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/j2000'>13,13/type/j2000'>13; 19:17; 30:17, than the leprosy referred to above. See LEPER.
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And his sons went and had banquets in their houses, each one on his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scratch himself with, and he was sitting among the ashes.
He takes the wise in their own prudence, and the counsel of his adversaries is turned to folly.
My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and abominable.
When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;
When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;
For there is yet hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender branch will not cease. Though its root waxes old in the earth and its trunk is dead in the ground, read more. at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a new plant. But when man shall die and be cut off, and the man shall perish, where shall he be? The waters from the sea went, and the river ran out, it dried up. So man lies down and does not rise; until there is no heaven, they shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou would hide me in Sheol, that thou would keep me covered until thy wrath is past, that thou would appoint me a set time and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my transformation comes. Then thou shalt call, and I will answer thee; thou wilt have a desire towards the work of thine hands.
Among us are also gray hairs; there are also aged men, much elder than thy father.
My spirit came to be strange to my wife, although I intreated her for the sons of my own body.
That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer lives and that he shall rise at the latter day over the dust; read more. and afterward from this, my stricken skin and from my own flesh, I must see God: whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, though my kidneys be consumed within me.
Dost thou desire to keep the old way which wicked men have trodden? Who were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood. read more. Who said unto God, Depart from us; and what can the Almighty do unto us?
My bones pierce me in the night, and my sinews take no rest.
He looks upon men, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it did not profit me; God will ransom his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. read more. Behold, God does all these things two and three times with man, to turn back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.
Therefore, take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my slave Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my slave Job shall pray for you; for only because I will accept him, I shall not deal with you according to your folly, in that ye have not spoken by me in uprightness, like my slave Job.
After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord GOD.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness.
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.
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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though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord GOD.
though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.
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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After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
Huz, his firstborn, and Buz, his brother, and Kemuel, the father of Aram
These are dukes of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the firstborn son of Esau: duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD (YHWH) I was not known to them.
I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not near by; there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the sons of Seth.
His substance was seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she asses, and a very great store of servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, Does Job fear God for nothing?
and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
But he said unto her, Thou hast spoken as any of the foolish women speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Let the day perish in which I was born and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.
He takes the wise in their own prudence, and the counsel of his adversaries is turned to folly.
For he has broken me with a tempest and has multiplied my wounds without cause.
Thou knowest that I am not wicked; and there is no one that can deliver out of thy hand.
Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him; but I will defend my ways before him.
Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him; but I will defend my ways before him.
If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time I will wait until my transformation comes.
Hast thou heard the secret of God, that thou dost detain wisdom in thee alone?
even though there is no injustice in my hands, and my prayer has been pure.
O that a man might dispute with God, as he can with his neighbour!
He shall dwell in his tent, as if it were not his; brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.
For I know that my redeemer lives and that he shall rise at the latter day over the dust;
For I know that my redeemer lives and that he shall rise at the latter day over the dust; and afterward from this, my stricken skin and from my own flesh, I must see God: read more. whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, though my kidneys be consumed within me.
When he is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him and shall rain it upon him and upon his food. He shall flee from the weapons of iron, and the bow of bronze shall strike him through.
Dost thou desire to keep the old way which wicked men have trodden?
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
When others are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.
if he is working to the north, I shall not see him; to the south, he hides himself, that I shall not see him. But he has known the way that I take; he has tried me, and I have come forth as gold.
But he has known the way that I take; he has tried me, and I have come forth as gold. My feet have held to his steps, I have kept his way, and have not departed. read more. Neither have I separated myself from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. But if he determines something, who can turn him? His soul desired it, and he did it. Therefore, he will finish that which is necessary for me; and there are many such things in him. Therefore, I shall fear before his face; I shall consider, and I shall fear him.
In no wise should I justify you; until I die I will not remove my integrity from me.
And unto man he said, Behold, that the fear of the Lord, is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
the voice of the principals would not be noticed, and their tongue would cleave to the roof of their mouth. When the ears that heard me, called me blessed; and when the eyes that saw me, gave witness to me: read more. because I delivered the poor that cried and the fatherless who had no one to help him. The blessing of the one that was ready to perish came upon me; and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me as a robe; and my diadem was judgment. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; and the cause which I did not know I searched out. And I broke the fangs of the wicked and caused their teeth to release the prey.
