Job 42:10-17

Job 42:10-17

[10] And the LORD  turned  the captivity  of Job,  when he prayed  for his friends:  also the LORD  gave  Job  twice as much  as he had before. [11] Then came  there unto him all his brethren,  and all his sisters,  and all they that had been of his acquaintance  before,  and did eat  bread  with him in his house:  and they bemoaned  him, and comforted  him over all the evil  that the LORD  had brought  upon him: every man  also gave  him a  piece of money,  and every one  an earring  of gold.  [12] So the LORD  blessed  the latter end  of Job  more than his beginning:  for he had fourteen  thousand  sheep,  and six  thousand  camels,  and a thousand  yoke  of oxen,  and a thousand  she asses.  [13] He had also seven  sons  and three  daughters.  [14] And he called  the name  of the first,  Jemima;  and the name  of the second,  Kezia;  and the name  of the third,  Kerenhappuch.  [15] And in all the land  were no women  found  so fair  as the daughters  of Job:  and their father  gave  them inheritance  among  their brethren.  [16] After  this lived  Job  an hundred  and forty  years,  and saw  his sons,  even four  generations.  [17] So Job  died,  being old  and full  of days. 

What does Job 42:10-17 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Notice that God began to prosper Job again after he interceded for his friends ( Job 42:10), not just after he repented. His willingness to pray for his enemies showed the genuineness of the transformation that had taken place in his heart. He no longer felt antagonistic toward God but accepting of his enemies (cf. Matthew 6:15).
The Lord increased all that Job possessed twofold ( Job 42:10).
ItemBeforeAfterTotalSheep7 ,0007 ,00014 ,000Camels3 ,0003 ,0006 ,000Yoke of Oxen5005001 ,000Female Donkeys5005001 ,000Sons7714Daughters336Age in Years70140210
Female donkeys were more valuable than male donkeys because the females produced milk and foals. The names of Job"s daughters ( Job 42:14) corroborate the statement that they were exceptionally beautiful ( Job 42:15). "Jemimah" means "dove," "Keziah" means "perfume," and "Keren-happuch" means "horn of eye-paint." The reference to Job giving them an inheritance with their brothers, an unusual practice in the ancient Near East, reflects the extent of Job"s wealth and compassion. The70,210 year figures are traditional. [1]
Does the fact that God eventually blessed Job materially in life for his godliness prove Job"s three friends were right after all? Is the basis of man"s relationship with God really retribution? No, God did not reward Job in life primarily because he was good but because God is gracious. [2] The basis of people"s relationship with God is grace. The Book of Job does not deny the fact that God blesses the righteous. However, it shows that this principle has exceptions if we look at life only this side of the grave. Because God is sovereign He can deal with anyone as He chooses for reasons only He knows. Nevertheless He always deals justly (cf. Romans 9:14).
"The restoration of Job"s prosperity was not the reward of his piety, but the indication that the trial was over. Any judge who left a defendant to languish in prison after he had been declared innocent would be condemned as iniquitous, and if Job"s trials had continued after he was acquitted it would have been similarly iniquitous." [3]
Job apparently lived140 years after his affliction ( Job 42:16), suggesting that God blessed him with twice the normal lifespan of "threescore years and ten" ( Psalm 90:10 AV) after his trials ended. This assumes that Job was70 when his trails began (the perfect age?) and that he lived twice as long after his trails ended. The Septuagint preserves a Jewish tradition that Job died at the age of240 , though a variant reading has248. [2]4
"This chapter assures us that, no matter what happens to us, God always writes the last chapter. Therefore, we don"t have to be afraid. We can trust God to do what is right, no matter how painful our situation might be....
"His [5] greatest blessing was knowing God better and understanding His working in a deeper way." [6]