Who wrote the book of Job?

[Anon]

I know there are lots of ideas on this....I personally thought that Moses wrote it (figuring since God gave him the revelation of the Creation, He probably also revealed to him the conversation between Satan and God in Heaven in Job). But today I was reading in chapter 12 and Elihu actually speaks in first person (like a narrator) in verses 16, 17. Is it possible he could have written it? God never does rebuke him like He does the other three at the end of the book. Any ideas?

[Tim]

http://www.blueletterbible.org/tmp_dir/ ... -3979.html[quote]
Matthew Henry Introduction to Job
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of

The Book of Job

This book of Job stands by itself, is not connected with any other, and is therefore to be considered alone. [b]Many copies of the Hebrew Bible place it after the book of Psalms, and some after the Proverbs, which perhaps has given occasion to some learned men to imagine it to have been written by Isaiah or some of the later prophets. But, as the subject appears to have been much more ancient, [/b]so we have no reason to think but that the composition of the book was, and that therefore it is most fitly placed first in this collection of divine morals: also, being doctrinal, it is proper to precede and introduce the book of Psalms, which is devotional, and the book of Proverbs, which is practical; for how shall we worship or obey a God whom we know not? As to this book,

I. We are sure that it is given by inspiration of God, though we are not certain who was the penman of it. The Jews, though no friends to Job, because he was a stranger to the commonwealth of Israel, yet, as faithful conservators of the oracles of God committed to them, always retained this book in their sacred canon. The history is referred to by one apostle (James 5:11) and one passage (ch. 5:13) is quoted by another apostle, with the usual form of quoting scripture, It is written, 1 Co. 3:19. It is the opinion of many of the ancients that this history was written by Moses himself in Midian, and delivered to his suffering brethren in Egypt, for their support and comfort under their burdens, and the encouragement of their hope that God would in due time deliver and enrich them, as he did this patient sufferer. Some conjecture that it was written originally in Arabic, and afterwards translated into Hebrew, for the use of the Jewish church, by Solomon (so Monsieur Jurieu) or some other inspired writer[b]. It seems most probable to me that Elihu was the penman of it, [/b]at least of the discourses, because (ch. 32:15, 16) he mingles the words of a historian with those of a disputant: but Moses perhaps wrote the first two chapters and the last, to give light to the discourses; for in them God is frequently called Jehovah, but not once in all the discourses, except ch. 12:9. That name was but little known to the patriarchs before Moses, Ex. 6:3. If Job wrote it himself, some of the Jewish writers themselves own him a prophet among the Gentiles; if Elihu, we find he had a spirit of prophecy which filled him with matter and constrained him, ch. 32:18.
[/quote]

There was a lot more Mathew Henry wrote but this is a good start. The link above should take you to the rest if you're interested.

[Anon]

Oh, thanks! That is very interesting! I guess I could have my husband look it up in his M. H. commentaries too and finish it up. I asked him about it but he was half asleep and it was bugging me so I got online, haha. :lol: I always like to speculate and study about those "unsure" things about the Bible! :) Interesting.

[Tim]

You can find all of Matthew Henry's and sevral other commenteries on http://www.blueletterbible.org/

Just search for the verse you want to read about, click on the blue chapter and verse number, and a drop box will appear, scroll down through the study guides and commentaries and select the one you want to read. Blue Letter Bible is one of the best resources on the www and best of all it's free.

[Jerry]

Yes, I believe the book of Job was written by Elihu as well.

Job 32:16 [i]When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, and answered no more;)[/i]
He corrected Job and the other three, and he was also not corrected by the Lord.

[grace2u]

I have heard that Job is the oldest book in the bible...any wisdom on this guys???

[Tim]

There was some mention of that in the rest of the commentary I didn't post. Use the link to check it out.