Job
by Anonymous · אִיּוֹב
Assigned by 3 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 6th-4th century BCE
- Form
- Scripture
- Language
- Hebrew
- Length
- Short · 60 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Wisdom Books, Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, translated by Robert AlterW. W. Norton, 2010Alter's verse translation restores the poetry of the speeches; the notes explain the difficult Hebrew.
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A prose frame tells how God, prompted by the Adversary, permits the ruin of Job, a blameless and prosperous man, who loses his children, his wealth and his health. The long central poem is a debate between Job, who insists on his innocence and demands a hearing, and three friends who argue that suffering must be deserved. A fourth speaker, Elihu, intervenes; then God answers Job out of the whirlwind with questions about the creation that do not explain his suffering. Job submits, and the frame closes with his fortunes restored.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Job are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
