The Book of Job

Job wrestles with the deepest question of suffering — why the righteous suffer — and finds its answer not in explanation but in encountering God himself.

Testament: Old (42 chapters)
Type: Wisdom
Date: The story is set in patriarchal times (possibly before Moses); the book's final form is uncertain — possibly 6th c. BC.

Suffering without easy answers

Job's friends offer the conventional explanation — you suffer because you sinned. Job refuses to accept it, because it isn't true. The book validates honest lament over polite religious clichés.

Encounter, not explanation

When God finally speaks (chapters 38-41), he does not explain. He shows Job the wild grandeur of creation. Job's response — 'I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee' (42:5) — is the book's resolution: not understanding, but encounter.

Key verses (KJV)

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” — Job 13:15 (KJV)

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” — Job 19:25 (KJV)

“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” — Job 42:5 (KJV)

How to read Job

Read the prologue (1-2), then skim the speeches of the three friends (don't try to remember which said what), then read carefully Job's response (chapters 23, 29-31), Elihu (32-37), God's speeches (38-41), and the epilogue (42). The book asks to be read whole at least once.

Read Job on your iPhone

Read the full book of Job in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.

Read Job free on iPhone.

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Popular chapters in Job

Job 1

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Book of Job about?

Job is a book of Wisdom, running to 42 chapters. Its main threads: Suffering without easy answers; Encounter, not explanation.

Who wrote the Book of Job?

Anonymous and ancient. Some traditions credit Moses; others place its composition during the exile.

Where does Job come in the Bible?

Job is one of the 39 books of the Old Testament in the Protestant canon, grouped with the Wisdom books. You can walk the canon in order using the previous and next links on this page.