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Books of Ketuvim
Three Poetic Books
1. Psalms
2. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Proverbs
3. The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. Job
Five Megillot
4. For other uses of the word "Megillah" see Megillah (disambiguation. Song of Songs
5. Ruth
6. This article is about the ancient Hebrew religious text For the 20th-century English-language novel see The Book of Ruth (novel The Book of Ruth Lamentations
7. The Book of Lamentations (אֵיכָה Eikha, ʾēḫā(h is a book of the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. Ecclesiastes
8. Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc) (קֹהֶלֶת Kohelet, variously transliterated as Qoheleth, Göhalath, Koheles, Koheleth Esther
Other Books
9. The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. Daniel
10. The Book of Daniel (דניאל, originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, is a Book in both the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Christian Ezra-Nehemiah
11. The Book of Ezra is a book of the Bible in the Old Testament and Hebrew Tanakh. The Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible, historically regarded as a continuation of the Book of Ezra, and is sometimes called the second book Chronicles

The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. The Books of Chronicles ( Hebrew Divrei Hayyamim, דברי הימים Greek Paraleipomêna) are part of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic Job is a didactic poem set in a prose framing device. This article is concerned with Biblical poetry, specifically Poetry in the Hebrew Bible. For the Wikipedia guideline regarding editing articles see WikipediaManual of Style.

The Book of Job has been called “the most profound and literary work of the entire Old Testament”. Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet [1] The numerous exegeses of the Book of Job are classic attempts to reconcile the co-existence of evil and God and address the problem of evil. Exegesis (from the Greek 'to lead out' involves an extensive and critical interpretation of an authoritative text, especially of a Holy In the Philosophy of religion and Theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of Evil or Suffering in the world Scholars are divided as to the origin, intent, and meaning of the book.

Contents

Narrative

In chapter one, Job, living in the Land of Uz, is described as a man of great probity, virtue, and piety. The Land of Uz is a place mentioned in the Old Testament, most prominently in the Book of Job, which begins "There was a man in the land of Uz whose name He possesses much livestock and many servants. He has seven sons and three daughters and is respected by all people on both sides of the Euphrates. The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת After his sons have a feast, fearing for their salvation, Job purifies them and offers burnt sacrifices so that God may pardon any faults the boys may have committed during the festivities. This attests to Job's righteousness. In by doing so he is right in the eyes of God and is made a most valuable and trusted servant of the Lord.

God permits "Satan," or in some translations "the adversary" or "the accuser," to put the virtue of Job to the test, at first by giving him power over his property, but forbidding him to touch his person. Satan begins by taking away all of Job's riches, his livestock, his house, his servants, and his children; a series of four messengers informs him that they have perished in various tragedies.

Job rends his clothes, shaves his head, and falls down upon the ground saying, "Naked I came from 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. "[2]

As Job endures these calamities without reproaching Divine Providence, Satan solicits permission to afflict his person as well, and God says, "Behold he is in your hand, but don’t touch his life. In Theology, Divine Providence, or simply Providence, is the sovereignty superintendence or agency of God over events in people's lives and throughout " Satan, therefore, smites him with dreadful boils, and Job, seated in ashes, scrapes off the corruption with a pot shard. Boil or furuncle is a skin disease caused by the infection of Hair follicles resulting in the localized accumulation of Pus and dead tissue His wife wants him to "curse God, and die" but Job answers, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"

In the meantime, only three of Job's friends come to visit him in his misfortune — Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. A wife is a Female spouse or participant in a Marriage, or Civil union or Civil partnership. For the figure from the Book of Job see Eliphaz (Job. For the kibbutz near Eilat see Elifaz (kibbutz. Bildad the Shuhite was one of Job 's three friends He was descended from Shuah, son of Abraham and Keturah, whose family lived in the deserts In the Book of Job, Zophar or Tzófar ( צוֹפַר "Chirping rising early" Standard Hebrew Ẓófar, Tiberian Hebrew Naamathite is an Old Testament designation given to Zophar, one of Job 's three friends () so called from some place in Arabia probably called Naamah A fourth, Elihu the Buzite, first begins talking in chapter 32 and bears a distinguished part in the dialogue; his arrival is not noted. Elihu is a character in the Hebrew Bible 's Book of Job. According to the Book of Job Elihu is one of Job's friends descended from Nahor (Job 322 The friends spend a week sitting on the ground with Job, without speaking, until Job at last breaks his silence and complains of his misery.

One of William Blake's illustrations of the Book of Job: Satan afflicts Job with boils.
One of William Blake's illustrations of the Book of Job: Satan afflicts Job with boils. William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally

Speeches of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar

Job's friends do not waver from their belief that God is right, and that anyone who has such poor fortune as Job is necessarily being punished for disobeying God's law. As the poem progresses Job's friends increasingly berate him for refusing to confess his sins, although they themselves are at a loss as to what sort of sins he has committed. The three friends continue to assume that Job was a sinner and therefore deserves all punishments. They also assume, in their view of theology, that God always rewards good and punishes evil, with no apparent exceptions allowed. Prosperity theology is the teaching that an authentic religious belief and behavior in a person will result in their material prosperity There seems to be no room in their understanding of God for divine discretion and mystery in allowing and arranging suffering for purposes other than retribution. Job's friends never use the name Yahweh in the story, they refer to God as El, Eloahh and Elohiym.

