Earth events become identifying markers for past people groups. When we think of WWI or WWII we think about the people of that era. Who they were, what they thought, and the perspective they had regarding life. If we think of the next generation, the cold war generation, we are reminded of children practicing drills at school, hiding under desks. We think of regular citizens digging out bomb shelters. Natural disasters also define people’s perspectives such as earthquakes or tornados that level entire towns and villages. Those Incidents mold and shape the thoughts and ideas of the people of that place and time. One of the oldest written books of our Bible, Job, was written after a time when the stories of violent natural disasters were fresh in the minds’ of those who were living. In fact Job uses so many violent earth catastrophes as a reference and comparison to his situation that we start to wonder what earth disasters shaped the people in that time period.
But which Job was this book written of? We will see that there are two historical people named Job, and some assumptions have been made that may be incorrect. We will explore who this Job was. We also want to look for a historical time period where this Job may have been writing from. If we look at the references made we may be able to also determine the correct Job.
There was a time when the Lord told humans to fill up the earth after the flood. People were to move out across the land and establish their own communities. Noah divided the land among his sons, giving Japeth the northern regions, Shem the middle regions, and Ham the southern regions. Within that parameter, people were to move out away from one another.
Genesis 9:1 (KJV)
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
Since the people did not move out and fill up the earth, the Lord moved people by moving the earth.
Genesis 10:21-25 (KJV)
21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.
22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.
24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.
25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.
Let’s explore this idea. What was divided? The earth. It does not say people, language, or families, it says earth.
Genesis 10:25G2532And G3588 G*to Eber G1080were born G1417two G5207sons, G3686the name G3588given to the G1520one G*was Peleg; G3754for G1722in G3588 G2250his days G1473 G1266[was divided into parts G3588the G1093earth]; G2532and G3686the name G3588 G80of his brother G1473 G*was Joktan
1266 LSJ Gloss:διαμερίζωto distribute
Dodson: διαμερίζω I divide up into parts, break up, distribute
I divide up into parts, break up; I distribute.
Thayer:
1) to cleave asunder, cut in pieces
2) to be divided into opposing parts, to be at variance, in dissension
3) to distribute
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
διαμερίζω
diamerizō dee-am-er-id'-zo From G1223 and G3307; to partition thoroughly (literally in distribution, figuratively in dissension) KJV Usage: cloven, divide, part.
1093LSJ Gloss:γῆearth
Dodson: γῆthe earth, soil, land the earth, soil, land, region, country, inhabitants of a region.
Thayer:
1) arable land
2) the ground, the earth as a standing place
3) the main land as opposed to the sea or water
4) the earth as a whole
4a) the earth as opposed to the heavens
4b) the inhabited earth, the abode of men and animals
5) a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
γῆ
gē ghay Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application) KJV Usage: country, earth (-ly), ground, land, world.
This word diamerzio means to “divide into parts, partition, or distribute”. The word ge means “earth, soil, terrain and globe”. When Peleg was named, the sons of men were divided. The earth we stand on was partitioned, and the people who were standing on the earth were partitioned along with it.
Jasher 7:19These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided. 20 And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened. 21 These are the sons of Yoktan; Almodad, Shelaf, Chazarmoveth, Yerach, Hadurom, Ozel, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab; all these are the sons of Yoktan. 22 And Peleg his brother begat Yen, and Yen begat Serug, and Serug begat Nahor and Nahor begat Terah, and Terah was thirty-eight years old, and he begat Haran and Nahor
Joktan/Yoktan/Joetan/Joctan and Peleg/Phaleg were sons of Eber. Remember Shem and Eber/Heber had a school in Jebus/Jerusalem. Peleg means “division”, and Joktan means “diminished and lessened”. Both of those things happened in those days; the land was divided, people were divided by not communicating well with one another and man’s supremacy to “kill god” was diminished. The number of men’s days had also started to shorten. Both of these boys were probably born at or just after that time. Jobab/Job was the thirteenth son of Joktan. Jobab may have been Job from the book of Job.
