Job Archives - Reading Acts

Webb, Barry G. Job. Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary. Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2023. xx+499 pp.; Hb.; $48.99. Link to Lexham Press

Barry G. Webb serves as senior research fellow emeritus in Old Testament at Moore Theological College in Newtown, Australia. He wrote the NICOT volume on The Book of Judges (Eerdmans 2012). He wrote his Ph.D. dissertation on Judges under David Clines at Sheffield in the 1980s.

In his eighty-eight-page introduction, Webb observes that Job relies on the book of Proverbs, so it cannot have been before Hezekiah. Ezekiel 14:14-20 mentions Job (although this may not refer to the Book of Job), and Job 12 seems to allude to Psalm 107, implying an exilic or post-exilic date. He does not specify a date, suggesting a time after Solomon to the early post-exilic period. But in the context of Judah’s history, the story of Job may answer questions about the suffering of God’s faithful servants such as Josiah or Jeremiah. Since Webb thinks the Book of Job is a unified work, he does not consider the possibility that parts of the book use sources from various times. On the other hand, unlike other conservative commentaries on Job, he does not suggest any date for the story (the time of Abraham, for example).

The introduction also sets Job in a historical context. First, Webb describes the wisdom movement in ancient Israel, beginning with the need for sages as early as Solomon’s and Hezekiah’s reign and Zerubbabel’s post-exilic community. This is basically a history of Judah through the exile. Concerning the historicity of Job, Webb thinks that Job was an actual person “who experienced the kind of things described in the book” (15). However, the story and extensive dialogue is “more like a Shakespeare play than a straightforward historical writing” (15). Second, like most commentaries on Job, Webb compares Job to similar ancient Near Eastern works. Although interesting, he concludes that Job is not reworking an Egyptian or Mesopotamian book. The book “clearly participates in a much wider discussion of the issues of undeserved suffering in the ancient Near East” (19).

He does not find genre analysis helpful for interpreting the Book of Job. There are many genres or forms in the book. Generally, it belongs to the broad category of wisdom literature, and he is not satisfied with any recent alternatives. Concerning structure, he follows Francis Anderson (TOTC, 1976), who suggested a clear, symmetrical pattern that incorporates all sections. This means that the Elihu section is not a later addition. Webb also tracks the overall plot of the book as a unifying factor.

What is the Book of Job about? In his discussion of the book’s theme, Webb suggests the book addresses the fundamental question: “What is the essence of wisdom for human beings” (26). God makes wisdom available, but wisdom is relational and behavioral (as opposed to intellection knowledge). Job is introduced as a man who “fears God and turns away from evil. Overemphasis on the plot points, such as Satan and God in dialogue or even the suffering of the innocent, may distract from this theme. Near the end of the introduction, he suggests the book provides the kind of comfort people in Job-like circumstances need. “The writer of Job was an excellent pastor” (78).

Since one of the goals of this commentary series is to trace biblical and theological themes, a large section of the introduction consists of a biblical theology of wisdom. Webb defines wisdom as “God-given and is essentially practical and of great benefit to God’s people” (29). He traces the theme of biblical wisdom throughout the Old Testament, beginning with the Pentateuch and into the New Testament (Jesus is the wisdom of God, 1 Cor 1:24). Given the goals of the EBTC commentary series, he does not trace developments through intertestamental wisdom literature such as Sirach or the Wisdom of Solomon. Job contributes to this biblical theology of wisdom. Job is described as a model wise man “who fears God and shuns evil” (1:1). Job and his friends agree God is the source of wisdom, but the friends represent a traditional view that human wisdom is sufficient for understanding what is happening to Job. Job disagrees: his experience does not fit into the regular pattern of traditional wisdom. Is a protest against God’s treatment of us compatible with fearing him? Apparently, yes. Job complains, never accusing God of wrongdoing (45).

Webb traces other theological themes through the Book of Job, including God, creation, repentance, divine justice, revelation, redemption, mediation, Satan and the spiritual world, suffering, and comfort. On Satan and the spiritual world, Satan is prominent in the opening scenes, then fades from view after he fails to prod Job into cursing God. Satan is an adversary, but does this mean he has an official role, like a “secret police” pointing out disloyalty? Webb says this is unconvincing.

