Job 1:1

King James Version (KJV)

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Translations

Job 1:1 - Amplified Bible

THERE WAS a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who [reverently] feared God and abstained from {and} shunned evil [because it was wrong].

Job 1:1 - American Standard Version

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and turned away from evil.

Job 1:1 - Bible in Basic English

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was without sin and upright, fearing God and keeping himself far from evil.

Job 1:1 - Darby Bible

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and this man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and abstained from evil.

Job 1:1 - English Standard Version

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

Job 1:1 - King James Version

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job 1:1 - La Biblia de las Americas

Hubo un hombre en la tierra de Uz llamado Job; y era aquel hombre intachable, recto, temeroso de Dios y apartado del mal.

Job 1:1 - The Message

Job was a man who lived in Uz. He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was also very wealthy—seven thousand head of sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred teams of oxen, five hundred donkeys, and a huge staff of servants—the most influential man in all the East!

Job 1:1 - New American Standard Bible

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.

Job 1:1 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Hubo un hombre en la tierra de Uz llamado Job. Aquel hombre era intachable (ìntegro), recto, temeroso de Dios y apartado del mal.

Job 1:1 - World English Bible

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.

Job 1:1 - Young's Living Translation

A man there hath been in the land of Uz -- Job his name -- and that man hath been perfect and upright -- both fearing God, and turning aside from evil.

Job 1:1 - Additional Comments

Job, the book:
Historically, the author and place of writing are unknown. Three theories about time of writing: 700 BC, 550 BC, and 400-300 BC. Three theories about Job: 1) a historical figure who spoke all the words attributed to him; 2) a literary creation by the author as a teaching parable; 3) historical kernel adapted by the author to address certain issues. None of these unknowns or theories play a major role in the book or effect its theological message.
It seems most probable that Elihu was the author of it, at least of the discourses, because (Job 32:15-16) mingles the words of a historian with those of a disputant: But Moses perhaps wrote the first two chapters and the last, to give light to the discourses; for in them God is frequently called Jehovah, but not once in all the discourses, except Job 12:9. That name was but little known to the patriarchs before Moses (Exodus 6:3).
Job is a wisdom book, with Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. It is highly poetic and metaphorical, and deals with mature reflection on issues of everyday living. In contrast to Proverbs, but like Ecclesiastes, Job must be read in its entirety to understand its message; single verses often contradict the overall message of the book. The theological stance of Job counterbalances, even challenges, some perspectives of Proverbs. Typical of wisdom thinking, Job views the world from the perspective of human need and concern rather than God's requirements.
The Message of the Book
A. That righteous people are not exempt from suffering
B. suffering is not always a result of sin or a sign of God's punishment
C. Instruction us how to respond when life caves in - traditional answers are not always appropriate
D. God will tolerate honest questions
E. God should be served simply because He is God
F. God, and the world, cannot be put into easily definable categories
We are sure that Job is, for the substance of it, a true history, and not a romance, though the dialogues are poetical. No doubt there was such a man as Job; the prophet Ezekiel names him with Noah and Daniel, Eze 14:14. Although, the inspired penman takes the liberty of putting the discourse between Job and his friends discoursed into his own words.
The book of Job it is very ancient, though we cannot fix the precise time either when Job lived or when the book was written. There are so many marks of its antiquity, that we have reason to think it of equal date with the book of Genesis itself, and that Job was a contemporary with Isaac and Jacob. He lived before the age of man was shortened to seventy or eighty, as it was in Moses's time, before sacrifices were confined to one altar, before the general apostasy of the nations from the knowledge and worship of the true God, and while yet there was no other idolatry known than the worship of the sun and moon, and that punished by the Judges, Job 31:26-28. He lived while God was known by the name of God Almighty more than by the name of Jehovah; for he is called Shaddai - the Almighty, thirty times in this book. He lived while divine knowledge was conveyed, not by writing, but by tradition - see Job 8:8, 21:29, 15:18, 5:1. And we have therefore reason to think that he lived before Moses, because here is no mention at all of the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, or the giving of the law.
There are many passages in Job that are dark and hard to be understood. We cannot be confident of the true meaning of every Arabic word and phrase we find in it. It is a book that finds a great deal of work for the critics; but enough is plain to make it profitable.
Job presents to us these five things among others:
(1.) A monument of primitive theology. Were ever the being of God, his glorious attributes and perfections, his unsearchable wisdom, his irresistible power, his inconceivable glory, his inflexible justice, and his incontestable sovereignty, discussed with more clearness, fullness, reverence, and divine eloquence, than in this book?
(2.) It presents us with an example of a pious Gentile.
(3.) It presents us with an exposition of the good and bad that life brings.
(4.) It presents us with a great example of patience and close adherence to God in the midst of the sorest calamities.
(5.) It presents us with an illustrious type of Christ. In general, Job was a great sufferer, was emptied and humbled, in order to accomplish a greater glory. When Paul speaks of the patience of Job he immediately takes notice of the end of the Lord, that is, of the Lord Jesus (as some understand it), typified by Job, James 5:11.

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