Job 1:3
and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
He owned 7,000 sheep
The Hebrew word for "sheep" is "צֹאן" (tso'n), which often signifies wealth and prosperity in ancient times. Sheep were essential for their wool, milk, and meat, and owning a large number indicated significant economic power. Job's possession of 7,000 sheep underscores his immense wealth and the blessings he received from God, reflecting his status as a man of great means and influence.

3,000 camels
Camels, or "גָּמָל" (gamal) in Hebrew, were valuable for trade and transportation, especially in the arid regions of the Near East. Owning 3,000 camels suggests Job's involvement in extensive trade networks, highlighting his role as a prominent and influential figure in commerce. This detail emphasizes the breadth of Job's wealth and his ability to engage in long-distance trade, further establishing his status as a leading figure in his society.

500 yoke of oxen
The term "yoke" refers to a pair of oxen used for plowing and heavy labor. In Hebrew, "אֶלֶף" (eleph) can mean "thousand" or "yoke," depending on the context. Oxen were crucial for agriculture, and owning 500 yoke indicates a vast agricultural enterprise. This detail underscores Job's prosperity and the productivity of his land, reflecting God's blessing on his endeavors.

500 female donkeys
Female donkeys, or "אֲתוֹנוֹת" (athonot) in Hebrew, were prized for their ability to bear offspring and their use in transportation and agriculture. The mention of 500 female donkeys highlights Job's wealth and the sustainability of his resources, as female donkeys would ensure the continuation and growth of his livestock.

a very large number of servants
The Hebrew word for "servants" is "עֲבָדִים" (avadim), indicating a workforce that managed Job's extensive holdings. The phrase "a very large number" emphasizes the scale of Job's household and operations, reflecting his status as a patriarch with significant responsibilities and influence. This detail illustrates the magnitude of Job's wealth and the respect he commanded in his community.

Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East
The term "greatest" in Hebrew is "גָּדוֹל" (gadol), signifying not only wealth but also honor, wisdom, and influence. "The people of the East" refers to the regions east of Israel, known for their wisdom and wealth. Job's designation as the greatest man among them highlights his exceptional status, integrity, and the divine favor he enjoyed. This phrase sets the stage for the narrative of Job, emphasizing his righteousness and the profound nature of his eventual trials.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
A man described as "blameless and upright," who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, known for his immense wealth and later, his profound suffering and faith.

2. The East
Refers to the region east of Israel, often associated with wisdom and wealth in biblical times. Job's status as the greatest man in this area highlights his prominence and influence.

3. Sheep, Camels, Oxen, Donkeys
These animals represent Job's wealth and economic power. In ancient times, livestock was a primary measure of wealth and social status.

4. Servants
The large number of servants indicates Job's significant household and his role as a leader and provider.

5. Wealth and Status
Job's possessions and status as the greatest man in the East set the stage for understanding the magnitude of his later losses and the depth of his faith.
Teaching Points
Understanding True Wealth
Job's wealth was immense, yet his true richness lay in his character and faith. Material wealth is fleeting, but spiritual wealth endures.

Stewardship and Responsibility
Job's management of his resources and servants reflects the biblical principle of stewardship. We are called to manage our resources wisely and justly.

The Test of Prosperity
Prosperity can be a test of character. Job's faithfulness amidst wealth challenges us to remain humble and God-fearing regardless of our material status.

Preparation for Trials
Job's initial prosperity sets the stage for his trials. Our spiritual preparation in times of abundance can fortify us for future challenges.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Job's wealth and status as described in Job 1:3 compare to modern measures of success, and what can we learn from this comparison?

2. In what ways can we practice good stewardship of our resources, following Job's example of managing his wealth and servants?

3. How can we ensure that our faith remains strong and genuine, regardless of our material circumstances?

4. What lessons can we draw from Job's life about the relationship between prosperity and spiritual integrity?

5. How can we prepare ourselves spiritually during times of abundance to face potential trials in the future?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 13:2
This verse describes Abram's wealth in livestock, silver, and gold, drawing a parallel to Job's wealth and status.

1 Kings 10:23
Solomon's wealth and wisdom are highlighted, similar to Job's status as the greatest man in the East.

Proverbs 3:9-10
These verses speak of honoring the Lord with wealth, which can be related to Job's righteous use of his resources.
A Good Man in Great ProsperityHomilistJob 1:1-3
A Great EstateJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
Children a BlessingJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
God's Servants in Unfavourable SurroundingsJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
Grace the Best of BlessingsJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
Hatred of EvilJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
Holy FearJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
JobG. M. Grant, B. D.Job 1:1-3
Job, the Model of PietyR. Newton, D. D.Job 1:1-3
Job's Life of ProsperityRobert A. Watson, D. D.Job 1:1-3
The Character of JobRobert Tuck, B. A.Job 1:1-3
The Character of JobDaniel Moore, M. A.Job 1:1-3
The Perfection of the SaintsJ. Caryl.Job 1:1-3
The Upright Eschew All EvilBaxter, RichardJob 1:1-3
Job's Life and CharacterE. Johnson Job 1:1-5
The Typical Conditions of Domestic HappinessR. Green Job 1:1-5
The Dangers of ProsperityW.F. Adeney Job 1:2-5
People
Job
Places
Uz
Topics
Abundant, Asses, Camels, 7000, Cattle, Donkeys, East, Female, Goats, Greater, Greatest, Household, Hundred, Large, Oxen, Pairs, Possessions, Servants, Service, Seven, She-asses, Sheep, Sons, Substance, Thousand, Yoke
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Job 1:3

     4035   abundance
     4684   sheep
     4696   yoke
     4831   largeness
     5414   money, stewardship
     5476   property
     7785   shepherd, occupation

Job 1:1-3

     5554   status
     8811   riches, attitudes to

Job 1:1-4

     5737   sisters

Job 1:1-8

     5714   men

Library
Blessed Adversity.
INTRODUCTORY. In our meditations on the first Psalm we have dwelt on "Blessed Prosperity." But all GOD'S dealings are full of blessing: He is good, and doeth good, good only, and continually. The believer who has taken the LORD as his SHEPERD, can assuredly say in the words of the twenty-third Psalm, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever;" or, taking the marginal reading of the Revised Version, "Only goodness and mercy
J. Hudson Taylor—A Ribband of Blue

Sorrow that Worships
'Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.'--JOB i. 21. This book of Job wrestles with the problem of the meaning of the mystery of sorrow. Whether history or a parable, its worth is the same, as tortured hearts have felt for countless centuries, and will feel to the end. Perhaps no picture that was ever painted is grander and more touching than that of the man of Uz, in the antique wealth
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Satan Considering the Saints
Up there, beyond the clouds, where no human eye could see, there was a scene enacted which augured no good to Job's prosperity. The spirit of evil stood face to face with the infinite Spirit of all good. An extraordinary conversation took place between these two beings. When called to account for his doings, the evil one boasted that he had gone to and fro throughout the earth, insinuating that he had met with no hindrance to his will, and found no one to oppose his freely moving and acting at his
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 11: 1865

Whether all Men Equally are Required to have Explicit Faith
Whether all Men Equally are required to have Explicit Faith We proceed to the sixth article thus: 1. It seems that all men equally are required to have explicit faith. For it is clear from the precepts of charity that all men are required to believe such things as are necessary for salvation, and it was said in the preceding article that explicit belief in some matters is necessary for salvation. It follows that all men equally are required to have explicit faith. 2. Again, no one should be examined
Aquinas—Nature and Grace

Marriage, I Say, is a Good, and May Be...
24. Marriage, I say, is a good, and may be, by sound reason, defended against all calumnies. But with the marriage of the holy fathers, I inquire not what marriage, but what continence, is on a level: or rather not marriage with marriage; for it is an equal gift in all cases given to the mortal nature of men; but men who use marriage, forasmuch as I find not, to compare with other men who used marriage in a far other spirit, we must require what continent persons admit of being compared with those
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Whether all are Equally Bound to have Explicit Faith?
Objection 1: It would seem that all are equally bound to have explicit faith. For all are bound to those things which are necessary for salvation, as is evidenced by the precepts of charity. Now it is necessary for salvation that certain things should be believed explicitly. Therefore all are equally bound to have explicit faith. Objection 2: Further, no one should be put to test in matters that he is not bound to believe. But simple reasons are sometimes tested in reference to the slightest articles
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Hypocrisy is Always a Mortal Sin?
Objection 1: It seems that hypocrisy is always a mortal sin. For Jerome says on Is. 16:14: "Of the two evils it is less to sin openly than to simulate holiness": and a gloss on Job 1:21 [*St. Augustine on Ps. 63:7], "As it hath pleased the Lord," etc., says that "pretended justice is no justice, but a twofold sin": and again a gloss on Lam. 4:6, "The iniquity . . . of my people is made greater than the sin of Sodom," says: "He deplores the sins of the soul that falls into hypocrisy, which is a greater
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether all the Angels who are Sent, Assist?
Objection 1: It would seem that the angels who are sent also assist. For Gregory says (Hom. xxxiv in Evang.): "So the angels are sent, and assist; for, though the angelic spirit is limited, yet the supreme Spirit, God, is not limited." Objection 2: Further, the angel was sent to administer to Tobias. Yet he said, "I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord" (Tob. 12:15). Therefore the angels who are sent, assist. Objection 3: Further, every holy angel is nearer to God than
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Sacrifice Should be Offered to God Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that sacrifice should not be offered to the most high God alone. Since sacrifice ought to be offered to God, it would seem that it ought to be offered to all such as are partakers of the Godhead. Now holy men are made "partakers of the Divine nature," according to 2 Pet. 1:4; wherefore of them is it written (Ps. 81:6): "I have said, You are gods": and angels too are called "sons of God," according to Job 1:6. Thus sacrifice should be offered to all these. Objection 2: Further,
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether the Gifts Differ from the virtues?
Objection 1: It would seem that the gifts do not differ from the virtues. For Gregory commenting on Job 1:2, "There were born to him seven sons," says (Moral. i, 12): "Seven sons were born to us, when through the conception of heavenly thought, the seven virtues of the Holy Ghost take birth in us": and he quotes the words of Is. 11:2,3: "And the Spirit . . . of understanding . . . shall rest upon him," etc. where the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are enumerated. Therefore the seven gifts of the Holy
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Epistle Xl. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. The Piety of my Lords in their most serene commands, while set on refuting me on certain matters, in sparing me has by no means spared me. For by the use therein of the term simplicity they politely call me silly. It is true indeed that in Holy Scripture, when simplicity is spoken of in a good sense, it is often carefully associated with prudence and uprightness. Hence it is written of the blessed Job, The man was simple and upright (Job i. 1).
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

St. Peter of Alcantara Comforts the Saint. Great Temptations and Interior Trials.
1. When I saw that I was able to do little or nothing towards avoiding these great impetuosities, I began also to be afraid of them, because I could not understand how this pain and joy could subsist together. I knew it was possible enough for bodily pain and spiritual joy to dwell together; but the coexistence of a spiritual pain so excessive as this, and of joy so deep, troubled my understanding. Still, I tried to continue my resistance; but I was so little able, that I was now and then wearied.
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus

The Writings of Israel's Philosophers
[Sidenote: Discussions the problem of evil] An intense interest in man led certain of Israel's sages in time to devote their attention to more general philosophical problems, such as the moral order of the universe. In the earlier proverbs, prophetic histories, and laws, the doctrine that sin was always punished by suffering or misfortune, and conversely that calamity and misfortune were sure evidence of the guilt of the one affected, had been reiterated until it had become a dogma. In nine out
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

Our Attitude Toward his Sovereignty
"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matt. 11:26). In the present chapter we shall consider, somewhat briefly, the practical application to ourselves of the great truth which we have pondered in its various ramifications in earlier pages. In chapter twelve we shall deal more in detail with the value of this doctrine but here we would confine ourselves to a definition of what ought to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God. Every truth that is revealed to us in God's Word
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

From the Latin Translation of Cassiodorus.
[3712] I.--Comments [3713] On the First Epistle of Peter. Chap. i. 3. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by His great mercy hath regenerated us." For if God generated us of matter, He afterwards, by progress in life, regenerated us. "The Father of our Lord, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:" who, according to your faith, rises again in us; as, on the other hand, He dies in us, through the operation of our unbelief. For He said again, that the soul never returns a second
Clement of Alexandria—Who is the Rich Man that Shall Be Saved?

Whether it is Proper to the Rational Nature to be Adopted?
Objection 1: It would seem that it is not proper to the rational nature to be adopted. For God is not said to be the Father of the rational creature, save by adoption. But God is called the Father even of the irrational creature, according to Job 38:28: "Who is father of the rain? Or who begot the drops of dew?" Therefore it is not proper to the rational creature to be adopted. Objection 2: Further, by reason of adoption some are called sons of God. But to be sons of God seems to be properly attributed
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Scriptural Types.
1. The material world is full of analogies adapted to the illustration of spiritual things. No teacher ever drew from this inexhaustible storehouse such a rich variety of examples as our Saviour. His disciples are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and a city set on a hill. From the ravens which God feeds and the lilies which God clothes, he teaches the unreasonableness of worldly anxiety. The kingdom of heaven is like seed sown in different soils, like a field of wheat and tares
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of his Cross what Shall I Speak, what Say? this Extremest Kind of Death...
9. Of His cross what shall I speak, what say? This extremest kind of death He chose, that not any kind of death might make His Martyrs afraid. The doctrine He shewed in His life as Man, the example of patience He demonstrated in His Cross. There, you have the work, that He was crucified; example of the work, the Cross; reward of the work, Resurrection. He shewed us in the Cross what we ought to endure, He shewed in the Resurrection what we have to hope. Just like a consummate task-master in the matches
St. Augustine—On the Creeds

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Present Exaltation of Satan.
One of the greatest mysteries in all God's creation is the Devil. For any reliable information concerning him we are shut up to the Holy Scriptures. It is in God's Word alone that we can learn anything about his origin, his personality, his fall, his sphere of operations, and his approaching doom. One thing which is there taught us about the great Adversary of God and man, and which observation and experience fully confirms, is, that he is a being possessing mighty power. It would appear, from a
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Grace Before Meat.
O most gracious God, and loving Father, who feedest all creatures living, which depend upon thy divine providence, we beseech thee, sanctify these creatures, which thou hast ordained for us; give them virtue to nourish our bodies in life and health; and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully, as from thy hands; that so, in the strength of these and thy other blessings, we may walk in the uprightness of our hearts, before thy face, this day, and all the days of our lives, through Jesus
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Heb. 4:14 Our Profession
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."--Heb. 4:14. A CAREFUL reader of the Epistle to the Hebrews can hardly fail to observe that the words "let us" are found no less than four times in the fourth chapter. In the first verse you will read, "let us fear,"--in the eleventh verse, "let us labour,"--in the fourteenth verse, "let us hold fast,"--and in the sixteenth verse, "let us come boldly to the throne
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness.
^A Matt. IV. 1-11; ^B Mark I. 12, 13; ^C Luke IV. 1-13. ^c 1 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, ^b 12 And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth ^c and ^a 1 Then [Just after his baptism, with the glow of the descended Spirit still upon him, and the commending voice of the Father still ringing in his ears, Jesus is rushed into the suffering of temptation. Thus abrupt and violent are the changes of life. The spiritually exalted may expect these sharp contrasts. After being
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Links
Job 1:3 NIV
Job 1:3 NLT
Job 1:3 ESV
Job 1:3 NASB
Job 1:3 KJV

Job 1:3 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Job 1:2
Top of Page
Top of Page