With this additional short summary of the book of job you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament. 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. Study guide for job 1 by david guzik blue letter bible. We studied job, chapter 16 last time where job was responding to eliphaz. Job 42 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The prologue to the book of job chapters 12 sets up the meditation on suffering that follows it. The book defends the absolute glory and perfection of god it sets forth the theme echoed in ps 18. It is more technical than most, though i think it almost has to be. 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. Now there was a day a certain time appointed by god. John nada is a man without job who walks around a big american city trying to find.
The story involves two flawed men, both prey to anger, who get involved in a fenderbender that brings out all of their worst qualities. 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. The book of job discusses why innocent people suffer. Job, however, raises two complaints against god, the watcher of humanity. Commentary on the book of job chapter four by wm w wells.
Wisdom literature especially job, proverbs, and ecclesiastes. Eliphaz proceeds to show that the wicked are always punished by the justice of god, though they may appear to flourish for a time, job 5. Johnson is able to identify the various stages of grief that job goes through and correlate each stage and the response from the friends in current psychological terms. Anderson is a renowned scholar, and the commentary reflects his learning without becoming overly technical. So that he setteth up on high those that are low, and those that mourn are exalted to safety. Job is a difficult book and in the same light this is a difficult commentary. Summary the book of job is often referred to as one of the great classics of world literature. Satan tells god that, sure, job loves god now, but take away his earthly possessions and his children, and he will dump god in a new. From the vulgate we borrow job, not very dissimilar from the iob of the septuagint. God allows satan to torment job to test this bold claim, but he forbids satan to take job s life in the process. The difficulty in the book of job is over the nature and the cause of his afflictions, it touches on the philosophical discussion about the problem of evil, and human suffering which is a classic problem that has yet to be given a classic answer. Barack and job some people think that president obamas tough times echoed job s. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the.
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. At the end of these speeches, god answers job and his friends and settles the matter. Job 15 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. Prologue job is tested 12 job s soliloquy 3 the great debate.
Book of job overview insight for living ministries. We also saw the multiple blessings that god had bestowed upon him. It is plain, from this history, that the lord watched over his servant job with the affection of a wise and loving father. This summary of the book of job provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of job. For those seeking a more introductory level commentary on the book of job, francis andersons commentary is the best place to start. Job proves faithful to god in prosperity and in adversity. This expression is used repeatedly to refer to inspired scripture. Hartleys commentary is quite recent 1990 and is considered a good complement to clines. The book delves into issues near to the heart of every human who experiences suffering. Each shepherds notes volume highlights and explains the authorship, circumstances of writing, and main points of the bible book being explored in a concise and easytounderstand format. The book of job opens with a scene in heaven where satan comes to accuse job before god. Another great doctrine of the faith, particularly set forth in the book of job, is that of providence. Full text of the book of job as a contribution to literature. Using a play, short story, or other published work, students perform a.
Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvellous things without number. He is blameless and upright, always careful to avoid. Full text of a critical and exegetical commentary on the. J ust about everyone has heard of the suffering of job in the old testament. God has put a hedge around him and has blessed him beyond all mortals, and as a result the devil accuses job of serving god only because. Our job 2 commentary last time in chapter 1 we saw job s righteous character. We continue our study in the book of job in the second chapter. In addition to outward troubles, the inward sense of gods wrath took away all.
However, the date when the book was written and by whom it was. Commentary on the book of job chapter one by wm w wells. The book of job was written like a historical poem, but was treated as an actual event in the bible. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Commentary on the book of job by matthew henry old. But the odious judgments made by his friends caution us against making toocertain application of any model to our own lives. You might have heard someone say, they have the patience of job. Top 5 commentaries on the book of job ligonier ministries. Andersen job tyndale old testament commentaries, 1976. Up in the heavens, god brags to the divine assembly about job. This prose prologue to the book reads like a folktale. Instead, i sampled his work focusing on one chapter of the book of job, chapter 38, on which i was doing a special study. Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons.
He insists job only serves god because god protects him and seeks gods permission to test job s faith and loyalty. Full text of a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of esther see other formats. Verses 816 but as for me, i would seek unto god, and unto god would i commit my cause. According to biblical scholars, the book of job is the oldest book in the bible. Job s friends were kind enough to sit with him in sympathetic silence for some seven days job 2. Job went through one of the most difficult seasons i think recorded in the bible.
Brief explanations of the technical resources used in this commentary. Satan undertook to prove job a hypocrite by afflicting him. Job 15 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. 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. This to me is the overriding teaching of the book of job. His friends speak in more or less three rounds, with each speech followed by a reply from job.
Then, through a series of dialogues and monologues arranged in a pattern of threes, human wisdom attempts to explain the. In his study on the book the book of job, quality pub. Nevertheless these ways of god with mankind have always a good purpose romans 8. Jobs final speech in his own defense is probably where the book originally ended.
