Union Biblical

Seminary Pune

An Exegesis paper on Job 42: 1-10

Paper Presenter: Denish Christian

Course: Wisdom Literature in the Hebrew Bible with Special Study on the Book of Job.
Class: M.Th. I (OT).
Course facilitator: Dr. Nyimangyang Chang
Date: 28th October, 2021.

1
 Table of content

Introduction
1. Form and Structure
2. Context
2.1 God Speaks To Job (38:1-42:6)
2.2 Epilogue (42:7-17)
3. Translation
4. Study of the Text
5. History of Interpretation
5.1 Saint Ambrose
5.2 John Chrysostom
5.3 Saint Gregory the Great
5.4 Thomas Aquinas
5.5 John Calvin
6. Reflection on Indian
context Conclusion

2
Introduction
The present text, 1-6 contain Job’s reply to Yahweh’s second speech (40:7-41:34), Yahweh’s
condemnation of the three friends (7-9), and the restoration of Job to more than his former
prosperity (10). In this exegesis paper, the presenter will elaborate form/structure/setting in
brief, the textual apparatus, verse study, history of interpretation, reflection in Indian context
following by conclusion.

1. Form and Structure

Despite being longer than Job’s last speech (40:4–5), this short speech clearly represents a
single strophe. It has a three-fold structure: (1) Job admits Yahweh’s omnipotence (v 2), (2)
he accepts that he has intruded into an area in which he lacks expertise (v 3), and (3) after
hearing Yahweh’s speeches, he abandons his case against God and resolves to resume his
normal life (v 4–6). Job responds to a quote of Yahweh’s words in the second and third
elements, respectively.1 In epilogue, Job’s praying for his friends (v 7– 9), a headline
sentence in v 10 about the restoration of Job.2
The speech’s genre is, naturally, legal, that of a court dispute, though there isn’t much of that
terminology in it. The common keywords ‘listen,’ ‘talk,’ ‘question,’ and ‘respond’ appear in
Yahweh’s statements in verse 4, and they all belong in that context. The epilogue, like the
prologue, is a legend, i.e., a form critically, an instructive storey.3

2. Context
2.1 God Speaks To Job (38:1-42:6)
Job is finally granted his wish for a personal encounter with God. It’s not what he had hoped
for. The Lord charges Job with darkening counsel by words without knowledge, speaking
from a whirlwind. Job is next challenged to respond to a series of questions. A series of
inquiries on creation and nature follow in fast succession, contrasting God’s enormous power
and knowledge with Job’s limited capacity and understanding. Job, overburdened, recognises
his unworthiness and incapacity to respond. He confesses that he has talked before, but that
he will not do so again (38:1-40:5).4

1
D. J. A. Clines, Word Biblical Commentary 18b on Job 38–42 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
2011), 373.
2
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 400.
3
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 401.
4
https://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf 37.

3
Job is once again challenged to answer God’s inquiries in the second discourse (40:6-41:34).
Job’s final response is to acknowledge God’s ability to achieve anything and that no purpose
of His can be withheld from Him. He also admits to speaking about subjects he didn’t
understand or that were above his comprehension (42:1-6).5

2.2 Epilogue (42:7-17)

The Lord now addresses Eliphaz as the spokesman of Job's three friends, after Job admits he
spoke of things he didn't comprehend. They enraged the Lord by saying things about him that
were untrue. As a result, they must sacrifice seven bulls and seven rams, with Job interceding
on their behalf (42:7-9). The Lord begins to restore Job's losses once he has prayed for his
friends. Job's family and friends console him in the midst of the adversity that the Lord has
bestowed upon him (42: 10-17).6

3. Translation

:‫ ו ַ ַּ֖י א ְי ֹּה ˙ ַַֽמר‬1

‫וֹּיא‬ ‫ַען ֹּ֥יוב וה את־‬
Translation
Then Job answered the LORD.

‫ַֽמ‬ ‫ּּתו ָ֑כל ְוֹּלא־ ִי ב ְמ‬ ‫י ַד ְע‬

:‫ה‬ ‫ַּ֖צר כי־ ֹֹּ֣כל ֹ֣ך מ‬ 2 1 ‫ּת‬
A. MT Reading
‫מ ִז‬
MT reading
‫ ְע‬Q. Perf. 2 ms. Meaning is “You know.”
is
‫ּת י‬
‫ַד‬
B. Variant Reading
BHS suggests to read with Qere ִּ ‫תי ְע‬
Q. Perf. 1 cs. Meaning is “I know.”
‫ַד י‬
C. Adjudication
‫ְע‬
does not make sense, and the Qr., Reading ִּ‫ תי ְע‬is universally accepted as the preferable
‫ּת י‬
‫ַד י‬
‫ַד‬
reading.

