The Book of Job (review)

Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 124 Reviews editorially relocated into their current position. Yet, when discussing the sign-actions of chap. 12, he states that "Ezekiel barely had time to recover from [the temple vision-chaps. 8-11] before being commanded to resume the mime acting already described (in chaps. 4 and 5Y' (p. 65). Then again when talking about chap. 24, he refers to the miming of the siege (chap. 4) which "occurs at the beginning of his prophetic career, corresponding to the historical actuality five years later" (p. 102). One is left with uncertainty as to when Blenkinsopp views the occurrence of the actions of chap. 4. Both HaIs' and Blenkinsopp's books are useful contributions to the study of the book of Ezekiel. But the divergent purposes and audiences of the individual series in which the volumes appear must be taken into consideration when judging each of the book's relative value for academic and scholarly purposes. Kelvin Friebel Canadian Theological Seminary Regina. Saskatchewan S4T OH8 THE BOOK OF JOB. By John E. Hartley. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. pp. xiv + 591. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988. Cloth, $27.95. John E. Hartley has published a very good, solid, traditional commentary on Job in a respected evangelical commentary series. It is another jewel in the crown of NICOT. The references to Jesus Christ are kept to a minimum (seven) and are not inappropriate in a Christian commentary. The commentary is written for students and pastors and is designed to be read also by those without a knowledge of Hebrew. Although Hartley states that he has concentrated on the message of the book, he has also provided a clear, basic, and competent summary of the various philological difficulties in the text; hence, the commentary is also of interest to scholars. I recommend the commentary to all students and pastors as one of the more comprehensive, judicious, and practical commentaries available at this time. After the obligatory preface, contents, and list of abbreviations a very thorough introduction covers the following topics: "I. Title and Place in Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 125 Reviews Canon," "II. Text and Versions," "III. Language," "IV. Parallel Literature of the Ancient Near East," "V. Affinities with Other Old Testament Books," "VI. Authorship," "VIT. Date," "VITI. Literary Issues," "IX. Poetry," "X. Structure and Genres," "XI. Message," "XII. Outline," and "Xill. Selected Bibliography." He argues, quite successfully, for a single author, for the unity of the book, and for a date in the seventh century B.C.E. Like many other scholars, though, he has difficulty with the integration of chap. 28 into the flow of the book. I think that even this chapter fits flawlessly into the structure of the book and could be understood as Job's ninth response to the friends and as the conclusion of the three cycles of speeches. Hartley (like others) interprets 28:1-11 as referring to human ingenuity in the field of mining. (1 follow N. H. Tur-Sinai, Rashi, and Ibn Ezra who saw these verses a praise of God's creative powers at the beginning of creation.) According to this view (which Hartley does not share) Job acknowledges, in chap. 28, that God has acquired Wisdom at the beginning of creation. But, although neither divine creatures nor humans know even the path to the place of Wisdom, humans are able to live according to ')"lM M", "Awe of Adonai." Job insists that this is exactly what he has done all of his life. Chapter 28 then functions as a powerful conclusion to the cycle of speeches and as an indictment of God. Hartley is one of the few commentators who tries to respect the consonantal MT, but even he changes it in a few places (e.g., 16:5; 17:10). He assumes (with all other scholars) that the text has suffered many disturbances which make Job one of the most obscure books in the Hebrew Bible. I disagree with this assumption. What is disturbed and corrupt is our understanding of ancient Hebrew. I continue to be convinced that the text of Job can be read without changing even one consonant. The select bibliography prudently extends...