JOB
JOB AND THE PATRIARCHS
Job, the most pious Gentile that ever lived,[1] one of the
few to bear the title of honor "the servant of God,"[2] was
of double kin to Jacob. He was a grandson of Jacob's
brother Esau, and at the same time the son-in-law of Jacob
himself, for lie had married Dinah as his second wife.[3] He
was entirely worthy of being a member of the Patriarch's
family, for he was perfectly upright, one that feared God,
and eschewed evil. Had he not wavered in his resignation to
the Divine will during the great trial to which he was subjected,
and murmured against God, the distinction would
have been conferred upon him of having his name joined to
the Name of God in prayer, and men would have called upon
the God of Job as they now call upon the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. But he was not found steadfast like the
three Fathers, and he forfeited the honor God had intended
for him.
The Lord remonstrated with him for his lack of patience,
saying: "Why didst thou murmur when suffering came
upon thee? Dost thou think thyself of greater worth than
Adam, the creation of Mine own hands, upon whom together
with his descendants I decreed death on account of a single
transgression? And yet Adam murmured not. Thou art
surely not more worthy than Abraham, whom I tempted
with many trials, and when he asked, 'Whereby shall I know
that I shall inherit the land?' and I replied, 'Know of a
surety that thy seed will be a stranger in a land that is not
theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four
hundred years,' he yet murmured not. Thou dost not esteem
thyself more worthy than Moses, dost thou? Him I would
not grant the favor of entering the promised land, because
he spake the words, 'Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring
you forth water out of this rock?' And yet he murmured
not. Art thou more worthy than Aaron, unto whom I
showed greater honor than unto any created being, for I sent
the angels themselves out of the Holy of Holies when he
entered the place? Yet when his two sons died, he murmured
not."[4]
The contrast between Job and the Patriarchs appears from
words spoken by him and words spoken by Abraham. Addressing
God, Abraham said, "That be far from Thee to do
after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that
so the righteous should be as the wicked," and Job exclaimed
against God, "It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth
the perfect and the wicked." They both received their due
recompense, Abraham was rewarded and Job was punished.[5]
Convinced that his suffering was undeserved and unjust,
Job had the audacity to say to God: "O Lord of the world,
Thou didst create the ox with cloven feet and the ass with
unparted hoof, Thou hast created Paradise and hell, Thou
createst the righteous and also the wicked. There is none
to hinder, Thou canst do as seemeth good in Thy sight."
The friends of Job replied: "It is true, God hath created
the evil inclination, but He hath also given man the Torah
as a remedy against it. Therefore the wicked cannot roll
their guilt from off their shoulders and put it upon God."
The reason Job did not shrink from such extravagant utterances
was because he denied the resurrection of the dead.
He judged of the prosperity of the wicked and the woes of
the pious only by their earthly fortunes. Proceeding from
this false premise, he held it to be possible that the punishment
falling to his share was not at all intended for him.
God had slipped into an error, He imposed the suffering
upon him that had been appointed unto a sinner. But God
spake to him, saying: "Many hairs have I created upon the
head of man, yet each hair hath its own sac, for were two
hairs to draw their nourishment from the same sac, man
would lose the sight of his eyes. It hath never happened
that a sac hath been misplaced. Should I, then, have mistaken
Job for another? I let many drops of rain descend
from the heavens, and for each drop there is a mould in the
clouds, for were two drops to issue from the same mould,
the ground would be made so miry that it could not bring
forth any growth. It hath never happened that a mould hath
been misplaced. Should I, then, have mistaken Job for another?
Many thunderbolts I hurl from the skies, but each
one comes from its own path, for were two to proceed from
the same path, they would destroy the whole world. It hath
never happened that a path hath been misplaced. Should I,
then, have mistaken Job for another? The gazelle gives
birth to her young on the topmost point of a rock, and it
would fall into the abyss and be crushed to death, if I did
not send an eagle thither to catch it up and carry it to its
mother. Were the eagle to appear a minute earlier or later
than the appointed time, the little gazelle would perish. It
hath never happened that the proper minute of time was
missed. Should I, then, have mistaken Job for another?
