Job 2 Study Notes: Job Struck With Sores
Satan claims Job will turn on God if his own body suffers, and the LORD allows it but forbids taking his life. Covered in painful sores, Job rejects his wife’s urging to curse God, and three friends arrive, weep over him and sit with him in silence for a week.
General
What did Job’s three friends do when they first arrived (Job 2:11-13)?
Answer: They wept, tore their robes and sat silently with him a week
Eliphaz the Temanite, together with Bildad the Shuhite and with Zophar the Naamathite, heard of Job’s troubles and agreed to come together to sympathize with him and comfort him (2:11). From a distance they hardly recognized him. They wept loudly, tore their robes and threw dust over their heads, and then sat down on the earth beside him seven days and nights without a word, since they could see how great his pain was (2:12-13). Their silent presence fits Paul’s call to share the tears of those who mourn (Romans 12:15) and the truth that there is a time for silence (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Later, when they begin to speak, the LORD says they did not speak accurately about Him (Job 42:7).
- Job 2:11-13 (BSB)“Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.”The three friends come to comfort Job and sit with him in silence.
- Romans 12:15 (BSB)“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”Paul calls believers to weep with those who weep.
- Ecclesiastes 3:7 (BSB)“a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,”There is a time to be silent as well as a time to speak.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”When the friends later speak, the LORD says they did not speak accurately about Him.
Theological
How did Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar first respond on arriving to see Job (Job 2:11-13)?
Answer: They wept, tore their robes and sat silently with him a week
Job’s friends Eliphaz the Temanite, together with Bildad the Shuhite and with Zophar the Naamathite, arranged to come to console Job (2:11). Barely recognizing him, they wept, tore their robes, cast dust over their heads, and sat with him on the ground a full week, day and night, in silence, seeing the greatness of his pain (2:12-13). Their silent solidarity embodies sharing the tears of mourners (Romans 12:15) and the wisdom of a time to keep silent (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Their later speeches, however, earn the LORD’s rebuke for not speaking accurately about Him (Job 42:7).
- Job 2:11-13 (BSB)“Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him. When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.”The three friends come to comfort Job and sit with him in silence.
- Romans 12:15 (BSB)“Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”Paul calls believers to weep with those who weep.
- Ecclesiastes 3:7 (BSB)“a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,”There is a time to be silent as well as a time to speak.
- Job 42:7 (BSB)“After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.”When the friends later speak, the LORD says they did not speak accurately about Him.
General
How did Job answer his wife (Job 2:10)?
Answer: He said they should receive hardship from God as well as good
Job told his wife she was talking like a foolish woman and asked whether they should take only good things from God and not trouble also (2:10). Even so, Job spoke no sinful word. Job did not claim to know why he suffered, but he trusted that God rules over hard days as well as good ones. Scripture says God made the hard times as well as the good times (Ecclesiastes 7:14) and that both proceed from the Most High (Lamentations 3:38). God never tempts anyone to sin (James 1:13), and Paul writes that God makes all things work together for the benefit of those He has called, who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job answers his wife and does not sin in his words.
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 (BSB)“In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.”God has made both the day of prosperity and the day of adversity.
- Lamentations 3:38 (BSB)“Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Adversity and good both come from the Most High.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the benefit of those who love Him and are called by Him.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God is not tempted by evil and tempts no one.
Theological
What is the substance of Job’s reply to his wife in Job 2:10?
Answer: He said they should receive hardship from God as well as good
Job rebukes his wife’s counsel as the speech of a foolish woman and asks whether they should receive good from God and not adversity (2:10). In this reply Job commits no sin of speech. Job confesses God’s sovereignty over hardship without claiming to know its reason. Ecclesiastes affirms that God has made times of hardship alongside times of prosperity (Ecclesiastes 7:14), and Lamentations that both come from the Most High (Lamentations 3:38). God is never the author of sin (James 1:13), and Paul writes that God makes all things work together for the benefit of those He has called, who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Job 2:10 (BSB)““You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”Job answers his wife and does not sin in his words.