Speeches of Job

Job, convinced of his own innocence, maintains that his suffering cannot be accounted for by his few sins, and that there is no reason for God to punish him thus. However, he refuses to curse God's name.

Speech of Elihu

Elihu, whose name means 'My God is He' or 'My God is YHVH', takes a mediator's path, he attempts to maintain the sovereignty and righteousness and gracious mercy of God. Elihu strongly condemns the approach taken by the three friends, and argues that Job is misrepresenting God's righteousness and discrediting his loving character. Elihu says he spoke last because he is much younger than the other three friends, but says that age makes no difference when it comes to insights and wisdom. In his speech, Elihu argues for God's power, redemptive salvation and absolute rightness in all his conduct. God is mighty, yet just, and quick to warn and to forgive. Elihu takes a distinct view of the kind of repentance required by Job. Job's three friends claim that repentance requires Job to identify and renounce the sins that gave rise to his suffering. By contrast, Elihu stresses that repentance inextricably entails renouncing any moral authority or cosmological perspective, which is God's alone. Elihu therefore underscores the inherent arrogance in Job's desire to 'make his case' before God, which presupposes that Job possesses a superior moral standard that can be prevailed upon God. Apparently, Elihu acts in a prophetic role preparatory to the appearance of God. Elihu never mentions God and after Elihu's speech ends with the last verse of Chapter 37, God appears and in the second verse of Chapter 38, God says, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?“ God also rebukes Job's three friends. Job never replies to Elihu's indictments and revelations of God's dealings with him through the ordeal.

"Why me?"(Book of Job) by Einar Hakonarson
"Why me?"(Book of Job) by Einar Hakonarson

God's response

After several rounds of debate between Job and his friends, in a divine voice, described as coming from a "cloud" or "whirlwind", God describes, in evocative and lyrical language, what the experience of being responsible for the world is like, and asks if Job has ever had the experiences that God has had. Einar Hákonarson (b 14th of January 1945 Reykjavík, Iceland) is one of Iceland's best known artists

God's answer underscores that Job shares the world with numerous powerful and remarkable creatures, creatures with lives and needs of their own, whom God must provide for, and the young of some hunger in a way that can only be satisfied by taking the lives of others. Does Job even have any experience of the world he lives in? Does he understand what it means to be responsible for such a world? Job admits that he does not.

God's speech also emphasizes his sovereignty in creating and maintaining the world. The thrust is not merely that God has experiences that Job does not, but also that God is King over the world and is not necessarily subject to questions from his creatures, including men. He declines to answer any of Job's questions or challenges with anything except "I am the Lord. "

In the epilogue, God condemns Job's friends for their insistence on speaking wrongly of the Lord's motives and methods, commands them to make extensive animal sacrifices and instructs Job to pray for their forgiveness. Immediately thereafter God restores Job to health, giving him double the riches he before possessed (including ten new children added to the ten who predeceased him). His new daughters are the most beautiful in the land, and are given inheritance while Job is still alive. Job is crowned with a holy life and with a happy death, to the extent that is possible.

Satan in the Book of Job

The term "Satan" appears in the prose prologue of Job, with his usual connotation of "the adversary," as a distinct being. He is shown as one of the celestial beings before the Deity, replying to the inquiry of God as to whence he had come, with the words: "from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:7). See also Yahweh Tetragrammaton (from the Greek, meaning ' of four letters' (tetra "four" + gramma (gen Both the question and the answer, as well as the dialogue that ensues, characterize Satan as that member of the divine council who watches over human activity, but with the purpose of searching out men's sins and appearing as their accuser. He is, as it were, a celestial "prosecutor," who sees only iniquity; for he persists in his evil opinion of Job even after the man of Uz has passed successfully through his first trial by surrendering to the will of God, whereupon Satan demands another test through physical suffering (Job 2:3-5). Satan challenges God by saying that Job's belief is only built upon what material goods he is given, and that his faith will disappear as soon as they are taken from him. And God accepts the challenge.

The introduction of "the adversary" occurs in the (very short) framing story alone: he is never alluded to in the (very long) central poem at all, although Hades is mentioned in the central poem.

While many, from a Christian perspective, believe Satan to be the Devil, in the Book of Job he is presented as a worker for God known as the "satan" (ha-satan, 'the adversary'). He is the ultimate prosecutor for God. [3]

Job's wife

Job's wife is introduced in Chapter 2. The extra-Biblical Testament of Job adds legendary details about her being named Sitis, who, the legend goes, sold her hair to Satan in exchange for food and money. In the end, she cursed God and died.

Job is said to have had at least four wives in the course of his life (four being from the tribe of Peleg) according to The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary[4], it is currently unknown which wife this was. Peleg ( is one of the two sons of Eber, the ancestor of the Hebrews according to the so-called " Table of Nations " in Genesis

Identities of Job's friends

The first speaker to address Job, 'Eliphaz the Temanite', is likely identified in the Book of Genesis, chap. 36, verses eleven through twelve, in a genealogy: 'And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz. Now Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. ' This would probably identify the Eliphaz in the Book of Job as a descendant of Teman, and therefore designated as a 'Temanite', meaning 'a relative' or 'a descendant'; 'son of', or 'of the tribe of', rather than as coming from a place called Teman, which there probably was, and also was probably named after its founder, i. e. the original Teman, the son of Eliphaz mentioned in Genesis chapter 36.

