The story of Job is one of the most profound narratives in literature and theology, posing the difficult question: "Why do the righteous suffer?" The graphic you provided outlines the immense accumulation of tragedy that befell one man.
Here is a blog post breakdown of each topic listed in the graphic, complete with the scripture, the quote, and theological commentary.
Would You Still Trust God Like Job?
The Book of Job presents a man who lost everything—his wealth, his family, his health, and his status—yet refused to curse God. It is easy to trust when life is good, but this list challenges us to consider the depth of Job's trial.
1. Loss of Livestock
Scripture:
Job 1:14-15 Quote: "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword..."
Commentary: In an agrarian society, livestock was not just property; it was the engine of the economy. Job’s loss here represents the sudden destruction of his capital and livelihood. As Matthew Henry notes, this shows us that "worldly wealth is a withering thing," and can be lost as suddenly as it was gained.
Source: Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
2. Loss of Servants
Scripture:
Job 1:15-17 Quote: "...and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
Commentary: Job did not just lose animals; he lost the people he was responsible for. This was a massive loss of life within his household, adding the burden of leadership guilt to his financial ruin.
Source: Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
3. Sudden Death of Children
Scripture:
Job 1:18-19 Quote: "...and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead..."
Commentary: This is the climax of the first wave of trials. While the other losses were financial or material, this struck at the heart. The "great wind" indicates a natural disaster allowed by God, stripping Job of his legacy and his loved ones in a single moment.
Source: Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
4. Boils from Head to Toe
Scripture:
Job 2:7 Quote: "So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head."
Commentary: The suffering moves from external (possessions/family) to internal/physical. The text suggests a systemic skin disease, perhaps Elephantiasis or extreme leprosy, designed to make every moment of existence painful.
Source: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. Physical Pain and Itching
Scripture:
Job 2:8 Quote: "And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes."
Commentary: The itch and pain were so severe that Job sought relief by scraping his skin with rough pottery. Sitting in ashes was a traditional sign of mourning, but here it also likely served to soothe the weeping sores.
Source: Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
6. Emotional Grief and Mourning
Scripture:
Job 2:13 Quote: "And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great."
Commentary: This silence represents the depth of grief where words fail. The shock was so total that even his friends could only sit in mute horror. It highlights the isolating nature of extreme trauma.
Source: Pulpit Commentary
7. Mocked by his Wife
Scripture:
Job 2:9 Quote: "Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.'"
Commentary: Often viewed harshly, Job’s wife was also suffering the loss of her children and status. Her mockery stems from despair; she sees death as a mercy and views Job’s piety as pointless torture. It adds domestic strife to his physical pain.
Source: Enduring Word Commentary
8. Abandoned by Friends
Scripture:
Job 6:14-15 Quote: "My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away..."
Commentary: Job compares his friends to a dried-up wadi (stream) in the desert. When he needed refreshment and support the most, they were dry and useless. He feels betrayed by those he trusted.
Source: MacLaren’s Expositions
9. Accused by Companions
Scripture:
Job 4:7-8 Quote: "Remember: who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same."
Commentary: Eliphaz creates a logic trap: Good things happen to good people, bad things happen to bad people. Therefore, because Job is suffering, he must have sinned. This false accusation attacks Job’s character when he is already down.
Source: Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
10. Spoke in Bitterness
Scripture:
Job 3:1 Quote: "After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth."
Commentary: Job finally breaks his silence not to curse God, but to release the bitterness of his soul. It is a raw, honest expression of human agony, showing that faith does not preclude feelings of bitter despair.
Source: Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
11. Cursed his own Birth
Scripture:
Job 3:11 Quote: "Why did I not die at birth, come out from the womb and expire?"
Commentary: This is the cry of the suicidal ideation that comes with extreme suffering. Job questions the purpose of life itself if it only leads to such misery. He wishes for the nothingness of non-existence.
Source: Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
12. Sleepless Nights
Scripture:
Job 7:4 Quote: "When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise?’ But the night is long, and I am full of tossing till the dawn."
Commentary: Physical pain often worsens at night. Job describes the torture of insomnia, where the mind races and the body cannot find a comfortable position, making the nights feel endless.
