(c.) Conclusion.—God rebukes the friends of Job, that they have not spoken rightly like His servant Job (xlii. 7), and richly compensates Job for his sufferings and losses.
The book has no heading, and therefore we do not know by whom or when it was written. There is, however, a tradition, mentioned in the Talmud (Baba Bathra, p. 14b), that Moses wrote the Book of Job. Even about Job himself it is impossible to ascertain at what time he lived. But the description of his riches and the length of his life leads us to think of the time of the patriarchs. His name is mentioned only in one other book of the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel names him together with Noah and Daniel as a righteous man who would, by his piety, save himself in the time of general calamity, though he would not be able to save his generation (Ezek. xiv. 14). There is also an opinion that Job never existed at all. איוב לא היה ולא נברא אלא משל היה “Job never lived; nor has he had any existence; the story is all only an allegory” (Babyl. Talm. Baba Bathra, 15a). This dictum can only refer to the detailed account of the manner in which the misfortune came upon Job, and the poetical discussion of Job and his friends. But it is undeniable that a pious man of the name of Job lived, and escaped from a calamity to which others succumbed; since it is clear that Ezekiel refers to real and not to imaginary personages. Job and his friends were not Israelites. The patriarch lived in the land of Uz in Arabia; the friends came from Teman, Shuah, Naamah, and Buz, in the south, [[111]]east, west, and north of Uz. Like the Book of Jonah, this book conveys the lesson, חסידי אומות העולם יש להם חלק לעולם הבא “The pious of all nations have a portion in the world to come” (Maim., Mishneh-torah I. Hilchoth Teshubah, iii. 5). God rewards the righteous of all nations, punishes those among them who deserve punishment, and pardons the penitent.
The introduction and conclusion are written in prose, but the principal part of the book is poetical, and consequently parallelism is a predominant feature of the book.
The following are a few sentences from the book:—
“Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (ii. 10).
“The small and great are there (in the grave), and the servant is free from his master” (iii. 19).
“Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker?” (iv. 17).
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty” (v. 17).
“Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?” (vii. 1).
“He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?” (ix. 4).
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (xiii. 15).
“For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and he will rise in the end over the dust” (xix. 25).
“And when my skin is gone, when worms have destroyed this body, and when my flesh is no more, yet shall I see God” (xix. 26).
“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, [[112]]that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, that is understanding” (xxviii. 28).
The following passages are noteworthy, on account of both their lofty thought and their poetical form:—
Eliphaz mildly rebukes Job, exhorting him to repentance (iv.).
Job’s charge against the cruelty of his friends (v. 12–30).
Bildad’s view of God’s justice (viii. 3–13).
Job’s conception of God’s Omnipotence (ix. 2–12).
Zophar’s explanation of God’s justice (xi. 2–7, 10–15).
Job’s declaration of his faith in God (xiii. 6–16; xix. 23–27; xxiii. 3–12).
Job’s confession of man’s dependence on God’s wisdom (xxviii. 1, 2, 12–28).
Job’s defence of his innocence (xxxi.).
Elihu’s defence of God’s justice (xxxiii. 8, 9, 12–30).
Job is shown his ignorance (xxxviii. 3–24); his impotence (xl. 9–14).
Job’s contrition (xlii. 2–6).
The three books, Psalms, Proverbs, and Job, are distinguished from the rest of the Bible by their peculiar accents, which are on this account called מעמי אמ״ת “the accents of the books, תהלים, משלי and איוב.”
The Song of Solomon, שיר השירים (lit., The Song of Songs = the most poetical song).—The faithfulness of the beloved to her lover, her resistance to all temptation, and the concentration of all her thoughts on the well-being of her lover, form the theme of the book. The relation between lover and beloved has been interpreted allegorically as representing the relation between God and Israel. The latter remains faithful to his God, throughout all vicissitudes of fortune. “I am [[113]]for my lover, and my lover is for me,” is the centre of this feeling of faith. According to the heading and the tradition, King Solomon is the author of the book.
Ruth, רות—The book contains the history of Ruth, a Moabite woman, who, by her marriage with Boaz, became the founder of the house of David. Elimelech of Beth-lehem in Judah, with his wife Naomi and his two sons, left his country in time of famine in order to stay in the land of Moab. There the two sons marry Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Elimelech and the two sons die. Naomi returns to Judah; Orpah, at the request of Naomi, remains in Moab and goes back to her family, but Ruth insists on accompanying Naomi, saying, “Whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried: so the Lord do to me, and more also, if ought but death will part thee and me” (i. 16, 17).