1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and the man was perfect and upright, and one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. 3Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East. 4And his sons went and prepared feasts in their houses, each on his appointed day, and sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5So it was, when the days of feasting had made the rounds, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Thus Job did over time. 6Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan also came among them. 7And Jehovah said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking about on it. 8Then Jehovah said to Satan, Have you set your heart on My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil? 9So Satan answered Jehovah and said, Does Job fear God for nothing? 10Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock have flourished in the land. 11However, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and will he not curse You to Your face! 12And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only do not stretch forth your hand upon him. So Satan went out from the presence of Jehovah. 13Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the firstborn brother's house; 14and a messenger came to Job and said, The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15when the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away; indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and only I alone am escaped to tell you! 16While he was still speaking, another also came and said, The fire of God has fallen from the heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and only I alone am escaped to tell you! 17While he was still speaking, another also came and said, The Chaldeans formed three bands, rushed in upon the camels and took them away, yea, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and only I alone am escaped to tell you! 18While he was still speaking, another also came and said, Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the firstborn brother's house, 19and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead; and only I alone am escaped to tell you! 20Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell down upon the ground and prostrated himself; 21and he said: Naked I have come from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. Jehovah has given, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed is the name of Jehovah. 22In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with folly.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE HOLINESS OF JOB, HIS WEALTH, &c. (
Ιώβ 1:1-
Ιώβ 1:5)
Uz--north of Arabia-Deserta, lying towards the Euphrates. It was in this neighborhood, and not in that of Idumea, that the Chaldeans and Sabeans who plundered him dwell. The Arabs divide their country into the north, called Sham, or "the left"; and the south, called Yemen, or "the right"; for they faced east; and so the west was on their left, and the south on their right. Arabia-Deserta was on the east, Arabia-Petrća on the west, and Arabia-Felix on the south.
Job--The name comes from an Arabic word meaning "to return," namely, to God, "to repent," referring to his end [EICHORN]; or rather from a Hebrew word signifying one to whom enmity was shown, "greatly tried" [GESENIUS]. Significant names were often given among the Hebrews, from some event of later life (compare
Γέν. 4:2, Abel--a "feeder" of sheep). So the emir of Uz was by general consent called Job, on account of his "trials." The only other person so called was a son of Issachar (
Γέν. 46:13).
perfect--not absolute or faultless perfection (compare
Ιώβ 9:20;
Εκκλ. 7:20), but integrity, sincerity, and consistency on the whole, in all relations of life (
Γέν. 6:9;
Γέν. 17:1;
Παρ. 10:9;
Ματθ. 5:48). It was the fear of God that kept Job from evil (
Παρ. 8:13).
3 she-asses--prized on account of their milk, and for riding (
Κρ. 5:10). Houses and lands are not mentioned among the emir's wealth, as nomadic tribes dwell in movable tents and live chiefly by pasture, the right to the soil not being appropriated by individuals. The "five hundred yoke of oxen" imply, however, that Job tilled the soil. He seems also to have had a dwelling in a town, in which respect he differed from the patriarchs. Camels are well called "ships of the desert," especially valuable for caravans, as being able to lay in a store of water that suffices them for days, and to sustain life on a very few thistles or thorns.
household-- (
Γέν. 26:14). The other rendering which the Hebrew admits, "husbandry," is not so probable.
men of the east--denoting in Scripture those living east of Palestine; as the people of North Arabia-Deserta (
Κρ. 6:3;
Ιεζ. 25:4).
4 every one his day--namely, the birthday (
Ιώβ 3:1). Implying the love and harmony of the members of the family, as contrasted with the ruin which soon broke up such a scene of happiness. The sisters are specified, as these feasts were not for revelry, which would be inconsistent with the presence of sisters. These latter were invited by the brothers, though they gave no invitations in return.
5 when the days of their feasting were gone about--that is, at the end of all the birthdays collectively, when the banquets had gone round through all the families.
cursed God--The same Hebrew word means to "curse," and to "bless"; GESENIUS says, the original sense is to "kneel," and thus it came to mean bending the knee in order to invoke either a blessing or a curse. Cursing is a perversion of blessing, as all sin is of goodness. Sin is a degeneracy, not a generation. It is not, however, likely that Job should fear the possibility of his sons cursing God. The sense "bid farewell to," derived from the blessing customary at parting, seems sufficient (
Γέν. 47:10). Thus UMBREIT translates "may have dismissed God from their hearts"; namely, amid the intoxication of pleasure (
Παρ. 20:1). This act illustrates Job's "fear of God" (
Ιώβ 1:1).
6 SATAN, APPEARING BEFORE GOD, FALSELY ACCUSES JOB. (
Ιώβ 1:6-
Ιώβ 1:12)
sons of God--angels (
Ιώβ 38:7;
1Βασ. 22:19). They present themselves to render account of their "ministry" in other parts of the universe (
Εβρ. 1:14).
the Lord--Hebrew, JEHOVAH, the self-existing God, faithful to His promises. God says (
Έξ. 6:3) that He was not known to the patriarchs by this name. But, as the name occurs previously in
Γέν. 2:7-
Γέν. 2:9, &c., what must be meant is, not until the time of delivering Israel by Moses was He known peculiarly and publicly in the character which the name means; namely, "making things to be," fulfilling the promises made to their forefathers. This name, therefore, here, is no objection against the antiquity of the Book of Job.
Satan--The tradition was widely spread that he had been the agent in Adam's temptation. Hence his name is given without comment. The feeling with which he looks on Job is similar to that with which he looked on Adam in Paradise: emboldened by his success in the case of one not yet fallen, he is confident that the piety of Job, one of a fallen race, will not stand the test. He had fallen himself (
Ιώβ 4:19;
Ιώβ 15:15;
Ιούδ. 1:6). In the Book of Job, Satan is first designated by name: "Satan," Hebrew, "one who lies in wait"; an "adversary" in a court of justice (
1Χρ. 21:1;
Ψαλ. 109:6;
Ζαχ. 3:1); "accuser" (
Αποκ. 12:10). He has the law of God on his side by man's sin, and against man. But Jesus Christ has fulfilled the law for us; justice is once more on man's side against Satan (
Ησ. 42:21); and so Jesus Christ can plead as our Advocate against the adversary. "Devil" is the Greek name--the "slanderer," or "accuser." He is subject to God, who uses his ministry for chastising man. In Arabic, Satan is often applied to a serpent (
Γέν. 3:1). He is called prince of this world (
Ιωάν. 12:31); the god of this world (
2Κορ. 4:4); prince of the power of the air (
Εφεσ. 2:2). God here questions him, in order to vindicate His own ways before angels.
7 going to and fro--rather, "hurrying rapidly to and fro." The original idea in Arabic is the heat of haste (
Ματθ. 12:43;
1Πέτ. 5:8). Satan seems to have had some peculiar connection with this earth. Perhaps he was formerly its ruler under God. Man succeeded to the vice royalty (
Γέν. 1:26;
Ψαλ. 8:6). Man then lost it and Satan became prince of this world. The Son of man (
Ψαλ. 8:4) --the representative man, regains the forfeited inheritance (
Αποκ. 11:15). Satan's replies are characteristically curt and short. When the angels appear before God, Satan is among them, even as there was a Judas among the apostles.
8 considered--Margin, "set thine heart on"; that is, considered attentively. No true servant of God escapes the eye of the adversary of God.
9 fear God for naught--It is a mark of the children of Satan to sneer and not give credit to any for disinterested piety. Not so much God's gifts, as God Himself is "the reward" of His people (
Γέν. 15:1).
10 his substance is increased--literally, "spread out like a flood"; Job's herds covered the face of the country.
11 curse thee to thy face--in antithesis to God's praise of him (
Ιώβ 1:8), "one that feareth God." Satan's words are too true of many. Take away their prosperity and you take away their religion (
Μαλ. 3:14).
12 in thy power--Satan has no power against man till God gives it. God would not touch Job with His own hand, though Satan asks this (
Ιώβ 1:11, "thine"), but He allows the enemy to do so.
13 JOB, IN AFFLICTION, BLESSES GOD, &c. (
Ιώβ 1:13-
Ιώβ 1:22)
wine--not specified in
Ιώβ 1:4. The mirth inspired by the "wine" here contrasts the more sadly with the alarm which interrupted it.
