The speech about God in Job 42:7-8: a contribution to the coherence of the book of Job
In the final chapter of the book of Job, God appears to Eliphaz and expresses anger at him and his friends. God declares to Eliphaz, “you have not spoken the truth about me as has my servant Job.” The most prominent difficulty that this verse raises is an apparent inconsistency with the divine speec...
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| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
College
2014
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Year: 2011, Volume: 82/83, Pages: 1-36 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Job
/ God
/ Speech
/ Inconsistency
/ Synthesis
/ Character
/ Diversity
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | In the final chapter of the book of Job, God appears to Eliphaz and expresses anger at him and his friends. God declares to Eliphaz, “you have not spoken the truth about me as has my servant Job.” The most prominent difficulty that this verse raises is an apparent inconsistency with the divine speeches from the whirlwind, where God appears to reprimand Job for speaking about God without knowledge. The present article offers a detailed critique of the various scholarly attempts to deal with this inconsistency, including the one that finds in it a central indication that the book cannot be read as a coherent whole. It is suggested that the MT of Job 42:7-8 must be slightly emended, in accordance with the LXX and Saadia Gaon. Accordingly, God never refers in this passage to any speech about God, whether of Eliphaz or of Job. Rather, God accuses Eliphaz of testifying falsely against Job. The new reading allows us to appreciate the theological and literary coherence of the book of Job. |
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| ISSN: | 0360-9049 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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