How are we to interpret Job 42? One thing is for certain; this is not boilerplate material. In fact, every aspect of it comes as a complete surprise. First, Job’s final words to God are mind-bogglingly ambiguous leaving us to wonder just where Job ended up. Furthermore, God’s words catch us off-guard. Why rebuke the friends, even to the extent of their needing an intercessor? Why characterize their exhortations as so deficient alongside Job’s outbursts? Finally, the two-fold restoration of Job’s property and family seems to subvert the entire point of the dialogues and support the adversary’s contention from the very outset - to wit, Job was faithful to God because of what God did for him. We have our work cut out for us as we tie together …show more content…
Here is it, complete with exceedingly amplified translation possibilities. The words in brackets are options for what might be the unwritten direct object of the first verb, which itself has a range of possible meanings!
Therefore, I reject [life, You, dust and ashes] / despise [myself/my words/life/You/dust and ashes] / retract [my words], and/yet I am comforted / changed my mind / relented / repented in / on / concerning dust and ashes.
There are six separate forms in the Hebrew of this verse and only one of them has an assured meaning.
That is the compound word translated “therefore.” The two verbs are particularly challenging but we also must inquire as to whether “dust and ashes” is metaphorical and if so, how does it function? At another level, are any of these puzzles elucidated by earlier references in Job or the wider context of the Hebrew
Bible? Depending on how we untangle these knots, Job’s final words have been variously interpreted as an about-face from his adamant demands for vindication, a changed perception of the place of humans in
God’s vast creation, comfort even in his persistent distress, his repentance from what he now perceived
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The niphal usually means “to repent” or “to change one’s mind” and almost uniformly, God is the Subject of this verb form in other occurrences in Scripture.
Half of the occurrences of niham have Yahweh as subject no matter what the specific form. When it is interpreted as “to change one’s mind” or “to relent,” more than two-thirds of those occurrences have the LORD as the Subject. This parallel ought to make us wary of interpreting this as Job’s repenting of a sinful act. That is hardly something we would ascribe to the LORD; thus we may not want to jump to the conclusion that Job repented after having uttered sinful words. For that reason, I would offer a tentative reading to the effect that Job was consoled in spite of his unchanged circumstances.
Add to that the expression “dust and ashes.” The two words appear together only in Genesis 18:27, Job
30:19 and this passage. Both other uses suggest a position of humility in addressing the LORD. It may be that as a result of Job’s new reality framework, his posture before the LORD changed. He retracted the most radical claims in his lawsuit and changed his perspective. Or perhaps he was repenting of arrogance
Second, the story line. Although Archibald MacLeish wrote the play based on the story of Job in The Bible, there are many differences in the story line. In The Bible, Job’s misfortune was spawned by Satan trying to show God that Job was not as holy as God had thought. God gave Satan the power to destroy everything Job had, including his health. Job’s children all died together when the roof of the house collapsed on them while they were all dining at the house of the oldest brother. His wife died also, and all of his possessions was taken from him. Furthermore, he contracted painful sores all over his body. As for J.B., his children died separately, one after the other. The oldest had died in the army. Two were involved in a car accident. One daughter was killed by an explosion that also took out J.B.’s millions. And the youngest was raped. However, J.B.’s wife, Sarah, was not killed, but instead she left him. In The Bible, Job is confronted by his three friends. His friends encourages him to turn against God and to curse him, but he refused to do so. On the other hand, J.B. was confronted with four friends, the first three encouraging him to turn against God but the fourth telling him to pray to God and to praise Him.
...the reasoning behind it soon becomes apparent. As Johnson talks more and more about his gradual distancing from God, I realize that I am being set up for a miracle.
...ade to choose him for the spiritual task. Job realized he had to experience loss and suffering in the name of God to pass the test God bestowed upon him. God stated “Who is that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me... Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth” (p.667) God notified Job he was in no position to question the loss he must undertake in order to complete his mission. Job realized the meaning of his life, when he realized the magnitude God went to convince him of his calling. Job forgave himself for his sacrifices, because he realized it was instructed by God.
