JOB'S WIFE COPES WHILE JOB PHILOSOPHIZES

by Kristen West McGuire

Job 1:8-12; 2:4-10; 42:10-17

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Then Satan answered the LORD, “Does Job fear God for nought?

Hast thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse thee to thy face.”

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

(Job’s children die and his wealth disappears.)

And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power; only spare his life.”

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and afflicted Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

And he took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God, and die.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

(Job philosophizes with three onlookers. No details on his wife are recorded.)

And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends; and the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house; and they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold.

And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she-asses.

He had also seven sons and three daughters.

And he called the name of the first Jemi’mah; and the name of the second Kezi’ah; and the name of the third Ker’en-hap’puch.

And in all the land there were no women so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.

And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, four generations.

And Job died, an old man, and full of days.

The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Context: Why do bad things happen to righteous people? The Jews were not the first to ask this question. Because they lacked a pantheon of capricious gods and goddesses to blame misfortune on, Satan is presented here as the architect of evil in the world.

Translation: Hebrew scholars point to the book of Job as the most difficult to translate in the entire Old Testament. The ancient manuscripts are conflicting, and include rare words that appear in no other surviving Hebrew texts. Translators must make educated guesses in many instances. Although it is assumed to have been written after the Babylonian exile because of the content, there is no consensus on its composition date.

Vocabulary:

Curse God: The Hebrew term, “barak,” meant to kneel. It is used in Job 2:9 as a euphemism, sarcastically. To “curse” God was to die, according to the Hebrews.

blessed : In Job 42:12, the Lord “blesses” Job using the same term as Job’s wife: barak !

Meditation

Job’s wife has an unfair role in this passion play. She shows up as a “bit” character to bear seven sons and three daughters...twice. Her only line is, “Curse God and die.” And in the middle, Job laments that she has turned her face from him. Was Job’s wife a helpmate, or not?

Job gently rebukes her. The implication seems to be that she is wondering what hidden sins are revealed by their suffering. And yet, she is also reminding him that his suffering is real.

After this interchange, his words finally begin to address his misfortunes. Job’s wife forced him to deal with reality, not his idealistic hopes in Yahweh’s omnipotence.

What are we to make of her silence throughout the rest of the dialogue? Women in ancient Israel were not the authors of midrash. The absence of feminine wisdom in this book would not have bothered them.

And yet, it bothers me. Do you suppose she scrounged up refreshments for him and his philosophy mates? If he truly was a righteous man, I’m sure this couple shared a few words betwixt and between soliloquies.

This isn’t heaven, for sure. Job’s wife was not encouraging him to denounce God, but insisted that he ditch the rose-colored glasses. We don’t know all the details. But I sure would like to know what portions of his thoughts came from her.

Discussion Questions

1. Many women are thrust into the role of helping family and friends to make sense of the misfortunes of life. It requires a balance between acknowledging reality and hoping in unseen deliverance. How do we build hope?
2. Job’s fortunes were restored. What does it take to develop the tenacity of Job, praising God in both times of plenty and times of want? Where are you now? Did a woman help you get there?

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