I approved their way and sat at the head and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforts the mourners.
Who cut up mallows among the bushes and juniper roots for their food. They were driven forth from among men (they cried after them as after a thief). read more. They dwelt in the clifts of the valleys, in caves of the earth, and in the rocks. Among the bushes they brayed; under the nettles they were gathered together.
Did I not weep for the one that was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the needy?
if I beheld the sun when it shone or the moon walking in beauty; and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth kissed my hand; read more. this would also be a proven iniquity; for I should have denied the God that is sovereign.
Oh that someone would hear me! Behold, my mark is, that the Almighty will testify for me, even though my adversary had written down the charges.
So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead; I also am formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
I am clean without rebellion, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
Nevertheless, in one or two manners God speaks to the one who does not see.
If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness; to tell him that God had mercy on him, that he delivered him from going down to the pit; that he found a ransom; read more. his flesh shall become more tender than a child's; and he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God, and he will love him; and he shall see his face with shouts of joy; for he will render unto the man the recompense of his righteousness. He looks upon men, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it did not profit me; God will ransom his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Behold, God does all these things two and three times with man, to turn back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without prudence. My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end, that there may be answers against wicked men.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand over my mouth. Once I have spoken; but I will not answer; even twice, but I will proceed no further.
With my ears I had heard thee; but now my eyes see thee.
With my ears I had heard thee; but now my eyes see thee. Therefore, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy Merciful One to see corruption.
As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
Cursed be the day in which I was born; do not let the day in which my mother bore me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.
though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord GOD.
though these three men were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither their sons nor their daughters; they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be destroyed. Or if I bring a sword upon the land and say: Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast out of her; read more. though these three men were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither their sons nor their daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my fury upon her in blood to cut off out of her man and beast though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
For wherever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
And answering him, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, There is no one that has left house or brethren or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospel's who shall not receive one hundredfold now in this time: houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life.
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spoke unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me.
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou dost not understand now, but thou shalt understand afterwards.
For who has understood the intent of the Lord? or who has been his counsellor? Or who has first given unto him, that it be recompensed unto him again?
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.
searching when and in what point of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, which announced beforehand the afflictions that were to come upon the Christ, and the glory that should follow them. Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto us they did administer the things, which are now announced unto you by those that have preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, which things the angels desire to look into.
Hastings
JOB
1. The man Job.
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And Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his stead.
And Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zerah of Bozrah, reigned in his stead.
And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, for thou didst bring this people out of the midst of them with thy might; and the inhabitants of this land will say, for they have already heard that thou, oh LORD, wast among this people, that thou, O LORD, art seen face to face, and that thy cloud was over them, and that thou didst go before them by day time in a pillar of a cloud and in a pillar of fire by night; read more. and that thou hast caused all this people to die as one man; and the Gentiles who have heard of thy fame will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore unto them; therefore, he has slain them in the wilderness.
Hearing of this, Jabin, king of Hazor, sent a message unto Jobab, king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron and to the king of Achshaph
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.
and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away; they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, another came who said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven and has burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell thee. read more. While he was yet speaking, another came and said, The Chaldeans made three bands and fell upon the camels and have carried them away and have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell thee.
and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
And he took a potsherd to scratch himself with, and he was sitting among the ashes.
Now three friends of Job, Eliphaz, the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar, the Naamathite, when they heard of all this evil that had come upon him, each one came from his own place; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
After this Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.
Let the day perish in which I was born and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above; neither let the light shine upon it.
Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. Let the stars of its dawn be darkened; they waited for light, but have none; neither let them see the dawning of the day; read more. because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb nor hide the misery from my eyes.
Now the matter was also hidden from me, but my ear has perceived a little of it. In imaginations of visions of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, read more. fear came upon me and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before me which caused the hair of my flesh to stand up. A ghost stood in front of me, whose face I did not recognize, and I heard it say, Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his slaves, and his angels he charged with folly. How much more with those that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who shall be crushed by the moth! They are destroyed from morning to evening; they perish for ever without anyone regarding it. Does their beauty perish with them? They die and do not know.
