Book of Job

Definition and Meaning

The Book of Job is the eighteenth book of the Old Testament and consists of 42 chapters. Together with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, it is classified as wisdom literature (literature that reflects on the principles of life and the will of God). Job, a blameless and upright man, loses in succession his wealth, his children, and his health. The book traces this suffering and asks, "Why do the righteous suffer?" This question is often associated with theodicy (the problem of defending God's goodness and justice in a world where evil and suffering exist).

Biblical and Historical Background

The author and date of composition are unknown, and scholars hold a range of views. The story is set in the land of Uz. The book falls into five main parts:

• Prologue (chapters 1–2): In the heavenly council, Satan (Hebrew for "the accuser") brings an accusation against Job, and calamity befalls him.
• Dialogues (chapters 3–31): Job debates with his three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The friends regard suffering as the consequence of sin, while Job protests his innocence.
• Speeches of Elihu (chapters 32–37)
• Speeches of God (chapters 38–41): God speaks out of the whirlwind and questions Job by pointing to the world of creation.
• Epilogue (chapter 42): Job repents, and God rebukes the friends and restores Job.

The prologue and epilogue are prose, while most of the book is poetry. In the New Testament, James 5:11 refers to "the patience of Job."

Use in the Korean Church

Korean denominations do not differ in accepting Job as canonical. The following verses are used with particular frequency:

• Job 1:21 "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away": read as words of comfort at funeral services and during pastoral visits to bereaved families.
• Job 19:25 "For I know that my redeemer liveth": frequently cited at funerals as a verse expressing the hope of resurrection.
• Job 23:10 "I shall come forth as gold": a beloved verse that interprets suffering as refining (testing and purification).
• Job 8:7 "Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase": widely used at services dedicating new businesses and at church founding services, and often displayed on walls as framed calligraphy. Some pastors and biblical scholars caution against using it without regard to its context, noting that these are the words of Bildad and that God rebukes the friends in 42:7. Others continue to use it, holding that the statement itself expresses the principle by which God grants blessing.

The scene in chapter 42, in which Job receives twice as much as he had before, is also interpreted in different ways. Some preach it as grounds for expecting blessing after suffering, while others criticize such interpretations as reflecting prosperity theology, arguing that the focus should instead be on trusting God's sovereignty and providence even in the midst of suffering.