Dysart is suggesting that he has been in his job a while and is having a kind of midlife crisis, in which he. Job, as maimonides suggests, is the book for understanding gods providence i. Peter shaffer depicts the story of a deranged youth who blinds six horses with a spike. Study job 1 using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. On the contrary, god speaks directly to job, just as he does in the patriarchal age with noah, abraham, isaac, jacob, and other heads of.
The book of job is one of the most problematic portions of the bible and has called forth a variety of interpretations. And there is a reality called satan who challenges god that his man is not as good as he thinks he is. However, as characters in dysarts office discuss and reconstruct past events in the life of alan strang, the plays central character, they play out these events as full scenes, oscillating between. Like christ, equus must first suffer in order to bring salvation.
Equus is a drama play by peter shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who. There are no references to the law of moses, the tabernacle, the priesthood, the judges or kings, etc. Job 9 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. Alan strang is a disturbed youth whose dangerous obsession with horses. Job, book ofcommentaries, commentaries old testament. Well be studying the 8 th chapter of the old testament book of job weve been reminded throughout this book that when we dont understand gods ways, we must trust his. Read job 1 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible concise. Job is sure that god does not discover things, nor judge of them, as men do. Brief explanations of the technical resources used in this commentary. The loss of jobs property, and the death of his children. Ezekiel referred to job as an important person alongside.
It is more technical than most, though i think it almost has to be. It is easy to read the book of job assuming that job himself knew what happened in the heavenly realms as recorded in the first two chapters of the book. Top 5 commentaries on the book of job ligonier ministries. Commentary on the book of job by matthew henry old. Existential authenticity in character, setting, and dialogue.
Understand the bible like never before, book by book. Sure there are challenges, but those exist at every job, equus does a great job of providing balance to those challenges and. Job 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Equus summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. There was a man in the land of uz, whose name was job.
The use of this preexisting material very cleverly placed the problem outside of palestine, thereby excluding the possible objection of orthodox theology that such a casea perfectly righteous man persecuted by yhwh. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of. The logos version of a critical and exegetical commentary on the book of job is a singlevolume commentary, comprised of two parts. As with other books of the bible, job bears the name of the narratives primary character. Satanthe tradition was widely spread that he had been the agent in adams temptation. Brief definitions of hebrew verbal forms that impact exegesis. A short, but succinct, commentary on the bible book of job. Alan will be saved, he says, by riding away on equusthe horse can thus be interpreted as alans escape from the pressures of his family life and modern society. Read job 1 commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible.
The quotations from the bible are taken from job 39. A detailed analysis of job discusses its structure, imagery, concepts, motifs, themes, and language. The book of job, which carlyle without hyperbole described as the grandest book ever written with pen, will never cease to disclose new insights to sensitive and sympathetic readers. Bob utley, retired professor of hermeneutics biblical interpretation table of contents. A critical and exegetical commentary on the book of job. In this volume, norman habel takes on the humbling task of writing a commentary on such a classic work as the book of joba text that is complex and unclear at many points. Job 1 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on.
The subject of the book of job is gods dealings with mankind in his governmental ways in a world in which satan, the adversary of god, has introduced sin, suffering and death. Or perhaps this is an at least partially an afterward because i write this after i have completed half of the melding together of roger hahns online crivoice bible study and the excerpts from john c. Part one 376 pages, being commentary, and part two 360 pages, being philological notes. In the book of job, god himself speaks of specific animals that declare his glory as an almighty god.
Job 9 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Job explores the difficult question of gods relationship to human suffering. Equus is a christlike figure in many ways, from his omnipresence in alans life to his wearing chains to bear the sins of humanity. At the outset, amy goldstein, a pulitzerwinning journalist at the washington post, promises that her new volume is not just another account of factory closures and job losses, but the story of what happens when a community with a can. This is a significant link in the chain of evidence that makes job. The book of job, in the old testament, opens with words both majestic and onceuponatimeish.
