Is the book of Job real?

In the Bible, there is the book of Job. Did Job (the man) really exist, or is he just part of a made up story to show how God works?

The book of Job in the Old Testament is a real account of a real man. Job, the man, really did exist. This is supported by the Biblical text and ancient history.

In the first chapter of the book of Job, there is a definite declaration that “there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job…”. The text goes on to describe Job’s character as “blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” and that he and his wife had “seven sons and three daughters”. The detailed description of who Job was, where he lived, and how many were in his family is logical evidence that he was a real man. Also, throughout the book of Job, you have the man, who expressed his real doubts, as well as his real faith. Job is also mentioned in other books of the Bible, as support for him being real. (Genesis 46:13, Ezekiel 14:14, 20, and James 5:11)

Job is seen as a real man in ancient history, even outside the Bible. An 18th century B.C. ancient tablet containing a poem about Job is evidence from secular history that people then believed that a historical Job was real. Unjust suffering is the subject of at least four ancient Mesopotamian texts, all seeming to elude to the Job of the Bible being a real person.

I hope this helps you accept Job as a real man with a real message of enduring suffering. It is a story about how God works, but it is a true story about how God works in the life of a real man. And, this means that God can work in the lives of real people today. I hope you’ll let Him work in your life. May the Lord bless you as you trust in Him and His Word, the Bible!