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Was Job in the Bible Actually a Real Person?

Was Job in the Bible Actually a Real Person?

Daniel Manwiller | November 19, 2023

Video Script

Is the Bible actually true and was Job a real historical person? Or is the Bible mostly just made up stories and was Job just a legend or parable meant to teach a moral lesson?

We all love the story of Job, yet Job himself is often among the least studied or understood people in the Bible. The story of riches to rags to riches again together with Job’s very personal questioning and soul searching has inspired people across generations and cultures as they struggle with similar issues of tragedy, injustice, and the brokenness of our world. For many though, the question of the historicity of Job’s story remains unclear or perhaps has been clouded by skeptics who question the historical authenticity of the Bible. However, there are several very good reasons to believe that Job was a real historical person and some further insights we can learn from answering this question.

Analysis Structure:

To answer the question of the historicity of any ancient person, there are several methods we can use such as archaeological evidence, literary analysis, and comparative analysis.

Archeology and Skeptics:

While there isn’t any direct archaeological evidence for the person of Job, there is evidence within the book of Job that points to its story taking place at the time of the biblical patriarchs, around 2,000 BC.1 However, for many scholars, this proves nothing as they would argue the story of Job was written much later as more of a parable, and has no real historical basis.2

Literary Analysis (Job):

To prove the historicity of Job, we must turn to literary analysis: the practice of examining ancient writings to piece together historical evidence. In the case of Job, there are several ancient documents to consider. 

The first is the book of Job itself, which although written in a style of ancient Hebrew poetry, consistently provides details in keeping with a real historical person, such as names, places, and specific narrative details. This would differ from other Biblical and ancient parables if Job was purely fictitious. Instead, it seems more likely that the Book of Job is based on true historical events that were passed down perhaps first as oral poetry and later written down as a complete work.

Comparative Analysis (Ludlul):

This kind of contemplative poetry from the perspective of a certain individual is not unique in the ancient world. This is where we can use comparative analysis. A great comparison can be found in the Akkadian text of Ludlul Bēl Nēmeqi, written in roughly 1300 BC and often called the “Babylonian Job.”3 This text, though not nearly as extensive as the book of Job, provides a unique insight into how scholars are willing to believe that Ludlul is likely based on a real person and events.4 This contrasts with the skeptical nature in which many scholars view the historicity of the person of Job.

Further Literary Analysis (Ezekiel, James):

Further literary evidence for understanding Job as a real person comes from the book of Ezekiel which mentions Job in the context of God’s impending judgment saying, “even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness.”5 From a biblical perspective, Noah and Daniel are both clearly historical characters, so it would be quite surprising if Job was mentioned in this context but was purely fictitious.

Similarly, the book of James mentions Job saying, “As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”6 Job is mentioned here in the context of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. This again would be quite surprising if Job and his story were meant to be understood simply as an allegory and not about a real historical person.

Conclusion:

So, from a biblical perspective, we can be confident that Job was a real historical person. This matters because we are often too quick to read our own ideas into the Bible or simply believe what someone else says instead of studying it for ourselves. But when we correctly study the Scriptures, we can always find encouragement and hope, especially from someone like the character of Job.

  1. John Peter Lange et al., A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Job (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 228. ↩︎
  2. James L. Crenshaw, “Job, Book of,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 863–864. ↩︎
  3. Joshua J. Mark, “Ludlul-Bel-Nemeqi,” World History Encyclopedia, accessed September 12, 2023, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/226/ludlul-bel-nemeqi/. ↩︎
  4. Alan Lenzi, Suffering in Babylon: Ludlul Bēl Nēmeqi and the Scholars, Ancient and Modern (University of Zurich, 2023). ↩︎
  5. Ezekiel 14:14 (ESV) ↩︎
  6. James 5:10-11 (ESV) ↩︎