There is another idea mentioned from the Syriac version that Job was a son of Esau. The Book of Jasher does mention this Job as it records a person named Job who counseled the King of Egypt regarding the Hebrews, Jasher 46-ff. This Job, Reul (Moses’ father in law), and Balaam were all contemporaries of one another. So there may have been several Job’s. Both were son’s of Shem but one lived before Abraham was born and one lived after Jacob and Esau were born.
One thing we must consider is the account written in the Book of Jasher which shows that a man named Job counseled the king of Egypt to kill the male Hebrew babies. If we read the Book of Job, that behavior and testimony is directly opposite of what Job himself attests to. Job speaks of his mercy and kindness towards others and God himself declares there is no other servant like Job on the earth.
Job 1:8 (KJV)
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 2:3 (KJV)
3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.
This does not sound like the Job that would kill the sons of Jacob. It is easier to understand that a son of Esau would give counsel to kill male Hebrew children rather than a grandson of Shem and Eber. With the Lord boasting on Job, this Job is not the same man that was a son of Esau who once advised the King of Egypt to kill the male Hebrew babies, and once advised the King do do what was good in his own sight as a response to Reuel’s advice to let the Hebrews go to Canaan. That man was not upright or blameless. It would be a severe contradiction for Job himself to boast of his goodness as he does in the Book of Job. And the Lord would not cause Job to double his prosperity if he suggested the sons of Jacob should be murdered. Therefore there are two Job’s we must consider. The one who is written about in the Book of Job lived just after the division of the earth.
Antiquities 1:6:4. Shem, the third son of Noah, had five sons, who inhabited the land that began at Euphrates, and reached to the Indian Ocean. For Elam left behind him the Elamites, the ancestors of the Persians. Ashur lived at the city Nineve; and named his subjects Assyrians, who became the most fortunate nation, beyond others. Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans. Aram had the Aramites, which the Greeks called Syrians; as Laud founded the Laudites, which are now called Lydians. Of the four sons of Aram, Uz founded Trachonitis and Damascus: this country lies between Palestine and Celesyria. Uz founded Armenia; and Gather the Bactrians; and Mesa the Mesaneans; it is now called Charax Spasini. Sala was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews Hebrews. Heber begat Joetan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg among the Hebrews signifies division. Now Joctan, one of the sons of Heber, had these sons, Elmodad, Saleph, Asermoth, Jera, Adoram, Aizel, Decla, Ebal, Abimael, Sabeus, Ophir, Euilat, and Jobab. These inhabited from Cophen, an Indian river, and in part of Asia adjoining to it. And this shall suffice concerning the sons of Shem.
The Works of Flavius Josephus.
Chronicles tells us the same thing. If any of these writers intended to tell us that the people were divided by language or they were divided via moving away, they would not have used the word earth. Earth indicates the actual earth (globe) was divided. Earth means the ground. And yes anyone who was standing on the earth was now separated as the land moved and divided.
1 Chronicles 1:19 (KJV)
19 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.
1 Chronicles 1:19G2532And G3588to G*Eber G1080[were procreated G1417two G5207sons]. G3686The name G3588to the G1520one G*was Peleg; G3754for G1722in G3588 G2250his days G1473 G3307[was portioned G3588the G1093earth]. G2532And G3686the name G3588to G80his brother G1473 G*was Joktan.
3307 LSJ Gloss:μερίζω to divide, distribute
Dodson: μερίζωI divide, part, shareI divide into parts, divide, part, share, distribute; mid: I share, take part in a partitioning; I distract.
Thayer:
1) to divide
1a) to separate into parts, cut into pieces
1a1) to divide into parties, i.e. be split into factions
1b) to distribute
1b1) a thing among people
1b2) bestow, impart
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words
μερίζω
merizō mer-id'-zo
From G3313; to part, that is, (literally) to apportion, bestow, share, or (figuratively) to disunite, differKJV Usage: deal, be difference between, distribute, divide, give part
This word is the root of diamerizo; “dividing, separating, sharing”. So again we see a record of some type of earth separation causing distance between people. What kind of things would happen if the continents moved, separated, divided, and shifted? Would it be terrifying? Would it cause catastrophes and death?
