Job 42

Job 42 is the final chapter of the Book of Job. Job gives his second reply to the LORD's speeches, which run from chapter 38 through chapter 41. A prose epilogue follows, matching the prose of chapters 1–2.

Outline

• Verses 1–6: Job confesses that the LORD can do everything. He admits that he spoke of things he did not understand. He says that he had heard of the Lord only by the hearing of the ear but now sees him with his own eyes, and he repents in dust and ashes.
• Verses 7–9: The LORD's anger is kindled against Eliphaz and his two friends, because they have not spoken of him what is right, "as my servant Job hath." He commands them to offer a burnt offering of seven bullocks and seven rams and to have Job pray for them. The three men do as they are told.
• Verses 10–11: When Job prays for his friends, the LORD turns his captivity and gives him twice as much as he had before. His brothers, sisters, and acquaintances come, eat with him, and comfort him, and each gives him a piece of gold and a gold ring.
• Verses 12–15: Job comes to own 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 she-asses. He also has seven sons and three daughters. His daughters, Jemima, Keziah, and Keren-happuch, are the most beautiful women in all the land, and Job gives them an inheritance among their brothers.
• Verses 16–17: Job lives another 140 years, sees four generations of his descendants, and dies old and full of days.

Key Verses

• Job 42:5: "But now mine eye seeth thee." This verse is read as the climax of the book, marking a shift from a faith known by hearsay to a faith of direct encounter.
• Job 42:7: "For ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." This verdict makes clear that God did not accept the friends' logic of retribution.
• Job 42:10: "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends." Job's restoration is narrated together with his prayer for his friends. For further detail, see Job 42:7–10.

People and Places

• The LORD: He speaks out of the whirlwind and then renders judgment between Job and his friends.
• Job: The protagonist of the book.
• Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar: Job's three friends. Eliphaz is a Temanite, Bildad a Shuhite, and Zophar a Naamathite.
• Teman: Known as a region in the land of Edom. The locations of Shuah and Naamah are uncertain.
• Jemima, Keziah, and Keren-happuch: The three daughters born to Job after his restoration. Their names are commonly interpreted as meaning "dove," "cassia" (a spice), and "horn of eye paint" (a container for cosmetic kohl).

Points for Reflection

• The translation of verse 6: The Hebrew verb in verse 6 has a broad range of meaning, so translations render it in different ways, such as "abhor myself" or "retract my words." Interpreters also differ over whether Job is repenting of sin or of his own arguments.
• The verdict that Job "spoke what is right": Job had earlier protested vehemently against God, yet verse 7 declares that Job spoke rightly. Some interpreters take this as God's approval of honest protest; others take it as referring to Job's confession in verses 1–6. Elihu, who speaks in chapters 32–37, is not mentioned in the epilogue.
• The double restoration: The number of livestock is exactly double that given in chapter 1, while the number of children is the same as before (seven sons and three daughters). Some interpreters read this to mean that the children who had died were not truly lost. Readings that treat this ending as grounds for material rewards for faith are part of the debate over prosperity theology. Some point out that directly linking suffering and reward is precisely the logic for which the three friends were rebuked.
• The daughters' inheritance: The scene in which the daughters receive an inheritance alongside their brothers often draws attention because it contrasts with the regulation in Numbers 27, under which daughters inherited only when there were no sons.
• Additional traditions: The Septuagint contains an addition after verse 17. It states that Job will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up, and it identifies Job with Jobab, a king of Edom. This material is not found in the Hebrew text.
• Connection with the New Testament: James 5:11 points to "the patience of Job" and "the end of the Lord" to show that "the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."

In the Korean Church

Verse 5 is frequently quoted in sermons that emphasize experiential faith. Verse 10 is widely used as a sermon text on intercessory prayer and restoration.