Monday, February 5, 2024

Archie T. Wright on Satan in Job 1:6

  

The first mention of the satan is in 1:6, in which he comes to the court of heaven to present himself before YHWH along with the בני האלהים (bene ha’elohim), who appears to be serving in the capacity of agents of YHWH. One may advocate the idea that the bene ha’elohim are the Watchers, whose task it was to watch over the earth and guide all humanity in the growth of civilization. They may also be the minor deities (בני האלהים) who are part of the heavenly divine council; quite conspicuously, the satan figure joins them in reporting to YHWH. The language of the conversation between the satan and YHWH appears to be one between equals. This may suggest that the bene ha’elhim and the satan were in fact minor deities on the divine council who could speak openly with the chief deity of Israel’s henotheism. This would fit well if one considers the scene in Zechariah 3 as a similar situation—that is, the stan has come to report on Joshua to YHWH. In addition, 1 Kings 22:19-23 offers a parallel of the scenes in both Job and Zechariah YHWH is convening the celestial court to determine the destiny of Ahab. (Archie T. Wright, Satan and the Problem of Evil: From the Bible to the Early Church Fathers [Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2022], 21-22)