Origin

A great diversity of opinion exists as to the origin of this book. [5]

An analysis based on the stated length of Job's life, places him at the time of the patriarchs. Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a Pater familias over an extended family At the end of the book in Job 42:16, it states that Job lived another 140 years after his trial. So, possibly Job lived 180 years or more in a total that includes the events of the Book of Job. Genesis 25:7 states that Abraham lived 175 years so Job may have easily been a contemporary of Abraham or lived even earlier. Soon after the flood, the Bible records older ages but by the time of Moses, life expectancy had settled down to 70 or 80 years (Psalm 90:10 - a psalm of Moses) although Moses himself lived to be 120 years old (Deuteronomy 34:7). The story of a Great Flood (also known as the Deluge) sent by a Deity or deities to destroy Civilization as an act of Divine retribution is a Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ The Book of Job is also absent of any references to the covenant or the law and this points to an earlier age. [6]

The Talmud (Tractate Bava Basra 15a-b) maintains that the Book of Job was written by Moses, although the Sages dispute whether it was based on historical reality or intended as a parable. The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history A parable is a brief succinct story in Prose or verse, that illustrates a Moral or Religious lesson Although Moses' authorship is accepted as definitive, other opinions in the Talmud ascribe it to the period of before the First Temple, the time of the patriarch Jacob, or King Ahaserus. Solomon's Temple (בית המקדש transliterated Beit HaMikdash) also known as the First Temple, was according to

In contrast, comparative literary and historical examinations of the text more generally conclude that, though archaic features such as the "council in heaven" survive, and though the story of Job was familiar to Ezekiel (Chapter 14 verse 14), the present form of Job was fixed in the postexilic period 6th century BC - 5th century BC. The 6th century BC started the first day of 600 BC and ended the last day of 501 BC. The 5th century BC started the first day of 500 BC and ended the last day of 401 BC. [7] Ezekiel places Job in comparison with other righteous figures such as Noah and "Dan-el". The story of Job apparently originated in the land of Edom, which has been retained as the background. Fragments of Job are found among the Dead Sea scrolls, and Job remains prominent in haggadic legends. The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of roughly 1000 documents including texts from the Hebrew Bible, discovered between 1947 and 1979 in eleven Caves Aggadah ( Aramaic אגדה tales lore pl Aggadot or (Ashkenazi Aggados) refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical The later Greek Testament of Job figures among the apocrypha. The Testament of Job is a book written in the 1st century BC or the 1st century AD (thus part of a tradition often called "intertestamental literature" by Christian Scholars agree that the introductory and concluding sections of the book, the framing devices, were composed to set the central poem into a prose "folk-book," as the compilers of the Jewish Encyclopedia expressed it. In the prologue and epilogue, the name of God is the Tetragrammaton, a name that even the Edomites use. See also Yahweh Tetragrammaton (from the Greek, meaning ' of four letters' (tetra "four" + gramma (gen The central poem is from another source.

Among the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Targum of Job 11Q10. Another example of text from the last chapter or epilogue of Job can be found in the book, The Dead Sea Scrolls a New Translation. Here we are shown examples of how fragments of The Book of Job found among the scrolls differ from the traditional text. If the prologue and epilogue were added to the central poem, then this would have happened before 100 BCE or the time attributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls

The medieval exegete Abraham Ibn Ezra believed that Job was translated from another language and it is therefore unclear "like all translated books". Abraham ben Meir ibn Ezra ( Hebrew: אברהם אבן עזרא or ראב"ע, also known as Abenezra) (1092 or 1093–1167 was one of the (Ibn Ezra Job 2:11)

Possible Sumerian source

The Assyriologist and Sumerologist Samuel Noah Kramer in his 1959 book History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine "Firsts" in Recorded History (1956), provided a translation of a Sumerian text which Professor Kramer argued evinces a parallel with the Biblical story of Job. Assyriology (from Greek grc Ἀσσυρίᾱ Assyriā; and grc -λογία -logia) is the archaeological historical and linguistic study Sumerian ( " native tongue " was the language of ancient Sumer, spoken in Southern Mesopotamia since at least the 4th millennium BC Samuel Noah Kramer (1897–1990 was one of the world's leading Assyriologists and a world renowned expert in Sumerian history and Sumerian language. Professor Kramer drew an inference that the Hebrew version is in some way derived from a Sumerian predecessor. Sumer ( Sumerian: sux-Latn [[Ki (earth ki]]-[[EN (cuneiform en]]-'''ĝir15''', Akkadian: Šumeru; possibly Biblical Shinar

