Job 1

Job is a wealthy, godly man who loses everything in one day. The chapter pulls back the curtain on a scene in heaven, where Satan challenges whether Job’s faith is real or only a bargain for blessings. Job answers with grief and worship, and does not blame God.

Job 1:1

The book opens by naming a real man in a real place, Uz, somewhere east of Israel. Job is described in four ways: blameless, upright, God-fearing, and turned away from evil. ‘Blameless’ does not mean sinless; it means whole-hearted and sincere before God.

BSA: blameless (“perfect, complete”): The word points to wholeness of heart and integrity, a life that is all of one piece. shunning (“turning away from”): Job did not merely dislike evil; he actively turned his back on it.

Hebrew: תָּם (tam, H8535) — “complete, whole, sound.” The Hebrew word speaks of integrity, a person who is the same inside as outside, rather than someone who never fails.

See also: Proverbs 3:7.

Job 1:2-3

Job is rich in the way the ancient world counted riches: a full family and huge herds. Seven sons and three daughters were considered a great blessing. The numbers show how much he had, and so how much he would lose. He was the greatest man in the East.

BSA: greatest (“most prominent, highly esteemed”): Job’s greatness was not only wealth but standing and respect among all the people around him.

Job 1:4

Job’s grown children enjoyed a close and happy family life, taking turns hosting feasts in their homes. The sisters were included. This picture of ordinary joy makes the coming loss more painful.

BSA: feasts (“banquets, celebrations”): These were real celebrations, showing a family at peace and in abundance.

Job 1:5

Job cared for his children’s souls as well as their needs. After each round of feasting he offered burnt offerings for each of them, in case of secret sin. He was a father who prayed and sacrificed early and faithfully, not once but as his regular habit.

BSA: purify (“consecrate, set apart”): Job was not just cleansing them but setting them apart for God again. cursed (“renounced, spoken evil of”): The fear was a quiet turning away from God in the heart, not only open rebellion.

Hebrew: בֵּרַךְ (bērak, H1288) — “to bless; also used gently for ‘bid farewell’.” The text uses ‘bless’ here in the sense of ‘curse’, a softened word. Writers avoided saying ‘curse God’ outright. The same trick appears in verses 11 and 5.

See also: Leviticus 1:3-4.

Job 1:6

The scene moves to heaven. The ‘sons of God’ are heavenly beings who come to report to the LORD, and Satan, whose name means ‘adversary,’ comes among them. The point is that God is King over all and no one stands outside his rule.

BSA: Satan (“the Adversary, the enemy”): The name means ’the accuser’ or ’the one who opposes,’ and that is exactly his role in this story.

Hebrew: הַשָּׂטָן (haśśāṭān, H7854) — “the adversary, the accuser.” With the definite article, it reads ’the Satan,’ describing his office as accuser as much as a personal name.

See also: Revelation 12:10.

Job 1:7

The LORD asks where Satan has been, not because he does not know, but to draw out Satan’s answer. Satan replies that he has been ranging over the earth, restless and watchful. Elsewhere Scripture pictures him as always prowling about to do harm.

BSA: roaming (“going to and fro, traveling”): The picture is of restless wandering and searching, looking for someone to accuse.

See also: 1 Peter 5:8.

Job 1:8

God himself holds Job up as an example. He calls Job ‘My servant,’ a title of honor and closeness. God’s praise of Job is the challenge Satan must answer. The LORD is confident in the faith he has built in his servant.

BSA: servant (“faithful servant, one who serves”): It is a title of honor, used for Moses and David, showing how close Job was to God. considered (“thought about, noticed”): God invites Satan to look carefully at Job, as one would study something worth admiring.

See also: Numbers 12:7.

Job 1:9

Satan does not deny that Job is good. He questions why. His charge is that Job’s devotion is a trade: he serves God because God pays well. This accusation strikes at the heart of whether anyone truly loves God for himself.

