Job is one of the most poetic books in the Old Testament and is considered a masterpiece of world literature. In a trial of faith granted by God, an innocent man is allowed to suffer the loss of everything---family, fortune, physical health. He is then comforted by shallow figures who spout theologies that do not go to the root of his dilemma. Finally, God appears in a whirlwind to demonstrate that divine understanding is far above the highest we humans can ever hope to reach. Filled with erudition, Clines's study may be the best now available. It follows the typical Word Biblical Commentary format. After each pericope, there is a bibliography; new translation; notes on the translation and related linguistic questions; literary analysis (form, structure, setting); comments on each verse; and a synthetic evaluation. Clines's philological gifts are stretched to the fullest by terms and phrases from Job found nowhere else in Scripture.
