Era: Approximately 2000-1800 BCE (Patriarchal Period)
Job lived in the land of Uz, likely in what is now northwestern Saudi Arabia or southern Jordan, near the ancient trade routes that connected Egypt to Mesopotamia. He was a contemporary of the patriarchs—around the same era when Stonehenge was being completed in England and the first cities were rising along the Indus River in modern-day Pakistan.
Before his famous trial, Job was the most respected man in the East. He owned thousands of animals, employed many workers, and raised ten children. His neighbors came to him for wisdom. Kings sought his counsel. He was known for his integrity and his habit of offering sacrifices for his children, just in case they had sinned.
After losing everything and enduring a devastating illness, Job wrestled with God and his own friends for months. In the end, he encountered something bigger than answers—and was restored to an even greater life. His story became one of the oldest pieces of wisdom literature still read today.