The first commentator under consideration is Martin Buber in an excerpt from his Darko shel miqra'4. Buber draws an apt parallel between the Book of Job and the proceedings in a court of law, casting God as judge and Job as prosecution. In Buber's legal parallel, Job demands what in an earthly court of law would amount to due process, or a fair trial. And yet, even as Buber confers the legitimacy of a court of law on Job's complaints, Buber suggests that Job knew his appeal was "suppressed from the start."5 Buber cites Job: "Though I am right, my mouth will condemn me!"6 By highlighting the justness of Job's claims and the non-existent chance of a divine finding in Job's favour, Buber stresses how human justice and divine justice diverge. This difference is highlighted further by discussion of how Job is made to suffer hinnam, or gratuitously, from both God and Job's perspective.7
...y the same reason for doubting any other intuition, including further intuitions about God himself." (131-132 lines 37-40, 1-2 Wilson)
to you. He goes on to tell us that God perceives every object all of
“The valley of ashes is bounded on one side by a small foul river, and when the drawbridge is up to let barges through, the passengers on waiting trains can stare at the dismal scene for as long as half an hour”(Fitzgerald 28). This is representation of the social classes and how the wealthy not only perturbedly but physically ruined the townspeople. In pursuit of their own success and happiness the affluent individuals have no regard for the others that are being dragged through their path. The valley of ashes also represents not only the rich hurting others, but themselves and making their souls hollow. In result of this it overall symbolizes hopelessness and
...he expectation that the Lord would be in the wind, the fire, or the earthquake, He proved Himself to be unpredictable, revealed in a gentle whisper. Too often, Christians like to put God in a box so we can understand Him. However, the timeless principle we can find in this section of the narrative is that the Lord does not always appear like we expect Him to. Furthermore, there are times when He will show up when and where we least expect.
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
...on of Berish’s plea to accuse God; Job also gives a similar lament, “I would lay my case before [God], and fill my mouth with arguments" (NIV Job 23:4).
In the Victorian era dust heaps were filled with useful garbage. Dust heaps were made up of many different things. One such ingredient – also the main ingredient – was fine cinders and ashes. These items, along with some soil, were sold to brick makers for making bricks, and to farmers for manure – especially for clover. The next item tended to be pieces of coal which were usually there because a servant’s carelessness. The coal was either resold or simply used. Another portion of the dust heaps was made from ‘breeze’. According to “Dust; or Ugliness Redeemed”, breeze was named after the cinders which were “left after the wind has blown the finer cinders through an upright sieve”. These ciders were also sold to brick makers, but for burning the b...
...n the world. Job questions what god is really doing for him. Then god talks to job in question form about the creation of the earth. This shows that jobs is very small compared to god, so small that he cannot even being to understand some of the the things god is telling him. Chapter 38 proves to job that humans are far below the power of god then in chapter 42 job quickly shames himself for the previous things he said.
Similarly, ashes take the form “of ash-grey men, who moved dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air”. (21) The stiff, weak movements show its inhabitants to be barely alive. These men have the same lack of life and vitality as their surroundings do. This is seen in the inhabitants of the valley. George Wilson, who...
Job was a man of the purest faith. When the world shunned God, Job's faith never declined. Job was a wealthy, handsome man with a beautiful wife and a vast amount of property. At some point in time, Satan made a bet with God that if Job situation was changed, his faith would quickly falter. On this note, God took Job's wealth, his property, his family, and his wife. When times were at their worst, God gave Job pus welts on Job's face, taking his looks. Job's faith, however, did not falter, instead it becamestronger. Job passed the test. God then healed Job, gave him more land, greater wealth , and a better wife. Job was baffled, he wondered the purpose behind his fall and rise. When he asked God this, God replied: "...Because I'm God." That was answer enough.
He wants to find a way to justify God’s actions, but he cannot understand why there are evil people who “harm the childless woman, / and do no good to the widow,” only to be rewarded with long, successful lives (Job 24:21). Job’s friends, say that God distributes outcomes to each person as his or her actions deserve. As a result of this belief, they insist that Job has committed some wrongdoing to merit his punishment. God himself declines to present a rational explanation for the unfair distribution of blessings and curses. He still suggests that people should not discuss divine justice since God’s power is so great that humans cannot possibly justify his