I. Narrative: Job, the righteous
man, 1:1-2:13
II. Poetic Discourse: Job, the frustrated sufferer, 3:1-42:6
B. The cycle of debates with the 'three friends', 4:1-27:23
| Individuals: | Round 1: | Round 2: | Round 3: |
| Eliphaz:
Job (rebuttal): |
4:1-5:27
6:1-7:21 |
15:1-35
16:1-17:36 |
22:1-30
23:1-24:25 |
| Bildad:
Job (rebuttal): |
8:1-22
9:1-10:22 |
18:1-21
19:1-29 |
25:1-6; 26:5-14
26:1-4; 27:1-122 |
| Zophar:
Job (rebuttal): |
11:1-20
12:1-14:22 |
20:1-29
21:1-34 |
(27:13-23)3 |
C. Job's wisdom poem, 28:1-28
D. Job's defense case, 29:1-31:404
E. The Elihu speeches, 32:1-37:24
F. The divine speeches, 38:1-41:34
G. Job's submission, 42:1-6
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1Based on the outline from John H. Tullock, The Old Testament Story, 4th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997), 319-328.
2Could be placed with Zophar, since it concludes his responses to the accustions from the three friends.
3The text is not explicit that this belongs to Zophar, but the tone and content of the speech associate it with Zophar.
4Three
themes surface: (1) his past prosperity, (2) his present problems, (3)
his code of ethics.