Translation
I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

4
5
https://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf 37.
6
https://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf 41.

5
 :‫ֶמ ִני ְו א ַֽדע‬ ‫ל‬ ‫˙ ב ַע ֹ֣ ִ ה ַג ְד א‬ ‫ ִִ֚ מי ֶ֨ ֶזה מ ְע‬1 3
1 2
˙ ‫ֹ֣ל ֹּא ִמ‬ ‫ֹּ֥אות‬ ‫| ּ֥לים צה ִלי ת כן ִּתי ְ ו ֹ֣לֹ ּא ָ֑בין‬
‫נ ְפ‬ ‫ּ֥ד ל‬ ‫ע‬

A1. BHS suggests to compare with Job 38:2

A2. Variant Reading

Several medieval manuscripts add ִ‫ לים ִמ‬compare with Septuagint and Syriac Peschitta and Job
‫ב‬
38:2. It is Feminine plural noun with preposition, meaning is “by words.”
B. Adjudication
Adding ‫ לים ִמ ִב‬theologically does not make any difference, so MT reading is preferable.

Translation
‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

‫ְ ש ֽ ַא ְל ˙ך ְ ו‬ ‫ ַֽ ש ַמע־ ַּ֖ נא ְ ו‬4

‫ ֶא‬:‫ַֽהֹודי ֽ ַע ִני‬ ‫ָ֑בר‬ ‫ֽ ַא ֹּנ ִ ֹ֣כי‬
Translation
‫א‬
‫ַד‬
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’

‫ ל ֽ ַש ַמע־ ש ַמ ְע ִ ָּ֑תיך עי ַֽא‬5

‫ ר‬:‫ְִ֜ו ַע ˙ ּתה ִ ּ֥ני ְתך‬ ‫ּ֥א ֶזן‬
Translation
I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;

:‫ו ַֽא ֶפר‬ ‫ על־ ַּ֖כ ן א ְמ ַ ֹ֣אס ְ ו ִנ ע‬6

‫ַ ָ֑ח ְמ ִּתי ּ֥פר על־‬
The meaning of ֹ֣ ‫( אס ַ ְמ ֶא‬is it “I reject, despise” with perhaps “myself” or “my words” as
the implied object, or “I melt, submit”?), and the meaning of ִּ ‫( תי ְמ ָ֑ח ַ ִנ ְו‬is it “I
repent” or “I am consoled, I accept consolation”?).7

Translation
So I submit, and I accept consolation, for my dust and ashes.
7 Clines, Word Biblical Commentary,

5
 ‫ֶ֨ א ִִ֚פי‬ ‫מ‬ ‫ִלי ַפז‬ ‫ֶמר ְי ֹּה‬ ‫ָ֑ ֹיוב‬ ‫‪ 7‬ו ְי א ד ָ֛ו ְד ִב ּ֥רים ַּ֖ א‬
‫אל־א ִ˙ני ה רה‬ ‫ו ִ֜ה ו ֶֹּ֨יא‬ ‫אל־א‬ ‫את־ה ֶלה ה‬ ‫ִ˙הי ַחר ֶּ֧בר ה‬
‫ַּֽתי ח‬ ‫י‬
‫ֹּה‬
‫א ַֹֽיוב‪:‬‬
‫ַּ֖נה כ ַע ְב‬ ‫ר ˙ ֹּל ד ַב ְר א‬ ‫ּ ו ִב ְש‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫נֹכו ִ ּ֥די‬ ‫ֶ ּּ֥תם ָ֛לי‬ ‫ֶעיך א‬ ‫ֹ֣ני ב ָ֙ך‬
‫ִ כי‬

‫‪8 Clines, Word Biblical Commentary,‬‬

‫‪5‬‬
‫ ְכ‬.Reading MT A
is reading ‫ַע ְב ִ ּ֥די‬ Prep. K, N-ms, with pronominal suffics 1 cs. Meaning is “as my servant.”
MT
B. Variant Reading
Many medieval manuscripts has preposition ‘b’ instead of ‘k’ ּ֥ ‫ די ִ ְב ַע ְב‬. BHS also
suggests to compare with 8b, meaning is “in, with or by my servant.”
C. Adjudication
Grammatically MT reading makes more sense, so it is preferable.