- Ecclesiastes 7:14 (BSB)“In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.”God has made both the day of prosperity and the day of adversity.
- Lamentations 3:38 (BSB)“Do not both adversity and good come from the mouth of the Most High?”Adversity and good both come from the Most High.
- Romans 8:28 (BSB)“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”God works all things together for the benefit of those who love Him and are called by Him.
- James 1:13 (BSB)“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone.”God is not tempted by evil and tempts no one.
General
In the second heavenly scene, what did the LORD say about Job after his first losses (Job 2:3)?
Answer: Job had kept his integrity, though Satan had stirred God against him for nothing
When Satan came before the LORD again, the LORD repeated His high praise of Job and added that Job still held on to his integrity, although Satan had stirred God against him to destroy him for no reason (2:3). For no reason means Job had done nothing to deserve these losses. The LORD’s words show that the first test had failed to prove Satan right. Later Job himself vows to hold on to his integrity until he dies (Job 27:5-6). Proverbs teaches that integrity guides the upright (Proverbs 11:3), and James honors Job’s perseverance (James 5:11).
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””The LORD affirms Job’s integrity and says his ruin came without cause.
- Job 27:5-6 (BSB)“I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die. I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.”Job later vows to hold on to his integrity as long as he lives.
- Proverbs 11:3 (BSB)“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.”Integrity guides the upright, as it held Job steady.
- James 5:11 (BSB)“See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”The New Testament commends Job’s perseverance.
Theological
What does the LORD affirm about Job in Job 2:3 after the first round of trials?
Answer: Job had kept his integrity, though Satan had stirred God against him for nothing
The LORD reaffirms His verdict on Job and adds that Job still holds fast his integrity, though Satan incited Him to destroy Job without cause (2:3). The phrase underlines that Job’s suffering was not retribution for sin, which undercuts in advance the friends’ later assumption. Satan’s first charge has failed. Job will later swear to maintain his integrity until death (Job 27:5-6), integrity that guides the upright (Proverbs 11:3), and the New Testament commends his perseverance (James 5:11).
- Job 2:3 (BSB)“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.””The LORD affirms Job’s integrity and says his ruin came without cause.
- Job 27:5-6 (BSB)“I will never say that you are right; I will maintain my integrity until I die. I will cling to my righteousness and never let go. As long as I live, my conscience will not accuse me.”Job later vows to hold on to his integrity as long as he lives.
- Proverbs 11:3 (BSB)“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.”Integrity guides the upright, as it held Job steady.
- James 5:11 (BSB)“See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”The New Testament commends Job’s perseverance.
General
What did Job’s wife urge him to do (Job 2:9)?
Answer: To give up his integrity and curse God
Job’s wife asked whether he was still holding on to his integrity and told him to curse God and then die (2:9). She urged the very thing Satan had predicted Job would do, curse God (1:11; 2:5). Her motives are not explained; Job’s reply in the next verse is the only verdict the chapter gives on her words.
- Job 2:9 (BSB)“Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!””Job’s wife urges him to abandon his integrity and curse God.
- Job 1:11 (BSB)“But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan had predicted Job would curse God if his possessions were struck.
- Job 2:5 (BSB)“But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan predicted the same outcome if Job’s body were struck.
Theological
What counsel does Job’s wife give him in Job 2:9?
Answer: To give up his integrity and curse God
Job’s wife questions his continued hold on integrity, the very quality the LORD had just commended (2:3), and urges him to curse God and then die (2:9). She urges the very act Satan had twice forecast, cursing God (1:11; 2:5). Her motives are not explained, and the only evaluation given is Job’s reply in 2:10.
- Job 2:9 (BSB)“Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!””Job’s wife urges him to abandon his integrity and curse God.
- Job 1:11 (BSB)“But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan had predicted Job would curse God if his possessions were struck.
- Job 2:5 (BSB)“But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan predicted the same outcome if Job’s body were struck.
