I. Characters and Divine Beings:;xNLx;;xNLx;Job (Job 1:1, and throughout): The central figure of the book, described as a blameless and upright man from the land of Uz, who endures immense suffering.;xNLx;Satan (Hebrew: hassatan) (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7): In the Book of Job, this figure appears in the heavenly council not as the ultimate embodiment of evil (as later understood in Christian theology), but as "the accuser" or "the adversary." He challenges Job's righteousness, suggesting it is merely due to God's blessings, and is permitted by God to test Job.;xNLx;Sons of God (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7): In Job 1 and 2, this term refers to angelic beings or members of God's heavenly council. In Job 38:7, it refers to angels who rejoiced at creation.;xNLx;The LORD (Yahweh) (Job 1:6, and throughout, though less frequent in the poetic dialogues until chapter 38): The personal covenant name of God in Israel. While Job and his friends often use more general terms for God (like El, Eloah, Shaddai), the narrator and God's speeches use "Yahweh.";xNLx;God (El / Eloah / Shaddai) (Throughout the poetic dialogues):;xNLx;El: A general Semitic term for God or a god, often used to emphasize God's power and majesty.;xNLx;Eloah: A singular form related to Elohim (another common Hebrew word for God), often used in poetry and emphasizing God as the mighty and awesome deity.;xNLx;Shaddai / Almighty (e.g., Job 5:17; 6:4, 14; 8:3, 5; 11:7; 13:3; 15:25; 21:15, 20; 22:3, 17, 23, 25-26; 23:16; 24:1; 27:2, 10-11, 13; 29:5; 31:2, 35; 32:8; 33:4; 34:10, 12; 35:13; 37:23; 40:2): A traditional name for God, often translated "Almighty," emphasizing His immense power, sovereignty, and sometimes His role as a divine warrior or a source of blessing and judgment. Its precise original meaning is debated (perhaps "God of the mountain" or "God who is sufficient").;xNLx;II. Concepts of Righteousness, Suffering, and Justice:;xNLx;;xNLx;Blameless / Perfect (Hebrew: tam) (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 8:20; 9:20-22; 12:4; 23:7; 31:1-40 [Job's claim]): Morally upright, whole, complete, or having integrity. Job is initially described as blameless. A key question in the book is whether suffering negates this status or is a just punishment for hidden sin.;xNLx;Upright (Hebrew: yashar) (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 4:7; 8:6; 17:8; 23:7): Straight, just, right; following the correct path. Another descriptor of Job's initial character.;xNLx;Fear God (Job 1:1, 8-9; 2:3; 4:6; 6:14; 15:4; 22:4; 28:28; 37:24): To have reverence, awe, and respect for God, leading to obedience and a moral life. This is a hallmark of wisdom.;xNLx;Turn away from evil (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 28:28): To shun wrongdoing and live a morally pure life.;xNLx;Affliction / Suffering / Calamity / Trouble (Throughout the book): The various hardships, pain, loss, and distress experienced by Job.;xNLx;Righteous / Righteousness (Hebrew: tsedeq or tsedaqah) (e.g., Job 4:17; 6:29; 8:3, 6; 9:2, 15, 20; 10:15; 11:2 [implied]; 12:4; 13:18; 15:14; 22:3; 25:4; 27:6; 29:14; 31:1-40 [Job's claim]; 32:1; 33:12, 26; 34:5, 17; 35:2, 7-8; 36:3, 7; 40:8): Conformity to a standard of right, justice, moral uprightness, and adherence to God's will. Job maintains his righteousness against his friends' accusations that his suffering must be due to sin.;xNLx;Wicked / Wickedness (Hebrew: rasha / rish'ah) (e.g., Job 3:17; 4:8; 8:22; 9:22, 24; 10:3, 7, 15; 11:14, 20; 15:16, 20, 34; 16:11; 18:5, 21; 20:5, 29; 21:7, 16-17, 28; 22:5; 24:6, 19-20; 27:7, 13; 31:3; 34:8, 10, 18, 26, 30; 35:8; 36:6, 17; 38:13, 15; 40:12): Morally evil, ungodly, unjust; those who actively oppose God and righteousness. Job's friends operate on the traditional wisdom principle that the wicked suffer and the righteous prosper, which Job's situation challenges.;xNLx;Retribution / Recompense / Just deserts (A central theme, though the specific Hebrew words vary, e.g., Job 4:8; 15:31; 21:19-21, 30-31; 22:5-11; 33:26; 34:11, 25-26, 33; 36:17): The idea that people receive punishment or reward according to their deeds. Job's friends argue that his suffering is divine retribution for sin.;xNLx;Justice (Hebrew: mishpat) (e.g., Job 8:3; 9:19; 19:7; 23:4; 27:2; 29:14; 31:13; 32:9; 34:4-6, 12, 17, 23; 35:2, 14; 36:3, 6, 17; 37:23; 40:8): Fairness, equity, the upholding of rights, and moral order. Job questions God's justice in allowing an innocent person to suffer.;xNLx;Integrity (Hebrew: tummah) (Job 2:3, 9; 27:5; 31:6): Moral wholeness, uprightness, blamelessness. Job is encouraged by his wife to curse God and die, implying she thinks his integrity is pointless. Job is determined to hold onto his integrity.;xNLx;Redeemer / Vindicator (Hebrew: go'el) (Job 19:25): In a legal sense, a kinsman-redeemer was a relative who would defend, rescue, or avenge a family member. Job famously declares, "I