Nelsons comments say that the true identity of who wrote job has. He insists job only serves god because god protects him and seeks gods permission to test job s faith and loyalty. It is what job learns about god through his suffering. In this series of blogs i shall revisit the book of job, the personality and some of its meaning for contemporary society. Rather, the focus is on what job learned from his suffering. God says to job, now i want you to pray for your friends these three dear men, so stubborn, so sure that they had all the answers, so well meaning, so sincere, so. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Much of what jobs friends told him exactly what we hear to today while eliphaz, bildad, and zophar did not condemn god, they did accuse and condemn. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine.
Job 8 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Or perhaps this is an at least partially an afterward because i write this after i have completed half of the melding together of roger hahns online crivoice bible study and the excerpts from john c. Daniel webster what is it about the book that prompts such praise. The book of job is a timeless book in which the ever present problem of human suffering and especially in the case of believers is treated. David guzik commentary on job 1, where satan asks god for permission to. The book is not about jobs history but about jobs life and the way we relate to god as a result. However, even though the book of revelation is written in symbols, the bible explains itself in a literal language. Symbols in the book of revelation a virtuous woman. Job, under all his losses, is but reduced to his first state. The book of job opens portraying job as a wealthy and righteous nobleman. For personal study, i suggest you start at the beginning of a chapter or book.
In this epic wager between god and the devil, discover how job reacts to the shocking curses inflicted upon him and what we can learn from his incredible example of remaining faithful through suffering. If you have not read this series from the beginning, i would highly recommend that you. Perhaps it is because many tend to neglect the old testament altogether. 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. After job s complaints in job 3, eliphaz is the first of the friends to speak. The book of job opens with a scene in heaven where satan comes to accuse job before god. In other cases their words were right, but their application of the truth was not correct. The book of job opens in verse one by telling us that job was a blameless, upright man who feared god and turned away from evil. There are no references to the law of moses, the tabernacle, the priesthood, the judges or kings, etc. By using some of these 150 popular proverbs, you can up your english language skills by few notches. God says to job, now i want you to pray for your friends these three dear men, so stubborn, so sure that they had all the answers, so well meaning, so sincere, so dedicated, but such utter blunderers. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible. The purpose of the present study is to cultivate an interest in the study and use of the book of job by pastors, teachers, and laypersons in ministry. Reading the old testament had really shown me a god different than what i had been taught.
Job 3 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. How could job persevere and hold fast in the face of such extreme suffering and pain. There was once a man in the land of uz whose name was job 1. I was reading through the entire bible front to back. Copeland this study guide is from the executable outlines series, a collection of sermon outlines and bible study lessons by mark a.
The setting for this narrative is in patriarchal times. I attempt to clear that up by offering a different perspective than most people know today. In his book, tompkins places the blame for jobs woes squarely at the feet of the devil. But for many readers it is a troubling book because of its unanswered questions, the seeming injustice of much that occurs in it, the longwinded and rather pointless discussions, and. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and. The last of the book is a beautiful picture of what james calls the tender mercies of god toward job james 5.
His friends speak in more or less three rounds, with each speech followed by a reply from job. Rather, the book of job deals with questions of wisdom in the context of a narrative dealing with job s profound anguish and excruciating pain. The book of job has brought consolation during painful times of my life, and it can help you to accompany. Information and translations of book of job in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The book of job was a huge turning point in my christianity. On the contrary, god speaks directly to job, just as he does in the patriarchal. Top 5 commentaries on the book of job ligonier ministries. He did not mean praise because of course we should praise god. According to tradition this very special gospel was written at the very end of the first century ad.
Understanding the book of job by tom tompkins escape to. He reasons from the common state of human life, which he describes. Job 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on the. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred sheasses, and a very great household. Natural affection is put into parents hearts by god. Only the names of the daughters after restoration are mentioned, kezia, jemimah and kerenhappuch. Balaam, yithro, and job alexander goldberg in another version of the story of job, he becomes a symbol of everyone who stands by and allows evil. Guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job 395 resource is available that summarizes specific guidelines for preaching and teaching the book. The point of the book of job is to teach us that the mystery of evil is a mystery of a wartorn and unfathomably complex creation, not the mystery of gods allcontrolling will. Verses 25 and there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. Job speaks of foundational themes every human being contends with, especially in times of suffering.
Or from an arabic word meaning repent, thus bearing the name repentant one. The book of job records what actually happens and is not a metaphor at all. Job bible story summary with lesson what christians want to. This proverb is used when someone blames the quality of their equipment or other.
Themes and meaning the name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. You can find the best commentary on job for you using the tools on the right side. Guidelines for understanding and proclaiming the book of job. Satanthe tradition was widely spread that he had been the agent in adams temptation. The loss of job s property, and the death of his children. This begins a long section in the book of job where job s friends counsel him and he answers them. Job bible story summary with lesson what christians want. Mar 19, 2012 i also had no idea that tom tompkins was writing a little gem entitled understanding the book of job. God gives job a taste of this power when he brings job s earthly suffering to an end job 42. This prose prologue to the book reads like a folktale. Jobs suffering did not come because he was bad but rather because of his unwavering faithfulness to god. Rather, the focus is on what job learns from his suffering. Eliphaz the temanite, in the old testament book of job chapters 4, 5, 15, 22, one of three friends who sought to console job, who is a biblical archetype of unmerited suffering.