See Ludlul bēl nēmeqi

Later interpolations and additions

In the edited form of Job that we have, various interpolations have been claimed to have been made in the text of the central poem. Ludlul bel nemeqi, Let Me Praise the Lord of Wisdom, is a Mesopotamian poem ( ANET 434-437 that concerns itself with the problem of the just suffering afflictions The most common such claims are of two kinds: the "parallel texts", which are parallel developments of the corresponding passages in the base text, and the speeches of Elihu (Chapters 32-37), which consist of a polemic against the ideas expressed elsewhere in the poem, and so are claimed to be interpretive interpolations. Elihu is a character in the Hebrew Bible 's Book of Job. According to the Book of Job Elihu is one of Job's friends descended from Nahor (Job 322 The speeches of Elihu (who is not mentioned in the prologue) are claimed to contradict the fundamental opinions expressed by the 'friendly accusers' in the central body of the poem, according to which it is impossible that the righteous should suffer, all pain being a punishment for some sin. Elihu, however, reveals that suffering may be decreed for the righteous as a protection against greater sin, for moral betterment and warning, and to elicit greater trust and dependence on a merciful, compassionate God in the midst of adversity.

The status of Elihu's interrupting didactic sermon is brought further into question by his extremely sudden appearance and disappearance from the text; he is not mentioned in Job 2:11, in which Job's friends are introduced, nor is he mentioned at all in the epilogue, 42:7-10, in which God expresses anger at Job's friends. It is suggested that had Elihu appeared in the original source, his spirited and virtuous defence of the divine right to punish would have been rewarded by God in the conclusion, or at the very least mentioned. Additionally, Elihu's first spoken words are a confession of his youthful status, being much younger than the three canonical friends, including a claim to be speaking because he cannot bear to remain silent; it has been suggested that this interesting statement may have been symbolic of a 'younger' (that is to say, later and interpolating) writer, who has written Elihu's sermon to respond to what he views as morally and theologically scandalous statements being made within the book of Job, and creating the literary device of Elihu to provide what seemed to be a much-needed faith-based response to further refute heresy and provide a satisfying counter-argument, a need partially provided by God's ambiguous and unspecific response to Job at the end of the book.

Subjects of further contention among scholars are the identity of claimed corrections and revisions of Job's speeches, which are claimed to have been made for the purpose of harmonizing them with the orthodox doctrine of retribution. A prime example of such a claim is the translation of the last line Job speaks (42:6), which is extremely problematic in the Hebrew. Traditional translations have him say, "Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. " This is consonant with the central body of the poem and Job's speeches, other mortal encounters with the divine in the Bible (Isaiah in Chapter 6, for example), and the fact that there would have been no restoration without Job's humble repentant acknowledgment of mortality faced with divinity in all its majesty and glory. However, other scholarly interpretations of this verse also exist (for example)

Particular verses

From Job 17:11-13, the Vulgate Latin quotation Post tenebras spero lucem ("After darkness I hope for light") or Post Tenebras Lux has been adopted as a motto for several organizations, mostly the Protestant Reformation. The Vulgate is an early Fifth Century version of the Bible in Latin, and largely the result of the labours of Jerome, who was commissioned by Post tenebras lux is a Latin phrase meaning After Darkness Light though often translated as Light After Darkness.

Exegesis

Exegesis of Job largely concerns the question, "Is misfortune always a divine punishment for something?" Job's three friends argued in the affirmative, stating that Job's misfortunes were proof that he had committed some sins for which he was being punished. Exegesis (from the Greek 'to lead out' involves an extensive and critical interpretation of an authoritative text, especially of a Holy His friends also advanced the converse position that good fortune is always a divine reward, and that if Job would renounce his supposed sins, he would immediately experience the return of good fortune.

In response, Job asserted that he was a righteous man, and that his misfortune was therefore not a punishment for anything. This raised the possibility that God acts in capricious ways, and Job's wife urged him to curse God, and die. Instead, Job responded with equanimity: "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. " The climax of the book occurs when God responds to Job, not with an explanation for Job's suffering but rather with a question: Where was Job when God created the world?

God's response itself may be read in a variety of ways. Some see it as an attempt to humble Job. Yet Job is comforted by God's appearance, and the fact that he 'saw God and lived', suggesting that the author of the book was more concerned with whether or not God is present in people's lives, than with the question of whether or not God is just. Job chapter 28 rejects these efforts to fathom divine wisdom.

The framing story complicates the book further: in the introductory section God, during a conversation with Satan, allows Satan to inflict misery on Job and kill his children. The appended conclusion has God restoring Job to wealth, granting him new children, and possibly restoring his health, although this is more implied than explicitly stated. This may suggest that the faith of the perfect believer is rewarded. However, God speaks directly to this question, condemns Job's friends, and says that Job is the only man who has faithfully represented the true nature of God - that all his friends were wrong to say that faith and righteousness are rewarded. Only after Job's friends make a sacrifice to God and are prayed for by afflicted Job does God restore all Job's good fortune.

The Testament of Job

Main article: Testament of Job

There are many parallel accounts about Job and one such account, found in the Pseudepigrapha is the Testament of Job. The Testament of Job is a book written in the 1st century BC or the 1st century AD (thus part of a tradition often called "intertestamental literature" by Christian Pseudepigrapha (from Ancient Greek ψευδής There are legendary details such as the fate of Job's wife, the inheritance of Job's daughters, and the ancestry of Job.