Translation
After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the L ORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My
wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me
what is right, as my servant Job has.

‫ִי ְת ַפ‬ ‫ִלי ִ֚תם ַֽ ב ַע ְד ֶ֔ ֶכם‬ ‫ ו ַע ָּ֡ ק ַֽחּו־ל ש ְב ֽ ַעה־פ ִרים ְ ו ִ֜ ים ּול ֹּ֣כו | אל־ ַע ְו ַַֽה‬8
‫ַּ֖לל ע ְב ִֶ֔די‬ ‫ְו ִא ֹ֣יֹוב‬ ‫ֹעול ָ֙ה ע‬ ‫ְב ִ ֹ֣די א˙ֹיוב‬ ‫איל‬ ‫ִש ְב ֶ֨ עה‬ ‫ֹ֣כם‬ ‫ּתה‬
:‫א ַֹֽיוב‬
‫ַּ֖נה כ ַע ְב‬ ‫ִ֚ ֹש מ ֶכ נ ב ֶ֔ ֹּל ד ַב ְר א‬ ‫ְל‬ ˙ 1 ‫ֹ֣ ניו‬ ֧ ֶ‫ע לי‬
2
‫נֹכו ִ ּ֥די‬ ‫ֶ ּּ֥תם ָ֛לי‬ ‫ות ָ֙ם ע לה ִּ֠ ִכי א‬ ‫אם־פ שא ִִּּ֞תי ל‬ ‫ָ֑כם ֶּכ‬
‫ע‬ ‫ִב‬ ‫א‬ ‫י‬

A1. MT Reading
MT reading has conjunction ִ‫ אם‬, meaning is
“for.” B1. Variant Reading
BHS proposes ֶ‫ את‬, meaning is
“if.” C1. Adjudication
It cannot be “for if,” for it does not introduce a hypothetical clause.8 So, MT reading is
preferable.

A2. MT Reading
MT reading is ּ֥ ‫ די ִ ְב‬Prep. K, N-ms, with pronominal suffics 1 cs. Meaning is “as my servant.”
‫ ַע ְכ‬B2. Variant
Reading
8
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary,

6
Many medieval manuscripts has preposition ‘b’ instead of ‘k’ ּ֥ ‫ די ִ ְב ַע ְב‬. BHS also
suggests to compare with 7a, meaning is “in, with or by my servant.”
C2. Adjudication
Grammatically MT reading makes more sense, so it is preferable.

8
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary,

6
Translation
Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for
yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer
not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as
my servant Job has done.”

:‫ַּ֖ ו ּ֥ ני א ַֹֽיוב‬ ‫ָ֑ ו ִ י‬ ‫לי‬ ‫ד‬ ‫ַפ ה ִֶ֔ ו ֶ֔ ַֽ כ‬ ‫˙חי‬ ‫ ו ַֽי ְלּכו ִלי ה ֽ ַּתי מ ִנ ִ֜י‬9
1
‫ה את־פ‬ ‫ה ּ֥שא‬ ‫ֶהם‬ ‫ּ֥בר‬ ‫תי ּשו ֲא‬ ‫ָ֙ר‬ ‫ׁהּּשו‬ ‫ּו ִב ְל ַ ֹ֣דד‬ ‫ֶ֨פז א‬
‫י‬ ‫ו‬ ‫י‬ ‫א‬ ‫צ ֹ֣נ ע ֹ֣י ע ָ֛שר‬
‫ֹּה‬ ‫ֹּה‬ ‫מ‬
A. MT Reading
Noun- proper- ms, ָ֙‫ ר ַפ ֹּצ‬, and meaning is “Zophar.”
B. Variant reading
Many medieval manuscripts has ָ֙ ‫ ר ַפ ֹּצ ְו‬. Noun- proper- ms, with wav conjunction, meaning
is “and Zophar.”
C. Adjudication
Grammatically with wav conjunction is preferable.

Translation
So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what
the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.

:‫ַפ ְל ב ָ֑ עּה ֶס ָ֛ו את־ כל־א ִא ל ִמ ְשֶַֽ נה‬ ‫ א‬1 ‫ְש ֹּ֣בות‬ ‫ַַֽויה ˙ וה‬
‫ֶ ּ֥שר ַֹּ֖יוב ל‬ 2
‫את־ ֶֹ֔יוב ַֹּ֖לו ב ִַֽה ֹ֣עד ו ר ף ה‬ ‫ש‬ 10
‫ו ֶֹּּ֧י י‬ ‫ְת‬ ‫ב‬
‫ֹּה‬

A1. MT Reading
MT has Kere ִ ‫בית ְש‬
B1. Variant Reading
BHS suggests qere ֹ֣‫ ּבות ְש‬. Noun- fs, meaning is “looses.”

7
A2. MT Reading
MT has ָ֑ ‫ עּהו ר‬. Noun- ms, with pronominal suffics 3 ms, meaning is “his
friend.” B2. Variant Reading
BHS proposes ‫ עיו ר‬. Noun- mp, with pronominal suffics 3 ms, meaning is “his
friends.” C2. Adjudication

8
Job prayed for his three friends, so BHS reading is preferable.

Translation
Yahweh restored the looses of Job while he was praying for his friends, and gave him twice
as much as he had had before.

4. Study of the Text

Verse 2
Job’s witness and perhaps confession concerning Yahweh’s sovereignty is found in the
chapters that have been regarded as the book’s high point. After witnessing God’s marvellous
creation of the world, Job concedes that things are too wonderful for him to comprehend. He
realises that heavenly wisdom is beyond the comprehension of any human person. Job
acknowledges that Yahweh is loyal to justice in his universe administration based on
Yahweh’s words. By turning Yahweh’s opening accusation (38:2) into a self-judgment, he
demonstrates his subjection to God’s sovereignty (38:3). Job learns that the world’s divinely
ordained justice is God’s administration.9 God has assisted Job in moving from a self-
centered view of God's purpose to a broader understanding of God's design for the universe
by pointing to the immensity of divine power.10
The formula ‘I know’ (ִּ42:2 ‫ )תי ְע ַד י‬typically heads a supplicant’s answer to an oracle given in
response to his prayer of lament (cf. Ps. 20:7). ַ‫ דע י‬generally describes the process whereby
one gains knowledge through experience with objects and circumstances; to know, implies
faith (Job 19:25). The term ַ‫ דע י‬signifies an experience that embraces the whole of existence, a
knowledge that liberates and supports.11
ַֽ‫ מה ִז מ‬is frequently “wicked plan, plot,” but is adequately attested in the morally neutral
sense
“purpose, intention, thinking”; the negative connotations that sometimes accompany it derive
from the context, not the term itself, so there is no problem in ascribing to Yahweh.12

Verse 3

9
S. H. Scholnick, ‘Poetry in the courtroom: Job 38–41’, in E.R. Follis (ed.), Directions in
biblical Hebrew poetry, 185–204, (Sheffield: JOST Press, 1987), 529.
10
M. F. Owens, Layman’s Bible book commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1983), 136.
11
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary 18b on Job 38–42,
12
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 361.
9
“That is this who obscures the Design with words without knowledge?” says the first colon,
echoing the words of 38:2. Most translations render this as a quote from Yahweh, to which
Job responds in the rest of the verse, however some critics believe it is an editorial gloss.
What Job has truly been doing in his search for justice, according to Yahweh, is ignoring
Yahweh’s ultimate design for the cosmos.13
Job’s own reaction is fascinating. He claims he talked ‘miracles,’ things ‘too magnificent for
me,’ that he didn’t ‘understand’ or ‘know.’ What are the ‘wonders’ in Job’s book? They’ve
always been God’s mysterious works in creation, as described by Eliphaz in 5:9, Job in 9:10,
and Elihu in 37:5, 14. All Job has been talking about is the principles by which the world is,
or should be, governed; he thought they were simple matters of justice and fairness, but
according to Yahweh, everything in the world is a marvel, and Job had better accept that
justice and fairness, like the structure of the physical universe and Yahweh’s ways in rain and
wind, are ‘marvels’ beyond his comprehension or understanding. ‘When man is confronted
with heavenly secrets, a confession of ignorance is appropriate,’ and Job must admit that he
knows nothing and understands nothing now that it is evident that justice is one of those
‘marvels’ or divine mysteries.14