Source: Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
13. Nightmares and Terrors
Scripture:
Job 7:14 Quote: "...then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions..."
Commentary: Even when sleep comes, it offers no escape. Job believes these terrors are sent by God, denying him even the sanctuary of his subconscious mind.
Source: Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
14. Unexplainable Suffering
Scripture:
Job 10:8-9 Quote: "'Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether...'"
Commentary: The core of Job’s crisis is the lack of explanation. He reminds God that he is God’s own creation. It makes no sense to him why a Creator would painstakingly build a human only to crush them without cause.
Source: Pulpit Commentary
15. Unjust Criticism
Scripture:
Job 16:2-3 Quote: "'I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end?'"
Commentary: Job pushes back against his friends' theology. Their "windy words" are empty and void of empathy. They criticize his reaction to pain rather than comforting the pain itself.
Source: Matthew Henry Commentary
16. Crushed Spirit
Scripture:
Job 17:1 Quote: "My spirit is broken; my days are extinct; the graveyard is ready for me."
Commentary: A broken spirit is harder to bear than a broken body. Job has reached a state of total resignation, believing that his life force is extinguished and death is imminent.
Source: Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
17. Loneliness and Isolation
Scripture:
Job 19:13-14 Quote: "He has put my brothers far from me, and those who knew me are wholly estranged from me. My relatives have failed me, my close friends have forgotten me."
Commentary: Social alienation is a common side effect of prolonged illness or misfortune. Job feels that God has actively removed his support network, leaving him to face his trial in solitary confinement.
Source: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
18. Disfigurement and Decay
Scripture:
Job 30:17-19 Quote: "My gnawing pains take no rest... It binds me about like the collar of my tunic. God has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes."
Commentary: Job describes his body as if it is rotting while he is still alive. The "mire" suggests he feels filthy and unrecognizable, reduced to the basest elements of dust.
Source: Gill's Exposition
19. Ridiculed by the Young
Scripture:
Job 30:1 Quote: "But now they laugh at me, men who are younger than I, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock."
Commentary: In Job’s culture, age commanded respect. For the young (and specifically those from lower social standing) to mock him was a total inversion of social order and a deep humiliation.
Source: Ellicott's Commentary
20. Rejected by His Community
Scripture:
Job 30:10 Quote: "They abhor me; they keep aloof from me..."
Commentary: Job was once a city elder sitting at the gates. Now, he is a pariah. The community treats him with revulsion, likely fearing his "curse" is contagious or a sign of divine judgment.
Source: Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
21. Spat on by Others
Scripture:
Job 30:10 Quote: "...they do not hesitate to spit at the sight of me."
Commentary: Spitting is a universal sign of supreme contempt. This act strips Job of his last shred of human dignity, treating him as something less than human.
Source: Pulpit Commentary
22. No Comfort or Relief
Scripture:
Job 30:20-21 Quote: "I cry to you for help and you do not answer me... You have turned cruel to me..."
Commentary: The physical pain is compounded by "divine silence." Job feels God is not only ignoring him but actively attacking him ("turned cruel"), offering no pause in the suffering.
Source: Matthew Henry Commentary
23. Spiritual Confusion
Scripture:
Job 10:3 Quote: "Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the designs of the wicked?"
Commentary: Job is confused because his reality contradicts his theology. He cannot reconcile a good God with the oppression he is feeling, leading him to ask daring questions about God's nature.
Source: Enduring Word Commentary
24. Felt Forgotten by God
Scripture:
Job 14:3 Quote: "And do you open your eyes on such a one and bring me into judgment with you?"
Commentary: Job wonders why the Almighty would bother scrutinizing a fragile, short-lived human. He feels that God should simply let him be, but instead, he feels targeted, yet forgotten in terms of mercy.
Source: Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
25. Deep Despair and Sorrow
Scripture:
Job 10:8-9 Quote: "Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust?"
Commentary: Job appeals to his Creator’s memory. He is overwhelmed by the fragility of life, acknowledging that he is merely clay, and sinking into the sorrow of his inevitable return to dust.
Source: Clarke’s Commentary
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