Job 1:1-5·~1 min

Job’s Character and Wealth

Job is introduced as a blameless and upright man in the land of Uz who fears God and turns away from evil. His large family and vast holdings mark him as a man of unusual stature among the people of the East.

T¹here was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil. ²He had seven sons and three daughters, ³and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.

Job's children keep regular feasts together, and after these gatherings Job rises early to offer burnt offerings for each of them. He acts from a careful fear that they may have sinned against God in their hearts.

⁴Job’s sons would take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. ⁵And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Section summaryThe chapter begins by showing Job's life in full order: his character is upright, his household is large, and his wealth is immense. Yet the section gives as much attention to his reverence as to his prosperity, especially in the care he takes for his children before God.

Role in the chapterThis opening section anchors the whole book by making Job's integrity plain before any suffering enters. It prevents the reader from treating what follows as a straightforward punishment for hidden vice.