and language to those in the Psalms and Proverbs (see Psalm 88 and 89),
the prevalence of the idea of “wisdom,” and the style and character of the
composition, it is supposed by some to have been written in the time of
David and Solomon. Others argue that it was written by Job himself, or by
Elihu, or Isaiah, or perhaps more probably by Moses, who was “learned in
all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and mighty in words and deeds” (Acts
7:22). He had opportunities in Midian for obtaining the knowledge of the
facts related. But the authorship is altogether uncertain.
As to the character of the book, it is a historical poem, one of the greatest
and sublimest poems in all literature. Job was a historical person, and the
localities and names were real and not fictious. It is “one of the grandest
portions of the inspired Scriptures, a heavenly-repleished storehouse of
comfort and instruction, the patriarchal Bible, and a precious monument of
primitive theology. It is to the Old Testament what the Epistle to the
Romans is to the New.” It is a didactic narrative in a dramatic form.
This book was apparently well known in the days of Ezekiel, B.C. 600
(Ezekiel 14:14). It formed a part of the sacred Scriptures used by our Lord
and his apostles, and is referred to as a part of the inspired Word
(Hebrews 12:5; 1 Corinthians 3:19).
The subject of the book is the trial of Job, its occasion, nature, endurance,
and issue. It exhibits the harmony of the truths of revelation and the
dealings of Providence, which are seen to be at once inscrutable, just, and
merciful. It shows the blessedness of the truly pious, even amid sore
afflictions, and thus ministers comfort and hope to tried believers of every
age. It is a book of manifold instruction, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy
3:16).
It consists of,
(1.) An historical introduction in prose (ch. 1,2).
(2.) The controversy and its solution, in poetry (ch. 3-42:6).
Job’s desponding lamentation (ch. 3) is the occasion of the controversy
which is carried on in three courses of dialogues between Job and his three
friends. The first course gives the commencement of the controversy (ch.
4-14); the second the growth of the controversy (15-21); and the third the
height of the controversy (22-27). This is followed by the solution of the