Biblical Matters

The virtue James praises in Job is hypomonē — endurance, “remaining under” a load. The KJV translates it “patience”, but James keeps a separate word, makrothymia (“long-temperedness”), for the patience of the farmer and the prophets (Jas 5:7-10). James does not call Job placid; he calls him enduring.

The Testament of Job, a Jewish work usually dated between the 1st century BCE and the 1st century CE, retells the story with strong emphasis on Job’s endurance. It shows that “Job the enduring one” was a familiar portrait in the period when James wrote.

Greek of Jas 5:11: ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ὑπομείναντας· τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε, καὶ τὸ τέλος κυρίου εἴδετε, ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων. Literally: “Look, we call blessed those who endured. The endurance of Job you heard, and the end of the Lord you saw, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

James calls the goal of endurance being teleios “mature, complete” (Jas 1:4); Job is tām “whole, blameless”. The Greek Old Testament uses teleios for Noah’s blamelessness in Gen 6:9, though it renders Job’s tām differently. The link between the two words is conceptual, not a direct translation in Job.

Testing reveals and forms faith. Job’s test discloses whether his reverence is genuine (Job 1:9-11); James says tested faith produces endurance and maturity (Jas 1:3-4).

James links endurance to a goal — maturity (Jas 1:4), the crown of life (Jas 1:12) and “the outcome from the Lord” (Jas 5:11); Job ends with restoration (Job 42:10-17).

James tells believers to count trials as joy because the testing of faith produces endurance (Jas 1:2-3). Job’s prologue shows a test whose purpose is hidden from the one who suffers (Job 1:6-12).

A trial is not proof that God has left. Ask what endurance it may be forming rather than only how quickly it can end.

The NT uses Abraham as its main example of faith (Romans 4; Galatians 3; Hebrews 11; James 2) and Job once, as its example of endurance (Jas 5:11).

Second Temple writers joined the two themes: 1 Maccabees 2:52 asks, “Was not Abraham found faithful when tested?”, and the Testament of Job retells Job as a model of endurance.

James calls Job’s quality hypomonē (“endurance”) (Jas 5:11) and says Abraham was “justified” (dikaioō) by works when he offered Isaac (Jas 2:21).

Abraham “waited patiently” (Heb 6:15); Job’s “perseverance” (Jas 5:11).

Abraham “waited patiently” (makrothymeō, Heb 6:15); Job is the model of hypomonē (Jas 5:11).

Waiting and enduring are distinct; both belong to faith.

Job’s perseverance and the Lord’s compassion.

Abraham waited patiently and obtained the promise.

Do not throw away your confidence.