Job 11 niv zophar then zophar the naamathite bible gateway. Its author is unknown yet it is possible that job himself wrote it. This exercise in interpretation offers the pleasures inherent in any attempt to decipher a difficult text, a pleasure doubled here by the fact that we have two difficult texts. Rediscovering the old testament, hebrew scholar ellen davis points out several significant things about the ending passage of the book of job. On the seventh day, job speaks, beginning a conversation in which each of the four men shares his thoughts on jobs afflictions in long, poetic statements. Not only do they incur the indignation of job and his other friend elihu, but god himself rebukes them, saying to eliphaz, i am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant job has. Elihu refuted the claims of compensation theology by eliphaz, bildad, and zophar that presumed that a relationship between god and man was a fixed business contract defining predictable and precise responses from god in reply to a persons conformity or nonconformity to the stipulations of that contract p. Job has been teaching them to think of him as an innocent man in gods sight. He appears but twice in the dialogue, once less than his two associates, whose general sentiments he shares, with perhaps more severity of judgment against job, job 2. Contextual overview 11 eliphaz from teman, bildad from shuah, and zophar from naamah were three of jobs friends, and they heard about his troubles.
Speeches of eliphaz, bildad, and zophar speeches of eliphaz, bildad, and zophar. Addressing the problem of theodicy the vindication of the justice of god in the light of humanitys suffering it is a rich theological work setting out a variety of perspectives. It is possible that job is the oldest of any book of the bible written approximately 21001800 b. Maimonides, spinoza and the book of job 1 i invite you to reflect with me on the meaning of the book of job and of maimonides comments on it in the guide of the perplexed. Three of jobs friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, come to visit him, sitting with job in silence for seven days out of respect for his mourning. Eliphaz, bildad, and zopharfalse accusers book of job.
Where did the biblical story of creation come from. All three friends believed that the unrighteous suffer. Like the other two comforters, bildad and eliphaz, zophar emphasizes an old hebrew conceptsuffering is the inevitable lot of the evil man. Bildads arguments with job reveal him to be a sage who looks to the authority of tradition. One of job s three friends, a native of some unknown place called naamah. Jobs buddies eliphaz, zophar, and bildad come to visit and chill with him while he rolls around in ash and sackcloth. Eliphaz thought that job must have sinned and that was why he was suffering. Eliphaz the temanite was one of jobs three friends who showed up to comfort job but ended up adding to his misery by asserting that jobs suffering was a punishment for secret sin. In the end job says, i have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, and the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer. In essence, job is an essay on the problem of evil. Zophar the naamathite is one of the three and later four friends who discuss with the unfortunate job the finer points of righteousness and divine intervention job 2.
Zophar accuses job of insulting him and reminds him that the wicked may be blessed, but they will then loose their riches 20. In the pseudepigrapha, one finds the testament of job. In job 3237 elihu offers a response to job that lifts up the lord, condemns jobs three friends, and rightly confronts job. A naamathite, third in order of jobs friends job 2. If gods power is absolute, and gods law is that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked are punished, then jobs predicament is his own fault.
He used sayings of that day to get his point across. On the seventh day, job speaks, beginning a conversation in which each of the four men shares his thoughts on job s afflictions in long, poetic statements. If job would only turn from his sin and sincerely repent, then god would pardon and restore him. They agreed to go and show sympathy to job and to comfort him. In the book of job, it becomes clear that the first three of jobs friends eliphaz, blidad, and zophar speak wrongly. Eliphaz was the oldest and considered the wisest of the three. Zophar himself erred in that he presumed to know all about god and pleaded the worth of human merit in his sight. One of jobs three friends, a native of some unknown place called naamah. He is called a naamathite, or an inhabitant of some unknown place called naamah. These guys have plenty to say, and job isnt their biggest fan.
Jobs friends do not waver from their belief that job must have sinned to incite gods punishment. Bildad, in the old testament, one of the three principal comforters of job. Taken from nelsons new illustrated bibkle dictionary. Three of jobs friends were eliphaz from teman, bildad from shuah, and zophar from naamah.
Some bible scholars debate whether he was an actual person or legend, but job is mentioned as a historical figure by the prophet ezekial ezekial 14. God is just, and job must have done something to offend him. Job pronounced jobe, was a rich farmer living in the land of uz, somewhere northeast of palestine. At the end of job 2, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar enter stage left. In the hebrew bibleold testament book of job, zophar or tzofar the naamathite is one of the three friends. The book takes its name from the main character in the poem, the patriarch job.
