FAITHFUL LAMENT: JOB'S RESPONSE TO SUFFERING

John Mark HicksHarding University Graduate School of Religion

LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY SERMON SEMINARMay 10-12, 1999

I. Job as Dramatic Lament: The Dialogical Structure Of Job.

A. Literary Structure.

1. Narrative Prologue (Job 1-2): Yahweh, Satan and Job.

a. Introduction (Job 1:1-5): Righteous Job.

b. First Trial (Job 1:6-22): Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.c. Second Trial (Job 2:1-10): Accepting Trouble with Integrity.d. Silent Lament (Job 2:11-13): Meditating on Suffering.

2. Poetic Drama (Job 3:1-42:6): The Dialogues and Monologues

a. First Act: Dialogues (Job 3-27).

(1) Opening Lament (Job 3): "Why was I Born?"

(2) First Dialogue Cycle (Job 4-14): Call to Repentance in the Light of God's Discipline.

Eliphaz (4-5): Offers hope in discipline (5:17-27).Job (6-7): Friends are dry streams (6:15-21).Bildad (8): God will yet deliver you if you repent (8:6-20).Job (9-10): Who am I, even if I am blameless (9:20).Zophar (11): Job is self-righteous (11:4-5), so repent (11:13).Job (12-14): You are telling me nothing new; just listen (13:1-2,

13ff).

(3) Second Dialogue Cycle (Job 15-21): Attempt to Shut Up the Lament.

Eliphaz (15): Lament undermines piety and expresses sin (15:4).Job (16-17): You are miserable comforters (16:2) and ignorant

(17:12).Bildad (18): Cease your lament; we know evil is punished

(18:2,21).Job (19): You attack me; please have pity (19:2, 21-22, 28).Zophar (20): The joy of the wicked is brief (20:5-6).Job (21): The counsel is false; the wicked do not always suffer

(21:34).

(4) Third Dialogue Cycle (Job 22-27): Giving Up on Job's Conceit.

Eliphaz (22): Even if you were righteous, so what (22:3)?Job (23-24): God is listening; I will speak my lament (23:6,17;

24:1).Bildad (25): No one can be righteous (25:4).Job (26): You offer no insight, just futility (26:3).[No speech by Zophar, but a literary break is indicated by 27:1]Job (27): Job speaks to God with integrity (27:1-6).

b. Second Act: The Monologues (Job 28-42:6)

(1) Opening Wisdom Poem (Job 28) - Narrator or Job? Fearing God is Wisdom.

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(2) First Monologue: Job (Job 29-31; speech renewed 29:1)

What it was like Then (29): Righteous and Respected.What it is like Now (30): Lament.Self-Imprecation (31): If I had sinned, then I should be judged; but

I have not.

(3) Second Monologue: Elihu (Job 32-37)1

First Speech (32-33): God disciplines (33:14,26-31); Job self-righteous (33:9).

Second Speech (34): God is just (34:12); Job deserved suffering (34:5,9,11)

Third Speech (35): God is transcendent; Job is wicked (35:2-7).Fourth Speech (36-37): God is active; listen Job (37:14).

(4) Third Monologue: Yahweh (Job 38-42:6)

First Speech (38:1-40:2): Don't You See How I Care for My World?Job's First Response (40:3-5): I am unworthy.Second Speech (40:6-41:34): Don't You See How I Control Evil?Job's Second Response (42:1-6): I praise you.

3. Narrative Epilogue (Job 42:7-17)

a. Yahweh and the Friends (42:7-9).b. Yahweh and Job (42:10-17).

B. Literary Genre.

1. Lawsuit (Dick, Scholnick, Roberts, Habel).

a. Job 4-14 is an attempt to "settle out of court."b. Job 15-31 is a formal court proceedings.c. Job 32-41 is Elihu as Defender of God and God's own counter-lawsuit.d. Job 42:6 is Job's retraction of his lawsuit.

2. Controversy Dialogue (Crenshaw).

3. Dramatic Lament (Westermann).

4. Sui Generis (Hartley, Anderson).

1Elihu is the last ditch effort of the friends, but it is also prepare us for the Yahweh speeches. Consequently, it is a transition text between the dialogue between Job and the friends and the dialogue between Yahweh and Job. Elihu is right in what he says about God, but wrong in what he says about Job. He has the theological principles correct, but he applies them to the wrong situation.

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C. The Function of Lament in the Jobian Drama.