The hind has a contracted womb, and would not be able to
bring forth her young, if I did not send a dragon to her at
the right second, to nibble at her womb and soften it, for
then she can bear. Were the dragon to come a second before
or after the right time, the hind would perish. It hath never
happened that I missed the right second. Should I, then,
have mistaken Job for another?"
Notwithstanding Job's unpardonable words, God was displeased
with his friends for passing harsh judgment upon
him. "A man may not be held responsible for what he does
in his anguish," and Job's agony was great, indeed[6]
JOB'S WEALTH AND BENEFACTIONS
Job was asked once what he considered the severest affliction
that could strike him, and he replied, "My enemies' joy
in my misfortune,[7] and when God demanded to know of
him, after the accusations made by Satan, what he preferred,
poverty or physical suffering, he chose pain, saying, "O
Lord of the whole world, chastise my body with suffering of
all kinds, only preserve me from poverty."[8] Poverty
seemed the greater scourge, because before his trials he had
occupied a brilliant position on account of his vast wealth.
God graciously granted him this foretaste of the Messianic
time. The harvest followed close upon the ploughing of his
field; no sooner were the seeds strewn in the furrows,
than they sprouted and grew and ripened produce. He was
equally successful with his cattle. His sheep killed wolves,
but were themselves never harmed by wild beasts.[9] Of
sheep he had no less than one hundred and thirty thousand,
and he required eight hundred dogs to keep guard over
them, not to mention the two hundred dogs needed to secure
the safety of his house. Besides, his herds consisted of three
hundred and forty thousand asses and thirty-five hundred
pairs of oxen. All these possessions were not used for self-
indulgent pleasures, but for the good of the poor and the
needy, whom he clothed, and fed, and provided with all
things necessary. To do all this, he even had to employ
ships that carried supplies to all the cities and the dwelling-
places of the destitute. His house was furnished with doors
on all its four sides, that the poor and the wayfarer might
enter, no matter from what direction they approached. At
all times there were thirty tables laden with viands ready in
his house, and twelve besides for widows only, so that all
who came found what they desired. Job's consideration for
the poor was so delicate that he kept servants to wait upon
them constantly. His guests, enraptured by his charitableness,
frequently offered themselves as attendants to minister
to the poor in his house, but Job always insisted upon
paying them for their services. If he was asked for a loan
of money, to be used for business purposes, and the borrower
promised to give a part of his profits to the poor, he would
demand no security beyond a mere signature. And if it
happened that by some mischance or other the debtor was
not able to discharge his obligation, Job would return the
note to him, or tear it into bits in his presence.
He did not rest satisfied at supplying the material needs
of those who applied to him. He strove also to convey the
knowledge of God to them. After a meal he was in the
habit of having music played upon instruments, and then he
would invite those present to join him in songs of praise to
God. On such occasions he did not consider himself above
playing the cithern while the musicians rested.[10]
Most particularly Job concerned himself about the weal
and woe of widows and orphans. He was wont to pay visits
to the sick, both rich and poor, and when it was necessary,
he would bring a physician along with him. If the case
turned out to be hopeless, he would sustain the stricken family
with advice and consolation. When the wife of the incurably
sick man began to grieve and weep, he would encourage
her with such words as these: "Trust always in
the grace and lovingkindness of God. He hath not abandoned
thee until now, and He will not forsake thee henceforth.
