Job: When the Righteous Suffer

Job at a Glance

Job opens the five books of poetry and wisdom. It takes up one of the oldest questions in the world, why a good man suffers, and gives an answer that surprises almost every reader.

• Author. The book does not name its writer. Jewish tradition suggested Moses. Others suggest Job himself, or another godly man who knew the story. We cannot be sure, and we do not need to be, because God is the Author (2 Timothy 3:16).
• Date. The events fit the age of the patriarchs, about the time of Abraham (about 2000 BC) or earlier. Job offered sacrifices for his own household (Job 1:5) and lived 140 years after his trial (Job 42:16). The book never mentions the Law of Moses or the nation of Israel. The date of writing is unknown.
• Written To. Believers in every age who suffer and cannot see why.
• Setting. The land of Uz, east of Canaan, where Job was the greatest of all the men of the east (Job 1:3). Lamentations connects Uz with Edom (Lamentations 4:21). Job was a real man. Ezekiel names him beside Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14), and James holds him up as an example (James 5:11).
• Key Verse. I know that my redeemer liveth (Job 19:25).
• Key Word or Theme. Suffering and the wisdom of God. Job asks why. God shows him who He is.