Job

Summary

This Old Testament Library commentary on Job is a substantial academic treatment of a book that refuses easy answers. Job confronts the mystery of suffering, the limits of human wisdom, and the danger of speaking about God with confidence but without fear. This volume works carefully through the poetic speeches and the narrative frame, giving attention to structure, rhetoric, and the movement of argument across the cycles. It offers translation notes and extended discussion of difficult expressions, and it regularly highlights how the speeches function as persuasion, protest, and attempted explanation. For pastors, it can be a deep resource for careful exegesis, though it is not written as a pastoral guide and it does not naturally move toward Christ centred proclamation.

Strengths

The greatest strength is the sustained engagement with the poetry. Many resources skim Job because the speeches are hard, but this commentary labours to trace the flow of thought and emotion. It helps readers see how the friends move from sympathy to accusation, how Job oscillates between lament and trust, and how the arguments expose the inadequacy of simplistic retribution theology. Another strength is the refusal to domesticate the book. Job is meant to unsettle shallow certainty, and this volume keeps that pressure on the reader. That can help pastors avoid harming sufferers with thin comfort or moral judgement. The commentary is also strong in its attention to the divine speeches. It explores how these chapters reframe the debate, not by offering a neat explanation, but by confronting human pride and calling for awe. For teaching contexts, this can support a more reverent and careful approach to one of the most pastorally sensitive books in Scripture.

Limitations

The limitations arise from the academic posture and from the absence of confessional trajectory. Discussion of composition and structure can be prominent, and while that may be valuable for some readers, it does not always serve the immediate needs of preaching. Pastors will need to sift and select. Another limitation is Christ centred movement. Job raises longing for mediation, vindication, and righteousness that can stand before God. Christian preaching should connect those longings to Christ with careful canonical reasoning. This commentary does not naturally do that work and may stay within the horizon of wisdom theology rather than moving toward fulfilment. Finally, the volume is long and demanding. Used without a plan, it can drain preparation time. Used wisely, it can provide a solid foundation for preaching Job slowly and for handling the book with the gravity it deserves.

How We Would Use It

We would use this commentary when preaching through Job in a planned series or when teaching the book in a class setting. It can help with structure, key terms, and the flow of argument across the speech cycles. It can also help the pastor prepare to handle suffering texts with restraint and reverence, remembering that wisdom sometimes means silence. In preaching, we would keep the pastoral aim clear. Job teaches that suffering is not always punishment for specific sin, and it exposes the cruelty of confident but untrue counsel. It also teaches that God is wise and sovereign beyond human measure. From there, we would proclaim Christ as the true mediator and righteous sufferer, the one who bears unjust pain, intercedes for his people, and brings resurrection hope. This volume can support careful reading, but the comfort of the gospel must be preached from the whole canon.

Closing Recommendation

A weighty academic commentary that offers deep engagement with Job poetry and arguments. Best suited to advanced readers and long form teaching, and it should be used with discernment and paired with more explicitly gospel shaped resources for pastoral proclamation.