Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.
- BSB Now 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.
- NKJV Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him.
- NASB Now when Job’s three friends heard about all this adversity that had come upon him, they came, each one from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and comfort him.
- NLT When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Three friends come to comfort Job in his grief. Their arrival shifts the book toward extended dialogue about suffering.
Overview
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar travel from afar with the genuine intention to sympathize and console. Their initial compassion is commendable, even if their later speeches go astray. The verse introduces the human attempts to explain Job's suffering that will occupy the heart of the book.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 26
- Rom 12:15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
- Job 42:11Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.
- Job 6:14To him that is afflicted pity should be shewed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.
- Prov 17:17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
- Gen 25:2And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
- Jer 49:7Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished?
- 1 Cor 12:26And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
- Job 6:19The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.
- Gen 36:11And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
- Job 19:21Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.
- 1 Chr 1:32Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan.
- John 11:19And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.
- Gen 36:15These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau; duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,
- Gen 37:35And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
- Job 16:2I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.
- Heb 13:3Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
- Job 13:4But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians of no value.
- Job 15:1Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,
- Prov 18:24A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
- Job 18:1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
- Job 16:20My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.
- Prov 27:10Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
- Isa 51:19These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
- Job 8:1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
- Job 19:19All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.
- Job 42:7And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 2:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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