My brethren have lied to me as a brook; they passed away as an impetuous stream, which was hidden by ice and covered by snow. read more. Which in the time of heat, they vanish; when they are heated, they disappear out of their place; they turn aside out of the paths of their way; they go to nothing and perish. The travelers of Tema looked; the traveling companies of Sheba waited for them. They were put to shame because of their hope; they came there and found them confused.
What is man that thou should magnify him and that thou should set thine heart upon him
So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrite's hope shall perish.
He who made Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the secret places of the south.
God will not withdraw his anger, and under him those who help, unto pride are bent over.
Thine hands have formed me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. Remember now that thou hast formed me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again? read more. Hast thou not poured me out as milk and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh and hast hedged me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and mercy, and thy visitation has kept my spirit. And these things thou hast hid in thine heart; I know that this is with thee. If I sinned, wilt thou mark me and not cleanse me from my iniquity? If I am wicked, woe unto me; and if I am righteous, I will not lift up my head, being full of dishonour and of seeing my affliction. And thou dost increase. Thou dost hunt me as a fierce lion; turning and doing marvels in me. Thou dost renew thy plagues against me and increase thine indignation upon me, bringing up armies against me.
What thing of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD made them?
He causes the counsellors to walk away stripped of counsel and makes the judges to be fools. He looses the bond of kings and girds their loins with a girdle. read more. He leads priests away spoiled and overthrows the mighty. He impedes the lips of those that speak the truth and takes away the counsel of the aged. He pours contempt upon princes and weakens the strength of the mighty. He uncovers the depths of the darkness and brings out to light the shadow of death. He multiplies the Gentiles and destroys them; he scatters the Gentiles and gathers them again. He takes away the heart of the heads of the people of the earth and causes them to become lost, wandering without a way. They grope in the darkness and not the light, and he causes them to err like drunken men.
Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like an open flower and is cut down; he flees as a shadow and does not remain. read more. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such a one and bring me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one.
Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. read more. If thou should leave him, he will cease to exist; until then, he shall desire, as a hireling, his day. For there is yet hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again and that its tender branch will not cease. Though its root waxes old in the earth and its trunk is dead in the ground, at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a new plant. But when man shall die and be cut off, and the man shall perish, where shall he be? The waters from the sea went, and the river ran out, it dried up. So man lies down and does not rise; until there is no heaven, they shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleep.
But now he has made me weary; thou hast made desolate all my company. And thou hast filled me with wrinkles, which is a witness against me: and my leanness rising up in me bears witness to my face. read more. His wrath has torn me and has been against me; he gnashed upon me with his teeth; my enemy sharpened his eyes upon me. They have opened their mouth against me; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me. God has delivered me unto the liar, and in the hands of the wicked he has caused me to tremble. I was prosperous, but he has broken me asunder; he has taken me by my neck and shaken me to pieces and set me up for his mark. His archers compassed me round about; he cleaved my kidneys asunder and did not spare; he poured out my gall upon the ground. He broke me with breach upon breach; he ran upon me like a giant. I have sewn sackcloth upon my skin and put dust over my head. My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death, even though there is no injustice in my hands, and my prayer has been pure.
Certainly my witness is even now in the heavens, and my record is on high.
For I know that my redeemer lives and that he shall rise at the latter day over the dust;
For I know that my redeemer lives and that he shall rise at the latter day over the dust; and afterward from this, my stricken skin and from my own flesh, I must see God:
and afterward from this, my stricken skin and from my own flesh, I must see God: whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, though my kidneys be consumed within me.
whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another, though my kidneys be consumed within me.
Certainly thy wickedness is great and thine iniquities have no end. For thou didst take a pledge from thy brother without cause and stripped the naked of their clothing. read more. Thou didst not give water to drink to the weary, and thou hast withheld bread from the hungry. But the man of means had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it. Thou hast sent the widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
They are swift upon the waters; their portion is cursed in the earth; they never come by the way of the vineyards. Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol consume those who have sinned. read more. The Merciful One shall forget them; the worm shall feed sweetly on them; they shall never be remembered again; and iniquity shall be broken as a tree. He afflicted the barren woman that did not conceive and never did good unto the widow.
Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high places.
Job answered and said, How hast thou helped the one who has no power? Hast thou saved with thy arm the one who has no strength? read more. How hast thou counselled the one that has no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is? To whom hast thou uttered words, and whose is the spirit that comes forth from thee? Dead things are formed under the waters and of its dwelling places. Sheol is naked before him, and hell has no covering. He stretches out the north wind over the empty place and hangs the earth upon nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. He holds back the face of his throne and spreads his cloud upon it. He has compassed the waters with bounds until the end of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. He divides the sea with his power, and by his intelligence he smites its pride.
He divides the sea with his power, and by his intelligence he smites its pride. By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has formed the fleeing serpent.
By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has formed the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are parts of his ways; but how little a portion have we heard of him? For the thunder of his power, who shall understand?
As God lives, who has taken away my rights; and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, that all the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, read more. my lips shall not speak iniquity, nor my tongue utter deceit. In no wise should I justify you; until I die I will not remove my integrity from me.
In no wise should I justify you; until I die I will not remove my integrity from me. I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.
I hold fast to my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. Let my enemy be as the wicked and my adversary as the unrighteous.
Let my enemy be as the wicked and my adversary as the unrighteous. For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has stolen much, when God takes away his soul?
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has stolen much, when God takes away his soul? Will God hear his cry when the tribulation comes upon him?
Will God hear his cry when the tribulation comes upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?
Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? I will teach you what there is in the hand of God; I will not conceal that which is regarding the Almighty.
I will teach you what there is in the hand of God; I will not conceal that which is regarding the Almighty. Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye so completely vain? read more. This is the portion of a wicked man with God and the heritage of the violent, which they shall receive of the Almighty.
This is the portion of a wicked man with God and the heritage of the violent, which they shall receive of the Almighty. If their sons are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread.
If their sons are multiplied, it is for the sword; and his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. Those that remain of him shall be buried in death; and their widows shall not weep. read more. Though he heaps up silver as the dust and prepares raiment as the clay, he may prepare it, but the just shall put it on, and the innocent shall divide the silver. He built his house as a moth and as a booth that the keeper makes. The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered; he shall open his eyes and not see anyone. Terrors shall take hold on him as waters; a whirlwind shall carry him away in the night. The east wind shall take him away, and he shall depart; the storm shall catch him up out of his place. For God shall cast down on him and not spare; he would attempt to flee out of his hand. Men shall clap their hands at him, and from his place they shall hiss at him.
Men shall clap their hands at him, and from his place they shall hiss at him.
And unto man he said, Behold, that the fear of the Lord, is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
let thistles grow up unto me instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
let thistles grow up unto me instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram, was kindled; against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. read more. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited until Job had spoken because they were all elder than he. But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled. And Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, answered and said, I am younger, and ye are older; therefore, I was afraid, and I feared to declare unto you my opinion.
He is chastened also upon his bed with strong pain in all his bones, so that his life abhors bread and his soul dainty food. read more. His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. His soul shall draw near to the grave, and his life to those that would bury him. If there is a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his uprightness; to tell him that God had mercy on him, that he delivered him from going down to the pit; that he found a ransom; his flesh shall become more tender than a child's; and he shall return to the days of his youth. He shall pray unto God, and he will love him; and he shall see his face with shouts of joy; for he will render unto the man the recompense of his righteousness. He looks upon men, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it did not profit me; God will ransom his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
He opens their ear to instruction and commands that they turn from iniquity.
He shall deliver the poor from his poverty, and in affliction shall open their ears.
He shall deliver the poor from his poverty, and in affliction shall open their ears.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
Didst thou give beautiful wings unto the peacock, or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? Who leaves her eggs in the earth and warms them in dust read more. and forgets that the foot may crush them or that the wild beast may break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers, not fearing that her labour is in vain, because God caused her to forget wisdom and did not give her understanding. In her time she lifts up herself on high; she scorns the horse and his rider.
With my ears I had heard thee; but now my eyes see thee.
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz, the Temanite, My wrath has been kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken by me in uprightness, as my slave Job has.
