There was a man in the land of Uz named Job. That man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
Seven sons and three daughters were born to him;
his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred jennies, and a very large household. That man was wealthier than anyone in the East.
It was the custom of his sons to hold feasts, each on his set day in his own home. They would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
When a round of feast days was over, Job would send word to them to sanctify themselves, and, rising early in the morning, he would make burnt offerings, one for each of them; for Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts.” This is what Job always used to do.
One day the divine beings presented themselves before GOD, and the Adversary came along with them.
GOD said to the Adversary, “Where have you been?” The Adversary answered GOD, “I have been roaming all over the earth.”
GOD said to the Adversary, “Have you noticed My servant Job? There is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil!”
The Adversary answered GOD, “Does Job not have good reason to fear God?
Why, it is You who have fenced him round, him and his household and all that he has. You have blessed his efforts so that his possessions spread out in the land.
But lay Your hand upon all that he has and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face.”
GOD replied to the Adversary, “See, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him.” The Adversary departed from GOD’s presence.
One day, as his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother,
a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the jennies were grazing alongside them
when Sabeans attacked them and carried them off, and put the attendants to the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
This one was still speaking when another came and said, “God’s fire fell from heaven, took hold of the sheep and the attendants, and burned them up; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
This one was still speaking when another came and said, “A Chaldean formation of three columns made a raid on the camels and carried them off and put the attendants to the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
This one was still speaking when another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother
when suddenly a mighty wind came from the wilderness. It struck the four corners of the house so that it collapsed upon the young people and they died; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job arose, tore his robe, cut off his hair, and threw himself on the ground and worshiped.
He said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; GOD has given, and GOD has taken away; blessed be GOD’s name.”
For all that, Job did not sin nor did he cast reproach on God.
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**A)** There was a man – Since this honorable narrative is the introduction and key to the entire debate written in the book, it must necessarily contain the intended purpose of the debate as a whole. For in it, [the author] revealed the root of the matter and the truth of the events surrounding Job's sufferings and trials—matters hidden from Job's eyes and from the eyes of his debating friends—until Elihu, the last debater, revealed the secret of the matter and spoke upright and true words that had already been alluded to in the narrative account at the beginning of the book.
Since the pivot and foundation of the debate rested on Job's sufferings coming without justice and without any compelling cause—leading him to cry bitterly against the Supreme Providence and its ways—the narrative begins by informing us of the nature of the afflicted man and his character. This is to make clear that no cause whatsoever could be attached to his sufferings as if they came in the usual way (for one might imagine poverty and sufferings coming upon a man):
- **A)** Due to his physical nature and traits—this in two ways:
(1) In the natural course—if he were a glutton and drunkard, weakening his body and losing his wealth through his bad traits. Against this, it states first that he was **blameless (tam)** and **upright (yashar)**. Uprightness includes being straight both in intellect and in character by nature. Now, even an upright person may sometimes deviate from uprightness due to external causes, such as seeing harm from his uprightness or loss of profit, etc. But the definition of **tam** (blameless/perfect) is one who acts with simplicity, without any regard for his own benefit; he stands firm like a rock and never falters—as I explained regarding these terms in my book on Proverbs.
(2) The second aspect: One might imagine poverty and sufferings coming as providential punishment, even though his nature is blameless and upright—if he does not fear God to keep His commandments and statutes, and does not turn from evil as warned by God, even if they lack rationale according to the laws of intellectual and moral uprightness. Therefore, it states first that he was **one who feared God and turned from evil**.
- **B)** One might imagine collapse in the natural way if he were childless, without sons or household, having no helper or supporter—strangers would devour him, and those awaiting his inheritance would ruin him. Against this:
**(B)** And there were born to him seven sons, and his sons were like olive saplings surrounding his table, encircling him like a shield and buckler.
- **C)** One might imagine collapse if he were poor in possessions—the poor are despised in their poverty, and all brothers of the poor hate him. Against this:
**(C)** And his livestock was—he abounded both in flocks and herds, and in great cultivation of fields, vineyards, slaves, and workers engaged in his labor; and abundant wealth was the city of his strength to protect him from all harm.
- **D)** One might imagine collapse if he were lowly in the people's eyes, despised and contemptible to them—then he would be crushed in the gate with no deliverer. Against this: He was the greatest of all the children of the East—an man great in their eyes, of high regard, crowned with a good name (these are the three things that wicked man boasted of: the honor of his wealth, the multitude of his sons, and that which the king had made great).
