Job 1:5 · Bible study
Job 1:5 Commentary: Patriarchal Priesthood and Family Faith
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why Job sacrificed after his children's feasts: patriarchal intercession, euphemistic language, and the faithful father's fear for their hearts.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Job’s regular practice of offering burnt offerings after his children’s feasts shows his priestly role and his fear that they may have inwardly turned from God.
- Key words: Sanctify (קדש - set apart for worship), burnt offering (עולה - whole offering ascending to God), cursed (ברך - euphemistic use of 'bless' meaning 'renounce').
- Main debate: Whether the Hebrew verb ברך here means 'curse' (euphemism) or retains its literal sense 'bless' (YLT), and whether the feasts were birthday celebrations or a weekly rotation.
- Theological theme: The patriarch as intercessor; the need for atonement even for sins of the heart; persistent family piety.
- Best use: Teaching on family worship, pastoral care for those in seasons of celebration, and the seriousness of hidden sin.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And when the days of feasting were over, Job would send for his children to purify them, rising early in the morning to offer burnt offerings for all of them. For Job thought, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.
WEB World English Bible 2000
It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.” Job did so continually.
KJV King James Version 1769
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt-offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and it cometh to pass, when they have gone round the days of the banquet, that Job doth send and sanctify them, and hath risen early in the morning, and caused to ascend burnt-offerings--the number of them all--for Job said, `Perhaps my sons have sinned, yet blessed God in their heart.' Thus doth Job all the days.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And it was so, when the days of the feasting were gone about, that Job sent and hallowed them; and he rose up early in the morning, and offered up burnt-offerings [according to] the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And when the days of their feasting were gone about, Job sent to them, and sanctified them: and rising up early, offered holocausts for every one of them. For he said: Lest perhaps my sons have sinned, and have blessed God in their hearts. So did Job all days.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y acontecía que, habiendo pasado en turno los días del convite, Job enviaba y santificábalos, y levantábase de mañana y ofrecía holocaustos conforme al número de todos ellos. Porque decía Job: Quizá habrán pecado mis hijos, y habrán blasfemado á Dios en sus corazones. De esta manera hacía todos los días.
E acontecia que, acabando-se o revezamento dos dias de banquetes, Jó enviava e os santificava, e se levantava de madrugada para apresentar ofertas de queima conforme o número de todos eles. Pois Jó dizia: Talvez meus filhos tenham pecado, e tenham amaldiçoado a Deus em seus corações. Assim Jó fazia todos aqueles dias.
Et quand les jours de festin étaient passés, Job appelait et sanctifiait ses fils, puis il se levait de bon matin et offrait pour chacun d’ eux un holocauste; car Job disait: Peut-être mes fils ont-ils péché et ont-ils offensé Dieu dans leur cœur. C’ est ainsi que Job avait coutume d’ agir.
Und wenn die Tage des Mahls um waren, sandte Hiob hin und heiligte sie und machte sich des Morgens früh auf und opferte Brandopfer nach ihrer aller Zahl; denn Hiob gedachte: Meine Söhne möchten gesündigt und Gott abgesagt haben in ihrem Herzen. Also tat Hiob allezeit.
Het geschiedde dan, als de dagen der maaltijden omgegaan waren, dat Job henenzond, en hen heiligde en des morgens vroeg opstond, en brandofferen offerde naar hun aller getal; want Job zeide: Misschien hebben mijn kinderen gezondigd, en God in hun hart gezegend. Alzo deed Job al die dagen.
E quando la serie dei giorni di convito era finita Giobbe li faceva venire per purificarli; si levava di buon mattino, e offriva un olocausto per ciascun d’essi, perché diceva: “Può darsi che i miei figliuoli abbian peccato ed abbiano rinnegato Iddio in cuor loro”. E Giobbe faceva sempre così.
A gdy wkoło obeszły dni uczty, posyłał Ijob, a poświęcał ich, a wstawając rano sprawował całopalenia według liczby ich wszystkich; bo mówił Ijob: Podobno zgrzeszyli synowie moi, a złorzeczyli Bogu w sercach swych. Tak czynił Ijob po one wszystkie dni.
Когда круг пиршественных дней совершался, Иов посылал за ними и освящал их и, вставая рано утром, возносил всесожжения по числу всех их [и одного тельца за грех о душах их]. Ибо говорил Иов: может быть, сыновья мои согрешили и похулили Бога в сердце своем. Так делал Иов во все такие дни.