1. Opening Lament (Job 3).

Third Person Address (3:4, 20, 23)

2. Laments in the Speeches (Job 4-27)

a. Addressed to God ("You" addresses).

7:1-21 (esp. 17-19)9:27-3110:1-22 (questions for God)13:20-2814:1-2216:7-817:3-4

b. Third Person Addresses ("He" addresses).

6:4-139:2-26, 32-3512:7-2513:13-1916:9-2217:5-919:8-20, 23-2721:4-26 ("why lament")23:2-1724:1-25 ("why lament")26:5-1427:2-10 ("oath")

3. Final Lament (Job 29-31)

a. Addressed to God ("You" addresses).

30:20-23

b. Third-Person Address ("He" addresses).

29:1-25 ("lament for the past")30:1-19, 24-31 ("lament for the present)31:35-37 ("oath")

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D. Homiletic Suggestions.

1. In a series, follow the dramatic plot.

a. The Trial (Prologue)b. The Lament (Job 3)c. The Debate (Job 3-27)

(1) The Direct Laments to God(2) The Bad Theology of the Friends(3) The Appeals for Justice/Righteousness.(4) The Avowals of Trust in God.

d. The Wisdom (Job 28)e. The Protest (Job 29-31)

(1) Job's Lament (Job 29-30)(2) Job's Ethics (Job 31)

f. The Understanding (Job 32-37)(1) Elihu's Understanding of God.(2) Elihu's Misunderstanding of Job.

g. The Praise (Job 38-41)(1) God's Care for His Universe (Job 38-39).(2) God's Rule over Evil (Job 40-41).

h. The Humble Response (Job 42:1-6)i. The Grace (Epilogue)

2. Using particular texts,

a. Note its place in the drama.b. Note its particular genre.c. Note its function within the whole book.

3. Example: Job 21:1-16.

a. Broad Considerations.(1) End of 2nd cycle in dialogue: trying to shut up Job's lament.(2) Place in the flow of the dialogue: the joy the wicked is brief

(Bildad, Job 20).(3) "Why Lament" (21:7).(4) Job's frustration: the "comfort" of friends (21:2-3, 34).(5) Job seeks understanding too (21:4-6).

b. Questions to Ask.(1) What is the form of this text? Lament/Protest(2) What is the function of this text? Complaint.(3) What is the effect of this text? No one has answers.

c. The Text.(1) The Occasion (21:1-6)(2) The Question (21:7-15)(3) Job's Answer (21:16)

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d. One Homiletic Strategy.(1) "Why do the wicked live on?" (21:7)

wealth, health, power, children, joy, peacereject God: no profit in serving him

(2) This doesn't make sense! (21:4-6)complaint to Godbewildermentterror

(3) Nevertheless, I reject the counsel of the wicked (21:16)

e. A Second Homiletic Strategy.(1) The Death of Job's Children (Prologue)(2) The Friends Critique (Job 5:4, 25; 8:4; 18:19)(3) Job's Lament (21:7-12; cf. 29:5)(4) Job's Faith (21:16) even though he knows the fate of the

children of the wicked as well (27:13-14).

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f. Job 21:16 as Difficult Text.

NRSV: Is not their prosperity indeed their own achievement? The plans of the wicked are repugnant to me.

CEV: "We succeeded all on our own." And so, I keep away from them and their evil schemes.

NIV (KJV, ASV): But their prosperity is not in their own hands, so I stand aloof from the counsel of the wicked.

NLT: But their prosperity is not of their own doing, so I will have nothing to do with that kind of thinking.

NRSV and CEV claim prosperity is their own achievement, but NIV and NLT see

prosperity as God's achievement. In either case, Job's resolute rejection of the wicked is clear.

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II. A Theology Of Lament From Job: Question, But Trust.

A. Divine Sovereignty in Job.

1. The Prologue.

Job 1:12Job 1:21Job 2:3Job 2:6Job 2:10

2. Job's Confession of God's Sovereignty.

Job 9:21-24Job 12:7-10

3. The Epilogue.

Job 42:10-12

4. The "Hand of God" Motif in Job.

a. Prologue (1:11; 2:4).b. Dialogue (6:9; 10:7-9; 12:9; 19:21; 23:2; 30:21)

B. Lament.

"How, then, can I dispute with him?" (Job 9:14) Answer: Through Lament.