In folktale manner in the style of Jewish Midrash [1], it elaborates upon the Book of Job making Job a king in Egypt. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic Like many other Testament of . . . works in the Old Testament apocrypha, it gives the narrative a framing-tale of Job's last illness, in which he calls together his sons and daughters to give them his final instructions and exhortations. The Testament of Job contains all the characters familiar in the Book of Job, with a more prominent role for Job's wife, given the name Sitidos, and many parallels to Christian beliefs that Christian readers find, such as intercession with God and forgiveness.

Unlike the Biblical Book of Job, Satan's vindictiveness towards Job is described in the Testament as being due to Job destroying a non-Jewish temple, indeed Satan is described in a far more villainous light, than simply being a prosecuting counsel. Job is equally portrayed differently; Satan is shown to directly attack Job, but fails each time due to Job's willingness to be patient, unlike the Biblical narrative where Job falls victim but retains faith.

The latter section of the work, dedicated like the Biblical text to Job's comforters, deviates even further from the Biblical narrative. Rather than complaining or challenging God, Job consistently asserts his faith despite the laments of his comforters. While one of the comforters gives up, and the others try to get him medical treatment, Job insists his faith is true, and eventually the voice of God tells the comforters to stop their behavior. When most of the comforters choose to listen to God's voice, they decide to taunt the one remaining individual who still laments Job's fate.

In Judaism

The Talmud occasionally discusses Job. Most traditional Torah scholarship has not doubted Job's existence. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to He was seen as a real and powerful figure. One Tamudic opinion has it that Job was in fact one of three advisors that Pharaoh consulted, prior to taking action against the increasingly multiplying "Children of Israel" mentioned in the Book of Exodus during the time of Moses' birth. Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ The episode is mentioned in the Talmud (Tractate Sotah): Balaam gives evil advice urging Pharaoh to kill the Hebrew male new-born babies; Jethro opposes Pharaoh and tells him not to harm the Hebrews at all, and Job keeps silent and does not reveal his mind even though he was personally opposed to Pharaoh's destructive plans. The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Balaam ( Hebrew: בִּלְעָם, Standard Bilʻam Tiberian Bilʻām) is a Prophet Jethro can refer to People In the Bible Jethro (Bible, the father-in-law of Moses Fictional characters It is for his silence that God subsequently punishes him with his bitter afflictions. [2].

There is a minority view among the rabbis of the Talmud, that of Rabbi Simeon ben Laqish, that Job never existed (Midrash Genesis Rabbah LXVII, Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 15a). Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master Simeon ben Lakish (in Hebrew, Shimon ben Lakish; in Aramaic, Shimon bar Lakish or bar Lakisha) Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic In this view, Job was a literary creation by a prophet who used this form of writing to convey a divine message or parable. In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary On the other hand, the Talmud (in Tractate Baba Batra 15a-16b) goes to great lengths trying to ascertain when Job actually lived, citing many opinions and interpretations by the leading sages. The wise old man (also called sage or " Senex " is an Archetype as described by Carl Jung. Job is further mentioned in the Talmud as follows [3]:

Two further Talmudic traditions hold that Job either lived in the time of Abraham or of Jacob. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible According to religious texts Ezekiel ((יְחֶזְקֵאל Yehezkel, jəx Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; Levi ben Laḥma held that Job lived in the time of Moses, by whom the Book of Job was written. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ Others argue that it was written by Job himself (see Job 19:23-24), or by Elihu, or Isaiah. Jobe (/'dʒoʊb/; Arabic: أَيُّوبٌ,) is a character in the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a prophet Isaiah (; Greek:, Ēsaiās; Arabic: اشعیاء, Ash-ee-yaa; "Salvation of/is YHWH " is

One unique midrashic view is that Job was the Pharaoh of Egypt during the time of Moses. Therefore there would be a justification for why Job was punished. Because he allowed the Israelite people to suffer and enslaved them, he deserved everything that happened to him (if one has the ability to prevent suffering, he should).

According to the Talmud, Job was seventy years old when the book started.

Source for Jewish Law

Some of the laws and customs of mourning in Judaism are derived from the Book of Job's depiction of Job's mourning and the behavior of his companions. Halakha ( הלכה; alternative transliterations include Halocho and Halacha) is the collective body of Jewish Religious law Minhag ( Hebrew: מנהג "custom" pl minhagim) is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. Bereavement in Judaism ( is a combination of Minhag (traditional custom and Mitzvot (good deeds or religious obligation derived from Judaism 's classical For example, according to, the behavior of Job's comforters, who kept silence until he spoke to them, is the source for a norm applicable to contemporary traditional Jewish practice, that visitors to a house of mourning should not speak to the mourner until they are spoken to.