筵宴 的日子 過了，約伯 打發 人去叫他們自潔。他清早 起來，按著他們眾人 的數目 獻 燔祭；因為 他 說：「恐怕 我兒子 犯了罪，心中 棄掉 神。」約伯 常常 這樣 行。
And at the end of their days of feasting, Job sent and made them clean, getting up early in the morning and offering burned offerings for them all. For, Job said, It may be that my sons have done wrong and said evil of God in their hearts. And Job did this whenever the feasts came round.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 1:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Job’s actions in this verse reveal his role as a faithful patriarch who acts as priest for his family. After the cycle of feasts among his children, Job would send for them, sanctify them (likely through ritual washing or preparation), and offer a burnt offering for each one. The stated reason, 'It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts', reflects deep pastoral concern. The Hebrew verb translated 'cursed' (ברך, barach) is the usual word for 'bless'; most interpreters (Clarke, Barnes, Cambridge, Keil & Delitzsch) see it as a euphemism for 'renounce' or 'curse,' though YLT renders it literally. Job’s regular practice establishes him as a man who fears God not only in his own life but extends that care to his household, prefiguring New Testament teaching on family intercession.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Euphemistic 'curse' (majority view): The Hebrew verb for 'bless' is a known scribal substitution to avoid writing a direct curse against God; supported by context, ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate), and most commentators from Jewish tradition onward.
- Literal 'blessed' (minority view): YLT and some interpreters (Mason Good) argue the verb retains its normal meaning; Job’s fear is that his sons may have sinned <em>by failing to bless God</em> in their hearts, making the sin one of omission rather than cursing.
What is clear: All traditions agree that Job offered sacrifices regularly out of genuine pastoral concern for his children’s spiritual condition, demonstrating his role as a faithful patriarch and intercessor.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of the verb 'curse' (ברך) | The Hebrew word normally means 'to bless,' but here it is widely understood as a euphemism for 'curse' or 'renounce' in the context of possible sin against God. | Some translations (YLT) render it 'blessed,' taking the word at face value and arguing that Job feared his sons had stopped blessing God. Other interpreters (Clarke, Cambridge) read it as a deliberate substitution for a curse word, a common scribal practice. |
| Number of burnt offerings | Job offered burnt offerings according to the number of 'them all,' referring to his children who participated in the feasts. | Some (Matthew Henry, Keil & Delitzsch) include the three daughters, making ten offerings. Others (Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) limit it to the seven sons, since they were the hosts of the feasts. |
| Nature of the feasts | The feasts were a series of family celebrations that rotated through the sons' houses, involving eating, drinking, and inviting the sisters. | Keil & Delitzsch propose a weekly rotation ending on Sunday morning, while earlier commentators (Clarke, Barnes) see them as annual birthday feasts (based on 'his day' in v.4). |
| Job's emotional state | Job acted out of a genuine concern for his children's spiritual condition, not out of distrust or harshness. | Some (Barnes) emphasize that Job did not anticipate sin but feared its possibility; others (Lange) see his actions as reflecting an anxiety born of living in an idolatrous culture. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Job 1:5 places the reader in the patriarchal age, before the Mosaic Law established a formal priesthood. In this era, the father served as priest for his household, a pattern seen with Noah (Genesis 8:20) and Abraham (Genesis 22:3). Job’s morning sacrifice, he 'rose up early in the morning', was a common time for worship (Exodus 29:39) and showed urgency and devotion.
The feasts mentioned in verse 4 are described as a rotation. Keil & Delitzsch argue they were a weekly cycle of dinners, each hosted by a different son. After the week's festivities were complete, Job intervened. The 'sanctification' of his children likely involved calling them to prepare themselves through washing and change of garments (Genesis 35:2; Exodus 19:10), practices that preceded worship. The burnt offering (olah, 'that which ascends') was a complete gift to God, consumed by fire, and served as an act of atonement (Leviticus 1:4). Job offered one burnt offering for each child, whether for all ten or only the seven sons is debated, but the language 'according to the number of them all' suggests full inclusion.
Job could not be certain his children had sinned; the particle 'perhaps' (ulai) reveals his reverent caution. In a culture where idolatry was common, his worry that they might have 'blessed the gods' during their mirth (Clarke’s suggestion) was not far-fetched. The verse closes with the note that this was Job's continual practice, literally 'all the days', showing his piety was persistent, not occasional. This daily pattern underscores the theme of Job’s blameless character introduced in verse 1.
Textual Notes
The consulted commentators note no significant manuscript variants for Job 1:5. The primary textual issue is translational: the Hebrew verb barach (ברך) appears in the Qal perfect, third person plural. Because it normally means 'to bless,' many ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate) and modern translations treat it as a euphemism for 'curse.' The scope of the problem is not textual but lexical, whether the word is used in its opposite sense out of reverence. The Dead Sea Scrolls do not preserve Job 1:5, so no early Hebrew witness resolves the ambiguity.
Reception History
The early church fathers read Job 1:5 as a model of fatherly care and a prefiguration of Christ’s intercession. Gregory the Great’s Moralia in Job devotes extensive comment to Job's vigilance, seeing it as a lesson in pastoral oversight. Medieval commentators admired Job’s persistence and his practice of rising early, connecting it to monastic discipline. The Reformers (Luther, Calvin) used the verse to argue for the priesthood of all believers: Job needed no Levitical priest to offer sacrifice on his family’s behalf. In modern exegesis, the verse is valued for its psychological realism, Job's anxious love captures the tension between hope and fear that parents know. Across all eras, the verse has been a staple of sermons on family religion and the duty of intercession.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- The Father’s Watchful Love. Job did not assume his children’s innocence; he actively interceded for them. His love expressed itself in vigilance and prayer, not indulgence. This models the kind of care that refuses to ignore spiritual danger.