- **E)** One might imagine collapse through his sons and household—if brothers hate one another and plot evil in his house, as happened to Jacob from the brothers' hatred of Joseph their brother. In contrast, it relates how the brothers sat together in love, for:
**(D)** And his sons would go and hold feasts—they were accustomed to make feasts and eat together, each having a designated day in the seven days of feasting on his day they would eat at his house—in a way that there was no jealousy or hatred among them, nor with the sisters, for they always invited their three sisters to the feast.
- **F)** Lest you say the sufferings came upon him due to the sins of his household members and his failure to protest against them—against this, it relates how he supervised his household with the utmost providence to sanctify and purify them from all sin, for:
**(E)** And it was, when the days of the feast had gone around—at the end of the seven days, before the next seven began—he would sanctify them and prepare them for the following day, on which he offered burnt offerings according to all of them. The burnt offering atones for sinful thoughts of the heart, as Job said: “Perhaps my sons have sinned through the feast and blessed [cursed] God in their hearts”—meaning some evil thought against God arose in their hearts. And this he did not do once alone, but thus Job did all the days.
After this introduction, which removes every supposition that might arise in the heart to attribute Job's sufferings to him—there being no cause, neither punitive, natural, nor volitional—it comes to reveal the true cause for which those great sufferings came upon him, which appeared to the eye as unjust:
**(F)** And there was the day – Rambam has already explained that all evils, both general and particular, come only from matter. All physical entities that come into being and pass away suffer destruction only from the side of matter; but from the side of form and the essence of form, they do not suffer destruction—they endure. However, destruction affects form accidentally, i.e., because of its attachment to matter. The nature and truth of matter is that it never escapes association with privation; it sheds one form and constantly dons another. And he explained there (Guide, Part III, ch. 8) that all corruption, destruction, or deficiency is due to matter—for example, a person's ugliness of form, limbs departing from their nature, weakness or cessation or confusion of function—whether from the beginning of creation or renewed later—all this follows only from his corruptible matter, not from his form. Likewise, every living being dies and falls ill because of its matter, and all human sins and transgressions follow from his matter, while all his virtues follow from his form—for example, his apprehension of his Creator, conceiving all intelligibles, governing his appetites, anger, and considering what to choose and what to avoid—all follow from his form. But his eating, drinking, sexual relations, excess of appetites therein, anger, and every bad measure found in him—all follow from his matter.
Accordingly, it relates that the **sons of God**—the forces present in all creation, His sons and works of His hands—came to present themselves before God. Since He is God who brings into existence and sustains all existence, all the sons of God and forces present themselves, for the existence of reality is continuous creation. And it relates that even **the Satan**—the force of privation, the source of evil, destruction, sin, all nullification and harm—came among them. And the Guide has already explained (ibid., ch. 22) that it did not say “and the sons of God and the Satan came to present themselves,” which would imply their existences are on equal terms and relation; rather, it said he came **among them**, as if he did not come primarily and essentially to present himself before God—for he has no root in existence, only in privation and destruction. Rather, he came among them, after he is a condition for the lower sons of God, i.e., the material forces. For no existence is found in material beings without prior privation that sheds form and dons form. And we have received that over every force of the acts of creation there is a supernal force appointed over it, its root—these are the sons of God who came to present themselves before God—angels appointed over all forces of existence, all emanating and receiving their power from God, as our Sages said: There is no herb without an angel appointed over it saying to it, “Grow.” And over the destroying and corrupting force there is also a spiritual appointed force—the Satan who accuses, kills, and destroys—as our Sages said: He is the Satan, he is the evil inclination, he is the angel of death—and he comes to accuse and receive power to destroy and corrupt.
**(G)** And the Lord said to the Satan – It explains in parable that God asked the Satan, “From where do you come?” For this privation and destruction, which is the Satan's power, does not cleave to the upper existents but is always attached to matter. Therefore he answered: “From roaming in the earth and walking about in it,” explaining thereby:
- **A)** That privation and destruction are found only on earth, not in the upper realms.
- **B)** That it is found on earth—i.e., in material beings—in two ways:
(1) The constant, general privation attached to the nature of physical things—every composite separates, and every man and animal necessarily dies when its end comes.
(2) Accidental privation, such as death or illness from excessive preoccupation with food and sex beyond what is proper, or killing among people, etc. On the accidental he said “roaming in the earth,” and on the constant privation “walking about in it,” for walking indicates permanence.
