Meaning of the Name Job
The precise origin of the Hebrew name Iyyov is unknown; proposals include the interpretation 'persecuted one' and links with names in neighboring languages meaning 'where is the father?'. As the meaning is disputed, no definite equivalent should be given.
Origin
The name Job is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Job in the Bible?
Job is the man introduced as 'blameless and upright' who nevertheless loses everything; the book bearing his name is Scripture's deepest wrestling with suffering and God's justice. Remembered for his endurance, the book chooses face-to-face speech with God over easy answers.
The story of Job in the Bible
Job's story opens with a man in the land of Uz described as blameless, upright, and shunning evil. He was wealthy and had a large family, but a conversation in heaven, seen by the reader yet unseen by Job, changed everything. In a single day he lost his flocks, his servants, and his ten children, then sat covered in painful sores. Even so, his first response was not rebellion: he said he had come naked and would leave naked, and he blessed the name of the LORD. Then three friends arrived, and most of the book is the long debate between their logic, that whoever suffers must have sinned, and Job's honest cries. Refusing easy answers, he chose to take his case directly to God. At last God spoke out of the whirlwind, unfolding the vastness of creation in questions, and Job put his hand over his mouth and withdrew his words. The book closes with the LORD restoring his fortunes twofold, and centuries later the letter of James holds up Job's endurance and the Lord's deep compassion.
Is Job mentioned in the Quran?
The name Job (Ayyub) also appears in the Quran, where he is remembered as a prophet exemplary in patience. In the Bible, Job is the central figure of the book bearing his name, Scripture's deepest narrative on suffering, endurance, and God's justice.
Verses where Job appears
- Job 1:1 —
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
- Job 1:21 —
He said, “Naked I came out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s name.”
- Job 42:10 —
Yahweh turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends. Yahweh gave Job twice as much as he had before.