Verse 4
Job refers to Yahweh once more. Yahweh, on the other hand, has just spoken the words ‘I
will question you, and you shall answer me’ (38:3 and 40:7). In 33:31, the words ‘Listen, and
I will speak’ are spoken by Elihu, not Yahweh. Has Job mistook Yahweh for his self-
proclaimed mouthpiece Elihu? Is it possible that the poet has forgotten what Elihu said? Or
should we disregard this minor inconsistency? The last option is most likely the best.15

Verse 5
Job now realises that speaking of God’s wonderful ways based on what he had heard about
God was foolish and ignorant; for there has now come to him through vision intimate first-
hand personal knowledge of God, which does not clear up all mysteries for him, but does
show him that, if there are mysteries, they are the mysteries of one in whom there is peace
and blessing. The direct personal experience of what a person is and does is contrasted with
hearing as second-hand knowledge, knowledge of someone else’s experience or report of that
person,

13
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 377.
14
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 378.

1
15
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 379-380.

1
knowledge that, even if not tainted with error, is verified by direct sight, as was the traditional
doctrine of God that had been passed down to Job.16

Verse 6
In a nutshell, the view that will be argued here is that (1) in a legal sense, Job “submits,” i.e.,
he withdraws his lawsuit against Yahweh, (2) since he has done no wrong, he cannot
“repent,” but having been in mourning, he now brings the period of mourning to an end by
“accepting consolation,” for his lost children as well as for the loss of his honor, a consolation
that is being offered to him both from the friends and (in his own way) from Yahweh, and (3)
the consolation he accepts is “for” the “dust and ashes” that have been the visible expression
of his state of mourning.17

Verse 7
The announcement by Yahweh that Job had stated of him ‘what is right’ must be the most
shocking part of this epilogue. Yahweh could be referring to one of Job’s many speeches.
Job’s first statement, ‘Yahweh has given and Yahweh has taken,’ cannot be the answer. May
Yahweh’s name be blessed (1:21), because the narrative also includes Yahweh’s own
utterances (42:7), and therefore of Job’s many speeches hostile to God. Why was the
theophany necessary if Job’s comments during the debate were ‘correct’? Has Job stated
enough about God to elicit this rating if his brief comments in 40:4–5 and 42:2–6 are all that
is being called ‘right’? What is it about Job’s utterances that Yahweh now deems to be
‘correct’ if the reference is to all of Job’s speeches in general? And how can Job be claimed
to have expressed the truth about God when Yahweh accuses him of ‘darkening’ his Design
with words without knowledge (38:2)?18
Readers may get the idea that Job has been berating God throughout the book for his cruelty
to him and his feckless carelessness as the universe’s administrator. Such viewpoints are
unlikely to gain Yahweh’s approval. But Yahweh may and does accept that he does not rule
the universe according to retributive justice’s mandates. That was never his intention, and he
has no intention of carrying out vengeance for all human misdeeds. Though Job has not
meant his remarks as a commendation of God, Yahweh recognizes in them Job’s
perception of the

16
Samuel Rolles Driver and George Buchanan Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary
on The Book Of Job, Vol. 1 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921), 373.
17
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 383.

1
18
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 403.

1
underlying truth. Friends, on the other hand, have been proclaiming the notion of retribution,
which portrays God as a universal policeman, a role that Yahweh despises. Job is chastised
for focusing exclusively on the issue of justice rather than appreciating the full scope of
Yahweh’s creative intentions, but he is praised for recognising that Yahweh does not govern
the world according to the principle of retribution.19

Verse 8
The greatness of the companions' guilt necessitates an extremely huge burnt-offering, which
must be bolstered by the prayer of one who has proven himself to be a particularly steadfast
servant of Yahweh.20
Job functions as an intercessor in prayer, like Abraham (Gen 20:7), Moses (Num 21:7; Deut
9:20), Samuel (1 Sam 7:5; 12:19, 23), and Jeremiah (37:3).21

Verse 9
The friends, who have viewed themselves as Job’s moral superiors and theological educators
throughout the discussions, must now recognise themselves as Job’s inferiors, as sinners in
need of atonement for their wrongdoing against God. They must assume the role of Job’s
clients, relying on his prayer to prevent the vengeance of a furious God.22

Verse 10
The storey of Job’s restoration will have to wait till the companions' dispute is resolved. First,
they must plan and carry out their escape from God’s wrath (7–9), and only then will we
learn of Job's fortunes being reversed (10–13). It’s almost as if Job’s restoration is contingent
on his intercession on their behalf, as if his final test will be to stand by his ‘torturer-
comforters.’ True, this prayer is Job’s first altruistic gesture since his calamities struck—
though we can’t say we blame him for the self-centeredness that has dominated his words
throughout the book. Perhaps his fresh focus on others' needs is the first sign that he has
moved on from his inward- looking grieving and is ready to accept comfort. In any event,
Job’s own restoration is supposed to occur while he is praying for his friends: the Hebrew
states, ‘Yahweh restored the fortunes of Job while he was praying for his friends’ (not, as
most interpretations say, ‘after he had

19
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 403.
20
Driver and Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary On The Book Of Job, 374.
21
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 404.

