Rashi on TanakhJob 1

There was a man in the land of Uz This means in the land of Aram, as it is written (Gen. 22: 21): “Uz, his firstborn,” of the sons of Nahor.

and that man was Although that is a future expression, that is the style of the Hebrew language, and the proper expression for it is “Now that man was greater than all the children of the land of the East”; the children of the land of the East, for Aram is in the east of the world, as it is stated (Num. 23:7): “From Aram has Balak, king of Moab, brought me, from the mountains of the East.” Another explanation: Uz is Job. Buz is Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite. This is what Job said (31:34): “and the most contemptible of families shatters me.” This one (the Buzite) who shatters my words is of my family. This is what people say: “From the very forest, the ax handle is formed.” Another explanation: in the land of Uz In the land whence they take evil counsels against the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is stated (Gen. 10:11): “Out of that land Asshur went forth.” Now what counsel did they take? “He has no right to take the upper worlds and to give us the lower world.” Instead, come to the land of Shinar, where there are many gods, concerning which it is stated: “for it is a land of graven images” (Jer. 50:38): “And let us make a tower whose top shall reach to the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves” (Gen. 11:4). The word “name” stated here refers only to idolatry, as it is stated (Exod. 23:13): “You shall not make mention of the name of other gods.” What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sat in judgment over them and stood up witnesses against them, as it is stated (Gen. 11:5): “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower.” Now does the Omnipresent have to come down to see? Is it not written: “The eyes of the Lord are roving to and fro throughout the entire earth”? Rather, it is to teach a ruling to future generations, that judges may not pass judgment except with eyewitnesses, as it is stated (Lev.5:1): “Having seen or known.”

was Heb. והיה. According to its simple meaning, it is like ויהי, and its meaning is both past and future.

sincere and upright But [I could think] that as regards matters between him and his Maker, he was not righteous. Therefore, it is stated: God- fearing and shunning evil.

seven thousand sheep He counted the largest number first.

greater than all the children of the East Than the generation of the division, as it is written (Gen. 11:2): “And it came to pass as they migrated from the east.” But concerning Abraham, it is not so, for concerning Abraham, it is written הגדול, the greatest, as it is stated (Josh. 14:15): “And the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-Arba; he was the greatest man among the “Anakim.” It should have said אדם גדול, a great man. Why did he write האדם הגדול, the greatest man? By this, Scripture hinted that he was a great man who passed ten tests. Therefore, his title is written with two “heys”, the numerical value of which is ten. Job, however, described by the word גדול, greater, passed only one [test], as it is stated: sincere and upright, etc., that out of that entire generation, he was not apprehended for that iniquity.

Now his sons would go and make a feast in each one’s house on his day In the house of each one on his day.

and they would send and invite Heb. ושלחו וקראו, like ושולחים וקוראים, that they would do so constantly.

Now it would come about when the cycle of the feasting days would be over When the days of the feasting would be over, Job would act in this manner; upon every termination of the seven days on which the days of feasting rotated, he would send and summon them (ויקדשם) ; i.e., he would prepare them and summon them, as in (Num. 11:18). “Prepare yourselves for tommorow.”

and offer up... early in the morning The meaning is that he would offer up burnt-offerings early. Therefore, Scripture wrote in the future tense, that he was wont to do so always at the end of every seven days.

the number of all of them The sons and the daughters.

and blasphemed Heb. וברכו, lit. will do. A euphemism [used in] referring to the Most High.

So would Job do Heb. יעשה, lit. will do. He would always do in this manner. When Scripture writes about a constant occurrence, sometimes it writes in the past tense, and sometimes in the future tense.

Now the day came about That day which was Rosh Hashanah, (known as a day of sounding the shofar, and the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded the Adversary to bring the merit and the guilt of all creatures. This is the meaning of “from going to and fro on the earth.”)

and the angels of God came to stand beside the Lord to contend with Him, because the expression of standing refers only to judgment, as it is stated (Isa. 3:13): “The Lord stands to plead.”

and the Adversary, too, came among them to accuse the people.

“Where are you coming from?” Scripture speaks of etiquette, that the greater one speaks first and permits the smaller one to reply.

“From going to and fro on the earth” As is explained above, and it is in the homiletic section of the chapter [that begins], “The partners.”

