Righteous Job the Long-Suffering

Old Testament era; by tradition reckoned a fifth-generation descendant of Abraham

Also known as Job · Job the Patriarch

The blameless man of the land of Uz who, stripped of his wealth, children, and health, refused to curse God and held fast in patience through his trials, becoming for all ages the very image of long-suffering faith.

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Commemorated as

The Holy and Righteous Job the Long-Suffering

Life

Job, called the Long-Suffering, is the central figure of the Old Testament book that bears his name: a blameless and upright man who, stripped in quick succession of his wealth, his children, and his health, refused to curse God and endured his trials with patience.

Tradition reckons him a fifth-generation descendant of Abraham, and his name is understood to mean 'persecuted.' He lived in the land of Uz, a region the synaxarion places between Idumea and Arabia, where he was wealthier and more blessed by God than any other man of his country.

For the Church he stands as the very image of long-suffering faith, and his story is read during Holy Week, his sufferings set in parallel with those of Christ. He is commemorated on May 6.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 8

You were true and just, pious, blameless and holy, O glorious servant of God.
You enlightened the world by your perseverance, much-afflicted Job.
Therefore, we all honor and praise your divinely-wise memory.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 1

As an indestructible pillar of courage,
you repulsed the attacks of Belial and remained unmoved in temptation.
Therefore, O wise Job,
the Church praises you as a model of endurance and an example of virtue;
and she is made radiant by your great deeds.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline4 momentsReadHide

Before his trialA blessed and righteous manJob lived in the land of Uz, a truthful, righteous, and pious man who abstained from every evil. He was very rich, with great livestock and ten children, and was blessed by God above all the men of his country.
The testingLoss of wealth, children, and healthBy divine condescension Job was permitted to be tested. He lost his children, his wealth, and every consolation all at once, and his entire body was covered with a terrible affliction of boils. Yet he did not curse God.
Through the afflictionSteadfast in patienceThe synaxarion relates that Job remained steadfast and patient in his misfortune for seven years, always giving thanks to God. Though he anguished over his plight and cursed the day of his birth, he stopped short of accusing God of injustice.
After the trialRestoration to double his prosperityGod restored Job's former prosperity, and he had twice as much as before. He was again blessed with children, including three daughters who, by tradition, were the most beautiful women in the land.

Contributions & Legacy

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The Trial and Its Endurance

The book of Job recounts that God permitted Job's protection to be removed and his goods, family, and body to be struck, yet his life spared. In the synaxarion's account his whole body became a single wound covered with boils, and he bore this for seven years.

What distinguishes Job in the tradition is not the absence of grief but the refusal to blaspheme. He laments bitterly and even curses the day of his birth, but he does not accuse God of injustice, accepting his earthly condition as within God's will. This combination of honest anguish and unbroken faith is why the Church names him the Long-Suffering.

Restoration and Legacy

After his testing, God restored Job to a state better than before, granting him twice his former wealth and again seven sons and three daughters. The book names the daughters Jemimah, Keziah, and Keren-happuch, and remembers them as the most beautiful women in the land.

Job's words are counted among the most poetic writings of the Old Testament. The Church appoints readings from Job during Holy Week, drawing a parallel between his innocent suffering and the Passion of Christ, and reads Job 42:17 on Great and Holy Friday with its hope of the resurrection.

Veneration

The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates Righteous Job on May 6, a date shared by the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Roman Catholic Church observes him on May 10, and Coptic Orthodox commemoration falls on April 27 and August 29.

Accounts of his lifespan vary in the tradition: one reckoning holds that he lived 170 years after his affliction and died at age 240, while another gives one year of suffering and 140 years thereafter, reaching the age of 210.

Works & Further ReadingReadHide