Liturgical use

In most traditions of Jewish liturgy, the Book of Job is not read publicly in the manner of the Pentateuch, Prophets, or megillot. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Nevi'im (נְבִיאִים "Prophets" is the second of the three major sections in the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the For other uses of the word "Megillah" see Megillah (disambiguation. However, there are some Jews, particularly the Spanish-Portuguese, who do hold public reading of the Book of Job on the Ninth of Av fast (a day of mourning over the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies). Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the crypto-Jewish communities of the Iberian Tisha B'Av (תשעה באב or he ט׳ באב "the Ninth of Av," is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day ( Tisha Solomon's Temple (בית המקדש transliterated Beit HaMikdash) also known as the First Temple, was according to The Second Temple (בית המקדש romanized 'Beit HaMikdash' meaning 'Holy House' was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name

The cantillation signs for the large poetic section in the middle of Book of Job differ from those of most of the biblical books, using a system shared with it only by Psalms and Proverbs. Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Bible in Synagogue services. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. A sample of how the cantillations are chanted is found below.

Many quotes from the book of Job are used throughout Jewish liturgy, especially at funerals and times of mourning.

Philosophical approach

Maimonides, a twelfth century rabbi, discusses Job in his work Guide for the Perplexed. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and This page refers to the 12th century book by Maimonides For the 1977 book by E According to Maimonides (III 22–23), each of Job's friends represents famous, distinct schools of thought concerning God and divine providence.

Bildad, for example, portrays the standard Jewish view, as well as the Islamic Mu'tazili view, that righteousness is rewarded by God (Job 8:6-8), although one may have to be patient for the reward to come. Muʿtazilah ( Arabic المعتزلة al-mu`tazilah) is a theological school of thought within Sunni Islam. Therefore, if Job is righteous, as he claims to be, God will reward him eventually.

Moreover, Job reflects the view of Aristotle, that God destroys the innocent and the wicked together (Job 9). Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. If Job held this point of view, then he did not believe in divine providence, even if he did believe in God's existence.

According to Maimonides, the correct view of providence lies with Elihu, who teaches Job that one must examine his/her religion (Job 33). This view corresponds with the notion that "the only worthy religion in the world is an examined religion. " A habit religion, such as that originally practiced by Job, is never enough. One has to look deep into the meaning of religion in order to fully appreciate it and make it a genuine part of one's life. Elihu believed in the concepts of divine providence, rewards to individuals, as well as punishments. He believed, according to Maimonides, that one has to practice religion in a rational way. The more one investigates religion, the more he/she will be rewarded or find it rewarding. In the beginning, Job was an unexamining, pious man, not a philosopher, and he didn't have providence. He was unwise, simply grateful for what he had. God, according to Elihu, did not single out Job for punishment, but rather abandoned him and let him be dealt with by natural, unfriendly forces.

Conversely, in more recent times, Russian existentialist philosopher Lev Shestov viewed Job as the embodiment of the battle between reason (which offers general and seemingly comforting explanations for complex events) and faith in a personal god, and one man's desperate cry for him. Lev Isaakovich Shestov (Лев Исаакович Шестов born Yehuda Leyb Schwarzmann (Иегуда Лейб Шварцман was a Ukrainian/Russian - Jewish In fact, Shestov used the story of Job as a central signifier for his core philosophy (the vast critique of the history of Western philosophy, which he saw broadly as a monumental battle between Reason and Faith, Athens and Jerusalem, secular and religious outlook):

"The whole book is one uninterrupted contest between the 'cries' of the much-afflicted Job and the 'reflections' of his rational friends. The friends, as true thinkers, look not at Job but at the 'general. ' Job, however, does not wish to hear about the 'general'; he knows that the general is deaf and dumb - and that it is impossible to speak with it. 'But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God' (13:3). The friends are horrified at Job's words: they are convinced that it is not possible to speak with God and that the Almighty is concerned about the firmness of his power and the unchangeability of his laws but not about the fate of the people created by him. Perhaps they are convinced that in general God does not know any concerns but that he only rules. That is why they answer, 'You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you or the rock be removed from its place?' (18:4). And, indeed, shall rocks really be removed from their place for the sake of Job? And shall necessity renounce its sacred rights? This would truly be the summit of human audacity, this would truly be a 'mutiny,' a 'revolt' of the single human personality against the eternal laws of the all-unity of being!" (Speculation and Apocalypse).

Mystical approach

According to the mystical approach, Job is being punished because he is a heretic. One reason why Job can be seen as a heretic is because in Chapter 3, he automatically assumed and was convinced that he did not sin and God therefore has no right to punish him. Another reason why Job can be viewed as a heretic is because he did not believe in reincarnation. He believes that once a person dies, it is all over for him/her, without any mention of an afterlife.

According to Job, who reflected the views of Aristotle, God gave the world over to astrology. This is evident in Job's lamentation, "Curse the day I was born on" (3:2) Job cursed his birthday because he believed that his birthday was bad luck, in the astrological sense. Given the context of the passage, it is more likely that this phrase refers to Job wishing he'd never been born at all.

According to Nachmanides, Job's children did not die in the beginning of the story, but rather were taken captive and then return from captivity by the end of the story.


In Christianity

Christians accept the Book of Job as part of the Old Testament canon. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The character of Job is also mentioned in the New Testament, as an example of perseverance in suffering (James 5:11).

