SUMMARY
After God’s speeches, Job seems reluctant to continue his complaints. His direct confrontation with God has caused him to stop asking unanswerable questions and to reject what he has been saying about God’s justice.
ANALYSIS
This short section between God’s speeches and the final narrative (42:7-17) is very important for understanding what Job thinks and feels after experiencing all that is recorded in the book. He was wealthy and privileged, he had terrible calamities in his life, his friends came with unhelpful explanations for his suffering, and, finally, God appeared and talked to him in a way quite different from the way he and his friends had posed the questions. So what does Job think after all of this? Has he discarded some old ideas? Is he satisfied?
The usual interpretation of this passage is that Job realizes it is fruitless to ask questions that are beyond human understanding. Further, after God honored him by speaking to him directly, his relationship with God has been restored and he can live with uncertainty, because he now can trust God again. Some scholars have disputed this conclusion, thinking that Job has decided to shut up but is not happy about it.
At one point, Job says to God, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you” (42:5). Whatever one thinks of the whirlwind speeches, it seems that through them Job has seen God, which was his wish earlier in the book (19:25-27). What Job has learned from this encounter is a matter of debate among scholars and hinges in large part on one’s interpretation of verse 6, Job’s last words in the book.
There are some problems in understanding verse 6. First of all, there is no direct object in the Hebrew for the verb “despise.” Many English versions translate, “I despise myself,” but that is not what the text says. Perhaps it is best to translate the phrase as something like, “I reject [what I said],” which is similar to a sentiment Job expressed a few verses earlier (42:3).
Also, why should Job have to repent if, as we know from the prologue, he was innocent and his suffering was not punishment for any sin? The matter is a bit complicated, but one possible solution is to look carefully at the word “repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching. All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins. The Hebrew word for repent means to "turn away" from sin. The Greek word for repentance means to "change on'e mind," more specifically, it means... More.” This could also be translated as “to change one’s mind.” Maybe Job has changed his mind regarding his doubts about God’s justice, and he despises and rejects all the terrible things he has said about God’s perversion of justice (as in chapter 9).a bit complicated, but one possible solution is to look carefully at the word “repent.” This could be read as “to change one’s mind.” Maybe Job has changed his mind regarding his doubts about God’s justice, and he despises and rejects all the terrible things he has said about God’s perversion of justice (as in chapter 9).