**(H)** And the Lord said – It explains in parable that after divine wisdom decreed that the highly noble human form attach to this dark, earthy matter that brings it to every deficiency and destruction, it gave the human form power over matter, dominion and rule over it—to compel it, restrain its appetites, and direct them to what is possible of uprightness and equity. From this aspect, the godly man who mortifies his matter, subdues his appetites, and whose soul rules mightily over all his forces—even the force of privation coming from matter has no dominion over him. And this perfect one is guarded by God's providence from every harm and deficiency coming from matter and its evil. Therefore God asked the Satan: “Have you set your heart on My servant Job?”—meaning, surely you have no dominion over him, after he is My servant and there is none like him on earth—i.e., he is separated from earth and material matters entirely, being a blameless and upright man, etc.—all this from the strength of form over matter and its rule over it.
**(I)** And the Satan answered – He replied that there is here a special condition explained in philosophy: One who serves God and restrains his appetites for hope of reward or fear of harm—this is not a spiritual matter but a material one. Like one fasting for reward—this is not fasting from his form but from love of his matter; out of love for his body and to gain money to fill his needs, he afflicts his body a little time to gain later. It is not fitting to say that through this affliction he becomes sanctified and separated from material matters and cleaves to the upper. On the contrary—he is sunk in love of money to the point of fasting and afflicting himself to attain it. And so he judged Job's matter: His fear of God and turning from evil is not spiritual, for he does not do it for love of the good because it is good—this would be proper if he did not hope to attain reward through it or escape harm he fears, doing it gratuitously not for reward. But “does Job fear God for nothing?”
**(J)** Have You not made a hedge about him – meaning there is here:
- **A)** Fear of harm—for You are the one who shelters and protects him so no harm reaches him, his household, or all that is his around—encompassing protection of body, sons, and property. And he fears lest this protection depart from him, especially since he knows by the order [of things] he is prone to evils, as he said: “For the thing I feared has come upon me.”
- **B)** Hope of reward—for You have blessed the work of his hands; You sent blessing in his commerce and affairs, and his livestock broke forth in the land beyond the natural way—this is the reward he receives immediately for his fear and righteousness. And reason holds that his fear and righteousness are not pure of love of reward and fear of harm—and this You can clarify through trial and test.
**(K)** But stretch forth Your hand now – and this will be the test: If his righteousness is for the good itself, not for external motive of reward and punishment—then even if You remove the protection and blessing from him, he will not falter in his righteousness. But if his righteousness was for hope of reward and fear of punishment—then if You stretch forth Your hand and touch all that is his until he has no reason to fear or hope from it—then to Your face he will curse You—meaning then not only will he no longer be righteous as he was after the cause for which he held to righteousness is removed; but also for Your face and Your providence he will curse and blaspheme Your conduct. For considering that by his righteousness he deserved wealth and possessions, and seeing these deserved possessions lost from him—he will attribute this to evil governance and say You do not judge justly. And this is a clear test that his service was not from love—for then he would not complain, and evil would be equal in his eyes to good. And it precisely says “touch all that is his,” for if anything remains to him the test is not complete—still he would fear to rebel against God lest He take the remaining thing from his hand.
**(L)** And the Lord said – It is clear from the parable that the cause of Job's sufferings was a matter of trial—whether his heart was whole with God and whether he would stand in his righteousness even in his poverty—to test thereby whether he serves God from love. And it was not due to prior sin, for he was clean of any trace of sin—as God testified of him that he was a blameless and upright man. And this matter was hidden from the eyes of the three debating friends until Elihu the Buzite, the last debater, revealed this at the end of the debate. And it relates that at first he was not given over to test him except in his external possessions, wealth, and sons—not in his body, as it says: “Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only do not stretch forth your hand to him.” And so the Guide (Part III, ch. 22): And his accidents are remembered according to the opinions of people—for there are people who are not alarmed at loss of money but are shaken by death of sons and die of grief; and there are people who do not weary even at loss of sons, but pains they cannot bear, etc. Therefore it relates that first the Satan went out to what he was given permission to destroy—his possessions and sons. And it explained that he went out from before the Lord—for destruction and privation do not go out from God insofar as He brings into existence, creates, and sustains existents, but insofar as He does not bring into existence—from the side that the power of God withdraws from that place, thereby privation finds place to take hold (as explained in the commentary on Isaiah 45: “Former of light and Creator of darkness”).
**(M)** And there was the day – It explained in detail that this was not due to prior sin, nor even due to any sin of his sons—for it was on the day his sons were eating and drinking in their eldest brother's house, the day the feast days had gone around, on which he offered burnt offerings and atoned for all their sins.
**(N-O)** (verses 14-15) And a messenger came – Rambam has already written (Guide, Part III, ch. 12) that every evil coming to man returns to one of three kinds:
- **A)** Evils from the nature of becoming and passing away—like evils renewing in elements, lightning, subsidences of places, etc.
- **B)** Evils from people to one another.