1. Complaint and Protest.

7:11-219:21-3110:1-2221:4-3323:1-24:25

2. Assertions of Innocence.Job's integrity is at issue here (2:3, 9; 27:5-6; 31:1-6).

6:28-30 (to friends)9:21 (to God)13:15, 18, 23 (third person)

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16:1719:6 (to friends)23:727:2-6 (oath)31:1-34, 37-40 (oath)

3. Legal Metaphor

14:12-1716:18-2119:1723:1127:5-631:35-36

4. Petitions.

7:7, 1610:2, 9, 2013:20-23

5. Avowals of Trust.

13:13-1914:13-1716:18-2119:23-2721:1623:1-12

6. Praise

9:5-1312:17-2526:5-1427:7-23

C. Parallel with Lament Psalms

"God has made my heart faint...yet I am not silenced" (Job 23:16-17)The Dilemma of Lament (Job 10:15-16)

Genre Job Psalms

Complaint 7:11; 10:1; 16:3-7; 19:7-20; 23:2; 24:1-12

22:1-2; 64:1; 142:2; cf. 6, 44, 7, 88, 90

Innocence 9:15-21; 16:17; 23:10-12; 29:4; 31:1ff

22:8-11; 7:3-5,8; 44:17-19

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Legal 6:9; 13:13-28; 23:3-12; 31:6

17:1-3; 43:1-3

Petitions 7:16; 10:20; 13:21 22:19-21; 4:1-2; 6:1-4Trust 13:15; 16:19; 19:25; 21:16 22:25-28; 13:5; 31:6,14Praise 9:5-13; 12:7-25; 26:5-14;

27:13-2322:22-24; 13:6; 71:22-24

D. Homiletic Suggestion: Job 16.

1. Structure of the Text.

a. Confronts Friends (16:2-5).b. Laments to God (16:6-14).

(1) 2nd Person Lament (16:7-8).(2) 3rd Person Lament (16:9-14).

c. Avowal of Innocence (16:15-17).d. Appeal for Vindication (16:18-21).

2. Function of the Text.

a. This is Job's first reply in the 2nd cycle of speeches.b. Job dismisses the "comfort" of his friends.c. Job shifts to more third person lament than 2nd person.d. Job shifts to the legal metaphor (appeals for vindication).

3. Thematic Structure: The Frustrations of a Righteous Sufferer.

a. Frustrated with Friends (16:2-5).(1) They are long-winded, miserable comforters (16:2-3).(2) He understands them (16:4).(3) But he would speak differently than they (16:5).

b. Frustrated with God (16:6-17).(1) God is responsible (16:6-8).(2) God enables enemies and is an enemy (16:9-11)(3) God has made me a target for his arrows (16:12-14)(4) But what more can I do than I am doing (16:15-17)

c. Yearns for Justice/Righteousness in his Situation (16:18-21).

4. Homily: Job Talks to God

a. Confesses God's sovereignty over his situation.(1) God has acted.(2) God appears to take the side of his enemies.(3) God appears at war with Job.

b. Confesses his humility before God.

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(1) Nevertheless, Job has remained faithful and pure.(2) Yet, his suffering is intense as weeps in the dust.

c. Appeals for vindication.(1) But he still appeals for God's righteousness.(2) He is confident that he yet has a friend in heaven.(3) God is a friend even when he appears to be an enemy.

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5. Job 16:19 as Difficult Text. Hartley summaries this well (p. 264).

Considering the various passages in which Job thinks about arguing his case before God, the best candidate for the defender that can be found is God himself...Here Job appeals to God's holy integrity in stating his earnest hope that God will testify to the truth of his claims of innocence, even though such testimony will seem to contradict God's own actions. Such risking is the essence of faith. For a moment Job sees God as his steadfast supporter. In this plea he is expressing the trust that God had expressed in him in the prologue because he is pushing through the screen of his troubles to the real God. He is not essentially pitting God against God; rather he is affirming genuine confidence in God regardless of the way it appears that God is treating him. Since Job, in contrast to his friends, will not concede that truth is identical with appearances, he presses on for a true resolution to his complaint from God himself.

E. Homiletic Suggestions: Job 22-24.

1. Structure of the Text.

a. Eliphaz's Speech (22).(1) Job, you have sinned (22:1-11).(2) God knows what is going on (22:12-20).(3) Job, submit to God and he will renew your prosperity (22:21-30).

b. Job's Reply (23-24).(1) Not true; and I would present my case to God (23:1-7).(2) God knows me (23:8-12).(3) I will not be silent (23:13-17).(4) Here is my lament (24:1-25).

