Who is Job?  Why is there a book of Job in the Bible?  Was he real?  When and where did he live?  These questions and more have prompted me to learn more about him. 

Firstly I found that according to Judaism, he was real. 

The Testament of Job

In the Greek Old Testament Book of Job

See also: Jobab ben Zerah

 

 

The Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, has a revised and updated final verse that claims Job's genealogy, asserting him to be a grandson of Esau and a ruler of Edom.

This man is described in the Syriac book as living in the land of Ausis, on the borders of Idumea and Arabia: and his name before was Jobab; and having taken an Arabian wife, he begot a son whose name was Ennon. And he himself was the son of his father Zare, one of the sons of Esau, and of his mother Bosorrha, so that he was the fifth from Abraham. And these were the kings who reigned in Edom, which country he also ruled over: first, Balac, the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dennaba: but after Balac, Jobab, who is called Job, and after him Asom, who was governor out of the country of Thaeman: and after him Adad, the son of Barad, who destroyed Madiam in the plain of Moab; and the name of his city was Gethaim. And his friends who came to him were Eliphaz, of the children of Esau, king of the Thaemanites, Baldad sovereign of the Sauchaeans, Sophar king of the Minaeans.^[4]

 

Jobab ben Zerah (Hebrew: יובב בן־זרח Yōḇāḇ ben-Zerah) was a king of ancient Edom, according to Genesis 36. He succeeded Bela ben Beor in the apparently elective kingship^[1] of the Edomites. He ruled from Bozrah. He was succeeded by Husham.

Jobab has traditionally often been identified with the biblical figure Job.^[2] Job was said to live in the "land of Uz", which was where Edom was located. Job was one of the wealthiest people in the world, and this wealth could easily be explained with his status as royalty.

From Chicago Bible Study

We also read that Jacob had a twin brother called Esau, who had 4 sons, one of them named Eliphaz. (1 Chronicles 1:35)

Within the book of Job, we find both names. Job had three comforters, or friends, who came to talk with him; one man was called Eliphaz (Job 2:11). Thus, the relationship between Job and Eliphaz may be proven by connecting Genesis 46, 1 Chronicles 1, and Job 2. However, some may say that the people in the book of Job reference a different Job and a different Eliphaz. Are there any other scriptures which might further connect them? Yes!

In Eliphaz’s talk to Job he said, “What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?  With us are both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father.” Job 15:9,10

Eliphaz mentioned Job’s father, and he indicated that he knew him. He also mentioned that one of them (indirectly pointing back to himself) was older than his father. Eliphaz mentioned that he was older than Job’s father (Issachar), and that was very true. We remember that Esau married when he was only 40 years old (Genesis 26:34), and he took two wives. Jacob didn’t get married until he was about 70 years old. So of course Esau’s sons were older than Jacob’s sons. This was exactly what Eliphaz said – that he (Eliphaz) was older than his father (Issachar). So this scripture supports the assertion that the genealogy from Genesis is connected to Job.