Job 27 is the 27th 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 the 6th century BCE. This chapter records the speech of Job, which belongs to the Dialogue section of the book, comprising –31:40.
The original text is written in the Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.
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;
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The structure of the book is as follows:
Within the structure, chapter 27 is grouped into the Dialogue section with the following outline:
The Dialogue section is composed in the format of poetry with distinctive syntax and grammar. Comparing the three cycles of debate, the third (and final) round can be seen as 'incomplete', because there is no speech from Zophar and the speech by Bildad is very short (6 verses only), which may indicate as a symptom of disintegration of the friends' arguments. Job's final speech in the third cycle of debate mainly comprises chapters 26 to 27, but in the silence of his friends, Job continues his speech until chapter 31. Chapter 27 can be divided into three parts:
After a possible brief pause (see verse 1) Job resumes his speech with a complain that God's denial to provide him justice has greatly impacted Job emotionally so God has made his life bitter (verse 2). Despite all this, as long as he lives, Job persists in his struggle and does not speak deceitfully (verses 3–4). Job uses the "oath formula" for the first time in verses 2–4 to declare his innocence (a longer legal form appears in chapter 31). Job claims a clear conscience with no reproach by his own "heart" ("the core of his being"), so he is still seeking God to vindicate his integrity and righteousnes (verses 5–6).
[Job said:] And Job again took up his discourse, and said:[2]
This section contains Job's point about the wicked, opened with a strong declaration for those against him (verse 7) and followed by a teaching about the fate of the wicked. Job asks a series of rhetorical questions about the relationship between the wicked and God (verses 8–10) to challenge his friends why they could not see the reality and they became so "vain" or "lightweight" (verse 12; cf. Ecclesiastes 1:2ff). In the subsequent speech, Job states his stand on the fate of the wicked, correcting the error in his friends' statements about the same issue that actually back themselves into the same group as the wicked. According to Job, the wicked will eventually be driven out by God, although for a while they seemingly prosper, and be swept away without pity (verses 20–23).
[Job said:] "For what is the hope of the hypocrite,
Though he may gain much,
If God takes away his life?"[4]
The verse has been linked to the words of Jesus "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:36, 37)[8] and to a parable of Jesus "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’" (Luke 12:20).[9]
. 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.