As we look at the specific things that Job says, we recognize that there were some strange happenings on the earth. Fire falling from heaven could be looked at as lightning. What we have to keep in mind is that these people did not know the spiritual “behind the scenes” negotiations that were taking place over Job being a perfect and upright man. If this Job had suggested to kill male Hebrew babies, the satan would have accused him of that. Remember, the satan accuses all of us before the throne of God day and night.
Job 1:16 While he was yet speaking, there came another messenger, and said to Job, Fire has fallen from heaven, and burnt up the sheep, and devoured the shepherds like wise; and I having escaped alone am come to tell thee.
Usually sheep are scattered in a field as well as shepherds. What a crazy event, if it was lightning, that it killed all the sheep and shepherds. Then we see a wind storm.
Job 1:19 suddenly a great wind came on from the desert, and caught the four corners of the house, and the house fell upon thy children, and they are dead; and I have escaped alone, and am come to tell thee.
Could this have been a tornado or a haboob? This mega wind was strong enough to knock down their house. Job then makes reference to people behaving like water, or like melting ice.
Job 6:14 Mercy has rejected me; and the visitation of the Lord has disregarded me. 15 My nearest relations have not regarded me; they have passed me by like a failing brook, or like a wave. 16 They who used to reverence me, now have come against me like snow or congealed ice. 17 When it has melted at the approach of heat, it is not known what it was. 18 Thus I also have been deserted of all; and I am ruined, and become an outcast.
Job felt like some of his relatives came after him like a torrent of melted ice. He then asks if he is like a sea or a serpent that has a delegated watch set over him. The word for serpent is dragon, or drakon. As we know that the Lord has set a guard over the sea, that is Job’s question.
Job 7:12 Am I a sea, or a serpent, that thou hast set a watch over me?
Job’s friend Baldad now answers Job’s questions. Notice his wisdom.
Baldad:
job 8:8 For ask of the former generation, and search diligently among the race of our fathers: 9 (for we are of yesterday, and know nothing; for our life upon the earth is a shadow:) 10 shall not these teach thee, and report to thee, and bring out words from their heart?
Baldad suggests that the former generation, the elder people, teach Job regarding this matter. Remembering how long people lived, we can understand Baldad’s suggestion. The older generation knew more because they lived longer. Job would only live in total 240 years. So Job was relatively young at 70 years old when all this was taking place.
Job ascribes something interesting to the Lord, he says the Lord wears out the mountains, but he is not talking about the mountains shrinking with age, he is taking about them crumbling. The old mountains or hills are turned upside-down.
Job 9:5 Who wears out the mountains, and men know it not: who overturns them in anger. 6 Who shakes the earth under heaven from its foundations, and its pillars totter. 7 Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and he seals up the stars. 8 Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground. 9 Who makes Pleias, and Hesperus, and Arcturus, and the chambers of the south.
The Lord shakes or vibrates the earth’s foundations and it’s pillars oscillate to and fro. This is a very violent earth movement. The elder generations lived through this violent shaking when the earth was divided. There may have been continued tremors in the years following.
What causes the sun and stars not to shine? Clouds, but maybe not just regular cumulus clouds, but ash or dust in the atmosphere. Job then says the Lord stretches out the heavens and walks on the sea. The Lord made the constellations of Pleiades and Arcturus and the falling or setting planet Venus. He also made secret chambers in the south.
Job attributes these earth changes to the Lord.
Job 12:15 If he should withhold the water, he will dry the earth: and if he should let it loose, he overthrows and destroys it.
Tsunami’s draw back the oceans, then suddenly the water overtakes the earth. This violent water is due to seismic activity. When the earth is in these types of distress people become fearful that these events will happen again.
Job mentions a time when there was no light where people will be in darkness wandering around.
Job 12:21 He pours dishonour upon princes, and heals the lowly. 22 Revealing deep things out of darkness: and he has brought into light the shadow of death. 23 Causing the nations to wander, and destroying them: overthrowing the nations, and leading them away. 24 Perplexing the minds of the princes of the earth: and he causes them to wander in a way, they have not known, saying, 25 Let them grope in darkness, and let there be no light, and let them wander as a drunken man.
