Job1_6-12

A Verbal Attack on the Integrity of Job and God
(A Prose Dialogue)
The First Heavenly Scene
Job 1:6-12⁽¹⁾

The book is constantly pushing our ideas about theology to the limit. It poses many questions, whether implicit or explicit, that demand answers.

A. The Setting of the Encounter Described:

1. What was the nature of the meeting?

a. Friendly: Satan and the "sons of God" are all members of the heavenly court. Satan is merely the prosecuting attorney performing his task to insure justice.

b. Hostile: "The Satan" is the same malevolent being he is in later Judaism and in the New Testament.

2. The nature of the encounter and the person of Satan must be determined by:

a. The language used by Satan (in responding to God) reveals what about his character? Was he evasive and indirectly critical of God?

b. If these are friendly meetings then why the rigid formality of language. The discussions are very formulaic.

	Job 1:6-12	Job 2:1-7
Presentation of Subjects	Now there was a day when the sons of the Elohim came to present themselves before the Yahweh, and the Satan also came among them.	Again there was a day when the sons of the Elohim came to present themselves before Yahweh, and the Satan also came among them to present himself before Yahweh.
Question #1: Whereabouts	Yahweh said to the Satan, "From where do you come?"	Yahweh said to the Satan, "Where have you come from?"
Answer #1: Being Evasive	Then the Satan answered Yahweh and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."	Then the Satan answered Yahweh and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."
Question #2: The Righteousness of Job Divinely Declared	Yahweh said to the Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing Elohim and turning away from evil."	Yahweh said to the Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing Elohim and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."
Answer #2: A Satanic Accusation and Assertion	Then the Satan answered Yahweh, "Does Job fear Elohim for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face."	The Satan answered Yahweh and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face."
Divine Limitation of the Evil to be Done to Job	Then Yahweh said to the Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him."	Yahweh said to the Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."
Departure of the Satan	So the Satan departed from the presence of Yahweh	Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

c. The severity of the two attacks on Job seems to point to a malevolent being.

d. Determining the relationship of the opening two encounters with Satan to the two speeches of God to Job at the end. This is problematic, but essential to understanding who the adversary was who went after Job. In the last two speeches God uses hyperbolic language in describing how he restrains the sea and its pride and how he is the only one who can control proud Leviathan. Is God describing how he controls natural forces and creatures that are violent or is he cryptically describing how he controls Satan?

3. What ancient model do we use to describe it so that we do not turn it into a friendly encounter?

a. What would be the effect of using the wrong model to the interpretation of the passage?

b. How does the use of the correct model fit into the question of theodicy?

c. Does it solve the problem?

d. Does it exacerbate it?

4. Sons of God [{yiholE)fh y"n:B/b^ene elohim = the sons of the god(s)]

a. Why use this designation?⁽²⁾

b. Does it point to the antiquity of the book or at least the antiquity of the dramatic date?

c. Is it meant to increase the complexity of the problem? In other words "the" God, who is Yahweh, allows these persons, who may be of dubious background (Gen. 6:1-4), an audience and accepts a challenge from one of their kind.

d. Why use it in its strongest possible form (sons of god vs. sons of the god)?

e. What is the range of this term?

(1) Is it ever applied to good beings?

(2) Is it ever applied to evil beings?

(3) Which way does Job support?

f. Occurrences in the O.T.

(1) Genesis 6:2) that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

(2) (Genesis 6:4) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

(3) (Job 1:6) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

(4) (Job 2:1) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD.

(5) (Job 38:7) When the morning stars sang together

And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(6) Hosea 1:10)Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not My people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the living God."

5. Satan

Text	Identity	Work	Object of Work	Quality
Job 1:6, 7, 8, 9, 12; 2:1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
I Kings 5:18 (5:4)	Human Enemy	Political Opposition	Solomon
I Kings 11:14, 23, 25	Human Enemies	Political Opposition	Solomon
I Chronicles 21:1	? 1)God 2) Satan 3) Human	Arouse to Sin	David	?
Psalm 109:6	Evil Human	Accuse Unjustly	Wicked Man
Zechariah 3:1, 2	Supernatural	Accuse Zechariah before God
Numbers 22:22, 32	Angel of the Lord	Oppose Balaam to keep him from doing evil by cursing Israel	Balaam
I Samuel 29:4	David	Fight against an enemy in a battle	Philisitines
II Samuel 19:23 (22)	Sons of Zeruiah	Oppose a king's decision	David

