Keywords
Job 1:19
נְעָרִים
Servants
Children
Literary Structure
Ideal Family
Consolation
נְעָרִים
Servants
Children
Literary Structure
Ideal Family
Consolation
How to Cite
Jeong, D. (2022). Servants or Children? Meaning of נְעָרִים in Job 1:19. Old Testament Essays, 35(2), 286–300. Retrieved from https://ote-journal.otwsa-otssa.org.za/index.php/journal/article/view/495
Abstract
In traditional interpretations, all of Job’s children died in the fourth disaster (Job 1:19). However, the narrator does not depict the death of Job’s children but rather the loss of his property in Job 1:19 because his servants (נְעָרִים) are proclaimed dead in this incident. This study discusses the meaning of the word נַעַר, analyses the literary structure of Job 1:13–19 and compares the stories of Job and Abraham. The study reveals that the narrator of the book of Job demonstrates a shift in Job’s family from a typical family that fears Yhwh to an ideal family desired by Yhwh.
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