Famed as the antiheroes of the book of job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite and zophar the naamathite deliver some of the longest uninterrupted monologues of the whole bible, speaking expansively on issues pertaining to the character of god, the nature of morality and justice, the essence and attainment of wisdom, the dynamics of the divinehuman relationship, and the experience of. Book of job is first of the poetic books of the old testament. In the hebrew bibleold testament book of job, zophar or tzofar the naamathite is one of the three friends of job who visits to comfort. The play unfolds as each man gives a long speech, and job responds to each with a speech of. Key personalities of this book include job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, zophar the naamathite, and elihu the buzite. Both the uniqueness of jobs situation and the complexities of the arguments defy easy, surface answers. The author of the book of job was a hebrew poet who had an extensive vocabulary. The first opinion, which maimonides identifies as being that of epicurus, is that. Job 20 zophar then zophar the naamathite bible gateway. This is a book that requires deep examination and meditation. Jobs three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar by zac poonen when jobs three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar heard of his adversity, they came to visit him, saying they wanted to comfort him job 2. God allowed satan to take away from job his wealth, his family, and his health.
Three of job s friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar, come to visit him, sitting with job in silence for seven days out of respect for his mourning. The three friends of job represent three ways of solving the mysterious problems of divine government in the affairs of men. Surely you know how it has been from of old, ever since mankind was placed on the earth, that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment. Information and translations of zophar in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. So far, eliphaz and bildad have answered job and now it is zophars turn. He told job he should be grateful that he wasnt getting what he deserved. These three friends heard about all the bad things that happened to job. Interpretations of elihu in job biblical hermeneutics.
It goes like a play and deals with an old question puzzling everyone, the problem of human suffering. Accused job of empty talk and told him to put away his evil practices. But they didnt actually comfort him at all, when we see the way they spoke to him later on. The story of job opens with a scene in heaven where the devil comes to accuse job before god. Lets see how this main point plays out in the debates between job and his three friends. Zophar zophar hairy, expanse or pleasant abode the man who boasted of his knowledge of god. Zophar definition and meaning bible dictionary bible study tools. Eliphaz the temanite was one of job s three friends who showed up to comfort job but ended up adding to his misery by asserting that job s suffering was a punishment for secret sin. Job was a wealthy but righteous and godfearing man. Job so called friends eliphaz, blidad and zophar are not much of help, either.
Zophar is the first to accuse job directly of wickedness. Affirms that job has received less than he deserves 11. Like the other two comforters, bildad and eliphaz, zophar emphasizes an old hebrew conceptsuffering is the inevitable lot of the evil m. The book of job is quite possibly the strangest book in the hebrew bible, and is notoriously difficult to date. With forcible language, zophar declared that suffering is judgment warning the sinner to repent and escape heavier punishment. The book of job introduction to philosophy of religion.
Famed as the antiheroes of the book of job, eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite and zophar the naamathite deliver some of the longest uninterrupted. God is unfathomable, sure, but he always punishes people less than they deserve. Others suggest that job was contemporaneous with moses 0 bce. Zophar says that job must have done something wrong. With his three friends job discussed the problem why a righteous god allows that a righteous man has to suffer innocently. Jobs three friends eliphaz, bildad and zophar were not able to understand these ways of god. He was the third to speak and the harshest accuser. After eliphaz and bildad, zophar spoke third in offering advice to job. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the. My troubled thoughts prompt me to answer because i am greatly disturbed. The book of job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues.
But the book of job is obviously more than a fictional debate between five fictional friends. He also wanted job to repent so god would restore his blessings. May 22, 2015 the book of job is about more than suffering. These three friends left their homes and met together. Naamathite definition and meaning bible dictionary. In job 32 elihu focuses his response on rebuking jobs three friends, eliphaz, bildad, and zophar.
Job retorts that his impatience is excusable and reminds zophar that the wicked prosper and live unlike he 21. The book of job examines from various perspectives the question, what is god like. Elihu is identified only as the son of barakel the buzite, of the family of ram job 32. Eliphza is the first to respond to job long lament. One talmudic tractate claims the book of job was written by moses.
And whereas job has been verbally wishing for god to speak and reveal that job is innocent zophar wishes that god would speak and condemn job for the secret sin hes been harboring. Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, because of the turmoil within me. Another claims it dates back to the time of jacob, that job is the son. So we will look at zophars speech in job chapter 11 and how he seeks to reel in job. Secondly, we can see from jobs behavior that he continues to go above and beyond in following god spiritually. As the speeches progress, jobs friends increasingly berate him for refusing to confess his sins, although they themselves are. Job had three friends visit him, eliphaz, bildad and zophar. Zophar zofar tsphar, meaning doubtful, supposed from root meaning to leap. Surprise, surprise, zophar follows the same line as his two friends. There is limited information in the book of job about its geographical and historical background.
However, it can be helpful to understand general information about the geography and history of the area to give you a context for reading and studying the book of job. The name job is the english translation of the hebrew name iyov which means persecuted, hated on the surface job is a long, boring, somewhat confusing book and one might question how it ever came to be grouped with the wisdom books as it is hard to ascertain any wisdom in this tale of woe. When he comes later to the book of job, he will identify job, eliphaz, bildad and zophar with one or another of these five opinions, each with a different one. And in their great sorrow, they tore their clothes, then sprinkled dust on their heads and cried bitterly. Job was blameless, meaning no sin was found in him. The book of job is written in the form of a dramatic poem, that deals with several age old questions, among them the question of why the righteous suffer. Eliphaz the temanite, bildad the shuhite, and zophar the naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him.
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