Job 3 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the bible. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. In my own unique style i teach the book of job chapter by chapter, verse by verse and explain everything i have learned about it. Its subject matter is the allimportant question, why, in a world over which yahweh has jurisdiction, should innocent persons have to suffer when at the same time the wicked escape suffering and are permitted to have comfort and security. Job free bible study notes, commentary, and comments. His friends had no proof whatever to the contrary of what job said, for his actions had been good, but at the end of this book, job s attitude is wonderfully changed. In a synopsis at the beginning of the commentary he locates job within the history of israels religion. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is.
Job 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. Job 39 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Elihus words were a much more accurate presentation of the truth. After this point in the book of job, there begins 35 chapters of discussion between job and his friends. No creature comes into the world so helpless as man. Read your own bible, the bible as quoted on this site, and my comments. But the story isnt about what job had and what he lost.
He has a large family, many flocks of animals, many servants, a large home, perhaps an estate. We brought nothing of this worlds goods into the world, but have them from others. The gospel of john is probably the book that has been written last of all the books of the bible. The purpose of the book of job is to explore gods policies with regard to suffering in.
The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. At the end of these speeches, god answers job and his friends and settles the matter. Job complained of those present at his birth, for their tender attention to him. 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. Given how christians are yet inclined to look for a divine reason behind catastrophes and personal tragedies. The following are five of the most helpful commentaries on this book of scripture. 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. The book of job defends the character of a loving and righteous god in spite of earths obvious evils and injustices.
The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and. Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. The one who had such confidence in his own righteousness, when face to face with god, said, i have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. The bible story of job, from the book of job, is a powerful tale of testing the devotion and fortitude of the human will. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. The book of job taken as a mere work of literary genius, is one of the most wonderful productions of any age or of any language. Therefore i despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Read job 1 commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. The author recounts an era in the life of job, in which he was tested and the. Some scholars claim it might have been written in the 5th century bce. Study the bible online using commentary on job 1 and more. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. The book of job is the first document in history to take seriously the question of why really bad things happen to really good people. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author.
As readers of this series of blog posts will know, i find the layout of the word biblical commentaries a bit exasperating. Chapters 45 contain his first speech, which focuses on the theme of the innocent prospering. Read job 8 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible concise. Study the bible online using commentary on job 8 and more. The book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. But the author knew that his readers would be able to work out the meaning of his words. In his introduction to his commentary on the book, john walton explains that its purpose is not only to explore how god works in regards to the suffering in the world, but to transform how we think about it. The book of job maintains great fame and popularity for obvious reasons its poetic language, its thoughtprovoking dilemmas, its drama, its outrageous plot. The explanation the bible gives of what happens to job is that the enemy tempts him through trials.
They demand of the reader morally active engagement with the. Lets open our bibles to the old testament book of job, and chapter 14. Job chapter 1 coffmans commentary of the new testament. Yet all that discussion must be put in the context of the genuine love and concern that these friends had for job, and there was a sense in which they earned their right to. Recommended sites bible info questions with answers in major world languages. Interestingly, the daughters received an equal share of their fathers inheritance. The book of job is one of the most misunderstood books in the bible. The book of job is a highly controversial book of mostly confusing information. The prologue to the book of job chapters 12 sets up the meditation on suffering that follows it. The most hurtful comments of jobs friends bible study.
Gods power and providence upheld our frail lives, and his pity and patience spared our forfeited lives. You will also find options for commentaries on job that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. Each time i read through the drama of the book of job, some new theme seems to. This does not mean that job s words or those of his three friends were a revelation from god, but rather that god accurately reported what they said, though in some cases they were wrong.
Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. Job free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. The contents and the structure of this gospel presuppose the readers familiarity with the three synoptic gospels. Walther eichrodt writes, in the speeches of god in the book of job, this god of. Identifying behemoth and leviathan in the book of job. Ive personally been enjoying going beyond the typical treatment of the first and last few chapters of the book and really digging in to the middle section of. I have been attempting to give you some new perspectives on the meanings behind the book of job by showing you how it fits into other verses found in the bible. In other words, eliphaz thought that job, who was obviously not prospering, must have done something wrong. Study the bible online using commentary on job 39 and more. The book of job has inspired much commentary about its presentation of the problem of evil, which is the question of how a god that is allegedly 1 allpowerful, 2 allgood, and 3 allknowing. Study job 38 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. The book of job has been widely given the theme of patience and we see this mentioned in the new testament book of james. Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
Job 3 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Proverbs are popular sayings that provide nuggets of wisdom. I lost my son to a pedestrian accident almost 3 years ago at 1. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. These guys have plenty to say, and job isnt their biggest fan. Just curious, did you notice the names of the sons of job before or after the suffering are not mentioned. The answer may lie in the fact that job held fast to the word of truth which in turn anchored him when the winds of adversity blew and the waves of pain rolled over his body and soul. For a broader view look at the comments in the right column.
The fact that it is no matter connected to time or place is underlined by the lack of dates in this book. The wisdom that is found in the book of job is not communicated in the form of proverb. Most christians i know dont feel that way about the book of job. The word temanite probably indicates that he was an edomite, or member of a palestinian people descended from esau. While it is true that suffering is a major theme in the book of job, suffering is not the real meaning of job. Sep 18, 2008 in this post, we look at the deeply profound book of job. This was nothing like what i had heard about god from my earlier churches. Dec 29, 2016 the most hurtful comments of jobs friends,barry york study from the bible and be encouraged to grow your faith. Job then confesses his lack of wisdom, meaning his lack of understanding of the workings of the cosmos and of the ability to maintain it. Although job was unaware of the interaction between satan and god, job comes to the conclusion that god is just and good. And when god gives job exactly twice what he lost compare with job 1. John with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The meaning of some of these clauses is explained by the clause following. The book of job is a very tough book of the bible to understand using just the reasoning found within your human mind.
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