B. The Names of God: Yahweh, Elohim, El, Shaddai, Eloah.

1. If this book is of Israelite origin then:

a. It is perplexing in that there are no references to Israelite institutions, places, and events from her past.

b. The hero is a foreigner and if an Israelite appears he is either Bildad or Zophar!

c. The theology of God and creation are definitely Israelite, but are not always described in terms that follow the traditional language concerning these matters.

d. What is Israelite is the use of the divine name Yahweh and other titles for God in a way that is reminiscent of the patriarchal period. What should be noted is which names Job and his four friends use to describe God.

2. If the book is of origin outside of Israel then:

a. Where did the author get his high views of god and of creation?

b. Why did he use the Israelite name for the deity?

3. If the book originated outside of Israel but was reworked by an Israelite to use Israelite names for God then why did he not change the place of origin of the hero of the story?

4. In addition to the two primary names, Yahweh and Elohim, the author uses three lesser names as well.

a. El (l")) - See the special study.

b. Eloah (aHOlE))

Job	41	3:4, 23; 4:9, 17; 5:17; 6:4, 8, 9; 9:13; 10:2; 11:5, 6, 7; 12:4, 6; 15:8; 16:20, 21; 19:6, 21, 26; 21:9, 19; 22:12, 26; 24:12; 27:3, 8, 10; 29:2, 4; 31:2, 6; 33:12, 26; 35:10; 36:2; 37:15, 22; 39:17; 40:2;
Deuteronomy	2	32:15, 17
Psalms	4	18:32; 50:22; 139:19; 114:7
Proverbs	1	30:5
Daniel	4	10:38; 11:37, 38, 39
II Chronicles	1	32:15
Nehemiah	1	9:17
Isaiah	1	44:8
Habakkuk	2	1:11; 3:3

c. Shaddai (yaDa$)

Book	#	References
Job	31	5:17; 6:4, 14; 8:3, 5; 11:7; 13:3; 15:25; 21:15, 20; 22:3, 17, 23, 25, 26; 23:16; 24:1; 27:2, 10, 11, 13; 29:5; 31:2, 35; 32:8; 33:4; 34:10, 12, 13; 37:23; 40:2
Genesis	6	17:1; 35:11; 28:3; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25
Exodus	1	6:3
Numbers	7	1:5; 2:10; 7:30, 35; 10:18; 24:4, 16
Ruth	2	1:20, 21
Psalms	2	68:15; 91:1
Isaiah	1	13:6
Ezekiel	2	1:24; 10:5
Joel	1	1:15

C. The Description of Job

1. The Origin of the Stereotypical Description of Job

D. Cursing God in Job

Verse	Form	Subject	Object	Comment
1:5	Piel Perfect	Job's Children	God	Cursing
1:10	Piel Perfect	God	Job's Work	Bless
1:11	Piel Imperfect	Job	God	Curse
1:21	Pual Participle	Job	Name of God	Bless
2:5	Piel Imperfect	Job	God	Curse
2:9	Piel Imperative	Job	God	Curse
31:20	Piel Perfect	Job	Other Men	Bless
42:12	Piel Perfect	Lord	Job	Bless

FOOTNOTES

1. The scripture quotation of Job 1:6-12 is from the NASB (Revised 1995), but with modifications to reflect the names of God and Satan.

2. Translations try to avoid the offense of the verse by translating b^ene haelohim as "angels" or "heavenly beings" when it is obviously "the sons of the god(s)" in the Hebrew text. I think the best rendering, if one is going to paraphrase, is that of the N.W.T. The following chart is laid out in my order of preference:

Sons of the [true] God	Sons of God	Heavenly Beings	Angels*	Members of the Court of Heaven
NWT	NNAS, NAS, BV, ASV, AV, JPS, RSV, YLT, DBY	TEV, NRSV	NIV,	NEB

*This is based on the LXX version which rendered it as oi( a)/ggeloi tou= Qeou=/hoi aggeloi tou theou (the angels of the God), but the Jerome in the Latin Vulgate who often follows the LXX on texts which are difficult in Hebrew opts against it in favor of a reading reflecting the Hebrew-filii Dei (sons of God).