14 the asses feeding beside them--Hebrew, "she asses." A graphic picture of rural repose and peace; the more dreadful, therefore, by contrast is the sudden attack of the plundering Arabs.
15 Sabeans--not those of Arabia-Felix, but those of Arabia-Deserta, descending from Sheba, grandson of Abraham and Keturah (
Γέν. 25:3). The Bedouin Arabs of the present day resemble, in marauding habits, these Sabeans (compare
Γέν. 16:12).
I alone am escaped--cunningly contrived by Satan. One in each case escapes (
Ιώβ 1:16-
Ιώβ 1:17,
Ιώβ 1:19), and brings the same kind of message. This was to overwhelm Job, and leave him no time to recover from the rapid succession of calamities--"misfortunes seldom come single."
16 fire of God--Hebraism for "a mighty fire"; as "cedars of God"--"lofty cedars" [
Ψαλ. 80:10]. Not lightning, which would not consume all the sheep and servants. UMBREIT understands it of the burning wind of Arabia, called by the Turks "wind of poison." "The prince of the power of the air" [
Εφεσ. 2:2] is permitted to have control over such destructive agents.
17 Chaldeans--not merely robbers as the Sabeans; but experienced in war, as is implied by "they set in array three bands" (
Αββ. 1:6-
Αββ. 1:8). RAWLINSON distinguishes three periods: 1. When their seat of empire was in the south, towards the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. The Chaldean period, from 2300 B.C. to 1500 B.C. In this period was Chedorlaomer (
Γέν. 14:1), the Kudur of Hur or Ur of the Chaldees, in the Assyrian inscriptions, and the conqueror of Syria. 2. From 1500 to 625 B.C., the Assyrian period. 3. From 625 to 538 B.C. (when Cyrus the Persian took Babylon), the Babylonian period. "Chaldees" in Hebrew--Chasaim. They were akin, perhaps, to the Hebrews, as Abraham's sojourn in Ur, and the name "Chesed," a nephew of Abraham, imply. The three bands were probably in order to attack the three separate thousands of Job's camels (
Ιώβ 1:3).
19 a great wind from the wilderness--south of Job's house. The tornado came the more violently over the desert, being uninterrupted (
Ησ. 21:1;
Ωσ. 13:15).
the young men--rather, "the young people"; including the daughters (so in
Ρουθ 2:21).
20 Job arose--not necessarily from sitting. Inward excitement is implied, and the beginning to do anything. He had heard the other messages calmly, but on hearing of the death of his children, then he arose; or, as EICHORN translates, he started up (
2Σαμ. 13:31). The rending of the mantle was the conventional mark of deep grief (
Γέν. 37:34). Orientals wear a tunic or shirt, and loose pantaloons; and over these a flowing mantle (especially great persons and women). Shaving the head was also usual in grief (
Ιερ. 41:5;
Μιχ. 1:16).
21 Naked-- (
1Τιμ. 6:7). "Mother's womb" is poetically the earth, the universal mother (
Εκκλ. 5:15;
Εκκλ. 12:7;
Ψαλ. 139:15). Job herein realizes God's assertion (
Ιώβ 1:8) against Satan's (
Ιώβ 1:11). Instead of cursing, he blesses the name of JEHOVAH (Hebrew). The name of Jehovah, is Jehovah Himself, as manifested to us in His attributes (
Ησ. 9:6).
22 nor charged God foolishly--rather, "allowed himself to commit no folly against God" [UMBREIT].
Ιώβ 2:10 proves that this is the meaning. Not as Margin "attributed no folly to God." Hasty words against God, though natural in the bitterness of grief, are folly; literally, an "insipid, unsavory" thing (
Ιώβ 6:6;
Ιερ. 23:13, Margin). Folly in Scripture is continually equivalent to wickedness. For when man sins, it is himself, not God, whom he injures (
Παρ. 8:36). We are to submit to trials, not because we see the reasons for them, nor yet as though they were matters of chance, but because God wills them, and has a right to send them, and has His own good reasons in sending them.