Job 2 Explained

Job 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1] The book is anonymous; most scholars believe it was written around 6th century BCE. This chapter belongs to the prologue of the book,comprising Job 1:1–2:13.

Text

The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B;

ak{G}

B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK:

ak{G}

S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A;

ak{G}

A; 5th century).

Analysis

Within the structure of the book, chapters 1 and 2 are grouped as "the Prologue" with the following outline:

The whole section precedes the following parts of the book:

The Prologue consists of five scenes in prose form (1:1–5; 1:6–12; 1:13–22; 2:1–6; 2:7–13 (3:1)) — alternating between earth and heaven — which introduce the main characters and the theological issue to be explored.

Second conversation (2:1–6)

The passage describes the conversation in the second heavenly court which is very similar to the first one. From verse 1 to the middle of verse 3, the narrative practically repeats Job 1:7–8, except for the addition of three Hebrew words at the end of verse 2:1 (Hebrew: להתיצב על יהוה, - ,[2] translated: "to present himself before YHWH") and the difference in the Hebrew word used for "from where" (Hebrew: מֵאַ֣יִן, ,[3] in 1:7; Hebrew: אי מזה, ,[4] in 2:2). It is indicated that after the series of calamities on his possession and children, Job continues to "cling to" his integrity, basically maintaining all his commendable personal qualities. YHWH states that he has been "incited" to "ruin" Job "without any reason", acknowledging that YHWH is accountable and responsible, but mainly also inviting the Adversary to concede that Job passed the test. The Adversary responds that the test did not go far enough, using the phrase "skin for skin" (2:4 9) to make the exchange equal by including all that a man would give up to save his own skin. YHWH permits the Adversary to proceed with the second test, to touch ("harm" or "strike") Job's "flesh and bone" but not Job's "life". Thereafter God will not speak again until chapter 38.

Verse 3

The Lord said to the Adversary, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and an upright man, who fears God and avoids evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him, to destroy him without cause."[5]

Verse 6

The Lord said to the Adversary, “Very well, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”[6]

This verse shows that YHWH is sovereign over the Adversary by putting limits on how far the action against Job may go.

Affliction of Job and the Arrival of Counselors (2:7–13)

The first part of the section (verses 7–8) describes the second attack by the Adversary on Job, which adds a negative aspect, by afflicting the physical pain of 'ghastly sores', to the removal of the positives in Job's life with the first attack. The words of Job's wife elicits a spoken response from Job about the second attack (verses 9–10). The arrival of Job's three friends, their mourning and silence, left to Job to speak first, setting the stage for the subsequent poetic dialogues (chapter 3 to 42).

Verse 7

Therefore, the Adversary went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with severe sores from the sole of his foot to the top of his head.[9]

Verse 8

Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, and he sat in ashes in misery. [11]

Verse 9

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."[12]

The words of Job's wife can be interpreted as suggesting a "theological method of committing suicide", that is, urging Job 'to put him out of misery by doing the one forbidden thing ("cursing God") that will ensure his immediate destruction and end his endless agony" according to the traditional 'doctrine of (divine) retribution'.

The Greek Septuagint has a longer reading with the phrase "when a long time had passed" in the beginning of the verse and the speech of Job's wife: "How long will you hold out, saying, 'Behold, I wait yet a little while, expecting the hope of my deliverance?' for behold, your memorial is abolished from the earth, even your sons and daughters, the pangs and pains of my womb which I bore in vain with sorrows, and you yourself sit down to spend the night in the open air among the corruption of worms, and I am a wanderer and a servant from place to place and house to house, waiting for the setting sun, that I may rest from my labors and pains that now beset me, but say some word against the Lord and die."[18]

Verse 13

And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great.[19]

See also

Sources

. Michael D. Coogan . The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 . Coogan . Michael David . Marc Zvi . Brettler . Carol Ann . Newsom . Pheme . Perkins . Augmented 3rd . Oxford University Press . 2007 . 9780195288810 .

. Henry Hampton Halley. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary . 24th (revised). Zondervan Publishing House . 1965 . 0-310-25720-4.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  2. https://biblehub.com/text/job/2-1.htm Job 2:1 Hebrew Text Analysis
  3. https://biblehub.com/text/job/1-7.htm Job 1:7 Hebrew Text Analysis
  4. https://biblehub.com/text/job/2-2.htm Job 2:2 Hebrew Text Analysis
  5. 2 Job MEV
  6. 2 Job MEV
  7. Note [a] on Job 2:6 in NET Bible
  8. Note [b] on Job 2:6 in NET Bible
  9. 2 Job MEV
  10. https://biblehub.com/text/job/2-7.htm Job 2:7 Hebrew Text Analysis
  11. 2 Job NCV
  12. 2 Job ESV
  13. https://biblehub.com/text/genesis/2-23.htm Genesis 2:23 Hebrew Text Analysis
  14. https://biblehub.com/text/job/2-5.htm Job 2:5 Hebrew Text Analysis
  15. https://biblehub.com/text/job/2-9.htm Job 2:9 Hebrew Text Analysis
  16. Note on Job 2:9 in NKJV
  17. Note [c] on Job 2:19 in NET Bible
  18. Note [a] on Job 2:19 in NET Bible
  19. 2 Job ESV
  20. Note [a] on Job 2:13 in NET Bible