General
What new claim did Satan make about Job in the second heavenly scene (Job 2:4-5)?
Answer: Job would turn against God if his own body were struck
Satan replied with a saying, skin for skin, and argued that a person will hand over everything he owns to save his own life (2:4). Job had lost his goods and children, but if God struck his body itself, Satan claimed, Job would curse Him to His face (2:5). Satan was saying Job cared about himself more than anything else. Jesus asked what a person could trade for his soul (Matthew 16:26), and Revelation describes believers who overcame Satan and would not cling to their lives even facing death (Revelation 12:11). Satan once again accuses, as is his way (Revelation 12:10).
- Job 2:4-5 (BSB)““Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan argues that Job will curse God if his body is struck.
- Matthew 16:26 (BSB)“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”Jesus asks what a person can give in exchange for his soul.
- Revelation 12:10-11 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.”God’s people overcome the accuser and do not cling to their lives.
Theological
What is Satan’s second argument against Job in Job 2:4-5?
Answer: Job would turn against God if his own body were struck
Satan’s proverb, skin for skin, claims that a man will surrender everything to preserve his own life (2:4). Job’s endurance so far proves nothing, he argues; touch his body, and his self-love will surface in open cursing (2:5). The accusation again targets the sincerity of Job’s faith. Scripture answers that the true disciple values his soul above the world (Matthew 16:26) and that saints overcome the accuser through the Lamb’s blood, refusing to cling to life even in the face of death (Revelation 12:10-11).
- Job 2:4-5 (BSB)““Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.””Satan argues that Job will curse God if his body is struck.
- Matthew 16:26 (BSB)“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”Jesus asks what a person can give in exchange for his soul.
- Revelation 12:10-11 (BSB)“And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.”God’s people overcome the accuser and do not cling to their lives.
General
True or False: In the second test, the LORD gave Satan permission to take Job’s life (Job 2:6).
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD placed Job in Satan’s power but told him he must spare Job’s life (2:6). Satan then struck Job with painful sores from head to foot, and Job sat in the ashes, scraping himself with a shard of pottery (2:7-8). Once again Satan could go only as far as God allowed, just as in the first test (1:12). Satan is a real enemy who can cause suffering, as when Jesus said Satan had kept a woman bound for eighteen years (Luke 13:16), and Paul called his thorn Satan’s messenger, yet it was given to keep him from pride (2 Corinthians 12:7). Satan’s reach is real, but God sets its bounds.
- Job 2:6-8 (BSB)““Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.”The LORD sets a limit, and Satan afflicts Job with sores.
- Job 1:12 (BSB)““Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”In the first test the LORD also set a boundary on Satan.
- Luke 13:16 (BSB)“Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?””Jesus speaks of a woman Satan had kept bound by illness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7 (BSB)“or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”Paul’s affliction is called a messenger of Satan, yet it served God’s purpose.
Theological
True or False: The second permission granted to Satan in Job 2:6 included authority over Job’s life.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD gives Job into Satan’s hand with a fixed reservation: Job’s life must be spared (2:6). Satan then afflicts Job with severe sores over his whole body, and Job sits in the ashes scraping himself with a potsherd (2:7-8). As in the first test (1:12), the adversary’s power is real but bounded by God’s decree. The New Testament likewise attributes affliction to Satan: Jesus speaks of a woman Satan had held captive eighteen years and says she should be released (Luke 13:16), and Paul’s thorn, Satan’s messenger, was given to keep him from conceit, serving God’s purpose (2 Corinthians 12:7).
- Job 2:6-8 (BSB)““Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.”The LORD sets a limit, and Satan afflicts Job with sores.
- Job 1:12 (BSB)““Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.”In the first test the LORD also set a boundary on Satan.
- Luke 13:16 (BSB)“Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?””Jesus speaks of a woman Satan had kept bound by illness.
- 2 Corinthians 12:7 (BSB)“or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.”Paul’s affliction is called a messenger of Satan, yet it served God’s purpose.