Connect360: When Friends Fail 

• Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart” focuses on Job 2:11-13; 22:5-6, 9-11.

By this point in the narrative, Job’s plight is almost unbearable. We find ourselves sympathizing with him, for we can see the whole picture and not just his moments of great pain and grief. Enter three of Job’s friends—contemporaries in his world, yet they have been heretofore absent in his losses and pain.

The names of these men and their respective places of origin have been the cause of speculation throughout history. The proper name “Teman” is mentioned in Genesis 36:11 as a grandson of Esau, father of the Edomites. Eliphaz is an Edomite name, and the Edomite city of Teman would have been located southeast of the Dead Sea, more than 100 miles from Job’s location. Bildad is only found in the Bible in the book of Job. Shuah is the name of one of Abraham’s sons by his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:2; 1 Chronicles 1:32). As a geographical place, the location of Shuah is unknown to this day. Zophar is in a similar position; his name only appears in Job, and there is little information about Naamath as a city or region.

With the introduction of these new characters into the narrative, perhaps Job will receive some resolution or salve for his emotional turmoil. The three men had some form of contact with one another prior to their traveling to Job (2:11b) and came together to visit their friend. They had heard of his suffering and wanted to serve as a comfort to him. The Hebrew word for sympathy (nud) indicates a shaking of the head or body back and forth as a manner of taking grief or pain off another. Friends ought to support each other through difficult and challenging times, and Christians can provide immeasurable comfort and support to one another (See Galatians 6:2; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Romans 12:15).

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