Background and Outline (Job)

Bible Commentary / Produced by TOW Project

The author of Job is anonymous. Job does not seem to be an Israelite, because he is said to be from the land of Uz (Job 1:1), which most scholars suggest was to the southeast of ancient Israel. Because he is cited in the book of Ezekiel (Ezek. 14:14, 20), it seems best to date his story no later than Ezekiel’s life (6^thCentury BC). His story, in any case, is timeless.

The book contains a wide variety of literary genres (narrative, poetry, visions, dialogue and others) woven together into a literary masterpiece. The most commonly accepted outline identifies two cycles of lament, dialogue, and revelation, sandwiched between a prologue and an epilogue:

Job 1:1-2:11	Prologue - Job's Prosperity Lost
Job 3:1-26	Job's First Lament
Job 4:1-27:23	Dialogue With the Three Friends
Job 28:1-28	Wisdom Revealed
Job 29:1-31:40	Job's Second Lament
Job 32:1-37:24	Dialogue With Elihu
Job 38:1-42:6	God Revealed
Job 42:7-17	Epilogue - Job's Prosperity Restored

< Introduction to Job

Theology and Themes (Job)

Calling & Vocation (Overview)

Article

Explore what the Bible says about God's calling and your work.

God’s Purposes for Your Work - Tom Lutz

Making It Work Podcast

We explore what the Bible has to say about the purpose of your work with guest Tom Lutz.

What Does the Bible Say About Wealth and Provision? (Overview)

Article

The Bible offers guidance for a Christian view of wealth and how wealth can be used for God's redemptive purposes.

How to Make the Right Decision (Devotional)

Devotional

Biblical decision-making principles for tough situations at work.

10 Key Points About Work in the Bible Every Christian Should Know

Article

10 key points from the Bible give a foundation for Christians asking what the Bible says about our work.

- Introduction to Job
- Background and Outline (Job)
- Theology and Themes (Job)
- Prologue (Job 1-2)
- Job’s First Lament (Job 3)
- Job’s Friends Blame Job for the Calamity (Job 4-23)
- Wisdom Revealed (Job 28)
- Job’s Second Lament (Job 29-42)
- Dialogue With Elihu (Job 32-37)
- God Appears (Job 38-42:9)
- Epilogue — Job’s Prosperity Restored (Job 42:7-17)
- Key Verses and Themes in Job

Donate

Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you. With your gift of any size, you’ll enable us to continue equipping Christians with high-quality biblically-based content.

Bible

Copyright

Contributors: Timothy Johnson
Adopted by the Theology of Work Project Board April 28, 2011. Rev. June 28, 2011.. Image by Used under license from Veer . Used by permission.

Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org

You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.