Explanation: In Job 42 the LORD concludes his rebuke of Job; and Job repents, is restored, and lives a long and prosperous life. The illustrations above trace the narrative of chapter 42 from beginning to end. The first image interprets the LORD (Jehovah) as Christ, as is common in the New Testament. The rest of the images are self-explanatory.

          [ THEMATICALLY AND CHRONOLOGICALLY RELATED SCRIPTURES: Job 38. Job 39. Job 40. Job 41. ]

          [ CHRONOLOGY: General. Patriarchs (Traditional). Judges # 1. Judges # 2. Kings # 1. Kings # 2. Prophets # 1. Prophets # 2. NT # 1. NT # 2. NT # 3. ]

          [ MAPS: Maps # 1. Maps # 2. Maps # 3. Maps # 4. Maps # 5. ]

     After hearing the LORD's expostulations in the previous 4 chapters, and offering a preliminary repentance in chapter 40, Job now repents fully and deeply, with a clarity of understanding which he did not have until this point in the narrative. These are the words (from the ESV) of Job's confession: ¹ Then Job answered the LORD and said: ² "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ³ 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ⁴ 'Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.' ⁵ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; ⁶ therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (1-6). What Job finally realized is that he had no power to disannul God's judgment; and he had no wisdom to do it. He received no information from God, that we know of, concerning the transaction in Job 1 and in Job 2 between God and Satan which precipitated the test that came upon him. If he had received this information the mystery would not have been solved; it would have deepened. Why? Because, in both cases, when Satan appeared before God (Job 1:6-12; Job 2:1-6), it was God, not Satan, who brought up the subject of Job and his righteousness and asked Satan for his opinion of Job, thus opening the door for a challenge, and thus giving God, not Satan, the initiative in the test of Job. Job knew by training and by instinct that God was in control of all that happened to him, as shown by many of his statements in the book. But the type of information which we have in the first two chapters would have brought this fact into a much clearer and sharper focus in the mind of Job and may have aggravated his distress even more deeply. And, if Job had analyzed the information, he would have found profound implications which go far beyond human ability to fathom -- questions of the justice of God (Theodicy). The problem, however, is not resolved by information. It is resolved by trust -- humble, quiet, and loving trust -- which is a gift of God, and which, alone, satisfies the soul.
     After speaking to Job and accepting his repentance, the LORD then rebuked Eliphaz and his two friends for saying false things about God. He therefore commanded them to take seven bulls and seven rams, present them to Job, and ask Job to offer them as a burnt offering on their behalf, because he would not accept their sacrifice otherwise. So Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar did so (7-9). The LORD then released Job from his affliction when he prayed for his friends. The LORD gave him twice as much as before. Then his brothers and sisters and his friends came to him, ate with him, bemoaned him, comforted him, and gave him a piece of money and a gold earring (10-11). So the LORD blessed Job in his latter days more than in his former days. Job also had seven sons and three very beautiful daughters; and Job gave his daughters an inheritance along with their brothers, a very unusual practice in those days. Job lived for 140 years and saw four generations of his descendants. This may mean 140 additional years, making him over 200 years old (the Septuagint says 240) when he died. Others think that his years were doubled and that he was 70 when afflicted and 140 when he died. He lived to see 4 generations; and that would give a short (but plausible) average of 17.5 years per generation in 70 years, or 20 years if Job was around 60 when he was afflicted. Whatever the case, the fact is that Job received great grace from God. And, as the Bible sometimes says of those who lived and died in favor with God, "So Job died, being old and full of days" (12-17).

     ¹² So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. ¹³ He had also seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. ¹⁵ And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. ¹⁶ After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. ¹⁷ So Job died, being old and full of days.

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