And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz, the Temanite, My wrath has been kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken by me in uprightness, as my slave Job has. Therefore, take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my slave Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my slave Job shall pray for you; for only because I will accept him, I shall not deal with you according to your folly, in that ye have not spoken by me in uprightness, like my slave Job.
Therefore, take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my slave Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my slave Job shall pray for you; for only because I will accept him, I shall not deal with you according to your folly, in that ye have not spoken by me in uprightness, like my slave Job. So Eliphaz, the Temanite, and Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar, the Naamathite, went, and did according as the LORD commanded them; and the LORD accepted Job. read more. And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brethren came unto him and all his sisters and all those that had been of his acquaintance before and ate bread with him in his house; and they condoled him and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; each one also gave him an ewe, and an earring of gold. So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she asses.
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she asses. He also had seven sons and three daughters.
He also had seven sons and three daughters.
He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima, and the name of the second, Kezia, and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. read more. And in all the land no women were found as beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days.
what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou dost visit him?
Cursed be the day in which I was born; do not let the day in which my mother bore me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. read more. And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew and did not repent; and let him hear the cry in the morning and the shouting at noontide because he did not slay me in the womb, and my mother would have been my grave, and her womb perpetual conception. Why did I come forth out of the womb? To see labour and sorrow that my days should be consumed with shame?
The word of the LORD came again to me, saying: Son of man, when the land sins against me by rebelling blatantly and I stretch out my hand upon her and break the staff of the bread thereof and send famine upon her and cut off man and beast out of her read more. though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord GOD. If I cause an evil beast to pass through the land and destroy her so that it be desolate that there be no one to pass through because of the beast though these three men were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither their sons nor their daughters; they only shall be delivered, and the land shall be destroyed. Or if I bring a sword upon the land and say: Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast out of her; though these three men were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither their sons nor their daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out my fury upon her in blood to cut off out of her man and beast though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, as I live, said the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
But in Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and it shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.
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 built an altar unto the LORD and took of every clean animal and of every clean fowl and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, for he was the priest of the most high God.
And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begat Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah, and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.
And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took burnt offerings and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.
And these were the cities in the border of the tribe of the sons of Judah towards the border of Edom towards the Negev: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
Gederoth, Bethdagon, Naamah, and Makkedah: sixteen cities with their villages.
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and departed from evil.
And his sons went and had banquets in their houses, each one on his day, and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their banquets were over, that Job sent and sanctified them and rose up early in the morning and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Now three friends of Job, Eliphaz, the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar, the Naamathite, when they heard of all this evil that had come upon him, each one came from his own place; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
Ask, I pray thee, of the former age, and be willing to enquire of thy fathers regarding them; for we are but of yesterday and know nothing because our days upon earth are as a shadow.
Why dost thou write bitter things against me and make me carry the iniquities of my youth.
Among us are also gray hairs; there are also aged men, much elder than thy father.
Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
if I beheld the sun when it shone or the moon walking in beauty; and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth kissed my hand; read more. this would also be a proven iniquity; for I should have denied the God that is sovereign.
And I waited, (for they did not speak, but stopped, and answered no more); I said, I will also answer my part, I will also declare my opinion.
So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she asses.
After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
and to Dedan, and to Tema and to Buz and to all that are in the utmost corners,
Concerning Edom, thus hath the LORD of the hosts said: Is there no more wisdom in Teman? Has the counsel of the wise perished? Is their wisdom corrupted? Flee, turn back, hide in the deeps to remain, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, at the time that I have to visit him.
Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that he has taken against Edom; and his thoughts, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; surely he shall destroy their habitations with them.
though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in the midst of her, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, said the Lord GOD.
therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: I will also stretch out my hand upon Edom and will cut off man and beast from her; and I will make her desolate from Teman; and those of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
Thus hath the LORD said: For three transgressions of Edom and for the fourth, I will not convert her because she pursued her brother with the sword and cast off all mercy, and with her anger she stole from him perpetually, and she kept her wrath for ever: but I will send fire in Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.
Shall I not in that day, said the LORD, even destroy the wise men out of Edom and intelligence out of the mount of Esau? And thy mighty men, O Teman, shall be dismayed because every man shall be cut off from mount of Esau by the slaughter.
Behold, we count blessed those who endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very merciful, and full of compassion.