. . . the land of Uz . . .

[37818]

Ezekiel 14:14, Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Jeremiah 25:20, And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, . . . .

Lamentations 4:21, Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

Job 1:1, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

The phrase ". . . the land of Uz . . ." besides the writer of Job is unique to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah the prophet is a suspected author of Job.

 

[Deacon]

Logos AI study assistant:

The land of Uz was located somewhere in the Middle East, though its precise position remains uncertain. Modern scholarship has identified two competing theories about its location. One view places Uz near the ancient kingdom of Edom, south of the Dead Sea (the “Southern View”), while the other maintains it was northeast of Palestine, near Damascus in Syria (the “Northern View”).

The northern theory draws support from genealogical connections. Uz appears as a son of Aram in Genesis 10:22–23 and as the firstborn of Nahor (Abraham’s brother) in Genesis 22:20–21, with Josephus claiming that Uz founded the ancient city of Damascus. The southern view, by contrast, finds backing in biblical associations with Edom. Uz was probably located in the land of Edom, just east of the promised land, as suggested by Lamentations 4:21: “Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz.”

Geographically, Uz (Job 1:1) occupied a strategic crossroads region. Job was the greatest of the “men of the East,” the land contained plentiful pastures and areas suitable for plowed crops, and it lay near desert or wilderness regions. The territory was within raiding distance of both the Sabeans and the Chaldeans, making it vulnerable to nomadic incursions. Job’s three friends—the Temanite, Shuhite, and Naamathite—along with Elihu the Buzite, came from neighboring peoples in the region.

The significance of Uz lies not in its precise geographic location but in where it is not—namely, not in Israel. This positioning underscores Job’s status as an outsider to Israel’s covenant history, making his righteousness and suffering all the more remarkable.

[1] J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: Poetry (Job) (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 13.
[2] Stephen J. Vicchio, The Book of Job: A History of Interpretation and a Commentary (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2020), 47–48.
[3] Christopher Ash, Job: The Wisdom of the Cross, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 30.

~~~~~~

If you're looking for an exact location, just follow the Yelluw Brick Ruad.

Rob

 

[Scarlett O.]

Ezekiel 14:14, Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

Jeremiah 25:20, And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, . . . .

Lamentations 4:21, Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

Job 1:1, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

The phrase ". . . the land of Uz . . ." besides the writer of Job is unique to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah the prophet is a suspected author of Job.

I have always held the idea that others smarter than me taught that the book of Job was really really ancient.

Are you suggesting that it's only the setting of Job that old and was written much later by Jeremiah?

 

[SovereignGrace]

I have always held the idea that others smarter than me taught that the book of Job was really really ancient.

Are you suggesting that it's only the setting of Job that old and was written much later by Jeremiah?

I have heard claims that Job is considered by some, the oldest of all the 66 books. I don't know the validity of the claim, however.

 

[37818]

Are you suggesting that it's only the setting of Job that old and was written much later by Jeremiah?

If the time of Job was before Daniel or Noah I would think Ezekiel would have listed Job before Noah or Daniel? And the land of Uz as such not mentioned until Jeremiah as such? I found that to be odd.

 

[37818]

.

I have heard claims that Job is considered by some, the oldest of all the 66 books. I don't know the validity of the claim, however.

I had too. But Job being written before Genesis or the five books of the Law?

 

[SovereignGrace]

.

I had too. But Job being written before Genesis or the five books of the Law?

That's above my pay grade my friend. Personally, it doesn't matter to me which is the first written. I know that all 66 are inspired by the Spirit of God and I rejoice in knowing that.

 

[Deacon]

I've never heard of anyone consider Jeremiah to be an author of Job, ...that is until now.
If that's the case, (highly unlikely) Baruch, (Jeremiah's amanuensis) would play a significant role.
On one hand, there are many Aramaic words used in Job,
On the other hand, there are many hapax legomena, words only used once in the bible.
The structure and poetic elements in the composition of Job mirror common Hebrew patterns.
Many scholars have suggested an ancient oral history, with translational adjustments and
additions through the ages.

The settings (when and where the book of Job takes place) are not necessarily an indication of its final compositional date.

Evidence for a pre-Mosaic story setting include:
1. No mention of Mosaic Law, the temple or even covenantal promises
2. There are no references or illusions to other biblical texts
3. No use of the covenantal name of God (YHWH)
4. The mention of Job's age (140) suggests events in the story occurred in an earlier, pre-Abrahamic time period.

We do not need to know when the book was written to appreciate the greatness of the wisdom in the book of Job. His suffering is part of the universal human condition.

Rob