Adding the idea of a drunken man gives the impression that the people cannot stand up straight, as if the earth is shaking violently. Next, Job alludes to drought as the sea and rivers dry up.
Job 14:11 For the sea wastes in length of time, and a river fails and is dried up.
Mountains that fall are destroyed, they are no longer mountains. Water wears the stones down and then overflows the earth. Flash floods can cause large rocks to move, destroying mountains and hillsides. Rocks break, mud and debris erode a path and then cover over the earth.
Job 14:18 And verily a mountain falling will utterly be destroyed, and a rock shall be worn out of its place. 19 The waters wear the stones, and waters falling headlong overflow a heap of the earth: and thou destroyest the hope of man.
When a flash flood roars through a canyon people are unprepared for the force of the water and many die. It is interesting that Job is speaking of events and not just empty words. As if he was told what happened when the earth was divided.
Eliphaz says the Lord, the Mighty One, passes through the circle of heaven.
Eliphaz
Job 22:12 Does not he that dwells in the high places observe? and has he not brought down the proud? 13 And thou has said, What does the Mighty One know? does he judge in the dark? 14 A cloud is his hiding-place, and he shall not be seen; and he passes through the circle of heaven. 15 Wilt thou not mark the old way, which righteous men have trodden? 16 who were seized before their time: their foundations are as an overflowing stream.
The Lord travels around the ecliptic. This tells us that people did not believe the earth was flat, they also understood the earth revolved around the sun. There may have been different ages where people thought that the earth was flat or the sun revolved around the earth, but Eliphaz understood the circle of the heavens and the movements of the constellations.
Jobe notes that the Lord has ordered the earth and the natural effects of the earth until the end of light and darkness. The end of light and darkness will be at the end of the age, the new heaven and new earth. The sun and moon weren’t created until the fourth day of creation.
Job 26:5 Shall giants be born from under the water and the inhabitants thereof? 6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north wind upon nothing, and he upon nothing hangs the earth; 8 binding water in his clouds, and the cloud is not rent under it. 9 He keeps back the face of his throne, stretching out his cloud upon it. 10 He has encompassed the face of the water by an appointed ordinance, until the end of light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven are prostrate and astonished at his rebuke. 12 He has calmed the sea with his might, and by his wisdom the whale has been overthrown. 13 And the barriers of heaven fear him, and by a command he has slain the apostate dragon. 14 Behold, these are parts of his way; and we will hearken to him at the least intimation of his word: but the strength of his thunder who knows, when he shall employ it?
The Lord has commanded creation for a time, and at the end of the age the apostate dragon will be slain. Who is the apostate dragon? The satan. Job understood the intensity of the word of the Lord and that creation obeys Him. If humans would have obeyed the Lord and moved out over the land, the earth would not have been divided into continents.
Job speaks of the rich man who goes to sleep and water and darkness carry him away. The idea is that even a rich person is not immune from earth disasters.
Job 27:19 The rich man shall lie down, and shall not continue: he has opened his eyes, and he is not. 20 Pains have come upon him as water, and darkness has carried him away by night. 21 And a burning wind shall catch him, and he shall depart, and it shall utterly drive him out of his place. 22 And God shall cast trouble upon him, and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand. 23 He shall cause men to clap their hands against them, and shall hiss him out of his place.
A burning wind could be a forest fire. The rich are not immune to fire or violent wind or flood. Forest fires sometime have fire tornados.
This next section is interesting. The earth had been turned up, earthquake, volcano, or sinkhole, and then the precious stones were revealed. Yet after that we plant seeds and grow food. It is almost as if people found precious gems after the earth divided and separated. They may not have ever dug down far enough to find gems and metals.
