Job — Chapter 2

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1Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

1Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah.

2And Jehovah said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3And Jehovah said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face.

6And Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life.

7So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.

9Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die.

10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11Now when Job`s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.

12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his robe, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

1Again the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also arrived among them to present himself before the Lord.

2And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roving about on the earth, and from walking back and forth across it.”

3Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason.”

4But Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! Indeed, a man will give up all that he has to save his life.

5But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, and he will no doubt curse you to your face!”

6So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, he is in your power; only preserve his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted Job with a malignant ulcer from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

8Job took a shard of broken pottery to scrape himself with while he was sitting among the ashes.

9Then his wife said to him, “Are you still holding firmly to your integrity? Curse God, and die!”

10But he replied, “You’re talking like one of the godless women would do! Should we receive what is good from God, and not also receive what is evil?” In all this Job did not sin by what he said.

11When Job’s three friends heard about all this calamity that had happened to him, each of them came from his own country—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They met together to come to show sympathy for him and to console him.

12But when they gazed intently from a distance but did not recognize him, they began to weep loudly. Each of them tore his robes, and they threw dust into the air over their heads.

13Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

1Again, on the day when the God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan came also among them to present himself before Yahweh.

2Yahweh said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

3Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”

4Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

5But stretch out your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face.”

6Yahweh said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of Yahweh, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.

8He took for himself a potsherd to scrape himself with, and he sat among the ashes.

9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die.”

10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips.

11Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

12When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and didn’t recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.

13So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

Satan's second challenge — God permits Satan to strike Job's body with boils; Job's wife urges him to curse God and die, but Job refuses, and three friends arrive to mourn in silence.

Authorship & Background

Author: Unknown. Candidates include Job himself, Moses, Solomon, or an anonymous sage. Likely the oldest book in the Bible by setting (patriarchal era, approximately 2000-1800 BC), though the date of composition is debated. The book addresses the problem of innocent suffering and God's sovereignty. Key themes: Why do the righteous suffer? Is God just? Can faith survive without answers? The inadequacy of simplistic theology ('you suffer because you sinned'). God's sovereignty transcends human understanding. True worship says 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him' (13:15).
Historical Context: Chapter 2 escalates Satan's assault from possessions to person. Having failed to break Job's faith through external loss, Satan argues that a man will surrender anything to preserve his own body. The test moves from property to pain, from loss to agony. Job's wife appears briefly but memorably, and three friends arrive to begin what will become a 35-chapter theological debate. The seven days of silence that close this chapter are the last moment of genuine compassion the friends will show — once they begin speaking, they become "miserable comforters" (16:2). God's remarkable statement that He was "incited" against Job "without cause" (v.3, ESV) reveals that God Himself acknowledges Job's innocence and that the suffering has no punitive purpose.
The Second Heavenly Council (vv.1-6): The scene repeats chapter 1 almost exactly, but with crucial additions. God again boasts of Job and adds: "still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause" (v.3). God acknowledges that Job's suffering was "without cause" — there is no sin being punished. Satan's response is the proverb "Skin for skin" — meaning a man will sacrifice anything external to save his own body. Satan demands permission to touch Job's flesh. God grants it with one limit: "save his life" (v.6). Even in the most extreme testing, God preserves Job's existence.
Job's Physical Affliction (vv.7-8): Satan strikes Job with "sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" — total bodily devastation. The disease covers him completely. Job sits among the ashes (the city dump or a place of mourning) and scrapes himself with a potsherd (broken pottery). Later descriptions reveal the full horror: worms in his flesh (7:5), bones clinging to skin (19:20), skin blackened and falling off (30:30), constant pain (30:17). This is not a minor illness — it is disfigurement so severe his friends cannot recognize him (v.12).
Job's Wife (v.9): Her counsel is brief and devastating: "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." She essentially urges Job to do exactly what Satan predicted — curse God. Whether she speaks from spite, despair, or a desire to end his suffering is debated. Job's response is firm but not cruel: "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh." He does not call her foolish, but says she speaks like a foolish person. His theology holds: "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" The narrator confirms: "In all this did not Job sin with his lips."
The Three Friends (vv.11-13): Eliphaz the Temanite (from Edom, associated with wisdom), Bildad the Shuhite (possibly from Abraham's son Shuah, Genesis 25:2), and Zophar the Naamathite (unknown location). They come to "mourn with him and to comfort him." Their initial response is genuinely compassionate: they weep, tear their robes, throw dust on their heads, and sit in silence for seven days. They do not recognize him — his suffering has so transformed him. The seven days of silence follow mourning customs and demonstrate that sometimes the most loving response to suffering is simple presence without words.

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that God's statement "without cause" (v.3) is the interpretive key to the entire book. Every argument the friends make assumes Job suffers because of sin — but God has already declared there is no cause. Guzik also notes that Job's wife has lost everything Job has lost — she is a fellow sufferer who has reached her breaking point. Her counsel is wrong, but her pain is real. The seven days of silence represent the friends at their best — "when they saw that his grief was very great" they had the wisdom to simply be present.
  • Charles Spurgeon: "Job's wife was not altogether a bad woman, but she was a weak one. She could not endure to see her husband suffer. Her remedy was worse than the disease: 'Curse God, and die.' But notice Job's answer: he does not curse her, does not dismiss her, does not rage at her. He corrects her gently: 'Thou speakest as one of the foolish women.' In his deepest agony, Job maintained both his faith and his kindness. This is the mark of genuine grace — it does not lash out at those who fail us in our hour of need."

Reflection

  • 1. Satan's strategy escalates (vv.4-5). When external loss fails to break faith, the enemy moves to personal suffering. Be prepared: if you have survived loss without losing faith, deeper testing may follow. Each test overcome invites a harder test — not because God is cruel, but because He is proving something magnificent about grace.
  • 2. "Without cause" changes everything (v.3). If you are suffering and cannot identify why, take comfort: God Himself may be saying "without cause" about your situation. Not all suffering is punishment. Some suffering is privilege — the privilege of proving that God is worth more than what He gives.
  • 3. Be careful whom you listen to in crisis (v.9). Job's wife gave the worst possible counsel in the worst possible moment. Those closest to you may not have the spiritual resources to sustain you. Their pain may produce counsel that would destroy you. Love them, but test their words against truth.
  • 4. Receiving good AND adversity from God (v.10). Job's theology is profoundly mature: if God is sovereign over blessings, He is sovereign over suffering. You cannot accept His hand in prosperity and reject His hand in pain. Both come from the same source — and that source is good.
  • 5. The ministry of silent presence (v.13). The friends' best ministry was their first seven days. They wept, they sat, they said nothing. Sometimes the most healing thing you can do for a suffering person is simply show up and stay. Words can wait. Presence cannot.