JOB

Job 2

BSB

Job Loses His Health

1On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.

2“Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan.

“From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”

3Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil. He still retains his integrity, even though you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

4“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give up all he owns in exchange for his life. 5But stretch out Your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse You to Your face.”

6“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”

7So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and infected Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.

9Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10“You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?”

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Job’s Three Friends

11Now when Job’s three friends—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite—heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, each of them came from his home, and they met together to go and sympathize with Job and comfort him.

12When they lifted up their eyes from afar, they could barely recognize Job. They began to weep aloud, and each man tore his robe and threw dust in the air over his head. 13Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, but no one spoke a word to him because they saw how intense his suffering was.

Matthew Henry's chapter overview

Introduction

Job 2

We left Job honourably acquitted upon a fair trial between God and Satan concerning him. Satan had leave to touch, to touch and take, all he had, and was confident that he would then curse God to his face; but, on the contrary, he blessed him, and so he was proved an honest man and Satan a false accuser. Now, one would have thought, this would be conclusive, and that Job would never have his reputation called in question again; but Job is known to be armour of proof, and therefore is here set up for a mark, and brought upon his trial, a second time. I. Satan moves for another trial, which should touch his bone and his flesh (Job 2:1-5). II. God, for holy ends, permits it (Job 2:6). III. Satan smites him with a very painful and loathsome disease (Job 2:7, Job 2:8). IV. His wife tempts him to curse God, but he resists the temptation (Job 2:9, Job 2:10). V. His friends come to condole with him and to comfort him (Job 2:11-13). And in this that good man is set forth for an example of suffering affliction and of patience.

Cross-references: Job 2:1 · Job 2:6 · Job 2:7 · Job 2:8 · Job 2:9 · Job 2:10 · Job 2:11