Satan's Second Test and Job's Endurance
Job 2:1-10
Job.2.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- להתיצב: VERB,hitpael,inf
- על: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויבוא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בתכם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- להתיצב: VERB,hitpael,inf
- על: PREP
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 1:6 (verbal): Nearly identical scene wording: 'the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD' and 'Satan also came among them'—the parallel opening of Job's heavenly courtroom scenes.
- Job 1:12 (structural): God's granting of permission to Satan to test Job appears here in ch.1 and is echoed in ch.2, showing the same heavenly debate dynamic and divine limits on Satan's action.
- Zechariah 3:1 (allusion): Vision of Joshua the high priest with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him—shares the imagery of Satan as an accuser/presence in the divine council.
- Revelation 12:10 (thematic): Describes Satan as 'the accuser of our brethren... who accuses them before our God day and night,' thematically paralleling Satan's role in Job as accuser in God's presence.
- Matthew 4:1 (thematic): Satan's role as tempter/tester of the righteous (here Jesus) parallels his function in Job 1–2 as the figure who tests Job's righteousness before God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now there was another day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser also came among them to present himself before the LORD.
- Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser also came among them.
Job.2.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אי: PRON,interrog
- מזה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תבא: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- ומהתהלך: CONJ+PREP+VERB,hitpael,ptcp,0,m,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Job 1:7 (verbal): Nearly identical exchange earlier in the narrative: YHWH asks Satan 'Whence comest thou?' and Satan replies that he has been roaming the earth (close verbal and structural parallel).
- 1 Peter 5:8 (verbal): Uses similar imagery of the enemy 'walking about' or 'roaring' and seeking victims—parallels the motif of Satan prowling the earth.
- Zechariah 3:1 (thematic): Depicts Satan standing to accuse (an adversarial role before the divine council), echoing Job’s scene of Satan addressing God as accuser/accostant.
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 (thematic): Describes Satan acting against God’s people (inciting David to number Israel), reflecting the adversary/instigator role attributed to Satan in Job.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD said to the Accuser, "From where do you come?" And the Accuser answered the LORD, "From roaming on the earth and from walking about in it."
- The LORD said to the Accuser, “From where do you come?” The Accuser answered the LORD, “From roaming on the earth and walking about in it.”
Job.2.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- השמת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- איוב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- כמהו: PRT+PRON,3,ms
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תם: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- וישר: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וסר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מרע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועדנו: CONJ+ADV
- מחזיק: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- בתמתו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- ותסיתני: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg+1,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- לבלעו: VERB,qal,inf,3,m,sg
- חנם: ADV
Parallels
- Job 1:8 (verbal): Almost identical divine assessment of Job—'There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil'—repeated wording and function.
- Zechariah 3:1-2 (structural): Heavenly courtroom scene where the LORD addresses Satan the accuser; both passages depict God responding to Satan's role in accusing/testing a righteous servant.
- Genesis 22:1-2 (thematic): God tests a faithful servant (Abraham with Isaac); thematically parallels the idea of divine testing/permitting trials to prove righteousness.
- James 1:2-4 (thematic): New Testament reflection on trials producing steadfastness—connects to Job’s testing and the theological theme that suffering/tests of the righteous can refine character.
- Revelation 12:10 (allusion): Identifies Satan as 'the accuser of our brothers,' echoing Job’s depiction of Satan as the one who brings accusation/temptation against a righteous person.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD said to the Accuser, "Have you set your heart on my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil, and he still holds fast his integrity; yet you incited me against him to destroy him without cause."
- The LORD said to the Accuser, “Have you set your heart on my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth—a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil; and he still holds fast his integrity. And you incited me against him to destroy him without cause.”
Job.2.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעד: PREP
- עור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- בעד: PREP
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 1:11 (quotation): Almost identical charge by the Satan earlier: that a man will give all he has for his life (Heb. כל אשר לו יתן בעד נפשו), asserting Job’s piety is motivated by blessing.
- Job 1:9-11 (verbal): The earlier dialogue in which the Satan challenges Job’s integrity by arguing he fears God only because of material protection and blessing—the same accusation repeated in 2:4.
- Job 2:3 (structural): The immediately preceding divine assessment and permission to test Job provide the context for the Satan’s retort in 2:4; it repeats the testing framework established here.
- Deuteronomy 8:2-3 (thematic): God’s testing of Israel in the wilderness to reveal the heart (that people may know what is in their heart) contrasts with the Satan’s cynical claim that human piety is merely self-interested.
Alternative generated candidates
- The Accuser answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life."
- The Accuser answered the LORD, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.”
Job.2.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נא: PART
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- וגע: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- עצמו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- בשרו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אל: NEG
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- יברכך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj:2,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 1:11 (verbal): Near-verbatim earlier challenge by Satan: 'Put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face'—same motive of provoking Job to curse God when afflicted.
- Job 2:4 (verbal): Immediate context and continuation of the same satanic speech ('Skin for skin... put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh'), showing the unitary temptation/test.
- Deuteronomy 8:2 (thematic): God 'led you forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to test you'—the motif of God-permitted testing to reveal a person's heart parallels the theological setting of Job's trials.
- James 5:11 (allusion): The NT explicitly cites Job's endurance ('You have heard of the perseverance of Job') as an example for believers, linking Job's suffering under Satan's attack to the broader theme of tested righteousness.
Alternative generated candidates
- "But put forth your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh," he added, "and he will surely curse you to your face."
- But put out now your hand and touch his bone and his flesh; if not, to your face he will bless you.”
Job.2.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הנו: PRT
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- אך: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 1:12 (quotation): Directly parallel wording and legal formula: God grants Satan power over Job's possessions/person but forbids harming his person—repeated scene of divine permission with a limitation.