Job 28:5 As for the earth, out of it shall come bread: under it has been turned up as it were fire. 6 Her stones are the place of the sapphire: and her dust supplies man with gold. 7 There is a path, the fowl has not known it, neither has the eye of the vulture seen it: 8 neither have the sons of the proud trodden it, a lion has not passed upon it. 9 He has stretched forth his hand on the sharp rock, and turned up mountains by the roots: 10 and he has interrupted the whirlpools of rivers, and mine eye has seen every precious thing. 11 And he has laid bare the depths of rivers, and has brought his power to light.
Again Job talks of mountains being brought down. That is a common theme throughout his analogies. He also speaks of a whirlpool. One has to wonder about that type of violent water which is caused by conflicting currents, drawing things down under the water.
Job 28:23 God has well ordered the way of it, and he knows the place of it. 24 For he surveys the whole earth under heaven, knowing the things in the earth: 25 all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water. 26 When he made them, thus he saw and numbered them, and made a way for the pealing of the thunder. 27 Then he saw it, and declared it: he prepared it and traced it out. 28 And he said to man, Behold, godliness is wisdom: and to abstain from evil is understanding.
We get the impression that Job is using these ideas, comparing his situation to something out of his control. This is all under the Lord’s control not Job’s, just like the division of the earth. Elius, who is a young man, is now going to speak. He was not rebuked by the Lord like Job’s other three friends were.
Elius
Job 33:13 But thou sayest, Why has he not heard every word of my cause? 14 For when the Lord speaks once, or a second time, 15 sending a dream, or in the meditation of the night; (as when a dreadful alarm happens to fall upon men, in slumberings on the bed:) 16 then opens he the understanding of men: he scares them with such fearful visions: 17 to turn a man from unrighteousness, and he delivers his body from a fall. 18 He spares also his soul from death, and suffers him not to fall in war.
Scary dreams will help to open one’s understanding. Elius is suggesting it is a way the Lord can teach us. He also calls the Lord, the Mighty One, signifying the power and authority the Lord has over the earth, even though a subverter has taken control of humanity for the time being.
Elius
Job 36:22 Behold, the Mighty One shall prevail by his strength: for who is powerful as he is? 23 And who is he that examines his works? or who can say, he has wrought injustice? 24 Remember that his works are great beyond those which men have attempted. 25 Every man has seen in himself, how many mortals are wounded. 26 Behold, the Mighty One is great, and we shall not know him: the number of his years is even infinite. 27 And the drops of rain are numbered by him, and shall be poured out in rain to form a cloud. 28 The ancient heavens shall flow, and the clouds overshadow innumerable mortals: he has fixed a time to cattle, and they know the order of rest. Yet by all these things thy understanding is not astonished, neither is thy mind disturbed in thy body. 29 And though one should understand the outspreadings of the clouds, or the measure of his tabernacle; 30 behold he will stretch his bow against him, and he covers the bottom of the sea. 31 For by them he will judge the nations: he will give food to him that has strength. 32 He has hidden the light in his hands, and given charge concerning it to the interposing cloud. 33 The Lord will declare concerning this to his friend: but there is a portion also for unrighteousness.
Creation is ordered, and even the animals know the seasons and when to rest. Elius is troubled by this talk of the anger of the Lord’s wrath. It is a Pharisaical idea that the Lord God, the Mighty One, punishes us for sin. This is not Jesus’ perspective at all. Jesus told us the rain falls on the just and the unjust.
Elius
Job 37:37:1 At this also my heart is troubled, and moved out of its place. 2 Hear thou a report by the anger of the Lord’s wrath, and a discourse shall come out of his mouth. 3 His dominion is under the whole heaven, and his light is at the extremities of the earth. 4 After him shall be a cry with a loud voice; he shall thunder with the voice of his excellency, yet he shall not cause men to pass away, for one shall hear his voice. 5 The Mighty One shall thunder wonderfully with his voice: for he has done great things which we knew not; 6 commanding the snow, Be thou upon the earth, and the stormy rain, and the storm of the showers of his might. 7 He seals up the hand of every man, that every man may know his own weakness. 8 And the wild beasts come in under the covert, and rest in their lair. 9 Troubles come on out of the secret chambers, and cold from the mountain-tops. 10 And from the breath of the Mighty One he will send frost; and he guides the water in whatever way he pleases. 11 And if a cloud obscures what is precious to him, his light will disperse the cloud. 12 And he will carry round the encircling clouds by his governance, to perform their works: whatsoever he shall command them, 13 this has been appointed by him on the earth, whether for correction, or for his land, or if he shall find him an object for mercy.