Each section of the commentary begins with the CSB translation of the unit. Webb sets the context and structure (an outline of the unit). Some units are quite large. Job 12-14 is a single unit. This means Webb’s exegesis cannot cover every verse or detail. For example, his comments on Job 12:10-25 are about one page of text. The commentary is based on the English text, sometimes supplemented by an occasional Hebrew word without transliteration. These should be easy enough for people to without Hebrew to skip over. There is nothing on textual variants, and he rarely addresses Hebrew syntax. Footnotes interact with secondary literature, making the body of the commentary easy to read. The final section of the commentary is section is entitled “Bridge.” Here, Webb suggests the significance of the unit and its application “for us today.” These are pastoral insights and often cross-canonical observations.

Conclusion: Barry Webb’s commentary on Job deals with larger theological problems of suffering by careful attention to the text. Although the commentary is not an exhaustive exegesis of the Hebrew text, Webb’s comments are clear and often challenging. This is a rare commentary which is a pleasure to read. This commentary will be an excellent guide for pastors and teachers as they work through the Book of Job.

Reviews of other Commentaries in this Series:

NB: Thanks to Lexham Press for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

Wilson, Lindsay. Job. Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2015. 420 pp. Pb; $28. Link to Eerdmans

Suffering is one of the few constants of human history. The early twenty-first century has witnessed daily suffering because of war, human greed and natural disaster. Most people have wondered if some suffering is just and deserved or unfair and undeserved. It is difficult to hear stories of innocent children suffering in the media without asking how it is “fair” a child starves to death while a despotic ruler grows even more powerful and wealthy. If God is really both ultimately righteous, just and all-powerful, how can he allow such suffering in this world?

Frequently Christians appeal to the book of Job for answers to these difficult questions, although Job does not always offer the answers we hope for when we study the book. Lindsay Wilson’s contribution to the Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary series is an attempt to understand the book of Job in its proper biblical context and to sketch out some possible answers to these deep questions about God’s justice and human suffering.

Wilson’s twenty-eight page introduction asks a series of questions about the book of Job. Although the story of Job takes place in patriarchal times, it was written later, probably after the exile and a significant time after Proverbs. When the book was written is not matter for Wilson, only that it is a reaction to misunderstandings of Proverbs and other wisdom literature (5). In fact, whether the story “really happened” does not matter since the book may be something like a parable, a story illustrating important theological truths. Job is a protest against a “fossilized misunderstanding of retribution that had misrepresented the mainstream wisdom tradition of Proverbs” (8). In fact, Wilson suggests that reading Proverbs is the first step in understanding Job.

The main issue in Job is retribution: Does God reward the righteous and punish the wicked? Based on their misunderstanding of wisdom literature, Job’s friends think this is the case, yet the book of Job makes it clear not all suffering is a result of God’s punishment, nor is every good thing in life a reward for righteous living. Although this is the most common theological use of Job, the book also is about God’s relationship with humanity. Why should humans fear God? Does “fear of the Lord” cancel the need to question God? Ultimately, however, the book of Job is about the character of God. As Wilson comments, the theophany and Yahweh speeches make it clear God cannot be constrained by “narrow human categories,” the “majestic picture of God’s power” is foundational for understanding the theology book of Job (10).

The Commentary is divided into four sections. Although it is minimal in the body of the commentary, Hebrew appears along with transliteration. Often difficult vocabulary is compared in various English translations (NRSV, ESV, KJV). Wilson uses footnotes for details of exegesis and interaction with major recent commentaries on Job. Occasionally textual variants appear in the notes. Although this is not a full exegetical commentary like Clines’ 1200+ page WBC Commentary, Wilson provides enough detail to help read the text of Job with insight. This commentary section is necessarily brief, treating large paragraphs in summary fashion. Occasionally Wilson will focus on a particular word or phrase (Hebrew appearing with transliteration). He interacts with major exegetical commentaries in the notes, providing the interested reader a pointer to more in-depth discussions. The purpose of the commentary is not detailed exegesis, but a discussion of the theological themes of the book.

The prologue and epilogue are treated briefly. Wilson focuses on a few key questions the prologue asks which will illuminate the dialogues. Job is a man of unblemished righteousness, but we are not sure why he serves God. Does Job have a disinterested faith? Or does he serve God because of what blessing and protection he receives from God? The Dialogue (3:1-31:40) naturally makes up the bulk of the commentary section. As Wilson comments in his introduction, the dialogues are long and repetitive, they are in short a “talkfest” (27). Any commentary on Job must be selective in its exegesis, so this main section of the commentary summarizes larger units and only selectively comments on difficult exegetical issues. The Verdict section (32:1-42:6) deal with the divine speeches. Wilson observes “some of Job’s problems are simply resolved by the appearance of Yahweh” (180).

As with other Two Horizon commentaries, the bulk of the book is 172 page section tracing nine theological themes of the book of Job. The obvious theme in Job is of course suffering. Wilson follows David Clines in seeing three main questions concerning suffering that arise from the book: Why is the suffering? Why do the innocent suffer? What should I do when I suffer? The book offers some answers to these questions, but they are not always satisfying (especially those presented by Job’s friends). As Wilson observed, not all suffering is linked to sin nor does an individual who suffers need to know why they have suffered (219). A related theme is “Retribution and Justice,” is all suffering deserved? Does life really work like the Book of Proverbs implies it should? Wilson tracing retribution through the book and argues the book of Job ultimately agrees with Proverbs, although Proverbs does not promise peace and prosperity as is commonly assumed.

Wilson covers several related topics concerning Job’s questioning of God (litigation motif; lament and complaint to God; preserving faith). Christians are sometimes shocked by Job’s questioning of God and his frank refusal to accept suffering as a punishment. Although he ultimately retains his faith in God, Job cries out bitterly to God and even demands his case be heard by the just and righteous God. Wilson has several pages describing the form of lament in the Hebrew Bible and wrestling with the disappearance of laments as a form of Christian worship. For Job, laments may question God, but the purpose of Job’s lament is to restore and strengthen faith. “Job’s complaints can never be understood as merely mouthing off to God” (252). Citing Tennyson, Wilson concludes “There lives more faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds” (257).

The final section of the book examines Job’s contribution to biblical, systematic, moral and practical theology. Under the heading of biblical theology, Wilson sets Job in a canonical context. In order to do this, he reads Job alongside of the rest of the wisdom literature. As he observes often in the commentary, Job is a kind of protest against misunderstanding the theology of retribution of Proverbs. In some ways Job goes beyond Proverbs by describing the righteous life of Job. Wilson traces the use of the rest of the Old Testament in Job (creation, Decalogue, God’s kingly rule). He briefly examines the common view that Job is a type of Christ, concluding Job is not “all about Christ” in the sense Job prefigures Christ’s suffering. The central theme of the book is God’s kingly rule (320). Perhaps the most fascinating section in his biblical theology section concerns the New Testament use of Job. How should we read Job as a Christian? He rejects the search for Christ in every page of Job, arguing instead to focus on God as sovereign and to restore the kind of “robust, lamenting faith” demonstrated by Job (331).

Under the heading of systematic theology, Wilson rightly begins with what Job contributes to our understanding of God, especially what Job tells us about God’s relationship with evil. Yet Job does not give a direct answer to the problem of evil, rather the book “seems content to leave the question of theodicy unresolved.” (340). He also briefly discusses the contributions Job makes to a theological understanding of Satan, sin, justice, resurrection and the nature of faith.

Under the heading of moral theology, Wilson attempts to create an “ethics of Job,” both in terms of sources for the book’s ethics and the ethical content of book. Scholars who do anything like this in Job usually focus on chapter 31 since it contains a clear statement of what integrity and righteousness looks like. Wilson goes beyond this by briefly touching on Job’s social ethics, including the book’s view of the environment and wealth. He includes a fascinating discussion of suicide. Job’s wife seems to think it is possible for Job to “curse God and die” and Job longs for death. Yet he continues to hope in God for justice and possibly restoration. As Wilson observes, suicide results from the total loss of hope in God (365), Job never seems to reach this point in the book.

Under the heading of practical theology, Wilson covers several topics which will appeal to anyone who wants to teach or preach from the book of Job. It seems strange to think of the book of Job as a source for pastoral care or a guide for prayer, but Wilson shows how the book contributes to these important areas of ministry. In addition, he includes a section on preaching the book of Job. Since it is unlikely anyone would (or should?) preach a lengthy series of expositional sermons based on the book, Wilson offers some practical advice on how to relate this difficult yet important book to Christian audiences.

Conclusion. Like other contributions to the Two Horizons series, Wilson’s book is an important contribution to a Christian understanding of the book of Job. It is a solid albeit brief commentary on the Hebrew text of Job with extensive theological reflection on how Job contributes to the overall theology of both the Hebrew Bible and the whole canon. The book is an excellent support for a pastor, teacher or layperson reading and wrestling with the book Job

NB: Thanks to Eerdmans for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.