And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations.
The book of Job ends quietly: no more debate, just an old man among his grandchildren. Two questions remain. What did those long years mean after all Job had lost? And does his story really end there?
The Harvest at the End
One writer reads the closing chapter as a harvest, and sets its scene in the age of blessing still to come.
J. G. BellettBut at the close of the action, the scene moves to "the world to come." That is God's world and not man's — the world which His energies are to form and His principles are to fill. It is the time of refreshing and restoration. In Job 42 we are, in spirit, in the Millennium... The words "Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord" introduce the reference to "the patience of Job" and to "the end of the Lord." The farmer works in hope. He gets his fruit at harvest, or in resurrection. And so Job endured, until at last the one who sowed reaped. Chapter 42 is the farmer's harvest. James 5:7-11.
How Long Job Lived
Commentators differ over whether the 140 years run from the end of the trial or cover his whole life. One reads the number as Job's total span.
William Kelly"After this Job lived 140 years." I do not mean by that, and I do not think the words are meant to convey, that Job lived 140 years after this was over. I take the words to mean that his whole life was 140 years; a very respectable age — very. It was not as long as Abraham's or Isaac's, but it was, I think, about the same as Jacob's, and greater than Moses'.
Another writer counts the years from the end of the trial, and uses that long life to place Job's story in the days of Abram, or earlier.
Walter ScottJob must have been nearly a century old, if not more, when the Lord opened the controversy with Satan about His servant. He then had seven grown-up sons, for they had houses of their own, and three daughters. After his trial he lived a hundred and forty years (chapters 1, 42). Does this long age not point clearly to a time no later than the days of Abram, and perhaps earlier?
Children's Children
The verse counts four generations round one man. In his new family, even the daughters' names read as the fruit of what Job went through.
Samuel RidoutThe names of the daughters are given, no doubt with divine significance. Jemimah, "a dove"; Keziah, "cassia"; Keren-happuch, "a horn of paint," or adornment. These are the fruit of Job's trials. The dove suggests the gentleness and love of the bird of sorrow. Cassia tells of the fragrance that has come from his bruising. The horn of cosmetic speaks of the "beauty for ashes" that is now his. Love, fragrance, beauty — these come out of our sorrows. Truly there are no daughters as fair as these. Their children gather round Job's knees to give him the joy of youth even in his old age.
The Timing of the Blessing
Two things had to happen before Job's prosperity returned. And what he received was of a different kind from what Christians are promised.
F. B. HoleGod blessed Job abundantly, turning his captivity and giving him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not till then. The blessings of those days were earthly and material. They stand in contrast with the "spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), which are the distinctive portion of the Christian. Yet God did not let the tide of blessing roll in on Job again until his spirit and character had been deeply changed.
Old and Full of Days
The book's closing words describe a man who leaves in light, not darkness.
Samuel RidoutAnd so the dear man passes from view "old and full of days." He would once have said, "full of nights," but the light has shone on him, and he walks in it until the "perfect day."
Even so, one writer will not let Job's death be the last word. He points to an old Greek version of the book, and to the line it adds at the end.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinHe sees four generations, and at the ripe old age of 140 years he is gathered to his fathers. The Septuagint version adds a long ending to the last verse. It begins with this statement: "and it is written that he will rise again with those whom the Lord raises up." ... It comes from some writing outside the Bible, but it shows that people in ancient days held the hope of the resurrection of the body. Job will surely be there "in that day." His great saying, "I know that my Redeemer lives," and his hope of seeing Him, will come true.
Summary
- The end — Job 42 is the farmer's harvest. Job sowed in patience, and at last he reaped.
- The timing — the tide of blessing turned only after Job prayed for his friends and was changed within. Not before.
- The reach — the blessing runs past Job into four generations, with children gathered round the knees of an old man.
- The rest — he leaves the story "old and full of days"; the one who once counted nights now walks in light to the end.
- The hope — his death is not the full stop. The Redeemer he confessed will raise him at the last.