Thy husband will be restored to health, and will be
able to provide for his family as heretofore. But if--which
may God forefend--thy husband should die, I call Heaven
to witness that I shall provide sustenance for thee and thy
children." Having spoken thus, he would send for a notary,
and have him draw up a document, which he signed in the
presence of witnesses, binding himself to care for the family,
should it be bereaved of its head. Thus he earned for himself
the blessing of the sick man and the gratitude of the
sorrowing wife.[11]
Sometimes, in case of necessity, Job could be severe, too,
especially when it was a question of helping a poor man obtain
his due. If one of the parties to a suit cited before his
tribunal was known to be a man of violence, he would surround
himself with his army and inspire him with fear, so
that the culprit could not but show himself amenable to his
decision.[12]
He endeavored to inculcate his benevolent ways upon his
children, by accustoming them to wait upon the poor. On
the morrow after a feast he would sacrifice bountifully to
God, and together with the pieces upon the altar his offerings
would be divided among the needy. He would say:
"Take and help yourselves, and pray for my children. It
may be that they have sinned, and renounced God, saying in
the presumption of their hearts: 'We are the children of
this rich man. All these things are our possessions. Why
should we be servants to the poor?' "
SATAN AND JOB
The happy, God-pleasing life led by Job for many years
excited the hatred of Satan, who had an old grudge against
him. Near Job's house there was an idol worshipped by the
people. Suddenly doubts assailed the heart of Job, and he
asked himself: "Is this idol really the creator of heaven and
earth? How can I find out the truth about it?" In the following
night he perceived a voice calling: "Jobab! Jobab!
Arise, and I will tell thee who he is whom thou desirest to
know. This one to whom the people offer sacrifices is not
God, he is the handiwork of the tempter, wherewith he deceives
men." When he heard the voice, Job threw himself
on the ground, and said: "O Lord, if this idol is the handiwork
of the tempter, then grant that I may destroy it. None
can hinder me, for I am the king of this land."[13]
Job, or, as he is sometimes called, Jobab, was, indeed, king
of Edom, the land wherein wicked plans are concocted
against God, wherefore it is called also Uz, "counsel."[14]
The voice continued to speak. It made itself known as that of an archangel of God, and revealed to Job that he
would bring down the enmity of Satan upon himself by the
destruction of the idol, and much suffering with it. However,
if he remained steadfast under them, God would
change his troubles into joys, his name would become celebrated
throughout the generations of mankind, and he would
have a share in the resurrection to eternal life. Job replied
to the voice: "Out of love of God I am ready to endure all
things unto the day of my death. I will shrink back from
naught." Now Job arose, and accompanied by fifty men he
repaired to the idol, and destroyed it.
Knowing that Satan would try to approach him, he ordered
his guard not to give access to any one, and then he
withdrew to his chamber. He had guessed aright. Satan
appeared at once, in the guise of a beggar, and demanded
speech with Job. The guard executed his orders, and forbade
his entering. Then the mendicant asked him to intercede
for him with Job for a piece of bread. Job knew it was
Satan, and he sent word to him as follows, "Do not expect
to eat of my bread, for it is prohibited unto thee," at the
same time putting a piece of burnt bread into the hand of
the guard for Satan. The servant was ashamed to give a
beggar burnt bread, and he substituted a good piece for it.
Satan, however, knowing that the servant had not executed
his master's errand, told him so to his face, and he fetched
the burnt bread and handed it to him, repeating the words
of Job. Thereupon Satan returned this answer, "As the
bread is burnt, so I will disfigure thy body." Job replied:
"Do as thou desirest, and execute thy plan. As for me, I
am ready to suffer whatever thou bringest down upon me."
Now Satan betook himself to God, and prayed Him to put
Job into his power,[15] saying: "I went to and fro in the
earth, and walked up and down in it, and I saw no man as
pious as Abraham. Thou didst promise him the whole land
of Palestine, and yet he did not take it in ill part that he had
not so much as a burial-place for Sarah.[16] As for Job, it is
true, I found none that loveth Thee as he does, but if Thou
wilt put him into my hand, I shall succeed in turning his
heart away from Thee." But God spake, "Satan, Satan,
what hast thou a mind to do with my servant Job, like whom
there is none in the earth?" Satan persisted in his request
touching Job, and God granted it, He gave him full power
over Job's possessions.[17]
This day of Job's accusation was the New Year's Day,
whereon the good and the evil deeds of man are brought
before God.[18]
JOB'S SUFFERING
Equipped with unlimited power, Satan endeavored to deprive
Job of all he owned. He burnt part of his cattle, and
the other part was carried off by enemies. What pained Job
more than this was that recipients of his bounty turned
against him, and took of his belongings.[19]
Among the adversaries that assailed him was Lilith, the
queen of Sheba.[20] She lived at a great distance from his
residence, it took her and her army three years to travel from
her home to his. She fell upon his oxen and his asses, and
took possession of them, after slaying the men to whose care
Job had entrusted them. One man escaped alone. Wounded
and bruised, he had only enough life in him to tell Job the
tale of his losses, and then he fell down dead. The sheep,
which had been left unmolested by the queen of Sheba, were
taken away by the Chaldeans. Job's first intention was to
go to war against these marauders, but when he was told
that some of his property had been consumed by fire from
heaven, he desisted, and said, "If the heavens turn against
me, I can do nothing."[21]
Dissatisfied with the result, Satan disguised himself as the
king of Persia, besieged the city of Job's residence, took it,
and spoke to the inhabitants, saying: "This man Job hath
appropriated all the goods in the world, leaving naught for
others, and he hath also torn down the temple of our god,
and now I will pay him back for his wicked deeds. Come
with me and let us pillage his house." At first the people
refused to hearken to the words of Satan. They feared that
the sons and daughters of Job might rise up against them
later, and avenge their father's wrongs. But after Satan
had pulled down the house wherein the children of Job were
assembled, and they lay dead in the ruins, the people did as
he bade them, and sacked the house of Job.