1
22
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 407.

1
prayed for his friends’). Things that happen at the same time are likely to have an inner
relationship, especially in the naive world of this prose framework for the novel.23

5. History of Interpretation
6.1 Saint Ambrose
Ambrose here interprets the Epilogue from the context of the theophany, and largely sees the
friends in a negative light. Although humans are not without sin, God's awesome power
comes to provide help. Through his great ordeal, Job was purged of his sin and was then able
to enter into a state of blessedness. On the one hand, Job is portrayed as a righteous
individual in line with the prose tale and especially the divine approval at the end. But on the
other hand, Job is linked with the sinfulness of humankind, and his suffering is interpreted in
the context of redemption. Job’s righteousness is transformed into a state of blessedness
through his suffering and purification. One senses in this reading the underlying theme of
salvation through the sufferings and death of Christ. The issue is no longer mainly framed
around the topic of retributive justice (although that is where Ambrose begins) and how it
affects one's reading of Job and his friends, but around a redemptive process and how it
transforms suffering into a purification tool.24
Ambrose has interpreted the text in light of the future resurrection. He states,
“What a fine passage, for it strengthens us in regard to the resurrection! ...Holy Job rightly
preferred to rise to the judgment rather than to the time of God’s wrath, which is terrible even
to the innocent. At the same time, in saying “You will set a time for me, when you would
remember me,” Job is understood to be prophesying that he was going to be raised up in the
passion of the Lord, as is shown clearly in the conclusion of that book.”25

4.2 John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom made a significant effort to actualize Job. This actualization was done in
two ways: (a) Chrysostom presented Job as a moral exemplar who, although a “pagan,” lived
a godly life inspired by the “inner law,” different from Jewish law; and (b) Job’s experience
of

23
Clines, Word Biblical Commentary, 408.
24
Judith R. Baskin, “Job as Moral Exemplar in Ambrose,” Vigiliae Christianae 5, no. 3
(1981): 226.

1
25
Saint Ambrose, Seven Exegetical Works (Catholic University of America Press, 1972), 346.

1
suffering provided spiritual consolation to the audience, since Job is presented as someone
who not only endured severe troubles but also ultimately won a prize.26
Having lived prior to Moses and therefore prior to the Jewish law Job attained perfection
without the aid of the law. He therefore prefigured the gospel. Chrysostom even goes as far as
to argue that because Job lived such a noble life of patience and inner knowledge of God
prior to the time of the law, Christ did not teach anything new or unusual. Job set an example
for all believers to follow, in the hope of receiving all the blessings that God has in store for
all who love God and resist the devil. Job’s patience in suffering is an example to imitate, and
his restoration at the end is a sign that those who love God will also be rewarded.27

4.3 Saint Gregory the Great

The divine approval of Job in 42:7 creates a moral problem for Gregory, one that puts
humans at variance with God. Gregory finds it quite difficult to understand the reason for the
divine approval, given the nature of Job’s outbursts in the Dialogues. But he also holds firmly
that God would not have allowed Job to be tested unless God was sure that Job will not sin.
The approval reveals how much our blindness is at variance with the light of divine
uprightness. Consequently, “whoever considers that blessed Job sinned in his words after he
had been scourged, plainly decides that the Lord had been the loser in His pledging.” Thus,
although human perception would easily suggest that Job had sinned, God's perception is
different.28

4.4 Thomas Aquinas

In his interpretation of the Epilogue, Aquinas situates the divine anger against the friends
within the context of the theophany, and sees it as chronologically following the rebuke of
Job and Elihu. While Elihu sinned from inexperience and Job from levity, the friends are said
to have asserted perverse dogmas (13:4).29 Unlike Job, who did not withdraw from the truth
of faith, the friends did not profess “faithful dogmas” before God. Furthermore, the friends
who now represent the faithless can be reconciled with God only through the mediation of the
faithful. God will listen to Job’s prayer because of his faith and not impute the foolishness of
the friends,

