When did Job live?

Response

Job is renowned for his exceptional response to immense suffering. While little is known about the specific dates and settings of Job’s story, many scholars consider the Book of Job to be one of the oldest in the Bible. This does not imply that Job lived before any other biblical figures—he certainly came after Adam! However, there are indications that Job existed in a truly ancient era: Job personally made sacrifices for his family instead of depending on a priest (Job 1:5;Job 42:7-8), and his wealth was measured in livestock rather than gold «His possessions also included seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. », (Job 1:3). It is probable that Job lived between the time of the flood and Moses. Many scholars place Job in the patriarchal period, around the same era as Abraham (Genesis 11:28-29).

It appears evident that Job lived before the giving of the law, as the Book of Job does not mention a tabernacle or temple, priests, or the laws given to Israel. If Job did indeed live before the law, he might have existed around 2200 BC, placing him in the same timeframe as Abraham, Lot, and Isaac. Another indication that situates Job before Moses is that he gave his daughters “an inheritance among their brothers” «Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. », (Job 42:15). According to the Mosaic Law, a father passed his inheritance to his sons, not his daughters.Sons only, unless he had no sons (Numbers 27:1-11;36:1-13). A righteous man like Job would have obeyed that law in submission to God; in Job’s situation, the law had not yet been given.

The longevity of Job is another indication that he lived during the time of the patriarchs. During that era, it was typical for individuals to live for a couple of centuries. Lifespans gradually decreased, until, by the time of the judges, lifespans were usually under a hundred years old. By calculating the years suggested by the following details, Job likely lived to be over 200 years old:

• He lived long enough to marry and become “one of the greatest of all the men in the east «His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. », (Job 1:3).

• He lived long enough to have ten children «And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. », (Job 1:2).

• His children were old enough to have their own homes «And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. », (Job 1:4,13) «And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house: », (Job 1:4,13).

• After his tragic loss of everything, he lived long enough to father ten more children and accumulate even greater wealth (Job 42:10-13).

• He lived an extra 140 years after “all these events,” witnessing his offspring and descendants to four generations (Job 42:16-17).

The Alexandrian Septuagint includes an extension to Job 42:16 indicating that Job passed away at the age of 240.