(a) The poor are oppressed so that even the innocent suffer (24:1-12).

(b) The wicked work evil (24:13-16).(c) God will do something (24:17-24).

(5) Have I spoken falsehood?

2. Function of the Text.

a. This is the beginning of the third cycle of speeches.b. Its function is to dissuade Job of his conceit and appeal to him to

repent.c. For Eliphaz suffering only comes to the wicked, but for Job the world

is filled with innocent suffering (as in the case of the poor).

d. The text functions to assert Job's innocence, but also to express his frustration

with the fallenness of the world though he is confident that God will ultimately do something about it.

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3. The Word-Response Play of the Eliphaz and Job.

Topic Eliphaz Job

uprightness 22:3-4 23:7poor 22:5-11 24:1-12

darkness 22:11 23:17wicked 22:12-20 24:13-21

gold 22:24-25 23:10pray 22:27-30 23:2-6

4. Thematic Structure: The Frustrations of Living in a Fallen World.

a. Eliphaz knows why Job is suffering; it is clear to him that Job has sinned. Job has mistreated the poor. Eliphaz accuses Job of everything Job says he did not do (cf. chapter 31).

b. Eliphaz has a resolution: repent and pray. Give up your "gold" and "pray". Then the darkness will be dispelled by the light of God's presence. God will deliver you. Eliphaz has a simple answer to the frustrations of a fallen world.

c. Job cannot answer so simply. He knows his own integrity. He is an upright man who will come out like gold in this refining fire. Job is God's faithful servant.

d. In the midst of the darkness, however, Job can only lament. He cannot be silent. He must speak in the darkness though he knows God can do whatever pleases him. Nevertheless, Job must question ("why") and he must lament.

e. Despite the lament, however, Job knows his own integrity and he knows the faithfulness of God. God will destroy the wicked and the oppressors of the poor. He only wishes God will give the righteous the satisfaction of seeing it happen.

5. Two Homiletic Suggestions.

a. One: When Answers are Too Simple (Job 22-23)

Theme: Suffering is Not Always Punishment, but Sometimes Trial.

(1) Begin with occasions/examples when someone surmised sin because of suffering. For example, when a minister was discovered to have AIDS, he was dismissed because of presumed sin and God's judgment.

(2) For some suffering has an easy solution. Just pray, have enough faith, repent and admit your sin, then God will deliver you. You are suffering because you do not have enough faith. Your son is not healed because you do not believe God will do it.

(3) But sometimes suffering is God's testing mechanism, not punishment. Sometimes it is an "integrity check". What "gold" is God most concerned about: the prosperity of your hands, or the

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integrity of your character?(4) When suffering comes, we lament, but we also trust in God's

testing procedures. We are not silent in the darkness, but we are faithful in it.

(5) Jesus himself endured the cross--he sat in the darkness, was faithful through it and he came out as gold.

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b. Two: When Will God Do Something? Job 24

Theme: We cry out against evil, lament its presence and call upon God to do something.

(1) Begin by recounting some of the evils that appear in the daily newspaper. Are we "vexed" by this evil? Does it disturb us? Do we wonder how God feels and thinks about this evil?

(2) Job recounted the evils of his day. Interestingly, he focuses on how the poor were treated. Watch the ethics of Job's list in 24:3-12: hunger, lack of clothing, children as debt payments, thirst. They are oppressed by the landowners and employers. Economic justice is Job's concern here. The wicked have no compassion, no kindness for the widow. Evil men prey on the week to their own advantage.

(3) Where is God? Why doesn't he do something? "Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days?" (24:1). The people of God lament. They cry out to God to charge evil with wrongdoing. We wait for judgment to come upon evil. We yearn for God's righteousness.

(4) The confidence of Job, despite appearances to the contrary, is that God will act. Job may not see it. But God will act (24:22-24).

(5) In Jesus Christ, we have that confidence. Despite death, there is resurrection. Despite evil, there is judgment. God will win in Jesus Christ.

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III. The Sanctuary Experience: From Lament to Praise.

A. Sanctuary Experience in Lament.

1. Psalm 73.

a. Envy of the Wicked (73:2-12).b. Doubts about the Profitability of Righteousness (73:13-15).c. Sanctuary Experience (73:16-17).d. Resultant Praise (73:18-28).

2. Habakkuk.

Lament One: How long before you judge Judah (1:2-4)?Answer One: Not long; Babylon is coming (1:5-11).