As Elius says, His light is the extremities of the earth. Obviously he understood that in the beginning God said “let there be light”, then on the fourth day God created the sun and moon for light. What we are told will happen in the future is that there will be no sun and moon for light, but the Lord Himself will be light. Now we hear from the Lord God Himself.
God
Job 38:38:1 And after Elius had ceased from speaking, the Lord spoke to Job through the whirlwind and clouds, saying,
The Lord speaks through the whirlwind, the Ophanim.
This speaks of a visitation, similar to the time when we see the glory leaving the temple at the time of Ezekiel. We see the Lord comes with the Ophanim and clouds, and probably came with other sons of God to talk to Job and his friends. This itself is a powerful experience. So far Job and his friends are still comparing Job’s situation to earthly experiences that caused tremendous pains on earth and the Lord is now going to point out that what it is that Job and his friends don’t know.
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I founded the earth? tell me now, if thou hast knowledge, 5 who set the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it? 6 On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it? 7 When the stars were made, all my angels praised me with a loud voice. 8 And I shut up the sea with gates, when it rushed out, coming forth out its mother’s womb. 9 And I made a cloud its clothing, and swathed it in mist. 10 And I set bounds to it, surrounding it with bars and gates. 11 And I said to it, Hitherto shalt thou come, but thou shalt not go beyond, but thy waves shall be confined within thee.
12 Or did I order the morning light in thy time; and did the morning star then first see his appointed place; 13 to lay hold of the extremities of the earth, to cast out the ungodly out of it? 14 Or didst thou take clay of the ground, and form a living creature, and set it with the power of speech upon the earth? 15 And hast thou removed light from the ungodly, and crushed the arm of the proud?
16 Or hast thou gone to the source of the sea, and walked in the tracks of the deep? 17 And do the gates of death open to thee for fear; and did the porters of hell quake when they saw thee? 18 And hast thou been instructed in the breadth of the whole earth under heaven? tell me now, what is the extent of it?
19 And in what kind of a land does the light dwell? and of what kind is the place of darkness? 20 If thou couldest bring me to their utmost boundaries, and if also thou knowest their paths; 21 I know then that thou wert born at that time, and the number of thy years is great.
It is somewhat comforting to know that the earth’s design is not just chaotic, but that the Lord has ordered it’s structure. Now imagine how dividing the earth’s land mass must have seemed to the inhabitants. It seemed chaotic, scary, random, and uncontrolled. What the inhabitants didn’t recognize is that it was needful to separate people, not just by language but by distance, so that various cultures could grow and develop without the influence of one or two strong rulers. Imagine the entire earth ruled in a one world government. Diversity would be nonexistent. The Lord does not mind diversity; Jesus came for any and all people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. If we recognize how easy it would be for the satan to influence one leader or one small group of individuals in one place to rule the entire world, then we see how easy it would have been to lose people to permanent death instead of immortality.
With that thought in mind, let’s look at what Moses is recorded as saying. There is a Masoretic alteration here so that Bibles that use the Masoretic text for the Old Testament are incorrect. The Septuagint is correct. Note: “according the the number of angels of God”.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High divided the nations, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God.
Deuteronomy 32:8G3753When G1266[divided into parts G3588the G5310highest G1484nations], G5613as G1289he disseminated G5207the sons G*of Adam, G2476he set G3725the borders G1484of nations G2596according to G706the number G32of the angels G2316of God;
The Masorete’s further distorted this verse by attempting to call the nations the Goyim as a slang for “heathen nations”. But as we have studied, the intentional mistranslations of Goy and Goyim are also used for Shem and his heirs. Which then would make Jacob’s heirs of a heathen nation. Really, the word nations mean ethnos in the Greek, which is tribes or ethnic groups. The nations were divided by the Highest, or Most High God, according to the number of angels. They were separated by language and distance, and in some cases water, so that they would not be under one rule or authority on the earth.
