At a glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Authorship | Anonymous |
| Date | Period covered possibly patriarchal (Job 1 setting); composition uncertain (anywhere from Solomon's era to post-exilic) |
| Genre | Wisdom literature and drama and poetry |
| Purpose | Meditation on suffering of the righteous and God's wisdom and ultimate trust |
| Chapters | 42 |
| Setting | Land of Uz; not Israelite |
Outline
| Section | Chapters | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Prose prologue | 1-2 | Job introduced; Satan's challenge; trials begin |
| Cycle of speeches | 3-31 | Job and three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar) cycle through arguments |
| Elihu's intervention | 32-37 | Younger Elihu offers his perspective |
| Yahweh's speech and Job's response | 38-42:6 | God speaks from whirlwind; Job repents in dust and ashes |
| Prose epilogue | 42:7-17 | Friends rebuked; Job restored |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Suffering of the righteous | Job suffers without specific personal cause |
| Retribution theology questioned | Friends' "you suffered because you sinned" theology inadequate |
| God's sovereignty and wisdom | Beyond human comprehension (Job 38-41) |
| Job's perseverance | "Though he slay me, I will hope in him" (Job 13.15) |
| Mystery and trust | Faith without explanation |
| Redeemer | "I know that my Redeemer lives" (Job 19.25-27) |