1Then Job replied to the LORD, 2“I know that you can do all things, and that no thought can be withheld from You, and no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. 3You asked, ‘Who is he who hides counsel without knowledge?’ (38:2) Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; things too wonderful for me to know. 4You said, ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will demand of You, and you shall answer Me.’ 5“I had only heard of You before; but now I have seen You with my own eyes. 6Therefore I despise myself, retract my words, and repent in dust and ashes.” 7And after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz, the Temanite, “I am angry with you, and your two friends; for you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has. 8Now therefore, take seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to My servant, Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And My servant, Job, shall pray for you; for I will accept his prayer that I will not deal with you as you deserve; for you have not spoken accurately of Me, as My servant, Job, has.” 9So Eliphaz, the Temanite, Bildad, the Shuhite, and Zophar, the Naamathite, went, and did as the LORD commanded them. The LORD also accepted Job’s prayer and pardoned the three for the sake of Job. 10And after Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored Job’s fortune; and gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11Then all his brothers, sisters, and everyone who had been his acquaintances before, came and ate with him in his house; and they comforted and consoled him over all the adversities that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them also gave him a piece of money, and ring of gold. 12So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning; for now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys. 13The LORD also gave Job seven more sons and three daughters. 14He named his first daughter Jemima; the second, Keziah; and the third, Keren-happuch. 15And in all the land were no women as beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father also granted them inheritance along with their brothers. 16Job lived a hundred forty years after this, and saw his children, and their children, to the fourth generation. 17So Job died an old man who had lived a full life. Some say the book of Job is the oldest book of the Bible, dating it from before 2100 BC; but other opine that it was written later, between the 7th and 3rd centuries BC, with the 6th century BC being the most likely period for various reasons. Following is a brief overview of Job, with some observations. On the heels of his calamities (1:13-19, 2:7-10), in verse 2:11, Job's three friends who came to console him are identified as Eliphaz, the Temanite (Teman was the son of Eliphaz, the son of Esau (Gen.36:4, 10-11)); and Bildad, the Shuhite (Tprobably from Shuah, son of Abraham by Ketura (Gen.25:2)); and Zophar, the Naamathite (likely from Naamah, an area whose a location is not certain; and nothing else is known of Zophar). The first two chapters describe the circumstances of Job’s calamities. Chapter 3 begins the dialog between Job and his three friends who came to “comfort” him. Chapters 3, 6-7, 9-10, 12-14,16-17, 19, 21, 23-24, 26-31 contain the thoughts of Job; and they are interspersed with the thoughts of his three friends: Eliphaz (4-5, 15 & 22), Bildad (8, 18 &25) and Zophar (11, 20). While the opinions of Job’s three ‘comforters’ are flawed, and some of their observations are long-winded and seem to drift without pertinence, several things can be said in their favor: They all exercised patience and restraint, sitting on the ground in silence for 7 days and nights out of respect for his obvious anguish (2:13, before venturing to offer their comments or opinions; and all three express a firm belief in the sovereignty of and reverence for God. There is no mention of any other participant until chapter 32, when “Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the clan of Ram” is introduced. His opening comments reveal a humility not detected from the other three ‘comforters’ of Job. Then, finally, the Lord, Himself, enters the conversation and shares His views in chapters 38-41. Elihu is an intriguing character for several reasons: His insight into the character of God, expressed in chapters 32-37, far exceed what the other three offered; and is one of the best passages found in scripture in that regard, well deserving of more consideration and reflection; and it is worth noting that while Lord chastised the other four participants – even Job - none of what Elihu expressed was challenged by the Lord. in the closing chapters of the book.
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