The Arrogance of Job

The Bible as Literature

Theologians and philosophers love to talk about the meaning of life. They explore its purpose, justification, and value, questioning whether or not suffering has meaning. They sound like the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, wasting time viewing things from the wrong perspective: man’s point of view, the king’s point of view, Job’s point of view.

This mirrors how Christians assess and then attempt to control the Holy Spirit through human words. Their version of the Holy Spirit—always friendly, gentle, and “inspiring”—bears little resemblance to the God of Scripture. This domesticated spirit, which makes people feel good with that telltale twinkle and misty look, becomes a false god they tame, groom, and adore like a pet.

That’s why they’re confused when the same wind that filled Jesus’ sails at the beginning of the parable suddenly transforms into a fierce, wrathful storm—a whirlwind. But this is precisely how God’s breath, his wind, operates.

Not only is it invisible to the eye, but it cannot be controlled. Sometimes cold, sometimes hot, and always unpredictable, it can turn against you on a dime, just like life’s events.

As Jesus said in judgment of Job’s lament, “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

This week, I discuss Luke 8:24.

λαῖλαψ (lailaps) / ס-ע-ר (samek-ʿayin-resh) / ס-ו-פ (samek-waw-feh)

Hurricane, tempest, furious storm. All three biblical references in Luke 8:23 invoke the Lord’s wrath against human arrogance:

• Job 21:18 (סוּפָה sû·fāhʹ ) - The arrogance of Job, who questions why the wicked prosper.
  • “Are they as straw before the wind, and like chaff which the storm (סוּפָה sû·p̄āhʹ ) carries away?
• Job 38:1(סְעָרָה seʿā·rāh) - Anger at Job’s arrogance—at his attempt to comprehend divine judgment. The whirlwind is the wrath of God.
  • Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (סְעָרָה seʿā·rāh) and said, 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
• Jeremiah 32:18 (סַ֫עַר sǎʹ·ʿǎr) God stirs up a sweeping, consuming judgment against all nations.
  • Thus says the Lord of hosts,
  • “Behold, evil is going forth
  • From nation to nation,
  • And a great storm (סַ֫עַר sǎʹ·ʿǎr) is being stirred up
  • From the remotest parts of the earth.

ἐπιτιμάω (epitimaō) / ג-ע-ר (gimel-ʿayin-resh) / ج-ع-ر (jīm–ʿayn–rāʼ)

Rebuke or speak insultingly, often with a firm or authoritative tone. It can also imply harsh or scolding speech; in divine usage, it can function as subduing or silencing through rebuke. The Arabic root also denotes the production of a loud, guttural sound, explicitly referring to the mooing or bellowing of cattle. In both Hebrew (גער) and Arabic (جعر), the shared Semitic root captures a raw, forceful vocalization.

The waters in the Psalms represent a fundamental aspect of God’s creation, serving as a metaphor for his dominion and kingly victory over all opponents. They are the chaotic forces under his control. The Psalms consistently depict God as the supreme authority over all the waters of creation—a realm teeming with life and human activity, overcome by God, the only true hegemon.

“You have rebuked (גָּעַ֣רְתָּ gā·ʿǎrʹ·tā) the nations, you have eliminated the wicked; You have wiped out their name forever and ever.” (Psalm 9:5)

“Thus he rebuked (יִּגְעַ֣ר yiḡ·ʿǎrʹ) the Red Sea and it dried up, and he led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.” (Psalm 106:9)

“You rebuke (גָּ֭עַרְתָּ gāʹ·ʿǎr·tā) the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from your commandments.” (Psalm 119:21)

“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke (יִגְעַ֨ר yiḡ·ʿǎrʹ) you! Is this not a log snatched from the fire?’” (Zechariah 3:2)

ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) / א-ב-ד (ʾalef-bet-dalet) / أ-ب-د (ʾalif-bāʼ-dāl)

Perish, get lost, go astray; destroy, kill. In Arabic, أَبَدَ (ʾábada) can indicate “it ran away”, especially concerning animals, in line with the function lost, gone, destroyed, or vanished beyond recovery or control.

“Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, ‘How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is destroyed? (אָבְדָ֖ה ʾǒḇ·ḏāhʹ)’” (Exodus 10:7)

“As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will eliminate (הַֽאֲבַדְתִּ֛י hǎ·ʾǎḇǎḏ·tîʹ) from among his people.” (Leviticus 23:30)

“But you will perish (אֲבַדְתֶּ֖ם ʾǎḇǎḏ·těmʹ) among the nations, and your enemies’ land will consume you.” (Leviticus 26:38)

“On that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing (אֹֽבְדִים֙ ʾō·ḇeḏîmʹ) in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13)

In the Qur’an, the function أ-ب-د is often used in noun forms and derivatives related to judgment. This usage stems from the biblical function אֲבַדּוֹן (abaddon) used interchangeably with Sheol (Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 88:11). In Arabic, أَبَدًا (ʾabadan) indicates everlasting:

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:95):

“وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا”
(wa-lan yatamannawhu ʾabadan)
“And they will never wish for it, ever.”

Surah Al-Jinn (72:23):

“…عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا أَبَدًا”
(adhāban alīman abadan)
“a painful punishment, forever…”

“خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا”
(khālidīna fīhā abadan)
“abiding therein forever.”

The phrase خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا (khālidīna fīhā abadan) appears numerous times in the Qur’an. It’s used in verses describing the everlasting nature of Paradise or Hell.

ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) / כרת (kaf–resh–taw)

To “cut” or “cut off.” In a cultic setting, a covenant was “cut”—reflecting the ritual slicing of animals in two (cf. Genesis 15:18, where God “cut a covenant” with Abram).

ἀπόλλυμι is not the most frequent translation of כרת, which carries the function of destruction or extermination, notably, unto death or ruin.

Luke’s usage of this rare Levitical function corresponds to the consequence of disobedience:

“And anyone from the house of Israel, or from the strangers who reside among them, who eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood and will cut him off (הִכְרַתִּ֥י hiḵ·rǎt·tîʹ) from among his people.” (Leviticus 17:10)

“I will also set my face against that man and will cut him off (הִכְרַתִּ֥י hiḵ·rǎt·tîʹ) from among his people, because he has given some of his children to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane my holy name.” (Le...