Lament Two: Why Babylon (1:12-2:1)?Answer Two: There is an appointed time for Babylon as well

(2:2-5).Woe Oracle: The sins of Babylon are many (2:6-20).

Praise: Rejoice in God's saving judgment and faithful presence (3:1-19).

3. Lament Transitions in the Psalms.

a. There are "Nevertheless" Lament Praises (Psalms 13).b. There are "Salvation Oracle" Lament Praises (Psalm 12).c. There are "Future-Oriented" Lament Praises (Psalms 22)d. There are "Past-Oriented" Lament Praises (Psalm 44).

B. Sanctuary Experience in Job.

1. Divine Encounter: God's Gentle Re-Orientation.

a. Human Expectations.

(1) Job's Expectations.

(a) He wants a list of charges (indictments).(b) He wants his "why" questions answered (3:20; 7:20; 13:24;

21:7; 24:1).(c) He expects to be crushed by God's appearance (9:17).

(2) Friend's Expectations

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(a) Zophar: God will destroy (11:5-6).(b) Elihu: God will not answer (35:12-16) because Job is wicked

(34:36-37).

b. Yahweh's First Speech (38:2-40:2): God's plan (38:2), He cares for his world.

c. Yahweh's Second Speech (40:7-41:34): God's justice (40:8), He controls evil.

d. The Problem of the Yahweh Speeches.

(1) Is God cosmic bully or gentle father?

(2) I think there are two major points to the Yahweh Speeches:

(a) God's gentle presence(b) God's gentle reminder of what Job already knows (12:13;

26:14).

(3) God created out of love and governs through wisdom so that we need

understanding and trust in God's plans.

2. Job's Final Words (42:6).

ashes and dust upon "I repent" and "I despise" therefore

a. Job's First Response (40:4-5): I Feel my Littleness.

“See, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?

I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once,

and I will not answer; twice, but will proceed no further.”

b. Context of Final Words.

(1) Stanza I (Job 42:2-3): Faith and Praise.

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’

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Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,

things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

(2) Stanza II (Job 42:4-6): You Have Answered by Your Presence.

‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;

therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

(3) Options for Understanding 42:6.

(a) I despise/humble myself and repudiate God.(b) I despise/humble myself and recant my lament.(c) I despise/humble myself and repent of my lament.(d) I despise/humble myself and am consoled over my lament.

c. Translations of 42:6.

LXX: Therefore, I despise myself and melt away, and I consider myself dust and ashes."Qumran Targum: "Therefore, I am poured out and dissolved, and I am become dust and ashes."Targum on Job: "I despise my wealth, and I console myself for my sons who are dust and ashes."Maimonides: "Wherefore I abhor myself and repent of dust and ashes."NEB: "Therefore I melt away; I repent in dust and ashes."NRSV: "therefore, I despise myself, and I repent in dust and ashes."NIV: "Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashesNASB: "Therefore, I retract and repent in dust and ashes."JPSV: "Therefore I recant and relent being but dust and ashes."CEV: "That's why I hate myself and sit here in dust and ashes to show my sorrow."NLT: "I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance."Mitchell: "Therefore, I will be quiet, comforted that I am dust."Patrick: "Therefore I repudiate and repent of (or forswear) dust and ashes."O'Conner "I melt away, and I am consoled for dust and ashes."Brown: "I hereby reject [my life], and am comforted concerning dust and ashes."Hicks: "I am little/I melt [before you], and am comforted over [my] dust and ashes."

d. The Meaning of sam ("I despise")

(1) Sample Occurrences (77) in the Hebrew OT (NRSV)

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Leviticus 26:43 ("spurn my statutes")Numbers 11:20 ("you have rejected the Lord")Numbers 14:31 ("the land that you have despised")1 Samuel 8:7 ("they have rejected me")1 Samuel 16:1 ("I have rejected him")2 Kings 17:15 ("they despised his statutes")Isaiah 7:15 ("to refuse the evil")Isaiah 8:6 ("melt in fear")Isaiah 30:12 ("you reject this word")Jeremiah 2:37 ("the Lord has rejected")Jeremiah 4:30 ("your lovers despise you")Jeremiah 14:19 ("rejected Judah")Ezekiel 20:16 ("rejected my ordinances")Ezekiel 21:10 ("you have despised the rod")Amos 5:21 ("I despise you festivals")Psalm 58:7 ("let them vanish like water")Psalm 118:22 ("the builders rejected")Proverbs 15:32 ("despise themselves")

(2) Occurrences in Job (NRSV)Job 5:17 ("do not despise the discipline")Job 7:5 (skin...breaks out again")Job 7:16 ("I loathe my life" -- direct object in text)Job 8:20 ("will not reject a blameless person")Job 9:21 ("I loathe my life" -- direct object in text)Job 10:3 ("to despise the work of your hands")Job 19:18 ("children despise me")Job 30:1 ("I would have disdained")Job 31:13 ("I have rejected the cause")Job 34:33 ("because you reject me")Job 36:5 ("God...does not despise any")Job 42:6 ("I despise myself" -- no direct object)

e. The Meaning of lo Mjn ("I repent upon/over").

(1) Occurrences in the Hebrew OT (NRSV)Exodus 32:12 ("change your mind")2 Samuel 13:39 ("consoled over")Jeremiah 8:6 ("repents of wickedness")Jeremiah 18:8 ("change my mind")Jeremiah 18:10 ("change my mind")Jeremiah 31:15 ("comforted for")Ezekiel 14:22 ("consoled for")Ezekiel 32:31 ("consoled for")Joel 2:13 ("relents from")Jonah 4:2 ("relent from punishing")Psalm 90:13 ("have compassion on")1 Chronicles 21:15 ("relented concerning")

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(2) Mjn in Job (NRSV)Job 2:11 ("comfort")Job 7:13 ("comfort")Job 16:2 ("comforters")Job 21:34 ("comfort")Job 29:25 ("comforts")Job 42:6 ("repent")Job 42:11 ("comforted")

f. Conclusion.

(1) God encounters Job as a function of grace.(2) Job responds to God in humility and praise.(3) The encounter transforms Job's lament to praise.(4) Job is comforted by God.(5) God vindicates Job in the eyes of the cosmos (including Job's

community).

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C. The Yahweh-Job Encounter.

Job's Problem1. finitude2. ignorance3. chaotic

world

generated

unanswered questionsnagging doubtsperplexing situations

Encounter Moment Produces Comfort

peacepraisecomfort

generated

God Comes and Speaks:

1. Power2. Wisdom3. Care

D. The Function of Prayerful Lament.

1. It takes real questions to the sovereign God.

2. It becomes a dynamic moment of encounter (sanctuary experience)

3. It enables praise despite unanswered questions.

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E. A Homily (Job 42:5-6).

1. Job has spoken; God has been silent (Job 9:16-17; 10:3; 13:3,23; 31:35).

2. Yet, Job is confident that God will redeem him (Job 19:25-27)

a. Job's redeemer lives.b. Job expects to "see" God.c. His heart yearns for that time.

3. God speaks and comes near (Job 38:1).

4. Now, Job has seen God and is comforted (Job 42:5-6).

a. Once Job had only "heard" of God.b. Now he has "seen" him.c. Therefore, he is comforted.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY: SIGNIFICANT WORKS ON JOB

Commentaries

First Level

Anderson, Francis I. Job: Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVaristy Press, 1976. Semi-Popular, conservative, good interpretative guide, theological.

Clines, David J. A. Job 1-20. Word Biblical Commentaries, 17. Dallas, TX: Word Books, Publisher, 1989. Critical, liberal, exhaustive though sometimes unconventonal.

Habel, Norman C. The Book of Job: A Commentary. Old Testament Library. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1985. Critical, moderate, theological.

Hartley, John. The Book of Job. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988. Critical, conservative, Christological, often theological.

Smick, Elmer B., "Job," 843-1060. In Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein. Volume 4. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988. Semi-popular, conservative, probably the best evangelical commentary on Job.

Second Level

Alden, Robert. Job. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman, 1993. Popular, conservative, Christological.

Dhorme, Edouard. A Commentary on the Book of Job. Trans. Harold Knight. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1967. Critical, moderate, the classic older commentary (first published in 1926).

Gordis, Robert. The Book of God and Man: A Study of Job. Chicago: University Press, 1966. Semi-Popular, theological, Jewish scholar.

Gordis, Robert. The Book of Job. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1978. Critical, detailed exegesis by Jewish scholar, good history of interpretation.

Habel, Norman C. Job. Knox Preaching Guides. Atlanta: Knox, 1981. Semi-popular, moderate, theological.

Janzen, J. G. Job. Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1985. Semi-popular, moderate, homiletical.

McKenna, David L. Job. Word Communicator's Commetnary. Waco, TX: Word,

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1986. Semi-popular, conservative, homiletical.

