Job
Table of contents
Structure
| Job 1-2 | Introduction |
| Job 3 | Job |
| Job 4-5 | Eliphaz |
| Job 6-7 | Job |
| Job 8 | Bildad |
| Job 9-10 | Job |
| Job 11 | Zophar |
| Job 12-14 | Job |
| Job 15 | Eliphaz |
| Job 16-17 | Job |
| Job 18 | Bildad |
| Job 19 | Job |
| Job 20 | Zophar |
| Job 21 | Job |
| Job 22 | Eliphaz |
| Job 23-24 | Job |
| Job 25 | Bildad |
| Job 26-31 | Job |
| Job 32-37 | Elihu |
| Job 38-41 | God |
| Job 42 | Outro |
Without Job:
- Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar
- Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar
- Eliphaz, Bildad, Elihu
- God
Characters
Job
Job’s Wife
Eliphaz
Bildad
Zophar
Elihu
Elihu pops out of nowhere in chapter 32 and monologues through chapter 37. He is not mentioned in Job 2:111 in the introduction or the outro in Job 42:7-102. For this reason (and that he used more “Aramaisms” than the others) some believe that Elihu’s character was an early addition from an unoriginal author, while others believe that Elihu was the author of the book of Job.
Elihu is younger than the rest, and waits until the others are finished speaking before bursting out3. He is angry with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar because they found Job at fault without really having an answer 4 5.
God
References
Job 2:11 - When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ↩
Job 42:7-10 - After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.” So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer. After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. ↩
Job 32:18-21 - For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst. I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply. I will show no partiality, nor will I flatter anyone; ↩
Job 32:3 - He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him. ↩
Job 32:12 - I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments. ↩