Job 1:6-22
Summary for Job 1:6-7: 1:6-7 a The members of the heavenly court are heavenly beings; they may be either holy angels or rebellious demons (Gen 6:2 b, 4 c). They join God in his deliberations, including at creation (Gen 1:26 d) and in his rule over creation (Job 1:6 e; Gen 3:22 f; 2:1 g; 1 Kgs 22:19-22 h; Pss 82:1 i; 89:5 j, 7-8 k; Dan 3:13 l, 17 m, 23 n, 25 o; 7:9-14 p).• The account remains unclear as to whether Satan usually came with other members of the heavenly court to make a report or whether he was intruding as Job’s adversary.
• Where have you come from? The question was God’s sovereign demand for a report from a subordinate (see Gen 3:9 q).
• Satan was not patrolling to implement God’s judgments (cp. 1 Chr 21:1-14 r; 2 Kgs 19:35 s // Isa 37:36 t; Ezek 1:5-9 u) but to oppose God’s purposes (2 Tim 2:26 v; 1 Pet 5:8 w).
1:8 x my servant: This title was used for the patriarchs (Gen 26:24 y; Exod 32:13 z), the prophets (2 Kgs 17:13 aa; Jer 7:25 ab; Zech 1:6 ac), and David (e.g., 2 Sam 7:1-29 ad; Pss 18:1 ae; 36:1 af).
Summary for Job 1:9-11: 1:9-11 ag Job has good reason (Hebrew khinnam; see study note on 2:3) to fear God: The wisdom tradition links piety with prosperity. Satan went a step further by suggesting that Job’s piety was contingent upon his affluence.
1:10 ah wall of protection: See 1 Sam 25:16 ai; Pss 5:12 aj; 34:7 ak; Zech 2:5 al; cp. Isa 5:5 am.
Summary for Job 1:11-12: 1:11-12 an reach out ... test him ... Do whatever you want: Satan was God’s agent; the hand he put forth was the Lord’s as well as Satan’s, for here they acted against everything Job possessed and later against Job himself (2:5-6 ao).
• Job later cursed the day of his birth (3:1 ap, 8 aq), but he did not curse God (31:30 ar), even when his distraught wife urged him to do so (2:9 as).
• God allowed Satan to test Job to prove that Satan’s cynicism was incorrect (1 Cor 10:11 at; see Jas 1:13 au; cp. Luke 22:31-32 av; John 19:11 aw).
Summary for Job 1:13-19: 1:13-19 ax These attacks destroyed the blessings enumerated in 1:2-3 ay; Job was left alone with the four ominous messengers who came to report and a wife who offered misguided counsel.
• The repetition of while he was still speaking emphasizes the relentlessness of the attacks (see Jer 51:31 az). The repetition of I am the only one who escaped to tell you emphasizes the total obliteration of Job’s resources.
1:15 ba The Sabeans were marauding bandit tribes from the desert (cp. Judg 6:3 bb). By the 700s BC, the southern Sabeans would become a national power that traded in gold, precious stones, perfume, and slaves (Ps 72:10 bc; Isa 43:3 bd; 45:14 be; 60:6 bf; Jer 6:20 bg).
1:16 bh The fire of God ... from heaven (20:26 bi) might have been lightning (Lev 10:2 bj; 1 Kgs 18:38 bk; 2 Kgs 1:10-14 bl), wildfire (Num 11:1-3 bm), or volcanic activity (Gen 19:24 bn).
1:19 bo That the wind ... hit the house on all sides suggests that Job and his children were settled farmers living in houses rather than nomads living in tents.
1:20 bp Job tore his robe and shaved his head; both were common Near East rituals that demonstrated grief. These actions sometimes substituted for self-mutilation as a physical response to shock, horror, or bad news (2:12 bq; Gen 37:29 br, 34 bs; Judg 11:35 bt; Jer 16:6 bu; Ezek 7:18 bv; Amos 8:10 bw).
• He fell to the ground, not to wail in despair, but to worship in hope (1 Pet 5:6 bx).
Job 2:1-7
Summary for Job 2:1-3: 2:1-3 by This scene is an exact repetition of the scene presented in 1:6-8 bz.2:3 ca The phrase without cause (Hebrew khinnam) is a wordplay on Satan’s question in 1:9 cb.
2:5 cc take away his health (literally strike his flesh and bones): Bones were thought to be the seat of health.
2:6 cd spare (literally guard/watch over): God ironically made Satan responsible for guarding Job’s life (cp. 10:13-14 ce; 13:27 cf; 33:11 cg).
2:7 ch This term for terrible boils was used for any inflamed, running sores (Exod 9:10 ci; Lev 13:18-20 cj; Deut 28:27 ck, 35 cl).
Copyright information for
TNotes