Newsom, Carol A., "Job," 319-637. In New Interpreter's Bible, edited by Leander K. Keck. Volume 4. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996. Semi-popular, moderate, theological.

Pope, Marvin H. Job. Anchor Bible. 3rd Ed. New York: Doubleday, 1979. Critical, liberal, good philology.

Reyburn, W.D. The Book of Job. United Bible Societies Handbook Series. New York: UBS, 1992. Critical, moderate, good rehearsal of exegetical, philological and translation issues.

Rowley, H. H. Job. New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1976. Semi-popular, liberal, brief.

Simundson, Daniel J. The Message of Job: A Theological Commentary. Augsburg Publishing House, 1986. Semi-popular, moderate, theological.

van Selms, A. Job: A Practical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985. Semi-popular, conservative, practical.

Zuck, Roy B. Job, Everyman's Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1978. Popular, conservative, evangelical,

Critical Essays or Special Studies

Beuken, W. A. M., ed. The Book of Job, Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium, CXIV. Leuven: University Press, 1994.

Brown, William P. Character in Crisis: A Fresh Approach to the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1997.

Crenshaw, James. A Whirlpool of Torment. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984.

Crenshaw, James, "Wisdom," 225-64. In Old Testament Form Criticism, ed. John H. Hayes. San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 1974.

Dick, Michael Brennan, "The Legal Metaphor in Job 31," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 41 (1979), 37-50.

Dick, Michael Brennan, "Job 31, the Oath of Innocence, and the Sage," Zeitschrift für Altestamentliche Wissenschaft 95 (1983), 31-53.

Duquoc, Christian and Casiano Floristan, eds. Job and the Silence of God. New York: Seabury, 1983.

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Eaton, J. H. Job. Sheffield: Sheffield Press, 1985.

Freedman, D. N., "Is It Possible to Understand the Book of Job?," Bible Review (1988), 26-44.

Fohrer, Georg, "The Righteous Man in Job 31, 1-22. Essays in Old Testament Ethics, edited by James L. Crenshaw and John T. Willis. New York: KTAV, 1974.

Gibson, J. C. L., "On Evil in the Book of Job," 399-419. In Ascribe to the Lord: Biblical & Other Studies in Memory of Peter C. Craigie, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 67, edited by Lyle Eslinger & Glen Taylor. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1988.

Girard, René. Job, The Victim of His People. Standford: Stanford University Press, 1987.

Glatzer, Nahum, ed. Dimensions of Job. New York: Schocken Books, 1969.

Hoffman, Yair. A Blemished Perfection: The Book of Job in Context. JSOT Supplement Series 213. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.

Holbert, John, "The Book of Job and the Task of Preaching," Journal for Preachers 13 (1990), 13-22.

Hone, Ralph E., ed. The Voice of the Whirlwind: The Book of Job. San Francisco: Chandler Publishign, 1960.

Kaplan, J. L., "Maimonides, Dale Patrick, and Job XLI 6," Vetus Testamentum 28 (1978), 356-7.

Kushner, Harold. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. New York: Socken Books, 1981.

Long, Thomas G., "Job: Second Thoughts in the land of Uz," Theology Today 45 (1988), 5-20.'

Miller, Ward S., "The Structure and Meaning of Job," Concordia Journal 15 (1989), 103-20.

Mitchell, Christopher, "Job and the Theology of the Cross," Concordia Journal 15 (1989), 156-180.

Mitchell, Stephen. The Book of Job. San Francisco: North Point Press, 1987.

Morrow, William, "Consolation, Rejection, and Repentance in Job 42:6," Journal of Biblical Literature 105 (1986), 211-25.

Newell, B. Lynne, "Job: Repentant or Rebellious?," Westminster Theological Journal 46 (1984), 298-316.

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O'Conner, D. J., "Job's Final Word -- "I Am Consoled. . ." (42:6b)," Irish Theological Quarterly 50 (1983/84), 181-97.

Parsons, Gregory W., "Guidelines for Understanding and Proclaiming the Book of Job," Bibliotheca Sacra 151 (1994), 393-413.

Parsons, Gregory W., "The Structure and Purpose of the Book of Job," Bibliotheca Sacra 138 (1981), 139-57.

Parsons, Gergory W., "The Literary Features of the Book of Job," Bibliotheca Sacra 38 (1981), 213-29.

Patrick, Dale, "Job's Address of God," Zeitschrift für die Altestamentliche Wissenschaft 91 (1979), 279-81.