Seeing that neither the loss of all he had nor the death of
his children could change his pious heart, Satan appeared
before God a second time, and requested that Job himself,
his very person, be put into his hand. God granted Satan's
plea, but he limited his power to Job's body, his soul he could
not touch.[22] In a sense Satan was worse off than Job. He
was in the position of the slave that has been ordered by
his master to break the pitcher and not spill the wine.[23]
Satan now caused a terrific storm to burst over the house
of Job. He was cast from his throne by the reverberations,
and he lay upon the floor for three hours. Then Satan smote
his body with leprosy from the sole of his foot unto his
crown. This plague forced Job to leave the city, and sit
down outside upon an ash-heap,[24] for his lower limbs were
covered with oozing boils, and the issue flowed out upon
the ashes. The upper part of his body was encrusted with
dry boils, and to ease the itching they caused him, he used
his nails, until they dropped off together with his fingertips,
and he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal.[25] His
body swarmed with vermin, but if one of the little creatures
attempted to crawl away from him, he forced it back, saying,
"Remain on the place whither thou wast sent, until God
assigns another unto thee."[26] His wife, fearful that he would
not bear his horrible suffering with steadfastness, advised
him to pray to God for death, that lie might be sure of going
hence an upright man.[27] But he rejected her counsel, saying,
"If in the days of good fortune, which usually tempts men
to deny God, I stood firm, and did not rebel against Him,
surely I shall be able to remain steadfast under misfortune,
which compels men to be obedient to God."[28] And Job stuck
to his resolve in spite of all suffering, while his wife was not strong enough to bear her fate with resignation to the will
of God.
Her lot was bitter, indeed, for she had had to take service
as a water-carrier with a common churl, and when her master
learnt that she shared her bread with Job, he dismissed
her. To keep her husband from starving, she cut off her
hair, and purchased bread with it. It was all she had to pay
the price charged by the bread merchant, none other than
Satan himself, who wanted to put her to the test. He said
to her, "Hadst thou not deserved this great misery of thine,
it had not come upon thee." This speech was more than
the poor woman could bear. Then it was that she came to
her husband, and amid tears and groans urged him to renounce
God and die. Job, however, was not perturbed by
her words, because he divined at once that Satan stood behind
his wife, and seduced her to speak thus. Turning to
the tempter, he said: "Why dost thou not meet me frankly?
Give up thy underhand ways, thou wretch." Thereupon
Satan appeared before Job, admitted that he had been vanquished,
and went away abashed.[29]
THE FOUR FRIENDS
The friends of Job lived in different places, at intervals of
three hundred miles one from the other. Nevertheless they
all were informed of their friend's misfortune at the same
time, in this way: Each one had the pictures of the others set
in his crown, and as soon as any one of them met with reverses,
it showed itself in his picture. Thus the friends of
Job learnt simultaneously of his misfortune, and they hastened
to his assistance.[30]
The four friends were related to one another, and each one
was related to Job. Eliphaz, king of Teman, was a son of
Esau;[31] Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu were cousins, their
fathers, Shuah, Naamat, and Barachel, were the sons of Buz,
who was a brother of Job and a nephew of Abraham.[32]
When the four friends arrived in the city in which Job
lived, the inhabitants took them outside the gates, and pointing
to a figure reclining upon an ash-heap at some distance
off, they said, "Yonder is Job." At first the friends would
not give them credence, and they decided to look more
closely at the man, to make sure of his identity. But the foul
smell emanating from Job was so strong that they could not
come near to him. They ordered their armies to scatter perfumes
and aromatic substances all around. Only after this
had been done for hours, they could approach the outcast
close enough to recognize him.
