Writer: Moses

Thus, allowing for Job’s long life, it appears that the book covers a period between 1657 B.C.E. and 1473 B.C.E., the year of Moses’ death; the book was completed by Moses sometime after Job’s death and while the Israelites were in the wilderness.​—Job 1:8; 42:16, 17.

5. What indicates Moses’ writership of Job?

⁵ Why do we say Moses was the writer? This is according to the oldest tradition, among both Jewish and early Christian scholars. The vigorous authentic style of Hebrew poetry used in the book of Job makes it evident that it was an original composition in Hebrew, the language of Moses. It could not have been a translation from another language such as Arabic. Also, the portions in prose bear stronger resemblance to the Pentateuch than to any other writings in the Bible. The writer must have been an Israelite, as Moses was, because the Jews “were entrusted with the sacred pronouncements of God.” (Rom. 3:1, 2) After he had reached maturity, Moses spent 40 years in Midian, not far from Uz, where he could obtain the detailed information recorded in Job. Later, when he passed near Job’s homeland during Israel’s 40-year wilderness journey, Moses could learn of and record the concluding details in the book.