Job 1:2

2 He had seven sons and three daughters.

Job 1:2 Meaning and Commentary

Job 1:2

And there were born unto him
By his wife, in lawful wedlock, who was now living, and after mentioned:

seven sons and three daughters;
next to his religious character, his graces, and spiritual blessings, and as the chief of his outward mercies and enjoyments, his children are mentioned; and which are indeed blessings from the Lord, and such as good men, and those that fear the Lord, are sometimes blessed with, see ( Psalms 127:3 Psalms 127:4 Psalms 127:5 ) ( Psalms 128:3 Psalms 128:4 ) and to have a numerous offspring was always esteemed a very great favour and blessing, and as such was reckoned by Job; who, having so many sons, might hope to have his name perpetuated by them, as well as his substance shared among them; and having so many daughters, he might please himself with the thought of marrying them into families, which would strengthen his friendship and alliance with them; just the same number of sons and daughters had Bacchaeus, the third king of Corinth ^F25.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Heraclides de Politiis ad calcem Aelian. Var. Hist. p. 439.

Job 1:2 In-Context

1 There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.

2 He had seven sons and three daughters.

3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

4 Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them.

5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.