Job had questions, history gave him ‘patience’

Rabbi Stu Halpern of Yeshiva University highlights how the biblical figure Job, despite his suffering, has influenced American political language and offers comfort to Jews facing rising antisemitism. The phrase "patience of Job" originates from the King James Version of the New Testament, though earlier interpretations, like Thomas Wilson's in 1553, focused on Job's poverty. The expression evolved, with references to "Job's turkey" emerging in the 19th century. Halpern notes that figures like George B. McClellan, Richard Nixon, and King Hussein of Jordan have used the "patience of Job" to describe enduring difficult situations. Alan Brill, a professor at Seton Hall University, points out that Jewish and Christian understandings of Job differ, with Jewish tradition often portraying Job as angry and challenging God, while the New Testament emphasizes his patience. Ed Greenstein, professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan University, argues that Job's initial submissiveness transforms into a protest against divine injustice, and his final words express pity for humanity rather than repentance, a view he believes is supported by a Yom Kippur prayer.