In the course of one day, job receives four messages, each bearing separate news that his livestock, servants, and ten children have all died due to marauding invaders or natural catastrophes. And so, job starts off in verses 14 by claiming that hes been free of. Guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job. Job s speech shifts gears in verse 2 as he appears to be addressing god himself with his thoughts. Job free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by job s counselors. According to the sacred writer, the truly wise man should realize that the fear of the lord, that is wisdom. Alfred smith has contributed prac tical insights for lessons and sermons on the book of job.
Free bible commentaries in easy english easyenglish bible. What does the book of job teach us about the coronavirus. Book of job overview insight for living ministries. God is unseen, and his ways are inscrutable and beyond human understanding. The book of job a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job. A select bibliography also points readers to resources for their own study. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of god, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead.
Zuck, a biblical theology of the old testament, pp. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of god, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love god. God brags to satan about job s virtue, but satan contends that job is only righteous because god has favored him generously. The book of job is considered to be one of the three books of wisdom literature found within the bible. Job proves faithful to god in prosperity and in adversity.
Job commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole bible. Study job using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. Now there was a day a certain time appointed by god. The book of job tells how one man suddenly awakened to the anarchy rampant in the world, yet his attachment to god outlived the ruin of his tidy system.
However, the name does occur in genesis 46 and ezekiel 14. It is plain, from this history, that the lord watched over his servant job with the affection of a wise and loving father. Summary of the books of job the story of the bible. Jun 02, 2008 when god shook job, the sediment colored the water, and you find job saying some terrible things about god in this book. Job is an unlikely candidate because the book s message rests on job s ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. Irving jensen, jensens survey of the old testament, p. To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. It is also unclear to job how a human can appease or court gods justice. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. Job accuses god of being unjust and not operating the world according to principles of justice, and his friends believe that job s sin caused his suffering. And thats the position that the biblical character elihu finds himself in in the 33 rd chapter of the book of job. Book of job matthew henrys bible commentary concise. Job tears his clothes and shaves his head in mourning, but he still blesses god in his prayers. The book of job challenges the simple equation of suffering with punishment, by telling the story of one righteous mans confrontation with overwhelming misfortune.
It should be kept in mind that job is not the author, but the principal character. Elihus wisdom in analyzing the water cycle has led people to wrongly conclude that the book of job must have been written later than commonly supposed. It follows that this commentary, like all commentaries, was written by an uninspired, fallible human. Habel has contributed a small but helpful study for preaching the whole book of job. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of job 1985.
The book of job is also distinctive for a passage confirming the reality of the premortal life. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why god permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. Job baker commentary on the old testament wisdom and psalms. Throughout the book, job, his wife, and his friends speculate on why he, an upright man, suffers. He curses the man who brought his father the joyous tidings of the birth of a son, and wishes him the fate of sodom and gomorrha. You have heard of the perseverance of job and seen the end intended by the lord that the lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Jun 28, 2010 the book of job is one of the first documents in history to concentrate solely on how a just gd can allow the suffering of innocents. People say things about god and other people that just arent right. And when we hear people saying those kinds of things, were often compelled to speak in defense of god or those other people. The meaning of law in the book of job uc hastings scholarship. Job, in turn, has responded to each of them, declaring his innocence and demanding that god give him answers. This only is certain, that it presents a picture of a very early civilisation. He lived soon after abraham, or perhaps before that patriarch. The prologue, which provides context in the heavenly. Sep 07, 2010 the book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Satan had leave to touch, to touch and take, all he had, and was confident that he would then curse god to his face. The text of job is so ancient that in some places we dont really know the exact meaning of some of the words. The book is found in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and is the first poetic. Job, it is probable, kept many, though they are not mentioned among his possessions, cattle for use in husbandry being there valued more than those for state and war, which alone horses were then reserved for, and they were not then put to such mean services as with us they are commonly put to.
This reference in james is the only time job is mentioned by name in the n. Aug 01, 2012 the newest release in the baker commentary on the old testament wisdom and psalms is tremper longman iiis commentary on the book of job. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. The book of job is rightly understood to be a masterpiece of hebrew poetry and western literature. The poetical masterpiece that confronts the inexplicable mystery of good and evil can be a companion on your own spiritual journey. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. It broke down the book of job and explained things so well. Job is the name of the principal character in this book and the title is the same in hebrew as it is in english. Job is a wealthy and godfearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. Some scholars claim it might have been written in the 5th. Gods answer to the problem of undeserved suffering. The book of job gives an account of a righteous man who faithfully responded to difficult trials. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job.
Eliphaz is the first of job s friends to respond to job. The book of job begins with a prologue job 12, which describes a wager between satan and god, in which satan the adversary bets god that joba particularly pious manwill abandon his piety and curse god if all his wealth and wellbeing are taken away. The loss of job s property, and the death of his children. The book of job, celebrated as a classic of world literature and one of the glories of the bible, can often be puzzling and frustrating. Many commentaries do take up the doctrine of retribution and the theme of punishment and reward but only to report that job learns the falseness of this doctrine. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. He is blameless and upright, constantly mindful to live in a righteous manner.
