Job 9:11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. (KJV)

This edition of Bible 911 on Job is an anniversary, two years since the first one. In my first Bible 911, I put down some thoughts of why I wanted to do these. It has been a fun study for me, but the thing that has become clear is the need for STUDY. Job has a rich history of opinions, facts, and questions. These two references are being given as an example of what is out there. As with most of my reference links, read them, compare the information, and hear from God. Do I agree with everything that is written, no; but that is the nature of studying a topic.

• The Book of Job | My Jewish Learning
• Job | The amazing name Job: meaning and etymology (abarim-publications.com)

Was there a Job? There is no reason to doubt that this man and his tale of finding a deeper relationship with God really happened. I do however, like the allegorical picture of the Book of Job representing the religions of the Levant. It is easy to accept Job as a believing Gentile, after all Melchizedek and Balaam also knew God and they are not related to Jacob.

I did a post on Job’s four friends. Please add Elihu to the count, many people do not. There are other speakers in this Book that we do not think about: God, Job’s wife, the servants, the Accuser (Satan), and Job’s family (at the end of the story). For me to keep them straight I color-coded the text of the major speakers; that helped.

Job 9:11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. (KJV)

Job 9:11 Hebrew Text Analysis (biblehub.com)

From this analysis I found the word “he passeth” to be important. The Hebrew word is chalaph,# H2498, and has a meaning of “to pass on or away, pass through”. It is part of Eliphaz’s vision (4:15), Zophar uses the word twice (11:10 and 20:24), and Job says it in 9:11 and 26, 14:7, and 29;20. In 9:11, I see it as a comparison of how the troubling spirit acts as to how God behaves.

Job had complaints and observations. He did complain (See 7:13, 9:27, 10:1, 21:4, and 23:2)? There was a relationship between God and Job that the first three friends knew could exist but they did not enjoy. They quoted Kingdom wisdom and principles but was it from a righteous knowing of God and how He does things? I can say no because of Job 42:7. (One reason for color-coding the speeches was to check any statement/verse that I might want to use.) Many of the words for complain are also translated musing, so view them as a child talking to his Father.

My big takeaway is good intentions may not have a good foundation. The goal here is to know the God of Exodus 34:6 and 7. So, careful reading and application of the wisdom in the conversations is necessary, because some of the “friends’ comments” is good ole religious mudslinging. Knowledge, like modern fertilizer, has a good and evil application, it will cause plants to grow or it can be used to blow up buildings.

Here are some interesting observations that I have heard or made.

1. Sacrifice is important in the first and last chapters of Job; in these times he was sacrificing for someone else.
2. Part of what Satan did in stealing the animals was to take away Job’s ability to sacrifice.
3. I count seven trials Job faced between 1:13 and 2:11. Number six was his wife telling him to curse God and the seventh was his friends and their comments.
4. Eliphaz, the chief friend, had a dream, 4:12-18 and probably to verse 21. This accusation from the spirit was the foundation of the friends wanting to help Job. Eliphaz repeats part of it in 15:14, Bildad uses it in 25:4, and he refers to it in 8:3 when he brings in the justice aspect of righteousness, and Job even says part of it in 9:1. “A mortal is not more righteous than God” but the fruit of that vision/dream is shown in 42:7 because the friends did not speak right about God.
5. In 9:11, I believe, Job is commenting on the spirit and that message by Eliphaz and Bildad. It is also a part of an observation about God and His righteous ability to judge.