Job 2:11-13 | TNotes | STEP | 2:11 It might have taken several months for Job’s friends (see study note on 6:14-27) to hear of his afflictions (see 7:3 ). • The text implies that Job’s friends were Edomites, a people who were famous for their wisdom (Jer 49:7 ; Obad 1:8 ). • Eliphaz the Temanite was probably a descendant of Esau’s grandson Teman (Gen 36:10-11 , 15 ); his land was located in Edom (Ezek 25:13 ; Amos 1:11-12 ). • The Bil- element in Bildad would remind Hebrew readers of names like Bilhan, a descendant of Esau (Gen 36:27 ; 1 Chr 1:42 ). The -dad element would remind them of names like Bedad, father of the Edomite king Hadad (Gen 36:35 ; 1 Chr 1:46 ). • Shuhite: No place named Shuah is known, but Abraham’s son Shuah was sent to “a land in the east” (Gen 25:1 , 6 ; 1 Chr 1:32 ). • The Greek Old Testament lists Zophar instead of Zepho as one of Esau’s grandsons (Gen 36:11 , 15 ; 1 Chr 1:36 ). A Naamathite might reside in a town named Naamah, but no such location is known. Two Old Testament women are named Naamah, but neither is a likely ancestor of Zophar (Gen 4:22 ; 1 Kgs 14:21 ).

2:11 ^a It might have taken several months for Job’s friends (see study note on 6:14-27) to hear of his afflictions (see 7:3 ^b).

• The text implies that Job’s friends were Edomites, a people who were famous for their wisdom (Jer 49:7 ^c; Obad 1:8 ^d).

• Eliphaz the Temanite was probably a descendant of Esau’s grandson Teman (Gen 36:10-11 ^e, 15 ^f); his land was located in Edom (Ezek 25:13 ^g; Amos 1:11-12 ^h).

• The Bil- element in Bildad would remind Hebrew readers of names like Bilhan, a descendant of Esau (Gen 36:27 ⁱ; 1 Chr 1:42 ^j). The -dad element would remind them of names like Bedad, father of the Edomite king Hadad (Gen 36:35 ^k; 1 Chr 1:46 ^l).

• Shuhite: No place named Shuah is known, but Abraham’s son Shuah was sent to “a land in the east” (Gen 25:1 ^m, 6 ⁿ; 1 Chr 1:32 ^o).

• The Greek Old Testament lists Zophar instead of Zepho as one of Esau’s grandsons (Gen 36:11 ^p, 15 ^q; 1 Chr 1:36 ^r). A Naamathite might reside in a town named Naamah, but no such location is known. Two Old Testament women are named Naamah, but neither is a likely ancestor of Zophar (Gen 4:22 ^s; 1 Kgs 14:21 ^t).
2:12 ^u they scarcely recognized him: This expression indicates the extreme suffering Job had experienced (cp. Isa 52:14 ^v; 53:3 ^w).

• Job’s friends mourned by wailing loudly, just as they would have done for a dead man.

• Throwing dust sometimes expressed anger or disdain (see 2 Sam 16:13 ^x; Acts 22:23 ^y), but here it signaled mourning (see Josh 7:6 ^z; 1 Sam 4:12 ^aa; Neh 9:1 ^ab; Lam 2:10 ^ac).
2:13 ^ad Job’s friends sat on the ground to identify with Job’s suffering (see 2:8 ^ae).

• The standard period for mourning the death of a notable person or for acknowledging other disastrous news was seven days and nights (Gen 50:10 ^af; 1 Sam 31:13 ^ag; see also Ezek 3:14-15 ^ah).