In Job 3, after responding with simple expressions of faith in God, Job exquisitely expresses his agony, his suffering, his turmoil with language and imagery that pierces to the heart of the matter. It is important to recognize that poetry is not merely window dressing on propositional statements. While Job’s curse-lament is, properly speaking, a “parody of a curse,” [1]  Job’s adoption of the curse-lament form deepens the meaning of his existential turmoil. There is meaning not only in what...

In Job 1, we see how Job’s piety precedes his prosperity. Satan is undeterred in his accusations against Job, since, in his opinion, the loss of wealth is nothing compared to the loss of health. What ensues in Job 2 is a concentration of suffering for Job along physical, psychological, and spiritual lines. A key consideration in the interpretation of Job 2 is the role that Job’s wife plays. How should we understand her words to her husband? Is she being sympathetic or antagonistic? This...

Job 1 is crucial for rightly reading the rest of the book of Job well. In particular, the first twelve verses lay out the off-stage drama that drives much of the dialogue in this wisdom book. It is good, then, to familiarize ourselves with three of the main characters in the book of Job and to note how they affect what follows. That’s the goal of this reflection, and we begin with Job himself, who is introduced to us in vv1-5. Job is a man whose character is exemplary. He is “blameless,”...