Fokkelman - The Book of Job in Form

Preface

                This English Version

Part I: Introduction

                A Great Work of Poetry and the Competent Reader

                               Poetics and Competent Reading

                               How Quality and Quantity Work Together: Two Examples

                               The Way to the Text Itself: Knowledge and Foreknowledge, Decisive Authority

                               Remarks on the Translation

                Notes to Part I

Part II: The Book of Job: A Literary Translation in Strophic Form

                Introductory Prose and Job’s Prologue (Curses and Complaint), Chs. 1–3

                The First Round of the Debate, Chs. 4–14

                               First Speech by Eliphaz, Chs. 4–5

                               Job’s Answer to Eliphaz, Chs. 6–7

                               First Speech by Bildad, Ch. 8

                               Job’s Answer to Bildad, Chs. 9–10

                               The First Speech of Zophar, Ch. 11

                               Job’s Answer to Zophar, Chs. 12–14

                The Second Round of the Debate, Chs. 15–21

                               Second Speech by Eliphaz, Ch. 15

                               Job’s Answer to Eliphaz, Chs. 16–17

                               Second Speech by Bildad, Ch. 18

                               Job’s Answer to Bildad, Ch. 19

                               Second Speech by Zophar, Ch. 20

                               Job’s Answer to Zophar, Ch. 21

                The Third Round of the Debate, Chs. 22–28

                               Third Speech by Eliphaz, Ch. 22

                               Job’s Answer to Eliphaz, Chs. 23–24

                               Third Speech by Bildad, Ch. 25

                               Job’s Answer to Bildad, Chs. 26–27

                               Job’s Final Judgment on Wisdom, Ch. 28

                Climax I, Chs 29–31

                               Job’s Survey of His Situation

                The Intervention of a Fourth Friend, Elihu, Chs. 32–37

                Climax II, The Last Long Speech

                               God Speaks Four Poems, Chs. 38–41  (186 XYZ -2 532 null)

                               Job’s Answer, 42:1–6

                               The Writer Concludes with Narrative Prose, 42:7–17

Part III: Reading Aids, Notes, Measures

                Introductory Prose, Chs. 1–2

                The First Poem: Job’s Prologue, Ch. 3

                The First Round of the Debate, Chs. 4–14

                               Eliphaz’ First Speech, Chs. 4–5

                               Job’s First Answer, Chs. 6–7

                                Bildad’s First Contribution, Ch. 8

                               Job’s Second Answer, Chs. 9–10

                               The First Speech By Zophar, Ch. 11

                               Job’s Third Answer: Three Poems, Chs. 12–14

                The Second Round of the Debate, Chs. 15–21

                               Chapter 15: Eliphaz’ Second Speech

                               Job’s Answer to Eliphaz, Chs. 16–17

                               Bildad’s Second Speech and Job’s Answer, Chs. 18–19

                               Zophar’s Second Speech and Job’s Answer, Chs. 20–21

                The Third Round of the Debate, Chs. 22–28

                               Chapter 22: Eliphaz’ Third Speech

                               Job Answers in Two Parts, Chs. 23–24

                               A Resumé En Route

                               The Last Exchange, Chs. 25–27

                               Conclusion after Debate, Ch. 28

                First Climax After Debate: Survey In Three Poems

                               Introduction

                               Chapter 29

                               Chapter 30

                               Chapter 31

                               Evaluation: A Growth Process

                Elihu, a Younger Friend, Contributes, Chs. 32–37

                               Introduction, the Appearance of a Fourth Friend

                               Chapter 32

                               Chapter 33

                               Chapter 34

                               Chapter 35

                               Chapter 36

                                Chapter 37

                Climax II: God’s Answer from the Storm and Job’s Final Words

                               Introduction

                               God’s First Round: Two Poems

                               Conversation in the Middle: 40:1–5

                               God’s Second Round: Again Two Poems

                The Concluding Chapter, Ch. 42

                               The Conclusion of the Conclusion: Verse 6

                               The Narrator Concludes the Book, Verses 7–17

                Notes to Part III

Bibliography

                Some Bible Translations

                Works Cited

Glossary (Literary Terms)

Subject Index to Parts I and III

 

The Book of Job is an exceptional, eminently literary work. It is the only well-sustained work of poetry with a well-thought-out plan, and of considerable length, within a body of literature which itself is of an exceptional quality and variety in its cultural milieu—the Ancient Near East. The collection of which Job is a part is known in the Christianized world by the somewhat unfortunate name of'Old Testament; the more recent title 'First Testament' leads to fewer misunderstandings.

 

The writer did not make things easy for himself. He struggled with fun­damental questions: is integrity possible and credible, even when subjected to an extreme test? What does this entail for our image of man? And for readers who are believers and who hope to link up with the Israelite who is the anonymous author of the Book of Job: what does it entail for our image of God? Can one be uninhibitedly furious, sad or desperate when one addresses God?

 

The Book of Job is a particularly 'unwieldy' text. Like its author, neither translator nor readers can make things easy for themselves. The forms (translations) in which the text is available are of little help, because they print the masses of verses without breaks. It is a tall order not to become dejected and not to get stuck when working through such unarticulated matter. Moreover, biblical scholarship has not concerned itself with the proper framing of a theory which could clear up the foundations, the rules, and the conventions of this poetry.

 

I have concerned myself extensively with poetics, as readers of my Read­ing Biblical Poetry (2001) know. I have demonstrated that the poets of the Book of Psalms, Lamentations, Song of Songs, Job, Proverbs, and other poetry were in full command of their craft on all levels of the text. They con­tinually watched the proportions of verses, strophes and stanzas and man­aged to make them subservient to expression and content.

 

Now that this has been elaborately documented, we can print and read the poetry in the forms and proportions which have characterized it from the beginning. My translation of the Book of Job makes the text much more accessible by the application of blank lines; they make every little step in the speaker's train of thought visible. My annotations provide aids to reading and follow the plot in which the debate of Job and his friends is embedded, together with God's 'reply from the storm'. Furthermore, I establish connections between higher units of text, so that the cohesion and the depth of the text can come out well. At the last moment, the new translation of Job 42:6 finally brings out the true proportions of the hero's portrait.