Dating the Book of Job (PDF) - Ancient Hebrew Research Center

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4 Dating the Book of Job Figure 1 below shows a partial genealogical tree containing a probable overlay of the main characters of Job with the genealogies found elsewhere in the Bible. In the below genealogical tree, the main characters Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu are highlighted in red. Secondary/background characters are highlighted in blue. A few other significant biblical characters are included to help give a sense of the timing. Levi Kohath ? Amram Moses Judah Perez Hezron Ram Amminadab Nahshon Salmon Boaz Obed Jesse David Solomon Figure 1: Partial Genealogical Tree of Job/Jobab and His Friends Jacob Tamar Barachel Elihu Rahab Ruth Elihu Tamar Issac Benjamin Bela Naaman Zophar Amalek Abram Esau Eliphaz Teman Terah Reuel Zerah Jobab Shuah Bildad Jokshan Sheba In Figure 1, Job and Jobab the son of Zerah are overlapped as being likely the same person. The reasons for this are as follows: 1. Job is a short form of Jobab (the names are actually pronounced Yov and Yovav, respectively, in Hebrew) and it is not uncommon for people to be referenced by names spelt in slightly varied ways in the Old Testament – both in the Hebrew text and in translations (e.g. the Septuagint of I Chronicles 2:9-10 refers to one person using both of the names Ram and Aram) 1 . 2. Jobab lived at the right time and in the right place with respect to what we are told about Job (Jobab is younger than Eliphaz but older than Elihu and he, being a descendant of Esau, would likely have lived in the land of Uz). 3. Jobab was a very prominent man among Esau’s descendants as evidenced by his being awarded the kingship of the land after Bela (Genesis 36:33). 4. Jobab is a great-nephew of Eliphaz which would help to explain how Eliphaz knew Job’s father, even the birth date of Job’s father so as to be able to say “… the aged are among us, much older than your father.” (Job 15:10). Though Job does not reveal his age in his book, he seems to indicate that he is older than Zophar when he argues against Zophar’s first charge that “… wisdom is with aged men …” (Job 12:12 NKJV). – … I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you. Indeed, who does not know such things as these? … Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding. … my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it. What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. … Man decays like a rotten thing, like a garment that is moth-eaten. Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. 1 Google Books: Old Testament Textual Criticism – Page 164 Dedan Nahor Buz
Dating the Book of Job 5 He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue. And do You open Your eyes on such a one, and bring me to judgment with Yourself? (Job 12:3-14:3 NKJV) After Job’s remark to Zophar that wisdom is with aged men, Eliphaz responded to Job saying that “… both the gray-haired and the aged are among us …” which suggests that the other two of Job’s friends were older than Job. – Are you the first man who was born? Or were you made before the hills? Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself? What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not in us? Both the gray-haired and the aged are among us, much older than your father. (Job 15:7-10 NKJV) Elihu was the youngest of those who have significant dialog recorded in the book of Job and he was the last to speak. Elihu seems to have been so young at the time that the events of Job were recorded that his name was not worthy of mention in the opening chapters. One gets the impression that Elihu was perhaps a teen or in his early twenties, not a direct friend of Job but probably tagging along with Zophar – the youngest of Job’s three friends and the closest relation to Elihu. Of some significance is the possible relation between Elihu and king David. King David was a descendant of Ram and Elihu is said to be the son of Barachel and a member of the family of Ram (Job 32:2). Though Barachel is also said to be a Buzite, such is probably a reference to the area of his residence rather than his ancestry just as Eliphaz was said to be a Temanite because he dwelt in the land of his firstborn son – chief Teman. – Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job … (Job 32:2 NKJV) The book of Job has come down to us in modern times through preservation by the Jews along with the rest of the Old Testament. It is not as easy to see in the English translations, but there are many references to the book of Job embedded in the written works of kings David and Solomon. As an example, Table 1 shows several cross references between Psalms 104 and the book of Job.
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