- The Reality of Hidden Sin. Job feared that his children might have sinned in their hearts, words never spoken, actions never seen. The euphemism 'cursed God' (literally 'blessed') points to the possibility of a quiet turning away, a farewell to God in the midst of celebration. This challenges congregations to examine the inner condition, not just outward behavior.
- The Regular Work of Intercession. Job's practice was not a one-time response but 'all the days.' He built a rhythm of intercession into his family life. This points to the value of consistent, scheduled prayer for those we love rather than waiting for crises.
Five-Point Outline
- Job’s Pattern: After feasting comes a call to sanctification. He sent for his children, gathering them to be set apart.
- Job’s Timing: Early morning, the sacrifice was not delayed. He gave God the first part of the day.
- Job’s Provision: A burnt offering for each child, a personal and costly gift of atonement for every individual.
- Job’s Fear: 'Perhaps my children have sinned', not paranoid but prudent. He acknowledged that good circumstances do not guarantee pure hearts.
- Job’s Persistence: 'Thus did Job continually.' His piety was not episodic but woven into the fabric of his life.
Illustration Hooks
- A parent staying up late to talk with a teenager after a party, not to accuse but to listen and pray.
- A pastor who visits each family in the congregation after a church celebration, knowing that spiritual highs can mask spiritual risks.
- The practice of saying a blessing over each child by name before bed, a small, repeated act of intercession.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Should I worry about my adult children’s spiritual state, or does that show a lack of trust in God?
- How can I serve as a 'priest' in my home without being pushy or judgmental?
- What does it look like to regularly pray for each family member by name?
Leading a Discussion
Job 1:5 shows us a father who took his children’s spiritual lives seriously. He did not wait for a crisis; he acted out of love and fear. The passage invites us to reflect on our own habits of intercession and the ways we care for those around us. Use the questions below to explore the passage together.
Discussion Questions
- Read Job 1:1, 5. What do you learn about Job’s character from his actions here? How does verse 5 connect to verse 1?
- Why do you think Job specifically feared that his children might have 'renounced God in their hearts'? What does that tell you about the pressure points of faith during celebrations?
- The Hebrew word for 'cursed' here is the usual word for 'bless.' Why would Job use that euphemism? What does it reveal about his reverence for God?
- Job offered a burnt offering for each child. In what ways do you see this as both a personal act and a family act? How does it model intercessory prayer today?
- Verse 5 ends with 'Job did so continually' (or 'all the days'). What difference does it make that this was a regular practice rather than an occasional response?
- How can we, in our own families or small groups, create rhythms that guard against hidden sin and encourage openness with God?
- Job's actions are described before any disaster strikes. How does this passage shape your understanding of what it means to live in 'fear of God' (verse 1) during ordinary, happy times?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 6:5 | Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil. |
| Genesis 8:20 | Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. |
| Genesis 22:3 | Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him. |
| Genesis 35:2 | Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. |
| Genesis 35:3 | Let’s arise, and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me on the way which I went.” |
| Exodus 18:12 | Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. |
| Exodus 19:10 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, |
| Exodus 24:5 | He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to Yahweh. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Hebrew word for bless can also mean curse and that God is referred to as both true God and false gods. He believes Job feared his children might have secretly cursed God in their hearts during the feast.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that Job's concern arose not from knowing his children had sinned, but from the apprehension they might have during their cycle of feasting. So Job acted as family priest, offering burnt offerings for each child to seek their forgiveness, showing a father's vigilant care.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges sees the word for curse as meaning renounce rather than bless. This view fits the rest of Job and other ancient texts where it is used the same way.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to Job's fear that his children may have committed secret, inward sins, specifically blasphemy in their hearts, which only God could see. Job's response was not occasional but daily, rising early to offer burnt offerings and sanctify them as a settled pattern of care for their spiritual state.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that Job's fear was not outright blasphemy but that his sons, in their feasting, might have thought or spoken irreverently about God, perhaps attributing their prosperity to themselves rather than to Him. He notes the Hebrew word can mean "blessed," so the sin could be failing to bless God properly, which amounts to cursing Him by neglect.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the Hebrew word for cursing also means blessing and originally meant kneeling to invoke either. This shows that cursing is a misuse of the original act of blessing. Job may have dismissed God from his heart during his feasting.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that Job’s seven sons took turns hosting weekly feasts at home each week and always included their sisters. He would then offer ten sacrifices on the morning of the eighth day to ask God to forgive any sins they might have committed during the celebrations.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange highlights that Job's anxiety went beyond his children's outward behavior; he feared they might have inwardly renounced God during their feasts. The commentator stresses that even a silent, heart-level curse against God required atonement, and Job's continual offerings show his vigilant sense of unseen sin.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Job offered sacrifices for his sons after their feasts because he feared they might have sinned against God in secret. He sees this action as proof of Job’s deep piety.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley explains that Job's concern was not about his children uttering curses, but about them dishonoring God in their hearts through neglect or low thoughts of him. He highlights Job's diligent practice of rising early to offer a sacrifice for each child, showing particular, prayerful care for each one according to their character.