Patrick, Dale, "The Translation of Job XLII 6," Vetus Testamentum 26 (1976), 369-71.

Perdue, Leo G. Wisdom in Revolt: Metaphorical Theology in the Book of Job. JSOT Supplement Series 112. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991.

Perdue, Leo G. and W. Clark Gilpin, eds. The Voice from the Whirlwind: Interpreting the Book of Job. Nashville: Abingdon, 1992.

Roberts, J. J., "Job's Summons to Yahweh: The Exploration of a Legal Metaphor," Restoration Quarterly 16 (1973), 159-165.

Sauer, Alfred von Rohr, "Salvation by Grace: The Heart of Job's Theology," Concordia Theological Monthly 37 (1966), 259-70.

Schökel, Luis Alonso, "Toward a Dramatic Reading of the Book of Job," Semeia 7 (1977), 45-61

Scholnick, Sylvia Hubermann, "The Meaning of Mispat (Justice) in the Book of Job," Journal of Biblical Literature 101 (1982), 521-29;

Scholnick, Sylvia Hubermann, "Poetry in the Courtroom: Job 38-41," 185-204. In Directions in Hebrew Poetry, edited by Elaine Follis. Sheffield: JSOT, 1987.

Smith, J. Alfred. Making Sense of Suffering: A Message to Job's Children, A Guide to Teaching and Preaching the Book of Job. Elgin, IL: Progressive National Baptist Convention, 1988.

Tsevat, M., "The Meaning of the Book of Job," Hebrew Union College Annual 37 (1966), 73-106.

Westermann, Claus. The Structure of the Book of Job: A Form-Critical Anaylsis. Trans. Charles A. Muenchow. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.

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Wolfers, David. Deep Things Out of Darkness. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Zuck, Roy B., ed. Sitting with Job: Selected Studies on the Book of Job. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992.

Zuckerman, Bruce. Job, the Silent: A Study in Historical Counterpoint. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Homilectical/Pastoral/Theological Works on Job

Archer, Gleason L., Jr. The Book of Job: God's Answer to the Problem of Undeserved Suffering. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982.

Calvin, John. Sermons on Job. Trans. Nixon. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979.

Davis, M. Vernon, "Preaching from Job," Southwestern Journal of Theology 14 (1971), 65-76.

Good, Edwin M. In Turns of Tempest: A Reading of Job. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990.

Gutiérrez, Gustavo. On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent. Trans. Matthew J. O'Connell. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1987.

Hulme, William E. Dialogue in Despair: Pastoral Commentary on the Book of Job. Nashville: Abingdon, 1968.

Hulme, William E., "Pastoral Counseling in the Book of Job," Concordia Journal 15 (1989), 121-38.

Job, John. Job Speaks Today. Atlanta: Knox, 1980.

Lawson, Steven J. When All Hell Breaks Loose: You May Be Doing Something Right. Littleton, CO: NavPress, 1993.

Littleton, Mark. When God Seems Far Away. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw, 1987.

McKenna, David. The Whisper of His Grace: When We Hurt and Ask "Why?" Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987.

Morgan, G. Campbell. The Answers of Jesus to Job. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1973 (first published in 1935).

"Special Issue on Job," Leaven 4.4 (1996).

Thiele, Edwin and Margaret. Job and the Devil. Boise: Pacific, 1988.

Yancey, Philip. Disappointment with God: Questions Nobody Asks Aloud. Grand

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Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

Lament in Biblical Theology

Brueggemann Walter. Finally Comes the Poet: Daring Speech for Proclamation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1989.

Brueggemann, Walter. The Message of the Psalms. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984.

Duke, David N., "Giving Voice to Suffering in Worship: A Study in the Theodicies of Hymnody," Encounter 52 (1991), 263-72.

Fløsvik, Ingvar. When God Becomes My Enemy: The Theology of the Complaint Psalms. Saint Louis: Concordia Academic Press, 1997.

Meyer, Lester, "A Lack of Laments in the Church's Use of the Psalter," Lutheran Quarterly 7 (1993), 67-78.

Resner, André, Jr., "Lament: Faith's Response to Loss," Restoration Quarterly 32 (1990), 129-142.

Westermann, Claus. Praise and Lament in the Psalms, 2nd ed. Trans. by K. R. Crim and R. N. Soulen. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.

Westermann, Claus, "The Role of Lament in the Theology of the Old Testament," Interpretation 28 (1974), 20-38.

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