What happened to Job's wife?
In Job story, at the end every things going well. But what about Job's wife? She cursed the God "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die." Cursing the G-d in those days were very serious sin. It is mention in the end that Job prayed for his friends(42:10) But Job didn't prayed his wife. Job got seven sons and three daughters.(42:13) from the same wife. But what about Job's wife who curse G-d? (Please pardon my English grammar).
Job 2:9
ESV - 9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.
Clarify
•
Share
•
Report
•
Asked May 27 2014
•
NITIN JADHAV
Supporter
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Seth Freeman
Supporter
Simply put, we aren't told. The story is really about Job. Anything you may read about his wife, her motives, and what happened to her is nothing but complete speculation. Scripture doesn't tell us, so we therefore cannot know.
Des Hedrick
Supporter
The reason God allowed Job’s sons and daughters to die but not Job’s wife (even though the Bible clearly states she told Job to “curse God and die”) is because God honored the covenant of marriage - when two become one. She was a part of Job (in Christ’s eyes) at that time!
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
Good question, Nitin! I don't know for sure. But I like what Elizabeth Baxter wrote: "A wife who comes to her husband in the spirit of a prophet, who understands what God is saying, and what God is doing, and who reminds him in his hour of trial of the Hand which is upon the mainspring of events, of the Heart which never ceases to be a Father's heart, of the good Shepherd's care over His sheep-is, indeed, a blessing to a tried husband. “It is no accident that when ‘the Lord turned the captivity of Job,’ his friends, his brethren, his sisters, his acquaintances, his sheep, camels, oxen, asses, and also his sons and daughters are named; yet Job's wife who had so signally failed, IS NEVER ONCE MENTIONED!" —Elizabeth Baxter Job's wife was not anything like my wife. I, too, just had a life-threatening experience, a near-death-experience. I had a heart attack at work, called 911, and the rescue squad got me to the closest hospital (if they had not, I'd be dead). The cardiologist on duty (there's always one on duty at our nearby hospital in Janesville, WI.) He IMMEDIATELY performed balloon surgery, inserted 2 stents, and stitched me back up. If he had not done so that fast and effectively, I'd be dead. My wife was there for that. And she was there for me, visiting me everyday of my rough recuperation. She did not abandon me in my hour of trial in the hospital. The first night my heartbeat was SO erractic with the emergency alarm going off every 15 minutes. I praise God for my wife!
Jonathan Irby
Supporter
When God destroyed all of Job's household except his wife, it was on purpose. She was not kept as a source of torment, but faith and inspiration. Her words did not come from a place of scorn, but concern and support. She loved her husband and acknowledged his faith, hence why she would remind him of his faith and WARN HIM that if he were to allow himself to be shaken in his faith and curse God, the punishment was death. Job never had to pray for his wife because she was his rock. God knows what we can endure and what will break us; this is why I believe he left her for him to help make sure Job would not give up. Proverbs 18:22 tells us "He that findeth a wife findeth a good thing and obtaineth favour from the Lord."; the fact that she was not only allowed to remain but bear Job even more children when God restores him gives credence to the possibility that she was godly, too. Now, Job 2:9-10 is the only real dialogue between him and his wife mentioned in the story, and it initially seems rather terse as she says "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die." The next verse is Job rebuking her for her apparently careless speech. As a married man myself, there have been plenty of times where I have overlooked my wife's counsel because I was lost in how I felt about a situation rather than using logic. It took a little time for me to calm down, but once I did, I could now see what she meant and better understand what she was saying. It isn't a one-sided occurrence; she's had her moments when my words go unheeded until after she's had time to cool off. I posit this: Job was in anguish at the time, having freshly lost his children, servants, and livestock, sitting in ashes as he suffered from boils Satan had inflicted upon him. In this state he (understandably) spoke from his emotion and, instead of hearing the reminder to maintain his integrity and the warning of what would happen should he forsake his faith, he dismissed her words as foolishness and indirectly reaffirmed her of his resolve to keep his faith by saying that from the Lord comes good and bad. At that point, she knew he would be fine and left to go process things herself, but she never went too far from him. We don't see hear from her again after this encounter nor do we find any mention other than at the end where Job is said to have gotten another set of children, presumably from the same wife since the text doesn't tell us differently. I believe this is because she was off dealing with the stress of everything the same as her husband, but since the wager was against the resolution of Job's faith and not hers, she isn't prominently featured in the story. This is my interpretation of the Word; thanks be unto God.
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible