When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. When they saw him from a distanceThis phrase sets the scene for the arrival of Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The Hebrew word for "saw" (רָאָה, ra'ah) implies more than just physical sight; it suggests a perception or understanding of Job's condition. From a distance, they could already perceive the depth of his suffering. This moment underscores the severity of Job's afflictions, as his friends could not recognize him due to his physical and emotional transformation. The distance also symbolizes the gap between their previous understanding of Job's life and the reality of his current suffering. they did not recognize him
The Hebrew root for "recognize" (נָכַר, nakar) indicates a failure to identify or acknowledge. Job's appearance had changed so drastically due to his afflictions that even his closest friends could not identify him. This highlights the profound impact of his suffering, not only physically but also socially and relationally. It serves as a poignant reminder of how trials can alter one's identity and how suffering can isolate individuals from their community. and they raised their voices and wept
The act of raising their voices and weeping is a traditional expression of grief in ancient Near Eastern cultures. The Hebrew word for "wept" (בָּכָה, bakah) conveys a deep, mournful crying. This reaction from Job's friends indicates their genuine sorrow and empathy for his plight. It reflects the communal nature of grief in biblical times, where mourning was a shared experience. Their response also foreshadows the intense dialogues that will follow, as they grapple with understanding Job's suffering. Each one tore his robe
Tearing one's robe is a customary act of mourning and distress in the Hebrew culture, symbolizing the rending of one's heart and spirit. The Hebrew verb for "tore" (קָרַע, qara) is often associated with expressions of profound grief or repentance. This gesture by Job's friends signifies their deep sorrow and solidarity with Job's suffering. It also serves as a physical manifestation of their inner turmoil and confusion regarding the justice of God in the face of such inexplicable suffering. and threw dust into the air over his head
Throwing dust over one's head is another ancient Near Eastern mourning practice, symbolizing humility and mortality. The act of casting dust (עָפָר, afar) reflects a return to the earth, acknowledging human frailty and the inevitability of death. This gesture by Job's friends is an acknowledgment of the gravity of Job's situation and their own helplessness in the face of his suffering. It also serves as a reminder of the biblical theme of dust, from which humanity was created and to which it will return, emphasizing the transient nature of life. Persons / Places / Events 1. JobA man of great faith and integrity, who is undergoing severe trials and suffering. 2. Eliphaz, Bildad, and ZopharJob's three friends who come to comfort him in his time of distress. 3. UzThe land where Job lived, often associated with the region east of Israel. Teaching Points Empathy in SufferingJob's friends initially show empathy by weeping and mourning with him. This teaches us the importance of being present and sharing in the grief of others. Cultural Expressions of GriefThe tearing of robes and throwing dust are cultural expressions of mourning. Understanding these helps us appreciate the depth of emotion in biblical accounts. Recognizing True SufferingThe friends did not recognize Job due to his suffering. This highlights how trials can deeply affect a person's appearance and demeanor, reminding us to look beyond the surface. The Role of SilenceInitially, Job's friends sit in silence with him for seven days. This can teach us the value of silent support rather than rushing to offer solutions or explanations. The Limits of Human ComfortDespite their intentions, Job's friends eventually fail to comfort him adequately. This reminds us of the limitations of human comfort and the need for divine intervention. Bible Study Questions 1. How do the actions of Job's friends in Job 2:12 reflect cultural practices of mourning, and how can we apply this understanding to support those in grief today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our presence is comforting to those who are suffering, as initially demonstrated by Job's friends? 3. How does the inability of Job's friends to recognize him due to his suffering challenge us to look beyond appearances in our relationships? 4. What can we learn from the initial silence of Job's friends about the role of listening and presence in comforting others? 5. How do the limitations of Job's friends in providing comfort point us to the necessity of seeking God's presence and wisdom in times of suffering? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 37:34Jacob tears his clothes and mourns for Joseph, showing a cultural expression of deep grief similar to Job's friends. Lamentations 2:10The elders of Zion sit on the ground in silence, throwing dust on their heads, which parallels the actions of Job's friends as a sign of mourning. Matthew 26:75Peter weeps bitterly after denying Jesus, illustrating the depth of sorrow and repentance, akin to the weeping of Job's friends. People Bildad, Eliphaz, Job, ZopharPlaces UzTopics Afar, Aloud, Bitter, Change, Didn't, Discerned, Distance, Dust, Grief, Hardly, Heads, Heaven, Heavens, Heavenward, Job, Lift, Lifted, Lifting, Mantle, Raised, Recognize, Rend, Rent, Robe, Robes, Seem, Signs, Sky, Sprinkle, Sprinkled, Threw, Tore, Towards, Voice, Voices, Weep, Weeping, WeptDictionary of Bible Themes Job 2:12 4050 dust
5150 face
5157 head
5177 robes
5188 tearing of clothes
5198 weeping
7454 sprinkling Job 2:11-13 5499 reward, divine
5809 compassion, human Job 2:12-13 5419 mourning Library February 24 Evening
Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?--JOB 2:10. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.--O Lord, thou art our father, we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.--It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments. He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.--Whom the Lord loveth …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily PathResignation.
"What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"--Job 2:10. "Ich hab' in guten Stunden." [50]Christian Furchtegott Gellert. transl., Sarah Findlater, 1855 I have had my days of blessing, All the joys of life possessing, Unnumber'd they appear! Then let faith and patience cheer me, Now that trials gather near me: Where is life without a tear? Yes, O Lord, a sinner looking O'er the sins Thou art rebuking, Must own Thy judgments light. Surely I, so oft offending, Must …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther It is Indeed a Greater Fight of Patience...
9. It is indeed a greater fight of patience, when it is not a visible enemy that by persecution and rage would urge us into crime which enemy may openly and in broad day be by not consenting overcome; but the devil himself, (he who doth likewise by means of the children of infidelity, as by his vessels, persecute the children of light) doth by himself hiddenly attack us, by his rage putting us on to do or say something against God. As such had holy Job experience of him, by both temptations vexed, …
St. Augustine—On Patience Whether Death is Essential to Martyrdom?
Objection 1: It seems that death is not essential to martyrdom. For Jerome says in a sermon on the Assumption (Epist. ad Paul. et Eustoch.): "I should say rightly that the Mother of God was both virgin and martyr, although she ended her days in peace": and Gregory says (Hom. iii in Evang.): "Although persecution has ceased to offer the opportunity, yet the peace we enjoy is not without its martyrdom, since even if we no longer yield the life of the body to the sword, yet do we slay fleshly desires …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Jesus, My Rock.
When the storm and the tempest are raging around me, Oh! where shall I flee to be safe from their shock? There are walls which no mortal hands built to surround me, A Refuge Eternal,--'Tis JESUS MY ROCK! When my heart is all sorrow, and trials aggrieve me, To whom can I safely my secrets unlock? No bosom (save one) has the power to relieve me, The bosom which bled for me, JESUS MY ROCK! When Life's gloomy curtain, at last, shall close o'er me, And the chill hand of death unexpectedly knock, I will …
John Ross Macduff—The Cities of Refuge: or, The Name of Jesus Illness and Patience of the Saint. The Story of a Priest whom She Rescued from a Life of Sin.
1. I forgot to say how, in the year of my novitiate, I suffered much uneasiness about things in themselves of no importance; but I was found fault with very often when I was blameless. I bore it painfully and with imperfection; however, I went through it all, because of the joy I had in being a nun. When they saw me seeking to be alone, and even weeping over my sins at times, they thought I was discontented, and said so. 2. All religious observances had an attraction for me, but I could not endure …
Teresa of Avila—The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus The Christian Described
HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN O HOW happy is he who is not only a visible, but also an invisible saint! He shall not be blotted out the book of God's eternal grace and mercy. DIGNITY OF THE CHRISTIAN There are a generation of men in the world, that count themselves men of the largest capacities, when yet the greatest of their desires lift themselves no higher than to things below. If they can with their net of craft and policy encompass a bulky lump of earth, Oh, what a treasure have they engrossed …
John Bunyan—The Riches of Bunyan Touching Jacob, However, that which He did at his Mother's Bidding...
24. Touching Jacob, however, that which he did at his mother's bidding, so as to seem to deceive his father, if with diligence and in faith it be attended to, is no lie, but a mystery. The which if we shall call lies, all parables also, and figures designed for the signifying of any things soever, which are not to be taken according to their proper meaning, but in them is one thing to be understood from another, shall be said to be lies: which be far from us altogether. For he who thinks this, may …
St. Augustine—Against Lying 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 Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
(Probably While on the Way from Jerusalem to Galilee.) ^A Matt. XII. 1-8; ^B Mark II. 23-28; ^C Luke VI. 1-5. ^b 23 And ^c 1 Now it came to pass ^a 1 At that season ^b that he ^a Jesus went { ^b was going} on the { ^c a} ^b sabbath day through the grainfields; ^a and his disciples were hungry and began ^b as they went, to pluck the ears. ^a and to eat, ^c and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. [This lesson fits in chronological order with the last, if the Bethesda …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Elucidations.
I. (The Shepherd of Hermas, p. 85.) Here, and in chap. xx. below, Tertullian's rabid utterances against the Shepherd may be balanced by what he had said, less unreasonably, in his better mood. [999] Now he refers to the Shepherd's (ii. 1) [1000] view of pardon, even to adulterers. But surely it might be objected even more plausibly against "the Shepherd," whom he prefers, in common with all Christians, as see John viii. 1-11, which I take to be canonical Scripture. A curious question is suggested …
Tertullian—On Modesty Meditations for one that is Like to Die.
If thy sickness be like to increase unto death, then meditate on three things:--First, How graciously God dealeth with thee. Secondly, From what evils death will free thee. Thirdly, What good death will bring unto thee. The first sort of Meditations are, to consider God's favourable dealing with thee. 1. Meditate that God uses this chastisement of thy body but as a medicine to cure thy soul, by drawing thee, who art sick in sin, to come by repentance unto Christ, thy physician, to have thy soul healed …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Adam's Sin
Q-15: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED? A: That sin was eating the forbidden fruit. 'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband.' Gen 3:3. Here is implied, 1. That our first parents fell from their estate of innocence. 2. The sin by which they fell, was eating the forbidden fruit. I. Our first parents fell from their glorious state of innocence. God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Eccl …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Consolations against Impatience in Sickness.
If in thy sickness by extremity of pain thou be driven to impatience, meditate-- 1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou mayest with greater patience endure these fatherly corrections. 2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence, being a child, the corrections of thy earthly parents, how much rather shouldst thou now subject thyself, being the child of God, to the chastisement of thy heavenly Father, …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Job 2:12 NIVJob 2:12 NLTJob 2:12 ESVJob 2:12 NASBJob 2:12 KJV
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