“From going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it.” So is my wont to go to and fro, to see the evil ones and the good ones. Now I went to and fro throughout the entire earth and I did not find anyone like Abraham, about whom it is said (Gen. 13:17): “Rise, go to and fro in the land.” The Sages of blessed memory (Baba Bathra 16a) said that the Adversary meant this for the sake of Heaven, in order that Abraham’s merit not be forgotten by our God.

Have you paid attention to My servant Job that you should desire to denounce him?

“Have you paid, etc.” An expression of a wonder.

sincere and upright Perfect in his deeds.

“Does Job fear God for nothing?” This is a question.

Haven’t You made a hedge around him Because he knows that You visit him frequently to perform miracles for him, and he is fruitful and multiplies; therefore he performs all these righteous deeds—but You have not tested him.

made a hedge around him You protected him like a wall, as in (Isa. 5:5) “I will remove its hedge (משוכתו),” its wall. Every expression of בעד stated in the Hebrew language is only an expression of “opposite and before him,” as in (Lev.16:6), “and he shall effect atonement for himself (וכפר בעדו),” he shall wipe away the sin from opposite you and before you (sic), so that the atonement shall be a shield about you. Similarly (Ps. 3:4), “[But You,] O Lord, are a shield about me (בעדי) .”

spread out in the land Heb. פרץ, gained strength, as in (Exod. 1:12), “So would they gain strength (יפרץ), which the Targum renders: And so would they become strong. This is its simple meaning, but our Sages of blessed memory stated in the Aggadah (Baba Bathra 15b, 16a) that they broke the fence of the world, for the goats would slay the wolves.

But were you to touch all that he has, would he not blaspheme You to Your face immediately? This is a question. And then, the Lord said to the Adversary, “Behold, all that he has is in your hands.”

“Behold, all that he has etc. Another explanation: Now the day came about That day when they recommenced the cycle [and were] to eat at the house of their eldest brother.

the angels of God The heavenly hosts, which are near the Divine Presence, to be the members of His household, and were therefore called His children.

to stand beside the Lord Heb. Around Him, as (Gen. 45:1) “all who stood around him (עליו).”

beside them Heb. על ידיהם lit. on their hands. This is an expression of a place only because it is prepared and available at his hand. Our Sages of blessed memory said in the Aggadah (Baba Bathra 15b, 16a), that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them a taste of the world to come; for after the plowing by the she-donkeys, they would sow with the plowing, and the she-donkeys would immediately graze on the young greens from the furrow.

And Sheba The kingdom of Sheba fell upon them and encamped beside them, as in (Gen. 25: 18), “before all his brethren he settled.”

the youths Your servants who were guarding them.

and I... escaped Heb. ואמלטה. The word מליטה is only an expression of withdrawal, that one withdrew from trouble.

and the youths Scripture speaks of the guards of the flocks.

spread out on the camels This is an expression of plundering plunder according to their custom that as long as they are walking, they stick together and walk stealthily lest people recognize them and drive the cattle away. When they reach the place of the cattle, they spread out in the width of the herd, one on each side, in order to gather the cattle. Now these messengers were messengers of the Adversary, and in order to provoke him [Job] and cause him to sin, they first informed him of a small loss and later of a larger one. So is the sequence of all of them.

from the other side of the desert From the other side of the desert, for the house was on this side. This is the meaning of עֵבֶר, as it is found in Scriptures.

upon the youths The sons, but it is unnecessary to mention the daughters.

(to tell you He was permitted only to tell, and at that moment, he died. Not found in certain editions.)

tore Heb. ויגז, tore out, as in (Jer. 7:29), “Tear out (גזי) your hair for your great men,” which Jonathan renders: תלישה tear out, and like (Ps. 71:6) “From my mother’s womb You pull me (גוזי),” pull me.

From my mother’s womb the earth, “whence I was taken,” or actually, “my mother.”

and I will return there naked He is not referring to the womb. What then is the meaning of “there”? To the place of his return, for which he is destined, and he will not change the law, to return anywhere but to the earth. Therefore, it was not necessary to mention it.

unseemliness Heb. תפלה. He did not ascribe any blemish or unseemliness to the Holy One, Blessed be He. Similarly (Jer. 23:13), “And in the prophets of Samaria I saw unseemliness (תפלה).”

neither did he ascribe Heb. נתן lit. gave, to ascribe unseemliness and injustice to the Holy One, blessed be He, like (I Sam. 18:8) “They ascribed (נתנו) to David ten thousands, and to me they ascribed (נתנו) the thousands.”