But the odious judgments made by his friends caution us against making toocertain application of any model to our own lives. The poetic discourseswhich probe the meaning of jobs sufferings and the manner in which he should respondconsist of three cycles of speeches that contain. Read job commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Job s experience invites us to ponder difficult questions about the causes of suffering, the frailty of human existence, and the reasons to trust in god, even when life seems unfair. Book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. God allows satan to torment job to test this bold claim, but he forbids satan to take jobs life. Commentary on the book of job chapter one by wm w wells. Most likely it was written by job himself, and it is the most ancient book in existence. Both deal with the question of suffering in the lives of believers. God knew that it was there, and he knew that in shaking this godly, blameless man there would arise some imperfection into his life, and that it would need to be purged. Job is a pious believer who is struck by misfortune so great that it cannot be explained in the usual way as a prompting to repentance, a warning, let alone a punishment the arguments later. It addresses the problem of theodicy, meaning why god permits evil in the world, through the experiences of the. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations.
The book of james is particularly related to the book of job in the old testament. Commentary on job 3842 job meets god tough questions. The book also urges the faithful to look beyond the trials of this life to the glorious resurrection, made possible by the savior, for job boldly testified, i know that my redeemer liveth, and in my flesh shall i see god job 19. This book is so called from job, whose prosperity, afflictions, and restoration, are here recorded. No answers are given, but god reminds us to trust his wisdom and. The book of job the book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. Jun 22, 2015 commentary on job 3842 job meets god june 22, 2015 bill pratt 0 comments through job 37, job has listened to three friends and elihu speak to him about why he is suffering so badly.
The two great themes of the book of job, as explained by james, are the perseverance of job and the end intended. Job was, like his friends, hindered by a philosophy too narrow. It is interesting that the name of yahweh appears over and over in the book of job, and his name was unknown prior to the time of moses exodus 6. Thus it is to be explained, that not only job in this poem, but also jeremiah in the book of his prophecy, job 20. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it. Job 2 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Job went through one of the most difficult seasons i think recorded in the bible. The author s own translation from the original hebrew forms the basis of the commentary proper.
One talmudic tradition suggests moses as author since the land of uz 1. You have heard of the perseverance of job and seen the end intended by the lord that the lord is very compassionate and merciful james 5. This was another one of elihus strong warnings to job. The book of job, named after its protagonist apparently not an israelite. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b.
This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the authors message in the book of job. See also greg parsons excellent article on job guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job from bibliotheca sacra 151, 1994, pages 3934 introduction the reader who desires to unlock the rich theological treasures contained in the book of job should assume its literary unity. In this bible story from the book of job, there is a wealthy man named job residing in an area called uz with his extended family and vast flocks. Job is perhaps one of the most interesting and perplexing books of the bible, and longmans commentary does much to shed light on some of the primary difficulties people often encounter when engaging with job. The name job is mentioned only 54 times and mostly just in the book of job. Job 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing god and shunning evil. As the first poetic book of the english bible, job introduces the reader to the idea of hebrew poetry, which involves the repetition and combination of ideas more than sounds. Study guide for job 7 by david guzik blue letter bible. The two great themes of the book of job, as explained by james, are the perseverance of job and the end intended by the lord, and it is important that we learn both themes. The book of job discusses why god allows pain and suffering. Both are considered the earliest book of each testament. The book of job is considered being part of the poetic books job, psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and song of songs in todays bible editions.
Yes, there is ample intriguing symbolism within blakes twentyone engravings and the included engraved texts as done in 1825. Job asks why god hides from him, and does not reveal his sins. The instructions to be learned from the patience of job, and from his. In the book of job, we find questions about gods justice and why good people suffer. This chapter is a continuation of job s third speech which began in job 9 see notes, a response to bildads speech. Each commentary opens with an introduction to the biblical book, looking especially at questions concerning its background, authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology. If they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. The contents of the book, together with its artistic structure and elegant style, place it among the literary masterpieces of all time. Pdf a very short commentary on the book of job david. The author, date, and place of the book of job are all uncertain.
Job 39 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. We left job honourably acquitted upon a fair trial between god and satan concerning him. Job is an unlikely candidate because the books message rests on jobs ignorance of the events that occurred in heaven as they were related to his ordeal. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. A commentary the old testament library kindle edition by habel, norman c download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Once more we benefit from know the storybehindthestory, which job and his friends do not know at this point in the narrative. Study the bible online using commentary on job and more. It is uncertain exactly when the book was written and who wrote it. The authorship and date of the book of job are problems yet unsolved. A very short commentary on the book of job david j. The book of job 3 the book of job introduction to the book the book of job has long been praised as a masterpiece of literature. In fact, some scholars believe that job requires and understanding of the book as a whole more than any other book of the old testament. It seems significant that god would choose this topic to deal with in the earliest books of both testaments.
Job 31 commentary 14 lust and so, job starts off in verses 14 by claiming that hes been free of sexual immorality even in the form of lusting after women. The book of job is a true story set in poetry, which delves into the feelings and emotions of the human mind when faced with trauma and suffering, since poetry is the language of the heart, job reveals the innermost thoughts of men more so than outward deeds. The book of job is included among the wisdom writings precisely because it teaches man that pain and suffering are a mystery of divine wisdom. Job believed that god was against him and was punishing him, but it wasnt true.
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