There are several references to the Book of Job throughout the New Testament, especially the Epistles. The word " Epistle " is from the Greek word epistolos which means a written " letter " addressed to a recipient or recipients Specifically:

Rev. 9:6 alludes to Job 3:21; compare 2 Thes. 2:8 to Job 4:9; 1 Cor. 3:19 quotes Job 5:13; Heb. 12:5, Jas. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbr Heb for Citations is one of the books in the New Testament. 1:12, and Rev. 3:19 all parallel Job 5:17 and Job 23:10; compare Jas. 4:14 to Job 7:6; compare Heb. 2:6 with Job 7:17; compare Heb. 12:26 with Job 9:6; Rom. 9:20 alludes to Job 9:32; Rom. The Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. 11:33 parallels Job 10:7; compare Acts 17:28 with Job 12:10; compare 1 Cor. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. 4:5 with Job 12:22; compare 1 Pet. 1:24 with Job 14:2; compare Lk. 19:22 with Job 15:6; Rom. The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. It has traditionally been held to have been written by Saint Peter the apostle during his time as Bishop The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the 1:9 parallels Job 16:19; compare 1 John 3:2 with Job 19:26; Rev. The First Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament, and is the fourth catholic or "general" Epistles. 14:10, 19:15 parallel Job 21:20; both Rom. 11:34 and 1 Cor. 2:16 quote Isa. 40:13, which parallels Job 21:22; Mt. 25:42 alludes to Job 22:7; Jas. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel 4:6 and 1 Pet. 5:5 both quote Prov. 3:34, which parallels Job 22:29; compare Acts 1:7 with Job 24:1; Heb. The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. 4:13 parallels Job 26:6; Mt. 16:26 alludes to Job 27:8; compare Jas. 1:5 with Job 32:8; 1 Jo. 1:9 alludes to Job 33:27-28; Jas. 5:4 alludes to Job 34:28; Rev. 16:21 alludes to Job 38:22-23; Mt. 6:26 alludes to Job 38:41; and finally, Rom. 11:35 quotes Job 41:11. (see Good News Bible special edition)

Christian themes include God's mercy (not treating sinners as they truly deserve), grace (treating unworthy sinners as they do not deserve), compassion (toleration of much discrediting, inappropriate mortal speculation impugning the divine character and allegations of unrighteous/unfair dealings with men), restoration (where sin abounds, generosity superabounds) omnipotence, omnisapience [4], omnipresence, omniliberty, aseity and infinite love. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Omnipotence ( Omni Potens: "all Power " is unlimited power Omnipresence is the ability to be present in every place at any and/or every time unbounded or universal presence Aseity is a theological term referring to the characteristic of being un-derived (from Latin a "from" and se "self" plus -ity

Many Christians hold that Job is a historical prototype of Jesus: the Man of Sorrows. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) You may be looking for Man of Sorrows (song or Man of Sorrows (painting Among the passages in the Hebrew Bible that have been identified

Messianic anticipation in the book

The book of Job contains several verses which have been taken by Christians to be prophecies of the Messiah, anticipating him as a mediator between Job and God. These may be found at 9:33, 16:19-21, 17:3, 19:23-27, and 33:23-28.

In chapter nine, Job recognizes the chasm that exists between him and God: “For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. ” [8] Job’s regret is that he has no arbiter to act as a go-between; that Job can not reconcile himself with God anticipates the need for the Messiah to become Incarnate. The Incarnation is the belief in Christianity that Jesus Christ is the God of Israel in the flesh [9] In verse 33 Job wishes that there was an “umpire” (Heb. mokiah) to decide between him and God. One scholar says, “This person would have to be superior in authority to either party, ”[10]; thus the arbiter for whom Job hopes would have to himself be divine, or else he would no more be qualified to “lay his hand upon” God than is Job.

This idea of a divine arbiter is returned to at Job 16:19. Job again expresses his desire for a witness, and then declares, “my eye pour out tears to God, that he would maintain the right of a man with God”. [11] Job addresses God, desiring that God will advocate on Job’s behalf with himself. [12] Job knows that no man such as himself, conceived in sin, can appeal to God on his behalf; so God must do it himself. The language used earlier is that of a judicial judgement , in which God is both judge of and lawyer for Job. Job “draws a distinction in God” , and this distinction anticipates the multiplicity of God’s persons. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных

Job’s faith in this arbiter is again brought up in chapter 19. It is commonly accepted that the “Redeemer” of 19:25 is the same person as the witness of 16:19. [13] This verse in particular is often seen as an anticipation of Christianity. Telgren notes that it has been suggested that verses 25 and 26 have a poetic structure of ABBA. If this is true it would support the notion that God is himself the Redeemer, by associating him with the living Redeemer in the parallel structure. The RSV’s “Redeemer” is a translation of the Hebrew go’el. That this go’el could refer to God is explicitly demonstrated in the Psalms and Proverbs, and elsewhere. Many people believe that Job was like a replica of Jesus who suffered an astonishing amount of pain.

Liturgical use

The Eastern Orthodox Church reads from Job during Holy Week. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Holy Week ( Latin: Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada, "Greater Week" in Christianity is the last week before Easter.