Eliphaz was the first to address Job, "Art thou indeed
Job, a king equal in rank with ourselves?" And when Job
said Aye, they broke out into lamentations and bitter tears,
and all together they sang an elegy, the armies of the three
kings, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, joining in the choir.
Again Eliphaz began to speak, and he bemoaned Job's sad
fortune, and depicted his friend's former glory, adding the
refrain to each sentence, "Whither hath departed the splendor
of thy throne?"
After listening long to the wailing and lamenting of Eliphaz
and his companions, Job spake, saying: "Silence, and
I will show you my throne and the splendor of its glory.
Kings will perish, rulers disappear, their pride and lustre
will pass like a shadow across a mirror, but my kingdom
will persist forever and ever, for glory and magnificence are
in the chariot of my Father."
These words aroused the wrath of Eliphaz, and he called
upon his associates to abandon Job to his fate and go their
way. But Bildad appeased his anger, reminding him that
some allowance ought to be made for one so sorely tried as
Job. Bildad put a number of questions to the sufferer in
order to establish his sanity. He wanted to elicit from Job
how it came about that God, upon whom he continued to set
his hopes, could inflict such dire suffering. Not even a king
of flesh and blood would allow a guardsman of his that had
served him loyally to come to grief. Bildad desired to have
information from Job also concerning the movements of the
heavenly bodies.
Job had but one answer to make to these questions: man
cannot comprehend Divine wisdom, whether it reveal itself
in inanimate and brute nature or in relation to human beings.
"But," continued Job, "to prove to you that I am in
my right mind, listen to the question I shall put to you.
Solid food and liquids combine inside of man, and they
separate again when they leave his body. Who effects the
separation?" And when Bildad conceded that he could not
answer the question, Job said, "If thou canst not comprehend
the changes in thy body, how canst thou hope to comprehend
the movements of the planets?"
Zophar, after Job had spoken thus to Bildad, was convinced
that his suffering had had no effect upon his mind,
and he asked him whether he would permit himself to be
treated by the physicians of the three kings, his friends. But
Job rejected the offer, saying, "My healing and my restoration
come from God, the Creator of all physicians."
While the three kings were conversing thus with Job, his
wife Zitidos made her appearance clad in rags, and she threw
herself at the feet of her husband's friends, and amid tears
she spoke, saying: "O Eliphaz, and ye other friends of
Job, remember what I was in other days, and how I am now
changed, coming before you in rags and tatters." The sight
of the unhappy woman touched them so deeply that they
could only weep, and not a word could they force out of their
mouths. Eliphaz, however, took his royal mantle of purple,
and laid it about the shoulders of the poor woman. Zitidos
asked only one favor, that the three kings should order their
soldiers to clear away the ruins of the building under which
her children lay entombed, that she might give their remains
decent burial. The command was issued to the soldiers
accordingly, but Job said, "Do not put yourselves to
trouble for naught. My children will not be found, for they
are safely bestowed with their Lord and Creator." Again
his friends were sure that Job was bereft of his senses. He
arose, however, prayed to God, and at the end of his devotions,
he bade his friends look eastward, and when they did
his bidding, they beheld his children next to the Ruler of
heaven, with crowns of glory upon their heads. Zitidos
prostrated herself, and said, "Now I know that my memorial
resides with the Lord." And she returned to the house
of her master, whence she had absented herself for some
time against his will. He had forbidden her to leave it,
because he had feared that the three kings would take her
with them.