- **C)** Evils each person finds from his own action—like illnesses from excess appetite in food, drink, sex, taking them in excess quantity, or loss of order or quality of foods, etc.
And here it says that this time the Satan brought upon him the first two kinds of evils—for first “the Sabeans fell,” which is evil from people; and afterward “fire of God,” through the element of fire. And likewise repeated a second time: fall of the Chaldeans and evil of the wind element. For in each of these evils there are two kinds: Evils from people are either for love of money and profit—this was the fall of the Sabeans who came to plunder and loot from love of money—or through love of victory and dominion—from this they fight people kingdom against kingdom in war—this was the matter of the Chaldeans who set chiefs over them as arrangers of battle array. Likewise evils from elements are either by pure accident like fall of fire of God from heaven, or in the regular natural way like the wind coming from across the wilderness. And the messenger told him that the Sabeans did not come at night or in hiding but when it was morning, the plowing was happening and the donkeys grazing—in the middle of the day. And do not say the lads were not there to stand against them—for they fought with them and were struck by the sword.
**(P-Q)** (verses 16-17) While this one was still speaking – It relates that the evils came one after another in quick succession, as it says “I had no ease, no quiet,” etc. And as if the messenger said he escaped only to tell him the bad news. And our Sages said he died immediately. And this second one informed him that fire of God fell and burned the sheep. And the third messenger informed him that the Chaldeans raided the camels. Accordingly the order was: first the oxen and donkeys were lost, then the sheep, then the camels. But at the beginning of the narrative it counted “and there were born to him seven sons and his livestock was,” etc.—counting sons, sheep, camels, then oxen and donkeys. It is clear that the more important was counted first. And when lost, the less important was lost first until the sons were lost last. Thus it would have been proper: oxen and donkeys, then camels, then sheep, and after that loss of sons. And why did it precede sheep before camels? But I have already explained that the evils came interrupted—one by people and one by elements, then again by people and then by wind element. And if loss of camels by Chaldeans had been before sheep, the two evils by people would have been consecutive, and likewise the two by elements—and the novelty would not be so great if Sabeans and Chaldeans came at once, and fire and stormy wind likewise. But now, when the Sabeans fell the Chaldeans were not yet—only after them fire descended and consumed the sheep; and the wind did not come at once with the fire. And this is a greater novelty.
**(R)** While this one was still speaking – The first three messengers announced loss of his possessions—all one matter. Therefore each came before the previous finished speaking, and it wrote “while this one was still speaking.” But the fourth, announcing loss of the sons—which is a new trial (as above, verse 12) and another matter—came after the third completed all his words, and it wrote “while this one was still speaking.”
**(S)** And behold a great wind – This too was a novelty: the wind came from the other side, across the wilderness—as our Sages said it was an east wind. And when it came to the house it divided into four winds and surrounded the house round about.
**(T)** And Job arose – to bless standing, and he tore his robe over the loss of the sons as law requires, and shaved his head over the loss of possessions—for “do not make a bald spot for the dead” is written, but for loss there is no prohibition.
**(U)** And he said, “Naked I came out” – meaning he had place to complain against God in one of two ways:
- **A)** If these possessions now lost from him were inseparable possessions attached to his body like one of the limbs—that though God created and gave them to him, nevertheless after they became strong with him from the beginning of his creation he would consider it injustice if He took them unjustly. Not so these possessions—wealth and sons are external possessions not attached to man—not from the beginning of his creation, for he was born without these possessions, “naked I came out from my mother's womb” without them; nor from his end, for “naked I shall return there” to the first mother, the earth, mother of all living.
Second: Even regarding possessions not strengthening with him he would have place to complain if he acquired them by his power and might of hand—then they would relate to him as he created them. But after God gave and He took—then no place for any complaint. Therefore: “May the name of the Lord be blessed.” He also said that as God gave in measure of mercy so He took—for certainly this evil is for a good purpose: He took the sons and possessions to atone for him that his body remain alive and healthy. Therefore he blessed over the evil as one blesses over the good.
**(V)** In all this – meaning if complaint and root bearing gall and wormwood arose in his heart—then either he would admit no injustice comes from the righteous God but in contrast deny providence and say evils come to him from nature and the order, and God does not oversee—and then the rein is loosed to sin, since no providence, no reward and punishment; or he would admit providence and then give prayer to God saying He does not govern justly and His ways are insipid without salt and taste. But after he did not complain at all—he believed even then in providence and did not sin, only turned from evil as at first. And also he did not give prayer to God to denounce His conduct—after deciding this is no injustice at all if He takes from him possessions not strengthening with him which He gave him as gift and kindness and took in His goodness. And the taking is not evil but prevention of superabundant good.
