The title character of the book of Job suffers terribly, but we should not mistakenly think that this book is just about Job. According to insightful, ground breaking scholar John Walton, Job is a book primarily about God.

Many think the enigmatic book merely restates the perennial questions that have always troubled humanity in a fallen world. But our questions are too limited, and we must learn to ask better questions-questions that do not necessarily require easy answers, but better questions seeking more meaningful answers.

The book of Job answers our original questions obliquely, letting these answers prompt deeper questions, and leading us to discover the wealth that the book has to offer. Most people assume that the book of Job deals with the question of why righteous people suffer-and miss the richest part of the story.

Instead, John Walton suggests that the book is about the nature of righteousness, God righteousness, God's character--not the nature of our suffering. As our questions take shape in this way, Walton avers, God will transform how we think about his work in the world and about our responses in times of suffering.

About the Series

This unique series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into modern context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it can speak powerfully today. Therefore, the NIV Application Commentary Series helps with both halves of the interpretative task: exegesis and theological application.

Additionally, the unique reader friendly format and the direct pinning of the entire series to the NIV, make it exceptionally easy for non-specialist readers to follow and learn from.

Commentary authors will, at times, work with the original languages but complete explanations are always given in non-specialist language; and they serve the exclusive function of further explicating the text at hand. The same approach is taken with all complex issues and interpretive matters. The focus is on learning and applying and every tool used by the commentators serves this end.

The title character of the book of Job suffers terribly, but we should not mistakenly think that this book is just about Job. It is about all of us, and ultimately about God. Many have thought that the book simply restates the perennial questions that plague humankind in a world full of suffering. But often our questions are too limited, and we must learn to ask better questions so that we might find more significant answers. The book of Job answers our original questions obliquely, letting these answers prompt deeper questions, and leading us to discover the wealth that the book has to offer. Most people assume that the book of Job deals with the question of why righteous people suffer. Instead, John Walton suggests that the book is about the nature of righteousness, not the nature of suffering. As we learn to deepen our questions, God will transform how we think about his work in the world and about our responses in times of suffering.

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament; Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context; Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan; The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament; and A Survey of the Old Testament.

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