Job, the literary masterpiece that tackles the problem of unmerited suffering
Job, the literary masterpiece that tackles the problem of unmerited suffering
Book takes form of poetic drama, and a famous adaptation won a Tony Award
The book of Job in the Old Testament1 is one of the world’s literary masterpieces and the most notable work of the ancient world that attempts to answer in detail the question of why righteous people suffer. Many people today are familiar with the common Sunday school version of the story whose plot can be summarized in a sentence as being about a man who continues to believe in God even after he experiences tremendous losses of family and health. The reality, however, is that that part of the story makes up less than 10 percent of the book, the most complex book in the Bible, and the lessons Job teaches are far from simple.
The story is a timeless one that begins with the rough equivalent of “there was once a man who lived far away.” Like many other books of the Old Testament, the book of Job was anonymously written, and the author made no attempt to link Job the man with any other Biblical characters2 or with any historical events. The time period of the setting is unclear, although it is likely that the book was written fairly late in the Old Testament period, probably between the fifth and seventh centuries BCE.
The book consists of long-form poetry with a prose prologue and a prose epilogue. We learn at the beginning that Job is a wealthy man with a great family. As part of a cosmic test in the opening prose, God allows Satan to take away Job’s possessions and his children and inflict him with sores over his entire body.
Then the book shifts to poetry as three of Job’s friends (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar) show up, ostensibly to comfort him. Job 3:1 through 42:6 can best be thought of as a poetic drama that features Job and his friends along with another friend, Elihu, who shows up late in the story, and finally God (or, to be precise, Yahweh), who speaks out of a whirlwind. To call the bulk of the book a drama isn’t a figure of speech — the Kings James Version of Job has actually been performed on stage or in dramatic readings hundreds of times, and the 1958 adaptation J.B. by Archibald MacLeish won the 1959 Tony Award for best play and the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
The drama begins with Job cursing the day he was born — although we may talk about the patience of Job, he isn’t so patient here. His three friends, with nuances of difference among them, blame Job for his troubles. Job, of course, objects, and the four of them struggle to come to some sort of understanding about what is going on. Suddenly, another friend, Elihu, appears, angry at all four of the men.
Then when God appears, as viewers or readers we expect some sort of a resolution to the quandary. But it never really comes. In fact, God spends much of his time asking questions. “Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me!”3 God says in his introduction.
And God quickly lets Job know who’s been around the longest:4
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Declare, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measures, if you know?
Or who stretched the line on it?
What were its foundations fastened on?
Or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together,
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The things is, God never really answers the question that Job and his friends have been arguing about, at least not directly. Job himself finds some degree of resolution (and in the epilogue he has much of his life restored) in recognizing God’s majesty. And so it is that if you’re waiting to find life’s answers given on a silver platter, you’re not going to find them here. We do seem to find that Job’s suffering isn’t the result of sin, but what is the cause is never explained in so many words.
Unlike most of the Bible, Job isn’t of those books where the reader can simply pull out a chapter here or a verse there and expect to find a nugget of wisdom. In fact, some verses taken out of context can suggest answers contrary to the spirit of the book taken in its entirety! Job is meant to be read as a whole, a whole that can become a springboard for pondering and for discussion. It offers a model not only for questioning the unfairness of life, but for questioning God himself.
Although the dramatic poetry ends with Job upset at himself for questioning God,5 it is clear that he finds satisfaction for having come to know God: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.” The hope that the book of Job offers is that struggling with the biggest questions of life can lead to a deeper understanding of the God who created all.
This commentary on Job is part of our Bible for Modern-day Saints series. Unless otherwise indicated, Biblical quotations are adapted from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain.
Also known as the Hebrew Bible.
Job the man is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, but only in passing.
Job 38:1.
Job 38:4-7.
Most translations of the final verse of the poetic drama, Job 42:6, have Job repenting in dust and ashes. However, the Hebrew word here for “repent,” naham, isn’t a word that is used to refer to repenting of sin; remember, Job is blameless for his suffering. Instead, naham is a word that can refer to comfort or consolation, and it is translated that way elsewhere throughout the book. As a footnote in the English Standard Version notes, it is possible to translate the end of this verse as “and am comforted.”