His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
What does Job 1:3 mean?
Job was prosperous, and yet pious. Though it is hard and rare, it is not impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Job 1:1-3 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Job 1:3
His substance - Margin, or "cattle." The word used here mqneh is derived from qanah, to gain or acquire, to buy or purchase, and properly means anything acquired or purchased - property, possessions, riches. The wealth of nomadic tribes, however, consisted mostly in flocks and herds, and hence the word in the Scripture signifies, almost exclusively, property in cattle. The word, says Gesenius, is used "strictly" to denote sheep, goats, and neat cattle, excluding beasts of burden (compare Greek κτηνος ktenos, herd, used here by the Septuagint), though sometimes the word includes asses and camels, as in this place.
Key words
- cows
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cows. It is possible, however, that "cows" were included as a part of the "five hundred yoke of baqar.
- East
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East. For the places intended here, see the Introduction, Section 2, (3).
Context in Job 1
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Job 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as prologue in heaven and on earth. Job probes innocent suffering, failed consolation, contested theology, the limits of human explanation, and the mystery of divine wisdom. Read this chapter with the wider themes of suffering, wisdom, and justice in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about suffering and trials
Key passages on grief, endurance, lament, divine mystery, and the Christian claim that suffering is neither final nor meaningless.
Verses on the fear of the Lord, wise speech, practical judgment, teachability, and the difference between biblical wisdom and mere cleverness.
Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.