Wisdom Outline #7         Diane Jacobson

Job: God's Answer, Job's Response, and the Epilogue

 

 

 

I. God's Answer

A.     God in Job

1.  What we have -- Fretheim’s 7 portraits (see last page)

2.  What we want

 

            B.  Movements of the book

                        1. Lawsuit

                        2. Dramatized lament

                        3. Wisdom Questioning

                        4. Picturing a Moral Universe (Newsom, Carol A.  “The Moral Sense of Nature: Ethics in the Light of

                                                          God’s Speech to Job.”  Princeton Seminary Bulletin ns 15 no 1 1994: 9-27.)

5. The call to reverse creation and undo birth

                                    a. Friends and creation: Zophar, chap.11;

                                                Bildad, chap.18; 8:11; Eliphaz, 4:10;chap.5

                                    b. Job and creation - chaps.7; 9; 12 (12:7); 30:29

 

            C. Close reading of God's response

                        (Outside references to Mary Douglas and other biblical

                          references to horses - Pss.20:8;33:17;147:10-11;      

                          Is.30:15-16; Hos.1:7; 14:3; Zech.12:4-5; Prov.21:31)

 

            D. Reflecting on God's response (Job 38-41)

 

II. Job's Responses

 

40:3Then Job answered the LORD:

4 “See, I am of small account;

     what shall I answer you?

     I lay my hand on my mouth.

5I have spoken once, and I will not answer;

    twice, but will proceed no further.”

Job 40:3-5
 ;r×am)ïYáw hèfwhºy-te) bwÛoYi) }a(ÙaYáw 3

;y×ip-Om:l yiT:mØa& yèidæy÷ ÞÕebyi$A) hØfm yitoLaqø }Ø"h 4

hÕenE(×e) )Øolºw yiT:raBiDø tØaxa) 5

 ;p vy×isO) )Øolºw  {éyèaT:$U÷   

42:1Then Job answered the LORD:

2 “I know that you can do all things, and

    that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 'Who is this that hides counsel without  

    knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what

    I did not understand, things too wonderful

    for me, which I did not know.

4 'Hear, and I will speak;

    I will question you, and you declare to me.'

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

    but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I despise myself,

    and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:1-6
 ;r×am)ïYáw hèfwhºy-te) bwÛoYi) }a(ÙaYáw 1

lÕfkUT lØok-yiK yiT:(adæyø**  fT:(adæy* 2

 ;h×fMéz:m Ø!:Mim rÙ"cfBéy-)olºw   

 yñil×:B hèfc"( {yÛil:(am híez yÜim 3

}yÕibf) )Øolºw yiT:daGihø }Ø"kfl ta(Ûfd   

 ;(×fd") )Øolºw yéNèeMim÷ twÛo)fl:pén   

 ;yén×"(yidOhºw è!:lf):$e)÷ rÕ"BadA) yØikïnf)ºw )ænø-(×am×:$ 4

 ;!:t×f)fr yÛiny"( hèfTa(ºw÷ !yÕiT:(am:$ }åzÛo)-(am×"$:l 5

;p  rep×")æw rÛfpf(-la( yiT:mÕaxénºw sØa):me) }"Kø-la( 6

 

 

Other translations of Job 42:6  ;rep×")æw rÛfpf(-la( yiT:mÕaxénºw sØa):me) }"Kø-la(  

Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (NRSV, NIV, RSV)

Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes (NAB)

Therefore I recant and relent, being but dust and ashes. (NJPSV, supported by Fretheim, 1999)

Therefore I recant and repent of dust and ashes. (Habel, 1985))

Therefore I recant and repent, a child (‘ul) of dust and ashes. (Wolters, 1990)

Therefore I despise and repent of dust and ashes. (Good, 1990)

Therefore I recant and change my mind concerning dust and ashes. (Janzen, 1985)

Therefore I reject and am comforted over dust and ashes. (Perdue, 1991)

Therefore I reject and am comforted concerning dust and ashes (William Morrow, 1986;

                                                                                                supprted by Newsom, 1994)

 

What did Job learn?

 

III. Epilogue - Job 42:7-17

            A. The Truth of Job’s Speech and the Theology of the Cross

7After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly; for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has done." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job's prayer.

 

            B. And what of the end?  Are we back where we began?

10 And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. 12 The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 He named the first Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children's children, four generations. 17 And Job died, old and full of days.

 

What did we learn?

 

 

Fretheim, Terence E. “God in the Book of Job,” Currents in Theology and Mission, 26 (1999)