“ Throughout the whole Lent the two books of the Old Testament read at Vespers were Genesis and Proverbs. With the beginning of the Holy Week they are replaced by Exodus and Job. Exodus is the story of Israel's liberation from Egyptian slavery, of their Passover. It prepares us for the understanding of Christ's exodus to his Father, of his fulfillment of the whole history of salvation. Job, the sufferer, is the Old Testament icon of Christ. This reading announces the great mystery of Christ's sufferings, obedience and sacrifice. ”

Alexander Schmemann, "A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week"

The Roman Catholic Church traditionally reads from the Book of Job during Matins in the first two weeks of September. Alexander Schmemann (13 May 1921 - 13 December 1983 was a prominent 20th century Orthodox Christian Priest, teacher, and Writer. Matins (also known as Orthros or Oútrenya in Eastern Churches) is the early morning or night Prayer service in the Roman Catholic In the revised Liturgy of the Hours, Job is read during the Eighth and Ninth Weeks in Ordinary Time. This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific manifestation of public prayer in the Roman Catholic Church.

In Islam

In the Qur'an Job is known as Ayyūb (Arabic: أيوب ) and is considered a prophet in Islam. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Muslims regard as Prophets of Islam ( Arabic: نبي) those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as Prophets For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. In the Arabic language the name Ayyūb is symbolic of the virtue of patience, though it does not mean patience in itself. He is mentioned in several passages in the Qur'an.

In Palestinian folk tradition Ayyub's place of trial is Al-Joura, a village outside the town of Al Majdal (now Ashkelon). Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn Ashkelon (אַשְׁקְלוֹן ٲشكلون also عسقلان; Latin: Ascalon; Akkadian: Isqalluna is a coastal city in southern Ashkelon (אַשְׁקְלוֹן ٲشكلون also عسقلان; Latin: Ascalon; Akkadian: Isqalluna is a coastal city in southern It was there God rewarded him with a fountain of youth that removed whatever illnesses he had, and gave him back his youth. The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters The town of Al-Joura was a place of annual festivities (4 days in all) when people of many faiths gathered and bathed in a natural spring.

In Turkey, Job is known as Eyüp. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches It is believed that Job and Elias were buried at Eyyup Nebi, near Viranşehir. Elias is the Latin transliteration of the Greek name Ἠλίας pronounced either [[IPA|elias] ] in most European languages or [[IPA|ə'lajəz] ] in English-speaking Viranşehir is a market town serving a cotton-growing area of Şanlıurfa Province, in southeastern Turkey, 93 km east of Şanlıurfa city and 53 km north-west of

There is also a tomb of Job outside the city of Salalah in Oman. Salalah (صلالة in Arabic) is the Capital and seat of the Governor or Wali of the southern Omani province of Dhofar Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman ( Arabic: سلطنة عُمان) is an Arab Country in Southwest Asia on the southeast

References to Ayyub (Job) in the Qur'an

Modern approaches to Job

References in Art and Music

References

  1. ^ John L. McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible, Simon & Schuster, 1965 p 440. Brett Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962, Los Angeles California) nicknamed Mr "Sorrow" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz and performed by Bad Religion. Disturbed is an American Heavy metal band from Chicago, Illinois. " Prayer " is the first single from American rock band Disturbed 's second album Believe, released in 2002. Mission Impossible is an Action movie released in 1996. It was directed by Brian De Palma and starred Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American Author, Screenwriter, Musician, Columnist, Storm of the Century, alternatively known as Stephen King's Storm of the Century, is a 1999 horror TV Miniseries written by Stephen Simon & Schuster Inc, a division of CBS Corporation, is a Publisher founded in New York in 1924 by Richard L
  2. ^ Job 1:20-22, King James Bible
  3. ^ Kelly, Henry Ansgar (2006). Satan:A Biography. Cambridge University Press.  
  4. ^ The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Anne Catherine Emmerich, page 334.
  5. ^ McKenzie, John L, "Dictionary of the Bible", Touchstone, 1995
  6. ^ Horne, Thomas, An Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, Joseph Weltham, 1840, Chapter III, Section 1, On the Book of Job, pp 227 et seq.
  7. ^ Bergant, Dianne "The Wisdom Books", The Catholic Study Bible, Oxford University Press, 1990 RG233.
  8. ^ Job 9:32, RSV
  9. ^ Walter Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995), p. 62.
  10. ^ Marvin Pope, Job: The Anchor Bible, (New York: Doubleday, 1965), 74.
  11. ^ Job 16:20b-21a
  12. ^ James Smith, What the Bible Teaches about the Promised Messiah, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993), 213.
  13. ^ e. g. , John Telgren, The Identity of Job’s Goel in Job 19:25, 1999, 4.
  14. ^ "Answer to Job" in Psychology and Religion, v. 11, Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Princeton. It was first published as "Antwort auf Hiob", Zürich, 1952 and translated into English in 1954, in London.

External links

Related articles:

Preceded by
Proverbs		 Hebrew Bible Followed by
Song of Songs
Preceded by
Esther		 Protestant Old Testament Followed by
Psalms
Preceded by
2 Maccabees		 Roman Catholic Old Testament
Preceded by
4 Maccabees		 Eastern Old Testament
The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included 2 Maccabees is a deuterocanonical book of the Bible which focuses on the Jews revolt against Antiochus and concludes with the defeat of the The book of 4 Maccabees is a Homily or philosophic discourse praising the supremacy of pious reason over passion Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about
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