Job (English: ; Hebrew: אִיּוֹב 'Īyyōv; Greek: Ἰώβ Iṓb) is the central figure of the Book of Job in the Bible. In Islam, Job (Arabic: أيوب, romanized: ʾAyyūb) is also considered a prophet.
The Book of Job presents him as a family man who is beset with disasters that take away his family and possessions; this scenario is intended to test his faith in God. Job struggles to understand while reflecting on his despair. Despite this, he consistently remains devout.
The language of the Book of Job, combining post-Babylonian Hebrew and Aramaic influences, indicates it was composed during the Persian period (540–330 BCE), with the poet using Hebrew in a learned, literary manner.
The Hebrew Book of Job is part of Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible. Not much is known about Job based on the Masoretic Text.
The characters in the Book of Job consist of Job, his wife, his three friends (Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar), a man named Elihu, God, and angels.
It begins with an introduction to Job's character—he is described as a blessed man who lives righteously in the Land of Uz. The Lord's praise of Job prompts an angel with the title of "satan" ("Adversary") to suggest that Job served God simply because God protected him. God removes Job's protection and gives permission to the angel to take his wealth, his children, and his physical health (but not his life). Despite his difficult circumstances, he does not curse God, but rather curses the day of his birth. And although he anguishes over his plight, he stops short of accusing God of injustice. Job's miserable earthly condition is simply God's will.
In the following, Job debates with three friends concerning his condition. They argue whether it was justified, and they debate solutions to his problems. Job ultimately condemns all their counsel, beliefs, and critiques of him as false. God then appears to Job and his friends out of a whirlwind. God rebukes the three friends and gives them instruction for the remission of sin, followed by Job being restored to an even better condition than his former wealthy state (Job 42:10–17). Job is blessed to have seven sons, as well as three daughters, named Jemimah (which means "dove"), Keziah ("cinnamon"), and Keren-happuch ("horn of eye-makeup"). His daughters were said to be the most beautiful women in the land.
In the Greek Old Testament Book of Job
The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, has a revised and updated final verse that claims Job's genealogy, asserting him to be a grandson of Esau and a ruler of Edom.
This man is described by the Syriac book as dwelling in the land of Uz, on the borders of Edom and Arabia. And his name before was Jobab. And having taken an Arabian wife, he fathered a son, whose name was Enan. And he himself had as father Zareh, from the sons of Esau. And his mother was Bosorra, so that it made him the fifth from Abraham. And these were the kings who were ruling in Edom, which territory also he himself ruled over: first, Bela, the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. And after Bela, Jobab, who was called Job. And after this, Husham, who was serving as leader from the territories of Thaiman. And after this. Hadad, son of Bered, who destroyed Midian in the field of Moab, and the name of his city was Avith. And his friends who came to him were Eliphaz, of the sons of Esau, king of the Temanites; Bildad, the tyrant of the Shuhites; and Zophar, the king of the Naamathites.
He is mentioned in the Book of Ezekiel.
He is cited as someone "who held fast to all the ways of justice" in the deuterocanonical Book of Sirach.
He is praised for his perseverance in the Christian Epistle of James.
He is the protagonist of a pseudepigraphal book called the Testament of Job.
He is mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants, one of the four sacred texts of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
He is discussed as a prophet in the Quran by the name of Ayūb.
The Quran describes Job as a righteous servant of Allah, who was afflicted by suffering for a lengthy period of time. However, it clearly states that Job never lost faith in God and forever called to God in prayer, asking Him to remove his affliction:
And [mention] Job, when he called to his Lord, "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful."