Who

Elihu to the nations of the world, with a special focus on Israel

Where & When

This book was probably composed by Elihu (32:1 and following; he is the only person in the story who appears incidentally (e.g., a cameo-appearance), is not rebuked by God as the others, and whose lineage is extensively defined—”the son of Barachel, the Buzite, from the family of Ram” (Job 32:2), where Ram seems to be a family name associated with Abram). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Elihu recounts the suffering of Job, the heavenly realities that precipitated these events that only he became privy to, and the ensuing dialogue between Job and his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. This book is likely the first book written in scripture and its themes set the precedent for why man needs God’s revelation in the first place. It may be surmised that it was composed in the land of Uz where the dialogue took place, perhaps during the time of Isaac or Jacob, between 1800 BC and 1500 BC, as Job’s wealth is measured with the same terminology as Isaac’s wealth (Job 1:3; Gen. 26:14). Job also acted as a priest outside of the Levitical system, his lifespan was that of a patriarch (more than 140 years; Job 42:16), and the book is filled with proto-Hebrew terms as well as locations and people associated with early Semitic ties (e.g., Uz [Job 1:1 with Gen 22:21], Buz [Job 32:1; Gen. 22:1], and Sheba [Job 1:15; Gen. 25:3]). This lends plenty of credence for an early composition before Genesis.

Why

Using the true story of Job’s unprecedented suffering, this book proclaims to the nations that even the most intelligent and wisest men on the planet cannot understand the ways of God without His divine revelation, and thereby, all men should fear Him by submitting to His absolute authority and desperately seeking His divine wisdom. Because Job is arguably the first book written in Scripture, it is the perfect prologue to the Bible, teaching mankind to seek God’s Word for wisdom in life since no one can reall know the wisdom behind the operations of this world nor how man can be made right with God without divine revelation. Job embodies the question of the Bible and the question of the ages which the gospel answers—“How can sinful man be made right with a God who cannot compromise His righteousness?”—only through the good news of Jesus Christ where God makes sinners right while yet maintaining His rightness (Rom 3:24–26)

How

Be paying attention to these important terms that occur in this book:

  • Enemy (or Enmity; this is meaning of Job's name)
  • Fear of God (or Fear of the Lord)
  • Righteousness (or Righteous, Just)
  • Wisdom
  • "Oh that" (wish formula)
  • Answered (discourse formula)

Also note how these rhetorical features appear often throughout the book:

  • Puns (e.g., 16:14; 22:10)
  • Poetic discourse

Literary Outline

  • Job 1:1 – 2:22 God Is Right in Heaven
  • Job 3:1 – 42:17 God Is Right on Earth
    • Job 3:1 – 14:22 Wisdom “from” Heaven (i.e. Pre-Modern Arguments)
    • Job 15:1 – 21:34 Wisdom “from” Earth (i.e. Modern Arguments)
    • Job 22:1 – 31:40 Wisdom “from” Self (i.e. Post-Modern Arguments)
    • Job 32:1 – 37:24 Wisdom from Self-Restraint
    • Job 38:1 – 41:34 Wisdom from God (i.e. Absolute Truth)
    • Job 42:1–17 Wisdom Received