Question 1

Why did Job’s three friends come to visit him in his suffering?

Accepted Answer

Job’s three friends came because they heard about all the disasters that had fallen on him, including the loss of his wealth, his children, and his health. They were not casual visitors. They planned together ahead of time to meet and go to him. Their stated purpose was “to mourn with him and to comfort him.” This shows they cared enough to leave their own homes, travel a distance, and share in his sorrow. At this point their intentions are good. They come as real friends who want to stand with him in his pain, not to avoid him because of his troubles.

Question 2

Who were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and where did they come from?

Accepted Answer

Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are described as Job’s friends and men of standing. Eliphaz is called a Temanite, likely linked to the family of Esau in the region around Edom. Bildad is called a Shuhite, connected with Shuah, a son of Abraham whose descendants lived in the Arabian area. Zophar is called a Naamathite, likely from a place called Naamah near Job’s land. They seem to be wise and respected men, probably leaders in their own regions. Their visit shows that Job himself was a known and honored man, whose suffering became widely talked about.

Question 3

Why did Job’s friends weep, tear their clothes, and sprinkle dust on their heads?

Accepted Answer

When Job’s friends saw him from a distance, they did not even recognize him because his body and appearance were so changed by disease and grief. This shocked them and moved them deeply. They raised their voices and wept out loud. Then they tore their mantles and threw dust on their heads toward heaven. These actions were common signs of mourning in their culture, showing deep sorrow, shame, and identification with the one who suffers. They were not pretending. Their outward actions matched real inner grief over the terrible state of their friend.

Question 4

Why did Job’s friends sit in silence with him for seven days and seven nights?

Accepted Answer

Job’s friends sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights and did not say a single word to him. This was in line with common mourning practices, where people would spend a set period in grief. But the text also gives a reason: they saw that his grief was very great. His pain kept growing worse, and his sorrow was overwhelming. They likely felt that words would either be wasted or might even make things worse. Their silence shows a kind of respect and sympathy, waiting for the right time to speak rather than forcing answers on a man in deep agony.

Question 5

What does this passage teach about true friendship in times of suffering?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that true friends do not run away when someone’s life falls apart. Job’s friends come from far away, on purpose, to be with him. At first they do several important things: they show up, they share his grief with tears, they humble themselves by sitting on the ground, and they do not rush to speak. Their presence, not their words, is the main comfort. Even though they later fail in how they explain his suffering, their early actions remind us that loyal friendship shows itself by staying close, feeling the pain with the sufferer, and being slow to speak.

Question 6

How can this passage guide the way we comfort someone who is grieving today?

Accepted Answer

This passage suggests that the best first response to a grieving person is often to be present, not to give speeches. Job’s friends travel to him, sit where he sits, and let his pain affect them so much that they weep and mourn with him. They are in no hurry to fill the silence. In our own lives, this means it can be better to show up, listen, and quietly share the load, rather than trying to explain everything or fix the situation. There is a time to speak, but there is also a real time to be silent and simply sit with a hurting friend.

Question 7

Why did Job’s friends not recognize him when they saw him from afar?

Accepted Answer

They did not recognize Job at first because suffering had changed him so much. He had shaved his head, torn his clothes earlier, and his body was covered with painful boils. His posture, face, and whole appearance would have been marked by sickness and deep sorrow. When his friends looked up and saw him, he no longer looked like the strong, honored man they had known. This shock helps explain their loud weeping and strong mourning actions. His outward condition showed just how severe his trials had become.

Question 8

What does the seven days and seven nights of mourning tell us about the depth of Job’s grief?

Accepted Answer

The seven days and seven nights show that Job’s grief was not light or passing. It was so heavy that it called for a full, extended period of mourning. This length of time was commonly used for serious sorrow. His friends saw that his pain kept growing and was very great, so they did not treat it as something that could be quickly comforted or easily explained. The long silence underlines how weighty his suffering was. It reminds readers that some wounds run so deep that they require patience, time, and careful thought before any words are offered.

Job 2:11

¶ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

Job’s Three Friends

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Job 2:11

¶ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

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Job’s Three Friends

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