In the evening she lay down to sleep next to the manger
for the cattle, but she never rose again, she died there of
exhaustion. The people of the city made a great mourning
for her, and the elegy composed in her honor was set down
in writing and recorded.
JOB RESTORED
More and more the friends of Job came to the conclusion
that he had incurred Divine punishment on account of his
sins, and as he asseverated his innocence again and again,
they prepared angrily to leave him to his fate. Especially
Elihu was animated by Satan to speak scurrilous words
against Job, upbraiding him for his unshakable confidence in
God. Then the Lord appeared to them, first unto Job, and
revealed to him that Elihu was in the wrong, and his words
were inspired by Satan. Next he appeared unto Eliphaz,
and to him He spake thus: "Thou and thy friends Bildad
and Zophar have committed a sin, for ye did not speak the
truth concerning my servant Job. Rise up and let him bring
a sin offering for you. Only for his sake do I refrain from
destroying you."
The sacrifice offered by Job in behalf of his friends was
accepted graciously by God, and Eliphaz broke out into a
hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for having pardoned the
transgression of himself and his two friends. At the same
time he announced the damnation of Elihu, the instrument
of Satan.
God appeared to Job once more, and gave him a girdle
composed of three ribands, and he bade him tie it around his
waist. Hardly had he put it on when all his pain disappeared,
his very recollection of it vanished, and, more than
this, God made him to see all that ever was and all that shall
ever be.[33]
After suffering sevenfold pain for seven years[34] Job was
restored to strength. With his three friends he returned to
the city, and the inhabitants made a festival in his honor
and unto the glory of God. All his former friends joined
him again, and he resumed his old occupation, the care of
the poor, for which he obtained the means from the people
around. He said to them, "Give me, each one of you, a
sheep for the clothing of the poor, and four silver or gold
drachmas for their other needs." The Lord blessed Job,
and in a few days his wealth had increased to double the
substance he had owned before misfortune overtook him.
Zitidos having died during the years of his trials, he married
a second wife, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and she bore
him seven sons and three daughters.[35] He had never had
more than one wife at a time, for he was wont to say, "If it
had been intended that Adam should have ten wives, God
would have given them to him. Only one wife was bestowed
upon him, whereby God indicated that he was to have but
one, and therefore one wife suffices for me, too."[36]
When Job, after a long and happy life, felt his end approaching,
he gathered his ten children around him, and told
them the tale of his days. Having finished the narrative, he
admonished them in these words: "See, I am about to die,
and you will stand in my place. Forsake not the Lord, be
generous toward the poor, treat the feeble with consideration,
and do not marry with the women of the Gentiles."
Thereupon he divided his possessions among his sons, and
to his daughters he gave what is more precious than all
earthly goods, to each of them one riband of the celestial
girdle he had received from God. The magic virtue of these
ribands was such that no sooner did their possessors tie them
around their waists than they were transformed into higher
beings, and with seraphic voices they broke out into hymns
after the manner of the angels.
For three days Job lay upon his bed, sick though not suffering,
for the celestial girdle made him proof against
pain. On the fourth day he saw the angels descend to fetch
his soul. He arose from his bed, handed a cithern to his
oldest daughter Jemimah, "Day," a censer to the second
one, Keziah, "Perfume," and a cymbal to the third, Amaltheas,
"Horn," and bade them welcome the angels with the
sound of music. They played and sang and praised the Lord
in the holy tongue. Then he appeared that sits in the great
chariot, kissed Job, and rode away bearing his soul with him
eastward. None saw them depart except the three daughters
of Job.
The grief of the people, especially the poor, the widows,
and the orphans, was exceeding great. For three days they
left the corpse unburied, because they could not entertain the
thought of separating themselves from it.
As the name of Job will remain imperishable unto all time,
by reason of the man's piety,[37] so his three friends were
recompensed by God for their sympathy with him in his distress.
Their names were preserved, the punishment of hell
was remitted unto them, and, best of all, God poured out the
holy spirit over them.[38] But Satan, the cause of Job's anguish,
the Lord cast down from heaven, for he had been
vanquished by Job, who amid his agony had thanked and
praised God for all He had done unto him.[39]
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