Changing Bibles: Structure of the Book of Job

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Structure of the Book of Job

A while back I purchased a 19th century set of commentaries called Daily Bible Illustrations by John Kitto (1804-1854). I was unfamiliar with his once-popular works but was consequently inspired by his life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kitto

This afternoon I was leafing through the volume "Job and the Poetical Books" and thought about the richness of the book of Job. So much of this site consists of my personal notes concerning the Bible, and I thought of an article that I wanted to post here.

The article---by Gregory W. Parsons in Bibliotheca Sacra (138, Apr. 1981)---unpacks some of the key themes of Job, including the doctrines of divine retribution and of creation, and shows how the structure of the book (e.g., the lack of symmetry of the friends' speeches) informs the basic idea, that the relationship of us and God is based upon God's sovereign grace.

https://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt/otesources/18-job/text/articles/parsons-structurejob-bs.pdf

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Although I'm now focusing on my primary blog, Journeys Home, I'm leaving this (now seldom updated) blog open as part of a larger online effort of renewed Bible study.

At about the time I turned 50, I purchased a new Bible (a New Revised Standard Version), in theory to replace my 30-year-old Bible which is a worse-for-wear hodgepodge of notes, jottings, and cross-references. As I lingered over both, however, I decided to increase the time I already spent in studying the Bible, as both a midlife resolution and an enjoyable, renewed devotion to study. This "Changing Bibles" blog contains notes, thoughts, and informal explorations. I also incorporated my notes into a series of essays called The Love of Bible Study, which you may access here. Also, some of the longer sets of notes are also posted at Bible Connections, here, and my reveries and research on a favorite psalm, 121, are found here.) My resolution to read the Bible clearly got out of hand, but in a good way.

All original content copyright 2009-2016 by Paul E. Stroble

Except for materials from which I've quoted, the contents of this blog are my personal views and opinions and are not in any way representative of my employers, publishers, or any associations or organizations with which I'm affiliated.

All Bible quotations in this blog are from the New Revised Standard Version unless otherwise indicated. The New Revised Standard Version Bible is copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.