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. Satan targets job because of his righteousness and favour with god and wishes to turn job against god. May 18, 2014 job in my opinion is a picture of gods dealings with righteous people, especially the jewish people. Gods creation is but a reservoir of means made ready for him to employ instantly to do his pleasure letter 1, 1897. The prologue provides a fascinating peek into the back storywhy god allowed satan to afflict job with such pain and turmoil. Irving jensen, jensens survey of the old testament, p. Job chapter 5 coffmans commentary of the new testament. It has several allegorical elements, and in many ways could be said to be a story about all of humanity. The book of job and its doctrine of god, grace theological journal. Brief definitions of hebrew verbal forms that impact exegesis. The loss of job s property, and the death of his children.
Understand the bible like never before, book by book. The book of job is rightly understood to be a masterpiece of hebrew poetry and western literature. In the book of job, the character is described as a righteous man, indeed the most righteous man to be found on the earth, but one whom satan claims is righteous only to receive blessings from the hand of god. Although most of the book consists of the words of job and his friends, job himself was not the author. Now, job will answer the words of eliphaz the temanite. Lo and behold, satan comes out and challenges god on jobs goodness. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by job s counselors. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. Job, book ofcommentaries, commentaries old testament. A great diversity of opinion exists as to the authorship of the book of job book. There was once a man in the land of uz whose name was job 1. The prose section of the book of job is a gigantic, sweeping drama that encompasses earth and heaven. The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations.
Our job 2 commentary last time in chapter 1 we saw jobs righteous character. This we must keep in mind if we would understand what passed. Tomorrow, if all literature was to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, i should save job. 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. What are the meanings and themes of the book of job. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. The subject of the book of job is gods dealings with mankind in his governmental ways in a world in which satan, the adversary of god, has introduced sin, suffering and death. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. As humans we tend to think we know a little bit of everything. The commentary includes the hebrew text plus an english translation of the entire book of job.
Definitely worth reading, but you will know you put in some work reading and hopefully comprehending this commentary and the book of job. Tremper longman calls it a major contribution to the study of the book and explains this is because it examines all the facets of the book, not necessarily because it is terribly original. The skeptical character of the symposium, with its challenge to timehonored views, most likely would have kept the book of job out of the canon of old testament writings had some additions not been made to the original book. Hes blameless and upright, and he has kids, a wife, land, and a bunch of sheep. Job 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Job broke the silence with an anguished rant job 3, and eliphaz responded with a poetic call to repentance job 45.
Job with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. In essence, job is an essay on the problem of evil. Here are some of my reactions to using this book as a reference. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Summary of the books of job the story of the bible.
The climax to the book of job appears in the symmetrical yahweh speeches 38. A phonological existential analysis to the book of job. You can find the best commentary on job for you using the tools on the right side. To understand the full impact of the book of job the book must be read and understood as a whole. Job is a wealthy man living in a land called uz with his large family and extensive flocks.
Full text of the book of job as a contribution to literature see other formats. The book of job is quite possibly the strangest book in the hebrew bible, and is notoriously difficult to date. This is the story of an everyman, a no one, a nada who stumbles upon their secret, via an. Hartley deals carefully with this book whose language, text, and theology are not only among the most intriguing in the old testament but also among the most difficult to grasp. God returns jobs health, providing him with twice as much property as before, new children, and an extremely long life. Where did the biblical story of creation come from.
Therefore i despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. The old testament book of job and the 17th chapter. Job is referred to as a historical character in the scriptures see ezek. Psalms, proverbs, ecclesiastes, and the song of solomon. Though it is hard and rare, it is not impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom. Lo and behold, satan comes out and challenges god on job s goodness. Job 2 commentary explaining the book bible study guide. Bible commentary seventhday adventistegw vol 18 pdf. The book ends with paul in prison in rome for the first time. The last of the book is a beautiful picture of what james calls the tender mercies of god toward job james 5. It should be kept in mind that job is not the author, but the principal character. A reservoir of means god spoke, and his words created his works in the natural world. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives.
When the understanding is enlightened by the spirit of grace, our knowledge of divine. The book of job in the bibles old testament is a long poem. The book of job is a book in the ketuvim writings section of the hebrew bible tanakh, and. Internet archive bookreader commentary on the book of job. In the first two rounds, eliphaz, bildad and zophar speak in turn. The book of job is one of the most celebrated pieces of biblical literature, not only because it explores some of the most profound questions humans ask about their lives, but also because it is extremely well written. Whole chapters of the book are devoted to speeches by jobs counselors. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. In the land of uz this country was situated in idumea, or the land of edom, in arabia petraea, of which it comprised a very large district. Job s final speech in his own defense is probably where the book originally ended. This begins a long section in the book of job where job s friends counsel him and he answers them.
The structure and purpose of the book of job, bibliotheca sacra 8 550. Bob utley, retired professor of hermeneutics biblical interpretation table of contents. And god will help them, although sometimes they must be patient. 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. Satan can touch flesh and bone but your spirit belongs to god and only you can defile it and cause god to reject it.