Job, << johb, >> Book of, is a book of the Bible. Jewish editions of the Bible place the Book of Job in a series of books called the Writings. Christian editions place the book in a group called Wisdom books. The Book of Job is named for its central figure, a pious and upright man. The book raises a number of important religious questions. These questions include why righteous people suffer and why evil exists in a world that is governed by an all-powerful God.
The Book of Job consists of a prologue in prose (chapters 1-2), a series of dialogues in verse (3:1-42:6), and a prose epilogue (42:7-17). In the prologue, God allows Satan to test Job’s faith by inflicting a series of misfortunes on the man. In the dialogues, Job’s friends cannot believe that his misfortunes are undeserved, and they urge him to repent. But Job firmly insists that he is innocent of sin. God then appears to Job in a whirlwind and criticizes Job for daring to question his will. Job finally realizes that he is nothing compared to God. Job accepts God’s judgment of him even though he cannot understand it. In the book’s epilogue, God restores Job to prosperity.
There have been numerous interpretations of the Book of Job. Many scholars believe that the book teaches that there is no direct relationship between right actions and reward in human history. Humanity can question God’s will but never truly understand God’s ultimate design.
The present form of the Book of Job dates back to the period from the 600’s to the 400’s B.C. However, the story may go back as far as 1,000 years earlier.
