The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917], at sacred-texts.com
Book Introduction - Job
Job is in form a dramatic poem. It is probably the oldest of the Bible books, and was certainly written before the giving of the law. It would have been impossible, in a discussion covering the whole field of sin, of the providential government of God, and man's relation to Him, to avoid all reference to the law if the law had then been known. Job was a veritable personage (Eze 14:20; Jam 5:11), and the events are historical. The book sheds a remarkable light on the philosophic breadth and intellectual culture of the patriarchal age. The problem is, Why do the godly suffer?
Job is in seven parts:
1. Prologue (Job 1:1 - 2:8).
2. Job and his wife (Job 2:9-10).
3. Job and his three friends (Job 2:11 - 31:40).
4. Job and Elihu (Job 32:1 - 37:24).
5. Jehovah and Job (Job 38:1 - 41:34).
6. Job's final answer (Job 42:1-6).
7. Epilogue (Job 42:7-17).
The events recorded in Job cover a period within 1 year.