dak14's review against another edition
not god letting satan mess with innocent Job to prove a point
gellok's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps one of the most beautiful translations of the Book of Job. The Elihu Interlude is intentionally left out (Mitchell addresses why in the introduction), and the result is a significantly more structured antagonism between Job, his interlocutors, and the Voice. While some of the more traditional Jewish tones of the book are present Mitchell's translation draws out some interesting Taoist and Hindu oriented elements to Job's situation - certainly in the midst of Job coming to terms with the futility of station and life. Think "Bhagavad Gita" style lesson-learning.
While not explicitly stated - the book might not be exactly what the modern Christian tradition would expect from the story of Job; in fact, this rendition might seem altogether problematic in some regard. Job is not a story of God's love, and Mitchell's translation (certainly sans Elihu) does little to underscore God as a merciful deity or Job understanding any sort of nature to God or the Christian idea of His "love". This translation, more appropriately, places God in the realm of the infinite - and Job as little more than dust in the eyes of the cosmos. Any supposed knowledge about God, any claims regarding the nature of the divine are painted as simply beyond the realm of humanity. Like many of the classic Jewish texts, the emphasis of this translation is to draw attention to the awesome and unintelligible juxtaposition of our finitude with respect to the infinite. A truly brilliant text - one possibly more suited to theologians, those interested in Eastern philosophy, or those interested in hermeneutics.
While not explicitly stated - the book might not be exactly what the modern Christian tradition would expect from the story of Job; in fact, this rendition might seem altogether problematic in some regard. Job is not a story of God's love, and Mitchell's translation (certainly sans Elihu) does little to underscore God as a merciful deity or Job understanding any sort of nature to God or the Christian idea of His "love". This translation, more appropriately, places God in the realm of the infinite - and Job as little more than dust in the eyes of the cosmos. Any supposed knowledge about God, any claims regarding the nature of the divine are painted as simply beyond the realm of humanity. Like many of the classic Jewish texts, the emphasis of this translation is to draw attention to the awesome and unintelligible juxtaposition of our finitude with respect to the infinite. A truly brilliant text - one possibly more suited to theologians, those interested in Eastern philosophy, or those interested in hermeneutics.
curlybookowl's review against another edition
5.0
Wow I don’t really know who I admire more Joesph or Job.
God challenged Satan to take everything from job. The only thing Satan couldn’t do was kill Job. And Satan took the challenge. Job lost everything and still he didn’t turn from god. I genuinely don’t know if I myself could have done this. He never cursed God, never gave up and never stopped praying. God in the end blessed him twice as much. What a book.
God challenged Satan to take everything from job. The only thing Satan couldn’t do was kill Job. And Satan took the challenge. Job lost everything and still he didn’t turn from god. I genuinely don’t know if I myself could have done this. He never cursed God, never gave up and never stopped praying. God in the end blessed him twice as much. What a book.
samalabaster's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.75