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.
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.
- KJV 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.
- 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.
- 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 those who rejoice. Weep with those who weep.
- Job 42:11Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold.
- Job 6:14“To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
- Prov 17:17A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.
- Gen 25:2She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
- Jer 49:7Of Edom. Yahweh of Armies says: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
- 1 Cor 12:26When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
- Job 6:19The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for them.
- Gen 36:11The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz.
- Job 19:21“Have pity on me, have pity on me, you my friends; for the hand of God has touched me.
- 1 Chr 1:32The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.
- John 11:19Many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
- Gen 36:15These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,
- Gen 37:35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” His father wept for him.
- Job 16:2“I have heard many such things. You are all miserable comforters!
- Heb 13:3Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them; and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
- Job 13:4But you are forgers of lies. You are all physicians of no value.
- Job 15:1Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered,
- Prov 18:24A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
- Job 18:1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
- Job 16:20My friends scoff at me. My eyes pour out tears to God,
- Prov 27:10Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend. Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster: better is a neighbor who is near than a distant brother.
- Isa 51:19These two things have happened to you — who will grieve with you? — desolation and destruction, and famine and the sword. How can I comfort you?
- Job 8:1Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
- Job 19:19All my familiar friends abhor me. They whom I loved have turned against me.
- Job 42:7It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.
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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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