable monument of sacred antiquity. One thing, however, is generally admitted with respect to the age of the book of Job, namely, its remote antiquity. Even those who contend for the later production of the book of Job are compelled to acquiesce in this particular. Grotius thinks the events of the history are such as cannot be placed later than the sojourning of the Israelites in the wilderness. Bishop Warburton, in like manner, admits them to bear the marks of high antiquity; and Michaelis confesses the manners to be perfectly Abrahamic, that is, such as were common to all the seed of Abraham, Israelites, Ishmaelites, and Idumeans. The following are the principal circumstances from which the age of Job may be collected and ascertained:
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And Noah made an altar to the Lord, and from every clean beast and bird he made burned offerings on the altar.
And Melchizedek, king of Salem, the priest of the Most High God, took bread and wine,
She became the mother of Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. And Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And from Dedan came the Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.
And Pharaoh gave Joseph the name of Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera, the priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph went through all the land of Egypt.
Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, made a burned offering to God: and Aaron came, with the chiefs of Israel, and had a meal with Moses' father-in-law, before God.
The farthest towns of the tribe of Judah in the direction of the limits of Edom to the south, were Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur;
And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen towns with their unwalled places.
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was without sin and upright, fearing God and keeping himself far from evil.
His sons regularly went to one another's houses, and every one on his day gave a feast: and at these times they sent for their three sisters to take part in their feasts with them. And at the end of their days of feasting, Job sent and made them clean, getting up early in the morning and offering burned offerings for them all. For, Job said, It may be that my sons have done wrong and said evil of God in their hearts. And Job did this whenever the feasts came round.
And Job's three friends had word of all this evil which had come on him. And they came every one from his place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. So they came together to a meeting-place, in order that they might go and make clear to Job their grief for him, and give him comfort.
Put the question now to the past generations, and give attention to what has been searched out by their fathers: (For we are but of yesterday, and have no knowledge, because our days on earth are gone like a shade:)
For you put bitter things on record against me, and send punishment on me for the sins of my early years;
With us are men who are grey-haired and full of years, much older than your father.
If only my words might be recorded! if they might be put in writing in a book! And with an iron pen and lead be cut into the rock for ever!
If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way, A secret feeling of worship came into my heart, and my hand gave kisses from my mouth; read more. That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.
And am I to go on waiting while they have nothing to say? while they keep quiet and give no more answers? I will give my answer; I will put forward my knowledge:
And the Lord's blessing was greater on the end of Job's life than on its start: and so he came to have fourteen thousand sheep and goats, and six thousand camels, and two thousand oxen, and a thousand she-asses.
And after this Job had a hundred and forty years of life, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
And after this Job had a hundred and forty years of life, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
About Edom. This is what the Lord of armies has said. Is there no more wisdom in Teman? have wise suggestions come to an end among men of good sense? has their wisdom completely gone? Go in flight, go back, take cover in deep places, you who are living in Dedan; for I will send the fate of Edom on him, even the time of his punishment.
For this cause give ear to the decision of the Lord which he has made against Edom, and to his purposes designed against the people of Teman: Truly, they will be pulled away by the smallest of the flock; truly, he will make waste their fields with them.
Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, only themselves would they keep safe by their righteousness, says the Lord.
The Lord has said, My hand will be stretched out against Edom, cutting off from it man and beast: and I will make it waste, from Teman even as far as Dedan they will be put to the sword.
These are the words of the Lord: For three crimes of Edom, and for four, I will not let its fate be changed; because his sword was turned against his brother, without pity, and his wrath was burning at all times, and he was angry for ever. And I will send a fire on Teman, burning up the great houses of Bozrah.
Will I not, in that day, says the Lord, take away the wise men out of Edom, and wisdom out of the mountain of Esau? And your men of war, O Teman, will be overcome with fear, so that every one of them may be cut off from the mountain of Esau.
We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.