Featured When did Job live?

This is what I was taught, and I still hold it -- not really as a matter of knowledge or conviction, but just that no one has come along to shatter the idea in any way.

This year I decided to borrow/use the Blue Letter Bible Chronological Daily Bible Reading Plan for my through the Bible reading. This plan places reading the book of Job after Genesis 11, which is what got me interested in Job's place in the biblical timeline. That said, I don't think we need to know that to understand the point of the book.

 

As for me, I don’t have enough information, or don’t understand how to put all the information together, in order to know when Job lived. I find it interesting research, though. What follows are some things I have found and some things others say, which may or may not cause a light to go off in someone’s head!

• In his third speech, Eliphaz refers to the flood in the past (Job 22:15-16).
• The Hebrew word for the piece of money in Job 42:11 is kesitah. This word is only used 3 times in the Old Testament, here and in Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32. In those places it refers to the money Jacob used to purchase a parcel of land from the sons of Hamor. The use of the same word in Job might suggest patriarchal times somewhat contemporary with Jacob.
• Based on some of his statements, Job was not young when his calamity struck (Cf. Job 12:12-13; Job 30:1). Job lived another 140 years after his affliction or after the birth of his second ten children (Job 42:16) – making it likely that he lived 200 years or even longer. This is longer than Abraham and compares to some patriarchs prior to Abraham. Yet, Job 42:17 might suggest his length of days was longer than his contemporaries.
• Job’s daughters receiving an equal inheritance with the sons is not according to the law of Moses (Cf. Numbers 27:8 and Job 42:15).
• Job lived in the land of Uz (Job 1:1), which has never been connected to the land of Canaan (as far as I know).
• Job was called a man of the east in Job 1:3.
• Job seems to be a man of high position (Cf. Job 29:7-25), which may be inconsistent with nomads in the land of Canaan.
• God’s testimony is that Job was an unique God-fearing man for his time (Cf. Job 1:8; Job 2:3; Ezekiel 14:14, 20), which might mean he wasn’t contemporary with Abraham or Isaac (earlier) or Moses (later).

Connections to Esau/Edom

• Lamentations 4:21 identifies Edom in the land of Uz. A man named Uz is a grandson of Seir the Horite. See Genesis 36:20-28. Verse 8 of this chapter says Esau dwelt in Mount Seir. (The land of Uz is also mentioned in Jeremiah 25:20).
• Esau had a son named Eliphaz, and Eliphaz had a son named Teman (Genesis 36:10-11; 1 Chronicles 1:35-36; Cf. Job 2:11).
• Some people identify Job with Jobab great-grandson of Esau, the second king of Edom (Cf. Genesis 36:32-34 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-45).

Other miscellaneous conjecture

• Some people believe Bildad the Shuhite was a descendant of Shuah, Abraham’s son by Keturah (Genesis 25:1-3; 1 Chronicles 1:31-33).
• Some people believe that the Buzites (Job 32:2) were descendants of Buz, son of Nahor Abraham’s brother (Genesis 22:20-22).

 

I'm very comfortable with these facts, though I certainly wouldn't mind nailing it down a little closer.

It is interesting that the Septuagint commentary/addition at the end of chapter 42 also connects Job to Esau.

I don't accept that as inspired Scripture, and even the Septuagint seems to make it something of a footnote..."This man is described in the Syriac book..." It's still interesting that someone back then connected him to Esau.

I think the hardest part I have accepting him that far down from Esau is his length of age. The hardest part I have placing him contemporary with Abraham is God's commentary, "my servant Job...there is none like him in the earth..." I don't suppose that is an impossible statement in Abraham's lifetime, but it still seems less likely to me.