Analytical Essay: The Book Of Job

God really takes challenges seriously; he will ruin someone else’s life to test them and prove his point. The Book of Job follows a wealthy, righteous man of God named Job who is suddenly faced with many struggles and losses at the hand of Satan after God allows him to destroy Job’s life to test his faith. Job undergoes a variety of changes through his suffering and his dialogue with the various other characters in the story. One of the most notable ways his mentality progresses is through the questioning of the three friends that first visit him, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. After losing most of his family, his livestock, and his exceptional wealth, Job descends into a spiral of despair and catches the attention of three of his friends who come over to visit and comfort him. Although they behave as great friends at first, once they begin to question what happened and interrogate Job on why he could have faced such adversity out of nowhere, their friendship becomes questionable. Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are only friends to a

Job, at this point, is laying down with sores all over his body, lamenting the loss of his loved ones, and likely speaking with tears in his eyes. Eliphaz demonstrates a complete indifference towards him, and proceeds to mock him with even more rhetorical questions in the same way that Zophar did. Eliphaz confirms, full of enmity, that he despises Job’s confidence that he has not done anything wrong to merit his punishment, by stating, “What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us?” (Job. 15.9) Although he was at first understanding and accepting of Job, he swiftly shifts to upsetting Job and worsening the situation through cynical debating that undoubtedly shattered their relationship. Job’s description of Eliphaz and the others as “miserable comforters” becomes increasingly correct. (Job.