Heidegger's Bible Handbook: Job: Synoptic Outline

The Parts of the book are:

I. The history of the patience of Job, Chapters 1-31, in which are:

1. Dialogue I: between God and Satan: chapter 1.

2. Dialogue II:

a. Between Job and his wife: chapter 2.

b. The outcome of it, Job’s impatience: chapter 3.

3. Dialogue III: between Job and his friends: chapters 4-31: as:

a. Eliphaz and Job: chapters 4-7: in which are:

α. Eliphaz’s speech, and in it:

א. The censuring of Job: chapter 4.

ב. Dissuasion from impatience: chapter 5.

β. Job’s response, in which he:

א. Turns blame from himself: chapter 6.

ב. Complains of the misery of life: chapter 7.

b. Bildad and Job: chapters 8-10: in which:

α. Bildad defends God’s judgment: chapter 8.

β. Job:

א. Acknowledges the just judgment of God: chapter 9.

ב. Deprecates that, and deplores his misery: chapter 10.

c. Zophar and Job: chapters 11-14: in which:

α. Zophar urges repentance on Job: chapter 11.

β. Job:

א. Sets forth his own opinion concerning God: chapter 12.

ב. Testifies of his faith in God: chapter 13.

ג. Deplores the vanity of life: chapter 14.

d. Eliphaz and Job: chapters 15-17: in which:

α. Eliphaz rebukes Job in a variety of ways: chapter 15.

β. Job:

א. Defends his freedom of speech: chapter 16.

ב. Accuses his friends as mockers: chapter 17.

e. Bildad and Job: chapters 18; 19: in which:

α. Bildad, rebuking Job, magnifies the evils of the impious: chapter 18.

β. Job testifies to his faith in the Redeemer: chapter 19.

f. Zophar and Job: chapters 20; 21: in which:

α. Zophar discourses concerning the calamities of hypocrites: chapter 20.

β. Job describes the γλυκύπικρον/bitter-sweet life of the impious: chapter 21.

g. Eliphaz and Job: chapters 22-24: in which:

α. Eliphaz, bring up the sins of Job as a reproach to him, urges conversion: chapter 22.

β. Job:

א. Appeals to God as judge: chapter 23.

ב. Complains of the obscurity of God’s judgments: chapter 24.

h. Bildad and Job: chapters 25-31: in which:

α. Bildad charges Job with accusing God, the judge: chapter 25.

β. Job:

א. Magnifies God’s omnipotence and majesty: chapter 26.

ב. With God as witness, convicts adversaries, and dehorts from sin: chapter 27.

ג. Sets forth true wisdom: chapter 28.

ד. Sets forth his former happiness: chapter 29.

ה. Deplores his present state: chapter 30.

ו. Defends his innocence in a variety of ways: chapter 31.

II. The happy end of Patience, Chapters 32-42: in which are:

1. The fourth Dialogue of Elihu: chapters 32-37: and in it:

a. The introduction to the speech: chapter 32.

b. The sentence of Elihu: chapters 33-37: in which:

α. He denies to Job, that he had spoken rightly, that God had treated him as an enemy: chapter 33.

β. He denies to him again, that he had spoken rightly, that God had abandoned him as a just man: chapter 34.

γ. He upholds the chastisement of the pious: chapter 35.

δ. He teaches that God recompenses the pious after trial, and examines the wishes of Job: chapter 36.

ε. He rouses Job to the contemplation of the works of divine providence: chapter 37.

2. The fifth Dialogue of God Himself: chapters 38-42: in which are:

a. The first speech of God to Job out of the whirlwind, in which:

α. He sets forth to Job His Majesty by the works of creation and government: chapter 38.

β. He demonstrates with uninterrupted examples the works of His providence: chapters 39:1-40:2.

b. The response of Job, ascribing glory to God: chapter 40:3-5.

c. The second speech of God from the whirlwind, in which:

α. He vindicates His judgment, righteousness, and power: chapters 40:6-41:10.

β. He further demonstrates the righteousness of His judgment: chapter 41:11-34.

d. Job’s response, in which he surrenders himself to be instructed by God: chapter 42:1-6.

e. Job’s restoration: chapter 42:7-17.