26
Kenneth Numfor Ngwa, The Hermeneutics of the 'Happy' Ending in Job 42: 7-17, (Berlin:
Walter de Gruyter, 2005), 54.
27
Ngwa, The Hermeneutics of the 'Happy' Ending in Job 42: 7-17, 55.
28
Saint Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job (Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1850),
668.
1
 29
Thomas Aquinas, The Literal Exposition on Job: A Scriptural Commentary Concerning
Providence (Atlanta: Scholars, 1989), 471.

1
that is, their “unfaithful dogmas” to them. Yet, Job’s intercession benefits not only the friends
but also Job himself since God turned to Job in response to Job's penitence. It is in response
to Job's prayers that God restores him.30

4.5 John Calvin

He focuses not only on the divine attributes of mercy, justice, and sovereignty that are crucial
for him, but also on the human ability or lack thereof to understand the workings of God in
the world as a whole and in each person. In articulating his view, Calvin first argues that the
“unfailing rule” of God's righteousness ought not to be obscured by the fact that God
“frequently allows the wicked to exult unpunished for some time, while the upright are tossed
about by many adversities.”31 This “unfailing rule of God’s righteousness” stretches into the
next world, so that ultimately, “iniquity is to have its punishment and righteousness is to be
given its reward.”32

7. Reflection on Indian context

The widespread legend of Harichandra, as preserved till today in the folk memory of Hindu
devotees in India, exalts Harichandra as the supreme example of nobility and piety. This
legend could have come about for several reasons.
The Doctrine of Karma is one of the fundamental doctrines of Hinduism. Adherents believe
that every human deed has its own consequences: goodness results in goodness, and evil
begets evil. This is isomorphic to “the reward-retribution theological view” held by the
friends of Job. The writer supposes that the early Hindu sages also probably perceived a trend
where the wicked and the unrighteous lived a life of prosperity and the righteous suffered
without obvious cause, contrary to the karmic viewpoint. This polemic was needed to
rationalise this awkward discrepancy. As a result, the Harichandra legend could have
functioned apologetically, explaining why the righteous might suffer.

Conclusion
An Indian audience can relate to the legend of Harichandra as a moral storey that explains the
intricacies of the suffering of the righteous. It has attracted several to follow the way of truth

30
Aquinas, Literal Exposition, 471.
31
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 1.5.7.
32
Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.5.10.

1
in spite of suffering. Job continues to serve as role model for those who suffer unjustly. The
Bible promotes faith and hope in the face of undeserved suffering. Jesus calls those who
suffer undeservedly “Blessed”: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10, cf. 5:1-12). In fact, Jesus
himself experienced suffering as the innocent Lamb of God (Matt 27:23, John 11:4) and bore
the pain and shame of the cross for the sake of humanity, an enduring example for believers
of all time.

1
Bibliography

Ambrose, Saint. Seven Exegetical Works. Catholic University of America Press, 1972.
Aquinas, Thomas. The Literal Exposition on Job: A Scriptural Commentary Concerning
Providence. Atlanta: Scholars, 1989.
Baskin, Judith R. “Job as Moral Exemplar in Ambrose.” Vigiliae Christianae 5, no. 3 (1981):
222-231.
Calvin, John. Institutes of the Christian Religion. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960.
Clines, D. J. A. Word Biblical Commentary 18b on Job 38–42. Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
2011.
Driver, Samuel Rolles and Gray, George Buchanan. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on
the Book of Job, Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1921.
Ngwa, Kenneth Numfor. The Hermeneutics of the 'Happy' Ending in Job 42: 7-17. Berlin:
Walter de Gruyter, 2005.
Owens, M. F. Layman’s Bible book commentary. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1983.
Scholnick, S. H. ‘Poetry in the courtroom: Job 38–41’, in E.R. Follis (ed.), Directions in
biblical Hebrew poetry, 185–204. Sheffield: JOST Press, 1987.
The Great, Saint Gregory. Morals on the Book of Job. Oxford: John Henry Parker, 1850.
Williams, J. G. ‘Deciphering the unspoken: The theophany of Job.’ Hebrew Union College
Annual 49 (1978):59–72.

https://executableoutlines.com/pdf/job_sg.pdf