Its about the construction of god and meaning in the modern waste land. Definitely worth reading, but you will know you put in some work reading and hopefully comprehending this commentary and the book of job. He hates the fact that dora tells bible stories to alan and sees her as indulging alans. In equus, by peter shaffer, authenticity is a main topic throughout the play and. Job is a difficult book and in the same light this is a difficult commentary. An explosive play that took critics and audiences by storm, equus is peter shaffers exploration of the way modern society has destroyed our ability to feel passion. Anderson is a renowned scholar, and the commentary reflects his learning without becoming overly technical. The old testament library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of old testament study through commentaries and general surveys. Or from an arabic word meaning repent, thus bearing the name repentant one. But the odious judgments made by his friends caution us against making toocertain application of any model to our own lives. The causes and intentions of jobs present calamity were hidden in god and were hidden to job, but god has shared with the reader of the book of job what job himself did not know. Peter shaffers play equus has been savagely attacked by drama critics and. With the literary sensibility we have come to expect from him, robert alter the voice from the whirlwind.
Shaffer was inspired to write equus when he heard of a crime involving a 17yearold who blinded six horses in a small town in suffolk. In this essay, the meaning of alans stare will be investigated, followed by alans. Watch our overview video on the book of job, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. As a psychiatrist in a provincial area, his main job was to change.
And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. If we cannot say where job originated, it is equally difficult to say when. Commentary on the book of job chapter one by wm w wells. John hartley the book of job new international commentary on the old testament, 1988. David guzik commentary on job describes how job rebukes his friends and shows his confidence in god and his own integrity. The big picture of job is that there was a man who was, in one sense, blameless in gods sight. The book of job is gods timeless illustration of human suffering, and ray helps you find fresh truths and encouragement in the midst of your own trials and helps put them into perspective gods perspective to guide you toward healing and peace.
The prologue to the book of job chapters 12 sets up the meditation on suffering that follows it. Equus is a drama play by peter shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. Equus, a play in two acts, is set in rokesby psychiatric hospital in southern england. In equus, by peter shaffer, authenticity is a main topic throughout the play. The passage in job shows gods power as it appears in animals. An american story, i was afraid id just committed myself to a booklength version of a story id heard before. A major difficulty in understanding the meaning of the book is, what insight leads job to submit so humbly to god at the end. Overall, of all the places that i have worked, this is by far my favorite to date.
Study the bible online using commentary on job 1 and more. Hartleys commentary is quite recent 1990 and is considered a good complement to clines. There was once a man in the land of uz whose name was job 1. For those seeking a more introductory level commentary on the book of job, francis andersons commentary is the best place to start. Job 15 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. Nevertheless these ways of god with mankind have always a good purpose romans 8. The last of the book is a beautiful picture of what james calls the tender mercies of god toward job james 5. This prose prologue to the book reads like a folktale. Later in the play it becomes clear that he sees equus as a god.
The theme of religion and worship in equus from litcharts the. Hartleys commentary on job is not as comprehensive or technical as clines work, but it is not written at an introductory level either. Most of the action takes place in this hospitalspecifically in psychiatrist martin dysart s office. And when he gets a job in a stable, he takes the horses out at night and. Each shepherds notes volume highlights and explains the authorship, circumstances of writing, and main points of the bible book being explored in a concise and easytounderstand format. Job 15 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. In equus, which took critics and public alike by storm and has gone on to. This name might have been derived from the hebrew word for persecution, thus meaning persecuted one. Tremper longman calls it a major contribution to the study of the book and explains this is because it examines all the facets of the book, not necessarily because it is terribly original. It is a thorough and demanding work that supplements clines well. After turning 17, alan took a job working in a shop selling electrical goods, where he met jill mason, an outgoing and freespirited young woman.
Commentaries for the book of job the piety and prosperity of job. This moment reveals how intensely alan worships these creatures, and lets dysart know exactly what he would be taking away by treating alan. He saw that it led to a dead end, that it had no way to cope with the suffering of godly people. You can read our explanation of job 8 meaning of verses 11 through 22 of chapter 8 as well open your bible to job, chapter 8.
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