BSA: nothing (“in vain, without purpose or cost, without a reason, freely”): Satan asks whether Job’s faith is free and sincere or only a bargain for gain.

Job 1:10

Satan points to God’s protection, a ‘hedge’ around Job, his family, and his property. Whatever Job touched prospered. The charge hints that God’s care is real, but Satan thinks it is the only reason for Job’s loyalty. Believers may see here that God’s protection is a gift to be thankful for.

BSA: hedge (“a protective barrier, a wall of defense”): God’s care surrounds Job completely, like a wall that nothing can cross without permission.

Job 1:11

Satan challenges God to take away Job’s blessings, claiming Job will then curse God openly. He assumes Job’s faith will collapse the moment it costs him something. The wager puts the question squarely: is Job’s love for God genuine?

BSA: curse (“renounce, blaspheme”): Satan predicts Job will not only complain but publicly reject God to his face.

Job 1:12

God permits the test, but with strict limits: Satan may touch Job’s possessions but not Job himself. Satan has no power of his own beyond what God allows. The permission is God’s, and so are the boundaries.

BSA: hands (“an open hand; strength, a side or share”): Job’s property is placed within Satan’s reach, but only within the limit God sets.

See also: 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Job 1:13-15

The disaster begins on the day the family is feasting together. The first messenger reports raiders from Sheba stealing the oxen and donkeys and killing the servants. Notice that the loss comes through human violence. Job knows nothing of the scene in heaven.

BSA: Sabeans (“men of Sheba, a region in southern Arabia”): These were distant raiders from the south, a reminder that trouble can come from any direction.

Job 1:16

A second blow follows at once. Fire from heaven destroys the sheep and servants. This one looks like an act of God, which would make it hardest for Job, since it seems to come from the very One he serves. Each disaster arrives with ‘I alone have escaped.’.

BSA: fire (“divine judgment, consuming flame”): To Job it appeared to be a judgment from God himself, which made the blow harder to bear.

Job 1:17

A third report comes: Chaldean raiders, organized in three groups, take the camels and kill the servants. Job’s trade wealth is gone. The blows come with such speed that Job has no time to take in one loss before the next.

BSA: Chaldeans (“inhabitants of Chaldea, a region in Mesopotamia”): Another band of raiders, this time from the northeast, shows the attack coming from all sides.

Job 1:18-19

The worst news comes last: a great wind collapses the house and all ten children die. Job lost his wealth, but now he loses what he loved most. The reader feels the weight of a father’s grief.

BSA: wind (“a blast of air”): A sudden storm from the desert struck the whole house at once, leaving no chance of escape.

Job 1:20

Job responds as a grieving man should. He tears his robe and shaves his head, signs of deep mourning in his world. He does not hide his pain. Yet the first thing he does after the grief is to fall down and worship.

BSA: worshiped (“to bow down, to show reverence, yishtachav”): Job fell face down, giving God honor in the very hour of his worst sorrow.

Hebrew: וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ (vayyishtachu, H7812) — “and he bowed down.” The word means to stretch oneself flat before someone greater. Job puts his grief on the ground before God rather than raising a fist.

See also: Genesis 37:34.

Job 1:21

Job’s words are a prayer of surrender. Everything he had was a gift, and he comes into and leaves the world with nothing. He does not pretend the loss is small. He blesses God’s name, trusting that the Giver is still good.

BSA: Blessed (“praised, honored”): Job chooses to praise God, the opposite of the cursing Satan predicted. name (“reputation, character”): Job honors who God is, not just what God has done for him.

See also: 1 Timothy 6:7; Psalm 113:2.

Job 1:22

The chapter closes with the verdict: Job passed the first test. He did not sin, and he did not accuse God of doing wrong. Satan’s charge was answered, at least for now. The reader learns that faith can hold when everything is stripped away.

BSA: wrongdoing (“folly, foolishness, evil”): Job refused to call God foolish or unjust, even when he could not understand what had happened.

See also: James 5:11.