- Job 2:3 (structural): Immediate context: God again addresses Satan about Job, framing the heavenly 'trial' and showing the same divine oversight that allows the ensuing test recorded in 2:6–8.
- Zechariah 3:2 (allusion): God and Satan converse in the divine council over a human (Joshua); like Job 2:6 it portrays Satan as accuser/adversary who appears before the LORD and whose action is subject to divine judgment or restraint.
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 (thematic): Depicts Satan as the agent who incites or acts against a human (David), illustrating the biblical theme of Satan operating in the world while functioning within the scope of God's sovereign purposes.
- Luke 22:31–32 (thematic): Jesus warns that Satan has 'desired to sift' Peter (to test him) but prays for divine protection—parallels the motif of Satan seeking to afflict or test a believer while divine intervention or limitation is present.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD said to the Accuser, "Very well—he is in your hand; only spare his life."
- The LORD said to the Accuser, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”
Job.2.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- השטן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מאת: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- איוב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בשחין: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מכף: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רגלו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+SUFF,3,m
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- קדקדו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
Parallels
- Job 1:12 (verbal): Same narrative formula—'Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD'—linking the first round of testing (loss of possessions and children) to the second (affliction on Job's body).
- Job 2:3 (structural): Immediately precedes 2:7 in the courtroom frame: God permits Satan to touch Job's person, providing the divine authorization for the physical affliction described in 2:7.
- Job 2:4 (verbal): Satan's explicit demand ('skin for skin… only spare his life') states his motive and request to afflict Job physically, directly connecting his action in 2:7 to his earlier declaration.
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 (thematic): Describes Satan inciting David to number Israel, after which divine judgment follows—another OT instance of Satan's activity provoking calamity with God’s permissive sovereignty in the result.
- Zechariah 3:1–2 (allusion): Portrays Satan as accuser standing before the LORD against God's servant (Joshua the priest), reflecting the same adversarial/accusatory role that frames Satan's actions against Job.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the Accuser went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with grievous sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
- So the Accuser went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Job.2.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- להתגרד: VERB,hitpael,inf
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בתוך: PREP
- האפר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Job 2:7 (structural): Immediate context: the previous verse describes the painful boils that afflicted Job—Job 2:8 continues the scene, adding the detail of him sitting among the ashes.
- Jonah 3:6 (verbal): Uses the exact image of sitting in ashes as an act of humiliation and penitence by the king of Nineveh, paralleling Job’s posture of mourning and distress.
- Esther 4:1 (verbal): Mordecai puts on sackcloth and ashes—ashes function here as an outward sign of grief and lamentation, like Job’s sitting among the ashes.
- Psalm 102:9 (thematic): The psalmist says, “I have eaten ashes like bread,” employing ashes as a metaphor for extreme sorrow and affliction, resonant with Job’s suffering and degradation.
- Isaiah 61:3 (thematic): Isaiah speaks of giving “beauty for ashes,” using ashes as the symbol of mourning that God will transform—this thematically connects to Job’s ash‑strewn state and the motif of loss and eventual restoration.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Job took a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
- And he took a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.
Job.2.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אשתו: NOUN,f,sg,cs+3,m,sg
- עדך: ADV
- מחזיק: VERB,qal,part,3,m,sg
- בתמתך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ברך: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA,NA
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ומת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Judges 16:15-17 (thematic): Delilah, Samson’s partner, pressures him to reveal and surrender what sustains him; parallel of an intimate partner prompting betrayal/compromise under personal trial.
- Exodus 32:1-6 (thematic): The Israelites urge Aaron to make and follow an idol when Moses is delayed—an example of communal pressure to abandon fidelity to God, similar to Job’s wife urging apostasy.
- Matthew 26:69-75 (thematic): Peter’s denial of Jesus under social pressure mirrors the theme of a close associate abandoning loyalty to God/faith when confronted with suffering or danger.
- Job 13:15 (structural): Job’s own declaration ‘Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him’ directly contrasts his wife’s counsel, forming a structural counterpoint within the book between apostasy and steadfastness.
Alternative generated candidates
- His wife said to him, "Are you still holding fast to your integrity? Curse God, and die."
- Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Bless God and die.”
Job.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחת: NUM,f,sg
- הנבלות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- תדברי: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
- גם: ADV
- את: PRT,acc
- הטוב: ADJ,m,sg,def
- נקבל: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- מאת: PREP
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- הרע: ADJ,m,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- נקבל: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- חטא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- איוב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בשפתיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,suff
Parallels
- Job 1:21 (verbal): Job's earlier response to loss—'The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away'—echoes the same acceptance of both blessing and calamity found in 2:10.
- James 1:2-4 (thematic): Encourages believers to count trials as joy because testing produces perseverance—parallels Job's attitude of accepting suffering as part of God's purposes.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (thematic): Instructs Christians to 'give thanks in all circumstances,' resonating with Job's refusal to curse God and his acceptance of both good and evil from God.
- Isaiah 45:7 (allusion): Affirms divine sovereignty over light and darkness, peace and calamity—the theological backdrop for Job's claim that God is the source of both good and adversity.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he said to her, "You speak like one of the foolish women. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
- But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we accept good from God and not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Accuser also came among them to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said to the Accuser, “From where do you come?” The Accuser answered the LORD, “From roaming on the earth, and from walking about in it.” And the LORD said to the Accuser, “Have you set your heart on my servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth—a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil, and he still holds fast to his integrity; and you incited me against him to destroy him without cause.”
The Accuser answered the LORD, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But now stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh; then he will surely curse you to your face.” And the LORD said to the Accuser, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.” So the Accuser went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with severe boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
Then Job took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and he sat among the ashes. And his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak like one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.