know that my Redeemer lives," expressing a profound hope for vindication, possibly beyond death, by a divine advocate or vindicator.;xNLx;Arbitrator / Umpire / Mediator (Job 9:33): Someone to stand between two disputing parties to judge or reconcile. Job longs for an arbitrator between himself and God.;xNLx;Counsel (of God) (e.g., Job 10:3; 12:13; 15:8; 21:16; 22:18; 26:3; 29:4; 38:2; 42:3): God's wisdom, plan, or secret purposes. Job and his friends debate who understands God's counsel.;xNLx;III. Ancient Worldview and Poetic Imagery:;xNLx;;xNLx;Sheol / The Pit / The Grave / Abaddon / The Deep (e.g., Job 7:9; 10:21-22; 11:8; 14:13; 17:13-16; 21:13, 33; 24:19; 26:5-6; 28:22 ["Abaddon"]; 30:23; 33:18, 22, 24, 28, 30; 38:16-17 ["the deep," "gates of death"]): The realm of the dead in ancient Hebrew thought, generally depicted as a dark, dusty, silent place beneath the earth where all people, righteous and wicked, go after death. It's not equivalent to the later concept of hell as a place of eternal punishment.;xNLx;Abaddon (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12; Proverbs 15:11; 27:20; Revelation 9:11): Often parallel to Sheol or Death, meaning "destruction" or "place of destruction.";xNLx;Leviathan (Job 3:8 [ESV footnote, some connect "those who curse the day" to enchanters who rouse Leviathan]; 41:1-34): A powerful, fearsome sea monster or chaos creature from ancient Near Eastern mythology, used in Job 41 to illustrate God's immense power and the untamable aspects of creation, far beyond human control or comprehension.;xNLx;Behemoth (Job 40:15-24): A massive land animal, described in terms that suggest a hippopotamus or perhaps a mythical creature, used similarly to Leviathan to highlight God's creative power and sovereignty over the largest and most formidable of creatures.;xNLx;Dust and ashes (e.g., Job 2:8, 12; 7:5, 21; 13:12; 16:15; 19:25; 22:24 [ashes for ore]; 30:19; 34:15; 40:13; 42:6): Symbols of mortality, mourning, grief, insignificance, and repentance. Job sits in ashes, and later repents in dust and ashes.;xNLx;Shadow of death / Deep darkness (Hebrew: tsalmaveth) (e.g., Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 16:16; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; 38:17): A term for extreme darkness, gloom, and the terrifying approach or realm of death.;xNLx;Wisdom (Hebrew: chokmah) (e.g., Job 4:21; 6:13; 11:6; 12:2, 12-13; 13:5; 15:8; 26:3; Chapter 28 [poem on wisdom]; 32:7, 13; 33:33; 34:35; 35:11; 36:5, 12; 37:24; 38:36-37; 39:17): Skill, understanding, insight, and practical knowledge, often associated with the fear of the LORD and living according to divine order. The Book of Job is a prime example of wisdom literature, exploring the limits of human wisdom in understanding suffering and God's ways. Chapter 28 is a famous poem about the inaccessibility of true wisdom apart from God.;xNLx;Orion and Pleiades (Job 9:9; 38:31): Prominent constellations mentioned to illustrate God's creative power and control over the cosmos.;xNLx;Mazzaroth (Job 38:32): Often translated as "constellations" or "signs of the zodiac," referring to the seasonal progression of stars, controlled by God.;xNLx;Uz (Job 1:1): The homeland of Job, its exact location is uncertain but likely in the region of Edom or northern Arabia.;xNLx;IV. Legal and Disputational Language:;xNLx;;xNLx;Contend / Plead / Argue / Dispute / Case (e.g., Job 9:3, 14; 10:2; 13:3, 6, 15, 18-19; 16:21; 19:5; 23:2-7; 29:16; 31:13, 35; 32:12; 33:13, 19; 34:23; 35:14; 36:31; 40:2): Language drawn from legal settings. Job often wishes to "contend" with God or "plead his case" as if in a court of law to prove his innocence.;xNLx;Witness (e.g., Job 10:17; 16:8, 19; 20:27; 29:11): Someone or something that gives testimony or evidence. Job calls on a witness in heaven.;xNLx;Indictment / Accusation (Job 31:35): A formal written charge or accusation. Job wishes his accuser had written out the charges against him.;xNLx;V. General and Other Terms:;xNLx;;xNLx;Chaldeans (Job 1:17): A Semitic people from southern Mesopotamia, known for their raids.;xNLx;Sabeans (Job 1:15): A people from southern Arabia, also known for raiding.;xNLx;Counselors (Job 3:1 [Job's friends]; 12:17; 26:3; 38:2): Those who offer advice or engage in discussion. Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and later Elihu, act as counselors, though their counsel is ultimately found wanting.;xNLx;Byword / Taunt (Job 17:6; 30:9): A person or thing that becomes an object of scorn, mockery, or proverbial contempt. Job feels he has become a byword.;xNLx;Refuge (Job 11:18; 24:8): A place of safety or security.;xNLx;This list is intended to aid in understanding some of the key vocabulary encountered in the Book of Job (ESV). Given its poetic nature and profound theological wrestling, careful attention to the meaning of words in their specific context is essential for a richer engagement with this challenging and rewarding book.