The Mighty One, the Lord our God goes on.
God
Job 38:22 But hast thou gone to the treasures of snow? and hast thou seen the treasures of hail? 23 And is there a store of them, for thee against the time of thine enemies, for the day of wars and battle? 24 And whence proceeds the frost? or whence is the south wind dispersed over the whole world under heaven? 25 And who prepared a course for the violent rain, and a way for the thunders; 26 to rain upon the land where there is no man, the wilderness, where there is not a man in it; so as to feed the untrodden and uninhabited land, 27 and cause it to send forth a crop of green herbs?
Who would use stores of snow and hail for battle? The angels assigned over that nation. Again God answers.
Job 38:28 Who is the rain’s father? and who has generated the drops of dew? 29 And out of whose womb comes the ice? and who has produced the frost in the sky, 30 which descends like flowing water? who has terrified the face of the ungodly?
31 And dost thou understand the band of Pleias, and hast thou opened the barrier of Orion? 32 Or wilt thou reveal Mazuroth in his season, and the evening star with his rays? Wilt thou guide them? 33 And knowest thou the changes of heaven, or the events which take place together under heaven? 34 And wilt thou call a cloud with thy voice, and will it obey thee with a violent shower of much rain? 35 And wilt thou send lightnings, and they shall go? and shall they say to thee, What is thy pleasure? 36 And who has given to women skill in weaving, or knowledge of embroidery? 37 And who is he that numbers the clouds in wisdom, and has bowed the heaven down to the earth? 38 For it is spread out as dusty earth, and I have cemented it as one hewn stone to another.
Why does the Lord bring up the Pleiades? The Pleiades is the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. The place that the sons of God meet and give account of the happenings on the earth. It is a beautiful summation of the first two chapters of Job to ask if they, Job and his friends, understand the Pleiades. They didn’t. They didn’t realize the satan was accusing the people of earth before the throne of God during the times the sons of God meet. The Pleiades is the place the satan wanted to set up his throne, to be a judge over mankind and direct the course of the sons of God. The satan was cast out from the upper heavens, but still has access to the lower heavens until the future time when Jesus is crowned and satan is cast out of the lower heavens to earth.
Here are Job’s last words.
Job 42:1 Then Job answered and said to the Lord,
2 I know that thou canst do all things, and nothing is impossible with thee. 3 For who is he that hides counsel from thee? or who keeps back his words, and thinks to hide them from thee? and who will tell me what I knew not, great and wonderful things which I understood not?
4 But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak: and I will ask thee, and do thou teach me. 5 I have heard the report of thee by the ear before; but now mine eye has seen thee. 6 Wherefore I have counted myself vile, and have fainted: and I esteem myself dust and ashes.
Job is humbled. It is clear to see that this Job came from a time where the dividing of the earth had taken place in the near past and the elders of that time told the stories of this event. These scary stories left an impression in the minds of the next generation, much like WWII left fear in the mind’s of the next generation regarding the cold war. Using so many ideas of earth disasters as compared to the randomness of Job’s situation tells us the fear of those things was fresh in their minds and hearts. This Job was an upright man. This Job feared the Lord and would never have suggested to kill off the male Hebrew babies. This is why his predicament was so hard to understand. Job’s friends were sure he was being punished for something. If he was being punished for something, the Lord would have surely told him. Elius did not accuse Job of wrong doing but brought the understanding that the Mighty One is in charge of the earth. Job’s three friends were rebuked because they did not speak any truth about the Lord. They were told to make sacrifices, but Job was not told to atone for sin. Job himself was corrected to recognize that he did not know everything about the Lord, and he did not know all there was to know about earth disasters. But in all Job’s lamenting he did not curse the Lord God.
The earth was divided into continents at the time of Peleg and Joktan. Man was divided and diminished so that one person or one small group of people were not in charge over all the humans on earth. The actual movement of the earth left a generation in fear of earth disasters. This is why Job speaks about the earth so often. His perspective of the Lord was shaped by this time in history.
